Keeping up appearances.......

joeyjimbles

Thanks Dolphin It is the dullest part of a pretty dull job as its so repetitive and you cannot cut and paste most of the info. I find it particularly irritating as from the outset 60% of the info on each set of 3 forms will be the same, so if they had just added a few more lines to one form it would cut the job down to 1/3 and whilst that would still be dull it would not be so pointless. The suggestion seems to fall on deaf ears.
I have 9 teenagers sleeping over tonight - so far they have eaten pizza, garlic bread and cake and gone out to a gig. I have a cheeseboard, mixed salame and cold meats, bread, crackers, more cake, sweets and drinks for when they come back so I don't think they'll starve but goodness only knows how I'm to get all of them up, showered, breakfasted and on time for school in the morning. I struggle with just my two. Wish me luck.

Honey_Bear

Everyone else is being virtuous and busy, while I am being a total sluggard and slattern. Plus ca change, as they say.

:wave: Hi Happy! I hope Happy Pops is improving.

• Carry on with contacting possible outlets, a county a fortnight should be about right. Sluggard behaviour resulted in another day when the phone calls didn't happen. I did, however, make the most important one and the result was far, far better than I could ever have dared hope. Result!
• 15 minutes a day flying five days a week. Nuffink again. The dust bunnies are breeding, just in time to celebrate Easter.
  
• No sugary stuff until Easter Sunday. I'm really cross about this. My sugar cravings have reduced but they are still nagging me to indulge every single day. Seriously boring because I had hoped they'd get kicked into touch with such a drastic change, but ... no. Over Easter and for my birthday I intend to indulge with complete abandon and I'm thoroughly looking forward to it. I may even buy some hot cross buns and I haven't done that for years.
  
• No computer after 9.00 pm (except my ipod so that I can choose my night-time listening) and lights out by 11.30 pm. Disaster. I've been really naughty by allowing myself to play Mahjong Titans in bed for the last few nights. Result: wide awake last night for two hours after I switched the light off. Lesson learned ... again.
• 5 fruit and veg a day. Chickpea and parsnip curryish thing with cucumber raita followed by spiced plums with cream (no added sugar, so very virtuous). Desperate but rather lovely measures on slack days, but very effective.
  
• Spring clean the office - dust the shelves first. Nuffink. Just realised I've only got seven days on this one and so far all I've done is dust about 2' of bare shelfie that already needs doing again. Oh whoops.
  
• Electric toothbrush once a day. Tick.
  
• No ***ing swearing, fine of £1 a word. Had to add this back in for myself, obvs, as it turns out it's quite a profitable little sideline. *holds out hand for cash* Getting a bit of practice in for Fishwife Easter.

Dolphin1

:hello: HappyNow!

Honey Bear, you do make me laugh with your updates . I'm not sure that's your intention but 'Fishwife Easter' :rotfl:.

Update for yesterday...

1) Chocolate and wine gums eaten (so still on 11 NCDs).
2) Just over 12,000 steps :j.
3) Light off at 11.00pm .
4) No spends on other people :j.
5) Kitchen floor cupboards cleaned inside and out and contents sorted and replaced :j.

Honey_Bear

We aim to please, Dolphin. I can't keep up the pace if I don't have a giggle occasionally.

Happy Easter, Happy! I hope you get a hefty dose of time off and can spend some of it doing things that you enjoy. I'm very conscious that this is the first month of your diary in a long time that you've been AWOL for pretty much the whole of it with only one post in the middle. (((Hugs))) if you need them, otherwise they're for the dog. Or cat. Or whatever.

• Carry on with contacting possible outlets, a county a fortnight should be about right. And after yesterday's totally unexpected mega-success, I'm sort of drawing this year's sales drive to a close. It's called 'redeciding.' I still have some follow up calls to make but I can't convince myself that carrying on doing exactly what I've been doing is the best way to spend my time, effort and money, so I'm going to take what I've learned this year and devise a more efficient and effective strategy ready for January next year and go for it hammer and tongs. It's been a fantastic exercise and all thanks to this thread. Without it, I'd have procrastinated for another year, learned nothing, and felt a complete shameful cowardly failure. Thank you everyone who contributes because it's been invaluable.
• 15 minutes a day flying five days a week. Nuffink again. The dust bunnies are breeding, just in time to celebrate Easter. And are all still in place because I am a slattern.
  
• No sugary stuff until Easter Sunday. Gave in. Submitted. Ate an entire packet of GF chocolate fingers yesterday afternoon, loved them, should regret it and I don't, not even a bit. Bad Honey Bear. *urp*
  
• No computer after 9.00 pm (except my ipod so that I can choose my night-time listening) and lights out by 11.30 pm. Not quite as good as I should have been, but better. Why is it so hard to just do the right thing?
• 5 fruit and veg a day. Just squeaked in by planning ahead and raiding the freezer for supper ingredients.
  
• Spring clean the office - dust the shelves first. Now only [STRIKE]seven[/STRIKE] six days on this one and two of them are taken up with busyness elsewhere.
  
• Electric toothbrush once a day. Not a tick. Too depressed all day by the rain and weather.
  
• No ***ing swearing, fine of £1 a word. Had to add this back in for myself, obvs, as it turns out it's quite a profitable little sideline. *holds out hand for cash* Time off for good behaviour. Swearing will recommence! The Fishwife has entered the building.
  

Dolphin1

:EasterBun Happy Easter HappyNow et al!

Update for yesterday...

1) None eaten :j (so now on 12 NCDs but going to be struggling for those last 3 by the end of March).
2) Just over 10,000 steps :j.
3) Light off at 10.20pm :j.
4) No spends on other people :j.
5) Nothing else done but I'm happy with my progress so far :j.

Dolphin1

Update for yesterday...

1) I had some butter on my toast yesterday morning otherwise it would have been another NCD so annoyed at myself for not resisting :mad: (so still on 12 NCDs).
2) Just under 3,000 steps so my first 'rest day' of the week :j.
3) Light off at 11.30pm but it was Friday so it doesn't matter :j.
4) No spends on other people :j.
5) One of the window blinds in the kitchen removed, window cleaned and a new blind put up because the old one was broken and kept falling down :j (I may just get my kitchen jobs finished this month after all :A).

Nonnadiluca

I have just finished reading this thread from the beginning and the word 'inspiration' has been used a lot : please add me to the list of inspirees (if that's not a word it should be!)
Happy Now, you and many others on here represent the thousands of women who are holding their families together, no matter what life throws at them, with love, bravery and determination.
You mentioned 'plate spinning' earlier which is exactly what you are doing: while virtually keeping your husband, children, parents, MIL, animals, home, garden and job from falling you are loading the washing machine, putting the vac round and food on the table, and cleaning the loo! Meanwhile fate is on the sidelines randomly lobbing watermelons at you and still you keep going with only a few glasses of wine and smarties to sustain you. If there's any justice you must be due a win on the lottery and a weekend with Jonny Depp!! :Well done!

joeyjimbles

That's a lovely way to put it Nonnadiluca

Dolphin1

I agree, very well put Nonnadiluca :T.

Dolphin1

Update for yesterday...

1) A pannacotta and a few wine gums (so still on 12 NCDs).
2) Just over 11,000 steps :j.
3) Light off at 11.45pm but it was Saturday so it doesn't matter :j.
4) No spends on other people :j.
5) The other window blind in the kitchen removed, window cleaned and a new blind put up :j (I think I'm almost finished with my kitchen jobs but I'll have a look for any jobs I've missed on Tuesday or Wednesday).