So school starts back on the 6th August – ridiculously early in my opinion but we have been off since May 22nd so Poppy is definitely ready to get back into a routine.  She attended a first grade camp the other week to prepare her, and us, for the increased academic load of 1st grade.  Now much as I have tried to keep the reading going over the summer it became apparent that there has been some ‘it’s the summer and my brain is a sieve’ effect – hence I’ve stepped up the sight word practice, math and reading over the past week to appease my guilt and hopefully boost her confidence.  I always try to remain calm, patient and attentive and keep it light hearted and fun – i.e. I try to morph into what most would call a ‘reasonable person’.  Unfortunately Poppy is 50% me and 50% her Dad so can be prone to tantrums whilst being stubborn as a mule – great – a model pupil:)  So rather than threatening to remove all privileges if she doesn’t comply I am trying an approach that I know works well with me – bribery.  For every week that she completes her assigned activities she will receive $10 to spend as she wishes – or even save if she pleases – but I think that ‘save’ gene may be absent thanks to me.  We’ll see how the carrot approach works…but if her complaints about a week being to long to wait before being rewarded are anything to go by it’s still going to be a challenge.  Please send oodles of calm, serenity and patience my way for the next school year.

I’m very excited about the Olympics starting this week after going cold turkey this week – I’ve missed having a Tour de France stage to watch every evening…I thought I’d share this photo with you doing the rounds on the social networks.  It made me smile – my brother still calls me Eddie for various reasons:)

I’m wearing my gingham J.Crew shorts today with a pink Boden essential t-shirt that I got in the sale last year – it’s so soft I love it.  I paired them with a scarf that I think I got from Target but really can’t remember, and my Boden espadrilles from a couple of years ago.  Sorry about the wet hair just showered after a lovely 4 miles this morning!

Oh that reminds me of 2 additional sales purchases I received yesterday – 2 Blighty Boatnecks – highly recommended, though not massively reduced, they are quite thick and perfect for layering over a t-shirt in the cooler months – I love them.  I got the dusk and the quail egg and the quality is amazing.

Oh and Hugh’s stash of Fall items arrived – tartan baggies in all colors, half a dozen long sleeved t-shirts and a hoody.  Boden’s Mini Boden boys line is amazing – I particularly love the ketchup and scooter applique tees this year.  There’s some lovely girls stuff too but as Poppy is still in 5-6 I’m going to wait and see if she has a growth spurt to a 7-8 before ordering anything for her – she has plenty to choose from from last year.

Related articles

• On ice.
• Back to ‘normal’.
• Boden sale haul!