A Mother's Ramblings

Flyfour and I started thinking together about our word of the year a couple of weeks back. One of our evening walks was peppered with one or the other of us suddenly exclaiming a word and then continuing on with whatever conversation we were having and pretty soon it spilt over into us just shouting random words at each other waiting for the others approval or a reason as to why that word wasn't any good. We knew what we wanted our word to mean.

I told you back in September that I was lucky to get a new job as PA to the Principal and Marketing Manager at a local High School and well, it turns out that it's my dream job. I actually feel a bit guilty because it doesn't feel like work, I mean not guilty enough to refuse my pay at the end of the month, but enough to mean that I log into my work emails far too often at the weekends and late evenings and get told off far too much for working when I should be relaxing. I could give you one of the usual stories that I give those that ask. It doesn't take me five minutes to check all my email accounts  It doesn't actually feel like work I like to be busy Everyone else in my home is on an electronic device but they aren't really the truth.

As I'm sure is the way, over the last twenty years of marriage, both Flyfour and I have had many friends and co-workers, who for one reason or another we haven't kept in touch with and to be fair they also haven't kept in touch with us! These are people who meant a lot to us, at one point in our lives. People that we shared meals with and had inside jokes with. We went to each other's weddings, to mutual friends weddings, we celebrated births and new jobs and then just one day you realise they aren't a part of your life any more.

Christmas was different this year, but also exactly the same as it always has been. I woke up super early and sat as close to under the tree as I could, reading my book before retreating back upstairs to the warm bed, where I promise I didn't stick my cold feet on Flyfour in an attempt to wake him up because I was bored and didn't want to read more of my book. It didn't work. Eventually, Flyfour did wake up and we woke the children up with breakfast (Pigs in blankets in rolls) and opened our Stockings together, before getting dressed and going downstairs to open the gifts under the tree.

On Christmas Eve, the people delivering the Advent tags to me made themselves known. I was right in my guess in whom they were but they asked to remain anonymous because the gift tags each day were not about them, not about the mystery of whom they were but about the love they were given with. Love of the Saviour. Love of the season. Love of service to their fellow man. Love of Scripture and knowledge and understanding.

It's that magical week where nobody knows what day it is, what time it is or if they are more potato than human. The good news for me is that Flyfour is home this week, so as long as we both know what we are supposed to be eating, we'll make sure we eat at some point! The bad news is that does mean other than Saturday we may end up eating a variety of meals not on this meal plan/not in the right order. It's okay though because who cares! We don't know what day it is! We don't know if it's day or night! And if all else fails, there's always toast and chocolates and leftover cookies from Christmas.

Christmas Day is one of my most favourite days of the year and even though this year we aren't spending it how we normally do, I wanted to jump online and wish you all a very merry Christmas. We are lucky that we will be together as a family of four, and will be placing calls to our loved ones that we won't be able to see today, as we're in tier 4, but even if we weren't we'd made the choice to stay home to keep our loved ones safe. Please take time today to reach out to those you know who may be alone, or who may be feeling down or who just come to mind. We hope that today and the next year bring you as much joy as you bring to us, as much love as you give to others and all the things that your heart desires. With love from all of us here at A Mother's Ramblings x

I can't believe that it is already Christmas Eve. I honestly feel like this year has just got started and somehow we're here at the end of it. Advent has been different for us this year, not because of all the things that the pandemic has brought about but the children are getting older and so their ideas of Christmas fun has changed.

As I finished work for the break yesterday, I may have lied a little to those around me and said I planned to do nothing for the next two weeks. I lied. I actually intend to clean the house from top to bottom, get rid of as much junk as I can, record some podcasts, schedule a load of work tweets and Facebook posts and work on the website, watch all my TV shows and Christmas movies, hang out with my family, finish Top Ender's scarf and work on my next mad idea... It's going to be so much fun!

A few of us at work were having a conversation the other morning about Christmas and Christmas shopping. The only man in the conversation was joking around with us and said that he had purchased two gifts that year, one for his wife and one for a family secret Santa and was pretending to be very bitter about it. The group giggled about it and shared stories of how the women in the group had similar experiences where they purchased everything and their partners normally purchased... well one gift and that was usually at the request of their wife! It's the same in our home. We only buy five gifts for each other as we follow the something you want, need, wear, read and one other theory on buying gifts. Of course, we do buy a few gifts for friends and family and take part in the odd secret Santa with work colleagues and because I was a stay at home Mum, I had plenty of time to work out what we were purchasing and source the gifts (and wrap them!). It wasn't that we were following s

Dear Secret Advent Delivery Friends, I have no clue when you decided that this year you would secretly deliver an advent to me. I have no clue if there was a conversation we had, or if you picked up on things I'd posted on social media that I'd been having a bit of a moment this year... I'm guessing though that actually you listened to the Spirit and acted because that is the kind of people I believe you to be. Let me just clear up one thing, I think I know who you are.

Another week over and I'm so not ready for the end of term! I've been talking with my friends at work that I'm someone who likes routine, but I think really I just like my job... and obviously, the people I work with and the joy they bring me (and hopefully I bring them) plus if I'm not busy I might have time to stop and actually work through my thoughts and we know how crazy my thoughts are, I don't think we need to examine them! Still, there is the usual Christmas excitement at work, so it's an exciting last week. Anyway, here's what we are eating this week.

I am so lucky. I never thought that I would have a job that I enjoy as much as I do the one I currently have. I never thought that I would have friends that make me laugh as much as my friends do. I never thought that I would wake up each morning eager to go to work.

Yay! I'm back and I've missed you all, and blogging and just getting my thoughts out. Here's what we're eating this week. Saturday - Hamburgers and chips Flyfour was after these, so that's what we've got! Sunday - Lasagne Flyfour wasn't sure if he wanted to make Lasagne or Shepherd's Pie today, so as the ingredients are so similar we decided to buy the couple of extra items we'd need so that Flyfour could change his mind at the last second. He's assured me he's making Lasagne, so I've moved the other meals around so we don't eat Pasta two nights in a row!