Thursday 15th January

 

 I seem to be in something of a hermit era at the moment. With all this relentless rain and bad weather I just haven't been going anywhere other than the school runs or the local supermarket. So there really hasn't been anything much to blog about or share with you. 

I have been watching reruns of Call the Midwife to catch up with the storyline and history for the new series that's just started. I've also been knitting a lot as I like to keep my hands busy. 

This month the charity I knit for NHAP has asked for bunny ear hats so I've knitted 5 of them along with a few other little bits they always seem to need. I posted them yesterday so hopefully they arrive shortly and won't get soggy in transit. 

 Last night we went Miller and Carter for date night. My parents kindly gifted us a voucher for a meal out at Christmas and an evenings babysitting so we could use it. 

 We had a lovely time. DH had a lovely ribeye steak that he said was very good. I had the half chicken with a delicious bourbon sauce. 

 I'm really hoping that this weather clears up soon and I have more exciting things to share with you. Our poor dog is desperate for a lovely long walk somewhere like the lakes or the woods instead of a quick soggy trot around the block. Being so small and low to the ground the poor love just gets to soggy and cold at the moment.  I think we are all longing for some spring sunshine.

X x x 

Wednesday 8th January

 

We enjoyed a cheeky Wetherspoons breakfast this morning as a little January treat. Some of the deals and offers are great value. A breakfast muffin and an unlimited hot drink is just £2.99 so I had a nice breakfast, 2 cups of tea and got to sit by a roaring open fireplace for less than £3. That's a bargain in my book. 

 After breakfast we had to pop to the Job Centre Plus. We assumed we were called in for a review of our universal credits but that wasn't the case. Imagine our suprise when they offered us help to find a new job 🤣

It turned out to be a misunderstanding thanks to the pay department logging his wages later that usual due to Christmas. So on paper he looked like he hadn't been paid so they assumed he was unemployed.

Apparently this is a common problem for people paid on the last working day on the month. You'd have thought someone would have done something about it but that would involve being logical and having common sense. 

So our income is going to be fluctuating each month by a fair margin, however now we know about it we can plan ahead and cope with it. Its a lot of faff though for something that seems easy enough to fix.

X x x

Monday 5th january

 

 Usually the first day back to school is a bit of  hard graft. Everyone is slow to wake up and get ready for the return to the daily mundane. However with a bit of snow added, I couldn't get them ready and outside fast enough. 

 We only had a small dusting of snow but it was enough to entertain everyone for the morning. 

I also picked up some tasty looking sponge puddings on the afternoon school run. I've found 2.30pm is about the right time to get some reduced goodies in co op. Lately I've been buying the girls a reduced price sandwich to share on the way home for 60p or so. 

Maybe with the cold weather keeping everyone indoors I'll find a few more bargains over the course of the week. 

I hope you are all keeping warm today.

X x x

Saturday 3rd January

 

 I had a parcel to sent this morning so I was up bright and early. The town centre was very quiet so it was quite peaceful to run my errands. A random sudden gust of wind blew me into one of the charity shops though...how bizarre! Most of the local charity shops are desperately trying to get rid of the last of the Christmas stock, with some of them even putting boxes of decorations and gift bags outside for free. I picked up a reduced board game set for 50p. I checked before I bought it and all the pieces are there. My plan is to stash it for a rainy day or should I say snowy day in the future. 

 Mr S is off to watch the football this afternoon with his Dad. I've given him a "mummy talk" about putting some blankets, drinks and snacks in the car. He won't be back till late and it's quite a long drive home so I'm worried about the cold weather being a problem. 

Miss A (eldest daughter) is off for a sewing day at Nanny's house. Miss A picked up a lovely bag of fabric scraps just before Christmas with the plan to make a few tote bags in the New Year. My mum is always looking for a good excuse to do some sewing and crafting so it will be a lovely time for both of them.

 The rest of the children are all happy chilling out at home watching movies, reading books and playing with various toys. They will soon be back at school and I can start my big spring clean a thon. 

 Have a happy weekend everyone 

X x x

Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year everyone.

This year is going to be a good one. The past 6 months have seen a lot of changes and upheaval for us as a family. 

In October we moved house away from a very difficult living environment. The past three months have been spent setting up our new home and getting into new routines. 

We are all happier, healthier and better for it though it has taken a lot of our rainy day funds and energy to do it. It was completely worth it.

I'm looking forward to having the head space and time to do the things I love to do again. Like blogging, knitting, gardening, crafts and homemaking.  

Here's to a better year that the last one!

X x X

Sunny Sunday

 

Good evening everyone. Its been a rather nice weekend weather wise which has been great for getting through all the laundry that needed doing.  I've even washed and dries a few winter things and packed them away for later in the year.

This weekend we have been focusing hard on a mammoth declutter. DH took a full car load of rubbish bags to the local tip in the afternoon.

One of this we tackled was the incredible pile of shoes we seem to have amassed over the past few years. One of my hoarding issues is saying "it'll fit someone else eventually".

And while that's usually true with shoes all of my children have quite different likes and dislikes so it wasn't really working.

I tipped every shoe I could find in the house into a huge pile on the living room rug and gathered the family around it for a mammoth trying on session. 

A good 80% of shoes have either been donated or thrown away.

Not a bad use of a Sunday I think.

X x X

Thrifty Thursday

 

 Good Morning to you all.

Yesterday surprisingly went without a hitch and Miss D now is restocked on her medication. Fingers crossed we don't have the same problem next time we order it in. I will make sure we order it in good time though just in case.

I mentioned our dog in the last post and realised afterwards that I didn't pay the dog tax by adding a photo of him. Optimus Ween is 5 months old and a miniature dachsund (who thinks he's a Rottweiler!)

Today everyone has been popped into school and I've run some errands in town. I've been a big fan of the Poundland Perks app lately, some of the offers have been rather good. Today they has Skinny rice crispy bars for 75p (usually £1). The children all love them and they are a safe food for Mr G so I picked up 4 boxes. I will probably get another 4 in the next few days before the offer finishes. I also grabbed a reduced prawn pasta salad for just 50p which will make for a very tasty lunch. 

Today's homeschooling is our next episode of Victoria and at Miss D's requested she wants to learn more about what happens in order to elect a new Pope. I will be watching the funeral on Saturday with any of the children who wish to join me. It's quite a big event that should only happen very rarely during their lifetimes so I hope they take a moment to watch a little bit. 

Will any of my lovely readers be watching too? 

X x X