Wednesday lecture!

On Wednesday I had a lecture that was kind of half a lecture followed by some useful discussion!

We had to work through the centre practise build ups, and then set exercises.

Oh what's that? I knew all the answers? Why yes I did, now I just need to dance as well as I talk the talk!!!

I really love my job but my study part not so much. Am pleased that my accounts went to my accountant and that she was a happy bunny with what I sent her! Now all I have to do for next terms print off my registers and I am good to go! Hurrah!

Dancing!

Today I am medieval dancing with yr 2 of a local infant school. I am very excited.

The dance is in a circle and is lovely and simple. I hope we have a marvellous time!

Life is tricky

How would one go about requesting the noisy neighbour be quiet? With out a fight? Ideally? 
I used to quite like my neighbour before her other half scarpered and left her with two small children. One who is a polite friendly little thing and the other who is just a bit dim, and nosy. 
Now she has a new fella( the neighbour not the eldest daughter) and he is a nasty looking piece of work. I really don't understand people who think it is fine to get drunken front of their children in the day time. Or in the evening until half ten at night. Because my kids might be in bed trying to sleep but hers are in the garden screeching at each other.
I of course may be wring about him being horrid. But he looks fairly nasty. :( one again I am feeling a bit like a meany for feeling this way.
The second tricky thing is that some people I love dearly are having a rough ride currently. I really home they manage to get things stable. They work well together. But life does throw lemons and the job to do is to make lemonade.

18

Hours Of lecture time.
This is a scary thing.
I will need encouragement and time and motivation and I don't know if I own any of these things!
I will be knuckling down and studying hard honest!
This evening I think it will be time to re read the essay and see if I can get that finished.
Theni shall maybe write some lesson plans for Monday and Tuesday as I already have a plan for the Wednesday adult class together!
Then I need to put together a tendu exercise for a grade 6 level class - but I think I might have already got that organised. :)

Onwards and away for the internets!

How lucky I am

I dont want to sound like a arrogant stuck up type of person but I have realised just how fortunate I am.

I have a job I adore, I share my home with 4 mostly fabulous children, and one pretty awesome young man. I can pay my bills. I know what's am talking about when it comes to studying and teaching ballet. I can go to tech feeling really low and fed up and come away feeling excited and seriously positive.

I can see some of my pupils who have such joy and excitement about their dancing, they might not be the most awesome but they have love for it and that makes me unexpectedly happy! Then we have some who are good. And could be seriously good, but they don't have any arrogance and they don't really know just how good they are. They come because they love it!

And today a new child came whose mum sat in, and after signed her daughter up for the rest of the term, bought a ballet bag, and ordered uniform, and told me she loved my style of teaching and that the group looked so happy.

So yeah - sorry interest - I am smug today. It's not big or clever and I promise to not be smug tomorrow.

Planning plans!

Writing lesson plans is being an experience, I see the logic and theory behind why I ought to write lesson plans but it does infuriate me a bit.

Planning seems to take up a whole wedge of my time that technically I don't get paid for. Unless I increase my class fees which is never the ideal plan.

I wrote a lesson plan on Friday for my adult ballet class. 45 minutes of class time and 15 exercises. I had an idea of what I wanted to achieve from it but I don't think I actually did in reality.

But the class had to work hard and didn't have a chance to stop and gossip!!! So in that respect it was all good!

Too short

Half term is drawing to a close and  I am a little sad. I have enjoyed not going to work and teaching most days. It sounds horrid really as I love teaching but I have had fun this week and done a whole bunch of sorting stuff out that needed to be done.

Just one (massive) pile of paper work and g"s chest of drawers top and my bedroom will resemble somewhere where a grown up sleeps instead of a big mess of stuff. Or and the sock box needs a new home. And the big bag of stuff for the school charity pick up which I have sat on a chair. But apart from that it's done!

I shopped this week and planned breakfast lunch and dinner for the entire week.

Breakfast included amongst other options pain au chocolate, bagels, porridge

Lunches the choices have home made minestrone soup, quesadilla, and ham and leek pasties.

Dinners we have hunters chicken, lamb tagine and gammon.

I have enjoyed the cooking, not so much the shopping which was more than I normally spend but I don't normally need to buy extra ingredients as it tends to be the same boring meals again and again. I have my cheap staple meals and they get churned out a lot!

I have also included in my planner some sweet and savoury treats and sadly not included wine or late night snacks! I hope it's will help in a two fold manner - my waist will slim and my purse will get fatter!

I have also up cycled this week, some left over blue velvet fabric and a scrap of lining fabric have become very sumptuous bedroom curtains, my amazing fabric that I will never use has become a rug, I am currently creating a matching sort of valance for my bed to hide the junk under it. I need the junk! Therefore I hide the junk.

And the only thing left to do will be sorting the dancing paperwork and emailing it to my lovely accountant friend who has offered to help and I am done! Phew!

On to see what Friday brings us. Currently they are playing nicely, I give it 4 minutes till I am splitting up a fight!

Possible case.

I am in my early thirties and lucky if I can remember what I had for breakfast - if I remember to even eat breakfast. Its one of two things - I am slowly losing my marbles or am doing too much and I am over tired.

Today has been fun.

Trying to persuade a boy to do football training when he really didn't want to! Going to collect fabric then forgetting to pick it up!

Now I am onto dinner making then its early to bed and a nice soak in the tub followed by a raspberry beer for me! I might even do some more paperwork sorting.

Oh yes so many papers to sort, so little inclination!

It's all a bit sad and unfair.

Last week I went to work. There was an incident.

We dealt with it.

It all seemed fine.

This week I get to work and had an awful shock.

The same incident had resulted in a very sad ending.

That's all I can say.

Studying

So today I got a bunch of stuff done and now I need to get more done.

But first I am going to record my two exercises that I created the other day for my DDE ballet class - its a higher level teaching qualification for imperial ballet in the ISTD.

So grade 6 centre practise.

Start croise,
Prepare dégagé de cote with front foot.
Battement fondu en avant, a la seconde and en arriere,
Fondu supporting leg and pas de bouree under to croise, dégagé back foot de cote.
One rond de jambe en dehor in 2 and one en dedan in 2.
Pas de bouree under to croise, and dégagé de de cote with front foot.


And intermediate

You'll have to wait till I remember what I did!!

Things I need to do!

I need to do my homework! I need to record the steps I just made up and the steps I am going to put together!

I need to write up build ups through the grades to see if it will make them rise to the surface any quicker.

I need to get more music together for the show I am slowly putting together.

I REALLY need to clean the lounge.

I need to sort all the kids toys and junk so I can find stuff, and so can they!

I need to get generally more organised.

I need to make up the spag Bol I bought the meat for even though I have no inclination to cook.

I need to input all my book keeping back on to the pc after it managed to turn off and wipe it before I had saved.

Sort all the paperwork that is lurking

Sort d and her hearing aid out.

I need to get on with it.

Compare this to what I want to do -
I want to dye my hair 
Sew
Read a book while soaking in the tub
Get taller
Do some baking
Do some sewing

15 minutes is enough time to do anything.

I have started again with the fly lady, this month we are supposed to banish the paperwork through bursts of fifteen minutes every day and so far it seems to be working. This is a good thing.
It meant that yesterday when I was trying to find some important paper work I was able to go straight to it. This is super extra specially good!! Happy days! I did fifteen minutes today clearing a pile of mystery papers from my cupboard and now know where my notes for teaching are. What a good girl I am being.

And FrOctober is raising funds and awareness for post natal depression charities, and today I am sporting a woven wool skirt in burgundy with a paisley pattern through it, an over sized white grandad collar shirt, a tan skinny belt and black tights. Later it'll be teaching clothes!

Finally I have a weird arm, and now in the last ten minutes a weird foot. My upper arm keeps twitching, and my foot has gone pins and needley.

FrOctober

Is a fundraising drive. It involves attempting to wear a dress for the entirety of october. Skirtemeber I could have managed.

I generally live in skirts, I have crop trousers I wear to teach and do own jeans but skirts are just comfier on my old section scar.

I am this month attempting to turn a UFO into something wearable. It's a dress I made quite a while ago but it never quite looked right. Currently it has pockets but they might have to go or be moved out of the seams. The back is split from the neck to waist and I might need to adjust that too. It's black lace over black crepe satin which sounds hideous and currently looks awful too. Going to borrow the dress form and adjust it till it resembles something almost wearable! Then I shall go to the ball! (or the christmas work party).

This week I went and had a look at a building. It's amazing. All I need now is some money to rent it, some money to renovate it, and some other teachers to come teach different dance forms!

Once again we're busy

So I find my self stood in my kitchen with all the mini peeps off out at school. This is unusual and amazing.
Even g is out. Sorting things out for the rest of the week when he's off to the studio.

I had a busy few weeks, lots of poorly children, and trying to fit in studying, and make ends meet. Seriously hectic things!

Today is the third day this week that I have had time to cook from scratch. It's all Nigella's fault. Showing me lovely recipes on the I player. Luring me in. So I open up the cook books. Friday was a sausage, squash, garlic and pepper bake, with pear ginger and chocolate cobbler to follow. Then Saturday was crust less pizza - was weird. Like a savoury pancake with cheese and ham on it. Yesterday was Pre-bought pie, and today I am in the middle of making butternut and sweet spud soup.

Also this week I am debating participating in FrOctober. I may start today. We shall see. If I do you'll be the first to know!

Play time.

I am sat in the play centre procrastinating about various tasks.

I have been distracted from my avoidance by the spectacle of t's trousers falling off half way round the play centre. The comedy value is huge!

Sometimes...

...When I look in your eyes I can see your soul!

Thats a lyric from my favourite song by one of my fav bands. 50 points if you can name it!
I love that band. My husband thinks their lame but what would he know about listening to the music your cousens inflicted up on you in the mid 90's - the formative years!

This year we went to Wickham without the kids and I spent an hour solid dancing to the Levellers. My Cousen's influence again! They were the first band I saw live in 199?? - 93/4 maybe? I know I went with my cousen Jo before she had her son and he's 18 - I could the maths....

33 - 18 = 15 - a bit as he wasn't born so I would hazard a guess I was about 14. It was in Bournemouth and my Aunt and Uncle drove us down and picked us up. We had seated seats. And then we managed to swop our seats for spaces down in the auditorium.  Wow! It was fantanstic and I loved every second. Then the next few years were filled with people saying you like WHO??? Its come full circle though. They seem to be really popular with my old aquaintances.... who then seemed totally shocked when I knew ALL the words to all the songs...

Do you think I am finally cool?

How the week goes...

Or how many things I fit in from next week....

Monday - some study, an intermediate ballet class to make myself fitter, so I will pass the next exam, teaching, dealing with children stuff,

Tuesday - play group after school run, fit in a session at school or preschool teaching free fun things, teach regular classes, pick up kids and bring them home to bed,

Wednesday - a full day of study at roynon, then a session of toddler ballet in the lunch break, then Dde ballet followed by school run, then teaching the adults classes,

Thursday - work day - 9 to 5.30!

Friday - professional ballet class in the morning followed by house work, then teaching the adults again in the evening.

And fitting into the week - laundry, shopping (which I am now doing at 7am on Saturday mornings) then general house work and finding time to spend with Mr M. All good fun!

Now off to make the small peeps get in their beds and stay there!!

What a week!

I discovered this week that if you ingest laundry Liquitabs they won't kill you but you'll spit up bubbles for hours. Nice. Don't even ask how I knw, but it tastes vile - particularly when you wake up suddenly to a child saying 'Look what Noah did!' and look at said object, assume it's honey because when you sniff it it is sweet smelling and automatically (because you are an idiot and still asleep) stick your finger in it.... And spend the next hour or so retching and ending up nipping down to A&E where the lovely doctor Manon (I kid you not!) explains that you did the right thing and that Tox Base says Ill be ok after several rinse cycles. Thanks kids!

Also this week I managed to completely forget my wedding anniversary. In my defense I had been stupidly busy and this just goes to prove that I can't do it all like I assumed I can! haha! I think G will forgive me, but I shall endevour to make sure it doesn't happen again! Bad wife!

Todays plans are to get laundry done, wash up washing up, check the school uniform and go to Football with 3/4 of the rabble! 4pm kick off - stupid time for a football match.

And next week is dedicated to getting registers etc together. :)

The run down...

So this is how I got where I am!

I began ballet at six years old in 1985 at the local school with Sandy Beck instilled in that we dance because we love to. I progressed through the grades and at 14 Mrs Beck asked me if I would be the assistant in the Saturday morning classes. It was while being a starfish or making diamonds, and making resources for the class room that I knew that I wanted to be a teacher not a dancer. I helped every saturday and as I got older would help from 9 to 1 and then go on to my saturday job.
During school in 1994 I did two weeks of work experience at Roynon Dance Centre with Mrs V Wilkinson. It was the run up to the show and I saw the teachers role for the first time, helping back stage, making props and seeing the ground work. I helped with little ones and attended day time classes.
In July 1996 attended a 2 week course at the Royal Opera House, taking class everyday at Pineapple, attending work shops, listening to lectures and watching Manon at the ROH.
Post 16 I attended college and started A level dance as well as academic subjects. The course stopped due to low numbers and I went into work, fitting 2 jobs around dancing.
I achieved my Elementary ballet in 1997 with highly commended as a 'once a weeker', taught by Mrs Beck for 2 hours a week and Julia Chittenden for 1 class a week. All the time I wanted to be a teacher, and my teachers suggested I auditioned for the Royal Ballet teachers training course but was unsuccessful.
When I was 19 I discovered I was pregnant, but after I had my son I attended the amazing Chichester ICB 2000 with Miss Fish, Miss Rycroft and Mrs Prime (& Kate!) in an attempt to really focus on my teaching.
My teacher encouraged me to teach classes and I began to study for my associate. I had success with my coaching, and I had 2 pupils audition successfully for the pantomime at the Mayflower Theatre.
As my son got older I became a lone parent, it became too difficult to continue with teaching and I was forced to stop.
I married in 2004 and my daughter was born in 2006. I had floated from job to job and decided that I would start to study and teach again in 2007. I started to study the FDI.
After my 2nd son was born in 2008 I continued with studying and started coaching small community based classes in a multicultural and less affluent area of Southampton where there is a high percentage of unemployment. I went to local primary schools and taught free work shops on a voluntary basis. I pre-registered and entered my first pupils for Primary.
I took my DDI practical exam in July 2009, had another son in 2010 and finally qualified with the DDI May 1st 2012.

Bursary

I am planning to apply for a bursary to help pay for the costs of my training for my teaching exams. I am entitled to apply as I have attended a summer school.

All I have to do is convince the people in charge that I am a viable prospect and this means getting very good again. No problem...

Wish me luck!

Long day

I am at ballet camp at the moment. It is hard work and I am three days in and totally drained and therefore skiving this evenings lecture and taking the time to write my essay in stead and to stop and think and just try to organise in my head all the information that I have been presented with.

Day 1 was ok. Mainly stuff that I know inside out, Primary ballet, grade one and two, nicely punctuated with tea and coffee drinking and some food. Then the evening was hardcore lying down. Pilates with Yoga and relaxation afterwards, taught by a fantastic but clearly mad lady!! How can lying down hurt more than dancing. I do not understand.]

Yesterday was Grade 3 and 4 and I was pleasently surprised by what I have retained from my DDI ballet exam and all the faults that are there and how to correct them. The evening session we viewed the dances through the grades and then nipped down to the pub. AWESOMES!

Today has been harder. Grade 5 and 6. New bits of work and old bits that I have forgotten. That has sucked. Plus it's been the kind of day that has just dragged and dragged.

So tonight is going to be bit of essay writing followed by and early night and a fresh start tomorrow. Heres to a new day.

Excited!

This time tomorrow Miss Chris DDI Ballet will be at Chichester summer school working towards DDE ballet which is both terrifying and REALLY exciting.

I am really looking forward to a full week of studying a subject I love with a passion. I know quite a lot of the stuff so I am confident in my ability. I get to stay on the university campus and pretend I am a real student!

I have also registered this week for DDI Tap, National and Modern. Scared now!

Too much to do!

Once again I have too much to do.

G goes away on Thursday night till Tuesday morning.
S goes with Grandpa on Saturday till Tuesday night for a football trip.
D is off to the Isle Of Wight to stay with her cousen until Wednesday.
The smallest boys are swopping between Grandma and Nanny.

And I am off to Chichester Summer school for a week. I am doing the Imperial Ballet course in a bid to hit the ground running on my DDE qualification. All I need to do is finish my essay, do lifespan exam and observations and I am on the way! I want to get this done by the end of the next academic year if possible, and then will push on for the tap and modern DDI's.

But before I do that I have to make sure there is shopping in, laundry done and bags packed.

In other news - the little old lady who has taken to Toby has suddenly presented him with some money. It's amazing but disconcerting. We are going to buy book shelves and a bike shed for their bikes. :)

Monkey Faces

Today the monkey faces that are my children have been helpful and not helpful.

Currently they are being naughty, but it has been a long day and I am ignoring them slightly.

Oh Monkey faces, How much do  I love you??

As much as any one loves their kids.

Pink Monkey is loud and giggly and showing no signs of tiring tonight.

Blue Monkey is being a baby at the moment and asking for milky.

Smallest Monkey is scampering up and down the bunk beds as only monkeys can!!

Biggest Monkey has gone to watch football with Grandpa.

They've had a busy day helping uncle Terry do gardening. :)

Trying to do it all

I am currently trying to do too much.

Teaching course in ten days which I need at least one more pair of shoes, a leotard or two and some new cut off trousers as mine have holes in now.

Last night I went to an open ballet class on the stage at the Mayflower run by English National Ballet. Was awesome! Had so much fun but now I want to go back today. They are doing a teachers course based on Rite of Spring in the Beyond Ballet Russes scheme. It sounds like A LOT of fun. Soooooo tempted!

I need to set up an account for dancing monies to go into.

I need to beat the laundry mountain again.

I need to find money and go food shopping.

I need to clear the garden out again.

I need to print some music and lyrics off.

I need to do a chocolate project with D.

Lots and lots of stuff to do!

Busy again...

Anyone see a theme here? I don't seem to go ten minutes with out being far to busy for my own good. This is no good. I think I need a holiday but then with 4 kids I would still be super busy.

I am enjoying the holidays. I am not quite as full on with work while I am off. I still do the day at the day job and am teaching a bit but it's only about 4 hours a week.

S is struggling with the monotony of the holidays and the lack of routine, Aspergers means he is how is was anyway and I don't think I'd have him any different but it is a struggle when I am officially the least organised person in the world - BUT - I am getting better - D's party has been organised for weeks now! All we need to do this morning is the food bit. And wrap a pass the parcel and buy some card inserts and collect the balloons - but considering the amount of stuff we have done I reckon that is small fry. I have made the jelly, made the dough for the cheese straws, bought the squash. I feel all efficient.

I am doing Campnanowrimo currently, this is taking up all my spare time, I have to write 1600 words a day till the end of August. I am currently failing to get all this done each day and am lagging behind horribly. I keep finding odd ten minutes and crossing my fingers that I'll have time to squeeze in another half hour or so. That's where I will be headed after I have made the kids their breakfast and then I will be cleaning house and organising party. And this evening I am off out with the man in doors to Wickham festival again. :) 

Study and work

So this essay is slowly coming along. Picking my way through the questions I need to ask and sussing out a sensible order for the essay. Currently I am struggling as I can't remember how many words it needs to be and what else I need to put in it - I have to oput in references and that sounds like hard work. Anyone know the harvard referencing system??

Today I have had a million of fun with the dancing children. We did ballet, tap, national and modern as well as some musical theatre. When we are done and dusted at the end of the 3 weeks I think we shall show the mums. :)

And I may have got some work doing maternity cover in the new year! Hurrah!

Busy again!

Today I have been a busy bunny. Carbooting this morning that in turn raised funds to make Daisy a Tutu for her birthday party next sunday. She has chosen the fabrics. They are 'interesting!' I will post a picture when it is finished hopefully!

She has chosen pinky-bluey-purples... hmmm Daisy... Classy!

Left overs will be turned into party bags!

Also today I have done my tax credits final statement for last year, thought about how to sort the kids room out, and got a note book for my course. Getting there.

I have also signed up to Campnanowrimo (i think!!) on the encouragement of my sister in law. We shall see how far I get before I fail!!!

Trying to get more organised.

I have a secret. I am not an organised person.

I do TRY. But I tend to fall off the wagon. And justify the chaos in the rest of my house by the spotlessness of one room - it makes it tidy neutral don't you know? Like being carbon neutral but on a smaller housework based scale. I am sorting through boxes of 5 or 6 yr old paperwork and shredding what is rubbish. I am sorting through teaching stuff and am almost ready to file my tax return!! (that's the organised bit!
On the other hand I still have a massive pile of laundry.


You win some, you lose some!

Other plans for today is half an hour on my essay, finding stuff to carboot or freecycle, and cutting out the shorts fabric. :)

Writing questions

I am currently writing questions for a questionnaire but I am finding it tricky. How to pose them so they are simple yet non condescending! And also relevant to the questioned!

This is a pic from it!

My essay is about men who dance en pointe - feed back please internet peeps - what do you think of this picture? and if you have a dance related background.

The smallest boy

Has started to pretend he is a baby, at just over 2 yrs old I catch him lying on his back peddling his feet in the air saying goo goo. It's very cute but slightly ridiculous too! He also really loves pretending to me the mum - carrying a doll around and rocking it and chatting to it.

He is getting very grown up - he likes to make his own decisions about what he eats at tea time, and with what he wants to play with. He is so much fun!

Today I am off to teach ballet to tiddley toddlers for a bit, then this afternoon I am planning on taking the kids to ride on the little train at Exbury Gardens in the New Forest - S was involved in the Ghost Train at Halloween with his Scouts group and we got sent a free family ticket. :) It's beautiful garden full of rhodedendrons and blue bells and beauty.

I shall go there to avoid my housework.... and instead of doing my own gardening!

Now to go make the kids breakfast - cereal or pancakes??

Glorious Monday

The best kind of Monday mornings are the sunny and glorious ones when you have very little to do! Hurrah!

Number 4

is a funny child - he has just snuck into the garden with a box of cereal and filled up a bowl he took with him with rice crispies. He's already had breakfast mind you...

It's a peaceful morning here - Nanny and Grandad have taken 2 and 3 to their church for sunday school. I like this for two reasons! 1 - I get quiet time with Noo and S, and 2 - they have a small elderly congregation and it helps the kids realise that they need to respect these people and tone down the noise! I am not religious at all but I do like the feeling of community that the church offers.

Today I shall mostly be trying to get a spot more gardening done followed by more laundy, and writing a questionaire for research for an essay I have to write over the summer. I may post it here for responses!

Feeling quite like things are being achieved, have got more laundry done in the last 2 days then in the previous 2 weeks! (that may be a slight exageration!)

We're busy doing nothing...

....working the whole day through...

Finding loads of things to do today. N is busy potty training. D is busy chatting - I am convinced she thinks if she stops then she'll lose the ability, T is busy helping, and S is busy doing errands and being aspergery. I have been busy in the laundry room, the kitchen and the garden. Taken a whole bunch of stuff to the tip. Might try and take more later. Nanny and Grandad came by with the garden table they have given us. So Grandma and I tidied the deck in the garden and made space. It's looking much better out there. though we then had to do some weeding as the rest looked so atrocious in comparison!

G is busy asleep as his flight was today! They got 3 hrs sleep and a 6am lobby call! Awesome.

Now time to find dinner food I think. :) And this evening will be surrounded by homework, show (that I'm not doing HONESTLY) planning, paperwork for teaching, or sewing.... or Wine....

Summer!

Today the summer starts and I thought some how my small and wonderful peeps would have magically discovered the art of having a lie in.

They didn't. What's with that???

Mr Grey is currently away with a band that he has worked for before - I'm not convinced they are his fav peeps - as of Thursday afternoon he had no idea of flight or terminal - was assured it was one of 5 at Heathrow... And he has no idea when he is returning. Could be today or tomorrow. AMAZING. At least when he's out with G he has all his info well in advance. We have flights for gigs in mid August here already. How hard is it to organise? The festival they are at is called 'Hell's Pleasure' and sounds awful!

I have been off on a rock and roll jaunt with him but ended up ironing.... not quite what you plan for a debauched weekend, traipsing through mud, ironing, and running up and down hills and the M1. But my navigation skills were excellent, my driving was excellent and the food was great!

Today will mostly be filled with sorting more old paper work out and trying to shift some STUFF. Like my old Phil and Teds pushchair - N doesn't need it any more. :(

Time to move away from the computer - no.3 and no.4 are flumped on the sofa and demanding feeding. Lovely boys!

SEN

Today i have started the process to appeal the LEA here regarding the statement I need for my son to access a decent education.

Today was a good day.

Today has been a lot of fun.

It's involved gold paint, folk dancing to live music and brilliant news!

The gold paint is on the wall in the kitchen, himself is decorating. It's all good!! Photos when it's done.

Then I went folk dancing with the over 50's - was fun - and quite hard work. The band and caller were excellent. The dances were varying, we started with a circassian circle, when through a couple of long ways sets and I finished up with a nice waltz. Made me want to dance more! I might have to try and find a regency dance group to join!

The good news is re D's school. They are expanding from a 2 form entry infant to a 3 form entry primary school and we found out today that our yr 1 children will be able to stay on in the new build school! Hurrah!

Midnight Mission

The machine that eats the road has been out side of my house for several days at night eating the road and spewing it into a lorry. This is a pain in the proverbial but needs to be done - and better when there is no traffic and the road isn't closed for weeks!
Last night was Saturday night and I was woken up at around half one by noisy yoofs, who in their infinate wisedom decided that the most brilliant fun would be to move the road cones surrounding a large pile of bitumen into the middle of the road.
When I was convinced they had gone I snuck out and moved them back again!
Good deed done.

Trying to be organised

Today I am trying to be organised and get a bunch of work done but am some how sat here in my pajamas. How does that work?

I need to get to the football ground, then get a present for D's friend, then feed the rabble, then take them all to a party in play centre, then finish D's invites, then put the laundry away, and tidy house and EVERYTHING else!!

And the children are all super tired as they all stayed up late last night.

When am I going to find time to write my essay?????? ARGHHHHHHH>

Good Job!

I have got home seriously proud of 120 small people!

D's infant's school held their sports day today - Daddy took part in the dads race - he was first until the end when his shoes didn't grip and he went for a burton - but he didn't finish last. Think he may have a bruised ego though. :( I was proud of him! Particularly as he got up and carried on after his commando roll!

The children did an amazing job! They were wonderful! The choreography was Wayne MacGregor for the Big Dance and the children all took part and danced for their parents as the opening ceremony to Sports Day. I think there were some seriously gobsmacked people around, and I once again have the incredible feeling of luck and joy that I can do something that I really love.

Off to teach the grown ups tonight, kind or mean???????

Bah.

Today feel like it's going to be one of those days when you don't quite get anything right.

The weather sucks again and I have places to be in the rain. Firstly I want to make the teachers class at Roynon for ballet. I don't feel taxed teaching my own classes which means that I don't have to raise my personal bar or barre as the case may be. I love teaching kids and adults - they are fascinating and fun experiences and I feel completely lucky to be able to do what I do. :)

Then I want to make Sports Day at D's school - I have taught the entire infant school a piece of choreography by Wayne Macgregor and they are amazing! the youngest are 4 and the biggest ones are 7! Today they are (if the rain holds off) dancing before sports day and showing their parents! When we did a run through on Wednesday they were so brilliant.

The house is Grumpy today. Youngest son has discovered thumping people. He also discovered being sat on the step and was very unimpressed!

And finally it's S's last day at Compass today - next week we start the reintergration to mainstream school. Scary.

Here we are again!

I like writing a blog but I never seem to find the time these days.

4 kids + 3 Gerbils + 2 jobs + 1 Husband = no time.

But in the short version - I have passed my DDI ballet, decorated the hall and given up half the day job!

Where does the time go?

Already we are over a week into 2012!

I seem to not have enough time.

Big debates afoot - should I knock the day job on the head and just teach and study more??

Hmmmmmmm