The Mental Debt Struggle...

Keedie

beanielou said:

Think of the teachers working up until then! 

I know! I don't know how they do it. I'm from a family of teachers and they're always burnt out before we even reach October half term.

badmemory

My sister always did her christmas shopping in August because she knew that once that term started she wouldn't get a chance & never ever book a summer holiday for the first week of school holidays as my father was always ill.  Everything the kids had during the term he got as soon as they broke up.

Makingabobor2

Hope your son is feeling better soon. There seems to be all sorts going round at the moment

Keedie

Teachers really are superheroes aren't they @badmemory? I remember my mum was always run down by Christmas and just about hanging on by the summer holidays. And my sisters were always sick every October half term and spent it struggling to spend quality time with their kids and plan for the return to school. My mum is now retired and one sister is now a SENCO so not in the classroom and the other is now a civil servant.

Thank you @makingabobor2, hopefully he feels better soon. He's just sleeping and sleeping and I'm waiting for the doctor to get back to me as I think he needs to be referred back to the gastroenterology unit at hospital. 

I feel rather run down myself, but I think a lot of that has to do with my inability to sleep properly at night. I've made the mistake of having a nap two days in a row and it's thrown me off kilter at night time. But last night I didn't sleep well because I was excited as I went to a webinar on AI for Authors, and learnt about how to use Chat GPT for research and to flesh out what I'm writing. It's given me hope to try and complete my novel next year. So that's fun. I'm hoping that by having something creative that I am working on outside of work, it'll help with actually having to be back at work, whilst I pay off my mum. I can't leave my job and owe her money, as that just doesn't sit right with me.

Keedie

I made the mistake of washing my hair today and going to the post office with only my crutches and no rollator and attending my nephew's Enterprise Day at his primary school, and now I'm having a flare up. I really do need to stop trying to conquer the world all in one day 😂. 

I know better because I did the pain management programme and I know I'm meant to pace better than this, but I get a bit of energy and think I'm superwoman 🦸🏾‍♀️😂. In hindsight, I should have just collected my nephew from school and attended his Enterprise Day (and worked out that there was a lift to the top floor before I got halfway there on crutches). Gone to the post office in the morning with my rollator as I can't stand for long and the queues in the run up to Christmas are very long and then washed my hair on Sunday. I wasn't thinking and now I'm paying the price.

I had £10 left of my spending money for the week, but sending my medical licence application back to the DVLA by special delivery cost me £7.65 and then I gave my nephew £2 at the Enterprise Day and he said he had "the best of hot chocolate of my life as it had whipped cream too!". So at least the last of my spending money went to practical purposes and bringing my nephew some joy. 

I managed to get 2 bottles of my favourite wine on offer in Tesco today, the Barefoot Pink Moscato was £6 now (funny how that used be the actual price a couple of years ago and now it's the bargain price 🙄). One is for Christmas and one is for New Years. I've slipped into hypomania this week and with the elevated bipolar mood, I went and invited my family over for New Year's Eve (I don't mind hanging out with them but I didn't want to host anything and now I am 😬). Oh well, I can't change it now, they're all looking forward to it... 🤦🏾‍♀️.

PennysIntoPounds

Well at least all those jobs are done for now and hopefully you'll remember to pace yourself next time. Bless your nephew with the best hot chocolate of his life!
Good spot on your fave wine.

Um, you technically invited them to your flat, doesn't mean you have to be there, right? 😂

Cherryfudge

PennysIntoPounds said:

Um, you technically invited them to your flat, doesn't mean you have to be there, right? 😂

I like your thinking, PiP!

Keedie, perhaps you could ask your guests to bring something to eat or drink or help set up or clear away? They're family, I'm sure they can be asked!

Keedie

My nephew is 8 @PennysIntoPounds, so that might likely have been the best hot chocolate of his life 😂. He's a school journalist (which he successfully filled in an application and interviewed for), and so he was going around interviewing parents and getting quotes. But he forgot to get their names bless him, so he has a clipboard of quotes and no clue who said what 🤦🏾‍♀️. 

That's a good idea thank you @Cherryfudge, I'll get them to all bring something. I have trouble staying up late these days as I've been so worn out, but I'll have to take my medication at a little later so that I'm not asleep before midnight so that I can actually see in the new year.

My friends from Suffolk and Norfolk are coming to London for the day to see the Christmas lights and we're going to a Christmas market near the London Eye, and they're coming on the weekend of Christmas. So I will be very organised and remember to use my rollator, as getting on an off buses and just roaming around in general, the crutches aren't going to cut it as I'll need to sit down. I need to get picnic things for them as we'll have lunch at my house on paper plates as I've no intention of doing dishes, as we'll then just go out. All my younger nephews and nieces are coming out with us that day, so I'll have to keep my beady eyes on them. The youngest is 6 and he's a bit bouncy like Tigger and his brother is 8 and in his own world the hot chocolate nephew is also 8 and the three of them act crazy when we're together! The girls are a lot calmer and they're 9, 10 and 13.

I sorted out my coins in my purse today and I had £8.70, so I've put the £5 towards next week's budget and put the £2 towards the £2 challenge, the £0.50 in the 50p challenge and put £0.20 in the cat tin. I also put the £1 coin into the food budget buffer. 'm starting to get more discipline with my budget, but I realised that I can't have the monthly money in my everyday purse (like the family fun and eating out), as I just spend it. So that money will have to remain at home and not on my person, as I lack control and just spend, spend, spend. If the money is in my cash binders in my mini safe, then I forget that they're there. So I need to help myself by removing the temptation.

AntoMac

I always find that making mistakes is the best way to learn Keedie. Hopefully you won’t try to do too much in one go next game.

Good idea from @Cherryfudge
Speak to your family members and ask them all to help out a little bit with your get together. Many hands make light work

Keedie

Yes mistakes are definitely the lessons that we need in life @AntoMac. I took Cherryfudge’s advice and told my family to bring some snacks and drinks stuff for us to see in the new year. I think my son will be out at a party. He said if everyone comes he’ll not stay at the party late so that he can come back and spend time with everyone. Which was nice of him as I know he lives to socialise.