Gingerbread Haus - October 2020 👻🎃💀

👻 Halloween Is Coming 🎃 

It’s the spookiest time of the year, I love all festivals and celebrations.  I don’t need an excuse to (as our assessor says) make a fuss.  I love decorating the house and making it feel special and inviting at different times of the year. 

Halloween Movie Marathon 

Gingerbread Haus - September 2020 🐿🦔🍁

It’s Time To Herbstify

“And all at once summer collapsed into fall.” Oscar Wilde

Well I thought it was time to “Herbstify” the living room, I love layering up the sofa with cushions and throws,  the  and watching a Hallmark movie or two.  Although Ginger One always calls them “girlie flicks” which sounds wrong.  It’s nice to be snuggling up after spending so much time outside and in the garden. 

Gingerbread Travel - September 2020

Finding Balance

While it is important to stay safe in these weird and worrisome times, we also want to continue to live our lives as best we can.  We realised that We had been hibernating and hadn’t actually done anything fun or nice in quite a while.  Even a short walk to the local Park was a thing of the past.  

Gingerbread Familia - September 2020

Home Styling - Fostering Edit

We were asked to send photos of ourselves and the house to the FA so they can put them into our profile.  It was quite a specific list, I wanted to take styled, Instaworthy pictures but GO said “just use the real estate photos.”  This got me thinking about how much some parts of the house has changed, would the old residents approve?  Has it actually changed that much? 

One photo requested, probably the most important was the photo of the child’s bedroom (is this real?). We sent the photo above, I had taken it to share on social media but never had.  We were asked to take another with all of the personal bits in.  It makes sense now, what traumatised child wants to walk into a room with a SMILE cushion on the bed?  Between this photo being taken and the one we sent GO had sold both of the singles beds (we got them for free on Facebook) as there was a strange, musty smell coming from them, and had bought a more solid white bed.  He had also decided to paint the drawers as he said they were too yellow. The new picture show a neutral room, a blank space to add to a place a child can make their own, for how ever long they need it.

Gingerbread Life - September 2020

Back to school

Well it’s the night every teacher dreads, even those that love their jobs (myself included).  The night before we return to school for the new academic year.  I was once told by a colleague, who is quite upbeat and positive, that she calls it Suicide Sunday (a bit of an over exaggeration I think).  As we all know (if you don’t we’re in the midst of a GLOBAL PANDEMIC) it’s been a strange all year and most of the children have been at home since March. My school has a high proportion of children/parents who didn’t access any of the online learning provided for them.  I’m not looking forward to returning as I have been moved to the Nursery, one of the two “new” reception teachers is pregnant and has been replaced by a supply teacher and the other teacher is also an NQT.  I feel like I will be expected to work alongside them while trying to work out how to be in Nursery.  I had mentioned to the leaders that I was planning to move on, just before lockdown, so wonder whether that is the reason I have been moved.  I’m going to try to stay positive, keep my head up and hope for the best.

Can we keep it up?

“I’m leaving school now do you want to meet me for a coffee and a walk?”  It was a spur of the moment decision, after a busy day at school I left at a reasonable hour, which meant I got home at a decent time.  On a whim I called GO and arranged to go for an evening stroll, we picked up a coffee and made our way around the reservoir.  In Lockdown/Summer we would go for a daily walk, sometimes we went after tea and it was lovely. I felt like there was more to life than just working, eating and sleeping, we weren’t just waiting for the weekends. It would be lovely to think that we can keep it up, I don’t hold out much hope.  Once work kicks into high gear I am not sure I will be able to sustain this, so we’re making the most of it while we have it.

Gingerbread Travel - August 2020

Day tripping

I had grand plans to go to Scotland, Norfolk, Sherwood Forest and in the end I was just too tired/scared to arrange anything.  So we went on localish trips.  We visited places we’ve been to before and visited places we will visit again, it’s been nice, it’s been relaxing.  Maybe that’s what we really needed. 

Kendal

Burnley 

Lytham

Preston

Gingerbread Life - August 2020

Well the global pandemic has brought many changes to lives around the world one are the many birthdays that have been celebrated in lockdown.  I had faith that my family’s batch of August birthdays wouldn’t be affected but they have.  

As much as I’d like to celebrate Mamilein’s birthday in person we have, as many have, had to make do with Skype chats and FaceTime calls. It’s not the same but it is birthdays in 2020.  The beginning of August is Mamilein’s birthday but she also squeezes in her Namenstag (who doesn’t celebrate their name?) a couple of days later.  Always wanting to be the centre of attention she has struggled with having a birthday in lockdown.  When asked what they planned to do for her birthday “nothing!”  Was the response and that is just what they did.  We all called and played music.  We sent her some birds for her Christmas tree (although I now realise that the tree is in my garage) and made a virtual fuss of her.

Happy Birthday Mamilein

Another morning, another birthday.  From across the miles I wished my biglilbro a happy birthday he is now officially in his forties.  I have known him all his life (hee hee) and watched him develop from a snotty teenager to a grumpy old man.  He has always been spoiled rotten on his birthday, he got the brand name shoes, I got the key ring.  He got the roller blades, I got the knee pads.  Not that I am bitter because now I am officially the favourite child. This year, due to the enormous custom charges from the US postal services he received no gifts from us.  £20 gift £90 in taxes, not worth it.  Hopefully soon we’ll be able to celebrate together.  Our next round of birthdays is November, let’s see what Covid brings then.

Happy Birthday Biglilbro 

Gingerbread Haus - August 2020

         Birthday At Home

I’m not going to lie, I do love being spoilt on my birthday, nothing too big or extravagant, but I feel you can’t go wrong with a few cards, some balloons and a yummy cake.  A few years ago GO failed on all accounts, I didn’t even get a cup of coffee in bed.  I was not best pleased and let him know in no uncertain terms.  He learned his lesson and has not let me down.  I’m not a diva, Prima Donna or high maintenance in any other respects but my birthday comes two days after my brothers and we have always had to share celebrations.  We never had our own days we shared everything, even having to compromise on days out (which took place on the middle day).  As it’s a summer birthday school/uni/work friends never made/make a fuss because they were/are never around.  This year has had to be different, Lockdown and all that, so I was fully expecting just another day.  Nice, but nothing special.  How wrong from the beginning of the Month I was treated.  GO bought me a Lego Gingerbread Man, I treated us to a trio to the Ivy, we watched The Rocky Horror show at the drive in.  I was spoiled with a living card, a balloon sculpture and Aldi’s finest celebration cake.

As we had been out a few times over the course of the month we decided to have a Raclette meal.  It is fast becoming our favourite meal to celebrate.  I love the fact that we can have exactly what we want, how we want it.  

Skills To Foster

We were both quite nervous about the skills to foster course, we remembered the pre adoption course we had attended a couple of years ago and how interactive and sociable it was. In this day of Zoom meetings and conference calls, how would we all feel like we could participate equally?  Would we be able to build relationships with the other prospective carers?  We needn’t have worried it was actually more friendly and interactive than we could’ve imagined.  

We logged on from 10.30-3.30 for three days, we had lunch together and carried out tasks in break out rooms. We learned about the many, many reasons why children are put into care.  How carers can provided help and support and the role of foster carers.

Gingerbread Familia - August 2020

August Is Date Night Month 

Since GO changed jobs and has had school holidays off with me August has been one long, amazing date night.  I am not going to harp on about how we are in the middle of a pandemic/lockdown.  What I will share is that we have had some lovely evenings out together.  Our first evening out was an evening in the Ivy, Spitalfields Manchester.

The Ivy - Swanky Birthday Treat (for myself)

The Lawrence - 7 Course Meal

As a celebration of their new chef The Lawrence Hotel in Padiham held an eight course Lancashire Taster Menu Evening.  I was so busy enjoying the amazing food that I didn’t take any photos, (these are before we left and photos from their Facebook page) so unlike me.  The selection of food was incredible, I will most definitely be returning.