Quick Update

Hi my beautiful flowers,

I always start these blogs the same after I've been away for a while- I know I haven't blogged in agessssss and it's because 1. I run out of ideas for blogs- especially when I blog everyday and 2. My life is always hectic. It is always busy with work things, trying to catch up with my friends as well as learning to drive etc. It means that blogging gets put on the back burner.

Right now, it is Friday night and I am shattered. Even though this week was just a 4 day week, somehow it was extremely tiring. I think it had something to do with the weather because quite frankly, children find it hard to cope when it is hot and this week has been warmer than it has been in a long while. It's lovely.

So since we've blogged, I've been still learning to drive- I've had multiple mock tests with my instructor which I have passed all three, which makes it seem possible. I have booked my test and it is relatively soon so I'm looking forward to that whilst also being scared poopless!

I've been trying to do the 30 day squat challenge and right now, I'm on day 14 and haven't missed a day or a squat. It bloody kills and some days, I look at my legs and behind and really like the changes and then other days I look at my body and hate it. I've said before that I have a really bad relationship with my body and this is one of the reasons why I can't decide!

I've been working hard at work as always, trying to balance pushing my children to meet their targets and letting my children be 5 and 6 year olds and enjoy their time at school. It really is a hard balance especially since the government pushed up their expectations. Poor kiddos.

I have been going to lots of films and dinners with my friends, which is such a lovely relief from the daily mundane routine. But other than that, I really haven't been doing all that much, which is why I never really blog because I have said everything there is to say about driving, working and seeing my friends in previous blogs.

For some reason tonight, I really just wanted to blog. Before coming on here, I listened to this cover on Youtube which you should check out. I absolutely love this song and I never really listen to it but I do that on purpose. I hate overplaying songs because then I end up hating it but whenever I listen to this song, I fall in love with it again!!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and maybe I'll blog again soon. Until then :) xxx

Saturday Shop

I feel like when I go shopping, I always have something in mind that I want to get- today was a new nail varnish. I get infills for my gel nail overlay but this week I have to wait a week more to get them infilled as I am going with my sister next week the day before she goes to the Philippines. The only problem with waiting another week was that my old varnish had already started to come off and I knew that waiting another week, they would be worse.

I bought Sally Hansen 'Plums the word' which I really like. It is a cross between a dusty pink and a lilac colour and I usually go for really bright colours but wanted something a bit more subtle without going nude- it was the best compromise.

So, I got that nail varnish and then walked around the shop and found some chocolate, which obviously I had to have because I am a self confessed fatty. Whilst I was browsing, I found this cute hipster glass jar. I really liked it and thought that it was super cute so naturally, me being the random shopper that I am, I had to get it. I am currently drinking a lovely cold coke out of it. Delish!

To end my random shopping trip blog, I thought I would jump to another random subject, which is Snapchat. I never really use Snapchat for its true use- sending pictures to other people, it really is just used to amuse myself. During the week, I played around with the different filters that they have and came across the alien one. I had to try it out and because there is a filter where it distorts your face, I decided to try and make the most ugly looking alien there ever was and you know what? I think I've achieved that!

And I wonder why I am still without a partner? Looking like that, I thought I would get one without even trying, right?! I figured that sharing that picture would take a lot of guts because it is hideous and I hate sharing any ugly photo of myself so for anyone that doesn't know me, I had to put up a nice picture as well as people could see I'm not that ugly!!

Everybody say CHEESEEE!

Have a lovely Saturday!

Township Review

I go through stages of obsession; most of the time, these obsessions have to do with watching TV shows because I love watching the stories unravel and the mysteries be revealed. Occasionally, I end up having an obsession with a game. Before, I wrote a review on my last obsession with a game: Criminal Case and I do still play that game from time to time but not religiously every day. My sister introduced me to a new game, which I have become very obsessed it.

It involves running a town- you start with some shops, houses and farming places and slowly but surely, you grow you town and add to it putting in various houses, various factories to make different goods as well as community buildings that help to expand your population. Below are some screenshots of my game play to help me explain what happens in the game. So you come to the main screen and you see where all your buildings are- you can change the layout and add in different decorations for your own pleasure and wants.

To get money, you can fill create goods in the factories using the crops that you grow on your fields. These goods can be used for many different purposes- you can store them and sell them to people as individual items or there are orders that come in from the people that live in your land. To fulfil an order, you need to have all the goods that they want and then the helicopter delivers their order which in turn gives you money and XP points.

Alternatively, you can send your goods via the train station. When you fill all the carriages of your train, it goes away for a certain amount of time and brings back building materials- these are essential for building more community buildings, which helps to increase your overall population. You can't add in more houses until you have more community buildings.

It's quite frustrating a times trying to fill an order or fill the train so there are two options for you- for each train, you can ask someone for help and your neighbours can fill the carriages for you. But if you can't wait, there is also a great community building that you can add to your town which is the city market that updates every 5 or so hours and gives you new goods that you can buy- sometimes the things that you need!

Overall, I really enjoy the game because you can leave it for a day if you stack up the goods you want to make and when you return to it, your goods will be made and you can build/send trains/send helicopters straight away. The only thing that drives me crazy sometimes is the length of time it takes to make a certain product or the amount of objects it takes to start making goods.

It's perfect for me because I forget to play games during the day so I only ever play them when I'm at home so I usually stack up the goods orders in the morning quickly and then when I get home, I can sell them/send the trains etc to get more points. It's not demanding either because although you wait for your goods, they don't spoil if you don't pick them up in time; it just carries on as if you had never been gone, which is great. I hate the games where the food spoils or the crops die if they aren't collected by a certain time!

I love this game and if you wanna give it a try, let me know how you find the game! If you have a different game that you are loving at the moment, I would love to check it out so leave me a comment. :)

xxx

World Book Day

Today, Thursday 3rd March 2016, it is World Book Day. Around the country, there are plenty of schools that are either participating or planning a range of fun activities that are centered around books.
Before I get into the impact that books have on myself I thought I would give you some background information on the day so that we are all a little bit more informed about life...
World Book Day was created on 23rd April 1995 by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. There is a freaky connection that date and the fact that the day is centered around books as that day is actually the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare- probably one of the most influential people that shaped writing. Of course he wrote plays but his work inspired the production of so many great bestsellers and poignant love stories!

Books to me is a way to find pleasure, comfort and acceptance. Sometimes in life, we don't find time for ourselves when we really should- reading for me is that time that I can take to indulge in something I truly enjoy. From turning the page, to reading new sentence constructions to delving into a new character's mind and life, I just love the entire reading process. I must say that my love of reading definitely came from reading when I was younger.

I am one of 6 children and it's safe to say that time with my mum was very limited. It was always with another sibling or 10 seconds caught when she was in between jobs. The one thing that my super mum did make sure we did was read, and that meant that my mum carved out time in her busy schedule to read with each and every one of us. Now, the last few of us that read with mum always had a sleeping mum who would wake up and ask us questions every now and then but the real thought and actions touched my heart and made me love reading.
I wanted to list some of the books that truly shaped my love of reading as a child:
1. Biff, Chip and Kipper.

These characters were legends when I was a child because almost every book that I read early on had Biff, Chip and Kipper in them and even now when I find a book in my classroom with these characters on, it makes me feel so happy! I love them. Now there are books with better pictures, story lines and looks but these books will always be special to me.

This book was literally my favourite- I can still remember the story and what some of the pages looked like!

2. Any Roald Dahl book.

When I got old enough to read these books, they were a staple in my reading material. The worlds that this author created is incredible- I can't believe that one man could be such an inspiration and have that big of an effect on so many children. It is safe to say that I am not the only one to have loved these stories as a child. I am currently reading Fantastic Mr Fox to my class because I loved the story as a child and I adore seeing them become immersed into the story with me!
3. Jacqueline Wilson.

This too was a staple in my reading- it was the in thing when I was a child and anybody who was cool, was reading Jacqueline Wilson. I remember owning so many of these stories and having the books so tatty and ruined because I had thumbed through them so often!
What are your favourite book memories? What are your favourite childhood books?
Let me know!!! xxx

Hump Day

Usually Wednesday is my least favourite day because I know that not only is it only just the middle of the week but it is also my longest day at work because we have to plan the whole night. BUT something positively strange happened this week. Last week, we were planned and resourced for the whole week so I didn't actually have anything to do during the weekend so I had the weekend to myself, that I loved. So, this week, we were determined to do the same thing so we could have to weekend to ourselves.
This meant that on Monday morning, I had already started to planning and resourcing for maths- which I finished that night! Yesterday, Literacy was planned and resourced as well as the other non-core subjects which means that I won't be staying late tonight. YIPPEEE!!

Except this teacher.... for now!

I also decided that even though it is late, I will be going to the pub quiz tonight so that I can feel like I actually have a life.
The ladies and I also decided to have burritos for lunch today so that is a naughty treat and at the pub, I'm also going to be naughty and have the delish burger! Such a fatty but so good.

It's actually a cheat day for me everyday because I'm a pig!

So all in all, I think today actually isn't a hump day. I still can't wait until Friday but I'm actually in such a good mood!

Hello March

Hello March

I am so glad that today is March because it means that Spring and Summer is coming soon because I am SO over it being cold and frosty. It also means that it is getting closer to the summer holidays and that gets me very excited!! 
Let's get started with this month and see what *exciting* things I have coming up!
3rd March- I *should* be going to the pub quiz today with my friends and I hope I make it there- the only thing that would stop me from going is being too tired which I bloody hope doesn't happen! The thing with going out at night during a working week is that I get so tired the next day. I've tried to make an effort in doing more things during the week so I actually have a life this means I also get so tired. It's about making sure I try!
6th March- Before I tell you this; you have to promise that you won't call me a loser... Promised? Okay, good! As many of you know, I have obsessions with TV shows and when they go on a break or they end for the season, I always put in my calendar when they are coming back- it just so happens that Once Upon a Time is coming back today. EEK, SO EXCITED!!!

6th March- Also for this date, it is Mother Day and we are all going out for dinner as a family, which will be so nice. It is always such a big deal trying to get everyone together so it is nice when the effort is made for us to spend time together as a whole family!
9th March-13th March- My sister is taking her little boy to Disneyland Paris with her partner's family and so I get to look after her doggie, Molly. I have featured Molly in so many of my other blogs and I consider her to be my step dog when my sister goes away. I will be staying at her house and looking after the dog whilst she is away. I do love Molly!

12th March- Hopefully I am meeting up with the girls from my PGCE year. I haven't seen them in ages so it would be lovely to catch up and see how they are getting on!
24th March- It is officially the last day of the Spring term and the Easter holidays, which means I get to spend time off of work and with my family! Yippeee.
And then of course, it is Easter during this time and I also have a range of driving lessons throughout this month - once a week but we arrange them each week so I don't know the days but I am looking forward to these lessons.
And that is all I have planned for this month! What are your plans? Let me know!! xxx

Happy Birthday Grandad!

Oh hello everybody. I kind of miss my A-Z challenge and it literally has only been a day... I think I just miss having a title and picture to put at the top of each blog... 
Well, today is 29th February and usually, we don't see this day every year because it is a leap year this year! How exciting. On this day, I always think about my Grandad because although he is no longer with us, it would've been his 76th birthday today. My Grandad has been gone for almost 3 years now and to say that the time has flown would be an understatement. It was such a sudden death that I didn't really believe it when it happened so to think back on it now, it doesn't seem possible that it was 3 years ago.

Because his birthday was always on a leap year, we celebrated his 18th birthday when he was 72 because he had only ever officially had 18 birthday on the actual day he was born, We got him an 18 balloon and badge, which made him laugh so much. It is such a lovely thing to look back on. Bless my Grandad, he would have only been 19 if he was still here today.

I miss him so much and I hope that wherever he is, the world is giving him an easier life than when he was here- he was such a strong man and had so many things given to him that just wasn't fair!

Happy birthday Grandad. Love you! xxx

Z is for Zonked

Z is for Zonked

Today I have been the ultimate bum. I have been zonked out today- mainly because on Friday night, I spent until midnight making and decorating a cake and then yesterday I made a train and went to my nephew's 2nd birthday. After having half term off and then going back to work, all of the excitement and craziness has taken it out of me.

I didn't get up until late this morning and without any guilt, I've already had a nap today! I'm exhausted but it is the end of the challenge and I can't believe that I survived this and managed to blog every day with a topic related to the alphabet!
The A-Z challenge has been annihilated.

Now, to try and blog consistently without a challenge... that is going to be the REAL challenge!
For next week, I've got a busy schedule as always so half the challenge will be making sure that I pre-write some blogs on Sunday. That is the way that I only ever survive blogging consistently because I really don't have time during the week!
Thank you for all of your support and reading during my blogging days. Seeing my page views and comments on my Twitter really makes it worth while.
Onwards and upwards, if you have any suggestions for other blog challenges or blog topics, do comment below and I will try my best to make them happen! :)

Y is for Yippee!

Y is for Yippee!

First and foremost, I can't believe that there is only one letter left for this challenge- granted it will probably be the worst letter to try and blog about but we will deal with that tomorrow when I have to write the blog.
Now onto the exciting part of this blog- I am pretty darn excited because today is my nephew's 2nd birthday. It doesn't seem possible that he has been here for 2 years because the time has just flown by. He has gone from a tiny premature baby to such a clever and bright little boy who talks about everything! He is pretty special in my life and I love him to pieces.

From this...

To this today!

He is having a dinosaur themed party today and my sister and I were lucky enough to be able to make his birthday cake. We started it yesterday and I have to say that I was kind of regretting the fact we were making his birthday cake during the baking and decorating process but now that I look at the pictures of it- it was well worth the time and effort.

We then had a mould for a chocolate train and not wanting to not give the best, we decided to make that as well. What a parlava! It was quite the fiddly little job especially considering that our hands were warm, the house was warm and the chocolate needed to be really cold- it meant that there was melted chocolate EVERYWHERE!

I haven't got a picture of the train that we made because it's not quite finished- we need to fill the carriage with sweets so instead I decided to just show you what it will look like! 
Happy Birthday Max!!! I love you xxxx

X is for Xcellence

X is for Xcellence

So I cheated on this a little because I couldn't think of an X word without it being an xylophone... I had a plan to write about the film How To Be Single and I thought I could use the hook as X Rated Review but the film wasn't hat great and I didn't think I could put that title when it was a bit pants! I mean the film was alright, the parts that were funny were funny but they were few and far between.
Instead, I decided that I would cheat a little and let you know about my week. I have been so prepared for this week- I had all my resources made but that wasn't the Xcellent part!

The Xcellent part is that I am completely ready for NEXT week! Usually I have plans to write, resources to be made and guided reading to plan and resource but for some strange reason, the year 1 team and I have been ON IT! 
We had already resourced the entire week by Wednesday which means that I can enjoy my weekend and the exciting thing that is happening tomorrow!
For today, I am Xcellent!

We have a special cake to make tonight so I'm keeping my blog short and sweet tonight because the dinosaurs are calling me.