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.

Aranea you poor thing - our youngest (about to turn 1) seems to have had a permanent cold for months. She is permanently attached to whoever is looking after her, being a bit fretty with a trail of snot running from both nostrils. Nice.

Re whoever mentioned PE. My two hate it! Other way round in that they started off doing dancing and gym inside and now it's turned colder they've dispatched them all outside to do football which my girls hate.

Since starting school they suddenly seem able to categorise everything into boy things and girls things - which they never did before, used to happily play with boy playmates, wear blue etc. Now everything blue has been banished from their wardrobe and they are a sea of pink.

Has anyone else got these reading books with just pictures that your child is supposed to read with you every night? We seem to get a stupid amount of homework, letters to practise, sounds to practise, books to read and often some kind of activity to do.

And apparently some of the class are bringing home books with words but not mine. Feeling first stirrings of competitive parenting! Why can't my kids have books with words in instead of silly pictures that they're bored by? Anyone else having the same books sent home?

Hope spiderlet feels better soon.

Well, the mystery of the nativity has been sold. Reception children are all stars and we have to provide a simple costume (so simple I think I can make one).

We were having books home in pairs - one with and one without. The wordless books stopped a week or two ago. Books get changed twice/week but that's it for homework, so quite light.

Dd1 comes home once a week with a book with words. I think the children all have different sorts of books to take home, and judging from dd1's books they are pretty well pitched at the right level for the child. Hers are easy enough to boost her confidence, but not so easy that they are pointless. I'd like it if they were also carefully chosen so as to keep me entertained too, but I suppose you can't have everything...

Sadly of course she will never have another as we will be spending the rest of our lives at home with the thermometer and a bottle of nurofen.

hotchoc, I was lucky with the costume this year. DD's an angel - and she was an angel at preschool last year so I still had that dress. I must admit I got an ASDA one - tbh I couldn't have made it cheaper once I'd done wings.
I'd've done the same as you for a shepherd though, I think I probably wouldn't have even looked in the shops.

hattyyellow, we have about 10 mins of "homework" an evening. With a book and some flashcards it does work out about 10 mins.

Aranea, oh your poor DD. And I really feel for her with the dance thing.

My DD's going through a bit of a phase of not wanting to go to school. It's a shame as they've only got what? 11 more days - and some of them are xmas party, watching the other year groups xmas productions, lots of fun xmas stuff. But I'm really having to coax her in the mornings.

Not a single book home here, with pictures or without.

At parents' evening just before half term we were told they'd start coming home afterwards, and teacher showed us the ones without words in. At the time I thought they might be relatively pointless for a boy who can already do a bit of reading, but as it happens they haven't turned up anyway!

School are providing nativity costumes, and I am very grateful. All we have to do is take in teatowel (boys, shepherds) or white tights (girls, angels).

Ilovehotchoc - could you buy a small fluffy sheep to augment the home-made costume?

Good to hear we're not the only ones with homework. We got our first book with words today which makes me feel better!

Now what would you all do? My twins originally said they had both been cast as angels in nativity. Now it turns out one wasn't listening and she is in fact a sheep whilst her sister gets to be an angel.

Be honest with me, will I sound incredibly precious if I were to ask the teacher to make them both angels? They were only 4 in August and the one who is a sheep has seen her costume and her sisters' spangly fairy costume and she is heartbroken about being a sheep. I know they have to learn to have different things in life, but they're soooo little to learn that at the moment. Do you think the teacher would think me mad to ask?

No homework or books here.

Am a bit zoned out tbh, so won't attempt to read. have had a massive week and a few school stredd heads with dd1 which will vent about here when have venting energy

Sorry to not read and run, but will be back and catch up soon.

Hatty - it wouldn't hurt to ask. Would you mind if she made them both sheep?

this is turning out to be very hard, this term. I'm pooped, and grumpy and snappy, and dd & ds are too. Fun fun fun.

Like tree I'm just going to post and run and be back tomorrow..

moodlum if it's any consolation this term is the worst.
Long, cold and dark and with all the Christmas nonsense at the end of it when everyone is too tired to appreciate it.

I have to go to the pantomime today. I'm not expecting to enjoy myself.

(Oh yes you will).

Found a small fluffy lamb (a toy one!)in DS's room this morning that I had forgotten he had - phew!

It was our nativity today
It was gorgeous! I think every parent had a tear in their eye.
DD on a bit of a high this eve - I think she's glad it's behind her.

Aah congratulations little paisley leaf! Hope you got lots of photos!

Hi all. Teacher gave dd1 her nativity place today as she was crying at school [missing mummy - not a great week really ] SHe let her choose formt he supporting roles, as Mary is cast. DD turned down shepards and stars etc. SHe wants to be, and is..........

............a donkey. She is delighted

I'm going to cry, I know it.

Boy said this evening "I don't want to do the 'tivity."

Why not?

"Because everybody's mummy and daddy will be there and we have to learn EIGHT SONGS!"

Tree - congratulations on donkey role.
Well done junior Paisley.

1st day of sick!! D&V has struck. Back soon. x

D&V eh, that'll be fun.

Well, I thought the costume requirements would be so simple - but it's all black - a colour she never wears. So I ordered a top and leggings online but not sure they will be here in time (they are wanted this Wed - eeek!).

And I am drowning in small pieces of paper about taking this or attending that. I can't keep it all straight.

Oh no tree, how grim. Good luck.

I am revelling in my new freedom! Dd1 is back at school and much improved for it. She was driving me round the bend.

Acinonyx, snap. Dd1 needed white stuff for her costume, which I didn't have at all. And I am completely snowblinded by the bits of paper. It's not like me at all, I'm usually very organised and on top of things.

Tree - hope the sick is a short-lived and non-contagious version.

Acinonyx - we had this last year in nursery "plain black t-shirt"

Umm yes, because toddlers wear a lot of those, don't they. Couldn't find one anywhere, had to get a size 6 womans one!

Well the T-shirt arrived this morning - but no leggings yet. So I'll have to send the blue jogging pants in - they're quite dark. Maybe I can substitute the leggings when they arrive - if it's before The Performance.

And I remembered to send her in party clothes this morning, thank goodness.

Dd attends her first school chum bdayparty this weekend. I'll have to check with the mum about staying with her. Aranea, I know you will empathise with my anxiety over this. Even worse, the girls seem to ahve had a fall out this week and dd's other best chum can't go I forsee drama.....

I'm sure her mum won't be astonished that some children will want their mothers there. They're still so little really. And it sounds like a good thing all round that you will be there, if there are likely to be social tensions for her. But maybe all will be forgotten in the excitement of the party? Is it a big party?

I saw quite a few invitations being given out. Dd has 2 girls that she really counts as friends, but they both play with a lot more children. i forsee a long line of intense but not entirely recprocated attachments from dd's side. And then one day, there'll be boys...

Oh god, don't. I'm trying desperately not to project dd1's current patterns of behaviour forwards. They'll change, won't they? Surely?

I stayed with Boy at a party at the weekend, because it was soft play and he was almost guaranteed to get injured at some point.

Nativity tomorrow!

Good luck tomorrow golgi!

Aranea - they will change. They will have to or we will go to early and itchy graves.

Acinonys - stay. If that's what you feel is best, just stay. Make yourself usefull by topping up juices and picking up wrapping from pass the parcel and you will be much loved into the bargain

I have dd concerns. She isn't happy. She doesn't want to go to school. She says it is ok, but too long and she misses me. She just wants to be at home and play with mummy. She cries rather a lot these days, especially in the morning. Even when she doesn't she isn't very happy, just being brave.

They say at school she is fine, has wobbles now and again. Thing is, I know she looks fine in a herd of 30, but if you know here you can see the tension. It isn't all to do with school, she coped in admirable fine style with the most demanding baby ever arriving nearly a year ago. Seriously, the kid screamed till June, and dd never complained at the loss of me.

I think school is a step too far for her though, and she is now sad. .

What would you do?

I might start a thread, but wanted your ideas as you sort of know me a bit from being here.

It's very sad.

P.S. our challenge was a white tshirt that by the means of magic turned into £3 towards a theatre gown [????] Something to do with Blue Peter. Still no idea if they wanted adults or childs, but as neither is easy to find in December, when the shops are full of Christmas rather than white tshirts they got a childs.