Roses are red, we like Becks Blue, Tryers to be Dryers push on through. 2019 will be our Valentine.

[Frouby]

Thread 4 for support, tips, tricks and friendship as we reduce our alcohol intake even more. For anyone who wants to reduce, stop, moderate or even just track their drinking.

Absolutely no judgement, just support. Everyone welcome.

Previous threads somewhere but am rubbish at clicky links.

Old tryers and new dryers, welcome to our thread. The one that starts in February and will see us all hit our goals as we move forwards.

Back to where we live, this really quite shocking story has appeared in the weekend papers. It makes where I live sound like West Baltimore. Really quite disturbed by it and not sure whether to take to the streets or run away. And if run away, where to? clearly not Norfolk!
The discombobulating thing is that although my house is on that map, 5 mins walk in the other direction is one of the most privileged areas in the country. Ofsted said of dd's (normal, State primary 5 mins walk away) school that it couldn't comment on how the school treated underprivileged children as there weren't any. The levels of inequality are like something in a developing country. Makes me feel ashamed, tbh.
httpss://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/09/county-lines-drug-gangs-fuel-knife-crime-london-norfolk

Just flying through as DD wants me to do stuff - but for you, Longest. How awful for you. I think we have probably all had those 'what if' moments with children, and they are absolutely chilling.

Will be back later!

Thanks for the flowers. Am ok.

Dd1 is in absolutely manic mood this evening. She gets like this sometimes- it's one of the reasons school were wondering about ADHD but it's generally manageable unless she's overtired. But MIL is here and is the absolute worst at calming the tempo, and I feel absolutely done in. Is definitely a wine and curry night. At least I have both on order.

Had fab weekend away, drank loads on Friday with friends, 3am finish, didnt drink Saturday as was too hungover, drank loads yesterday, felt shit all day today so am AF today. My aim is to not drink until Friday AND not to drink too much on Friday night - friends are coming round for dinner - as I also have (different) guests here on Saturday. And ds is home this weekend so I’m looking forward to that too.

Will read everyone tomorrow and reply properly.

Longest glad your DD is fine and I hope you enjoy the wine and curry.
I remember when my DD was about 6 months, we were at the local pub for a beer festival at lunchtime. I had drunk 2 pints of real ale, not pissed at all, but when I put DD in her pushchair I forgot to strap her in and as soon as I pushed the buggy she flew out and landed on the ground. She was fine but of course it had to happen in front of MIL with whom I'd already had several differences regarding my way of bringing up a child.
I moved to France shortly after.

yes, I remember DS2 falling top to bottom down the stairs when he was 13 months old.
I was making packed lunches and DS1 had gone upstairs, DS2 followed him so DS1 panicked at the top and shut the gate (he was only 4).
The slow motion running through treacle thing is horrible.
Glad she’s ok Longest

Longest, you deserve your wine and curry. My DD had a falling-down-the-stairs episode when she was small, which ended up in A&E. She was a regular visitor to A&E when she was little. My DM said she should have a season ticket. Every episode was horrendous for me, though. I would like to say it's easier once they are older but while they're less likely to fall down the stairs, the risk factors are even worse. My Number One has proposed to go on a trip this summer which is sending me into fits of anxiety. Or would be, if I thought he could get his act together and actually organise and pay for said trip.

Anglaise, I'd have moved to France, too.

Sending Frouby a very large as she is being so brilliant with me and the betting. I am so completely clueless, and she never tells me that this is the case.

Speaking of , I have finished my bottle this evening and have nothing else in the house now. Boo. Am going to try to keep it that way for about 10 minutes

You lot are ace. What a merry band we are

I’ve just realised I’m nearly through day 2 without a backwards glance. Could this be progress?
I’ve eaten like a piggy, mind...

Have had far too much wine for a Monday night. Ah well, tomorrow is another day.

Dion, where does ds want to go? Dd1 has a 2-night Brownie camp in a couple of weeks - we are both bricking it but she decided on balance she wanted to go.

I am no stranger to A and E either - dd1 crawled down the stairs when she was 9 months old and they've both had bumps and scrapes. Worst was when I thought dd2 had lost her front teeth but it turned out to be just so swollen you couldn't see them.

Well done NC4!

Morning all

Am up bright and early ready for a very busy day. It's my first major festival as a matched bettor so unsure what to expect but hoping to remain calm and collected all day, and will at no point be madly panicking. I will I know. But will hopefully make a few quid.

Dd came down last night with a letter regarding this bloody d of e. She has a practice hike on 23 march, then a practice camp at the beginning of april. So Saturday will be mostly buying walking boots and kit. This letter is dated 5th march btw, so we could have done this this weekend. It will jo doubt be my fault when she gets blisters. Fml.

Ds fell off my bed when he was about 7 months old. Had a cracking black eye. He also dived out of his cot at a similar age and I just managed to catch him. Dd fell of her pony when she was 6 and pony stood on her hand (she learnt to tuck her limbs in after that 😂). Luckily we were in the sand school so hand was squashed into the sand rather than smashed up.

She was stood bawling, I am was brushing sand off her arse she she didn't get it on the saddle saying 'come on dd, you aren't hurt, we get back on if we fall off, dpony didn't mean it, blah blah blah' when she held her hand up to show me, it was already bruising and twice the size. I swore, shouted mate up and chucked pony at her then rallied up to A and E.

Kids are scary little fuckers. How ds hasn't been to A and E I don't know. He is bonkers. Always climbing and doing stuff he shouldn't.

Wasn't dry last night, had a few beers to calm my nerves. Am not sure what I will do tonight, probably a few beers tbh. Have a feeling I will need it.

How ds hasn't been to A and E I don't know. He is bonkers. Always climbing and doing stuff he shouldn't.

Fearlessness. DS1 is a fearless fucker - he reckons it's when you lose your bottle that you get injured. I think there's something in that. For a kid with dyspraxia that throws himself down 20ft ramps on a skateboard on a weekly basis, it's amazing he's not broken more bones in his 17 years.

Good luck with the betting. I am still feeling hopelessly skint. I am also not feeling the joie de vivre I was hoping for on day three.

In fact, I think I can conclude I am generally a knackered, miserable sod, until I get a few glasses of wine in me. FML.

Think your ds isn't far wrong NC. I see folk falling of horses all the time because they tense up and lose their nerve.

Am bloody bollocksed. Have been up since 5am, did a pile of ironing by 6.30am, tidied round, dropped ds at breakfast club at 8am, fed chickens and was back working by 8.30am. Have just packed everything away, have made a lovely amount of profit and am happy with my day if a little frazzled.

More of same tomorrow if Cheltenham not cancelled due to the weather. Dh possibly not working either so he will drive me insane asking stupid questions all day. He is an gambler and fascinated by matched betting but doesn't understand it doesn't matter who wins. I usually just tell him a horse to shut him up 😂😂😍

Urgh, I don't often fall out with DS1 but I have today.

Pretty standard teenage stuff but he can be off-the-scale horrible when the mood takes him. I'm glad it's rarely these days. I'm not glad it's one of those rare days.

Yay Frouby! I have no idea whether I made a profit or not today, but on the assumption that I am a tenner up, I bought a bottle of gin in Aldi. NC4 could be writing for me about being a knackered, miserable sod until I've had a drink. FML too.

DD off school again, so it has not been a very useful day.

NC4, I'm sorry you've fallen out with DS1. They all have their moments. But well done on getting to Day 3. I can't imagine what Day 3 feels like, unfortunately.

Longest, DD2 and the front teeth accident sounds horrendous. It's amazing we don't all just expire from worry. DS is proposing to plod around in the Arctic or something, with a similarly unrealistic friend. The fact that it isn't entirely likely to happen makes it slightly less worrying. 😂

Oh, FML.

DD: (at 6.45 pm). "When's supper?"
Me: "Um, normal time. About 7.30"
DD: "No NORMAL person eats at 7.30. Everyone else eats at 5. My psychologist said so today (killer blow). I'm STARVING."
Me: "Oh. Um."
DD: "If we don't eat at ten to seven, I'm going to die."
It is now ten to seven.
Me: "Ah. Ok. I'll start cooking now, then."
Minutes elapse.
DD: "This isn't how Daddy cooks it."
Me: "Oh."
DD: (lots of stuff about imaginary burglars coming in and spoiling our dinner, etc).
I faff around with Halloumi, at her request.
DD: "I need to send Daddy a photo of our supper."
Me: "Any particular reason?"
DD: "So he can see how he does it better."
Supper happens. DD leaves most of it.
DD: "I've got tummy ache."
Me: "I thought you were dying of starvation?"
DD: "I had three pieces of toast so I'm not hungry now."

FML a thousand times over.

Is it wrong to wish my DC were toddlers again?

Gin has been consumed, in quantities. By me, obviously.

🙈😂😂😂 fml dion it sounds like our house.

DH was home today when I got in from the school run. Apparently the weather was too windy for what they were doing. But apparently they finished at 11, were back local by 1pm but spent a lovely hour in the bookies backing their 50ps and £1s on Cheltenham 'just for the laugh'. By 1pm I had placed probably 60 bets, had 4 laptops on the go, bits of paper all over and was very very stressed.

At 2pm they went for a quick pint while I was trying to plough through more bets.

He strolled in at 2.39pm according to him so 'too late to pick ds up sorry love'. I came back from picking ds up then worked again until 4.30pm.

Have forced him to make our tea. Savoury rice, bbq chicken oven ready things, salad. The fucking faff, likewise with him making ds tea while I had a bath, which was tuna and pasta.

Have told him tomorrow he can make a stew. In the slow cooker. As he isn't working due to high winds. Fair enough. But he isn't spending the day watching bargain hunt and annoying me the twat.

And if chelts is cancelled (which is a possibility) he can decorate the bathroom. Fucker will wish he had gone to work .

Lol at fucker wishing he'd gone to work 😂

Longest, glad all is ok. Falls are scary.

Dionysa, my ds went to Kavos when he was 18, I was v v nervous but it was ok.

This is day 2 AF. Really wanted wine at 6 when dh came in, he said go on then if you want one - he easily doesn’t drink in the week - and I didnt, I repaired to my bed instead and read for a bit. So far in March I’ve had 7 days AF which isnt bad considering it’s the 12th.

Teenage DDS are surreal. 😂

Frouby, I want to spend the day watching Bargain Hunt 🤣

Water, your March record is extraordinarily impressive. I don't think I've managed a single day this month, and today is even worse than normal due to a combination of things.

Thanks, too, for the reassurance re DS. I don't worry about him unduly, not least as he is already living away from home so I just have to let him get on with it...

Dsis and BIL met in the Antarctic. I am decidedly less adventurous. Gah re DD,1 and tea! I have so many arguments with mine about food. I have told them post Brexit they are going to have to live on spam and rats and be glad about it, and they will hark back to the days when they rejected a wide variety of wholesome fayre as a golden age.

Glad you had a productive day Frouby.

Well done on AF Water.

NC4, sorry to hear about fight with ds1. Hope you have made up.

AF here. Took kids to woodcraft folk so didn't sit down till 9. Hope to be AF tomorrow too but Thursday I am going to a quiz at the school with more wine and curry included in ticket price.
..

DS2 does Tea Patrol (we’re too povvy for supper in this house, unless it’s pre-bed Weetabix).
If his tea isn’t ready for 6pm I’m in trouble.
Weirdly both mine were in bed for 7.30 tonight (proof I’m a miserable bastard).
I would love to go to bed and feel rested. God, how much. I’m generally tired and run down but it’s entered new realms this week.
Actually thinking of seeing the doctor I’m that done it. And fat. The weight gain is ridiculous but I’m not in control at all.

7.30, NC4??? God. Those were the days... Seriously, though, the doctor might able to help with the exhaustion and run-down-ness. I certainly hope so.

DD emerged from her tummy ache to tell me all the ways in which my interior decor skills are inferior to hers. Plus she is going to have a hot tub and a bar, and she's going to let her teenagers do whatever they like. I wished her good luck with that one.

How I wish I didn't give in every evening. I get no real pleasure out of not being AF. It's just a rotten, boring, stupid habit. I now feel fat and miserable. What did I gain this evening? Absolutely fuck all...

Hi, I haven’t been around this week, trying to “get things done” not managed much woke up earlier than needed to get the kids up, other half away again this week, so have been reading. Just wanted to say, don’t beat yourself up Dion I know exactly how you feel

Thank you, Leaving. It's a whole boring and annoying cycle. There was a time when I quite enjoyed being cheered up by a drink. Now I just feel fed up with myself for doing it. It does help me get through the evening, but not in any kind of productive way. Plus I was awake at 3AM. I need to give myself a slap.

Longest, spam and rats 😂😂😂

DD is going to school today, whatever she says.

Morning all

Spam and rats sounds, erm, nutritious I suppose. Maybe with a bit of Hendersons relish?

Hungover. Fml. Inhaled beer last night, was so stressed. Dh off work today because of the wind. I have about 15 hours of work to do, about a 100 bets and counterbets to do and it's not even allotment weather to send the fucker out. If I wasn't working (at the dining table in the kitchen) I would tell him to make a start on decorating the bathroom but I can't be arsed with the stupid fucking questions and dramas he will create.

So instead he can do all the jobs I usually do. He's already stressed because I have said he can chuck a stew in the slow cooker and pick ds up from school and that he can walk the dog twice. Apparently he doesn't know how to do those things.

He's 51, runs a business, supervises multi million pound buildering sites, sits in with the investors on project meetings and is completely able to deal with chopping some veg, dragging a whippet out and collecting a small boy from school.

I am going to channel my inner man, sit at the table doing important work, making important decisions and demanding cups of coffee and snacks because work.

Have suggested he does softplay after school with ds. Apparently he doesn't know how to do that either. Asked him if he wanted my copy of The Vagina Guide which tells people with Vaginas how to do stuff like that.

Wish me luck.