From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

rtandon27

Pizza on a Friday! What can I say, all is right with the world 🌎 😉 

Greying_Pilgrim

Well, that's the hope rt - I have pizza topping (tommie sauce), in the freezer, and I bought a jar of olives yesterday, and we have tatties, so......... 😁

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Reasonable start to the morning.  I have pegged out the whites wash.  I'm keeping one eye on the weather, as we do have cloud and the beebeecee have interpreted that as a high chance of showers all day. It's not currently raining, but could start any second.  We do have a good breeze tho, and that could make the difference to being able to bring in 'partly dried' clothing.  

I just popped over to MrAl.  It's not a shop I frequent, but I do find that they are good for components for school lunchboxes, so I tend to buy items in 'bulk' to last out the half-term, or sometimes term.  At the mo, I needed to get enough cereal/oat bars to last until half-term, so the money is a legitimate October spend.  I also picked up a pack of shelf stable gnocchi (still have nightmares about inflicting 'roasted' gnocchi on my Fam. 😔), as I want to make a gnocchi dish - I think in the SC - this week.  In total I spent £5.61 and I have already amended my siggie-figgie.

All homework has been completed, and whilst it is a pain, LG has tried, and this week we've been exposed to a really good book that was otherwise getting overlooked.  It is, however, as I suspected, and whilst we are busting a gut to get this work done, and it's invading family time, and sometimes leads to arguments and bad feelings; other children in the class aren't even bothering to lift a finger and do any homework.  Now, I know there are all sorts of different circumstances, and frankly, if I had 2 or 3 kids at that school, I would be tearing my hair out by now, I'm quite sure.  But apparently less than a third of the class are completing their homework.......  

I've got to do the research into the glazing information that I've got.  

I put the cooking apples that I froze yesterday into a freezer bag .  I forgot to weigh it, but it's filled a zip lock bag (23x25cm), so I'm well chuffed.  I found that the apples did discolour BUT the apple that I chopped up first, hadn't discoloured anymore than when I put it in the freezer, so their level of discolouration wasn't any worse than if I'd been prepping them all in one go to make multiple crumbles or whatever.  I'm chuffed to bits, because I think they are going to be pretty much on a par (tastewise) with how they taste now, but we're going to be able to enjoy this free bounty in December , January, February etc 😁 Thanks tmv for giving me the push to give it a go 😁

Oh, and the rain's arrived.  Blow.  Still, it was a punt.  They are only school tops, so I'll give them a blast in front of the dehu for 1hr and see where that gets us.

I must get the tommie sauce out of the freezer and I need to make pizza dough after lunch.  

I forgot to say, I bought a tube of paprika paste (mild) from the..... Polish (?) food section in MrL yesterday.  I'm thinking it will give a nice, rounded taste to stews - anyone else tried it/use it regularly?

LG liked their new top from h&m yesterday, so I'm pleased about that.  It wasn't overly expensive, and there's no faffy returns to bother with.  It's a bit too big, but then their previous one from there was too, and it's now getting too small 😱

Right, off to dig out the dehu, and do some reading about energy efficiency.   

Greying X

themadvix

Glad the freezing worked for you too GP. I'd not tried it before, but some things call for apple chunks not stewed apple, so it's useful to know for future reference.

Paprika paste sounds delicious!

rtandon27

@Greying_Pilgrim - Paprika paste sounds really interesting - is it all pepper-paste or is it a pepper & tomato tube?

Can I give you a slightly different take on homework in the form of a story?

Once upon a time I hated homework, and would have rather been doing all things artistic - music, drawing, painting, crafting during the afterschool hours.  I had a dear friend (who all these years later is still a friend) who applied herself diligently & did every last ounce of her homework.  When it came to tests, I usually received low to mid 90's and she received above 95 for most things.  When it came to graduation prior to University, I received several awards for my non-academic performance. I got into all three of my top choices with scholarships.  She neither received awards nor was automatically accepted into her top choices.  She went on to study hard and now has a PHd and runs a school still living in the same house she grew up in and cruising once a year with family.  I've also been to University, have a successful career but have travelled the world and by (my own) comparison have lived a life of joy & colour!  She is happy with her life and I am with mine, so all that to say - success is not dependant on homework, nor is homework a barrier to success in life - we all have our own ways of living life and measuring success and should not worry if the next person over is or is not doing what we are doing!

Cheery_Daff

Well said @rtandon27! 

Dearest Greying, in the kindest possible way, you spend a lot of time comparing yourself, and LG, to others. Maybe that's just on here, because on here we can sift through the inner workings of our minds among virtual pals 😊 and maybe comparisons don't occupy you in real life as much as they seem to here. But you are doing a great job with LG, I'm sure of it. And I'm sure other parents are doing the best they can in the circumstances they have available too- and if they're not, well, that will show up in their lives later.

You do YOU, dear Greying! If that means occasional squabbles over homework, well then you're teaching LG that sometimes we just have to get our heads down and do something we don't quite want to - a lesson that's useful for everyone (and one which I myself could still learn sometimes 😂). And if other people don't do their homework? Well, there may not be any consequences now, or ever - but also they may find they know less than LG down the line, or have less discipline to fall back on, or fewer experiences. Maybe they're struggling with parents who are struggling. Maybe their parents don't know how to read very well and can't help, or are working all the hours and don't have time help. Maybe they're feckless and irresponsible - which will have consequences for their children whether they do their homework or not. Maybe they just got bored of fighting about homework and gave up. Maybe they are ALL doing all of their homework and whoever's telling you that they're not is just trying to make you feel special!

So a big hug for you dear Greying, and for LG (and Mr Greying so he's not left out 😂). You're doing a grand old job and I'm sorry that you don't feel like it all the time. Keep going! If you don't want to encourage LG to do their homework and would rather be doing something else, then do that! It might have consequences, or it might not, I suppose you'll find out. I know as an educator of slightly older people, the ones who are interested in a range of things, and can sustain enough attention to read a book, are likely to get more out of the same education. 

Anyway, blah blah, just saying that you are doing a good job, stop fretting so much! 😊 xx

Greying_Pilgrim

Dearest rt - if it was up to me, and if schools were managing some sort of teaching in the school day - there should be no need for homework.  LG's has gone from 'some' homework per week, to daily requirements in the maths, reading, and writing subjects  - too much!  From what I can gather, primary schools seem to be split between YES, we expect all pupils to do homework, especially in KS2, or NO we don't require homework to be completed - both in our town, and further afield in different areas of the UK - according to friends/chums with GC etc.  

It's the fact that it's not universally enforced in LG's class. To say it 'must be done', and yet there is no sanction if it isn't - where is the incentive?  

Our family are predominantly rule followers - but just saying 'LG will get better grades if they do their homework' isn't selling it to me.  There are no tippy-toppy independent schools nearby that would offer a full scholarship to someone that got 10/10 in their spellings each week.  LG is destined for the local comprehensive sausage machine school located at the end of the road.

It's why we try to take LG to a wide variety of places outside the home to let them see the big wide world, in the hope that they can (in the future) pick a direction and head out to live life.  Whether that will have an academic feel or a vocational one, matters not (to me personally).  

Greying X

themadvix

Well said Cheery! You are doing a fantastic job GP, as evidenced by dear LG’s comment that they love the outings and trips and adventures you take them on!

ETA: That most of these outings have an educational aspect suggests that you are instilling a fantastic love of learning in LG that will last a lifetime too.

Greying_Pilgrim

Ay up Cheery- does it come across that I'm comparing?  Oh gosh, no - that's not my intent.  I recognise that we're all good at different things, and we're all on the Bell Curve at different points for different aspects of our lives.  In terms of where LG is 'academically' in class they are doing A-OK.  Are they tippy-toppy of the class - Nope! but neither are they on the bottom.  They are - and this isn't intended as a brag - consistently well above average.  And I think in 'soft' skills they are OK - and are always praised for being kind/polite/having manners etc. 

I hope we're giving LG lots of different experiences.  Some of which their peers get, some don't.  

What always unravels me is unfairness.  So if the rule is homework, then everyone does it (to the best of their ability and at levels appropriate and manageable), but if the rule is homework and the majority don't do it - then my question is why does LG have do do it?  I'd rather LG spends home time watching TV/reading a book/riding a bike/acting in an AmDram production/learning guitar/playing on a games console/visiting a castle, or anything they choose to do - because that is what other children and families are choosing to do with their time.  

Greying X

badmemory

But LG is getting those life skills.  Completing a required task.  Being polite/well mannered.  Even if LG does not soar academically just who do you think an employer is going to offer a job.  Someone well presented, polite & whose report doesn't say needs their backside kicking to keep them doing a task set would be my guess.