The Hen House Chronicles

Sarahwithlove

Is someone taking the lead in the residents group as it could just be a case of nobody knows who needs to do what. Shame none of your neighbours are a solicitor! 

MerryHen

@KajiKita re: the church, I think they're quite keen to get rid of the land re: midwifery, I feel incredibly privileged to be training as a midwife, but it is very full on with very high expected standards both clinically and academically (understandably because as a midwife you have two lives in your hands!) there is also the added difficulty that the NHS really is quite a hard place to work in at the moment, even as a student 🙁

@Sarahwithlove one neighbour has taken the lead but I think it is proving difficult to corral every household, it might end up just being a few of us who buy the land. It is a shame none of us are solicitors!

Tonight I have spent an enjoyable evening wrapping Christmas presents and watching YT vlogs while DH was out at a gig. 

I'm feeling quite pleased that:

1. I've managed to get a lot of DH's and the kid's gifts second hand on Vinted and marketplace or on sale. 

2. I started getting gifts for the kids months ago anytime I saw something I thought they'd like so they're pretty much sorted and it hasn't been stressful at all.

3. For the past year I have saved £50 a month into a Christmas savings account to spread the cost which I am thanking myself for now. Any presents or Christmas food spends I am transferring from there.

4. I found a hilarious looking animal fact book called "Bum or Face" for one of my nephews who is quite into animals but who is also four so should appreciate the bum humour. I am actually tempted to get copies for my other nephews, niece, and my own kids 😆

Adult family are receiving the usual hamper of foody, socky, candley treats 😄 I need to finish assembling them this week so I can post them.

DD and DS2 both also have birthdays in the New Year, I paid a deposit for DS's second birthday party yesterday and ordered some birthday invitations, I am now thinking I should probably start a birthday savings pot too. DS won't really know what's going on so doesn't really need a party but I thought it'd be a good chance for us to meet some of his nursery friend's parents. DD didn't go to the local nursery and she was a baby/toddler during lockdown so when she started school a lot of other parents seemed to know each other already, so I have decided to step outside my socially awkward comfort zone and try do a bit more parent networking this time around.

DD has requested her sixth birthday party at the same soft play she's had her last two parties (she's a little creature of habit) and the price has almost doubled since the first party we held there 😭 Again she doesn't need a party but she won't be little for long so it's nice to do it while she still wants to, and like many small businesses kids play places seem to be struggling at the moment so it's probably good to support them. The play centre where we did a lot of baby classes announced last month they're having to close and then another one (where I'd been planning to have DS's party) announced this week that they're also closing due to financial difficulties. I think I will start planting the idea of a smaller party with just a few close friends for her seventh birthday though.

Anyways, it's late and we're planning to do junior parkrun and get a Christmas tree tomorrow so I should close my eyes and sleep. Night night MSE-ers🌲😴🌲😴🌲

KajiKita

You are sounding very organised 😊👏
I hope someone is putting as much thought into what to get you for Christmas 😉

I’m glad that the course is giving you personal satisfaction. Will you get much of a break over Christmas? 

Wishing you luck with the land buying (🤞 that your hunch that the church want to sell it quickly is correct) and I hope the junior parkrun and tree choosing are both fun today 😊

KK

MerryHen

KajiKita said:

You are sounding very organised 😊👏
I hope someone is putting as much thought into what to get you for Christmas 😉

I’m glad that the course is giving you personal satisfaction. Will you get much of a break over Christmas? 

Wishing you luck with the land buying (🤞 that your hunch that the church want to sell it quickly is correct) and I hope the junior parkrun and tree choosing are both fun today 😊

KK

I am trying to remain optimistic and positive about the land, there are too many other stressful parts of life to let the garden be one😅

Officially I don't have time off over Christmas but the way my shifts fall I finish work the morning of Christmas eve then I'm not back again New Year's eve night so I have almost a whole week off which is nice (and useful since there is no childcare that week!)

There was a craft fair at the garden centre today and DD happily pointed out a stall where they'd bought me a present last time they were there 😂 so I'm definitely getting something! I may have also bought some books and a puzzle to me from me 🤭

We chose a tree which is being delivered Tuesday, there used to be free delivery if you lived in the village but that is no more, I'm guessing they're having to make money however they can (the craft fair is a recent thing too). I'd walked down there while DH took the kids on the cargo bike and £5 delivery was preferable to carrying a six foot tree the mile home 😂 We also picked up a small potted tree for DS1 (which I did carry home)🎄 we get him one every year for his burial place but I don't think we'll have any way to get it to him this year because the relative who'd usually bring it there for us isn't visiting until after Christmas, so it can adorn our table instead.

Park run was fun, the quietest one we've been to. DD was the last runner just ahead of the tail walker so she got it into her head this meant she was slow, that it would be her slowest time, and that she wasn't good at running etc. She wouldn't listen to reassurance that being last doesn't matter, it isn't a race or that fewer runners meant there was more chance of being the last runner. Anyway she got her second fastest time and identified afterwards that she'd got into a bit of a negative fixed mindset during the run (something we've been talking about recently). Parenting is hard in so many unexpected ways 😜

Coming back to places closing, I've just seen in the news a local council owned museum is planning to close next year to try make up a shortfall in funds. It's one we love so it's very sad, but no entirely unexpected after the adjoining (also council run) cafe closed earlier this year. Feels like so many educational, culturally rich and fun places that add to the quality of life (especially for children), are disappearing 🙁 I'll see if we can squeeze in a visit before Christmas.


DS's tree and me on our blustery walk home 🎄

KajiKita

What a sweet little tree ❤️🤩 And how lovely that you get one for your son every year. 

Sounds to me like your parenting is spot on, if you guided DD to seeing her negative mindset for herself. 👏

Christmas sounds good with a week off, at least one definite and some treats for yourself - I have bought myself some yarn and a book about granny squares to try (yet again) to master crochet … 😊

KK 

beanielou

Love the wee tree. 

Aimingforthegoodlife

Sounds like things are slowly coming together, pleased you are all going to purchase the land. Midwifery must be so hard, and the NHS is difficult to be in, but I have no doubt it will be worth it! Love the tree for DS1

LadyWithAPlan

Such a cute small tree! 

Glad you getting time off between Xmas and new year 

this time next year you will be fully qualified I expect - well worth all your hard work 

MerryHen

Thank you for the tree love everyone and your kind comments about parenting @KajiKita 😊

The news about Vanguard introducing monthly fees has made me need to rethink where I am investing. I have such a small amount invested £4 a month fees is a big chunk of any growth.

Between working nights and thinking about Christmas though I've not yet had a proper look at the alternatives but will need to set aside some time to figure out what's best to do. It feels like we haven't been given much time to do so though! I hope anyone else using Vanguard isn't too affected. 

MerryHen

Happy new year all you lovely MSE-ers 🎊

We had a lovely Christmas. I've been working nights but had a few days off to enjoy time with my family which I am thankful for. We went on a few Christmassy day trips, the children loved playing with their new toys, and we've enjoyed eating delicious food 😊 I plan to continue saving £50 a month into Christmas savings this year because it was so nice having the money there to buy Christmas bits and pay for days out.

In saving news, I did a bit of reading about alternatives to Vanguard and have ended up doubling down, sticking with Vanguard and adding our longer term savings (the emergency fund, new car savings and part of the car maintenance sinking pot) into my Vanguard S&S ISA. It has been sitting in a fixed rate savings account with about 2% interest, so even with the increased Vanguard fees it should hopefully earn more and the fees won't be such a big percentage of any profits. Mainly, I don't feel I have the headspace to move it all somewhere else right now.

The money that was already saved in Vanguard wasn't allocated to anything so I have added that to the emergency fund which has bolstered it a bit, and we should reach our £15000 target in 12 months. After that we can start saving for home improvements 😄

Start of 2024 figures:

Emergency fund: £8700

Next car fund: £4200

Holiday pot: £460

Sinking pots: £4400

Car loan: £-190 (it'll be paid off this month!)

Total savings: £12900

Total debt: -£190

I am so proud of how much we've managed to save this year despite high childcare bills. In January 2023 our total long term savings were £5300 and our car loan was -£5087. We were able to pay off the car loan due to DH's pension tax relief rebate, and after this month it'll be completely paid off 🥳

No big financial resolutions for me this year except to continue doing what I have been doing. My more general resolution is to get outside and move more, something I used to do but which has slipped with my work, childcare and household management load. But it will help with my physical and mental health, so here's to a hopefully slightly more active and outdoorsy 2025!