"Simply not solvent!

Verbatim

Wow a desk and reclaiming. long may it continue. Well done for keeping such good humour despite your setbacks.

Seaxwyn

I don't want anyone to get the impression I'll be moving into the shed any time soon. I hadn't even noticed the new desk myself, but my DDs assure me that somewhere under the piles of junk, there is now a desk.

OH bought DD2 some school shoes today. Pity he didn't take DD1 with him as well, or remember that DD2 also needs trainers (she is probably the only child in the developed world that actually has no footwear at all that fits her).

I've worked so hard today I feel justified in charging for one and half day's work already and there's still hours to go before bedtime.

However this has been achieved by parking my DS at my mother's and banishing my DDs from my sight. I feel really bad about this. The whole point of being self-employed is to be around for my kids yet they have seen less of me this summer than they would if I had a full-time job.

I'm pleased about the Short Story Writers Club that EmptyPockets has started, as writing is something I enjoy and even feel quite confident about. But I was amazed when I followed a link someone posted to a website with regular competitions and found it is run by my aunt! Would she let me win? I doubt it.

Right back to work... and to blocking out the sound of OH failing to put the kids to bed.

Seaxwyn

I had a bizarre visitor just now.

I answered a loud knock on the door - thought it must be the police - it was a young Slovenian student attempting to sell 'Study Guides' door to door.

I told him I wouldn't buy any but humoured him enough to look at the books he was touting. They were well used 80s encyclopaedias of the type made utterly obsolete by the internet.

He was recording his visits in a notebook and he'd filled pages and pages with details of people's names, professions, numbers of children and the schools they attended. I didn't ask if he'd sold any books.

hypno06

Morning! We had an American student last week selling study guides but she was at least selling the 2007 version! However, at £360 there was nothing there that the kids can't get off the internet, so we passed it by.

I hope you have a good day today. Lots of work planned?

Seaxwyn

Hi Hypno! Yes lots of work - and I have to get my head round some new software, which I'm not looking forward to.

All the kids are here, however, after DS having been banished most of this week, so I will definitely take some time out to do things with them. Maybe a walk up to the common to see if the blackberries have survived the recent storms.

Have fun at the NT property - I love NT days out.

hypno06

A walk would be good for you too - get you away from the work for a little while. I hope that the new software is not too taxing - you have enough on your plate without that!

I have decided in my quest to become organised (ha ha) that I am going to buy a new diary. If I get an academic one, it will start from now, and it will be run alongside the business and "home" diary because if I get one with appointments in, I can plan my day/week properly, get more structure to it, and hopefully stick to it in the same way as I would if it was a client booked in.

So for example, the children leave for school and DH for work at 7.30, but the student won't leave for school until 8.15 so I will do something like:

7.30-8 tidy kitchen and pick up after everyone has gone to school.
8.15-8.45 do clicks and surveys online
9-10 do housework/flylady
etc etc with clients obviously added in, but in the gaps where I would normally while away the hours on here, I can put in specific things to be done re admin/tax/go for a walk/do the ironing etc

It might all be a bit too much, but I feel a real timetable may be the only way forward. I can't really start it proper until September when the kids go back to school, but as this coincides with my one day job then I hope it will work ok. Will give it a go and see how we get on!!

First on the list - get a diary :rotfl:

Seaxwyn

Brilliant idea about the diary. I hope it works for you.

I bought one this year with the days divided into hours, planning to use it to keep a record of hours worked, but never used it. But I do need to get a grip so might copy your idea there and try a bit harder to make it work. I often plan to start the day with an admin hour, but it soon turns into an MSE hour.

Sea78

Hey Seax - glad you had a productive day yesterday and hope that you have a nice time with the kids today

sea xx

Seaxwyn

It's been an interesting MSE day so far...

My mum popped round and gave me some homemade jam and ginger beer... and £20 petrol money as I'm giving her a lift to Oxford tomorrow. I was going anyway so that's a bonus.

OH took the children to get their hair cut and the hairdresser gave him £10 as we'd apparently overpaid last time we went in (checks spending diary) March.

OH's account credited with £28 as we returned some unused coving from recent decoration work.

Postie bought me a competition prize - commemorative pack of stamps worth £3.40 :beer: (Why am I always the runner-up?)

I decided to give southernscouser's 'risk-free £100' thing a whirl. We all trust SS not to lure DFWs into scams, don't we?

And OH has got a little bit of work for next week - not big but it's perked him up no end and maybe I'll get a TINY bit of the money I paid the decorator back.

But less good news is that I received a letter from the Inland Revenue with veiled threats about self-employed people understating their business turnover. I hope this is just a standard letter and I know I'm innocent. But I'd hate to be investigated and have to show them my amateurish accounts system.

I feel good today as the two magazines I edit are both safely with the designer and proofs are rolling in. They don't usually coincide and it's been a really busy and stressful week. Also I went for a run last night and did brilliantly :T and tomorrow I'm going to visit my sister for another chilled out weekend :j

Happy Friday everyone

se999

Seaxwyn wrote: »

I decided to give southernscouser's 'risk-free £100' thing a whirl. We all trust SS not to lure DFWs into scams, don't we?

I've managed to miss this one, I can't be spending enough time on MSE

Any more info would be appreciated.

Well done on getting the magazines finished.