It's STILL tough and not getting better - so how are we coping?

jackieglasgow

Mardatha you are so funny. I might steal that for my signature now. In fact, I could have a different siggy every day of the week if I stole one of you witicisms or words of wisdom every day!:D

I am having a good day, depite a terrible headache. I fixed my Tumble Dryer all by myself, and saved £80 repair bill! Yay for the internet and helpful souls dishing out free advice.

Lindy_-_Loo

Anyone had any A level news? I got mine in 1995 and we were lucky that university places where widely available - I didnt get my predicted grades but still got my conditional place. My boys are only 3 and 5 but I dread to think what the state of emplyment and higher education will be when they hit 18.

Gailey - how your hubby interview go?

boys are tired today, the six weks off school is catching up with them, been to the park for an hour and now Ds2 is asleep. it would be peaceful if DS1 wasnt rabbiting on about his ds game! He seems so tird that he doesnt want to help OH paint the hall - weve had the paint for four years and he has finally got round to doing it!

katiegizmo

Phew, I finally finished catching up with everything!!!
I haven't been on for ages, we were away this past weekend and before that the whole drama of July hit me and I became a mess once things had turned out ok if that makes any sense. I was strong when I had to be through OH's joblessness as soon as he'd had his first day and was ok I turned into a wreck thinking of what might have been etc - all the stuff I wouldn't let myself think about when it could have been a reality!
Hugs and good luck to everyone who needs it!!!! I find i tear up so much at this thread reading about everyone's struggles but it's inspiring to see all the strength too, I don't know how I'd cope with some things people go through. If I was rich (or had a magic wand) there's so much I'd love to put right.

Our mini holiday just now was a friends wedding which I'd been so worried about even before the job loss as I knew it would cost a fortune. OH was an usher so we couldn't not go. He ended up at the stag but i didnt go to the hen (i costed it at over £500!!!!! and thats if I managed to stick to my own food/drinks) and spent less than I'd budgeted him, and the wedding trip came in under budget largely due to the free bar and us sleeping through breakfast everyday! actually came in nearly £200 quid under budget so we used £30 of it to treat ourselves to a meal in the hotel restaurant just the 2 of us which was so nice, we had a lovely time and hadn't celebrated his new job before that.

Now I am away again for 8 days from this weekend with work, on another continent no less so I have batched up some meals for him and written him a meal plan I'm really hoping he'll stick to. I've arranged for him to get sunday dinner at my mums so that's covered another meal. my worry is his packed lunches for work. I can't see him bothering to make his lunch the night before although he may surprise me. As he's in a new job he's refusing to take anything he needs to heat as its not 'the done thing' - I need to get him over this pretty quickly! so I'm wondering if I should make him up some rolls now and bung them in the freezer then all he has to do is transfer them to the fridge the night before.... hmmm I see a Friday night of lunch making in store for me!!!!

I've started the grocery challenge (so far only in my head and on my food spreadsheet) as somewhere in the last year I'd got lazy and wasn't keeping track of what we spent. I'm doing a trial month so i can see where to base myself from and so far, running to the 25th Aug the months shop is just shy of £180 for 2 adults including toiletries. I dont think this is tooooo bad as I've been trying to stockpile a bit with the flour, pasta etc and we have so much food left I am wondering if we can do Sept on a mini budget as we wont need a big shop. Then i can stockpile more, woo hoo!

we tried to buy big salt the other day they were out of stock. I'm hoping that was a blip day and not that things are woefully unready again.

katiegizmo

oh and good luck to the A-levellers!!!! I got mine in 97 and remember knowing so much choice. Feel sorry for those now who don't have the choices I had.

- this reminds me I think I have a cousin getting results today, better phone the family grapevine!

gailey_2

Lindy_-_Loo wrote: »

Anyone had any A level news? I got mine in 1995 and we were lucky that university places where widely available - I didnt get my predicted grades but still got my conditional place. My boys are only 3 and 5 but I dread to think what the state of emplyment and higher education will be when they hit 18.

Gailey - how your hubby interview go?

boys are tired today, the six weks off school is catching up with them, been to the park for an hour and now Ds2 is asleep. it would be peaceful if DS1 wasnt rabbiting on about his ds game! He seems so tird that he doesnt want to help OH paint the hall - weve had the paint for four years and he has finally got round to doing it!

Hi guys

Hubbys on his way to interveiw and its at 3pm so fingers crossed feel so nevervous for him would really change our lives.
7candidates will find out next week when all intervewied although im assuming this is 2nd stage and there be stage after as hes alreday done numeracy test.

Helped him with presentation , pursauded him to take laptop to do powerpoint and he looked supersmart so hopefully he ace it, tink confidence knowcked since last one hes lucky he still has job just pays so dismall.

My 2girls restless today looks like rain, 4year olds bored and missing daddy, might make a cake this afternoon as well as housework.

Stupid I know but superchuffed with kids lunch today.
Was looking for kids healthy snacks in baby ailse at morrisions other day when saw annabel karmel organic pouch sauces 99p each or 3 for 2quid thoutrght could be handy standby.

Anyway got my cheapy farmfood broccoli and cauli florets in pan for 15mins until soft only used small amount.

then drained and placed in small pie dishes from ikea brought as thourght perfct kids size to do shepards/fish pie.

Added half pouch to each and stired florets in

lots of grated chese
dried parsly
in oven at 200degrees 15mins.

The sauce I used was cheese sauce with carrot and butternut squash.

alltogether took 30mins
least 3 of 5 a day
cost less than a quid per portion as half pouch 50p, only small amount of frozen veg which cost quid, small amount grated chese and value herbs.

I tried some was yum and kids ate it all up, eldest 4year old can be so picky somedays and get stuck cooking for kids..

I dont envy kids these days.
Of course I want my kids to be happy
but want them to have ajob or chosen career.
without mass debt or not affording to follow their dreams.

I have serious think about possibly steering my 2 into chosing traditional subjects in secondary as think that give them better chance of jobs or good uni place.

Thing is its a gamble they finsih now cant get a job or risk a degree as keeps them busy and off dole for few years and hope theres more jobs when they graduate.

For the 200,000 who cant get places despite working hard unsure what they should do as so few good jobs out there.
The private/state divide is massive.

kezlou

taplady wrote: »

Kezlou - thanks re the dentist. It went extremely well, didn't hurt and he didn't charge so a good result for me:T:j

aw brilliant, i hate going to the dentist, vets, mechanics well anywhere like that lol, always feel like i'm going to faint when i see the bill lol

katie what a fantastic time you and your OH had, its great to have a night or more away from home. Have good trip with work!

Well i started the canneloni and guess what the lasagne sheets died and i found another bag of spinach in the freezer:D. So need to buy anything whoo hoo Anyways so i've decided to make pancakes, place the spinach mix on them and roll them up like canneloni. God knows if it will work but its a try. Can just imagine the terrified look of horror when it tastes rank.

OH didn't get paid last week, so finished crossed tomorrow he will come home with two cheques and i'll pay the council tax early, well i can dream.

parsonswife8

kezlou wrote: »

aw brilliant, i hate going to the dentist, vets, mechanics well anywhere like that lol, always feel like i'm going to faint when i see the bill lol

katie what a fantastic time you and your OH had, its great to have a night or more away from home. Have good trip with work!

Well i started the canneloni and guess what the lasagne sheets died and i found another bag of spinach in the freezer:D. So need to buy anything whoo hoo Anyways so i've decided to make pancakes, place the spinach mix on them and roll them up like canneloni. God knows if it will work but its a try. Can just imagine the terrified look of horror when it tastes rank.

OH didn't get paid last week, so finished crossed tomorrow he will come home with two cheques and i'll pay the council tax early, well i can dream.

Pancakes like that work fine. Bung some white sauce and grated cheese over them and cook in the oven for about 10 mintues.:rotfl:

charlies-aunt

Thank you so much for all your kind messages, you are lovely people!

Just got back from college - I'm really proud that all her hard work has been rewarded - DD achieved A's in Chemistry, Biology, Psychology & General Studies and a B in Physics !!!

Can't stop grinning This is one of the best days of my life

Good luck and very best wishes to everyone getting their results today!

Both DD and I got filmed and interviewed so we both might be on the telly tonight on LOOK NORTH !!

Lindy_-_Loo

charlies-aunt wrote: »

Thank you so much for all your kind messages, you are lovely people!

Just got back from college - I'm really proud that all her hard work has been rewarded - DD achieved A's in Chemistry, Biology, Psychology & General Studies and a B in Physics !!!

Can't stop grinning This is one of the best days of my life

Good luck and very best wishes to everyone getting their results today!

Both DD and I got filmed and interviewed so we both might be on the telly tonight on LOOK NORTH !!

They are amazing results - what time are you on TV? think we get look north on our ITV1.

Your daughter has done herself proud xx

EstherH

That's brilliant news, charlies-aunt. Congratulations to your daughter, and to you for all the love and support and hard work you have put in getting her to this point.