Pre Christmas Clearout

After a few weeks of lack of motivation i have started the pre Christmas clear out! i have to do this every year, well i do it at various points in the year but a big one just before Christmas. I don't know why but every cuboard and every room must be just so or i can't relax. Yesterday i did all the cuboards in the kitchen and was very pleased that food wise i only had a couple of packets that were really out of date, things i had bought cheap but really had no need for. I have been very good this year at using things up and only buying what i need and checking cupboards before i shop to make sure everything is used. I did however finally empty the baby cupboard that had Alexs baby bottles and bits and bobs, like the little tubs and ice cube trays that i used to make his baby food in. My recycling bin is full this week and already out for collection tomorrow. I can't believe how many herbs and spice i have but i do use them all the time and have to replace a few each week, i suppose thats what happens when you cook from scratch! this is just them while i was emptying the cupboard to clean it as we also grow our own as well.

Today i tackled the kids rooms. The last few months i have let Molly and Ewan have Film nights on the weekend in Ewans room and let them have snacks as well. As Ewan has a bunk bed he puts things on the top of his wardrobe and despite telling them to put rubbish in the bin and bring plates. cups etc down, i got a step ladder today to dust the top of the ward robe and found so much rubbish up there, just out of view when i am stood in the room. Urrrggh they have been told now no snacks upstairs, sweet wrappers and all sorts up there so no more snacks upstairs thats for sure! but upstairs is now spick and span, and the wardrobes and draws have been sorted through and i have a huge bag for charity. It does feel good to have a big clean and sort through, beds changed and ready for Christmas, if only they would stay that way!

While i was sorting out Ali and Fred had pulled out every toy and made a huge mess doenstairs so i brought them upstairs to play and caught Ali playing with the bath toys in the toilet!!!!!! arrgh
but i had a brainwave and filled the sink with water... such a good idea! can't believe i never thought of it before, kept them busy for over an hour while i finished upstairs. Ok well the bathroom did end up like a swimming pool but they had great fun and is easily fixed

Yesterday was Mollys Schools Christmas party. They get to wear party clothes, but Molly wanted to wear her Anna Dress and she wasn't the only Disney Princess i saw in the playground, she had a great time and that night was also her Rainbow Christmas party, so she wore it for that as well.

A while ago the rainbows had a coloring competition with all the units in the area ad last night they announced the winner.. and it was Molly!! we are so proud of her she is definitely creative! this is the Olivia doll she won and Ewan giving her a hug after she got home and told him! awww!

This is Ewans Christingal he made at Schools, minus the Sweets which of course ate!

On Sunday afternoon we went to the Pheasents Wood Carol services and the switch on of there Christmas lights, Santa as their and they all got toys and sweets, so very happy kids.

So after today's tidy up i put most of the toys in the loft and Fred was asking for the building bricks, which i brought don and for hours they have played with them, its great listening to them play they were so engrossed with it, its shows how the toys rotation really works as its almost like a new toy after a month of being,  in the loft, instead of always being there. We had a cottage and a spaceship, which was Ewans after Watching Tim Peakes blast off to the International space station today!

Another step closer to Christmas today!!

xxx

Prepping for Christmas

Today while putting the Christmas decoration boxes in the loft out of the way, i stumbled on a list. On this list was last years Christmas Presents for the kids, each year i spend a few months buying presents, then as the day gets closer panic that i haven't bought enough or that one child has more than the other, that type of thing. So as Christmas day drew nearer i had wrote this list with four columns and scribbled down what they had been bought, i had probably done this whilst wrapping them up and at that time i didn't have a loft and they were stored all over the place and they truly seemed to believe that the big boxes stacked next to my bed were all boxes of "wool" that i had bought for making jumpers! So after i had found this list i read through it and quickly added up roughly how much i had spent on each of them and was quite surprised at how much i must have spent, normally i don't have a set amount for each its more about making sure it looks like they all have the same and obviously thats more difficult as baby toys are far bigger and cheaper than a computer game for example.

This year i have really been very budget conscious as there are lots of things we want and like to do, things that have needed to be done to the house and now that i am not really working we have had to make cut backs, not that we have ever been really big spenders, to be honest everything we do is usually for the kids, but it was one of my New Years resolutions and i have stuck to it, we have saved money and been able to spend it on better things.

This year thinking about what to get the kids was really quite hard, with having four children we have lots of toys, more trains and track than we can lay down all at once, building bricks, duplo, lego, dolls, a shop, play food, puppet theaters, a shelf full of books, dolls and there accessories, every one of the popular and retro board games, more jigsaws than i can count, cars and garage, and toy boxes full of toddler toys, dressing up clothes, play mobil castles boy ones and girl ones, craft stuff the list just goes on and on and on, lets face it they have been spoilt! so with all that to pass down it leaves very little to buy specially for the little ones. We keep a lot of it in the loft and every couple of weeks i swap them over so they have different things to play with. This is why i decided this year to take the two older kids on outings as the main part of there presents this year, which i have wrote about before, Molly and i went to Manchester, stayed in a hotel, went shopping and to see Disney on Ice. Ewan and i will be going away in the new year. So after them writing there lists, which were quite small this year to be honest, as they must have accepted that they are going away as presents, which i though might be over looked, i have bought them everything they have asked for and a bit more ( apart from Ewans Wii U! thats not going to happen!).

So this brings me back to the list from last year. I got out all there pressies today to see how much they have and what the piles will look like and i feel a bit sad that it looks less than last year.
Well it would as they are having the outings as well!

I showed Paul the Pressies and the list from last year and he started to read it and ask me when was the last time i saw Ewan play with the Robot he asked for last year?  once maybe since Christmas day, and when did Molly last play with the Castle she asked for and wanted so much?, ahh last week...but that was the first time since Christmas week.... Starting to get the picture.. yes! in fact after reading the list and looking at it that way, there was very few things that were actually wanted and used. Ewan loved the all books i bought him (a box set and lots of fact books) and has read them over and over along with watching the Star Wars dvds all the time, The army clothes have never been off his back, but everything else has been touched a couple of times at most! Molly loved her make up and hair stuff and dressing up outfits and shoes ( girly girl!) and craft stuff!, but everything else has been left. The little ones have played with there stuff, but realistically Ali just wants trains and cars and Fred wants to have anything that Ali is playing with! plus craft stuff Fred is always up in Molly's room using her sellotape!

So the lesson that have learn't from this is that its me!!!! Its me that buys all the stuff they don't really want, but what i want them to have! Its me that makes my life hard with piles of toys that don't really get played with but get tipped out and spread everywhere!, its me that wants them to have piles of presents! Its me, me , me!

So as i have said in a previous post i will stick to what i have bought them this year and not go out and spend another £200 or £300 on bits and bobs, because they are cheap and will make it look like they have mountains of presents. On last years list i saw a item at the end of each one i had labeled "tat" and really thats what it is. I was shocked i had put that, but realistically thats what it was, bits of rubbish that i had bought.

I asked them last week what they were looking forward to this Christmas and of course it was opening there presents, but they also asked if we could do the Gingerbread house competition like last year, where Paul and Ewan went against Molly and i, to cook and build a Gingerbread house from scratch, neither were very successful but it was a lot of fun, just looked for the post and realised i didn't blog about it, but there are lots of things i don't as i don't always have time, even more so round Christmas. Also they asked for the starter they have had for the last few years, which is a bowled out melon with fruit cocktail in, not very exciting but we had smoked salmon terrine and i knew they wouldn't like that, so thats what i did. Its amazing what they remember and what sticks in there minds as Christmas, and is what they will remember as they grow up, and its not what we think they will remember. Its the experiences they have, so as Paul is off for a couple of weeks over Christmas, i will stick to the plans i have of family days, games, baking and making, and just being together, so if like in previous years i don't post much over Christmas its because we are making memories together.

Hope you all have a loving and fun filled Christmas xxx

Farmer Parrs

Farmer Parrs is a local farm, not a working farm really anymore, but a day out type place, with lots going on through out the year and Christmas is my favorite time to go as they decorate the main barn like a winter wonderland, i have been going for about 10 years now, maybe longer as we used to go when my nieces and nephews when they were young as well. Each year the add more and it just gets better and better and the Father Christmas is amazing and he sits in a log cabin with Reindeer poking there heads through the windows and whats really nice is that he takes his time talking to the kids, which is why we usually have to queue for 2 hours, but its worth it.

On Monday night Molly went with her Rainbow group and as it was only for an hour me, Alex and Ewan hung out and had a walk round. She saw Santa and got a pressie so was a very happy little girl!

This is Santas house

Today we went back again with Fred and Alex , my mum and Paul took a day off as it was the Childrens Centre Christmas Party at Farmer Parrs. Its was a great day, i went last year as well.

They have all the same things plus a disco and hot pot and they have various craft all around the farm and they only charge £1 per person!

The joy on Freds face for the whole day was un  describable, he really has the Christmas bug this year

Today they had a different Santa, slight shame as we had been talking about it being the real Santa with a real beard, but as the party was only for a couple of hours he had to be much quicker as they had 500 people to see.

Fred took a carrot with him that he had been clutching all day, and he gave it to Santa who fed it to the Reindeer, it was so special for Fred and made him really happy, i remember last year he was slightly scared of "red nose" and after we threw some carrots outside the front door he was constantly worried every time we went out he would be there!

 Ali, was dancing, well marching and swinging his head, but fell over and bashed his poor little head on the floor!

He loved the day though, and it was so nice for Paul and My mum as well

Fred loved seeing the animals

All in all it was a great day and such a wonderful event that the children's center had organized.

That morning i had asked the kids what they would like for tea as we were doing the food shopping after the farm and very randomly Ewan and Molly asked for an all you can eat buffet!

So i thought i would give them what they wanted and popped into Iceland for some Party food, usually i make everything myself, but this was a much easier option for just us.

They also asked for Party games so, i fond a few bits in my Prize bag, where i keep bits i have picked up during the year for party bags and things like that and wrapped them up and we had a few games of pass the parcel, that Fred has been getting into after going the the Playgroup Christmas party on Wednesday!

A great end to a great week!

Bye xxx

Gala Ball

Well thats what i have been calling it, it was the Gala Black Tie Dinner on Saturday night.

A gala event i have been sooo looking forward to. I love a Christmas Doo!

And this was the day!

The gala have been selling tickets and we sold out quite quickly with groups from the rotary club to local works groups  and charity groups using it as there Christmas night out.

On the afternoon i met with Alison from the committee to dress the room, as you can see.

I did the balloons and Christmas tree decorations

The big black balloon decorations came from Paul who got them from work as they were from this works black friday sale , but a week later they were still looking good so he managed to bring eight of them for our night and one for home, that the kids love.

After decorating the room , Paul and i had a couple of hours on our own as the kids were staying overnight at my mum and dads, 

Yay, its doesn't happen that often that we have a night out  and  we made the most of it, but its strange, so when we get home Paul puts on the Tv to get the football results and i listen to music on the pc with my headphones till i realize that i can listen to music as loud as i like as its not like the kids are in bed upstairs and we had a few Bacardis!

We got ready and i had bought a new Collectif dress specially for the occasion and wore my nannas Mink coat which only ever seems to get an outning on an evening like this but went great with my dress!

No my hair isn't blue, but i did darken it to violet!

The singing group we hired were great and played my type of music, swing classics, then for there second set all the popular classics including queen which made Paul very happy

We are definitely planning more as we made lots of money for the Gala with the chorley raffle and bottle rolling.

Can't wait for the next one

better start planning it!

xxx

Getting ready to go out

After a manic week i am attempting to relax and chill for a few hours as tonight is the night i have been waiting for, The Gala Black Tie Dinner. Its a new event we have planned for the gala this year and will hopefully be the first of many. One of the things i miss about not working for a company is Christmas nights out, its not the same going to Pauls as i don't know anybody, but this one we are both involved with, plus its black tie, I love Paul in a Tux! I have bought a new collectif dress, an actual new one from there website, i would say i had splashed out but it was in the sale from £68 to £15 and its black and perfect for tonight. I had been supposed to go to the hair dressers this morning to get my hair put up, but i had forgotten that Paul was working for  a few hours today so had to cancel, at least i got my color and cut the other week, although i have put a slightly darker dye on my hair this morning, just because i felt like a bit more of a change. 

 Last night i sat and made all the table decorations and i have balloons and a helium tank ready to go, i will show you pictures tomorrow.

The kids are sat making monsters out of craft kids they got in there advent calendars, and are continually asking me to thread the needles so i will go now and update tomorrow xx