A Mother's Ramblings

I'm loving the simplicity of having a few meals to pick from with the same basic ingredients. It has meant that I've been able to stick with a budget of just £50 to buy the weekly shop and apart from a few pence here and there I've mostly stuck to it, so I'm so proud of myself! I was planning on doing the exact same meals next two months (February and March), but I think that I'll switch it up for March and have a few other meals, especially as I've noticed what meals the family has liked the most and which meals have fallen a bit flat. Dan Jon thinks it's brilliant the way that I'm also making sure that if there is an extra portion of ANYTHING, that it's being incorporated into something else or made into my lunch... although I am regretting using up a spicy sauce last week instead of BBQ for our Chicken Burgers as the Couscous I made up in the leftover sauce has rather a kick to it! Saturday - Toad in the Hole We're having a day out toge

I must admit that this month has gone rather fast and so I'm not quite sure that I've managed to actually do anything for Christmas 2018 other than acknowledge that it will happen and that at some point in 2017 , I thought it would be useful to document my progress each month. Actually, that isn't true. I started working with my Swagbucks account again, and will hopefully with just doing the bare minimum for the next few months (until the end of September/start of October) to have a couple of hundred pounds to spend on Christmas bits and pieces either as cash (via Paypal) or in the form of Amazon vouchers. I've already cashed out £25 in Amazon vouchers since the start of the month as I wanted to buy a gift for a friend.

Last week Dan Jon Jr went on his first ever School Residential, well actually that isn't true. There had been a Camp for the entire year last Summer, but it was one night and well, I was actually there as a helper as I'm a School Governor at the Primary School Dan Jon goes to as we figured it would be easier for me to do the over-night testing, rather than having two of the staff members do it (safeguarding means there would have to be two). This residential was going to be Dan Jon's first trip without Flyfour or I. I was actually quite calm about it. I know the staff that were going on the trip fairly well and when another staff member was added to the roster, any worries that I hadn't even admitted to myself had entirely vanished as I've known that member of staff for ten years and know that Dan Jon has a soft spot for this teacher too. Everything was fine. Until the night before he left.

Hello! Pippa here! If you are like me and keep hearing about Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies but having no clue what they really are, then this is the blog post for you. Here is Flyfour's not so quick, hopefully, easy to digest guide to Bitcoin, and other Cryptocurrencies, which should be enough for you to make your mind up if this is for you and if you could make any money! Over to you Flyfour!

When I wrote this meal plan, I was really excited about going shopping for it, because according to my costings I was going to end up having a whole threepence change from my Fifty pounds to pay for the shopping! I have a copper pot that I keep on the side, which already has a few pence in it, (well more like a couple of quid) so I was hoping to add them to it and use the pot at the end of the year to buy something ... I just don't know what yet, but knowing me it will either be Flowers or Book! Do you save up your loose change? What do you do with it? What would you buy with it if you did save up?!

I've always thought, that when I do the weekly shop, that I'm quite good at sticking to a budget. I've realised in the last couple of weeks, that prior to the change of the way that I do the Food Shop I was terrible at sticking to a budget! This is changing now, as not only am I sticking to only a few different meals, but I'm trying to stick to a strict £50 a week... and I'm mostly doing it. I mean going over by a few pence each week isn't too bad, is it?! Look, I think considering I'm knocking about half off the budget each week that I'm doing great!

This is the first week that I've picked the meals from my rotating meals list. I just picked one from each of the categories, and then worked out where they should go based on what we are up to and how we like to eat during the week. Flyfour also did me a huge favour and he programmed up something in our Home Automation to mean that we now have a database where I can ask one of our devices what is for dinner and it will tell me, without me having to look it up on my calendar, or in my diary or even on my blog! I'm so excited because, who doesn't like technology that is useful and fun?!

Top Ender is 14 today! Oh, and if you are reading this and seeing her today, please don't tell her what this blog post says, you are sworn to secrecy okay?! I feel really bad for her because she will have to go to School today (so does Dan Jon) and it's the first day after the Christmas break, so it will be a bit of a culture shock for her especially as she has got used to sleeping in late during the Christmas break. We'll open gifts super early so that Flyfour can get to work on time, but we'll make the most of it by having a nice leisurely breakfast of her choice. I've no idea what she'll pick, but I'm ready for an early morning trip to McDonald's, a full breakfast at home or anything in between.

Every morning, when Top Ender, Dan Jon Jr and I take the morning photos we have someone who joins us. Actually, that isn't true. Occasionally we have, one or two of our neighbours who stop and chat with us as they pass on their way to get a newspaper or to walk their dog. Every day, even when our neighbours aren't around, we have someone who watches what we are doing. Watches us intently and never seems to fully understand what it is that they are seeing. It is, of course, Mario our cat.

I don't think that I have ever started the year so optimistically. I'm not sure why, maybe it is because I've manged to pack away some of my emotional baggage from the last few years, forgiven myself for things that I have done wrong or percieved I have done wrong, or that I believe I should have handled better. Maybe it's because 2017 was a hard one, with death and loss and all that work on the house took it's toll emotionally and I'm glad to finally see the back of it. Maybe it's because I'm finally happy with myself and my plans, maybe it's because I'm finally accepting myself or maybe, just maybe it's because I've, heaven help us if it's true, grown up. Whatever the reason, if all has gone to plan, then about now I'm either sitting at a high point in Milton Keynes hoping to watch the sun rise, despite knowing that the clouds have probably ruined that plan or I'm sitting in the back garden on the deck, hoping tha