Getting ready for the start of school

When it’s the end of July and you’ve got the entire six weeks spread out in front of you, it seems like they’re off school for an eternity.

Now it’s sped by really quickly and it’s September and the start of another school year next week.

Where did it GO?!

For the eldest, it’s going to be his last EVER year at primary, which I really don’t want to think about too deeply and I think I’ll just bury my head in the sand with my fingers firmly in my ears until next summer rolls around.

For the youngest, he’ll be starting a fresh new year in year 2, with a new teacher and classroom.

I’m going to have to start getting all the uniforms together and hung up ready for next week.

 

School checklist – do you have all this to sort out?

 

– New packed lunch boxes to buy

– school uniforms to get ready

– water bottles to dig out ready to take to school

– P.E kits located, washed and put away ready for school

– indoor pumps/plimsolls to round up and put out ready

– bookbags checked and ready

 

It’s going to be all systems go in getting everything together ready for school here this week.

One thing I’m going to have to get back into the swing of is the early morning school run – after six weeks of not having to be out of the house for 8.15, it’s going to be a shock to the system!

I might actually get chance to get things done next week though…

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Silent Sunday – an oasis of green in the town centre

 

 

 

 

 

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First camping trip with Cubs

The nine year old has just been on his first camping trip with Cubs here.

Two whole nights under canvas, foraging for wood and having tea round a camp fire.

He’s always been a bit apprehensive about going when the opportunity to go on these trips has arisen before, but this time he wanted to go and see what it was like.

He LOVED it.

He came back with tales of how they sat and sang songs such as “The Beaver Dance” one or whatever it’s called, where they had to pretend to climb trees while doing a silly dance.

It brought back memories of  when I went to Brownies and sang songs round the camp fire on camping trips.

Does anyone remember this? I got a funny look when I tried sharing my song memories with him. So I’m assuming they’re not still around…

“Oh you’ll never go to heaven

Oh you’ll never go to heaven,

In a baked bean tin

Because a baked bean tin’s got baked beans in…

I ain’t gonna grieve…my Lord no more..”

 

“Oh you’ll never go to heaven in a clapped out car

‘Cos a clapped out car don’t go that far..”

there were lots of other verses as well, maybe you can remember them?!

They seem to have it ‘made’ at camp nowadays, though. When I went to Brownie Camp, the tents were laid in a heap on the floor surrounded by bags of tent pegs.

Yes, we had to assemble them ourselves. “Here’s your hammer and tent pegs, get cracking.”

The pampered lot here had them all ready up and ready to be slept in. Pfft.

They also had a toilet block.  A TOILET BLOCK!!! Luxury.

I have vivid memories still traumatized  of carrying one of those Portaloo things across a muddy field with another girl, with the blue liquid in it and the wee wee and stuff slopping out against your legs as you carried it. Blee!

We both seem to have good memories of the food though, I remember lots of sausages being eaten.

He apparently had bacon butties for breakfast, and sausages in abundance.

Plenty of mince, potatoes and veg too.

A chocolate bar for supper also got a hearty thumbs up from him (funny, that!)

On picking him up we were debating what scene we were going to be greeted with.

Would it be a scene reminiscent of the Lord of The Flies with out of control kids swinging from trees like Tarzan?!

Thankfully not. He has apparently had a ‘lucky stick’ that he found and kept with him all weekend.

Maybe a little more feral looking and in need of a good wash.

Ah, camping…. you can’t beat the great outdoors!

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Going to the cinema

As it’s the summer holidays and we haven’t been to the cinema for absolutely ages, we decided to go to the local multiplex for some film watching this morning.

In fact, it was the 6 year old’s first ever time at the cinema. I haven’t dared take him before as it’d be akin to taking a wriggling worm to the cinema and listening to it saying “is it nearly finished yet? Is it nearly finished yet?!” on loop.

He sat lovely though. Phew.

Although on paying, I suddenly remembered exactly WHY we don’t go to the cinema much any more.

At £7.30 an adult ticket, and over £6  for EACH child, you’ve spent a small fortune just on your ticket.

That’s before you’ve paid for the bag of sweets for each child.

(Which on getting home and visiting the local shop, noticed the exact same bag of sweets for a £1 which was £3 in the cinema!)

How do they get away with literally tripling the price?!

Anyway, after I’d picked myself up off the floor we really enjoyed the film.

Yes, we went to see Despicable Me 2. If you’ve got small kids, they’ll love it.

We’ve been doing minion impressions all day.

“Bee doh, bee doh!”

“Bottom! Hur, hur!”

 

We’ll go to the cinema again, definitely. I might need to increase the mortgage to raise the money to go again any time soon though!

 

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