Crazy Cat Lady Chapter 3 - A New Beginning

Tropically

Dawnybabes might have a good idea. At first I thought it was lame, but I've recently switched to having a Huel breakfast because I wasn't able to get the consistent meal I needed. It's been brilliant. It's probably not cool to a teenage girl though.

Pooky

I know my DDs wouldn't and still don't do breakfast. I couldn't stomach it either until after I'd had first DD. When eldest DD wasn't eating until tea time every night it was hideous. None of the girls in her friendship group ate at school, it wasn't the done thing, they were all on diets but my DD went down to 6.5stone and that's when the "nice mummy" gloves came off and she was marched to the Drs for a talking to. The damage done at school age is astounding but it's so common now. Neither of my DDs (at different schools, one of which was in the top 10 grammar schools in the country academically, at the time) would visit the toilet, too much bullying, drug use etc. So they'd not drink all day either.

Both are now in their 20s and doing well but both say that their school life was hideous. As parents there's little you can do aside from make sure there's plenty of the right things to eat and drink when they are in your care. Peer pressure is huge.

crazy_cat_lady

Thanks everyone for your kind words and advice. As you know, I'm a teacher as well and I steer well clear of the kids during break and lunchtime because I can't bear the crowds or the politics. Teenagers can be truly awful to each other and it takes a very strong person to get through school unscathed in any way. I know that she has water during the day so is at least hydrated. It's like Buffy says, the lunches are ridiculous - mine is 30 minutes and often 20 by the time I'm ready for my next lesson so I either shovel my food down or go to the toilet. Quite often I don't get to the toilet between home and 3pm. It has done me the world of good to be a teacher in terms of recovering from my own school experience mentally, and at the minute the best I can do is try and reassure my dd that it will get better if she can just get through it. She may be open to taking those disgusting Weetab1x shakes in with her... but haven't discussed protein shakes yet so I'll ask her.
She seems fine, and I don't mean to belittle it, but it is honestly so common for kids (particularly girls) not to eat at all during the day at school. She went out last night with her friends and was out for 4 hours so she must have had a good time. It's the annual harvest-festival type celebrations in the town that we live in and it's a really big deal here with shows and parades and a fairground etc. So the kids all congregate at the fair on the Friday night.
It did mean I had to cancel my night out - I'd forgotten the date when I arranged to go on a work night out last night. I was devastated, as I go out even less than dd, but rather me cancelling than her. It looks as though the rest of them had a good night out though so there may be gossip on Monday. How sad that my entire life revolves around hearing about other people's social lives. DS and I stayed in, had chips and curry sauce and watched MasterChef and Bake Off from across the week on catch up tv. What's not to love about that? It also means that I got to bed at a reasonable hour and am feeling almost raring to go this morning.
Going out for a couple of hours with bestie - strictly window shopping only because as I have mentioned billions of times I'm already skint this month. Other than that, crochet must continue... urgently for Christmas.

beanielou

Enjoy your day:)

crazy_cat_lady

Hello :wave:
Can't believe that I didn't bother myself to getting online on either Sunday or yesterday. What am I like? Just got busy with other stuff then didn't get my laptop out.
There's very little to report - either positive or negative- life is just ticking on as usual. No money, and more than a couple of times waking up at 4am stressing about having no money. Worrying about court coming up and my being no further forward at all in terms of serving papers on ex. Except I can now say that he is in touch and has refused to pass on an address - so he's not missing any more. Just not contactable (Insert eyeroll smilie here) by me, or my solicitor, and off the radar. DS seems to be a bit more like his old self again as time has passed since hearing from his dad. The anxiety and stress was all getting a bit much - I've even debated taking him to the docs and at least getting him into the system for some help. I'm concerned that I don't want him to end up like his dad in terms of refusing to ask for help and running away and hiding from stuff when things are getting a bit much. I worry so much about how the kids might turn out based on them having two completely anxious parents. Just I think I have learned slightly better coping strategies than my ex. OK, comfort eating has turned me into a fat blob but it could be much worse. I think that some external help might be good for the kids, but dd has flat out refused (because obviously it would be way too awkward), but I quite often hear ds chatting to his friends about his anxiety... Something else for me to overthink.
The school ofsted report is in and we are officially good! :T Such a relief to finally be recognised for the effort and hard work we put in. Shame I missed the celebration, although by all accounts it wasn't a great night out anyway (just looked like it was :rotfl:) I have tried to convince my head of department to reward his hard working staff with pizza but he has ignored all pleas so far.
As for everything else - no change. Finances are dire, and I am still thinking about a further 3 trips away this month. Thank god most has been paid upfront. I am just home most evenings watching telly and crocheting like mad. It's all very boring indeed.

foxgloves

Well, when you are sitting there crocheting like mad, CCL, think of me sitting further south knitting like mad! My target is to have this afghan fully completed & the 8,000,000,000 ends sewn in by the end of October. I am nowhere near even halfway yet. Hmmmm. 'Bake-off' & massive knitting session later, I think!
F x

apple_muncher

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

I quite often hear ds chatting to his friends about his anxiety...

This is awesome :j. He can label it and is comfortable enough to talk to his friends about it.


And 0fsted calling you 'good' is awesome too! :T

Honeysucklelou2

Well done on achieving good. I'm guessing your school is one of the first to be inspected under the new OFSTED framework?

crazy_cat_lady

Yes, we were under the new framework HSL - it's really all about curriculum now. They're keen to know that we know what we're doing in terms of delivering the curriculum and where the kids are going to get to.
I have had the day from hell today. I honestly think that it might have been the worst in recent history. So much so I've poured myself a very large drink as soon as I've gotten home tonight, which isn't like me at all. I had another bad night of sleep and when I woke up this morning I just couldn't get going at all. Got into work and due to various ICT issues I had no laptop at all for my first lesson - one arrived half way through then I couldn't get it to 'talk' to my whiteboard. Got it going with about 15 mins of the lesson left. Disaster. Then I move classroom for second lesson, and the new laptop wouldn't work in that classroom either - took 20 minutes to get help for that. Got back into my own classroom lesson 4 to teach and couldn't get the new laptop working there, couldn't find a pencil for love nor money, there were broken rulers and bits of paper all over the floor and smashed up calculators at the back of the room. I was quite annoyed. But not as annoyed as I was when an allegedly smart Year 10 student decided he would stick a pair of scissors into the electrical socket and switch it on. He was lucky that they had plastic handles because the electric went of with a heck of a bang. I had him taken to isolation - couldn't even look at him I was so angry.
On top of that there was a major safeguarding issue and lots of staff were absent so when I rang for help I was asked if I could deal with it myself as there wasn't really anyone available to assist. I said no, but seriously? It has been one of those days where I honestly wonder why I bother. On top of all that as the day has gone on my throat has gotten more and more sore and my voice is doing a runner. I couldn't wait to get home tonight and am straight in my jammies with a drink in front of the telly. I'll be in bed by 9 and trying to forget that today ever happened :rotfl:

DawnW

Sorry to hear you had such a rotten day CCL