Mooloo's struggle with babies and bills

Savvy_sewing

Well I dont think I found the board at all. Must be under a different name. But I was never very good at navigating around web sites. Only find my thread on here becuase I get the daily notification and i can click on the link!!. Must get more technically minded.
I have seen DS off to school with bus fare in hand. Hopefully as his sister is picking him up for the dentist later, he will actually be going to school and not jumping ship inbetween.:rolleyes:
Nobody else awake in the household at the moment. Not sure I feel that awake!!.
Had reset my alarm to go back to sleep then once I came down stairs to get some money for DS's bus fares decided it was pointless going back to sleep. It will be going off any minute now anyway. Thats a point its upstairs and I am down. Better go and see to it or the babies will be woken..:o

Savvy_sewing

Several other bits and pieces done, but nothing special.
Time for me to go to work now. Bank balances low, but stable. The savings can stay in the bank a bit longer. Phew.
The aim today is to attack the ironing when I get back from work. Hopefully I will get the girls to do some. Twin2 and guest are going out tonight. so expect twin1 to sulk. But I dont intend to have a repeat of last Monday looking after both babies and running between the rooms to settle them!.
Twin 2 is going to collect her lap top today, so she will be a happy bunny.
I am hoping that all the effort I put in at work on Saturday will give us another good boost for the week ahead.
We managed to beat the target set by another £200 this week too. I would just like to get the shop into the £3,000 sales a week and I would be happy.
Right I am off , have a good day.

Keeping_Motivated

Here is a link (hope it works) have a look around and there are some sub boards. You may find out some info but may need to post your situation and see if you get any

advice.http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=23

KM x

Savvy_sewing

Hi Keeping Motivated, I have started to have a look around, but only logged on to the computer this morning, so I havent the time to look anymore just now. But thanks for the link, I will do my best to search later.:T

On the good news front, my eldest daughter came to visit for the day yesterday, and she mucked in at work. Then took some bric a brac to one of the old ladies that works in the shop, (for the local church fete.). Saves it going in the rubbish.
She then took my son to the dentist for me, and then when I got home from work she rallied around the twins new friends that were here, and she got the baby room mostly done.:T :T :T
I was exhausted by the time she left, but the room is nearly looking how I wanted it. Mind you the stuff that was all in their is lurking in my sitting room and the garden!! But I will work my way through a box a day I hope and I will soon have this room back to normal. :rolleyes:
There was a baby nest/activity ring in the shop this week so I bought that, and we have it in the babies room. Along with the little tent I had from Lidl full of toys etc. We have a couple of bean bags and a few blow up cubes. So its looking the part. All I need to do now is decide if I can get those walkers or not? Will they fit in there. Cant take a photo at the moment, as the put you up bed is in there with twins friend that is staying. But I will try asap.

Work wise, I had another call from the area manager with a well done. I managed to increase the shops sales by 22% on this time last year. We were up on sales all around. (Except the old/new goods that have been lurking since christmas). I have been given permission to buy the volunteers a big tin of biscuits or sweets to thank them for the continued help etc.
The only snag with that is that I am under pressure to keep up the growing trend of the sales... Lets hope that those bags that were collected yesterday will be full of goodies that we can make lots of money on!!.

Time for me to get dressed and ready for work. I want to be down there just before 9 as I want to clean the floor before we open. !!

Savvy_sewing

Well I didnt do the floor when I got to work in the end. The assistant manager hoovered it at the end of the day. (When i told her!). I had a day of paperwork mostly. so spent more time sitting then I usually do.
When I got home it wasnt exactly tidy, but it was certainly better then it has been. The girl who has suddenly seemed to have moved in,??? had her new BF (already!!) in tow. When I was about to do something inspiring with the packet of mince, he offered to cook a spag bog, so I sat back and played with the grandchildren and let him.!! Once instructions had been left I came over to my BF's for the rest of the evening.
Its my day off today, I am off back home in a few minutes, expecting the Social Worker to visit at 9.30, she is going to go through her notes on BBJ's case before the meeting at 1.30pm. Reckon its going to be a bit more of a Bun fight this time, as the father is causing problems, and twin2 is digging in her heels about his access. (Me personnally I think that she should say that he and his parents can have the baby for a day, once a month). give her a break and satisfy the opposition a bit. As long as he is with his parents who could act if anything untoward occurred with the fathers moods? But its not me is it.
I did try to get hold of the solicitor but she didnt get back to me, so we wont have any representation today. Mores the pity.
Right I better go now and I can always log on after.. Then again I could also attack the ironing so I could move in my room again...

Seaxwyn

I hope the meeting goes well Mooloo.

Savvy_sewing

The social worker has been to the house and we sat in the new babyroom on the floor, while BBJ was in the new baby nest. (Lots of approval from her). Good job she didnt see my sittingroom, its all piled up with boxes and washing at the moment.!!
She was late coming, typically, it was about 5 to 10. Twin1 and friend exited to town. DS is sick (again), on the sofa in the front room. Which is now all clean and tidy. (except social worker pointed out that the wire for the computer is an issue!!.).
We are going to let the other Grandparents collect the baby and have him every other Saturday, and let the Dad have him the opposite ones at the Satadads club. Twin2 has said that she will accept that, but that there are not to be sleepovers yet, and that she wants the baby back home by 6pm.
I think that that is reasonable.
So I am about to have a bite to eat then we will be off.
Thanks Seaxwyn, for the support. (And everyone else that lurks on this thread). Its good to know that I can off load here, and that I am able to work through things with friends. (even if I dont really know you all properly).
I am not looking forward to the meeting at 1pm. But I have to go for my daughters sake. Social worker has wisely said it was best not to take the baby to the meeting this time, so its lucky that DS is at home, so he will babysit for us.
Baby is asleep at the moment, so hopefully he wont have much of a problem, and the others will be back soon. (their bus passes run out at 12.40. ) Ah they just walked in the door as I started to write that. Amazing.
Lunch.

Savvy_sewing

Well I am back. Feel emotionally drained, and pretty well physically too. Just having a nice cup of tea, and then think about moving on to other jobs around the household. The sitting room the kids use is still looking good. One less job, even the washing up has been tamed and the washing i put on before I went out is hanging on the line, (must be thanks to the visitor or a miraculous intervention!).
We were unable to get the BBJ off of the Protection Plan, They no longer have a At Risk Register. That was disbanded in April by the government.
However we were able to show positive signs of improvements and the reasons that they have kept him on the register are no longer Neglect, (Which never happened). but Emotional Abuse, if the baby is around when the Dad has one of his temper tantrums around the baby.
Dad was a bit red faced at the reading out of the reasons and happenings, and he left the meeting half way through.
Whats new there?. But as we agreed in the morning, we have put forward our offer of the other grandparents contact and Dads and we hope that that will go some way into showing that we are trying to negotiate. But we are going to be seeking legal advise and get a court order if necessary. As to keep the father away during all other times.
The Disability living team have refused help, they say that twin2 doesnt need thier services. That she is not bad enough to fit in thier remit. (That net we always fall through seems to have even bigger holes as the years go by.)
The agreement at the table was that Twin2 needs help, but where to get it is another mystery.
I was not thrilled that the Social Worker flagged up that I was struggling with the finances, as they are not prepared to help, indeed withdrew thier funding 3 months ago, I wanted to say mind your own business, but I just kept my mouth shut and it was brushed over really.
It has made me even more determind to do some more MSE challenges etc. and to make every penny do the job of 2.

Seaxwyn

I think you have the patience of a saint to put up with all this nonsense from the social workers. I'm sure they do good work in some areas, I'm not wanting to diss them completely, but for heaven's sake! To say you're struggling financially when they have withdrawn funding. And that twin2 needs support but then again she doesn't. Doh!

It sounds like progress in negotiations with the other grandparents anyway. Do they acknowledge that their son is so difficult?

Savvy_sewing

Seaxwyn wrote: »

I think you have the patience of a saint to put up with all this nonsense from the social workers. I'm sure they do good work in some areas, I'm not wanting to diss them completely, but for heaven's sake! To say you're struggling financially when they have withdrawn funding. And that twin2 needs support but then again she doesn't. Doh!

It sounds like progress in negotiations with the other grandparents anyway. Do they acknowledge that their son is so difficult?

HI, sorry I was reading the thread that was highlighted on the email today. Taken me hours to read. Wish I could speed read with efficiency!!.
The other grandparents are not acknowledging that the problem is with their son, they are/were blaming my daughter on her inability to care, which has today been proven to have been an overreaction on the socials side. But at least its was not the otherway around where they didnt act!!. But now they have thier fingers into our lives they wont go away. There is yet another worker coming to the house to speak to the twins and to see if she can get them organised. (Ha ha, ). I have tried for 19 years to get them to do things. Well ok, for 13 years. Ever since they were at school and needed to take their reading books to school. But I havent managed it. If this new lady can do it, all good luck to her.
Re the ability to help us financially, they are as tight as the preverbial ducks ***. I dont think they live in the real world. I am not asking for them to pay me handouts, I just want what we may be entitled too. But its looking like the Disabilites team have let them know they are not helping us, but never let us know. How typical is that.
Well we have another meeting in 3 months. Perhaps I will have had a windfall by then and i can tell them I can afford to pay privately for the care we need and then they can worry no more!!. (if only).
Reading other peoples problems with finances has made me think more about what I am still doing wrong, and that perhaps I can make another concerted effort to make ends meet a bit better.
I am getting a bit too tired tonight, and would like to get a bit of an early night, so that I am fit for work tomorrow. But I hope to get my hand written diary out, and put a few things down to motivate me tomorrow. I know, I know, dont put off until tomorrow what you can do today, but I really am exhausted today. Perhaps tomorrow I will have a bit more energy to do things.
Reading Memorygirls thread, started off interesting but towards the end I felt that it was less inspirational. I feel that Hypno's is more inspirational although I must admit I dont really read anyoneelses. I just dont have the time.

I still feel embarrassed that I waste so much time, and that I procrastinate too much.
I would like to make a bit more of an effort around the home, again. I realised that I have sat back a bit this last few weeks, and just not been able to muster up the drive to do things. Probably as when I do have time off I spend it doing things that are more pleasurable to me, more me time, and less drudgery, but that I really need to pull out the stops to do things when I do have the energy and the strength. Obviously I am aware that I dont always have the physical ability to do things, and I am not trying to say I am always bad about things just that perhaps I havent found the right fine divide line between the two.
Cup of tea time, before I do anything else.