make do and mend for tougher times

lisakay_2

kidcat, i'm in that awkward frame of mind right now, where they'll be taking soup in flasks whether they're allowed to or not

Drives me crazy, their school. It's a healthy eating school where kids on packed dinners cannot take processed foods, refined sugars, crisps, cakes, biscuits, fizzy drinks...(all of which I agree with to a certain extent)
but then kids on school meals get chips once a fortnight, sausage rolls, pizza and every day they get hot dessert with custard.

If they can give me a valid reason why my girls cant take an unbreakable flask with what will be warm, not hot by lunch time, soup then i might consider giving in.

(oh, did i forget to say i've had a bad week, have pmt and am a cantankerous b!tch tonight, lol)

SpikyHedgehog

Tawny75 wrote: »

Not a good day today. Have just spoken to the CSA and the ex has paid off his liability order with the bailiffs so because he is non compliant I am now with out any maintenance until the whole thing has to go through all the courts again to get the next £7500 he owes. Thanks to the fact that he is a complete tool who only pays when bailiffs get involved I am now £100.00 a month short.

I knew things were going too well

It's so frustrating - TheExBoyfriend moved away & refused to let me have any contact details so he couldn't be caught for maintenance. Of course, as he was on income support, he never had to pay anyway.

jayney34 wrote: »

Good Morning Ladies and Gents,

I feel I need to come clean - I have a confession to make I have been lucking and have finaly read all the posts on this thread and felt it q&a about time I intriduced myself hope you all dont mind.

I must apologise for not quoting individual posts or thanking as you can imagine there are to many to mention all 477 pages of them - one thing I will say is a lot of tea has been consumed over the last few weeks.

I have enjoyed reading all your posts ns feel I know you all well by now I have learnt sooo much and you are all so clever and diverse Idont want to highlite people inparticular but feel I have to day Fuddle your posts are particularly enjoyable and I feel you are a most insparational person.

Well to me - I am very new to all this and when I say new I mean new so please be gentle.

I am 39 have three kids DS1 (21) DS2 (17) first marriage and DD1 (5 weeks) new partner I have always worked and never stayed at home due to financial needs but due to new house location it would be diffcult for me to return to work and would love to be a SAHM but that wuld mean 1/2 income so belt tighting very nessesary - whilst I know this is a choice where others its not I hope I can pick your brians and join in your lovely chats to help me acheive this Alert though I may ask very silly quaetions as my ex did all cooking ( I can just about do a jacket) and household stuff and have a garden for the first time - so never even grown a weed before. I a very keen to learn to cook and grow veg

Sorry for the long post will try harder next time

X X J

Welcome Jayney & family - aww, a little baby!

kidcat wrote: »

Ginny - if at all possible I would recommend not trying to do it all in one day, its just too much.
Glad you are feeling a little better

Kittie we have had a little beko freezer for 18 yrs and its been great, its moved house 5 times and outlasted four fridge freezers

Fuddle - I wonder if you could maybe mention it in passing to someone rather than make it a complaint, maybe something like ooh I was wondering if I should have my lunch when X has hers during second sitting - will that make it easier ? So it seems like you arent reporting her?

Agree with Kidcat & misslr (sp?) - you do need to say something, but I'd try to go subtle... Hope you have a great night out!

kidcat

Lisa- I agree it infuriates me too, the reasons given are Elf and Safety. Its never been fully explained to me (I have never been that bothered as none of mine would eat soup or stew) but I know some parents who have been really put out by it. I know one family that were called at lunch time to supply a new lunch or pay for school dinner. Another were simply given a bill for school dinner and flask returned unopened.

If you want to go for it get a governor on side - they can argue it at a higher level and possibly more successfully. Elf and safety is a policy set at governors so a head teacher cannot change it without their consent.
If a parent asked me to bring it up at the school I am on the governing body for I would gladly take it on.

monnagran

2tonsils: Do what suits you. I'd definitely order things you can't get over there. I'm sure you give plenty of support to local businesses in other ways. We've already booked our holiday in Symi next year and we do try to buy everything locally and eat in the local tavernas, but that's only for 2 weeks a year, it might be very different if it was a permanent thing.

ginnyknit: On no account take Docky's advice about mud baths. Honestly, they do nothing for sciatica and people tend to stare at you as you are walking home. Anyway, if his medical qualifications are as good as his spelling you'd probably be doing more harm than good. Listen to me! He's a quack. (And if he starts talking in duck language now I'm going to complain.)

fuddle: My dear girl, you need a few lessons in how to be devious. Try the following conversation, " I've been thinking, it's really not fair on you to have to do the cleaning up every day. I'm perfectly willing to take my turn in doing it. Perhaps we could do a week on and a week off and it will give you a chance to enjoy a bit of fresh air."
On the other hand if it's only till the end of term perhaps you could keep this approach up your sleeve for another situation.
As you can tell, I'm not a very nice person.

Jayney: Welcome! You couldn't have come to a better place for help and advice. We all have our little areas of expertise. For instance, if you need advice on the care and feeding of slugs there's no better expert than GreyQueen. She runs a 'Slug Protection Home' and will even send you a few if you don't have enough of your own. You say you can't even grow weeds. Well now, there I am your man, (or woman, actually.) My weeds are champions, I have silver cups in my house for the 'Best in Show' weeds.
Don't bother with your spell checker, we have Docky to put you right on dictionary matters.

You see? All aspects of life catered for. You've come to the right place.

Nighty night.

x

monnagran

GreyQueen: OK I've given in at last. My lovely purple shopping trolley will be delivered in the next few days. It's all your fault.

Popperwell

You'll never look back:)

I wish I'd had one years ago...

danetastic

For batch cooking with mince stir fry onion add mince and cook til browned . Add cooked lentils ( to eek it out) . Devide into 2 .
With one half add tomato pur!e and tinned tomatoes . Eh voila spaghetti sauce. You can use some of this to do a pasta bake or lasagne too
With the other half add water a stock cube and gravy granules for mince and tatties . Use left overs to make shepherds pie

ginnyknit

Pops, had a thought that your lack of appetite and depression could be caused by you not having the house warm. I think you seriously need to consider having either the heating on for a few hours a day or a couple of portable heaters, one upstairs and one down. Depression is one of the first signs of hypothermia and you are doing yourself no good at all added to the depression you already have. Hope you dont mind me saying.

monnagran, too late tried Dockies advice and now the plug hole is bunged up with mud - the one in the bath I hasten to add :rotfl: people pay a fortune at spa'a for mud baths so I just did it O/S dont worry though I used the back garden.

...wanders off wondering why she feels so at home on this thread .... ah yes they are all crazy too....

Popperwell

I have heard of that Ginny and I am not offended at all...I appreciate all advice and support I am given...Thqnk you. In many ways I am fortunate with my lot and am stronger than I thought I may be.

Mornings are ok(I am sleeping reasonably well)I am better from the teatime into the early hours, the empty feeling seems to hit in the afternoon but as Tawney suggested at that time, have a little snack and a warm drink and I think it may be helping.

I may just be going through the normal grieving process. I don't know what has happened tonight but I have no heating on and I am reasonably cosy.

In my favour I still have a bit of an appetite, I am watching a little TV again, the radio and music is enjoyable again and of course I have my internet too so there are more positives than negatives...

Hope that you soon feel better Ginny, sciatica is horrible...

Going to tidy the house this weekend and that will keep me busy and keep my mind occupied.

D&DD

Does anyone else watch Modern Families here ?? Last week there was a big ruck indoors here due to the fact the men were sitting in their butts and I've been running round like a headless chicken and I *may* have gone a little overboard in rant mode..anyhoo..watching modern families tonight and Mitchell and Cam start having words about what Cam does all day and all the boys burst out laughing and looked at me :o:o it was almost word for word what I said last week even down to the fact I'm making Rosie a backpack (Cam made his cat a mermaid outfit)men!:p Harumph