A simple poem....

 A 14 year old boy’s gloomy poem has become an internet hit. When the poem is read from start to finish it paints a pessimistic picture about a world where a generation is obsessed with money and power.

But by following the instruction at the end the poem presents an optimistic view about hope for the future and offers a very poignant message – even more poignant because of the author’s age.

Our generation will be known for nothing.
Never will anybody say,
We were the peak of mankind.
That is wrong, the truth is
Our generation was a failure.
Thinking that
We actually succeeded
Is a waste. And we know
Living only for money and power
Is the way to go.
Being loving, respectful, and kind
Is a dumb thing to do.
Forgetting about that time,
Will not be easy, but we will try.
Changing our world for the better
Is something we never did.
Giving up
Was how we handled our problems.
Working hard
Was a joke.
We knew that
People thought we couldn’t come back
That might be true,
Unless we turn things around

… NOW READ IT FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP !!!

How cool!!

 

My Word of the Week!!

My word of the week is...

It has to be this week......We had Becky & Ellie's parents evening earlier on in the week and all was good....In fact it was more than good it was great!!

First up was Ellie.....This time last year her writing & reading was not so good and her maths was ok...She was getting by.....This time she is one of the top readers in her class and her writing has greatly improved....She is doing well at maths and loved her topic work!! The only thing she needs to improve is her concentration....She gets easily distracted!!

Her teacher asked us if we had a nice time at Florida over the half term.....Pardon? Ellie had told her and the class she had been to Disneyland....Even went as far as to tell them all about all the fab rides and the hotel.....lol She's a bit of a story teller.....There was no trip to Florida! I wish! Such an imagination!!

Next up was Becky!! She's in the top set for reading....She can read just about anything put in front of her and knows what the words mean too.....Her writing has improved too she's using more WOW words (exciting, interesting words) but needs to use more.....

Her class has been practicing SATS papers and her teacher has said if she carries on the way she has been she will do very well.....He showed us on of the practice papers she had done and she got nearly all the points she could get.....

She is so confident.....What a difference from a few years ago when she wouldn't even put her hand up....Now she gets told off for shouting the answers out....lol

Becky's teacher has decided on having a change around with where the kids are sitting in the classroom....Her table is the worst for distracting each other and chattering away.....They're getting split up....Aww!! 

So yes! I'm an especially proud mam this week.....I am usually proud of my girls but this week I'm extra proud....I think a treat will be in order at the weekend!! 

 

We decorated....

We hadn't decorated since we moved in here over two years ago.....So during the half term holidays we started to decorate.....I say started as we are not quite finished yet....We still have the wallpaper to hang.....We will get round to it eventually!!

We started in the hallway and up the stairs which desperately needed doing!!

When Ellie is naughty she gets sent to sit on the stairs for a timeout and has a nasty habit of picking at the wall.....Grr! Also she had drawn on the wall and when I washed it off some of the paint came off....

We picked a coffee colour which has taken some getting used to as it's a lot darker than the biscuit colour we had but it does look lovely....It looks so much tidier and fresher....Ellie has been warned not to draw on the walls or pick at them....So far so good!!

Next up was the living room.....A fresh coat of white paint on the walls and the gloss work redone....Asda had a great deal on with their paint....A 5L tin of Dulux for £8 which was a great find as everywhere else was selling them for about £15.....

The kids were keen helpers....It was easier to let them be involved than try and keep them away from the paint....Everything looks so much brighter and cleaner....I was shocked when painting the radiator how yellow it looked when it was half painted....

I had decided on a purple theme and had looked at the curtains online and saw that most places were asking for about £30/£40 a set and we needed two sets.....I came up with the idea of dying our cream curtains purple.....Off to Wilkinsons I went and I bought some of the Dylon fabric dye for £4.99 a box.....

It was just a case of putting the dye powder in the washing machine, adding 500g of salt and the curtains then putting it on a 40 degree wash....Then washing them again with washing powder to get rid of the leftover dye.....I dyed the first set perfectly but the second set was thicker so had to do each curtain separately.....In then end it cost me just under £15 for the curtains.....A lot better than paying who knows how much for two new sets...

Cushions were next.....I had seen some cushion covers on Ebay for £2 each and needed 5 so would of cost £10 but I was wandering around a charity shop and saw some large cushions with bright pink covers for £2.50.....I bought another dye and turned them purple too.....They ended up matching the curtains perfectly even thought the photo makes them look a touch lighter....Stupid camera...lol

Then onto the artwork for the walls....We already had a canvas with the kids and myself on but I was lucky enough to receive another from Canvas Design which I reviewed earlier on in the week...We picked up another couple of  canvases from Poundstretcher....The one above the sofa was £12.99 and the longer thin one was £6.99....Great prices considering we seen similar one's for about £20 each in other shops and online!!

So just the wallpaper to hang now....That is a job for Stu....I've told him I want it done by Easter or I will find a professional to do it....hehehe

It's like having a new home.....Everything looks so much nicer, cleaner and I just love it....Onto the kitchen next....I'm sure I've seen purple microwaves somewhere....

Braces....

When we were at the dentist this time last year the dentist said Becky might need braces....She has one of her lateral incisors missing....It's never been there and because it has never been there the front teeth are moving over to the right and filling the space where the missing tooth should be...

We went off to see the orthodontist and they said she still had a baby tooth so wouldn't even consider treatment....The tooth came out a few weeks ago and we were at the dentist last week.....

He said she will most definitely need braces now as there has been no improvement....We just have to wait for an appointment with the orthodontist now....

So it's given me time to research Braces.....I've never had them and don't really know anyone that has....It's scary reading.....

There will be tenderness at first especially while eating.....My poor girl!! She will also have to brush her teeth after every meal....The school won't be happy about that!

What she is eating will have to change too...Soft food for the first few days.....I'm thinking soup, scrambled eggs, smoothies and yoghurts...

There will be no popcorn, nuts, hard sweets, corn on the cob, whole apples (which she loves), pizza crusts, toffee and crusty bread....

I think the few days before Becky gets her braces I will let her have everything she won't be able to eat for god knows how long....

Becky is fine about getting braces and want's them but I don't know if it's just the novelty of them.....I sometimes wonder if I am doing the right thing about letting her get braces....Wonky teeth are not life threatening so it isn't vital to have braces...It's basically just cosmetic....I don't want to put her through any unnecessary pain....

 I have had a good chat with Becky about the braces.....She's been on YouTube and had a look how they are put on and removed.....We've explained that her mouth will be sore and it will feel strange she said to me "mam, I've had open heart surgery it can't be worse than that!" She really amazes me at times...She makes me so proud being so matter of fact about things and grown up....She's still my baby girl and I worry about her and always will!! 

Did you have braces as a child? Do your children have braces? How did you find them?