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May 2009 - A new start. Mine's a large gin please.

987 replies

runningmonkey · 07/03/2010 18:15

Here you go ladies.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 20:18

ok i'll get typing about the NS news... was just mothers day moonpig card ordering. I'll try and type as fast as pos so as not to keep you all in suspense.

& although i've had my mince and tatties for tea & am drooling at the prospect of your steak sandwich younger!

youngerthanspringtime · 08/03/2010 20:45
FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 20:59

Right here I go...

Dh & I have had some rather lengthy discussions about NS over the last week. He was kinda going off the idea I think... or starting to realise that it's not instantly going to be all rosy as soon as we arrive. I had been telling him from the start it's not going to be as easy as he was thinking because of all the research i've been doing about what it's like over there salary wise, utility cost wise, emigration visa & moving costs etc. I think all of a sudden he wondered why on earth he was so keen to go & why was I so willing to go even after costing it all out!

DH tends to get V excited and kinda blinkered so things very often do disappoint him when they don't live up to his expectations unlike me.. I am a logical realistic person and I like to know the v good and the really bad before making any choices... that way i'm not disappointed if it's not up to rosy expectations.

So we sat and thrashed out over one v long evening what exactly we wanted for our family in the future... The lifestyle we want, education for the dc's, jobs for us both, property we'd like to live in & own etc.

We decided that...

  1. We want to live somewhere a LOT quieter than where we are atm.
  2. We want a more outdoors life style... all year round.
  3. We want to be able to own (and be able to pay off a mortgage on) a detached house with some land... so i can have chickens & a veggie plot & space for the dc's to have a tree house or sand pit or whatever
  4. To live & be involved in a small community you know where everyone pretty much knows everyone (have lived in a community like this and we both miss it) where you walk down the street and people actually say hello back without thinking you're weird for talking to them!

sorry DH interrupted me there....

  1. We will never be able to afford private education for the dc's but would like them to get as good an education as we can & uni too if they want to go.
  2. To do jobs we love and not do the same ol sh1t just to pay the bills if we can avoid it.
  3. To live somewhere that when you see a crowd of teenagers on a street corner you don't worry about passing them...

So what does this mean? It means we don't want to live where DH's family are in NS as Dartmouth is about the same size as here in Weston and this is too big for us. Also property there is still a bit out of our price range for the kind of house we would like. SO... DH got talking about the other areas of NS he loved and after a heaplittle more research by me we've decided to still go for our NS dream but aim to go a little more rural and look to move to the lovely area of Annapolis Valley.

HeadlessLadyH · 08/03/2010 21:06

fi oh my god. That looks so beautiful. The scenery. The houses!!!!!!!

FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 21:08

Now because we have no community ties as such to the area it may be more difficult to get a nomination from the local rda for our pr visa application but we're hoping the fact that they are keen to increase their population will be in our favour...

It is quite an arts & crafty area too which leads me into the other long discussion DH & I had... what do I want to do for a career for the rest of my life?!

FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 21:27

I was seriously considering going back to uni to do a early years education diploma so i can teach pre school/reception... mainly as i enjoy teaching and love dc's. A teaching job would also save the problem of child care in the school holidays and have the bonus of a regular income and be able to start paying into my pension again.

Doing the qualification was going to cost us quite a lot of £$ as no funding is available for me. Also I would have to wait until G is at pre-school & F is at school as there is no-one to look after them when DH is at work... so quite a long time to go until then.

DH asked me did i really want to be an early years teacher? I said I wasn't 100% sure and maybe i should make an appointment with a careers counsellor and try and work out what I do want to do... He then said 'if money was no object and I could do ANYTHING & he repeated absolutely ANYTHING' what would that be? You know what... suddenly i knew I didn't want to do the EY course. My love is to DESIGN. I LOVE designing, drawing, sketching & making up my designs. crochet.... clothes.... quilts... mei tai's... toys.... etc.

So DH said 'well lets give you a chance to make it happen'! Go for the whole dream and not only start a new life in a new country but one where we're not doing the same ol sh1t just in different place. I'm now all fired up to get cracking on my pattern designing again and need to get back into doing my website etc.

If my designing/craft career going to work over there it will be easier if i'm further along with it here etc before we go. But were looking at eventually getting a house with an extra room for a studio for me to work in and DH has said he'll find any kind of job to pay the bills while i'm building my empire before I then need to employ him to help

belgina · 08/03/2010 21:38

Evening all,

1st shift went well, not too busy. Got a face from colleagues when I said I sent a lady in who had been sent home earlier in the shift, but when she came in she turned out to be 10cm making me go and [told you so emoticon] Other than that nothing excited happened. Didn't even get to see any newborns, febes. I'm a bit worried about the unit's staffing compared to my old unit. I do miss my old colleagues

fi exciting new and what a lovely area. I do hope you can a visa for there

tumm I do hope your work gets sorted. Not sure what to suggest, but I sincerely hope it gets better

flip Hope your girls get better soon.

saus Very limited action here too. Not after the other 2 though. I'm still a bit as to why my libido didnt return this time around.

ladyH about your mcs in the past. I hope that you wont have to go through such trauma again this time

febes Hope your house sells soon. How exciting for you to be going back to NZ

cherrytom Nice to see you again. Hope J gets better soon.

younger glad to hear everything is OK down there. Must be such a relief

blotted that the whole mat pay thing is still dragging on. I've also been following the whole work saga via f/b and hope that things are on the up for you now.

youngerthanspringtime · 08/03/2010 21:40

Fi, that sounds amazing. I love your DH and all his supportiveness. It's also wonderful to know what you want to do (if money is no object), that's usually the first step.

ANd the link... what a beautiful community and I join ladyH in awe of the houses. I want one of those!

Also, when you've built your empire and need any kind of help, would you employ me? i will happily urge my family to move to NS.

FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 21:41

SO that's what we've decided...

Yes to NS but NO to busy NS.
Yes to a great education for DS/G as class sizes are small and standards are high.
Yes to a lovely house of the kind we could never afford here with little or no mortgage... meaning...
Yes to being able to afford to let me live my career dream of being able to do what i love & hopefully make a living at it too like kaffe fassett and debbie bliss etc!
Yes to living somewhere it doesn't matter if you forget to lock your door.

The down side is we'll have to wait to get started on our application until after we've been to NS, met with the RDA and hopefully secured their support.

So I have the task now of finding the best deals on flights/car hire/accommodation I can find to get us over for a recce in MAY...

FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 21:43

x posts belgina & younger!

FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 21:44

of course you can come younger but bear in mind we'll be living somewhere you'll be lucky if the town has 1000 people

youngerthanspringtime · 08/03/2010 21:45

fi, I'm so excited for you. it sounds like a plan.

ok, ladies am off to bed. thanks again for your support. hope everyone sleeps well.

FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 21:45

belgina glad your 1st shift wasn't too bad. how was everything at home while you were at work today?

belgina · 08/03/2010 21:57

fi Home was OK. C had been grumpy this morning and I really worried about how she would be for the ap, but she was fine and went to sleep fine too. Tomorrow a study day, so no shifts

FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 22:08

Glad all was OK. I'm not sure if DS will be going to pre-school tomorrow... after his swimming class at lunchtime I noticed he had a lot more spots on his body.

He had a few spots yesterday but i'd put them down to an allergy as he'd worn some new trousers before i'd washed them due to an accident when we were out & i'd dashed into sainsbos to buy something for him to wear... i think it looks like chicken pox but the doc said the spots he had last autumn were CP so we're off to the doc's for 10.30am to see what these are

SpangleMaker · 08/03/2010 22:17

Evening all. My, the new thread's been busy (thank you running). I meant to come back last night but was feeling really grotty, tired and full of cold so did a few chores and went to bed.

Belgina hope your first shift went/is going well. Which ward are you on? Hope C was OK. Thank you (and ses) for the thought of a party for H - I told him and he . I will keep him up and get him to type a few posts - he doesn't need any encouragement on the typing front!

BLW no plates here, and definitely not any bowls after the incident captured in recent photos. I've introduced some spoon feeding as H sometimes struggles to feed himself as much as he wants to eat IYSWIM. He quite likes it if he can hold the spoon himself. He's started handing it back to me now too, though it still often ends up on the floor

toothbrushing erm.. not often

llare I'm really glad you've come back. Your business venture sounds very promising. I've met a few freelance HR people (through recruitment campaigns mainly) and always thought it sounded to be a potentially good career to fit around DCs, although it might mean being pretty flexible. Lovely to see blotted too - glad things are looking brighter but what a bugger about your mat pay issue dragging on.

Headless I am far too lazy to ski, and quite probably too much of a lightweight for the apres ski scene. It sounds like you've had some amazing times! Good luck with the ttc. Will you do a test while you're away?

Febes well done R! H has recently learnt to clap after weeks of random arm flailing. He was so proud of himself when he finally did it, bless him.

Younger so glad it went well for you today. Hope you've been tucking into a huuuuuge dinner this evening.

flip hope your girls are better soon. I had tonsilitis in my 20s and it was awful. cherrytom good to see you! hope J is better soon.

Saus another wedding night with no action here... well, we made an effort but had to admit defeat by alcohol & general exhaustion. Nor is there a great deal of action here atm (in fact none since Christmas) - H's rubbish sleeping is to blame.

Tummum sounds like you definitely need an exit strategy from your job. Any chance of you finding something in the interim while you think about what you really want to be doing? Sorry to hear about your friend's Dad . My MIL's cancer has spread from her bowel to her kidneys/bladder and it's now a matter of time . DH is in denial a bit I think.

(on a brighter note) Fi Annapolis Valley looks so beautiful! Can I come to visit??

Phew - that's all the NC I can manage and by now (just had to re-settle H) there will be about a million x-posts. I need to do a bit of tidying up then head off to bed. We need to be up and organised at a reasonable time tomorrow as we're going to nursery for H's first settling in session. We'll be staying with him this time so I shouldn't get too distraught. Hope he likes it!

flippinegg · 08/03/2010 22:19

fi - not sure whether to hope it is or isn't CP for you! What would be best right now? NS stuff is exciting, I really hope it works out for you, especially now that your dream career might be an option.

belgina - glad work was ok. Are your feet getting used to it all again? And at being right!

Sure there's more, I'll be back with the rest of the NCing later.

Girls ok, thanks everyone for asking. DD1 seemed much brighter this evening, but on the downside hasn't made it to the toilet once today. A wouldn't settle at all this evening, DH eventually managed to get her to sleep at about 9.30. He'd been out all evening, when he walked in I cried and he took over . Still a bit peed off that he gets his own space and I don't. And he's away with work next week, really not looking forward to it.

flippinegg · 08/03/2010 22:29

tummum - work really sounds hard for you right now, I hope something improves soon. Sorry to hear about your friend's dad .

belgina - did you get your tea cooked for you tonight?!

fi - NS look beautiful!

younger - how was your steak sandwich? Was it a Philly cheesesteak?

FiByTheIcySea · 08/03/2010 22:42

when we've hopefully made it over there our spare rooms will definitely be up for grabs! be delighted to have you all to stay.. just not all at the same time unless most would be happy camping in the acreage
spangle about your MIL, although saying that my mum had colon cancer & chemotherapy 1999 followed by 2 lots of secondaries in her lungs 2002 & 2004 more ops and chemotherapy both times. she has been all clear since the last lot.. we're hoping she's kicked it for good now. they have good success with bowel & colon.
flippin ikwym about own me time.. doesn't really happen here either. i'm hoping it's NOT another lot of lurgy in our place.. if DS is off pre school bang goes my chance of typing up & dtp some of patterns. would be typical timing. hope tonight is a good one for you.
right must sleep. night all x

belgina · 08/03/2010 22:44

flip I was on a late, so only got home at 9 and didn't have a proper dinner. I tend to have cereal at that time of night. I just can't do a proper cooked meal that late in the evening, except maybe pasta. Glad to hear your dds are on the mend. I totally understand about you needing some time/space for yourself. It's one of the reasons I do go to work, even though I hate leaving C. I know that by the time she's a toddler I'd be begging to be leaving the house, so my 3 days a week suit me fine. (just my feet need to get used to it again )

youngerthanspringtime · 09/03/2010 06:52

belgina, xposted with you last night. I''m glad all went well and hope you got a good night sleep after your hard work.

spangle, i love the image of H handing theh spoon back to you .

Flippin, it was philly cheese steak with sirloin from our butcher, very good! a kind neighbour made us a chocolate cake so we had some of that for afters.

Fi, hope all is ok and it NOT another lurgy. fingers crossed.

good morning everyone else. I'm going to try to stay away most of today so I can get some work done while the older 2 DDs are away. I'm sure I've got loads of tel calls to pick up and lots of preg women wanting to get onto antenatal courses .

have a good day all.

Reggiee · 09/03/2010 08:26

Wow lots of chat . Just hopped on before I head to hospital for more 'probing', so only time for quick post. Will be back this evening for NC as will be home alone (well, with kiddies tucked up in bed I hope).

Younger really pleased all went well yesterday . Hope you enjoyed tucking in to lots of yummy food last night.

Llare hurrah!! Welcome back . Look forward to hearing about you setting up your HR consultancy.

Fi Design eh? Making things? . Would this interest you....after going through the kid's old clothes and pulling out those to ebay/recycle/charity shop etc, I am left with a small pile of dd's and ds's clothes that I am loathe to get rid of as I am so sentimental. What I would like, is for someone creative to take my bundle of clothes and make them in to a quilt (one each for dd and ds). Would you be interested in chatting to me more about doing this?

Right, best get going or I'll be late.

Blottedcopybook · 09/03/2010 08:40

Flippin That kissing thing sounds so cute! Greer hasn't learned to close her mouth yet when she gives kisses so I end up with a faceful of slobber haha!

Cherry Yeah, they gave me 21 days notice that I had to repay six months full pay. It's a mess! Your question about all kids being better for the Doctor? Yes, they ALL do it! There's nothing quite like being made to look like a complete exagerrator by your spawn who were at DEATH'S DOOR an hour before you got to the surgery!

Younger Glad your results were positive hugs Febes Thank you! No my grass is non-existant now. I saw a photo of our house on google earth the other day and I'm mortified - all the gardens around ours are lush and green, then there's my swamp. We bought an Omlet Cube though so we're going to pen our hens in. We've cut down to five now and I think that's enough!

Tummum Thank you With work, are you paid if you're off on sick leave? I had a full blown panic attack the day I was due to go back and was signed off indefinitely.

Running Thank you sweetie!

Fi Thanks! Have you tried black out blinds to keep DS asleep for a bit longer? Ikea do really cheap ones and they're a godsend here. I am so jealous about your NS plans! Prod me when you're getting patterns on the go and I'll link my blog and twitter readers to you.

Belgina Thanks sweetie. Glad your first shift was okay and I hope your feet are recovered.

Blottedcopybook · 09/03/2010 08:41

Oh - I forgot to say I realised that there were a fair few of you who I didn't have on facebook so I've added you. If I've missed you, feel free to add me x

FiByTheIcySea · 09/03/2010 09:14

reggie what a lovely idea of what to do with the clothes. To be honest though all sewing based stuff is a nightmare to do atm as i don't have anywhere i can leave my machine set up away from the dc's.. so that side of things will have to wait until NS probably.
blotted DS has victorian wooden shutters and black out curtains in his room. they turn daylight to darkest night.. not that it makes a difference as it's before dawn that he wakes.. no birds & still dark. no central heating noise etc.. i've been trying to work out if the 'wake to sleep' thing might work with him. Thank for offering to link up to my patterns.. i'll get cracking and come back to you
right off to feed G some breakfast and then off to the doc's