make do and mend for tougher times

fuddle

Kidcat, you're one strong lady hun. You get through so many trials each day. Hope all is well with DS. Sometimes it's difficult to keep frustrations in when things are going t-up. hope you're all ok and the house is ok too

prepareathome

[QUOTE=Pooky;54634335
My eldests room has gone from the pit of despair to a very funky, interesting room lately. It needed decorating when we moved in but we didn't have the spare money so I told her she could do as she pleased with it until we got round to decorating it, it's now a shrine to the Beatles (she's obsessed with them), she's painted band logos, the Beatles portraits, anime characters etc all round (she's very talented and can paint anything so it looks good), her arty friends have all done little drawings, paintings or posters directly on the walls, she told them to keep it tasteful. She's got letters from friends pinned up, playing cards, you name it, if it's interesting, it's in there. I spend ages just reading her walls. It shows her individuality but it's proved to be a great incentive for her to keep it tidy as everyone wants to see her room when they come into the house. [/QUOTE]

Not been on here at all today so just trying to catch up

Pooky do you want a link to the album I have on facebook from my trip to museum last week as it has lots of photos of Beatles things as they have a big Beatles exhibition on the top floor - I do have but cannot find so need to go and take more photos of the church where Elinor Rigby is buried, Strawberry Fields etc - maybe if hubby is still off Tuesday as its supposed to be nice we can go and take the photos as have been promising friends in USA and Canada them for ages so I need an extra kick.

You are more than welcome to take copies of any of the photos in the album and so is anyone else if they want. Some are not so good as there was so much reflection from the glass sorry.

Here I have changed the album to public so this is the link
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151095376237780.500528.548612779&type=3&l=ddd7864fda

kidcat

Thank you all. It will be fine I am sure, my mum has surprisingly helped us find a way of preventing it in future by asking how he had managed to flush the toilet so many times in such a short space after blocking it up, theirs takes ages to refill so it would not have happened there. Good question mum why does our stupid toilet refill that blinking quickly, and more importantly can I slow it down. Answer is apparently yes and plumber is booked for Monday to do work at dads church so dad will organise him to pop in and do that for us.

Fuddle - re your childminding, I agree spiky, its imperative to keep your kids rooms totally out of bounds to minded children and I would keep their toys seperate too. I kept a cupboard of toys exclusively for the minded children and as my kids grew out of stuff some was migrated to CM toys. My kids also appreciated being able to escape the minded kids so I kept upstairs totally out of bounds - which was easy as we had downstairs bathroom too.

As for the knitting disaster I remember my nan used to always keep her knitting in a draw or box, she kept red setters and they were always in trouble from what I remember, they were only ever controlled and behaved when my dad was around.

Popperwell

fuddle wrote: »

Brilliant pops, it's going to be full of aldi goodness soon Boadicea won't be used much at all in the 6 weeks hols, can't do the 6 miler with the kids in tow destined for the coop.

You know how coop and morrisons have said they will pay farmers more for milk, does that mean the cost will be passed on to us the consumer?

Well, I can easily spend up to £11 in taxi fares on a bad day but using the trolley saved on that so in future until I find I cannot walk the saved taxi fare can go towards food. Which means I can have more(or treat myself to better products)or have some cash to put towards something else. Like the internet...

As long as it doesn't go against me being seen walking and pulling/pushing a trolley and "They" think I am fit because occasionally I do try to walk(Very slowly and unsteady)and I usually have to rest when I come home.

After all, no one sees how you are behind your front door.

Popperwell

I agree the charity should cancel your agreement to have a DD taken each month as I said earlier in the day. Call it a kind of cooling off period.

And you could head them off by stopping it at your bank so the money cannot be taken out.

Popperwell

fuddle wrote: »

Brilliant pops, it's going to be full of aldi goodness soon Boadicea won't be used much at all in the 6 weeks hols, can't do the 6 miler with the kids in tow destined for the coop.

You know how coop and morrisons have said they will pay farmers more for milk, does that mean the cost will be passed on to us the consumer?

Aldi's is coming on leaps and bounds, I thought that they were still doing the steel frame but they have started putting brick work around the building...

Yes, I hope that I will be using Aldi's a lot. I'll need to...

The milk situation...I understand that even if the Farmer's get what they asking for, it will not be passed onto the customer from all I have heard on the radio...

ginnyknit

Fuddle, you cannot have your sisters baby as it will limit you for paying customers, you are strictly controlled about how many children of a certain age that you can have at one time. i know because my Dd uses a childminder for DGs and she has to book him in advance so the childminder has the right number, including her own. There seems to be a lot of paperwork but if you keep up with it you will be fine. I think Dd pays £130 for 3 days a week and as family tax credit pays it to her both hers and minders books have to balance. DGS gets to go to a play group run by a number of childminders who give each other advice and support. He was with another lady at first but she couldnt do the difficult hours that DD needed so she swopped to the new one but both the old one and new one use the same playgroup and when DGs took very poorly last year they were both looking after him when OH and I got there to pick him up and they even rang the 'Gotodoc' for us and made sure they were expecting us.

prepareathome

Phew caught up after a reading marathon.

Fuddle I think that is a brilliant idea but your sister pays full price or no place. A friend of mums years ago set up as a childminder so I don't know if its the same but they came out and measured her room and she was told how many children she could have - each child was allotted so much space, as I say long ago so might have changed but if not then you will be able to have only as many children as they say - friend was able to have I think 6 as she had a very, very large room but others I have known over the years have only had 2 -3 if the room they planned on using was small. I know though they could have extra children who were of school age to look after, after school and I don't think there was a limit as I remember mums friend coming to the school and collecting the after school children and them all walking crocodilestyle along the road to her house, used to be about 10 of them. That most likely would be the money maker as so many parents find it hard for somewhere to take the children after school till they can get home.


I bought 20 different types of bread today as Mr S was selling all bread with today's date off for 10p a loaf. So picked up some lovely loaves and baguettes. At that price its worth it, so will not be making bread for a bit. New freezer ( new to me but from freegle, originally got for son but then he was offered a 6 month old fridge freezer by a friend, had to travel 120 miles return to get it but its a good one so worth it, so I get to keep the freezer ) will be ready to switch on tomorrow morning as son and hubby took it upstairs to study tonight so has to rest a bit - only place it could go - then they can all go in there. I wouldn't have bought them if it was not for the extra freezer as chest one is full.

I plan to use if for any vegetables I manage to harvest. Have already harvested 20lbs of potatoes for 6 seed ones so very pleased and still another 34 seed potatoes with hopefully their babies to be dug up. Have dehydrated quite a few - just filled up dehydrator then boiled the rest and put them in my main freezer then the dehydrated ones were vacumn sealed and bunged in there as well.

Dehydrator now doing onions, carrots and broccilli - not sure how they will turn out but fun trying and they were all 10p a bag with dates for today so have kept some onions to use as fresh and if it doesn't work out to well, well not to big a problem - cost me 50p to run dehydrator for 10 hrs so not expensive to run.

Kidcat you amaze me how you deal with so much and yet are still buoyant. I hope things can get easier with your older son, its not easy for any teenager with hormones erupting but far harder for him poor lad. Hugs to you and I hope this spell of warmer dry weather gives your body the boost it needs.

I am debating if I should go and hang the washing that has just finished out before I climb into bed in case I don't get up till later and then will have wasted all that drying time - actually supposed to reach 22 here tomorrow and be dry all day..........

Night night all

elona

Kidcat

Can't belive how well you cope and impressed with speed of reactions to flooding.

Woke up early after a productive day yesterday. Amazing what a difference a nice day makes,

Got about five loads of washing done and put away and our superking bedding changed and washed etc. Even took down shower curtains and linings and after two different treatments got rid of the limescale stains on the hems. Had to use limescale remover and rinse and then had a brainwave and soaked the hems in a solution that was meant to remove tannin stains in cups.

Had posh lunch in garden and family very impressed with potato salad (home grown) asparagus (AF) and salmon fillet (basic at Mr S and yellow stickered). Had enough sense not to mention how cheap it was.

Caught dh eating huge bowl of ice cream and tinned fruit as a snack (wondered why ice cream got used up so fast) but he is still losing weight with all the exercise he does in the garden and not having to drive everywhere for work. Think absence of business lunches and buffets helps too.

Very quiet as one dd having a short break with friend and youngest does not get back from holiday till early hours of Tuesday.

YS lamb will be casseroled with onion and carrots with some new potatoes and green veg and hoping to eat lunch in garden again today. Going to put another washload and and make some tea then browse on here.

Hug to all

fuddle

DH has put his foot down on my behalf. I'm not to do it for sisters baby unless it's full-price. I was thinking about charging £3.50 an hour. It's a lot lower than I was paying but we can survive on DH's salary and people just can't afford childcare that costs more than rent/mortgage. Any extra income would help us out and I would feel happier knowing I could help others out.

I think the rules have changed pah I've been on nmca site and it looks like a set amount. No more than 3 children can be under 5 and no more than 1 under 1. If I look after sisters that will take up baby place. My DD is 4 in two weeks and i'll have her after school. It would only leave me space for one child aged 1-5. I can have 3 over the age of 5 but DD aged 8 in Sept would take a place, leaving two. I'm hoping to tap into before and after school care.

So no, unless sister pays full price I can't do it. At least the strict rules are in my favour. Thank you for your feedback and tips. I am very excited about it. If I'm honest I am feeling really sad about my youngest going to school full-time in 6 weeks. Part of me being a SAHM is the mam bit. I'll be lost all day. This way I get to have a purpose. A bit worried that the anxiety/panic attacks/ depression will prevent me from doing it though as I have read you need a doctor to give the ok

Working in schools I know all about the EYFS (framework under 5's in schools/nurseries/childminders all have to work by) so I know how much planning recording and self evaluating you need to do. I've had a fair few Ofsted inspections in schools and they're so worrying. I can't imaine what i'll feel like coming to inspect me in my home :eek:

It's come at a right time because I'm pumped up to stimulate my kids over the holidays so it will be good practise. I'll write and record all we do.

DH is going to fence off part of the garden so the dog can have his space out there and the kids can play in an area free from a bounding dog. I've found some yacht fabric/ripstop fabric as I intend on making a canopy area to put between the house and garage so the kids can play out in all weather. Going to make bunting and get the kids to make all sorts of decorations and planting.

We have a downstairs toilet so yes, upstairs will be out of bounds. I'm looking on ebay for a cabinet I can pick up cheap to put in toys. I thought the girls and I could paint it bright colours and I could set up a bright toy/reading corner in the dining room

Right sorry. I'll shut up. My creative mind crossed with my caring and fun side is working over time

OS themed is making fairy buns with the girls, more weeding in the garden, planting cuttings of a clematis to grow up garage (don't know if it will work as I'm clueless ) drawing hopscotch on patio with chalk and chalking some targets on garage wall. Looking into how to create a butterfly garden area and girls going to draw butterflies that my mam is going to laminate at work. I'm looking forward to the holiday now

Making mince cobbler for tea as didn't do it yesterday. We had chips from the chip shop as I just couldn't be bothered after pulling out all the bind weed. Horrible stuff that has just sprouted worse than ever, must be the rain :mad: