Bullet Journal

So, one of the latest trends in journaling is Bullet Journaling. It's a quick, simple way of keeping yourself organised, keeping lists together, etc.  I received a lovely new notebook for Christmas from my mum that I decided to use for this purpose. I like how bullet journals can be as creative (or not) as you want them to be. Today I started creating mine after looking at examples on pinterest and reading this article on Buzzfeed What is a Bullet Journal?

My pinterest board that I intend to keep adding to is found here: My Journaling Pinterest Board

I intend to use it as a to-do-list for daily chores where I can check off completed tasks and migrate tasks that don't get completed. But I also want to use it to record books that I have read (hoping it will encourage me to read more - a goal for this year!) with ratings on the books. I envisage adding doodles and creativity to this journal to make it attractive to look at and therefore use. Other pages I intend to have include gratitude pages, notable quotes, and other trackers that I find I need.  That's the beauty of a journal of this type - it is totally flexible and can be altered and added to as I go along. Whatever doesn't work can be dropped and anything new that is needed can be added.  I'm excited to have a go and see what develops throughout 2017!

Images below from google seach:

Reviving the blog...

It's been on my mind for a while now to revive the old blog. I feel the need and desire to begin journaling again and decided to go back to this blog. I'm writing this blog for my own purpose to document and record my own thoughts and feelings as well as my activity and events. I've created another blog specifically for teaching to keep that separate from my own personal blog. Once that's up and running I'll put the link on here.

It's December 30th, 2016 so almost 5 years since I last posted. To say that a lot has happened since my last post is a great understatement! In a nutshell - I was accepted onto the GTP to train as a primary school teacher here in England. I successfully completed that 1 year course and then completed my NQT year with a year 4 class in a school that almost broke me! I let there at the end of that year and have been at my current school every since, teaching year 2. 

My boys are now teenagers and apart from being typical teenagers (!) are good kids. One of them is in his second year of GCSEs and hoping to go on to A levels next year. He excels in maths, science, and computing and wants to study those at college then university. If he ever gets his head down and studies! My younger son will be choosing his options for GCSEs this year and also is strong in maths but is more of an all rounder.

As a result of me being a full-time teacher, my husband now works part-time and does all the household chores. A reversal of roles. He works lunchtime duty at my school (where all the kids love him!) and does odd bits of other cover there.

So that's where we are at the moment in the Brown house!

Yeah Yeah

I know. It's been a while :)

Update on previous post - last weekend was our trip to Chester. It was flipping freezing so on the Saturday we went to the Blue Planet aquarium and then to Cheshire Oaks outlet. Yummy meals and Krispy Creme donuts were enjoyed by all!!

I was planning on going into Chester on the Sunday but it was just too cold so we had a lazy morning and had lunch out on the way home.

All this travelling was done in my new car! Two weeks ago we bought a Vauxhall Zafira. My old car was getting to the age where it was going to start needing lots of work (read: money) on it. I just felt that now was the right time to trade it in. Our Zafira is just over 3 years old. Its price when brand-new was £18k and we paid £6k. It's only done 16,000 miles and is like a brand new car. It's crazy to think that in 3 years it has lost 2/3 of it's value - a total of £12k!!! One reason I'd never buy a brand new car, thank you very much :D

Also, I'm still using the laundry detergent from the last post. I don't even think I've used half of it! And still loads of the shampoo left (and I wash my hair everyday!).

Will update more interesting news later.

Recent Bargains

I've booked a one night stay in Chester at a Travelodge for £9 (about $13.50) for a family room. My friend recently went to Chester for a weekend and says it's a lovely city so when Travelodge had their recent sale I booked a room there. We are going at the end of January to tie in with David's work shifts. Can't beat a price like that can you!! The rooms are basic but clean and to be honest, what more do you need for just a one-nighter??

I also got a great deal on laundry products and shampoo at Sainsburys yesterday. Certain laundry products were on offer at half price which in itself is a good deal. But they had an offer where if you bought £10 of goods (including the items that were already half price), you got 2 x £2.50 vouchers - one for laundry detergent and one for shampoo (items that were also in the first deal). Now keep up here because it sounds more complicated than it was, lol. I spent £10 and got 3 bottles of detergent (already half price remember?!), got 2 vouchers. Went back and got more products that totalled £10, used the 2 vouchers previously given, paid about £5 cash. This generated another set of vouchers. Did this a couple more times. Finally, when I'd had enough!! I went back and used the vouchers for a laundry detergent and shampoo and only paid £1.50.

I now have 7 bottles of detergent and 5 bottles of shampoo. The value of these goods is £78.45

and I paid £24.20!! The detergent should last me at least 6 months and similar for the shampoo (they are big bottles). Deals like this are obviously only good if you actually need the items and will use them and if they don't have expiry dates on! Some people on the forums I visit have bought shelves and shelves of these deals! I only bought what was sensible for me to store.

Then yesterday afternoon I went into Ossett to get a few bits and bobs. I went into one store to get a few items for the freezer and at the checkout I was given 4 packs of yogurt frubes. Each pack has 6 inside. My kids have these in their lunch sometime so are items I normally buy. They are today's date and so they wanted to get rid of them. I brought them home and popped them in the freezer. I'll put one in each boy's lunchbox on a morning when I get them ready. They keep all the other items cold and by lunchtime they have defrosted and are ready to eat! They cost £1 a pack so I received £4 worth FREE. Can't beat that :)

New School Year!

Well we are now 2 weeks into the new school year and the days are flying by!! Nathaniel is now in Year 5 and Zac is in Year 3. Nathaniel has the same teacher he had 2 years ago so has just transitioned smoothly. Some of his friends are in the other class and so misses them, but has still got lots of friends in his own class. And of course he can play with the others during playtime. Nathaniel just get on with things. No drama, just plods along! Zac is in the class that I worked in last year so I know his teacher very well! It's a lovely class and he seems to be doing fine, if he just picks up the pace of his work. He struggles with his handwriting (being a leftie!) so it sometimes takes him a little long and looks like a spider walked across his page, bless him!

I'm finding the days busy and speedy! I'm in Year 2 from 9am until 12 noon. Then I assist a Year 3 child from 12 until 1pm. I have a 20 min lunch break then work in Year 4 from 1.20 until school ends at 3.20pm. I barely have time to breathe, but I love my job!! All the teachers, staff, kids are fab!! Couldn't ask for a better place to work!

This next weekend I'm going on a school residential from Friday until Monday so that should be an interesting experience! There will be about 45 eight year olds and 5 adults. I'm really looking forward to it, to get to know the kids better in a different environment. When we get back, we have the Tuesday off work to recuperate, lol.

Meet my Washer

It's here!! It's here!! It's here!!

My washing machine has arrived!!

My 'man with a van' delivered my new machine, plumbed it in, and took my old one away. All for £30. The store were going to charge £80 for this service. Even if I had been able to collect the machine myself in the car and plumb it in myself, the council would have charged £10 to collect and dispose of the old machine. As soon as it ready, I put in a few shorts and shirts of the boys and put it on a quick wash. 29 minutes later, freshly smelling laundry was pegged on the line. I can't believe how much I appreciate being able to do something simple as laundry my clothes again!! The things we take for granted.

Here she/he (what gender are washing machines?!?!?):

York part 2 - Site Seeing

I apologise for the poor quality of theses pictures. I used my iPhone to take them as I had forgotten to take my camera with me. There are lots more pictures on my facebook page. We had a lovely time just walking around the city. We went into the entrance of the Minster but didn't go all the way in as they charge admittance which would have been quite costly for the four of us. The boys enjoyed what they did see of it, however. We marvelled at how it amazing it was that something this awesome could be built without all the technology and machinery we have today. There is no way to get the whole outside of the Minster on one photo because of its vastness. It's truly a beautiful building!

We also walked down the cobbled streets, including the most famous of all The Shambles. I love all the quirky little shops and alleyways!

We went for a walk on the city wall. The wall is 1.9 miles around the city. The boys loved all the information that David gave them on the way around regarding the historical nature of the city. They loved looking through the slits in the stone walls that the soldiers would have shot their arrows through.

York is such a great city and we must go again sometime soon. Even at this time of year the place was heaving with people. I guess it was a beautiful day, around 70 degrees F. And it's such a tourist destination. The little tea-shops were full to the brim and the famous Betty's tea-shop had a long queue outside. I guess tea-shops are so quintessentially English that it's a must for a tourist to visit! When we were walking around the wall, we could see into the garden of a tea shop and it looked so civilised! Ladies sitting out having tea and cakes in an English country garden!