Pissed Off!

I don't know about anyone else, but it does piss me off, when you live with someone, who is a friend, and you share the rent, the bills, you cook dinner for them, you clean the place etc etc, (I could go on and on), and they do one of two things...

1. They sit there and watch you clean and do things
2. They sit there playing games on their iPad
3. They sit watching shitty TV shows, to pass the time
4. They don't get out of bed until midday
5. They wash a few plates and thinks that compensates for the housework.

To be honest I could probably go on and on, and I wouldn't usually write a blog about it, but it wound me up today, because I asked the said person to do one bloody thing for me, and what happens... they didn't do it, and then when I confronted the situation all the pathetic excuses pour out of their mouths. It must be a good life to be waited on hand and foot, not having to do anything for yourself, or having to go and get things for yourself because it is already here. Actually, unless you really are physically unable to do anything for yourself at all, there really is no excuse, and you know what, I couldn't be like that, I wouldn't want people running about after me. I like to be able to do things myself, I enjoy cleaning in the house, as much as it is sometimes a chore, I do enjoy the feeling of accomplishment and the tidiness, even though the tidy aspect doesn't last at all, it is however nice looking at it for a little while at least.

Well, I do feel slightly better now I have had that little rant, I'm still pissed off, but at the same time less stressed. Wow who knew that blogging could be such a therapy!

Modern Mum Going Back To School

So today, I received my assignments for a course that I have decided to do. Yeah I know I'm 33 yrs old, and really I need to concentrate on other things, but think about it.... I have nothing to do all day, my kids are both at school, I have time on my hands, I will need to get a job at some point, so why not sit here and in between housework, and cooking and cleaning, I can sit and learn something, and get an award at the end of it, which is not just any old award, no it is a fully certified award, recognised in work places. I will have a certificate which will in fact give me a qualification.

At school. I did enjoy learning to a point, but there were factors which actually stopped me from learning to the full potential and completing the course. These factors were fellow friends and students who were studying the same course, sadly for me, my friends were not interested in learning too much, and felt that they were simply there just to doss about with friends, because their parents told them they couldn't give up school until they had a job. There was also the problem of the teacher, I was in the sixth form, I was 17 years old, I was studying a GNVQ. We were basically handed out the assignments to do, and told to get on with it. I was not really bothered about that, to a point, because I was quite happy getting on with my coursework, that was until I needed help, or clarification or I was waiting for a mark, on the work that I had completed so that I could get on with the next part. Unfortunately the teacher was either constantly on her phone, or she just was not in the building and no one could ever find her. It was a nightmare, in the end I gave up with school, and by which time I already had a part time job at a supermarket, so I just upped and left.

Now that I am older, I feel like i am worth more, and I am more experience and I don't hang around with friends or go out constantly, so it was time for me to sit and put my time to good use, and start a distance learning course. These courses are great if you don't want to actually go back to an actual school to learn. You pay for them and you either get the materials sent to you through the post, or you get all your coursework online. You simply log on to the student portal, and read your coursework assignments, get on and do them on your computer, and submit them online. You get a teacher mark your work, telling you if the work you submitted need more added to it etc, and in the end you get your certificate. You can do all sorts of online courses. I think that they are a fantastic way for adults to carry on learning, and of course all these new qualifications..... will look good on your CV! There are hundreds of different courses that you can chose from. Yeah they can cost quite a bit of money, but at the same time, you don't have to pay for them outright, you can actually pay monthly by direct debit.

Well I have my iMac all up and running and I have a nice cup of tea, so I suppose I had best be off to crack on with my assignment, I am really looking forward to having a new qualification by the end of the year.

Writing A Novel

So I like to call myself a writer.. although at the moment I am not paid to write, but everything that I do involves writing of some sort. I decided a long time ago, that as well as blogging I was going to "try" and write a Novel. That is my dream anyway. Although my spelling may not be that good, or my grammar and punctuation, I must remember that I am not sat in that English class anymore, and I can go back through things and check to make sure that I have written things correctly if need be, and of course we are in the 21st century now and we can have things changed for us on the computer.

I won't write too much about my novel on here, but lets just say, it is a story of great happiness and the most awful heart wrenching tragedy. Once I have it completed I will send it off to a publisher, and see where it gets me.

My idol Author I would say is Fern Britton, because she is just simply amazing. I have her on twitter and I feel like I can ask her a question about how she got round to writing a Novel after years of being a presenter. I want to have a few Novels out there in book shops like she has. I have plenty of spare time and I just want to write. I have so many ideas flowing through my brain, I have to write everything down so I don't forget.

I do love blogging but, I really do feel that my true career lies in that of becoming an author. Wish me well, as I continue my journey and write that next chapter. Follow your dreams, and go with your heart. Pour yourself and cup of tea, (or coffee) and let your fingers do the work and write, write, write.

I have become a non smoker!

I am really happy to say that I have become a non smoker. I began smoking at the age of 16, when I was at school and all my friends were doing it. Yes as pathetic as it sounds now, I stayed smoking because all my friends did, and I felt left out, and actually uncomfortable because I was the only one who want smoking, so with that when my so called best friend got me to try one, I decided what the hell, I was fed up with looking like the wimp who never wanted to try things like that.

So my friend passed me the already lit cigarette, and told me to suck the filter of the cigarette like a straw and inhale as if I was breathing in air. So I did… And almost choked to death. I took so much back because I didn’t know what I was doing and then I couldn’t catch my breathe, it was awful and after I felt so embarrassed.

After school I went home but still felt so embarrassed, so I decided that I would practice. So,  my brother who was a smoker always had his jacket hanging downstairs and he had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket so I stole a couple and then went off for a walk and had a try. The same thing happened again and I choked but eventually I got the hang of it. So there it is, my history of how, when and why I started smoking.

Since then, I have had two sons. My youngest son has just started primary school so I decided that I would try and give up smoking completely once he was at school full time, because I wouldn’t have anyone at home and I could concentrate better, and I have to say it has worked.  I officially had my last cigarette just over 8 weeks ago now and I feel proud of my self for giving up.

The next thing on my list is to go on a diet after Christmas though. I gave out on so much weight, and ideally my son is to lose at least 2 stone in the new year, perhaps that will be a new year resolution for 2014.

Homework... The Pointless Homework Types

When I was a kid, I used to love some of the homework that haywood ratherer they setdo. Yeah I know, I was probably either very whatt the students had learnt I classn   in lesson instead of all thethat  ridiculous  bored at home a even more because they are   work as something fun to do, or it was something that I found government andesting. These days, getting my eldest, to do his homework is a constant battle. I get fed up with the arguments and banning the xbox. I want my kids to do well, but I have come to the conclusion that homework needs to be something that the kids actually understand, and that I feel is the main point. When my Son comes home from school, we have to help him, because he has no clue as to what he supposed to do, so my question is this, is homework that is set by the teacher just not explained properly to the children?

Why do teachers also feel the need to keep setting projects? I would rather they set homework in the form of a worksheet based on what they have been studying in class rather than pointless projects that make the kids hate homework even more because they aree so time consuming and sorry but some kids get bored of it. The governmentt and the teachers need to make kids enjoy learning which will keep them interested in school and therefore more kids will do better. 

After School Detentions... The Reason Why Teachers Like Them

So, this is one of those subjects, that to be honest really pisses me off. My son goes to a school, in which, to response of the children not bringing homework in on time... they receive a detention. Not being funny but, our children are at school to learn, they get their homework, which to me is far too much, and half of the homework that the students these days are asked to complete at home, is just bullshit, (however that is for another blog). Now if my son does not hand his homework in on time, then he will receive a 45 minute detention after school. The reason for this, and this was straight from the words of a teacher at my son's school, is simply this. "By giving our students an after school detention, it takes away the students free time, and is therefore a punishment". Well, to be honest, his school can shove it up their arse, because I will simply NOT allow him to have an after school detention.

By giving students an after school detention, us as parents have to then re-arrange what we have to do, and when we have other children, or we work, or other things going on it is very difficult. Yes I know, the teachers feel that they have covered that dilemma, by basically saying, they HAVE to give us 24 hours notice if they want our children for after school detention. Well sorry, bollocks to you Mr and Miss Teacher... in my family it simply will not happen. I have said it before, and will keep on saying it. After school detentions do not work, and I am the parent and I decided what my child does after school, and I do not want to have to juggle my day around in order to make sure that my child gets picked up from school. If a child has been that naughty, or unruly and that needs a detention, or as the teachers out it Free Time taken away from them, then this needs to be done in the teachers time, in school, since it is to do with school, not in my time. Every time my child receives an after school detention, I will be emailing the school, telling well, actually, no, my child is not doing an after school detention.

Yeah I know, I am probably out of order, and lots of parents are probably sitting there reading this and wondering why I feel the need to stop my children being punished.... To you parents, I say this... I simply will not allow a child to have to stay at school longer than they should. They are children, and they deserve to live their lives as children, they grow up far too quick as it is. I am not against punishment, far from it, but saying that an after school detention is the only way, and that is because it takes away their free time, well to be honest how fucking childish does that sound??? It sounds like the teachers are almost as immature than the teenagers that they are supposed to be setting an example too. If my son has done something really awful, then yes he should be given a detention in school, or suspended etc, but it's a big no to after school detentions, whatever he does wrong in school he will be punished for in school. Having a detention for not handing in homework, well, if thats is what teachers of today are like then it really is no wonder the students have no respect for them.

Being A Stay At Home Mum is Not Being Lazy

Todays blog post is about something that is very much close to my heart. There are so many people these days who I find judge a Mum (or Dad) who choose to stay at home and look after their children as opposed to go back to work. Now in my mind, whether this be that the parent is claiming government benefits, or has a partner who is working, it does not matter whatsoever. The fact is people are too quick to judge these days, and I find it really insulting and infuriating. I have experienced life on both sides of the coin so to speak, and in this blog post, I am going to share with you my experience and hope that perhaps I can end this assumption that stay at home parents, are lazy, because it really is not the case.

In December 2000, I had a baby. Three days after he was born, his Dad left me. 2 weeks after he was born, I went back to work. I was fairly lucky in that I was able to take him with me to work in the morning, but in the afternoon he used to go and stay with his Grandmother, she used to pick him up and look after him until I had finished. She also worked, but she only worked in the mornings, I was very lucky, because I wouldn't have been able to afford childcare at that time, and my boss was happy for me to have my baby in the office with me. Going back to work was a case of having to. Of course I would have much rather stay at home and take care of and enjoy my baby, but earning enough money to keep him fed and clothed was my main priority. It's funny because, I actually felt that people though I was the worst Mother in the world because I went back to work, instead of stay at home and look after him, and now look where we are, how times have changed I missed out on everything, I missed all the things he learnt he did, and it hurts everyday knowing that. To continue my story, my son is now a teenager, and we have never had that "bond" that a Mother and child should have, he stays with his Grandparents every weekend, he prefers to, I think that in his mind, his Grandmother is his Mother. He knows that I am his Mother, and he calls me Mum, but really his Grandmother is the one that he see's as Mum. I am sure that if he had the choice, he would go live with them. I blame the fact that I went back to work, and did not stay at home with him and look after him. I still do not know to this day if I will ever have a good relationship with him, he loves me, and I love him, but there is no connection. It breaks my heart, I feel like if I had of been a better Mum and stayed at home and taken care of him, then he would have that bond with me, and wouldn't be so angry. Now I have to spend my time rebuilding the bridges that we have lost along the way, and continue being his Mum, but it's harder now because he is a teenager and wants to go out with his mates and has no interest in having time spent with his Mum.

In 2009 I had my second child. I had given up work when I had him, and so I because a stay at home Mother. It was the best thing that I have ever done. I never missed a thing, every new little thing that he did, every new word that he spoke, I witnessed all of it, and I felt so proud. Now my youngest won't be apart from me. He goes to school fine, but he wouldn't go and stay at his Grandparents house, even though his older brother is there, he still wouldn't go, he just wants to stay at his house, with his Mum and Dad. The only thing that I could wish for is that his Brother changes and wants to stay with us more. I would also just like to point out that not only am I a stay at home Mum, but I am also an alarm clock, I take the kids to school, I wash I clean, I cook dinner, I don't actually have very much time to myself to watch the Daytime TV shows that people assume we all do, sometimes I do think that going to work, would be a holiday, but I love being a Mum, I wouldn't swap it for anything in the world. It just goes to show that being a stay at home, is the better thing to do, and I think that people who basically slag off the parents who choose to stay at home, are basically jealous in my mind. I would rather only have money for the bare essentials, than to have to go back to work and lose that special bond every parent should have with their child. What do you think about parents who choose to go back to work, don't feel you have to go with what I say, in this blog post, because everybody else has a different opinion. This is just my own opinion, form my own personal experience, of being a working Mother, and a Mother who stays at home.

Christmas Presents

So with Christmas just around the corner, I have been thinking about what I am going to be buying this year for every one. Obviously the main people that I will be buying for will be my kids and nephews, but what do I get them this year? I don't know about every body else, but everything is getting so expensive these days, I mean there are so many gadgets around and of course new video games and consoles, and of course every child is telling us... "I want that". So where do we draw the line? Is this why the county is in so much trouble financially, because everyone is buying these new high tech gadgets and therefore have no money left to pay for bills? For example, its November 2013, so if course what is coming out this month???  Yep, you guessed it the new Xbox One and not only that but Playstation 4 is also being released. Naturally they planned to release both these new consoles right near Christmas so they get more sales. Well sorry but I am not spending over £400 quid on one present for Christmas, that just seems ridiculous. Even video games like the ones ones people spend hours queuing up for over night cost over  £40 each, I mean is just ridiculous.

Sometimes I do think that these new technology products out there these days are taking away our children, I mean they seem to stop being kids because they have all this new technology to play with, where as before kids had an imagination. There are two sides to this argument though, because my little one actually understood how to use an iPhone at the age of 2, so I installed a load of educational apps on it and he learnt things quicker than my eldest did because things like that were not around when he was little. So thoughts on  Christmas presents? My way is one big present and lots of little inexpensive ones is that the best idea or do you think just spend a certain amount of money?

The Children of Today

So... When I was younger, if I had been mouthy or back chatted my parents wow I would have paid for it, but these days it seems like our kids think that they can get away with talking to us any old way they feel like it.. But why? What is so different these days that make them think they have the right to do that? Not all kids do it, but those that do how does it happen? do their parents allow them to get away with it? Do the parents have control of their kids? Do the children get disaplined? I am pretty sure that some of it comes from school and friends that they make at school, because I guess it is the way that they speak to each other. Of course some of the attitude that children show us these days is caused from computers and video games. Every child aged 5 and above has a game console whether it be a wii or an xbox. Quite a few kids have their own tablets now too and of course smart phones of some sort. When I was a kid, computers had not really hit family homes like they have now, if a home had a computer it was because the owners were incredibly rich. Internet was also something that was not well known, so as kids we were forever playing outside or on rainy days we would be indoors watching a film or playing board games. I often wonder to myself if the whole issue of attitudes that children have and they way they speak to us parents is sometimes because they get so bored they just don't know how to use their imagination anymore, or perhaps they just get so fed up with all the new technology that they have, they don't know what to do next. Perhaps kids have just become so selfish, always wanting the newest gadget or game out that when we as parents say "No" the children just don't like it, and out comes the bad attitude. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Anyone have a child who has some bad attitude towards you as their parent? Do you know what's has caused your child's attitude or are you lucky enough to have children who are respectful of you as parents?

Homework The Great Debate!

So here we go with what I think is one of those "Great Debate's" and the reason for that is because I already know that some people will agree with my overall thoughts on this subject, and some of you will disagree. We are all entitled to our own opinions which is why I have decided on doing this blog, because I really would like to hear everyone's opinions.

So here I go with my "Homework" thoughts.....

OK so I'm not totally against homework as such, however saying that I am against the amount of homework children seem to be expected to do and also what the homework entails.  For example... what is the point of all these newsletters, posters, leaflets, and PowerPoint presentations??? This is where i think that homework has gone very wrong. Children should enjoy learning and going to school, they shouldn't see it as a chore, and I strongly believe that if homework was reduced a lot then children would be a lot happier and a lot less stressed and miserable. My idea is this... Yes give children some homework, but rather than constantly expecting presentations and projects, how about a sheet of paper in which questions are asked about the lesson for the children to do at home so that the teacher can see that the children have paid attention in class and understood.  After all, I know that teachers work from the curriculum most of the time, however I am certain that there is a fair bit of lesson planning going on. 

School Teachers Are They Bullies???

Is it just me, or do school teachers.. (mainly from secondary school's), seem to want to bully kids these days. I receive several emails from teachers, and when I sit there and read them, I have to say that they actually come across as bullies, or people who just basically want to be in control of our children. Yeah I know that secondary school is important and that our kids need to work hard, but really... constantly threatening after school detentions and crap like that, because they don't hand homework in on time, or their homework is not acceptable... grow up teachers, you will earn more respect from the students in the long run!
I have actually just come across something on the good ol internet, one of the daytime shows have posted this question...

"Is tough discipline really the route to academic success? Are you a parent, is it time for teachers to get tough?"

So... is it perhaps that I am not the only person who is beginning to think of teachers as bullies??? Obviously with the fact that this question has just popped up on a TV show, I am assuming that perhaps there are other parents out there who are thinking along the same lines, or perhaps the other way around, in that perhaps there are parents out there who think that maybe teachers should be more strict. Whoever reads my blog I would be intrigued to see what you all think, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Blog Introduction and A Hello From Me :)

I am a Mum to two boys, I see myself as a modern day Mum. Basically like any parent I want the best for my kids, but I won't take any crap from anyone who tells me how to be a parent or how I should bring my kids up. I will also not tolerate anyone bullying my kids. I do the best I can by my children and I will always do the best by my children. My boys I will love for eternity and I will help them through everything that I can. I have decided that after continuously receiving emails from schools, telling me this and that, and informing me of new rules here and there I have decided that I feel that I need to blog about certain things, that as a Mum, I need to talk about which include things that annoy me, and things that I want for the kids of today. I was a kid once, and I know how things are, and yes I know that things have changed and that kids are different, but there are also certain things that have not changed, and with this new blog of mine, I have decided that I am going to lay it all out there, and break things down into little bits and pieces. I will post about being a Mum, and I will post about my issues with education these days. Some of you will not like my blog posts, but I am a free person, and I have my own opinions and although I may come across as a horrible person to some, there will be some people who will agree with me on some subjects. Some of my posts will be about me as a person, and my day to day events. Who knows what will happen as I blog, I could end up blogging about anything and everything. Your comments are always welcome, and please feel free to share this with your friends.