Fledglings Continue Carolling - December thread 2: the one with Christmas Eve Eve and beyond!

[SingToTheSky]

Hello all, here’s an overflow thread as we’ve all been a right bunch of chatterboxes. I’d love to pretend that’s because we’ve all been doing even more housework, but, well... no. I think it’s probably because we’ve all found support with each other - I’m taking this opportunity to thank you all for a lovely December, it’s got me through a lot of stress and boredom and loneliness during isolation especially! 💖

Any newbies or lurkers - do join in! We are a long running thread with lots of regulars and we might seem cliquey but we honestly love having new Fledglings join us. I’m posting FlyLady links for a couple more days and then we will be back to Proper Flying Resolutions in January!

Most of the Christmas presents for DSCs have been collected but we forgot a bit that we couldn’t find! DSS is dropping off his gifts for us tomorrow. They’ve been so generous and I am feeling really guilty we haven’t done much for them. I know logically it’s not an issue but heaven help me I have The Twitch and I can’t do a thing about it! 😩

DD1 asked if we could go into town tomorrow to do our little pound shop swap thing I wanted to start this year. But no. Just because we aren’t in tier 4 yet doesn’t mean we should be doing stuff like that really and I want Christmas Eve to be fun and festive at home, not spent in a busy stressful shop. I’ve put it on my Christmas 2021 notes to try it earlier next year, and the things that I’d already bought (we each get £2 to spend on each person and then we have to guess who bought what) will go in their stockings anyway.

Despite less uncertainty - boiler is fixed and the tap is running hot, present handover is mostly done, and although it sucks we know what’s happening with tiers, anxiety is insanely high this evening and my headache isn’t shifting.

PO3.2
1️⃣meds and water
2️⃣decide with DH if we are ordering dinner
3️⃣commandeer the telly for something festive and relaxing

As you can see the above is an entirely self care based power of three!

Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

Crikey that is a hell of a jump for us cos we were tier 2

Thanks tinselette
woolly would you be able to get an independant applicant test centre? It was one of the factors against us homeschooling. Apparently we'd have to travel to london for one and for a stressed Aspie that amount of change would have been asking a heck of a lot.

ta da
pick up bits forgotten food wise
pick up parcel bag
work
flu shot
Post office
de outside

Next up clothes, prepping tea, more biscuits, decorating cakes, putting stuff into freezer, taking stuff out of freezer. WHich should take til about half 7 when tea can be eaten, happy birthday sung, a scramble for finding the birthday present and wrapping it... and then more stuffs.

Is it bedtime yet? And can i cancel the 6am alarm soon?

Hiya! Gosh I was away for a night and there’s a new thread!😂. I’ve got lots to catch up on!. Today is my favourite day of the year, because I LOVE Christmas Eve but find myself getting sad that the day goes so quick, so I spend Christmas Eve Eve getting excited for Christmas Eve. And we’ve had a great day, DH is off work now so we took the DC out even though it was raining awfully and got their puddlesuits on, they loved it!. Then we watched nativity 2, the DC wanted to create their own nativity (and were very excited when they got to use DS2 as baby Jesus). We’re now playing dobble.

Thanks for the love of the hiding skills😂

Well done on getting DH’s presents wrapped foxes

I hope you enjoy your Christmas game sing, love the memes. Glad to hear your hearing and hot water is fixed but sorry about the anxiety!

hills DH gets serious road rage at this time of year, he says people act stupid on the roads!.

Glad to hear you manage to get a nap zoo but sorry about the awful sleep last night!. I’m sorry you’re having to isolate, do you have anyone that could get some shopping for you or help at all?.

I’m glad your online Christmas went well wooly! Well done on getting so much wrapping done. Gorgeous photos!. I’m worried about the DC going back to school/nursery in jan, especially as some are saying kids are more likely to catch the new strain. But I don’t know if I can provide good enough home learning!.

Well done on getting all the presents dancing!

You had a very productive day ED! Gorgeous pictures!

Brilliant list merry!

I hope the procedure is able to go ahead tinselette

Sorry you’re in pain hills I hope your painkillers work.

Sorry for everyone in tier 4!. We’re in lockdown, so similar restrictions and it’s crap isn’t it!. What a weird Christmas. I had a bit of a cry to DH earlier, I’m feeling so anxious today, I think because Christmas is so close now and it’s all dawned on me what a crazy year it’s been. I have a medication review in 4 weeks and I might ask for the dosage to be upped a bit to help with the anxiety. But for now I’m going to try and enjoy Christmas with our little family.

DH and I are getting the wrapping done later!. We have left it very last minute.

ta da
Beds made
LOL
Breakfast made
Washed up
Kids dressed
Bathroom S&S
Put LOL away
Went for a walk
Lunch Made
Gave downstairs loo a little clean
Tidied toys in DC’s room
Made tea
Washed up
Wiped kitchen surfaces and table
Swept kitchen floor

last minute is doing it on christmas day 5 mins before supposed to be opening them done that more years than i would like to admit. you still count as organised saw

Next up pasta dough, clearing up the kitchen, delegating biscuit rolling and cutting, and some tidying up

Tea was treaty tea, very nice and i did enjoy it. But now i feel contently full and ready for sleeping.

I'd love to join in as a new fledgling
waves hello all

I think ta da moments for today
(Very busy following a period of decluttering)
Bathrooms all done
Vacuum upstairs and downstairs
Nearly on top of the laundry pile
Kitchen clean

Tonight...wrapping presents , alongside a well earned glass of wine

We just had a FaceTime call with my dads side of the family. My great aunt and her DD (my cousin?) and son in law (my cousin in law?) dress up for Christmas every year. They go to my nans house and my cousin in law dresses up as Santa and gives presents to all the kids (lots of little cousins, siblings and my DC). We were really sad this year that it wouldn’t happen but they had set up a FaceTime thing for us all. They delivered little presents for the DC today and we opened them all together on facetime. It’s made me cry but it was so lovely!. I miss being with everyone so much!.

hills I’ve been there😂, DD once came in and opened her stockings in bed with DH and I was leaning out of bed wrapping presents on the floor , thankfully she was only about 18 months old so didn’t really understand!.

Welcome spring!

spring a very big Christmassy welcome to the thread. Enjoy your glass of wine. Isaw - it's difficult being away from family isn't it? 🌷

Thanks isaw I hope so too. I'd just like my lip fixed. I'm not very vain, i hope but I'm worried that I'll bite it again and don worse damage if it's not fixed.

Hi spring

Cousin once removed, isaw (I spend a lot of time on Ancestry )

TaDa since whenever (Tuesday lunch, apparently)
wrapped some presents (H did most of them)
made Finnish spice biscuits
made shortbread
realised I normally don't fill the tin so shortbread is too thin and therefore overcooked oops
agreed we will make more shortbread so can eat this one now
did last bits of shopping, including Lidl (unsuccessfully) and Aldi for chocolate coins which Tesco had run out of on Monday - sons declared that of course they wanted stockings
went back out because I'd forgotten the glycerine, which was the whole reason I went this morning...
S1 made shortbread
had a go at the handbells after dinner. After half an hour we managed to get through Plain Hunt (the simplest line)
had beer, because (a) we've just had ringing practice and (b) it's Christmas

(oh, and I made the royal icing, duh)

Hey spring welcome! Great ta da list!

Feeling somewhat swamped by presents having done more wrapping - normally presents from the other people who give gifts would be on other days, but due to current rules they’ve been dropped off already and some were delivered directly for me to wrap, and it all seems rather a lot in one day 😬 haven’t even done the stockings yet either (slightly concerned DD1 has much more in hers 🤦🏻‍♀️)

Does anyone hold presents back for later? We did that last year as we’d saved up all our rewards etc for a switch which they never in a million years expected. Not sure whether to keep some for later.

I. Have. Done. No. Studying.

I do feel less anxious now but the headache is still in situ. 🤬

Ooh. Anyone watch Motherland? Funny show about school mums. It’s very mumsnet 😂 just saw there’s a Christmas special out today, I’m definitely watching that soon (no, I didn’t get to watch a Christmas film today 😭)

I've heard of it sing. I like Anna Maxwell Martin

I have to admit i neither stream stuff or watch tv. Closest i get to that is stuffs on the internet and i am not sure that my current obsession with a sheep farm that has been doing vlogmas during lambing season counts in the same league Sing

I have finished!!!
hot water bottle, bed, cute lambs and the reality of lambing and then the dreaded 6am alarm...

Aah yes she’s my fave too tinselette!

So glad DD1 is off her meds break tonight. She is actually tired 😱 so hopefully she will actually bloody sleep!!!

Living room is a tip again as is the kitchen. Sigh.

Hills :o I try and avoid YouTube for fear of rabbit holes :o but I love hearing what people are interested in! Lambing? Well why the hell not :) 🐑 My mum uses YouTube loads especially for Italian stuff. I feel I may become obsessed with bujo videos for some reason

If anyone wants some silly distraction, try this:
amp.classicfm.com/music-news/google-arts-culture-blob-opera-tool/

So my to dos for tomorrow:
🎄ensure last presents are ready for DSCs
🎄WATCH SOME CHRISTMAS TELLY FOR THE LOVE OF 🤬🤬🤬
🎄tidy up the pit that is the living room and kitchen
🎄have a really long shower, defrost, hair wash etc
🎄get Caglets to bathe/shower
🎄all clean laundry away
🎄make sure DD1 tidies room enough for DS to sleep in there with her
🎄DO NOT LET THE 3YO NAP
🎄wrap remainder of presents including stocking stuff in tissue paper
🎄decide if we will put out all presents or keep some back up

Help. 😭😂

Not sure if DH will pop out to get anything else fresh. Does it count as twitching if I tell DH to buy something for the DSCs...? 😳

sing i can enable you with that
I actually love that side of youtube. I had wanted to have a farm and raise all the animals. Now i am - nope waaaaaaaaay too much hard work. Best bit is that no human or animal are harmed in the process. But the wormholes are real. I fear there may be a new one on the horizon for me shortly

Oh nooo I think DH may have wrapped the hamper already. How very dare he be organised 🤬 still maybe it’s better if it prevents me twitching. It just doesn’t feel very presenty!

1 more day till I can leave the house!

Evening all, I don't watch much TV either but have just watched Jesus Christ Superstar on Sky Arts with DD and DH and thoroughly enjoyed it. Also been watching the darts with DS on and off for the last week. I tried Motherland when it was first on but it was just too cringey for me.

Tada!
Swish and swipe
Decluttered tables
Bit of shopping
Made mince pies
Made cranberry sauce
Made curry for dinner
2x work emails and put all work papers away
Delivered local cards
Wrapped presents for dparents, to be delivered (legally) tomorrow
Quick chat with a couple of neighbours (legally)
Watched govt announcement
Whatsapp chat with friends about going to T4
Texted mum
Discussed Ronald Reagan's policies with DS (A level history)
2xLOL
Baked sourdough
Iced cake

ED it's 12.30 and I'm salivating over the cranberry sauce and your mince pies...

ta da
🎁wrapped a few normal presents
🎁handed over most of DSCs’ presents
🎁got DS to do laundry
🎁got DD1 to wash up
🎁cleared counter where boiler is
🎁Duolingo French
🎁let in boiler dude and stayed out the way!
🎁stashed some wrapped presents in the cupboard on the landing
🎁watched Scrooged! (Well that’s a WIP actually)
🎁wrapped stocking pressies in colour coordinated tissue paper so it’s easy to fill them quickly at night

ta didn’t
🤦🏽‍♀️Reading
🤦🏽‍♀️Studying
🤦🏽‍♀️Actual tidying

FFS

Oh and I forgot I baked little cupcakes again and let the big two decorate theirs with some elf icing in a tube 😂

Would like to try making stained glass biscuits tomorrow - I have a basic biscuit mix recipe so I’ll just do that with a hole in and a boiled sweet. Just realised we have no biscuit cutters though! I should probably make a list in case DH does go to asda in the morning.

It's snowing!! ❄️❄️