Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Ruby
Happy Birthday to you
How is it possible that my princess is now 6? Time seems to be flying by so quickly. I Love you so much Ruby. xxx
Friday, 31 July 2015
Happy 6th Birthday Ruby
How is it possible that my princess is now 6? Time seems to be flying by so quickly. I Love you so much Ruby. xxx
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Thursday, 23 July 2015
July Madness - Part 1
For anyone that knows us as a family,or reads the blog regularly, you may recall that July is an incredibly busy month for us. We celebrate both Ruby and Lottie's birthday, as well as our wedding anniversary.
Last week was Lotties 3rd birthday, 3! how did that happen? I seem to have missed a year as the time just goes by so very quickly. For anyone with little ones cherish the early years as it goes too quickly and you won't ever get it back.
Lottie is very different to Ruby and knows exactly what she likes and dislikes; she has a tough and strong willed personality when it comes to doing things. Lottie adores Peppa Pig, In fact I would go as far as saying she is addicted! Every item of clothing she wants to wear each day has to have Peppa on it, she always wants to play with her Peppa toys, she is just Peppa obsessed!
So what do you buy Lottie for her 3rd birthday when she has everything as a hand me down from her big sister Ruby?
So what do you buy Lottie for her 3rd birthday when she has everything as a hand me down from her big sister Ruby?
There was only one thing I could get Lottie for her birthday and that was to go away for a couple of days to Peppa Pig World! We went last year for her birthday but I don't think she was quite old enough to enjoy it; this year was completely different and she loved each and every single minute of it as you can see from the photos.
Well that's one birthday down, just the wedding anniversary on the 26th of July, shortly followed by Ruby's 6th birthday and then mid August its hubbies 30th birthday! July is definitely a great month of celebrations in our house!
Sunday, 19 July 2015
Sunday, 12 July 2015
Saturday, 11 July 2015
Happy 3rd Birthday Lottie
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Lottie
Happy Birthday to you
How is it possible that my little princess is now 3? Time seems to be flying by so quickly. I Love you so much Lottie. xxx
Friday, 10 July 2015
Stop the Pressure!
I can't believe that Ruby has just finished year one at school, and is now half way through key stage one! It seems like only days ago that she was just about to start school. I know Ruby is very much looking forward to the summer holidays and I am too, we have so much planned and I know we are going to have lots of fun together.
I recently came across an article about the amount of pressure that school and exams are having on children, and it's something that I can really relate to. Before ruby started school I was very anxious about the move from playschool; in an ideal world I would have loved the opportunity to part time home school her, but I was confident in my own ability to teach Ruby.
Over the last couple of weeks Ruby has taken part in the phonics screening test that all children in year one must take. The test itself was supposed to come with no pressure, but by its very nature, it is a test! There is a pass mark, and if your child does not reach the desired level, they are classed as underachieving!
What this test doesn't take into account is that there is a massive age between the children who take this test; Ruby is six at the end of July, and many of her classmates are almost seven. In the first few years of schooling, a few months can make a massive difference. I believe that the phonics screening test should be done at a set age. for example five years and four months; this way as parents and teachers we know how well a child is performing relative to the rest of the class at the same age.
What this test doesn't take into account is that there is a massive age between the children who take this test; Ruby is six at the end of July, and many of her classmates are almost seven. In the first few years of schooling, a few months can make a massive difference. I believe that the phonics screening test should be done at a set age. for example five years and four months; this way as parents and teachers we know how well a child is performing relative to the rest of the class at the same age.
After Ruby's phonics screening test, she came home upset and told me she had failed! - a child should never be made to feel like a failure!!!
She said she had scored thirty out of forty with the pass mark being thirty two. I explained to Ruby that it didn't matter how well she had done as long as she had tried her very best, and that I was still proud of her and loved her very much. To see Ruby upset was heartbreaking for me as a parent! It really doesn't matter too much if she doesn't excel at one particular subject, as I know there are other areas that she is better at for example drama and imaginative play.
I feel very sad for children growing up in our society at the moment, as so much pressure is put upon them at such a young age. I really wish this pressure would stop! It seems unlikely though, as more and more organisations are applying more and more pressure to children, in fact I can see things spiraling and getting worse. As adults we are all different and each of us have our own different strengths and abilities, it wouldn't be right for us all to be the same; if we were, we could end up with too many doctors, not enough nurses or administration staff. As parents and adults we need to celebrate difference and diversity much more.
Edited: Just add, I have received Ruby's school report and it says that she passed her phonetics testing with a score of thirty five! I chatted to Ruby about her results and reiterated how proud I was her and that I loved her regardless of her score. Ruby then added that she thinks the teacher, when telling her the mark, must have said the number five very quietly so she couldn't hear it!
She said she had scored thirty out of forty with the pass mark being thirty two. I explained to Ruby that it didn't matter how well she had done as long as she had tried her very best, and that I was still proud of her and loved her very much. To see Ruby upset was heartbreaking for me as a parent! It really doesn't matter too much if she doesn't excel at one particular subject, as I know there are other areas that she is better at for example drama and imaginative play.
I feel very sad for children growing up in our society at the moment, as so much pressure is put upon them at such a young age. I really wish this pressure would stop! It seems unlikely though, as more and more organisations are applying more and more pressure to children, in fact I can see things spiraling and getting worse. As adults we are all different and each of us have our own different strengths and abilities, it wouldn't be right for us all to be the same; if we were, we could end up with too many doctors, not enough nurses or administration staff. As parents and adults we need to celebrate difference and diversity much more.
Edited: Just add, I have received Ruby's school report and it says that she passed her phonetics testing with a score of thirty five! I chatted to Ruby about her results and reiterated how proud I was her and that I loved her regardless of her score. Ruby then added that she thinks the teacher, when telling her the mark, must have said the number five very quietly so she couldn't hear it!
