Disneyland Paris

During the the summer holidays we took the kids to Disneyland Paris. I’d been there before on a school trip many years ago and it seemed like a good place to go that didn’t involve an extremely long flight. We took the Eurostar which was fine but the problem was that when you have a two year old, even though they go for free, it isn’t a bonus. They don’t get their own seat so they have to sit on your lap for the journey which was roughly 2 hours. They also go for free at the hotel, which means they don’t get their own bed, plus they don’t even get their own plate for the hotel buffet, they have to eat off yours. I found this ridiculous but didn’t let it get us down and we chose to eat out instead, however the food was terrible. Most places just had burgers to offer, and they were disgusting. The other buffets offered weren’t much better either. Even McDonald’s was horrible. The parks themselves were good though extremely over priced as expected. The lines for the rides were quite short for peak season which was good, one of the ladies at the shop till told us it was because their visitors were really low due to the attacks. The armed guards at the bus station was also a little unnerving, yet at the same time reassuring. The hotel we stayed in was nice and not too far away from the parks.

would I recommend it? Yes I would but don’t expect much from the cuisine 😀

 

Manipulative people

This is very true, and I have come across many manipulative people and also their victims. I really can’t understand why you would want to control another, or even turn them against their family and friends. What could a person possibly benefit from that? Surely in a relationship you would want your partner to be happy, rather than both of you living miserably together. I could never understand why someone would want to stay with a person like that, but after talking to a friend who had been in that situation, I kind of understand why they would be reluctant to leave. A manipulator is extremely clever at turning a situation around making you look the bad person, they use the guilt trip, tears and even lie when they see your strength returning. It’s difficult to turn your back on the one you love, even though you know it’s wrong. You can’t help but feel sympathy for them. There must be something really wrong in their life to behave the way they do. The hard thing is, the victims can’t break away. They want help but won’t ask for it, and when they are lucky enough to escape, some of the things they tell you are quite disturbing.

Trying

I’m not so sure I’d like the results of that. Everyone around me is far too used to getting what they want. Should the day come that I put myself first, I’m fairly sure it would end in disaster.

Who are apprenticeships really for?

Here’s two definitions of what an apprenticeship is:

A kind of job training that involves following and studying a master of the trade on the job instead of school.

A job with training. Being an apprentice means that you have a job that includes gaining recognised qualifications and essential skills whilst you are working and earning a wage.

Sounds good right? Well I have been searching for an apprenticeship for my boys for quite some time now and am not pleased at all. They are generally intended for school leavers between the ages of 16-21 but don’t be fooled by that. We’ve applied for some with those requirements and been told that you actually have to be 18, one of my sons was 16 at the time and told to reapply when he turns 18. Why state the age range in the first place? And that’s not the only problem with apprenticeships. Most want top qualifications and even experience. I had thought they were created to help young people get somewhere in life, clearly they were only intended for the smart youngsters of the world and not those who desperately want to get out in the workforce and learn a trade. It really annoys me because I know my boys are hard workers and eager to learn new things. We’ve abandoned that line of thinking and they have enrolled in college instead, but my eldest had already completed one year in college and still didn’t qualify for an apprenticeship so I doubt a second year would make much difference to the equation.

Car hunting

Why is hunting for a new car so hard?!! I have the money, a vague idea of what I want and yet it is harder than finishing the last book in your favourite series. It seemed simple, hunt through the ads and find one you like but then there’s distance to take into consideration. I’m not about to travel millions of miles in case I don’t like it. I’ve also viewed a few that looked nothing like the pictures, and then been disappointed when I’ve arranged a viewing only to find that they had sold the car before I get there. The other thing I didn’t take into consideration was the insurance. I found a really nice car, in fact my dream car but when I called to check how much insurance would cost, let’s just say the car will have to remain just a dream. I have found a car which is a private sale, this is also something to take into consideration. Are they genuine? Am I about to get robbed for my money? I admit I’m a little nervous since I’ve only previously been to trade dealers, but this is the car I want, should it be as stated in the pictures so fingers crossed it will all go smoothly 😀

Recommended TV series

I’m not a big fan of TV but I do have a few series that I like to watch.

First it’s most likely half the populations favourite,

Eagerly awaiting the return in October 😀

Then there’s

Also waiting on these but in the mean time, two new series were released,

So there’s my must watch TV series, bit of a theme going on but all good viewing 😀

 

Living with antisocial people

It’s hard when you live with people who aren’t particularly social. They like their own space and hate to be imposed upon which is fine, I’m not the most social person myself but when I have to get into the room to clean, then yeah, it becomes a problem. It’s not just limited to their own personal space either, breakfast can be a nightmare. I understand you want space to eat in peace and wake yourself up for the day, but I do need to get into the kitchen, there are other people in the house who also want their breakfast. It’s not just the sighs and huffs when you walk into the room that are offending, it’s also a little hurtful but hey, who said being a parent was easy 😀