From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

For tea last night, I went with 'crowd pleaser' smoked tofu wraps, 'boofay' style 😁

Got to come up with something equally as summery today, as it sure as eggs ain't 'Rumbledethumps' weather..... 🫤

Yesterday seems to have been a reasonable day at school, so for that i am grateful - I'll take 'reasonable' over upsetness and kiddos being horrid, all.day.long.  Come September LG will be moving along to a new class, with a new-to-them teacher.  Initially, when the lists came out, LG was disappointed, and had desperately wanted to be in another class.  But I could see that a knee-jerk reaction, blasting in wanting LG moved wasn't necessarily the best option - for one thing we didn't have the full picture as to who was in which of the classes.  At this moment in time, as more information has come about, LG may well have got the 'good enough' option.  It's not perfect, and things may yet change, but the new teacher seems 'OK' at the moment.  The scattering of nice, kind kids, along with a few 'ok's', may just nullify the presence of the year bully being in the same class 😬 and may tip the balance of not being with the bossy/self-centered/unkind kids present in other classes.   There is also the added issue of support staff changing lanes and Key Stages, which we could do without.  But it may yet be that the TA who is of most concern, will have little to do with LG's class.  We shall wait and see - and enjoy the summer hols (which still seem a long way off......) in the interim.  

I got round to writing out possible book choices from Blackcats KS2 list yesterday afternoon.  LG adores books and has always been good at reading, so I was delighted to find that 'without trying' I was able to compile a list of books - 6 or 7 we already have in the house.  A couple LG has already read - but they are always worthy of a re-read (Roald Dahl anyone?), and the rest are chazzer shop finds just waiting to be opened 😁  In addition, there are plenty more titles that could be sourced from the library if LG fancies something a bit different, plus there are books aplenty on the book shelf, to be dipped into on a whim too.  So again, thank you Blackcats for posting that link 😁👍

LG is excited at the prospect of trips out to an NT place.   Hope it's not just the pull of the gift shop...... 🤔 We're hoping to hook up with a chum (their kids don't attend the same school, but LG is firm friends 😁), and I've mentioned the NT offer to them.  They've used the vouchers before, and are very tuned in to the MSE vibe, so that gives us another dimension to a hook-up.  I'm feeling so grateful that we've some choices emerging.  I don't necessarily get envious of families that have booked holidays 'away', it's more about in previous years I've felt like there has been so much we couldn't do, couldn't afford etc.  This year feels like it may be a bit different, and it feels good to have LG giving some input/making some choices etc.  And as it happens, whilst a classmate is going away for a couple of weeks in a caravan with rellies (something that I'd love for LG), it's not all a bed of roses, and there are reasons why that fortnight's holiday will be an exercise in potential misery and 'existing' - albeit in a different location to Greying Town.  So we have many blessings to count - and we do.  Perhaps we're lucky in that we always want to spend time with LG, and friends and (some) family feel the same.  I've already had a request from one of my aunts to visit with LG in the hols, so we'll definitely be making that happen.  I can't imagine lumbering my child with someone who clearly saw it as a burden, and carried on living their life as they had always done, in spite of it not 'including' the child in any way 🫤

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

So I'm back from hB. 

It was a non-food shop and I spent £34.34 😬Which has put a black hole in the non-food budget, especially as haircuts are still needed this month 😬  Ah well, at least I got hold of some hayfever tablets - LG was rubbing their eyes like mad (yes, we know you're not supposed to....), this morning.  I suppose the warmer weather is extending the season somewhat - I think this is the worst they've been.

Come on England!  I shall be watching the match, possibly through my fingers...... 😬

Greying X

in_need_of_direction

Has LG ever used an eye bath? They cost about £1 in a chemist and I’ve found using these with cooled boiled water as effective as eyedrops.

badmemory

I am with LG on the rubbing of the eyes.  Have they tried putting water on the fingers before rubbing.  Obviously it may not help LG but it does help me.

Blackcats

I'm pleased that the list I sent will be contributing to a great summer for family Greying.  

When I was a kid, waaay back in the old days ... I got a folder with dividers and pens for use in the holidays.  We didn't spend a small fortune at sm*ggl€ but I loved that folder.  I used it as a diary of what we'd done, a section was for projects that I liked doing, and another section was for book reviews that I enjoyed writing for all the books I read.  Yes, I was a bit of a girly swot but it wasn't a forced activity I genuinely enjoyed myself.  

If you still have a real camera you could put a film in it for LG to snap pics of places, people & things and when the film is developed the photos can be stuck in the relevant places in the folder.  I recall the joy of being able to use the precious family camera for my own photos.  I think you can still buy disposable cameras too.

oh and Lizzie Dripping was a favourite of mine but I did get teased because of my name (and no, i'm not one of Mr & Mrs Dripping's kids).  "Lizzie Dripping your knickers are slipping 🙀"

rtandon27

@Greying_Pilgrim - if the anti-histamines don't kick in quick enough for LG, do try 0ptrex for itchy eyes - works a treat & the bonus is that you are allowed to rub it gently into the base of your eyelashes! So you get to scratch the itch iyswim

Greying_Pilgrim

INOD - LG is too much of a scaredy cat to open their eyes 'under' water, so I don't think we would have much luck with the eye bath.  You've reminded me of the blue glass one we had at home when I was a kiddo 😁  However, combined with badmemory's thought about wet fingers, it may well provide relief, and is certainly worth a punt.  Thank you.

Blackcats - I was thinking along the lines of a holiday "diary" or record, but hadn't thought of a file folder and dividers.  LG has a little 'point and shoot' digital camera, which they saved up their birthday and C'mas money to buy, so pictures could indeed be printed off - either at the library as paper prints or j3S$0ps.  I want to encourage them to read a little, write a little, and maybe some form of simple maths on a daily basis, as they are normally "reasonable" in most things - not tippy, toppy mostest, bestest, but circling that zone, rather than languishing around the lower percentiles.  However, they are prone to 'go off the boil' in any extended holidays.  Ironically, they have always still done more than many of their peers; writing postcards to 'Aunties', writing birthday or thank you cards etc etc.  LG used to have beautiful writing (for their age), but a teacher ba11sed that up early on, by commenting that it was 'too large' (it wasn't, and it was normally on any 'lines' too), and since then LG has strived to make their 'war&peace' tomes fit on a pin-head....... 🙄

But I've also noticed that the homework requirement will be changing from next year too.  In theory, it would be a seamless transition to be lengthier and wider ranging, but of course, this year's teacher decided to ignore a large part of the homework requirement, so presumably anyone that was still trying to 'fulfil the brief' stopped trying. I know we did.  What's the point of slaving over reading/writing if the homework book isn't even going to be looked at and the time/work acknowledged.  Part of me is not bothered, because even what we did with LG was "enough" outside of school hours, but I know that we were in a minority of parents/children that bothered even with what we did.  

At the moment we have; 

Local NT and EH  visits with chums and visits to places further afield (Greying Fam),
Day visit to my Aunty,
Day visit to a family friend (substitute aunty/grandma), 
Reading 'six' books
LG does all meals for a day (they get the budget too - may evolve into more days if they're good at it!)
A club activity which may involve an overnight stay
Visit our nearest city either by train or bus 😬
Cycling
Playdates with at least 2 chums
Camping (we still haven't used the little tent I purchased last year 😬)
Stay at least one night at a Pr3m1er 1nn (this is high up on LG's 'wantees' list 🤔)
Undertake a longish walk (following a map).

I'm sure there will be more to add.  Also there's not much detail on the list, but we have already been offered a 'camp spot' by a v. v. kind and thoughtful person, so we really have got some lovely options building for the summer.  

I did also forget to mention in this morning's post that the 'forgotten' peaches were utilised for pud (with yoghurt) last night.  They tasted fine, so no waste.  

Greying X

VintageHistorian

One year my Mum got me a nice large (I think close to A3 size) notebook with blank pages and I spent a happy couple of hours a week putting things in it, off the top of my head I stuck in tickets from places we'd been to, pretty leaves I'd picked up, and I think I drew a few pictures and wrote a few lines about where we'd been or what we'd done.

I'm sure I found it a few years ago but I don't know if it's in the loft or if it was in such bad condition it had to be binned. I tihnk the paper was the thick "sugar paper" you used to get in schools. I didn't fill it up, not even close, but I do remember that I liked flicking through it occasionally as I grew up.

Greying_Pilgrim

VH - having "tickets" and QR codes on our phones has rather curtailed that innocent pasttime, hasn't it ☹️  Progress isn't everything ☹️ But yes, the principle is a good one, I'll certainly see if we can get "something" together.

I ordered a TQ card for one of LG's activity instructors.  Only ordered it yesterday, and it turned up in the post today 😁  Personalised too - heaven's technology is pretty spiffy on occasion.

If football matches could be won on the basis of the passion with which the country's anthem was sang, goodness, Wales would be top of the leader board.  

Tea was puy style lentil tommie vegetable mix with rice and sliced veggie sausages with green beans on the side.  Yoghurt and banana for pud.  

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Got my bum into gear this morning and have done the shopping already.  I simplified and only went to one shop - I know that isn't the MSE way, but it's already too hot, and I find people get niggly-naggly in the heat, so I figured it was better and less stressy to go to one place, and come home.  I will need to go to MrL (or possibly MrAl), at some point, but it's not super crucial it is today.  

I spent £37.32 in total, but I bought a bulk purchase of the green lentils which were n*ctar priced for me, so I need to stick £9.10 in the bulk expenditure, and the rest was on food to consume in the now.  I did also get a TV mag, and I have bought another paper for an NT coupon, so £2.02 spent on non-food. 

No boxes, and nothing really in the YS'd domain.  I didn't get the icecreams that had points on them, but I did manage to get icecreams today - they were pretty much out of most of their own brand stuff last week.  

Whilst I didn't love the score-line, I loved that Wales played to the whistle in the footy last night.  I sincerely hope that any future opponents don't underestimate them - cred tîm Cymru is strong!

A wash is pegged out.  I have put a blanket on to wash and will peg that out just now.  It can go into storage when dry.

Right, away to amend my siggie figgie.  Ta for popping by. And thanks to the fellow MSE'r for the nod to the FB/Insta page 😁

Greying X