greent's mfw journey

Debsnewbudget

Have a wonderful holiday, just relax and forget everything until you get back.
If you are going to Florida try to wait and buy the new suitcase and shorts there from one of the outlet malls. They are fabulous and so cheap. I always stock up on clothes when I am there, go with one suitcase almost empty and come back with two bulging ones :rotfl:

greent

So we're just over half way through our time in Florida. We've visited theme parks every day bar 2 - including today. Teens are peeved that we're not at the planned waterpark today, but we had a late get-up (I ended waking OH up at 11.20 after he also had a 2hr nap yesterday afternoon) which I think people needed after it all - we've had a few people feeling a bit rough, and I think it's because of all the sun. A day at the house, just chilling and playing pool/ air hockey/ table football/ swimming in the pool is just what's needed, imo. One of the waterparks tomorrow, with an earlier start to the day (I've even set an alarm on my phone!:eek:)

Even though we've been out nearly every day it has been fairly relaxed - because we're here for 3 weeks we've not rushed around the parks, knowing we can re-visit. We've made the most of Disney's fastpass system, but I am not paying out the stupid money which Universal want for their equivalent! We've eaten out a handful of times, but have mainly eaten back at the house - easy food like big bowls of pasta with garlic bread, gorgeous (apparently) steaks (I don't eat steak) with salad and fries, HM burgers with lots of salad. Lots of fruit is being consumed for snacks, thankfully (although am surprised at the price of F&V here) - and the occasional icecream in parks (such as butterbeer in Universal studios - it *had* to be done!):D:D

I'm itching to have a sort out when at home - I'm not itching to get home, I juts want to do lots of things when we are back. The run up to the holiday was too busy, so only minimal things got done.

very little shopping done over here. So far it has just been an interactive wand for DS2 and a keyring for DD (stocking filler) I have my eye on a few items for DD though (for exam results/ bday/ Xmas/ moving to Uni) so will buy those next week. No doubt the small 2 will spend some money when at Leg0land!

HAve found my 2016 plans/ goals, so will review that in a bit - am being called to get in the pool!

xx

CathT

Have a fab relaxing day greent, plotting in the sunshine beside a pool sounds pretty good.

The parks sound exhausting and when our friends went they said the best day was the day they stayed at the villa.I think they needed a rest!

smallholdingsister

So sorry for the loss of your uncle and Congratulations to DD on her driving test.
Which uni is first choice?

newgirly

How exciting greent, whats the Harry Potter bit like? I would love to go there! Enjoy the rest of your holiday

greent

Just over halfway through the year, so an update to Jan's plans/ goals:

greent wrote: »

In no particular order:

• Make memories together - lots of good ones! - - Florida is a big one. But also silly days in the local park, shopping with DD, random spur of the moment lunches out with the teens when they were on study leave, paddling pool out in the garden with the smallies. This seems to be going ok and will continue
  
• Florida holiday in the Summer (possibly the last big family holiday as all 6 of us together) without any debt being incurred (will be after A2 and GCSE exams, so a lovely bit of family time together after the teenagers' hard few weeks) - - well we're here in Florida. Think there's about £2k on CC (int free) which I'll clear (total cost of holiday c 16/17k!:eek::eek:)
  
• Kitchen remodel (and some new appliances sadly required) without any debt - - have £10k set aside for this
  
• Tackle OH's car loan if any spare funds! (will be second half of year at earliest, I feel!!) - - not done at all yet
• Support DD and DS1 through A2 and GSCE exams (argh!) - - seemed to be ok!
  
• Continue to declutter - Marie Kondo style (I WILL conquer the paper in this house!!:D) - - an ongoing project which I want to start back up with again when we get home
• Make £500 from selling unwanted items (have been donating more of late and I must have less left to sell by now!!) - - about 70% of target so far. Will manage target, I am sure
• Pensions! (again) - :o:o:o:o
• Lose weight - still aiming for 2 stone - :o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o
• Review all finances to ensure current needs being met in best possible way - - started this but need to continue and finish it!
  
• Finish work on BTL. Get new tenant - - new tenant moving in next month. Just need to repaint kitchen and plumb in kitchen sink
  
• More DIY etc here (decorating bedrooms 4 & 5 as a priority) - - bedrooms 4 & 5 done earlier in year successfully. Touching up to be done elsewhere in house and kitchen as above
  
• Simplify life - I need to ensure the charity stuff doesn't take too much out of me - possibly look to delegate some stuff. I also help to organise a local festival - am committed to 2016, but may drop it after that - it's a lot of work/ time/ energy/ effort and comes at a busy time of year (early July - which will be straight after the exam period for DD & DS1, and I will be v busy also during that time invigilating between 2 secondary schools in a straight run from late April until v late June. The charity also has an event on at the same time!:eek: - and then I'm looking to go on holiday - and I don't want to be going off to Florida (not restful!) when I'm already shattered!) - - I really enjoy the invigilating. That's not simple when juggling 2 schools' timetables but that's not changing. Charity stuff has taken a back seat. Am still looking at getting all paperwork up together and handing treasurer role on and then just volunteering as-and-when. Festival will almost definitely not be part of my life next year, unless as a paid working ticket (looking to see how much I get paid out as part of the organising team this year)
• Health - not just weight. I have a dodgy hip, which I tend to just live with, but it's getting worse. And a bad shoulder. Am hoping some sessions with an osteopath will help. Have a couple of other minor issues I should deal with, too. And possibly look at some form of counselling again - I had some earlier this year, but didn't really gel with my counsellor. Or maybe not counselling but something else (thinking of the advice on watty's thread here) - - nothing done
• Count my blessings - of which there are many - - there are many indeed

xx

Karmacat

Hello greent, just caught up on your lovely posts! Very sorry to hear about your uncle and the associated family trauma, but at least you're well out of it for a little while - sounds like you have your own pool at the house, which is brilliant

I saw the interactive wands at the Harry Potter shop at Kings Cross a couple of months ago, loved them, and until I remembered MK work, I was really tempted for my own use :rotfl:

Save

Fortune_Smiles

Fabulous progress GreenT. Well done!

Fortune x

greent

CathT wrote: »

Have a fab relaxing day greent, plotting in the sunshine beside a pool sounds pretty good.

The parks sound exhausting and when our friends went they said the best day was the day they stayed at the villa.I think they needed a rest!

We did it a bit like that last time (way back in 2007) but have generally taken it easy this time, with park visits being 5-7 hours in length and no early starts (the earliest we've got into a park has been 11am - but usually later!) We've got 2 long-ish days this week to have a couple of last pack-it-in days but the rest are planned easy (inc 2 days at water parks)

smallholdingsister wrote: »

So sorry for the loss of your uncle and Congratulations to DD on her driving test.
Which uni is first choice?

Cardiff is her first choice and needs AAB, with nothing given for EPQ, unlike some other unis (still RG ones) Just a waiting game now...

newgirly wrote: »

How exciting greent, whats the Harry Potter bit like? I would love to go there! Enjoy the rest of your holiday

Haha! I did think of you, ng! You'd love it. Universal has Diagon Alley in (lots of interactive bits for the wand) with Escape from Gringotts ride there too. You can then catch the Hogwarts Express from Kings Cross to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure (can also do the reverse ride) - which has several rides in. The castle ride is spectacular. OH and DS1 did the dragon challenge rollercoasters (too scary for me) and said that they were fab! There's also a smaller (but still good) Hippogriff rollercoaster and yet more interactive places for the wand. Oh - and the Three Broomsticks pub for English style food. And LOTS of HP shops! x

greent

Karmacat wrote: »

Hello greent, just caught up on your lovely posts! Very sorry to hear about your uncle and the associated family trauma, but at least you're well out of it for a little while - sounds like you have your own pool at the house, which is brilliant

I saw the interactive wands at the Harry Potter shop at Kings Cross a couple of months ago, loved them, and until I remembered MK work, I was really tempted for my own use :rotfl:

Save

Yes - there's a pool here, which is great, as it means the children are just in and out of it all the time. Because of the weather the water is really warm too, which is fab! DS3's confidence has come on in leaps and bounds just through having almost constant access - an added bonus x

Fortune_Smiles wrote: »

Fabulous progress GreenT. Well done!

Fortune x

Thank you, FS x