Holidaaay!

Hurrah, it's the October week! Now it's Tuesday it's slightly less than a week til I go back to college but never fear, we have been given a mountain of homework lest we forget about it!

Finally finally got the childcare funding sorted out - unfortunately it won't cover the after-school care for the boys and it's just too much for us to manage ourselves so they're finishing up there in a couple of weeks and my Mum is going to help out with that side of things for the time being (thank you Mum).

Our assessments start in November (eek!). Sociology is finally beginning to make more sense to me now, so I'm not so panicked about never being able to figure it out. It's getting there, slowly but surely.

Anyway, hope you're all enjoying your half-term break.

Sunshine on a rainy day...

Yesterday I was perusing a few blogs and came across the perfect rainy day crafting project to do with the boys - so I had a wee practice (nothing worse than them slaving over something only for it to not work out, nothing to do with my childish sense of impatience at all) and posted a little teaser picture on Twitter to see if any of my followers could guess what it was. I thought it looked like questionable scrambled eggs, however I did receive one correct guess (and a few wrong ones) - it's a PVA glue/tissue paper window sticker, as inspired by this blog post over at Cooking, Cakes and Children by Amy Lane. If you check out Amy's post, it tells you exactly how to make one if you or your kids fancy having a go at it.


This morning my practice sticker was all finished, and it was fitting that it was pouring with rain given that I had made a sun.




Here are the boys busily working away on their own stickers. We all decided to make rainbows.




And here they are waiting to dry. There is a lot of PVA glue on these bad boys so I'm expecting them to be ready to stick up around about November.



The boys thoroughly enjoyed making their own window stickers and it was very easy for them to get on with and do themselves. It's a nice, simple little activity for a day stuck inside and takes up enough time to keep them occupied for a while but not so long that they get fed up. Definitely one we'll be filing away to do again.


In other 'sunshine on a rainy day' news, Elise's nursery called today to make a date for her first nursery visit (16th August) and to confirm what date I wanted her to officially start on (30th August). So in less than 4 weeks my baby is going for her first nursery visit then at the end of August she will be officially attending nursery! I explained all this to her earlier, and her response was to laugh in my face and say 'Muummaayyy' in a slightly condescending fashion. I have a feeling we're going to have to take Important Big Girl Nursery Business a bit more seriously than that! Like the 86 forms I have to fill in before she starts.

Have you had any rays of sunshine on this rather grey and dreary day?

We are victorious!

I just got some truly excellent news - we have a nursery place for Elise! I am so happy - and it proves a little determination pays off as I have no doubt my phone calls pestering them probably helped (we're all best mates now). So I have one less thing to panic and stress about!

Join me while I do a little jig of victory why don't you?

Getting behind...

Well it does not bode well that I am already behind with the daily meme I was participating in. But I have had an upsetting and stressful week, one which I am incredibly glad is over. Onwards and upwards, as they say! But I think I might just leave the rest of it to spread out for days when I want to update but have nothing to talk about.

I phoned second choice nursery last Monday to see if I could find out any news on whether or not E has manage to get a place for next year. The lady I spoke to was very nice but couldn't tell me anything as the roll has not been finalised yet but she did say she would look into it and get in touch as soon as possible. Unfortunately I've not heard anything - and I'm panicking a bit as if we don't get a place then I need to sort something else out but the end of August. Oh yes, good luck with that. Not to mention getting my funding application sorted out as well. Is this Monday too soon to chase it up?

I'm also in the midst of washing/ironing/packing/sorting/stressing for our summer holiday to France which we go on next weekend. I am really looking forward to it - I can't wait to get away in fact.

Anyway it is time to get back to the seemingly endless pile of shorts and t-shirts needing packed! Cheerio for now!

Here we go...

Well I've decided to start a new blog to fit in with the changes in my life that are going to be occurring in the next couple of months. If you want, you can still go look at my old blog and who knows I may still update it from time to time but I think for the forseeable this will be where you are most likely to find me.

Those who know me fairly well are probably aware that I have taken the plunge and am going to college in September to start the journey towards gaining a degree in Primary Education. My first step is this college course - Access to Social Sciences. Then after that it's hopefully off to the big bad world of University!

© David Michael Morris

Currently I am stressing about finding childcare for my daughter while I am at college next year - we didn't get a space in our first choice nursery due to an overwhelming number of applicants so fingers crossed we get a space in our second choice (which is still a brilliant nursery - my eldest went there - and is only second choice in terms of proximity to the college. First choice is actually *in* the college).

I'm also having a bag/stationary dilemma. When I went to college the first time around, I was (fairly) fresh out of school and went for a backpack and a couple of pads and folders. This time around I need to be incredibly organised from the get-go or I'll end up sending scribbled notes to children's teachers on the back of assignments and losing all my pens bar the pink sparkly one with the massive feather sprouting from the top of it! So although I have held off until now, I can sense a trip to Paperchase or WH Smith on the horizon (pretty or functional? a lifelong dilemma).

© Caro Wallis

If there are any parents out there who've successfully juggled parenthood with their studies reading this, I'd love to hear how it went (or is going) for you.