The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Driving Through A Sober Winter Wonderland.

[Mouseface]

Hello, I'm Mouse

Welcome to the Bus, he's called Gerald.... he takes us up and down and this wondrous land, searching high and low for Babes in need of some support, a warm place to sit and chat, and to have someone to listen to them.

So, grab a seat as we swing by your way. There's lots of hot drinks, food and fleeces, places to just be and places to sit around and chat if that's what you want.

We don't judge, because we've all be in your shoes, be they stilettos, wellies or crocs!...

We're just us, we're just honest and we just do what we can to help, if we can, when we can. Let's try and have a Merry Christmas without getting off our faces this year.

Here is the very first, emotional thread if you would like to see where this all started

And the last thread if you want to keep up!

who's a small person? Your Distracted Chap? What, he's like a dwarf or something?

are you taking anything for those hot flushes?

Looking had to google Stollen - looks delish so if there's any to spare you can send some my way

lol. I think he meant small as in distant and far away. just a dot on the horizon....

taking Evening Primrose oil and Vitamin B but not making any difference. They wake me pretty much every hour during the night. (the flushes, not the tablets)

Calm before the storm. They have all gone to the airport to get dd1. I am sittinf in the dark by the glow of the tree lights drinking gin and tonic. Sorry. But I haven't had wine for two nights. Small dash of gin, big tumbler full of tonic. Got to be a better plan I think.
Dd1 was 24 yesterday. Twenty freaking 4!!! Where has my life gone? What a waste.....

ma your life is here and now. Don't think about the past, about missed opportunities and regrets. You can't go back and change where you sailed yesterday. But where you are now, with your twinkly Christmas lights and looking forward to seeing your DD - well, that'll do. For now. Tomorrow, maybe you'll set a new course and sail a different way.

Hey ma, not a waste of a life, at all. Sounds to me like you've done an amazing job raising your children, making sacrifices lots won't understand but it's worked for you for now. Your future is yet unwritten, when you are ready you will start the next chapter. In the mean time fasten your seatbelt, have a wonderful time with your DD home, and fantasise about the midget Barack Obama that is distracted chap!

I'm torn between being so honest that it completely outs me and just saying life is a bit crap right now, I've written and deleted so many posts this week. Anyhoo, I'm still in the side car.

eeyore welcome, I'm a new girl too really, this lot are awesome, say what you want in here, these crazy folk just know what you are going through and understand without any of that raised eyebrow nonsense that people around me seem to give.

Once again I've come to the party so late I've almost nodded off before posting, mouse hope you're ok?? wry, hope, faire, joey, isinde, obrigada, venus and anyone I've missed (sorry), waving to you all and wishing you a happy hump day tomorrow.

He is NOT a midget Barack Obama!!!

Sorry ma, I get very confused with all this analysis. note so self, ma can be SCARY

Dd1 and dd2 have been catching up over a bottle of cava. Apparently dd1 has been living with a guy who is 38 - as housemates not lovers as far as I can gather.dd2 has been filling dd1 on her latest bf.
Ds- who is 12- has alternated between schoolboy hysterics at hearing the word "fuck" and schoolboy embarrassment at hearing the word "sex". Its not easy for a pubescent lad whose sisters are 24 and 21......... A fun evening though!

at popcorn
You have NO idea.......

ma make an appointment to get hrt - even if it doesn't happen til the New Year, you will feel better knowing you've got a plan.

You don't have to stay on it if it doesn't suit, but I bet it will make you feel like a new woman. You'll be fighting off dwarves, midgets, sailors and Barack Obama.

In the meantime, get some black cohosh and some sage. Sage tincture has helped me.

i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee290/HumanityCritic/barack.jpg

See? Midget!

(lobs a Stollen at Obrigada and runs away from Ma)

wry has a tardis you can use indie

Your poor dad - so very hard for him to deal with this. Can you take the girls up for a couple of days and get help minding them from your sis?

HE IS NOT A MIDGET! harrumph!

Morning babes, Day 11 here. Am smothered with a cold and the thought of hot whiskies is very tempting but not today.

Isinde, you must feel totally torn, can you bring the twins up with you as Ma says, even if it's just for a day?

ma - suffering from hot flushes here too. I looked out the window last night and saw a big fiery glow in the sky - was that you or Mossmorran? I think between us we could be responsible for global warming...

I've been keeping my head down and away from everyone else's Christmas nights out. So far though I've not met anyone who was looking forward to theirs - everyone complaining about poor quality food, mass catering, overpriced crackers, being forced to wear a novelty hat - no wonder they all drink!

Hi everyone.

I need to join. I've realised this week I need to stop drinking. The self hatred and self loathing has lasted all week.

My husband is in recovery and been to rehab. I always thought he was the problem drinker but I've realised I have a problem too.

DH was away working so I went to a Christmas party on Friday as I haven't been drinking at all to support him. I got absolutely hammered, partied until 6am then passed out on my friends sofa. My kids were having a sleepover with my cousin but obviously as I was asleep I was late to pick them up and ring them and my kids were incredibly anxious. I can't believe I did it to them after everything they've been through with my DH.

I've always been a binge drinker when I'm out but it's a problem as when I start I can't stop until the party is over and I lose my responsibilities. I thought I was different to DH as I've never drank in the morning and can do days without.

Anyway I've been beating myself up all week so I've made a positive to totally stop drinking. Alcohol is poison to my family. I don't want my kids to feel anxious and stressed. They deserve better.

I've read the thread and in awe of the determination and support.

Posted before proof reading so I didn't chicken out from posting.

Hi Social, welcome to the bus. I too am a binge drinker and I know how hard it is to stop once you have started.

Welcomesocial. That first post is hard to make. Stick with us, we understand.
I am AF today after too much last night for dds birthday. Felt like shite this morning.
Have HUGE work related problem...more than we had already. God, what a mess. Can't go into details but kind of from the way something has been written and presented, it looks like we have committed fraud! We haven't, but for complicated reasons, its very hard to explain what has actually happened without making things worse.

It's all just shite isn't it ma I bet you wish your midget Obama-sailor could just fly in and rescue you.

I'm fed up too & possibly coming down with something - oh joy! After 8 weeks of AF I did not expect to look in the mirror and see my teeth worse than ever. This has really depressed me, I feel old, I know its a first-world-problem, but they look awful. Don't know if the acid erosion has been caused by alcohol, reflux or vomiting but they need fixing.

Each tooth veneer costs £500 and I need at least two. Well, that's out then.

Could your midget-Obama rescue me too? You know, if we were in the Maldives or somewhere lovely (without mirrors) we wouldn't even care what we looked like or nonsense like that.

Hey joey. Yep, just more shite.
And just when did handsome Distracted Chap become an Obama midget sailor? I swear this bus gets weirder by the day.
Lovely boss has emailed. He is trying to sort things out. We have a board meeting in the morning at which we will keep schtum about the fuck up, then a Christmas lunch during which we will be polite, then a rush back to the office to work on damage limitation and see if we are salvageable. When are things going to start going well? And I have no right to moan when so many babes have bigger problems. On the plus side, am too worried to drink so a rare AF for me.

Sorry, it's dwarf, not midget, isn't it. (Got to be politically correct and use the right term! )

Ma, hope your work problem gets sorted.

Waves to other babes, Day 12 for me today. Only 2 days left at work and then I am finished for Christmas (am so looking forward to not having to come into work - it totally drains me, love the work, dislike bosses and female colleague who thinks she is also one of the bosses)

social welcome to the bus - I am a comparative newbie too. Having realised recently I desperately need to cut down / stop I am finding it incredibly hard. Why did I realise this in December

Ma hope you get it sorted at work, after a couple of meetings with my boss my job is safe for the foreseeable future which is good.