Little Readers

I was at a school today helping a few children read and find that so many struggle with phonics. I have never believed that Phonics was the best way to approach reading for every child and found it easier the old fashioned way! I have felt this way ever since I found out about the so called 'brilliant method'. I was listening on the radio the other week and heard Julia Donaldson, author saying that not all children are suitable for all children. I am surprised it has taken so long for that to be noticed and said. Sometimes children find traditional methods easier than modern methods.

I also think that it might be better for the government to keep out of the education methods for reading and other things. Sometimes they do not really know what they are actually doing. It will be better if the government dictating to teachers and schools as to how they should teach rather than letting them do what they think is best for a child. No two children are the same and wouldn't it be an awful boring world if they were true?

I would love to hear opinions from some of you as to what they think about the school curriculum's being so rigid.

The All Important Tax Man!

Why is it that whenever you try to ring the Tax office you always find you have to then ring a different number after it takes an age for you to get to the first number? Anyone else have that problem? I really think self-assessment is one of the most difficult things they could have invented! I know someone who attended at least 4 self assessment courses to learn how to fill his tax return! Isn't there something wrong with that where you have to have a course on how to do your return? I find it easier for me to do mine on the paper but my sister did not get her's so we have to do her's so we have to do it online. Isn't it a pain when it does not let you make a change on the computer and you spend ages trying to get help?

It really is enough to make you want to scream at the first person that answer's the phone. The worst thing is they are usually the nicest person and you always feel guilty about it. No wonder people are late getting their online returns in.

At this rate it will be well past the date when we finally complete it! Good luck to anyone else with the same problem!

Happy New Year!

Well I must be getting worse, must be old age! I could have sworn that I had already written a blog post this year but simply cannot find it!

I hope everyone had a great New Year and I wonder how many of you are keeping to any New Year resolutions! How many have made them? If so what are they? To drink or eat less? To lose weight and go to the gym? I would love to hear what they are.

I made one around 5 years ago which for once I have kept to. I decided that resolutions were not worth making as whenever I decided to go on a diet or get fit I soon lost interest as exercise is difficult for me. I cheated on diets and ate exactly what I shouldn't have, chocolate!

I did promise myself that I would try to write one page a day of my book, still having difficulty keeping to this. I know it shouldn't but life seems to get in the way. I also have a lazy streak and seem to find something else to do or better still sleep! I must say that I have been unable to make it to the shop very much recently and should be going more often. But, that doesn't mean we are not busy but we do hope to close soon as I really want to concentrate on my little boy and writing.

Hopefully, I am not cracking up and that I will watch how often I write my updates and I am also currently working on another blog just for my author pages. See you all soon and I would love to hear some updates from all of you!

Busy Morning

Well, here I am at work (our shop)! I have never stopped this morning and can't believe it is lunchtime already. So many deliveries and not enough hours. But, that is a good thing. Shame we are soon to close.

I have not been able to write anymore than I already have so must get busy next week. My book 'The Little Christmas Elf' on Amazon Kindle is doing very well.I read it to my own little boy again the other day but have to make sure that I don't read it at bedtime as he gets very excited waiting to hear what happens next in the story. It is perfect for very young children even up to the age of around 9 or 10.

I am definately looking forward to completing my current book as it is, I think exciting and at a great pace to keep the interest.

I must go as right now I am starving and looking forward to the weekend when my little boy will be off school.

Long, Long time! Soon be Christmas!

Can't believe it has been so long since I was on here last. Sorry folks but so much has been happening and not all great but hey that's life isn't it? Horrible things can happen to the best of us and the worst seem to get along really well!

How has everyone been? I find it amazing how different things are now since I was last on. Well, for one thing my little boy ran away on his first day at junior school. Same old story, being bullied. Why do bullies like to make things difficult and want to hurt others? Never have worked that one out. Obviously so many people have problems in the lives so they want to put their troubles on others who seem to be weaker or smaller on them. Poor little thing was trying to get to my cousin's house in Manchester area as it was his son's birthday.

We have also decided to close our business. If it doesn't work then get out and that is the best thing we can do so I am now doing a lot more writing and am much further along in my novel as well as having lots more ideas. In fact there are so many I can't keep up there is so much inspiration in so many genres and hopefully fantastic!

So close to customers soon and it comes along so quickly. One minute it is November and the next already into December. My little boy loves Christmas but seems to want every toy on every advert. He should always remember that other children won't be getting anything this year. Thing is though if we keep reminding our children they will feel guilty which no child should really be made to feel.

I can't wait to get him to see Santa Claus but the Bridges is more like a grotty than a grotto! Places used to be much better when I was a child and I know I am not that old! 40 Is the new 20 these days isn't it?

Well, I hope we can do a Christmas countdown to the BIG day!

Bye for now!

Love

Louismummy

Over the hill?

Well, it happened I can't believe it! I am now 40! How time has flown it does not seem like 5 minutes that I was at the infant school my little boy is at now. When we are young we felt as if we would never grow up and get big! Summers seemed to last forever and the weather even seemed better. Maybe we look at things through rose tinted glasses with the past but it is nice to remember sometimes.

I would have loved another baby if Louis had been a girl but a little boy is more than enough sometimes. He is so adventurous and into every mischief he can find. Not sure I would like another baby at 40 though as starting again seems very daunting to me. It was hard enough getting Louis Adam to this age of 6 and a half (as he puts it). Lego mad and playing with his toy cars all over the furniture but still he is worth it.

The other day he wanted my car keys so he could drive us somewhere. He was most put out when I told him he had to wait quite a few more years and became very upset with me.

All over for another Year!

Well, it is all over for another year! There is such a build up before "the big day" and then in no time at all it is ended! We drive ourselves crazy buying presents and cards, trying to buy surprises for our families and friends and then when the big day arrives it is over in a flash. When I was a little girl the month of December seemed to last forever and we seemed to be on the school holidays for months. The day itself lasted so long it felt more like 3 days than one before wishing it was bedtime so I could wear my new nightclothes. No idea why I thought it was so exciting but that is no doubt part of being a child. I try to make it as much fun for my little boy but it is not always easy as things were different then. Now it is even more commercialised than it was then and it makes me sad to think so. Where are the traditional celebrations? What seems to have happened to it all? People think too much of presents, drinking and food but not about what christmas really means. It may have been a pagan celebration to begin with hijacked by the Christian religion but it is still supposed to have some real meaning of family and friendship. Some people even take their decorations down by New Years day!

Some of us are like that but unfortunately not enough and there is always fighting especially, when there is alcohol involved. If you look at the shopping trollies when you are at the supermarket you can see that most of them are taken up with alcohol, lagers and beers etc. It has become a time of overeating and overdrinking.

Where is the real spirit of christmas?

Love to hear what other people think of this time of year.

First Book Sales!

Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote my blog on here but I have been quite a busy little bee lately! I have been trying to sell the lease on our shop and fingers crossed by the New Year I might (just might) have a buyer!

The good news is that I found out last week that I sold 3 copies of my first ever book published on Amazon Kindle called 'The Little Christmas Elf'. I am so surprised somehow even though I have had some brilliant reports from several testers. I must admit my own little boy absolutely loves the story as I initially made the story up for him as a bedtime story. However, it did not work very well for bedtime as he became very excited and could not sleep afterward. I think his little brain was working overtime. It is a story more suited to afternoon I think. The story is about a little elf who dreams of becoming one of Santa's helper elves. Will his dream come true or not?

I am currently working on a couple of other stories which I hope will turn out to be good and enjoyable to the reader. I am enjoying writing the stories at the moment and happy to do so unless I am told they are rubbish which, is far from what I have already been told. I find it quite calming and theraputic so if any of you would like to give it a try then it is a great way to relax! So, how about having a go at a story and see what satisfaction you can gain especially, when somebody actually pays to read what you have written!

It is a perfect time as it is Christmas next week and the time has really flown. My little boy is so excited for Santa Claus coming soon. He has his school party tomorrow afternoon and is looking forward to that and putting his party clothes on and dancing.

Let me know if you decide to try to challenge yourself by writing a story as the satisfaction is brilliant. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope Santa brings you everything you want!

What happens without Sleep!

Well it has been a while I know but I have been a busy little bunny!

I have also been a tired little bunny, which has caused me to do some very strange things! The other night I was so tired as my little boy was having trouble sleeping as well as nightmares. I was in a bit of a hurry and did not look at the label on some medicine I was taking myself. I intended to take cough medicine but had a spoonful of childrens paracetamol! I thought it tasted bettter than usual, and then realised that I had made a little mistake! When I give him medicine I am always extremely cautious and even keep them in a separate place but was so busy thinking about him that I obviously picked up the wrong bottle! At least it was a nice taste! Amazong what a lack of sleep can do to you and your actions. Sleep deprivation can be one of the biggest causes of accidents in the home with parents! To make matters worse we close our shop on a Wednesday and yesterday I was absolutely convinced it was a Wednesday. I did not find out until the end of lunchtime so ended up having 2 days off work! Not intended I assure you but again I had had a bad night with my little boy!

Problem is where is the line drawn? So many parents are feeling constantly tired and make silly mistakes and can get very clumsy. I have not only seen this with myself but also with other parents also suffering from sleep deprivation.

Also, I have been concentrating on a few new books. I am hoping to aim my main book to children of around 13 upwards but will have to see how it goes. I am also busy writing other childrens stories at the moment as well as working and looking after a very clingy little boy! At present he is having a bad time at school and not finding some aspects easy. I think bullying happens a lot due to parents talking and children overhearing conversations which they should never be privy to and can cause aggrevation between children. Another problem is that he is the youngest in his class and now in year 2 even though he was only 6 on the 24th August. I think when they start school they do feel it and no doubt will for the next 3 years or so!

Anyone else have sleep problems with their children like this which makes them so tired they get clumsy? I am sure lots of parents do!

Violence & Children

Upon listening to the news and reading the newspapers since last Saturday I feel it is very difficult to be a child in those afflicted areas. It is sad that children are constantly bombarded with these images of utter violence and sheer ruthlessness of the people causing these problems for society. They are in such a bad position in life so many of them but is there really a good enough reason to cause these attrocities? The government has done too much too soon and there is a lot of frustration and anger within our society. However, is that a good enough reason to cause all of the mayhem? I don't really think so and I feel it is a shame that it has come to this that people do not care at all about anybody else in our country. They just want to loot, even middle aged women whom should know better and destroy other peoples property.

The government is only partly to blame and some of the blame should be apportioned to the people having the attitude that they do. They have become nasty, vicious and violent and it is becoming an infection which is a disease spreading further and further afield. The riots will continue I suspect for some time as people are feeling very flat as there are no jobs, no prospects and the prices continue to rise for food and utilities. More and more small businesses are going bust and more people are losing their jobs with no jobs to replace them.

When a new MP starts in Parliament they are usually full of hopes and want to change so much but it appears that after a while they become daunted and never seem able to change anything or even able to do so. Every time a new government comes in they are always full of their promises but soon they make things even worse than they had been. But what is the best way forward? How can we change society and make it more promising and give better prospects to people? There needs to be a lot of big changes to our country and the MP's need to have a good long think of how this can be achieved.

People in our country really need to be asked our opinions and our ideas of what we think can be done to make our country a better place.

This was not meant to be a political blog but it is awful to see needless deaths of innocent people in these riots.

If anyone has any comments please make them conversatiional not derrogatory.

Good or Bad Writers!

I recently started writing childrens stories. I started a series and also wrote a Christmas story. I was advised by several friends and also some acquaintances to enter a literary competition for short stories. The results were finally announced yesterday and it was so obvious how much of a novice I am as all of the winners have already had books published. I mistakenly thought that the competition was only open to non-published writers and therefore decided to enter. Had I realised that published writers (even the likes of Steven King) could enter I never would have done so! I know I am just learning but it is a real wake up as to how bad I really am.

I think there should be more literary competitions aimed at new writers whom have never had any work published. But, who am I to question but how is a new writer to get started? Any ideas anyone?

Whilst many parents enjoyed reading the stories to their children maybe I aimed the story I entered to the wrong market. Or, maybe childrens stories were not wanted in the competition and I should aim to a much more mature and boring age. Not that adult literature and books are boring, anything but though they do not have the excitement and fun a childrens story has do they?

I now need more people to read my stories I think to see what a wider audience think of them before even considering doing anything more with the stories. Or, maybe I should just give up and forget about it as a bad job and being hopeless at it. Have to think about that one.

It is difficult for someone like me writing a story as unless you can get a publisher to sit up and take notice (I am definately no Steven King or Dean Koontz) I would have to self-publish. But considering this can cost anything up to £1,000 I do not have much hope of that for a very long time.

I can see I am going to have to really think about it At least my little boy Louis Adam seems to enjoy them so I know I am doing something right for him anyway!

Any ideas anyone?

Little Drivers!

I went to see about a new car at the garage yesterday and had to take my little boy which, I must say was not the best idea in the world! He has a real thing about cars. Is it just boys thing or are girls often the same? I wonder! He loves his toy cars and doesn't just say his car but it is  a"toy" car!  Anyway, straight away he ran, I thought he was going to the lego which was there when I bought my current car 3 years ago but how wrong could I be?

Yes, that's right he went straight to a lovely shiney, new car and climbed in the drivers seat. Next thing I saw were the lights flashing. Thankfully the salesman in the garage at Bristol Street Motors in Sunderland was laughing about it, me I was mortified and wished a hole would open up below me to swallow me up. Unfortunately it did not!

Eventually, I sucessfully prised his arms off the car seat and pulled his legs out of the car only for him to dart to this beautiful sporty red car with white stripes. He said to me "mammy, buy this car so I can drive it"! I tried to explain that his feet would not reach the peddles and that he would not see over the steering wheel but like any 5 year old that was way above them literally. He was utterly convinced that he could drive the car away. Thankfully the salesman came back and asked him if he could sit still for 5 minutes (a joke I thought, he has never, ever sat that long) then he would get a surprise. To my sheer surprise he actually did for the first time in his life! Then the man came back with a comic and some crayons which straight away he dropped all over the floor (my little boy is extremely accident prone)! When they were all picked up and he was back on the little seat he had been given he actually started looking at the book and started to colour in! Now this was a first for me as I am not used to seeing him beeing so easy, what was up that was what was on my mind. Hmmm. After about 5 minutes the salesman came back again and asked if he had stayed on the seat. When I told him he had the salesman then produced a little McDonalds toy from Alpha and Omega. To Louis delight I must say! You would have thought he had been given a huge pile of toys or in our case a million pounds (I wish)!

On the way home he played with the little wolf toy and even when he should have been eating his tea. It was hard to prise it away from him for bed but reluctantly he agreed when I promised I would not move it from my chair. He was still playing with it today. Some little toys really please kids yet if I had given it to him it would have definately been a different story!

Yesterday, it was the school trip and what a brilliant idea for a day out for 5 to 6 year olds! They went to the Stadium of Light home of the Black Cats. It cost £4 for entrance and they apparently saw photographs, a changing room and stood at the top seats looking down on the pitch. They then went to the local park (Barnes park) where they can go any day of the week as it is only about 2 miles away from the school! He came home with a really dirty bottom in his shorts right through to the pants. You would have thought he had been rolling around in a mud bath like a hippopotamus! His teacher had been so excited about the trip, I think more so than the kids! I think the best bit of the day was the park for all of the kids so it just shows you that football is not the be all and end all! Thankfully!!!

Anyone else know of anymore exciting trips just like this one which cost £8. What a waste of money!!!

Little Boys & Drama Queens!

Why is it that little boys are such drama queens? I have seen it in my own little boy who is 5 and have also seen it in other little boys around the same age and younger!I did think it was only Louis Adam but I have been watching other little boys and seen them doing the same things, they also seem to throw themselves down on the floor! It is so funny to watch and see compared to little girls who are much more practical.

I also find that little boys get more into cartoons and tend to carry on what they saw in the cartoons. I remember when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were out. I remember seeing little boys running around doing ninja moves and the noises they made. These days they copy characters but not sure if they are quite as violent. From what I have heard that happens however at schools in the yard they have not changed a huge amount. Of course when boys are hurt in some way they like a fuss, a kiss on the hurt or the hurt rubbing better. At the moment Louis Adam is playing dead! No idea where he got that from but I have also recently seen another little boy do the same thing. I am not sure how Louis knows about being dead or who told him about it even though my uncle died recently and we went to see him before hand and for the funeral. However, Louis did not go to the funeral but went to a private nursery for the day so did not see anything that could give him an idea. You should see him he looks a real picture and so funny, it is hard not to bust out laughing!

They also get a lot more exciteable than little girls. I watched him on a trampoline yesterday and could not help but laugh as he wanted to keep bouncing up and down and not do as the coach told him (he has only been 3 times now). I saw another little boy recently doing a similar thing getting a bit carried away!

He is starting drama group for about 4 weeks in an after school club this week and he loves drama as I am sure you can imagine. He has done a workshop before at the Theatre Royal and had a great time but still gets a bit carried away and forgets what he should be doing for a while.

He asked my mum the other week for her eyes! Where do they get the ideas from? They seem to make sense to them at the time but I am not sure about later!

This morning he tried to say he was never a baby. I had been talking about how I used to cradle him as I was carrying him and about how small he was and he looked at me and said " I was not a baby mammy! I was always this size"! I think they forget we were all babies at one time just a little hard to imagine for them even for him to imagine when we show him photographs of him as a cute little baby even though he says that was him! On our new website http://www.welcomebabyhome.co.uk he looks so cute!

Any ideas where they get it all from?

Child Poverty!

Last night I was watching television and was horrified that in 2011 in the UK there is so much child poverty that it was upsetting to watch the documentry. It showed 3 different families with children, one was in Norwich I believe another in Glasgow and I am not sure where the third was from and to see what little these children has was really very upsetting. They  obviously have some bad times and are often sad as some of them are bullied at school as their clothes are torn, worn out or too small and one little boy even had to wear his older sister's blouse for school as his father whom could not get a job could not afford to buy him a school blouse.

Yet, some of those children still smiled and could still be happy and has a little bit of childhood. Many of them had grown up too quickly as they had seen too much too soon. I saw clothes that were so dirty, houses with no carpets, bare floors that were so worn out it was awful. It makes me realise how lucky I was and how lucky my little boy is. It inspired me to try and find ways to help them even though I cannot directly help them myself.

So many of us are lucky that we do not have to worry quite as mauch as they do. However, I am not saying that everyone else has nothing to worry about as we all have worries about money or other things. But, we can only try to help them as much as we can.

Welcome

Hi,

Welcome to my personal blog! I have been thinking that many of my posts on my business blog have become too personal and that many of our customers and prospective customers would not really be interested in reading too much information about my thoughts and some situations. So I hope this is a different type of blog to what I have done before and hope you all enjoy reading it!