Good morning, Prep School family,
Welcome to Monday and the start of a brand new week. I hope you are all well and that you had a lovely weekend. My weekend was quiet but fun as well. I managed to clean out some cupboards that I had been putting off since Lockdown 1.0, did the weekly food shop, batch cooked some meals for my dad, did some online ordering of birthday presents and started to write my Christmas ‘thank you’ cards. I know I am very late with these, but better late than never! I think it is really important to say thank you when someone gives you a gift. I think it shows a true appreciation and acknowledgment that someone has taken the time and effort to get you a present – the least I can do is say thank you properly! It is also traditional and I like traditions. I also very much like getting post (that isn’t a bill) as I think everyone else does too. So as well as saying thank you, I like to think that I am spreading a little joy with the unexpected envelope that pops through your letter box and lands on your door mat on a grey January morning. I am actually ahead of schedule with these cards – when I got married, it took me nearly 6 months to write my thank you cards – awful I know but they were really an unexpected surprise then!
My other major success this weekend was finishing eating the Christmas cake. It has been hard going as it was huge. I didn’t realise quite how big it would be when I made it back in late October and I also didn’t realise that we would be back in lockdown with no one to share it with. I had visions of everyone coming round for a cup of tea and a catch up and tucking into my cake over Christmas and into the new year. . . instead, I have single handedly eaten a lot of cake! It’s a good job I am also doing quite a bit of walking to burn off the calories. However, it is Christmas cake and there are no calories in Christmas food, right?!
I went for a very muddy walk on Sunday with my dad and his dog. We saw the funniest thing. There was a little girl of about 4 years old. She was having great fun splashing and jumping in all the puddles on the park. She had a dog with her and her parents were happily chatting and watching her play. However, they looked away for a split second and in that second, the dog decided to move to the next, muddy puddle and lie down in it (I say puddle, it was like a lake – it took up a massive area of the park) and try to swim. The little girl also decided this was a great idea and within a second she was trying to swim in the puddle. I have never heard such joyous laughter from a child and such shocked faces from a set of parents! Needless to say the little girl and the dog didn’t want to come out of the puddle so the dad had to go in after them. By this time, they were all stood up. The puddle was well over the little girl’s knees and very nearly over the dad’s wellies! My dad and I couldn’t help but laugh as the girl was lifted dripping from the mud. I was very, very glad that I didn’t have to get the girl home, dried and cleaned or wash the dog. It is the kind of moment I’d wish I had recorded and sent to You’ve Been Framed – they would have loved it!
Days of the year theme: Thesaurus Day, Martin Luther King Day and Winnie the Pooh Day.
Quote of the Day: “A hug is always the right size” – Winne the Pooh
Happier January calendar task (this month’s activities are based on doing things that make us happier):
*Get outside and notice 5 things that are beautiful
TOPS weekly activity: Research a famous or historical figure and write a diary entry as them. Can you then present it in an unusual way?
Life skill of the day: Learn to peel potatoes and carrots
Riddle of the day: Thank you to Harvey – Yr4P
What belongs to you but others use more than you do?
Fact of the Day: Thank you to Saachi – Yr5P
Did you know that a bat can eat up to 1000 insects per hour?
Sleeps til Santa: 340 days!
Three things I’m looking forward to today (thanks to Mrs Hinch for the inspiration): Can you try this each day? Remember, it focuses your mind on the positive and reminds us to show gratitude for things, no matter how small!
Today I am looking forward to: being in school and freshly washed bedlinen and pyjamas tonight.
Have a super Monday,
Stay safe,
Mrs Bennett
Answer to the riddle: your name!
