We are the festive receptionists' mothers - we bring shepherds, aliens and travelling cribs to a nativity play near you

[mistletoemulledwinemoodlum]

This is our new festive thread ladies.

Is this thread 4?

Morning. Just marking a place.

Will be opening the first door on the advent calendar later......

I sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer this morning. I have dd's permission to sing Xmas songs from Dec 1st.

Acinonyx, I have been banned from singing by grumpy DS. I had to threaten to eat the advent calendar chocolate before he got in from school unless he let me at least hum - he stuck his head under the sofa pillows.

Oh, hello, what a lovely sparkly new thread.

I am 'training' my DC to sing 'Away in a Manger' whilst I accompany them on the piano! We will 'perform' this at various times to family and friends... DS is very shy and I go a bit Les Dawson when there are people listening, so it should be interesting

I went through the Xmas song book for the piano with dd and said she could choose one to practice for Xmas. She chose the Holly and the Ivy.

She's not a great music lover though I fear. Never seems keen on my singing .....

Happily dd1 shows no musical talent at all and so is unable to tell that I can't sing.

I am officially bewildered by the latest school thing.

Boy has a paper plate in his bookbag.

"What's this for, boy?"

"We have to put a bun on it and take it back"

???????

No further information was forthcoming.

What do you think? A real bun? A drawing?
What does he mean by "bun" - cake? Bread roll?
When does it go back? Tomorrow? We have nothing that can be described as a "bun" in the house.

Apart from a knitted cupcake. Shall I send that?

We have a plate and a plastic bag - cakes etc for the school fair are expected. Odd no letter - unless letter of explanation lies in boy's drawer.

Also have a little advent activity book - lovely. Little job to do everyday [forgot today - crap ] Yesterday was to copy the words Jesus, Mary, Joseph. Grand.

Today is make as many words as possible from the word Christmas. Is this not a leap in terms of...well...everything!?

Ahhh, cakes for the school fair. That's on Friday.

This may just tip me over the edge, I have been at a (my) school thing tonight, have another (my) school thing Thursday night, and Friday afternoon (so can't go to the school fair anyway).

Still, I suppose there's always tomorrow evening in between getting home, cooking the evening meal and the customary 2 hours of marking.

(arrrgggh)

I love the idea of an advent activity book in principle, but the fact its just a mask for homework every night I think is a bit much a this time of year?

Well big news for ds, his teacher is pregnant and will be leaving in April for baby arriving in May. AAAGGGGHHHHHH . I don't do change, and you'd think she could have just bloody waited to conceive now to give birth in August or September DS is concerned about who is going to look after him now, and frankly, so am I, but I'll spend time fretting on it after I've got christmas out of the way.

ooo it's christmassy in here

We had the plate thing too. But we did have it explained in advance, so was waiting for it. You've got short notice there though Golgi.

Angel costume going into school tomorrow for their performance to the rest of the school. We see it friday. Can't wait!
We missed our christmas fair at the weekend as DD was under the weather (just a cold).

Acinonyx, I've just made a christmas compilation tape (tape! How antiquated) for the car to share with DD.

Moodlum, uh oh, I'd feel the same as you about the maternity leave. In fact it's a good thing with the TAs we have these days that there will be consistent faces inspite of a change of teacher.

Tree, words out of 'christmas'? Crikey.

I think school must assume that I know what plate must be for.

Or have explained to Boy. Not terribly helpful, in my experience.

Tree - Christmas anagrams does sound a little complicated.

Paisley - I miss compilation tapes. Now have nothing left that plays them. Hitting shuffle on the ipod not quite the same, somehow.

Moodlum - we have the opposite happening - current teacher is the maternity leave cover and she'll be leaving in Feb when "real" teacher comes back - although of course boy and the rest of the class have never met "real" teacher.

Current teacher is lovely, she's an NQT who was a TA first, so knows a lot about children.

I was told by some of my students that I wasn't allowed to go on maternity leave when I was pregnant. Told them it was unavoidable.

Stringerbell - I'd have bought a robe too. Don't blame you!

Not having them at the moment, they're preparing for Nativity instead.

Mostly getting changed and falling over, as far as I can work out.

School hasn't yet got a proper hall so they go to the village hall which afaik doesn't have anything to climb on.

Eek to change of teachers, golgi and moodlum! Still, is good that the TA will stay the same to smooth the change.

PE lessons here seem to involve games of runner beans. And apparently jumping which makes her feet hurt.

Though she hasn't been in since last week as she is ill with the LONGEST LASTING COLD IN HISTORY. I am going mad here. Someone will have to airlift me out. Every time I think she is on the mend, her temperature spikes again and she collapses into bed and falls asleep.

Oh aranea I feel your pain. It is a nightmare - just when you think they are over it, you end up with a 4.30am 39.8 temp and you can't find the calpol spoon. That seems to be my life atm. Its either one or the other being ill, and me in the middle failing to get anything done. But tomorrow I go to have my roots done and sit at the hairdressers for two hours (for the first time since AUGUST) and I don't care if I wake up tomorrow and they both have the plague, they are still going to school

She is still ill. Temperature up again today, so I will need to keep her at home again tomorrow.

And she is presumably missing rehearsals for their dance, which she doesn't want to do anyway because 'it is too hard'. I really feel sorry for her actually, she is so bad at this kind of thing and it must feel just awful having to join in and do it.

How's the hair, moodlum?

Goooood thanks - lovely and straight (until tomorrow anyway). It was so nice to sit around and read a magazine without having to wipe anyone's bottom or referee a squabble or answer bizarre questions, even just for a couple of hours

Your poor dd, Aranea, the whole thing with Christmas performances of any nature is so hard on the lo's, especially when they are not feeling great. Someone said to me last year that you should actually hold the christmas play in the summer term because all the children are so exhausted by the end of the Winter Term, a play is just one thing too many for them.

These last weeks are bloody hard aren't they. DS is so ready for a break, and its just too much for him, even though he's had an extra week off whilst he had tonsilitis.

Are you having to provide costumes for your children's nativity plays? If so have you bought one or made one or just conjured something up?

My DS is a shepherd and I sent in one of DH's tshirts with a belt to go round his waist, and a (new)tea towel for a head dress with a bit of fabric to tie it with. He looks really cute! However, DS came home from school last night upset becasue all the other shepherds have got lambs and crooks aswell! So all their mums have been to tesco and bought the costume which came with props so my DS is the only one without them!

I feel like a cheapskate now for not buying one but it seemed like such a simple costume it was unnecessary to buy one. Talk about keeping up with the Jones'!