Monday 12 May 2014

Exam food

The children both have exams this week Olivia has her Year 6 SATs - four consecutive mornings of maths and English exams - and Cam has his first two biology GCSE exams; his third exam is in a few weeks' time.  They're taking it all in their stride, but I know that they're tired and tense too.  This feels like the start of many, many years of exams-in-May as they each work their way through GCSEs, AS levels and A levels (and beyond).

Tired teenager: school and GCSE revision taking their toll. #school #gcse #tired #window
Cam, flopped on the sofa after a day at school and two hours of revision

I expanded the family rule of "When someone has a birthday, they choose what the family has for supper", to "When someone has a birthday or does an exam, they choose what the family has for supper".  Tonight we had Olivia's choice of beefburgers (nice, juicy quarterpounder steak burgers from Waitrose), oven chips, and rather specifically "carrots cut like coins, not sticks".  Very nice.  I don't often cook burgers so this felt like the treat it was meant to be.  Much ketchup was applied.

Cam's choice, which we are having on Friday, is lasagna, garlic bread and sweetcorn.  I don't often make a lasagna as it feels like too much faff at the end of a long day, so again this will be a special treat.  I love how both their choices are simple, slightly retro and not at all the sort of thing I normally cook.

My contribution has been to make them orange-scented buns for after school - I think they definitely deserve a sweet treat this week. 

Orange buns for Cam and Olivia - they have GCSEs and SATs this week, poor loves #exams #treats #baking #buns

Do you have any exam rituals in your house?  Any pre- or post-exam food favourites? Personally I don't really care what I eat after an exam as long as I have a big breakfast involving oats and bananas for breakfast beforehand.

5 comments:

  1. hope they do well in their exams. your idea for choosing dinner is lovely, and buns. well how can they not be happy.
    I've did pancakes for breakfast in SATS week, K has year 10 mock exams soon, I think buns will be definitely be required.....

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  2. In times of stress, I think all mothers fall back on what we do best - feed them! My friend, whose son is doing GCSEs this year, was deeply traumatised when he began his study leave and she realised she would be required to feed him THREE meals a day from now till September. Time for him to learn the art of fridge raiding, clearly. I am a fan of the pre-exam banana as I was always too nervous to be able to stomach a proper large breakfast. Always starving afterwards though...

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  3. Luckily I havent reached the exam stage yet - my eldest has had some tests lately - but he is so laid back about them (not sure whether this should concern me - lol) but he's doing fine. Tom has his sats next year and he is asking questions about them now (as the year 6's are doing them now) - tbh I'm going to try and not let him stress about them, at the end of the day - if he has been taught well he'll do well - so we'll see xx Good luck to both of yours xx

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  4. As you are starting the family exam marathon, I am just finishing - it does all end eventually.

    Ten years ago my eldest sat the KS3 sats inYear 9 and every year since has been an exam year. Next week my youngest will have finished his finals and like his brother he is determined never to sit another exam again!!

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