Quetzalcoatl

Every day I learn a little bit more about having three children. Every day they frustrate me but I’m in awe and so proud most days. Today, I’ve dropped off two children to two separate schools while the baby sleeps in the car. It’s all about timing.   We’re used to it now. The weekend comes and the baby naps totally differently. A bit like us, I suppose. I’m learning that every stage goes so quickly but also lingers so long because you want it to end but equally you never want it to end. Motherhood is one big oxymoron. I’ve been thinking this morning about how different I am as a mother at 35 compared 30. I dread certain things because I know how hard it is breastfeeding exclusively. It is more exhausting now than it ever has been. The nights are easier. It’s the day. I want to do more than play on the floor all day. My mind is craving more now. Being in baby/toddler mode for so long takes its toll. My skin is getting slacker. It’s getting loose. I can feel myself aging. It’...

7th April 2020 My Grandad has just passed away during the night. He was the most incredible man. He collects and keeps all the keepsakes of his life that he made with my Nanny in a little room. It was his office and we used to sit and talk to him. His black leather chair was getting all crinkled and dry. He loved being in there, surrounded by his life. Every pen, every notebook, every photo, every newspaper cutting, burst out of drawers and folders. I'm not even sure what colours the walls were. His name was Ronald Smith. I loved him very much, even if he did tell my sister and I to turn off Fresh Prince of Bel Air on the channel called Trouble. We loved it because he had Sky. But he'd only watch the news and sport. When we were younger, we thought the telly he watched was so boring. No wonder Nanny had to knit, do the crossword, cuddle us, and escape to the jacuzzi. Now, I would do anything to sit and watch a rugby or cricket match with him. Most evenings, when we were y...

One of my friends said to me last week that January is for organising. She's a vegetable gardener. More will follow about this later, but currently, I'm upstairs in our bedroom after a very average sleep.  --- I managed the above three sentences before I was interrupted. It's now very common with three little lives that come bursting in on me in the morning. We had to get ready for the school run so off I went to convince them to stand still for more than a few minutes just to get them changed. I rudely interrupted their game of MumandDad. They really have the sweetest games. But this post isn't about 3-4 year old games. As always, I never know where this writing will take me but I have a vague idea and I know that I need to write. So I write.  I'll crack straight on with this first post since March 2024...my mission is to use this blog to write every month. I have showered and dried my hair. Alone. A luxury in this Mum world I'm currently in. It isn't just ...

It's Sunday, and I was woken up by small little stomps coming up the stairs from our littlest. She snuggled into her perfect little spot next to me and said she wanted a bar. She usually has these fruit bars. She was hungry. The first thing she says when she wakes. Every time. But no, today, she wanted a Naanaa (banana). Once Daddy had found her one, she then proceeded to dunk her biscuit in my tea that he also brought up for us. Our eldest was still snoozing in the spot next to me where Daddy sleeps (she had come up in the middle of the night again and swapped). Daddy then goes downstairs to our littlest one's bed for the rest of the night and we all sleep soundly until I hear those little 6am stomps. Our little family of four. Our happy Sunday mornings.  The eldest then proceeded to gallop downstairs on a mission. Our youngest and I finished the Naanaa and biscuits, and for the rest of the morning, the girls brought me little gifts like chocolate and wine, cards, and painted ...

I'm writing this when I should be hanging the washing out. Logging on has made me realise that I haven't written since last year. It was on a book about the independent sector of education. I have had a lot of eye opening and life changing moments since that last post.  Firstly, we are expecting our third baby...it still seems surreal to be writing that. I feel so lucky and overwhelmed with how busy our house will be and how much love can be in one home. A total surprise and I now have to navigate another fork in the road of my teaching career. Sometimes, life takes over and you just have to surrender to the family. It reminds me to slow down: how I'm here to love them, our children, and not my job. Yes, we have the most ginormous toddler tantrums with our middle one, but the cuddles she can give are just phenomenal. I wish I could cuddle her at this age forever. Our eldest is getting ready for school in September and is nearly 5. She is just so grown up. I wish I could rem...

Thanks to this second edition, this book has two main themes: living in a life post-COVID and dreading the consequences post-VAT. The aftermath of lockdown and the potential fee-riser that the Labour government may bring in. The world changed when the Elementary Education Act in 1870 was established. Education was a way to stop child labour. We've come a long way. The Independent sector isn't just about educating the elite anymore: it's more accessible than ever before. However, 7% pupils attended independent schools in 1960 and 7% still attend in 2020. The reason for this stagnation? Year on year fee increases, but also that the wealthier middle classes tend to chose a new house or a new car over fees. Do people value materialistic items over education? To start, some facts. Internationally, schools are expanding. 2,584 international schools in 2000 compared to 12,459 in 2021. The middle classes are rising. A report by UNESCO estimates we need 24.4m primary teachers and 44...