Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor

jwil said:

That's brilliant news about the fence!  That will be nice to enjoy when the sun comes back

I imagine it must be hard this week for the school staff, it's a lot to take on, trying to settle the kids back in as well as manage everything, and getting back into a routine. I hope the next two days aren't too bad.

Thanks Jwil

beanielou said:

So pleased you have the fence done 

Thanks Beanie

Sunshine_girl2 said:

Bit behind on diaries so just catching up. Glad the family are starting to get vaccinated . You sound very busy work wise , I hope you aren't getting to tired with it all. The last bit of fencing sounds great , all private for you to enjoy. There is always next year for a break away , you can explore your own area instead . 

Thanks Sunshine

Onebrokelady said:

Great news on your new fence being installed, you will be able to get the most out of your garden now 😊

Thanks OBL

HairyHandofDartmoor

It's been an interesting week!

The first three days at school I found really tiring and a bit overwhelming with all the children coming back 😩. The logistics of coordinating large groups of children and managing their behaviour was exhausting because I wasn't used to it. But on Thursday and Friday I suddenly got my mojo back and had two good days 🙂. I guess I just got used to it again.

The weather wasn't brilliant, it was cold and showery, but at least the children were able to play outside. I was hearing children read in the corridor on Thursday and it was so windy that the pages of their books were blowing over 🙀, so I had to tell them to put their finger on the page to stop it happening . It's really good to have all the children back though and overall they were delighted to be back with their friends and the school staff. One boy rushed up to me and hugged me before I could stop him when he saw me on Monday 😊. There were a few children who were missing mummy or daddy and needed comforting, and a few who were clinging like limpets to their parent in the playground in the morning and had to be firmly (but kindly) escorted into school by the TA. But most of them were delighted to be back at school.

Friday was intereresting because one boy had a tantrum in the classroom and told the teacher he hated her and she was the worst teacher ever 🙈! Her face was a picture and I literally held my breath wondering what she would say 🙀 ! The little boy got told off and had to miss a fun activity that all the other children were doing as a consequence, but I didn't have much sympathy for him as he's often badly behaved and rude to the staff. The teacher said to the class she was sorry she had to get cross and that her feelings had been hurt by him saying such unkind things, and several children told her she was the best teacher ever . They can be so sweet at that age 😊. 

I'm glad it's the weekend because I badly need to relax and unwind. It's been an exciting week what with all the children coming back, our fence being finished and my Covid vaccine being booked, I felt like I would burst with excitement on Monday evening 😂.

We had a bit of a storm in the night as there was torrential rain and strong winds which kept me awake for a while as we sleep in the attic room 🌬🌪🌧. I was worried our new fence would blow down or we'd lose tiles from the roof. This morning though it's beautiful sunshine, although a bit windy 🌞.

I've put a wash on and emptied the kitchen bins, plus got rid of some rubbish from our own small bin. I want to do lots of relaxing this weekend though as next week will be gruelling again. I enjoyed inspecting our new fence, it's so lovely, and looking to see how our spring flowers are doing 🥀🌻🌷. The garden will be even more sheltered now. 

In more house news we've finally had a quote from our builder regarding the re-rendering and painting of the front and back of our house. The quote also included replacing all the windows in the front of the house as they don't fit properly and we can't open them now. The quote was reasonable and stepdad said he was happy for the work to go ahead 🙂 (he's going to pay for it out of our future inheritance). The only fly in the appointment is that the work can't go ahead until Spring 2022  😒. It's very disappointing to have to wait that long, but our builder is very busy and he expained that the work has to be done in the spring or it could be ruined by the weather and as it's a big expensive job we need to get it right. So I'm nagging DH to tell him yes before he gets even more booked up! I offered to do it but DH said he wanted to do it 🙄. Sometime DH drives me potty as he's a bit slow to make decisions at times, but I know I can ocasionally be a bit impatient so I suppose we balance each other out.

I definitely feel more positive today. My vaccine is booked, our fence is competed, we'll get our house sorted next March and spring is in the air 😁. I hope all my forum friends have a lovely Saturday 🙂.

Sun_Addict

Presume you mean Spring 2022 not 2020 😆 It will soon come round though, time seems to be flying right now. It’s good of your stepdad to pay for it. Mr SA used to be a nightmare getting workmen in, always thought he could do it himself and save money, drove me mad 🙄

The story of the naughty boy made me smile, even though I shouldn’t. Children can be very blunt and hurtful at times. It reminds me of when DS was at primary school - I was talking to his teacher when we were interrupted by a boy reporting another boy in the playground going round to all the fat kids calling them Mr Blobby. The teacher had to go and sort him out but was trying really hard not to laugh. 

I hope you get some relaxation time this weekend and your boys spoil you on Mother’s Day.

HairyHandofDartmoor

Thanks SA 🙂. Yes I did mean 2022 (I don't have a time machine 😂😂).

It can be hard to keep a straight face at school sometimes, but we have a good laugh about things in the staffroom afterwards 😂.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I forgot to say that I've lost two pounds this week due to all the rushing around at school. I did 13,500 steps and 40 active minutes just around the school premises yesterday!

milann

Hairy hairy I’m so pleased you don’t have a time machine as I never ever want to revisit 2020.....it has to be up there as one of my worst ever years. 😲😲 The time will pass quickly to 2022 at least you know it will be done and not a maybe sometime in years to come👍
Your week sounds interesting. It must be difficult for everyone to adjust. I’m just hoping there isn’t a spike in numbers now schools are back and lockdown can precede as planned.
Have a restful weekend- how long until you break up for Easter.

jwil

Getting the house done will be something to look forward to!

Glad your week improved and well done on the weight loss.  Have a lovely relaxing weekend

Willowtree222

Great that you can get the house things done. I am impatient too and like to book things in. 
We always have a laugh in the staffroom. Not about the children necessarily but just in general about things as it helps when we've had a stressful day x

foxgloves

Lots of really positive stuff there, HHoD..... & we definitely all need positives at the moment, after the year we've had.
F x

Sunshine_girl2

Great to hear the house plans are on the calendar for early next year. What a challenging week you had at work , no wonder you fancy a rest this weekend. 

Any sign of DS3 going back to uni ? Enjoy your Mother's Day , I know you will be thinking of your own mum .