Decedantly damcing towards December - frugaleering Christmas ahoy!

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Em I am paying 2 lots of nursery fees and breakfast club/after school club for dd1 on the days I work. It was horrendous at first but we've adjusted now (and made a few changes and cutbacks) and we're OK. We're going to feel like lottery winners when they finish nursery!

That must be a stack-load of money Snuggly.

It's most of my salary autumn. On bad days I think I might as well give up work. The rest of the time I just tell myself it's only for another year and a bit and then we'll get 30 hours funded per dt which will make a huge difference. When I was ill in the summer I as grateful to have a job to call in sick to while the kids were all at nursery

Snuggly I feel like you regarding illness & nursery - DD now has a bad cold and is very screamy as she's so unwell, and since yesterday I am in full throes of a vomiting bug, it is awful!! DH was here yesterday and he's had to take the day off today as I still can't look after her as I can't move much without being sick. I know I'm probs a huge wimp because I guess single parents somehow have to find a way to manage especially if they don't have friends/family to help but I feel so grim. She was crying when I was being sick around her before as well, she found it scary . She's off to the GP this evening on the advice of the OOH GP that spoke to me last night when she was unconsolably screaming for hours and refusing to drink any milk. We have sorta inadvertantly started weaning because in desperation the only fluid we could get into her was a little bit of an Ella smoothie pouch mixed with water xD

Meadow the only thing worse than looking after a baby when you are ill is looking after an ill baby when you are ill. Hope you feel better soon.

Meadow that's definitely not wimpy. Being ill while caring for a baby is the worst. Take care there. My ds and I used to get endless viruses when he a was little and it turned out to be anaemia with him. Getting him on readybrek and rice krispies turned him into a new man. Just mentioning in case it helps you all.

Take care there

Oh gosh meadow poor you xxx glad dh is there to help. For what it’s worth when ds isn’t well I work on the basis that as long as he eats something I don’t actually care what it is. Last Wednesday when he was home with me he had advent calendar chocolate some sultanas a biscuit and something pastry from my puff pastry chicken thing.

I’ve also just had to give him some of my sparkling water as he finished all of his water. We were out for lunch with ddad which was nice. And I forgot to bring my water bottle in with me. Ds has sparkling. His face was hilarious. As was the gigantic burp he did after

happier I’ve checked nursery’s t&c’s. Ds’ fees drop when he gets to 2 (next September) and there is a sibling discount of 10%. We won’t need it until January or February of 2020 though. So will save approx £110 pcm from sept to Dec next year. Then will “only” be paying £1700 pcm for nursery once I go back to work. Hahaha “only”. Assuming they both go three days a week.

It’ll work itself out.

But for now saving and budgetting are the way forwards. I’m hoping for a pay rise and a nice bonus in March/April. As is dh. And I’d be delighted if they promoted me. But whether they do is another matter.

Is sneaky still there somewhere? We've all gone a bit female-reproductive-system on him, and I'm wondering whether he may be in hiding.

Em AAARGH I've been out the loop, did you get BFP in the end??

meadow yep. Went to my gp on friday. She basically forced me to poas. Turns out sometimes the pill doesn’t work...... due maybe July/August next year. 😳 two under two....

Invoices submitted to medical insurance people. £85 should come back to me in a week or so. Phew.

Wow you are brave, congrats!! How old is your DS now, I lose track?

I still can't even contemplate any kind of relations but I'm waiting for GP to examine me as I still get soreness when I do PFEs, I'm terrified I might have a mild prolapse. But she wants to try and sort my MH out a bit first...have tel assessment with therapist tomorrow afternoon.

Idk what to do about another child because really I wanted like 3-5 yr age gap and probably an ELCS as I found my birth experience traumatic and haven't even physically recovered yet let alone mentally, but as I'm hoping to train to be a solicitor if I waited til I had secured a job after training before TTC we would be looking at an age gap of at least 6 yrs, probably more like 7. Which is bigger than I'd like, but then the only other option is before I start training, so they'd need to be born by spring 2020. And I really don't think I'm up for that particularly knowing that I'm highly likely to get HG even worse second time around and then the idea of having a baby (especially if they're as demanding as DD) and a toddler whilst doing my LPC + traineeship sounds impossible.

Ds is almost 15 months. So there’ll be a potential 22 month age gap.

Meadow I'm totally loving that you just used the word relations. My dh and are still totally not willing to risk a second. We're neck-deep in no. 1.

£16.41 work stuff with £3.09 cashback.

Picked up parcel from post office. Ds super helpful - he handed my post office notice to the postie and said ta and got given a sticker. And a chocolate. 😍

He’s back at nursery tomorrow. I’m going to blitz the Christmas shopping if I can.

Loved my half day. Went to Aldi, spent £60, no isle of doom crap, just food. So stocked up for a good week now. £4 posting, and I think thats it.

meadow you are having a time of it how old is dd just now? Old enough for a bit of puree surely? I do caution against rice crispies and ready brek just now though

Two jobs to do tonight: put up the tree, and shave the thicket of hair out of my spaniels ears.

The nativity play was mercifully short, just 25 mins. 50 kids aged 3 to 7, not a bad job. However, I could not be a primary school teacher!

Sorry lonely, I've totally lost track of how old Meadow's wee person is.

We’ve booked a meal out on Christmas Eve. I’m hoping for disgraceful drunken antics from people who dont normally get a pass out. Cos then it’s dinner and a show.

I’m going to wear a 15” skirt and hope no one shouts mutton.

Christmas cards written. I’m trying to get in there first as a sort of subtle separation announcement before anyone sends me one. One lot taken to post box. One lot hand delivered. One lot in my work bag for big city staff. One to post to Ireland tomorrow when I go to post nieces presents and two other local lots to do.

Fluffy I’m sure you will look gorgeous.

Meadow take it easy it’s no fun being ill with a baby

I complained to e rewards about a 700 point survey crashing and they’ve sent 300 nectar points.

Fluffy! You are so hilarious. I am also sure that you will look wonderful. I'm tempted to get my mini-dress on right now, but it would be a bad idea I think. It is knitted.

Nearly an NSD. There was an emergency chocolate purchase on the way home from work.

I am getting a gent's electric razor for Christmas, as I am fed up ladies' ones being pretty, but useless. I'm sure this is a sign that I am about to turn 50 in seven years.

I think that's entirely justified snuggly.

I just did the numbers and I am also late . Is it possible to become pg from thinking about relations? I am spending way too much time on MN.