Christmas Slatterns are polishing our baubles and writing our christmas lists

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

Here you go ladies....

I was BertieBotts. And a long time ago, CherryChoc... but I never stayed too long before because I kept getting lost or forgetting to check the thread.

1 hour 15 mins to bedtime and I've done... nothing I ought to see what I can do really!

Bertie, I always find running out of pants to be a good incentive
Anon. the 'Windowledge of Doom', is in my office, ex office of doom. my home is about the same age as yours, so we have deep windowledges and this one is particularly deep in crap papers and sundry items that should live elsewhere.
I keep avoiding clearing it. There would be a lot more daylight in there if it were clear.

MIni glad the bird has gone.

Anon Yay re Christmas shopping. Its never so bad once you get started (and once you give up on the idea of finding perfect presents for every distant relative!)

Bertie - hello. Hope you made progress today.

Plum - really glad you got the money, how scary.

I so get the concept of a window ledge of doom. Our old house only had two window ledges (other windows didn't have a ledge bizarrely) and they were always a complete disaster!

A fairly productive day today...

TUESDAY'S LIST
clean bathroom DONE
clean shower room DONE
clean utility room DONE
clean hob DONE
one lot of washing DONE
put away washing DONE
go shopping to change DH's boots DONE
check money DONE
Xmas present wrapping TONIGHT, HONEST
Post letters DONE
Finalise ocado order DONE
Chase DS's consultant's sec for new appointment time DONE
Look into alternative childcare options STARTED
Arrange call with boss DONE
DD/DS hair cuts DONE
Defrost shepherd's pie for dinner DONE

WEDNESDAY LIST
clear kitchen draining board DONE
change children's beds DEFERRED TO TOMORROW
DS swimming lesson DONE
put away food shop DONE
re-arrange meals because DH has gone away DONE
plan cakes for school DONE
get cash DONE
washing x 1 IN DRYER
roast chicken for dinner DONE
have shower DECIDED ON BATH TONIGHT
chase up delivery of boots and John Lewis xmas presents DONE - DELAYED DUE TO LAST WEEK'S SNOW

THIS WEEK
make shopping list for food to buy for weekend
tidy dining room DONE
clean taps in kitchen DONE
read work know how bundles
10 minute tidy of cupboard in kitchen (AKA cupboard of doom) DONE
10 minutes tidying boxes from Xmas decorations
call charity shop re clothes and book donation

LONG TERM LIST
finish wrapping xmas presents
make enquiries to nanny agency
sort out cupboard of doom
sort out garage
sort out wardrobe and clothes
make wills

Any horizontal surface all too quickly becomes an Area of Doom in this house!

Where would you go on an average high street for stickers & keyring type things now Woolies is gone??

Today:

• Christmas cards Started
• laundry WM & TD On
• tea x 3 DONE
• boys to bed DS2 gone already
• early night

Thurs:

• all up & breakfasted
• all dressed
• DS1 to sch
• DS2 to pre-sch
• into pre-sch for IEP meeting (9.30)
• TK Maxx
• bday present for girl for Sun
• Toy Story stickers for DS1's stocking
• poss Ben 10 keyring for his stocking too
• finish Christmas cards
• ring electrician
• lunch & tidy up
• DS2 nap?
• collect DS1
• chill out time
• boys tea (bob on toast i think)
• boys bath & bed
• me out to Mum's dinner (sitter confirmed)
• Dh home at some point

Am rewatching lost s6, had forgotten my love of Sayid

Oh Glad bird is gone Mini I have a bit of a fear of them, well mostly pigeons and angry ducks/geese

curry done
Corrie done poor Ashley
get dcs to bed
Cake time!

So does anybody know anything about Facebook fan pages, everyone keep s telling me thats the way to go but as I'm not on FB have no idea, do know when I google every cake business seems to have one

Purple you are doing brilliant I need abit of that all this cold weather has had me on a go slow

Plum glad you got money sorted, I am a bit facebook phobic, and haven't got the time to keep it up TBH. rather talk to you lot on here.
The wren was very pretty, I tried talking to her and wished I could speak bird to say 'this way, I won't hurt you'.Its when I really wish I could talk to the animals.
I amsure your cake business will go brilliantly through word of mouth maybe a website, but then I'm not very techi.

Hello Bertie - I love your festive name!

Plum - yes v. glad money is sorted. Not sure about facebook, I don't really use it very much.

Mammoth (shall call you that rather than Mini now to avoid confusion!) - I always chuckle at your windowledge of doom. Ours are quite deep for a house that is only 20 years old and collect piles of god knows what. I am ruthless about tidying them though, otherwise we wouldn't be able to pull the blinds all the way down!!

JKS - I got some good stickers for DS' stocking in Hobbycraft, or perhaps Wilkinson's for branded stuff?

Purple you have done loads, I am in awe!

Back with my list in a moment, need to go and retrieve it from the previous page!!

Thanks.

Sitting on the sofa eating chilli crackers and drinking wine now though, and can't be bothered to wrap presents for yet another night!!

Not a massively productive day, still feeling really yucky and now I've got a horrid cough and my asthma has kicked off. Off to bed soon.

DONE
All up, showered and dressed
Breakfast
Clear up
Unload dishwasher
Quick mini-dyson round sofas and kitchen floor
Wipe over bathroom
Make beds and tidy upstairs
Dry hair before it goes haywire
Put hoover round downstairs
Washing onto airer and another load on
Stick snowflakes on patio doors
Make paperchains
Lunch and clear up
Text friend about lunch tomorrow
Doze for an hour while DS watches Peppa in my bed
Make bolognese for dinner
Dinner
Clear up
DS bath and bed
Strip our bed

TO DO
Tidy round and repair Christmas tree
Clean sheets onto bed
Another early night in separate beds!

TOMORROW NOW
Update Christmas spreadsheet and make a list of remaining presents needed
Make midwife app!
Mothercare

Oh blimey don't talk to me about wrapping, or writing cards. Those tasks are looming horribly, as they do every year!

agree with wrapping and card loominess.
I ahve just discovered that a party we are going to on friday is a masquerade and we are to wear masks, like the idea, but am now in a mask panic, i have started to make some but don't think I have time to do a good job. Any inspiration anybody? perhpas I need to go on the craft topic.
Ali, mini will do fine or merry, as I intend to be, as mammoth sounds a bit like an address to a first year at school, As in 'mammoth you at the back there......'

Morning :)

Mini - ok I won't call you mammoth. Have a mental imagine now of you skulking at the back of a classroom in short socks and pigtails

Feeling a bit better today, just the cough to get rid of now :)

TODAY
DH to work early - done He only got a grunt from me!
All up and dressed - up and in pjs still
Make midwife app - tried, January not bookable yet
Online banking - done
Spatone + vitamins
Breakfast and tidy kitchen - started DS is still off his food :(
Unload dishwasher and finish clearing up from last night
Make beds and tidy upstairs
Wipe over bathroom
Hoover and sweep downstairs if needed
Lunch and tidy kitchen
Monkey Music
Mothercare on the way back for a costume for DS for Saturday
DS nap (think I might remove this from my list, it never happens)
Dinner
Clear up
DS bath and bed
Post DS-to-bed tidy
Kitchen clear before bed

ONGOING
Sock drawer
Spare bedroom bookcase
Find a cleaner
E-mail out some recent photos of DS (and scan pic) to family etc
Clear out my bedside drawer
Nag DH into sorting out his growing stacks of shite paperwork
Find DS a costume for MM Christmas party
Get DH to fit new spare room blind

CHRISTMAS
Check if I have Christmas cards - only a few, need more
Check Christmas card list with address book and get any I am missing
Presents for Mum - done and Dad
Present for grandma and DH's nan
Organise a present swap with SIL - next Saturday? - DH organising
Wrap presents - groan
Buy some more fairy lights - done
Think about decorations for hall - paperchains? - done and up
Buy more tree decorations (see above) - DH bought 4. 4! Need more and tinsel
Do a Boots order for stocking fillers and bits

Plum I think the thing with a facebook page is that all your friends and family either 'like' it or become members (depending on the type of page I think)and then our friends see it and look at it and so word spreads about your talents and I'd get to check out your bil on fb

Anyway I keep forgetting to boast about my beautiful tidy home! For the card party I did nothing in terms of tidying/cleaning except hoover and actually put the washing up away instead of leaving it on the drainer and a couple of people who had never been round before said how lovely my house was and friend that has been round said I must have done loads of tidying up (I realise I cold take that as a criticism of how it normally looks but as she has usually only been round whn I'm having a bbq or similar it has usually been a tip when she comes!)

Didn't make ds' cake yesterday, need to get on and make it this morning so I can decorate it tonight, we're out all afternoon and evening.

Seem to have not read the last 5or 6 posts Sure they weren't there when I started to post

Aaaargh to card writing. DD decided she was going to write them, did 3 then scribbled on the 4th. So now I need to do them, unless I can persuade her to do a few more.

Quite looking forward to the wrapping though, only because I normally just wrap in whatever but this year I have bought brown paper and gorgeous East of India ribbons and am putting everything in boxes to wrap so I will have a stack of beautifully wrapped parcels (provided I miraculously improve my wrapping technique anyway!)

Glad you're feeling better ali.

No windowledge of doom here, despite having the worlds biggest windowsill. Unless my parents come and then they use it as a dumping ground for all kinds of crap. KEEP MY WINDOWSILL AND MANTLEPIECE CLEAR

Morning all! More gifts bought/ordered this morning. Phew!

Parents and PIL's are always the hard ones, so have delegated thinking about that to DH....

• Up, showered and dressed DONE
• DC to school DONE
• General tidy, make beds etc DONE
• Run DW
• Warranty claim for dehumidifier
• No washing - pipes still frozen
• Go see builders
• On line banking
• Chickens
• Dog
• Reading
• Hoover/Bit of housework *
• Get fire going
• Book "Ladies" Christmas Lunch !!!
• Make dinner
• Book car in for MOT DONE
• Go and see carpet people DONE
• Decide re New Year DONE

Christmas

• Advent calendars DONE
• Cards DONE
• Names/address list - get this up to date
• Stamps DONE
• Present list - who and what well under way (except parents)
• Collect stocking filler sweet parcels
• Shop for presents Half DONE
• Tree - buy next week, small one this year.
• Find decs in the loft
• Outside Lights DONE
• Food generally - meal planning, drinks, treats, crackers etc etc.
• Work on Ocado order/butcher order DONE/wine order (following from above!)
• Find DC's stockings DONE
• Christmassy outings - DONE carol singing x 2; children's party at DH's office; special children's cinema showing all sorted/booked.

LOL at buying 4 decorations

Freak - my tip for good wrapping, spotted in a shop once, is fold the edges of the paper over to create a neater edge line, both in the middle bit & at the ends (if that makes sense?). and think about what tape you will use. If you can get those sticky circles they look good.

No hobbycraft near us, Wilkos right at the other end of town, found Toy Story stickers at chemist round the corner, and cheap too! Ben 10 keyring - will have to ask the parents of other child at sch where they got it.

Thurs:

• all up & breakfasted DONE
• all dressed DONE
• DS1 to sch DONE
• DS2 to pre-sch DONE
• into pre-sch for IEP meeting (9.30) DONE
• TK Maxx DONE
• bday present for girl for Sun DONE
• Toy Story stickers for DS1's stocking DONE
• poss Ben 10 keyring for his stocking too
• ring electrician DONE
• lunch & tidy up
• DS2 nap?
• finish Christmas cards
• collect DS1 (remember £10 for teachers present money)
• chill out time
• boys tea (bob on toast i think)
• boys bath & bed
• me out to Mum's dinner (sitter confirmed)
• Dh home at some point

Oh no. All enthusiasm has disappeared. I wanted to come home after the school run and go back to bed with my book (which isn't even any good) and a coffee. Forced myself to the gym, which included an emergency trip to replace my missing headphones - can't run without music.

Organisoid I am jealous of your wrappings. I had planned silver with red ribbon this year, but bought two rolls of ribbon and used one up on just three presents, so realised I can't actually afford to use ribbon on everything as its going to cost more than the presents! Also, it makes me annoyed when I then have to put presents round the tree from my in laws, which are always in the cheapest nastiest paper ever. I have to keep quiet because I know it makes me a huge bitch.

WEDNESDAY LIST
change children's beds
put away washing

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
one load of washing
make shopping list for food to buy for weekend
tidy dining room DONE
clean taps in kitchen DONE
read work know how bundles
10 minute tidy of cupboard in kitchen (AKA cupboard of doom) DONE
10 minutes tidying boxes from Xmas decorations
call charity shop re clothes and book donation
gym DONE X 1, NEED TO GO AGAIN TOMORROW
call health insurance to notify of change to DS's consultant
collect DS's prescriptions
call boss
tidy upstairs
hoover
wash kitchen floor
check money
wrap 3 Christmas presents

LONG TERM LIST
finish wrapping xmas presents
make enquiries to nanny agency NO LONGER NEEDED
get DH to put better shelves etc in kitchen cupboard of doom
sort out garage
sort out wardrobe and clothes
make wills

Afternoon just about to start lunch but had to say
ahh lovely JKS although what did you get each other at christmas, thats the nervous present giving time if something falls at start of relationship, too much your too keen, not enough and they think you don't like them

dhs birthday was 2 weeks after we started dating I got him a Purple Ronnie card & a limited back edition CD of a band I'd never heard of but he liked, not to overkill I don't think must have worked though

anyway have cake in oven, was up to 3 last night making figure, so hopefully not a late one tonight as dd is at hosp tomorrow at 9.01 (fingers crossed)

Hello folks, not caught up but need a list!

DH was home unexpectedly for the night but is away again til Sat now.

NExt -

• quick kitchen tidy
• dry pots
• hang washing
• take clean washing up
• bring a load of washing and some trousers for Ds down
• put washing in
• change nappy and clean trousers on DS
• activity?

• quick kitchen tidy done
• dry pots done
• hang washing done

+ clean sink and wash pots done

• take clean washing up done

+ locate wool stash done

• bring a load of washing and some trousers for Ds down done
• put washing in done
• change nappy and clean trousers on DS done
• activity?

Plum - very true, it was worry!
It was abroad & i was still a student back here, so i told him only something small - he ought me a huge teddy!! we still have it

I got him a set of bath boats! he was living in a very spartan house and complained he had nothing homely! think i got him a cd too, can't remember now.

Thurs:

• all up & breakfasted DONE
• all dressed DONE
• DS1 to sch DONE
• DS2 to pre-sch DONE
• into pre-sch for IEP meeting (9.30) DONE
• TK Maxx DONE
• bday present for girl for Sun DONE
• Toy Story stickers for DS1's stocking DONE
• poss Ben 10 keyring for his stocking too
• ring electrician DONE
• lunch & tidy up DONE
• wrap extra Christmas presents DONE
• and hide them with other presents
• finish Christmas cards
• collect DS1 (remember £10 for teachers present money)
• chill out time
• boys tea (bob on toast i think)
• boys bath & bed
• me out to Mum's dinner (sitter confirmed)
• DH home at some point

I love hearing little romantic tails, cheers me up especially when you read some of the stuff on here

Although I had a tear this morning listening to BBC radio about people who had lost their partners,
there were 2 women who had both lost husband after over 50 years of marriage they were truly heartbroken, both husbands died a couple of years ago
Another women rang into say her husband was in hospital having routine surgery & recovering and she was away for the day to her friends funeral, when she came home there were 6 msgs from hospital when she rang they said her husband had died I was actually crying along with her

Anyway now that I have depressed you all, my lovely friend rang to say she will pick my dcs up from school

s I am going to get
wash in tumble
wash on
check whats for dinner

WEDNESDAY LIST
change children's beds DONE
put away washing DONE

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
one load of washing DONE
make shopping list for food to buy for weekend DONE
buy ingredients for slow cooked lamb shanks DONE
tidy dining room DONE
clean taps in kitchen DONE
read work know how bundles
10 minute tidy of cupboard in kitchen (AKA cupboard of doom) DONE
10 minutes tidying boxes from Xmas decorations
call charity shop re clothes and book donation DONE
gym DONE X 1, NEED TO GO AGAIN TOMORROW
call health insurance to notify of change to DS's consultant
collect DS's prescriptions DONE
call boss DONE
MAKE CAKES FOR DD'S SCHOOL XMAS FAYNRE DONE
tidy upstairs TOMORROW
hoover TOMORROW
wash kitchen floor TOMORROW
check money TOMORROW
wrap 3 Christmas presents TODAY AND TOMORROW!!!

LONG TERM LIST
finish wrapping xmas presents
make enquiries to nanny agency NO LONGER NEEDED
get DH to put better shelves etc in kitchen cupboard of doom
sort out garage
sort out wardrobe and clothes
make wills