What Preps are you doing this week? Part 5.

[BlinkingCory]

Cheers guys, it ain't something we took lightly, we spent x2 2 month periods there before taking the plunge to move full time.
Our preps have always been lifestyle orientated rather than zombie defence In Goa, we've found our place. It's healthy beyond words (I've always been a fat knacker, say two stone overweight) that weight has gone naturally. Being able to swim, then fish, trade a fish or two for a bag full of veg/salad is my kinda life. Didn't know it before, would never have guessed it, but I love it.
We ain't rich, just normal folk, but our life in Goa allows us to live beyond anything we could do in the UK. It's only confirmed our prep type of mentality that health and happiness exceeds owt else.
Good luck everyone with your preps (whatever they are) I wish you all the best of health and happiness.
I'll try to pop in now and again, so if anyone visits south Goa, drop me a PM and it'll be our pleasure to show you the real place (and the wifes 70KG of rice and dried veg prep lol)
Mark

[Arzosah]

I've just been away ... fascinated with the idea of living in Goa, and especially with popping in and out of the sea to swim, my idea of heaven. I suspect the climate would be too hot for me, I'm a wilting flower even right now in the UK

Blinking Cory - sounds like you approached it really sensibly, staying for pretty long periods beforehand and finding the right sort of property. Good for you!

My preps well, as Blinking Cory recommends, health and happiness. The holiday, really. I was desperate to have a "proper" holiday, rather than a week in a self catering cottage in England. So I used a bit of inheritance money to go on a touring holiday (okay, I confess, an all-inclusive cruise ) with my sister, to Norway. It sounds luxurious, its not really - we were on the go from 8am till 10pm (doing nice things!). I was shattered - I got back a week ago, and I'm only just getting back on here - but it was normal tiredness, not the chronic fatigue. Thats gone for sure and I can't tell you how happy I am about that. I need to build up my stamina, my sister was miles ahead of me, but thats to be expected.

The other thing was to see Norwegian-type preps. Doormats made out of a snake of rope sewn up, or a few slats of wood nailed together. Windows made from a local stone called glimmer, ground very thin, to let the light through. 90 metre wells to be drilled, if you live out in the countryside. Making use of the "flat" areas of land for farming and building (I got some great shots of polytunnels on what we'd consider a hill). Using lumps of granite to help farming or calming down a tidal inlet before a bridge is built. It was great

[Zunzuncito]

My normal preps have taken a bit of a nose dive in recent weeks after I discovered I was pregnant! Its our first child so is rather exciting though included in that is some poop your pants thoughts too!

Therefore, other than keeping up with my gardening/harvesting I've re-directed my prepping towards planning for the baby arriving. Having not had a child before my knowledge of them and how to look after them I could fit on a post-it note so I'm now doing my research and making useful lists and spreadsheets before splashing out any cash wastefully.

Biggest issues I can see so far is how terrible Statutory Maternity Pay is so I'm going to have to tweak our budgeting somewhat but we should be ok. The other biggest change for me is getting used to getting somewhat larger, this might sound obvious but I'm finding it difficult having to adjust from my normal body type (I'm rather into my fitness and exercise) and realising I simply can't do everything I'm used to.

[Medusa]

My normal preps have taken a bit of a nose dive in recent weeks after I discovered I was pregnant! Its our first child so is rather exciting though included in that is some poop your pants thoughts too!

Therefore, other than keeping up with my gardening/harvesting I've re-directed my prepping towards planning for the baby arriving. Having not had a child before my knowledge of them and how to look after them I could fit on a post-it note so I'm now doing my research and making useful lists and spreadsheets before splashing out any cash wastefully.

Biggest issues I can see so far is how terrible Statutory Maternity Pay is so I'm going to have to tweak our budgeting somewhat but we should be ok. The other biggest change for me is getting used to getting somewhat larger, this might sound obvious but I'm finding it difficult having to adjust from my normal body type (I'm rather into my fitness and exercise) and realising I simply can't do everything I'm used to.

Congratulations on your news! At least the weather will be much cooler by the time you have a much bigger bump. I feel very sorry for all the heavily pregnant women at the moment in this heat.

When I had my first and way before I realised what prepping was, I knew that I would not be returning to work and would struggle on one wage. I bought extra things every time I shopped, tins of food, toiletries, toilet roll, kitchen roll etc etc and stored them all in huge boxes in the bedroom. I baked and cooked extra meals and prepared and froze fresh veg to fill the freezer so I wouldn't need to worry not having the time too cook and could just bung something healthy from the freezer in the oven. Having your garden sounds like you are well prepared for that and all the fresh purees you will be making in the future. My only other words of baby prepping advice would be buy big pants for afterwards, muslins (useful for everything) and bibs, lots of bibs. Wishing you well.

[Deeps]

My normal preps have taken a bit of a nose dive in recent weeks after I discovered I was pregnant! Its our first child so is rather exciting though included in that is some poop your pants thoughts too!

Therefore, other than keeping up with my gardening/harvesting I've re-directed my prepping towards planning for the baby arriving. Having not had a child before my knowledge of them and how to look after them I could fit on a post-it note so I'm now doing my research and making useful lists and spreadsheets before splashing out any cash wastefully.

Biggest issues I can see so far is how terrible Statutory Maternity Pay is so I'm going to have to tweak our budgeting somewhat but we should be ok. The other biggest change for me is getting used to getting somewhat larger, this might sound obvious but I'm finding it difficult having to adjust from my normal body type (I'm rather into my fitness and exercise) and realising I simply can't do everything I'm used to.

Congratulations, life will never be the same again.

[featherstick]

My normal preps have taken a bit of a nose dive in recent weeks after I discovered I was pregnant! Its our first child so is rather exciting though included in that is some poop your pants thoughts too!

Congratulations! As others have said, life will never be the same again. The first year is the worst, and the first three months are the worst of the first year, but they get better, just hang on until the first smile, you'll melt.

And if I may make one suggestion - buy a copy of Sleep, by Beatrice Hollyer. Lovely, gentle, baby-led intro to helping baby get to sleep by themselves, and (importantly) getting BACK to sleep by themselves when they wake up. Buy it, read it, keep it close to hand when baby is born. It's my only bit of parenting advice. We used it on both of ours. Leo was sleeping 8 hours in a row at 8 weeks, Katya took longer but got there. Everyone we recommended it to has had a similar experience.

Oh and don't buy anything new - there is so much good quality baby kit around once you start looking, they grow too fast to wear it out. Prams and buggies too. Don't get sucked into the whole baby market, it's all based on making you feel like a feckless mum if you don't buy XYZ right now.

Sorry, that's two bits of advice.

[Yorkshire Andy]

My normal preps have taken a bit of a nose dive in recent weeks after I discovered I was pregnant! Its our first child so is rather exciting though included in that is some poop your pants thoughts too!

Therefore, other than keeping up with my gardening/harvesting I've re-directed my prepping towards planning for the baby arriving. Having not had a child before my knowledge of them and how to look after them I could fit on a post-it note so I'm now doing my research and making useful lists and spreadsheets before splashing out any cash wastefully.

Biggest issues I can see so far is how terrible Statutory Maternity Pay is so I'm going to have to tweak our budgeting somewhat but we should be ok. The other biggest change for me is getting used to getting somewhat larger, this might sound obvious but I'm finding it difficult having to adjust from my normal body type (I'm rather into my fitness and exercise) and realising I simply can't do everything I'm used to.

Congratulations our little bundle is rapidly approaching 16 months... You don't need half the sh1t in Mothercare!!!!

Cot..

Pram / car seat combi prams are great

Nappys

Wipes

Vests

Blankets

And clothing according to due date time of the year

Disposable pants and pads for yourself for the "aftermath"

Oh and the other half would like ear plugs


I took a man bag with me when Mrs Andy went in however set some code words or something as a tap on the leg as your driving to the maternity hospital at 3am and the immortal "the baby is coming" reduces blokes to PANIC and the right foot embeds itself in the car floor.... Only to be asked why your now in the outside lane doing 40-50mph over the motorway speed limit .. . As she ment simply "we are going to have a baby soon not immanently in the passenger seat / footwell of the car!!!!!!!!

The hospital only care about you and the baby I was a side show and i had to fend for myself!!! I had a army 24 hour ration pack and plenty of drinks plus a Change of clothes ... After wee man was born they kicked me out at 4am I had been awake 24+ hours and had a 40 min drive home to try and stay awake for!!!


Oh and nerves of steel get yourself and your better half on a pediatric first aid course and keep tools handy about 6 months ago I had to dismantle a high chair to free him.. and Tonight do some manipulation to free a stuck knee from his cot we have both dealt with seperate choking events too... They like to keep you on your toes apparently puff pastry is a big cause of choking !


Car boots are great for some stuff anyone in East Yorkshire want to buy a pram lol
Oh and as they get older stock on rechargeable batteries as at 14 months or so they can give Duracells production line a darn good test of supply and demand!!!.


Baby proof everything as once they get mobile nothing is safe at all that TV looks good to bash
Don't let me put you off tho

[hobo]

Wow! Congratulations Zunzuncito!!
Just about ready to see off my first-born, assuming he gets his A level grades. The other one will follow in 2 years time. BTW, I'm going back to college too in September, help!

[Arzosah]

How lovely to see your toddler, Andy!

Zunzuncito, congratulations! I'm glad to see that others are already saying the thing I'd say - don't get sucked into consumerism in relation to baby "kit". Freegle/freecycle could be a great place for kit too. If you need to go back to work, have a think about sharing a nanny/au pair, a nephew does that, very successfully. Childcare seems to be a huge expense - my ex-sister in law commutes from Cheshire to London every week to contribute a day's childcare to one of her sons.

Own preps - I'm shocked how deeply the drought has cracked the soil round me. If it goes on like this, trees will be dying in the next few years - that happened after the 1976 drought. But I'm trying to make sure that anything that doesn't have deep roots yet is well fed.

[Medusa]

Fitted a 3* lock to the door after reading a thread on here. Assessed my first attempts at growing things: strawberries are delicious but need to get there before the birds, need netting next year but am concerned about birds getting caught in it. Herbs have done well, parsley has pretty much taken over, basil died. Learned about cat faced tomatoes, the earlier ones have this but the later ones are doing well. Chillies seem to be taking ages to grow and wondering how to preserve them once they are harvested. Discovery Pixy apple tree has done really well and is currently bearing a good harvest of 33 apples (yes I counted them). Dwarf plum tree has not flowered this year so no fruit and hoping it was just too immature. Rhubarb in a tub is doing well and have harvested outer stalks. Decided that next year we will invest in a greenhouse. 4 year old grandaughter visited last week and was having a bit of a nosy around (as they do) and asked why Granny had food in the spare room when Mummy keep theirs in the kitchen cupboards. I just told her that mine were full but that she could choose a few things to take home with her which she did and was delighted with, as was Mummy who is having a bit of a tight month money wise. Provided 2nd daughter with a couple of first aid/medical items as the chemist was closed, which I will need to replace and encouraged her to increase her own supplies. Bought a trivet for the log burner for winter so that I can cook stews etc at a more controlled temperature.