Afternoon all!
ABO - Have been drooling over your order. It all looks gorgeous - even if not all of it may be kept from what you have said.
Esher - Thanks for the Ratsalikes. I have been muling over whether I needed some Rats, but resisting given impending redundancy - however that price may tempt me!
Welcome Arewedancers! Interestingly, I would have said that I relied too much on carbs previously, but my short stint on the Dukan has 'reset' my need for carbs. I do eat them now, but in much reduced quantities and do not feel deprived at all.
Interesting stuff from you all ref the food/eating. I think my mum inadvertantly casued some of the issues I had when I was younger, so I am really careful around DD (or try to be.) It is hard, and I think one form of 'control' can be beaten ...and then subsituted with another. In my case, I now have a much more balanced approach to eating (i.e I cut out no food groups, but try and stick to Low GI principles mainly - with occasional treats.) HOWEVER - my control is now around exercise, so I feel pretty miserable if I cant fit in 5 sessions a week. Having said that, I am not pounding the pavement for hours at a time, as I just cant fit it in, so some of those 'sessions' are only 30 minutes on a crosstrainer when DD in bed. DH listened to a programme on R4 last week about how food issues are communicated from parents to children without being verbalised (basically it was saying that you can 'talk the talk' as much as you like, but unless you are following the positive words with modelling healthy eating as parents, then you are undoing much of the good work.) I suppose it makes perfect sense - children model a lot of behaviour that they see at home in the long term, so food will fall into that.
Re budget - like Fleecy, Dh and I have budgets. We put the same % of our earnings into the joint account and then everything else can be spent as wished, although we have a rough agreement that we both save some of it. We have some joint savings from the joint account, and then separate savings from our own income - plus I am doing lots of AVCs for my pension at the mo. I use Microsoft Money (as does DH), and then I can see what I have left after petrol/outgoings for clothes!!
All calm at the moment at NY towers. DH downstairs with DD making the Yule Log for the party tomorrow. DD had a playdate for 6 hours today!! DH and I went for a run and then he did some work whilst I pottered round the house and then had a long bath with a facemask and finished my book. Lovely! We then had lunch together whilst watching Upstairs Downstairs. V civilised.
More links ladies - am living through you until I get back to Nottingham and can book my personal shopping and look to spend the Jigsaw vouchers.
Oh, I wore my H and M stripey sweater dress yesterday, and it was the first time DH had seen it. Previously worn to work when he wasnt here. I asked his opinion and he said 'Well, tbh, I think it looks a bit like a rug. But, I don't know that much about fashion.' I was torn between 
and 
!