The Ultimate Incentive part 10. The only thing holding you back is you.

Birdie85

Not good enough Dinah! Look at what happens to the place when you're not here to keep it going. I got fed up of trying to keep the troops posting!

We had a nice weekend, was tiring though. Lots of shopping with both sets of parents Saturday and Sunday, BBQ on Sunday night with friends and picnic with my family on Monday. Was worn out after all that (doesn't take much to make me tired ) and was fast asleep by 9 on Sunday!

Only 3 sleeps 'till holiday! Not that I'm excited! :j Got to bake a cake tonight though, we're having a bake-off in my team tomorrow and I want to win!

Dinah93

Catching up with Cinny's thread atm, then I'll give you a nice bulky post to fill your afternoon okay? x

shrimpy_80

Hello everyone - thought I would join in and help keep up the momentum! we got back home at lunchtime on Monday having flown overnight, didn't manage to get any sleep on the plane but did get to watch Wreck-It Ralph which I very much enjoyed! Had an amazing time - forgot to mention before that I convinced OH to stop off for the day in Orlando and went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter which was absolutely amazeballs!

What cake are you going for Birdie? Holiday is so close now! Have you packed?

Dinah93

Afternoon everyone. Sorry for going awol for so long, but I stopped getting MSE alerts as my new phone didn't know I was on here, and I kind of just forgot. If I vanish again someone send me a pm or fb me please

All booked up for London, trains booked, babysitter (mum) has it in the diary, and a 4* hotel in Kensington booked for the night so NIM and I can make a proper grown up weekend of it.

Grace is at an absolutely fantastic age at the moment.... so long as you don't want to get anything else done. She has a wicked sense of humour and just giggles all the time, she makes me happier than I ever thought possible. She's crawling like a demon, climbing, standing on her own for a few seconds, not walking yet but that's probably something I should be grateful of!

NIM is working all hours that he can get at the moment. He did 76 last week, although only got 26 the week before. From next week mum is back at school so he won't be able to work anywhere near as many as we're splitting the Grace care between us, although I admit I'm worried that once school holidays are over there won't be anywhere near as many available so we won't be able to make ends meet.

Debt has dropped very slightly, few £100, nothing exciting. I really want to take another chunk off, but I find it near impossible to tear myself away from Grace, and to be honest I don't think I'd be a good parent if I was sat ebaying while she was tugging at my arm to come play with her.

What I have been doing is writing, a lot. I don't have any real timescale on it, but I'm hopeful I might have written my first book/diary by Christmas. The first one I'm doing is the roller-caster pregnancy diary, once that's done I'm going to write Grace's NICU journey. It's helping me to close that chapter, but also to look back and see what I could do differently for next time. Still on the fence about a next time, I just can't imagine splitting my time between 2 of them when shes everything I could ever want, but equally when she's older and more independant a sibling is a wonderful thing.
I've also been working on the blog, hopefully the redesign will be up soon.

Went to Chester last week for 3 days, took Grace to the zoo. We had a really lovely time, but it's definately one of those things I can't see how we'd do with 2, not the zoo but the 3 days away in one room and restaurants every night bit, so I'm holding back the broodyness for the time being.

Came home and we decided to book a week back in Ireland, Grace has never been and I haven't gone for 3 years, so will be good to go home. It will be the first time we've ever stayed at NIMs mother's house, always stayed at his dad's but as he smokes that's out from now on. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly. Both NIM and I are very excited.

We have lots of airmiles which expire in June, we'd love to book a holiday with them and we were thinking Florida as the hotels are so cheap, but with this debt we might just have to let the airmiles expire and not use them.

The debt is weighing very heavily on me, I'd do a heck of a lot for a clean slate and start again, but as it is we just have to keep chugging away.

Overall though it's been an Awesome August really, we've made the most of the weather, been on days out, tried to sort the house and finances out as much as we can, but September in a few days, new school year and coming into winter always makes me focus less on having fun and more on getting thigns done. So a lot more posting from me.

Birdie85

Oooh glad you got to WWOHP Shrimpy! Did you send yourself Owl Mail?!

Making a chocolate cake for tomorrow. Made a practice one last night for OH to take to work and just had a lot of positive feedback, including one lad refusing to have a drink for fear of losing the taste so I guess that's good?!

I haven't packed yet, was too busy baking last night and will be the same tonight! Eeek! Also have to make OH's birthday card! Argh!

Glad you've had a good time away from MSE Dinah, although how *could* you forget about us?!?!

With the airmiles, is it possible to pass them onto someone else so they don't go to waste? Don't really know how they work. Florida would be wonderful for a holiday but I can assure you it'll cost a fortune once there and it's money you don't have! Good news about getting a trip to Ireland booked, will be nice for Gracie to see her other home.

Dinah93

Sounds very promising on the cake front Birdie.

Just been so busy with Grace, I kind of forget anything else in the world exists :embarrassed:

No, I know we can only swap them within our own house or surname, so I might be able to give them to NIMs dad, but I doubt he'd have anything useful to do with them and they'd still go to waste.

Birdie85

Can you use the points for a weekend away instead of a full-on flight somewhere? I know you can use Avios for Eurostar and hotels for example, maybe a couple of nights away in Paris?

Dinah93

No sadly, its virgin ours are with and they dont do shorthaul

Birdie85

Ahhh bummer! Try pricing up options for where they do fly to, you might be able to find a decent cheapish deal for a week in an all inclusive in the Caribbean perhaps so there's no need to spend anything once there? Just don't get caught into spending a fortune for the sake of using the points.

Dinah93

It doesn't cover all inclusive, its flights only. Hence we thought florida as the hotels are cheaper than anywhere else we've looked. I accept its unlikely to happen its just sad. I love to travel and I have to pass it up!