Change Ready or Not

freeimage.com You know I really don't have a funny story to tell or jokes to relay the fact that I am hacked off that when it suits people my children, aged 12 and 14,  are considered adults. Then in the next breath, when it suits them again, they're no longer adults but children. I am talking specifically about airlines and some holiday companies. Every website that I search on wants to know how old my children will be on their return journey home. What difference does that make? When  I book the holiday is the key isn't it?  How old they are when I book or, at best,  when we begin our travel should be the focus but it's  not. Anyway for them to make money! I guess I should look on the bright side. That being a single parent my 14 year old will entitle me to a 2 adults and 1 child  deal, when they deem my 12 year old is still a child, which should result in some kind of discount. Really? That is short lived espeically  when you get to the hote...

So it's the beginning of 2016 and my 2015's Christmas, birthday and New Year was absolutely wonderful. The difference was really being  surrounded by warmth & love. This year  I decided to  take  care of my needs too.  Mothers  usually sacrifice the opportunity to spend time with the family by hiding in the kitchen preparing food for others to enjoy. We tend to  snatch moments with family members in between stuffing the turkey and preparing the other pieces of a fragmented menu. I bought food this year. Actually some might call it cater out or cater in whatever the saying I got someone else to cook food and all I did was collect it. This year I was not going to spend valuable time in that kitchen sweating like a beast in a tight space.  I was brought up in a home where this was the norm but it felt like too much of a grind this year. I'm fed up doing the thing for the sake of the thing. Also I don't know about you but when you're  cooking...

I was going to write an in-depth article on something that had been revealed to me. Act like a investigative journalist then I realised two things 1) I was procrastinating and 2) I am not a reporter I'm a concerned parent. So last week  I  heard  how the Lambeth  borough  council had been challenged about its plans to close libraries in the area. Libraries that are being used.  Young people and people of all ages in the borough need a place with resources and books. To study,  access information and use as a hub. What had been focused upon  was the apparent lack of  consultation that appeared not to have taken place yet it was alleged the council had already given the nod to change these library buildings into gyms and signed , or promised to sign, the building over with a 25 year leases! Those at this meeting did not vote to support the councils plans. So as you can imagine that fact that this was defeated in this meeting was not a good ...

freeimages.com It's the beginning of a new academic year. While we all will react differently to that news we share a  common theme. It's called distress. Now my distress level and yours are going to be at different levels but distressed we will be. Managing it will be the key. My mother said there are many ways to skin a cat and the same is true of how you deal with distress.   Some parents will be feel  anxious as their children  start school for the first time or move from primary to secondary school  Some parents exhale  a huge sigh of relief  thankful that they no longer  have to provide activities for them to do to fill their day nor empty their purse/wallet to keep them entertained.  I think i would have to say that I'm glad my purse is shut but as one door closes another will open. Some parents will be stuffing huge levels of distress  at the ...

pininterest.com   Last night I was busy having a really good time at L's  birthday celebration. I found myself speaking to one of her friends and we really hit it off.  Before you get any ideas she and I found we had a lot in  common and talked for ages.  I know I should have been drinking more than talking but believe me I was doing both: talking and drinking.  The more I drank the more talking that happened. Anyway we talked about so many things but what resonated with me was this theme. The idea that we know  when we've chosen the wrong person to be involved with.  We really do know. All we have to do is listen to ourselves. What we tend to do is ignore that gut feeling and instead think that we can change whoever we happen to be   involved with. All they need is for us to show them. Yeah right. In fact if we had listened to ourselves in the first place we might have prevented ourselves from learning the lessons that we eventuall...

Balance@freeimages.com Grammar schools equate to class and money. Neither of which I possess in great quantity. A  comprehensive school system might allow me the option of taking these out of the equation and looking at accessing quality education that works to make the best of us all. Education is not for the so called elite. It is for ALL. Allowing my  children to develop  their true potential is all I want as a mother. So how can this be achieved?  I think if  I look back most of my work experience has been about getting involved and trying to stem the fall out for children who have had poor experiences in their education. But I  realised that some of my dreams may have been were too big for the places I have worked. It seems you need a big voice or is it really all about connected friends? I became involved in school governance and developed a strategic perspective but realised politics has seri...

www.freeimage.com I put a ban on the iPad, iPod and social media in my home. My kids can't use them until the weekend.  Now when I started this little experiment I wanted to see how things would go. I've got to be honest. We lasted about two weeks! Lol.  I mean I noted things for about two weeks and them slowly we adjusted our habit. I noticed that we interacted more with each other. I guess that's what happens to  trapped animals.   As I have mentioned in one of my previous blogs I have been feeling concerned that humans are losing it. What are we losing?  The ability to connect with ourselves and each other other. So you shouldn't be surprised that I try to make sure that my family tap into each other and that we experience connecting with each other whenever possible. Week one without the contraptions  and I noticed  that both my children slept far more than I think they realised. This either demonstrated that they were far more tired than...