Saturday 22 October 2011

I've changed!

Yes I have gone through the change and come out the other side still trying to work out what I have done!!

I have moved my blog to http://www.muminmeltdown.co.uk/ 

Don't be too harsh the new site is still in it's basic form and will change as I begin to work out how to do stuff ( says the complete technophobe!)

So any helpful comments or ideas, like how to get text onto my header picture ( which will also be changing) or how I can import the rest of my Blogger posts that decided not to transfer!!!

So come along and take a look and hopefully follow like you did here.

Thursday 13 October 2011

A nervous day!

Yes, it's a very nervous day in my household today. It's the day my youngest son's 11+ results arrive on our doorstep!!

As the day has drawn closer I have noticed him getting more and more concerned about it. He is hoping to pass but we have tried to warn him that it doesn't always go to plan and not to be too disappointed if he doesn't get through.

However, what makes it worse is that he is a bright boy, he has the potential to pass, he has done some work towards it..................but there is never any guarantee.

Going on his work at home, if he finished the practise papers on time he then didn't do very well. But if he concentrated and didn't finish the paper on time ( quality rather than quantity) then he tended to get a good score!!!
On both of the test days he came out saying that he had finished the papers..............not a great sign!!


But you just never know. We are not holding our breath as parents however, we are trying to prepare for the meltdown that will be if he doesn't 'pass' the test. I know he will feel a failure, I know he will feel resentment against his brother ( who did pass a few years ago and attends the school my youngest really wants to go to) and I know tomorrow going into school will be hellish for him!!

You see most people have the opinion that he will pass, I'm afraid that they mistake his confidence (which he has in abundance) for ability! I think he feels under pressure because of this!

These are children who are only 10 or 11 years old. They are too young to have this much pressure. I know of many parents who openly talk about it all in front of them and therefore, the pressure of not being a 'failure' is all too apparent.

My post does not arrive until lunchtime.........................my nerves may not stand it!

Little does he know that I will be steaming that letter open to find out the result before he opens it on his return from school!! I need to be prepared in order to deal with any of his disappointment straight away!!

On the other hand he may pass and be overjoyed.................................who knows what the day holds.

Either way we will be treating him to dinner out to at least celebrate the fact it will all be over!!!!

Sunday 9 October 2011

I'm going through a change...........

Yes Mum in Meltdown is going to be changing soon! I have decided that I love this blogging malarkey and reading all of yours too. But now I want to move from my beginners Blogger account to a properly owned site..............wish me luck I am a complete technophobe. This could all go horribly wrong! But I'm hoping it's not going to be as bad as I'm expecting.

This has all come about after getting a bit of a kick up the backside after joining the Become a Mumpreneur course run by the lovely@erica and @antoniachitty .  I have been off work through illness now for over 2 years and I am desperate to get back on my feet and hopefully start earning something- however small!

The first monetary challenge was to earn £20 for the month. So along with my eldest son we cleared out some old toys/books etc and decided to do a car boot sale!!

So yesterday morning we headed of to set up and hopefully turn some of our items into hard cash!!





We didn't have a massive amount to sell but we were hoping to break the £20 goal. the day went well and we sold around £48 worth of stuff!! We were very impressed as we didn't really stay there long and the boot sale itself wasn't that big. So taking off our entry fee of £12 we cleared £35.80!!!

So my eldest was pleased as he cleared his debt's ( a lost Ipod touch that was only 8 weeks old!!) and I was chuffed as when he gave the money to me I had exceeded my £20 monthly challenge.

So this has got me thinking towards next months challenge. I have always loved to make handmade gifts at Christmas, (hot chocolate cones, hampers, cookies etc) so with that in mind I have decided to have a table at the school Christmas fair ( hopefully) to sell some of these items(again hopefully!).

My £35 will go towards stuff I need initially to make the items ( which I will take pics of and probably post on here). At the moment I am feeling confident that the items are sell able.................however when I am standing in that sale I'm sure my confidence will disappear!!

Wish me luck..............................................both for the new look blog ( please come and follow me when I change) and for next month's sale!!!

Monday 3 October 2011

Get me off this speeding train.....................................called life!!

This week has passed with the blink of an eye!! Really I feel as though I stepped on a speeding train and forgot to get off. Lets face it life has been a bit of a whirlwind since the kids have gone back to school.

It started with Friday 23rd being my youngest sons 11th birthday. bless him he had done the 11+ test that week and was so glad to get it all over that he really couldn't wait for his big day!

Yes shock of all shocks he had to go to school on his birthday! Life is so hard.
Now for some reason he though we might let him have the day off........but we are bad parents and made him go to school anyway! But he had a great day there and had some lovely pressies from his good friends. That night he was going to milk it for all he was worth so we had present opening....


Followed by dinner out..............TGI's being his choice...............


Followed by cake..................................yum!!


Who doesn't love chocolate caterpillar cake!!

Before all this we had a discussion on what he wanted to do for his birthday. A disco, cinema with some friends, a sleepover, Quasar, all the usual stuff. But although he loves to go to a party and is extremely sociable he wanted a day with the family.................FISHING!!!!
one of his catches!




But the week didn't stop there...........oh no. We had 2 secondary school visits, a doctors appointment, a dreded dentist appointment, all afterschool classes ( scouts, boys football/youth club, dance class, drama class) amongst all the usual shopping, washing, ironing...................yes I know a familiar story to you all!!

Then came a last minute audition for my youngest up at Covent Garden which then re arranged all our plans to meet up with friends to take the kids all swimming ( while we catch up on the gossip!). So OH went one way and me and my youngest went another. Then on to friends for dinner, drinking, gossiping and far too late a night ( which was fab!) and then a hideouslyearly morning to get both boys to Scouts for a day Power Boating activity at Whitstable!!
It was the hottest day of the so called summer! The boys were away. We had the day to ourselves...........so what did we do.....................................FISHING!!!

Now this is where I know I am being mentally affected by the pace of life!! I have the choice of what to do, a day out without kids, a whole day to do what we wanted...............and i chose fishing!!!!

RIGHT, SOMETHING MENTALLY WRONG.................................you agree?

Most people get a misd life crisis, indulge in implants,face lifts, radical hair do's, wearing skirts that are too short or tops that are too low.....................................................Oh no not me..................I go fishing!!!!!

Someone save me from this insanity!!!!!!!
I need to get out more.................or drink more......................or both!!!!