Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts

Friday, September 24, 2010

Baby Steps

I heard this from Little Girl 3 in the backseat this morning on the school run:

"Becs...I like you...a little bit, but...I still like C (former nanny) a lot".

That's fine with me. It's a step in the right direction.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

It's just another Manic Monday...I wish it were Sunday

This has been a very long week. The only thing that has kept me going is Sunday. My one day off each week and the only kid-free day. Aahh, Sunday!

The week started off pretty ordinary, then got progressively worse. One day on the way to school pick up in the afternoon, I stopped off at the supermarket with 4-year-old in tow, and I thought I would be nice and buy him a magazine of his favourite character, Thomas the Tank Engine. He was so excited and even helped me pick one out for his sister. I had a moment of thinking I must be the nicest, most generous nanny in the world...how wrong I was.

The very next day, 4-year-old could not stop asking for another magazine and, after trying to explain that the magazine only comes out once a month and that he couldn't have a magazine every day as it was a special treat, this turned into a full-volume screaming tantrum, complete with tears (mostly of the crocodile kind!).

Meanwhile, 5-year-old girl has been demonstrating an attitude worthy of a Hollywood diva, answering back, hands on hips, "I'm right, you're wrong!" - the whole bit. I have been at the limit of my patience all week, which as you may remember is not that patient at all!

Add to that, there were copious amounts of snot, endless "Why?" questions, playdates, and trains, trains, trains!

So you can see why I may be looking forward to Sunday. It will most likely rain, so I think I'll find some nice, quiet gallery to spend the afternoon in. Sounds like heaven!

On a better note, on Thursday, I was walking back from the library, feeling sad and missing my friends and family, when I bumped into a fellow nanny I know and we had a really nice chat and then, just around the corner, I ran into a lady from the WI (Women's Institute) and she remembered me from the whole two times I had been to the meetings. It honestly made my day. It just felt so nice to see people I knew and have a conversation with someone over the age of 5!

And finally on Friday, I was without a car and had to do the school run on foot, an hour round trip, morning and afternoon, which was fine as I really enjoyed walking along in the rain. I arrived at the school, thinking how nice the rain was and how great it was to be able to be outside for work and not stuck in the office all day, when the first mum to arrive says, "Isn't this weather grim?".

I smiled to myself and thought it's all just how you look at it, I guess.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Be Cool to Your School

School is back today and with it came drama and tears over breakfast cereal, threats to send me back to the airport (because according to Little Boy 3, that is where I come from!), one crazy traffic jam and a mad sprint to the school gate as a result.

Let the good times begin.

I, for one, am glad that school is back. My routine is back with it, I am working more hours and will be earning more money. The last two days of summer holidays have been exhausting. On Tuesday, I took the kids out on the bus, then on the tube into London and a boat ride to Greenwich for a picnic in the Park. It was a great day out, everyone was well behaved (including me!) and after the trip back home, we were all worn out. Wednesday was a wet day and I had planned to spend the day at home so we could all have some down time before school started.

Imagine my horror when their dad mentioned that we could go the London Transport Museum...in the city...on a wet day...with two kids under five! After trying to convince them that a whole day inside playing "Farmyards" would be much more fun, we all got our rain jackets on and headed once again into London. The weather could not make up its mind what it wanted to do, so it was rainy, windy, cold, warm, sunny and the jackets were on and off more times than I could count.

Our first stop was to visit their dad in his office and pretty much as soon as I arrived, I wanted to leave. I hadn't been in an office since I left Australia and I realised that I didn't miss it at all. In fact, I was sure that if I stayed there too long, they would make me start answering the phones! It was enough to make me want to run screaming from the place!

Anyway, we did leave without answering a single phone call, and headed to Covent Garden and the London Transport Museum. I was expecting to be bored, but it was actually great fun. The kids played in the play area mostly and I had a look at all the old buses and trains. Also, I never realised what was in Covent Garden itself and is definitely a place to come back and explore...without kids!

We caught two trains and a bus home and we were all dead on our feet after our day out. But at least the kids slept well...lucky them!

Here are some pics of the Transport Museum: