Time is just flying by - I have 5 weeks until all the children are home from school for the summer - eek!
DS1 was on a residential school trip last week for the end of Y6/ post SATs - they went to here and had a fantastic time - and brought home piles of wet, smelly laundry from the water activities! It's taken me until yesterday to catch up on the washing/ drying because of the incessant rain we had here over the weekend :( Now I just have the ironing mountain left :)
I have finally planted all my potatoes and a load more carrots. I still have some onion sets to put in (oops!) - I figure they'll be smaller but it's better small onions than wasted sets, I guess!
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Monday, 6 June 2011
Monday Musings
Ooh - another few days since my last post.
Thursday 2nd June we awoke to what promised to be a beautiful day, so I decided to take the children to Slimbridge WWT for the Downy Ducklings event. A quick trip to the local supermarket for bread and a flurry of packed lunch making ensued and we set off.
Slimbridge is great - it's only about 20- 30 minutes from us (at the most) and we have family membership, meaning that, as long as we visit at least 4 times per year we get our money's worth. We went to the first play area (after buying a bag of seed for £1 to feed the ducks, geese and swans and booking a place on a Downy Ducklings Tour) - Welly Boot Land. Aimed generally at the smaller children, it has running water (shallow) in it and soft cushioned play surfaces, slides, a climbing frame and things to do in the water. DS3 (2) loved it and made myself, DD (13) or DS1 (11) walk around and around with him. DS1 also took him on the roundabout - which he thought was absolutely fantastic. DS2 (5) had a good time playing, climbing etc too. We had our lunch in the play area and also some ice creams - it was a super hot day and we caught the sun, even with factor30 suncream on (DS3 had a sunsuit on too, and they all had hats and sunglasses on) After almost 3 hours in the play area we had a walk around and fed some of the birds, before heading back to the main building where we grabbed some refreshing cool drinks (having drank all of ours) and a chocolate muffin each (left over from lunch) before having a tour of the duckery.
The Downy Ducklings event runs during the May school half term every day and also for a few weekends after that week. You have a talk about nesting, egg collection etc and get to see them 'candle' fertilised eggs at different stages. If you're really lucky you can hear a chick attempting to break out of the egg. You also get to see newly hatched ducklings and goslings and also slightly older ones.
We have done the tour for several years now. It's not as 'good' as it was a few years ago - bio health & safety rules mean you see less and can touch less - but the newly hatched ducklings are so sweet!
We came home after our tour, tired but having had a good day out.
Friday was a bit of a catch upday with housework. I had intended to do some gardening, but spent the day doing chores in the main except for a couple of hours in the afternoon tidying up in the back garden
Saturday - DD was meeting friends in Cheltenham for shopping and I had a couple of things to do, so we took her and went for a wander around ourselves. I returned some things to M&S and we bought DS1 several pairs of sports trousers, a new wet coat and some waterproof trousers. DS2 also found himself a tshirt in the sale that he really liked, and Mr G had a new polo shirt bought him. DS1 also bought himself a second hand Nintendo DS game and some Pokemon cards with his birthday money.
When we came home we spent some more time in the back garden - it's looking so much better!
Sunday - a day of making sure the children had done all their homework, school uniforms were ready and similar things. It rained incessantly from 4am until late evening, so no more work was done in the garden and the poor guinea pigs stayed in their hutch in the garage. It was also Mr G's best friend's birthday, so we spent a couple of hours with him.
This morning is, if not warm, at least dry! I have two loads of washing on the line and another in the machine almost finished to go out. I'm hopeful it will dry! I've also made a quadruple batch of the cornflake flapjacks. 2/3rds areasper the recipe (sort of, I'm a 'throw-it-in' sort of cook, so there's less sugar, more syrup (to finsh the jar), and more oats) The final 1/3 have chopped nuts (needed using up) and chopped glace cherries in. The oven is just beeping to say they are cooked - yummy!
Thursday 2nd June we awoke to what promised to be a beautiful day, so I decided to take the children to Slimbridge WWT for the Downy Ducklings event. A quick trip to the local supermarket for bread and a flurry of packed lunch making ensued and we set off.
Slimbridge is great - it's only about 20- 30 minutes from us (at the most) and we have family membership, meaning that, as long as we visit at least 4 times per year we get our money's worth. We went to the first play area (after buying a bag of seed for £1 to feed the ducks, geese and swans and booking a place on a Downy Ducklings Tour) - Welly Boot Land. Aimed generally at the smaller children, it has running water (shallow) in it and soft cushioned play surfaces, slides, a climbing frame and things to do in the water. DS3 (2) loved it and made myself, DD (13) or DS1 (11) walk around and around with him. DS1 also took him on the roundabout - which he thought was absolutely fantastic. DS2 (5) had a good time playing, climbing etc too. We had our lunch in the play area and also some ice creams - it was a super hot day and we caught the sun, even with factor30 suncream on (DS3 had a sunsuit on too, and they all had hats and sunglasses on) After almost 3 hours in the play area we had a walk around and fed some of the birds, before heading back to the main building where we grabbed some refreshing cool drinks (having drank all of ours) and a chocolate muffin each (left over from lunch) before having a tour of the duckery.
The Downy Ducklings event runs during the May school half term every day and also for a few weekends after that week. You have a talk about nesting, egg collection etc and get to see them 'candle' fertilised eggs at different stages. If you're really lucky you can hear a chick attempting to break out of the egg. You also get to see newly hatched ducklings and goslings and also slightly older ones.
We have done the tour for several years now. It's not as 'good' as it was a few years ago - bio health & safety rules mean you see less and can touch less - but the newly hatched ducklings are so sweet!
We came home after our tour, tired but having had a good day out.
Friday was a bit of a catch upday with housework. I had intended to do some gardening, but spent the day doing chores in the main except for a couple of hours in the afternoon tidying up in the back garden
Saturday - DD was meeting friends in Cheltenham for shopping and I had a couple of things to do, so we took her and went for a wander around ourselves. I returned some things to M&S and we bought DS1 several pairs of sports trousers, a new wet coat and some waterproof trousers. DS2 also found himself a tshirt in the sale that he really liked, and Mr G had a new polo shirt bought him. DS1 also bought himself a second hand Nintendo DS game and some Pokemon cards with his birthday money.
When we came home we spent some more time in the back garden - it's looking so much better!
Sunday - a day of making sure the children had done all their homework, school uniforms were ready and similar things. It rained incessantly from 4am until late evening, so no more work was done in the garden and the poor guinea pigs stayed in their hutch in the garage. It was also Mr G's best friend's birthday, so we spent a couple of hours with him.
This morning is, if not warm, at least dry! I have two loads of washing on the line and another in the machine almost finished to go out. I'm hopeful it will dry! I've also made a quadruple batch of the cornflake flapjacks. 2/3rds areasper the recipe (sort of, I'm a 'throw-it-in' sort of cook, so there's less sugar, more syrup (to finsh the jar), and more oats) The final 1/3 have chopped nuts (needed using up) and chopped glace cherries in. The oven is just beeping to say they are cooked - yummy!
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Wednesday Witterings...
Well, it's mid afternoon and I'm shattered, but in a good way!
Yesterday after I posted I put 5 buckets of chippings/ shreddings around the beans (to both act as a weed suppressant & to help keep moisture in). The shreddings were from some woody bushes we took down a couple of months ago and have been living in a heap behind the garage waiting to be used/ diposed of. They will eventually rot down in to the ground, too, so I'm pleased with that.
I also potted on 15 tomato plants and 9 peppers. I found 3 kilos of unplanted seed potatoes (eek - shall be overrun with potatoes at this rate!) so planted some of those and started to empty the compost bins to earth up the other potatoes.
Two loads of washing were line dried and the majority of it ironed whilst watching CSi last night :)
In the flylady spirit I did some swish and swiping and some tidying in the lounge.
Today I have fully emptied both compost bins and refilled the smaller one with half-composted 'stuff'. The rest of the compost has been wheel-barrowed to the back of the house and used on potatoes. I have tidied and swept down one side entrance (the unused one) - clearing all the winter leaves, weeds, rubbish, mud, empty snail shells and empty plastic pots from down there. It now has neat rows of potatoes in bags/ pots.
I also have a Little Tikes slide to clean and dispose of. I would like to get that cleaned this week and advertised in the local paper and netmums asap. The eldest 2 will get the money split between them as they bought it. Still masses of tidying and potting on/ earting up to do (and about a kilo and half left of seed potatoes to plant!) - I will aim to finish it all by Friday. I need to buy some compost now (I'll go to Aldi tomorrow) - I've totally ran out of homemade - what's still left to compost may be ready in the summer holidays if I'm lucky. I am pleased with what I've achieved, but it is at the expense of doing anything in the house. I'm just off to tidy the kitchen and then vacuum downstairs, before heading upstairs to do more tidying... argh!! :) I then really need a shower!!
Tonight I have a WI committee meeting - after which I may join some friends for a social drink & BBQ if I'm not too tired!!
Yesterday after I posted I put 5 buckets of chippings/ shreddings around the beans (to both act as a weed suppressant & to help keep moisture in). The shreddings were from some woody bushes we took down a couple of months ago and have been living in a heap behind the garage waiting to be used/ diposed of. They will eventually rot down in to the ground, too, so I'm pleased with that.
I also potted on 15 tomato plants and 9 peppers. I found 3 kilos of unplanted seed potatoes (eek - shall be overrun with potatoes at this rate!) so planted some of those and started to empty the compost bins to earth up the other potatoes.
Two loads of washing were line dried and the majority of it ironed whilst watching CSi last night :)
In the flylady spirit I did some swish and swiping and some tidying in the lounge.
Today I have fully emptied both compost bins and refilled the smaller one with half-composted 'stuff'. The rest of the compost has been wheel-barrowed to the back of the house and used on potatoes. I have tidied and swept down one side entrance (the unused one) - clearing all the winter leaves, weeds, rubbish, mud, empty snail shells and empty plastic pots from down there. It now has neat rows of potatoes in bags/ pots.
I also have a Little Tikes slide to clean and dispose of. I would like to get that cleaned this week and advertised in the local paper and netmums asap. The eldest 2 will get the money split between them as they bought it. Still masses of tidying and potting on/ earting up to do (and about a kilo and half left of seed potatoes to plant!) - I will aim to finish it all by Friday. I need to buy some compost now (I'll go to Aldi tomorrow) - I've totally ran out of homemade - what's still left to compost may be ready in the summer holidays if I'm lucky. I am pleased with what I've achieved, but it is at the expense of doing anything in the house. I'm just off to tidy the kitchen and then vacuum downstairs, before heading upstairs to do more tidying... argh!! :) I then really need a shower!!
Tonight I have a WI committee meeting - after which I may join some friends for a social drink & BBQ if I'm not too tired!!
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Tuesday Thoughts...
Ah - bliss! The sun is out today, and everything seems so much more 'do-able' as a result! The first load of washing is out (a second load is in the machine) and I have finally planted the runner beans in the garden! I am so far behind on the gardening this year - April was a write off after my dad dying and sorting out his flat and all the sheer exhaustion from dealing with it. I am going to pot on some tomatoes and peppers in a moment, after making a cup of tea to take out with me, earth up potatoes, plant courgettes in the garden and see what else I need to do (may as well get it done whilst the weather is here and I have the inclination)
It's half term here this week, so I have all 4 children at home. Mr G is working, so we have no majorly exciting plans, much the their disgust! I have pointed out that there is nothing to stop them contacting their friends to see if they want to go out/ come round etc, but that's not good enough!
It's half term here this week, so I have all 4 children at home. Mr G is working, so we have no majorly exciting plans, much the their disgust! I have pointed out that there is nothing to stop them contacting their friends to see if they want to go out/ come round etc, but that's not good enough!
Monday, 30 May 2011
Bank Holiday Blues..
Whit Bank Holiday Monday today, and it has rained from 6am - 4pm here. I put all my canes in on Saturday for my beans (having first had to clear the area of weeds, canes, toys, rubbish and stones) and wanted to get them planted today, but it was not to be. Still, the garden has received a much needed watering. I shall plant them tomorrow instead - the rest of the week is meant to be much nicer.
Yesterday we went to a family barbecue - lots of food, great company - we had a really good time. Met lots of really nice people :)
Am hoping to be reasonably productive this week - shall try and post regularly on here to keep a note of my progress!
Yesterday we went to a family barbecue - lots of food, great company - we had a really good time. Met lots of really nice people :)
Am hoping to be reasonably productive this week - shall try and post regularly on here to keep a note of my progress!
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Another Week has Flown By!
Well, time is still whizzing past! Last week I went to Edinburgh for a couple of days and met up with a friend and had a great time. Edinburgh is a beautiful city - Mr G and I went there with the 4 DC last year. This time I was child-free and with a native Edinburgh-er (?) - so had some of the sights pointed out to me and history told as we walked around.
Saturday was DS3's 2nd birthday! He is such a sweetie and was spoilt rotten by everyone! We only got him a couple of toys because a- he's too young to know any different b- he has lots of hand me down toys from the bigger ones c- we knew he'd get lots of stuff from everyone else! I do now need to have a cull of toys though.. another job for the list! It was also my mum's birthday - we gave her a Radley purse and keyring (cost £14 groupon voucher and £3 - goods worth £43), a huge candle decorated with flowers (M&S Outlet reduced to £8 from £15) and a bodyshop gift box (£12.50 from £25 in the sale) Bargains!
I've decided to start following flylady again so have been working in our bedroom this week. I got everything out from under the bed (it's where I keep the Xmas and birthday present stashes and paper/ cards) and had a good sort out and vacuum. My drawers have been sorted and tidied (a few items put to one side for a charity bag) and mirrors and woodwork/ units polished. This leaves me the bathroom to give a good clean to and the landing/ dressing area to tidy and clean (and my wardrobe to sort) (We have our bedroom in a loft conversion - we have the whole floor to us - bedroom, massive bathroom and a landing/ dressing area between the two) So far it's going well - when I follow flylady (modified) it works - but I have to be 'up' to follow it, and recently I've been very down, so the house and garden need a good overhaul, as I've just not bothered :(
A good note from this week though is that I won £25 on premium savings bonds (we only have £600 in them). I paid this off the mortgage, along with some coins from the mortgage money box and rounded it up to make an overpayment to bring the mortage balance down to exactly £85000. I'm really pleased with this - we took a £130k mortgage when we moved here in Oct 2005 and a further £30k advance in Dec 2008 for the loft - so we've repaid £75k of capital in 5 1/2 years!! Our mortgage end date is officially Oct or Nov 2025, but I want to pay it all off by July 2016... eeek!!
Saturday was DS3's 2nd birthday! He is such a sweetie and was spoilt rotten by everyone! We only got him a couple of toys because a- he's too young to know any different b- he has lots of hand me down toys from the bigger ones c- we knew he'd get lots of stuff from everyone else! I do now need to have a cull of toys though.. another job for the list! It was also my mum's birthday - we gave her a Radley purse and keyring (cost £14 groupon voucher and £3 - goods worth £43), a huge candle decorated with flowers (M&S Outlet reduced to £8 from £15) and a bodyshop gift box (£12.50 from £25 in the sale) Bargains!
I've decided to start following flylady again so have been working in our bedroom this week. I got everything out from under the bed (it's where I keep the Xmas and birthday present stashes and paper/ cards) and had a good sort out and vacuum. My drawers have been sorted and tidied (a few items put to one side for a charity bag) and mirrors and woodwork/ units polished. This leaves me the bathroom to give a good clean to and the landing/ dressing area to tidy and clean (and my wardrobe to sort) (We have our bedroom in a loft conversion - we have the whole floor to us - bedroom, massive bathroom and a landing/ dressing area between the two) So far it's going well - when I follow flylady (modified) it works - but I have to be 'up' to follow it, and recently I've been very down, so the house and garden need a good overhaul, as I've just not bothered :(
A good note from this week though is that I won £25 on premium savings bonds (we only have £600 in them). I paid this off the mortgage, along with some coins from the mortgage money box and rounded it up to make an overpayment to bring the mortage balance down to exactly £85000. I'm really pleased with this - we took a £130k mortgage when we moved here in Oct 2005 and a further £30k advance in Dec 2008 for the loft - so we've repaid £75k of capital in 5 1/2 years!! Our mortgage end date is officially Oct or Nov 2025, but I want to pay it all off by July 2016... eeek!!
Monday, 16 May 2011
Wow - time flies by!
Well, I haven't posted in over a week - have been really busy, so I'll try and do a quick catch up now.
Thursday 5th May - DS1 & DS2 home from school as their school is used as a polling station (grrr!) We have postal votes and they went back mid April, so that was ok. Spent the day trying to get things done and made harduphester's banana loaf - I've lost the link but shall try and find it and post it another time. I had made it just for us to use up frozen over ripe bananas (my freezer is over full) but then remembered that DS1 needed to take a cake to Scout camp with him, so assigned it to that instead!
Friday 6th - my dad's funeral. Gorgeously sunny day. My dad died in March, but due to several factors we were unable to have the funeral until now. Beautiful service, which we held topsy-turvily - we did the committal at the crematorium first and then went to the church for a remeberance/ celebration of life. Although the service was held by a Baptist minister (my uncle) it wasn't religious in the main - one hymn and just a couple of readings - as my dad wasn't exactly a religious man. Was lovely and very, very moving. My dad wasn't an easy man - full of his own demons, which made life around him difficult. However, without him I would not be here (and therefore neither would my children)
There was a small wake at the church afterwards, which was nice and an opportunity to talk to people. Someone played a guitar and danced, which was also nice to see. After we left the church hall, myself, my husband, my sister & her partner all retired to the nearest pub for a swift drink and then went to a cafe to catch up with the rest of the family, where we stayed all afternoon in the sun. We only left when we had to go in order to take DS1 to scout camp (none of our children attended the service - they didn't relly know him - as I said, he was full of his own demons and it made life hard :( )
Saturday 6th - Mr G & I went out for a lovely meal with my sister & her partner. She's younger than me and we don't have the same mum. I've always known about her, but our lives were such that we've never had real contact until now. We made facebook contact a few years ago, but both of us were too nervous to take it further - we had no time for nerves to kick in after we were thrown together after our dad's death! We seem to get on well, though - which is fantastic!
We got in at just before midnight - to the news that DS1 was ill and being brought home from camp :( Thankfully he'd only been vomiting - something he sometimes does with a combination of too much food/ running around and sun, so he was fine again in the morning.
Last week DS1 had his Y6 SATs at school. Thankfully he seems to be fairly chilled out about them.
I made these: http://onelifeand3kids.blogspot.com/2011/05/bero-cornflake-flapjacks.html - flapjacks with cornflakes in from another blog - very yummy!!
DD had fixed braces fitted to her teeth on Wednesday. She previously had some removeables. Her teeth aren't quite bad enough for NHS braces - but are bad enough that braces are recommended (?? - go figure!), so the treatment has cost us £1700! EEK! She is in a bit of pain, but has been very stoical and has eaten lots of soup and ice cream!
Thursday 5th May - DS1 & DS2 home from school as their school is used as a polling station (grrr!) We have postal votes and they went back mid April, so that was ok. Spent the day trying to get things done and made harduphester's banana loaf - I've lost the link but shall try and find it and post it another time. I had made it just for us to use up frozen over ripe bananas (my freezer is over full) but then remembered that DS1 needed to take a cake to Scout camp with him, so assigned it to that instead!
Friday 6th - my dad's funeral. Gorgeously sunny day. My dad died in March, but due to several factors we were unable to have the funeral until now. Beautiful service, which we held topsy-turvily - we did the committal at the crematorium first and then went to the church for a remeberance/ celebration of life. Although the service was held by a Baptist minister (my uncle) it wasn't religious in the main - one hymn and just a couple of readings - as my dad wasn't exactly a religious man. Was lovely and very, very moving. My dad wasn't an easy man - full of his own demons, which made life around him difficult. However, without him I would not be here (and therefore neither would my children)
There was a small wake at the church afterwards, which was nice and an opportunity to talk to people. Someone played a guitar and danced, which was also nice to see. After we left the church hall, myself, my husband, my sister & her partner all retired to the nearest pub for a swift drink and then went to a cafe to catch up with the rest of the family, where we stayed all afternoon in the sun. We only left when we had to go in order to take DS1 to scout camp (none of our children attended the service - they didn't relly know him - as I said, he was full of his own demons and it made life hard :( )
Saturday 6th - Mr G & I went out for a lovely meal with my sister & her partner. She's younger than me and we don't have the same mum. I've always known about her, but our lives were such that we've never had real contact until now. We made facebook contact a few years ago, but both of us were too nervous to take it further - we had no time for nerves to kick in after we were thrown together after our dad's death! We seem to get on well, though - which is fantastic!
We got in at just before midnight - to the news that DS1 was ill and being brought home from camp :( Thankfully he'd only been vomiting - something he sometimes does with a combination of too much food/ running around and sun, so he was fine again in the morning.
Last week DS1 had his Y6 SATs at school. Thankfully he seems to be fairly chilled out about them.
I made these: http://onelifeand3kids.blogspot.com/2011/05/bero-cornflake-flapjacks.html - flapjacks with cornflakes in from another blog - very yummy!!
DD had fixed braces fitted to her teeth on Wednesday. She previously had some removeables. Her teeth aren't quite bad enough for NHS braces - but are bad enough that braces are recommended (?? - go figure!), so the treatment has cost us £1700! EEK! She is in a bit of pain, but has been very stoical and has eaten lots of soup and ice cream!
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Busy Doing Nothing!
At least, that's what it must be! I haven't posted for several days and I don't think I/ we've done much - but neither have we been sat around - so we've been busy doing nothing! :)
Today I'm busy doing things - or, at least, I plan to be! So far I've done 1 load of washing & hung it out, made 3 packed lunches, put the dishwasher on and gone to Aldi on the way back from the school run. Their jars of pasta sauce are on offer at 18p instead of 34p, so I bought 12. I don't like it, but DS1 and DS3 do and it's a quick option if we're eating different things or they need something quick (such as on Scouts night) - I usually throw some chopped bacon bits, meatballs, chopped chicken in or a dollop of bolognaise sauce to zip it up. I also bought some sweet potatoes (I'll mash these and freeze for cottage pie topping), 2 bags of apples (part of their super 6), chillis, shallots, mushrooms, a cucumber (cheaper than Stresco), a pack of Tortilla wraps, 3 packs of pain au choclate (weekend breakfasts), 12 bottles (small) of still water (I know - not frugal, but we get through a pack every 2-3 months at most, so I don't begrudge it) and 2 packs of hanging basket plants reduced to £1.50 each. These are a little droopy, but nothing that a good soak in water shouldn't be able to fix. Oh, and 2 packs of biscuits! :)
DS3 has just fallen asleep for his nap, so I shall leave the trip out until later and get on with some of the other things now instead.
Today I'm busy doing things - or, at least, I plan to be! So far I've done 1 load of washing & hung it out, made 3 packed lunches, put the dishwasher on and gone to Aldi on the way back from the school run. Their jars of pasta sauce are on offer at 18p instead of 34p, so I bought 12. I don't like it, but DS1 and DS3 do and it's a quick option if we're eating different things or they need something quick (such as on Scouts night) - I usually throw some chopped bacon bits, meatballs, chopped chicken in or a dollop of bolognaise sauce to zip it up. I also bought some sweet potatoes (I'll mash these and freeze for cottage pie topping), 2 bags of apples (part of their super 6), chillis, shallots, mushrooms, a cucumber (cheaper than Stresco), a pack of Tortilla wraps, 3 packs of pain au choclate (weekend breakfasts), 12 bottles (small) of still water (I know - not frugal, but we get through a pack every 2-3 months at most, so I don't begrudge it) and 2 packs of hanging basket plants reduced to £1.50 each. These are a little droopy, but nothing that a good soak in water shouldn't be able to fix. Oh, and 2 packs of biscuits! :)
I still need to go to Tesco for some other things - some cheaper than in Aldi, some not stocked. I have a list and do not plan on deviating from it 
unless there are any good whoopsies (reduced items) - very unlikely in my local store! I shall combine the trip there with going to a funeral directors the other side of town to drop clothes off for my dad - it's his funeral on Friday. I'm taking some funky reddy-pink boots and a stripey waistcoat. He's not being dressed due to the circumstances of his death, so there was little point in a full set being taken. However, these 2 items are very 'him', so they will be placed in the coffin alongside him.
unless there are any good whoopsies (reduced items) - very unlikely in my local store! I shall combine the trip there with going to a funeral directors the other side of town to drop clothes off for my dad - it's his funeral on Friday. I'm taking some funky reddy-pink boots and a stripey waistcoat. He's not being dressed due to the circumstances of his death, so there was little point in a full set being taken. However, these 2 items are very 'him', so they will be placed in the coffin alongside him.Other things I need/ would like to do today include: planting more potatoes, tomatoes and onions before it really is too late!, booking the chunnel crossing for our trip in October, sorting out some items I need to return to various shops (not returning them today though), sweeping the patio, taking out breakdown/ recovery membership, several bits of online banking, some paperwork for Mr G's business and general housework, including some ironing. I also have a committee meeting for WI to go to tonight!
DS3 has just fallen asleep for his nap, so I shall leave the trip out until later and get on with some of the other things now instead.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Where Did the Week Go???
Goodness! I can't believe I haven't posted since Tuesday! :) Not that much has happened in the Green House in that time.
It's another lovely day here and I'm just about to put more washing on to make the most of this gorgeous drying weather - then I need to check and earth up the potatoes - they are all growing so fast! Mr G is at a tyre dealership getting new front tyres for his car - over £300!! :( Still, they are a necessity, albeit one that I wish was much cheaper. I would have asked him to bring the 2 old ones home and used them to plant yet more potatoes, but I know he wouldn't have approved of that step! :)
Yesterday we went to Legoland in Windsor with the 4 children - paid for with Tesco clubcard vouchers, of course! It took us just over 90 minutes to get there - we were potentially expecting some traffic issues with the main event occuring, but there were none. Legoland have been sneaky and introduced parking charges for all parking areas now (it used to be just priority parking). However, we were aware of that (thanks to BBC's Watchdog) so it didn't take us by surprise.
We had a fabulous time - doing such rides as the Laser Raiders, Fairy Tale Brook, Duplo Train, The Jolly Rocker and lots more. We took a picnic and ate it whilst watching one of the lunchtime shows.Thankfully the weather was kind to us. It was a little chilly when we first arrived, but by the afternoon we had all removed our fleeces and were eating icecreams (let's not think about the cost of those - eek!!) DS1 & DS2 took money to spend (both being Lego fiends) so we hit the shops - it's not cheaper, but you do find some things which I never seem to see in the shops. Anyway, they were both very pleased with their purchases and it was their own money, so all was good.
The park closed at 5pm (well, the rides did) and we were home for about 7.20 - we were all shattered (I even fell asleep in the car on the way back - Mr G was driving) and hit the chip shop for the children - we just picked at the excess chips and made a chip butty each before collapsing on the sofa with a cup of tea and watching the wedding highlights. The boys had to play with their new purchases before finally collapsing themselves. All in all it was a good day!
The boys had a 'street party' on Thursday afternoon at their school - the children had to wear smart party clothes and they had cakes and nibbles. They made crowns and flags - it was a nice end to a (very short) week for them. The teachers all dressed up too - there were some lovely outfits around.
It's another lovely day here and I'm just about to put more washing on to make the most of this gorgeous drying weather - then I need to check and earth up the potatoes - they are all growing so fast! Mr G is at a tyre dealership getting new front tyres for his car - over £300!! :( Still, they are a necessity, albeit one that I wish was much cheaper. I would have asked him to bring the 2 old ones home and used them to plant yet more potatoes, but I know he wouldn't have approved of that step! :)Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Finances and Paying off the Mortgage!
Had a mini finances session this afternoon after seeing the accountant this morning - paid credit card bills online, transferred some money between accounts and sent £110 overpayment to the mortgage.
We moved to this house in late 2005 and took a £130k mortgage (about 47%LTV) - a big jump from our previous £34k mortgage! Because it was such a large jump (and we had DS2 on the way) we did increase the term - we took the £130k out over 20 years. However, it was always my intention that we'd pay it off sooner if possible. Along the way we've had some building works done and a new (bespoke real wood with granite worktops) kitchen put in (cost approx £20k). We also took a further advance of £30k in Dec 2008 (when DS3 was on the way!) for a loft conversion (cost around £36k) That meant our borrowing against this house has been a total of £160k - eek! However, our total mortgage is now just over £86k, and we are looking at an end date of 07/2017, as opposed to 11/2025 - not bad! We regularly overpa each month by rounding up our mortgage payment and I also pay any 'extra' money we receive to there - the premise being that if we weren't expecting it as our usual money then we won't miss it if it goes on the mortgage. Today's £110 was made up of money saved in a tin (1ps, 2ps, 5ps and £2 coins), a refund from a magazine subscription (cancelled as they went out of print) and the sale of some clothes. Ebay sales money goes there, as does any money received from cashback sites, nct sales and the like.
We try to strike a good balance between paying the mortgage off early (we have no other debts) and still having a fun life and treats. We're off to Disneyland Paris in October this year (cashback obtained, naturally!) and use things like Tesco clubcard vouchers for days at Legoland. We could tighten our belts further and hit the mortgage harder, but we might resent it then - this way life is still fun, but treats are recognised as such as they are not an everyday occurence.
We moved to this house in late 2005 and took a £130k mortgage (about 47%LTV) - a big jump from our previous £34k mortgage! Because it was such a large jump (and we had DS2 on the way) we did increase the term - we took the £130k out over 20 years. However, it was always my intention that we'd pay it off sooner if possible. Along the way we've had some building works done and a new (bespoke real wood with granite worktops) kitchen put in (cost approx £20k). We also took a further advance of £30k in Dec 2008 (when DS3 was on the way!) for a loft conversion (cost around £36k) That meant our borrowing against this house has been a total of £160k - eek! However, our total mortgage is now just over £86k, and we are looking at an end date of 07/2017, as opposed to 11/2025 - not bad! We regularly overpa each month by rounding up our mortgage payment and I also pay any 'extra' money we receive to there - the premise being that if we weren't expecting it as our usual money then we won't miss it if it goes on the mortgage. Today's £110 was made up of money saved in a tin (1ps, 2ps, 5ps and £2 coins), a refund from a magazine subscription (cancelled as they went out of print) and the sale of some clothes. Ebay sales money goes there, as does any money received from cashback sites, nct sales and the like.
We try to strike a good balance between paying the mortgage off early (we have no other debts) and still having a fun life and treats. We're off to Disneyland Paris in October this year (cashback obtained, naturally!) and use things like Tesco clubcard vouchers for days at Legoland. We could tighten our belts further and hit the mortgage harder, but we might resent it then - this way life is still fun, but treats are recognised as such as they are not an everyday occurence.
Mickey Mouse pizza :)
Back to Work and School... or Not, as is the Case for Some!
DS1 & DS2 have gone back to school today, but DD has an inset day, meaning she will be at school for just 2 days this week - grr! Mr G has gone for an interview somewhere - he's not sure he wants the job, but all interview practice is good! (He's a self employed management consultant) That heaves me and DS3 - well, we've been to see the accountant this morning. DD entertained DS3 whilst the accountant and I went over the year end accounts - yeay :) Generally all good stuff - thankfully. Self employment pays Mr G relatively well (well, his limited company, anyway) but obviously only if he actually has any contracts - he spent from late Dec last year - mid March this year without a contract, so no money coming into the company during that period :(
I spent part of yesterday evening doing some easy mending - DD's blazer sleeve had started to come away from the back where she carries her rucksack over her shoulder, I had some buttons to sew on things and a loose hem on a pair of trousers. All little and easy jobs, but fiddly. Still, I watched an episode of 'Superscrimpers' on 4OD whilst doing them ;)
Cooler here today - about 11degrees all morning, as opposed to 23-ish that we've been experiencing recently! Brrrr! Still ok for drying the washing, though!
I spent part of yesterday evening doing some easy mending - DD's blazer sleeve had started to come away from the back where she carries her rucksack over her shoulder, I had some buttons to sew on things and a loose hem on a pair of trousers. All little and easy jobs, but fiddly. Still, I watched an episode of 'Superscrimpers' on 4OD whilst doing them ;)
Cooler here today - about 11degrees all morning, as opposed to 23-ish that we've been experiencing recently! Brrrr! Still ok for drying the washing, though!
Monday, 25 April 2011
Easter Monday
Well, I awoke this morning to a stuffy nose and a very scratchy throat :( Mr G sent me back off to bed for a while, but I didn't manage much extra time in there because of all the noise from the children! Never mind - a hot drink, some paracetamol and a hot shower made me feel reasonably human at least.
Another sunny day here, so the washing was line dried again (I love the smell when ironing line dried clothes) and seedlings and potato plants watered - mainly from grey water harvested from washing up. We've not had rain for a few weeks now, so the 2 water butts are running low on supplies, so I will be using washing up water to water plants where possible for the time being.
My mum came for a quick visit this afternoon - she brought along 3 kiddy cups she'd found at her caravan from the eldest two - perfect for DS3 to use, and saves me buying some more. She also brought with her a pile of magazines which DD quickly ran away with. I sent her back with a rhubarb and apple crumble (the rhubarb and apples originally came from her) and a tub of turkey stock from yesterday's roast with 'crumbs' of turkey meat from the carcass in - her dog will love it.
I quickly popped into our local supermarket this afternoon - you'd think they'd been closed for several days instead of just the one with the number of people in there and the amounts being bought! I managed to hit the reduced section just as they were making further reductions and got some steak mince reduced to 18p!, colcannon to 34p, carrot & swede mash to 34p, a ready meal of spaghetti & meatballs for 45p, organic sausages for 35p and a bag of rocket, lambs lettuce & baby spinach for 18p. I wouldn't normally buy things like the ready meal, colcannon and mash but they were bargain prices and fitted in with meals for this week.
Mr G took the 3 boys for a walk along the canal this evening - I was flagging again by this time, so stayed behind with DD and sorted some laundry - such excitement! :)
Another sunny day here, so the washing was line dried again (I love the smell when ironing line dried clothes) and seedlings and potato plants watered - mainly from grey water harvested from washing up. We've not had rain for a few weeks now, so the 2 water butts are running low on supplies, so I will be using washing up water to water plants where possible for the time being.
My mum came for a quick visit this afternoon - she brought along 3 kiddy cups she'd found at her caravan from the eldest two - perfect for DS3 to use, and saves me buying some more. She also brought with her a pile of magazines which DD quickly ran away with. I sent her back with a rhubarb and apple crumble (the rhubarb and apples originally came from her) and a tub of turkey stock from yesterday's roast with 'crumbs' of turkey meat from the carcass in - her dog will love it.
I quickly popped into our local supermarket this afternoon - you'd think they'd been closed for several days instead of just the one with the number of people in there and the amounts being bought! I managed to hit the reduced section just as they were making further reductions and got some steak mince reduced to 18p!, colcannon to 34p, carrot & swede mash to 34p, a ready meal of spaghetti & meatballs for 45p, organic sausages for 35p and a bag of rocket, lambs lettuce & baby spinach for 18p. I wouldn't normally buy things like the ready meal, colcannon and mash but they were bargain prices and fitted in with meals for this week.
Mr G took the 3 boys for a walk along the canal this evening - I was flagging again by this time, so stayed behind with DD and sorted some laundry - such excitement! :)
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Growing Our Own
I have varying success with this, depending on how much time and effort I put into it.
This year I am (will be in some cases) growing potatoes (maris peer, maris piper, pink fir, anya & Rooster potatoes), runner beans (teeny beenies - full height climbing plants but the pods only grow to about 6inches in length), peas, onions, tomatoes, peppers, butternut squash, chillis, carrots, an aubergine, spinach, mixed salad leaves. We have an eating apple tree, a plum tree and a pear tree, but all are quite young and don't yield much as yet. I may get a few other plants from car boot sales or similar - ie: cheaper than garden centre prices!! My courgettes and cucumbers haven't germinated, so I'll try and get a couple of plants of each of those, too. I'm also growing coriander, mint, thyme and chives.
I grow it mainly in tubs/ pots and bags. Courgettes, onions and beans will be planted in the garden, but the rest isn't, for varying reasons. It works generally well for me.
I'm not sure it makes much overall difference to our shopping bill, but nothing beats eating freshly picked tomatoes, freshly pulled carrots or freshly dug potatoes - plus it's good for the children to see and learn about veg growing.
Day One
Having recently found some blogs that I actually like following for more than a few days I now feel inspired to start one of my own :)
We're a family of 6 - Me (Mum), Dad, M (DD), J, (DS1), H (DS2) and S (DS3) and have 2 squeaky guinea pigs as pets.
This blog will be (I expect) a rambling collection of notes about our life in general, attempts at money saving, growing our own veggies and such like. Hopefully (once I get the hang of it) with some pictures to break up the monotony too!
We're a family of 6 - Me (Mum), Dad, M (DD), J, (DS1), H (DS2) and S (DS3) and have 2 squeaky guinea pigs as pets.
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