The goodness in people

Every now and then something happens that restores your faith in humanity. I haven't been feeling particularly negative about the goodness in the human race recently but it was so lovely to have a wonderful experience. A close friend of mine is expecting her first baby in a months time and another friend suggested that we throw her a surprise baby shower. I love organising anything like that so I immediately got excited and started the planning. It has been so much fun to organise this with my friend, all the secretive emails and meetings, the surreptitious note making and texts. We work with the Mummy-to-be and more than once we both had to abruptly change the conversation or quickly hide something. We managed to invite a number of people including friends from outside work and her Mum, and we organised a buffet lunch followed by the obligatory games; including pin the dummy on the baby. Returning to the reason for this post, what struck me about the event was just how much effort everyone put in, and how willing everyone was to give up their time and effort and also contribute financially. We hosted the party at my house and this would usually spell out in large letters the word STRESS but this was certainly not the case. Several guests as well as my co-organiser with her two beautiful girls arrived early and helped with all the setting up and decorating. As people arrived bringing their items for the buffet they got stuck in and set it all out in an absolutely magnificent spread. I was also extremely grateful to a number of the guests who ensured that my house and my kitchen were left in a state of gleaming perfection. I'd turn around from talking to someone and see a guest with their hands in the sink washing up and another, tea towel in hand, drying up. I was even given two beautiful bunches of flowers and a bottle of wine to enjoy. It was such an amazing afternoon and I think the Mummy-to-be was overwhelmed by everyone's effort and generosity.Something I will never forget is the excitement of the big surprise moment and how it felt to be part of that experience. It was an amazing afternoon and it really showed me all my friends and colleagues at their awesome best.

The power of a list.

As a confirmed list addict I shouldn't have been surprised this morning when I had the idea for this post. I was feeling rather depressed and overwhelmed this morning by the 'million' things I have got to do, sort, organise, fix, download, write and investigate. People who know me know I write lists for everything but it took my husband reminding me this morning to realise I should write a list of all the things to do that were overwhelming me. The list was duly written on several sides of the notepad and afterwards I felt much better. I still have everything to do but it had a very cathartic effect.

I know some people choose to write things on the list that they have already done, just so they can immediately tick some things off. I have never been one to do this but I can understand the positive effects of this. Other people I know colour code their lists in order of priority or deadline. Again, not my style. Plain and simple bullet point lists are the way I go. My constant list making does tend to drive my husband a bit crazy at times but at others he admits they do have a place and purpose.

If you are not a list maker then I urge you to try it. It is great for helping to ease stress and improve your mood. It also means that I am generally pretty organised, a state that I enjoy being in. So, with that in mind I think I'd perhaps better finish this blog here and actually start tackling some of those items on my list.

Snow

This may seem like an obvious topic for a blog but I was wondering if people shared my views on the cold white stuff. 99% of me hates the stuff but there is still the 1% that remembers childhood days spent tabogganing on the Epsom Downs. As an adult I find the whole thing so stressful. We have had a box in our car for the last two months in anticipation of being stranded on the roads, even though the winter thus far has been unseasonably mild. Yesterday I was so anxious the whole afternoon watching the sky; waiting to make sure everyone got home safely. My husband driving home from football made it just after the snow started falling. My younger brother drove from Sheffield to Surrey and made it safely even though he drove through some horrendous conditions. I know they both thought I was mad for being so worried but it frightens me when the snow hits our roads, no matter how prepared people say we are as a country.

Today has been a lovely day so far. I don't mind snow when I do not need to go anywhere. We have spent time taking our little one out to build her first snowman. She did not seem to be very impressed with the snow but maybe when she is older she'll enjoy tabogganing like I did. I am sure we'll have snow during many of the winters of her childhood.

Looking towards tomorrow though I am already beginning to get stressed and worried about the journey to work. I am sure it will be fine as it is all beginning to thaw now, but then there is ice to worry about after the colder temperatures overnight. I'll just try and focus on enjoying the snow today with the 1% of me that likes it and ignore the other 99% until the morning.

Preparing for exams, Part Two

I have been meaning to add this post for a while now but I'm only just finding the spare moment to write it. One unforeseen pleasure that writing this blog has brought are the discussions that it is sparking with lots of people on all sorts of things. After I posted a blog in early January about my class preparing for a GCSE exam I had a very thought provoking email from my older brother.

Through my own education and my job experience I can only comment on the students I have come across in a mixed comprehensive setting. General gist of my thoughts was that boys and girls approach exams differently, with the girls taking it more seriously then the boys. My older brother has experience of an all boys grammar school and raised the question whether boys in that setting approach exams in the same way boys in a mixed school do. He then went one step further and questioned how students in a private school approach an exam. Questions to which I had no answers.

As exam season rapidly approaches I am going to be curious to see whether this cohort of students are able to change my opinion.