In the real world I am a mum, a wife and a special education teacher (And lots of other things, but I’ll just stick to those three for now.) In my fantasy world, I am a guitar playing rock star and a famous artist. In my spare time I …um… I…um… Okay, so I don’t have spare time. But I do like to think I invented the idea of the mum’s “Crumple Effect.” It’s that feeling of exhaustion you get after a long, hard day when that never-ending list of nightly chores still lies before you. It’s that feeling when you would just like to crumple into a tidy little heap on the kitchen floor and stay there for a while. No movement, no thought, just a crumpled (little) mass on the floor. Ah yes…welcome to the Crumple Effect. During those moments when I am not crumpled on my (very old) kitchen floor, I like to blog about practical ideas I have come up with and come across as a special education teacher focusing on language and literacy. When appropriate, I share some of my useful parenting tips and ideas – particularly those relating to cultivating great routines and habits at home for successful learning. I am the teacher at school and the mum at home, but if I stop and listen really carefully, it is the children who teach me, inspire me and guide me towards those answers I am always looking for. Those are the answers I blog.