Girl Power! A Playlist for International Women's Day

Today, March 8th, is International Women's Day.  It's a nice moment to think about the global sisterhood, I always think; to celebrate the achievements we have made while also looking forward to the other things we hope to achieve.  To borrow a lyric from Hairspray (love that film!), which there is talking about the fight for civil rights for people of all races, we've come so far, but we've got so far to go.

I always like to tweet about a few of my heroes, or write a blog post, or get together with some of the awesome women I'm lucky enough to have in my life on this day (even my hen do two years ago was kind enough to land on IWD!).  Today, I get to do all three - twitter already has the #InternationalWomensDay hashtag trending, I'm penning this post (well, typing rather than penning, but you get me, right?), and later this evening I'll be getting together with several of my lovely Junior League sisters, as well as their partners and friends, to celebrate the achievements of the LBDI.  I'm so excited to see if we've reached or exceeded our fundraising target!

For the event this evening, amongst my other jobs I was asked to put together a playlist of uplifting, girl power songs.  For a music geek like me, this is pretty much the most fun chore ever.  I enjoyed doing it so much in fact, that I thought I'd share my forty-song playlist here, both as a list and with a link to the spotify stream so you can jam out.  Almost all the songs are women vocalists/groups (because it's for International Women's Day), but a few uplifting songs from the gents make it too.

While there are many sobering statistics we need to talk about and battles we ladies still have to win, this evening I'll be raising a glass to a great group of women who are trying to make a difference in the city we call home.  And this will be what we jam out to - a mix of genres, acts and titles, but all songs with a theme of girl power, women power, or strength.  I hope you all have a great International Women's Day and get to spend it with people who inspire you!

My Spotify mix can be found here.  What do you think?  Which cracking tunes have I missed? Let me know in the comments!

Playlist

1. Girl On Fire - Alicia Keys

2. Respect - Aretha Franklin

3. ***Flawless - Beyonce

4. Stronger - Britney Spears

5. You've Got A Friend - Carole King

6. Nobody Ever Told You - Carrie Underwood

7. I'm Every Woman - Chaka Khan

8. Can't Hold Us Down - Christina Aguilera & Lil Kim

9. Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Ray

10. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

11. Titanium - David Guetta ft. Sia

12. Independent Women, pt. 1 - Destiny's Child

13. Who's That Girl - Eve

14. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor

15. Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani

16. Q.U.E.E.N. - Janelle Monae ft. Erikah Badu

17. Control - Janet Jackson

18. What Me Shine - Joanna Pacitti

19. Roar - Katy Perry

20. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson

21. My Shot - from Hamilton

22. Salute - Little Mix

23. Can't Hold Us Down - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton

24. Girl In A Country Song - Maddie & Tae

25. This One's For The Girls - Martina McBride

26. No More Drama - Mary J. Blige

27. Doo Wop (That Thing) - Lauryn Hill

28, Just A Girl - No Doubt

29. Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar

30. Fight Song - Rachel Platten

31. Brave - Sara Barielles

32. Man! I Feel Like A Woman! - Shania Twain

33. Wannabe - Spice Girls

34. Get By - Talib Kweli

35. Whatcha Think About That - Pussycat Dolls ft. Missy Elliot

36. No Scrubs - TLC

37. A Woman's Worth - Alicia Keys

38. (Girls) Run The World - Beyonce

39. Firework - Katy Perry

40. Spice Up Your Life - Spice Girls

View Post

#TheLBDI - what a week!

As I type this on a sunny Friday afternoon in London, wearing my little black dress and reflecting on this past week, and the months of planning before it, I can hardly believe what a busy, full week it has been.  I've written about the Little Black Dress Initiative before, and it's efforts to support the work of the Junior League of London (JLL) and its work to target the effects of poverty here in the city.

Through fundraising, volunteering and advocating, the JLL tries to make a difference in our community, through giving upwards of twenty-thousand volunteer hours per year, and using the funds we raise to support the many projects we partner with (for a list of these please click here).  The money we have raised this week goes towards this.  One of my favourite things about the campaign is how little it costs us to run - meaning that the money goes where it's most needed.

If you'd like to sponsor us our Virgin Money Giving page is here.  If you'd like to sponsor me (and a million thank yous to everyone who has done so so far), my personal page is here.  If money's tight or you're all sponsored out this month, but you'd still like to give us a little support on social, please see the hashtag (#theLBDI) and give us a like, a retweet, or a hello!  To learn more about the work of the Junior League of London, and to find details on joining us, please visit our website.

Now I'd like to share a few glimpses from our hectic, busy week.  I'm so proud to be part of Team LBDI and can't wait to see what our total might be and how we can use it to help with our mission.  As well as being featured on many media, including a piece in the Evening Standard (alas, not archived online) and another in the Telegraph, our participants have been very busy on social media; throughout this post I've shared just a few of the things we've been posting.  We also hosted a Poverty Awareness Symposium on Wednesday night, with over 70 attendees and speakers from two of our community partners, Smart Works and Suited &Booted - I'm very excited for the clothing drive we're doing for these charities, and the invaluable work they do, next month.

Thank you again for all your support on this!  Regular blog programming will return in full very soon.  Have a great weekend, and if you can donate/share our page, thank you in advance for doing so!

Note: All pictures here were tagged with the  #theLBDI hashtag, and I've used them as this is part of our promotional materials.  Naturally, they remain the property of the photographers involved - in this case, a number of the participants in this year's LBDI campaign.

View Post

#theLBDI

Something I've mentioned here from time to time is my volunteering with the Junior League of London.  A women's volunteer organisation here in London, we work to target the poverty that is spread throughout the capital (the most recent stats in 2015 have it as 27% of the population living in poverty here in the capital; amongst under-16s that percentage rises to 37%), as well as promoting voluntarism and cultivating the skills and talents of our members.  In the US most cities and lots of towns have a League chapter of their own, and there are Junior Leagues in Mexico & Canada too.  Here in London, we're the European section!

I've been a member for over four years now, and JLL has brought a wealth of experiences to my life, wonderful women who I've befriended, myriad chances to give back and countless memorable moments.  A few of these include:

• Impressing no child (ever) with my craft skills, but getting max points for effort! And glitter on my clothing that has lingered for days.

• Learning a lot about parts of the city, and parts of life itself, that I might never have encountered otherwise.  The workers and volunteers we partner with are so amazing, and I never fail to leave a volunteering shift without feeling uplifted.

• Leading a very upbeat dance off at many a kid's party...and having been summarily defeated on the dance floor several times over.

• Helping with the yearly filling of hundreds of hampers each winter for families and individuals in need, in a chilly warehouse, often wearing antlers, along with dozens of other red-teeshirt sporting Junior Leaguers.  And reading the incredible thank you notes each January. 

• Washing dishes for hours at a soup kitchen, or sorting suits at a donation drive, or stacking cans at a food bank, with bankers and students and homemakers and lawyers and financial whizzes and more besides; the women I volunteer alongside are so interesting.

• Donating clothes and toys and books and toiletries if and when I can.  I love how the League makes me appreciate what I have, and also how much it inspires me to contribute.  Through the JLL I've truly seen how every donation, no matter how small you may think it is, can make a big difference.  It's also impressed on me how important a kind word, a gentle touch, a cup of tea and a giggle can be.  These human moments are so important for us all.

During my time in the League it has made me braver, kinder, harder-working, and more flexible.  Much more flexible.  I've heard amazing people speak, learned from some wonderful folk, and made some dear, dear friends.

By this point you're probably wondering why I'm writing about this now.  

Truth be told, it's because I need your help.  Next week (February 22nd-26th) is one of the League's big fundraisers, The Little Black Dress Initiative (LBDI). This is the third year we've done this fundraiser, raising a lot of money which we can then use to fund our projects and help our partners.

The premise is simple, but first a little backstory.

Two of our JLL partners are the amazing charities Smartworks and Suited and Booted, both of which help people who are looking for work.  They help candidates with their CVs, interview prep, and more besides.  As well as this, both of these brilliant charities also help their clients to find a smart, neat, confidence-boosting outfit for their job interviews.  Many people living in poverty looking for work can struggle to find the cash to fund a brand new outfit for interviews - these charities take that pressure away so their clients can focus on the job in hand!

During the Little Black Dress Initiative (#theLBDI), each member pledges to wear the same outfit (a little black dress) for a workweek.  We're doing it next week to coincide with London Fashion Week, a time when clothes are front and centre in the conversation.  During the week we each hope to raise awareness, through limiting our own options a little, of the many limitations faced by those living in poverty (healthy food, educational opportunities, travel, etc. etc.).  We also ask friends and family to sponsor us as we do so.

On a charity level, I'm hoping that I'll garner enough support to help make this a success...

...on a personal level I'm already dreading how many spills and mishaps I'm sure to have in the course of the week.  So clumsy, so sorry.

As well as the sponsored event, we also have a poverty panel next week where we'll be discussing how best to help the people we serve, and the current landscape in London for the charities targeting this area.  And in early March we'll be toasting our campaign and having a collection of work-appropriate clothes and accessories for both Smartworks and Suited & Booted - if you know me and are in London and fancy joing in, let me know.  It's a busy, exciting time, and I truly feel priveleged to be able to help in any small way.  We've been working towards next week for months; now it's time to double down and try to make a difference!

Links for you:

If you'd like to sponsor me (please), my page.

The wider LBDI page, where you can see all the people taking part.

To learn more about JLL, our site is here.

Please do also check out our #theLBDI hashtag on instagram, twitter, and facebook.  And thank you in advance for any/all support you might be able to give.

View Post

100 Happy Days: 71 - 75

A very Poppet centric collection, this!

The dentist made this mould of my teeth.  It made me laugh and will be the perfect addiction to my classroom for Halloween!

Boden deliveries are always welcome!

A new toy to play with - I am loving making smoothies with our Vitamix!

Miss Poppet, helping me to write.

Hiding in her hidey-hole.

And having a very solid nap!

On day 75 I headed into town to say farewell to the Junior League office - always such fun to visit with these lovely girls!

Who doesn't love a new notebook?

View Post

Great books for Little Folk!

Hi there if you've found this through Kelly's 'Favourite Children's Books' link up!  I wrote this post originally last month wearing my Junior Leaguer and teacher of small folks hats, and it just seemed like a good fit for the link up!  I adore children's lit. (I'm working on some stories of my own just now - an exciting, at-times-challenging, fun and interesting journey) and am so looking forward to this link up to find some fresh inspiration and some new books to enjoy with my classes! 

I love reading.  I rarely, if ever, am without a book on the go, and more often than not will be reading two or three at the same time.  I find reading soothing and enthusing, and an evening or afternoon spent in the company of a good book is always a pleasure.

I've always been this way, since I can remember.  My mother is a born reader, devouring books at a pace I don't think I'll ever meet! We read very different types of books and read them in radically different ways, but we're both addicted to the black-and-white magic of words on a page.  If and when I finally sit down and write a book, it'll be thanks to the love of reading and words I inherited directly from my mum.

I love teaching young readers too and encouraging them to read widely and wildly.  I love sharing books with my class, listening to them read, hearing their tales and stories.  It's one of the greatest joys of my job (and there are many joys in teaching!) to see young ones getting excited about the written word.

In my work with the lovely ladies of the Junior League of London, we support a variety of projects helping families, individuals and children who are suffering the effects of poverty.  And some of these projects involve books and reading - we partner with a fabulous primary school, work alongside Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.  This spring we are doing a collection of books to make into tote bags for needy families with toddlers and little ones, and I am so excited about this project.  Below I thought I'd talk about a few of my favourite books for teeny tinies (the 0-3-year-olds we're collecting for).  I'd love to hear what books you might recommend!

At the bottom of this post is a link to the amazon wishlist I have set up for this drive.  If you'd like to help us meet our goal of giving each family a bundle of books, please do send a book along - I'd love my friends and readers to be involved too!  Of course, I know times are tight for many of us, so if you can't afford to donate a book, please do just keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we work towards our goal!  The book bundles will be going to families the last weekend in April.  If any arrive too late, I'll happily set them by (Lord bless the box room!) until Holiday Hampers time in November/December!

Great books for Little Folk!

Five Little Ducks by Penny Ives

I love sharing traditional rhymes and stories with tinies, and five little ducks is a perennial favourite!  "Mother duck said, quack-quack-quack-quack..."  There's actually a cute little song with hand actions which is great fun on the bus or in the car!

Five Minute's Peace by Jill Murphy

I think most mummy's can empathise with the mummy in this book as she sets out on her quest for five minutes peace!  I remember reading this book to all the little loves I babysat for back in my teens.  Precious, with beautiful illustrations.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

A perfect book for bed time.  And perhaps why I still wish far too many things goodnight!

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

This book is beautiful for a parent, grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle to share with a little one.  This video gives a lovely reading.

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd

Oh, Hairy Maclary - a classic children's book from New Zealand.  I loved him especially because his name sounds a little like mine, and because I too have mad hair.  This series chronicles the many adventures and escapades of the titular hound.

Hugless Douglas by David Melling

Will Doublas find the hug he needs?  This book is such fun, and is great for children to interact with - giggles ensue as Douglas hugs a parade of incorrect items!

I Completely Know About Guinea Pigs by Lauren Child

I very much enjoy the Charlie and Lola stories.  They are a bit nutty, and I love that in a book.  I have read a fair few of them and have been given several as gifts (I Am Absolutely Too Small For School, But Excuse Me That Is My Book) and enjoy reading them with children.  They are fun to read with toddlers or preschoolers, but also grand for more confident readers to attempt on their own later.

Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll

Stories about a witch and her cat that have been entertaining children for generations.

Tabby McTat by Julia Donaldson

I discovered this book a few weeks ago while shopping for a friend's new baby (I love to give books as a new baby present).  I'm a big fan of Donaldson's books, and this one is just as lovely as books like The Gruffalo.  Plus, cats!

That's Not My Dinosaur! by Fiona Watt

The 'That's not my....' books are such fun for the toddler and teeny crowds - they are sturdy and tactile and such fun to play and interact with.  And who can resist a dinosaur?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Another classic!  And like the caterpillar, I am very hungry, so it's time to wrap this post up....

Many more books are on our wishlist (which I seem to be adding to daily!).  If you're looking for book suggestions for your little ones or if you'd like to donate, please do pop over there.  Likewise, if you think of books I haven't mentioned that would suit the teeny/toddler crowd, do please let me know in the comments below.

Our Amazon Wishlist.

Have a great week!

View Post

SUYL: A Day In The Life

Linking up with Kelly for 'Show Us Your Life'.

Now, full disclosure - when I first set out to do this I had every intention of snapping each item on my phone, adding cute asides, you name it....but this week has just been crazy busy, so instead you have me typing away, giving you a glimpse of a typical Claire day, ha!  I love the idea of doing more detailed 'day in the life' posts though, and might do a week later in the year with a little more flair and some pictures.  I'm looking forward to seeing other peoples' schedules :)

Without further ado, here's how my Tuesday unfolded:

05.45: Alarm sounds.  How can it be morning already?

06:00: Finally up after a couple of false starts.  Get changed, brush teeth and wash face, pack bag.

06.25: Pop downstairs to the kitty room to see Poppet, Leela and Fry!

06.30: Out the door, walk to Leyton, hop onto the Central Line to Stratford.

06:45: At Stratford for my morning coffee - large skinny mocha, and some fruit for breakfast.

06:55: Onto the Jubilee Line round to Swiss Cottage.  It's a fairly long journey, but as I join at the start of the line I always get a seat, so it's a chance to read and think.  I'm currently reading The Twelve Tribes of Hattie - it's good but a little disjointed and jumpy.

07:30: Arrive at SC and walk to school.

07:35: Into classroom - switch on computer, heater, radio.  Print off music timetable, check resources, stow bag. Head over to the senior department.

07:45: English meeting - lots to discuss as ever!

07:57: Yay! Enough time to grab a coffee!

08:00: Back to the form room for start of day - journaling pages, sketching, chatting with boys and parents, register.

08:25: Downstairs, ready for assembly.

08:30:  Assembly with the Middle School.

08:50:  Double English with 4T.  We're writing creative pieces for a school competition, and the boys are pretty excited!  Usually Tuesdays are more hands on and busy for English, but this morning it's all quiet and concentration in the form room!

10:00: Morning break - a fifteen minute study group with a couple of boys who are finding time difficult, a quick meeting with a colleague, a speedy coffee.

10:35: Double English with 5W.  We;re doing the same task as Year 4, so peace and quiet reigns in the classroom :)

11:45: A quiz session with 4T, spellings and mental maths.  We're a well-oiled machine by this point in the year - two tests adminstered, marked, and graded in a half hour!

12:20:  Lunchtime!  I usually do duty on a Tuesday, but have swapped with a colleague.  So I have time to have a lovely big lunch - salad, soup *and* pudding and a chat with friends in the dining room.

12:45: Listening to a couple of readers.

12:55: More English time with 4T - speaking and listening today. We have great talks on Arsenal and paragliding!

13:30: Boys off to Games, tidying the classroom, sorting resources.

14:00: Tuesday afternoon is golden for admin - I whirl around filing, marking, grading, preparing, photocopying, and replying to tonnes of emails!

15:30:  Meeting with two of my class parents.

15:45: Boys head back to tell me all about their rugby match and say farewell.

16:00: Young Readers club - this is my activity for the term and is such fun - really lovely group of boys!  We are making author posters for World Book Day, and cracking up watching the occasional silly video.

17:00:  Dismiss boys, ctach up with some of the mummies, head up to classroom to set up for tomorrow's classes.

17:30:  Head for a quick drink with Margot and Richard, my Year 4 compadres.

18:00: Jump on the tube down to Green Park.

18:30:  Junior League time!  It's our general meeting, which is great fun - the first big meet since Christmas so there's always plenty of chatter as well as the business of the day!  Love my Junior League girls!

21:00: On the tube (again!) to head home.

21:50:  Home at last!  Say hello to Matthew and hear all about his day.  He's such a gem - he's been busy building furniture this evening!

22:10:  Lovely hot shower.

22:30: Say hello to our sweet katzen.

22:40:  Curl up to watch the second part of the Oscars which I recorded Sunday, with a turkey sandwich and some cordial (late dinner!).  Thank heavens for the fat forward button - Seth Macfarlane was such a dull host.  Good to relax for a wee while though.

23:40:  Wash up, pour water, cuddle cats, brush teeth.

23:50:  YAY!  Time for bed.  Night, all!

As typical as a Tuesday gets - no two days are the same around here!

View Post

Project Life Tuesday: First Week In December

Hurrah for December!

The month started frosty and cold, and the diary filled with plenty of time with friends as well as bundles of work as the term started to wind up.  Such fun!  Looking forward to linking up with Jessica and seeing how everyone's month has begun!

 Jo and I at our Christmas night out last Friday.  It was such fun to have a dancefloor - many a move was busted, believe me.

 Fry-cat is absolutely in love with all the Christmas decorations!  Here he is 'making friends' with Davina tree.

Kitty smash in 5....4.....3.....

 One of the Christmas crafts I did with my form was making Christmas plates (using Sharpies.  You can then put them in a 150 degree oven to 'set' them entirely).  This was my effort.

 On Tuesday both Matthew and I had busy days, but managed to meet for a late supper at Nandos.  Coincidently, the self-same Nandos where we had our very first date, all those years ago. :)

 On Wednesday I managed to grab a coffee with the lovely Beverley, one of my colleagues from the Junior School.  I always love catching up with her - she's a dear, and it's fun hearing all her news and discussing the boys we teach (she teaches in the year before mine).

 Percy, our class tree.

Just wait till you see Horace, our Tinsel monster...

 I made the brownies invented by Rose, who blogs over at The Londoner, as my birthday treat.

SO good.

 Monday was dinner with Tracey and sweet Alison, who has now moved back to the US.  We started Junior League together, and it's going to be so odd not seeing her around anymore.  All the very best, sweetie!

 My new stationery from This Is Nessie.  I love it!

 Croque Madame.

Crazy good.

 It was such fun to see the new members activate at our Junior League GM.  Congratulations, ladies - welcome to the fold!

 Definitely the oddest tree I've seen so far this year...

View Post

Project Life Tuesday: Last week in November

The last week in November passed in a whirl of friends and fun and busy-ness.  Only some of which I remembered to photograph!  Monday was Bodeans with Matthew and Henry - good food and chat.  Tuesday was a blogger meet-up - always lovely to meet some new folk and catch up with some familiar faces.  On Wednesday it was back to the warehouse for a final push on Holiday Hampers.  Thursday I actually made it home by eight and had a cosy evening with my honey and the katzen.  We even managed to finish the trees!

On Friday we joined Eileen, Rory and lots of other friends for a late Thanksgiving, on Saturday in was K.  Sunday was lazy and restful, will a good old catch up with Hannah and a card writing session.  Love this busy and blessed season!

 Dave the tree, in all his splendour!

 First Christmas card of the season!

 Little Miss Paws.

 Mmmmmm, barbeque....

 I love our Christmas card this year!

 The bag of fun I made for the raffle at K!  Hope you enjoy it, Eileen!

And now we're in December!  Woo!

View Post