D'ya ever wonder if you could still do the twist and not actually wet yourself in the process?

[shabbs]

New thread my friends xxx

Hmmm child tax credit people are not in my good books. I had a letter today updating my credit awards as Thomas has now left school. I was shocked at the drop so I phoned them. She basically said what did I expect? I said I expected a drop of about 1/3rd, claiming for 2 children now not 3. She explained that it doesn`t work like that, its not the same as child benefit. She said there are different thresholds and there is a big difference in the threshold from 3 children to 2. So basically I am losing 2/3rds of my tax credit for 1 child leaving school! A huge drop..........they had better get used to beef and dripping again !!!

Oh shite Trips - IF Tom leaves further education this June....I will lose my CB and CTC - which amounts to about £70 a week.........his mentor at 6th form college is trying to find him a one year course at the adult college next door to the 6th form. That will mean I will keep the CB and CTC for another year. They do courses that are all work related. So he gets the chance to try out a lot of different jobs with work placements.

I think me and my family should take a chance and emigrate to feckin Faliraki!!!! Was talking to Gloria and Takis via email yesterday.....they make me almost wet my pants laughing. Takis said 'we are in the big trouble with paying back many different countries....BUT we are not paying Germany back until they return all the gold and precious artifacts that they pinch from us in WW2.....give us our stuff back and we MAY repay what you loan us!!'

Remember the 'good old days' Trips? When we finished secondary school on Friday and started work on Monday? Now that sounds so simple and effective - but it was. The work up t'norff was plentiful. Everybody had a job waiting - boys followed their fathers in their apprenticeships and stayed in those jobs for many, many years. No matter what your political beliefs are up here in the north, there is NO industry. Now we have 'Media city' in what used to be Salford Docks. Media bloody City - the BBC have taken over the whole area. So people with property in London have moved up here with their pockets bulging with money from selling up down Sarff....and I am not judging at all because I would be selling up and moving up here if I could.

My God this sounds like a party political broadcast and I dont mean it to be. Just so fed up of trying to survive....so very fed up xx

I agree Shabs, I am down £300 a month with no way of making it up. Thomas is earning but not living at home so can hardly take board off of him. Just have to sell my body, might make a fiver :o

it's all so difficult. I can't really moan, dh does earn a reasonable income, but we do live in an expensive area. Most people around here are bringing in double what we do, and don't have four kids! I know we chose to live here, but that's where the jobs are in dh line of work.

My training course is confirmed for the end of the month then I shall be starting work! We won't see much money from it to start with, as we will lose housing benefit and tax credits. But it was always going to happen in the next few years with pay rises (and benefit cuts!) in any case, so I do need to get back to work. I will be technically self employed so that is going to be great fun trying to work it all out

R and J are both off todya. R has had a weird headache/stomach ache thing and J still has his food intolerance issues. We saw a third dr and she told us not to stop wheat yet as we could get a false negative with the blood tests. So he is having to suffer with it for now :(

We had a good weekend with my family though, albeit very hectic! It was non stop and I'm hoping for a more relaxing weekend this week!

I'm mkaing the most of the last few days before the dts are home and planning a nice long trail run this morning. I'm hoping running through the forest might give me a bit of cover from the wind out there!

lol Trips. I would have to pay them I reckon

Naughty mummy confession: Jennifer has a burn on her hand/arm. I think it's a burn anyway. I was erm... Attending to business... Emily and James went upstairs and came down but left both lounge and stair gates open. Jen complained of a hurt hand. When I looked there wasn't any obvious sign she had done anything. But now, a few hours later she has a long, thin ish blister on her arm (about the size of my little finger). I've a feeling she may have grabbed my straighteners which I'd left on my bed (behind two closed gates) while they were cooling down. So I've applied the cool pack as she won't sit by the sink under running water for me and popped a non-stick dressing on. But I'm going to have to get it checked out acc to nhs site. Thankfully we're visiting the hospital this afternoon for Emily's eye appt and they've a minor injuries unit attached.

All the faffing around with cb, tc and so on sucks. I can't believe you lose so much for just one person going!

I was working for my parents at 13, part time factory work when I was 16 and then straight to full time at the factory when I left college at 20. The shifts have all changed since then to 4 on, 4 off. Would make things so much harder for us but I've told dh if it came to it, I know the work so could easily go back into it.

At least with being a really agricultural/outdoor area, there's nearly always work going if you're able to do it. Unfortunately most of it doesn't fit around families.

I am fed up with being sick on special days. Our wedding anniversary (happy anniversary rubes I think) and I ended up in bed as soon as dh came in, after spending the afternoon tucked up on the sofa with a bucket. Twins turn 3 today and I'm still feeling grotty now. Not wrapped their presents, done cards or sorted cake. Every flipping year this seems to happen.

Morning all.......Soks that sucks!! Poor you........hope you feel better and can enjoys your twinnies b/day..........Happy Birthday Miserable looking day out there, staying home to bake, have decided changes will have to be made, not going to buy any shop cakes or biscuits, limit myself to only going shopping twice a week, if I dont out I cant spend it. Trouble is it isnt just food is it? Always birthdays, hair cuts etc. Thomas phoned very late last night to ask for a sub of £25 to buy internet for a month, its scandalous what they are charging them for that. He will get his first wages at the end of April and so far owes me £50 which I am going to take back, but why do I feel mean doing it? He will have far more money to himself than I have for housekeeping, just hope he will be sensible with it, no clubbing in Leeds once hes let out!! Mind you we did it all didnt we? I remember going on pub crawls, big gang of us, then about midnight ed jump into a car and head for Neros nightclub in Ramsgate...........wonderful days! Hard to remember being young and carefree............

Happy birthday to your lovely twins Soks - hope you soon feel much better.

Carefree days Trips oh yes I remember them. I was working in Manchester town hall for the NWWA (United utilities now) - 1973 and earning £77 per week new clothes every week, bought records (remember vinyl records?) till they came out of my ears!! Going out drinking with my best friend, dancing the night away........seems now like that never happened.

Finally Toms last day of college before a 3 week break for Easter.

Vinyls...............still got them and play them! Dk bought me one for my bday Sgt Pepper! I used to have just about all their lps, then when I broke up with a certain fella he knocked on my door one day and asked for his records back, my Mum gave him the lot!!!! They were good days Shabs, these kids have missed out, it will never be like that again xx

Happy birthday to you twins soks, and hope you are now feeling a bit better
I remember those days of youth with very fond memories, living away from home rom 18yrs old at a nurses home, Doing late shift til 9.30pm, going out to local nightvlub (jokers)until 2 am (climbing in a window of one of your mates rooms, as the main door was locked at midnight)then back on shift at 7 am. We were invincible, or so we thought, lol.
Feeling very tired, and slightly quesey (sp), must be the treatment, but still have helped boys make jam tarts and banana muffins (well, it's better than them sitting on xbox all day)

Feeling better now thanks. Doing mini birthday tea for the twins today. I managed to buy a plain iced Madeira which I'm going to decorate. Last one in the shop! And so much cheaper than a ready decorated cake. None of which were the twins chosen designs. So with any luck we will get a random mix of Rapunzel and trains on this one.

Did first night ever without dummies last night too. So proud of them. Jennifer gave in after an hour, Joshua surprisingly took a little longer. But they calmed and settled before dropping off so very happy with that. Just need to dig them all out from their hiding places now so we don't go backwards.

Have also braved putting them in big dc pants this morning. Joshua has had one accident. But he did finish weeing in the toilet and then did a poo too. So happy with that. Jen has been dry so far. But she has a habit of randomly telling me she wants to go anyway so we've been taking her just for the practice really.

In for a penny hey...

As for carefree days...

I remember working 6am-12, having lunch then going to bed before getting up about 5 and getting ready for a night out. Although I did love listening to my aunt's old abba singles on my sound system. Record player, multi cd changer and twin cassette deck as well as radio. Don't get those except as separates now.

Glad you are feeling better Soks, sounds as though you are making real progress on the training front!
Grey day out there, Bank Holidays........hate them!

Back from radio, boys sitting on computers, DH sleeping, oh the joys of a bank holiday weekend,
I thought dh would come with me this morning and we could maybe stop and have lunch together, but no, he was "too tired" and said can't I go on my own . I know his has had a very busy week, and worked late, but I thought he might want to come with me for a little support and have some time on our own, but never mind.

Now really pissed off with my FiL, DH rang him to say not to come over until about 1pm, as dinner would be at 2 pm, and he just mentioned we had splashed out on a nice leg of lamb for dinner. He immediately said "I hate lamb, it's disgusting, if that's what she's cooking, I'll just have vegetables"
a) I'm not a "she"
b) he won't be happy with just veg, as he has told dh he will now expect me to cook him something different, as I have done it before when we had a curry and he invited himself for lunch (foreign muck!!)
We rarely have roast lamb, as it's expensive, but as it's one of the few meats apart from poultry that the boys enjoy, we decided to get it for Easter lunch, and FiL can like it or lump it!!

Sorry Bubs but I would mind! You must be feeling hurt, I feel for you. As for fil it would be take it or leave it, how very rude! Poor you, you really dont need this, its you who should be being treated and spoilt a little. Wish I was nearer I would take you out for lunch, I would! xx Had a nice little chat to my soldier tonight, he is sounding so much more confident even on the phone. He passed his swimming test today and his weapons handling test. On a bad note one of the lads had £200 pinched out of his wallet, they are not supposed to have that amount with them. They have all had their finger prints taken!! I am really missing him today, think its because its Easter, have put my tree up and found some old cards they made at school.........could have kissed Thomass card, silly me. Becca disappeared to Dover this morning to meet friends and is staying at her friends tonight, I have to trust her but I don`t like it. So just James at home..........the house is very quiet...........too quiet!

Trips- glad you have heard from T, fancy someone taking £200 to a training camp where they can't even spend it, but even so, it should have been safe, I hope they catch the tealeaf
DH is furious with his father, and has said he will speak to him about being so rude and tell him not to bother coming, but that will cause upset to his 2 brothers, which will be a shame, so I might just get some sausages and stick them in, just to stop an all out row on Easter day, just can't cope with confrontation atm
DH has said he will go with me Monday, so I might get some time with him without 2 teens, who, by the way, are driving me mad with their constant bickering! !!

Oh Bubs. What a shit way this weekend seems to be going. I do hope it gets better. Although I don't think you'd be at all unreasonable to tell your Fil what an arse he's being.

Hopefully dh is just having 'a moment' about not coming with you and Monday is more supportive.

Trips. £200!! Although I'd honestly wonder if this was some kind of exercise they'd been set up for. Because otherwise you've already got someone who, before starting, isn't capable of following orders. But that's just the cynic in me.

Emily had her nails painted yesterday. So Jennifer asked for hers to be done today. Two girls with glittery pink nails and Joshua must have been feeling left out. I think it's cute. Dh asked why I was doing it. Err, because he is 3 and asked me ever so nicely if he could have "blitter nails too".

aww sweet.............blitter nails!

soks- it's like the time at playgroup when the boys "bestist friend", who was a girl, was wearing a fairy costume. They wanted to be like her, so I dressed them in fairy stuff too and they were happily running around with her for the next hour. DH came to collect us and was horrified to see "his boys" in fairy wings, tutu and glitter tiara's, lol

Happy Easter girlie's! !!!
Well, boys came into our room at 9am, wanting their traditional easter egg hunt, despite the fact they are 14! (Gone are the days when i creep outside at 5.30 am to hide the eggs around the garden to pretend the Easter bunny has visited!!)So I get up, hide the eggs/treats around the garden, watch them find them, then put the leg of lamb in the oven and had just sat to have a cup of tea, when FiL arrives at 11am, 2 hrs earlier than invited !!
He sat in the living room, we served him cups of coffee and he annoyed DH with his lies and exaggerated stories whilst I got on with cooking the dinner on my own (boys disappeared upstairs as predicted).
Lunch was served, and he served himself a couple of roast potatos and a little veg, then pushed his sausages around his plate as if they would poison him (butchers best, bought yesterday especially for him), whilst we enjoyed the lamb (which was very nice, I must admit )he then refused the pudding, (I'd made a diabetic version just for him )and finally left at 4pm After stacking the first load into the dishwasher, DH has febreezed the house, and now gone upstairs with a headache, the boys are stuffing themselves with chocolate and playing xbox, and I am finally sitting here relaxing with a glass of wine . What a wonderful day

Aww Bubbs I was wondering how it was going, what a rude man! Well my day hasnt been much better. Only us four, really missed Thomas :( but made an effort, put up my Easter tree, made a Simnel cake and Easter biscuits, bought choc or everyone, trad lamb dinner and a pud. Rebecca went of to Cant with two boys, on is an old friend of Thomass. At 6.30pm no sign of her so I text her, she text back saying she was on the train home. She arrives as I am dishing up, says she doesnt want anything as they went to Burger King! She brings one of the boys home with her, she goes off upstairs and leaves him in the kitchen with us! I offered him food which he declined but he sat down and said he would "socialise" with us! Harry got really and asked him to go into the sitting room and watch the tv, again he said hed rather stay with us! He then got out his phone and started !! In the end James finished his dinner and took the lad upstairs to play on the x-box! Needless to say dk was in a right strop and started to take it out on me! Who was the one who put all the effort in may I ask?? Don`t yer just love it?

must check before I post......hate making mistakes! You can guess the missing words!