Night 27

I found a lumie in the amazon lightning sale and I got one. It was £100 down to £50. If it is any good I'll use my Tesco points and get Lyle the cheaper one I was looking at, but grudging to pay.

The rentals are getting karndean flooring and have extra, and offering to get it put in in my living room. For free.
I'm going to have a look at it tomorrow and decide.

Tonights plan is to get up the loft and get the Christmas tree down to decorate over the weekend.
And to be in bed for 11 at the latest!

Night 24, 25 & 26

Sorry, I have not forgot about here, I have just been super busy at work, which is where I normally post from.
So night 23; Tueaday. Long as normal what with karate and not getting home till half 8. I was in bed for not long after ten pm.

Last night, Wednesday I was beat. I'm struggling to get up in the morning, even though I'm getting around 8 hours sleep every night. I just can barely bring myself to get out of bed in the morning.

Tonight I've just watched an episode of greys anatomy and once I'm finished here, I'm off to bed.

I have looked into those sunrise type alarm clocks. Found 1 for £15, but the reviews are mixed. It's not a *real* one and the light doesn't come on gradual but its not too bright a light either.
The cheapest *real* one I've found is by lumie. Only bad things I have read about it is u need to set it every night, and it doesn't have back up batteries, so if their is a power cut, then it won't work in the morning.
Oh and its £60.
£60 for an alarm clock.
Such a big decision to make.

(I'll add in the links when at work).

Downloaded The White Papers to read. I *think* I'm voting yes, even though their is a lot of uncertainty. But anything's gotta be better than being ruled by Westminster (not being ruled by Brussels would be great too... And that is what I want clarified)

The world is not all bad aqnd night 23

When you say Russia, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Cold? Anti-Gay? lock up greenpeace type people? fuzzy hats? dancing whilst squatting? vodka? snow?

Maybe this little 5+mins video will surprise you? It certainly made a tear drop from my eye.

Faith in humanity restored. This is known as the "Russian video that made the world cry"


Last night, night 22, I watched a docu- type film called The Cave, one ukranian extended families fight for survival against the nazi's and also their own neighbours. Longest survival in a cave since man kind left caves aparently.

We also went and seen Thor 2 at the pictures. It was a great way to spend an otherwise boring dull Monday night. It was a lot better than Thor 1, but no where near as good as Avengers Assemble. I dont think any comic book film is going to be that great again until the next avengers. Loki was great and provided the humour, not kids laugh out loud humour, more smirking type.

Struggled to get to bed and struggled to get out of bed. I think its the time of year. Going to look into those S.A.D. lamps.

It's midnight, on night 22

and i am just starting this post.
reason being, i clicked on a link tonight that took me to something interesting. I don't normally watch the videos but for some reason i did tonight. Part of me wishes i can erase it the other part of me glad i am more aware even though it leaves me scared shitless. forgive my french.
It is all about Britain and its debt.
I've read a few bits n bobs whilst looking at different things for my mortgage and small savings, just little snippets of do u fix ur mortgage interest rate just now, or later. how long to fix for? they recon in 2015/16 that the interest rates are going to increase. This program thinks from 2015 on-wards, some other sites have said 2020.
The scary thing is, the anarchy that is going to descend. /look at the riots a few years back, that caught on up and down England (cant say that was a British wide thing, no matter how much the media tried. it did not happen in Norther Ireland, Scotland nor Wales). Now if our financial position changed completely, and people where being evicted from houses, pensions cut, banks being forced to keep your money, this place will descend into hell. And that is what i am scared about. We though growing up in/after Thatcher was bad, what is coming will be worse. The modern technology age makes things that are far away, be in your homes, and that fire grows very quickly. Look what blackberry messenger service done during the riots! I don't want my son to grow up in that environment.

I currently have a pension through work. I pay £30/month towards this. I got a statement in this week and it does not look good. I do not know enough about pensions to understand it.

Where would I go to learn about pensions and what is the best option for me???


Aaarrgh! this is one of the main reasons why i want the mortgage paid of ASAP. Then I would not need to worry about interest rates on any debt that i had.


And randomly i just seen on seo alba that the Scottish Government just bought Prestwick Airport for one pound!

Night 21.

Went good , Saturday night film night, Lyle picked kick ass again. I folded and put away clothes then we both went to bed back of 10 and both got up abt half 9.

I really need to change it from DVD night to games night and start playing the board games we have.

Found inside last years advent calendar, some of our activities. Think I will add some of these to this years.

Today, we are going to see my sisters New house. Rather exciting! We are giving our 'spare' advent calendar to them. It was always intended to be for them anyways, even though I bought it years before Rio was born. At the time, I wanted to buy 3, but only 2 left. I will make one for Gary, when he has children, and that won't be for years yet, although I do hope that he doesn't end up like Gordon; mid 30's, no kids, still living at the parents with a real fear of commitment. One thing is for sure tho, he won't be dependent on the family for money like Gordon. Gary has always made sure he keeps his and is slowly working to become a millionaire. One day :)

In-terrr-essss-t!

It's crazy to think that I have already paid over £30,000 towards my house.
I'm a little shocked.
Nearly paid HALF my actual purchase price in just over 6 years, and yet I still have 13, yes thirteen long years left before I will own my house outright.

I am gobsmacked at this thought.

Another seven years to pay off the house and another six years of interest payments!  Seventy-two months of having to work to pay back interest.

Another way to look at it is I have just spent a little over 6 years paying interest, and in a few weeks or months, I start to pay back the purchase price of my house. Every penny from now on goes towards me owning more and more sheets of timber.
It's a sobering thought.

It also makes me want to cry. Instead I will go to bed, for the first time this week, before 11pm.
Good night and sweet dreams Night 20.

Night 18

Was disasterous. I was ill. from a virus that is doing the rounds or from eating something with dairy. I don't know, but I was up most of the night.

I had to speak to the school this morning too. Lyle keeps coming home with slips about not having lunch money or not having enough. When he is a school lunch, he has the money there. Yesterday was the 'last straw'. We counted out £1.80 in the car, we put it in his zip part of his bag and we walked up to school, straight in the office doors , came home with slip that said he was 20p short. Last week he had £3 that my mum gave him to use for Children in Need day. She gave him the money on Monday night, Tuesday he said he left the money in the class, something about a dish next to the teachers desk. I wrote a note to say £2 was to go towards the previous Lunch money that was given to him (for not having lunch money -when he did!) and £1 was for donuts on children in need day. When he came home on the Saturday I asked how the previous day had went, was it fun? did he get his donuts? And he started to bubble - yes my son is  a sensitive little soul, and said that it wasn't there, he didnt have as much as what he should have and he could only get one donut - think they sold them for 20p, when I wrote the note we didn't know prices and he wanted to buy his teachers a donut too.
I hate having to speak to the staff at school, it sounds accusatory, when its not intended like that, its a long term relationship you have with the school and if it turns sour, its sour for a looong time. But money is going missing, and it needs highlighted. Thats all I want to do, is highlight it, get the situation watched and see what is happening. He could be dropping hs money. He might not be. We don't know.
I've said to the school and we will see what happens from here.


Plans for tonight: Its Friday. I'm going to visit siome family, go home, DO THE DISHES! Might get a chance to wrap up a few presents. and then sleep. Original plan was to meet up with a good friend for a drink or two and catch up, but my gut can barely handle water just now, never mind the strong stuff. 

Night 17

I got my laptop back on Sunday, I ordered a new cable for the power pack. i installed all my security that was recommended to me. And i properly joined in with a conversation on my facebook with my friends. Then it was half eleven before i knew it. Jumped to bed haha


In the past few days I have had 3 people tell me they have not slept 'for worrying'.

I don't shout about it, but I work for a debt collection company. I have to call people and ask when the next payment will be because that have missed the one they were supposed to be paying. I'm actually supposed to call and try and get a payment asap. I can't force myself to add to someones problems so I ask when the next payment will be and advise what happens if no paymnet made, and ALWAYS stress to them that if they can't make it to call us before so we can work something out.

Back to the worry over debt affecting your sleep.
Back in the day, when my depression was really bad, I could NOT sleep. No matter what I done. I was constantly tired. I would force myself to be busy during the day to tire myself out, yet come bed time, my brain just didn't shut off. The nights that were the worst was those ones where your eyes are asleep, but you are not. Not the same as the ones with your eyes open just thinking, this is the one that you sometimes have before you drift of, a bit like purgetory, you know, just outside the land of nod. I hated those nights.
And still do if I get them

When I was a student, I picked Stress as a subject to write for an English report, and all the fantastic advise out their is 'Don't Stress/Worry about it'.
Easier said than done.
My advise would be 'Take Ownership Of It!'
What is your main worry? I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that most peoples worry boils down to money. So sit yourself down. Get some bank statements/recipets, whatever method you haev used previously for tracking your money.
Write it all down.
Direct Debits - amounts and what dates do they come out.
Standing Orders -amounts and when they come out.
Cash Bills - When do they need to be paid.

Now your Income
When do you get paid?
Extra money?
Benefits?

Does  it add up?

If you look at my mock, (figures estimates and some things missing) you will see that out of £1000, my direct debits and standing orders leave me with £ 241 each month. I now need to divy that between everything else like food, groups for Lyle and petrol. Novemebr was a 4 week month so 4 x £3 for Lyles Karate
£241-£12 = £229 (karate)
£229 - £40 = £189 (diesel)
£189 - £50 = £139 (savings)
£139/4 = £34.75 (weeks)

£34.75 each week to buy food, days out, birthdays, school extras/fun days/donations etc

a 5 week month is a lot less, cause its £15 for karate, £50 for diesel,  savings stay the same.
£126 a month or £25.20 per week. for absolutely everything else.

Now, when I had debt and train fare to add into that, and not as much income (my monthly income was £299, and from that I had to still pay the mortgage, £135 train fare, £410 every 4 weeks for child care, no c/tax as i was a student, no benefits as i was a student, i did get child benefit, i got NO help towards child care, in all honesty I do not know how i survived! I did have an £800 overdraft, and I was really extremely lucky if i ever had £50 of actual money in the bank, most times it sat at minus x hundred.), I did not put anything away for savings.

My advise. Own the money that u have.
Call up any companies you owe money to. Tell them exactly what you have. Ask for an Income and Expenditure form, fill it in, put in an offer of payment. If you have a few companies to pay, show what you are offering to all the companies. See if you can offer a smaller amount just now to get another bill paid off quicker, then splitting the money you would normally pay once cleared, between the remaining companies. Try and show time scales. Advise what the alternative is i.e. not paying anyone and going down the bankruptcy route, where no one benefits. 

Do this over one week, If you can, get to a CAB or Financial Fitness or Money Matters type place, get them to help.
In the mean time CUT OFF everything that is of no need.
cable/sky tv? really you NEED this? can u not survive without your eyes glues to the telly?
tv licence? if you can do away with your tv altogether then even better. (stay within the law on watching play back tv)
coffee? I've never understood the NEED for coffee shops coffee, especially not at £2 or £3 for a coffee/tea/hot chocolate. buy a jar and make it at home, take in a carry mug/jar thing you know, the insulated travel mug.
mobile fone? is it imperative that you are contactable every minute of the blimmin day?
Internet? can u use the library/works net instead?

Every family is different. Back then I chose to keep both my fone and virgin package.
My fone was £15/m on the plan i had. i needed the internet for uni. to get rid of my tv package and take a net only package would have worked out more per month. i did check it out.
I didnt do charity shops then, i do now tho. I became an expert at shopping at tesco. knowing when certain foods went on sale, i learned how to cook good food cheaply and quickly

It is do-able. It is hard, but to get to a stage where I am no longer scrimping to get by. I am not well off, but i have less worries and i sleep more and that my friend, is the aim of my game!

Advent Calendar

This getting more organised is paying off, I knew where my advent calendar was and I had even put the spare in with the other. Result!

Ideas for our Advent calendar include

1. Edible treat 
2. Edible treat 
3. Edible treat  (at his dads those days)
4. Read a new book
5. Have hot chocolate and cookies
6. Make a Christmas Star with Mum
7. Write a letter to Santa
8. Go to the Christmas party at school
9. Go see the Christmas lights
10. Go sledding with Mum
11. Invite a friend over for Christmas movie night with treats
12. Have lunch at a special restaurant with our family (my birthday)
13. Write out Christmas Cards
14. Decorate cookies for the neighbours
15. Read 'T was the night before Christmas
16. Make Snowflakes
17. Visit Santa in his Grotto
18. Winter walk to feed the swans and ducks
19. Cinema with After School care
20. Donate food/clothes/toys
21. Perform in Christmas School Show
22. Make Christmas Play do'h
23. Christmas Giving Tree at Chapel
24. Have dinner by candle light

 The only one I can see that may be a problem is Go Sledding/Sledging. That all depends on the weather.
But I have my list. I just now need to make them look fancy and fit in the stockings. in the correct order for what is happening. I will try and have a few spares for those that we cant get done

No Christmas Cards please,

We're frugals! and givers. Just not wasters of money (postage), and trees!
I do have cards that i got in the sales a few years back that son will be giving to those in his class as it helps with his writing.



22 meals for £3. You say it can't be done? A Girl Called Jack says otherwise.
I have not been on her blog for a long while, but had a wee look at that post today, which ties in with me not sending out christmas cards IF i see you daily, instead I am donating food to the local food bank and church.

It won’t be easy, but you will have encouragement.
It won’t be without pitfalls, but you will have someone to pull you out.
It won’t be without personal challenges but you will have cheerleaders to get you through.
It won’t be without dark days but we will help you see the light.  - NinjaSavingKat



Just Say No November - I would love to join in these types of challenges, butt he way I shop it is not possible. Although with a bit more organising I'm sure I could.

Window sizes.

I need blinds/curtains. Have done for years, but if I want to pay less to the energy companies then I need to shut out the outside world when it gets cold.
The living room has Venetian blinds, I always wanted wooden slats but unsure how they would work, as I have about 2/4 inch window ledges. My windows are the thickness of my walls. My Venetians are on the wall above the window, I used to have curtains up too.
Need to get them up again.

Here are my measurements.
Lyle has a blackout blind up. I need one for my room, as I have a street lamp right outside my window :(

The kitchen, hall, box room and toilet don't have anything at all.

Soo the hunt begins for good but cheap blinds/curtains.

Front living room
Back living room 70" x 47" 24slats
Kitchen. 47" x 44.5"
Hall. 48" x 27"
Lyles room. 47.5"\/
Toilet. 43.5" x 45.5"
My room
Box room

Night 16

Tuesday - didn't find it too hard to get out of bed, but it still was not a great prospect as I could hear others out de-icing their cars.
We had a small flurry of hail/slush and snow last night. yep 18th November and predicted snow weather has started.

I de-iced the car with a spray bottle 2/3rds full of vinegar and 1/3rd full of warm water. Ice came off really easy after spraying. some windows I didn't even need to push it off as it just melted away. 

Today is long as Lyle has karate. I hope to be in bed for 10/11pm. My record is getting worse these days instead of better.

I finish this from my bed, after being unable to find a notebook to scribble down the window measurements. Their goes the no electronics after 9.
But it is befor 12.
Good night.

Night 12, 13, 14 and 15!

Night 12
Friday - I had one glass of wine and felt drunk, went to bed around 11 pm and slept til just after 9am. 

Night 13
Saturday, I cant remember!

Night 14
Sunday - terrible i watched TWO films! i never do that. Both were old films that i hadn't seen before. went to bed just before 2 am and then heard a crack from outside immediately followed by a fox squelling, this went on for ages, I had to close my room window to be able to get to sleep. poor animal. I did look out to see if i could see it trapped anywhere but it was very dark outside and i couldnt see anything

Night 15
Monday - Read my Deathly Hallows book, and ended up til 1 am!

"And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry."

Yes I want to be Mortgage Free, and I want that to be soon!
I have just read The Mortgage Free Roll Of Honour in MSE.
And it is really inspiring that these, not rich folks, managed to pay their mortgage off by attacking it in drib and drab as well as the odd big one off's

I want that to be me!

I don't have any other debt that has interest added.

I am going to consentrate on the mortgage, maybe half my saving go to the mortgage each month? I haven't really decided.
But this coming year, it is going to get attacked constantly chipped away at.

"And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry." - Shakespeare


Just have a look at how much I can potentially save.

Night 11.

I finished the book. It was not as great as I expected it to be. The Legacy by Gemma Malley should have been a lot 'more'. It felt hurried, as though it is just done because it has to be, you know a bit like that last paragraph of the essay, put in just to get the word count up?

Lyle wanted to sleep in my bed again. I struggled to get to bed around 11pm, and struggled to get up this morning at 8am.
I feel very fuggy lately, and fear my depression is slowly filling my head up. Is it Seasonal Affective Disorder or just plain depression? I do not know. But I do know, I am short tempered more, irritated by silly things more, and I don't like it.

Night 9 & 10

Tuesday - Night 9
Stayed up and watched The vampire diaries then I read a little and went to bed just before 12. :( 
I awoke at 9am! Thankfully Lyle has stayed at my parents adn my mum had taken him to school. I quickly got ready and got to work for 9.25. not bad, as i dont start till 9.30.
But I forgot to take the car to the garage! dang nabbit!

Wednesday - Night 10
I let Lyle watch a bit of A diary of a wiimpy kid and turned it off at 8pm. we both went and oil pulled and brushed our teeth with charcoal. Lyle has the beginnings of a hole in his tooth. so used the charcoal to try and reduce the amount of toxins in his mouth. Also increased our intake of reall animal fats in our diet - slow cooked bones to make stock and then use in as much cooking as possible.
After I put Lyle to bed, I went down satirs to read a bit more of my book, but Lyle got back up saying he had a feeling he was going to have a nightmare and could he sleep in my bed. As much as I didn't want to share my bed, he fidgets, and does not sleep with covers on, and takes his pyjamas off at some point every night too; but I let him. I miss sleeping next to him, ok I miss hanging off the side of a king size bed, miss him cuddling into me during the night, holding my hand and all the other lovely stuff your kid does. My kindle ran out of power arounf half past eleven. i didnt ned to brush the teeth as i had done a few hours early and had not eaten or drank anything else since, so straight to bed, snuggled up next to my favorite person in the world and off to the land of nod.
Not for long though.
The wind outside was horrendous.
Woke up around 8 and we where at school for 10 to 9. result.


My Elf on the shelf arrived yesterday. I had to go to the depot and pick it up. Really excited by what is going to happen in December!

Night 8

Stayed up for Under the Dome. If that was the last episode of the series, it wasn't a great ending, if that is the 'penultimate' episode, it was ok. 
I also watched an episode of The Middle. I just love that program, and so does Lyle. I suppose its his 'Malcolm in the middle' .

Somehow when I set my alarms last night, it was coming up for midnight.
Gutted that I procrastinated to stay up later, for no reason at all. Nothing great on telly, wasn't reading anything, didn't do dishes or laundry or anything.
Kept ignoring the alarm in the morning. Heard Lyle run from the toilet to his room when the 1st alarm went.
He runs to stop Lightning getting in.
When I eventually forced myself awake abt quarter past, I called through to Lyle and in he came with his star wars build-a-bear teddy that he got a few Christmases ago, and all he wanted to do was come in for a snuggle. How could I refuse that request?
We made it to school, walking through the gates as the bell went.

Tonight I went for an interview with a local solicitors. Don't know if I want the job or not. It's 20 hours a week. Every Friday 9-4 and half days Mon - Thursday.
I've found it best to be open about  being a single parent in interviews. I was also honest abt not starting 9ams. Although in this instance I said abt collecting mail in current job. I don't get much mail so don't need to. So I didn't lie, but wasn't wholesome with my reasons either.

Who knows, earlier nights might mean I'm early to school/work too.

Here is a pic of Lightning, as I just realised I have none on here.

Night 6

Saturday night, me n Lyle watched HP and the Half Blood Prince. Gordon used to say, if you hadn't read the books, the films don't really make much sense.
It's not completely true, but not far from it either.
Having never really liked the films, before I had even seen them. To recently re-reading the books (can't find my Deathly Hallows, so currently spending 2 lunch hours a week in the library) its plain to see, that the films have the same outcomes, but the journeys are very different.
Film finished around 10 and we both went to bed.
Lyle came into my bed during the night, saying he had a bad dream. He doesn't like to talk abt bad dreams at night, so I moved over and gave him room for him and his two teddies.
Next day he told me that a bully was bullying his friend in our kitchen and his teacher was there and that our cat, Lightning was walking around. Not the worst dream, but he didn't like it. So came in for a cuddle.
Im unsure if I should let him watch the 7th and 8th films. They actually are not too bad, not as bad as the books, but then, I always feel that books are 'worse', you see every death, every bad bit and every good bit. The films only show what 1 person (script writers/directors/Warner Brothers) wants you to see.
And good still beats evil. Maybe give it a few weeks .

Woke up on Sunday feeling good. No alarms set, yet we both woke before 8.

Night 7

Mega disaster. Bed for 10 to midnight :( was really disappointed this morning when I struggled to wake.
I've talked a lot of when I go to bed, but not when I am forced to get up. I set an alarm for 10 to 8. I struggled to get out for half 8. Last week when I was getting to sleep earlier getting up was easier.
This morning; it was a struggle. Forcing my eyes open, forcing myself to turn off the infernal racket that is my alarm. Forcing my feet out of bed and to make my way to the toilet... Get ready, get Lyle up, breakfast ready. Some days, add in shower for either or both of us.
Some days I have to make packed lunches, some days iron school clothes.
And we have to leave for school at 8.45am at the latest.
Some mornings are a real rush. Others, everything just falls into place.
Last week I don't remember it being hard or rushed, thus morning it wasn't either, but we did get to school just as the bell went. And I hate Lyle going in through the office. Although the office door is next door to his class, whereas the door he is to use is opposite side of school, means he is normally 1st in class if we use office door as opposed to being late from walking round and door closed and having to head back to office. We made that mistake many times last year.

Anyways, I am digressing. Last night I watched Revolution, thinking it was the last episode, then remembered that it is Under the Dome that is on the last episode of series 1. Looking forward to it tonight.
Then I hung up the washing, put away the roast chicken then bed.
Tonight I hope to be in bed at 11.
Really hope so. As I obviously need more than 8 hours sleep.

Oh yea, and I was craving chocolate. Time of month. Wonder if it makes much of a difference in ny sleep.

Night 5

Night 5 went ok.
Lyle wanted to have a dress up night to watch a DVD. He wanted to be iron man, and I was to dress up as a baby, so I could just wear pyjamas haha.
We watched Kick Ass in my bed with  toffee apple popcorn, some flavoured sparkling water and a lot of chatting. Film was finished for half 9 and lights out for 10!.

I awoke at some time in the early dark hours after hearing a crash of sorts, took me a good half hour to fully wake and realise why I had woken. I checked Lyle's room, checked the boiler, went for a wee then walked back into my room then I smelled it.
Something was cooking.
I ran downstairs and checked the cooker, all good, then I seen the slow cooker and the lid was askew. I forgot I had put bones on to cook to make beef stock/broth. I fixed the lid and put it on low. I was supposed to do that after the film but totally forgot I had even put it on.
Took me ages to get back to sleep. Lyle was in my bed and he is a figet sleeper, it was also roasting under the feather covers, and I couldn't get comfy.
But sleep I did and their wasn't a struggle to fully wake when the alarm went at 8am.

Yesterday Lyle got a new baby sister; Robyn. Scheduled c-section. From what Paul said today, the worst bit was the long wait in hospital to get taken. Alls good both mum n baby are fine. Lyle and his brother Max are away to see the baby today.

Night 2, 3 and 4

Night 2 - failed miserably. got to bed just after midnight.

Night 3 - Was in bed back of 11. I watched The Cruel Cut on Channel 4. How horrendous are people?  mutalating genitles in the name of 'keeping someone clean'. I did not get my hour of no wifi as I was writing about #stopFGM.
I'll put it out there now.
I AM AGAINST ANY FORM OF MUTILATION BY ANYONE OVER ANYONE ELSE.
NO MATTER THE REASON*.
IF YOU ARE A PARENT AND YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO BE CLEAN, SHOW THEM GOOD HYGIENE.
YOU WANT YOUR DAUGHTER TO BE PURE? TEACH HER HOW TO RESPECT HERSELF, HOW TO BE CONFIDENT IN HER OWN BODY.
RELIGOUS REASONS? MY FUCKING ARSE!
Let your child come to the decision to follow that part of the religion themselves. Let them decide to cut off a part of their body when they are fully formed adults.

*no matter the reason? Medical reasons are exempt from my rant. Generally that is a very last resort, and after everything else has been tried. That is not a parent/communitys warped idea of what is 'clean', 'pure', and/or a way of showing your 'religous devotions/faith'.

Rant is not over. Please sign the petition for the United Kingdoms of Great Britain to help those in Britain.

"Despite increased activities around FGM recently, we’re still failing to effectively stop this form of child abuse. We have multi-agency guidelines here that are not statutory and very little is practically being done at local level. Funding is minimal and noone is monitoring the situation or holding anyone to account, so let’s push the Home Office to take responsibility for drawing up and enforcing a National Strategy and Action Plan to eliminate FGM in the UK"  From the Article on Channel 4 OD page to watch The Cruel Cut
You could save a girl – and every signature counts. Sign the petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/52740

The British Government send ££££MILLIONS£££ to help those in other countries but very little in the UK, works out around £2 per girl and that is only bsed on the figures of 24 thousand 'at risk' girls. Does not include the girls who are sent to the UK to have it done because the laws are actually enforced in European countires near us. Like France actually check the girls out to see if it has happened.
Is that too extreme?
Not when those girls are at risk of having everything sliced off and sewn back up so that they are left with a tiny hole to pee from, to menstruate from. To give birth from.

When these 'clean' girls grow up and are married most of them have to be cut so that their husbands can have sex with them. Yes re-cut. Some are taken to a doctor for that to happen, others it is their husbands 'job'.

Night 4 - I was practically falling alseep on the couch after dinner. I went to bed back of 9 and was wide awake! I read a bit of my book and put it away at half 10 and was out for the count almost immediately!
I read this on my facebook this morning; The dangers of sleep deprivation.
Little snippet from this infographic.
Late Night Aftermath

• Decreased Alretness
• Cognative Impairment
• Increased Stress
• Increased appetite

Increased appetite leads to obesity leads to a multitude of health problems. See how it is all related?

Tonight Lyle is planning a dress up night to watch Kick Ass. He has decided I have to dress up as a baby and he is going to be Iron Man. I don't know what Frued would make of that, and I don't care, I am getting to spend a random Friday night with my son, in a way that he wants to! 

Night 1

First ever sleep report makes for some sad reading.

• too many people only getting around 5 hours sleep a night. 
• too many people staying up stressing/worrying, around half the population of Great Britain
• around 7.9 million people use alcohol to get to sleep
• 6.8 million self medicate with over the counter drugs. 

Those quick stats are rather worrying on thier own. lack of sleep makes for tired drivers. People drinking to get to sleep, how much are they drinking? Drunk sleep is not the same as a good sleep.  Neither is medicated sleep. Those drugs may help you to sleep, but it never feels good, just like passing out doesnt feel good when u come around. What else are those drugs affecting?


Other reigons are broken down, but here is the one of interest to me

Scotland
11:20pm – time average person in Scotland goes to bed.
Average person gets 6hrs 28 minutes of sleep per night
15% have used alcohol as a remedy to help them get to sleep
41% of people say that worry/stress keeps them awake at night. (LOWEST)
31% of people only get between 5-6 hours sleep per night, whilst 10% get under 5 hours of sleep per night.



Mine- I aimed for 10, cleared an area in the very messy living room, started at 9 and was still going abt half 10, Under the Dome had started so I watched the rest and was in bed for around 20 past eleven.
Will do better tonight!

A little nap at work...

(written up in March and not posted as I wanted to get a picture, but this is relevant to my Novemeber Challenge)

I was soo tired yesterday that I almost fell asleep in work. So during my lunch break, I contructed a make-shift bed and rested. I couldn't go for a little nap as I only had 15 mins left after I got everything else done that I needed to do.


So what is making me soo tired?
Late nights? Not really.
Super early mornings? Again; not really.
Not enough good food? nope, lots of vegetables and fruit in our diet.
A lot of ready-made meals, take aways? Nope. I dont buy ready made meals to bung in the microwave ever. We cook from scratch as much as possible, and any food I do buy that I haven't went out and picked/chopped myself, I get the one with the less ingredients and as little else added as possible (Chopped Tomatoes for example).

So what can it be?
.
.
.
.
Bread!

I've been eating more of it lately and I feel sluggish, run down and knackered all the time. Time to cut the bread back again. After I finish my chamomile tea with honey and jam on toast that I am having for lunch as the bf ate the last of the ham I had for lunches this week!

10pm Bedtime Club

"They say that each hour of sleep BEFORE midnight is worth 2 hours of sleep AFTER midnight." From Heal Thyself!

 I regularly don't get to bed til AFTER midnight, even though at around 9pm I could collapse in a heap and just sleep where I am. Once I have gotten past that stage I then get a second wind, but to do what? Nothing of importance really, iron clothes, do dishes, read a book, but mostly watch some T.V. and not to use it to unwind, coz the things I watch are documentaries that I am interested in, or something where you need to pay attention like Fringe, even my 'normal' telly isn't great for winding down of an evening; Revolution, Vampire Diaries, Nashville, Once Upon a Time... nothing in that lot to ease you into sleep. If I read, I find myself reading through the wee small hours. 

So I am sort of joining Heal Thyself! in their 10 days of 10pm bed times.  

My challenge is to try:

1. Aim for 20 nights of getting to bed before midnight (bonus points for 10 pm). 
2. No electronics from 9pm.
3. Showers in the morning only.
4. Blog daily of how I am doing

1. - Giving me the weekends off, although I do intend to continue this at the weekends, it’s just this is day 4 of November and I don’t want to start this as a failure and not reach my targets for November.
2. - Electronic devices except the TV. I will only be watching programmes that I have pre-recorded. So if I miss it; I miss it, unless I remember to catch it on Catch Up. No watching anything new after 9/9.30. 
3. - To wake me up better. And stop me going to bed with damp hair.
4. – To get me back in the habit of daily blogging/writing down how I am – diary style. 

By the end of November I hope that my mood is a lot better, I find myself easy to snap, and poor Lyle is normally the one I am snapping at, for no fault of his own. He is just being himself. I hope my depression is better. I have found myself in tears over nothing a few times lately, my house is messy, I am still putting on weight. Routine is the aim. bed early, hopefully means up at reasonable hour, get more organised, and maybe start fitting in some time for exercise – but that is for Decembers challenge, I need Novembers to go good and start it all off.

Grating soap.

Today I NEED to make more washing powder. See the glass jar on the top shelf with the little red scoop, I last made washing powder way back around April, may be March, maybe May, but about then. For a few months, it was used for 3 peoples clothes, including mucky overalls, the rest of the time its been a household of two, two messy eaters - I always spill my food! And one general mess from a 6 year old, paint, muck and whatever else he finds, along with food. He even gets food in his hair!
So later today I will be grating a pack of soap bars I found when cleaning out a box of junk. I don't normally grate soap to use, I'm lazy and buy Grannys Soap Flakes but I keep forgetting to go to the iron mongers and the bars of soap are not going to get used. We don't like bars of soap, we have a coconut liquid wash that a little goes a long long way.
To the grated soap I will add half that amount of soda crystals and half of that again of borax. Shake before putting some in the drum.

 

Poor Lightning; last night was the local fireworks display. The rain was doubling back up to get underneath your chin, streams forming along nearly every street and mock ponds forming in all the usual places, yet the council went ahead. I can see most of these from my house. Not the same as being there, but still good to look at. I sat in a darkened room with my very 'don't touch me unless I want food' cat, who was petrified and sat 5 inches away from me. To him, that is as good as a cuddle you are going to get. Dreading this week of bangs.