Had a lovely day yesterday, went to church in the morning hours. Today we went to the food bank and did our shopping for 5 pound - it's quite a bargain because I bought 6 potatoes, 2 carrots, squash, big weetabix, smoothie, pasta, toothpaste, 1 toilet paper, baked beans, 12 eggs, a can of Pepsi, nappies and wipes that's a great bargain.

Been a few days again but I've been super busy dodging the budget and trying to figure out how to get some money for the electric. It's cut out a few times. Fans aren't cheap to run. I feel it's more dangerous to run out of electric when it's this hot 5han in the winter when it's cold. I mean once your naked you can't take anything else off! At least in winter you can snuggle up and add layers! Budget tomorrow I guess. Can't face it tonight.

The first one is government should please create jobs companies should hire government should get more investors to invest in the country because now in the workplace a job that is being done by seven people is done by four people now. If you go to supermarket for example you see a self checkouts you have to wait on the queue for like 15 minutes before you could check out whereby before when you go shopping under five minutes.

People are moving out of the country going to places fast China Spain 🇪🇸 Thailand Saying that they get more job And also as scared of tax.

Getting into healthcare is difficult.

Getting into bus driving is difficult train drivers recruiters getting those jobs are very difficult. I think one of the major dis you know invest investor coming and healthcare education Housing

There’s been some time since I last wrote on here.

I suppose I have been busy, my life has certainly changed over the past 8-9 months or so.

I have secured hours at a job. Despite this, I remain on Universal Credit. The housing costs are simply too high for me afford without a significant increase in income.

This has made me think; When is it that someone can say they are financially secure?

Is it perhaps when someone no longer qualifies for benefits? When someone has six months of savings? When losing a job immediately threatens their home? Or when they no longer wake up calculating whether they can afford an unexpected expense?

Government should support families that have children with childcare so that parent can work effectively.

fix the crisis on ground immediately keep people alive and stable before anything. Remove barriers give everyone the right to work like the asylum seekers. there should be more food bank in the society.

Summer holidays are nearly here. Time to Google and Facebook search the ever living crumbs out the local area, find ever free or very low cost outting. See who has sales in their summer toys cos when I got the waterpewpews out of storage the cheap plastic has warped somehow and the footballs aren't refilling with a pump anymore. So time to shop, thankfully I got swimwear for this year from last year's sales lol. Plus it's my youngest end of primary school! Where's the time gone? In positive was just yesterday they were a babe in arm. I can't afford teacher gifts this year, I can bake em a cake or something. Maybe cook em dinner first their first weekend off too lol. Idk. Something meaningful but affordable. And one big day out treat, something like Beamish or blackpool or Windermere for a day trip.

I'm very lucky mind, cos my local council and market have different family friendly activities on throughout the summer. Most of in July but if we do all the busy activity stuff first, follow up with some home activities (maybe a sponsored clean! If only we could sponsor a holiday :⁠-⁠D ), but simple things like cornflour on the lino with socks in, you've indoor ice skating. Draw faces on balloons and let them go so looks like the balloons are blowing raspberries. Then reuse those balloons for some kitchen safe chemistry. And kids my age are keen to show their maturity, so let them take turns planning and budgeting and preparing and then cooking dinner. Make it special, like a role play at a Michelin star restaurant or whatever eatery they want to imagine you're at. Can use paper to make menus with the nights speciality on it. Teach them cooking and budgeting and planning skills, embed their maths and English and science work into (maybe com tech too with the online research for recipes or ingredients). And make a family bonding activity. If your kids are really into cooking you could invite their friends over and extend the special evening to include their friends (good idea for some teens and most preteens, as they start needing friendships more than feeling overly parented). And any age, you can never go wrong with a bucket of water full of sponges. By mid August they'll be so worn out they'll sleep til sept lol (unless you're my kids then they'll have done all the above within the first weekend without breaking a sweat ^⁠_⁠^).

Summer holidays are always stressful and emotional, the lack of routine is hard on diverse families. Juggling childcare, children's wishes and interests with work and family opportunities together. It's alot to manage for any parent, more so for low income parents. Cos there are social expectations that over the summer holidays we'll have somehow enriched our children through some specific activities or thing. Like a museum trip or holiday abroad. The things I've listened above as free, low cost or using what you'd already use in special ways (like cooking, crafting) often get belittled as "not that special, that what parents should magically be fitting into every moment in the day in the couple of hours between waking up and school/work, then leaving school/work and bed". It's poppycock. End of the day, between work or looking for work or housework or whatever else is overwhelming the parents mind and making them feel like failures in these costly days and years. If all you can do on any given day is find some time to do with the time, energy and resources available to you is one activity with you kid, then you are enriching them. I'm not talking bug activities like the ones I first mentioned, I'm talking sitting and watching a movie together, talking about a book, talking about work or school or friends. Play some easy word games, like would you rather or the alphabet game. Give them a task or challenge to do before you go to work and then discuss it afterwards. Like "take a photo of something historic" or "do a kind deed" or "surprise yourself" and then talk about what they did, why they picked that thing, how it fit the task, how it felt, would would they do like to do next. Etc.

The best thing we can do is try to give our kids as much of our time as we're able too, however much we can as often as we can with as much focus and intentionally engagement as we can. Doesn't matter if their summer holidays means a Disney world cruise or throwing stones at the local brook, what they'll remember most when they grow up, what will stick with them longest, is us showing an interest in them and their lives, in their ways.

I can't use this summer holidays to give my kids "the time of their lives". But with the time I have with them, around all our commitments, I can enjoy hanging out with my kids and invest time, attention and love into their lives and growth (I'll probably still shout at them to get their shoes outta the hallway for a change too - I said I'd try, not that I'd be perfect >⁠.⁠< ). No such thing as a perfect parent, or perfect holiday or perfect life. We should strive to enjoy what we can while we can for as long as we can. Yes you can can can! (⁠^⁠^⁠) Sorry not sorry, the cringe in me must be expelled before July 20th to avoid the shame of the cheugy all summer long. Have fun everyone.

Within a few hours of this week's Westminster announcement on billions of pounds more on military spending... my UC journal pings... would I be interested in a jobcentre course 'to get women into shipbuilding' for BAE Systems.... promising wages of 31.5K (which is v high for Glasgow)? Would I hell, you warmongers. As if it weren't bad enough to know our proximity to the Faslane Base means London believes we're acceptable 'collateral damage' in the event of a nuclear strike, now Glaswegian women are being coerced into becoming 'Rosie the Riveter' for a company which brings destruction and death all round the planet. Neither the quality, nor the length, of our lives will improve by returning to the days of the most dangerous jobs, for the poorest citizens. Get stuffed, Starmer.

Balancing the urgency of today's crises and poverty with the slower work of systemic policy reform requires acting on two fronts at the same time. Immediate humanitarian support is essential to meet people's basic needs, protect lives, and reduce suffering. At the same time, emergency response should be designed to strengthen long-term solutions by gathering evidence, empowering communities, and highlighting the policy changes needed to prevent the same problem from recurring.

Lasting change comes from addressing the root causes of poverty through reforms in areas such as social protection, education, and healthcare. employment and human rights. While policy reform often takes time due to political and institutional processes, sustained advocacy and collaboration between governments, civil society, and affected communities, and continued public engagement can accelerate progress. The most effective approach is therefore to combine immediate relief with long-term systemic reform, ensuring that urgent needs are met today while building a fairer and more resilient society for the future.

Thank you.

Changing Realities is brilliant but quite honestly I think that the current crisis, particularly with poverty and the ever increasing cost of living means it is completely out of balance. It is urgent. It is an emergency.

I believe we have to do both at the same time. And attend to the most pressing needs of the people. Because when people are facing hunger, poverty, or crisis, they can't be told to wait for policy reforms that may take years. We need immediate action to meet their basic needs and protect their dignity. But if we only respond to emergencies without addressing the root causes, we'll keep seeing the same challenges repeat themselves. For me, the balance comes from using what we learn on the ground to shape better policies, while ensuring that long-term reforms never lose sight of the real people they are meant to serve. Every immediate response should also be a step toward creating systems that are more equitable, resilient, and sustainable.

This week has been full on.

10 years ago I had a breakdown and rather than help and support me my 2 older kids dads worked together, took me through family court and were awarded live with orders for the children. Although I have them half the time, pay half towards everything they still have these orders.

My daughter is 16 now and things are so much easier with coparenting.

My son is 14 neurodivergent and his mainstream setting have said they can no longer meet his needs even on the 2 days. They are currently funding his 3 days at an alternative provision where he's thriving.

Last week there was an incident where my son became unsafe at his dads house. Not because of dad but because of disregulation and then hitting objects hurting himself and threatening to run away.

As a result he is now with me. Me and his dad agree that for the time being this is where he's safest and possibly as a permanent arrangement too. He's been calm and regulated here all week. He's still refusing to engage or go into mainstream setting which is understandable given they cant meet his needs but I've managed to get him to his alternative provision the full 3 days. This means a 100 mile a day trip, while juggling school visits with my youngest and older things with my eldest.

My gas and electricity bill have sky rocketed and obviously my food bill also.

I've fought long and hard to have my baby back home full time but that does come at a cost. I most likely wont receive any help from his dad so currently im having to be clever about saving money.

That tied with a million things to put in place for September which is proving difficult because his dad wont agree to a permanent change of address yet. So I'm in limbo. I have a 5 year old starting reception in September, a reconstructive knee operation at the start of August and a 14 year old that has just started to thrive in a provision that I can't physically get him to as its 50 miles away.

I'm hoping someone sees sense and helps me out with it all because my little neurodivergent brain is tired 😫