Preparation for Christmas
I think everything is more or less sorted! It has been a really nice few days since the children broke up on Friday.
We have mostly been chilling out and I've had some good lie-ins; yesterday was notable in that I didn't get up until 12.20, at which point I cooked sausages and chips for lunch while still in my dressing gown! I could get used to that...
Saturday the younger two were at The Ark holiday club at a local church and so One and I spent the day together. We had a really lovely day - listening to The Cat local radio and both emailing the studio; we got some of our emails read out and they kept mentioning us! One was absolutely delighted! We made a batch of mince pies together and generally relaxed and enjoyed having some one to one time.
Sunday morning was the morning it snowed; I was woken up by shouts of 'It's SNOWING' coming from downstairs, and Two literally wept for joy, bless him. He feels everything so very acutely, good and bad! About half a centimetre settled on the ground and then froze, but no more snow came and most of it melted once the sun came out. Our back yard, however, is still an absolute ice rink, as I found out earlier when I went to put the recycling bin out! I think it was this day that Little Three made some mince pies with me. Mince pies have been rather a theme of the last few days...
Monday I took the younger two to Tesco with me in the afternoon, leaving One behind. They were great actually, wanting to be helpful they took turns at putting items in the trolley. This meant I spent most of the time refereeing them trying to work out whose turn was next, so by the time we got home I was worn out - and THAT was when I realised I'd forgotten to put bubble bath on the list! Later on I also realised we needed toilet rolls and kitchen rolls to see us through Christmas, so I went again today!
Yesterday we had a visit from arky72 and weblet_h and Jonnie. It was really lovely to see them and we drank tea and chatted in the kitchen while watching Two make a batch of mince pies! In the afternoon/evening One went to the Ark Plus holiday club; like the Ark but for high school age children rather than primary. She was really nervous as she didn't know anyone, but had a brilliant time and was so glad she went.
This morning we went up to church for a short while to stick candles into oranges ready for the Crib and Christingle service tomorrow, which I am really looking forward to. We came home, bringing E, daughter of mrsrevj and revoz with us for a while; she was shown the delights of Club Penguin on the laptop while I retreated to the kitchen and made.... no, not mince pies, exactly! I was inspired by a conversation with the two Helens yesterday and used up the last of the puff pastry making sort of mincemeat swiss roll type things. It was an experiment and it worked! All the pastry is gone now but I still have 2 and a half jars of mincemeat left due to getting rather carried away by the 2 for £1.50 offer in Tesco...
We pottered about for the afternoon; I enjoyed listening to One practising her renditions of Jingle Bells and Deck The Halls on the piano. Then Tim came and took them all out for tea at McDonald's and Where The Wild Things Are at the cinema. I used the time to walk to Tesco for the few bits I still needed, and to have my tea in blissful peace! First time I've been alone in the house since Friday!
Plans for Christmas Eve are as follows:
- Nice lie in (me, anyway; the children are incapable of lying in bed past 7.30!)
- Morning of tidying downstairs ready for Christmas Day
- Late morning to early afternoon children out with Tim somewhere
- During that time I will do the vegetable preparation: spuds, carrots and sprouts, and also grill the sausages ready to have bacon wrapped around them.
- Tim will return them to me in time for the 4 o'clock Crib and Christingle service.
- Home from that; drink mulled apple juice (thank you very much for the sachet, morganmuffle; it arrived just in time for me to add apple juice to my shopping list!)
- Sit down together in the dark in the living room with the Christmas lights on and watch Muppet Christmas Carol. Sing along loudly and with feeling to the part that says 'There's Only One More Sleep Till Christmas'!
- Sprinkle magic reindeer food in the back yard (oops, must remember to make that); leave mince pie and carrot for Father Christmas and Rudolph; hang up stockings by the fireplace in the living room, and then children go to bed!
- Because for the first time EVER I am scarily organised, I have no need to spend the whole evening wrapping presents as they are all done, so I can relax and look forward to the next day!
Edited to add: How could I forget?! We will also of course be tracking Santa with NORAD throughout tomorrow - this year I will be able to follow him on my phone with Google maps too!
I think it is fair to say I am thoroughly enjoying Christmas this year. :-)
We have mostly been chilling out and I've had some good lie-ins; yesterday was notable in that I didn't get up until 12.20, at which point I cooked sausages and chips for lunch while still in my dressing gown! I could get used to that...
Saturday the younger two were at The Ark holiday club at a local church and so One and I spent the day together. We had a really lovely day - listening to The Cat local radio and both emailing the studio; we got some of our emails read out and they kept mentioning us! One was absolutely delighted! We made a batch of mince pies together and generally relaxed and enjoyed having some one to one time.
Sunday morning was the morning it snowed; I was woken up by shouts of 'It's SNOWING' coming from downstairs, and Two literally wept for joy, bless him. He feels everything so very acutely, good and bad! About half a centimetre settled on the ground and then froze, but no more snow came and most of it melted once the sun came out. Our back yard, however, is still an absolute ice rink, as I found out earlier when I went to put the recycling bin out! I think it was this day that Little Three made some mince pies with me. Mince pies have been rather a theme of the last few days...
Monday I took the younger two to Tesco with me in the afternoon, leaving One behind. They were great actually, wanting to be helpful they took turns at putting items in the trolley. This meant I spent most of the time refereeing them trying to work out whose turn was next, so by the time we got home I was worn out - and THAT was when I realised I'd forgotten to put bubble bath on the list! Later on I also realised we needed toilet rolls and kitchen rolls to see us through Christmas, so I went again today!
Yesterday we had a visit from arky72 and weblet_h and Jonnie. It was really lovely to see them and we drank tea and chatted in the kitchen while watching Two make a batch of mince pies! In the afternoon/evening One went to the Ark Plus holiday club; like the Ark but for high school age children rather than primary. She was really nervous as she didn't know anyone, but had a brilliant time and was so glad she went.
This morning we went up to church for a short while to stick candles into oranges ready for the Crib and Christingle service tomorrow, which I am really looking forward to. We came home, bringing E, daughter of mrsrevj and revoz with us for a while; she was shown the delights of Club Penguin on the laptop while I retreated to the kitchen and made.... no, not mince pies, exactly! I was inspired by a conversation with the two Helens yesterday and used up the last of the puff pastry making sort of mincemeat swiss roll type things. It was an experiment and it worked! All the pastry is gone now but I still have 2 and a half jars of mincemeat left due to getting rather carried away by the 2 for £1.50 offer in Tesco...
We pottered about for the afternoon; I enjoyed listening to One practising her renditions of Jingle Bells and Deck The Halls on the piano. Then Tim came and took them all out for tea at McDonald's and Where The Wild Things Are at the cinema. I used the time to walk to Tesco for the few bits I still needed, and to have my tea in blissful peace! First time I've been alone in the house since Friday!
Plans for Christmas Eve are as follows:
- Nice lie in (me, anyway; the children are incapable of lying in bed past 7.30!)
- Morning of tidying downstairs ready for Christmas Day
- Late morning to early afternoon children out with Tim somewhere
- During that time I will do the vegetable preparation: spuds, carrots and sprouts, and also grill the sausages ready to have bacon wrapped around them.
- Tim will return them to me in time for the 4 o'clock Crib and Christingle service.
- Home from that; drink mulled apple juice (thank you very much for the sachet, morganmuffle; it arrived just in time for me to add apple juice to my shopping list!)
- Sit down together in the dark in the living room with the Christmas lights on and watch Muppet Christmas Carol. Sing along loudly and with feeling to the part that says 'There's Only One More Sleep Till Christmas'!
- Sprinkle magic reindeer food in the back yard (oops, must remember to make that); leave mince pie and carrot for Father Christmas and Rudolph; hang up stockings by the fireplace in the living room, and then children go to bed!
- Because for the first time EVER I am scarily organised, I have no need to spend the whole evening wrapping presents as they are all done, so I can relax and look forward to the next day!
Edited to add: How could I forget?! We will also of course be tracking Santa with NORAD throughout tomorrow - this year I will be able to follow him on my phone with Google maps too!
I think it is fair to say I am thoroughly enjoying Christmas this year. :-)