Lazy Sunday

Yesterday was such a long, yet exciting day at Peppa Pig World. It took us about 1 hour and a half to get there, taking 3 separate cars with a limited signal in Southampton and a little cloud but we all made it there. It was incredibly busy with so many little children. I thought I would share with you my most favourite picture of the day- me, my sister and Jacob (the early birthday boy). We were in the exciting ride on Grandpa Pig's boat. It was very thrilling...

The other thing that I would say is that unless you have lots of little ones, Peppa Pig World does get boring- naturally as it is for little humans and not adults. It is so precious seeing their joy when they catch sight of one of the characters as well as going on all the rides. The theme music that constantly plays throughout the park can bugger off because it gets too annoying!!
As part of this blog today, I thought I would give you a bit of a summary of this week- I have managed to blog most days but I wanted to anyway. It's the last day of the month, which is insane thinking about. I shall do a 1st of August blog tomorrow to let you know what my August looked like!
Monday- I crapped my pants thinking about my driving test and grilled my dad on the worst roundabout where I live- there are way too many exits and too many lanes and that's without mentioning other drivers that literally cut every lane at any opportunity. I also babysat my nephew Jacob, who I adore!
Tuesday- I crapped my pants again with my driving test but thankfully passed with flying colours! I also went to see Tarzan with my friends- you can see my review for this using this link: http://nicolespearlsofwisdom.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/the-legend-of-tarzan-review.html

Wednesday- After having such a busy day yesterday with my driving test and my cinema date, I chose to spend this day lazily. I took a couple of driving adventures and even did my first solo drive, which was both scary as hell and exciting. I even put the radio on - how very cheeky of me!
Thursday- I went out for some drinks with my friend from school who had left last year. We had such a great year working together and I was devastated when she left but it makes me happy that we still see each other- what was meant to be low key drinks at 6PM turned into drinking until half 11 and then rushing to catch the last train home... Oops.

Friday- I don't think I actually did anything... Ultimtely lazy day.
Saturday- Peppa Pig World
Sunday- Cleaning my room. I feel like Sundays are always reserved for some sort of cleaning or tidying... It's just the rules.
I feel very lucky that I get to spend this part of the year off of work and take time to just look after myself. I'm really trying hard to not think about work or do work because I know that once it gets back to being September, I'll be back to being stressed. I also take this opportunity to blog again, which is why every half term/summer holidays, I go back to blogging regularly. I just wish I could sustain it throughout the term!
Never mind. I love you all as always!

Peppa Pig World

Yes, you did read that title correctly. I am a 24 year old girl and today I am spending the day at Peppa Pig World. Do not ask me what is at Peppa Pig World because I don't actually know but it's all in the name of love.

On 2nd August, it will be Jacob's 2nd birthday. It seems so crazy that 2 years ago, he was a tiny little baby in my arms hours old. 

Where else better to go than Peppa Pig World when you are 2 years old? I'll let you know what it is like and if I recommend any of you to go- probably not for anyone that does not have children unless you really like Peppa Pig... I hope it doesn't rain... (yes, I did prewrite this blog because I've got to get up really early to travel 1hr 30 mins to get to Peppa Pig World- the dedication is real!) Have a great Saturday! I know I will with Peppa and George!!

Also, this is my 800th blog- how crazy and what a blog to commemorate this achievement!

The Legend Of Tarzan Review

When I first saw the initial photos of Alexander Skarsgård as Tarzan, I immediately said to all of my friends that no matter whether they wanted to see it or not, we were going to see Tarzan when it came out. I could not miss the film that came with that body. I mean, oh my goodness- surely this is what dreams are?

As soon as I came out of the cinema, I turned to my friend and asked where I could find myself a Tarzan- something about the possessiveness and the primal feeling he gave searching for the woman he loved. Nothing, not even hundreds of men were going to stand in his way. The film is good but part of it is just playing on the hearts of women with all the shirtless scenes and the hot make out sessions that they have.

When I first heard that they were making Tarzan a 'live action' film, I thought they were going to remake the Disney classic. I absolutely adore the original Disney Tarzan but with Alex in this film, I love this one just as much! I was surprised when my friend told me before I went and saw it that it was a continuation- which I didn't really understand when she first told me.

I was even more confused when the film started in what looked like old London with Tarzan/John Clayton in a suit in a grand manor with servants. I did question whether or not I had come in the wrong cinema screen.  So basically, the premise of the story is that John Clayton left Tarzan behind and his mother and father were very rich, which he took over from after he found and married Jane. Then a proposal came for him to return to Africa to help stop the slavery of the African people and tribes.

The film then changes to the African setting with Tarzan meeting with his old friends- humans and animals. Unfortunately, as always, there is a bad guy that takes the one thing that Tarzan would do anything for- his wife. The rest of the film is about Tarzan doing anything he can to get her back. As you could predict, it involves the classic Tarzan noise, swinging from vines and you guessed it, topless fighting and running.

What a man!

I loved this film because not only did it tell the story beyond the Disney film but it also was so emotionally charged and it felt like the characters were real and the emotions they were feeling were real. Call me a hopeless romantic if you will but I truly did feel like he would do anything for Jane. Also Margot Robbie is an absolute babe!

5 stars from me! Go and see it 

I Did It!

Today was the day that I finally passed my driving test- I had to take a cheeky selfie to prove to everyone I did it. I also managed only 1 minor during my driving test, which I thought was amazeballs. It made me so happy to have passed today.
Unfortunately, I would've loved to have said I passed first time but I didn't. This was my second attempt at passing and when I first failed, I truly thought I was the biggest failure out there but now that I've had time to process it, I don't mind. I don't mind that I failed first time because just because you pass first time, it doesn't mean that you're a better driver. My first failure was because of another road user (a large van) did not follow the road rules and as a consequence made my right choices a major. On the day, I was devastated- as my family and friends would tell you, but now I think, so what?
And actually talking to other people, not passing first time is far more common than passing first time but people don't talk about it. So if you're out there and feel crap because you didn't pass first time, know that it doesn't matter! It doesn't mean you're a bad driver, it might've just been the circumstance, weather or your feelings. It's fine to pass second, third or even fifth time!
I'm so happy that I can close the chapter of learning to drive and move onto a new challenge and adventure. What that adventure is, I do not know!
Yippee. What a great day it is!

10 Things I Have Learned Since Being a Teacher

I've been teaching for 2 years now in Year 1 and I am classed as an experienced teacher- next year I am solely leading year 1 but along the way, I've learned some things that are very important.
It is now the summer holiday so I have plenty of time to think about where things went right this year, where things when wrong and what I could've done differently. Hindsight is such a beautiful thing isn't it? In the moment, you'll make a decision and you'll think it is the right one but when you look back on the situation with a clear objective mindset, you see that there are other things that could have been done. I guess that's just life!
I composed a list of things I have learned being a teacher and although there are way more than 10, I thought it would get a bit boring if my blog was 101 things I've learned since being a teacher. Moderation and limits is one thing that I've learned- know when to stop.
So here they are:
1. There is nothing more annoying than a child elongating your name and saying it over and over again. Hearing Missssssss Ryyyyy-aaaaannnnnn several times a day makes you really hate your name. Although, it does annoy me, I've learned to ignore it and I think that's the only thing you can really do in the situation.
2. You're an amazing actress. I used to think that I was really bad at acting at school and I really did hate drama in front of others but since teaching, I've had the best acting job of my life. I don't know how many times I have wanted to burst out laughing at something a child has said and yet kept a straight face or been handed something disgusting and not reacted the slightest. Someone give me an Oscar!

3. Empty your pockets before you do your washing. I don't know how it happens but somehow I come home with half the class in my pockets. Children love to find things, give it to you and in the moment, the only thing you can do is put it in your pocket and then you forget about it. 4. Teaching is one heck of a diet- you're so busy throughout the day that you completely forget to eat. It's great when you want to lose weight.
5. Children are the most loyal humans you will ever meet. It doesn't matter if you're having a bad day or if you have put children on time out, they will always end the day with giving you a big smile and loving you no matter what. Now, I'm a big believer in not being a child's friend per say- yes, I have fun and am silly with them because they are children but at the end of the day, if we end the day with them disliking me because I've been teaching them right from wrong, I've done my job. It's about teaching them and not always being liked.

6. Take time to just have fun and join in with their learning and their play. It's extraordinary how much of our job is governed by numbers/data and objectives but at the end of the day, children also need to be taught how to be children and cooperate during play. Don't forget how old your children are. The government will always push children to their very limits and you should push them to achieve their potential but teaching is not always about that end result- take the time to remember how old they are and change your day according to this. Take those moments to let them be that age.
7. Don't let planning, marking and the rest of the paperwork take over your life. I know it's hard to say but if it isn't done, the world will not end. Find a sliver of time from somewhere else or change your plans. It's important to know when to stop work and remember you're human and have a life as well.
8. There is a time when the talk of, sight of and smell of bodily fluids will make you uncomfortable but not want to vomit yourself. Breath through your mouth, put a big smile on your face and deal with the job in hand. It's not a nice thing but it gets part of routine after a while!
9. Don't worry. I used to worry so much about every little thing from fitting everything into my day to having a perfectly quiet classroom to having a successful lesson every time but now I've realised that although it would be a lovely life to have that, it's simply unrealistic. Yes, most days, you want successful lessons but not all children are going to learn at the same rate so there will be days when nothing seems to go right and no matter how many different ways you teach something, the children still don't get it and it's FINE! That is okay. You're human, it's allowed. Don't forget that you're not working with machines, you're working with tiny little humans with their own thoughts, feelings and experiences.
10. Regardless what anyone says, teaching really is the best job in the entire world! I do love teaching.

Those are the 10 things that came to mind when I think about the things I have learned over the past 2 years. It's not to say that I don't forget to remind myself of these things during term times.
Have a great day! :) xxx

Nostalgia

Oh heyyyy!

Yep, you've got it. It's the holidays so that means Miss Ryan gets enough time off of work to even give my blog a second thought and when I give it a second thought, I always miss it and come crawling back to it. I come crawling back, begging for anyone to read it like a sad little lost puppy begging for its owner to come and find it...
Summer holidays... Doesn't it feel good? (Sincere apology to those people who no longer get to feel the excitement of a summer holiday)
Anyway, today has been a pretty chilled day- it's been a day, in fact a weekend, filled with a little sense of nostalgia. So I feel like a blog to tell you about this nostalgia is in order.

Yesterday I traveled out of London to go and visit an old Uni friend that I hadn't seen in what felt like years. It is crazy to think that I left Cardiff Uni 3 years ago. How bizarre is that?! We went walking along the canal and it was so lovely to chat to him about everything that has happened recently and reminisce about our uni antics. We went for a pub lunch and chilled before I came back to London.
This really set the tone for my weekend as I just kept finding my mind wandering back to the past and people that I have lost along the way and those that I have been lucky enough to hang onto. I think the fact that I have never had a year without a summer holiday with endless hours to fill time with thinking makes me always gets nostalgic around this time. All this thinking did make me realise that I'm actually pretty good at keeping friends- from my primary school best friend, to my high school best friends and even friends I have found along the way on the Internet.
It also made me realise that I am finally getting old... Not old old like a granny but I am not longer a teenager or even a young adult. Now with my job and my savings for the future, I feel like I'm actually an adult. Luckily for now, I'm not yet at the adult stage of my life when I can say I have a husband and children but we'll take those steps slowly.
I do miss being young and somewhat innocent. I miss lazy days where I don't my mind wandering to other responsibilities in my life- I can just spend all day on MSN talking to my friends late into the night. 

I guess those days will always hold fond memories in my heart but there's something about the inability to go back that makes them special and untouchable. 
Okay, enough with this all. Such a strange rambling today but it felt right to blog. Can't blame creates itself when it feels right!
I'm outta here!
Just to end this blog- here I am as a mermaid. (I'm a little bit obsessed with Snapchat filters at the moment- don't judge me because I make a badass mermaid!)