Thursday photo #192

Isn’t it an an amazing feeling when you’re well again after being ill? I have to admit, it’s rather good to send the children to school again after almost a month off too.

The new school

Libby’s school has been using mobile classrooms since before she started there due to a problem with the building. For reasons I don’t quite understand, the building itself couldn’t be rescued. And instead of building another school on the same site, they built a brand new school in a different place.

Monday was the first day in the new school, and it’s fabulous. It’s not large or extravagant, but it is comfortable, warm and new. They have a new provider for school dinners and they’re all raving about the food. Underfloor heating keeps them warm and the classrooms are all slipper zones. It sounds like the perfect learning environment.

Reading levels

During reception, Libby struggled with reading. It wasn’t enjoyable but we persevered, reading every day without fail. This year started the same way, with very basic books coming home and only small improvements forthcoming.

And then, something clicked. She moved rapidly up the reading grades, skipping two levels towards the end of last term. I worried that she may go backwards over Christmas as she didn’t read much, but that wasn’t the case.

After reading with her teacher today, she has moved up another two levels and is reading much more fluently. It’s wonderful to see all her hard work finally paying off and I hope that in time, she will get as much pleasure from reading as I do.

Two little girls looking at the cover of the Great Cat Nap

Disgusting dinners

This week hasn’t been Lia’s finest hour. Libby went out for the day with her dad on Saturday, while Lia stayed with me because she had a cold. And on Monday, Lia didn’t start in the new school, because preschool moves into it in a few weeks time, when everybody else has settled in.

The whole sorry scenario has put her a little out of sorts, and she has taken it out on my cooking. Now, I don’t profess to be a wonderful cook, but I put food on the table and everyone eats it. The girls have never known anything different, and my husband knows better than to complain.

Then on Tuesday, I put dinner on the table and Lia took one look at it and declared, “That’s disgusting.” Off she went to her bedroom with a flea in her ear, until she was ready to come back down and apologise, before happily eating her dinner. Lesson learnt. Or so I thought.

Wednesday dinner time arrived, Lia sat to the table. I hadn’t even brought dinner in from the kitchen before Lia uttered the words, “That smells disgusting.” Upstairs she went, to think about what she’d done. Then back down to say “sorry” and eat her dinner.

I do hope we will soon be able to chalk this one down to experience. I would be horrified if she said anything like that at somebody else’s house or in a restaurant. But for the time being, I’m going to have to develop a thick skin. Or get some cookery lessons.

Our Thursday photo #192

Unusually, I’ve taken a sum total of no photos whatsoever this week. So, our Thursday photo is a rush job as we ran out the door to school this morning. You win some, you lose some.

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12 Comments

  1. Slippers at school and amazing lunches. Almost makes me want to go back! Almost.

    Glad you are feeling better.

    Well done to Lib for the reading. It’s funny how something must have just clicked for her to jump groups. Maybe the choice in books? Good for her.

  2. The new school sounds amazing! Great to hear about Libby’s progress with reading. I think they all get it in their own good time – for some of them it is instantly, but for others it may take a year or two. I hope Lia’s attitude to food is only a blip. I have struggled with my kids and food for 16 years and it shows no sign of letting up. The kids are rarely rude about the food, but they do slip up occasionally, but my daughter often doesn’t eat what is put in front of her, preferring to go hungry.

    1. Thank you, yes I think you’re right about the reading. Luckily Lia still ate all her dinner, she just felt the need to be rude about it first! I think we’re back to normal now thank goodness.
      Nat.x

  3. Hi Nat, the new school sounds wonderful. Underfloor heating and slippers? Is there room for an adult? After a month I bet you were glad to get some ‘alone’ time, even if you had to work… I bet now reading has clicked with Libby there will be no holding her back, and I hope she associates her reading improvement with the extra works he put in… As for Lia and your cooking. I know it’s wrong, but I couldn’t help laughing (she couldn’t see me could she?). It sounds like she’s not a happy bunny and is taking it out on your cooking. You could either get her to ‘cook’ dinner so she knows just how much work goes into preparing food… You could even give her a bit of her own medicine, so she realises just how it feels to have someone turn there nose up at your cooking…. There was a time when my husband was really impatient when it came to dinner time and would bug me. I only had to dish up half cooked food (not to the children) once for him to back off… Lesson learned!

    xx

    1. Hahahaha I love that solution with your husband!! Lia has calmed down now thankfully. Although that’s partly because she has enjoyed the dinner we’ve had the last few days. I might have to try some of your solutions if she starts to complain again!
      Nat.x

  4. Underfloor heating! I’m jealous, I would love underfloor heating at home never mind school! Brilliant that Libby’s really enjoying reading, it takes a little while to get their heads around but fantastic once they can read better themselves. And yeah dinner, my littlest normally refuses to eat anything other than the vegetables, I just give up and say he can eat as much or as little as he wants but we all sit at the table until everyone is finished. He’s a stubborn one though and won’t nibble at the bits he ‘hates’ like his brother. The joys!