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.

2.5 days to go ladies...........

DS1 has perked up soooooooooooo much now that the damn play is done and dusted.

That's good Highlander

One day to go. Today was Cheistmas dinner, where dd ate turkey and carrot, and also disco day. Coldest day on years of course, so they all went in shivering in spangly tights etc. DD had a little red polka dot teadress on that was a £6 panic buy from Matalan, and it actually looked lovely. She looked like a little WW2 child, as had little woolly cardi on too. Bless.

DIsco was real live disco man with lights and everything. Things have come a long way from teacher trying to work music centre like in my day!

Nothing special planned for tomorrow, dd said she was pleased. She like regular days. Aren't they funny? Love routine.

After extensive negotiation and discussion, she finally decided to keep going to her one after school thing, gymnastics. Her very good friend she goes to school with is dropping it though, which is a shame as they look after each other.

Have realised I am actually fed up with school runs and will enjoy not having to do mornings on my own, as dh has first holiday since Aug. 10 glorious days of help! Yay!

Last day tomorrow! Unless we are snowed off. We are only five minutes walk away, depends how far away the teachers live really.

Son likes routine too. He sobs on non-uniform days.

Talking of uniform - he came home with trousers sliding to ankles - elastic has gone. This is the second pair that this has happened to - first ones were cheapy ASDA jobs so not so surprised but these were the relatively expensive school uniform shop jobs.

Luckily granny, among her many other talents, is a dab hand at re-elasticating trousers.

We finish at 2.30 tomorrow, are planning to take boys into town for a celebratory tea (may even go to Bettys, depending on the queue!)

Oooh golgi lucky you going to Bettys. Pick us up some of their lovely iced biscuits please

I don't feel like I've broken up yet, as dd is still at school until tomorrow. We met some of ds' friends at soft play today, which was nice, and they were all pleased to see him, so that was also reassuring. Soft play was beautifully quiet as well with no-one else having broken up.

Tomorrow is a nightmare day. DD finishes at 2pm, and I have to pick her up like lightening, speed over to the hospital and wait with two fractious children to see the eye specialist for ds. I think it may be time to bring out the go go hamsters I had bought for their stockings but which they FOUND this evening. And then we have to get up early to do the teddy bears diary (FFS why is dd always the chosen one to do these kind of things in the busiest week of the year - every single arsing year).

What I meant to say was that DS has been very demanding over the last couple of days - and I think we might have underestimated just how much ongoing stimulation they get at school. And now expect at home... Its harder in some ways to keep him occupied now than I ever remember before - and this, coupled with extreme stubborn/tiredness is a bit of a nightmare..

Can I have an iced fancy [I ate one a day for most of dd1 pregnancy] and a couple of fat rascals.

Ooooo and a Yorkshire curd tart.

Phew, nearly there! Dd1 is so tired now... I'm a bit worried about how busy next week will be, now!

Good luck with the eyes, moodlum. It sounds stressful.

They haven't heard the children read at school for a few weeks now, what with all the Christmassy stuff that's been going on. And dd1 has been making the most amazing progress at home, I'm so proud of her. I know it's icky (apologies) but I have been so good and not said anything to anyone in RL about how proud I am. She's desperate to read to me every day, and we're reading lots of Dr Seuss which I like a lot better than ORT. And she is starting to read whole sentences without sounding out the words! I'm so excited, it's quite magical to watch this happening.

Sorry, proud mummy moment over.

On a less proud mummy note, the Occupational Therapist came into school to assess her, so I'm hoping he will come up with some sensible suggestions for the teacher and some targets for dd1. I just wish she didn't flap when she gets excited, it is really beginning to make her stand out from her friends.

Thats brilliant about the reading Aranea, so different to our school. Not reading, no books home yet, random spelling attempts but no idea at all.

SOunds like you dd is stellar at reading. Fabby!

Is the flapping new since strating school, or a thing she has always done? None of the friends will notice or care, although I realise you do of course. When will you get the thoughts of the OT?

Moodlum - I think the entertainment thing may be a problem for me next week - with boy 1 used to reception and boy 2 used to nursery - will have to come up with some plans to keep them amused.

Am hoping for snow - then it will be easy!

Aranea - that's fantastic progress with the reading. I might dig out Dr Seuss and have a go with the boy - trouble is because we've got it on tape he remembers a lot rather than reading it!

The school have only sent home I think 4 or 5 books, which have all been so short that after the first reading she has memorised them... And I don't think they've been doing a lot else really - dd1 says they've been doing letter sounds which she has been a bit bored by. It's all come from her really, in a big burst of enthusiasm. It's lovely . I'm looking forward to the next time they hear her read - I think they might be surprised by her progress.

She's always flapped, but I had assumed she would grow out of it by the time she started school. Her friends do notice, and sometimes ask why she is doing it. But they are still young enough to accept it when I say that she is doing it because she is excited and happy and that it's just her being her. I just worry about her a lot.

I'm not really clear about how long the OT will take to assemble his final thoughts. He has left a sensory questionnaire with the teacher to fill in and return, so I suppose it will partly depend on how long she takes to do that.

Well done your dd aranea.

Ds on the other hand seems to be bringing home quite complicated books and will not, under any circumstances read them with me. In fact I've never seen him so resistant to doing something - I'm sort of hoping and not hoping that its something to do with the fact that at short range, he has no depth of field vision, so that makes it harder apparently.

To have a child who reads enthusiastically from the start is a complete godsend (apparently, anyway - its not something either of mine have got down to with any enthusiasm..)

You do sound worried Aranea. for you, as dd worries me too. It is an awful achey feeling.

Her reading is amazing though, and must be so exciting. Such a lovely world opening up for her. You'll be able to go book hunting together and see her eat them all up and give you the full review and critique. Lovely.
The children are so accepting aren't they? It's a great thing, and I think the way parenting and schooling has evolved means they are more accepting for way longer that we remember in our day. In fact, looking at some young teenagers I know, they seem completely right-on and able to embrace individuals. I'm sure I rememeber that age as being angst ridden and a frenzy to match everyone else!!??

I think the whole ethos of education is really different, and is impacting on this generation.

Well ours seems to be just about the only school open in our area. I left DD this morning throwing snowballs at the head....I guess he deserves it for deciding to open.
She was disappointed as we'd been listening to school closures on the radio all morning. But I think they're going to have a special day, breaking up for xmas in the snow with their friends and having a show this afternoon.

Uh oh Moodlum, thanks for the tip off - I'll look forward to that stimulation/playing up at home thing then when she's off.

Aranea, awww that's fantastic about your DD's reading! It's great she's getting the encouragement from you at home as it sounds like the school aren't pushing it so much.
I hope the OT sorts some good stuff for her then, you must be worried about her.

Snow not really so bad here. Just white really, no trudging through it up to your knees. Like in my day

DD went toschool with gp's as I couldn't bear to drag dd2 out of her my bed. When she did wake at 9am she barfed all over my feather mattress topper. Joy.

She better get better soon as we have our Alton Towers resort Santa sleepover on Sunday! She will love the water park, so everything crossed.

I feel sick too. We only got over this last week, it can't really be back can it????????

All schools closed here although we dutifully set off then met soemone who told us Dh stubborn insisted on digging out his care so I voluteered him to take our neighbours and thier son into town with him (they had set off for the bus - some hope!). DD and I went to spectate as various menfolk pushed the leading car out or the street I just hope he comes home early and doesn't get stuck.

We then had an hour in the park until dd got too cold and wet and is now wrapped up on the sofa with Cbeebies. I'm supposed to be packing - right now in fact .

Well done on the reading, spiderlet. A mummy has to have somewhere to vent her pride! Carry on! Dd has taken off with reading in the last few week - but prior to that we have minimoodlum's experience - she flatly refused to have any truck with her school books for the first 3-4 weeks.

Now if everone can just not get sick before we get on the plane on Sunday....

digging out his car even

My typing is absolutely the worst on mn....

Now she has puked bile onto my white company duvet cover.

You can go off babies.....

Home your dh gets home ok Acinonyx. Mine leaves at 6.15 on coastal A roads. Was worried about him this morning. Driving a 15 year old Golf with zero braking/airbags/mod cons too. AT least his heaters work though

Oh yuck, tree. I feel for you - dd2 keeps puking over me at night. There is something particularly depressing about shampooing your hair at 2am.

What is an Alton Towers santa sleepover? A water park sounds particularly cold and unseasonal. I must be imagining it all wrong.

I always end up packing at midnight, Acinonyx. Somehow I find it very hard to get around to. Are you off tomorrow?

Why have I used the word 'particularly' twice in a short post?

Oooh Alton Towers water park is fabby. Like Centre Parks but newer, warmer, brighter and with comfy lougers for reading papers on. The hotel is attached and themed in a Caribbean styleeeee. Or there is the travel themed hotel. Its all good fun. Beach theme carpet kept dd amused for hours when she was 2. It has kids disco and entertainers in the evening, and the traditional hotel has a pirate ship and pirate wandering about doing magic shows and all that stuff.

DH has dd in the water park, I have the Sundays, a coffee, and 30 degree heat. Bliss. Then I skulk off to the spa. More bliss.

So the sleepover - The toddler rides in the theme park are open on Sunday, so lots of tractor rides and squirrel nutkins rides and so on. Then visit to santa, then a puppet show. Then all can eat Christmas dinner [I can eat a lot], then kids disco. I think they are showing a festive movie too. All can eat breakfast [where I will eat a lot no matter how much I troughed at dinner] and water park all day. We also get free crazy golf, but I think it will be too cold to care!

It cost £200 for all of us, so I think it's great value. Eating out is a fortune in it's self.

They have lots of offers through the year, so keep an eye on the website. I took 6 week old baby, dd1 and nanna in Feb and it was £90. We upgraded to a suite, dd slept in a submarine bunkbed and my bed was shaped like a bath. She still talks about it

So come on dd2, get better so you can go splashing!!

Alton Towers thing sounds most exciting - I love Alton Towers but haven't been for years.

School was open, much excitement walking in the snow.

And the Boy was awarded "superstar of the term" - one of two from his class, by the headmaster in assembly! I am very proud of him.

That's great golgi! You must be so so pleased. Yay!

30 degree heat We must be bonkers going somewhere even colder than here.

Well done minigolgi!

Wow, golgi, that's wonderful! You must be so proud! What do they have to do to be a superstar?

I must say 30 degrees sounds very appealing... I have been struggling to manage with dd2 who is Very Upset by the cold weather.