Looking back and going forward

Well 2013 is nearly over and it's been a good and memorable year fortunately without many downs. I'm not big on New Years Eve celebrations so we are having a quiet night in. I always feel its a big hype and in the past it's always been a big let down especially after spending money on going out. The worst night was the millennium year a group of us bought tickets to a club in Ipswich at £50.00 a go the food was rubbish the music even worse but I'm putting that down to experience as I was only 18 at the time. 

This year has seen many firsts our first family holiday abroad and first trip on a plane for my children and my second ever trip on a plane, and it was a big one to Disney World in Florida that was such an experience that we hope to repeat in a few years after saving very hard. 

We have had lots of walks at the coast,in the country through forests enjoying both the sun,rain and even snow. So I can't complain about 2013. 

I don't make resolutions as I never stick to them and as I have never smoked or hardley ever drink I can't give those up I exercise by walking and running at least 3 times a week and feel that is enough. I possible could lose a few lbs but I'm not very good at dieting I like cooking and eating to much. 

The only thing I wish to do is try and have a better relationship with my MIL and it's not for want of trying I just don't think she is ever going to accept me maybe I should just accept that and move on. I hope to become more creative so learning to crochet and knit it's going very slowly but all in all I hope that 2014 is good for family and friends and everyone in blogland I hope that's not to much to ask.

Below is a few photos that sums up 2013 for me. 

Making the most of a dry bright day.

As the weather is supposed to change tomorrow we headed out for another family walk this one following a rather muddy bridle. It's about 3 1/2 miles there and back from our house so perfect to tire the children out and get some much needed fresh air. 

It was very quiet and we didn't see another person however we did see various footprints in the mud from dogs, horse hoofs and even deer. I tried to explain to the children that if they werequiet they might see some lurking by the woods at the edge of the fields but no this didn't happen. 

We still have our decoration up and they will come down next week after New Years day I'm kind of it itching to get the house back to some normality and to throw open the windows and do a really good clean but at the moment we are still enjoying the aftermath of Christmas and once the decorations come down it's then time to think about returning to school and Mr M doing his commute to the city everyday which we are not looking forward to as it's so nice having him at home. We still gave another week so it will be plenty of walks and fresh air playing games and generally having fun. 

A muddy castle walk.

It's been a lovely if slightly cold day today. I did get some washing on the line and almost dry just a small finish off on the airer. We took a walk around the castle and mere today, decked out in Wellies which were needed as it was very muddy fortunately no one came home completely covered in mud which is unusual for the youngest member who always seems to come back wet or rather muddy. 

I feel rather pleased with myself as I haven't been to a shop since last Friday and going through the cupboards and fridge I have planned our meals until at least next Thursday as I'm trying to get in the habit of shopping smarter and using up what we have in the house first. The one thing I find living in a small town it is all to convienient to just pop to the shops when you have forgotten or fancy something diffrent for dinner. Also I'm sure sometimes it's a bit of boredom I'm hoping to keep up with the planning and being much more organised in 2014 also. 

Tomorrow will be a quiet day with a roast for lunch I need the carcass to make soup for the week and I also have the bone left from the ham so going to look up recipes for turning that into something also. 

 

Christmas and looking to the New Year

It's been a really lovely Christmas spent with my family which is how it should be. We haven't overspent and all present given and received have been appreciated. We have been for walks around country lanes looking at Venus and Jupiter through Little M new telescope which as been facinating. Playing 7, go fish and donkey with the cards.  It all quietens down now with just us four spending some much needed time together. 

We don't really do anything for New Years Eve we have always thought it a bit hyped up but I do look forward to the New Year we have some decorating to do and we would like to invest in some new furniture in the dining room as the flat packed bits we bought over 10 years ago is looking very shabby and falling to bits. I'm also planning on where I can grow as much food as possible in the garden as I haven't been successful with an allotment this year. 

I also want to say a big thank you to all the blogs I follow I have learnt a lot especially from the Frugal Blogs I was a bit naive but have realised that Frugal doesn't mean missing out on things but shopping and living smarter everyone's tips,recepies have inspired us as a family to really look at our finances and look to bump up our savings and have really helped us see where we waste money not intentially but the one area that needs work is the grocery shopping so 2014 I'm really hoping to cut our monthly budget down and put the money we save away. 

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. 

L

X   

Wind, sleepless nights and finally Christmas is here!

Last night was very windy thankfully no damage here, however it didn't stop me worrying pointlessly over the uncooked ham in my fridge though we are very fortunate that the power stayed on my thoughts go out to those whose Christmas will not be the same because of the storm. 

Everything is done if I gave forgotten it well it doesn't matter now is a time to spend with my very special family and seeing the childrens faces with the gifts, laughter and silly games we play. I have made sure the children know that Christmas is a time to think of others less fortunate than us for whatever reason this may be. Last week we had a small clear out of toys they had out grown and donated them to charity shops and also took some food to the church for the local food bank. 

Now I'm going to poor my self a small baileys and open the chocolate and wish you all a Merry Christmas. 

Xx

Sitting down and catching up.

This feels like the first time I have sat down for a couple of days that strictly isn't true but feels like it. Everything is now sorted for Christmas, presents wrapped, cake iced, mince pies made I just have to cook the ham tomorrow and empty the box of treats that I have been accumulating over the last few weeks. We go to my MIL for Christmas Day and they are here Boxing Day we live literally 5 doors away in the same close. Sometimes it's to close for comfort other times it's great. 

Yesterday I joined my aunties (they have only been in my life a couple of years long story) for the carol service at the church in Knodishall. it's a little village dear to my heart as I spent so much of my Sundays visiting church with my Nanna I didn't appriciate it then now I do. It was a lovely service singing lots of traditional carols and talking to people who remember me when I was little. 

I'm now ready for Christmas and the challange that the new year brings. 

L 

Is it so bad to be a stay at home mum?

I'm a stay at home mum (STAHM) and feel very fortunate to be in this position that I can be there for the children. I don't have to book time off for school plays or worry what the boss will say if one of them is ill and I need to stay at home. Mr M works long hours commuting from Suffolk to London everyday except weekends which allows us to live the way we do contrary to belief we are not rolling in it and some months finances are very tight but we have made cut backs to allow me to stay at home. Yes I could get a job I have worked in accounts and event management which I enjoyed and thought I was good at it well no one ever complained. 

 By why am I judged so much why do people think I'm not interesting because I don't go out to work I have my own business which is a website that I work on between school hours recommending holidays in Suffolk and promoting Suffolk it's a popular site but not very profitable it's still early days but still people think I don't do anything I sit at home drinking coffee. I don't!

I want to be there for the children but it does seem what ever you do you can not win if I worked full time you would have people saying things like "those poor children shipped of to the childminders" "parents are never home". Why do people feel they have to judge if I needed to work so we could live I would but at the moment I'm happy being a mum and knowing I'm always there for them.  I don't judge other people so please don't judge me. 

A winter walk and next years planning.

This morning we awoke to bright blue skies which was just perfect for a walk at the coast. I wanted to go for a run but I have trapped a nerve in my shoulder tobogganing at the beaver christmas party on Wednesday evening. Great fun was had by all including myself even if I did fall off many times. 

It was very peaceful this morning at Dunwich and didn't feel to cold we walked along the beach with the children filling their pockets with all sorts of treasures. Mr M and I used this time to talk about our plans for next year. We have a few projects to do such as redecorating the dining  room and  having new flooring down along with new flooring in the kitchen. We also would like a room/outside office in the garden. As we had a big holiday to Florida this year we have decided that next year we will do a few weekends away and holiday in the UK. 

On the way back from Dunwich  we called in to a farm shop and I was surprised at the cost of things and it also has an in house butchers.I don't often go in farm shops because the nearest one to me is very expensive. But we decided to buy a few things here.

A box of 28 Clementines £2.99

A pack of Two free range chickens frozen which doesn't matter as they will be put straight in freezer £7.49

Pack of mince steak Bogof £1.69

I'm not sure of the quality yet but if it's good we will probably make a journey once a month to fill up the freezer as this seems to be some of the cheaper deals around. 

Fog

I woke up this morning to a frost and thick fog that hasn't cleared all day and now it appears to be coming back thicker. I needed to take a trip to Saxmundham and having reached there it was blue skies and the sun was shining. Driving back home about a mile from Fram it was thick fog again. 

Everything has been delivered for Christmas just a mammoth wrapping session now which will wait till next week as I find it's always harder to hide them when they are wrapped and with two excited children about the house it sometimes proves very difficult. 

We will be spending the day with my in-laws which we have always done for the past 15 years actually one of the bonus of only having one set of parents to worry about. I would love to host it at mine but MIL likes to be in control but I try and help as much as I can as I hate sitting around and people waiting on me. Fortunately they only live 5 doors away in the the same close so it's like being at home and we always come back to ours to sleep. 

I ran out of time today to go for a walk but tomorrow I'm walking my friends dog so looking forward to a couple of hours outside in the fresh air as I can get a bit cranky when I have been in all day. 

Christmas decorations and drama.

Today we put up our Christmas decoration, we don't go mad but I do have two trees one in the dining room and one in the lounge. It takes the whole day to put them together they are both artificial I would like a real tree but Mr M isn't keen on them especially if they drop needles. 

The first tree we put up was the one in the dining room we have had this tree over 10 years and is decorated with decorations the children have made and ones we have collected over the years. The first drama of decoration little miss dropped her decoration we bought at Disney World this summer and poor Minnie's Mouse head broke off there was plenty of tears which soon dried up once she realised a bit of superglue would fix it.

The second drama was for our second tree in the lounge we have only had this one 3 years since we had the extension done this is my tree decorated in silver, white and glass baubles and decorations. The lights we had bought for the tree this year worked when we tried them but once on the tree didn't work so it was a trip to Homebase to replace the lights they didn't have a direct replacement so we had to get two sets instead. 

Now both trees are decorated and the garland is running up the banister all that's left is to get some greenery for a table decoration which I will get when on one of my walks.

Tomorrow Little Miss has her grade one ballet exam so a few nerves are around at the moment from me not her so it will be baking in the morning for the weeks lunch boxes and the afternoon will be spent at the dance school. 

 

It's good to be home.

After a lovely but exhausting trip to the city I'm greatful to be home. We had a lovely dinner and we all looked very smart in our cocktail dresses and black ties. It was good to meet the people Mr M works with. With him working in London it does feel he has two separate lives but now I can put faces to names when he talks about work. 

We didn't sleep to well as getting back to the hotel and checking how Suffolk was doing in the storm we saw a report to say where we park our car was flooded so being stuck in London and it being 1.30 in the morning there was nothing to do except wait till we come home. Thankfully the car was fine otherwise that would have been a very expensive job at the garage. 

I'm now enjoying a cup of tea and catching up on the news and reading about Nelson Mandela thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this time. 

Bags are packed I'm going to the city!

Well the little black dress is packed along with the high heels I'm ready for my night away in the city. It's not that I don't like london I'm just terrified of it lots of tall building far to many people and not enough greenery. Where we are staying is right in the city surrounded by offices so I am not expecting a room with a view.

It's not that I haven't been before I have usually go once or twice a year to take the children to the museums and us to the Cricket we are huge cricket fans but when we go we don't often stay to expensive and it's not to far on the train though it is a little tiring  Mr M does it everyday so I shouldn't compline. 

My first job tomorrow is to find the hotel I have my phone ready with the map on it though I don't want to be walking round in broad daylight with my phone out perfect opportunity to get mugged! Next is what to do  for 5 hours till Mr M joins me? Do I lock myself in my room or am I brave enough to explore  I'm sure a coffee shop is nearby so I can waste an hour in there then it will take me a good 2 hours to have a bath and do all those things to make me presentable! Actually the 2 hour bath with no children running in and out is looking quite enticing. So that's 2 hours left to just relax and possibly explore I won't be traveling on the tube on my own to scared. I will let you know how I get on tomorrow. 

I need a little more notice than two days.

This week I am going to the city and having dinner with Mr M and various important people he works with and thier partners. Two weeks ago it was a smart casual affair outfit was sorted smart black trousers and a top I hadn't worn yet. Today Mr M calls me to say said dinner is now a black tie event giving me two days notice. Cue the panic I don't own much for a black tie event, I'm more at home in wellies and and a raincoat. So tonight has been spent trying on the 3 black dresses I own. The first one I tried on I couldn't do zip up I might be carrying a few extra pounds but the zip is actually broken, the next is a black staple dress used for meetings and funerals even though I'm very nervous about meeting these people I don't think it requires the funeral dress. So all that was left is the dress I bought many years ago but still looks ok possibly a little elegant today, luckily even after two children and nothing a bit of shapeware can't fix. 

So outfit sorted that part I can relax about the next challange is getting myself from the train station to the hotel it's to short for a taxi ride plus it's going to be an expensive night anyway. I'm not even going to mention the tube as I won't be traveling on that alone anyway. I'm such a country girl.