22 Foxhole East

Bobarella

Why am I picturing Kenny Everett?

f0xh0les

Definitely more Kenneth Williams than Cupid Stunt or Betty Swallocks

f0xh0les

Very nice weekend, except for DS2 throwing his toys out of the pram every 2 minutes.

DH took DS1 out on Saturday for a hipster haircut, falafel lunch, and a trip to Games Workshop for his new hobby - Warhammer. Then DS1 spent all weekend painting his miniatures and chatting and being lovely.

DS2 was a total swine from 6pm on Friday. Don't know what is going on with that boy. DS3 has also been badly behaved, but he is 8 and his total rebellion consists of saying No and hiding under the dining room table. DS4 is being lovely. The smallest two are being wound up at school with the whole 'Christmas' thing. It is the primary school Xmas fair on the 2nd Dec which heralds the end of any kind of learning, and after that it is Jingle Bells and glitter from 9-3 for the next 2 weeks.

It is freezing cold (my own fault - I don't put the heating on when the kids are at school) horribly wet - I came home from the school run and offered DH a lift down the road to work to save him getting soaked, and we have 50 mph winds forecast for later on. Luckily we only have one club after school on Monday so after picking up #3 from Dodgeball club we should all be home for 4.30 and then dunking #3&#4 in the bath. Honestly, I almost have a rota for bathtimes! The rain is pounding against the window of the living room and it looks miserable out. Brrrr.

Need to do a cupboard inventory and menu plan for the week. Including all the baking for lunch boxes and reminding DH that 3&4's primary school is nut free so no Nakd bars or peanut butter sandwiches in lunchboxes.

Popped into Aldeee and impulse bought DS2 a lovely soft fluffy dressing gown. £9. He is going to love it. Also bought myself a pair of fleecy pyjamas £8. Will do for visiting Step-Gran, and then keeping me warm at home. Let's face it, it is only going to get colder, and as much as I love my sneaky little overpayments on the mortgage, there is no point being uncomfortable if you don't have to be.

I got in touch with a joiner about turning all the doors - he has been in business over 15 years and has good reviews on Yell! He is booked up until Xmas but can come in January, so I have asked him to book me in. I had all the light switches changed to the 'other' side of the doors when we had the rewire, so that is a job which does not have to be done, and will make all the rooms much easier to navigate and put furniture in.

Still looking for a couple of sofas for back living room and an enormous wardrobe for DH's tat. I wanted to go and trawl the second hand furniture places today but I am a wuss when it comes to rain - too many years of dragging 4 kids up and down the road in Manchester in pelting rain to and from school. That was what made me learn to drive. Urgh, I think I am traumatised by it. There is no wetter rain than Manchester rain.

gallygirl

f0xh0les wrote: »

There is no wetter rain than Manchester rain.

DD went to uni in Manchester. I told her it rained a lot before she went. She laughed. First trip home she took her wellies back with her :rotfl:.

f0xh0les

Bag packed, checked-in online, boarding passes printed (after a total faff and resizing). Roll on tomorrow!!

Went to 3 charity shops this morning after dropping the kids at schools. ~Bought 3 pairs of jeans (£3, £1.99, £1.99) and a really nice knitted grey jumper with stars on (£4.00) so I don't have to wear anything with paint splodges on for three days. Also picked her up a 1000 piece jigsaw (£2.49) to keep her amused on the long winter nights, and 2 dozen 2nd class stamps for her cards that she has spent the last 3 weeks writing out in dribs and drabs as her hands shake so much she can't manage them as fast as she used to - she has Parkinsons on top of everything else.

Then the Sainsbury's christmas advert came on, and I realised the best gift I can give Step-Gran really is ME!

So, now I am panicking that DH is going to have to get involved in the ridiculous fiasco that is getting the kids from schools tomorrow - one at 3.00 , one at 3.15, and then 2 have after school clubs with pick up at 4.15 and 5.00 and DS1 has come home with a letter saying he needs to be at school at 7.45 on Saturday for the competition he is doing. Not sure DH knew there was a 7.45 AM on a Saturday as he doesn't usually get up til well after 9.30. He looked absolutely horrified when I told him. Well, welcome to the world of being me. Luckily nobody has any clubs on Friday or Sunday, and I will be back home by about 3pm on Sunday anyway. Wonder if the house will be tidy?

kirtsypoos

Have a lovely time foxholes

greenbee

f0xh0les wrote: »

Wonder if the house will be tidy?

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

(I've been lurking... love your diary... have a FABULOUS time away and put your sunglasses on when you come home)

Kittenkirst

Have a lovely time away Foxholes, and it is very true what you said, the time that you are spending with your Step Gran will mean more than gifts or words.
Safe travels

jodles16

You sound like such a lovely family! Have enjoyed catching up on your journey so far, also mega impressed at how handy you are!

Have a good time away, your DH will do great but pretend he hasnt so you wont go away too often!haha.

Jodles

f0xh0les

Well I have been home a week now, little old lady very happy, I took her to town and we did her Christmas shopping and I made sure she had a few treats in, then I found her enormous stash of chocolates, sweets and biscuits. She could be snowed in for months and not run out. For someone who does not eat sweet things, she surely has an enormous pile hidden around the place. So, I just have to make sure to talk to her a couple of times a week to keep an eye on her, and try and get the kids to write her a chatty letter every now and again. She is of an age where a card or a letter that can be read over and over again is much preferable than a quick phone call.

Anyway, she is sorted for winter, coal buckets filled up next to the fire, heavy duvet on, radiators bled, food in cupboards, emergency milk in freezer (just in case), christmas cards sent, so she should be getting more post soon, so that is one worry sorted.

The house was fine without me, all the laundry was done! left in the dryer or stuffed into the airing cupboard, but clean. Kids fed and alive, sadly #2 had outdone himself on being a complete toad, he knows how to push DH's buttons.

On Tuesday I re-found the christmas decorations at the back of a high cupboard - moving house makes you put things in stupid places cos you are not going to need them for ages.....- and so we have 2 mini trees with lights on the top floor in #3 and #4's bedrooms. I need to swap a sofa in the living room for an armchair to be able to put up the tree and assess the radiator without a sofa in front of it. Sadly I do not have an armchair! 2nd hand furniture/junk / charity shops this week or I will have to buy one with actual real money (eeek!)

I found 6 packs of little cards left over in a box so that will do for their friends in schools. Think they were down to 10p or 15p or something for 20, so that is a saving.

Turned down an invitation to a kid's birthday party next Saturday. It is getting ridiculous, and I am sure the parents will be delighted that they are not paying for the entire class to go out somewhere. When did taking the whole class out turn into something normal? I get it if you are hiring a hall with a bouncy castle and catering yourself, or the swimming pool for an hour, but not 30 kids bowling, or to lazer quest and then they will do food on top of that. It is getting crazy. So |I said no, and now I feel guilty, but #4 has been to 3 parties in the last 4 weeks, and #2 has been to 2 in the last 4 weeks and my present stash is severely depleted! So there. Sue me for cruelty when you get older, kids.

Still don't have the free ferry ticket I won, will have to ring them this week, but I did pick up the T-shirt I won from the local independent cinema, which has a free screening of 'Home Alone' next Saturday as a christmas present to their customers. Nice. Picked up 2 boxes of Lidl mice pies for DH's last lecture for his students at breaktime. It is mad not all the recipes stay the same each year, so every Xmas you have to re-find out which are vegan and which are not. Haven't been in a Lidl for years! And what has happened that all the Speculatious biscuits are sold out and they don't even have them in Aldi this year.

I have freecycled for hamster paraphernalia, been to pets at h0me and found out you can rescue a hamster for £5, so our family will be gaining another member soon. Smallest will be 7 on christmas eve eve. Old enough for pets.

DH has fallen in love with golden moles after Earth II last week. He keeps walking into rooms and announcing 'I am the shark of the desert' and leaving again giggling. It is a handy excuse for not doing certain chores, 'sorry, I will get my fur dirty, and my iridescence is part of my charm'. Twit.

Darling DS2 is still a toad. DS3 is copying him.
DS1 is helping out a lot, which is nice, finally. DS4, like his dad is relying on his being cute getting him what he wants.
DH is lovely though, and getting excited about returning to Manchester next week for a conference, going on the works Christmas meal which will be less than 5 mins walk from the house (a sniff of the barmaid's apron and he is giddy - good cheap night out that boy of mine).

I spent 3 hours wrapping up books on Thursday that I have been hoarding from charity shops, DS3 is getting the Harry Potter series, DS2 is getting a whole spy series, DS1 is having an eclectic bundle, and DS4 is getting Paddington and Magic Roundabout books. I had to buy sellotape, good old Wilk0 20p a big roll so I bought 3 as they are all going to go missing in about 2 days. Still have 2 rolls of wrapping paper left and have masses of home made labels from cards I cut up last year before packing away the Christmas stuff.

Plans for today include; making a gingerbread house, getting DS1 to a war-gaming thing, baking for lunchboxes (10 school days left to go!), having a roast, still having 4 happy breathing children by bedtime and DH not having a total meltdown.

Have a great end of weekend!