Moving on with things

alt80

I’d mentally planned to have a quieter month but sometimes things don’t work out as planned - hence not been on here for a while. Glad to get away and pleased to report the Mk2 hasn’t let us down (yet) haha. School has been a !!!!!! nightmare over the past few weeks. All hell has broken loose between a lad and my son after he stood up in class when they were talking about their futures and told them that health and fun are the most important things not jobs, the person he admires the most in the world is his mum and he doesn’t want to get ill like me. This lad is bullying my son but the way my boy has reacted hasn’t made it easy for school to side with him either. Idk we hope it blows over but everyone is still talking about the Louis Theroux documentary with the tiktokers - kids are definitely aware of the TikTok scam artists we reckon a few are in ‘the matrix’ including this lad. Count our lucky stars that our son would rather be on his bike or playing football than games and social media.

Very little to report on the personal financial front. We’re very slowly trying to build a sinking fund and are making very slow progress- life is !!!!!! expensive without factoring in the 180p a litre super unleaded. Idk, everything seems to be starting to quieten then Trump gets bored and starts another conflict. I can’t dwell on it too much because the news can really get me down when I spend too long thinking about it.

Business finances have taken a battering in solicitors fees for this ongoing dispute. In a way I’m glad it’s happened recently, a year or two back I don’t think I’d have coped as well. Won a nice new contract which more or less replaced the income lost by the couple that went. Win some and lose some. Wife’s project is going well. I am having to do a lot of the admin/ management side. I would’ve resented it a few years back, not understood why she couldn’t just work it out herself like I had to but these days I just want to her to be at her best and support her. She does all the concepts and oversees the creative stuff and I know the client will see the deliverables on time, and her freelance guys will get paid and understand what they’re doing. Everyone’s pretty happy so far, I’ve got a few more lined up to pitch for. Keep them busy lol. She has supported me through absolute hell and shouldn’t have hung around, without her and my boy idk what I’d have done. What I do know is I’ll owe her for the rest of my life and further in ensuring she and our boy are provided for the rest of theirs.

PollyWollyDoodle

while I like reading your updates, I’m actually relieved that your posts are infrequent these days because I think it’s an indication of how much your health has improved. I’m sorry that your son is having problems at school but I think that what he said speaks volumes. You don’t need to worry that he’s heading in the wrong direction, he sounds very grounded.

There are always bumps in the road but you really sound as if you’re coping with these. Hope you can get a break from it all over Easter, and enjoy some family time.

RelievedSheff

Nice to hear from you Alt.

I hope you get things sorted out at school for your boy. Hopefully the bully will be dealt with swiftly.

alt80

@PollyWollyDoodle things are going in the right direction health wise - first signs I know what to do. No plans to ever get into a state of chronic stress and sleep deprivation again. Went on for so many years I didn’t even realise I could ever get a healthy mindset. Still have ups and downs but that’s life. However, I’m managing the compulsive stuff, don’t have massive anxiety/ panic issues and I’m enjoying driving again. Unfortunately, we have lost a few friends of ours this year, mainly much older but one was only my wife’s age - really put it into perspective that I get one life here on earth and that I was ultimately choosing to live in fear because I couldn’t sort out a sleep schedule, stop working at a reasonable hour of the day and couldn’t stop thinking I needed stimulants to do anything when I needed a !!!!!! good nights sleep.

Hoping it blows over between my son and the other kid when they go back. We try to do everything we can to help our boy to not make some of the same mistakes that we have in life. Helps that my wife is a big kid and he realises he’s got a special mum who is always trying to make life fun for him - all his mates have mums who only seem to have “can’t” in their vocabulary. I have that honour because she can’t say no. Latest !!!!!! classic was her almost relenting to him wanting his own motocross bike last month, no regard for how we were going to transport this thing of course. Already end up sending him to school with his mates mum when he’s got a cello lesson. Just before he broke up for Easter she was joking we only like her for their X5 lol.

Have a great Easter too!

@RelievedSheff good to hear from you- hope everything with the move is going smoothly.

Certainly hope so.

alt80

Was going to write a proper update but the time is later than I’d like. However I wanted to say thank you to everyone on here who encouraged me to plan this Scotland trip. I’ve always wanted to visit and it’s been splendid so far. Mk2 continues to still be (suspiciously) trouble free.

Willowtree222

I have never been to Scotland either, but have heard it is beautiful and stunning and an amazing place

Have a lovely time

strawb_shortcake

I was up in Scotland last year with work, stayed near Buckie which I believe is a stopping point for the NC500. We were able to have a ride out to Cullen before out flight home. It was absolutely stunning, I just wanted to see more and more of Scotland. Definitely one for the bucket list!

Enjoy the rest of your trip

alt80

Haven’t managed to get on here for a while- the side gig for my wife has taken over my evenings and weekends. Tbf it’s become a bit of an excuse to not have to think about things too much. Our old friends that live between here and Dubai are back in the uk, pulling the old crowd back together. They all party and spend like madmen still. Idk I can’t even stand to meet them for dinner - feel terrible for that. 

These days I feel a bit !!!!!! guilty whining about my money situation but I don’t feel massively better off with personal finances as when I was in a load of debt - we’re throwing £1.5k each month at overpaying our mortgage to make up for the additional borrowed for the C63, also it’s on full repayment now rather than some on repayment and some on interest only. Don’t think I made the wrong choice with any of it but still have a load of financial commitments every month between my home mortgage and school fees. My wife treats us to holidays and some other nice things with her income - I’m so proud of her and grateful but equally feel she should be ticking off the things she wrote in her lists rather than treating me. My business is steady, ticking along well but it’s all I can cope with so I know going for much in the way of meaningful growth isn’t going to happen rn. Idk still feel I owe my little family the earth for having stood by me but not in a position to give them it. 

Been working on the garden with my boy for the past month or so. He doesn’t know how grateful I am that he wants to spend time with me and lets me read to him still. We never anticipated there’d be wannabe hardmen lads in his school but a few who arrived for senior school concern my wife and I. We thought the money we spent would protect him from that, no doubt there's less of it but hasn't been entirely eliminated it seems. 

Baileys_Babe

@alt80 said:

These days I feel a bit !!!!!! guilty whining about my money situation but I don’t feel massively better off with personal finances as when I was in a load of debt

The difference is that these days your finances are built on rock not sand.

Sorry to hear you are facing some struggles, I can completely understand not wanting to meet up with the old crowd.

Well done to your wife (and you) on the business success.

Enjoy the time with your son.

satchmo1

Your wife will be genuinely happy to be able to "treat" you for a change, so don't take that pleasure away from her.