Frump to Fab - Summer Solstice Sizzler

AlwaysHappy

!!!!!! - can totally understand how you feel!! My son has aspergers and learning difficulties and a few years ago got invited to a party by a child at school - he was soooooo excited - I responded straight away to the Mum (it had been a proper written invitation) and she came upto me in class and said - there must be some mistake, I would never have invited "that boy" to the party - he can't come. My son didn't understand and I cried myself silly all the way to work - and more. I still get mad when I think of it after all this time - 7 years, and we have had other incidents. It does make you wish others could walk in your shoes for a while so that they had some level of understanding, but of course that doesn't happen so we struggle on. Sounds like you are doing a great job, don't let them get you down and just be the best Mum you can to your son. Mine is an only child too and I worry about his socialisation skills, but tbh he now goes to a youth club run by the nas and another special needs group, both of which he enjoys, but neither have helped his interaction You can lead a horse to water...........

adelight

podperson just because unemployment is high it doesn't mean your work can treat you like carp! Moan all you want, it's disgusting that some companies are treating staff so badly.
This very topic was being discussed at my work today when some data/admin staff had a meeting about a pay rise. Some other staff said they should be grateful they have a job at all and don't need a pay rise, but the pay hasn't gone up in five years and doesn't include a "London allowance" despite the office being in a pricey London area.

I haven't really caught up but just wanted to post to get myself in line iykwim. I've been saying for ages that I needed to buy some clothes and I finally did on tuesday, now must actually wear them. I didn't get the guts to go to the hairdresser over Easter so I sorted my roots myself today and did a hair mask.
I'm trying to make more of an effort with my teeth too. I know it's bad but this year I've only bothered to floss once a week and gone to bed without brushing them on several occasions

Callisto

I was just about to post a well considered and witty response (ha!) to everything that has been going on over the last couple of days, but have managed to lose it all, grrr! So, very briefly as I need to go to bed early...

Hi Lilmisskitkat and hugs to !!!!!!

Living room sounds wonderful WW

Gran got through her operation ok (saw her yesterday and going again tomorrow afternoon) and Grandad is managing with visits from the district nurse and family members.

Totally agree about the jobs market being terrible. I had an email back regarding a receptionist role at a doctors surgery recently saying they had over 200 applications, so wouldn't be inviting me for interview. However I do have two other interviews lined up for next week, would be fab to be offered one to kickstart the travel fund.

Tomorrow night I am going to see a band - Angels & Airwaves, playing in Birmingham, I am starting to get really excited now!

I will catch up and respond more thoroughly over the weekend, have a lovely Friday everyone

maman

:hello: Just checking back in after my Easter break. I was only thinking how much I've come on since joining this thread. I think it was ww said she feels she's cracked smart casual, well I'm feeling the same plus getting good at make up. It's great for confidence as before I was feeling like an invisible bag lady.

Off to bed now, catch up tomorrow.

lizzie157

hi all,
had a good day out in york yesterday- kids really enjoyed it. There were lots of things we wanted to do but lack of funds meant that we couldn't . We will go again though ( more than once probably) and hopefully go on some of the things we wanted to when I've saved a bit up for days out. Unfortunately everything seems so expensive these days could easily have spend upwards of £100 :eek: if I wasn't skint. We're planning to go somewhere else next school hols -have asked them to think if there's any where they want to go thats not too expensive. Thing is I'm happy just to wander about and see whats on offer in a place but kids like to have at least one thing to look forward to that they think they'l enjoy.

Have heard from ' the friend' asking if everythings ok (better late than never I suppose), haven't got back to her yet. Not sure what to say really but have decided it's gonna be on my terms ( sound selfish - I know) but right now am just not up to listening to how tough it is for them on their 40% tax bracket income. I don't begrudge it at all - her DH earns it but to keep going on about how hard up they are knowing how we live just gets to me. :mad:

!!!!!!- hugs to you - aren't some people horrid.
Sorry not got time to go through everyone but hope you're all ok.
Am off to physio now and can no longer put off the phone call to DWP ( 3 weeks since I posted last form). Wish me luchk -just hope they've not lost it again:eek:.
See you later.

WelshWoofer

maman wrote: »

:hello: Just checking back in after my Easter break. I was only thinking how much I've come on since joining this thread. I think it was ww said she feels she's cracked smart casual, well I'm feeling the same plus getting good at make up. It's great for confidence as before I was feeling like an invisible bag lady.

Off to bed now, catch up tomorrow.

I know exactly what you mean about confidence Maman. Before joining you lovely ladies here I felt that althouugh my work life was going well not much else was very positive. My attitude has completely changed, I make more effort with my appearance have joined a few groups (and actually gone to things!) and get out and about more. There's still plenty of work to do - losing a bit of weight, sorting out a few financial things, maybe being brave and going on holiday - but I feel like I'm making real progress after the divorce. Looking back, I know I lost myself long before I separated from the exOH - in fact the best thing that I've done for me for ages is get divorced, as odd as that sounds!

Lizzie - good to hear that you has a nice day and the kids enjoyed it:T

Mum has now gone home - sounds awful but I'm glad to have my house back. I need to do some proper cleaning to make the bomb site presentable again and then do some more school work.

I was dreading the scales this morning (normally a Saturday but I wanted to get back on track ASAP after the visitors) and thankfully I have managed to stay the same this week - not sure how as I have had plenty of naughties butI suppose it could have been a lot worse foodwise. No excuses now though, plenty of exercise and good food and the remaining 9lbs will be gone! (hopefully:o).

I also need to economise a bit this month after the financial drain of the past week or so. The first new car payment has gone out today and its double what the usual amount will be as its the first one - I really don't want to use savings for this so I need to find an extra £100 or so from the budget to cover this. The carpet, soft furnishings and furniture is paid for from savings and the sofas don't need to be paid for until the New Year but the decorator also needs paying for again from savings specially put aside for the revamp.
I need to look at my outgoings for this month and see where I can squeeze some extra cash from just to make things a bit more comfortable for the next few weeks and not be overdrawn in the current account.
Some careful shopping and planning and budgeting are called for!


I've just looked at what I've signed up for or arranged socially in the next few weeks of this pay month and its....

• 2 pub evenings with the Spice group (I drive and only have 1 or 2 soft drinks so only about a fiver for each)
• An organised dog walk (free)
• Book club (got the book from the library) £10 ish for a pizza
• Curry night (already paid for)
• Sunday lunch (special offer £10)
• Local theatre trip (£11 ticket)

So that's a total of around £50 for socialising - not as bad as I thought.

Right that's enough woffling - sorry for thinking "out loud".:o

evilsquid1603

this thread is def having an effect on my confidence, id been plodding along at cadets and my self confidence got so low i was even getting nervous and worrying about putting the cadets out of their way by asking for them to do what they should be doing in the first place and saying yes when they offered me a brew. last night i dragged my Cadet Flight Sergeant in and told her to go sort our flight room out because it was a tip and full of rubbish and told my Corporal to make a list of stuff I've been asking for for ages.

I'm supposed to be going for officer and i won't get it if I'm acting like this so figure if i force myself to act like an officer then eventually my brain will catch up and realise i was like this once and i will be again. when i look back on how i was when i ran my squadron as a cadet, I'm completely different. i was forever walking round pointing out that there was dirt on the floor, the rooms were a mess and they'd not done their uniform right.

LameWolf

Lizzie before I ever send anything to DWP or any other Gov't agency, I always scan it and keep a copy on the computer; then when they lose it, it's easy to just print out another and send it with a covering note - "here's a copy of what I sent you on X date, for your convenience, as you seem to have misplaced the original":D

WW wow, that's some social calendar! Enjoy!

Evilsquid how's it go? "'Ten-SHUN you 'orrible lot!":rotfl:

Just found out Mr LW is going to have to go on a week's course for work; it's only to Reading, so he'll commute, but I'm panicking already, as he'll have to leave super-early and won't get home til silly o'clock. The course is run on 4 different dates, and we've yet to find out which one he'll be sent on; I hope they decide asap, as I can't cope with not knowing.

I've told the dog-sitting agent that there'll be one week that I won't be able to take dogs requiring injections or baths (neither of these I can do by myself - I'm needle-phobic, and I can't lift a dog into the bath) and said I'd let her know as soon as I know the exact dates.

Thankfully Sidny's booking won't be affected, as none of the dates is in June - Sidny's a diabetic Miniature Schnauzer, who is booked to stay with me 15th to 23rd June.

Not sure why I'm telling you all this - like WW, just thinking out loud; but it helps to calm me a bit typing it all out.:o

Just ignore me!:D

podperson

Morning all,

LL - Wow those prices are extortionate! Used to live near Manchester and love the Curry Mile, some great Indian 'all you can eat' type places, which I like as I'm rather fussy and tend to prefer the starters and sides anyway so can stock up on them Used to be on in a converted theatre that was lovely.

Alwayshappy - I read your post in absolute disbelief :eek: I think we have a new contender for world's rudest woman! You sound like you were a lot more restrained than I would have been anyway.

adelight - thanks hun, unfortunately people seem to think that in the case though, they can treat you like cack as if you do have enough and leave they can have hundreds of applicants for your job the next day - whether they can do as well seems to be by-the-by :mad: Yay, on getting the new clothes - now get them on this weekend!

Callisto - so glad gran's operation went ok. Good luck with the interviews and enjoy the band I'm debating at the moment, I bought some tickets to see a band in a few weeks, I would love to go but tbh I could do with the money so not sure whether I should sell them or not - the gig is sold out so I should be able to get what I paid for them back at least.

Maman - hope you had a lovely break, so great you're feeling more confident and have cracked the smart casual - not sure if I have I must admit

Lizzie - glad you had a good day out, tbh with kids I think there's always going to be a dozen more things they WANT to do no matter how much you have planned but sounds like they enjoyed it so that's the main thing. Hope the dwp call goes well *crosses fingers*

WW - I think it's fantastic how far you have come, you sound so much more positive and confident and I'm sure that comes across your day-to-day life as well. I think it's wonderful seeing how people really see to grow and change on here - everyone is just fab

Anyways, not the most relaxing night last night - OH needed me to help him do camera plans for tonight but ended up stuck on another shoot so we didn't get started until getting on for 9pm and not finished until after 12am - by which time we both tired, crabby and snapping at each other over nothing Still, gig tonight and am getting quite excited now! Have to go straight from work unfortunately as they wouldn't let me finish early so have on my new skirt, black tights and boots and have my spare tops/accessories etc in my bag to change there.
Have decided that job-wise I need to get back focusing on the moneymaking things so I can get out of here. So have signed up to cover the Edinburgh marathon on Sunday - it's with an international company that employ freelance photographers in the events local area and then sell the photos onto the runners etc. Has a 6.30am unfortunately so not many drinks at the aftershow party Sat night for me :eek: Finishes at lunchtime though and get about £80 for the morning. Then am going back to the hotel in the afternoon to shoot the piccies am not happy with - busy weekend! Am also confirmed now for a traffic survey the weekend after next which should be another £80 though is a very boring 12 hour shift of ticking people walking past off on a sheet. And have chased up the council on whether they have given me a position for the election as just realised it's less then 4 weeks off and they haven't got back to me yet! Another long day but depending on the position will definately get at least over £100 for it. Would recommend to anyone to see if their local council needs any last minute people - I try and do it most years and while it is tiring it's not difficult and is quite a nice lump sum to get.
Anyways, back to it! Hope everyone has a good day x

lizzie157

LW -Lizzie before I ever send anything to DWP or any other Gov't agency, I always scan it and keep a copy on the computer; then when they lose it, it's easy to just print out another and send it with a covering note - "here's a copy of what I sent you on X date, for your convenience, as you seem to have misplaced the original":D

Good idea LW. I don't have a printer though so it would mean a trip to the library but I think it would be well worth it. Phoned them this afternoon - less than productive phone call and wasn't too impressed with the bloke who answered the phone :mad:. Talk about treated like s**t. Like I've said before could so easily turn the air blue but must be polite.:o

'The friend' text again today as I hadn't replied (no credit). From the tone of the texts I'd say she's upset with me but not really sympathetic to what I'm going through atm. It does get me to wondering if it is me that's at fault but the overwhelming fact is that I felt ok before the texts ( alright I'm not over the moon I've got problems atm but as good as I could be considering), and after the texts I felt upset ( I was nearly in tears) at the lack of empathy. I mean would it have cost her to say " you sound like you could do with a break why don't you come up nxt mon/tue??" or whatever but it's my turn to invite her here so nothing. Again could so easily have told her to sex and travel tbh. Told her how the bloke on phone made me feel like a worthless piece of S**t the way he spoke to me and ended the text with "see you" and all I got back was "ok" x
I know if I had other friends I could count on I wouldn't be bothering with her. Thing is before her OH got his current job she wasn't like this - it's like the money has changed her - or again maybe it's me - I don't know.:(:(

Callisto- hope your Gran's going on ok. Glad it went well.
WW- you've made great strides. Wish I could find some local groups - there just doesn't seem to be any near me.
PP- sounds like abusy weekend. Good luck and enjoy it.

Anyway sorry for the wallow just needed to get it off my chest.:o