Mr Tom James

Yes it's that time of the year again where we all commit to resolutions for new year only to give up on them in the first week of January. Social media is bombarded with the cliches associated to New Years resolutions with many of us picking the same resolution every year. I'm no exception but this blog will hopefully keep me on track with my resolutions this year as it will serve as a reminder and I will be blogging my progress so I can't avoid them. So here are my five, yes five New Years resolutions; 1. Take steps to control my anxiety (easier said than done). This is probably my most difficult resolution and will take time finding the right approaches which work for me 2. Lose weight again *sigh*. This involves giving up chocolate, crisps, sugary drinks, fast food and reducing my sugar intake. 3. Go out more to more meaningful places and create memories as I'm writing this life is pretty repetitive I spend my days and weeks...

I've been dealing with eczema all my life and tried all the creams imaginable not to mention lotions for bathing. I'm pleased to say I have grown out of it...almost. Eczema in incurable and extremely frustrating with itching not to mention I also have a list of allergies as long as my arm which contribute to it such as; grass, wool, felt, latex, plasters, play-doh and even chocolate *sigh*. Initially, I was born with really bad eczema it was red sore patches and would often bleed, as a child I could be found scraping my back against a door desperate to itch it. Growing up I was forever fed that classic line "don't itch it" but when you're a small kid with irritable skin you try not itching it, it's a natural reaction to scratch an itch. At school, I would often feel anxious especially during P.E. because my skin would often look white,flaky and dry and that doesn't help when you're going through puberty having to deal with a load of ...

I know there are a lot of people out there when I say people I'm referring to the naive ones who hold a classic viewpoint that the life of a student is easy. Some even say it's full of sex,drugs and rock n roll. There's a perception held by some that student life consists of alcohol, pot noodles, messy halls and an endless supply of takeaways. Whilst that may be the uni experience for some students it's not one for me. Instead my student life is hectic and one of the hardest elements is finding a balance. If I'm not stressing over word counts, referencing, assignments, deadlines, lectures, tutorials, out of class reading then I'm adding to it by worrying about all that plus next semesters. A students life is difficult and full of sacrifices whether that's time with family and friends or related to finances. Many students live on a tight budget I for one am no exception and even though this will not affect me as I will have graduated (hopefu...

I'm in my 3rd year of uni. As I'm writing this my head is bombarded with the reminder that in four days time the first half of my dissertation is due in. I like to think I am an organised person but as it stands I have a further 3000 words to write. I'm struggling, not with university itself but the momentum to carry on. I should be excited I'm on the homeward stretch with just a few months til graduation. I panic, knowing every word I write counts to a grade which in turn will affect my future. This degree will determine everything, the pressure is immense. I'm one of those people who knows what they want to say but struggles to put it into words on paper, the irony as I'm doing it now.  I've been there for 3 years now yet I still don't truly feel comfortable, I like everyone, well almost everyone. I try and be as outgoing as I can and talk to as many people as I can. I'm fortunate as I'm in a group with two friends from college ...

Recently, I applied for a new job, taking a step away from childcare and returning to the world of retail. The first was an online application, I'm not a fan on these, having to write out your CV only to upload it at the end anyway. It was a simple process, no tests i.e. maths, literacy, customer service scenarios just straight forward with only a few of those generic questions which I decided to skip. I didn't hold out much hope but you don't get anywhere in life unless you try. A few days later, I received an email advising me to arrange a telephone interview. My friend told me about a website which gives you advice about the interview process for companies. The phone rang and I did my telephone interview, I could have cheated and wrote down my responses using the interview website but I didn't. I decided to give an honest interview and it was a disaster, I even answered wrongly about where the company was founded. To my surprise, the next day I got a...

I'm 21 and my fitness is unreal, for all the wrong reasons. In terms of my weight it all started when I left school. The first few months were good I was doing public services at college so was really fit. Then it all changed I decided it wasn't for me and I wanted to work with children. I found myself stuck indoors and the pounds began piling on. Earlier this year came the end of a long turbulent relationship where I found myself depressed. Within a few days of it ending was the start of my weight loss immediately I wanted to feel better about myself and joined a local slimming group. I held that stereotypical view "I'm gonna be in a room full of fat old women". I'm pleased to say how wrong I was the people there were lovely, notice how I'm writing this in past tense. I came away from my first session skeptical, I mean wouldn't you if you were just told you can practically eat whatever you want and not gain weight. Need...

I thought I would share with you just a few of the struggles men in childcare are faced with. I have compiled this list from my speaking to other male practitioners. It's time the men working in childcare are recognised for the positive contribution they have in children's lives in order to tackle some of these assumptions and remove the stigma attached to male practitioners. If you want to work with young children then your you must be a predator or pedophile. Assumptions that you must be homosexual to want to work with children.  Working with children is 'women's work'.  Men who work in childcare are 'not real men'. If your a man in childcare you need to demonstrate female characteristics but if you show these then that's not how a man is perceived so you must be homosexual. Getting all the ‘manly tasks’ such as maintenance oh and not to mention getting rid of spiders and wafting wasps out the room.  Pay is poor and after all you’re a man so shoul...

                                             Last month, a friend and I went to Disneyland Paris for Halloween to celebrate her 21st. It wasn't what I expected and in all honesty I personally found the place a little dated. We were bombarded with gift shop after gift shop, but if you're like me and love Disney and shopping then it's the perfect combination. We missed the first parade and after attempting to speak to several French cast members we were given the time of the next one. We managed to  make it and it was the first time that day I really felt the 'Disney Magic'. The human cast members i.e Snow White, Magnificent and Mary Poppins looked phenomenal. We were staring at the people we had grown up with and it felt amazing. As it stands Frozen has taken over the lives of children and captured the hearts of adults alike and I think many people ...

So recently I got a job as nursery nurse, turns out I lasted 10 weeks. The interview was intense and the worse I had ever experienced. I had little hope anything would come of it. I was unable to answer most of the questions as it had been a while since I last stepped foot in a nursery. A miracle happened, later that day I got an email offering me the position, I was thrilled but deep down there was only one true reason why I had been successful, because I'm a man. Soon after I started my work, I was thrown in the deep end and even though I was the highest qualified, I was the least experienced. The work was intense I was taken aback by the level of paperwork, whenever I felt I was getting somewhere and fitting in someone would leave. I was torn between the nursery nurses and manager stuck in the middle being warned off about each other and who to watch out for. I made a lot of mistakes but when I asked for help I was pushed away. Sadly the management never ...