Second Time Lucky

debtfreeoneday

Gotta love a PJ morning.. we've having one today!

amycool

Please all pat me on the back. I have just done something I hate...haggling.

My phone and internet were about to leap up to £36 a month and I looked around and realised if I went back to PlusNet (who I hate because they stole lots of money from me) it would be about £20 a month.

So I called Sky. Took 36 ruddy minutes but eventually got it down to £21.40 a month, which is near enough. It's still showing as the old amount, which worries me.

DD is out at a wildlife place with my in-laws (25 minutes late to pick her up, so I had about 40 minutes of "when are we going?") so desperately trying to catch up with stuff. The doctor cancelled my routine appointment AGAIN so that's now end of September. Let's hope there's nothing actually wrong with me. Also booked my hospital appointment for the day before, so that will be a fun week.

Still need to sort out gas and electric as that's about to leap up too. And need to contact a friend about going somewhere tomorrow with the kids. And have lots of letters to write. The fun never ends.

Summer holidays are going fairly slowly at the moment. I keep trying to contact people about going out but they either don't reply or say no. DD has hardly seen another child! We did have a 7 hour playdate last week, which was bliss. The kids played so nicely that we just didn't leave.

I had mild concussion at the weekend (banged my head on the open rat's cage) so OH had to step up with DD and I got a bit of a break.

Money-wise, we hardly spent a thing last week, which makes a nice change. This week I'm using my leisure pass to go to a few museums for free (just need bus fare), and will pack a lunch. Then my mum is visiting so no expense there. Hoping a trip to the park and a picnic on Thursday, then off to the beach on Friday, assuming the weather stays nice. Then 2 more weeks, but I don't plan that far ahead.

DD is doing quite well with her pocket money and is up to £6.40. Her reading has become amazing since I encouraged (made) her to read some harder books. Her vocabulary seems to have improved too. She got new glasses yesterday as her prescription was all wrong so it will hopefully help with concentration. I just wish they made glasses that made maths look fun to her.

Had a rat scare yesterday as one of them was at the bottom of the cage surrounded by poo and wee. Terrifying! We think she must have had a bad fall. I thought she was going to die but thankfully started taking water from my finger, then food. We gave her painkillers and she was running around again. Phew. She's still a bit delicate today but hopefully no serious harm done. I felt bad not taking her straight to the vet but it would have cost a fortune and I couldn't think what else they could do for her.

cookie9

Hope rat is ok now.
Re school holidays I sometimes plan a trip to a continent. We look it up on the map then do crafts and activities around it. Africa had a safari with toy animals, African mask painting, Drumming and then Madagascar on DVD. South America had treasure hunt for Inca gold etc.

debtfreeoneday

Hope rattie is ok. It's the same here, we said to loads of mums, oh we must meet up and they said the same and I figure the hols run away with everyone and to be fair I've not texted anyone either!

amycool

Cookie - I do remember thinking that would be a good idea, especially when DD is slightly older (next summer maybe). I have tried themed holidays before but she didn't quite get it.

dfod - Rattie is back to full health. Phew. Managed to arrange a short playdate for next week and a friend has offered to come round to give me a break. Hooray!

I forgot to mention the bad news in my last post. We borrowed a DVD from the library and didn't check it. The plastic was loose in the middle and when we put it in it has destroyed the PS3!!!! So no DVD player and no games console. I'm hoping we can somehow fix it but no idea how or when. The in-laws have offered to give us their old DVD player at least.

Went to another NT park with a friend yesterday but DD was in a really sulky mood. Today my mum is here and tried another park but more sulking!! Put up the play tent and DD played in it for about 15 minutes. Such hard work this week but still infinitely easier than 3 or 4 months ago when life really was tough.

Better go and relieve my Mum from duty.

amycool

Stress stress stress.

Bleurgh.

I've just been looking at the spreadsheet and it makes for depressing reading! The thought of having driving lessons on top is just scary, not that I've sorted them yet. OH is also really down about work right now (so spending more money) and DD is having a really terrible week of anxiety and sadness and consequently awful behaviour. She's ruined 3 pieces of clothing, which luckily weren't that expensive and on their way out.

I think I have 11 more days to endure and then I can relax a bit. I really need some time to myself that isn't frantically catching up with admin and stuff.

Still need to:

Sort out gas and electric - I love my provider but the prices are so high compared to last year
Sort out a dentist appointment for me and DD
Sort out another follow up appointment for DD's asthma (did I mention she has asthma? That's the latest stressor!)
Sew name tags on new school clothes
Write 5 contact letters for DD's birth family
Book driving lessons
Sort out medicine cupboard
Collect Argos order
Collect La Redoute order
Contact school re: DD's current mental health

Things I have managed to do:

Endured 2 long asthma appointments
Endured 2 long optician appointments
Bought all the school clothes
Bought a load of Christmas presents and birthday presents for DD and my niece and nephew
Bought some clothes for me (it was getting desperate) that weren't very expensive
Ordered loads of photos for DD's album
Booked next doctor appointment for me
Booked next hospital appointment for me

We had a nice day out at an NT property last weekend but you still had to pay for some of it. Hopefully going to the beach tomorrow. I had pondered Blackpool, but I don't think we can afford to spend any more money so we're thinking somewhere quieter.

We had 2 failed playdates this week. It was tough because I thought I had this week planned and now we've had to stay in all week. If I can get to the Bank Holiday then I can just focus on surviving the last week. It's such a shame as I was doing so well!

OH also has a few overnight work commitments coming up, which is scary. He's always been here for bedtime and the one time he wasn't was awful. I know we have to do it though eventually and then maybe one day next year I could try a night away myself.

Better go - no time to catch up with anyone else unfortunately.

debtfreeoneday

The end is in sight, hang on in there. You've done awesomely x

Muser1

I think you are awesome too xxx

Pushkin

I echo the others amycool - the thing to remember with kids is that nothing is forever even though is may feel like it one day it will be just a memory. Of course there will still be challenges - they just change!

School holidays are also hard too (I think) because there is no set routine - I certainly found my DS more temperamental while off school.

Hang on in there and try and give us a rat update if you get the chance!!!

amycool

Thank you lovely people. I keep trying to get on here to read other people's blogs but something always comes along.

Okay, rat update! Another £30 spent on rope, litter and food. Only the best for my babies! They are becoming a little TOO confident! I can't now just walk into the enclosure as they'll try to escape so I have to put down a step inside, then stand on a chair and climb in. Last time I did this one of them climbed right up me and tried to leap! We're thinking of a way to make the enclosure bigger. If I can get rid of my running machine (hopefully for some money although it's pretty old) and tidy the conservatory up a bit, then get a radiator cover, we could block off half of the conservatory and they'd have far more fun.

I have done 3 things off the To Do list. That's a start.

I'll be sewing name tags on this afternoon so that'll be 4.

We have bought DD a bike for Christmas. It was reduced to £63 and should last until she's 8 or 9. We ended up spending £17.50 on a Frozen helmet, but I thought better to get one she likes and then she'll actually wear it. We're collecting it Saturday and then hiding it! Means we really must clear out her old broken toys from the shed to make space.

This month I OP'd £250, which is £50 less than hoped, but we have had a lot of outgoings this month.

Big news - we have decided to get a new bathroom next year. It was meant to be the first thing we did as our bathroom is brown and beige with dangerous polystyrene ceiling tiles. Of course we had all of the damp problems and the money was gone! I had thought of leaving it a few more years, but considering every room in the house (apart from DDs) needs doing, we should probably start somewhere. We won't be able to save enough by next year as my driving lessons will eat any spare cash, so we'll have to use some of the savings. I feel less worried about this as the interest rates are so low, we may as well invest it in the house. It's a small bathroom so hopefully won't cost the earth. We're just having cheap white tiles around the shower and basin, with plastered walls and then some really nice tiles for the floor. We haven't worked out the details yet. It makes me feel good to know that hopefully this time next year I'll never have to see the brown and beige again. :-) The logistics of course will be awful!

We went to the beach. It went very well up until DD rubbed loads of sand into her eyes and screamed her head off. Then loads of traffic on the way home. At least it only cost £3.60 on 2 ice creams and diesel.

Bought DD a new winter coat for £14 from Asda. Nearly got the black one as it will look better for longer but gave in and got the pink one.