Crazy Cat Lady Chapter 4 - The Aftermath

crazy_cat_lady

Evening lovelies  
Another long day, and I am very, very tired. Half term seems like a billion miles away even though it's tomorrow. I am really looking forward to putting my feet up and relaxing for a bit.
Thank you for your kind words - I feel pretty positive overall about parents evening. However, I've been exhausted all day today, had a full teaching day and it's been one of those where everything has gone wrong in little bits. I had a child that assaulted another child, one that threatened suicide and one that fainted - all in the same lesson. I mean I know ionic equations can be a bit dull but I didn't need that level of drama injecting into my life.
In other happy news I have just been appointed as climate change lead at school. The local youth parliament have environment as a key focus this year and our kids in school have gotten heavily involved. So we were asked if anyone would like to be the school's climate change lead. I volunteered as it's something I'm interested in and something I try and enthuse the kids about anyway (I am the woman that has just finished reading research papers into the health effects of diesel as a fuel). And I was chosen. I get to do an online study course that gives me an extra qualification/accreditation and I get to nag staff and students about looking after the planet, and get rid of the billions of myths and challenge the extremely biased media reports. I'm pleased, but I've been given very short notice of taking four kids out of school first week back after half term for an event at our town hall. In at the deep end, but it's quite exciting  
After school tonight went out for a goodbye meal with one of my colleagues. She's not the strongest teacher I've ever known but a really lovely woman, and she's leaving tomorrow and I'm going to miss her more than I thought I would. It was a super cheap place, 3 course meal for 6.95 which I think was amazing - potato skins or soup, pizza or pasta and ice cream or coffee. Fantastic food, and well in budget. Then home via Mr M as there was a chicken goujon emergency (I swear to god I should have shares in chicken goujons). I spent £6.50 in Mr M to tide us over until the weekend (goujons, ketchup and curry sauce) and there is a weekend shopping list at home and I have work to do with planning meals and shops to do my shopping in. I predict chicken dinner one day, chicken curry one day then who knows what else (apart from chicken goujons) - but thanks for all the suggestions for the curry. I'm definitely trying it  
So pleased it's half term tomorrow - this is my third late night this week and coming after three weeks of solid marking I am fairly ready for the break. I think I'm going to crochet for a bit now as I'm neglecting that side of life...

foxgloves

Lol, I see that chicken goujons have raised their heads again! I have never to my knowledge actually eaten one!
Great about the climate change role. How interesting.....and desperately needs addressing right now.
F x

crazy_cat_lady

I have made it to half term and I am so pleased. It has been an utter pig of a week all in all and one of those where you feel like there's no point in getting up and going in most days. I've spent the past three days eating and have completely wrecked my diet, but I'm hopeful of getting straight back on the wagon by tomorrow. There have been a lot of fights, bullying and disclosure incidents among the kids, and my lovely boss is becoming increasingly stressed and bad tempered now as well. Which isn't nice as I look to him to be the voice of calm and reason... But now sleep beckons. I am going to treat myself to a sneaky G&T in the house, as I have a lot of it in and because I can. DD has her boyfriend round and ds is already on his Xbox so I suspect it's just me, a couple of cats, a couple of drinks and EastEnders which is just how I like it. The imminent arrival of storm Dennis means that tomorrow could be a day of battening down and going nowhere, which is just about fine by me.
Speaking of Dennis - even though I was shattered, I went list in hand to L1dl on the way home from work with ds tonight. Neither of us wanted to but we had planned and I knew I could get most of what we needed from there. We were in and out in half an hour and I got the lot for £47 (including £9 loo roll). Already updated the budget and written up next week's meal plans. So far ds seems reasonably impressed with what we got and how much cheaper it was compared to every other supermarket we tend to go to.  
Also, have cancelled my cleaner - just for next week as we're all home. She will be the last thing to go and I will fight to keep her - but when we're all home during the day I don't want to have to make arrangements to be out so she can come. It will save me a week of paying (and she still owes me a sink) and hopefully normal service will resume the week after next.
Right best get on with alcohol and tv

Honeysucklelou2

Well done and have a happy, restful half term. 

PurpleFairy26

Nice work on l1dl. It is definitely cheaper especially when you’ve worked out what you buy and there and what you don’t. I’ve slipped to mr t for the last couple of shops for various reasons and definitely notice the difference. Enjoy your half term. 

dawnybabes

I normally do home bargains, Marks (normally the dine in £10) and the sausages, then Aldi fir everything else.  All next door to each other and I’m normally £30/40 under what I’d spend at TEs / Mr M 

Baileys_Babe

CCL you sound so upbeat and in control. Pleased that ds was reasonably impressed with Lidl, your life would be so much easier if you were able to do the majority of your shopping there, in terms of both money & time saved.

I prefer Aldi to Lidl, personally but either of them is preferable to the big 4 for my main shop. I do like Lidl's croissants 😃

Dawnybabes I like your shopping, near where I live we have that group of shops together, your possibly close by.

jwil

Congrats on the climate change role, sounds fab
Have a lovely half term.

crazy_cat_lady

Morning  
Already struggling a little with sleep. Woke up before 5am yesterday and half five this morning. I hate that I have the chance for a lie in and can't get it. Never mind, I also have the chance for naps if I need them.
Bit stressful as I found a lump on the naughty tortie yesterday - same place she had a lump and had to have a mastectomy a couple of years ago. I rang the vet but they said it wasn't an emergency (just to me then ) and I have an appointment tomorrow. Very typical that when I focus on desperately paying my debt down that something will come along to knock me off my feet. It is always her as well - she's the one that I can't get insured because of cost and exclusions. The last operation was a little over £900 - I love my little old lady but she costs me a fortune, and I am now starting to panic because she must be running out of lives... Anyway - nothing I can do about it now. I need to get her into the vets tomorrow and see what is said. I was quite tearful yesterday about it, only because I love her so much and this is a situation beyond my control, and I always just worry that when one of my cats is sick then it is obviously going to die... talk about catastrophising.
Other than that, I had a day in the house yesterday - which is more than I can say for my kids. They both went out in the storm! Thankfully we're lucky in that we haven't been badly affected just yet although the rain is definitely coming down out there as I could tell when the pair of them arrived home. DD's boyfriend was taking her out for lunch and shopping, and ds went to play at a friend's house for a few hours. I stayed home and went all domestic goddess - prepared dinner as planned but also had a go at making some Jack Monroe chocolate chip cookies. They must have been ok because both kids ate them (I am working on my diet so haven't had any). Did the basics of housework (litter trays, washing up, laundry and hoovering) and a lot of crochet as that has been very neglected recently. Also found an amazing watch on Netflix (the Stranger), which is so good that I watched most of it yesterday and fully intend to finish watching the rest of it today.  
I do need to leave the house though - I have a tutoring session this morning and then me and the kids are off to my mam's this afternoon for Sunday Dinner and a catch up. I think I am most excited about knowing that my alarm is off and I don't have to go to work in the morning. Although I do have to go to the dentist and the vet during the day. I hope the weather picks up a bit so I can take the kids out for the walk I've been planning (and I don't feel like doing much walking, ever) I have a crochet list as long as my arm, and am still going with my habit tracker (which tracks my food, hydration, whether I look at my budget and me-time) so hopefully I can get these things ingrained (and learn to accept that during exam season these things will definitely slide so make the most of them while I can).

Tescodealqueen

Harlan Coben is one of my favourite authors. He wrote the Stranger. Once you are done with that he also wrote Safe and The Five which are also on Netflix if you are interested.
Years ago I was in one of the old book club things where you could get 4 books for a penny each if you signed up to buy four books at full price over a year. They sent me the first two chapters of his first novel 'Tell No One' and I was hooked forever. His style isn't for everyone but I love him. 

So sorry to hear about Tortie, I know how you feel. We only have dogs but they mean everything don't they. Hope things go ok at the vets