Told you there would be several updates today!

What do you expect Ive been away for over a month!

Anyway~! I had some good news today - well to be totally specific ~ Holly had some good news today! I entered a baby competition the other day with her details in to win two Moshi Monsters books (for those who don't know Moshi Monsters is a children's online game where they have to raise there own monsters).

Well would you believe it Holly Won!

So she won

* a Moshi Monsters activity book full of puzzles, wordsearchs etc

* a Moshi Monsters Handbook with hints and tips

So I have decided that Ben can have the activity book, and then their big brother J who is now 10 (as of January 16th) can have the handbook so Benjamin has already given Holly a big kiss and said Thank You and J can have his on the weekend if he is over

Now to try more competitions.

My wins for January 2 tickets to go and watch the 'Britain's Got Talent' auditions in Cardiff.

Hello!

I am alive ~ just.......possibly.........sleep deprived I think is the correct terminology though!

I am about just having one of those months I think!

*Washing machine blew up

*Abby had her surgery today and isn't recovering as expected

*Mums been diagnosed with depression and hasn't been eating

*Best friend struggling with things

*Another friend has just attempted suicide and been released from

hospital so am at her beckon call at the minute

*Another friend has been paralyzed in hospital due to prolapsed discs in

her back so been looking after her two kids and dog.

NIGHTMARE!

But I am about - my poor blog has suffered too, my posts have been non existent on any boards at all. Have been arguing with Owen and to top it off money has been tight because of the bloody washing machine!

But I am me and you all know what I'm like!

Washing machine replaced thanks to coop electrical store, so discount and a friend lending me £60 towards it so landed to have that back. Would have cost £240 but I had it for £160 and it would of cost £220+ to mend the old one!

Sister has literally been out of surgery for about 1.5hours and not responding as they think she should so shes in the best place at the minute and has our cousin and gentlemen 'friend' with her.

My mum - I cant do anything but listen and try not to stress her out too much and help where I can so have treated her to a pick n mix of her favorite things and have been making sure to feed her when I see her even if its a cup of tea and a sticky finger bun! plus sending a few of my BOGOF/ discount stuff home with her

Best friend and other suicidal friend - if they ring I have to answer it - whether its 3pm or 3am as the suicidal one tried to overdose by crushing sleeping pills into her tea although just how I'm meant to help I don't know but I cant not. Other one cant get past her dad passing away and the fact that I'm settled with kids and our other best friend got married so she feels left behind.

Friend with prolapsed discs is almost reliant on me at the minute - shes been released from hospital and her mum helps her with basic care - dressing/bathing etc - but Ive had to look after pup, her mum lets the dog out but refuses to touch him etc, I have to go shopping with her, school runs/ medicines etc. Phone calls and money collecting on her behalf from post office etc. Plus her son took a turn in school the other day, was stood in line, suddenly went pale and his lips turned blue but he has quite severe asthma and she ran to the school as quick as she could, although hes fine but now sh has been suffering for the last few days.

Plus the normal day to day stuff, with my two kids, Owen and dog, school runs, footy practice, football matches etc. Sammy Kaye is almost dead on her feet and in need of a full nights sleep since holly has been teething!

On top of all that Ive just taken on the 'better reading' challenge in Benjies school which is 2 hours a week to learn how to help kids improve their reading but after the first 10 weeks learning phrase you go on to do more work and training and it eventually gets you a level 3 NVQ so can only help really - just waiting for the CRB check to finish but its only 2 hours a week.

Right off to make sausage casserole with mashed tatties, then off up the hill to feed her mob. Wish she lived closer its about 3hrs total between getting there, sorting everything, and coming home and its a bloody steep hill she lives on top of!

x

Ok so in preparation for the upcoming New Year festivities I have been thinking about my new year resolution and my goals I'd like to achieve in 2011.

I have come up with the following list of goals

1. Tone up

I'd like to accomplish this this year because since 2009 I have been losing weight - I joined a slimming club in February 2009 and weighed in at 14st 3lbs. August 2009 I discovered I was pregnant with twins, September I sadly miscarried. My weight levelled through to overeating/depression/grieving etc and slowly started to come off until I hit my 2st target on Christmas eve 2009. It was boxing day that I discovered I was pregnant. I had my daughter in July 2010 and the weight has been dropping off since- its hard work watching a 6 year old, 5 month old, walking a dog and running a house with school runs in between! I'm now 5'5.5 (yes the .5 makes a difference!) and I currently weigh 11st 9lbs. So this year since the weight is done all the access.....well.......me needs toning and the mummy tummy needs attention! Although I despise sit ups so this could get interesting and needing a great amount of will power to keep it up!

2. Sort out Life Insurance. and 3. make a will.

i think these two are pretty self explanatory. I have two small children and in the event that something happens to me I want to know my babies are looked after. Simple really.

4. Learn to drive

I tried when I was 16 but was more interested in hanging out with my friends, listening to music and chasing boys so it never really took and none of the information stuck. Plus I had a lousy instructor who insisted on talking to his girlfriend fro half my lesson and never paid attention to what I did.

5. Get some savings together.

Again - explains itself I think. Now I'm debt free and have the money there its nice to know that it is there for something and I would be able to enjoy it if I could get it saved up. I'm hoping to take my children on their first holiday this year and after some discussion on MSE http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2809174&page=32 I think I will be using the Sun vouchers way of doing it and saving up some spending money for us all to enjoy ourselves with. I will also be taking Ceridwen's advice and making myself a right now list, a want in the future list and my wish list to track my process so I'll post those later.

6. Continue entering competitions.

I managed successfully to get myself and my partner debt free this year with a win before Christmas- look back over recent posts - its there somewhere! - so I have decided to keep up the competitions and see if I cant keep winning my way to my dream home and small holding.

So that's my aims for 2011 ~ what's everyone else hope to accomplish?

x

NADOLIG LLAWEN

Just popping in to wish a very Merry Christmas to all my on-line friends and may the coming year be happy and prosperous for all

I am now off to attempt to get Benjamin to bed, holly is no problem as she's currently asleep on her changing mat, but Ben may be another story. I have all of his stuff to wrap and all of Hollys - it may be a very long night!

Now to find a mince pie, some milk and a carrot...............

Enjoy!

I have today been enjoying my new financial situation

I now only have 8 things a month to pay out including food

Before my luck, I had 13. The last 5 being debts!

Its also nice as it means when I do get my pay every month I am now £175 better off (minimum!) which sounds lovely to say! and the first time I have ever been able to say it in my 11 years of working life! (yes my first job was at 15 - at Hurran's Garden Centre! - I remember the canary yellow polo shirt and the blue jumper well!)

It has been nice to know its there and think once Christmas is out of the way I will set about my financial planning properly so I will be able to start saving accordingly etc for things I would like.

Do really need to sit down and plan for some New Years Changes (I don't do resolutions!) that I would like to do.

Im hoping 2011 will be a good year for us!

Apologies firstly for the slight lapse in posting - obviously Christmas is getting somewhat in the way and have just had the horrid realisation that I have in fact got A LOT of wrapping still to do in the way of

All of Holly's

All of Ben's

All of Owen's

Owen's mum

Owen's dad

Owen's sister

Owen's niece

Owen's nephew

Owen's nephew

Whatever my mum has brought for Ben

Whatever my mum has brought for Holly

All of J's

Simply - Owen cant wrap for toffee but has taken on Christmas shopping by himself this year - god help and god only knows what will be unwrapped and by who under the tree this year although when he has a plan he does very well as my best ever past present was a mini moto that he had specially dismantled and sprayed baby pink for me. It looked fantastic and if I can find a photo I will put it up for you to see.

However , I get a feeling it may be a long next two nights for me - as hoping I can get his families wrapped to give out tomorrow - he's only buying them today! and he wants to drop of J's main present tomorrow to to him.

Still need also to get Christmas vegetables.

I suffer horribly from panic attacks when I'm stuck in a crowd so the vegetable aisle of Tesco today was a huge challenge! I managed to grab carrots. That was it. So so far Christmas dinner consists of carrots, chicken and gravy. Hoping I can get over to the coop tomorrow or tonight and grab a few bits and pieces. Also did manage to get a strawberry Swiss roll from Tesco for £1.10 which will be our pudding with custard. None of us like fruit cake so a proper Christmas cake or pudding is out of the question but will pop over tomorrow to grab a few more nibble bits. Its the only year so far too that we haven't had a big tin of chocolates as Owen has been and is getting in shape this year with daily visits to the gym and I'm finally fro the first time in 6 years under 12st so the temptation has been removed now although we will still have our fair share of treats.

Oh well had better make a start on Ben's dinner and start getting him ready for bed so I can get a start on present wrapping!

I don't know whether to laugh, cry, be angry..................stumped!

Heard from my sister today.

To catch anyone up who doesnt know my situation - my sister met a US soldier about 6 months ago through a mutual friend that she 'got together' with on-line - they talked on Skype etc for the last few months and when he returned home to his home in Gerogia she decided to go and visit him on December 4th.

She was meant to fly back on the 19th but her flight was cancelled.

So she swapped airlines to fly through chicago instead for this morning

Her flight got cancelled this morning and she now cant get home until the 27th December. :( Effectively missing Christmas with her 5 year old daughter T.

Spoke to my mum this morning who has my niece - she had no idea about what was going on.

She said my sister has not brought one present for my niece for Christmas and my mum is skint until Christmas Eve which she is working and then she has T after work so cant shop! :eek:.

So I spoke to my niece and asked her what was the best present she could get from Father Christmas - her answer was a doggy on a lead.

So I went off in search, my local town was sold out of everything bar one

which cost £59.99. I went to Argos, put it in the price checker thing in the hope someone would have returned one of the others as a doubled up gift etc, put in the number for the expensive one and it came up with the price of £49.99 - ok so £10 off.

Rang my boyfriend to talk me out of it and explained the situation and that I would use my money not the winnings and his reply was 'she's near enough your baby, so buy for her like you would Benji and your sister can shove it. So I got her her doggy as her main present from us, we already had a stocking made up for her as her present. She now has a selection box, tube sweets, coins etc. We also got her a glittery jewellery box which was £1.50 in Home Bargains and 3 princess and the unicorns books from Poundland. Plus Ow has just walked in with 'the princess and the frog' on DVD for her and a pair of pink pyjamas with white snowflakes on for her. :T He may be a grumpy old man but he is a softy at heart.

He did ask if she has everything she needs to go back to school too but I've no idea about that so will ask my mum later.

Am seriously considering asking my sister if she'd rather sign T's care over to me and she can just carry on as she is. Although my boyfriends view on this is "why should I raise her baby when she should be doing it, or if not my mother can do it" - so if it came down to me taking my niece full time or keeping my family together I may face the prospect as a single mummy to three come the new year!

I mean my sister apparently is abroad with no money to her name, and no working phone so effectively stranded in the USA.

Sorting T out today for Christmas though has made me realise I haven't heard anything about my other niece since March! so I made a start to get in touch with my other nieces father L - he took custody of her in Christmas 2009 after suspecting my sister wasn't caring for her properly and she is coming along lovely. He replied within about an hour saying me and my family could have full access to S, left his mobile number, promised me a school photo when she starts school. Said he's happy to meet up so me, Ben and holly can spend time with her as she's really shy and doubt I could prize her off her daddy.

Either way I now know T is ok for Christmas and I dare say I'll be picking her up a few more bits between now and her getting her presents! Even if it is just some stickers and little bits etc.

Stressed............................