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- Sarah 22 Comments

A holiday disappointment (or why Butlins is not for us)

Butlins Skegness

A couple of weeks ago, during my half-term holiday we loaded up the car and headed to Butlins in Skegness for a holiday. We used our Tesco Clubcard tokens to pay for our 4 night stay in its entirety (apart from a £20 deposit) and I’m so glad…because if we’d paid full price we would have been even more disappointed in our holiday than we were.

The first mistake, I have to admit, was ours. Skegness is a bloody long way from Scotland! We did break up the journey with a two night stay in a luxury wooden lodge near Richmond in Yorkshire (Flowery Dell Lodges) and I actually wish we’d just decided to stay there for the week. It was lovely, very comfortable and had everything we needed (including free wifi – Butlins take note!). The only downside was the glass TV stand which of course Toby was immediately attracted to!

Anyway, after a long and windy drive through the Lincolnshire countryside we eventually arrived at Butlins on the Monday afternoon. We queued briefly to go through the drive through check-in and we’re given a map to find our apartment, wherein we had our first disappointment… (Apologies that this post is quite long (and there aren’t many photos) but we had quite a lot of disappointment and I didn’t want to leave anything out!).

Accommodation

We were booked to stay in a 2 bedroom ‘Gold’ apartment. We were actually given a 3 bedroom on the first floor of a block, about as far away from the centre of the resort as you could get.

The first thing I was worried about was that the two twin rooms were on the front of the apartment, meaning everyone coming and going would be walking right past Toby’s window. Actually I don’t think he was disturbed too much but it would have made more sense to put us in one of the top floor apartments that didn’t have the walkway right outside.

Gold Apartment Butlins

First impressions of the apartment were that it looked a bit tired and worn, particularly the carpet. I don’t know how much of this was due to the time of year, perhaps it would have looked fresher if we had gone in April. There were a few other things that let it down too; the fridge door seal was split and full of crumbs, the remote control for the TV didn’t have a cover over the battery compartment (not ideal with an inquisitive toddler), the shower tray completely filled up when you were having a shower (which meant you had to be really quick or it would overflow)…but by far the biggest problem was the bed.

I don’t think I have ever slept in a bed so uncomfortable, except maybe in a motel we paid $20 a night for in Vermont where I actually ended up sleeping on the floor! All the beds had metal frames with wire mesh supporting the saggiest mattress I have ever known. Barry and I both had to sleep hanging off the edges or we would be unavoidable on top of each other in the middle of the bed.

As it happened, Toby decided he wasn’t going to sleep past 1am unless he was in bed with me anyway, so Barry got kicked out to one of the single beds and Toby was in the double with me. Most of the other issues with the accommodation were minor niggles we could put up with, but the bed actually contributed to our decision to leave a day early.

There were some positives about the apartment – it had two small leather sofas which were in good condition, the kitchen was well stocked and the bed linen was clean and comfortable. Because we had a Gold apartment towels were included too and there was also a daily housekeeping service who came in and made the beds and emptied the bin. The layout of the apartment meant we could use the coffee table to block Toby into the living area so he couldn’t get into too much mischief. In fact his favourite place the whole time we were there was down the side of the sofa!

Butlins Skegness Gold Apartment

Facilities

The Skyline Pavilion is more or less in the centre of the resort and it houses a stage, theatre, shops, bars, restaurants, cinema and arcade (with lots of 2p drop machines that we enjoyed spending a pound on one day).  Around this are several restaurants, the swimming pool complex ‘Splash Waterworld’, a spa, fairground and ‘Reds’ where the Redcoats put on daily entertainment. There certainly seemed to be lots going on and I liked that you could get everything you needed without leaving the resort.

I did take advantage of the spa on the second day. I had a back massage, which I had booked the day before. The massage was great (just what I needed after the night in the stupidly uncomfortable bed!) and reasonably priced at £35. I didn’t make use of the rest of the spa facilities but it looked very inviting.

Unfortunately we didn’t have chance to visit Splash Waterworld. Toby isn’t overly keen on swimming at the moment and seeing as he was already grumpy and not sleeping well we didn’t really want to waste an hour getting him changed and in the pool only for him to have a meltdown. There are parent and toddler sessions where the slides and waves are turned off to make it calmer for young children but these were only from 4-5pm which seemed like a really daft time for me. That’s right before Toby’s teatime and a hungry baby is not a happy one in my experience. I would have liked to have seen a session in the morning too, especially seeing as it we weren’t there during the school holidays and therefore there must have been more toddlers there.

Food

The first night we chose to eat in The Sun and Moon pub. The menu was what you would expect from a family friendly pub and the food was nice enough and reasonably priced. There was a large play area outside too – but nothing suitable for younger children.

On the second night we ate at Firehouse – the newest restaurant in Butlins Skegness. The easiest way to describe it is that it’s just like Nando’s; chicken with a choice of marinades and different sides. Again the food was good, but I thought a bit on the expensive side for what we got. Alcoholic drinks were also pretty pricey – £5.40 for a glass of wine.

Firehouse Butlins Skegness

The last night we decided to try one of the buffet restaurants. We had almost bought one of the ‘dining plans’ which allows you to eat in the buffet restaurants more cheaply if you book it in advance. I’m really glad we didn’t! We chose to eat in The Yacht Club, one of the two ‘premium’ buffet restaurants. It cost us £18 each to pay on the night and Toby was free. This includes an unlimited buffet and fruit juice or hot drinks. Alcohol drinks are extra, which I would expect, but I was surprised to see no fizzy drinks were included. The hot buffet was OK but pretty uninspiring (and not very hot). I was most disappointed though that there was no sign of the Annabel Karmel kids dishes which are prominently advertised on the Butlins website and on the menu board outside the restaurant. In fact the only thing I saw was a few lonely looking jars of Heinz baby food and a microwave. I have to say the buffet restaurant was somewhat redeemed by the desserts (so much so that Barry had three!).

The Yacht Club - Butlins Skegness

 

We did experience some fairly rubbish customer service in the buffet restaurant too which didn’t help. First of all they seemed very confused that we actually wanted to pay and we had to wait for ages for someone to take our payment. Barry then had to wait another age at the bar to be served, despite there being three members of staff and no other customers!

We also had breakfast on our last morning at one of the other buffet restaurants, which apart from being very busy, was actually quite good and the man who showed us to a table was very helpful in getting us a highchair and explaining where everything was.

Entertainment

Butlins is famous for its Redcoats and their entertainment and there was certainly a lot going on. Again, it was perhaps our mistake, but Toby just wasn’t quite old enough to enjoy most of it. There was a show with Thomas the Tank Engine, dancing with Angelina Ballerina, story time with Billy Bear on the stage in the Skyline Pavilion as well as a tots disco and various evening shows as well. The story time show was enjoyable, and although Toby didn’t join in we saw lots of kids who were loving Angelina Ballerina. Our one big gripe was with the Thomas show. I thought Toby might quite enjoy watching it but we couldn’t actually stay in the Skyline Pavilion while it was going on as it was so deafeningly loud! The pavilion is quite a big place but most of the kids watching the show were gathered in a semi-circle within 5 metres of the stage. The Redcoats had their microphones turned up full and at the same time were shouting at the tops of their voices over incredibly loud music. It was unbearable.

Obviously with having Toby we couldn’t go to any of the evening shows either. I suppose you could if you have a baby who will just sleep in the buggy but Toby needs to be in bed by 8pm at the very latest, even on holiday. The only comment I can make about the shows that were on in ‘Centre Stage’ is that people were queueing out of the building an hour before it was due to start (I believe in order to get a good seat) and that was during term-time in October, I dread to think what it is like in the height of summer! You can pay extra to jump the queue but that just seems a bit money-grabbing on the part of Butlins to me.

We had a look round the fairground too – there wasn’t anything especially exciting I have to say, but it was OK considering you don’t have to pay an extra for it. There are some rides for younger children but again, Toby was just that bit too young to be able to enjoy them.

There was a lot to do for children from about two to three years upwards but there really wasn’t anything for younger children. Unless we missed it there wasn’t even a park with baby swings anywhere. We had to keep Toby in the buggy pretty much the whole time as there was nowhere that had a safe area he could crawl or practice his walking. There is a small soft play but again it was full of older kids, even a dedicated baby area in there would have been an improvement.

Overall I can see why people with older kids would go to Butlins and I’m sure it is much more enjoyable when you can take full advantage of all the entertainment and facilities. But this time Butlins just wasn’t for us. I can’t see that we will be going back again anytime soon though. Even when Toby is older and could enjoy all the activities on offer you couldn’t pay me to sleep in that bed again!!

- Sarah 2 Comments

He’s walking!

Toby took his first couple of steps a week or two ago. But it was only a few steps before he would sit down and crawl off. He was still so much faster crawling that I think he wasn’t that motivated to walk. While we were on holiday he was happy to walk holding our hands (something he’s never been interested in doing before). And then last night, at fifteen and a half months, it was like something had clicked – he came home from nursery and hardly sat down! He was toddling around, and if he fell down he just stood right up again and started walking.

I even managed to get a video of him walking this time too. And you have to watch it with the sound on – I love the noise he makes as he disappears out of the frame at the end…

I’m so excited to have a toddler! I think life is going to get so much more fun now Toby can walk, it opens up so many possibilities of things we can do that we couldn’t do before. There’s a whole new world waiting for us out there…

- Sarah 1 Comment

One year on – a Halloween reunion

When I was pregnant I signed us up for an NCT antenatal class. The classes were really useful, and enjoyable but the best thing about them has to have been meeting five other couples who were all having babies around the same time as us. We’ve all kept in touch since the babies were born although recently, with us all back at work, we haven’t managed to get together as often as we’d like. This weekend though one of the couples invited us all to their house for a bit of a Halloween themed reunion. We did the same thing this time last year so it was great to see the babies one year on! It was a shame that a two of the babies (and their parents) couldn’t make it this year but it was lovely to catch up with everyone else.

I couldn’t resist Toby up as a pumpkin again – how cute does he look one year on from his first Halloween?!

Little pumpkin

The other babies looked awesome too – we had a mini Dracula, a pirate and Superman! They all had lots of fun playing in a ball pool and with lots of the generous host’s toys while us mums and dads had a chance for a chat. I was actually amazed at how long Toby kept his costume on, and the hood up, without complaining. He must have realised how cute he looked!

Halloween ball pit

All that playing did mean Toby got a bit hot so we went for a quick change of outfit. This Ghostbusters t-shirt is so cool! And teamed with his Slugs & Snails ghost tights I reckon he looks a proper little dude. I think he might be wearing this outfit again on Friday when he can dress up for nursery (I don’t think he’d be too pleased with dressing up as a pumpkin all day!).

Ghostbusters

We all had a really lovely afternoon, even if we did have to keep chasing Toby to try and stop him wrecking the house! It was certainly noticeable how tall he is compared to the other babies – there were loads of things on tables and sideboards that Toby could reach that the others couldn’t. Luckily, if you turn him upside down, he quite likes being caught…

Upside down

We don’t tend to go in for Halloween much (in fact until we had Toby I pretty much ignored it all together) but it was fun to dress him up to see our friends. And I enjoyed making some pumpkin biscuits to take along too. Maybe when Toby gets a bit older we might even take him trick or treating one year.

Halloween biscuits

**Disclosure: Toby’s pumpkin outfit and Ghostbusters t-shirt, and my top were kindly provided by George at Asda

- Sarah 6 Comments

Happy Blogiversary to me!

 

Blogiversary

OK, so I’m three days late but Toby Goes Bananas is now one year old! I wrote my first post on 22nd October 2013 when Toby was just over three months old, mostly as a kind of online journal and photo album of his life. I had actually been blogging since 2009 but on my other blog I mostly wrote reviews of stand-up comedy, about my various travels around the world and latterly about training to be and becoming a teacher. I had a fairly decent number of regular readers and a very active Twitter account. But when Toby was born I knew that the people who read my other blog wouldn’t really be interested in reading all about the ins and outs of life with a newborn. I had start reading more and more parenting blogs (especially during those hours spent feeding Toby in the night) and decided I would give it a go myself!

I started thinking about a name and one day Toby Goes Bananas just popped into my head as I was driving up our street. At that time we were still struggling to get Toby’s reflux under control and he did regularly go bananas. And I just thought it had a nice ring to it… I promise it’s not because I’m some massive fan of the Herbie films! I did think I might be limiting myself a bit for the future – if we have another baby then I don’t want them to be left out, but it’s OK I already have a plan for my blog should that happen.

Once I had a name I set up my blog on free WordPress and also set up a new email address, Twitter account and Facebook page. I knew it would be easier down the line if everything had the same name (and that would be one of my top tips for anyone starting with blogging). Within a month or so I knew I was really enjoying my new blog and so I registered my own domain name, although I still stuck with free WordPress for a while. Another month or so down the line and I decided to go self-hosted (I wrote a few posts about why and how at the time – you can read the first one here if you’re interested). I also redesigned my blog when I went self-hosted and made myself a new header to go with my new home.

Over the last year I have written about all sorts of things from cloth nappies to the time I was worried for my mental health. I posted monthly updates about Toby from four to twelve months, and I’ve taken part in some fabulous linkies (my favourites have to be The Ordinary Moments, which I haven’t done for ages but will get back to one of these days, and Living Arrows which I’m proud to say I have managed to do every week of 2014 so far). I’ve posted recipes and craft posts, I’ve written about weight-loss and weaning and I’ve had so many fantastic opportunities to review products and attend events which I never would have imagined a year ago. I was delighted to be a Munchkin Lindam blogger this year, as well as a Konfidence Swimologist. It’s been brilliant working with such lovely brands and getting to try so many of their great products!

The blogging highlight of my year has to have been going to Britmums Live back in June. Not only did I get to attend lots of really useful sessions I also got to meet lots of my favourite bloggers in real life too. I’ve made some great friends through blogging and for me it has to be one of the best things to come from starting Toby Goes Bananas.

I haven’t been as active on the blog since the summer but I’m settling into being back at work now and starting to feel like I’m getting my blog-spiration back so hopefully you’ll be seeing a lot more from me in the next few months and hopefully for years to come – I may have times when I don’t post much but I’m not planning on stopping blogging altogether for a long time to come!

Lastly, I just want to thank all of you have read and commented on Toby Goes Bananas over the last year. I really do appreciate it so please keep coming back!

- Sarah 3 Comments

A life update

A life update

I’ve been saying this for the last few months but I really do feel like I’ve been neglecting my little blog lately. Anyway, now my show is finished I’m hoping I can claim back a bit of the time I’ve been spending rehearsing to focus on the blog a bit more. I was at an exciting blogging (and baking) related event last weekend (more on that soon) which has helped to kick start my blog love again.

I wrote about my first week back at work seven weeks ago – after my second week at work I actually got another two weeks off due to a mix up with paperwork but I’ve been back for a five weeks…and unfortunately it hasn’t really got any better! So many of the kids are really badly behaved and to be honest I’m at a point where I have no idea what to do with them any more. It doesn’t help that I haven’t even been paid yet either – a whole term of working for free doesn’t really fill me full of enthusiasm when it comes to facing a classroom full of unruly kids! (I should be getting paid all my back pay this month though, as well as getting redundancy money from my previous job so it’s going to be a bumper October for us!).

I’m so glad it’s the holidays next week though – I am totally ready for a week off! We’re going on holiday for the week too – we’ve got a couple of nights in a wooden lodge/cabin thing in Yorkshire and then four nights at Butlins in Skegness. We paid for Butlins with our Tesco Clubcard vouchers so it only cost us £20! Such a bargain. The only slight downside is that if I go away for the whole of a school holiday I always feel like I haven’t had much of a break somehow. I’m really looking forward to spending some time with my boys though and hopefully a week off nursery with some proper naps will help Toby to recover from the cold he seems to have had permanently for the last two months.

So that’s about it really. Life is plodding on. It’s hard being back at work full time and not seeing Toby for much more than an hour a day. But we’re trying to make the most of our weekends and I just keep telling myself that if our master plan goes to plan it’ll only be for a year. I just need to get on with it, save as much money as we can and try and make it to the summer holidays with my sanity in tact!

 

- Sarah 4 Comments

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

As you may have noticed I’ve not been doing a huge amount of blogging lately. Being back at work full time and being a few days away from appearing on stage in a musical with a local theatre group means I’ve not got a lot of spare time on my hands and even when I have the motivation to blog isn’t always there. I am missing writing though and hope when things settle down a bit I can get back to publishing a bit more regularly.

All this meant I was very pleased when the lovely Donna from Redhead Babyled nominated me for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award and given me some questions to answer – I’ve not done one of these kind of posts for a while and it makes it nice and easy for me to write something without having to find my own inspiration, so thanks Donna!

Holidays: UK or Abroad?

Can I say both? I’ve had some amazing holidays abroad – I was lucky enough to spend every summer in France and Spain when I was growing up and I hope we can give Toby plenty of foreign experiences too. But I love a good break in the UK too- the Lake District is probably our favourite place to visit, although we are branching out and heading to Butlins in Skegness next month! Whether we go abroad or stay in the UK I would definitely say somewhere we can drive to makes life a lot easier with a little one.

Tea or Coffee?

I drink tea every day, but I do enjoy a massive Starbucks latte too.

What’s your all time favourite TV show?

Ooh, this is a tricky one… I love ER – I watched it when it was first on and I think I’ve watched it from beginning to end about three times since. Of shows that are on TV now I would probably say The Great British Bake Off or Stricly Come Dancing, , or maybe The Biggest Loser! Although I have also watched every single episode of Home & Away for the last 11 years! I am something of a telly addict!

If you could fix one thing in the world, what would it be?

Being a teacher I see a lot of kids coming from really difficult backgrounds – if I could fix one thing it would probably be for all children to have a happy and supportive families and to get the same opportunites in life.

If you could have a super power, what would you choose?

The ability to survive on very little sleep! That would be an awesome super power for any parent I reckon!

If you could go back to one time in your life, when would it be?

I honestly wouldn’t go back – I know it sounds cheesy but I really do think the last few years since I met my husband and had Toby have been the best of my life. (Although, if I really had to go back I’d probably go back to primary school – I have such good memories of being at school.)

What would be your perfect Christmas present?

As I get older I find it harder and harder to think of things I’d like for Christmas and birthdays – I think I’d probably go for experiences rather than things (Barry got me a massage for Christmas last year which was amazing, and looked after Toby so I could go and have it!). I think my perfect present would be a weekend away with Barry in a luxury country hotel.

Where did your blog name come from?

Not long after Toby was born I decided I’d like to start a blog and when I was thinking of a name ‘Toby Goes Bananas’ just popped into my head. I didn’t want a name that had ‘mummy’ in it as there are so many of those around already and I just thought Toby Goes Bananas sounded quite fun. (And I do have a plan as to what I’ll do with my blog name if we have another baby!).

Where do you see your blog this time next year?

At the moment I don’t have any massive plans for my blog – I would like to get back to blogging more regularly and all I really hope is that this time next year I am still writing my blog.

Tell us about your closest friend

I know lots of people say it but my husband really is my best friend… But if we’re not including him then it would have to be my friend Claire – we first met in 1999 when we were both working in France but only really became close friends when we both moved to Scotland for work in 2003. We’ve been to every Take That tour together since they reformed, we were bridesmaids for each other and now we have babies who are three months apart (Claire has twin boys) so we spent lots of time together whilst we were both on maternity leave. We never stop talking when we’re together although these days our conversations are more likely to be about teething or car seats than planning our next trip to see Take That!

The rules for this award are…
* Thank the Blogger who nominated you
* Put the Logo on your Blog
* Answer the 10 questions put to you by the Blogger
* Nominate 10 Bloggers
* Give the 10 Bloggers, 10 new questions

So that’s my answers – I nominate the following bloggers (and there are only 8 but so if you fancy joining in then just go for it!):

Aby – You Baby Me Mummy

Becky – The Laughing Owls

Chantelle – Seychelles Mama

Debs – Super Busy Mum

Kate – Family Fever

Gemma – Sunshine on a cloudy day

Lucinda – Teacher2Mummy

Rachel – Parenthood Highs and Lows

And my questions are:

  • What one thing (not person) could you not live without?
  • If you could live anywhere where would it be?
  • Hot or cold?
  • What’s your favourite film?
  • What’s your earliest memory?
  • What’s your favourite thing about blogging?
  • What’s the oldest thing you own and how long have you had it?
  • Sweet or savoury?
  • If you had a day to yourself, no chores to do, no kids to look after, what would you do?
  • Any regrets?

 

blog-awards

- Sarah 3 Comments

Best pet reptiles for children

This is a collaborative post

Growing up the only pets we had were a goldfish (which unfortunately didn’t last very long!) and a guinea pig which was great until we discovered I was allergic to it. Looking after a pet can be a great lesson for any child, it teaches responsibility and can improve self-esteem, so getting a pet when Toby is a bit older is something we might look into. However, it turned out that not only was I allergic to our guinea pig, I’m allergic to all animals with hair, fur or feathers so our pet choices are rather limited! There are plenty of other reasons too that the fluffy variety of pet isn’t for everyone – toilet training, feeding and walking all take time and patience. Not always in great supply in busy households!

bearded-dragon-stack

A reptile could be a great choice of pet for us for a variety of reasons. A key factor is that reptiles are great for anyone with allergies, due to the lack of pet hair. They are also very low maintenance, as they don’t need feeding or taking for a walk every day. Reptiles are quiet too, which is always an advantage! They will need some special housing and equipment, so a good retailer such as Swell Reptiles is ideal, to ensure you have the best kit.

There are a few things to bear in mind before getting a reptile as a pet – salmonella is a concern amongst reptile keepers with children. If you have children under 5 or anyone with a frail immune system, then a reptile is not for you (so we would definitely have to wait a few more years before getting a reptile as pet for Toby). Older children should be taught to thoroughly wash their hands after handling, to avoid contamination. Just as with any pet, you should do some research on the right one for your family. Children can get involved in this too and learn about their prospective pet.

If you are thinking about getting a pet then here are a few recommendations of pet reptiles for children:

Crested Gecko

These passive little lizards are great for beginners as they don’t require constant supervision.

• They need a terrarium, a heat lamp and mat to keep them in the right climate but other than that they are easy to keep.

• They can eat ready-made food, so perfect for those who don’t like insects.

• Crested Geckos live for around 15 – 20 years.

Leopard Gecko

Another member of the Gecko family, Leopard Geckos are a popular choice due to their appealing looks.

• They can live a long time, some have been known to live for 20 years.

• They are happy to live alone or in pairs and will thrive with constant handling.

• This species eat live crickets, which are easily available on line from good retailers.

• He will need a heat mat and a thermostat to regulate the temperature.

Bearded Dragon

Another popular choice due to their distinctive appearance, they are great for older children.

• They are small as babies, but they can grow to a huge size – needing a big enclosure.

• They can be kept alone, in fact most prefer it.

• They eat a lot, so the vivarium will need cleaning out regularly.

• They also thrive when handled enough, so set aside time to play with him.

• They can live for around 10 years, so they are a long term investment.

Corn Snake

These snakes are great for families who are busy during the day, as they are nocturnal.

• They don’t mind being alone, as they live alone in the wild.

• A corn snake will need a basking lamp and a heat mat to keep him warm and healthy. This initial set up can be costly, but after this it shouldn’t cost much to maintain.

• To keep him active, he will need some logs and other equipment.

• They have a life span of around 15 – 20 years in captivity, so another long term pet.

These are just a few of the best reptiles for children, other lizards, tortoises and some snakes are great too. Speak to your local vet or reptile specialist for more advice. And if we do decide to get a reptile as a pet in the future then I’ll be sure to tell you all about it!

- Sarah 2 Comments

Everything in moderation

I haven’t joined in with The Prompt (a wonderful linky from mumturnedmom) for absolutely ages but when I saw this week’s prompt [well, last week’s prompt by the time I’ve got round to writing this!] it immediately made me think it would be something I’d like to write about, because it is something which I struggle with every day.

Everything in moderation

I’ve always been an all-or-nothing kind of person. Whether it was eating my Easter eggs all in one go or listening to Babe by Take That a hundred times on repeat when I was a kid, or as an adult spending a fortune going to Tim Minchin gigs all over the country, finishing the whole tub of Ben & Jerry’s just because it’s there, or eating corned beef and salad cream sandwiches for lunch every day for five months (although that may have been a weird pregnancy thing!). Same goes for drinking (or until I had Toby at least) – I never just had one glass of wine, if I was drinking then I was getting drunk. But equally I find it relatively easy to not drink at all for months at a time, or avoid chocolate all together. I just can’t seem to get my head around enjoying just a small amount of something. I think some people just have the kind of personality where they are able to moderate their behaviour; my dad for example used to get a massive bar of Dairy Milk every Christmas and he’d still be eating it in May, a couple of squares a week. I, on the other hand, was given a 1kg bar of Dairy Milk as a leaving present from a job when I was about 23 and I ate the whole lot in about three days!

And so, enjoying everything in moderation is something I find incredibly difficult to do but it is something I’m really trying to do, especially now I’m a mum. I think ‘everything in moderation’ is important for life, particularly when it comes to food, and I really want to try and set a good example for Toby. I don’t want any foods to be ‘naughty’ or even treats. I don’t want to use food as a reward or a bribe (although I think that one might be harder to stick to!). I don’t want him to see me ‘on a diet’ (which, with my all-or-nothing personality I’m actually fairly successful with, it’s just that I tend to put all the weight back on when I’m not ‘dieting’ any more). Mostly I just want Toby to grow up with a healthy attitude to food and hopefully he can avoid all the issues I’ve had with my weight and body image over the years. Although, if the size of him now is anything to go by (he’s very long and skinny) he has inherited the same body type, and hopefully the same attitude to food and metabolism as my dad and brother – to them food is fuel, they eat when they’re hungry and can eat anything they fancy. They seem to have the built-in ‘moderation’ gene that I am sorely lacking!

So how about you? Do you find it easy to enjoy things in moderation or are you an all or nothing kind of person like me?

 

mumturnedmom
- Sarah 5 Comments

One week down, forty-four to go!

44 weeks to go

That’s right. I’ve been back at work a week and I’m counting down the weeks until the summer holidays already! In fact, I’m actually only counting down the days until our next day off (only 13 more school days until we get a Monday holiday, then it’s only another 24 school days until we get a week off in October). I know teachers get a lot of holidays, but believe me, we need them!

My first week back at work was far from plain sailing. Actually, it was pretty bloody awful. Quite aside from the fact that I had to wake Toby up two hours earlier than normal, leave him at nursery for nine and a half hours a day and only see him for an hour before it’s bedtime, work itself has not been an enjoyable experience.

[I apologise now but the rest of this post is a bit of a rant and a moan…thanks if you decide to keep reading, I just need to get it off my chest!]

To start with, I only got the job in the middle of the summer holidays so until in-service day last Monday the only time I had been in the school was for my interview. I didn’t know my timetable or what classes I would be getting, I hadn’t seen my classroom, I didn’t know who I would be working with or any of the school policies or procedures. What I also found out on the first day was that I was replacing a teacher who had been suspended under a cloud of scandal three weeks before the end of last term. What that meant was that her classes hadn’t been taught for the last three weeks (and in Scotland that is important, in secondary school the timetable changes in June and everyone moves up a year so the last few weeks of term are the start of new classes). There was no handover about where the pupils were up to or what to expect from each class as I would expect when starting at a new school. It also meant the classroom I moved into was in a state of disarray – it seemed the teacher I replaced just shoved all her paperwork, resources, even dirty dishes and rubbish, under the desk! It was so bad I couldn’t get my feet under the desk to sit at it.

And so, on Tuesday I had to face my first classes with very little clue as to what I was doing. No-one had really had time on the in-service day to explain the school’s discipline policy so when I had to deal with poor behaviour (and unfortunately there was a lot of it) I didn’t know what options I had available to me. Every school has different ways of dealing with bad behaviour – issuing ‘punishment exercises’ (lines to you and me) is common in Scotland but this school doesn’t have them. They do use detentions but in my experience in the last week the kids aren’t really bothered if they get a detention, it’s only 10 minutes of their break time anyway.

As a new teacher I would always expect the kids to push me a bit to say what they can get away with but some of the classes I had to attempt to teach last week were horrendous – kids refusing to stop talking, constantly shouting out, not following instructions, not doing anything they’d been asked to do, ignoring warnings and punishments…. and I didn’t feel like I had any support to deal with them. On Wednesday night I came home and burst into tears because it had been so horrible.

I like being a teacher, I really do. And I know that managing the kids’ behaviour is part and parcel of that but there is a limit to just how much rude and disruptive behaviour I can cope with. After four years of teaching in some very deprived areas I am used to poor behaviour often from kids with lots of issues who get no support or structure at home, but even so I was astounded at just how bad some of the behaviour I saw last week was. And, even more so since I’ve had Toby, I just don’t want the stress of spending most of my day in a state of conflict with pupils who have no interest in learning a modern language, or even any interest in being in school at all.

I will admit that my week did improve slightly on Thursday and Friday and it turns out I do actually have a few nice classes. I’ve found out a bit more about the school discipline policy and so feel slightly better equipped to deal with poor behaviour. The other two languages teachers are nice and have been doing their best to help me. And I’ve managed to clear up the desk (to a degree) and can now at least get my legs underneath it!

So, things are already looking a bit better than they were last week. There’s still a long way to go before I’m really settled in but I’m not despairing quite as much as I was. And at the very worst, it’s only 44 weeks (and counting) until the summer holidays!

- Sarah 3 Comments

The Last Day: Returning to work after maternity leave

the last day

This is it. After over 13 months of maternity leave I return to my job as a Modern Languages teacher tomorrow (we go back to school crazy early here in Scotland!). Although I’ve been off work for over a year it feels like the time to go back has come round so quickly. It wasn’t helped by the fact that a month ago I still didn’t have a job to go back to – it was only two weeks ago that I interviewed for and was offered a new job in a new school and with a different council, so the end of maternity leave hasn’t been entirely stress-free!

I have such mixed emotions about going back to work – on the one hand I’m looking forward to going back to work. I enjoy my job (most of the time!) and I’m looking forward to doing something that involves using a bit more brain power for a change. And I got to buy some new clothes too. But on the other hand, I’m going to miss Toby so much. It makes me so sad to think someone other than me will be looking after him. And because he’s going to nursery full-time he’s actually going to be spending more time with the people at nursery than he is with me and Barry. I know though, that he’s going to get so much out of being there and playing with all the other babies. He’s had three settling in sessions this week; we went for an hour last week and I stayed with him and then he was there on his own for two hours on Monday, three hours on Tuesday and then a full day (7am-4:30pm) on Wednesday as a proper practice for what we’ll be doing next week.

And I’m relieved to say he seems to have taken to it remarkably well. I was quite worried about it as no-one has ever looked after Toby except me and Barry (apart from a couple of times when we’ve been out in the evening but that’s always been after he’s been in bed). He’s been fine at nursery though – we did pick up a very tired and slightly grumpy boy on Tuesday when they couldn’t get him to have a nap but he managed two naps on Wednesday (albeit much shorter ones than he would have at home) so I’m hopeful that he’ll settle into a routine soon enough. He’s been eating well at least and they managed OK with his cloth nappies too, although I might have to give them a few more fitting lessons yet!

So, it seems Toby is going to be all right at nursery so that just leaves me. For the fourth time in five years I will be starting the new year at a new school. I really wish I was going back to the school I was at before my maternity leave. It was a small school and I knew most of the kids and had fitted in well with all the teachers and other staff too. It’s always hard to start a new job but as a teacher you don’t get any time to settle in and find your feet. Fortunately the first day is in-service day so at least I’ll have chance to see what classes I’m teaching and find my way about a bit but from Tuesday I have to be on it. I need to at least pretend I know what I’m doing from the very beginning or it’ll take months to get the kids to accept me. There are so many things to learn going to a new school. Every school seems to have a different way of doing things, from where the pencils are kept, to what you need to do to get a brew at break time! I know it’ll all be fine in a couple of weeks but for now, I’m really not looking forward to that aspect of starting my new job.

The only other thing then, that I’m trying not to worry about, is that my new job means that both me and Barry will be working on the other side of the Forth Road Bridge to where we live, and more importantly on the other side to Toby’s nursery. In severe weather the bridge can be closed, or if there is an accident or breakdown this can cause massive delays so I’m really worried in case we both get stuck on the wrong side of the bridge and we can’t collect Toby. Not having any family near by means there isn’t anyone we can call on in an emergency. At a push my friend Claire could probably get him but she has her own twins to look after too. Hopefully it will never come to that, but it doesn’t stop it being something that is going to sit at the back of my mind. Before having Toby I never would have thought that going to work could involve so much stress and worry.

So anyway, it’s going to be a big change for us all over the next few weeks, and I have a feeling that blogging is going to have to take a bit of a back seat for a while. Don’t worry though, I’ll still be around and I’ll try to post a few updates when I can. If anyone has any tips for combining a full-time job with being a mum then please do let me know, I think I’m going to need all the help I can get!