A new royal start

Bluegreen143

We got it in two lots - 7% in April and 3% this month, and then we will get a further cost of living rise next April projected at about 5-6% again (we wouldn’t normally get two a year so won’t get another next October, it’s a one off agreed because of the situation this year). I don’t think many companies are as generous as ours but I’d agreed I’d expect the 5% rather than 3%!

QueenJess

Urgh. I think I’m having one of those weeks, definitely not helped by doing lots of very dull work and getting very little sleep because DD is waking up loads of times a night.

Feel a bit of a failure at the moment as I just don’t get to spend the time I want and should with the kids. I also don’t get to do anything I want, which makes life feel a bit pointless really.

I did manage to book my flu jab today (technically rebook as I turned up to my appointment today and they said they should have cancelled it as no one was in to do it 🙄) and an opticians appointment. Oh - and I am trying to arrange DS’s party - trying to do entertainment and the hall booking and get them to work together. DH is totally disinterested, so it’s up to me. DS hasn’t really had a party before and just been at home with us, so he’ll be very excited.  It’s difficult to know what is best to do. It seems easier when they are older and they can pick a couple of their best friends to go bowling or something.

I didn’t realise I was getting another bag of spinach today in the veg box and now have 1.5 bags to get through 😬. Everything is already coming with spinach. Any ideas on how to use it all up are gratefully received!

Breakfast today was porridge with apple and sultanas. Lunch was just me, so I had a cheese, sun dried tomato and spinach sandwich. Dinner was an attempt to make some space in the rammed freezer - burgers with sweet potato chips, sweetcorn and pickled beetroot just for me. Pudding is bananas and chocolate ice cream. I also stewed a massive pile of pears that refused to ripen and they are in the fridge ready to top my porridges in the mornings.

Bluegreen143

Oooh exciting re DS’s party 🙂

Monkey had his first party at 4, we held it at softplay - it was great as the softplay did everything obviously. Very low stress. 

No party at 5 due to Covid.

Last year he was 6 and we had an old fashioned at home party - pirate themed so we did a treasure hunt and treasure chest pinyata. So much fun! But much more work! 

Because the at home party really was nicer than soft play he wants one again this year for turning 7… fine but Bambi is having her first party too as is turning 4… a week after him 😂 two weekends in a row of at-home birthday parties may break me. 

Did I mention both birthdays are in December?! 😂😱

Sending love and hugs btw. I can relate to how you feel re life feeling pointless when you get no time to do what you want. 

What helped me was writing down (I NEED to write to think/process properly!) my top 3 priorities that make me feel fulfilled by motherhood and family life. So for me they are:

- reading to the kids
- getting out on outdoor adventures with them 
- the whole food bit (cooking/baking with them as well as eating as a family)

So each week when I’m planning I make sure those three things happen. The reading and family meals are pretty automatic in our schedule so I focus on scheduling in outdoor adventures, if it’s very rainy we go to a museum or similar instead of course! It really does make me feel better if I look back at the week and know we went to a great park or paddling in the river or whatever.

I also made a similar list of what makes me feel fulfilled in my own self but I’m less good at fitting these in 😂 it’s:

- reading for myself
- some kind of socialising each week (I do this one as once you’ve made the arrangements you don’t need to think about it again!)
- some time during the week to work on a project for myself (right now I’m knitting a jumper for Monkey)

QueenJess

Thanks so much @Bluegreen143. It’s a similar process that I did for my wedding - I wrote down the actual things I cared about and spent on those, then did everything else cheaply.

I think if I listed what I cared about, I still wouldn’t have time to get it done so I’m too scared to do it. The only way will be to cut work down, but the current squatters at number 10 are not helping my money situation to be able to do that. I’m just not sure what to do right now and I can’t do anything at work until March/April time anyway.

Somehow today I managed to do my work, change all the beds, do the washing and hang it out, take the glass to the glass bank, dropped DS at school, popped into the hall to put in my form for the party reservation (then had multiple pointless conversations by phone later on), pick up the kids, make fish and chips for dinner, watched HIGNIFY at lunchtime, made a lovely jam sponge and custard for pudding, prepped lunch ready for tomorrow and filed the chicken thighs in the freezer.

Nothing happening on the party front as waiting for replies/replies from people who know what they are doing. I am trying to book the local hall and a Lego workshop (DS is obsessed with Lego). Will worry about any other details at a later date as it’s not until Feb.

Tomorrow is gymnastics for DS in the morning (I use the time to read, do number puzzles or get things done on my phone), back for leek, pea and cheese orzotto and then out for park, ducks and dinner out with the kids and DH to give me a break (but pudding at home since we have a lovely jam sponge). I feel absolutely awful after almost no sleep all week. Am hoping DD stops waking so much soon as I am struggling with just getting through the day at the moment. Also need to tidy up the house at some point because it’s a mess and I have to get back to decluttering as well, although I’m not sure what but is best to tackle next.

QueenJess

Feeling awful this week as DD has been waking at least every 2 hours. Mon night I had 3 hours sleep and could then barely get through the day. I really, really need some sleep as I feel terrible and then it means I have no immune system to fight anything off.

Had lots to do today sadly. I did manage to get DS to sprinkle the wild flower seed on the verge out the front for me before dropping him at school and posting my dad’s birthday cards. I then went to get petrol and my flu jab (it’s all excitement here!).

My router died this evening and we are now using the backup router. To be fair, it is absolutely ancient and so I am going to need to buy a new and fairly decent one as we both work from home regularly. That’ll probably be £180 😬. I can see many expensive things coming up as well with half term, feeding endlessly hungry children over the long Xmas break, DS’s birthday party I need to pay for in November, car insurance, car tax and car service/MoT. We are already over budget and I’m trying to slowly claw it back by underspending, which clearly isn’t going well! I still need to finalise my finance stuff as I haven’t been keeping on top of it and then think I’m going to need quite a few frugal months. I might go for an extra frugal Jan next year to try and help.

Dinner tonight was a lamb tagine  from M&S (I know, but I’ve been in bed at 5pm most days to rest as I feel so bad without sleep and as DH is running around trying to help despite travelling far to work, we needed something nice but tasty). Pudding was nearly the last of the jam sponge and custard. It’s lasted well!

I did cancel the veg/fruit box delivery for this week as we’ve got plenty in still. It all helps right?

themadvix

Hope you got some sleep last night!

With the router can’t you ask your broadband provider for a replacement? I don’t think we’ve ever had one die on us but we’ve also never bought one - just used what’s come with our contract.

QueenJess

themadvix said:

Hope you got some sleep last night!

With the router can’t you ask your broadband provider for a replacement? I don’t think we’ve ever had one die on us but we’ve also never bought one - just used what’s come with our contract.

I think I bought the router we are using now from my provider so don’t think it is included, but the one that has died is the backup I bought separately. However, I would prefer a better one as we use it so much for work in the day and the coverage and speed around our thick walled house isn’t very good.

From the providers point of view, the router from them is still working. It’s a bit of a pain, but hopefully it’ll sort out the internet slowness problems we have. I’ll have to use the emergency fund and slowly save back into it somehow.

themadvix

Oh I see - that's tricky. Perhaps if we had ever bought a router, we'd discover a better Internet connection, given that we also have thick walls! 😂

QueenJess

themadvix said:

Oh I see - that's tricky. Perhaps if we had ever bought a router, we'd discover a better Internet connection, given that we also have thick walls! 😂

Our walls are so thick, 4G or even 3G is a real struggle, so internet is really important. On the plus side you can get boosters (and I have one free from work, but only works for one network and I haven’t set it up yet 😬). Also no heating on here yet as a benefit of thick walls and a very well insulated house that’s completely sealed.

Interestingly, I noticed yesterday that DD’s room was 19.2 degrees in the day and was worried it would drop further at night and make her too cold. It actually went up to 19.6 overnight just from 4 bodies rather than 1 in the house and having used the oven for 30 mins for dinner. So overall I ❤️ my house! It must save me more on electric than it costs me in routers.

MagicCat

Hi @QueenJess, just been catching up. I really feel for you on the nonsleep, my youngest DD is behaving similarly at night and I'm like an early Halloween zombie with the lack of sleep. I have no idea how you manage to work full time, I can barely manage 2 shifts a week 
As always your meals sound amazing! Hope you get the router sorted and fingers crossed for more sleep!