NST June Challenge

thriftylass

Hello,

sorry didn't mean to abandon you for three days. Came down with a tummy bug on Thu afternoon and was floored all of Friday. Better by Sat but in between a facial (wow) and underarm wax (ouch) bought with my birthday voucher and totally crazy kids this weekend I didn't have the time.

On Thu was DS last school visit before it becomes real. Went not too bad, he seems to like and trust his teacher a lot as he didn't want to stay in class without mummy but eventually went with her. Also found out that the school has its own breakfast club for 25p a day. Hopefully get a space as this will save us about £25 a week compared to the community centre one.

Forgive me for I have sinned. Massively. I spend £130 this weekend, 60 went on food and drink (the main sin, mainly convenience or to unnecessarily supplement what we had). £70 went on clothes, mainly essentials for the kids like wellies, undies, socks, but also two tank tops and a blouse for me. All primark though. The cost just kept creeping up. Had to buy new deodorant, razors, socks etc for me. And although it was all primark or boots own brand I still feel a bit sick spending that much. Although I really couldn't let anyone live in holey clothes for any longer.

The weekend itself was not that enjoyable part from the spa and a soft play birthday party. Both me and OH were very snappy and short tempered also with the kids who just wouldn't listen. I didn't like being that way at all. Really glad to be in work and get a break. DH and I were saying we have no idea how to get through the next five years with having the kids ALL the time. No grandparents, no babysitters. I think we both need an attitude change as this is sth we cannot change and just need to deal with without negatively affecting the kids or us by our mood. So onwards and upwards with a positive attitude.

Will catch up with all the posts I missed during the day.

Calling14

Thrifty - doesn't sound like fun. What I did when my girls were small had a group of friends and we had a babysitting club, take it in turn sitting for each other. Had washers for each hr we baby sat. Plus end of every 6 weeks have a cheese and wine evening to catch up. You need some me time.
Fmess - Jealous you so on top of debt busting and diet at the moment. I am just in meltdown mode this month. Have 10 weeks before a wedding to lose some weight eek.

Off to physio now, slighty scared.

thriftylass

Calling14 wrote: »

Thrifty - doesn't sound like fun. What I did when my girls were small had a group of friends and we had a babysitting club, take it in turn sitting for each other. Had washers for each hr we baby sat. Plus end of every 6 weeks have a cheese and wine evening to catch up. You need some me time.
Fmess - Jealous you so on top of debt busting and diet at the moment. I am just in meltdown mode this month. Have 10 weeks before a wedding to lose some weight eek.

Off to physio now, slighty scared.

Good luck with the physio. BTW 10 weeks could still mean a sensible 10-20 pound weight loss. You can do it.

Unfortunately, most of our friends have grandparents or other arrangements or it's not compatible. Dh and I sometimes take turns and give each other a morning or sth like this Sat. But we could do with a weekend or at least a whole day. But that won't happen till they are old enough for sleep overs at friends' or playdates by themselves or taking the plane to my parents. Anyway, no point complaining, other people cope just fine and we'll just need to find a better coping mechanism. Hence the overwhelmed-ness part of this challenge which I could do a lot better at this month. Bigger jobs in the house and the garden just need to be broken up and dealt with in a different way.

thriftylass

Well, been to the gym, sore but invigorated. Will stay off the fags tonight. I'm totally determined today as I believe giving into them undermines my motivation for other goals if that makes sense. So that is definitely the first thing that needs to change before anything else.

Started a menu plan but will double check the fridge/freezer tonight and adjust. DH started taking more HM/LO lunches now to work and I need to adapt my dinner cooking a bit.

mothernerd, busy as usual. As others have said make sure you get rest too. Even just the feet up if sleep still is trouble some some times.

Bob scary fox story. Luckily we don't have a cat flap but plenty of foxes in the vicinity, hear them crying at night and see them running along the street. Def, don't fancy them in the house. Glad the ebaying is going well. I have pretty much given up till I find more time or items worth flogging. Hopefully once the kids are through the baby/small toddler phase. Got a wee collection of wooden toys going that might be worth selling at some point.

Loads of NSDs now getting collected too. Keep it up. I will catch up this week hopefully, need at least 4 out of the next 5 days.

Fmess glad the healthy eating plan suits you and works for you.


Oh no apple muncher has mentioned that date that is still 28 weeks away. But actually rightly so. Maybe it is time to start thinking about it and to start making rough lists with ideas for presents, decoration, card making etc etc :santa2:

Fmess

speky the guy who has designed it calls himself The Body Coach and his cook books are called Lean in 15. They are generally all cookable in 15 minutes, which also appeals to me. There is a new book out on Thursday so might treat myself if I get more extra work.

dizzyblnd

Thrifty could u not advertise/seek a good babysitter? Or any other parents at school that could do babysitting on the basis that u then do it back for them in exchange?

dizzyblnd

I had a nsd yesterday and today taking me to 9/20. I did a charity run yesterday so giving myself a break today. I've heard of the lean guy, joe wicks, he's amazing.

Bobarella

clippy_girl wrote: »

Bob is your cat chipped? I bought a microchip cat flap so only my cat can get in the house as there are lots of cats around here. It was expensive around £70 but worth it as never had another visitor!

Hi Clippy
Long story short, yes but I gave up on those cat flaps as there was a cat in our old neighbourhood that just used to headbutt the cat flap and get in anyway. He was a real brusier. We nicknamed him Fluffy as he was a big black fluffy cat but later found out his name was Albert. Those flaps cost a lot more and didnt work for us first time round sorry. And thanks for trying to help
Bob

Bobarella

thriftylass wrote: »

Good luck with the physio. BTW 10 weeks could still mean a sensible 10-20 pound weight loss. You can do it.

Unfortunately, most of our friends have grandparents or other arrangements or it's not compatible. Dh and I sometimes take turns and give each other a morning or sth like this Sat. But we could do with a weekend or at least a whole day. But that won't happen till they are old enough for sleep overs at friends' or playdates by themselves or taking the plane to my parents. Anyway, no point complaining, other people cope just fine and we'll just need to find a better coping mechanism. Hence the overwhelmed-ness part of this challenge which I could do a lot better at this month. Bigger jobs in the house and the garden just need to be broken up and dealt with in a different way.

I sympathise Thrifty. We are in a very similar boat. My mum has shown next to no interest in my children. Long story. She hasnt even met my new child.
My in laws are lovely but miles away and their health isnt good. We did start off doing babysitting with our NCT group but after everyone else had 2 kids so quickly and I went back to work we drifted apart.
In the almost 8 years I have been a Mum my husband and I have never had a weekend together and I can count the number of times we have even been out alone still on 2 hands.

We used to organise date days when our son was little and at full time nursery. That worked really well.

Good luck. It is very hard sometimes.

mothernerd

Sorry for lack of check in. Saturday night I didn't manage to do as much painting as I had hoped - just undercoated the three pieces of furniture I am planning to paint (to cover up the tatty bits and make DS3's room less of a mish mash) and same undercoat on my bedroom windowsill - hanging outside in the dark.

Started yesterday running around like a headless chicken but made myself stop, sit down and think about what needed doing (ie essential)

Sunday, builders again as still not finished all the edges in the bathroom plus put back the radiator. They brought the laminate flooring, stayed until 2 pm as they had two other customers to see and are coming back Wednesday and Thursday to sort the kitchen bits/ the curtain rails/ skirtings in front room to go back on/ sealing round inside of front room window and pointing outside (let's face it, they will probably be here Friday as well).

Lots of stuff left the building including the old toilet, lots of cardboard (my paper bin is now filled to capacity), bits of pipe, the extra toilet seat (donated by mum) and most of their tools. Brought in the laminate flooring first. I can carry a pack of laminate (at the other house, pre-op, I could only move them by pushing them across the floor) although I did slow down quickly. Bath is still in the back yard so another car load to go on Wednesday.

After they had gone I painted my room (bought another huge tarpaulin to completely cover the bed so I could do most of the ceiling in one go), the purple paint on the furniture, cornflower blue gloss on the windowsills (when it finally stopped raining), sanded and re-painted the handrail and finally used the remainder of the bedroom paint (was waiting to see if needed a second coat) in the bit of landing between my room, the bathroom and the top of the stairs.

Finished at 10 pm (lots of rests, one over 3/4 of an hour. Had a bath, crawled into bed and at 10.30 decided to go to sleep. Lovely long sleep plus a few naps (woke, went to the loo, checked the time and decided it was early enough to sleep a bit longer.

At some point (think it was 7.30 am) I had my pills and bananas and set to moving furniture. Large bedroom has only a single bed, three wardrobes, two bookcases and a single chair in it. Here in the little room there is my double bed, my drawers and my wardrobe beside it, leaving a gap in the middle for me to get in and out. Along the wall behind me are 2 dining chairs, two 2-drawer filing cabinets and a small table with a further dining chair tucked under and one chair and a stool on top. With boxes, baskets and bags (mostly grouped by category) stacked on top. The other wall has a small set of shelves and a stack of mostly bits of wardrobe and two doors. Just enough space for me to exit via either doorway.

I am so sick of stuff. Really want to carry on decluttering. Whilst moving stuff my wardrobe died (the left side is no longer attached to the bottom). It already had no doors and is battered at the corners. One of DS3's wardrobes also crunched off it's wheel. So have spent some of the day pondering cost and possible sources of replacements and if I should buy new for DS3 (I asked a while ago about gf's preferred colours/ finishes in case any items needed replacing - so that gthey could take them with them when they set up home). This would mean I could use DS3's ones to 'make' a walk in wardobe with room for the bedding for me, taking a small corner of DS3's to do it.

Having moved everything I could, I waited until 11 am before phoning laminate man. I still woke him. However he got here within the hour as promised and has worked excellently until the job was done. he seems to have fixed the 'crunched wheel' on the wardrobe (we had to hold it upright to move it - he said he would take a look) so can carry on for a bit longer with the wardrobes (will have to try putting one together from the pieces I have. At least I don't have the guilt from considering non-essential spending if I keep them beyond the point of utility (if I can get them through to next May they could go on the bulky refuse collection).

Short on SFDs here. Was going to plead for one as I had to go and buy milk and sugar for laminate man. Made him take the milk home as no use to me without the fridge. Have bought other things (not going to win the NSD prize this month). Didn't realise how much the painting had taken out of me until I went to the shop - like walking through treacle. I have spent the remainder of the day resting and dozing. Have swept part of the room (laminate man did it once, I have done it twice, more on the other side of the wardrobes).

I need to make the parts of the kitchen that we will be working on (on Wednesday) accessible tomorrow, but not planning anything else. Just clear the worktops and make space to get at the plinths and cupboards (wondering if I can ask him to stand on a board on the bed to put my curtain rail up - then I could leave everything in here till later in the week.

I will go and read the challenge again as I am aware that I am paint obsessed (focused mothernerd it's called focus). I have had a phone call today that resolved the dispute with a supplier that I mentioned the week before last. I have been given a £50 refund, an improved package and my renewal date has switched to a more convenient time of the year. I have also replaced the light bulbs that needed doing. So lots of frog eating really (and most of the diy has needed doing for 5 - 8 years so big frogs ).

Today I am grateful for my bed (my haven), for tradesmen who love what they do (he had done 2 x 12 shifts working on the fairground at weekend) and the lovely little blue flower I spotted this morning (turned out to be a spot of paint that had fallen when I did the bedroom window but still beautiful). I have forget-me-nots outside the back gate and the stocks still smell wonderful.