Getting shot of the mortgage sooner than 2049!

Bluegreen143

@QueenJess of course! This is her website https://foodbodsourdough.com/

I have to say I felt a bit weary and stressed today. I seem to be quite tired still post-Christmas. 

We had a horrendous time of it with various bugs and illnesses throughout November and early December (I had an awful cough that lasted seven weeks) and then just as we all recovered, we went straight into the busy season. 

Both of the children’s birthdays are in December and we hosted a big joint party here (so much fun - we had the adults too, and put on wine and beer as well as pizzas and party food, and the last two adults and four kids left ended up staying for an impromptu sleepover 😅). We did all the usual Christmas school events and a panto visit and I just didn’t feel like the holidays, fun though they were, really touched the depths of my exhaustion, partly because I had to work a bit in between and went back to work before the kids returned to school. 

It’s like my bucket had been depleted to a -100 and the holidays only replenished them to -50 and then the first week of term has knocked me right back to a -100. I’ve been going to bed too late and resenting the alarm clock in the morning. 

The weekend we’ve just had was lovely and fun but again it’s not been long enough to replenish me back up to the top so I really struggled again today with tiredness, lack of motivation and a low mood. 

I don’t really have an answer but putting my thoughts down here is helping. My plan after finishing this update is to relax with my book - I’ve already showered and am in my jammies 😂 and I plan to get to bed early which will help! 

Office tomorrow, argh, unless we get snowed in as it is meant to snow 😆 I’ve made overnight oats for my breakfast and have leftover soup for lunch so at least I’m looking after my eating. 

Moving on… Red and I had a misunderstanding today because I thought he’d cancelled his sister-in-law coming for dinner (she comes every Monday) because she’s babysitting on Wednesday and having dinner with us then too. But he didn’t so I discovered with about an hour and a half to spare that I had an extra mouth to feed 😂 luckily chicken soup is easy to stretch. 

Meals today:

B - strawberry & banana milkshake (for me, think the kids had cereal)

L - ham & cheese sandwich with grapes

S - thick slice of the Wensleydale with cranberries when I was hungry mid afternoon - this worked a treat to avoid a sugary snack! 

D - chicken & butterbean soup with HM chia seed sourdough, followed by strawberries 

Spending today: 

£7 - Red spent this at the petrol station, think it was screen wash
£21 - Amazon, not sure what this was for as it was Red. TBC! 

QueenJess

Thanks so much for the website

KajiKita

I’ve been feeling the blue exhaustion too. I consciously dialled back effort on everything in December - that helped a bit - I didn’t end up ill over Christmas which usually happens. 

I have since been focused on sleep, finding moments of joy (pretty gardening books is doing it for me atm 😊) and just a bit more exercise - getting out at about midday for a short walk for air and light. That has helped as well. 

KK

Baileys_Babe

Sorry to hear you are feeling exhausted. I can relate. At the moment I feel I am making no progress on refilling my bucket. All four of us are exhausted my youngest (14 yo) fell asleep mid-morning today as I was driving my 2 to a training session in a nearby city, the journey is only about 25 minutes. I do know that in time that bucket will be refilled.

When you have some energy are their anything's you can do in advance to take some pressure off in December?

Bluegreen143

Thanks both. Good to know I’m not alone! 

Office cancelled today due to snow (though we don’t have any round my house, but my team members do and no point going in on my own). So I walked the school run. It’s so good to start the day with an hour outside, even if it is cold.

STRESS #1 - school enrolment  

Quite stressed as I chased the council re Bambi’s primary school enrolment today. And they said “we sent you correspondence on 7th Dec, check your junk box”. 

Well, my junk box doesn’t go back that far. Why would you not just resend the email?!?! 

It’s very concerning because I know that the correspondence would have said “your school is oversubscribed, please fill in this form to confirm you still want a place”. Which we obviously do and I’ll definitely have missed the deadline now 😳

The fact it’s oversubscribed isn’t a problem per se as we get a priority sibling place, but I’m concerned that if they’ve already run the ballot for the rest of the places there won’t be one left for her 😨😨😨 argh!! 

It’s so weird because it took months and months to get the initial letter with Monkey, I’m sure it was about February time, so I just wasn’t looking out for it yet. I do normally check my junk box once a week or so but I guess I was so busy in Dec I must have missed it…

I have asked them to resend the email so I guess I just have to work from there 🤞🏼 

STRESS #2 - travel 

Also realised I need to sort out GHIC and travel insurance for Paris so that’s on my list this week. 

I also found out that your passport needs to be under 10 years on date on entry. Mine had a few months added to it so it’s valid all year but it hits the 10 years literally the day after we arrive 😕 I think it’s ok but now not sure if I should just renew in case?!

This is reminding me why we never holiday abroad 🤣🤣🤣

themadvix

How frustrating about the email!

 Yes, I’d definitely renew - I think it should cover you getting back too.

Bluegreen143

And continuing my list of stressors (this is really just so I have it all in one place 😆)

STRESS #3 - work/life juggle 

1. On training tomorrow, luckily SIL has stepped in to pick up kids after school. 

2. Need to organise some kind of after school childcare for team away day 1st Feb.

3. Need to let manager know Monkey has school assembly 2nd Feb, hope she is ok with me taking time out to go.

4. Potential jury duty from 4th Feb, may need to organising after school childcare for several days if picked for a jury… have informed work of this one.

5. Need to confirm my friend is still ok to help out with childcare/school runs while I’m in Paris (my mum and sister and doing the weekend but we go on the Thursday). 

Life would be soooooooo much easier if I didn’t work 🤣

Baileys_Babe

Life would indeed be so much easier if you didn't work, but then you wouldn't be going to Paris and you would probably be bored 😉

Bluegreen143

Ok, I’ve recovered from my panic somewhat. I HAVE missed an important school enrolment deadline due to the missing email (was meant to return a form by 21 Dec) but they’ve sent me it now and I returned today. 

I can’t do anything else just now and if I’d totally missed the boat I’d assume they’d have told me that rather than send me the form today. 

Kids have just had a platter of fruit and are busily painting just now with bowls of spices in water (5 spice for brown, paprika for red, turmeric for yellow) plus a bowl of tea, a bowl of spinach water and a bowl with some pickled beetroot in. Not done this activity since Monkey was wee and at nursery 😍

Took some time today to download my brain for the year ahead into the new diary (SUCH a good buy, it works a gazillion times better than the complicated planner!) so feeling a bit less overwhelmed and worried. 

Tasks for this week are:

▪️sort out travel admin for Paris. My passport, GHIC and travel insurance

✔️ chase on school enrolment (done now, form completed & returned and need to wait for them to get in touch - if I’ve not heard in a week I will chase)

▪️ finish 2023 family photo book and order (only have one page to finalise - need Red to make a decision)

▪️print and fill in some PDFs for an online course before I lose access 

▪️order two birthday gifts for kids’ birthday parties

▪️take kids swimming at the weekend 

Daily habits

🚶‍♀️ Walk everyday (even if just for 10 mins)

🍎 Eat healthily during the week 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Do Duolingo 

🧼 Keep on top of housework & laundry 

📚 Do reading/phonics with both kids 

📊 Update YNAB

Bluegreen143

Been catching up on Cheery’s diary and loving the tip about sprinkling a bit of salt on the 100% peanut butter (was that you @Baileys_Babe?). I want to switch to the 100% stuff to avoid the palm oil & sugar in normal PB, but I don’t like it unsalted (and neither does anyone else in the house). Definitely going to try that!