Almost a month

 How can almost a month have gone by since my last post? I used to think January was the most awful longest month and whilst the dark mornings still get on my nerves, I now just embrace every day instead of wishing them away. 

Work has been crazy as my work wife has been off with work related stress after a particularly nasty vile attack off a family who she has bent over backwards in the last 16 years to support, help and accommodate. After leaving the building shouting their heads off, pointing, SWEARING ON THE CORRIDOR IN FRONT OF CLASSROOMS -  They they went and spread malicious lies and totally fabricated situations to n the wider community. She’d be within her rights to do them for slander. They are lying horrible hateful people. 

How dare they? The amount of self centred parents who are so falsely entitled is staggering. I really think that they are not of the same ilk as me and mine. I believe you put your children first ( but not in that spoilt way of giving them everything they want and bribery that goes on these days in some homes ) but that way they don’t sacrifice things themselves so their children can have the things they need. It’s take take take and then my kids won’t behave at home. No shit Sherlock. I am making sweeping generalisations and I am NOT including truly hard working parents whose children have additional needs and exhibit challenging behaviours at home. I’m not. It’s good that everyone is open and honest etc but I do feel that now those that have always taken the mick are now all declaring they have poor mental health so can’t make their children come off their expensive iPads and video games to get them to bed to get them up and to school on time. Bollocks. Lazy, horrible, toxic morons who are not fit to have the children they do…. They are simply not ‘decent’ folk. It doesn’t matter how much money you have coming in, we’ve toxic morons at the other end of the scale. Where have all the ‘decent’ folks gone? 

Where? 

No I’m not setting off on a rant. I’ll put my soap box away and calm myself with my lovely jigsaw. 

Oh no wait a minute ….. now this jigsaw is ROCK HARD anyway but I likes it because it is shiny. However, my dear sweetheart HG helping clear the table for lunch but did not secure the innards. 

Was it a true motive? For jigsaw related Hunter Gathericide? I put it to you your honour, it was justified!!! 

He did not place the boards on top and zip it closed. 

Mr 25 is going to see his sister over the other side of the country for a few days so that’s made me feel all smug mumsy and help restore my balance! The newest Jurassic Park film is on my telly system ready to watch later on after we’ve dropped him at the train station, visited all or elderlies and walked the dog. I think I’m making meatballs and pasta for tea but that could change. My last post included a freezer stock take and I’m happy to report that bar from a few bags of frozen fruit and some sausages and bits of bags of veg, I made a good indent in using it up! And the downstairs one too that I did not stocktake. 

So yesterday I did an Iceland shop ( was that a big gasp from food snobs??!!! ) and filled them back up with provisions for the next few months. There’s a few ‘easy’ meals like some meat and potato pies, fish portions, their frozen stewing steak is brilliant for bunging in the slow cooker from frozen first thing in a morning with some stock and frozen onions and carrots for the best easy and cheap stew ever! I’ve bought some microwave portions of plain steamed rice because it’s cheaper than boiling on the stove top when it’s one of those nights me and the HG have the same and Mr 25 has a curry or something. Also cheaper and better portioned for a quick mixed rice with chicken and veg concoction! I always make too much! Bags of oven chips and some potato waffles because I’ve not had them in years! Just plenty of things to go at and quite reasonably priced for this day and age. I’ve still some fresh meat that I froze in the downstairs freezer including some homemade chilli portions and a chicken to roast. 

I wish I was a better meal planner, I can do it, then we don’t stick to it. I did have a mini plan last week and it worked. I stuck to what I said we were having but sometimes I don’t feel like what I planned. I don’t get in until 5.45pm either after the after school club so timing is short too. I love my slow cooker and would use it daily but I might have a mutiny on my hands haha. Plus variety is spice of life etc. 

I would use the food hubs that we have close by just for food waste sake and who doesn’t love a bargain, but I’m at work when they are on. I may see if there’s room in the holidays - be like Ready Steady Cook in real life! Two weeks until half term - I’ll try and clear some freezer space incase I do go!

Right, my cup of tea has gone cold as I’ve been sat here typing so it’s 7.45am and I’ll go top it up and check the washer. 

Hope all is well in your worlds.

Love from 

Rachel *seething mass of rage* Radiostar

Ps.

Oh and I must record this for my future happiness.

At school I run Lego therapy sessions. It’s a brilliantly prescribed set of sessions designed initially for children with autism but works for EVERYONE whereby it sets out to improve communication skills. I love doing them. The children love doing it. It does give them transferable skills to use I n the classroom and I’m running two groups at the moment. One child has combined ASC and ADHD and is an absolute sweetheart. Totally obsessed with The Titanic and the SS Fitzgerald I think ( sorry I’d switched off ) and they can talk your head off, including stats about the dimensions of these ships and talks in such a manner using all sorts of brilliant vocabulary without drawing breath for ever if you’d let them.

Can this child remember how to do long multiplication ? Nope. Can this child sing all 456 verses of a sea shanty type folk song about the sinking of the F Fitzgerald in an Irish accent? 

You bet your life they can! I know. I’ve listened to it! 

They are now fixated with narrow train track gauge locomotives. Anyway.. this child is learning to wait before launching into an hour long talk on the subject of their choice. They can now listen to another child and ask them a question and now we are in week 4 I’ve let them ‘award’ each other reward bricks. 

So in my sessions, they have a sheet of blank Lego bricks which they colour in at the end of each session ( listening skills, pencil control ) and I will start by awarding some bricks for example

I like the way you really showed an interest in their model and paid them a lovely complement - colour in two bricks etc. At the end of their  ( of course it is carefully and skilfully managed by me ) 6 sessions they will get a surprise! They don’t know this at the time - they just like colouring in the bricks. 

So I opened the floor. Titanic/train child said 

I’m awarding you SIX ( I laughed inside because everyone else had given like two or three ) bricks because 

two for saying you liked my model of the titanic and four…. 

Just because I’m in a good mood. 

It’s made me laugh for days!!!! 

Oh and another child has finally started medication for ADHD - the parents resisted despite medical professionals advising it, teachers advising it. 

Within two days - what a difference. No fighting. No trouble. Nothing. I asked them to explain what it felt like in my social skills group they come to. 

They said - yesterday I felt far more mathematical and joyous!! Then today Miss, I came in in the morning, I went straight to my place, I put my chair down and x’s chair down, didn’t I x? ( x said yeah you did ! ) and then I got my things from my drawer, sat down and did ALL the chilli heatwave ( I have no idea what that is haha some sort of maths practice the teacher sets up on the whiteboard for them all to do pre register ) and I got them all right! 

I said, wow, that must feel

Brilliant. 

What was it like before you started your meds? ( knowing full well what it was like ) 

They said welllll I’d be the last one in because I wanted to just play out. I’d come in and barge into people and talk and talk to my friends. I’d forget to get stuff out of my tray. The teacher would tell me everyday to stop and go get my things. I’d get my things, I’d mess about and do ‘fake’ work and then maybe try 2 chilli heatwaves. 

I said that was amazing to hear. And it is amazing. Long may it continue. I have had a lot of time for this child and it’s great to hear him enthuse about his work. I can’t help but wonder had their parents started the  prescribed meds in y2 how far they would have come by now. They are in y5 now with big gaps in learning due to disruptive lessons all the way through school life. Anyway. Definitely have a cold cup of tea now!!! 

Fake work though !!!! Hilarious and inciteful!