MSE Parents Club Part 7

emlou2009

the first one looks more padded and cosy angela

SugarSpun

Deleted_User wrote: »

1. money, OH started a new job in feb and took a pay cut too, he gets more family time, which is why he took it but financially things are tight, not impossible but tight. elec and gas keep going up, previous years we'd be over £100 in credit, this autumn its £3, so we aren't going to get to xmas on that.

2. pnd, still not great, each week seems to be slipping closer to black hole, can't tell DH as he worries about it already.

I can't help with the extension, but about Christmas - there's a money neutral Christmas thread on the Special Occasions board where people have all sorts of tips for making back money spent on gifts either by ebay or by using lightspeed/dooyoo etc. I've made almost £40 in Amazon vouchers on dooyoo and I'm not terribly dedicated.

PND really shouldn't be hidden away - if you don't want to talk to DH would you think about calling the Samaritans or making a doctor's appointment?

:grouphug:

weezl74 wrote: »

Things about work and money and the pregnancy have been contributing to me not feeling like I'm coping so well.

I know she's the one with all the power, but she's got off to a really bad start with me! Her email was high-handed, inattentive and hadn't read mine properly. She also doesn't have her facts straight. All of this frustrates me when someone is paid £40k a year to be in a senior role.

How frustrating Weezl - I'm sure you'll manage to be astonishingly tactful even though she's a muppet.

You're doing great - you have so much on your plate at the moment and you're coping marvellously even though it may not seem that way :grouphug:

Deleted_User wrote: »

i've pulled some drum sticks out of the freezer, anybody have an idea of what to do with them apart from roasting. we all prefer skinless chicken and i don't have the time or patience to skin them all, quite a large pack. should i cook them to loosen the skin and do something else with the meat?

i also have peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic carrots herbs etc. would like to do something and have it ready for dh coming home at 7pm tonight, should be defrosted by lunchtime i hope.

any suggestions welcome pls?

Take a large Tupperware box and wipe down the inside. Now take another smaller one and in it put a splash of soy sauce, a generous squeeze of honey, a blob of mustard, a fair amount of olive oil, some vinegar, a tiny bit of salt and a spoon or two of sugar (brown works best if you have it but not necessary). Shake it vigorously and taste it - if it tastes good then empty it into the larger container and add your defrosted chicken. Dump it in the fridge till you're ready to start cooking.

Grill the chicken, and while you're doing that add the marinade mixture to a pan with a mugful of stock and simmer it. Add a bit of plain flour to thicken it, and when the drumsticks are cook drop them into the sauce and simmer for a minute.

Chop all the veg and stirfry it in a large frying pan with a handful of whatever herbs you fancy and some garlic, honey and mustard. Cook up some rice if you like and arrange nicely on the plate.

Buttonmoons wrote: »

Things do seem better this morning.

Maybe counselling would help...

It sounds like you've made a really sensible plan of action, but counselling might still be a good idea to keep on the table. It might even help your case for surgery.

:grouphug:

astonsmummy wrote: »

Sorry am going back to read up but had to just say RY-RY IS CRAWLING PROPERLY! :J

:j:j:j

angela6834 wrote: »

I think i have a leak in my roof ( oops, nearly spelt it foof!) so have someone coming out to have a look today.

:rotfl:that has put a smile on my face, thank you!

Good luck today, elle - the appointment might even be over now, so I hope it went well.

MFD, good luck with the tender. The fairies have a ton of secondhand bibs and some of them might have press studs. I'll ask them for you if you might be interested - but please be aware in advance that most of them are grubby. They've all been washed at least twice, though.

Oh, and what a nightmare, being woken for no reason! Can you grab a little nap or do you need the naptime for other things?

Emlou, what a fool - I hope you were incredibly rude to him :mad: And I hope Seth doesn't get carpet burns on his bottom :rotfl:

Enjoy yourself Krystal

MM :eek:a virus!? Is your computer ok?

Mazcabs, I think the buggy boards are the coolest invention - would they work for you?

Fritha, :j for sling meets. If there's one on the 22nd or 23rd December or between Christmas and New Year I'll be local and would love to test a sling for when the monster's too big for the Baby Bjorn.

I hope everyone else has a lovely day. I've had a lovely morning curled up in bed with my Molly, practising smiles and dancing and entertaining herself by getting the milk going and then pulling back so she gets it all over her face. It hurts a bit, but the sheer joy on her face makes it totally worthwhile. If Husband takes it into his head to try it there'll be trouble, though. He is now in the kitchen making me tea and toast before getting to work on a brunch experiment (he's calling it Special Eggs and it appears to involve mediterranean veg and poached eggs, nommy!). It's a good day - I hope everyone else's is as good. And that I managed to get all of this in before you all talked for another page and I got lost again.

elle_gee

Morning all, we're home again - thankfully, before my boobs explode! *ahem* Anyway..

Appointment wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Turns out it wasn't a drops and looksee in his eyes, it was a holding toys in front of him and seeing if he'd follow them type one - simples He didn't pass it 100% cos his eyes sometimes don't both move at the same time, like he has one eye on one thing and the other on something on the other side of the room, but they said that was to be expected as he's still quite young (should be 11wks) so we're to go back in 4-6wks for another check

Rhys slept from midnight to 5.45am then from 6.15am to 8.45am.. I was relying on him waking me up at 7ish but he didn't so had to race around this morning getting ready and out in half an hour (hence the exploding boobs now! ). Could quite get used to the lie-ins tho, I'm almost feeling human!

Somehow the house looks more of a bombsite than when I left it this morning so need to sort that out..

elle_gee

weezl74 wrote: »

ah, just finished reading and realised Elle has a busy day today, I shall do lots of hunting for that linkie myself.

I have this one and this one bookmarked - thanks for the reminder too, weezl!

weezl74 wrote:

But first I need to psyche myself up to phone the new manager. I know she's the one with all the power, but she's got off to a really bad start with me! Her email was high-handed, inattentive and hadn't read mine properly. She also doesn't have her facts straight. All of this frustrates me when someone is paid £40k a year to be in a senior role.

I have a manager like that! :rolleyes:

angela6834

Ooh another question, If you sold something on ebay, how long would you expect to wait without payment or contact.

I sold some curtains on sunday. On saturday, someone contacted to ask if they won could they collect them in person. I said yes, they won but i have heard nothing further. I have emailed them but no response?

emlou2009

glad it went well elle, sounds like he is all good on that front as well! i bet he will have perfect speech, walking and co-ordination, prove all those doctors wrong and he will wonder what all the fuss was about when you tell him when he's older

ETA i think its 7 days you have to wait for ebay, not sure though

Mazcabs

emlou2009 wrote: »

has anyone ever actually claimed childcare vouchers? we are entitled to claim nothing in the way of childcare tax credits so am i right in thinking that claiming vouchers to cover a childminders fees would make us slightly better off in the long run?

the way i think i understand it, is that if you claim them you dont get taxed on them, and you will get taxed on the remainder of your wages? so for an easy example if you earn £100 a week, claim £20 vouchers, you will only get taxed on the remaining £80 of your wages?

I claim childcare vouchers from my employer, the full whack of £243. Then I take that away from my childcare costs £481 month.
£481-243 = 238. The £238 is then divided by 52 and times by 12 to give me a monthly contribution from tax credits people... thinks that right (anyone correct me if wrong) Need to find out if OH gets them from AA but not sure.

SugarSpun wrote: »

I've made almost £40 in Amazon vouchers on dooyoo and I'm not terribly dedicated.

Mazcabs, I think the buggy boards are the coolest invention - would they work for you?

I have £40 vouchers for either Boots, Amazon, Smiths from doing the Ipsos survey that I posted on here a while back . I think a few of the girls have started doing it.

Thinking that the money I save on pushchair/ pram could get a buggy board... has anyone got one of them?

pinkpig08

I'd email them again telling them that if they don't make contact in the next couple of days then you will have to relist.

Well I'm sat on the floor waiting for my new sofa! They phoned yesterday to say it was coming today, so DH came home in a van from work to take the old one to the tip. I'm hoping they come soon cause it's breaking my back! I'd go upstairs on the bed but [STRIKE]I haven't made it yet[/STRIKE] the sun is too bright through the window

emlou2009

before tax i'll be earning £161, and two days paying a childminder per week should come to about £54.
after tax i'll earn £148 per week.
so if i claim £54 a week childcare vouchers, would i then be taxed on the whole of my wages, or the remaining £107?

the reason for me asking, is that if i only get taxed on the remaining £107 once the vouchers have been paid for, i wont actually pay any tax cos my wages would come in under the tax threshold :money:

still less than MA, but workable

from http://www.busybeesvouchers.com/parents/how-do-childcare-vouchers-work.php

Eligible working parents make the saving by entering a ‘salary sacrifice’ agreement with their employer. Parents ‘exchange’ part of their gross salary before tax and National Insurance deductions, requesting up to the cap value of £243 per month or £55 per week in Childcare Vouchers.

that would suggest i would get taxed on the remaining £107, if i am reading it right?

Krystaltips

weezl74 wrote: »

Sorry I must've missed your news, Kristal, Where are you off to?

We're off to see the fantastically funny Michael McIntyre at the NIA...

Tia, the fairy post came today... The coat is goooooooooooooooooooorgeous!!! The colour suits Caitlyn just perfectly! If there is anything my fairies could send to Amber, just let me know