Why Men Can't Shop*

I stopped sending my other half to the shops for me a long time ago, I got fed up of him getting the wrong things, paying too much for things, buying things I haven't asked for and then forgetting to give me the change. I just couldn't afford to send him anymore....but on Sunday Joseph was poorly and I really wanted to stay home with him so I wrote a list.

• Lamb (it's on special offer but if they haven't got any left then get a chicken) Don't spend more than £6
• 2 packets of biscuits, 1 custard creams, 1 bourbons
• bread
• sugar

Easy peasy eh!

Not so! As he was leaving he could plainly see that I was getting Joseph to sleep.
5 minutes after he left the phone rings waking Joseph up.
HIM "they've got no lamb left"
ME "do they have chicken?"
HIM "yes"
ME "well get the chicken then, I've got to go now Joseph is screaming his head off after the phone woke him.

5 minutes later, I'd just managed to stop Joseph screaming.
HIM "Do you want me to try somewhere else for the lamb?"
ME "No, it's not on special offer anywhere else, just get the chicken"

So he gets home with a £4 chicken, cheap? yes, big enough? no
2 packets of biscuits, 1 custard creams, 1 garibaldi (I'm the only one in the house that likes garibaldi and I'm on a diet)
sugar
bread
bottle of coke
packet of baccy
no change!

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

*disclaimer, I'm sure there are men out there that are able to shop, I've just not met one yet.

Random Thoughts

Invisible- I've felt invisible all my life, at home, at school, online, now. I'm the one who lurks in the background and is always remembered at the last minute, if at all. Mostly it doesn't bother me, I don't crave attention all the time. Sometimes I do crave attention though and it feels wrong to do so, like I'm forcing people to notice me.

Mother- one of my greastest joys in my life is being a mother. It's also one of my greatest sadnesses. I love my kids so dearly but often feel as though I'm not doing a very good job. I try to be positive and look at what my kids have done right rather than wrong, but I do feel as though I've let the older ones down. I get told by them that I've let them down and that hurts. Sometimes I think I shouldn't have had any more kids as I'll only ruin their lives too. So much for having the patience of a saint and always, always putting my kids first and foremost above everything. I guess at times even everything is not enough.

Life achievements- as a family person I'm happy that I've spent my life raising my family (despite being unappreciated) I'm happy with my working life, I've enjoyed most of the jobs I've had and gained a lot from all of them. I'm happy with my education, I'd have liked a slightly better grade for my degree as I wanted to go further with my pyschology, but I worked hard for what I have and I'm definately not ashamed.

Regrets - I have a few. I wish I'd travelled more. I've never flown, never left the country, never had a passport even. Also, I've never owned my own home. I did come close once when I exercised my 'right to buy' my council home and had huge plans for home improvement, but then I had to give up my job before it was realised.

Love - is what I lack. I've never felt truly loved. Those I have dared to love have let me down with lies and cheating. No-one has ever completed me, no-one has ever made me feel loved, feel special. Now I feel so cold I don't think I want love anymore anyway.

What Is It With Thursdays?

This morning we had a visit from the bailiffs. My mum would turn in her grave with the shame.

It all started about 18 months ago when Graham started a new job. When he signed off from Jobseekers he was given a form to sign to request 5 weeks continuation of rent and council tax benefit. So we didn't pay any rent or council tax for 5 weeks. It was months later that we learnt he wasn't entitled to the five weeks continuation because he hadn't been out of work for 6 months previously, and we were faced with a £600+ debt.

The rent is paid but the council tax was still ongoing. I was paying every month so I was surprised when I got a letter from the Bailiffs saying that I hadn't been keeping up with the payments and unless I paid the full amount they would be around to collect. I owed £298 (I'm pretty sure the original bill was less than that?) Anyway, I made some calls and apparently even though I'd been paying monthly I hadn't been paying on the correct day and I'd paid 3 days late 3 months in a row so my account had been handed over to the bailiffs. Perhaps if they had let me know I was supposed to be paying on a particular day every month I would have been more meticulous with the payments.
After being transferred to someone else I made another arrangement to pay £51 a month for the next 6 months, the payments had to be made on the same date every month. I've paid 3 months now so I was suprised when the bailiffs turned up, well completely shocked more like.

So I argued, showed my receipts, and the man was actually quite nice about it. He could see my mistake. I'd been paying the money to the council tax office when I should have been making it to the bailiffs. Perhaps someone should have told me that in the beginning? After another call I discovered that when they transferred me to someone else on my last call to the council tax office they had actually transferred me to the bailiffs office so it was with them I'd made the agreement of payment. I hadn't known that?

Anyway, the bailiffs left with nothing and I just have to continue my payments to the correct office, with the addition of some extra fees....£160 extra fees!!

Where is that bloody lottery win?