Smart Mart - Health, wealth and happiness

Smart_Mart

Wednesday - had a decent enough day beginning with DX in the morning then most of the morning at home before picking the boys up at 1.30pm. Gave them tea later then went out to do some geocaching but it rained and we only found two out of six.

Thursday - DX in the morning, home for a shower then off to the club to work all day. Then went over to see DD1 who got some fantastic exam results today... 2 A*'s, 7 A's and 2 B's, the last of which she will retake along with the four A levels she's doing anyway.

Bought £39.00 of diesel and petrol today plus £9 on tea as well.

Smart_Mart

Today was the first day of a strange weekend ahead with no boys around here after 10.30am tomorrow.

DX this morning then shopping in Asda which because of not having the kids for too long, ended up cheaper at £17. Spent most of the morning writing articles for the website then picked boys up from home at 1.45pm.

Tried going geocaching this afternoon but a cloudburst put paid to that and the rain got heavier still this evening. Hope its not like this tomorrow night with the boys in their tents.

Money wise, things took a turn for the worse tonight when I resigned as Supporter Liaison Officer for the football club. The job is way too stressful for the £200 a month it pays, people think you're fair game for a nasty or abusive comment on the message boards knowing you can't come back on them. To be fair, the media role is blossoming a bit but hopefully I'll be able to find some freelance work that's not so bad for me.

Tomorrow I've got the boys till 10.30am then off to football for a 1.00pm kick off then the rest of the day is my own.

Smart_Mart

Woke up, had breakfast then took the twins home at 10.30am for their cub camp. Left them then straight down to the match which was a 1.00pm kick off on police request.

Lost 1-0, bought a Golden Gamble ticket and spent £15.00 on diesel and £4.00 on lunch. Now sat home with a can of cider missing the boys though I am picking them up at 10am for a football friendly match.

Smart_Mart

It's been a really weird weekend thanks mainly to the fact that the boys haven't been here for much of it... sorry, promise this will be the last time I mention it.:o

After more than six years of having them from Friday 3pm to Sunday 5pm, this weekend I had to take them home for a cub camp at 10.30am on Saturday, then only had them from 10.00am until 1.00pm yesterday for a football match so didn't even really get chance to enjoy them then either....:(

Anyhow, they played well in the first and only friendly as an under-11s side winning the game 9-4. good preparation for next week's first league fixture. Bonded the team together well and considering that this is basically two teams welded together, it's going well at the moment.

Came home, wrote match report then watched Man United slaughter Arsenal. Had tea, showered then off out to the pub quiz where we won first prize and shared £40 between three of us...:D:T so the quiz plus a round of drinks cost me £6.60 and I won £13....:D

Today (and tomorrow too) look like being quiet days so will try to sort out the house, clear my paperwork tray and later today, it's the latest weigh-in on my "Hundred Pound Diet" plan.

Smart_Mart

Been a very quiet day indeed; aside from a few phone calls this morning, haven't spoken to a soul all day. Did some youth football related paperwork this morning and now going to apply for a few writing-related jobs this evening. In between, had dinner and tea and got one load of washing done too.

Weighted in earlier and have lost another two pounds meaning that's a stone and one pound gone in four weeks. Celebrated by going overboard with the diet so probably stuck a pound back on now...:o. Have just gone on a one mile walk to burn that pound off...

Smart_Mart

Another quiet day yesterday as well which was full of pottering about not getting a lot done really. Going to be a heck of a weekend ahead so glad of a little peace and quiet ahead of then.

Today, have been out to do the morning DX run then nipped into Asda for a few bits and bobs (£6.46). Boys coming around from 2pm till 7.30pm today so might squeeze in some geocaches today too.

Smart_Mart

Went round mates house and got a mini-service done on the car which he charged £50 for and gave me two new tyres, a new drip tray for under the engine, two new headlights and a top-up of oil. I say "new", they were used ones that were as good as new.

Boys came around at 2pm, did some website work, then tea and back out geocaching for an hour or two. Only got two out of four but that makes eighty now in less than two months, impressive stats.

Boys went home at 7.30pm and I'm now decamped in front of the telly watching the final hour of the transfer window.

Smart_Mart

Strange old day really, just couldn't really get motivated for anything....:o

DX was late this morning meaning I was late getting down to the football club. Got there and found two of the three offices empty so although technically I am a step closer to getting my own office, I will also miss the three people that worked there.

Missed the press conference too because I was having a meeting with the CEO which was then interrupted twice by the manager and the chairman!! Ah well, to be continued on Monday.

Drove home tonight after work, dropped off some paperwork to the youth football team secretary and now I'm chilling, waiting for a 11.30pm phone call from my daughter and her friends who are at a gig tonight and are staying over.

Smart_Mart

Goodness me, the last three days went by in a blur!!

Friday - girls picked up at 11.30am the night before and after doing morning DX and the weekly shop at Asda (£24), got home by 8.30am to take them to the station.

Spent rest of the morning packing for the night away in Cheshire. Put £50 of diesel in the car and picked up the boys at 12.30pm driving straight up there. Popped into a couple of Eddie Stobart depots on the way up to boost the numbers (we are all confirmed Eddie spotters) and then arrived at hotel around 8.00pm. Not very MSE for food on the way up but hotel was a cheapie at £19 with Travelodge. Even managed to squeeze in a couple of geocaches near the hotel as well.

Saturday saw us head off to Liverpool in the morning via Widnes and two more Eddie depots. Totalled them all up last night and found we had spotted 218 new lorries, almost doubling the amount we had before.:T Boys were made up and are even happier that they rose nearly 500 places in the official Eddie Stobart spotters league table...:D.

Almost easy to forget that there was a football match to report on, the lads did well and grabbed a point in a 1-1 draw with Tranmere. Uploaded match report to the website at Knutsford Services then drove home with a couple of wee stops arriving at 9.30pm with two tired little boys.

Sunday and I was up early again for football. Although the twins were tired, they put in a good performance but ended up losing 6-2 to a strong team. The afternoon was spent just chilling and after I took them home at 5pm, went to the managers meeting and off to bed at midnight.

This morning I really haven't done too much. Popped down to the post office to pick some envelopes and later on, I'll have to go down again to post them off again. Weigh-in tonight, think that any loss would be good after a big brunch and two Maccie D's in the last three days.

Smart_Mart

Been a good day today, my second day of just staying at home mainly and sorting my life out.

Slept in till 8am then rung the boys, had breakfast and did a bit of paperwork before going out and doing the weekly shop in Asda (£17). Also paid the balance on my Haven holiday (£50), £20 off my council tax arrears and paid £50 to my mate for the tyres and service from last week.

This afternoon brought an interview with BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull for next week's football programme. Really nice guy and when I get up at 6am tomorrow for DX, it will seem weird to see him on telly when I spoke with him today.

Tonight I stayed in and watched the football first and now the cricket before an early-ish night.