Boo!

Playing catch up again so a quick round up of yesterday and today:

Yesterday In the morning we had three items of mail – a cheque from camelot for a tenner won on last week’s lottery, a cheque from the tax office for a tax refund (which it had occurred to me a while back I might be due having not officially worked all year, but promptly forgotten about again) – only £300 but very welcome just the same 🙂 And the third item of post? A letter from the library to say I had two books outstanding and owed £4 odd in fines! I was actually in the process of gathering library books together to be returned when the post arrived – and had totally forgotten I even had those two, so despite the £4 I was glad of the reminder!

Ady was working from home so I took the children with me to walk into Lancing and the library while leaving him to a nice quiet house in which to work in. Davies was not really in a walking mood and Scarlett was in even less of a being in her pushchair mood but as that is currently the only feasible way to get anywhere with two of them it had to be that way.

The library appeared to be having some sort of pre-January sale and all their books for sale were at 10pence – so stocked up 🙂 I got twelve books on various topics – mainly educational ones about things like weather, heat and light, a couple on faiths and beliefs, one on Israel and a few story books. I also picked up a book I borrowed from the library up north a few years ago which I found quite good at the time – would probably not have bothered buying it or reading it again but for 10p it is a good one to have on the shelf when having a bad day!

A quick traipse round Woolies, buying some new compartmentalised storage boxes for the beads I bought from BM before Christmas and then a long and windy walk home with Davies complaining most of the way 🙁 Scarlett fell asleep so at least I was only dealing with the one of them! Home for lunch and then I had an afternoon to myself.

Ady had asked what I wanted for my birthday and without having to entirely spell it out I managed to convey that what I would really like was a couple of childfree hours to wander round the shops all by myself and choose something – so that’s what I got! Early, but the only chance we had for it as he is back to work again properly next week and I like to avoid shops at the weekends at all costs..

So I had about three lovely hours, trying stuff on, rejecting most of it and circling the same four stores mostly, picking the same items up again and again and buying none of them! I did get six new tops (for the bargain total price of £26!) and then blew it by spending £60 on underwear which was not actually in the sales! But I did really need some new underwear and I’d rather get what I wanted under the justfication of it being a birthday pressie, than feel guilty about buying it! Also picked up a fab pair of wellies in Woollies for Tarly when she reaches next shoe size up and a winter coat for Davies for next year – both less than half price 🙂 Oh, and a world map puzzle in ELC which was reduced too.

Going round shops I worked in this time 5 years ago – one of the unhappiest periods of my life, and being without the children for a few hours made me ponder a few things which I think I will save for another post…

Home again and we had the children in PJs and ready to go to bed when Mum and Dad arrived for the evening. I had decided that if they behaved the kids could stay up a bit later last night – not ’til midnight, but until they were tired enough to go to bed without a fight! Ady opened a bottle of champagne when my parents arrived and gave both kids a very very small glass each. Davies predictably didn’t like it. Scarlett, equally predictably loved it and downed hers, Davies’ and would have started on mine too if we’d let her! She then had a total meltdown when Ady decided she should not have any peanuts just before bedtime – which he probably didn’t deal with that effectively, but never mind. Davies was asleep by about 8.30, but she lasted ’til nearly 10pm 🙁 Dinner was delayed til 10.30pm which made quite a short evening of it really! Dad had arrived the wrong side of about half a bottle of whiskey as they had been with friends all day, so he crashed out on the sofa, Ady cooked in the kitchen and Mum, Scarlett and I watched Roman Road.

We saw midnight in watching the London Eye fireworks having turned over from Jools Holland’s Hootenany. Not sure how I feel about the fireworks really – they were staggeringly beautiful, without a doubt the most impressive and amazing display I’ve ever seen but Ady thought he’d heard somewhere it had cost about £1m which just seems completely obscene and quite literally burning money… Mum & Dad left at about 12.45, we were in bed by 1.30am and as the kids didn’t wake ’til nearly 7am it was not a bad night’s sleep for a NYE!

Today – as said I was up with small people from 7am while Ady had a lay in ’til 10am. I had this idea it would be nice to go out for lunch somewhere with the kids, although with no real idea of where. Chris and Julie rang to wish us Happy New Year and see if they could come over but we are both feeling like we have just seen too much of everyone the last week or so and really wanted some time to be just the four of us. So we drove to Horsham – where we used to go quite a lot before we had the children and found a Beefeater for lunch. In the main I loathe those sort of establishments – the food is mediocre, the service can be a gamble and whilst not expensive they are not exactly budget prices either. But this one restored my faith in them 🙂 The service was great, they had a new menu with a great variety of dishes and the children behaved really well which made it a great success. Ady even suggested that we start a new practise of going out for lunch with the kids once a month which will be really nice. As we eat our dinner once they have gone to bed they only really eat lunch with us – and often I eat mine on the go so we don’t really do sit down meals as a family – which will change as they get older but it is a good exercise for them to get used to eating in restuarants anyway so I think that is something we will be doing.

We came home via my parents as Davies wanted to see Granny and Grandad but they were not in so we have had a productive afternoon here instead. Ady watched football while supervising the kids playing with magic sand while I totally cleared out their bedrooms. They have been dusted and hoovered, all rubbish removed, homes found for all the various toys which stay in their rooms, soft toys bagged up and put in the loft, space created for them to actually play in their rooms, their little bedroom Christmas trees dismantle and put away and I am feeling very industrious and organised.

I still have our room to tackle – but that was due it’s annual wardrobe clear out anyway so that is fine. I clear my clothes of anything which had not been worn since last year or is worn out and try to create new outfits and semblance of order in the drawers and cupboards too. It usually works for a while when I dress in my dream clothes of skirts and smart jumpers for about a month or so before slipping back into my old habit of jeans and v necked tops again! Ady has also vowed to clear out the cupboard under the stairs and finish sorting the kitchen out to create some more storage so we are feeling like we might live in an organised house for a bit!

And that’s it for now… we have nothing planned as such for tomorrow – probably a bit more house tidying and I want to create some job lists for myself for the next couple of weeks. Education wise I am totally relaxed at the moment – I believe I am due a mad panic around mid February so I will relax until then and worry about curriculums, workbooks and whether I am raising illiterate children then 🙂