I have lost my OS ways, help!

[Deleted User]

How about an experience rather than a 'thing' you could get him a taster lesson at a ski slope, a riding lesson, a taster sailing lesson, a juinor sub aqua taster, many things available, look online and I know kids love this type of present as we did it for years with our nephew starting when he was round about 10 and he had a diving lesson, a sailing lesson (he went on to get qualifications), a flying lesson when he was old enough and took up gliding. He found his vocation through all this and read marine biology specialising in river estuary management at uni because he loved being on and in the water so much. Might that be something the house elf would like to do?

CRANKY40

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

How about an experience rather than a 'thing' you could get him a taster lesson at a ski slope, a riding lesson, a taster sailing lesson, a juinor sub aqua taster, many things available, look online and I know kids love this type of present as we did it for years with our nephew starting when he was round about 10 and he had a diving lesson, a sailing lesson (he went on to get qualifications), a flying lesson when he was old enough and took up gliding. He found his vocation through all this and read marine biology specialising in river estuary management at uni because he loved being on and in the water so much. Might that be something the house elf would like to do?

He's already decided he wants to be a marine biologist, some special kind but what exactly escapes me just now :rotfl: The little pest doesn't need a sailing lesson. He belongs to the yacht club and has a share in a sea bird half rater (sailing boat) that used to belong to his dad. They're out of the river for winter just now. He'd probably like to swim with sharks but I'm not sure he's old enough, I'll have to check.

Caterina

Hi all

Just a quick hello in and out as I have been at the computer for 3 solid hours writing up my mystery shop report, so my fingers are nearly falling off and my eyes are square. But it was well worth it, a lovely meal with a friend, fully refundable, and a small but nice fee.

Talk later, have a good day all x

Caterina

Good morning,

Sorry for rushed message yesterday, I did not want to run without saying hello but I just did not have it in me to sit at the computer any longer.

MOS your time together with your DD sounds like fun, even if you have to pay, it is a great investment and our children remember it when they grow older, and feel loved and valued!

XSpender well done on house cleaning (wish I could say the same!).

Cranky40, good luck with finding a good gift for your little boy, I was going to suggest an experience too but the wise MrsL has beaten me to it! How about a cinema and pizza outing with his best friend?

Easy light day today, but it might include a leisure spend. I was thinking of taking DH out of the house to give him a break from months and months of DIY, I think it would be good for him - and for me to have my husband back for a few hours!

Was thinking of the Garden Museum in Lambeth, it would cost near enough a tenner for entry for the two of us, and cafe lunches would be another twenty or so quid for both. Maybe I can prepare a picnic and only have tea and cake as a treat, we can afford £20 on one outing as we have done ZILCH in recent weeks (other than the mystery outing which wasn't great and we had to queue for an hour for a mediocre meal).

Hope you all have a good day.

tatabubbly

Hey all! Hope you had a good week!

Started my new week here with an earlier start at work! :O it wasn't as bad as it seemed actually!

NSD 1 of this week, apparently we don't get paid till next Sunday! Gah!!

moments_of_sanity

Thank you Caterina, I am glad I took the opportunity to spend time with her on Friday as she has become a hormonal 17 year old who can barely grunt at me today! :rotfl:

My lovely DH popped out to drop his time sheet off at the agency today and very thoughtfully popped into Lidl's on the way back as he knows how much I love their Apple danish type treats and bought me one so today's spend is £0.45p. Dinner tonight is left over shepherds pie that I made on Friday evening with some additional veg and for dinner last night, I decided to try cooking 'pulled' pork and I have to say it was delicious and will definitely be making a come back on the menu plan soon! Enough was left over to add to a simple jacket potato meal tomorrow evening so another easy night for me tomorrow.

DD, who can barely grunt at me, is off out with a friend for dinner tonight so it looks like DH & I will be having a quiet evening at home and really looking forward to it.

Hope you have all had a lovely Sunday

XSpender

Lovely day today with a guided walk around are favourite national trust property. It was warm and sunny but blowing a gale :eek:
Achieved a NSD as we took snacks and decided, after walking into the caf!, to turn round and come back out as although an hours drive home we could wait for a cuppa.


DH has ironed his work things and DS uniform and we are all ready for tomorrow.


Tomorrow we have a chap coming to give us a quote to replace the patio doors.

Caterina

Hello,

Update on the day: we overspent on the entertaining budget, but I really wanted to take DH out of the house and away from the DIY. So we went to the Garden museum, total entry cost for both £9.50. Then had lunch, including tea and cake and a small tip £27.50, then £9 for the Thames a Clipper journey back, it was such a lovely evening that we could not resist a journey on the river. Total £46, which £6 more than I had budgeted for the day.

It was a pity that the museum itself was really not worth paying for, uninteresting and very badly displayed stuff. The Gardens at War exhibition was interesting but it had been displayed so badly that it was impossible to read the blurbs under the photos, and the photos themselves were so tiny you could hardly see them. What a pity.

But food and journey back on the boat were well worth it.

The spend is not the end of the world as we had a bigger monthly budget for outings etc and we had barely touched it this month, but since I have started budgeting and entering the challenges I am ever so aware of my spending. For example I am acutely aware that one day of fun for us today, even though budgeted and affordable once in a while, is the equivalent of many families' monthly food budget. Even with our own generous food budget, the spend of today would have easily done a week shopping for the 3 of us.

I am glad that I can afford a small luxury, and grateful. But I am also glad that it makes me reflect.

In the evening we decided to fill up the car as MrS. Fuel price has dropped and we wanted to take advantage before it goes up again.£46 filled the tank and will hopefully see us right for the next 7-8 weeks at least, as we don't drive much.

Going to update my fuel total in the sig. Good night.

tatabubbly

Christ, I need a new job! Anyone fancy employing me

Sold a few vouchers last night and popped them into my special thing fund... OH is taking me out on date night tonight, so I've got to plan a special dinner before we head to the cinema! I've no idea what to cook, good job I'm home early!

Charging my phone at work to save on eleccy and took my lunch in today as well! Aiming for a NSD but may need to grab some bits for date night..

Caterina

Good morning,

The sun is out this morning so I shall go to tai chi in the park, hoping that the teacher turns up. He is not a teacher as such, just a guy who loves tai chi and is happy to teach whoever joins him, but he has no obligation to turn up, it is not a formal arrangement.

Then quick early lunch as I am starting work with a new family at 12:30, little 8 month old girl, I hope she will be ok and not cry for ages. It is a funny age 8 months, the time when babies really don't want to leave their mothers's side. 4 hours and rather well paid (for a nanny - as a doula I would have charged nearly double).

I sometimes think perhaps I should go back to work as a doula, only get the local postnatal jobs, no births, I could no longer do the nights, I love my sleep too much. Yesterday I met an ex midwife, a lovely woman who now works in an office, who I used to know when I was involved in birth work. She told me that apparently a lot of midwives become unwell in their later years because of the irregularity of their sleeping patterns. I am not surprised, it used to take me a few days to recover from a long night birth, imagine someone who does it day in day out, 24/7! Midwives are unsung heros.


Anyway, after working with the baby, if I am not too tired, DS and I would like to spend an hour or so starting weeding the allotment, which is in a pitiful state. The crops are all gone, we picked the last of the beans, courgettes and squashes yesterday, what the slugs left us, that is. All my kale and cavolo Nero plants are skeletons. Once I weed I might give them a few slug pellets to see if they recover a bit but I don't hold much hope. The leeks are tiny as I planted them too late, but I suppose they will give us a meal or two. This year we neglected the poor allotment so much, what with the kitchen and builders and with DD troubles, too much on our minds.

DH and I would like to sort the allotment out over winter so that next year in March we are ready to plant, for a nice decent crop, God willing and weather and pests permitting. I need a free planter, urgently, to put down some overwintering broad bean seeds!

Then cooking and eating dinner. No babysitting tonight as the girls' nan is there from Ireland so I can relax, or even tidy the kitchen.

Have a good OS day.