A new royal start

QueenJess

Been blasting through some things to do the last couple of days.  Went to the library and exchanged books, although am playing it safe, so they are in quarantine for a few days before we get them out to use them.  Been backing up my old computer, but still got a few more things to do before I can send it off.  Will do more tonight and hopefully get it sent back on Monday.

Also popped to the shops as was running low on some DD snacks (she can definitely eat!).  Checked out the cheapest place to go for them and then got some other things we usually buy that were also cheapest (or nearly) in there.  That was £35 gone, although I stocked up and I found £5 of points to take off it at least.

House is getting much tidier and washing is up to date.  I can nearly see the end of everything! 

Had fish finger sandwiches (another A*di keep) and sweet potato fries for lunch, followed by kiwi, meringue pieces (crushed in the freezer by DH...) and yogurt; dinner is pizza.  Pudding is about to go in the oven and is a coconut and pineapple cake as I needed to use up the pineapple from the fruit/veg box.  Also been going through and saving the things we would buy from A*di, so when I get to Jan I will be able to look through a smaller list of things to try and do a whole monthly shop.

Xmas light hunting this weekend I think!

QueenJess

Weekend was ok.  Got lots done and the house is looking loads better.  Presents are all wrapped and away, pictures are up on the walls in the living room, old computer is completely backed up, wiped and packaged up to send back tomorrow.  Chocolate shapes are all made and bagged up for DS and DH presents.

Been retraining DD to go to sleep on her own in the cot rather than on a person this weekend.  It's been ok.  She's teething again though, which is not fun!  Where are these teeth?!  She's also started to be obsessed with standing and can do it herself; holding onto something.  I think she's going to skip the crawling stage altogether.

DS has a cold and isn't sleeping that well as a result.  There's a lot of stuff going round the school at the moment, although only got this one week left now.  He had a lovely time this evening when we went for a drive and walk to see some of the xmas lights.  There are a few known houses/streets where they put on crazy displays.  We weren't the only people who had stopped to see them!

I'm desperately trying to get ahead at the moment.  I have birthdays almost every week for Jan/Feb and they come up so fast after xmas.  I'm already thinking ahead to the ones in Jan to plan presents, cakes etc.  I'm really not sure what to do with DS's bday yet though given Covid and everything.  It's so difficult.. I'm not sure just celebrating it at home without his friends would be as exciting for him anymore as he'll be 5.  I've started watching 2nd hand books online for his bday (got everything else already as we were given loads of things ages ago) - that way I can hopefully get a good deal.  I'm sure they'll get cheaper after xmas.

I remembered to cash out my credit card points (there are limited options), and just received £35 of M&S vouchers.  I'm off to spend them tomorrow to get some nice xmas food goodies.  It'll be nice to spend some free money

I'm still trying to reduce my food spend.  I will be buying more in my monthly A*di shop in Jan and hopefully I'll get better at knowing how much to get for a month!  I've been setting all my favourites so hopefully come Jan I can just go through those to get the monthly list together.  For the few branded things I still buy (generally because there are no other options or are the lowest salt/sugar options), I am using the Trolley app and saving them in there.  Then when I need something I will get everything else that is cheapest there and stock up.  In theory should mean I'm not permanently shopping, but will be saving some cash!

Spent this evening making some paper bags without glue (online video) using the paper my toilet rolls were wrapped in.  Means I can portion out the huge bag of duck food I bought so we can easily grab them when we go to the park.

I'm sure I've forgotten to do something.  My head is already in Jan planning wise, so I'm struggling to think about December now!  Looking forward to DS finishing school this week and we can spend more time together.  Will get the house tidying etc done before then hopefully.  Also got a call with work tomorrow so I can start planning childcare, work hours etc etc for March

themadvix

Ooh link to the paper bag video, please! Sounds useful! 

QueenJess

themadvix said:

Ooh link to the paper bag video, please! Sounds useful! 

It’s weirdly disappointingly simple 😂, but did the job: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/284360163961980557/

At least I found a second life for all that paper I was saving! May need to tape the top down to keep the duck food from falling out, but I have paper tape that’s fully recycleable and I’d only need a bit.

The one I found earlier in the year (making an open box with just one piece of paper) was much more impressive. I used spare pretty paper I had to create little boxes for my drawers so all my socks are very organised!

You can search for anything these days… I’d never survive without the internet!

QueenJess

Urgh, happy Monday everyone. Went to M&S this morning and spent my £35 voucher. Didn’t buy any Xmas crackers because they were £35 for 8… I mean what?!!!! Were they gold plated!

Anyway, I got my yearly Xmas TV magazine, a box of chocolate biscuits and a box of fancy looking vegan truffles, some Xmas cards for next year for DS to send out, some ys packs of mince for the freezer, bread, key lime pie (for the freezer), chocolate eclairs (oops.. they just fell in…) and a few other more sensible bits. Apparently despite being sleep deprived I added up fairly accurately in my head and spent £34.90. So all free 😀.

Horribly miserable in the royal house. DH is having a terrible time at work and it’s stressing me out and making me more miserable. I know better than to try and help and will try to ignore him. Of course the booster jab site crashing is probably my fault despite telling DH to book for weeks and he decides to try today *sigh*. I couldn’t book before today and have been trying all morning with no success. Will have to keep trying…

Anyway, I have nice free food and selfishly DD fell asleep cuddled up to me on the sofa and I’m going to keep her here so I can have lovely baby cuddles whilst watching TV (there’s always something recorded to watch) and refreshing the NHS booster vaccine site. Oh - and the cleaner is here so I have a clean house and it’s mostly tidy. Looking for the upsides!

QueenJess

I've managed to steal myself away for 10 mins (hopefully!).  Had a hideous Monday night where DD would not sleep.  She started the night normally and then when I went to bed at 10pm she started being annoying.  I spent over 5 hours with her sleeping badly on me for tiny amounts of time and/or just trying to get her to sleep.  Gave up at about 1am and came downstairs to play with her and took the opportunity to book my booster.  Funnily enough no one else was on the website and so it was easy.  I eventually went to sleep after 3am and she got up just after 5am .  Not really sure what it was all about, but it seems to be a combination of a major brain development and some teething.

Anyway, yesterday was just survival day so I just walked around like a zombie and did the bare minimum to move through the day.  Luckily she slept last night so I went to bed at 7:30pm and got up at 8am (she was up earlier, but DH fed her breakfast).  It feels like I lived several days in one day, so today feels like Saturday to me

Caught up a bit today with two loads of washing, some tidying and I finished putting all the duck food into the little paper bags I made so they are all ready to grab next time we go to the park.  Been negotiating with work re: me going back and times since I have a lot of holiday to use.  Am waiting for them to come back, but will be booking the after school club later this evening as there are only limited spots (and you can cancel with 2 weeks notice anyway).  Need to then finalise DD's nursery start date as I want her to go in a few weeks before I start work so she can settle in a bit.  Last time I only did 1 week before and I was a bit stressed out as DS wasn't settled or happy and I was trying to work at the same time.

Just working through lists of things to do until I get sufficiently ahead.  As I have so many birthdays in the next few months I have to start early.  DH's one is first and I have done the presents, decided on the cake to make him (and even got the jam for it!) and just need to discuss with him what he wants for dinner that night.  He'll be stupidly busy so he wants to do something in the summer to celebrate properly.  DS's one will be a few weeks after that and I just don't know what to do for the best re: parties etc.  I just don't know whether to bother and just to have something here or what.  Presents are mainly bought and I am just looking out for second hand books and will look into cake recipes for him.

Must drag myself back into the present soon and think about xmas leftovers and plans for those/food over the xmas period.

Dinner tonight is spag bol from the freezer and then I still have fruit and meringue as well as coconut pineapple cake to eat up for dessert.

Jessy103

Gosh Jess, you always amaze me with how much you get done on such little sleep! I'd have been locked up for murdering a work colleague by now! 
Fingers crossed DD gets more settled sleepwise soon and fingers crossed nursery all goes well x

QueenJess

Jessy103 said:

Gosh Jess, you always amaze me with how much you get done on such little sleep! I'd have been locked up for murdering a work colleague by now! 
Fingers crossed DD gets more settled sleepwise soon and fingers crossed nursery all goes well x

Lol.. nothing got done yesterday and I struggled to do so much as walking to the next room.  I mean I literally stumbled whilst trying to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other!  I also remember asking DD "I don't know what you want from me.  What do you want?" at 2am.  She just looked at me with interested eyes...

The general tiredness you sort of get used to.  As long as it's regular sleeping hours I get by ok.  It's the constant changing that gets me!  Can't wait for her to not need milk at night as that would be a significant improvement!

QueenJess

It sounds like I did my fix just in time, so no rate increases for the next 2 years for me.

 I suddenly had an urge to do a bunch of stuff for Jan/Feb birthdays etc, so cards ordered, badges ordered (a must for kids and couldn’t find decent cards with decent badges), a number candle ordered (DS request) and for good measure a present and card for my friend’s new baby due in Jan. made good use of a gift voucher and got me up to free delivery.

Also found recipes for the cakes I need to make in Jan, which I’ve bookmarked. Feeling stupidly organised and so took the rest of the day off.

Yesterday night I finished the budget for next year and ordered and paid for all the after school club sessions I need until the end of the school year. Will worry about summer hols nearer the time… Just need to bring my expenses up to date in my spreadsheet for Nov/Dec and then I’ll be able to see the damage for this year. I went back and forth with the budget for next year, but in the end made it as reasonable as I could, but hope I can spend a lot less. If I do I’ll shift it into a savings line in my spreadsheet and figure out what to spend it on at a later date or whether to just reduce joint account payments and send it to my ISA.

 As I don’t need childcare until March/April and I have been accruing childcare vouchers since September, the childcare isn’t looking like any more per month (I spread everything over 12 months) than when it was just DS at nursery for fewer hours and with the over 3 discount. I think next year would be a shock though! But hopefully I will be part time/no time by then, so will never happen.

Now I’ve decimated a lot of my list I’ll have to start adding some more things on it to do. Feeling a lot better though now I’m more organised. Things like childcare were playing on my mind.

 Cuddling DD right now. Teething trouble again and could be a long night… may attack her with the gel again in a minute. Works, but really wakes her up in the short term.

QueenJess

DD has me guessing her sleeping patterns again (episode 2: the teething returns, although no evidence of any actual teeth..). After the worst possible night followed by one of the best, Friday night was pretty rubbish and she woke up every 50-60 mins 😢. I almost dread going to sleep at the moment as I have no clue how much I’m going to get. I know that’s not very logical though..

Since I was up most of Friday night, I made good use of it by bringing my spreadsheets up to date with all expenses. It’s not brilliant, but not a total disaster. Some categories are in the red after my spending spree and so I’ll need to pay myself back for those (they’re currently being subbed by my EF). Hoping to save a bit of the budget each month, so it should go steadily down.

Looks like after some holiday use, I’m not going back to work until April and will only be working half of it anyway. Means we can delay DD’s nursery start date a bit. Just deliberating the exact date at the moment and whether to start her straight into the full time or do shorter days for a bit. Too many decisions… she’ll have to be properly full time unfortunately for work, but I want her settled before I start work (otherwise it’s too stressful for me as I’ll worry too much). It means she’ll start nursery a few weeks before I start work.

Washing is back up to date again, beds all changed and spare beds made up assuming the in laws are still coming for Xmas. It’s all feeling a bit deja vu with Covid/government prevaricating again. I guess we have to just wait and see what happens..

Yesterday I cooked all the beetroot from the veg box and turned it into 4 boxes of chocolate brownies; all now in the freezer. The freezer is looking pretty full although I will need to squeeze more in post Xmas and for my monthly shop at the start of the month. As far as I can tell, 90% of it is ice lollies, frozen fruit and bread products. I’m going to have to start trying to use up some food in there to make space (before then trying to clear it right down in Jan to hopefully save some money!). Defrosted a box of banana drop scones for breakfast, so that’s one thing down…

Had a chicken roast last night and made chicken stock overnight with the slow cooker. Turned half of it into a chicken noodle soup for lunch (even DS liked it and he doesn't like soup apparently), with part cooked hot rolls from the freezer.  Felt like completely free food since the chicken in it was the extra I picked off the bones since DH is useless as stripping the chicken and the veg scraps were destined for the compost.  Pudding was chocolate brownie for DS and for me kiwi, yogurt and the last of the first bag of meringue from the freezer. Dinner will likely be Cajun chicken and chips (and random veg) with more of the leftover chicken.  Pudding later is more of the pineapple cake for me and DH, DS will start on making inroads on the ice lollies.  Still lots more to get through in the freezer, but I think it'll go down quite quickly in a week or so.

DH’s shopping list for next week looks a bit scary already. My monthly shop still has lots of some items left and we’ve completely run out of others. I am hoping the more I do it, the better I’ll get at knowing how much we need. I would rather get a little too much though as I know it is cheaper this way and it will all be used in the end. Hopefully I’ll still be in budget for this month 😬.

DH’s original present for me isn’t going to work out, so I had a lovely time yesterday pulling together a list of lovely baking tins and things I would love to have instead. One or two items were already on my list, but I couldn’t quite justify buying them yet. Hopefully I will be able to have lots of baking fun in the next few months with them!