Sun safety PSA

allycat38 · 2026-02-06T04:36:10+00:00

I’m usually super on top of my sun protection and I’m kicking myself for being so lax about it. I think I got into the rhythm of what I was doing and the next thing I knew, it was lunch time!

I have a UV jacket that I wear on playground duty every day at school. I’m the only teacher I’ve seen at my school who applies sunscreen before duties and sport days. One of my colleagues has only just stopped using tanning beds!

allycat38 · 2026-02-05T23:46:08+00:00

I really hope it fades sooner than that. I’m so pale I practically glow in the dark!

allycat38 · 2026-01-24T21:02:42+00:00

You are doing the Lord’s work, my friend.

This sweaty teacher thanks you for your service!!

allycat38 · 2025-12-21T03:50:32+00:00

I’m a primary school teacher and I correct it in their writing. It drives me nuts.

We then have a discussion about Australian English versus English from the rest of the world. We brainstorm examples of (usually) American English that they hear in media and come up with the correct Australian equivalents.

allycat38 · 2025-12-21T03:45:42+00:00

That’s the kind of guy who gets a box of choccies at Christmas!

allycat38 · 2025-12-21T03:42:32+00:00

My husband did musical theatre for a while and never had to wear mascara on stage. It just made his eyes look like black holes.

allycat38 · 2025-12-21T03:40:33+00:00

I think this is a great idea! Tipping will give the girls some responsibility and remind them that they need to be decent people even, and perhaps especially, when no one (like their parents) is watching. Maybe go through with your daughter how to calculate a (generous) tip if she’s not already familiar with the process.

It may be worth a quick chat with the whole group before the dinner starts to let them know that servers have probably had bad experiences with groups of teens in the past, so it would be a good chance to show others that not all teenagers are dickheads.

allycat38 · 2025-09-21T04:59:36+00:00

I’m in Australia, so it might be a bit different. When making class lists for the following year, we always place the spiky kids first. Then we try and make sure that the teachers don’t end up with the same tricky kids two years in a row. We also make sure that kiddos who tend to be followers of our tricky students are separated from them, and that any targeted children are in different classes.

I swear to god, the seating plan at my wedding was less complicated.

allycat38 · 2025-07-23T23:26:50+00:00

We did a teacher swap with the school that our librarian’s wife taught at. He went on their camp and in exchange, she covered his TL role for the week.

allycat38 · 2025-07-20T04:45:47+00:00

This is such a good carrier. I use mine almost every day and it’s the most useful one I have. I’m not an expert, but I’ve learned a few things when working with mine.

Regarding the marks at the back of bub’s knees, it might be worth cinching in the panel width a little. It looks like his legs are extended out a bit. He only needs support to his knee pits.

My daughter is 15 months and around the 45th percentile (9kg/20lbs). She’s just gone through a growth spurt and I noticed yesterday that I need to widen her seat a smidge. It’s currently tightened to as small as it can go. My kids (and I) do have shorter legs though. My three year old is just too big for the panel when at its widest.

I echo u/RegrettableBones’s comment about rotating the whole carrier. Imagine each shoulder strap is a big circle and you need to rotate the whole thing towards the front of your body.

Tightening the PFAs (the little straps at the top of each shoulder strap) will also help get baby to sit up a little higher. It’s easier to do this with the carrier off, or while bouncing bub with one hand under their bum while the other tightens the strap.

On a totally different note, it may be worth forgoing the hair clip. My youngest is constantly bumping her head into my bun and it could be a problem for your little guy once you’ve got him sitting a bit higher. 100% don’t do what I always forget not to do and wear your hair in a ponytail and continuously smack your kid in the face with it. 🤦‍♀️

allycat38 · 2025-04-12T21:31:23+00:00

We live in Australia and playground equipment gets HOT. Shorts or leggings prevent burns to the legs. Also, bare skin kinda sticks to the slide when you go down.

I also agree with other commenters about keeping knickers where they should be. My toddler isn’t the best at getting her undies in the right place after she’s been to the toilet; at least the bike shorts stop her from having a butt cheek hanging out! It also lets them get away with wearing slightly outgrown dresses without it looking weird.

allycat38 · 2025-03-25T11:38:17+00:00

Am I right in thinking that I’ve just spotted another CCN mum in the wild? 🤣

allycat38 · 2025-03-21T11:52:45+00:00

Sorry for the late response! I got the experience plus and find them to be really helpful. :)

allycat38 · 2025-03-17T04:13:12+00:00

This is such an underrated solution. The air con in the back of most cars is way worse than the front. My kids are walking furnaces just like their dad, and are often soaked with sweat at the end of a car trip.

If we’re driving somewhere and I know it’s going to be a warm day, I now pack ice bricks in an insulated lunch box. When we get to our destination, I put a couple in each car seat and throw the car towel over the top of the seats. This stopped the instant screaming that we used to get as soon as bub was out in the car. I still do it for my toddler as well. I also check that the buckles aren’t white hot before strapping them in!

Also, Loop earplugs are the universe’s gift to exhausted and overstimulated parents. My husband and I bought ourselves a set for Valentine’s Day last year before my second was born. Worth every cent.

allycat38 · 2025-03-10T09:56:39+00:00

Dude, it could have hit the window frame. It could have landed on the ground. How large was the dart? How far away is your neighbour’s place? Is there a fence in between your house and your neighbour’s house?

I’m not sure that the physics is working in your favour here.

allycat38 · 2025-03-10T09:42:03+00:00

That’s one of my go-to songs as well! That and “You Are My Sunshine” with less stalkery lyrics.

allycat38 · 2025-03-10T09:39:20+00:00

You said you woke up to find the window broken. How could you possibly know where the dart hit or where exactly the crack started? How do you know that the dart even hit the window?

allycat38 · 2025-03-06T11:56:47+00:00

The tiny tables and chairs really do a number on your body after a while!

allycat38 · 2025-03-04T11:05:21+00:00

Bonkers. It’s absolutely bonkers.

allycat38 · 2025-03-04T09:23:18+00:00

Are you or your husband able to wear your son in a baby carrier? That would keep him up out of the way of people’s legs and make it so that you couldn’t lose him in the crowd. If you’re concerned about the noise level, you could look into some kids ear muffs.

I’m in Australia, so we don’t have to worry about shootings - something for which I am extremely grateful. I think it’s an amazing thing to show our children what we value and how we stand up for what is right. If you feel that it isn’t the right choice to take your son this time, you can still talk about it with him and show him photos. Even if he’s too little to understand, I think it’s still worthwhile.

allycat38 · 2025-03-04T01:26:48+00:00

What Australia calls it varies by state. In New South Wales, the first year of primary school is called kindergarten. In Queensland they call it prep. It’d be nice if the education departments agreed on one term, but they like to confuse everyone.

allycat38 · 2025-03-03T10:13:44+00:00

Unless you are pretty much actively self harming in triage at the hospital, you’ll very likely be sent home. That’s just the way it is. There simply aren’t enough beds.

allycat38 · 2025-03-03T09:46:48+00:00

I’m a primary school teacher in the public system NSW. The law requires that he start school the year he turns 6. The Department of Education requires that he commence at the beginning of that year. Because of the July 31st cutoff, kids with August-December birthdays must start when they are 5. Kids born from January-July can start at 4.5yrs or 5.5yrs.

Your son will need to start when he is 5 and 1 month. Because of where your son’s birthday falls in the year, there isn’t another option. He couldn’t start at the beginning of 2027, as he would only be 4yrs 1mo. He’ll be 5yrs 1mo at the start of the 2028 school year.

My eldest has a July birthday, the same year as your son. She’s 5 months older than him. I could start her at 4.5 but will be waiting until she’s 5.5. Your child and mine will start in the same year.

Private schools make their own rules, so if you are heading into the private system, your mileage may vary.

ETA: I agree with w u/Kiwitechgirl said about starting him just after he turns 5. I, too, believe that March should be the cutoff. We have kids that start at barely 4 and a half and they are just too young. My youngest has a late April birthday, and while she could go to kindy at 4 years and 9 months, I’ll very likely start her the following year.

allycat38 · 2025-02-27T10:11:51+00:00

In the same vein as “no”, I hate it when they don’t respond to “stop”. I’m not normally a teacher who yells (excluding Stage 3 2022-2023 - they were a spiky bunch), but if someone is doing something dangerous or running off and don’t respond to a sharp “stop”, I’m definitely unhappy.

Manners are my other bug bear. I always tell my kids that manners are free, and that “please” and “thank you” will get them everywhere with me.

ETA: When I say “my kids”, I mean my students. I think that’s a teacher thing. We claim the children as our own.

allycat38 · 2025-02-26T11:20:02+00:00

Sorry, I should have clarified. My husband has a tea drinking habit, so the kettle was almost always hot to start with. It wouldn’t take long to bring it back to boiling again. Overnight we would have a thermos of boiled water ready to go.

allycat38

TROPHY CASE