Monday Musings

It must be half-term if I'm back in the blogosphere!

This time I have visitors so am not going away apart from a long weekend, so with more time at home, I finally can get around to a cheeky blog post.

I miss the old link-ups that used to happen in the educational blog world so I'm going to make a Doodlebugs Five for Friday inspired post today.

Language Learning
One of my New Years Resolutions this year has been to learn a language. I try and motivate my class to become life-long learners and what better way to model this myself than taking on a new challenge? So far, I am far far far from fluent, yet I find myself beginning to be able to read a little and understand some of the spoken language. I mostly use the Duolingo app but there are many other options out there.

Buying a flat

Next week I am due to complete on a flat purchase, this is very exciting but means I am currently very poor money-wise and have a long list of things to sort out (like furniture and utilities!) It seemed like such a good plan when I had it earlier this year, but oh what a lot of work its turned out to be! Still, its a gorgeous little property and I can't wait for it to be officially mine!!

New experiences

A couple of weeks ago I went to a cooking class with some friends to learn how to make Xiao Long Bao (pork soup dumplings). Long-time readers of the blog might remember how I have mentioned Din Tai Fung is my favourite restaurant, well there is absolutely no danger of them hiring me as a chef! It did taste nice though. 

More holidays
Since I last posted I went to Portugal over the summer and fell in love with all the tiles (would have bought some for the new if I could have figured out how to fit them all in my suitcase!)

New class
And finally, something more teaching related, my lovely new class! I am still in Reception/Kindergarten and loving the new little characters I have. There is a wider range of abilities than I'm used to, but everyone is a hard-worker and cute as a button! Let's hope they don't forget everyone with a week off now!

Around the world

Sometimes I think I should be a travel blogger rather than a teacher one! But being a teacher, and in particular, an international teacher is how I have the opportunities to explore so much of the world during the term breaks (and how I afford it!). I cannot express how grateful I am that my lifestyle allows me to visit such beautiful countries, eat amazing food and experience different cultures and that I get to do it multiple times a year. If anyone out there is considering becoming an international teacher, then you have my fullest support... honestly, go for it! I am happy to answer specific questions, although I've only worked in Asia (and the UK), but I can't recommend it enough. Please comment if you would like to know more, but for now, here are some photos from my latest adventure to the gorgeous island of Lombok in Indonesia.

Remember me??

Excuses excuses...

So what can I say for the distinct lack of blogging for the last 2 years?

Life!

Every so often I get notifications that someone has followed this blog or bought something from my TPT shop and I'm reminded of the fun I used to have writing this blog and bonding with the blogging community. So here I am again...

Updates:

• I am still teaching in Hong Kong and loving this city more each day.

Star Ferry at night

• I completed my first ever 5k run.

• I moved year groups again from Nursery to Reception.

• I've been spending most of my free time travelling!

Changdeokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea

Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

Lion's Head, Cape Town, South Africa

• I am 2/3 of the way through my Masters in Early Childhood Education (a commitment I may not have thought through!)

 

I've linked this blog post to Anna Nuttall's Bloggers Link up, my first time for this particular link up, but I'm always happy to try new blogging parties!

Anyway, what's new with you? 

Am still alive!

I'm not sure I've ever had such a long blogging gap as I have just had... or let's hope not!

I don't even have a lot to say today, but I took a look at my little blog and saw the date and was really shocked that July was my last post! So updates...

July - travelling around the UK, catching up with family and friends and spending some time with views like this...

August - THE BIG MOVE (hot, humid and stressed as I house hunt, cope with the fact my shipping is delayed and try and find my way around new job)

September - beginning of new year craziness combined with constantly feeling I don't know what I'm doing!

October - getting into my stride... and it's half-term break! Bring on the beach and lots and lots of reading!

Anyway, back to work tomorrow, but suitably relaxed and recovered! Fingers crossed the lead up to Christmas is not as busy (haha!)

Photo Frenzy

I kept meaning to post a Five for Friday or Sunday Smorgasboard or some sort of update at least to use up some of the photos I have been taking over the last few weeks, but I completely failed. And so I am just going to have a bit of a photo dump to update you all!

Easter Craft Afternoon
Parents and kidlets enjoyed making a variety of crafts together just before the break. Most of the inspiration came from Pinterest!

Display
A recent Science display from my classroom

Japan in April
Hundreds of cherry blossoms and generally great holiday!

November Currently

My blogging habits are truly dreadful at the moment, but I somehow feel if I manage to join Oh' Boy 4th Grade's Currently (albeit a week late!) then I haven't completely given up!!

Listening - Friends (series 9), I've watched this so many times that its even been in my Currently before!

Loving - We started back on Wednesday, so I've only had 3 working days! Though its a crazy 7 weeks of term before the Christmas break...

Thinking - It may have been a slight 'honeymoon' period after half-term, but my crazy class of Year 1s are finally appearing to have settled down (fingers crossed for next week!)

Wanting - Another week's break to recover from the fantastic, but incredibly busy half-term I've just had! Below are a couple of my highlights from my 10 days in Sydney.

Needing - To make a start on making my Christmas cards. While I was away the Christmas patterns arrived so I'm very excited!

Reading - Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. I usually like fantasy books, but this one seems a little slow paced. I read 3 books on the plane home though, so there wasn't much choice on my kindle!

Don't keep calm

I'm off to Sydney for 10 days, its been a long 8 week half-term, topped off with United Nations Day celebration today (let's feed the kids loooooads of sugar) so I'm off for a complete relaxation! 

Things to look forward to

It is Monday and I refuse to be depressed at the beginning of a working week, so....

10 Things to look forward to

1. I've booked my flights home to the UK for Christmas for a proper English Christmas (what are my chances for snow?!)
2. I've accepted my friend's wedding invitation for December since now I'll be back 
3. I bought myself 4 new nail polishes yesterday just because, and so I have lots of fun pedicures to come
4. October SLANTbox Exchange
5. new episode of Downton Abbey to watch
6. after tomorrow morning, I'll be done with all my parent meetings
7. lots of new books downloaded onto my kindle ready for when I finish my current series
8. no staff meeting tomorrow!
9. it's exactly 1 month until my 1 year blogiversary!

and...
   
     10. In 4 more 'sleeps' it will be half-term and I'm going to Sydney!!! I cannot wait!

Summer bucket list

I'm linking up with Deanna Jump to write my to-do list for this summer. Even though summer doesn't start for me for another 5 weeks, I can still plan ahead!

1

Number 1 on my list is to relax and de-stress after the school year.

2

I also want to catch up on some musical watching. Hoping to get tickets to the Lion King, even though I've seen it before, I really want to watch it again!

3

I want to eat a lot of dim sum when I'm visiting my parents. It's a meal I've really missed recently!

4

I'm flying back to the UK for a month (so beyond excited!) and top of my list while I'm there is catching up with my friends and family.

5

I also want at least one Sunday roast. Hopefully roast pork... with roast potatoes... and fresh vegetables... and gravy... yum!

6

I also want to create a few products for my TpT store. I've now got 20 products in there, but want to increase this as I have loads of ideas and loads of new clipart to use!

7

Graphic by Creative Clips

8

While I'm in England there will be obligatory trip(s) to the Cath Kidston shop to stock up for the next year!

9

I am also hoping for a weekend away with some of my UK friends so we can have a proper catch up and make up for me living so far away most of the year.

10

I'm moving flat this summer, so unfortunately (as I hate it) I've also got to pack and unpack at some point!

Five for Friday

Thought I would try out another linky party, this time a 'Five for Friday' with Doodle Bugs Teaching.

1

In Maths we have been looking at repeating patterns, what a good excuse to make paper chains to decorate my classroom! They also had a go at using Christmas-themed stampers to make repeating pattern wrapping paper.

2

I made the wreaths I mentioned in my post 'I wish it could be Christmas everyday'! They were quite small but looked great! Randomly interspersed with reindeer antlers for the Christmas production... I also made the paper-plate Christmas trees. 

3

Stained glass windows! See my post 'How to... make stained glass windows' to make your own.

4

Adorable Handprint calendars that I found on Things to Share and Remember. These were my class' gift to their parents (wrapped in the paper they made earlier!)

5

It's the last day of school today! Whoop, let's go home for 3 whole weeks!! See ya in January kids *waving energetically* Oh and how perfect for me was this gift bag that one of my presents arrived in?!