My Free time

I love routine and I have a 'timetable' for my personal life as well as my work life.
So naturally for me I schedule in my free time as well.

I rotate through my list of free time activities so I never get bored of the different things I like to do.

Here is my list of activities:

• challenge (On pinterest I have a board of 'challenges' I could do when I'm bored, my current challenge is to do blog posts on 52 topics. This is actually what I'm currently doing for free time!)
• work (This means I complete some task for work when I'm at home. I try not to bring work home with me but sometimes it is helpful to get something done in my free time.)
• craft (I have many craft projects and this means I get to work on them)
• bake (I love baking, and baking for others is always great!)
• pamper (This means I get to do a facial or anything else that I feel will pamper me)
• game (Play a boardgame or videogame by myself or with Nathan!)
• TV show (watch some more of our current favourite TV show)
• gardening (potter around my pot plant garden!)
• colouring in (get to complete one of my adult colouring pages I have.)
• exercise (get moving!)
• bath (enjoying a luxurious bath time is so relaxing!)
• movie (watch a movie at home)
• nails (I love doing my nails with Jamberry or nail polish!)
• nap (because why not?!)
• listen to music (and dance!)
• write a letter (I love writing letters to others. It's so nice to receive a written note/letter because it means someone took the time to sit and hand write to you.)
• call a friend (catch up with someone I haven't spoken to in awhile)
• candles (light a candle and relax!)
• read (I always have a book I'm reading, especially because I am part of a book club!)
• cuppa (and the last of the list but by far my favourite! Have a cup of tea!)

Today in my free time I read and had some ice tea (T2's Apple Crumble) and I watched 'Frozen'. 

So what do you do in your free time?

Pros and Cons of being a teacher

So I'm a teacher and as with any job there are pro's and con's of being one.


Let's start with the cons:

1. No freedom to go to the toilet when you want or need to! Seriously the first few years you are training your body to go when it is break times. No wonder my students have trouble too!
2. Dealing with bratty, snotty, clingy or selfish kids. It's no bed of roses and a lot of kids need training in manners and hygiene...guess that's my job!
3. Having so much to do! Our 'to do' list never ends. I have literally had a list of things to do all year and not gotten to them. Thankfully they tend to be wish lists of things you want to get done. But somehow all the important things do get done on time.
4. Having your holidays scheduled so no choice on when you want to go...especially if you wanted to travel in the off-peak times!
5. Parents who aren't helpful. This could be either not helping you with your job as a teacher or not helping their child in their learning.
6. After school commitments. (Parent Teacher Interviews, meetings, phone calls etc.)

Ok I think that's all the con's. Let's see if the pros outweigh them:

1. Having a pretty well structured day. You know where you should be for majority of the day.
2. Having input into developing minds. You actually are teaching them something new very day!
3. The days/lessons when it totally all clicks together and works like clockwork!
4. Hearing the kids laugh at a joke you made...like yeah parents you get to hear a couple kids laugh but having a more than 15 students laugh makes you feel like a comedian!
5. Having regular holidays, despite half of the time you spend it working anyway...but no kids to hold you back on planning/marking/learning.
6. Usually being home in time to still go grocery shopping or do some cleaning...that is if you aren't completely exhausted!
7. Getting to dress up in crazy costumes a few times a year, like it is normal!
8. Getting to sing songs and dance with the kids because you have to.
9. Learning things - it is proven that a learning, growing mind is a healthy mind.
10. Being in control - you get a whole classroom to control...you are the boss...like a mini boss in an organisation and you get 15+ kids to order about!
11. Having students who will do things out of the goodness of their child's heart!

Well that's all I can think of for now but wow look at that almost double the amount of cons!

Also yesterday I read this verse:

 Ecclesiastes 5: 18-20

“Then I realised that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labour under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.”

I love being a teacher. Do you love what you do?

Season of life

'Season of life'...what does that mean? Is it a month? A year? A decade?
I'm going to go with my mid 20's...so what are some of the things I love about being in my mid 20's?
Well here's a list:

- Not having kids yet: yes I would like to have children but I am realising just how precious this time is before having children. It means I get to know my husband very intimately and we have the freedom to do whatever we want without the responsibility of taking care of children.

- smooth skin: I know it is a very worldly thing to think about this kind of thing but I truly love having smooth skin and I know one day it will gain 'wisdom wrinkles'. I know I will love my wrinkles too as they will be a part of me but for now I will enjoy having the smoothness of skin!

- Nail art: another worldly thing but I do love doing my nails weekly and it cheers me up so much throughout the week to see this little bit of beauty and effort I made when I choose not to use makeup daily.

- Cooking various things: I love learning new recipes and in this season of my life I have cooked and baked more than when I was a teen and love how much I have learnt!

- Learning about myself: I learnt so much about myself when I was teen because I tried 'finding who I was' and I did. But everyone does change and I know I have since being in school. I am learning so much about myself while I teach little ones. I have realised I have some degree of autism and am reflecting and learning about how I managed to cope without the support I would have received if I had been diagnosed as a child.

- Book club! I love the fact that I am in a book club. I know this may not last forever but right now I am loving it! We have stuck together for over a year now! I can't wait to see how long it goes for!

Well that's all I can think of for now..what do you love about your season of life? Tell me in the comments!