A Mother's Ramblings

For the last few years on New Year's Eve, Daddy has put a new set of bed linen on our bed. It's a tradition that I have grown to LOVE because it's something that happened spontaneously the first time and Daddy takes so much care into ensuring that the duvet set he purchases for us each New Year is something different, something that we will both enjoy sleeping under and of course something that will help us start the New Year off right! That's right, with clean bed sheets. As I said the first year it started off as a surprise, Daddy had picked some bed linen up in a shop and had secretly washed it and put it on the bed whilst I'd been busy downstairs or something. Eventually, I had gone upstairs to get in my PJ's to see in the New Year and found new bed linen adorning our bed. I did what any normal person would do. I took a picture and shared it on Instagram. Look what my lovely husband did as a New Year gift! New bed linen! S

A few weeks back, one of the young lads that I know at Church had a birthday. For his birthday he got a Nerf gun, and being the Nerf gun fanatic that I am (thanks to the education my children have given me) we started chatting about the various Nerf Guns we owned and he mentioned his plan to have a birthday party at the Chapel, where all invited could use their Nerf guns in an epic battle. Somehow I managed to wangle an invite. The Children and I turned up to find that the young lad and his Dad had set up bases and hide holes and it was going to be amazing. As the only grown up at the time that was playing, I decided to step back and not be on either team because I didn't want one team or the other to have an advantage. I'm a crack shot.

A few days ago, I asked my friends on Facebook if they were to read a blog post written by me, what would they like it to be about? This is one of the posts, based on those suggestions. Budget *Stuff* Hmm. I wasn't going to share this publicly because to start with I didn't think that it was something that would be of interest, but after Nicki suggested that I write about Budget Stuff, I figured that this was fate. This was my prompt to write about my plans for my budget plans for the year. Last year (well this current year as in 2015) I was really good. I managed to set aside some money for savings for issues with the car, I managed to save up enough Swagbucks vouchers to pay for Christmas gifts (if you want hints and tips let me know!) and Daddy and I started trying to reduce a few bills here and there. This year, I want to be better.

I tried writing a post about Christmas Day towards the end of the day, but for some reason I couldn't find the right words and each blog post I started, I quickly deleted. I wanted to record, that the unspoken rule between the five houses or so on our Street that put up outdoor Christmas Lights about leaving them on all night so they were on when we woke on Christmas Morning was still followed. I wanted to record that the Children had gone to sleep late on Christmas Eve, but it didn't matter because everything was wrapped, under the tree or in Stockings ready for the next morning and Daddy was looking forward to a Christmas morning lay in.

You know how last Saturday my meal plan post had been written back in October? Well, this one wasn't, it was written on November 2nd. It was for the same reason however, I knew that we needed to be extra organised because we have special meals from Christmas Eve right up to Top Ender's Birthday on the 3rd of January and for these ten days all diets are off... well sort of. We don't really stop dieting, we just might eat foods that we don't normally eat! Saturday AKA Boxing Day - What Ever My MIL Cooks! Normally, we go to visit with my MIL on Christmas Eve. This year however with Daddy working until a bit late on Christmas Eve, we didn't have time and so we all agreed that we could go on Boxing Day. And so we're going to visit with her today and have lunch and hopefully be so stuffed that we decide to just eat leftovers for supper.

A few days ago, I asked my friends on Facebook if they were to read a blog post written by me, what would they like it to be about? This is one of the posts, based on those suggestions. Favourite Uplifting Quotes at Christmas Time I love a good quote me. My notebooks that I take to Church with me are full of them. That and little sketches of things which I hope will remind me of what the person giving the talk was saying or the feelings that I got when they were talking.

A few days ago, I asked my friends on Facebook if they were to read a blog post written by me, what would they like it to be about? This is one of the posts, based on those suggestions. My Top Ten Christmas Carols I am of the firm belief that Christmas Carols should be sung all year round. Unfortunately my family and friends are of the firm belief that I am wrong. Bah humbug to them. With my love of Christmas Carols (and Christmas Music in general) it was with great pleasure that I read that Claire wanted me to write a blog post about my top ten favourite Christmas Carols. I did think about making a joke here about Carol Vorderman and Carol Smillie, but that would just be stupid.

I'm actually writing this post in October. Yes, I know it seems an awfully long time ago to have written up a meal plan, and in truth it is quite long if you didn't know how we celebrate Christmas in our house. Being Christians, Christmas DAy is such a joyous event for us. It is one of our favourite events of the year (Easter is also really important and therefore special to us) and so we don't just celebrate it for one day, but everyday from Christmas Eve, right up until Top Ender's Birthday on the 3rd of January!

Over the last few weeks, my Facebook timeline has been filled with photographs of people off out with their Office for a Christmas Meal or having a Christmas Party. Daddy has been to a meal out with his work colleagues and with some friends, even Top Ender went to a Christmas Guides Camp and then out for a meal with her Guide friends a week later. The only two who are missing out this year are BB and me. Due to a conflict in our very busy Schedules, BB was unable to attend the Beavers Christmas Camp, because he was already committed (along with Top Ender and me) to performing in a Nativity at an Old Folks Home.

Normally when Daddy and I do the middle of the night Blood tests on Big Boy he is fast asleep. We've got it down to such a fine art now, that BB doesn't wake up. He didn't wake up the time blood went EVERYWHERE and his bedroom looked like it was a scene from a Horror Film. Serioulsy I was screaming at him to keep his hand still (we've worked out that he was bleeding well that night and the blood mixed with sweat which is how he hit and covered the ceiling, his bed and me) and still he slept. He didn't wake up when Daddy accidentally left the blood test monitor on BB's bed and when he turned over the monitor went down the back of his bed and I had to rummage around under his mid sleeper (where I found a mobile phone, two pairs of smelly socks and a mouldy plate) trying to find the blasted device. I guess however I was lucky.

I love Christmas and being a erm, let's see how can I put this nicely so that everyone else will not get offended if they too have the same "qualities" as me? Oh yes, I know; A Control Freak. I find it really hard to let things just happen. I prefer to have a plan and of course for everyone to follow the aforementioned plan. Now, if you are a control freak like me, then you'll know that this rarely happens. We have Children. Adorable little Children. Yeah. So. Do you want to know how I let things go and how to prepare yourself for a smooth Christmas Morning this year and every year to come? Just follow my two Step Christmas Eve Plan.

Daddy and I try to go to the gym together at least once a week. It started off with me trying to show Daddy how to use various weight machines, but it soon became just time for us to just exercise together. The family that exercises together loses weight together. During one of our recent trips to the gym together, Daddy and I were talking about the programme I had set for myself on the bike. I like to use the preset Fatburn programmes, I don't get to pick the intensity and as long as I keep up my RPM then I'm happy. It had been a hard workout, one which nearly had me falling down dead after I climbed down off the bike. As Daddy and I talked and walked back downstairs to the changing rooms he commented that despite being over weight I was actually quite fit. That's the problem really.

There are seven staff members at Big Boy's School, that BB and I feel special gratitude to. These seven staff members are the ones who on a rotating basis help Big Boy with his Blood tests. They do it, not for glory or reward. They do it because they want BB to have a normal a School life as possible. And BB and I wanted to say Thank You. So we made them a little box of goodies.

A few days  months ago, I asked my friends on Facebook if they were to read a blog post written by me, what would they like it to be about? This is one of the posts, based on those suggestions. Sherbert Flying Saucers I remember Flying Saucers from the two pence sweets section of the sweet shop. They weren't my favourite, the chocolate fish and chip shapes and the razzle discs were but this post isn't about their deliciousness. It's all about the Flying Saucers.

There is nothing that quite compares to the excitement of going to a Panto at Christmas. Amongst all the Childhood favourite things like having an Ice Cream (although £16 for four is a bit steep!) and getting dressed up and getting a light up "thing" and eating sweets when you should be in bed are all there. There are even things that you come to appreciate more as you get older.

I am getting really excited for Christmas! Later today we have our Nativity at a local Old Folks home. It is one of my Christmas highlights as the Old Folk love seeing the Children and they love watching the Nativity and then afterwards we sing different Christmas songs and visit with the residents for a while. It's going to be great! Saturday - Munch and Mingle Lasagne

A few days months ago, I asked my friends on Facebook if they were to read a blog post written by me, what would they like it to be about? This is one of the posts, based on those suggestions. Life Hacks When this was suggested I was flabbergasted. I mean, life hacks? Okay, sure I know a few I've stolen them from Pinterest or Buzzfeed and sure yes, I do have a few of my own that I've developed over the years because I'm a lazy so and so and like to manage my time and activities in a more efficient way, but I'm in no way an authority on life hacks. And then I thought about it. What if my friend who suggested this post, didn't mean the sort of thing like;

Last year Toshiba lent me a TV over the Christmas period and it confirmed what I already knew. I like TV's. No, seriously, it just confirmed that we needed a large TV in our den to go with the games consoles so that I could free up the "real" TV in the Living Room AND so that when I was sitting in the den I didn't have to increase the zoom on the Screen to 250% just so I could see what I was doing! Slowly things have been moving along. 

A few days  months ago, I asked my friends on Facebook if they were to read a blog post written by me, what would they like it to be about? This is one of the posts, based on those suggestions. Structural Realism And Its Role In Parenting Yeah. Thanks Alex . Do you know that one of the reasons that this blog post has taken so long is because I've been reading up on Structural Realism? That's right, Alex made me go to the library and get out a book just so I could write this post. And I know he was being funny when he suggested the post, but I promised not only myself, but also the readers of this here blog that if they asked me to write on something I would. Only it turns out that the joke's on him.

Can you keep a secret? Last week Daddy, the Children and I may have accidentally eaten takeaways on two or three nights. Whoops. Despite having meal plans, with things going the way they did we really weren't up to cooking and I may have forgotten a couple of times to defrost some key ingredients. We are eating cheap this week, and using the food we may still have in the Freezer!

The phone rang. It was 2:37am. In the dark I recognised the ringtone as the one that we had set up for my Mum. During the day it's a rather jolly tune, in the dead of night it's creepy and takes on a sinister tone. I answered the phone. Hello Mum? There was no answer. Dark thoughts filled my head. Had she fallen? Was she having a low blood sugar problem and wasn't able to talk?

Earlier this year, I talked about how there was an end to the Childhoods of my Children as I had imagined it happening for them growing up myself. You see, Top Ender clicked about the reality of Santa, The Elves, The Tooth Fairy and a few other "magical" things that happen in our home. It was okay. Tops was after all, just a month shy of her 11th birthday and I think that's a pretty good run.  However Big Boy worked out the truth himself too. He's Seven. SEVEN. I really wasn't ready for him to work out that there isn't as much magic in the world as I would like, but I don't want to lie to my children I did tell him the truth. At first it was just about the Elves, but as I said in my original post BB is Velociraptor in Jurassic Park smart. He worked out about Santa.