Family Learning

I rang up the Family Learning Co-ordinator this morning to explain why I wouldn't be attending the course she'd talked me into signing up for.

Me: "I'm only interested in looking at phonics and how children learn to read, but from the literature you've sent me, the majority of this course is aimed at improving literacy skills. And I'm not interested in that."
FLC: "Well, yes, part of the course is about phonics, and the rest of the course is to ensure that you won't lag behind your kids with your reading skills which is very important."
Me: "I don't think there's any danger of that".
FLC: "And you get a recognised qualification after doing the course".
Me: "I have a recognised qualification in English already".
FLC: "But this one is recognised by employers when you go back to work."
Me: "So is mine. And I'm not going back to work".
FLC: "So why exactly do you want to do the course?"
Me: "I don't, you rang me up and wouldn't get off the phone until I said I'd think about it. And then you sent me some paperwork in the post to say you'd booked me on it."
FLC: "So why don't you want to do the course?"
Me (banging head on counter-top at this point): "Because its called "Keeping up with your kids in English". I've got a degree in English, I really really don't need to go on a course to improve my literacy skills. I'd quite like to go on one that looks at how kids learn to read and how phonics are used".
FLC: "Well we're just about to start a course that looks at that. It's called "Keeping up with your kids in English".
Me: "Goodbye"

Sheesh.

That Was The Year That Was

Well, bye bye to 2008.

I have to say that it was a rather nothingy year, on a personal front. In 2006 I could say "I had my second child, I moved to York", in 2007 I could say "I passed my driving test on the first go", but this year I'm hard pressed to say anything about myself. I hit the big 4-0, of course, but all I had to do for that was stay alive until July 9th - hardly an accomplishment. This year, it seems, I have been channelling all my energy into the kids; no bad thing, but I think I should probably do something on a personal level before my brain atrophies even further.

I've reluctantly agreed to attend a "how your children learn to read" course at the Family Centre that's supposed to last two terms, but I have a sneaking suspicion from reading the blurb that its less about phonics for children and more about giving the course attendees a qualification in English where they don't have a GCSE.

Anyway, something to ponder over the next few weeks; in the meanwhile, I'm concentrating on the big event of 2009 - Jacob's first day at school. How time flies; one minute you're changing their nappies and giving them bottles, the next you're buying them a PE kit and sewing name-tags into their uniform :)

More Sam

We've been seeing the Speech Therapist since the summer, and we're currently seeing her on a weekly basis. Sam is making some progress, but he seems to have particular problems making vowel sounds, as opposed to consonant sounds which he can make (with a little effort and concentration). However, she has recommended that Sam be referred to either a Paediatrician or ENT specialist to look into his grunting (his defacto form of communication).

Having discounted autism and speech apraxia (for now) as the reason he isn't speaking, I feel that she's working her way through all the things that could be stopping him speaking. Which is reassuring in one way, but worrying in another i.e. that his lack of speech is puzzling to her as a medical professional.

What I'm coming to realise is that this is a very long process and that we're not going to see Sam talking any time soon.

Special Moment

I picked Jacob up from Nursery yesterday; he handed me a motley collection of yoghurt pots glued together with some tissue paper on the end and went "Look Mummy, I made this for you".

Just as I was about to coo with maternal pride, he went "Its a ray blaster!!".

*sigh*

I'm having a right morning of it...

First up, I discovered that not only have the kids broken something we borrowed from the Toy Bus, they've also managed to lose part of something else we borrowed from the Toy Bus; this is despite my attempts to only borrow toys with large, difficult to lose pieces. I turned the house over last night, and again this morning, and while I haven't found the toy, I have come to realise just what a bloody tip the house is. I hate having an untidy house, but on the other hand, I find it very hard to find the enthusiasm to give it a really good clean and tidy.

Secondly, Jacob's coat has still not turned up at nursery. One of his classmates went home in it by mistake on Monday and is now off sick; so Jacob is without a winter coat while the temperature outside plummets and the forecast for tomorrow is for heavy snow. The school have rung the boy's mum to ask if she could bring the coat in today, but she's apparently got a very poor grasp of english and didn't understand what they were saying. If it hasn't turned up by the time i go and fetch him at lunchtime, I think I'm going to have to go and buy him another one, to tide him over until his turns up.

And thirdly, while I was having the above conversation with one of the nursery staff, Jacob realised that the reason he was queuing up with his classmates outside the gate through to primary school was that they were going into his new Reception Class for the morning, and promptly burst into tears. For some reason, a fortnight ago, he stopped being all excited about going up to "Big School" and started announcing that he doesn't want to go. On the one occasion I've mentioned it since, he's maintained the line that he wants to stay in nursery, so I haven't brought the subject up again; but he's obviously very worried about it for some reason. As I left him to the cuddles of the nursery staff, he was wailing like a soul in torment; I'm sure he'll be fine this morning, but there are v few things guaranteed to make you feel like a shite mother than having to leave your crying child in the care of someone else :(

So, if there was ever a morning to break out the port before 10am, this is probably it :(

WTF?

Sam is terrified. Not of scary monsters, ghosts, big dogs or spiders. But of this:-



the rather cuddly Razzledazzle from the Cbeebies programme of the same name. A little, inoffensive character that tries to get you to listen to sounds; hardly in the same league as Frankenstein's monster.

If we watch CBeebies, I have to make sure I switch the tv off or over before Razzledazzle starts or Sam immediately runs off and hides on the kitchen doorstep. I also have to check that when Jacob is playing on the computer, he isn't finding pictures of it and going "look what I've found, Sam".

*sigh*

The Perfect Daily Heil Front Page

I'm particularly amused by the Flesh Eating Immigrants at the BBC by-line; I'm assuming they didn't have enough room to make it Flesh Eating Lesbian Immigrants :)