A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

TudorRose

Snow here in my part of Cheshire today.

Mr T has got Mary Berry Christmas cake mixes reduced to £3.00 today so bought one to make next week. Bought one a couple of weeks ago when they were reduced to £5.00 from £10.00 & it makes a lovely cake.

[Deleted User]

My elder daughter who teaches was given the best present from a year 7 pupil - it was a jar of wild crab apple jelly made by him and it doesnt get much better than that does it ?

mardatha

GQ, the only thing I know is that this summer was DIRE. A very cold dry spring and a sunless summer. Nothing ripened and they were cutting silage very late, and harvesting as well. They said it was down to the Icelandic volcano, that this would happen, and it did.

greenbee

Hay was late too (about a month, like silage), and harvest was a mess. But I doubt the oats come from the UK... Although they may be processed here. Plenty of harvests elsewhere have been affected too.

jpscloud

katieowl wrote: »

Blimey is that your garden?! We've not a whiff of snow here....cold, windy and grim, but that's all!

Kate

Yes in Cheshire! Not often we get snow when others don't.

Byatt

I popped into Mr T's and saw a Christmas cake I'd bought in November was now half price. I could have cried, but then remembered I still had my receipt (normally shredded) from over a month ago, so I took it back and got my money back. Didn't buy another one as I have one of the Mary Berry mixes (reduced). I'm not going to shop early any more. It's just so annoying to see reductions after buying something. I normally buy reduced items, but the cake was going to go to friend in the US, but it's weight meant postage would have been more than the cake. Got some Finest seafood sauce for 34 pence reduced from over a pound. Dates were a bit dodgy, some for Sept 11, but a few with May 2012, which another lady was chuffed about when I found one for her, (2012).

Sold another item on ebay.

Put my tree up last night. Even though it's just me and the pooch...I feel more festive than I have in years (my husband left us at Christmas). My dd has gone to her dad's for the first time, so hope she's happy there. She calls me several times a day, and says she's ok. First time with her dad in 7 years. I am hopefully "working" over Christmas as I am a cat sitter, it really depends on the weather.

No snow; just very cold and wet.

xxxx

Hobsons_Choice

We were promised snow overnight in Worcestershire. Bum...it rained, and now it's raining again. My wellies will be welded to my feet if this carries on.
Doc's this morning. I've had a water infection for about four weeks but thought I could get rid of it with bicarb, cranberry juice and oceans of water. Nope. Keep having to get up in the early hours of the morn and then it really stings. Doc went to test sample, saying it takes about two minutes for the strip to go pink.
Mine went instantly pink and I'm now on the anti-bios. Got roundly lectured about the dangers of nephritis (rightly so). So never ignore a UTI and think you can "do it yourself" - oh - and no ibuprophen, it's excreted through the kidneys. I AM allowed the odd glass a red wine over the festering period though. Oh goody!
Nearly all Christmas gifts bought or made and wrapped nicely (kinda)
I bought one of my friends an M&S nightie, and now they've reduced all the nightwear by 25% :mad:. Still, I can't possibly find and unwrap it to take it back and buy again, so I'll have to lump it. I shall think twice about shopping early next year...and probably get caught out again when they're out of stock!
Time for a cuppa laced with an anti biotic I think.
*sings softly* "Tinkle Tinkle Little Star......"

gailey_2

Well this is going to sound bad.

Im currently sat drinking coffee whilst my 5year old and 2year old having fun with spary scrubbing the glitter off the chairs and tables . I am in my defence feeding the baby thats the thing about breastfeeding forces you to have a rest.

After hes fed will start hoovering.
got stuff in drier
stuff in wash
dishes soaking in sink
oven preheated to bung tea in.

gave the girls a rather unhealthy snack of reduced scotch pancakes and icecream choc sauce on top!
ontop of cakes and gingerbread they just snacked on.

Hubbys home at 5 to take eldest to cheerleading class.
then they getting the tree!
so have knowing previous years form of him difering over a tree and on huge xmas tree farm that he wont be home until at least 7pm!

I have until then to get downstairs spotless
catch up on washing
get eldests/hubbys tea ready.
get baby to bed maybe toddler will see how we goes.
clean kitchen]
clean lounge.

will feel more xmasy if tree up.

Good news is

dident rain on school run
dident have to pick up freinds daughter
all the mums were impressed by xmas gingerbread biscuits and cakes most of eldests class had some.

Now this may have been best fake im happy ever but eldests teacher seemed greatful for jamie olivers choc recipie and gingerbread biscuits.
Spoke to 1mum she gave teacher £20 vouchers!
Another dad said its mad they get 13weeks hols a year is that not present enough never mind being lucky enough to spend time with our little darlings and be adored.
I was not the only one who dident give to the extragent lazy mums collection few disagreed!

Infact one mate dident get to sign card but gave how will teacher know she even gave?
Another last year was annoyed that small group of mums decided to present gifts when she wasent there! Needless to say she dident give again.

Playground politics is lethal. Pleased to say apart from pta associates i have small close knit genuine freinds.

The 2 who I made goody bags for were so superpleased made my day!
With 3kids including toddler and baby my time is precious and worth more than money think im worth least £10 an hour!:rotfl:

I know I must sound at times like incredibly busy phycho mum but

my husband works long hours so 98%cooking is me
least 80%childcare is me
I have to sort all the bills
we share the foodshop I tend to do topups
we do big shops together led my me!
I have to buy the pressies and wrap them!
Do anything school related.
most of homework.

We have no family nearby apart from mil whos not very helpful.
infacty she takes up some of hubbys time simnce his dad died he takes her to appointments, does weekly shop, odd jobs round house ect.
He also has to fit in his 13year old son from previous relationship least twice a month and works 50+hours a week commuting 45mins each way!

My family all least hour away in wales and rarly come over!
so its mainly few local freinds who pitch in occasionally otherwise im quite independant. For my own sanity and her development my 2year old daughter does full day nursery once a week which allows me to do errands, get shopping done do housework.

Thing is I love doing things for people
I love cooking and sewing
but with 3kids and housework fitting in my hoibbies is hard.

Thats why baked like mad person this morning
it meant something to me
a token gift in true spirit of xmas.
felt good to do it enjoyed it even if was stressful.

Realised that not bothered about others.There will always be more with others and lots with less.
think we bringing kids up with right values.
Eventually we be better off and until then we get by and have few laughs along the way.

Feel really proud tonight of how we cope not been easy last 6months but we stay positive.

Feel like we not only getting financial value with our expenditure but getting value out of life! Its my baby boys first xmas and me and hubby recently celebrated 7year wedding anniversary we all happy and healthy!

Got big plans for 2012.Like to be busy.

doing dad hamper and old lady6 round corner sells hm jams so cheating and buying a few of those! will make chutney and cherry brandy myself.
will do hm mince pies
buy blackberries for liqueer
make rivercottage festive bread
jaimies chocs
buy a tin biscuit, cheap bottle of wine
xmas pud
few tins


hopefully he be pleased and next year will get round to elder brew i promised him.

new years resolution

make some more time for me
be better organised
get better at baking
beat the price rises!
spend quality family time.

some same as last year!

prepareathome

Gaily, don't ever feel you have to justify yourself, you are a mum and that is enough explanation for anyone, bringing up kids is hard as is running a home, do you realise the wealthy used to have an army of staff to do what you are doing. You are a great mum and wife just remember that and never let anyone make you think you are not.

You will always get those mums in the playground that try to make others feel useless, I assure you those are the ones whose homes are a tip, buy ready meals or takeaways, or even rely on charity - I used to help make and deliver meals on wheels as a volunteer. We would spend the morning cooking then the afternoon delivering the meals and they didn't just go to the elderly. We had quite a few families on our books who lived in big massive houses, always dressed up to the nines and had fancy cars, but it was all show, they were up to their eyes in debt and the meal we took to them was the only decent meal they had, as they had no money for food as it all went on show. The public rooms of their house might be tidy but kitchen ( unless they used that for friends coming round ) and rest of house would be cold and filthy. It used to make me so angry as these same woman I met in the playground and they would spend their time putting others down, commenting on their clothes, car, make up etc., Oh how I wanted to say something but I couldn't. I remember the embarrassed once when one of them commented on my hair one day and went on about how much she spends on the hairdresser, then the next day i was at hers dropping off the meal and I made a comment to my helper as to how I would always prefer to feed my children rather than spend it at the hairdresser ( I did it as if I didn't recognise her and was just making a comment) that made this woman actually look at me, she usually treated us like dirt, and did she go red, she never made any comments to anyone after that. These families were ones whose income had gone down, very often the husbands business had gone, but they refused to let anyone know so used the money they had to keep up the car and clothes rather than heat and food. Mind you they were good at finding out what help they could get like the meals on wheels service from us ( we were a private organisation not social services).

So you just remember and hold you head up, you are a brilliant mum, so what if the kids are spreading glitter everyone, they are happy, well fed and loved children and you accept it will need cleaned up. Am so glad the baking was something for you, if you are happy the kids are.

gailey_2

Thank you prepared at home your posts so sweet! Eveyones so supportive.
so glad to have the original tougher thread back useful tips and recipies combined with chat.
Lots of you make me chuckle greyqueen really should have her own newspaper columm!

Right expert mummies hoovered twice still cant get rid of the glitter.
everywhere I look sparkles.

hubby came home seemed stressed then when straight back out so have next hour to get kitchen,stairs clean. baby boy wants feeding again think hes tired so going to try get him in his cot.
toddlers happy watching disney channel the power nap she had earlier done her good!