Weekly write up no. 6

Hello!

This will most likely be a short post from me today, as it's not even 7pm yet and I'm knackered!

Last week I worked 3 and a half days - my busiest week yet! I was at the same school for 3 days and it certainly was a mixed 3 days. I taught year 5 and 3, both of which seemed to be lovely year groups/classes, but I also taught year 4 which was a nightmare. I taught 2 different year 4 classes, both of which were very difficult. I had to deal with a racist incident in one class before I'd even taken the register! I told my agency never to send me to year 4 at this school again! It's amazing how different it can be between year groups even at the same school! I'm going back there this week for one day but to the nice year 5 class so hopefully it will be a nice day. I also spent another day last week at an infant school, in year 2 and Reception. I am definitely finding KS1/EYFS easier in terms of workload. I even left the school at 3:10! Unheard of! I don't think I am suited to teach KS1 full time, but it is nice to be doing it for experience this term.

Yesterday I went out in London and had at least 5 drinks, but managed to not get too drunk. My boyfriend had his work's leaving do and we met up with him at about 11, and he was very drunk. It wasn't an amazing night but any night out is better than none!

I really need to get back onto my diet/exercising routine again. Last year I managed to drop 2 dress sizes, but since coming back from holiday in August I have had no motivation whatsoever to loose weight. I dread weighing myself! I just need some motivation to get started!

Right, I'm going to try not to fall asleep before 9pm tonight! I may spend my time browsing on Twinkl - I really want to sign up for the premium account but not sure if it is worth it - opinions please?!

Greta xx

Drunken selfie

2 days late Sunday catch up

So, no Sunday catch up from me this week. And that was really the only post that I was doing well at! Well the reason I didn't do a Sunday post will be explained below.

1. Last Monday I went to London and attended a supply teacher meet up. I was nervous as I am an incredibly shy person. I did enjoy it though. It was nice to talk to other people who are in a similar position to me. I did feel very shy though, and didn't chat as much as some others, but I'm proud of myself for trying something new.

Train selfie! On the way to London.

2. I worked 3 days last week. Tuesday was a lovely day in year 2. It was last minute, and I swear the TA worked harder than me! I had work booked for the rest of the week in the same school. I went there on Wednesday and it was a disaster. I was sat by the office for ages as no one knew which class I was supposed to be in. I got taken to a Reception class, got set up, then just as the kids were coming in I got moved to year 5. 5 minutes later, I got taken back to a different Reception class. Disorganised is the word! Teaching Reception was lovely, but I was only there for 45 minutes, then got put back in year 5. They were an extremely challenging class and I hated it. The final straw was at lunch when another teacher came in and had a go at me because she didn't get given the same worksheet as me! I just about coped in the afternoon, but called my agency in tears asking not to go back there. I was really upset as I've been to 2 schools now in 2 weeks that I hated. And I keep thinking - "It's me. I'm a bad teacher" However both of the schools have been in the same area which has a reputation for being difficult, so I'm trying to put it down to that. On Friday I taught in a year 6 class in a much nicer school, and had a positive day. 2 firsts for me - The first time I had taught year 6 all day, and the first time I had taught top set year 6 maths!

3. I went out with a friend on Friday night. We go out together lots, which keeps me sane! We went to Spoons like we normally do, but only ended up having 2 drinks each! Very unlike us. We ended up in KFC at 11pm and ended up going home early! We then went to Bluewater on Saturday for a bit of shopping. I love having someone to hang out with around here. Moving to a new area and working full time has made it hard to find friends, but I feel like I have a much better social life than I did a year ago.

4. We also went to the cinema on Wednesday to see Lucy. It wasn't very good! I did however help her level some writing samples during the trailers!

5. On Sunday the weather was lovely and me and Paul (my boyfriend) planned on having a picnic. We went to the gym first and god knows how I did it, but I stupidly knocked my glasses on the boot of the car, which scratched them. We were only in the gym for 20 minutes as I was worried about them. All of our plans went out the window and we went to Bluewater to see if they could get rid of the scratch. No luck. So I now have a scratch on my left lens which I just have to put up with until I get new glasses (which wont be for at least a year). Silly G!

I will try to post my Sunday catch up on time next week! It's now Tuesday and I haven't worked this week yet so I'm going to try my hardest to post another blog post on something random!

Greta xx

Getting to know you... (well, me)

Hello!

Another post from me - yes 2 in one day! Well it has been a boring day - no work today and nothing to keep me entertained. I saw this quiz on another blog and decided to have a go at it myself. I used to do these all the time in the era of myspace! It certainly felt like I was 18 again filling this in! (I wish). If there is anyone out there reading this, this gives a small insight into my life at the moment!

What is your middle name?
Carleen (hence the username!)

What was favourite subject at school?
Geography and Drama

What is your favourite drink?
Lemon Fanta - not the diet stuff though! Or alcoholic drink it would be Brothers Strawberry Cider. Or a cocktail!

What is your favourite song at the moment?
I am loving Arcade Fire at the moment. So either Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains) or No Cars Go.

What is your favourite food?
Chocolate!

What is the last thing you bought?
Some birthday presents for my mum.

Favourite book of all time?
The Harry Potter series, or Flowers in the Attic

Favourite Colour?
Purple and Green (I think!) I don't really have a favourite.

Do you have any pets?

Not myself, but we do have 2 cats in our house.
  Favourite Perfume?
In summer - Estee Lauder, Bronze Goddess. In winter- Vera Wang, Pink Princess

Favourite Holiday?

My favourite from when I was younger was California with my family. More recently though, Mexico was absolutely amazing.
   

Are you married?
Nope - I don't plan on it for a long time yet!

Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times?
Yes, lot a few times!

Do you speak any other language?
No :( Even though I learnt French for 5 years, Spanish for 2 years and German for 2 years I can't remember any of it!

How many siblings do you have?
Just one - my ickle brother Karl. Well, not so ickle, he's 24!

What is your favourite shop?
Primark! But I also love River Island, Topshop, New Look and Lush.

Favourite restaurant?
I love going to restaurants, but if I had to pick a favourite it would be Wahaca - amazing Mexican food!

When was the last time you cried?
A few days ago. Things aren't great at the moment!

Favourite Blog?
For fashion, Llymlrs. For everything else, Maddie from http://www.qworterlifecrisis.com/

Favourite Movie?
Shawshank Redemption

Favourite TV show?
Sherlock, Buffy, Angel

PC or Mac?
PC

What phone do you have?
An iPhone (to be honest I'm not sure which one!)

How tall are you?
5ft 5

Can you cook?
Not at all! I pretty much have 90% of my cooking done for me :) I'm just hopeless at it!

Greta xx

Being a glasses wearer

Hello!

Today's post is something I only thought about writing earlier today, as I was putting on my make up. Or trying to. Yes, stating the obvious, I wear glasses. I have worn them since I was 7 years old. That's almost 20 years. And I don't really remember much of the time before that, so it feels like I've been wearing them my entire life. 

Wearing glasses is a big part of me, but it's one I never really think about. They literally are like a part of my body. The first thing I do when I wake up is put on my glasses, and the last thing I do at night is take them off. If I'm ever not wearing them (rarely) I still try to touch the frames to push them up my face! I don't think I could imagine my life without glasses. When I visit the opticians they ask me about laser eye surgery, but I don't think I would ever do it. For one, I can't even touch my eye to put lenses it, let alone think about having a laser in my eye. If they could do it while I'm unconscious I would consider it! But really if I had a spare few thousand pounds lying around I would be much more likely to get a boob job!

I haven't always liked wearing glasses. When I first got them, I was bullied a lot by girls in my class who have always disliked me (and vice versa!). I got the whole 'four eye' thing and although that would never bother me now, it does knock your confidence as a 9 year old girl. I could also never find a pair of frames that suited me. I remember having these round frames when I was about 12 that made my face look even more round. For a chubby 12 year old, this was not a good look! It was only when I got into my late teens I discovered lens thinning, and I was able to pay hundreds of pounds to get thinner lenses. It meant I could have nicer frames, and for the last 5 years I have had 'bottomless' frames which don't look as obvious on your face as some glasses can look.

One of my main difficulties is actually how blind I am. Some people who wear glasses don't need them all the time, but if I have my glasses off for more than 15 minutes I get a head ache. I literally can not see anything clearly unless it is an inch away from my face. This of course causes problems. Make up being one of them. I'm not the best at applying eye make up, and not being able to see properly is a major hindrance. The amount of times I have poked myself in the eye with mascara because I couldn't see properly! I think I've got eye shadow down, but don't get me started on eye liner! If there was any time I wish I could see properly, it's when I'm putting on make up! When I dye my hair, I literally cant do anything but sit with my phone an inch away from my nose!

Prescription sunglasses

Another downside to wearing glasses is that I have to pay for prescription sunglasses too. Not only are they expensive, but it also limits me to one pair. Oh how I long to buy 5 pairs of sunnies for a holiday!

I have also had problems with buying glasses too. I find that I need new glasses at least every 2 years. And boy they are expensive. I used to go to Specsavers but in the last 5 years they never have any frames that I particularly like. The last 3 pairs I have bought were from Optical Express, which I like a lot, but I have had problems. The last time I got new glasses my prescription had only changed ever so slightly, but with how blind I am, any small change requires new lenses. Unfortunately the optician wrote down my prescription wrong, so I was given new glasses that made everything blurry. I could only wear them for 5 minutes at a time! I persevered with them for 2 weeks as every time I get new glasses it takes me a while to adjust to them. I took them back and they said to keep trying with them, but the second time I took them in they realised their mistake. It was a very stressful 2 weeks!

So, another long rambly post from me, but considering glasses are such a big part of my life I think I have done quite well not to go into more detail! Would I change wearing glasses if I could? Yes, I think I would. Mainly for the cost of buying glasses, the hassle of opticians, not being able to buy sunglasses and the general hassle of wearing them. But I don't think I will ever not wear glasses. Unless I win the lottery and develop less fear, I think my glasses will stay with me for the rest of my life. A scary thought, but I've managed nearly 20 years, I think I can last some more...

Do you wear glasses? 

How do you feel about being a glasses wearer?

Greta xx

Me and my fellow glasses wearer Sophie

 

A risky swap with a stranger - I couldn't see a thing!

The problem with rain and glasses! With my contact wearing brother Karl.

A standard selfie - the glasses are just a part of my life!

Welcome to Greta Carleen!

Hello everyone! Well this is my first ever blog post, so let me introduce myself.

I am Greta and i'm 26 years old. I have been reading blogs for the past 2 years now, but never had the confidence (or time!) to start writing my own. For my 26 birthday I received a bridge camera, mainly for my holiday to Mexico, but it has now given me that push to start my own blog. I'm not entirely sure what this blog will consist of yet, however I plan on posting about fashion, beauty, lifestyle, food, and if I can bring myself to it, maybe about work. 

I am a primary school teacher which is time consuming, stressful and tough, but I love teaching. I'm in my 5th year of teaching now and the year ahead is going to be the most challenging yet - yes I am due to start supply teaching any day now! I am going to miss having my own class but I'm sure it will help me find a new, wonderful school. Anyway, enough about work! 

I am a self proclaimed shopaholic. I spend hundreds each month buying clothes, shoes, bags and beauty. Shopping is one of my favourite hobbies, and I have justified it recently by loosing weight so I have had to replace lots of my wardrobe. I would consider going to the gym a hobby, but it's more of a chore these days! My favourite shops are Primark, River Island, Topshop, New Look and Miss Selfridge. I usually shop in Bromley or Bluewater and it would be a challenge for me to leave empty handed! 

I prefer fashion over beauty, but I do have a rather large stash of beauty products too! I love Urban Decay, Lancome, Clinique, Max Factor and Essie. 

Lastly, I like to explore the area I live in, so there may be some lifestlye posts on here too. I am originally from Cornwall (which I love) but have lived away from there for the last 7 years. I spent 3 year at uni in Canterbury and for the last 4 years I have lived in Bromley/Bexley which is on the border of London/Kent. The best thing about living here is the availability of shops, restaurants and places to go! Although I do miss the beach in the summer! So I may end up posting reviews about places to eat or go. 

So, it felt slightly weird typing about myself but I wanted to introduce myself. In real life I am an incredibly shy person (unusual for a teacher I know) but I have become a lot more confident in the last few years and want to start blogging for a new hobby that will help put me out there even more. I am not expecting for many people to read my blog but I am going to write it for myself to document things I like, enjoy and for memories!