From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

DH's workwear is in the washing machine.  Not super hopeful of a good drying day today, but we have no alternative.  As DH pointed out, the move to provide additional uniform items appears to have gone suspiciously quiet amongst the corner-office squad😟

Hurrah, it's the weekend - no school!  But DH is doing the homework tests with LG currently.

Tea was OK last night.  Pizza and wedges.  There was l/o pizza for the freezer, so that's improved the snap availability options.

Tea tonight will probably involve curry.  Not too sure if I'll make it from scratch or pull something out of the freezer.  I'll see.

It appears we have no peanut butter in the house, and I hadn't put it on the shopping list as I hadn't been told we were running low (I rarely eat pb).  LG's solution was to drive to MrL to get some 😱  I know the shop is open, but heck, my passing on of MSE skills is clearly lacking!  DH accepts it is a 'do without' situation.  We have jam, it isn't like there isn't something to top toast.  

Right, the wash should just about have come to the final spin, so I'll push orf and peg out.  

Ta for stopping by.  

Greying X

in_need_of_direction

I’d be with LG on the PB. A lack would rank alongside no teabags or milk

Greying_Pilgrim

Taking inspo directly from tmv I made potato soup for lunch.  Celery, onion and garlic pureed and put in the PC with some oil.  Chopped up some of the smaller tatties (Osprey) out of Thursday's bag, along with some small- dice carrot and swede.  Put in some water and a stock cube and cooked for 10 mins.  Naturally de-pressured and then popped in a knob of butter and a tin of evaporated milk.  Cooked for 5 mins.  Naturally de-pressured and then popped in a bit of dried; sage, thyme and parsley and some black pepper and swirled in a teaspoon of dijon mustard.  Tasted lovely and even though I love swede, it does add a lovely savouriness to soups and stews.  Served with buttered bread for mopping.  Cheap, cheerful and quick to make.  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

in_need_of_direction said:

I’d be with LG on the PB. A lack would rank alongside no teabags or milk

🤣👍

Greying X

rtandon27

I'm chuckling that LG, not yet in possession of a license, opted to drive to the shops!

I'm with your DH - definitely a mend and make do situation!

...on that note a piece of toast with a cuppa is definitely in order!

LadyWithAPlan

Greying_Pilgrim said:

Good Morning MFW'rs

I was reading several diaries and was saddened that several MFW'rs are facing issues in their lives - which can be described as 'curveball' situations.  No-one wants to face issues of ill health, job loss, income loss; to themselves or members of their family - and yet as the world keeps turning, these situations come (often relentlessly) to our door.  I wanted to express my gratitude for the candidness of posters on this thread (in particular), when these curveballs come calling.  Your openness in describing the situations, along with possible plans to counteract these episodes is so helpful to read.  It also helps when other posters proffer ideas, solutions, or just good-old-fashioned "sitting in your corner" support.  

I have been sitting here, reading, and thinking to myself that buying this house was possibly one of the worst decisions we'd made.  LG is yet again experiencing problems at school, and it was fast becoming our very own version of 'Groundhog Day' as exactly the same situation occurred several years ago, with the same central players and the same energy and joy sucking shenanigans being played out.  I was feeling miserable that our only option to afford to buy, had been this house, remaining in this catchment area - when originally, LG should have attended a different (much better) school, with all their chums.  For a wide range of reasons, not all of school's making, I was feeling like an utter failure of a mother yesterday afternoon, as the latest episode of woe fell from LG's quivering lips.  

And no, dear reader, I am NOT in any way equating school playground missteps and squabbles with illness, redundancy, accidents or any other human-centric scenario.  But it was the problem that was tapping on our front door at the time.  

So I took action.  I crafted an email to the class teacher.  I tried to keep it brief, but sometimes the 'Why' is just as relevant as the 'What' that happened.  I pressed 'deliver'.

Now we're here into the school day, and I've had a positive response from the school, I've received a summary of the direction future activities will take place and reassurance that we should not have a re-occurance of what happened before, as LG isn't the guilty party.  

I still don't like this house/neighbourhood.  But taking action and speaking up has moved something.  Hopefully for the long-term, but let's just take one day at a time, eh?.  Getting older does have advantages; you've seen (much) of all this s**t before, not alot is new under the sun, however you brand it, and it does become easier to just disagree with people and not feel like you have ruined your social standing "forever" because of it. 

But I can't ignore the positive impact of being HERE - amongst this online community - has had in helping me to 'age gracefully and be a better parent' because of it.  I've always been willing to 'stand by what I say/do' and accept the consequences, but I have always found it hard to find the courage to speak out in the first place - mostly because it's felt like I've always been swimming against the tide and "everyone else" disagreed with my standpoint.  And yet actually, I am finding that more people do actually hold similar (not necessarily identical) views/values/morals/ideas/thoughts to my own.  And will not only 'agree' with me, but will work to change things, tackle issues or just plain and simple protect LG from harm.

It takes action.  And action is only possibly if you're able to give a good amount of commitment/concentration to your plan and watching how it unfolds - willing to re-callibrate, U-turn or change course if necessary.  The energy to take action needs support - not always slavish agreement - but support.  I can't even calculate how much 'energy' I derive from MFW/DFW, through the support of you all.  Knowing that whatever we all face in our lives, we will have a go - somehow - to change/challenge those circumstances, which in turn inspires me to stand up and take action against those ills that affect me/my family.

To everyone that posts.  THANK YOU.

Greying X

This is very wise, indeed we all have to stand up and make change via focused action especially in our community,
Watching/reading as each of us go through our daily lives with the triumphs and struggles is indeed inspiring.


Your soups sound lovely - I normally stick to beetroot or a bean one based on HM chicken stock. You  have inspired me to  get a bit more creative

themadvix

I’m not sure I can take any credit for inspiration there GP - your soup sounded much fancier than mine! 😊

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

School uniform wash on here.  The weather isn't going to be brilliant, but it should stay dry and there is a breeze.  I got DH's workwear dry overnight.  I left it out a bit longer than I had intended, so it came in dry-ish but the cold had started to seep in and so it seemed damper than it possibly was.  But on the airer overnight it has dried.

We ended up having 'posh' sarnies using the sub-style rolls I bought from MrAl for tea last night.  I finished up a jar of cranberry sauce, and we had a bag of crisps and some easy peeler segments with, followed by yoghurt if you wanted it.  There was  no point in doing anything 'cooked', we had had filling soup for lunch, and hadn't done anything to work up an appetite.  

Off to peg out.  Can't think of anything MSE to add at the mo. 

Greying X

EssexHebridean

LG’s entirely correct view of the urgency of the  PB situation just confirms what I always thought Greying - you are clearly bringing up a mighty fine small human! 😆

Greying_Pilgrim

EssexHebridean said:

LG’s entirely correct view of the urgency of the  PB situation just confirms what I always thought Greying - you are clearly bringing up a mighty fine small human! 😆

🤣 EH - MSE 'Aunties' are supposed to promote the 'wait until we next go shopping' line - not "drop everything we've a 'outta PB' emergency happening" 🤣 LG didn't even offer to cycle/walk to MrL - not easy to do safely (very busy/fast roads), but not impossible.  I'm sure if DH would have fired up the jalopy, LG would have accompanied tho 🤣 And then additional things (I'm thinking doughnuts) would have been bought - which I suppose makes the miles:items purchased ratio a bit better, but doesn't pay any heed to the MSE code..... 🤣

DH's washing has been put away.  The breeze has dropped off a bit, so I'm not sure how well the school uniform will do out on the line.  

I'm thinking of doing soup again for lunch.  Something using a vac pack of ready to use udon noodles I think.  Hopefully we will do some sort of movement/activity to warrant a cooked tea.  Curry will be the likely option if we do have a full meal.  DH isn't feeling particularly chipper, so I may have to take myself out for a walk a bit later.  Don't suppose I will manage to persuade LG to join me.  Drawing and reading are the preferred activities currently.  At least mischief is being kept out of and no cash is being spent, so........

Greying X