It looks like my DH will be going to India with us. I am sure my suggestion to re-schedule our vacation to Christmas has helped. He will have to do a lot of work there, but at least I am not going to fly alone (e.g. alone with two kids, that is).
It's been a busy time - classes, playdates, friends, etc, etc ... I have every weekend booked until the end of August. This weekend, I went shopping with a friend to a big shopping mall in North London, bought a few shirts for kids, and a few books for them and a few toys. I think I am at the end of my shopping budget for at least a week. Inflation here is a lot higher than what government wants us to believe. Grocery bills are up about 30 percent compare to the last year. Petrol costs over £1.20 per litre. Our little car now takes over £55 worth of petrol to fill the tank. Even my coffee and muffin price is up - the second time this year. It is now £4. Needless to say, it is now not a daily activity. Anyway, I think I need to go to the park more often and forget the path to the shopping centre.
Today we went to visit some friends near Wimbledon. Since we left earlier in the morning, the trip was relatively fast and painless. We stopped over at a temple. Little Munchkin had a complete break down there. Started crying as soon as we got in and did not stop until we left. I think my DH needs to take him there a lot more often, so Little Munchkin can get used to the sounds, smells, and the overall atmosphere. I am looking forward to my mums coming next weekend. Too bad she is coming for only one week. I really need someone to help with the kids. I need to go and sort out Little Munchkins nursery arrangements. I need to get Indian visas done. It would also be nice to get out of the house with my DH one night, even if it is just for an hour to a local pub. Every time we go out, it costs £30 to £40 for a babysitter. So, this year we went out twice. I would love to see mum, but I am also sooo looking forward to having a babysitter-in-house.
About Little Munchkin's nursery - he is starting one in September. I signed him up to go three mornings a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It is just for 2 and a half hours. Still, it is a first time in four years that I am going to have some free time. It should come to about 6 hours a week. Someone asked we what I am going to do with 'all that free time'. I nearly killed them. I think I am going to catch up on some sleep. Maybe do all the housework that accumulated in the past year or so. Maybe I am going to catch up on all the e-mails for the past three years or so. I am sure I'll find something to occupy myself.
I am also having issues with my health. I gained weight, again. I am sure those birth control injections have something to do with it. Unfortunately, my bones are not strong enough to hold all my weight. My knees hurt, a lot. The local (idiot) doctor tested me for rheumatoid arthritis, but the results came inconclusive. So, he would not prescribe me anything at all. My big plan for this trip to India is to have an MRI scan done on my knees. At the moment, I am barely walking and in a lot of pain. I am also sitting on a diet (no sugar, no fat, no fried stuff, etc ...), which adds to my grumpiness. I am miserable and have been sharing it with people around me. Or, and it looks like my ear infection is flaring up again. Those little joys of life ...
Another point of stress is a question of selling the house. I am very comfortable here, but the house is very small. The renovation was done really badly. There are lots of issues cropping up. The nearest one is that we need to replace some electric stuff, for which we need to disconnect the house from a water supply. Well, we can't find where that valve is. It is hidden somewhere behind the kitchen cabinets (at least it is our guess). We've done everything short of dissembling the kitchen and we can't find it, and that is not the biggest issue. We really need to get rid of this place, but to do so someone will have to get the construction workers to come and fix all the doors, replace the wallpaper that Big Munchkin peeled off, re-paint all the walls that suffered from leaks last year, etc ... This someone will have to get the real estate agents, will have to clean up before every viewing, etc, etc ... Guess who that someone is going to be? The hint, it is not my husband. The other problem, is that the market is nearly dead. I don't think there is even a single house in the area that sold recently, despite the prices going down. My fear is that if we wait longer we might lose a lot more than we already resigned to lose. Anyway, when I think about moving again my head hurts. When I think that if the prices continue dropping we might not be able to sell it at all (or take a loss of something like £200 thousand), my head REALLY hurts.
It's been a busy time - classes, playdates, friends, etc, etc ... I have every weekend booked until the end of August. This weekend, I went shopping with a friend to a big shopping mall in North London, bought a few shirts for kids, and a few books for them and a few toys. I think I am at the end of my shopping budget for at least a week. Inflation here is a lot higher than what government wants us to believe. Grocery bills are up about 30 percent compare to the last year. Petrol costs over £1.20 per litre. Our little car now takes over £55 worth of petrol to fill the tank. Even my coffee and muffin price is up - the second time this year. It is now £4. Needless to say, it is now not a daily activity. Anyway, I think I need to go to the park more often and forget the path to the shopping centre.
Today we went to visit some friends near Wimbledon. Since we left earlier in the morning, the trip was relatively fast and painless. We stopped over at a temple. Little Munchkin had a complete break down there. Started crying as soon as we got in and did not stop until we left. I think my DH needs to take him there a lot more often, so Little Munchkin can get used to the sounds, smells, and the overall atmosphere. I am looking forward to my mums coming next weekend. Too bad she is coming for only one week. I really need someone to help with the kids. I need to go and sort out Little Munchkins nursery arrangements. I need to get Indian visas done. It would also be nice to get out of the house with my DH one night, even if it is just for an hour to a local pub. Every time we go out, it costs £30 to £40 for a babysitter. So, this year we went out twice. I would love to see mum, but I am also sooo looking forward to having a babysitter-in-house.
About Little Munchkin's nursery - he is starting one in September. I signed him up to go three mornings a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It is just for 2 and a half hours. Still, it is a first time in four years that I am going to have some free time. It should come to about 6 hours a week. Someone asked we what I am going to do with 'all that free time'. I nearly killed them. I think I am going to catch up on some sleep. Maybe do all the housework that accumulated in the past year or so. Maybe I am going to catch up on all the e-mails for the past three years or so. I am sure I'll find something to occupy myself.
I am also having issues with my health. I gained weight, again. I am sure those birth control injections have something to do with it. Unfortunately, my bones are not strong enough to hold all my weight. My knees hurt, a lot. The local (idiot) doctor tested me for rheumatoid arthritis, but the results came inconclusive. So, he would not prescribe me anything at all. My big plan for this trip to India is to have an MRI scan done on my knees. At the moment, I am barely walking and in a lot of pain. I am also sitting on a diet (no sugar, no fat, no fried stuff, etc ...), which adds to my grumpiness. I am miserable and have been sharing it with people around me. Or, and it looks like my ear infection is flaring up again. Those little joys of life ...
Another point of stress is a question of selling the house. I am very comfortable here, but the house is very small. The renovation was done really badly. There are lots of issues cropping up. The nearest one is that we need to replace some electric stuff, for which we need to disconnect the house from a water supply. Well, we can't find where that valve is. It is hidden somewhere behind the kitchen cabinets (at least it is our guess). We've done everything short of dissembling the kitchen and we can't find it, and that is not the biggest issue. We really need to get rid of this place, but to do so someone will have to get the construction workers to come and fix all the doors, replace the wallpaper that Big Munchkin peeled off, re-paint all the walls that suffered from leaks last year, etc ... This someone will have to get the real estate agents, will have to clean up before every viewing, etc, etc ... Guess who that someone is going to be? The hint, it is not my husband. The other problem, is that the market is nearly dead. I don't think there is even a single house in the area that sold recently, despite the prices going down. My fear is that if we wait longer we might lose a lot more than we already resigned to lose. Anyway, when I think about moving again my head hurts. When I think that if the prices continue dropping we might not be able to sell it at all (or take a loss of something like £200 thousand), my head REALLY hurts.
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