PennyGrabber's Path to Pecuniary Positiveness!!

PennyGrabber

Suffolk lass - hope you feel better soon!

Positives for today so far:
- best friend rang and said she's booked our holiday!! Very excited about that. Already paid her, but need to give her another £30 as we had to upgrade.
- a new teacher at work asked me for advice on how to write reports, as I'd promised her I'd share some secrets earlier this year. She'll be coming to my house for a cuppa tom night :eek: Better get tidying!!
- been a really good person today, bought a present and card for my ex who's just had a baby with his new wife. Took ch, and ds chose an item of clothing and dd chose a toy, then dd chose a card. Very impressed with myself.
- got my class of 6 and 7 year olds writing sentences in French! Eg 'There are 2 red strawberries.'
- Got to spend extra time with my children today as the baby came. Normally he drops them back at 6:15, but I had them from school. Yeah!

There's a good start, feel quite good about myself!

I need to check OLB and transfer some more money to friend. I still haven't paid my hol or xmas tins this month. Really must get to a cashpoint to do that soon.

Suffolk_lass

:T:T:TWell done! That's what I'm talking about!:T:T:T

I just love your positives

I think they've made both of us feel better today
SL

Teatime

Hi PG,
Hope you're feeling a bit better.
I like your positives too.

I do the same as you and give kids a choice sometimes and not other times. When I'm doing my meal planning I sometimes let them pick a meal each and slot it into the week. I can guarantee pizza and pasta will be picked! Sometimes I say they can choose a meal but no pizza or pasta and then I get some great choices. Wee one last week asked for cheese sandwiches with grapes and broccoli. I did a deal with him and made cheese sandwiches and grapes for a lunch then we had broccoli with something at tea time.

PennyGrabber

Thanks for telling me that, Teatime, it makes me feel better that someone else is doing pretty much the same as me! Last week, I sat down with both children, and we planned the week together - they said ideas and things they fancied, and I chose from those (from what I had in!) to make the meal plan. DD even wrote it out, and the accompanying shopping list! DS was there, but didn't have much to say... His fave dinner is sausage casserole, and he'd have it every day if he could!! I only let him choose it a max of twice a month.

There's another positive then, I'm doing a good thing by letting my children have choices. I already knew I was, but when a person or two comments, I tend to lose my confidence in what I'm doing, and wonder if I'm doing it right. In all honesty, I know that I'm a good mum, and I do the best for my children. I know this, because I see loads of children with loads of parents, and see the relationships between them...

Off to make a list of meals for the rest of May to use up some of the food mountain. Honestly, I could keep an entire country fed!

PG x

PennyGrabber

Hello gang!

Today has been mixed. Lots of people showing me that they care for me, which is lovely.

I made a new dinner (thing of the month), which was a maggi cheesey chicken and bacon pasta bake. Was lovely, and will be a storecupboard standby, as I always have frozen bacon and chicken. Six slice of bacon and one chicken breast will have done us three two main meals, so not too bad at all!

Complete nsd today, not set foot inside a shop at all. Must now resist temptation online! Think I'll update everything, then turn off the computer so I'm not tempted!

Positives for the day:
- nsd
- new dinner, both children enjoyed it, esp dd, which is quite an achievement!
- saw my friend and her baby; they came into work, and I had a little cuddle with him! Was lovely, but at the same time a bit hard.
- ex-sister-in-law texted me to see if I was ok, which was really thoughtful
- helped out a friend at work who is struggling to even contemplate how to write her reports. She came over for a cuppa, and my two played the ds/wii while we chatted, and I seem to have really helped her. It's just things I've picked up over the years, but she obviously hasn't had that experience, and I think life is all about the sharing.
- saw my dd in her class assembly today. She was great, although surprisingly quiet!!! (Ex didn't come, guess he's already too busy with the new baby! They're still in hosp, so I don't know why he couldn't have popped out for an hour, but that's just me..)
- Did a load of tidying/organising, so now feel better about the house. Still haven't done the food list, so maybe that will stop me from spending anything tonight!!

I don't know if I have the children tomorrow, or if they're going to their dad's. We will have lo dinner from today if they're here, or I'll be eating it all weekend!

Night all,

PG x

Suffolk_lass

Lots of pink positives - marvellous!

Still off sick but I have got the low range of my voice coming back today, but visited the Docs and got some oral steroids as I could feel my respiratory tract constricting with every cough. I was still coughing so much last night that I moved to the spare room about 2am so DH could get three hours uninterrupted by me!

Today I've been planting up tubs and hanging baskets. We (I really, much to his chagrin!) have agreed to open our garden along with 9 others in the village and it is full of weeds and long grass! At least if people wander round to the greenhouse they will see we are full of good intent! I just stopped for a bite and a catch up. It is a lovely day today, I really hope DH feels up to cutting the grass and a quick tidy up when he gets home.

Have a lovely weekend, with or without kids. BTW Lakesea do glass jars f you wanted to buy some - I bought a box of half size ones but they are quite pricey. I just buy the tomato puree in small jars instead of tins now and as I use masses, there are always loads. I might buy some of the pretty checker board lids Lakesea sell, so they look a bit special rather than have tomato puree on the lids!

Best wishes
SL

Teatime

Children have to learn the skill of making choices, don't they? And it helps with self esteem if they feel their opinions are listened to.

That's great you have been so helpful to a colleague. I'll bet they really appreciate you taking the time.

And Suffolk Lass - I'm sure you are supposed to be lying in bed being brought chicken soup and cups of tea, not gardening! Take it easy.

Suffolk_lass

Teatime wrote: »

Children have to learn the skill of making choices, don't they? And it helps with self esteem if they feel their opinions are listened to.

That's great you have been so helpful to a colleague. I'll bet they really appreciate you taking the time.

And Suffolk Lass - I'm sure you are supposed to be lying in bed being brought chicken soup and cups of tea, not gardening! Take it easy.

Thanks Teatime - like everyone else, I have my own guilt trip and it is that our huge garden was immaculately maintained by the retired couple who had it before (albeit they spent 16 hours a day in the summer, keeping up with it). I thought we were doing alright with our limited time and resources, but I could sense the disappointment in some of the visitors four years ago and I feel guilty that it's not perfect. I suppose it's my self doubt.

You are right about the choices. I have been round unis this year with DS and desperately wanted to tell him where he should go because obviously I think I know best, but I didn't. I praised each offer as it came in and asked him to consider carefully what he wants from the degree and he made his own choice under my guidance. Not my call though.

All the best
SL

PennyGrabber

Thanks guys. I do feel good now.

Suffolk lass - where are you? I'll bring you up a cup of tea!!!

I rang him this morning, and asked what he wanted to do (?!?), and I suggested I had them tonight as he didn't even know if she was coming home or not today. He then said he'd ring me tonight sometime to sort out tomorrow. Nothing yet...

Positives for today:
- nsd gc wise, did spend £5 each on the children though. Realised we got the baby some presents yest, and didn't want them to subconsciously feel left out! Plus, I like to treat them now and again!
- taught for most of today, so that's extra pay for next month. Will go towards spending money for our hol
- going to sit down with a cuppa and watch a film in a minute. It's been a long week, and I deserve it!
- had a nice chat with my swimming mum friends, and one of them gave me back my sweetie recipe book that she'd borrowed, so I may buy the couple of things I need to make turkish delight next time I go shopping!
- dinner was easy - microwaved yesterday's leftovers, and shoved a salad of sweetcorn, cucumber and tomato on the side! Not quite enough for me to have a full portion, so I'm going to enjoy a scone with jam and cream in a bit!

I feel good that no food has entered the house today (except for half a dozen toms and a couple of carrots left over from work), so there is now less in the house than there was this morning! However, chatting with a friend who runs a school kitchen, and I have more stock in my house than she keeps for her kitchen, and she fed 176 children today!! That kind of put things into perspective for me. I now have a renewed enthusiasm for lowering my stock levels to a more reasonable level.

All in all, a good day.

PG x

PennyGrabber

Morning!

Having just read the grocery thread, my initial thought was, ohh, must go to lidl and get some stewing steak. But, thinking about it, when would I cook it, where would I put it, and is it on my meal plan? The answer to these is, I don't know, or no! So, I'm not going to go to lidl today. Go me!

He rang last night and said he'd have them from 10 this morning until half four tom afternoon. DD started off sad, until I told her that other family coming to visit the new baby too, and ds cried because he wanted to stay at home. In a way, that makes me feel great...

So, I could go to my 12 hour crop today, having told them I'd go on tues, then tell them no on weds, then maybe on fri! But, I haven't packed anything for it, or got any pics ready, so what I think I'll do instead is split my time between an exercise class (bought a fit pass this week, £27 a month for all classes, swimming and gym), housework and a social call on the crop.

Sun is out, and I'm feeling good! Today I will:

- check olb
- tidy house
- do a bit of cleaning
- go to the crop (try not to spend too much money!)
- ring a friend or two
- Do the shopping - either today or tom.

Shopping list:
bread
milk
fruit
And that's it!

Have a good day everyone!

PG x