Good morning Mumsnet! What's everyone doing today?

[lucysmam]

I'm just drinking my usual cup of tea, in silence. There's no noise apart from the fridge humming to itself! Absolute bliss.

I need to do some washing, wash up last night's pots and put out the recycling.

We're going to have a wander to Asda for sweets to decorate the gingerbread house, baking ingredients, and some food for the next few days. I've run down the freezer ready for the Christmas shop but seem to have forgotten that we actually need to eat before then

Later on, I plan to carry on with my crochet project, and the girls wanted to make mince pies 😋

What's everyone else up to?

Sounds lovely, my 2 are now 12 & 14 and not really bothered about decorating gingerbread houses or making mince pies 🥺.

Anyway just in bed with a cup of tea really not sure what to do today. I miss the young ones excitement for Christmas, it really rubs off on you. Have a lovely day.

@Rupertpenrysmistress mine are the same age as yours! They get quite competitive over who's better at piping royal icing

Still in bed. It’s wonderful. Just Dh and I at home now. 3 dc all living away. Dh has walked our dog. We need to go shopping for Christmas food later as we have a houseful all being well.

We were supposed to be hosting a party tonight and I should be rushing around preparing for that, but we’ve cancelled. We were getting more and more jittery about just being too close to Christmas and I don’t want to jeopardise everyone’s family Christmases. We’ve rescheduled for January because I won’t care so much then!

Sounds fab. Kids asked if I’m motivated to make a gingerbread house this year, but I’m not!

Having a lie in right now, I’ve been up since 7.30 but don’t have the energy to physically get up. I can hear the kids are up, I’d promised pancakes for breakfast so will go and do those. Need to sort my room out, there’s a pile of clothes that need to be put away. Will hoover and dust all upstairs and make bags of kids old clothes to give away.

It’s a stay at home and clean day. Oh and I need to do the oven too. I’m actually looking forward to that.

We are isolating as a family as although we are all negative LFTS school is out and one of my DCs is CV. It has felt so risky the last few weeks and we have basically shut the family down until january. We are lucky we can do that by choice.

So- gaming (DCs) christmas menu planning (me), dvds later and a jigsaw.

Ds2 is away visiting grandparents. We are going to try to decorate his room whilst he’s away

I'm nursing my dying mother this morning & thankful she's now close to the end. Will be watching a film with the children later abw.

Aaah so hard @buckeejit Hope the remaining time is peaceful.

Morning!

DP is taking DSD swimming and then to DGPs, and I’ll be pottering about doing some housework and catching up on tv. Later on it’s pizza and snacks and a
Christmas film.

Morning @lucysmam hope you are well

Love love love reading these every Saturday

I managed to get downstairs before anyone else was awake which is no mean feat in a creaking 200 year old house the floorboards sound like they will give way any moment. Managed to make a pot of tea and have been enjoying the silence with my book.

We have got a lovely day planned. Usual uniform wash etc this morning our children are in until the 23rd. DD wants me to drive her to town so she can go round the shops she's old enough to go on her own, think she's meeting a friend for Starbucks, I think she's mad going to town the last sat before Christmas but there you go.

Eldest son has announced he's staying bed all morning which is fine

Debating Christmas playdough with the little ones I got a lovely kit from etsy and we haven't used it yet.

This afternoon when older ones are back / up we are planning a Christmas film ( polar express) afternoon around 4pm and will send DH down to the village to pick up fish and chips halfway through we have a lovely traditional fish and chjp shop they just do fish and chips etc, its expensive but amazing, they do fabulous salt and pepper calamari

I'm also making slow cooker hot chocolate the film, if anyone wants the recipe ill post it

Once everyone in bed DH and I are going to enjoy bottle of merlot and make a start on the wrapping!

Must get up and get some shopping. Then a visit to dd2 who moved into her new house yesterday...I have been sent a list of things to bring. Including a kettle and a Christmas Tree stand!

Good morning!

I am not sure. Today is day 1 of my much needed 2.5 weeks off after near burnout.

No one else away yet, no real plans.

I want to: go for a walk by myself with a podcast
Do some yoga (trying to make it a daily habit)
Tidy up - I want us all to have a blitz - get school stuff washed and tidied away, clean house for Christmas, I may go through some clothes.
Get myself looking human - I haven't shaved anything for about a month, my eyebrows are like beetles and I have a huge tache. I am far from high maintenance but I feel awful.
Find a book to read which is really immersive
Watch strictly with a Baileys whilst trying not to lick the screen when Gio is on

The issue I have is that looks quite a lot when written down and that scares me even though it's not much. DH is desperately trying to get me to slow down and take pressure off myself bless him but I know I'll feel a bit more ready to relax if hit my targets

15 mins more of lie in then off to yoga!

I’ve just put the dishwasher on, having a coffee and thinking about whether I’ll get dressed today (I’ve got covid).

DH will walk the dog in a bit, I’ll probably have a quick clean and tidy up while they’re out and we might get round to putting the Christmas tree up today if DS fancies getting it out of the attic.

Other than that we’ll be lounging around, watching tv and probably doing a bit more online shopping.

I’m waiting on my ex to pick up our son at 10 then I’m busy busy for the 5 hours of visitation. Gotta go to the shop, wrap a lot of Xmas presents and do some general housework that’s hard to do with a toddler about.
But hopefully I’ll be able to just set up in front of the TV and binge season 2 of the Witcher while I get the wrapping done.

Ironing and Cleaning the house for Xmas. With Xmas tunes on Alexa and regular mince pie breaks.

Might go to the cinema tonight.

In a moment I'm going to get up and make myself a bacon and runny egg sarnie, then I'm going to the hairdresser for long overdue hair cut and then to a Christmas party.

❤ to @buckeejit. I'm glad that you are able to be with your mother.

I'm full of cold (all tests negative so far so think it is just a cold) so I'm taking it very easy. I slept in and came downstairs to find DH playing a video game and DD is following YouTube tutorials to draw her own cartoon characters.

I've put food out for the birds, had some breakfast and now I'm going to play Animal Crossing for a bit.

Gotta get a clothes wash on. And tonight DH and I will be wrapping presents. An aunt has sent us a hamper of cheese, crackers, chutney and wine so that's our evening sorted!

DH & I are enjoying a quiet cup of coffee while bacon is cooking for bacon sandwiches. Then off to a craft market with SIL and will visit MIL & FIL on the way back. Ddog is off for a pre Xmas groom and we visit my DF on way back from that. Then strictly with lots of nice snacks. A busy but lovely day

Finishing off the Christmas shopping. Dreading it! Getting my nails done too.

Today my plan is surviving. That's my main aim. I should also post my pile of Christmas cards and tidy up. I am going to try not to worry if DC spend all day in their pyjamas watching screens. I am justifying this because it is the first day of the school holidays, it's been a long term, they are exhausted, they will be happy with this and it will help with my plan to survive.

Currently half watching the News, and scrolling on MN. I need to do some present wrapping, put a wash on, buy some local beer for my DDs boyfriend - it's his 1 Yr delayed 21st family get together this evening. (They've got a marquee and a tiki bar in the garden). I'm only going to stay a little while, then home for Strictly. DP is a musician, and is expecting his gig tonight to be cancelled, losing significant ££.

I'm still in bed
Never get this much of a lie in. Dc are jere laughing over the elf (he milk their toy cows and left a glass of milk)
So they were laughing

Dh is going to the recycling centre for a big clear out. I've the house and washing up to date but a small bit bit paperwork to sort.
Other than that- no plans. Might have a bath and use my lumea hair remover glamorous person that I am (not)

Sorry about typos

I've had breakfast and a mug of tea. I need to drag myself out for a run. Or do I just drink more tea and watch homes under the hammer?

We've travelled to a village in deepest rural England where my DC grandparents and extended family meme era live, and it is every bit as picture perfect as you can imagine.

Cottages with smoke curling from the chimney, a tiny pub, church all festively dressed, strings of lights across the streets. Every building is listed, and every house has twinkling lights and wreaths on the door. It's perfect.

Ex-Fil is cooking sausages from the local farm, there's fresh bread from the bakers for sandwiches, and after breakfast we're going for a ramble to forage for Holly and mistletoe from his friends field/copse.

We drove down last night and the fog was insane! Like driving through a tunnel for much of the way. Really bad driving conditions, so we took longer than normal to arrive and pretty much fell straight into bed.

I'm currently sat in the window with a fresh coffee and my ex-pil's cocker spaniel on my knee. She's gorgeous. DC are looking forward to visiting grandads sheep later. And we're having a pub dinner later this afternoon.

After a stressful few weeks this is absolute bliss. And no more work until the new year so I'm officially on my jollies