Tuesday 25 December 2012

Feel like I'm reliving my childhood here. Im sat in the living room with my Mum & Dad and so far we've watched: Dad's Army, Morecombe & Wise, Open All Hours and Porridge. Santa has already eaten his mince pie and Rudolph has eaten the carrot and the small tree is already looking decidedly droopy. I'm only on my third mulled wine...
How's your festive thing going so far? Hope Santa brings everyone everything their heart desires (although if he does, I'm likely to wake up with Melanie Sykes and both Minogue sisters in between me & Hubby in bed tomorrow - which might be a teensy bit of a squash). Have a great one xxx

Wednesday 19 December 2012

I am now going to make you feel a whole lot better about your life.

No, I'm not going to tell you to meditate/give to charity/finally let go of the resentment you feel towards your ex. I'm simply going to tell you what I did today, and your own life will seem filled with excitement by comparison.

Okay, so here goes: first I went to Tesco to buy two pillows (to replace the ones the rogue rat ate at the weekend); next I went home and did my tax return, filled a DLA form for my daughter, registered as self-employed and filled in a form about class 2 NI contributions (I didn't break for lunch, just had a bowl of ravioli on the job - DLA forms are quite lengthy); then I went for a quick run, and there was just time to mop the kitchen floor before picking up kids from school; I picked up Son from an after school club and cooked supper; after supper I went through the family finances and finished off the online xmas shop; I washed the Twins' hair, played cards with Son, and then after they'd all gone to bed came downstairs and did the washing up and bunged all the stuff in the breadmaker so the kids can have toast for breakfast. It's now 9.30pm.

Living the dream or what?

Hubby just phoned (he's been away in some far flung location, natch) and when I listed the tedium of my day he just said: "Well, that's what it's like being a grown up."

So, do you feel any better about your life now.....? ;)

Monday 17 December 2012

Just had a very nice weekend in London, for my third turkey dinner so far this year (and the best yet, thanks to the culinary skills of my sister-in-law's boyfriend). The drive was fine this time: I have swapped 'bossy Steve' for my nice man on google maps (I haven't decided what to call him yet, but he has an English accent and takes me in the right direction, so he's a vast improvement on Steve). Turns out that one of the rats also took a little weekend break - to the sofa bed (Son didn't shut the cage properly - again). So that'll be another two new pillows to buy....I am contemplating fining Son some pocket money this time - much as I did last week, when I found the pile of his lovingly ironed (by me) clothes in a crumpled heap, stuffed randomly into an already overstuffed drawer. I told him that the first iron is free, but any subsequent ironing needed on the same clean items will  be charged (only twenty pence, I'm not that much of a dragon).
So, now we're into the last week of school before the hols, and the excitement is really mounting. Twins have managed to win themselves a trip to the cinema with their deputy head teacher on account of their good behaviour (woo hoo - the lovely Ms J clearly doesn't know what they're like first thing in the morning) and they're also singing with the school choir in Tesco on Wednesday (I'm hoping Tesco will pay for their bit of festive child exploitation, with free mulled wine for parents at the very least). Right, I have another stack of lovingly-ironed clothes to take upstairs now, so I'd better go. Take care xxx

Thursday 13 December 2012

I graduated today. (I'm contemplating re-ordering the cheque book so that I can have MA after my name). So this time round I wasn't hung over, and I didn't vomit en route to the awards ceremony - what a difference twenty years makes. I've decided that I like this academic thing so much that I want to do a PhD as well - there's just the small matter of finishing my book and then getting it published first...
Unfortunately we couldn't take advantage of the posh buffet after the ceremony because I had to do a flit to get the kids to the carol service (or, rather, 'Christingle Rock Concert' - blimey o' riley!). The Twins did some super singing along to 'Away in a Manger' as well as other less-well known festive tunes called things like: Calypso Jesus, Christingle Rock, etc. At least, I'm assuming they did super singing. I was sat quite near the back and all I could really see was the bit of holly poking off Twin 1's hairband. And because I missed the graduation buffet, I was also having my supper of Maltesers and Ribena, so I probably wasn't quite as engaged with the Christingle message and the story of Baby Jesus as I really should have been. So now I'm back home again, and I certainly feel more intellectual, as I think about mopping the kitchen floor (or not), and whether or not a celebratory whisky & ginger is in order (it is). Right, better go and do some erudite laundry and some esoteric washing up (or not - maybe I will just cut straight to the booze...). Yours intelligently xxx

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Hiya, yes, I am still here, surrounded by ill children and animals. I've just been doing my Christmas shopping online: stilton, ginger wine, parsnips...nom, nom, all the things we couldn't get in Nepal. Twin 1 has been muttering grumpily about why our house doesn't have lots of lights outside like the others - Hubby told her it's because we have taste (which isn't true, it's because I'm lazy, and I'd also rather spend the money on ginger wine and stilton, thank you very much).
So, exciting week - I graduate on Wednesday (woo-hoo) and then it's the Twins' xmas carol service at the local church later on. Twin 2 is going to be a ribbon dancer (she has promised me she won't fall off the stage). What a day, can't wait!
The other excitement is that Son has invented a new sport. It's called Commando Karate. Oh, alright, he just forgot to put on his pants last time he went to Karate club. Still, sounds good, no? I think it could take off, much in the same way that beach volleyball did...maybe for the Rio Olympics?
Hmmm, what else? I have packed up all my lovely homemade chutney into xmas gift bags ready for my thrifty-yet-thoughtful teacher presents. This Christmas, I'm not just spreading the love, I'm spreading the pickle, too ;)

Tuesday 4 December 2012

I'm sorry, I know, it's been ages again. My excuses include vague viral-ness and an excess of irritating housework, as usual. Anyway, I've decided not to do the downstairs bathroom or wash the bed linen today (gasp, oh the horror of grime that now awaits my family) because I'm feeling ill. Again...

It's that time of year. The three Cs: colds, Christmas and something else beginning with C (chocolate? mmm, don't mind if I do, thanks). Talking of Christmas (yes, it's finally December, so we can), the Twins have been writing letters to Santa. This was not prompted by me, but the school, who gave it as literacy homework, bless them. Twin 1 says she wants a bookmark with her name on it with a garden scene in the background and some flowers (I happen to know a crafty elf called Kirsty, who may be able to help with this one). Twin 2, however, came bouncing out of school after homework club and announced that she'd just asked Santa for a DS Lite, an iPod and a pink television for her bedroom. I told her that it was fantastic that she had a healthy sense of entitlement, but that Santa might not bring things that Daddy wouldn't want her to have just yet (I didn't mention that Mummy wasn't quite ready to sell a kidney in order to fulfill her xmas wish list or that Santa was highly unlikely to bring anything that wasn't included in the Hawkin Bazarr pre-filled xmas stocking currently on top of the wardrobe in her bedroom).

What I want for Christmas is to stop getting ill. Can I put that on my list for Santa? xxx

ps - Son has remained suspiciously quiet about the whole Santa thing this year. I think that, following the whole Tooth Fairy revelation, he may suspect the truth, but is worried that if he says anything then the stocking will be empty. It's tough being ten.