make do and mend for tougher times

prepareathome

I also want to say congratulations both to the teenagers(dare not say children they would shoot me) who have just had their GCSE results and to the parents who supported them you both deserve it.

Yesterday son took me to our only fruit and Veg shop for many miles which sells everything in £1 bags, you cram what you can in quite a decent size bag, for example guy crammed 10 12in bananas in one bag. Things like punnets of apricots with 20 in also £1. Broccoli 25p each, cauliflowers 3 for £1.

Everything is good but for keeping not so, be ready for compost after a week tops, but I wanted to buy them for dehydrating and freezing as so low on vegetables its a joke. So far done onions - rather a lot but you need them for nearly everything, and bananas and now having a go with peppers, apricots and flat nectarines. Then there will be red onions, pineapple, carrots, turnip and apples. Cauliflower and broccoli I am just blanching and freezing. I also bought melon but that is just being eaten now. I also bought for first time Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes as have never ever tried them.

As I was prepping the cauliflower and broccoli it looked so good I decided had to have some tonight, so have already got lamb with tomatoes and peppers in slow cooker which I plan to serve with rice so going to dice up the cauliflower and broccoli (its being steamed now) and add it, never had it with rice before, hubby cannot stand either but he often has them, he just doesn't know it:rotfl: So will ensure sauce covers it completely - will just add bisto powder to slow cooker to thicken and darken it and he will eat it. Occasionally he will find a bit of broccoli as its colour will sometimes stand out and he will just say you given me cattle fodder again and put it to one side, not realising he has already eaten a load.

Kidcat hope you have come down to earth a bit, the spaciness will wear off as you get used to them. I remember first time it happened to me with Tramadol, I didn't know what it was so called NHS Direct to ask if it was a normal side effect and nurse told me 'Enjoy it, its a legal High'.

Got hubby as he is not working this afternoon, sadly overtime is getting less and less and he is only doing about 25hrs a week now usually, anyway made use of him by getting him to take down upstairs curtains so I can wash them, will have to TD them as overcast and we have had rain daily all week then I will put the fleeces I bought from Mr T on them as extra linings and then he can rehang them. Might as well get them done now so when winter hits don't have to worry.

Have also ordered that double slanket from Asda for the material, as hope it will be enough to make me fleecy pjs -bought pattern in the sale at sewdirect, if I can ever master my sewing machine - if I am willing to pay £60 there is an evening class run by adult education here at a school a few miles away on basic dress making, so hoping I can manage to find the money. What is annoying is there are concessions if you are on ESA but in WRAG but not if in support, basically it seems if you are unable to work they assume you should not be learning a new hobby, even though its only 2hrs a week for 10 weeks - true I most likely will not get there every week, cannot get often to my WI meetings they are once a month but still unfair, then there is the £10 registration fee so really £70

Right got to go and take some Paracetamol Extra Strength to see if it will remove my headache, really need co-codamol but cannot take it as less than 12hrs since I took the oxycontin and the two don't mix sadly.

Hugs and Love to allxxx

Mrs_Chip

Kidcat - just found this - just in case you are still interested!

prepareathome

Was just remembering what I did for my children after they passed -daughter GCSEs I took her to a very posh (all marble and silver) Italian for restaurant lunch - where she wanted to go, A'levels her and her boyfriend for a dinner there plus a gold necklace. For both boys for GCSE's it was just a pizza out and money for them to go out with their friends to pictures, for A'levels Tickets for a Liverpool football match for him and a friend( some special match tickets were like gold dust and cost a fortune) for oldest son and expensive football boots and youngest son a new bike.

For degrees for daughter it paying for her to have a personal shopper and footing the bill and gold jewelary. For oldest son we hired a box at Liverpool Football club and paid for whole family to have lunch there, a tour was included and he got to meet some of the players. We of course also got the photos with the degrees and bought them silver certificate holders and other things like that, that they could keep or turn into cash.

Cars I am afraid they had to buy themselves ( ok I know I am helping youngest out now ).

My lot were happy with those things, they chose them and never felt they were missing out even though a lot of their friends parents did buy cars for not A'levels but 17th birthday( this was in the 1990's - we were the paupers at a rather wealthy school, my lot got in via religion - I don't bother with religion but used it shamelessly as I had a right to as it was what I was born into, to get children into the school as they got fee paying education for nothing.

Funny thing was their friends had spectacular parties yet I catered all mine, usually having whole class/year at my house or local hall with an entertainer for a couple of hours yet my children's parties were the ones everyone wanted to come to. There we were in then council house and children would be dropped off in Rolls Royce and other fancy cars( hopeless with names of cars). Ok house was not on an estate, just a normal house on a normal street and most had been bought years before so some parents didn't know but lots did and never batted an eyelid - apart from one mum whose son was friends with DS1, she brought him to the party and left him but when she collected him later she told me she had been asking around and found all the houses had orginally been council and was ours, I said yes so she told me she was not letting her son mix with council house children, the boys still played together at school- Primary and High, but she was never told. Funny thing 5 years later she moved into a council house but in a rather bad area as her husband was found to have committed fraud on rather a large scale and she lost everything, not long afterwards she removed her son from the High School, I presume because as she no longer had a car and the journey from where she now lived meant 3 buses each way and journey of a couple of hours. I never wished that on her but karma was repaid methinks.

prepareathome

This is the Tens Machine I have, only I only paid £20 for it last year. The heat sometimes is all I need more than the actual electrical pulses. I would not be without it.

SpikyHedgehog

SDG31000 wrote: »

*Passes SpikyHedgehog a mug of tea and the bottle of Kalms*
I know how you feel. DS1 has no back up plan, but his college seem pretty relaxed about him doing tough A-Levels so I'm trying not to worry too much and failing. DS1 plays WarHammer 40K and has a Space Marine army and DS2 isn't into it as much, but he has Tomb Kings.
I might as well have stayed up all night and knitted little hats for all the sleep I got.
lisa The best of luck with the tests. I really hope it's nothing serious xxx
kidcat I hope that the painkillers are working now and that you feel better.
GQ Congratulations on the arrival of Jiffy

I am shattered and not at my most calm at the moment. I've resisted biting my nails so far, but it's touch and go. DS1 is still fast asleep.
I will try to have a nap later, but have to go and see my former neighbour this afternoon. I haven't seen her since Boxing Day and feel guilty about not going, but find it very stressful and upsetting. Hopefully she still remembers us.
Time for more tea xxxx

DS1 has many tanks, imperial guard, blood & dark angels in 40K;he also has Lord of the Rings, & has elves & dwarves. DS2 has orcs in Warhammer 40,000, & in LOTR... Resisting them for me apart from Dreadfleet! The boys tried to get Errant Husband into Tomb Kings, as he loves Eygpt & actually making models, but he wasn't interested. Both my brothers in law play, & DS1 will be off to Games Day with 1 of them next month. So Errant Husband is the looser as his brother & brother in law do the male bonding with the boys that he doesn't. :-(

Pooky wrote: »

Morning all

Good luck to all parents and kids getting results today.

I think I'm more nervous than DD1 (who is currently playing The Smiths at full volume, reflecting her mood???)

I didnt get this nervous about my own results - cant get into the school until 9.30 so not long now.

Had to laugh at one of her friends who's first comments on opening his A level results was "hey, my results spell DUDE" bless him.

Oh dear, but that comment is funny.

DS1 had to be roused from bed to go & get his results... What a relief! Got C for English, and the rest were ok too. We know they're not as good as they would have been if the past 18 months hadn't been the roller-coaster they've been with Errant Husband's leaving & the way he left & the impact it's had on both boys, so we're pleased with them. His headteacher was really proud of him & the hard work he's put in. He wouldn't have got the grade he got in Art without her support with after school clubs.

Possession wrote: »

Kidcat your body has to adjust to the painkillers. When I started tramadol they completely zonked me out for a week but TBH that was preferable to being in agony. Although I wouldn't have chosen 2 knee replacements as my 40th birthday present it's the best present I ever had.

I'm feeling nervous myself for all you GCSE mums and dads, goodness knows what i'll be like when it's my turn!

PS. I had BUPA through work, didn't really get them as pressies, but I was in hospital over my 40th birthday.

There is a really hilarious double slanket reduced to £4 on Asda direct.
http://direct.asda.com/george/womens-nightwear/valentines-double-slanket/GEM148178,default,pd.html
I've bought one as I think the children will love snuggling in it watching TV, and also I just had to see what it looked like in real life. Collect from store is free.

Sold out online, bet to MSEers! If anyone shops at Mr A, could be worth looking in store. I was going to get 1 for mum & dads Xmas present!

kidcat

Thanks for the tens recommendations, will definitely be ordering one, I cannot believe people pay money to feel like this, have been out of it all day, poor DD has coped just, DS14 has been dropped at cinema by my dad after his hospital tests so at least she hasnt had his meltdowns to contend with as well as the others.

Can I ask what low blood sugar would indicate? DS had his bloods taken at hospital, it was supposed to be a case of they take blood and prove nothing physical wrong with him, but they told my dad his blood sugar was low but gave no further indication other than to tell him to take him to cafe to eat and drink straight away.
Bit worried as have never had anything like this with kids.

Times must be getting really tough here we had a guy drive around our estate in a pick up truck earlier shouting for scrap - have not heard that since I was a child.

Planning on just taking one painkiller now I have a full days doses in my system and see if that is better. Have appointment for tomorrow but its only with a nurse so am not sure how much help she can be.

Well done to all our GCSErs results, the news is reporting lower grades apparently so they have all done extra well this year.

Molly41

meme30 wrote: »

Congratulations to everyone having a GCSE day. As parents we know what a solid hard slog it is for our offspring. Sounds like pizza for the kids and a G+T for Mother!:p

More like a double G and T!
I came down to earth with a bump as I have had my eldest son who is 21 turn up in tears worried about money. Hope I managed to help him - it's tough on us mums even when they leave home:(

Byatt

Well done all GCSE parents and children.:T

I didn't have any reward for passing my exams, in fact parents seemed to go out of their way to move house during all the important ones, and as for doing my homework, I had to do housework chores/shopping first.

Mrs C, well I've filled out the huge form which asks for everything in terms of what income I have, including premium bonds, and any cash held...but as it's all zero, no problem to fill in. But it was like a book. Sent off special delivery as they always seem to lose anything I send.

Currently trawling through stuff from mother's/sister's place, paperwork and such, and it's tough to realise I have been written out of the family history. I don't exist. Yet it's me picking up the pieces as usual.

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

I is feeling very much at home and very very normal in here. I enjoy seeing ghosts and talking to people's dead rellies but at least I haven't got an imaginary friend tied up in my hall cupboard like somebody I could mention.:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
Ok I'm bad. I know.

But we love you anyway.

Besides, Nursey isn't my imaginary friend, she's my imaginary and rather truculent staff. Makes a decent cuppa when she can be coerced into it but I don't push my luck too often. And I'm not taking stuff from a person who, by her own admission, is blue. Shall I call you Mrs Smurf.........*cackle*

:beer: Mega contratulations to all the offsprings and big hugs to the parents and may you all have G & Ts or whatever you enjoy and sleep the sleep of the just.:beer:

We have had a Strange Day at work. Really really weird stuff coming into the call centre. Just checked on HH's blog for the fab lunar thingy (which I adore) and it isn't either new or full moon so there's no accounting for it that way. Are they putting something in the watter?

oof, I'm having a wee rest before going up to the lottie to get some broadband beans. Must pump bike tyres first.....someone pls give me a kick up the arris, I'm almost too weary to move.

Laters, GQ x

mardatha

Kidcat, I would make sure he eats 3-4 square filling meals a day, and try to limit his junk food and fizzy juice. If he's tired or thirsty after a fortnight of that then take him back to the docs for more bloods.