Into day 1, 41 days to go

pigpen

My post count is higher... but I am on a tea break from painting the girls room.

I had the good sense to book them into summer camp with church next week... and the boys are camping with their dad until Wednesday.. I only have 5 here..

We are planning a day at Sundown... but that depends on who I can get to help because I can't walk more than a few metres! We have the baby's birthday next week and I have spent this week and the next 2 weeks decorating.. Plus of course I have loads of cleaning to do.

We may get a couple of days at the seaside.. doughnuts and ice cream frenzy! But any day out won't be for 2-3 weeks yet.

I have 1 who is very tired and has been told off once today.. and another who was told off for not putting a game away then being lippy when she was told to do it.. We had DD2's birthday party yesterday and a couple of her friends stayed over..

The 3 pinks are watching Return to Oz while I put dinner on and slop paint about

I don't mind having them home so long as they aren't whining... I LOATHE whining..

OH had 'time out' at B&Q

Childrens 'time out' does NOT take place in a toy filled bedroom..they sit on a kitchen chair and do NOT move or speak for 5 WHOLE minutes!

jasmin10

I have printed off a calender for DD one for each week, with various things to do. Each day for half an hour we have reading and then writing the next and keep rotating them. In the mix of the week we do the park, visit friends, visit some local horses, craft day, jigsaw and games afternoon blah blah. Each morning she will get a smiley sticker if she was good the day before and went straight to sleep with out any messing around. Then if she gets at least 3 she will get a day trip out on the Friday (farm park, adventure theme park, swimming day at the seaside etc). so far since Friday we have all smiley stickers and she loves writing things to so on her calender and very proud when putting her stickers on it. so far so good. I havent got to keep thinking of things to do all the while as she has already got various things spread through the weeks.

We too are ver limited on cash, only had £30 for the last two weeks, Roll On hubby's payday on Thursday. Things are difficult money wise and it is so expensive to trips out all the time, however this way DD appreciates it more I think. Not only that but at the mo I cant do much running around after her as I'm pg, another reason for things being tight as we have things to get for the baby such as the cot and pram (not cheap) and we also need to get a second car for when hubbys shifts change in Sep/Oct as I wont be able to walk to school as I will be quite heavily pg by then We do have a car for me to use at the mo (hubbys cycles to work) but try to do most things in the week either in the house, garden or locally except for the Friday treat.

If anyone was interest the calender is on the netmums website and is free to download to anyone without registering.

hth

Sam

Sweet_Pea_2

Well mine are now at secondary school, not littlies any more. We've already had some door slamming and shoe throwing and lots of shouting (and that was just me! lol) have confiscated DD2's laptop and ipod and threatened them with removal of bedroom doors from hinges if anything else gets slammed.
Good going for first day of hols.

It just makes me laugh, I am term time at work, I don't work in a school so any not term time colleagues (the majority of them) are still working, and they were drooling on Friday with envy over my 7 weeks off. (I did have to remind them that I don't get paid in the holidays) if they could have the day I've had today they would no longer be drooling. I am beginning to agree with my OH that now DD's are older I could stop being term time.

On a slightly different note, once I had persuaded DD's to stop throwing things and get dressed we went to the school uniform shop which is half an hours drive away, only to be told that they had none of the uniform I needed in stock and I've had to order it all and will have to make another trip to collect it. Arrggghhh!

barbiedoll

My DS is 13 and is just at that age where hanging out with mum is deeply uncool.

We've done all of the museums, art galleries (had a wonderful day at the Tate Modern last year, giggling at all the modern "art"!) and I've been dragged round the Imperial War Museum more times that I care to remember, what is it with boys and guns? We haven't got much money to spare and all I'm getting now is "Can I have some money to go out?", which means a fiver spent on fizzy drinks and junk takeaway food every day :mad:

When he was small, we used to spend a lot of time at the local parks, we've been "lost" in the local woods and had a big adventure trying to find our way out, and we've played all day on the escalators at Bluewater. I really miss those days, even though they were very draining at the time. Now I'm working full-time, I still don't have any money (even though I can now drive the car), and I hardly see him during the holidays. I don't think he'll settle for a bag of crisps and a play on the swings any more, sadly!

Bloomin_Freezing2

Glad to hear it's not just me then sweet pea!

Spendless

I read something recently that says if you look forward to time spent with your kids then you possibly don't think you see enough of them if you dread it you possibly see too much. Found it very apt for me! My DH works very long hours and is often away o/night eg he went to work before 7am last Monday and came home 8pm on Wednesday. I have limited family help, my kids have never both spent a night sleeping at grannys house and I used to dread school hols, Hubby never used to take summer schools off so it was down to me. I told him last year that I did expect him to take time off, then not long afterwards found a p-time job, and I have to say I am far more relaxed with these hols, which have a mixture of them in childcare, at summer school and me and hubby off then I ever was being sole entertainer and childcare provider 24/7.

IMO there's also a world of difference if you have 1 kid or more than 1, if you have a child not old enough to play out, or too young for you to be able to go out even to get a loaf of bread without taking them with you and if you have family support or not.

How old are your children bloominfreezin?

Poly,put_the_kettle_on

Just remember, there's always someone worse off than you. Ours have an 8 week holiday this year...oh joy, the squabbling!

shirlgirl2004

Poly,put_the_kettle_on wrote: »

Just remember, there's always someone worse off than you. Ours have an 8 week holiday this year...oh joy, the squabbling!

And some don't go to school at all so we have them 52 weeks of the year. Actually I'm not moaning I love having them at home.

louise3965

Oh god, I need a drink and its only day 1. I work from home, so the holidays are an absolute nightmare - my youngest (11) has absolutely no idea how to entertain herself and my nerves are shredded. And its raining.

make_me_wise

Now I understand why some of the mums were in tears on the last day of term. They weren't sad their kid was leaving my class, they were dreading the next 6 weeks :cool: