*The Holly and the Ivy* and the You Know What 2013 Chatter Thread.

jakesbakescakes

Missgigglewick -my heart goes out to you - hang in there hun, I agree, karma will catch up with her!!! Although that doesn't make it any less infuriating I'm sure. Wish I could bring u over a big cake and bottle of bubbly to cheer u and ur hubby up! Hugs hun xxx

ReformedShopaholic

Happy Birthday for yesterday my3girls!

msgigglewick- sorry to hear you are having a hard time from the csa. Seems the fathers that want to pay and look after their children are the ones who get slammed the most, while the others don't give a stuff and hardly have to give anything to contribute. Just another case of the people who know how to work the system doing it while everyone else pays/gets slammed.

betsie2010- a trip away to a Christmas market with your daughters sounds fab. What a lovely thing to look forward to.

moneysavingmumofone

FeistyFidget wrote: »

How about purchasing a push bike? I know you wouldn't feel 100% safe, but perhaps having a bike to zip past the dodgy bits on would help?

Thanks all re: freecycle, am going round at the weekend, so will take measurements etc and put them on

Well my placement wants me to extend a lot of my working hours When I started I stressed how I only accepted because it enabled me to be at home in the afternoons to run the business. Then I stupidly agreed to cover my colleague for Thursday and Friday (which you all know I've whined about ) and now I've had another 2 weeks worth of full day requests In all honesty, I don't know what to do. Those extra hours would bring us £500 closer to the deposit, but possibly at the cost of my sanity! Still waiting on an operation date for DH and I just know if I accept it will fall on one of these days.

Sorry all, in a bit of a moany mood this week - I think my body is missing the gym

Thats a good idea, thanks. Its been about 13 years since I last rode a bike lol but I could definitely use the exercise. :rotfl:

msgigglewick-It really is ridiculous and un-needed stress for you! Just 3 more years to go, hang in there. xx

Happy belated birthday my3girls!


I bought a few more bits for the easter egg hunt today, its going to end up costing me a fortune! :rotfl:I do love to do a good easter egg hunt! Today I bought the plastic buckets (usually use baskets but the buckets were cute) Easter pens, cuddly rabbit teddies and some yellow chicks with hats/glasses for my nan! Have already bought packs of 2 easter shaped chalks for 39p from HB, some lindt carrots, mini eggs, easter choc coins and shapes and a few ellas kitchen pouches and peter rabbit juice for my nephew who'll only be 8 months. We usually do the easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday but its usually a bit hectic as me and my sister have to go to see our OHs family too so am going to do it on Easter Monday when everyone comes to our house for my DS' birthday. Excited!

moneysavingmumofone

Have just ordered all the paper plates, cups etc for DS' party that wasnt supposed to be a party lol. Im going to place my order later for some sweets for the 'Hello Sweetie' sweet table. Excited! :j

caitlyn22

Sorry to hear everyone's maintenance payment issues. Just to highlight there's always another side to every story, my OH used to work for CSA and he would bring home some of the worst stress imaginable. Like any big organisation there's miscommunication, errors and occasionally real stupidity (!) but I would get so angry at some of the phone calls he had to put up with from men and women who had ultimately got themselves in to a situation but were then oblivious to this fact and would use the CSA staff as battering rams to fight each other. My OH would regularly be told he was being recorded (which would understandably make him cautious - there's strict laws about this) was verbally abused and often threatened - they regularly had to involve the police. Not aiming this rant at anyone on here, just letting you know for every reasonable, well-intended/frustrated call you or your OHs make, there seems to be 4 or 5 idiots!

Hope everyone gets their issues sorted out anyway - there's nothing worse than drama and tension hanging over your everyday life. :grouphug:

Concentrating on birthdays at the moment - two big birthdays (and big birthday cakes!) coming up so lots to do. Plus got my month off in March and so it's manic at work...no idea how I'm going to fit what's left to do, in the time there is left! I'm in that list-making phase, where I'm sure I could spend the time it takes me to make the list doing something more productive, but it's reassuring.

Speaking of procrastinating, it's amazing how much energy I'm putting in to NOT doing the housework at the moment.

msgigglewick

oh i totally understand caitlyn22... infact the guy who is dealing with our case has been told lots of times we understand its not his fault, its just his job etc. Though the letter we got yesterday WAS their fault, they have admitted that and said sorry. We are fully aware of the laws which is what makes all this so annoying, Its taken what 6 months at least off and on contact with the csa for them to finally come up with the figures both us, their calculator and the bumph governing the maintenance laws all agree with then they do that. They really don't do themselves any favours sorry. Having dealt with them from both sides im perfectly aware of their little tricks to delay, etc. They are as organised as the tax credits office which isn't very lol .

I'm bored, its obviously too early to sit and knit things for xmas, i've been hunting for some bigger projects todo and found some bargain patterns (10p upwards) which will take a good week to come. I've got one wedding to go to this year... my step brothers and im not overly looking forward to the 3hour drive but ho hum lol. Not sure if to get them a gift as they already live together etc and i don't really know them well enough... only going cause my stepdad has begged oops asked me too.. to help with the photographs (its his and my thing) so need to find new outfits for me and the girls (don't think dh can get that time off work) oh and get back into the photography lol

Can't we have xmas mid year too?

Own_My_Own

I actually have very little contact with the CSA.

They phoned me out of the blue last year to say they were looking at cold cases and mine had come up.

I very rarely ring them. The enforcement department phoned on Saturday to tell me the form was on its way, and I was to use the number on the letter if I needed to contact them.

I am not expecting any money from my ex so I see not point getting upset or angry with anyone.

There is no way I am going to get the thousands in arrears or the £500 that is being added every month.

(Don't all go :eek: It is £500 because he won't tell them what he earns)

It was quite funny because they had the wrong address for him. So I told them the right address, but they said 'no we have a address, and we need proof of a new address.'
I told them to just try the address I had given them, as there was nothing to lose. If it was wrong the people at the address would return the letter.
So they did and the idiot phoned them to tell them to F*** 0ff they were getting nothing. If he had not phoned they would have scrapped the address and they would still be looking for him.

msgigglewick

lol that sounds like my ex omo... the csa asked if i had any information on his work, etc.. so i asked if his NI number would be any help.. they said oh yes! once they had that the only way he could escape would be to move out of the country... oops.

dropsofjupiter

Sorry to hear about all your problems with ex's - it sounds like an absolute nightmare, which may indeed be the understatement of the century!

I just clicked on that link to the forum about Swagbucks as I've had very little luck getting into it so far. I thought this thread moved quickly, there is 325 pages to get through and the thread started on NYD! :eek:

Own_My_Own

msgigglewick wrote: »

lol that sounds like my ex omo... the csa asked if i had any information on his work, etc.. so i asked if his NI number would be any help.. they said oh yes! once they had that the only way he could escape would be to move out of the country... oops.

We think he has been working cash in hand. The CSA have always had his NI number. I put it on the original form in 1997.
There is just no trace of him. His partner owns the car. They live in a house owned by her parents. I don't even know if he has a bank account.

I'm not that bothered really. You don't miss what you have never had. Any money we got now would be put away for when dd goes to uni.

But saying that I would love to be there when the bailiffs knock on their door, just to see the look on their faces.
I wonder what bs they are going to use to get out of it.