It's oh so quiet

Charlie's away with my parents this weekend at the rather nice looking Devonshire Arms staying in a fabulous suite that's been described to me in minute detail over the phone by him! It's a two floor suite and his room is in the eaves and has a hiding place that he is rather taken by. He's done all sorts today from a 4.5 mile walk, to going to the Stride, seeing an aquaduct and a falconry centre. He's definitely enjoying the afternoon teas and 3 course dinners and apparently is charming the pants off all the staff as usual! Mum said the waiter was gobsmacked when he refused the kids menu last night (he nevers eats off childrens menus) and the manager keeps hi-fiving him when they pass and laughs because Charlie would rather shake hands! They all greet him by name too which he loves - bless.

As for Bev and I we went into Birmingham yesterday by train - my first time and did some shopping at the Bull Ring - god what a hell hole - so busy. Loved Selfridges though and was seriously tempted by some stuff in there, eat Krispy Kremes and stopped some teenage girls from shop lifting too. We took a train ride out to the airport as Bev has never been in one and watched some planes take off. Showed her the check-in desks etc. I love airports and get so excited when I'm in one.

We had a huge lie this morning as Charlie was up at 5.50 yesterday morning in his excitement to get going to the Moors and then went to a restaurant in the village for lunch as our anniversary treat. I had to work this afternoon (just finished!!)and also packed a couple of orders.

Tomorrow we are off to the tip and Bicester village. Bev put up the three bookcases we bought for the stock room and now all the stock is pretty much arranged in them. Panicking slightly as we've almost run out of boxes, yet have two more orders arriving soon and one is the Ostheimer order, so praying there is just enough space. Can already see problems with expanding the business due to storage as we've got initial plans to have 1-3 new product lines every month for the next 12 months at least.

I treated myself to a gorgeous Radley travel bag which I ordered online. It was hideously expensive but I justify as I travel so much. It's my mum's fault as she bought me a Radley bag for my birthday. Also placed an order for toiletries etc online, trying Urtekram this time. Spent several fruitless hours searching for ogranic clothing for over 8's as well - very frustrating.

Education wise, over the last week Charlie has carried on with his usual autonomous learning - writing his novel, doing his Egypt project, making a wand, bird stuff etc coupled with me demanding some maths each day too - but the fuss over this really seems to have disappeared now. He's also been very involved in the business - picking the products so I can pack and helping unpack and count stock when it arrives. I've taught him how to put a clothes wash on too and as long as I tell him which program letter I require he can do this totally reliable now which is nice.

Syed you're fired

So nice to finally hear the words I've been waiting soooo many weeks to hear! At last Sir A has seen him for the total plank he really is. He still has a real problem with woman though that drives me mad - such a sexist woman hater for sure.

Business has been a bit manic the last few days, customers always seem to come along in 3's or 4's. Opened an eBay shop the other day and that's really helped sales too - love the site stats it gives you and really fascinating to see which of the sites I've advertised on lead directly to each item being sold.

Signed my PR agency contract at the weekend and the lovely Antonia is starting on drafting the first few press releases. Web designer is doing the integration work this week and the design work starts next week. We've also been through the merchant account/credit card processing application this week. We decided to take online, phone and mail order payments.

Everything with the business is going so well at the moment but one supplier is driving me nuts - we had to have a major re-think because they messed us around. Thankfully we found a really good replacement.

Trying Times

Plenty of deep breathing and counting in our heads going on here at the moment. We've had bare faced cheek, utter rudeness, been told to b***er off, tears like the local water works, screaming shouting, more tears, more tears.......

I'm definitely not enjoying having an 8 year old at the moment - its not a good year! I keep trying to remind myself that it's only a phase and it will pass but it's not easy.

Off to read my new copy of Unconditional Parenting now...

Sometimes Charlie has me totally humbled by the kind of child he is. Today whilst Bev was out taking the dog back into rescue (long story) he suddenly came up to me despite his own distress and insisted that he hoover the whole house as Bev would be so upset when she got back and he thought it would be nice to give her a break from hoovering this week.

He did an amazing job too - very thorough - moving all the furniture out and everything. I'm so in awe of him.

It's my birthday today and it's been lovely. Bev woke me up with breakfast in bed and presents. Got a copy of Imperfectly Natural Woman which I've been after for a while so once she'd gone to work I spent some time reading it.

Pottered around for the rest of the morning, we had a good day sale wise so spent some time parcelling up and then doing some filing and accounts stuff. Had a phone call to say that a stock order has been sent. Got a dispatch e-mail from amazon saying that quickbooks had been sent. Still waiting for my copy of Unconditional Parenting to be sent though.

Nice lunch and then Charlie and I went to the office. Collected my files and made a sale too.

Had a good conversation with a couple of my colleagues about a possible extra arm to the business which sounds very encouraging and could be very lucrative indeed. Just need to work our logistics now.

I had requested falafel and salad tortillas for dinner and it was delicious as was my carrot cake birthday cake!

Saturday

Went into Oxford to suss out whether that would be a better consideration for a shop. Came to the conclusion that it probably would (well Summertown anyway) but how do you work somewhere you absolutely despise? Can't quite figure out how having a bricks and mortar shop is going to fit into our plans atm. We want to move somewhere there is a proper home ed scene - we're all really lonely to the point of depression here and the group in the County is basically just school and so far from what Charlie wants its untrue. This makes us miss Didmarton so much - our home ed groups there were fab and exactly what we consider they should be. We all miss our friends.

But we've only just moved here. We like it here but the stuff above makes us not like it here.

It's always been my plan to live by the coast - Devon or Cornwall - more likely to be Devon, to raise my children but whilst I'm employed that isn't an option. Once the business can take over my salary requirements I can give up my job and then we could move there, but we can't move there until our family is complete because doing IVF in London from the South West isn't practical!

So that leads us to moving somewhere we can open a shop (area with enough of the right customers in) and where there's a good home ed scene, which realistically means no shop until I can give up my job. But then we'd want to move to the coast as our final place to be - moving a shop isnt easy!

Anyway, we had a pleasant enough time in Oxford, Charlie loves the covered market and ran at full speed in Natural World - he loves those shops. Managed to time coming out of there and walking straight onto a park and ride bus and it stopped right outside the shop - excellent timing.

Came home and did some work which was a pita.

Today I've done loads of work, all finished now, wrapped a couple of parcels - been a good weekend sales wise. My brother came to pick up his bike and he and Bev shifted some stuff into the garage.

We spent some time rearranging some of the stock - putting it in grip seal bags so it doesn't get dirty, printing out product codes on the Dymo so that everyone knows what is what. Been trying to work out what size of postal boxes and how many different types to get too.

Charlie has started an Illustration Friday picture and neo-petted and read manically. He's also spent a lot of time in the garden and we've walked round the lakes a few times this weekend.

Yet another catch up post

Yesterday was office visiting and work, a colleague has a new month old nephew and wants to buy a Keptin Jr comforter from me for him on Tuesday - I like making sales. Bless her she is so addicted to buying him things - can't wait for christmas!

More stock deliveries and more parcels to send and another invoice to pay. Also ordered Quickbooks from Amazon - I loved MYOB but I need to be able to put exact dates in for my accounting year/basis period and not be forced into using the end of the month.

Got an amazing suprise when my tax repayment arrived in my bank account yesterday too - I only filed my claim on Monday - sometimes I really truly love the tax man.

So last night we went out for a meal so no-one had to cook which was rather nice.

Today I decided to say sod it to work even though I needed to catch up due to slackness yesterday! So we went out for lunch and then hit the shops. As usual Charlie ended up doing really well and we ended up with almost nothing. I was ecstatic to find there is an independent shoe shop in town which meant I didn't have to buy evil crap nasty badly fitting chav looking shoes for him from Clarks. Found some nice sandals for the summer and his first pair of lace up trainers! Left the shop £80 poorer but hey.

Debenhams proved good for Jasper Conran pj's and a John Rocha top for him plus some socks and I found they had a sale on Denby so bought a couple of glasses.

Stocked up with sun cream in Boots - what a total nightmare trying to find a spray in an SPF more than 30! Blimey! Knew I should have bought back a case from Orlando last time. Charlie decided he wanted some clips to keep his curtains out of his face - can't wait for my mum to find out about that when she gets back - oh how I'll enjoy watching her face. Obviously it's my fault that he refuses to have his hair cut (ummmm it's his hair not mine) and directly because he doesn't go to school.

Busy few days, Charlie and I went to Oxford for my orthapeadic appointment yesterday. Quite a bizarre experience as I was the only person in the waiting room under the age of 65! Bit of a delay as the consultant had been called out of clinic twice but we got there in the end.

Doc not sure exactly what is wrong with my knees but believes there is some kind of problem with the cartilage in my knee, the knee cap and my femur in both legs. So, I'll be having an MRI (how many of those can one person have in their lifetime?) and then arthroscopic surgery on both knees.

I did think about telling him that I need it all done before August because of starting IVF then, but didn't. If the wait is too long then I'll have to go private so it's all done before then. I was re-joined to the company scheme last month, so I'm not too sure if they'll cover me for it - hopefully they will, the only exclusion showing on my certificate is for my endo and Charlie's psoriasis. In any event, I will probably ask to go to the private hospital anyway to free up NHS resources/slots.

Into the office today and stock deliveries today and yesterday which took some sorting out. Spent a fair amount of time quite late last night writing out descriptions and uploading it to eBay. The yellow fairy dolls are so gorgeous - makes me broody for a girl!

Now settled down for the Apprentice and Armstrongs again. I do love Wednesdays nights.

Feeling good....

Tax return notice arrived this morning and I've just finished submitting it online. Just love getting admin stuff out of the way.

Taken Bev to work, been to office to pick up files, Charlie has done 3 pages of miquon and I've paid a supplier who's invoice arrived this morning. Good day so far!

No hama beads have been harmed yet today which is a good thing.

Some people never learn....

...to stay away from the iron!

Was woken by the smell of bacon, the lovely Bev had bought me breakfast in bed to celebrate our first anniversary.

Spent some time this morning moving the stock room around, the spare bed base is 10 years old now so we decided to get rid of it as it was taking up room in the stock room. Saved the mattress though as its only 5 months old. Put the bed base in the garage and we're planning a moon lit flit across the development to the lone skip left on site - should be fun at 1am.

Stock room much better now as there is only boxes of stock in there now, and I sorted out a big box of mistake stock from last time to take to the charity shop. Well it wasn't a mistake then as it sold then but not now - such is the beast of ebay!

Took a trip to the tip to get rid of empty boxes from when we moved and our old curtain rails and then did Sainsburys - skillfully managing to miss a re-scan.

Bev did a hama chick and I did an egg - and promptly slaughtered them both upon ironing. Charlie is still doing his chick and spent loads of time of neopets. He has two pets now and has sent his original one on holiday but he doesn't know where!

Some people shouldn't be allowed......

....to iron hama bead designs - and I'm one of them!

Good start to the day - loads of post including a small bundle of hama stuff from Merry. Charlie had chosen an egg board, chick board, and a bag of pastel and solid beads for the fab easter designs on Merry's site. He was thrilled to get them and decided to start on the egg design before I'd even woken up properly let alone him having breakfast!

I ended up doing much of the design for him as we don't currently have a colour printer so were working from the saved image on his pc screen, and he found it quite hard to follow. It was nice to do something crafty together after so long - been at least 18 months since we did hama together.

Then I ironed it - I can never get it right! Drives me nuts - I either don't manage to get all the beads to fuse or I over fuse them as happened this time - ggrrrrr. My ex was much better at the ironing thing - knew I should have asked Bev to do it but she was resting in bed after being awoken by a horrendous nose bleed earlier.

Charlie started the chick design after that - will blog photos tomorrow.

We went into town at lunch time so Charlie could buy my birthday presents. He and Bev went off and did that and then Charlie treated us all to lunch and cake in the M&S cafe - much appreciated!

Browsed in Ottakar's - bought an easter cooking book for Charlie and the updated local Let's Go with the Children book and then Charlie dragged us into the museum where a rather good Tudor exhibition was on. Charlie liked the fact that there were so many artifacts on show and that some could be touched.

Charlie nearly managed to fall in the canal on the way back to the car park.

I've spent an exciting hour or so reading the whopping great big 200 page VAT guide that arrived with our registration certificate.

We were supposed to be going to the Natural and Organic trade show in London tomorrow but can't because of the dog as my parents left for Egypt yesterday - pah.

Busy day again today. Up early-ish to take a stock delivery, lovely soft organic comforters amongst others. Then placed the last two orders for our opening lines and updated the accounts.

Charlie has been a busy bee, did some more of his typing up, and then started on his SL. He did a load of history reading, readers and read alouds, and then did some SL Science. He really enjoyed the water skin experiments, particularly the bubble ones.

He's also been drawing the floor plan for the business he plans to own when he's older, appears to be a restaurant and shop in one - interesting concept.

I did a load of files as usual, particularly distressing stuff today :(

Tonight I've been sorting out the figures for my tax return, ready to file it online in the next few days when it's allowed and chasing the boss for my P60.

The Apprentice was pretty good tonight - glad Samuel went but what I really want to know is when is Sayed going? I am sick to death of his vile attitude! I've now settled down for The Armstrongs - how they run a business not able to spell their key product correctly is beyond me - they're so bad that it's hysterically funny and compulsive viewing!

Early start for me as I had to get to the office early so that Bev could go for an interview on my return. Bleary eyed drive to Bicester and back plus an encounter with two of our gormless freelancers - I'll say no more but jeez what happened to gentlemen and manners??

Got back and off Bev went and whilst Charlie decided to type up the story he started to write a few months ago - (not sure why he wants it hand written and typed and I'm not looking forward to him realising that he can't copy his drawings onto the pc!)- I spoke to two suppliers on the phone, paid two invoices and did the relevant book keeping.

Then the Fun Blox arrived - and Charlie only put his two boxes down 20 minutes before bed. Definitely a huge hit in this house and I was pleased to sell 3 boxes within a couple of hours of placing on eBay (well 5 but my dad bought two for Charlie as one of his easter presents so it doesn't really count).

Charlie did his SL and reading and then we had lunch.

After lunch Charlie did some miquon and then grabbed the fun blox and didn't let go. I fitted in some work, spoke to our web designer, found out that one of the suppliers I placed an order with this morning and paid at lunchtime has sent the order out as I paid by BACS and was quick. What a lovely guy!

We've been agonising over holiday, IVF and business plans clashing over the last 10 days or so and aren't really any closer to making any decisions except that IVF is probably going to be July/August again this year - which will be weird, almost identical dates for each treatment stage as last year. I've been obsessing over the possibility of having NKC issues or the alternative of having unexplained infertility which is far scarier.

Weekend Catch Up

Had a lazy lie-in on Sat morning and sent the wife to get bacon for breakfast sarnie's - lovely start to the day. Charlie and I pottered around a bit and then got ready to go into town. When my mum bought her new car last winter BMW gave her a Venture voucher for a free session and print. My mum in her wisdom decided it was a good idea for her, my dad, brother, Charlie and I to all go along. How I hate having my photo taken - but Charlie loved it. He really stole the show and did everything she asked, the photographer said he was a total natural and would make a great model.

Dad and I were both horrified when after looking at her rather nice Canon 1D mark 2, she asked what I had - Canon 300d and my dad - Leica with digi back - and she had never heard of a Leica - FFS!! I thought dad was going to have a heart attack. What kind of pro hasn't heard of a Leica - the mind boggles.

She so fancied my brother and it was really obvious so we all enjoyed watching the flirting - it was amusing.

We all went with my dad to the garden centre today so that he could assist in choosing some green things for our garden. I chose a pear tree and my dad chose the rest - no idea what they are except one is a lovely rose plant and the rest are well - plants. I so don't do gardening and plants but Charlie wants to attract more birds.

I did the weekly accounts this evening, and placed an order with Keptin Jr. After Charlie went to bed Bev and I attempted to plan out which ranges we'll introduce each month between June and March next year to tie in with each press release. A bit bizarre trying to plan on Christmas stock in April, but necessary as xmas press releases need to be sent to mags in July!