A Humdrum Mum

Today I had a breakthrough in the shower! No, I didn't kick in the shower door, I had a brainwave. For ages now, I'd been going through this cycle - annoyance that I hadn't blogged; guilt that I hadn't read anyone else's blog and understanding of the sense of reciprocity and community in the blogging world. I'd been feeling that I couldn't really write what I wanted to write. This is partly because I'm not an anonymous blogger, my family and friends all know who I am; partly because I have to be careful not to write too much about life as a teaching assistant; and partly because I've been looking for a different way to write. I have found more satisfaction with the debate on Facebook than just writing a blog post. So my brainwave was a plan to put the Humdrum Mum blog on hold for 6 months to see how I feel and how things have changed in that time, and in the meantime I will be using my Facebook page, A Humdrum Mum, to continue noticing and comment...

I've just read an essay,  The Busy Trap by Tim Kreider , published in the NYT some weeks ago.  You've probably already seen it via Facebook or Twitter, if you haven't been too busy to read it... According to Kreider, Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day. Today I am having a rare day off, I say rare as now that I work in a school, my time off coincides with Elf's. He has been shipped off to daycamp today, along with 3 of his besties, so he can have a day of fun while I catch up with the housework  no that's a lie, while I laze around reading! Which is exactly what I've done. (I did get up at 7.45 to get his lunch ready, but went back to bed until 11am to read my book). Bliss. I have friends who pack too much in, whether that...

Two fab things yesterday: (1) I got to ring the bell at the end of lunch time yesterday. I was born to ring bells. I've discovered my inner dinner lady and I love it. (2) I managed to tell the difference between the identical twin school mums! I didn't make the mistake of talking to the one I don't see in the park thinking she was the one I see in the park - yay for me! Balanced out today with two disappointing things; (1) I've been dolled up to the nines in my Benefit make up "lesson". A very nice girl made me up, her make up was subtler than mine. Which bit of "I don't do anything too visible really, just natural looking" was in a different language? (2) I asked for my bacon roll in Benjy's to be crispy. I knew the server hadn't told the chef. ("Chef".) It was fatty and disappointingly soft. Still at least I rang that bell!

I bought some Famous Five books for a birthday girl today and decided to buy the same for Elf. Mr Humdrum has done Roald Dahl with him and it's my turn now with the Famous Five. Chatting to my pal Lairy Bird the other week at her JulieB party, I asked if she remembered this book (Smugglers's Top - did Enid mean one or more smuggler?). She did but not to the extent I did - I even remembered the deaf servant called Block who turned out not to be deaf at all! Lairy Bird is the only person I know who knew what Musty Fusty Dusty meant. (Spoken by Kiki the parrot.) And then bought me one of those books she found in a charity shop! I remember playing the Famous Five when I was young and trying to be George the tomboy not girlie Anne! And my dog was called Kim who quickly became Timmy. We even had a sort of Kirrin Island in a swampy area. Fun days playing and evenings reading. I wonder who Elf will remember as the author who shaped his childhood?

Holiday dizziness A week ago, I turned 41. I had just come back from Lanzarote, our half-term holiday courtesy of the outlaws. I'd started feeling dizzy midway through the holiday. Before, I would like to point out, I overindulged on mine and Mr H's meal out. Delicious lamb chops, yummy, but because there were no suitable puddings, I had to have a rather large Amaretto. On top of the bottle each of wine, I did get slightly dizzy then! On the walk home, I was giving it the "Let's go skinny dipping" whilst closer to our villa, I was more of the "Juzlemmegetinbeddddd" type whisper. The next day I was rather ill but made the beach at 11.30pm! Not bad for me. Post holiday dizziness Anyway we flew back on the Friday of half-term, and still back at work on the Monday, I felt dizzy. That was also my birthday. I ended up visiting the drop-in health centre, as my parents were here to look after Elf. Mum came with me, and had to then drive me to the doctor, becaus...

I've just finished Week 3 of my new job (teaching assistant at a primary school) and as well as being a new job, it's an entirely new career. I'd spent the last 20 years in an office, 12 of them at the same last company and it's been a culture shock, I can tell you. I felt a bit shell shocked to start with, but I have some really supportive colleagues who have known exactly what I've been feeling and have said all the right things. I've had some good feedback from the head among others, and I can now say that I'm starting to settle in and enjoy it. It's been a lot to get my head round. One thing I am sure of is that I don't miss my old job one bit. (Just a few friends there...) Here's a roundup of the pros and cons: Cons first... 1. I can't go to the toilet when I want to. I am working 1-1 and I have to check I have cover. 2. I can't sit at my desk with a cuppa. In fact I can only have a cuppa at lunchtime (1pm). Sadly not eve...