Sashybo - Back Again

DancingInTheRain

Oh your house just sounds like mine, I get so frustrated by how my DH zones out from the kids - everything is always getting done 'in a minute'. Sounds like your DS is starting to make a bit of progress with the potty training, he'll get there. Yay to an afternoon in nursery too! My DS2 is starting to show signs of being ready so may have a try with him over Xmas but I'm nervous as he's so mischievous that I can imagine him deliberately tipping his potty over the floor or deliberately going anywhere except the potty to do his business! Kids!!! I feel very outnumbered by the amount of boys in my house, hopefully your DD will help provide a balance to your DH & DS's boy antics

redofromstart

Puff pastry and mince meat sprials look pretty and are easy to do.  Far less waste and hassle than mince pies.

My eldest loved cooking buns from 2 upwards and always made an awful mess.  He has never forgotten the fun we had though and will still engage in the kitchen even if he is hormonally incapable elsewhere.  

sashybo

Hi Dancing & Redo. 👋 I've been MIA for a while.

Dancing I feel your pain with a mischievous boy! My DS is back to refusing to use the potty - he'll (mostly) do it for my mum or DH but rarely me. 🤷‍♀️ Oh well, I'm not going to stress out, he'll do it eventually (I hope!). My DD will probably just join in with DH & DS's silly antics. 🤦‍♀️ She is going through a phase just now of refusing her afternoon nap then wailing at 6pm because she's exhausted. Oh I also get the "in a minute" from DH and whatever it is doesn't get done. He also claims I'm nagging if I ask him to do something more than once. 🙄 

Redo, great tip on the mincemeat spirals, I made them this afternoon - they look good & taste yummy. 🍻 I've still not braved baking with DS, I'll probably try at the weekend.

In good news, DH has finally written his half of the Christmas cards and will post them today. Mine were posted a week ago! Mind you, my SIL & brother only got theirs today and they live in the same town - I'd have been quicker just driving to their house and sticking it through the door!

sashybo

My office at work was forced to close last week as there was a covid outbreak - 12 people tested positive and 26 had to self-isolate, I had to isolate and take another test. 🤦‍♀️ Luckily I was negative and never developed any symptoms but it's just been luck that it hadn't hit my office before now. 

The NHS had to force the company to close the office as they tried to keep it open even knowing that one shift had 6 people who had tested positive. Another shift then came in and most of them got it too. 😱 My shift seemed to be lucky as only 1 person got it and the rest of us had to isolate. 

I was in on Sunday (only 3 of us were out of isolation by that point) and they have taped everything off. We can't use the plates, cutlery, oven trays etc in the shared kitchen so have to bring in our own. I can see that it makes sense but it's a bit of a pain, we're not even allowed to share teabags or milk for our tea. Then there's a ton of extra cleaning because everything has to be wiped after each use - phones, door entry system, printer, kettle etc. We've all been wiping down our desks, keyboards & mice etc anyway and wearing masks in the shared areas, although not at our desks. They're even saying we can't have paper. 🤷‍♀️ Surely it would be fine as long as everyone isn't touching the same bit of paper and has their own pen. 🤔 

I think the main problem in our office is lack of ventilation though and it's actually quite a small area to have 7 people in for 8/9 hours at a time. The big managers seem to think it will still be ok to rotate managers between shifts though. 🤦‍♀️ 

So much food was thrown out of the kitchen "just in case" and it was quite horrible to see the waste. 😩 I went out to the £ shop and bought myself a bowl, side plate, dinner plate and some cutlery to keep in my locker to save me bringing it all in from home every shift I'm working. Not very MSE but will save me some hassle.

sashybo

I also bought an extra present for DD's Christmas after saying I wouldn't get the kids anything else. It's a ladybird wheely bug, a toy that she can sit on and scoot about, I think she'll love it. DS will no doubt push her off and steal it mind you. 😩 

I bought it second hand from eb@y, paid £16 plus £7 postage so £23 all in which seems a lot but they sell for £75 new. 😱  I just hope it arrives in time for Christmas (not that she'll know if it doesn't), I paid within a few minutes of the auction ending on Sunday but it hasn't been marked as dispatched yet.

I cashed out from PA again, vypr and also another survey site so between them I got £55, I paid £25 off my lower BT and used the rest towards Christmas spending. I'm hoping to earn a bit more and use it to make an O/P to my car loan.

I have been struggling again with the spending, I just keep buying and I don't need the stuff. I've not bought any more clothes apart from a bargain from seasalt, they were doing 20% off tunics and I had a £45 gift card (birthday present from the outlaws). So a needle cord tunic that was £70 😱 only cost me £11 "real" money. 👍 Their stuff is pricey so I don't buy it often but it is good quality and lasts for years so is always money well spent. 

I made soft pretzels last week using beer in the dough and they were lovely. It was a bit of a faff and time consuming (my pretzel twisting was quite rubbish) but not difficult. They were huge so I froze 4 of them.

DH is working lates again this week so I defrosted some leftover green Thai curry and coconut rice from the last time DH made it for dinner. It was very nice, so at least we know it survives freezing ok. 👍 

Sun_Addict

I think it’s the time of year when you think it doesn’t matter if you spend too much. I went a bit mad over the last couple of weeks but am reining it in now. Also I think once you’ve cracked and bought one thing it leads to another.

VelvetFreak

Sorry to hear of the Covid outbreak at your work  
And I agree with Sun_Addict above, Christmas can be such a hard time to keep the spending under control. Thankfully it only happens once a year 

Willowtree222

Christmas is so hard to keep it in check. The presents, food etc. It soon mounts up. 
Your work were told to close? They should have been doing that and putting you all first. 

sashybo

Hi all, thanks for dropping in. 👋 

SA, I think you're right - when I buy one thing I seem to then go on a spending bender and order things left, right & centre. 😱 I've just spent another £40 altogether because I was buying Christmas presents for our friend's children. 🤦‍♀️ Whilst I was ordering I also bought some footless sleepsuits for DD (to be fair I got 3 pairs for £9 & she is getting too long for her footed ones) and then I ordered books from another site for them and had to pay postage on that order. I need to stop now!

Velvet, I always think I don't spend that much at Christmas . 👀 Can anyone else hear hollow laughter? 😂 I've been keeping track this year using a present app and it's a bit of an eye opener.

Nicnak, I haven't even counted the food. I foolishly got DH to order the turkey at the butchers and he ordered a huge whole turkey (just for us and 2 small kids!!!) so I made him change that to a turkey crown but I think it's still huge. 😢 Then he ordered the steak pie and I think it's big enough to feed 8 people. 🤦‍♀️ So we'll be living on leftover turkey and eating steak pie for about 4 days after new year. 😂 Just as well cos we'll be skint paying the butcher. 😭 

Yes my department is run by incompetents (working from home as soon as there was a whiff of covid no less) who thought it was perfectly fine to just keep sending the shifts in as usual. They were forced to close by the environmental health/NHS for the best part of a week after their stupidity caused another 6 people to get infected! They now think it's fine to say to each shift that we are a bubble and impose lots of restrictions on us but then to change the manager that works on duty with us every few days. 🤔 🤷‍♀️ The managers usually rotate through all 3 shifts, so if they keep doing that then obviously there are no bubbles are there? 🤦‍♀️ 

Willowtree222

Yep, they've not thought that one through very well have they? 
What is it with men and ordering too much food x