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Monday, November 30, 2009

Here Comes the Silly Season

The shops have been full of tinsel, cards and carols on repeat for weeks now, and tomorrow, yes tomorrow is the 1st of December, therefore it MUST now be the official lead in to Christmas. The house is now full of decorations and the advent calendars await the eager little fingers of the children tomorrow. The tree is dripping with baubles, several of which have had to be put on several times as Lucy has removed them! There are bags full of presents for teachers, friends and family safely tucked into every corner of the house waiting to be wrapped, addressed and delivered and a mountain of cards to write.

Tomorrow is Matthews first ever school play, I must admit I am a little excited and also nervous. He is a very different character to Heather and usually delights in playing to an audience and tomorrow he will have a captive one. My hope is that he does as he is supposed to and shouts out 'S is for Santa' in the clear way he has been doing at home. Heather is driving me mad with Knees up Bethlehem and I am curious to see how this ditty fits into the nativity play she is performing in on Wednesday, and then in the evening I head off for the mums night out.

There is, of course, as Eyeore would know a black cloud on the horizon. I failed to allow the children to take their cards in on the very first day (today!) that they were allowed to. My argument I thought was plausible enough, you have to wait until the 1st of December and we had a hundred and one things to take with us today. Heather had to take her school play costume, then there was the swimming trunks she came home with that, unless she has had a sex change over the weekend certainly don't belong to her and then I had to take the school fair donations. BUT Heather came home with not 1, not 2, but 4 cards and with a triumphant edge to her voice declared; 'See mummy I told you I should have taken them into today!'

She then marched off to her room to put the cards on the string, there was another storm on the way, the string wasn't there! Having completely failed to keep the string from last year in a safe place it hasn't been put up yet. I did manage to get some today but with a kamikaze toddler on the loose it isn't really safe to be up a ladder with drawing pins when Lucy is about at the moment. Hopefully this dreadful error will be rectified in time for tomorrows delivery!

I have to admit one success, I managed to get into my possession 2 go go hamsters and a house for them to live in, and while I would still like one for Lucy so we can avoid world war 3 and a car for Matthew getting hold of the toys wasn't too bad, thanks to a fast finger and Argos reserve and collect. The odd thing was Heather hadn't even mentioned them and although I had heard of the uproar about the shortage I didn't really know what they were. I had been talking just that morning with fellow parents who were scouring the internet for them and feeling pleased that I didn't have to join in. My heart sank when on that Friday evening Heather came home and announced 'I want a go go Hamster, a yellow one because everyone is getting then and they're cool.' only to be echoed my Matthew who hasn't a clue what they are but wants one because Heather does!

Good luck to all parents attending school plays over the next couple of weeks, may you get a good view, your little ones behave and the performances go without a hitch!