Discount Duck’s Quest For Mortgage Freedom

Hazelnutty

Hello! Can I just say that Boudicca is an outstanding name for a hen and it's just awesome your DD wants to rename her that!!

Try not to worry on the homeschooling, even if the school is being pushy. Teachers know that there'll be a bit of time at the start of the new school year when they'll be working out where all the pupils are and helping them catch up, as well as easing them back emotionally and psychologically into school life after a really stressful few months. It sounds as if you've done an amazing job with your kids anyway!

DiscountDuck

Thanks Hazelnutty, I needed to hear that. 

Things are much easier lately. We went to the seaside for a few days and went beach combing every day. We went when the weather was poor, on purpose, and it was really quiet! 

My DD was in her element finding bits of sea glass and fossils with me, and my son finally wore himself out enough to sleep for more than 6 hours - yaaaay!!! I feel like a new woman. 

I have some lovely jewellery making bits and bobs at home from when I did craft fairs a few years ago so we are going to have a go at making sea glass jewellery for DD and for presents for friends and family. We’ve also started keeping all the little bits of tile we find and will maybe eventually have a go at mosaic once we’ve got enough pieces. 

We took all our own food with us so I didn’t have to worry about taking them round a shop (and because it’s cheaper and I know I’ve got everything we need) and had a lovely picnic on the beach. It turns out that Teddy, our enormous rescue German Shepherd, will do anything for carrot sticks! We knew he loved apple, but a carrot loving dog?! 

eat_that_frog

Just reading your MFW diary for the first time!

Your picnic on the beach sounds lovely by the way! Not heard of a carrot loving dog before, having said that our cocker will eat anything 

Hazelnutty

Sure It's a stressful time and sometimes we just need someone to say 'it's ok'. My DD's school has barely been in touch (one phone call in May and another last week as an end of term thing) but it's reassuring that they've said their priority is wellbeing for the first few weeks of the new school year.  We're in a neighbourhood with families from all different walks of life, all different educational backgrounds, all different personal circumstances and experiences of COVID so teachers know there'll be a fair amount of working out where pupils are and getting them up to speed without pressure. I feel if I've managed to get DD back to school feeling reasonably resilient and emotionally secure, that's probably all I can do (and kids are learning all the time, even when they're not 'on task'). Take a moment, if it helps, to think about all you've done to create a safe, loving environment for them over the last 4-5 months - then acknowledge the scale of that achievement  

Suffolk_lass

If you want another rhubarb suggestion, I stew it with strawberries as a compote for breakfast - my sister makes it into jam. Just watch out that it gets more red stripes at this time of year as the acid content increases (and August is traditionally the month we (UK) stop picking because of the acid content) - so jam is the last thing. You must cut it shorter than normal as it does retain some strands and no child likes slime jam (except at Halloween... but that is a whole other story!)

DiscountDuck

We braved a trip to our local car boot sale last Sunday and were pleasantly surprised. Loads of hand gel dispensers, people wearing masks and distancing mostly really well. My son was delighted to find a cuddly Disney Pluto (he collects them) and although I wouldn’t let him have it until I’d put it through the washing machine, he loved drying it with the hairdryer to make it fluffy and it added to the fun. Best 50p ever. We also spent 50p on a jigsaw which is a cartoon history timeline and have loved spending a couple of afternoons in the caravan together making it. I got some bargain £2 new in the packet Me To You Bear pjs for my daughter and she loves them. Best of all we got out of the house to somewhere with other people and the sky didn’t fall down. 

Uni have agreed I can have an extension to my masters dissertation so I’m less stressed about failing that through lack of time and mental capability to study, it gives me the leeway I needed to get back on track and hopefully do myself proud with it. I’m making very little progress, but keep reminding myself that some is better than none. I got disheartened last week as my kiddies are going to stay with their dad in a couple of weeks (for only the second time he’s been able to socially distance for a week so they can stay, plus find the time, since the beginning of March). I am shattered having been on parent duty 24 hours a day for months on end, including while I’m working (from home). He had asked for an extra day, I happily agreed, then he cancelled it within a few days as he has client calls now and can’t be disturbed. It sounds stupid to get upset that he let us down for a day he wouldn’t usually have them anyway, but I was just so disappointed at their lack of priority to him and at his quickly broken promises to me of wanting to be around for them more and support me too by being more of an involved parent. Despite the fact that my 3 days to try to write a masters level literature review without the “mummmy, mummy, mummy” alarm going off is now down to 2, it’s still 2 more than I’ve had up until now and I’m trying to stay positive that I’ll get this time. I need to not get distracted by all the other household stuff that needs doing and is hard to do with two kids around - just sit in the messy house and write. 

I tried studying when they’re in bed but the quality of my writing, after having been up since 6am ish  and wearing out an active little lad every day, is poor. We got up at 6.30 today (my son is the Duracell bunny), all had breakfast then walked the dogs 5 miles round the country park, came home and made lunch, went and did a nature walk round a different village for another couple of miles, then he went and bounced on the trampoline while I made tea, we did our daily online maths and then played in the garden for another hour before bed. He’s still bouncing round his room full of too much energy as I write this at 9.30pm. He has no E numbers or blue food, no shop made sauces full of sugar etc, eats decent food with fruit and veg, he doesn’t sit around on computer games, he’s mentally stretched and physically engaged every damn day - and yet nothing seems enough to wear him out. I have lavender sleepy spray, we do a wind down story, I am out of ideas. Anybody with a hugely energetic kid that has tips to share, please tell me what works! 

coffeeandbiscuits

I've just read your diary - it sounds like your doing amazing! I haven't been to a charity shop or car boot in so long now, I miss them so much! 

Suffolk_lass

We used to pop our son in a slightly warmer-than-you-think bath - it's a great way of sapping energy but ours was not as energetic as yours. Definitely avoiding screens of any sort in the evening.

Our triggers included blue food and E102 (orange food dye - interestingly the reconstituted potato "fries" in a well known burger place are fried in oil that contains it - to make them look more appetising as golden is preferable to white!) plus any artificial sweeteners - in things that would be sweet but listed as low-sugar, squashes, children's analgesic syrups and even toothpaste

DiscountDuck

Ooh @Suffolk_Lass,  low sugar things are something I’ve not considered before. I’m going to try cutting those out for a few days and see if it helps. We’ve walked another 6 miles today and he’s had a good blast on the trampoline too so maybe he will actually sleep - he’s just got out of his warmer than usual lavender bath so fingers crossed! 

Today we ate the last of the home grown peas from the garden, raw and straight from the pod. They really are one of the greatest joys of summer. The kids love making the pods go pop, and the hens love the empty pods and get excited when they hear the popping noise 😂 I’ve planted a load of French beans where the pea plants were and hopefully they’ll be equally productive. There are tiny baby cucumbers in the greenhouse that my little boy is getting excited about! We get so much happiness from our garden. 

Suffolk_lass

On the sugar thing, I knew  that anything sweet was upsetting the equilibrium with our Son - I chose to cut out all artificial sweeteners that I could (not toothpaste, but he spat and rinsed) and dramatically reduce sugar too, to try and manage both diet and teeth as well as behaviour. He was quite used to drinking ultra weak sugar based cordial (often homemade, so I knew what was in it) and the merest smear of (homemade) jam. When he first left home he piled on 7 stone (since lost it all and more) and upon reflection, some treats might have been better. I used to tell other people it was purely artificial sweeteners as that was easier for them to manage (and they got a tantrum if they didn't, with one being kicked in the shin!) and I tolerated the post-party sugar rush but actually it was any form of sweetness with our lad. At 1.98m he has mostly outgrown it now.