Getting shot of the mortgage sooner than 2049!

Bluegreen143

Just did a £12.84 order with Bargain Seeds and got soooooo much (like 30 small packs of seeds!). Last year when I ordered from them I was worried it was a con because it was so cheap, but the seeds arrived promptly and grew fine. They do smaller pack sizes than normal (eg just 10 courgette seeds for 49p, or 75 lettuce seeds for 29p) which is fine as I find it stops seeds getting wasted which happens with bigger packs.

We aren’t growing “proper” veg this year because of the building work disrupting the planting area, but I ordered stuff to grow in pots - lettuce, rocket, spinach, herbs, baby tomatoes, courgette, carrots, beetroot and different types of sunflowers and sweetpeas.

Dinner tonight was sausage & mash, followed by pear crumble and ice cream. We usually only have dessert on Mondays but I had two wrinkly pears to use up 🙂 there are some plums past their best too so I think I’ll make crumble filling with those too, to freeze for next week.

Bluegreen143

Monkey is back to school today, hooray! And nobody else seemed to catch it. Red and I got sore throats/snotty last week but daily LF tests and a PCR all came back negative so I have to assume we just caught a cold by coincidence?! I’ve self isolated just in case for the week anyway except for the nursery run (but you don’t go inside and I still wear a mask) but Red was expected to go back to work on Wednesday once he got his negative PCR result. Seems crazy they are soon getting rid of isolating altogether, I know SO many people who have it just now.

To celebrate coming out of isolation we’ve got Monkey’s wee school friend, along with her mum and sister coming over for a play date and to share an antipasti type dinner. Have made a really nice chocolate traybake and a great loaf of HM bread, but otherwise mainly bought nice things such as continental hams, cheese, cooked chicken legs etc. Bambi was a great wee helper today in my kitchen tasks bless her.

Feeling knackered now (also cleaned the bathrooms and hoovered and tidied up) - Bambi was up loads in the night, unusually for her, and I just feel done in now. I can’t believe I used to function like this daily when she was a baby (she really was a truly dreadful sleeper as a baby and young toddler and attached to the breast at all times so Red couldn't really help 🙄). There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her last night, she just kept kicking off her covers then wanting in our bed then wanting back in her own bed then back in her bed again and then insisting it was morning time… yawn.

Of course then she went back to sleep and was sleeping like an angel and not wanting to get up when I woke her in the morning 😂

About to take her to the park next to Monkey’s bus stop as we can get in an hour outdoors while we wait on him coming back. It’s not really that nice weather wise but I have cabin fever after a week at home and we’ve not been out today except for the school run.

QueenJess

Well now you’ve said that, I have a craving for a chocolate traybake! Do you have a good recipe you’re willing to share?

Bluegreen143

So this is the sponge I made, except I added 1/2tsp salt (makes cakes so much nicer) and an extra tbsp cocoa, and used normal granulated sugar rather than golden caster.

But I topped it with my usual chocolate buttercream (100g butter, 300g icing sugar, 40g cocoa, 40ml milk - beat everything except the milk on slow, add the milk and turn to medium high, beat for 5 minutes - only works well using an electric mixer). And just put sprinkles on, not mini eggs etc.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easter-traybake

QueenJess

Thanks so much! That looks yummy and will definitely go on my to make list as soon as I shake off this cold.

Bluegreen143

Listed two baby slings/carriers on eBay yesterday. This is something it’s hard to declutter, because my babies both lived in slings rather than using a pushchair much (especially Bambi who just screamed whenever I put her down…). So lots of lovely memories. But I’d rather another family got to use them and it won’t be expensive to buy a couple of preloved slings/carriers if we ever do have a third (one of the ones I’m selling I didn’t even like/use much so wouldn’t replace and the other is a stretchy wrap and you get a free one in your baby box from the Scottish govt now when you’re pregnant). 

I hate selling things on eBay so this is progress and hopefully I get at least a tenner for each of them. I do have a couple more things to list too including two more baby carriers, I had a slight addiction 😂 can’t decide whether to get rid of the bigger toddler size carrier too - I’ve not used it since before the winter (and even then very infrequently) but Bambi is still small enough to go in it on my back so dunno if I should just keep it in case in case she gets tired on long days out over the summer. That said, I don’t think I’m strong enough to carry her for long 😅

Also thinking of getting rid of the pram travel system (minus baby car seat which we threw away ages ago) - there’s a charity locally who will refurbish and clean them and give them to asylum seeker and refugee families who have nothing. Not sure I’d get much for selling it as the brake needs fixed and also like the thought of donating it. If I did ever have a third baby, I would just buy a cheap pushchair that reclines back because I really hardly used it at all when my babies were small and the actual carrycot bit only got used twice with Bambi 😅

One thing I’d like to do this weekend is sort the big living room understairs cupboard. You have to climb over the sofa arm to access it (just the way we have our sofas laid out as the cupboard is in an awkward corner) so we are bad for just throwing things in the cupboard rather than putting them away 🙈

Also looking forward to getting out for a walk this weekend after being under house arrest. Going to a nice park near MIL’s today (we are dropping stuff off with her and the kids and I will see her new flat for the first time) which I’ve not been to for a couple of years.

Baileys_Babe

I loved our slings so much. We never had a pram nor a pushchair/buggy just slings, hippy chic and car seat which was a good combination for us.

Bluegreen143

🎉🎉🎉 THE MONEY CAME IN FOR OUR CONSERVATORY TODAY 🎉🎉🎉

Very excited and we can now book in a date to get the work done 😁

Also got paid so allocated the whole lot to savings for now (some of it is buffer ie money for next month’s budget). I’m liking having the whole month budgeted at the start!

Bluegreen143

Absolutely knackered this evening. I’m finding work very stressful and busy right now and life in general seems to be a total rush and huge to-do list 😣

I’m feeling done in every evening by the time the kids are in bed so I’m not using my evening time to get anything productive done - I’ve been hand sewing a cover for our IKEA chair which is nearly done, but haven’t been able to face doing any for a week. 

Also need to bake this evening as the freezer is out of school snacks but really struggling to muster up any energy. However I’m not sure there is anything for Monkey to take if I don’t, unless I make him a wee mini tuna sandwich (he doesn’t like ham or cheese, he’s not allowed peanut butter at school and there’s no hummus in the fridge so it would need to be tuna 🤣). 

On the plus side, we walked the school/nursery run today, well kids on bikes (an hour round trip for me) and we did over an hour in the playpark after school and I was chatting to loads of other nursery parents and some parents that I know from back in Monkey’s nursery days. 

I also had a huge pack of chicken breast so made chicken & chorizo pasta for tonight and split the rest of the chopped up chicken into two freezer bags - one marinaded in fajita spices and the other I did a tandoori style marinade as we’re having curry tomorrow. There should be enough of each for my lunch the next day as the chicken was too much for three meals but not enough for four 😅

MissRikkiC

Give yourself plenty of rest when you’re feeling this way. You’ll be more productive in the long run 

Not sure if monkey would eat them but pinwheels are always a winner with my daughter, any pastry, spread with pesto and grated cheese and rolled up for the oven. 

I’m sure you’ll know this anyway though