Major Plans And Saving Cash

Well it's all go in the Baker household right now, but really, when isn't it all go these days...

The Husband is working his backside off trying to fit in working crazy long days at work, taking the son to rugby on an evening and during the week and is also doing some pritty major DIY tasks at home too.

He's taken on the not-so-small project of building us a conservatory and so far, although this wasn't the original plan, he's actually made a start and has done the bulk of the work all by himself.

From digging out foundations (which his Mum and Step-Dad did help loads with) to concreting to brick laying, he really is proving to be a dab-hand at most things it would seem.

But why?

Why on earth is he putting himself through all of this hard, manual labour, often after putting in a twelve hour work day where he also does hard, manual labour...?

Well he's doing it all for me.

I've decided to take the plunge and dive head first into beginning a new career and starting up my own business (eek!) and I'm in the process of becoming a childminder - just a slight step away from my "Head of Year 10" days at the school isn't it - from teen drama melt downs to colours and nursery rhymes.

And the work load involved in the process - well it's just blooming crazy if I'm honest - I really wasn't expecting there to be quite as much to consider as there is, not only in the run up to setting everything up, but also afterwards on a day to day basis...

Talk about paperwork...phew.

But I'm giving it a go - I needed to start thinking about what I would do with myself once Willow begins school anyway and whatever I decided to do had to fit in with her, with Charlie and then with the Husband's current working hours.

I was all set on going back to my teaching assistant days, perhaps in a primary school setting, but a dinner lady role crossed my mind too - anything term time only would have been an option.

But then a very good friend of mine mentioned childminding...well she shoe-horned me into thinking about it really and actually made the initial call on my behalf to give me a swift kick in the right direction and now look at me, a total busy bee, writing policies and procedures and picking out play-room decorations.

...for a play-room that only has its foundations built right now...

But decorations are very important...right...

Anyway yes, that's where we've been up until now - squeezing the odd blog post in and amongst our major house changes and all of the normal, mundane, other stuff that needs to be done daily.

However if all of these tasks weren't difficult enough to get through on their own we've also decided that, very shortly, our already far too small bedroom needs to be split into two smaller rooms too - poor Willow simply has to have a little bit of her own space now, however I am already dreading even attempting the bedtime routine with her in a room of her own...

And then we have Charlie, Charlie who is extremely eager and impatient to totally shift his own bedroom around too...again.

The high sleeper he currently has is no longer to his pre-teen liking and he's after a double bed with a wall mounted TV type set-up (so he can play his XBox from his bed no doubt) and something just a little more grown up I suppose.

And it's all well and good having all of these fabulous, high-maintenance plans isn't it - everything we have in the process to do isn't easy and isn't cheap - I'm already scoping out the brand new mattress deals at Groupon to save a little bit of cash any way I can.

But it's really going to be worth every penny, every long day and every aching muscle - Husband, we all appreciate everything you do for us and seriously - you're doing a blooming amazing job with this.

Here's to a productive, busy, enjoyable May

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