Ho ho ho...here we go round again! Countdown to Christmas 2025, thread 1

[NoWordForFluffy]

365

Evening!

I'm tired after today, but the buffet was a success. Tomorrow it's dinner!

Everyone seems to love their gifts, which is always good. 😊 Bed soon as it's all go again from the morning!

272

Holidays sound good Fluffy!
I’m currently looking for a caravan type one for October half term as it’ll be just me and LO for a few days (I’ll be back in work by then but will book a day or so off).

Also, the dog thing really does depend on the dog doesn’t it?
We’ve had 3 over the years - ddog1 wasn’t keen on kennels (MIL owned one but when we left him with her he would be a bit quiet and she would take him in her house 😂), ddog2 was dog aggressive and needed kennels. I wouldn’t let anyone else walk her as she was surprisingly fast and I honestly think she would have lived in kennels and been happy.
Ddog 3 was my just a lovely, happy and calm dog no matter where he was. He did kennels (here and MILs), stayed in our house with my dad, stayed with MIL (and in his latter years we changed holidays so he could come with us and he was an awesome traveller 😊).

Today has been nice. I’ve been to town, ordered my new glasses (and sunglasses), and bought some cute plant pots. Picked up LO and went to the park - was great until the weather turned and went from hot and sunny to hammering down in 2 seconds 🙄 then home for cuddles, snacks and playing.

Sounds like the perfect day Meeces.

Totally get it re the Ddogs, it wouldn't be a holiday if you were worrying about them so best to get it right.

My vacuum cleaner broke on Wednesday and I was horrified. Think it might be my most important possession apart from the washing machine 😂. So I treated myself to a new one for Mothers Day - got a Henry Xtra and its BRILLIANT!! I was too excited, I think I need to get a new life.

The DC have done they cat sitting while we've been away ( as both still live at home ) I don't think our cats would like a cattery and our Boy would not appreciate a stranger in his house !

I have ordered some festive pyjamas for DD (winter not Christmas ) so I am on the way to whittling through the list .

I bought some Easter chocolate for them (hidden) and I;m going to make some Mothers Day cakes tomorrow .(Chocolate Brownies and Crispy Cakes )

2 loads of washing done today , a third one on at the moment ( delicates so I can hang on rails indoors )

271

By next week we'll be in a new month and into the the two-sixties !

Morning!

Re the dog, I'd hate to put him in kennels, plus many wouldn't have him as he's intact, and that's not changing! He likes other dogs in small doses, so it would stress him out to have other dogs around all the time.

We may get to a point once he's older and slower where we can leave him, but not right now.

It's greyer and chillier today than was forecast originally. I've got to take DD into town to replace her lost PE kit today. Sigh. 🙄

I feel for you Fluffy. I've never begrudged buying any regular uniform - stuff gets trashed or grown out of but I begrudge PE kit. Especially the logo stuff. Surprisingly DS's school have a nifty reversible rugby/football top and his has lasted the entire 7 years of senior school so I shouldn't really complain but I must have had to buy about ten of his primary school PE T-shirt and they got an hour's wear once a week at most.

That's not bad, Woolly! Buying big initially paying off! 🤣

I'm £87.49 lighter now. 😩 Plus the £50 for the trainers. Sigh. I've told her she's paying next time, so won't get pocket money for months!

There's only one week of term left Fluffy - thank goodness, otherwise it might be classed as a crop top 😂

270

Hope everyone is having a lovely day and if you are celebrating Mothers Day then hopefully been a good one .
It always brings out the most batshit threads on AIBU , usually about unappreciative step-children and DH/DP who don't bother ( "you have a DH problem" )

My DC are both studying for various things but managed to put their heads over the parapet to accept a large plate of vegetarian brunch ( DD) and potter off to the gym (DS)

We have THE most amazing laundry day here , the sort of day you think "What can I wash"? and the logical side of your brain says Your DS bedding could do with a wash while the "Me" side says None , it's Mothers Day , have piece of chocolate brownie and put your feet up

Logic side won. I got DH to hang it out though

270

Afternoon!

It's bloody gorgeous here today. I'm sitting on the balcony with fizz making the most of it. I'm off tomorrow, so I'll do the housework I'm not doing today then! I also have some gardening to do which I refuse to do today.

Hope everyone is enjoying their days. Especially Meeces and your first Mother's Day. ☺️

It is gorgeous here today, I am working so my husband has hung out some washing. It looks great blowing in the quite strong breeze.

Happy Mother’s Day to all who are celebrating, lots of love Meeces on your first one 🥰

70, DH has sorted the washing today, and is currently ironing the school uniform!

There's a post with some whining about not wanting to share Mini Eggs with a 6yo DD which is a bit weird. Plus some legitimate upset. Other than not wanting to do housework today (though I have in the past when I didn't have a day off), I'm not that precious about what I get or what happens, tbh. I'm quite low maintenance as things go. 🤣

Ah the ironing ( cannot be doing with that myself ) .
My DH was woken up by the moggies and I staggered downstairs , put his shirts in the wash then went back to bed .
DH ironed his shirts ( for holiday ) DS shirts , some of my clothes ( couple of dresses ) and some of DD clothes .

Once I hauled myself out of bed I put our bedding into wash ( not earlier , I was having a lie-in )

One Mothers Day a few years back I got toast (no butter) coffee , marmalade (no peel) and the guinea-pigs (not as part of the meal)
DDs guinea-pig decided toast was very much to his liking .

Evening and happy Mother’s Day to anyone celebrating.
I’m generally pretty low maintenance but I at least wanted to be the focus for my first one and DH planned it very well. We had tea, toast and presents in bed, a visit to a farm park with a picnic (with bread and cakes he’d baked with LO 😳) then a visit to MIL and from DM - but all done and dusted by 4:30 so we can just chill. Plus I can pick whatever takeaway I’d like for tea tonight and he’ll go and pick it up. It’s been a lovely day 😊

It’s Been a great washing day here too but I refused to do any and I made sure the house was clean and tidy yesterday so only bare minimum was required today (and DH has done most of that).
We should have another good day tomorrow though so I’ll be aiming to change bedding and clear the wash basket then!

I washed DS's bedding yesterday and it was dry by afternoon so he put it straight back on his bed.
I got some Stihl battery powered secateurs for Mother's Day so went all round the garden pruning things. Told my Mum and now she wants some as well (I can see how good they would be for someone with arthritis in their hands).

Sorry 269

Happy Belated Mothers Day to all you lovely mummies and especially Meeces having your first one, glad it was lovely.

I was a sainted daughter and drove up North on Saturday to spend Mothers Day with DM. Also had a few wines and a good old gossip on Sat night with DSis who lives nearby so that was fab. DD on school trip and DS had nice boys night at home with DH so everyone was a winner. Mothers Day normally quite shit in my house and I always feel pissed off so it was quite nice having a late lunch on my own in a M40 service station. When I got home DS had bought me tulips and a card and DH ordered takeaway so I was delighted.

268

Morning!

Another beautiful day here. Chilly-ish start, but warming nicely later on. I'm on the train as it's my office day today.

I'm glad you had a lovely first Mother's Day, Meeces. ☺️

I had a day off yesterday, so I did the cleaning I'd ignored on Sunday, tidied the garden a bit, made dinner for yesterday and today, plus made two cakes (DD wanted brownies for a school bake sale and DS wanted a lemon drizzle cake). Productive! (Far more productive than it looked like I'd be at 12pm when I was still sitting on the sofa.)

267

Oooh I love Lemon Drizzle Cake ( I saw a recipe online where they whisked the eggs white and folded them in to make it lighter ...but this was covered in lemon icing not the lemon syrup that you stab into the cake )

266

Watching Eastenders on catch up now -
pizza
wind down

ah bliss

We've had parents' evening for DD this evening. All of her teachers love her! 😍Followed by chippy tea! 😋

Another sunny day today. Gorgeous sunrise those morning.

Evening. It's been a lovely weather day again here (not for me, I don't like the heat 😂).

LO was in nursery for a few hours so I sorted out my wardrobe (now have lots to chuck on Vinted), cleared the washing and got around to making my appointment for my eyebrows (exciting stuff).

Spent the afternoon playing in the garden - I had to plant my tomatoes in stealth mode so LO didn't notice and try to help - then went to ILs for a visit before bed.

Have spent an evening on the edge of my seat watching the last 2 episodes of the new season of Gangs of London. Gruesome but so many twists and turns 🤯

265

Odds Bodkins as Timothy Claypole used to say in Rentaghost

We'll be out of synch if we miss a countdown day.
So here it is

264

Morning!

Another beautiful day and the Easter holidays have started, YAY!

I've got an almost empty laundry basket again, if it's not nailed down it's being washed at the moment. So fantastic to get things dry so quickly although with the Great British weather it wouldn't surprise me if I woke up to minus 5 and hailstone.

Anyway the heating is now off till November.

I'm decluttering and have got loads of the kids schoolbooks to take to the tip. The best thing is not to start looking through any of the boxes coz then you end up keeping it all. I'm probably throwing something really important out, like birth certificates.😂

263

Another glorious day here! ☀️

The dog dragged me nigh-on 5 miles this morning, little ginger bugger that he is! 🦮🤣

We did some lawn maintenance yesterday. That was fun. Not. My upper arm aches from the scarifying part of it (rock solid clay). Hopefully the seed grows quickly in this weather, though that part of the garden is still shady. Weirdly it already looks neater than it did though, despite now being a mix of compost and grass seed for 3/5 of the garden.

We are sitting in the balcony now, after I prepped tonight's butter chicken, made two lemon and lime drizzle cakes (one more lime than lemon and vice versa) and washed up.

We've a load of washing on the line and another to go out. Bathroom cleaning in a bit.

Hope everyone else is having a gorgeously sunny weekend!