Further financial faux pas and even more disasterous decisions

thrifty_fifty

Evening Moo

Love the idea of using bubble bath to clean the floor. Have to say I have stopped buying floor cleaner, and just use some washing up liquid instead. Brings the floor up lovely and clean.

MrsMoo2U

Now, why didn't I think of shampoo/bubble bath/washing up liquid. DRAT that means I have no excuse tomorrow now.

moo2moo

Granny arrived late afternoon bearing many goodies including cholcoates for me and vino for OH. Not entirely sure that opening my cakehole the way I did was the greatest impulsive decision I've ever made but the vino has returned home with her. Its quite a relief to have told someone else. She didn't have a clue and was rather shocked by the revelation but most supportive. Now hoping that she keeps her word and doesn't try to have a quiet word on the side with OH as I fear that may be disasterous.

Meanwhile OHs plane made it as far as the runway before it decided to be tempramental necessitating a change of plane and a delay of several hours. He arrived home with a present for me with is most unusual and so I am now the owner of a new mobile phone. Since he was back as late as he was he automatically gets today off which gives him a four day weekend.

So far hes been oblivious to any difference in the house. This doesn't come as a surprise but it would have been nice if he'd noticed something.

Am yoyoing all over the shop. Have had a really pleasant week with the girls where life has been normal and enjoyable. I can't put up with the the way they were having had time with the DDs to prove that we can cope on our own and more than that we can enjoy it too. Guess its up to him now whether hes going to become a part of that future. Change is a coming. What sort of change it is is going to be decided for me very shortly. Hopefully OH has had plenty of thinkng time and has decided to do something, anything to sort himself out.

Such cheery thoughts for the morning.

Off to see if I can salvage the fire and continue with book of the day (a trashy disjointed chick lit) having finished yesterdays book "the other hand" which started off well but went downhill rapidly ending with the sort of chapter that makes you wonder if the writer just put his pen down mid thought and walked away. It wasn't an ending. Mind you it wasn't much of a story either. Almost like the author had one fabulous idea which occupied half a chapter and then waffled on a bit to fillup another 300 pages on the basis of this. No wonder the publishers couldn't come up with anything to put on the back cover, there wasn't anything worth writing about.

MrsMoo2U

Morning Moo, it is a lovely day out there. Get yourselves out and enjoy some fresh air.
I understand the relief of sharing with a "real" person. Many years ago and a first xoh was very abusive, I hid it from everybody believing that I could cope and it was all my fault (no such things as forums in those days) and I went to stay with my bf from childhood a chance remark brought everything out and I felt unburdened. It was that weekend that was a turning point for me. Maybe that is what you neeeded to help clear your head and look forwards. I do hope that OH comes along with you on that new future but as you say, if he doesn't then you know that you have the ability to be happy with the girls.
Good luck.

moo2moo

Spent yesterday with a completely different OH. One with a positive outlook on life. Started with him emptying his own suitcase. Normally it stands in a corner for the better part of a week before I give in and do it. After that we went to a couple of places to cost timber for building a log store and then he sat and submitted his expenses to work whilst I walked the hairballs and then snuggled up with a book. Even more surprisingly we went out for dinner and he made the effort to talk. Only litle things, things I used to take for granted but its the little things that make the difference.

Got a letter to confirm that DD1 got a place at her secondary school of choice so Granny is taking us all to the Enchanted Wood Cafe to celebrate. We get to sit on toadstools and everything!

ebayqueen_2

Hi Moo
Glad all going well for you. Life is not straightforward is it. Hope all gets sorted soon. Delighted that your little girl getting into her preferred school. Granny is very good to you all isn't she. Whats your plans for this week Moo?
E

moo2moo

Read considerably more book and then ventured out with the hounds before departing for the rolling hills of Yorkshire. Twas most beautiful as always. Makes me realise just how much I miss the vast bleakness of it all and the buildings and well everything about it. Tis true what they say. You can take the lass out of Yorkshire but you can't take the Yorkshire out of the lass. I'd love to go back there one day to a moorland cottage miles from anywhere - in the summer obviously because in the winter it would be bloody cold!

Left late (too much fun dog walking), arrived early collected DD2s dobok which despite being 4" shorter than DD1s still swamps her so will need to source a smaller one again. Decided to go to Grannys because we were far too early for dinner and walked in the door to my dad hanging off a doorframe at a 30 degree angle, slurring his speech with distorted facial muscles and generally not being quite with it or making much sense. Since hes my dad and this is perfectly normal behavious for a diabetic with v. low blood sugar I plonked him in a chair and stuck the kettle on. OH was shooting me funny looks since it does look more like a stroke than anything else but one v. sugary cuppa, several choccie biscuits and a slab of cake later he was back to normal. Granny arrived home and gave him the mother of all ear bendings for not taking care of himself properly. 20 minutes after we walked in the door we were on our way out for lunch. Arrived at the cafe and discovered the toadstools are no more although they do still have several tacky flying Barbies on display. Had the most fabulous mushroom stroganof ever.

Shortly after lunch DD2 announced she had tummy ache necessitating several dozen trips to the loo and a v. interesting journey home via every service station on route and a fair number of laybys. Will be keeping her off school today.

Plans for the week are as fluid as ever. Theres a huge amount of clean laundry to put away, the DDs many bags to unpack (so as to locate Grannys raffle prize Toblerone before the DDs come across it), much washing up to do and a fair amount of tidying already. Didn't get round to e-baying stuff so that needs sorting and since we've used up the last of Octobers log delivery I can shift the palletload thats blocking the path which means OH can start and build his new and vastly improved permanent log store to replace all the disintegrating pallets and flapping tarpaulins that are in use at the mo. Obviously this will rapidly become a 2 man project so I forsee a fair amount of time spent outdoors assisting in the sub-arctic temperatures. Ontop of that I have a meeting tonight about DD1s school transfer so will be stuck at school until 8:30 or so. Oh joy!

moo2moo

As if things aren't interesting enough OH has man flu. Spent the day on husband avoidance. Apparently the illness isn't terminal yet he is only capable of watching telly, playing PC games, surfing flea-bay and sleeping. Tis a day like any other albeit one with added snuffling.

DD2 coped admirably by making herself cups of hot chocolate whilst I was at work so that daddy could sleep. Of course this was v. crafty of her because it meant she could have lots of unsupervised PC time and so has spent the majority of my absence alternating between playing Bin Weevils and watching the telly box. Shes still running a fair old temperature but onlly got up twice during the night so hopefully shes over the worst of it.

DD1 has decided to audition for the Daughter of the Year Award and spent the evening rearranging the cutlery drawer in the hopes of being allowed to bake cakes. The only thing preventing her doing this was the lack of cookery book which wasn't in its usual place on the bookshelf. Despite claims of having looked everywhere it was later found lurking on the floor under a pile of laundry. Now have enough cakes for lunch boxes this week and playground snacks which works out considerably cheaper than sending in 50p for an item of fruit from the school healthy tuck shop.

I filled my day doing all sorts of fun things. Ironing, washing up, two loads of laundry, the cleaning out of the fires, more washing up (invalids get through a lot of mugs), the loading and unloading of the dishwasher and a brief bit of tidying. Also cheated and did an on-line shop with the lovely people of Ocado who had lots of useful bogof offers as well as a 20% off voucher and £2 delivery. Admitedly there was a £75 pre discount spend which was rather hard to achieve but I perservered and eventually suceeded resulting in a total bill of £60 which includes several roasting joints and a large assortment of sausage free meat as even DD2 is a bit fed up of sausages in their various guises.

Have five days to go until the generation of the credit card bill, have to admit to being a bit vague as to quite how much I've slapped on there. I have been considerably better than normal in that I simply haven't been anywhere to spend anything that wasn't essential but even then its not exactly been a cheap month. OHs card bill arrived yesterday. Hes spent over £300 on fuel just getting to and from work. Thats based on a 4 day week rather than his usual 5. The rate its going by mid summer thats going to be closer to £400. Makes me wonder if him working a days overtime is even worth doing after tax and fuel. Fortunately with him being away all last week that will shave £100 of this months fuel bill and the 50 hours overtime he racked up will come in v. handy indeed. Better still hes wangled all Feb half term off so other than a day at riding school we won't have any childcare bills. Am hoping to juggle things so that I can just work mornings to allow me to spend some time with the DDs. Suppose I'd better sort that out this week since we break up next Friday.

thrifty_fifty

Moo I feel cream crackered just reading that lot. You're like superwoman!!

Have a great day.

moo2moo

thrifty_fifty wrote: »

Moo I feel cream crackered just reading that lot. You're like superwoman!!

Have a great day.

Sadly not Superwoman. Just another working parent attempting to do everything that any other working parent does day in day out.

Today I will be achieving considerably less than yesterday given that I laid in bed staring at the ceiling for 45 minutes before finally dragging my slovenly behind out of the pit. Had something of a disturbed night. Seems that spending the day dozing on the soaf meant OH had difficulty sleeping although he was firmly reminded that 2am was not the time to have the indepth discussion on things that he was hoping for. Came down to a note saying he loves me. Little things, but things that make me smile. Behind the exterior of granite I am human after all and not a Golem although Golems seem to have a fair bit of fun. Would be nice to trample through walls rather than have to make appointments to see people.

Discovered yesterday that school have been selected to take part in some Eco project with a university in the nearest big smoke. Meant a joyous day of form filling. Apparently they'll turn up with a whole heap of suggestions to reduce our energy bills. Bet they're not half as good as our suggestions though. The general consensus in the staffrooom was that in order to dramatically reduce the bills we should simply close the school more often with a four or even a three day working week. Simples. Bet they come up with lots of dull stuff like energy efficient lightbulbs and toilet cistern bags and turning stuff off, all of which we already do. Still for the duration of the project I get to spend more time at school escorting round le boffins as I do my daily stuff. Oh joy!