Category Archives: School

boys will be boys and girls may giggle

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Today I share with the sorella-hood a simple observation as a mum in the school yard on a Thursday morning.  My daughter has started Prep and today I was able to take my time dropping her to the classroom.

We took a leisurely stroll through the playground.  As the “BIG” boys ran past she cowered in to me clenching my hand tight.  I am a highschool teacher so to me these boys are babies, but to my little preppy I could understand how to her the stomping of their school shoes on the concrete as they zoomed past us, would be quite frightening.

We stood in silence on the edge of the oval and watched the children play.  What I observed was THAT obvious that it really was drawn to my attention.

It was amazing to watch the stereotypical body language of these young souls.  The girls insecure, following the pack like little lost sheep fearful that if they lose their friends for a moment they would be lost forever.  The boys ruggedly tackling eachother and running away, pointing, pushing, shoving, laughing and chasing.  Even more humorous the girls laughing at the boys, giggling and whispering about them, trying to get their attention but also rolling eyes and being oh so much more mature.  The boys, knowing full well they were being watched, but not giving the girls any attention and continuing on their high energy adventure.  I am well aware that avoiding ‘boys germs’ begins at an early age, but I guess I was a bit surprised to see that these typical behaviors, I see in the high school yard as an educator, begin at such a young age.

boys and girls busy at play as toddlers

boys and girls busy at play as toddlers

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It’s a very pink day today. And it’s fabulous!

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Today is ‘Pink Day’ at my “other job” when not working on sorella & me…as secondary school teacher!

Seeing 14-year-old boys with balloons for breasts and wearing pink bras, I’ll admit, makes me feel a little uneasy (!)… But their dress-ups and spirit is heart-warming and for a great cause – we are fundraising for Breast Cancer research as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And today, I remember my beautiful Aunty who lost her young life to Breast Cancer.

sweet pink ribbon biscuits!

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Part 2: Top 5 tips for Prep Readiness

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Today we have Part 2 of our guest post from Kate Davis & Christine Wyatt from Boost Therapy.  If you missed part 1, “Is your child prepped for Prep”, you can check it out here.

image by Lise Gagne via istockphoto

In Part 1, we asked the question ‘how do you know your child is ready for Prep?’ Kate and Christine helped us understand three key developmental areas we need to consider when thinking about our child’s readiness for Prep. These are:

  • Communication – Speech and language skills to be able to communicate with their teachers and peers.
  • Pre writing skills - the skills children acquire through participating in activities such as drawing, construction, craft and other fiddly tasks.
  • Independence – tasks that children need to be able to do independently in the classroom.

In understanding the specifics of these 3 key areas and thinking about your own child’s current level of development, Kate & Christine have suggested a number of things you can do to improve your child’s readiness for Prep. Here are their top 5 tips: Continue reading →

Part 1: Is your child Prepped for Prep?

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Is your child starting Prep next year? My daughter is and has been quizzing me about it ever since we did a tour of the school recently. Just this morning she said, “I don’t think there will be a mat to sit on, will there Mum? Just big desks?”. I explained to her that I’m pretty sure there will be a sitting area as well as desks, to which she replied, “Oh yeah, because they might like to read us stories!”

Apart from some anxiety about whether you think you are ready to be sending them off to school (something I am sure all parents worry about as the day gets closer!), you may also have some concerns about whether they are really ready for Prep…

So we are super-excited to have guests Christine Wyatt, Occupational Therapist and Kate Davis, Speech Pathologist from Boost Therapy with us this week to share some useful tips to help us first-time parents figure out whether our precious cherubs are ready for Prep… Part 1: Is your child Prepped for Prep?

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Casually Cool Mums & Beautiful Baby Bumps: Maternity & Mummy chic we can all achieve!

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The last 12 months has seen some of the biggest celebrities either give birth, adopt, or fall pregnant. For today’s post we thought a little fashion drool-fest was in order to inspire the maternity wardrobe for some of our sorellas who are expecting, and for the new mummies out there in the playgrounds or off to school pick up!!

I had prepared myself to see over-styled, unachievable ensembles, however I was relieved to instead find everyday casual looks that are absolutely attainable for all of us lacking a full-time stylist!

Yep – maternity and mummy-chic is about a throw-over pretty print dress, practical jeans so you can pick your child up from the sand-pit, flats or trainers to get you to the school gate on time, and comfy tops or jackets to give you a little style yet let you move freely to juggle your child, nappy bag, pram and other daily mummy essentials.

And let me tell you, most of these pics show limited hair & make-up work too (and we all know how achievable THAT is)!

We can’t start a post like this and not feature Sarah Jessica Parker at the top. Would you agree that she epitomises casual mummy-cool?

Sarah Jessica Parker

Flame Flynet

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It’s just a lunchbox for goodness sake!

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The back to school dramas dragged out as Alisha took on the budget department store lunchbox aisle – and lost. 

Lunch Box for back to schoolA quick whip out to the shops – baby boy needs a lunchbox for Kindy.  Yes, I have left it to the day before to purchase!  I do feel bad.  My daughter had a beautiful Tinkerbell lunchbox when she started Kindy – personalized with her name on it too.  I promised myself he would have all the special things she had…but nevertheless, here I am trying to find him a lunchbox they day before. Oops. Continue reading →

Reluctantly leaving my baby with the snotty nosed coughing kid

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It’s that time of year – back to school.  For many parents, facing the first day of school for their little one is a bit of a tear-jerker.  Alisha shares her own story of the first step towards that fateful day.  Her daughter’s first day of day care.

This is Little L on day care day 1
All smiles about the pending adventure with her new pink bag

My daughter was 18 months when I returned to work. Secretly, I didn’t mind the idea of going back.  I hadn’t fully let go of the career I wanted and I was still uncertain about who I would be if I didn’t have this aspect in my life.

She was a pretty good talker early on so asking for what she might need wasn’t a worry.  I did wonder though how she would keep up on the climbing equipment, if the Carers would be there to help take the lid off her yoghurt and what to do when that boy with the dirty face pushed or bit her (which inevitably happened!).  After dropping her off I drove on to work, bawling my eyes out, and felt incredibly guilty. Every morning from then I had to remind myself not to do my mascara until I arrived at the carpark at work. Putting it on at home just wasn’t working out! Continue reading →