Amber teething necklace update

Birdie has been wearing her amber teething necklace since Friday afternoon and believe it or not, it seems to be helping her! She back to sleeping properly and is MUCH less fussy. Result!

Ramadan Journal Day 4 and 5: What I'm reading and what I'm crafting

Since my daughter's teething was getting so that she couldn't sleep properly, I haven't had the evenings to myself much. Hence I haven't had much to read or craft. When I do read, I usually have two or three books going at once unless I am particularly engrossed in one and I concentrate on the one. I was averse to eReaders until about two years ago following a conversation with a friend's friend regarding Kindles. Now I have far too many books on it to count which is just as well as I had also once earned the name "girl with books to the ceiling" at one point. Anyhoo, here are the books I'm currently reading both in paperback and electronic versions.

As for my crafting, I'm trying to make a baby blanket for a friends impending arrival. One panel of it is complete. I have 10 more to go! The crochet bow is a brooch I have made for my son's teacher. I hope she likes it!

Ramadan Journal Day 3: On my table

My table is a mess. It has all sorts of stuff my son keeps putting on it. Every now and then it all bugs me and I go through a phase where I have to tidy everything and so I cheated and put some of my things on my husband's bed side table because he's away and his is much neater. Then I thought I might as well take a picture of the mess anyway. So here's both.

Ramadan Journal Day 2: Prayer

I came across the idea of the Ramadan Journal through The Harlequin Tea Set blog and thought I'd jump onto the band wagon too as I've been wanting to do something similar for ages. It started last year by the blogger Nielouphar Abdurahiman of Creating Memories but I have only come across it this year.

I missed Day 1 and am trying to document Day 2 on my phone without waking up Birdie (I'm also not quite sure how to insert a photo from my phone). I only really came into praying after a particularly bad time in my life. It wasn't something we were brought up with though my mum made sure we went to Quran classes to learn how to read it. I didn't actually learn how to pray till I was about 12. From then until the age of about 30 I prayed sporadically and more because I had to rather than because I wanted to. Now it's more of a case of wanting to. I don't always get to say all five in a day what with work but I try. This month I aim to try harder and get more out it

Teething Round 2

I've already been down the teething route so I thought I had it all down to pat. I was wrong. Chunky monkey, also known as Birdie because she likes to open her mouth like a little bird whenever we eat something, is so very different from my little man. She's had high temperatures, sleepless nights, grumpiness - the lot. And still no teeth.

As I was complaining about it in the staff room a colleague suggested I try amber teething necklaces. I had heard of them before but thought them too much of a safety hazard. However, I'm at that stage where I'll try anything as she's really suffering and I need my sleep now I'm back at work and hubby is away. Plus, if they do work as all the sites I've researched say they do, they're safe as long as they are used as they're supposed to. Amber is a resin, not a stone. Something I learnt yesterday and works as a natural analgesic when warmed by the skin. I'm still not entirely convinced but I've ordered one from eBay so let's see.

Too much on my plate

Image above from http://barbaracolebythesea.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/plate.jpg

Wow! It's been a busy few weeks. I'm back at school full time and in between supporting a Year 4 class, covering for PPA in other classes and then running around to find somewhere to pump breast milk during the break, I've also been sending documents to my new school and trying to pack!

There are certain things I still need to find out such as what happens to my Teachers Pension if I work abroad, do I still continue to be part of a union here etc etc and once I find out I'll post it in case anyone else is interested to know.

Of my various projects I wanted to start, I began on my daughter's scrapbook, finished one panel of 11 for my friend's baby blanket and printed out the quotes for my other friend's secret project. I haven't even looked at my web designing course or the TEFL. I'm only blogging because the little guy is playing his much loved Lego Batman game and the little one is having an unexpected nap!

It's raining as I type and though I know everyone else is wondering where the supposed heat wave has gone, I'm enjoying it. I sat down and had a green tea with a cranberry and orange cookie (that apple cider vinegar drink has begun to curb my appetite and I feel much fuller for longer - I've also lost a bit of weight!) so I thought I'd treat myself to a cookie and not feel guilty about it.


Image from here:http://notquitecookiecutter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/A.png

Paperwork Update...

Even though the GTC certificates are not listed on the FCO website, they do legalise them. I sent mine on the off chance they'd do it and I got them back all legalised.