Getting shot of the mortgage sooner than 2049!

Baileys_Babe

Monkey probably appreciates being able to rest and watch something on TV. I always knew when my youngest was coming down with something as she wanted to watch The Bee Movie

Bluegreen143

Thanks both. He’s feeling better now and has managed some food and voluntarily went out in the garden in the rain to help Red fix something so I think he’s on the mend 🤞🏼 

Keeping him off Beavers tonight but they’re giving out selection boxes so I’ll nip down to get his which should cheer him up.

Today he chose to watch an episode of Frozen Planet, he LOVES David Attenborough documentaries but rarely gets to watch them as they are a bit scary/upsetting for Bambi still. Then the Lion King 2 (absolute rubbish he chose when I offered to buy a new movie for his birthday - but he loves it 🤣 not a patch on the original movie!!). 

I let him cosy up in my bed for a bit listening to an audiobook and doing a sticker book while I worked - my desk is in my bedroom. Think he liked being close to me so I’ll do that again future. Did turf him out for my meeting where the CEO was present but that all went well! 

As we don’t have to rush about for Beavers tonight I may make some salt dough decorations with the kids as Monkey has asked to do that, if we bake them tonight we can paint tomorrow. Or we may make Christmas cards for the grandparents which is on my list too. Or fudge which is also on my list 🤣

I can’t remember if I said I was doing painted mugs with the kids for grandparents and their teachers and these have turned out well. 

We used oil based paint markers on plain white mugs and baked for an hour to set. I think you still need to hand wash them but they should last ok if not put in the dishwasher, though I’ve not tested this!

Bluegreen143

Spending today:

£52.23 Tesco delivery
(£4.50 Christmas / £48.23 groceries)

£193 Gas & electricity DD

Mealplan

M - lentil soup

T - sweet & sour chicken with fried rice 

W - mac & cheese 

Th - out for dinner for Red’s brother’s birthday 

F - chicken kebabs

Sa - lasagne

Su - Christmas dinner!!! (Doing a small turkey and all the trimmings)

LadyWithAPlan

I am liking your mealplan and its always interest looking at the details on how everyone budgets So thanks - I definitely need a birthdays and xmas separate budget as I just have a gifts one and its always empty in Dec as I have lots of autumn bdays..

Bluegreen143

Ah thanks @ladywithaplan - glad it’s useful!

Plan for today

8-1.30pm - School run & work

- Monkey is fine this morning so back to school for him. 

- Got work this morning but I’ve used a half day of annual leave (3hr for me) to finish a bit early Tues-Thurs (Thurs is my last day then 12 days off!) for various reasons. So I finish at 1.30pm today 

- Post thank you cards we made for kids’ birthday presents (only the people we won’t see over Christmas - we’ll keep the rest til we see them and the kids are handing out those going to party attendees)

1.30-3pm - nursery show

- Go to Bambi’s nursery show/Santa visit 

3-6pm - before dinner

- Take kids to Tesco to buy food bank donations and a couple of other bits

- Paint salt dough decorations we made yesterday 

- Make 2x birthday cards with the kids for the after school party they are attending tomorrow (it’s a joint party for two girls in Monkey’s class, one a good friend who we’ve been on holiday with and so Bambi is invited too). Presents already bought so just need to go in gift bags, we have gazillions to reuse from Bambi’s birthday. 

- Make tomorrow’s dinner (mac & cheese) when I make tonight’s, so I can just put it in the oven after the party tomorrow.

6-8pm - dinner, stories/games, bedtime

8-10pm - after kids’ bedtime

- Finish sewing kids’ Christmas Eve pyjamas. Last night I got them almost finished - I need to put the elastic in the waistbands and do both neckbands and I think sew on two cuffs, but I’ve already prepped those and pinned them on. So not much left to do. 

At some point I want to put away three loads of washing!!!

Baileys_Babe

I'm worn out just reading today's plan 🤣

You are doing lots of lovely things with and for your children but make sure you take some time for yourself so you can recharge your batteries and not burn out 🤗

Bluegreen143

Haha thanks @Baileys_Babe! 

It’s not too bad. I’ve felt so relieved for the last few days that we’ve done everything we have to do and we had a very chilled out weekend. 

Today I managed most of my list, didn’t post those drafted thank you letters yet. And haven’t yet made mac & cheese but will once the kids are in bed. 

Red has decided to make the lasagne we’re having for Christmas Eve tonight and freeze it so he’s busy in the kitchen just now. 

Children haven’t watched any TV yet today (shock horror!!) so I’m letting them have one episode right now before bed. Bracing myself for a tantrum from little miss as I don’t usually allow it before bed for a reason, it always sets her off 😆😅

The little nursery show was incredibly sweet - it always is. The Santa they get every year is like the Santa in Miracle on 34th Street, the real deal - an old man with a genuine white beard - wreath of leaves and berries on his head instead of a Santa hat - wearing deep burgundy red floor length real velvet robes embroidered in gold and white fur, rather than a polyester Santa suit. I’ve never taken my kids to another Santa as nothing else compares to the nursery one so it saves me a fortune 😅 even I half suspect he’s actually Santa 😆

This was Bambi’s first experience and she loved it. Monkey was poring over the pictures as he remembers it well. She got a lovely tea set which was very nice as she doesn’t currently have one since the last set (tin) got rusty.

Spending today 

£23.45 Tesco
(Roughly £13 food bank donation & £10 groceries, I forgot to pick up the receipt)

Unsure of how big an impression the food bank made on Bambi though she did seem to grasp the basic concept that we were buying them to share with others who didn’t have as much as us. Monkey understands the concept of charity donations a bit better and had a few questions which was good. 

One of my aims for 2023 (which I’ll post more about later on) is to cultivate a better sense of gratitude and appreciation in my children, for us to give back more as a family and generally be less entitled. So this is a good start before we actually get into 2023.

Bluegreen143

Forgot a spend! 

£10 to my mum for the air fryer she picked for us, as she spent £10 on the beer she bartered for it. She says it’s in great condition, almost new 🥰

Bluegreen143

Ok, I’ve made one batch of chocolate fudge and finished Monkey’s PJs. Bambi’s are nearly done so will be finished tomorrow 😁

Intrigued to see if the chocolate fudge works - it’s the 2 ingredient kind you melt in the microwave rather than proper fudge that you have to boil, so we’ll see! If it’s not nice enough for gifts I’m sure we’ll eat it 😄 I’m just making it as a wee extra so it doesn’t matter at all if it doesn’t work out.

Plan for tomorrow

7-8.45
Usual morning & school run shenanigans 

8.45-2.15
Work - it’s winding down a bit now tbf so hopeful I can also find time to:

- tackle laundry mountain during the day (clean laundry to put away, I’ve four loads now!!)
- wrap Red’s presents  

2.15-6
Leave early to pick up kids (need to get Monkey plus his friend at school rather than using the school bus) and take all three to a birthday party then return Monkey’s friend home before coming back ourselves. Luckily this friend lives not too far from us. Traffic will definitely be bad coming from the party location after it finishes at 5.30pm but that can’t be helped. 

- Post those thank you cards en route!!!

6-8
Dinner, stories, bed - Red made a mac & cheese bake tonight so will bung it in the oven for us coming home 🥰 kids may not be all that hungry depending on what they are fed at the party but I can have leftovers for lunch the next day. 

- if time, let kids glitter their painted salt dough decorations 

8-10
- finish Bambi’s PJs
- if fudge worked, make a white chocolate batch 

Note - we are out of dishwasher tabs 🤦‍♀️ and I don’t think we have enough milk to last til our Friday evening delivery. Ooops! Don’t have time to go to the shop tomorrow though.

KajiKita

@Bluegreen143 - I’ve run out of spuds, and I want mash for my dinner tonight! 😂

Good luck with the glittering ….. and very thing else, sounds hectic but like you are doing the swan thing very well 😊

KK