Time turner

I am tired. Beyond tired.  Exhausted even!!!!  I need more sleep.  I am a person who craves sleep.  I can sleep 10 hours every night and be still struggle to wake up.  But life has other ideas.  I don't have time for the 7 hours I normally snatch.  

Maybe my time management needs work

2 hours dog walking

1.5 hours cooking

1.5 hours housework

4 hours learning

3 hours social activities/clubs/lessons etc

3 hours sewing

1 hour allotment

2 hours slumped in an exhausted heap on the sofa with husband/planning learning

10  hours sleep

This is my ideal day. Unfortunately I need 28 hours in a day to do  it.  So my sewing time is cut, sleeping time is cut and husband time is cut.  And woe betide a day when something I am not expecting happens.  I need to go to the shop, church, plan for church, visitors, more detailed house clean.  And all of a sudden I am chasing my tail.  

So my evening tonight involves cooking the dinner, walking the dog, catching up on the obscene amount of Christmas present sewing I have to do, attempting meaningful conversation and a cuddle with husband, followed by an insufficient amount of sleep.  

If you can't tell, I am grumpy and I have a headache!!!!!  I will attempt to be happier next time.  xxx

Family values

On one of the frugal blogs that I follow there was one about a person who can't say no to buying and spending money on things.  It rang with a certain resonance.  At some point my children are going to get to the age where they want "stuff".  It is going to be expensive stuff, stuff we can't afford because of the lifestyle choices we have made, stuff their friends have.

I firmly believe that we are making the right lifestyle choices for us, and I truly believe that my children will become adults who will agree with that.  But I am not foolish enough to believe that there won't be a period of many years to come where the decision we have made won't be good enough for our children.

I want my children to find the value in what they have, not what they think they should have.

I work on our allotment, and the children do too.  Hopefully this will teach them to value what we have, to recognise that hard work brings results, that nature is in charge not humans, and to avoid waste.

I sew clothes and toys and things for the home, and will teach them to do the same.  On a practical level this teaches them skills that they can utilise throughout their lives.   Also waste, hard work etc.

I home educate the children.  I am hopeful they will learn the value of education, of learning. I want them to find joy in learning something new.  I firmly believe that this is missing from schools just because of so many children learning what they are told, not about what interests them.  Tangents are rare, and going off on tangent not acceptable.  Embrace the tangents.

I volunteer to teach Junior church ever Sunday.  I hope to teach them the value of helping, of doing something for others.

I have sacrificed my career, friends and earning potential to raise them as a stay-at-home Mum.  I have done so gladly and without regret, and I hope this teaches them that family is the most important thing in the world, and to embrace that family with joy.

Most of all I want them to understand that the most important things aren't material possessions.  Earn enough to be well fed, warm and safe.  And spend what little time we have on this planet making yourself and your family loved and happy.  The best things in life are free as they say!!!.

My children understand all of this now, and truly believe they will remember and understand all of this again.   But I am aware that there will be a period where they will forget the message.  They will forget to be thankful for what they have and the skill they are gaining. And they will break my heart.  As adults they may make different choices for themselves and their families.  And this is fine.  All I want for them is to make THEIR choices, and not follow the expectation of others, and to hold true to their own values

New family member

Elsa

I am so unbelievably excited, and I am trying to be calm, but am mostly bouncing off the walls.  We are getting a dog.  I have always wanted a dog, and it has been on the "when all of the babies are old enough to make good choices"  list for some time.  And since we decided no more babies (sob sob)  we have decided that now is a good time for a dog.  It is not a spur of the moment decision, but definitely one we have made in time, and it is all E has asked for for her birthday anyway.  Husband was a bit slow to warm up to the idea, although he had agreed hypothetically for years, but E went over with her blond curls and big blue eyes and said "please Daddy, Please,  Ellie want a doggy", with only minimal coaching from me!!!!  And so tomorrow we will take ownership of Elsa (fingers crossed).

I met her on Monday at her current owners house.  She is 9 months old and is just the sweetest.  She is a cavachon, which is half king charles Spaniel and half Bichon Frise, and has big brown eyes, and an interesting curious little face.  And a tail that is never still.  I can't wait to go on long walks with her.  I will need to do a sweep at the allotment to get the bramble runners that have taken over before taking her down there though.

Naturally the children are excited.  O is claiming it to be him idea all along, and isn't he clever to think of such good ideas etc etc.  And E, who still struggles with the concept of time passing, knows we are getting a dog but "On Friday"  could mean in 5 minutes, or forever and ever away.  But we did get a few necessities from the pet shop.  And that was exciting.  I have spent the last few days moving all of my sewing things into the spare room, that is now not going to be a nursery but a sewing room/drying washing room/ironing room.  And have cleaned and tidied everything except the car and the garden.  The car will have to wait for another day because the nearest space I could park in today was further than the extension cord for the vacuum cleaner will reach, so am about to sort the garden out.

I am going to compost the top of the Christmas potatoes today as well.  The weather is turning very cold, and I don't want to get caught out with an unexpected frost.  And the tomatoes are going as well.  So there will be plenty of space for Elsa to run, play and poop.

Happy happy.  xxx

Pumpkin Party

Last night we attended the Pumpkin Party at the allotment.  There are a few events each year to raise money for the allotment society, but we hadn't been to this one before.  We had the most fun.

All of the children were dressed up in Halloween costumes.  There were loads of giant pumpkins for the children to carve, although they were so huge it was mostly all the dads stood around with carving knives, whilst the children stomped through the puddles.  The children had a lovely time running around and playing together, whilst the bonfire was lit.

When the bonfire got going we had hot dogs and pumpkin soup, with loads of treats doing the rounds, and there were plenty of fireworks going off nearby that we could watch as well.  We all sat around the bonfire and enjoyed the company.  Fortunately the weather was fairly mild and lovely and dry, so we stayed until the end.  I had made some  cupcakes and jellies, as well as a raffle prize, so we rescued the tray.  We had a slight trauma in that we had parked by our allotment, and it was slightly tricky to find our way out in the pitch black with little windy paths to navigate, but we managed with no damage to property or veg patch.  And then needed a revitalising hot chocolate when we got in to defrost slightly.  A very seasonal good time had by all. xxx