Goal - 3 debts paid by Christmas

Triggles

DS2 at school (brrrrr - that school run was cold!!!), DS3 in his room napping. DH napping (worked last night). So .. house is quiet.... ahhhhhh :cool:

Laundry started, washing up sorted (will do after lunch, so as to have all lunch dishes as well). I'm going to eat a quick breakfast and then get some things done.

- check bank balance
- update spreadsheet for budget
- tidy up living room
- tidy up dining room
- cup of tea (yup, small bit of relax in the middle)
- washing up
- more laundry
- tidy up entry way
- clean downstairs bathroom (will do a quick clean of upstairs bathroom tonight while boys are having their bath )
- ironing and painting the penne pasta will be done tonight after the boys are in bed

Off to work I go....

maman

Happy Thanksgiving 'weekend' to you and your family Triggles. I hope the picture works (not sure whether that's your large chicken or turkey being carved:)).

Great ideas for the penne decorations, children so love to make things and then see them displayed.

Glad you're managing a bit of time to yourself with coffee and crafts. That's good:T

Triggles

maman - Thank you! I'm looking forward to it.

We purchased a small fibre optic tree to put in DS2's room. The lights on it are like the sensory stuff, so he likes it. DH has suggested buying a second (as a backup to keep aside in case this one stops working) and letting him have it in his room all year round. It was only about £7 or £8 so not horribly expensive. And it's currently on all night, as he likes it that way. It's battery operated, so no cords. We'll just use rechargeable batteries. DS2 is not having a great night so far.. has woken a couple times upset, but we'll see how it goes.

I've been to the local shopping centre and scoped out the "Santa's Grotto" area. It's definitely what we class as "DS2 friendly" with a huge miniatures set up in Christmas theme. He did well at this one last year, so we'll be taking him soon this year, before we get too close to Christmas, as the crowds unnerve him.

Had to turn the heater up a bit more today. It's freeeeeezing!! Didn't want to, but can't be helped.

I'm going into town with DD tomorrow (and DS3) while DS2 is in school. A few small items I need to pick up, and that's the best time to get it done.

I've now got 2 teeth broken. Arrrrggghhhh!!!!:mad: The dentist when we were children overdrilled whenever we had a cavity and now myself and all my siblings are having teeth that are cracking as the filling falls apart and nothing holding the tooth together. I've had one of them replaced 3 times, but it just keeps coming out. This new one is just another irritation. Thankfully they don't generally hurt. Although one is a bit sensitive tonight. If it's still uncomfortable on Monday, I'll call and get in to see the dentist.

guess it's off to sleep....

maman

Ooooh to your sore tooth (or rather teeth) and I hope DS2 settles soon.

Thinking about DS2, I don't know about in your area but I saw some lovely Christmas displays in our local garden centre last week. They were all furry animals in a Christmas scene, very cute. And might he like a lava lamp for the look of it? I assume they are still around.

Sleep well.

Triggles

maman - yes, we have a garden centre locally that usually does put up a nice display, so hopefully we'll be able to go see it. Possibly next weekend, if we can manage it. I've been told that lava lamps and those bubble lights are good for sensory stuff, but I can't put them safely in DS2's room, as the lava lamps can get quite hot and the bubble lights have water and can be tipped over fairly easily. So this seemed the best alternative. He is really enjoying it so far!

Woooohoooooo, by the way!! Snow on the ground here!!! :j Not a lot, but enough to look nice. And the sky looks like more is on the way! Very pleased! We're planning on walking up to the shop to pick up milk and bread, so DS2 will be able to wear his wellies and walk through the snow. He'll be so excited! He loved walking in the snow last year!

Christmas tree gonig up today. We're just planning the "where in the room" thing, as we'll have to reorganise slightly. It means DS3's playpen will be moved over so the chair can be moved over so that the tree will fit by the window. :rotfl:

Played some free bingo last night - won a tenner, played a bit more and ended up with £60! Banked most of it and left a little in to play. Always lovely to get a bit of free money.

DH is going to go out for a bit tonight with one of his mates, so I'll have a nice quiet evening with my crafting stuff, trying to put together some Christmas cards. Busy day today cleaning, putting up tree, running to shop, and catching up on some post/paperwork. So I will need the relaxation today.

Tonight's tea will be chicken soup with dumplings. It's so cold, it will be nice to sit down to a bowl of hot soup with some crusty bread. Yummmmm! I've got pumpkin pie to make tonight or tomorrow morning as well. If the boys settle quickly tonight, I'll get it done then.

Off to nab a cup of tea for now, then get to work on things.....

Triggles

Whew - dealing with a mammoth headache tonight - related to a cold I'm fighting off. Pain relievers don't seem to be doing much at the moment for it.

We went to the Range and spent £59 on an electric heater for the living room. In order to keep the upstairs rooms comfortable for the boys, the living room for some reason ends up being cold. So we are now just popping it on here and there to take the edge off the chill.

Electricity and gas bill arrived (by email, as online billing is cheaper!), and they're not tooooo bad. About £250 for the quarter, which isn't bad, considering we've had the heater on quite a bit.

Dentist appointment wasn't too bad. Although a filling from cracked tooth and a crown on the other isn't really something to look forward to. Thankfully, they're not hurting, so small blessings, right?

DD went into town with me today and after the appointment, she took me out to coffee and we browsed around a bit, then picked up a few odds and ends we each needed from the supermarket. I splurged and picked up some microwave stewpots for DH's lunches at work, as it's so miserably cold recently and he bikes to/from work. He'll appreciate the warm food, plus it's small and compact so he can pop it in his backpack easily and it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Between some Nectar points used and DH's employee discount, it took the total right down. Very nice! :j

Our Christmas tree is up - lights are on and twinkling away merrily. DS2 helped to put ornaments on the tree - so at present, they are all located in the bottom 1/3 of the tree and right in the front. :rotfl: Except for a few that DH lifted him up to hang higher up the tree. So we took a few pictures of it, and now tonight I'll put the breakables on it (higher up ) and put a few other decorations out.

We've started layering the boys in clothing now - long johns on DS2 and thin sleepers under clothing for DS3. It's been so cold, and DS2 doesn't comprehend "cold" and "hot" very well and doesn't express it - so we have to keep a close eye on it. And of course, DS3 is too young to care, so it's up to us to watch out for him as well.

DS2 opened his first box on his Advent box today to find a pair of Santa socks(well, okay just one, as that's all that would fit - but we snuck out the other one as he went to put the first one on :cool:). I'm not sure he quite "gets" the whole idea of the Advent calendar, but we'll keep going just in case it clicks in later. He doesn't like chocolate, so we've had to put other litttle things in it instead.

I have a huge number of appointments coming up, between DS2's appointments and me having 2 dentist appointments, plus a meeting at the school, my calendar is jammed full! And haircuts on Saturday as well. Busy busy busy.....

I'm a bit overloaded with stress though. I can tell I've had too much stress when I'm panicking over what to select when I'm out for coffee. So I need to sit down and figure out ways to cut the stress effectively. I've spoken to DH and made him aware of how I feel, so he can help out more. Family gathering for a birthday at ours over the weekend, but I made them promise only a couple hours maximum. I cannot deal with any more than that. It is at least nice that they asked to have gathering at ours, so that we can put DS3 down for his nap (as it will be at his naptime) and will be easier for DS2 as well. And DD is coming over early to help organise and clean a bit. So again, less stress for me. :cool:

Anyway, I'm gonig to touch up the Christmas tree ornaments and address a few envelopes for Christmas cards while I watch Corrie and I'm a Celeb.

maman

Lovely cheerful news about the Christmas preparations and DS2 getting involved but so sorry to hear you're stressed. Must say I'm not surprised with so much going on. Do try and take a little time out for yourself whenever you can, pleased to hear that OH and DD will be helping.

There are so many colds around at the moment. My DD1 had a chest infestion so badly that she had to take some time off work (very unusual for her). I,too, had a horrid cold last week (fortunately not something that happens often) and now I just have a head full of catarrh. I've been taking decongestants so hopefully that will clear it.

I eventually started some knitting tonight. Over the years, I've done lots of crafty stuff (dressmaking, embroidery, curtains etc) but had let it lapse. Last week I made a Victorian outfit that my DGD2 needed for a school event and I really enjoyed doing it. So I got some cheapie wool today (in a discount store) and I've started an aran cushion. It's a bit adventurous considering how long since I did anything like that but so far (about 5 rows in ) I'm enjoying it.

The snow has started here tonight (I think we must be the last place in the country). It's looking really pretty now, hope I'll feel the same in the morning.

Triggles

maman - oh the snow is so lovely to look at, but we've had the ice built up for days now and it's just treacherous! Had quite a few near misses on slipping. DS2 doesn't get the concept of "careful walking on ice" and has been skidding all over the place. I quite enjoy knitting but I don't know if I have the patience for it right now. I tried, but got frustrated.. may go back to it closer to Christmas. I hope you're feeling better soon. Most of my cold has gone, just have the tickly throat left over and coughing still.

I had a complete and utter fall-apart this morning and just cried for awhile on DH. With all the stuff I have going on lately (DS2's appointments, school meetings, paperwork for school/medical stuff for DS2, budget and finance stuff, 2 cracked teeth so have to get dental work done when I absolutely terrified of having dental work, DH still dealing with depression, DS3 starting to walk and really into everything, my own health problems, my extended family being idiots and creating all sorts of problems), then another problem crops up with another family member. :mad: They KNOW we're dealing with immense stress right now... they KNOW things are really really difficult for me right now.... and STILL it's stress, stress, stress.... Honestly, I just can't do it anymore. I'm going to sit down and figure out what areas are causing me the most stress that I can just cut out and do that. If I don't have some sort of break, I'll have some sort of breakdown.

maman

:grouphug: I'm sending you this triggles, 'cos it seems like you need it. I always think this smilie looks a bit like a hug but also a nice rub to keep you warm - and we all need that at the moment!!

I'm so sorry to hear about your Xtra problems. I think the money stress and dealing with DS2's issues are quite enough without more. I take it the issues with extended family are adults. There must be something about you where you appear very strong and so people assume you can lean on you and you can take it. That's a good thing in a way but you need some nurturing too (we all do).

It seems MIL is perceptive in that she realises you need a break from time to time. Is that because she knows OH is prone to depression or because she knows how much you carry or perhaps both?

What sort of break do you mean? Would that be a getaway break or just some of the problems taken away?

Wish I could be more practical help. Hope you feel better tomorrow.

Triggles

maman - Thank you. I think the break I need the most is just a break from so much stress! I want people (my family) to stop expecting me to have all the answers. I have so much that I'm responsible for, and it can be so overwhelming sometimes. I'm trying to be upfront and tell DH how stressed I really am NOW, so that he knows. I'm well aware that I tend to fight through the stress and not say anything until I'm literally at the breaking point. Unfortunately, that's the way I am - although I'm trying to be more clear about it to DH, but I suppose I've done that again, haven't I?

Yes, the current issue is with an adult family member. It's not MIL, but she is aware of the situation. We're going to see her today (haircut day for me and the boys and MIL is going along) and DH is planning on discussing the situation with her. She is actually very perceptive, although she wasn't initially aware that DH was dealing with depression. I think in that respect she knew something was not right, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. But she absolutely knows what we're dealing with right now, and she knows we're reaching the limit. We don't like bringing her into this, however, we simply aren't capable of dealing with everything right now. We need to either sort it now, or cut ourselves off literally from that family member, as we cannot deal with any further stresses. It's just too much.

Argh. I have a huge stack of paperwork that I haven't been able to get to work on for days!! DH has been sleeping extra because appointments and such have been interfering with his regular sleep during the work week. I have a SAR to go through and letter to write. Plus a couple other things. I've been paying regularly on my overdraft - and bank was being nicely helpful. Suddenly this month, they've closed the account and refused to accept the payment. No warning at all that they were closing it, although they were acting rather dodgy by taking payment from me, and sending collection letters to DH (joint account). I'm rather annoyed. I thought they had to tell you if they were going to close the account. So another letter I need to write. :mad:

I'm trying to figure out how come I'm doing stuff every day, but still have tons of laundry piled up, cleaning in the kitchen and living room (along with everywhere else in the house), and paperwork to do.

Anyway, today I need to:
- go to MIL's
- get haircuts for boys and myself
- go to Asda and pick up a couple items
- laundry (at least 2 loads)
- clean kitchen
- clean living room
- hoover
- dust
- finish putting up christmas decorations
- drink about 90 cups of coffee (5 am seems to come earlier each day, doesn't it?)
- work on paperwork
- update budget spreadsheet

I forgot to take out the gammon for tomorrow. :mad: So now I will have to figure out something else for tea tomorrow as it will never thaw in time. Argh. Another casualty of stress - I tend to get forgetful when stressed. It's like my brain is so full that things start falling out. LOL Lovely visual, I'm sure. :rotfl: