Smart Mart - Health, wealth and happiness

Smart_Mart

It was bad. Can't honestly say I was that close to the accident as I was 20 miles or so further up the motorway and about an hour and a half before it happened but certainly put a chill up my spine. Two weeks ago, we travelled down the motorway past the spot when we went on holiday (and of course three days later, back up on the northbound side). Sad news...:(

Yesterday we went to watch the other under-11's team who lost heavily then we went on the geocaching session of three hours where we picked up ten more caches on a four mile walk.

The quiz was off last night so didn't go after taking the boys home.

Today went down to the football club and worked till 4pm, had three meetings in total, then went off to visit DS1 and DD1 though DS1 was working all night so I missed him.:(

One good thing from today is that I've lost three pounds this week meaning I'm a pound off two stone weight loss now. Signature duly updated!!

Smart_Mart

After a decent day where I got twenty jobs done off my list, things took a turn for the worse this afternoon.:(

Dropped the boys home after football training and went home when I got a call from their sister saying that their mum hadn't picked her up from school. Eventually her mum (who claimed to be ill) turned up and picked her up an hour late after being asleep apparently.

Anyway got another phone call about 45 minutes later from her daughter who said that the boys mum was refusing to make them tea and just wanted to be left alone. She asked me to come over and have the boys stay over tonight and take them to school tomorrow morning as she (the daughter) has a GCSE Maths exam tomorrow and needed to revise and obviously looking after two ten year olds, abthing them, feeding them and putting them to bed was going to be tricky (fair enough!!).

Boys are over here now, safe and warm and fed and bathed. Yet I feel so helpless as a dad without custody because this cannot go on. Their mother has admitted to being an alcoholic and is currently on anti depressants which apparently will have some side effects. Was today's "illness" one of those side effects or had she been drinking again? The boys said she had driven back from picking her daughter up in a wobbly fashion....:mad::mad:. In a lot of cases, children don't have a second safe option to retreat to yet in my case they do.

One comment that did give me hope. Her daughter (who's 15 by the way) said that if her mum did start drinking, and I decided to go for residency again), she would back me in court. It's a nice thing to say but she'd have to be one hell of a brave girl to stand up in front of a judge to state that.

Smart_Mart

It's been hard work being me today (oh no, more self indulgent twaddle...best look away from the thread until tomorrow - ed!).

Got up this morning having forgotten that the boys were sleeping round until one of them crept into my room at 6.45am . Nice start to the day. Took them to school then worked on the website for an hour.

My mate covered for me this morning for DX run so I bought both him and I a chicken bake and a fondant creme doughnut as a thank you. Went around his house but he wasn't in so ate both of them myself. Have been pigging myself all day ever since which has well and truly screwed the diet for the whole week for sure.

Picked the boys up from school this afternoon and due to the fading light, we went geocaching straightaway and found all three i had downloaded. Sadly not too much walking though we did have to climb about sixty steps for the last one.

Dropped boys at home tonight and their mum wouldn't look me in the eye. Guess an apology was too much to ask really although maybe I'm out of order in thinking I'd get one. I've got to work on Friday night between 5pm and 7pm to make my money up; that involves an extra ten miles, another hour's work and encountering the same motorway (although a different part of it) that seven people died on last Friday night.:( Not the end of the world I suppose but feel better moaning about it.

Tomorrow I have a meeting at the football club at 10am which will mean a very early breakfast and DX so that I'm ready to leave at 8.15am so I can have a pre-meeting about the main meeting. Thankfully after this, I should have a clear week in Bristol with no far travel at all.

Smart_Mart

Been another long day today, boy will I be glad to get a lie in sometime soon! Got up to do the morning DX and returned home for a shower then down to the club for a 10am meeting.

Worked rest of the day after meeting including doing the press conferences and came home tonight, sadly calling into the chippie on the way home. (£1.60).

Tonight have been just chilling on tinterweb before I head off to bed in a minute. Boys seem okay, taking them to a tag rugby tournament tomorrow before dropping them home. I have to do evening DX tomorrow to make up for not doing morning DX on Wednesday then taking the boys to a one night scout camp outdoors, picking them up at noon on Saturday.

Smart_Mart

A very weird day today, unlike any other Friday for a while. My precious routine has been flipped up big time....

Did DX this morning and popped into Asda on the way home. Had bought some shopping earlier in the week so this morning's effort was only £17.00.

Boys then finished school at noon as they had a tag rugby tournament this afternoon. Lost all their matches today, sadly, but met a lot of my friends from football up there and had a good chat and a coffee with them. Dropped them off home because they went off to a scout camp tonight, staying over at a farm/barn type place. Raining tonight so should be fun for them.

Then went off to do the evening DX as missed Wednesday morning's run. Keeps my money the same rather than losing any. Now sat at home wishing the lads were here; my first Friday night without them for a long, long time. (well September 9th when I went to Preston, I didn't see them but it was a while before then!).

Tomorrow is football training (again without them) then we're chilling in the afternoon as (a) they will be tired and (b) I've got to do the match report from the radio commentary.

Smart_Mart

A better today today as I got my boys back....

Took football training from 9.30am to 11.00am then off to pick the boys up after dinner. Nice to see them and we just chilled out for the rest of the day, not even going out at all. DS3, the younger twin, slept for ninety minutes on the sofa this afternoon so guess they didn't sleep much last night in their tents.

NSD today, don't have many of them nowadays. Football tomorrow morning, hopefully a better performance than in recent weeks. Rest of the day will be quiet as I know the boys will still be tired.

Smart_Mart

Well after my team won yesterday and England won last night, I had high hopes of a treble when my under-11's team faced the team immediately above them in the division. However something didn't quite click and they lost 7-1...

Came home and relaxed this afternoon. Boys have had a hell of a weekend with scout camp, a football match and a football training session so a couch potato afternoon was the order of the day.

On the way home, DS2 said that the ex-bf of his mum had been around again so confronted her when I got back. Had a go back at me which is fair enough saying they weren't back together but time will tell. :mad:

Looking forward to a steady week - no trips to the football club, no football matches and not seeing DD1 and DS1 either - so really need to get a strong hand on stuff at home. Loads of stuff needs organising, there's a football programme to sort out before Wednesday and I really need to kick my DRO off even if I only pay £15 towards the £90 cost. There's a serious threat to my sanity if I don't get certain areas sorted out and sorted out soon!!

Smart_Mart

A day with no children, no courier work and no appointments means a great day to sort out my list of jobs that need doing. This list was increased by a few items last night when I bought an as-new Ikea bedside cabinet for £8 from Gumtree. I now have a matching pair but it means moving three or four other pieces about to fit it in - I like symmetry where possible!!

Today's list then...

• Move new bedside unit into place then move presently placed unit to under telly in bedroom; take that unit downstairs for hallway and put hallway unit under stairs.
• Write 800-word piece for the programme.
• Send assistant manager an email re shirts.
• Do a weekly shop.
• Try to sort out creditors letter to initiate the DRO process.
• Work on forthcoming football festival.
• Move some of boys stuff upstairs from front room.
• Ring my assistant under-11's manager to work out next weekend's team.
• Text parent of child who has left to regain kit.
• Draw up list for the twins birthday in ten days time.
• Sort out monthly subs of parents and send out texts.
• Install printer and swap shelves around so it fits into the space left by old one.
• Pay something off my council tax arrears.
• Do one or two loads of washing.

That's enough to be going on with. Off shopping now.

Smart_Mart

Smart_Mart wrote: »

A day with no children, no courier work and no appointments means a great day to sort out my list of jobs that need doing. This list was increased by a few items last night when I bought an as-new Ikea bedside cabinet for £8 from Gumtree. I now have a matching pair but it means moving three or four other pieces about to fit it in - I like symmetry where possible!!

Today's list then...

• Move new bedside unit into place then move presently placed unit to under telly in bedroom; take that unit downstairs for hallway and put hallway unit under stairs. DONE
• Write 800-word piece for the programme. DONE
• Send assistant manager an email re shirts.DONE
• Do a weekly shop. DONE
• Try to sort out creditors letter to initiate the DRO process.
• Work on forthcoming football festival.
• Move some of boys stuff upstairs from front room.
• Ring my assistant under-11's manager to work out next weekend's team.
• Text parent of child who has left to regain kit.
• Draw up list for the twins birthday in ten days time.
• Sort out monthly subs of parents and send out texts.
• Install printer and swap shelves around so it fits into the space left by old one.
• Pay something off my council tax arrears.
• Do one or two loads of washing. DONE

That's enough to be going on with. Off shopping now.

Although I only got five things crossed off my list, lots more stuff came up along the way which have all been dealt with in full. Now sat umming and aahing about writing a list for tomorrow.

Weekly shop cost £35 but that included a small present for the boys birthday which cost a fiver. Shouldn't need to go shopping again now till Friday as stocked up a bit.

Smart_Mart

Nice to have another lie-in of sorts today although by 7.30am I was bored and got up!!

Morning spent at home and working on website and programme then this afternoon, went to the school to take the coaching session with the boys before taking them home. Tonight, just sat at home surfing the tinterweb while watching the football, pretty boring day really.

Meant to say that the weigh-in yesterday went terribly; put three pounds on last week due mainly to several occasions where I stuffed myself. I've been so hungry again today that another increase is likely unless I calm down a bit. Found a local gym/pool near me who are doing a special offer of unlimited gym and unlimited swim for £18 a month so going to have a look around tomorrow morning and may join as things cannot go on as they are.