Allotment Diary

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Stressed out

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

More money needed for more school things - money which I don't have

Helen x

ETA

OK - a little explanation needed
C and D were not happy at their previous school, C suffered alot of niggly bullying and D was not being stretched to his full potential so I decided to move them, a friend, Ant was moving her boys too as she felt the same as me, we decided on a school 8 miles away, in another county, visited said school and then began the process of moving the kiddies. C went to the middle school and absolutely loves it, D went to the Lower School and likes most things about it. the change in school meant new uniforms [not cheap] for both of them, it has also meant that as the schools are better performing schools they offer alot more trips etc for the kiddies. This has meant that in 3 weeks I have paid out £148 to D's school for various bits and for C's school it has been £25 so far but there will be a payment of £390 ish for a trip next year that will need paying soon. Money is beyond tight at the moment, K is actively looking for a better paid job and still doesn't want me to work but it does make juggling the finances a never ending source of entertainment. D has his 9th birthday in a couple of months and Xmas draws ever nearer!

Now I have a headache!!

Helen x

PS I really don't mind paying for the things they need I just wish I could spread the payments out over a longer period or that alot of these payments could be mentioned to parents in July so that we have more time to save for them - don't want to come across as begrudging the kiddies their trips etc.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Wednesday update, Blogging

How on earth did I think I would be able to find time to Blog more often - I haven't got enough hours in the day to do the regular stuff let alone extras

D has been picked to do the footie club at school so he went off today very excited at the thought of wearing his new gear [tracksuit and boots] and really enjoyed himself. I've severely neglected teaching him to do up his laces so this morning there was a frantic 5 min session, he got the idea of it very quickly and managed to do it but needs more practice. D has also decided he wants to do cookery after school once a week [after school club for 8 weeks] so his letter was duly signed and returned and now I just have to find the £10 to pay for it.

C has had yet another good day at school, she is like a different child when she comes out at the end of her day, she is happy and smiley and full of talk about what she has done, its lovely to see and also heart braking - why - cos I let her be so miserable in that flippin school she used to go to for so long!! I'm so very annoyed with myself.

Went to MrA yesterday to do a top up shop - £68 later - shock, horror. We only went in for a few bits.

I've spent today washing, drying and doing the never ending ironing, 1 more load to wash and dry but still loads to iron

Had to buy a new iron as the other one packed in, what a difference a new iron makes, its so much lighter and quicker

K is on a late today and due home soon so I'm signing off now

Please do leave a comment if you drop by

Love Helen x

Monday 12 September 2011

Charity Shopping and Blogging Daily

Today, as K was on a day off we decided to have a walk round the Charity Shops at NP. We were after a square frame for a card I'd bought when we were in St Ives in June and also a tile stand for .... yep, you guessed it, a tile, again bought in St Ives. I love browsing round the Charity Shops. I rarely buy anything, not because I don't want to, but because of the silly prices they charge. £4 or £5 for a t-shirt - the same price as BHS!! They have priced themselves out of the game for me but that doesn't stop me wandering round them. Anyway, we found a frame but forgot to look for the tile stand, so that means another visit on another day. When we came home K made a mount for the frame and out the picture in and I have put it on the wall to the right of the computer in the Kitchen but tomorrow it will be moved to the wall on the left as that's the way I generally face and I want to gaze on it and remember the first holiday we took as a family, at St Ives and how good it was, and it really was quite possibly the best holiday I've ever had.

I've also, after reading another blog [which I can't remember the name of now - sorry] decided to blog on a more regular basis. What is the point of trying to record our lives for the children to read in the future if I don't blog about it! Tomorrow will be the first of many blogs about the children and what they have done aswell as my own ramblings and talking of ramblings, thats enough for 1 night as its bedtime

Helen x

Sunday 11 September 2011

Wasting Time

Why is it that at the end of the day I can look back at what I've done and think that I've wasted the day doing nothing! I'll make a note to myself to remember this tomorrow and then I'll forget all about my wasted time of today and waste tomorrows time. Time - its such a precious thing and yet I waste it. Maybe by posting this I'll remember tomorrow. I end up with so much to do in the house that its overwhelming and I don't know where to start. I belong to many forums, all of them are about keeping tidy, housework and so on and there are lovely people on these sites so I spend my day reading about their efforts and therein lies the problem me thinks so, tomorrow no computer until my tasks are done.
K is day off tomorrow so a visit to the Lottie is scheduled but the weather is set to be bad so maybe not. K having a weekday off is another reason for my sheer laziness, it seems so wrong to do the housework when we could be spending precious time together when the children are at school.

School - why is it schools think that they can arrange a club to start next week and that you will have all the kit for it!! D's school are starting a lunchtime footie club, he needs boots, shin pads and a tracksuit - none of which he has so we've had a rather large unexpected bill to pay for that lot. He better get picked for it, if not then the stuff will be sent back for a refund but I'll have to pay the postage costs for its return so either way I'm out of pocket. This is something that could of been planned in July and then the cost could of been spread out but I suppose that's 1 of the downsides of sending D and C to a better school in a well off area. K is so good - he never moans about the costs involved and he's always the first to say - Get It Woman, they need it.

On Friday K is off to Hemsby [nr Gr Yarmouth] for a week with 2 of the residents from where he works, myself and the children are also going as there needs to be 2 adults with the residents and as I am still on the payroll for there [even though its been months since I worked there] I've been asked to help out, taking the children is no problem so we're off for a weekend away. C and D are excited about it but K and I know how much hard work it will be and we'll earn every penny of our wages. 1 f the residents likes to wander off when given the chance so its eyes in back of heads time, the other resident going is very laid back and is really happy to be going away with us all as its the first family holiday he's ever had.

Well its bath time for D - who's complaining of stomach ache but managing to play basketball in the garden, kids eh!!

Love Helen x

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Back to School

Can you hear that. . . . .  its the sound of peace. No arguing, TV, games consoles or whinging.

4 weeks is a perfect amount of time for a summer holiday in this house, week 5 produces whinging, week 6 produces all out war between C and D and I have to admit to being completely fed up with the lack of routine by then. Before the children went to school there was daily routine, as soon as they started school there was term time routine and none during the hols - my fault, but its something I struggle with and the children struggle with being able to entertain themselves - can't let them out on their own, you don't know who's about, and there are no parks nearby for me to let them go to by themselves. C is allowed to go to the local shop on her own [often for bread or milk] but thats as far as she can go. D can't go anywhere yet - I can't trust him to go there and back without detouring around Great Britain!

My routine consists of housework in the morning and then the afternoon is my free time and yes I do know how lucky I am. My free time usually consists of me scouring the internet for bargains or discounts for things/places to go or reading other blogs.

When the children get home from school my time is theirs if they so wish.

Time for a coffee, ciggie and then to hear about how the first day back at school went

See you later

Love
Helen x

Friday 2 September 2011

Last of the Summer Hols

01.09.11
Its the last week of the summer holidays, time to get back to a normal routine, its been a hectic last few days here. K's car is finally fixed, I must admit to having a mini meltdown, well who wouldn't have one after being stuck at the house for several days [he had to borrow my car] with children, grotty weather and nowhere to go without transport!! All credit for fixing the car goes to the very cheap garage we found in Blet...... nice guys who charge very cheaply for their labour and who have so far done a good job.

C came second place in a competition - colouring in a picture, comp was at a CS, she won a make up set, blusher is now adorning the sofa!!!

C and D have spent their time arguing this afternoon, it ended up in fisticuffs!! Such a shame as we spent a lovely morning at an Activity Pool - slides, bubbles, waves etc.

Tomorrow C, Mum and me are off to see "Cowboys and Aliens" at the pictures, C doesn't want to see the film but as we are taking T [Nephew] with us and he's nearly 17 we have to see a picture that will suit all, hopefully she will enjoy it. D is escaping to a friends birthday party.

I struggle to write a passage that flows, I start to write something and then another thought pops into my head and I need to put it down. I'm hoping that as time goes on I'll blog daily and then the sequence will flow with more harmony.

C is struggling with emotions at the mo, I think its hormonal, she's feeling angry but has no place to put the anger and doesn't know why she feels angry, some of it could be because Grandad died in Feb of this year and she misses him terribly, she often cries over him and wants him back - what do you say to that, its so upsetting but I'm a strong believer in saying it as it is [not hurtfully] but she has to realise that wishing him back isn't going to make it so. She is also pushing the boundaries with regards to how "mouthy" she can be before she lands herself in bother, let me tell you its not far!! I can't abide children who think they know it all including my own and I stand no nonsense. Maybe more girlie time is needed but its a struggle when K is working and D demands time too, how do you split yourself in 2???

Well that's it for tonight, off to bed now, this secret blogging is having to be done when all are in bed, K doesn't know, he doesn't understand blogging and if the children knew they would constantly pester to see what I've written and there is no way I want them to see it.

Helen x








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Sunday 28 August 2011

Bank Holiday Weekend

Sunday afternoon here and D and I are bored silly!! K is at work, long shift yesterday, long shift today and a shift tomorrow so Bank Holidays don't mean family time here. C is at her Dads and D was there too yesterday. We are very short of money at the moment, K's car is broke so he's using mine and D wants me to play Pool on the small Pool Table - how exciting is that!! I'm rambling so I'm off to play Pool and then do a more organised post later - so much to say but it needs to be in order to make sense

Helen x

Friday 26 August 2011

Leaving Comments

I wish, I wish, I wish I knew . . . . . .  how to leave a comment on other blogs!!!!

Everytime I try I can't Grrrrrrrr

I am asked to sign in, I do, I can't

Oh to be allowed into the secret world of comments

Helen x

PS Huge big Thank You to Liz for pointing me in the right direction, I think I've got it sorted, well, I hope I have.
I've been playing around and found out how to add the Blogs that I follow - see the bottom of the page, more will follow!!!

Wednesday 24 August 2011

11 year old girls - need I say more!!

Attitude, scorn, a complete lack of respect and more

Home truths are hard to take at that age, hard to give too, but sometimes needed to be said and listened to.

May this evening bring peace and unity

If not I'm leaving home stomp, stomp

Helen x

Sunday 21 August 2011

Weekend Tales

Evening

Well its Sunday night and all is well. C went to her Dad's yesterday and is staying until Monday eve and D went for the day today. Yesterday was spent doing not alot!! We really wasted the day!! D spent some time on his Wii [too much time really] K and I spent the day talking over his decision to give up his Senior role at work. He can revert back to a role he was doing, this means a pay cut but the plus side is that his time is his own once his working day is finished, at the moment he is covering for his boss who is on holiday which means that K is on call 24/7 and there have been alot of calls this weekend and even a visit back to work. This causes alot of personal stress for K as he gets no monetary compensation and more importantly no thanks. Isn't it a shame that in this day and age our work forces work longer, harder and for less money and receive no small words of thanks. K is a very hard worker and takes alot of pride in his role as a Support Worker in the Care Industry. I know he is of value - surely a little recognition is not too much to ask for, well, apparently it is!!
Today has seen K and I spend time together - this is time that we both treasure and aim to get the most from. We have very simple needs and wants in our life together. We visited the Allotment for about an hour and again spent the rest of our time together talking and laughing and boy do we laugh. Tomorrow will see us with D doing D things and hopefully some housework - why do I always struggle with the housework in the school hols, is it because its holiday time lol

Thank you for reading this and I hope one day to be able to work out how to put pictures on here, don't hold your breath for that though.

Helen x

Thursday 18 August 2011

I'm so new to this

Afternoon and welcome to my world.

I've never blogged before and have no idea what I'm doing but I hope to keep this up, more as an online diary for my children to be able to look back at.

As a first post this will be short and simple as I'm also learning how to set up my blog so if you are unlucky enough to be reading this then please stay with me

Thank you

Love Helen x