What is the difference between snowmen and snow women? Snowballs! It’s countdown to Christmas thread 5!

[SideOrderofSprouts]

45! ( from midnight. Three glasses of wine and a tub of pringles means I’m falling asleep!!)

I'm mostly too busy to twitch - I still have a couple of small things to get but am doing ok. For a change, I had a present organized in advance for 1 teacher (last class today) for DD, and have things for the other teachers ready for the optimum time. I want biscuits for the staffroom too (for school secretary team and caretaker as much as the teachers and resource teachers).

Yesterday went as well as could be expected. But I am shattered now (I dread to think how DH is, as he left at 4am for a flight) - DD and I slept until 8.20 (school starts at 8.30!!), so she was cycling in at 9am. Ooops. Work is slowing down, a little, though, so that's ok.

Food shopping arrives tonight, I have a drinks reception, followed by dinner with DM tomorrow, and I'm waiting for the babysitter to confirm that she is still ok for Friday (or I have to go home after my work lunch and not attend the whole organization party in the evening). Cubs party on Saturday morning, and then DD and I will get everything from the storage for the tree and decorating!! DH has to go back down to DMIL early on Sunday, and will be back late Monday, away in UK Tues/Wed but hopefully that's it for his travel until the new year.

We put our tree up yesterday, let it relax and put the lights and baubles on today . Its lovely, smells really festive .

Still have to wrap presents, do the rest of the decorations, go for a meal out.
Get dragged to Bluewater by DD
Cake decoration
Make cakes for DH work

Finish work on the 21st

11

Christmas team meal tonight, which should be good. I'm recovering from a slight stomach bug though so can't drink too much (thought it was an IBS flare up, but actually realised it was a bug as I declined during the day yesterday!). All I did last night was sleep. Feeling much better today, though I avoided the cross trainer this morning; need to save my energy!

Santa train this weekend. Yay! Exciting. Will finally start to feel Christmassy good and proper!

Morning

I am almost done, just need a baby's first Christmas card and I'm done but my fridge broke yesterday 😞 it's been on it way for a while but we fixed it last month. Came home yesterday to a pool of water underneath and no cold food / drinks. Could do without this so close to christmas!

On the plus side - seeing ILs Saturday and doing a Christmas dinner with my family on Sunday then final countdown to New York. Only 5 more working days 🎄🎄

New York?! So jealous! Dh and I went there three years ago now this time of year. It's just amazing.

Ah on no baubles

This time next week I am done for christmas!

I've just booked next Friday off. They are letting us go at 2, so I essentially lose two hours' leave, but I've got so much to do (DH's birthday cake for 23rd plus cleaning etc) that I'd rather be off than in work. Plus there's a train strike, so it'll be a mission to get into work anyway.

Just sorting out the contract for my new job:

33 days leave - three have to be taken between xmas and new year
plus bank holidays
plus unlimited flexi-days
plus no core office hours 38hrs a week just need doing so could compress days etc.

I think I have died and gone to flexible working heaven!

That sounds fab Hairspray, particularly the flexi days, I really miss those!!

DD had a great presentation in class yesterday, so self-esteem was seriously boosted (which was badly needed) and I ended up sitting with her watching tv last night, just doing what she wanted. So the only "job" I got done was putting away the shopping. I should have baked for tomorrow and Saturday - but it looks like the babysitter is not available so I can do the baking tomorrow night instead (at least Cubs will be ok, I have a roll of dough in the freezer that I can do in minutes in the morning for work).

I need to write another 5 cards, and get them all in the post tomorrow.

I've agreed with my boss that my team (which means all 3 teams in the Unit effectively - but it was my initiative!) will consider next Friday Christmas Eve, regardless of what any office notice says (as that's not out yet and boss is on leave since last week). So we will all finish at lunchtime and I will credit clocks for those on flexi - but if it is "officially" Christmas Eve, the building will close by 12.30 so most people will be gone before 12.

Bitterly cold here today, and I have a mountain of laundry and cleaning to sort this weekend. At least I did remember to put out the bin this morning - the only full one between this week and next is the recycling, but I am making sure that all 3 are emptied so that we have whatever space we need afterwards (apart from Christmas waste, DH intends blitzing the house like crazy so there will be a lot of clutter to dump too).

I feel so slammed, but nothing I can do whilst child wrangling. DH finishes work tomorrow, Wilf finishes school tomorrow and then we can concentrate on just finishing stuff and having fun.

We have the school christmas fete today, ended up making two yule logs and a load of buns for that. I do not know how the actual attending the fete with a two year old is going to work. Hoping we can be in and out in ten minute...

Wow, Hairspray, I want your job. I'd love the flexitime offered there (and the annual leave!). What do you do?!

I'm so stressed I don't know where to begin

We part exchanged our house last week and we've got three viewings of our current house tomorrow and Saturday. Most of the rooms are passable but I'm currently working on DD1's room. Her course is so full on that she is doing little more than eating and sleeping when she isn't working so I'm trying to sort her room out for her.

I wrapped all of DS's presents yesterday and it was going swimmingly until I realised I'd bought the wrong lightsaber. Took it back this morning to exchange it and the one I need is out of stock. Luckily I found it elsewhere so my meltdown in Tesco only lasted a few minutes 😂

I have had to rearrange dinner too as tonight was supposed to be curry and I don't want to put our prospective purchasers off.

I work in a organisation that is part of a branch of govt that deals with the environment, agriculture and farming, I am moving to another organisation within the same branch of government!

I currently work in environmental protection permits and I will be a project manager for farming pollution prevention events.

Hello!

Popping in as life is a whirlwind of Christmas parties (kids). Stressing (me) and waiting for the last payday.

Break up from school/work tomorrow. Babysprout has a stinking cold so he doesn’t want to do anything he is asked and the girls are already fighting and haven’t even broken up yet!!

We don't break up from school/work until Wednesday next week!

We're watching miracle on 34th street it's my favourite!

DD is at home, swears that she left the kitchen as clean as possible but its still a bit messy, but the cookies are in the oven (she rang me to check how long they needed to bake!). Oh, well, DH is home a long time before me tonight!

My foot is a bit sore where I had a verruca frozen at lunch, but I've managed to do my social thing at work (senior management drinks - better to go for 1 than not turn up at all) and am heading off to meet DM and DB for dinner. Work lunch tomorrow after a meeting (we are split, about 75 minutes apart, so we have to get together on occasion to catch up on what's happening), then drinks with the other 3 units in our division (as all 4 are on their work lunches tomorrow) and then the whole organization night out tomorrow night. I need to get to the chemist for DD and Scout shop (for 8 badges I missed!) tomorrow as well.

But things are falling into place. I found a star tree topper today (which DH announced we "needed" on Tuesday! There were almost none available anywhere!!). I got a few nibbles in M&S for work (section meeting, and next week we will have drinks at some stage). I must look for a cookery book for a present and write 5 more cards. I only have about 3 more presents to wrap. And the tree will be collected from storage on Saturday after Cubs, to go up on Sunday afternoon watching "The nightmare before Christmas" (never seen it before).

Sounds as though everyone has it all coming together :) I need to buy two bottles of wine and then I am done with gift buying! This weekend I need to post all the presents of people we won't see. And make gravy and mince pies and finalise the Morrison's shop. Oh and pass my theory driving test

Good luck with the test, Addict!

Oh my everybody is so busy
Hope everyone is feeling better
Went to Aldi's for a few bits , saw the very pretty but very tiny robin cake that is £9.99 and decided not to get it , I can see it being reduced in a day or two and might get one then mrs scrooge
Ceebs good luck with the driving theory test !
Biddy do you ever stop my dear you must be as slim as a pin you are so busy! Hope the sore foot is better very quickly too
Sprout hope baby sprout is better soon and you manage to separate the children lol lovely to be finishing work so early you can do loads then in theory
Hairspray that job sounds the dogs wotsits wonderful ! Congratulations.
Woolly I am not surprised you are stressed sweetie you have a lot going on , hope you move soon and the stress will be gone for you then ...fingers crossed
Fridge well done on the yule log and buns hope you had a great time at the Fete
70 l love a real tree smell just gorgeous so Christmassy
Biddy well done to DD and you are so lucky to get your bins emptied this week , we have been totally abandoned by our county council this week grrr!
Crazy, New York... oh that sounds just lovely , you must be so excited
Hope you get the fridge sorted fore Christmas although in this weather you won't need a fridge at all lol
Presently watching A Great Yorkshire Christmas and It is fab , lovely Christmas windows , ppl are so talented,
Have another busy day tomoz , hey ho ....

Oh MrsMad I meant to watch that. I was in Harrogate last month and wanted to see if I'd wandered into shot if they were still filming I am shallow I'll have to watch it on catch up.

My house has been hoovered and polished to within an inch of its life so I'm as ready as I will ever be. The challenge will be to keep it this way My lightsaber order is due in on Tuesday and we had sausage and mash for dinner so all is good in the Woolly household. I'll feel a bit more Christmassy tomorrow after the Nativity play at work and DS' carol concert at school in the afternoon.

It does sound as if everyone's plans are coming together.

Good luck for tomorrow Addict 🤞

I hope all the sniffles and bugs are on their way out.

How does PX'ing a house work, Woolly? It all sounds rather stressful at this time of year.

Are you staying local to where you are now?

10

Not enough sleep last night...team Christmas dinner = late night. Being busy = getting up early. Rubbish combination!

So close now 10 days will feel like nothing at all!

Still (slightlyz) squiffy en route to work. Nice to relax with the family though.

Ok, maybe more than slightly .....

😂😂 Biddy!