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.

Back to school today (all of us). Boy was pleased to be back, I think, but was tired this evening.

Aranea - it's nice when they're nice, isn't it?

Tree - sounds like you made the right choice.

Acinonyx - hope you're in bed by now catching up on the zzzz

I am starting to get (sillily) nervous about Monday and DD starting school. Also nervous it will snow and there will be no start on Monday .

Just keep ironing uniform Noah. It focuses the mind

But I don't do ironing . What other displacement activity can I take up?

hallo! will be back to catch up properly in a bit, but ds's first week has gone v well. he is shattered by the end of school and has so far only lost his drink bottle. have stocked up on snacks now for his lunchbox, all in all - so far, so good!

Noah - have you sewn / ironed / written labels into absolutely everything?

Ah - need to do shoes and wellies given the snow is quite possible she will do most changing in and out of them.

Today I applied name stickers to lip balm. Body and lid. It was goooooood.

Today dd1 couldn't et up and had to be hauled out of bed at 8am. Yesterday, her designated duvet day, she got up at 7.15

Constipated again.

Today we had a naughty lie in because "the ice was so bad on the road" and thus did a very leisurely school run.

DS is finally back to school on Monday (weather permitting), and I have to be honest, I love him dearly, but he needs to be at school now and I would like my house back please. Seems like an eternity since he was last at school. I predict tears.

Noah - ironing is the finest displacement activity. Do pop over here if you're twiddling your thumbs - I've loads

Lissie - well done ds and well done you.

Tree - I feel like a slovenly parent not having any name stickers... I always just find the nearest pen and scribble. Then smudge for maximum ineffectiveness..

Well I'm bloody wide awake whilst everyone else sleeps. I think I'm going to rearrange my wardrobe...

Ahhhh lie in.

Mum takin dds swiming and all is weel with the world and the weekend.

Too much week not enough end.

Dh has taken dd swimming and I will sew labels and do laundry listening to the radio 2 oldies show. I should hoover - but then I won't be able to hear the radio....

I'm cleaning

Everyone's swimming today. DH took dd & ds swimming this morning. And oh god how awful, I have yet another foray into the pool, but this time with dd's friends' mothers, as one of the children is having a pool party, and they need 1 mum per 2 children. Why is it always me? So that's how I'll be spending 5.30pm - 6.30pm, so think of me when you're curled up enjoying wine in the warm

Too cold for swimming, I think. It is here, anyway - the pool is always not quite warm enough and the changing rooms are flipping freezing. I've been putting more jumpers on and don't fancy taking them all off again.

We've been sledging, again. Boys not tired of snow yet!

Hope the swimming was all right moodlum.

Am in denial about Monday. DD is absolutely too small for school (despite the fact DS started there when a couple of months younger. And despite the fact that some children start full time when they are only just 4 and DD is 4 and a quarter. And that it is the same amount of time as she was at pre-school).

Our swimming is on Monday afternoons

hehe, is it Lola who's 'absolutely too small for school'?
My DD has a swimming lesson monday afternoons too Noah. It works out okay with school - I think if it was at the end of the week she'd be too shattered for it.

Cor this snow is going on and on. I'm wondering if DD's school will even be back in on monday.
We've walked out to the fields by us with the sledge, but not driven anywhere for a few days now. it's been nice and DD's been great.

Tree, my DD says they're not allowed to take lip balm in ...that can't be right can it? She must've misunderstood.

It is Lola who is too small

DD used to stay to lunch club at pre-school on Mondays and I would pick her up and we would go straight to swimming. Will have to feed her myself now.

It is not allowed to snow here now.

paisley - I dunno, ours are not allowed to tak ein sticker. Due to sticker wars. I'd question it and maybe say they will have to pop some on her then. Maybe they could hold to it.

Swimming Not in my job description.

Swimming party Oh no - I'd have to call in sick for that I'm afraid.

paisley - as in hold onto some lip balm for her.

Is illiteracy a progressive condition?

I knew what you meant

Seriously though, I'm sure I am loosing my typing and sentence structure skills

Only little bits of snow occasionally here - I think my small girl will be going to school tomorrow

Ours was melting a bit today. Everywhere is covered in enormous icicles.

We've got a bit more forecast for tonight, depends when it comes and if the roads are covered in frozen sludge, really.

Am assuming school though.

So disappointed that the weekend white out didn't materialise.

Have spent the evening looking for ds' tracksuit bums for school tomorrow. Found them languishing in his school bag, which is bad on so many counts. If only because it demonstrates what a slattern I am that the bag came in 3/4weeks ago, and has been left unopened for that time. No reading books extracted, no clothes extracted, nothing. They were extremely clean though, so not a horrible find. I think it adds to the stress of returning to school to do a night before hide and seek game with your childrens' uniform, and have to stay up late to unload the many cycles of the washing machine

Good school run karma for us all tomorrow..