Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy Hogmanay!

I figured today was a day for at least saying something, it being the last day of 2010 and all. I've got a rather busy day planned, so really, sitting on the couch with my laptop propped up on the armrest next to me isn't the *best* use of my time, but I'll look at it as keeping up with loved ones.

Scott and I are throwing a Hogmanay party tonight, so I've got a lot of cleaning to do. The house is pretty tidy, but I have all the fine tuning left to do. You know, hoovering, dusting, disinfecting. And um, judging by that sound in the kids' room, I might have a big box of blocks to clean up too.

But before I delve right into the housework, me and the kids are walking over to Maria's this morning to see Maria's family and Carol's family. Carol is back over from Abu Dhabi for the holidays, and it's been so lovely to see her again. It's nice having the whole gang back together.

(And why am I walking? You may not be wondering that at all, but I'll tell you anyway. Maria, Carol and I went out to Gourock last night. I wasn't planning on drinking, so I drove the car. But once I arrived, I was so in the mood for a drink, so I abandoned the car and had numerous cocktails with the girls. It was great fun. It just means now I have to make my own way back to Gourock to get my car...)

So anyway, happy Hogmanay everyone! I hope your 2010 was good, and I hope your 2011 is better!

*You would not believe how many times I wanted to use quotation marks and didn't. This is what this post looks like in my head:

I figured today was a day for at least saying something, it being the last day of 2010 and all. I've got a rather busy day planned, so really, sitting on the couch with my laptop propped up on the armrest next to me isn't the *best* use of my time, but I'll look at it as 'keeping up with loved ones'.

Scott and I are throwing a Hogmanay party tonight, so I've got a lot of cleaning to do. The house is pretty 'tidy', but I have all the 'fine tuning' left to do. You know, hoovering, dusting, disinfecting. And um, judging by that sound in the kids' room, I might have a big box of blocks to clean up too.

But before I delve right into the housework, me and the kids are walking over to Maria's this morning to see Maria's family and Carol's family. Carol is back over from Abu Dhabi for the holidays, and it's been so lovely to see her again. It's nice having the whole 'gang' back together.

(And why am I walking? You may not be wondering that at all, but I'll tell you anyway. Maria, Carol and I went out to Gourock last night. I wasn't planning on drinking, so I drove the car. But once I arrived, I was so in the mood for a drink, so I abandoned the car and had 'numerous' cocktails with the girls. It was great fun. It just means now I have to make my own way back to Gourock to get my car...)

So anyway, 'happy Hogmanay' everyone! I hope your 2010 was good, and I hope your 2011 is better!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

New Year's Resolutions

I wasn't quite sure if I was going to bother with resolutions, but resolutions keep coming to me. So here's some things I'm toying with possibly resolving:

*Blog regularly
*Re-attempt to read through the Bible. I got halfway through the old testament this year before letting it slide until it slowed right down to a halt somewhere just after arriving in Matthew (and having skipped 1st/2nd Chronicles, the second half of Job and then Psalms all the way through Daniel to keep trying to catch up from where I'd slacked off). So I'm going to attempt reading it over TWO years so the daily readings aren't so long.
*Start a morning wake-up schedule to help me get my mornings (and thus my whole days) on track.
*Go back on my 'common sense' diet.

Oh, and as always,

*Get back on my chore schedule. I love that thing.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies on Day 23

Will it happen?

It might. I've got the oven pre-heating and the rock-solid block of butter on top of the stove hopefully softening from the heat of the oven below. But my heart's not in it. Nor is my head. Or my nose and throat. I have a cold.

And I am a little bit afraid of germs and get squigged at the thought of baking while germs are wiggling and crawling all over the place. But I can sort of find comfort in imagining them all dying in the hot oven.

So I'm hoping we'll get around to it.

The biggest problem is getting me off this couch. I feel like rubbish. And, yay for me, I get to go to work tonight like this! Awesome!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

It's Dec 22nd!

I'm averaging about every other day right now. Blogging, that is.

I'm 0 for < A LOT > on the Activity calendar. Yesterday we never got our chance to make reindeer food. Well, actually, we had the time, just not the supplies. I somewhere have a whole box full of those little delicate-looking bags you get at weddings; you know, the wee translucent muslin ones with satin ties. I wanted to put the reindeer food in those but cannot for anything find that box. I know I've seen them recently, so where are they? Today, I thought we'd make up for it by just mixing up the reindeer food (oats, rice, glitter, foil confetti, silver cake decorating balls), and we'd just put it in some normal bags, but I couldn't even find any normal bags.

Then today's activity was to eat on the nice plates for dinner by candelight. It was a bit humourous, as the menu tonight was going to be hamburgers and chips, but even that didn't happen, because Scott's dad invited us last minute to theirs for dinner, and me, always up for a cooking-free night, gladly accepted. I expect that dinner with Granny and Grampa (or Nanee and Poppaw, as Lolly calls them) trumps fancy dishes and candlelight (and burgers, for that matter) any day. So they were happy.

Only two more days of the calendar. I wonder if we'll make it? I never did the festive cookies for the neighbours, so maybe me and the kids can do that tomorrow.

Last night, I went to a carol choir concert. It was lovely. I love the sound of choirs. And you know what else I love? The O shaped mouths of choral singers. :D I know that O shaped mouths are necessary for opening up the full sound of the notes and all, but it's still funny to look at all the different O's each person makes. Anyway, it was very festive and Christmasy, and I enjoyed it. I even wore my new dress I made! Unfortunately, it was so cold in the chapel that I had to keep my coat on the entire time.

And tomorrow, Lolly will be a sort of last minute addition to the nativity concert her Thursday toddler group is putting on. We used to be regular attenders there, but have only been a handful of times since Fifi started nursery, because we always have to leave early to go pick Fifi up. But we're going tomorrow, so Lolly will be in it. Or at least she'll be in AMONGST it, walking around in costume. I imagine most of the toddlers will be only somewhat involved.

So yeah, it's getting pretty darn Christmasy. I'm actually, really super excited this year.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Day 20 - 4 Days Until Christmas!

I can't BELIEVE it's four days until Christmas! This month has absolutely shot by. Today we had an easy activity, and thank goodness too, as I needed a break. We were to drink hot chocolate and watch a Christmas movie as a family. Well, we ended up watching Toy Story 3 instead and no hot chocolate, but the kids didn't mind. They don't really like hot chocolate anyway (crazy!). We never finished it though, because the kids lost interest, so I am going to watch it again, on my own!

I am NEARLY done with my Christmas sewing. All I have left to make is Lolly's Christmas dress, which will be similar to Fifi's St Andrew's Day dress - same tartan, different style dress - and Lolly's pajamas. The plan is to finish those tonight, since my Steel Magnolias rehearsal got cancelled last minute. THEN there is only one job left... one I added to the list only today. I'm making myself a Christmas dress too. Bought the fabric today, and honestly, the fabric alone is so beautiful I want to marry it. Let's hope my sewing is skillful enough to match the gorgeousness of the fabric.

Tomorrow is Fifi's Christmas concert at nursery. She is Mrs Snowman. I can't wait to see it. Then tomorrow night, I'm going to see the Inverclyde choirs perform what I assume is a Christmas concert. Should be a very Christmasy day. I'm getting very, very excited!!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Day 18, 19,etc

I've cheated the last few days. On the 18th, which was Lolly's birthday, we had planned her party for 10.30am-1pm, then we were going to go to Glasgow with the family for dinner and an IMAX film at 3, so I didn't want to put anything really in their calendar I knew we couldn't accomplish. So the activity was simply 'Go to Lolly's birthday party!'

Then today, again, I knew we'd be busy as it was the kids' nativity play at church, so today was simply 'Perform in your nativity play at church!'

Easy. And we succeeded in doing both.

(More about Lolly's party later. I'm going to bed now, after spending the 2 and a half hours after work there tonight sewing Christmas presents.)

Friday, December 17, 2010

Day 17

Too busy actually trying to fit in some Adventing to do any blogging! Gonna make yesterday's wreaths and do today's (it's sort of cheating) activity of packing bags for the Super Sleepover at Granny's house!

Then it's off to birthday celebrate it with the Hubby! Happy birthday, Scotia! You are officially in your LATE 20's, ya bastard!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Lots of Days Probably

I am rubbish.

I've not done an activity in several days now.

And I don't even know when/if I'll catch up!

Yesterday we never even got around to opening the calendar. It's not that I've been lazy or uninterested, I've just been that busy!

Today I had a special TinyTalk class that I did for a toddler group in the area for their Christmas party. So that took up last night (after going to see panto in the Arts Guild, which was fab, by the way!), preparing my lesson plan and printing out handouts, etc. Then today, I did the class in the morning, and in the afternoon, the girls and I ran some errands, then came home and tidied the kitchen - Fifi was a big help, by the way, so kudos to you, girl! - and then baked Lolly's birthday cake and made dinner. Then I went to work tonight.

So we never made our wreaths out of tissue paper. Seriously disappointed, as I was really looking forward to this one. This will be a definite make-up one, as I even went out and bought tissue paper just to do it.

But tomorrow, and the rest of the weekend even, are ridiculously packed. Tomorrow is Scott's birthday, so after my TinyTalk Christmas party for the Friday class, I will come home and pick girls up from Granny, and start doing all sorts of party-preparing type things. Like (entering To Do List here)

*Ice cakes
*Finish wrapping Lolly's presents
*Wrap game prizes
*Make one more party bag
*Make kiddie sandwiches
*Get chilli ready in crock pot before bed
*Make Lolly's dress for party? (As if I'll have time to finish that!)

Plus, because it's Scott's birthday too, I need to figure out what we are doing tomorrow together, because after work, the kids are going to his parents' house for the night, so we will have a full night to ourselves. Except not really, because I'll be needing to prepare for the party, but anyway.

Maybe I can fit in some wreath-making time, since a lot of those things on the list can be done later in the evening...

As for now, I need to put down my laptop and start folding clothes. I have about five or so loads piled up on the couch waiting to be folded. It's just embarrassing. And I have three more loads drying on the pulley and clothes racks.

Which reminds me of a good story to end with. Fifi was helping me hang up wet clothes from the wash this afternoon. She pulled out one of my bras and said, "Haha, mummy, I have your boobs!" Then she handed it to me and said, "You hang it up. They're your boobs."

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Fourteen

I'm on such a losing streak.

No Advent promises fulfilled today.

We were supposed to wrap presents in brown paper and decorate the packages. Well, first of all, I've already wrapped nearly all of our presents. The only ones left are a couple that I've only just finished making. But we never did it. We ran some errands after nursery this morning (Lolly and I had been at my church's toddler group), and then we took Scott's mum up to the hospital for an appointment. We stuck around in the cafe for a while with her, then me and the girls headed back into town to go to ballet. (Yes, Lolly's in ballet now! It's too freaking cute!) While they balleted, I did our grocery shopping. Then we came home, I fed my brood, and then I rushed back out to You Made Me rehearsal (which was fun and productive). So yeah, no present wrapping and decorating.

I did, however, finish yet another sewing project. Fifi is Mrs. Snowman in her nursery's Christmas concert, and I was asked to make her a snowwoman costume. So I did that tonight after rehearsal. Photo to follow in the morning, when I have her try it on!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Day 13

It might technically be the 14th now, but it's still the same waking-hours day of the 13th. I don't usually like to stay up so late, but these days that how I roll.

I finally finished a project I've had in mind for a while. I actually can't believe I finished it in one night. I expected it to be a several-night-long job. So I'm dead chuffed at the extra time that has afforded me for other sewing projects due to be completed before Christmas.

So, Advent. Yes. Today was an easy one, which I got out of the way before Fifi even left for nursery this morning. We were to read a story about Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus. So we read the story out of her children's Bible, then we read a lovely wee book called 'What's Christmas?'. I considered blogging then and there to get it done, but didn't, and now here we are at 12.30am. Oh well.

Not much else really to say about today. I had my TinyTalk Christmas party this afternoon for my Monday class and really enjoyed myself. I had Steel Magnolias rehearsal tonight, and even though there were only three of us there, that was good too. Mainly just for my own confidence in knowing I'm coming on with learning my lines. It's always frightening thinking you don't know how you'll learn all those lines, but once you put the script down and realise you know quite a lot of lines already, it helps with the fear. And the show isn't until March anyway.

Well, anyway, so I've nothing really else to say. Ooh, except I bought a CD alarm clock. Been wanting one for so long. I think I could be happily awoken in the morning if it were to the dulcet sounds of The Decemberists or something. I should go set it up along with my Teasmade. What a gorgeous way to wake up in the morning!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Oh Dear, What, Days 11-12?

I've not been good this weekend with Advent Calendar stuff.

Day 11 was 'Make festive cookies and deliver them to neighbours.' Well, I only just made the gingerbread men! Plus, on Saturday, I was at work from 12-6pm, then had a night out planned for 7.30. So I barely saw the kids that day, let alone find time to bake cookies together.

Then today, Day 12, was 'Look through old photo albums and talk about the pictures.' Well, today I worked from 11.30am-5pm, and when I got home, the kids and Scott were still at Scott's parents house for their family dinner. I stayed in, cleaned up for my gift-wrapping party I had tonight, and when the kids got home, we put them in their jammies, gave them kisses and sent them to bed. So again, I barely even saw them today!

So I have failed miserably, but we will make it up. I still have to make that family e-card, but I'll get to that. Maybe on Christmas morning. :)

On a non-fail note, though, I had that aforementioned gift-wrapping party tonight and got almost ALL my wrapping done in one go. I still have a few more to wrap - but they mostly include things I haven't finished making yet, so there's my excuse.

Oh gosh, speaking of making things, I have SO MUCh left to do. And, um, Lolly's birthday party is this next weekend. So I need to get that all planned out. Not to mention two TinyTalk Christmas parties and a special TinyTalk toddler group Christmas class this week. Thank goodness NEXT week is mostly free to finish these Christmas presents! And thank goodness I only work three more shifts before Christmas. So take those three nights, as well as the two Mondays for Steel Magnolias rehearsals (oh, and Tuesday for One-Act rehearsals), the rest of the nights SHOULD be free for sewing.

I feel very tired all of a sudden.

That could be partially due to the fact it is past midnight. I need to get to bed.

So anyway, fingers crossed my children will get some motherly love this week.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Day 10

I'm going to have trouble writing this post, because I'm watching the film 'Nativity', and it is cracking me up.

So quickly here we go.

I had to work tonight, so thankfully our activity was an easy one today. Have a picnic on the floor in our pajamas. So before I left for work, I helped the girls put down a blanket, change into their jammies and pretty much just pulled random things out of the fridge for them to eat on the floor.

They loved it.



Plus, we finally got around to making those gingerbread men. Though most of them are not men, but Christmas trees, stars, hearts, bells and birds. Once those kids saw me pull the cookie cutters out, I had a hard time whittling them down to just Christmas shapes at least.

One of the things I find more difficult than anything in the world is baking with kids. Baking is practically an art form to me, (yes, I realise how ridiculous that just sounded) and having the kids involved, and therefore, ruining what could be a beautiful piece of work, KILLS me. So I had to really control myself when they kept trying to cut shapes halfway off the side of the dough, or squish the freshly cut pieces, or shove a different cutter through an already cut piece. Or smoosh the silver balls right through the dough. Gah. Anyway, we managed to get through it (though with more frustration than I'd care to admit), and we now have some lovely cookies to hang on the tree!




"Yes, darling, I think THIS is The Tree."

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Day 9 - Already?!

Good grief, December is whizzing past. Anyway.

So I made up for my rubbish attempts at Adventing it the past few days with my treasure hunt today. While Fifi was at nursery, I created several clues and printed them off and stuck them all over the house. Now, I can't take credit for all the poems, because a few of them I stole from various websites, and the ones I did write myself were nearly all at least inspired by something stolen from a website. But regardless, I was quite proud of how well our treasure hunt went. It went something like this:



(Click to enlarge if you want to read the clues.)

Each clue led to a different clue until finally the kids were led to the room where the toys were hidden, and we played Hot/Cold to locate them. Their reactions?





It was a lot of fun. And it was made better by the fact Scott was home to do the treasure hunt with them. Since he hadn't seen the clues yet, it was fun for me to see him read them.

Oh, and I also changed my mind about their facelessness after revisiting the website that made it all possible, and photos like this in particular. Now, she does her faces with acrylic paints. I did not have time to mix up acrylic paint colours, so I used craft pens. Which means if I throw these girls in the wash, out the faces come. But for now, I'm pleased with the result.



I think they are pleased too. (The dolls, that is.)

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Day 8

It is five minutes to midnight, so technically I should get credit for posting on the 8th, but I suppose by the time I finish, it'll be tomorrow, so it'll come up as the 9th. Oh well.

We have yet to catch up on yesterday's activity. And we failed today too. Today we were supposed to make gingerbread men to hang on the Christmas tree. So we went to the grocery store to get the ingredients, but while there, got a text from Maria inviting us over after lunch. So the girls and I went over for a few hours to play. We left around 3.30, me thinking we'd have a couple of hours free to make our gingerbread men, until I remembered the dough has to chill for two hours first before rolling and cutting. To which I said 'Screw that'. So we came home, I put on the tree lights and a DVD and turned out the lights and took a nap while the kids quietly watched Charlie and Lola. I woke up 45 minutes later, prepared a quick dinner and got ready for work.

So, we didn't make our gingerbread men. I hope to do it tomorrow, though, as I love gingerbread men.

However, I did get prepared beforehand for tomorrow's activity. I had a feeling I knew what was next and checked, and I was correct. Tomorrow the kids are going to go on a treasure hunt to find a special present. A special present I hadn't made yet. So tonight after work, I made them their Christmas dolls.

I've had these pieces cut out since last Christmas. I never managed to finish them last year, so I was determined this year to make them.

Behold, the process (the abridged version):



Pattern pieces cut for over a year.



Stuffing the arms and legs - my least favourite part.



The finished product. No faces, yeah, I know, but I like it that way.

So now all I need to do is make up clues and hide them around the house. I'll do that tomorrow while Fifi is at nursery.

It is now 20 past 12. I'm off to bed.

DeBloAdMo Sidebar

For ease, I have added a DeBloAdMo Sidebar list to the --> right. Lots of good ideas for Advent activities there! If anyone else is doing Advent Activity Calendars, let me know! And if you are blogging it, even better! I'll add your link!

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Day 7

This Advent blogging thing has been great for my blogging momentum. I'm now blogging twice a day!

We failed miserably on Day 7 - Make a family video e-card and send it to family and friends. For one, I am totally PMSing today and have pretty much done very little besides rub my temples, take deep breaths (in between shouting at the kids) and sigh heavily. Scott has been non-stop World of Warcrafting it since the expansion came out last night. The kids have been tearing up the house while Dora the Explorer has been on constant repeat. So no family video e-card today. Maybe another day, perhaps when they are dressed nicely, like on a Sunday.

I suppose I should give myself SOME credit (though not much), in that we did drag ourselves out of the house this morning to run our church's toddler group. Fifi's nursery was off today because of snow, so I took the two of them for a walk to toddlers. Only five of us showed up, but it was well worth it to get out of the house and give the kids something to do. Fifi got to play with her friend Kiera who was also off nursery, and Lolly got to play with her little toddler friends. And I got to chat with MY friends, which was nice.

And then this afternoon, I took them around the shops while I ran some errands. I posted a present to my sis-in-law Charity, bought some twinkly Christmas tree lights, got Lolly her first pair of ballet shoes - which she LOVED - and even got sidetracked and took a wee wander through Smack Generator... er, I mean Cash Generator, and ended up buying a mini-fridge for £9.99 for the kids room. I mean, that is totally buying myself some mornings off. I'll just stick a couple of milk cartons and yogurts in it, next to some fruit and voila kids can eat in their rooms while watching a DVD on their own DVD player, while Scott and I sleep in a little longer. Merry Christmas, kids.

Tonight I was supposed to have a rehearsal and then go to my friend's Craft Night. But rehearsal was cancelled and weather is supposedly gonna get to -12C tonight, and she lives up the Port (which is up the hill and always gets three times the amount of snow we get down here), so I'm thinking it's safer just to hang out here and do some Christmas sewing. I have a LOT of sewing to do for Christmas presents and really need to get started. I was gonna get started at Heather's Craft Night, but it'll have to be done here, alone.

Tomorrow will hopefully be more of a pro-active day. I don't know if schools will be back on or not, but I imagine so. If roads are safe to drive - which I am not sure of considering the freezing temps tonight will freeze over all the slush and snow on the roads - I'll take her to nursery and maybe do something fun with Lolly. But chances are I'll stay in with the two of them and need to force myself out of this funk in order to enjoy our lovely time together.

Maybe we'll make a video e-card.

Steel Magnolias - Tickets On Sale!

This a quick break in my Advent Blogging to say tickets are on sale for Steel Magnolias!! I know it's months away, but we are hoping to put the show on for one extra night, and before doing so, we need to know we've sold most of the tickets for the original three.

So, buy your tickets now and then you won't have to worry about them later on! Make it a Christmas present for you and your mum or sister or girlfriends. Tickets are £8.50 each and shows will be 10-12 March. I mean, really, it's only a few months away (eek!).

So buy some tickets, so we can put on an extra night!



(Click image to enlarge.)

Monday, December 06, 2010

Day 6

"Cut colourful snowflakes and hang them in the window."

Well, what an appropriate activity for a day like today. We woke up around 8 (don't know what possessed my children to sleep so late but long may it go on!), and it was fine outside. We got in the car at 8.45 to take Scott to work, and big, heavy snowflakes were falling. We dropped Scott off at work at 8.55 and the roads were white and slushy. I tried to drive Fifi to nursery but couldn't get there because the roads were impassable. I got home at 9.30. It took me thirty-five minutes to drive five miles in that snow.

So we made snowflakes. Fifi desperately wanted out in the garden to build snowmen, but I'm a terrible mother and didn't want to deal with two cold, wet, wild children. Or a cold, wet me, for that matter. So I entertained them with making our paper lanterns from yesterday and our snowflakes for today.





Fifi had a ball using the 'grown-up' scissors, and Lolly enjoyed scribbling all over the paper. And when we made our snowflakes, Fifi enjoyed cutting, while Lolly enjoyed... ripping up Fifi's snowflakes. Oops. There is a LOT of cello-tape on these snowflakes, I can assure you.

Then they both enjoyed going into the close and hanging up their creations.





(As you can see, the snowflakes didn't make the window. I put them in the window last year, and thought they were a bit of an eyesore for the passers-by. Should've changed it on the calendar but eh.)

Other activities today included running a TinyTalk class for one family (hope you enjoyed it, Joanne!) and baking a German chocolate cake. Mmmm. Needed something to entice the children away from the snow outside. And needed something warmer than Fifi's suggestions of smoothies and ice cream.

Yeah, if I were a good mum, I'd have had them out sledging and building snowmen all day. But I'm rubbish and will probably ruin them somehow by not giving them happy childhood memories of playing in the snow. Eh, I'm not too worried. African and South American children don't get snow, and they turn out perfectly fine without those memories.

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Day 4-5

Technically, it's actually 48 minutes into Day 6 so oops, haven't done so well. But here's my excuses: Day 4, Saturday, I was barely two feet in the house all day. I was out by 9am to get my photo shoot done for Steel Magnolias (photo to be uploaded later this week when made public!). Then, I was back around 11 for a couple of hours until Scott, Fifi and I were headed back out for the panto matinee. (And, off topic, we nearly smashed into a pole due to the ice. But Scott was driving, and he managed to save our car and my life, but that's another story. Yay for Scott!) I was then at the panto the rest of the day, as I stayed there during the time between the matinee and the evening show. I got home that night after 11pm. So that's why no posting.

Day 4 was 'Fifi goes to panto with Daddy, while Lolly goes to Granny's!' so at least our Advent Activity got taken care of.

Day 5, today, my excuse is similar but not as good. We left the house this morning around 11.45 for church. Then Scott went to work, and me and the kids went to the grandparents' house for dinner and a coal fire. Scott came home from work at 5, drove us by the house, and he took the kids while I headed straight back out to MY work. I got home after 10pm. Too late to work on our Activity for the day ('Make paper lanterns to decorate for Christmas'), so I watched a DVD instead.

Tomorrow (technically today) is Day 6, so we'll have some catching up to do. Paper lantern making plus whatever the project is supposed to be for today. I just hope we'll have time. I forgot it is the day the photographer comes to TinyTalk, so class will run longer than usual. I hope tomorrow's Activity is easy enough.

Well, to end this, I'll just link you to two other people doing the DeBloAdMo challenge, Cheryl and Rebekkah. Have a glance at their blogs to see what they are up to this December!

Friday, December 03, 2010

Day 3 Addendum



Fifi dictated, and I helped her write.

Day 3

Today, our 'letter from Santa' said to write our letters to Santa and post them. The Royal Mail does this thing where if you write to a certain address (below) Santa will write back. So we are going to do that today. However, we have only half gotten around do it, because I'm trying to clean. And I'm feeling unmotivated. It's very snowy outside and the thought of even walking down to the post box is totally sinking me. (Am in the middle of performance week for Panto, and I'm just so tired.)

But my good friend Sarah is coming over with Cameron who is off school today, and I'm going to keep Cam for her while she does some Christmas shopping, so maybe we can all do it together. That might make me feel more motivated, doing a project with a six year old who can help Fifi, my almost-four year old, so I can focus on Lolly, an almost-two year old (two weeks 'til her birthday!) Because when I do a project, it's not just a letter to Santa - there will be stickers, pens, and possibly glitter and glue. Our letters to Santa have to be awesome.

And speaking of Panto earlier, we surprised Fifi last night with a ticket to the show. After dinner, I told her to go brush her teeth. She, of course, thought that was because it was time for bed. She asked, 'Can I watch a nice, quiet DVD first?' Scott and I said no. Then we added, 'Oh, and you can't have a bedtime story tonight either.', to which she began crying her eyes out over. Cruel, I know. Then I told her I had some good news and some bad news. The bad news is she can't watch a DVD or get a bedtime story (harder tears). The good news is she's coming to the Panto with Mummy tonight! Tears turned into hysterical laughter. She was absolutely beside herself delighted. So we got her ready, and she came with me. I took her backstage, and she got to see everyone as they were getting ready. Then Pauline, my friend who was taking her into the show, arrived and she sat with her through the show. She was a bit frightened of the bad fairy, but in her words, 'I got a bit braver.' Before long, she was booing the baddies and having a great time. I enjoyed the show so much last night, as I was performing just for her. And in the end, she told me I was the best one on stage. What a girl.

Oh yeah, and here's that Royal Mail address:
Santa/Father Christmas,
Santa’s Grotto,
Reindeerland,
SAN TA1

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Christmas Cards

I will catch up on yesterday's Advent Activity of making paper chains (after all, there's not much to say, and I only want to post a nice picture Fifi took of me and Lolly making our paper chains, but that involves uploading from my camera, and I haven't done it yet), and I'll quickly post two links for you to show you today's Activity of 'Check your email to find a message from Santa', but the main thing I wanted to say is...

Writing Christmas cards each year is seriously depressing.

I go through the list of names I've had for six years. I rewrite the list each year, dropping names slowly of people I haven't really kept up with enough to keep sending letters to. People who don't send them back and who I realise at this point don't really care. But that's not the depressing part. That, I think, is just life. No, the depressing part is dropping names of people who have passed away. The depressing part is splitting up couples into two different cards, because their marriages have ended. Each year, writing this card list depresses me. Each year there is some alteration, some dropped or split name. The divorced people - do the women go back to their maiden names? What are their new addresses? The people who have lost a spouse - do the women still go by Mrs? Do each of these people see the subtle change in the post arriving to his or her house on the envelope? Do they feel that pang? Is Christmas card writing actually worse than a waste of time, but even a painful experience?

Sigh. Well, on with the ritual. And here are those videos to cheer you up. It cheers me up at least to think of the kids reactions to them this morning. It was precious.

Lolly's message from Santa
Fifi's message from Santa

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

DeBloAdMo

Or whatever I called it. Just realised its nearly midnight and I've yet to post my first blog entry, though I've been thinking on it all day. So here's the start and i'll write a bit later.

Love,
Lori the cheater

POST SCRIPT:
Here's what I wanted to say about Day 1. We made paper chains just from a wee kit from Tesco. The sheets were all self-adhesive... or so I thought. They actually had to be licked. Each one. And we made two. We had to lick 50 disgusting tabs. So I pulled in help from any tongues I could rope in. Thanks, Lolly.



And by the way, isn't Fifi a good photographer?