Making the future happen - museumworker's MFW diary Pt 2

macgirl

museumworker wrote: »

macgirl frogs are I think a flylady type thing (or at least have heard it mentioned on the thread). They are the things that you keep putting off - so eating a frog is just a phrase for dealing with difficult and unwanted tasks. Am trying to 'eat' a couple a week at the minute.

Oh hadn't heard of that, but I don't follow the thread on MSE - it moves too fast! I've subscribed and got the daily emails from *The* Flylady for a few years and it's inspirational stuff.

Glad you had a good trip! I'm baking lots too at the moment - not too good for the waistline

museumworker

It's the weekend :j! And we have very little to do. Met with some girl friends for drinks last night, was lovely to see them but I am really struggling with being in a bar situation - couldn't hear well and hard to get a seat. £10 spent on drinks and food.

This morning did a charity shop run, picked up a really nice quality unused single summer duvet, which have needed for DD for some time - £4. Had my shoes cobbled (£10) as well, so footwear crisis over for another few months. Have done 2 washloads, one of which is out on the line , what a beautiful day! OH is out for a cycle with a friend, so house lovely and quiet.

Planning to potter around the house for rest of day, get some flyladying done. It was so nice to come back to a relatively calm home over 2 weeks away that I know it is worth it. Putting feet up at the minute, but will do a crazy hour later, and then call it quits. I also have my new pregnancy yoga dvd to try (which looks hard :eek:!), and my book 'get some headspace' to read too.

Freeview+ box has come and am really enjoying it! We are thinking of cancelling our lovefilm as we can record so many films easily now, that will save £60 a year which will help towards cancelling out the cost of the box.

macgirl - what have you been baking? Am thinking of baking something tomorrow (I accidentally ate a packet of speckled choc eggs from M&S today , so trying to not have too much more rubbish today!).

CathT - I know, with the sun out it reminds me how much easier life is in the spring/summer.

CathT

Your book sounds interesting MW. I really think relaxing weekends with no pressure are needed now and again. We were busy yesterday but today has been spent to home pottering and I feel much more relaxed. I have a charity bag ready to go out on Tuesday so house be a bit more organised when that has gone.

btw, we're having house valued by FD tomorrow so we are almost there with the big switch over to them. I was based on your good experience with them I made enquiries so thanks again for that.

Hope we have lots of sunny days this week so your commute to work puts a spring in your step!

museumworker

Hello all, I think that is the longest gap in my diary! I'll give a bit of an update looking at my goals and hopefully it'll make sense why/ where I am at the minute.

* have a happy and healthy pregnancy.
I had some not great news with a doppler scan a few weeks ago, I am definitely a high risk pregnancy and need regular blood pressure checks/growth scans . Trying not to panic - nothing wrong with the baby, but just need more monitoring. This has made me look at dropping more things, including committee work, and regular updates to this diary. I am also trying to wind up projects at work, incase I need to go on leave early.
Aim for the week ahead: Go for a swim and do pregnancy yoga. Finish book on meditation and practice autogenic training daily.

* spend quality time with DD and OH
Had lovely weekend away with OH on our £11 mini break :money:. The B&B was very relaxing, and as it had a nice pub and restaurant attached we didn't have far to go. We both switched off immediately and had real quality time together.
Aim for the week ahead: Make one on one time with DD one evening this week/weekend.

* get the house organised
This has been where we've been putting most of our energies over the last month. The decluttering continues, at least one bag a week has gone to charity. Our bedroom has been the particular focus, tieing in with the Regina Leeds programme. After 3 1/2 years here we bought curtains and installed new blackout blinds from IKEA - the old blinds wouldn't close without having to stand on a stool and manually adjust them! We got some cheapish curtains and washed/hemmed them, making sure we could use the existing poles, so £60 spent on both windows. We've also bought a chest of drawers for our room to replace a radiogram that I was using as a sideboard (completely unsuitable storage wise!), £85 there. OH is on leave this week and has list of jobs to do around the house including finishing the decorating left over from the loft work. I've been continuing to dabble with the flylady routine, and seen a big difference there.
Our lodger has moved out, so we've deep cleaned the room, bought a nursing chair (victorian, beautiful, £112 off fleabay), and put a mirror in (£29). She very kindly left a chest of drawers which gives loads of storage - so that room is now ready to use for nursing/guests.
We've also bought a chest of drawers for the nursery (£99) which will double up as a changing table.
Aim this week: Finish decluttering bedroom, including under bed, bedside tables, and organising jewellery in new drawers.

* save £10K in emergency fund by Sep 2012
Up to about £7,800 and OH wants to focus on mortgage repayments, which I'm happy with .

* OP mortgage
Was all very quiet in Feb, until yesterday when OH got paid. Have OPed the following:
-£100 last rent payment from lodger
-£21.34 from refund from NHS pre-paid prescription and overpayment of postage on ebay sale (yes, I complained!)
-£4.27 from tcb
-£861.28 from OH's pay, including standard OP :j
Means an OP of £986.89 since I last posted, that makes me happy
Aim for the week: Chase boots repair and postage refund of £9.20

* achieve my AMA
Have seen my mentor, and trying to finish up related projects at work.
Aim for the week: type up forward plan (already written)

Secret_Saving_Squirrel

Lovely to hear from you, take lots of care,
Squirrel

Weronika

I'm nearly there with my baby (13 days to go) but I had a scare last Tuesday! I dropped everything, literally, no washing the dishes, picking stuff from the floor, nothing. It worked and little madam changed her mind and stayed put. So Take care of yourself, rest a lot and baby will grow happily inside you (with a little kick or two for a good measure:)

museumworker

Thanks SSS and Weronika - I hope your baby is staying put! I had to take an unexpected trip to the hospital for monitoring yesterday. Thankfully all fine with the baby but looks like my migraines might be making an unwelcome return .

Had my annual mortgage statement come through and looks a lot more positive than I expected:
Period 16/03/2011 to 15/03/2012
Total payments due: £9929.90
Total interest charged: £6192
Total payments made: £24599.68
Balance as at 15/03/2012: £171592.43 :j:j:j (was £190K at start of period).

Lower than expected - there is £808.64 of accrued interest listed separately, but as we have just OPed an additional £800+ am going to ignore it.

The £160xxxs are in sight!!!

Weronika

It's always nice to see the balance reducing :jGood job:T

newgirly

Hi MW, hope you are feeling well, you have done very well with the oping and organising your life/home. I have no excuse if you are managing this whilst expecting.x

museumworker

It's been a quiet week, due mainly to necessity. I had a horrendous migraine last week and one that lasted two days this week, so have been signed off sick til Tuesday . I also had another trip to triage, as blood pressure was up but all ok with baby. The rest has been good for me though; have had a few migraine free days now. Today I had a growth scan and baby is bang on where it should be, currently 1.09kg .

We've bought a beautiful cotbed off ebay for £220 (gulp!), and a small easy chair for living room for £97. The cotbed is £550 new, and the chair £235, so some savings there and both meant to be in great condition. Collecting both this weekend. Our savings have taken a bit of a battering but that should be it for large purchases now - all we need is a new mattress for baby, and we may ask for vouchers towards that, not urgent anyway. Have been given 6 unused baby bottles, built baby's chest of drawers, and bought 2 nighties suitable for labour bag/breast feeding for £4.50 each from primarni. Also used some pocket money to buy a pair of H&M maternity leggings which have heard raved about.

Have family visiting on Sunday, so expect we'll have to do a shop and have a good clean up too. If I can fit in a swim, I'll be a happy bunny.

Have a great weekend everyone.