Nativity

It was the nursery nativity today and I’m so proud of my little boy! Absolutely amazing. Despite sitting at the front it took him a couple of minutes to see me and I could see him mouthing “where’s my mummy?” He was full of smiles and waves once he seen me. It was a lovely nativity. Lots of songs. Towards the end his nursery class went to the front to sing three songs on their own. Hearing my son singing in a second language is wonderful and I’m so proud of my little star.

I’m not sure when but at some point today it sort of hit me that this is his last nursery nativity. You’d think there was loads but this is only the second one! In the middle of January I need to register him for primary school. How did that happen? This time next year he’ll be in school. School!! I still remember holding my newborn baby as if it was only last week. Time truly does fly. I felt emotional when I returned to work. I felt emotional when he started nursery 16 months ago. I’m going to be an emotional wreck when he starts school. My son has taken everything with a positive attitude and cannot wait to start school. He’ll always be my baby though. 

This time next week it’ll be Christmas eve and I’ll hopefully have finished wrapping presents!

This phase will pass

This phase will pass.

I'm going to repeat this to myself until it does. 

Toucan box

Bug is very much into crafts. He is very creative and loves making things. For a long time I've subscribed to toucan box. It's a themes craft box that costs £3.95 a pop and one comes addressed to bug every fortnight. They have very simple instructions that are simple enough for bug to follow. Everything you need in just one box and it certainly lifts the mood on a rainy day. Bug is always so excited when one is delivered beacuse its a brightly coloured box and he knows exactly what it is. If you have little ones then you should definitely check toucan box out.

Is it an age thing?

Bug is 4. Closer to 5 than 4. I feel that we're having another boundary pushing experience. Lately he hasn't been as pleasant as usual and to be honest it's become difficult for him to do as he's asked. There's new behaviours as well and it feels like as well as all his own little habits he's bringing everyone else's home too. Last week, in the supermarket, I wa paying at the self serve checkout and he just ran away half way up the shop. That has never happened before! Of course, I explained the seriousness of it, it's not safe and someone could've taken him.

At home he is so argumentative and when he is told off he just starts shouting. The current favourite word from my sweet boys mouth is brat. I have no idea where he picked that up from.

I'm not sure if part of it is because he's fallen into the time between nursery and school. His birthday means he's one of the older children and he's started to say that he's bored at nursery and can't wait to go to school. It doesn't excuse his behaviour though and it's very draining.

This too will pass, right? Right?!

Thoughts

I was speaking to some classmates on Wednesday afternoon about gaelic medium. I'd mentioned on facebook about bug learning a second language (proud mamaidh) and they'd asked what the language was. They were amazed and thought it was a wonderful opportunity and said if that had been a not on when their own children were younger they'd not have given it a second thought. The conversation soon led to discussing why gaelic isn't taught in schools. Gaelic is our language, part of our culture but it's not taught in schools. What is taught in schools? French and Spanish. Of course, learning any second language is incredible but I personally feel that the second language we're initially taught should be gaelic. We can't let this ancient language die out. I'm learning but I'll never be fluent. My son will most likely be fluent in a few years! When he starts primary school it will be total immersion. That's a scary and overwhelming thought to me but his mind is a sponge! So far he's not struggled with gaelic so I have complete confidence in him that he'll carry on absorbing a second language. I'm so proud of my little boy. It's so easy to forget how much he's learning. So proud of my little star.

Waves

Dry in the night

My son has been day potty trained since before he was three. I already knew that night dryness wasn't something that could be taught or learned. I knew it was a physiological development. Even when I woke my son up to go to the toilet he was still wet in the morning. That was until last week. One morning he was soaking and the next night he said that he's decided he's going to be out of night nappies. The next morning he was dry. He was dry the next morning and the next and the next... until last night I didn't put a nappy on him at all and he was still dry. That's it done, and just like that, nappies are no longer a part of our lives.

Please don't worry about night dryness. Your child will get there.

October

It's the middle of October. I was just sitting with my morning coffee and this blog entered my mind.

So, my last entry was saying I'd put my notice in. It was a strange four week notice period. I was worried I was doing the wrong thing. Scared about leaving employment. It didn't feel real at all. Four weeks later and I officially resigned on the 4th August 2014. That was ten weeks and one day ago.

In the middle of August I had my college induction and officially began the course on the 27th August. Tomorrow makes that eight weeks ago. I'm enjoying it. I love learning. It absolutely was the right choice. I can't even begin to explain the relief of not dreading going to college the way I dreaded work.

Bug is doing wonderful. I was worried how he would cope with me being away for three full days a week but he's absolutely brilliant. Bug goes to the childminders for one full day with a three hour shift at nursery) and my mum has him the other two days. He's still in the gaelic medium nursery and my bilingual boy is doing amazing.

Just a quick update for now, I need to run. Hopefully I'll remember to post again sooner rather than later.

4 weeks notice

A quick one because I'm feeling a bit emotional. Anxious, stressed, worried etc etc

I handed in my notice to my boss yesterday. I said I felt I could no longer work for the company and I'm leaving to go to college. That was it. Nothing else. I've worked there for 6.5 years and I didn't get asked if I was sure or if I was ok or if there was anything that could be done. Nothing besides a phone call to tell me that, because I'm part time, my last day has to be the 2nd August and not the 4th.

Joe Gaelic

I'm not fluent in Gaelic but I have been doing a lot of reading and listening to the language. Every now and again G talks about Joe Gaelic. I initially thought this was a character in a story he's heard at nursery and when I'd asked more G had said that Joe Gaelic was at nursery. I'd asked what this person does at nursery and G looked very confused.

It turns out it's not Joe Gaelic it's deagh Gàidhlig. The deagh is pronounced as Joe. ( Well, it's very close to Joe but not exact.) deagh Gàidhlig means good gaelic and that's what G has in his head.

I'd never seen the word good like that before. I've seen it in good morning as mhath being pronounced va. I've also seen it as math.

I was speaking to the nursery teacher about this today. Gaelic only has 18 letters so the pronunciations aren't how they appear written down. I've actually made a chart with the different combinations and how they're pronounced.

Maybe an entry that doesn't make much sense but I'd been wondering who Joe was for a while. I'm quite disappointed there is no Joe Gaelic ;) but pleased G has deagh Gàidhlig in his head!

update

I don't really know how it happened but I've sort of abandoned this blog.

My little bug is now four years old. Four! I wrote before I was considering a Gaelic medium education. Well, he started at the Gaelic nursery in January. He is doing amazing. Picking up a second language has come so naturally to him. I'm very impressed. Bug also translates for me which is brilliant. Lately he's been saying sentences that are a mixture of English and Gaelic words. It just demonstrates how easily he can move between two different languages. The plan at the moment is that he'll go into the Gaelic medium primary school next year.

I applied to college at the end of January. I had an interview on 12th March. I received a conditional offer that same day (there were 30 places for over 270 applicants). The condition was two references. I received an unconditional offer on 31st March. I start in August 2014! I can't wait.

One year

It's been a whole year since I stopped taking antidepressants!