Just call me "The Grinch" and a "Bah Humbug" to you

Is it possible to be sick of Christmas already....I feel like the build up started back in July when I received my first Studio Christmas catalogue and one of my good friends started counting down in days.

Don't get me wrong I love the time of year its truly my favourite, apart from springtime blossom or long hot summer days anyway you get my drift. Its just that as I am getting older the time is flying by at warp speed anyway and having all the marketeers trying to rush through to the next big thing is just making it worse. The kids birthdays are in October and they barely get through to the end of the day before they are asking for some toy been advertised on CartoonNetwork for Christmas.

When I was little, the summer holidays finished it was harvest festival time, something the school made us sing alot about and I never really understood it. Then came Guy Fawkes, November the 5th. Fireworks night was massive in the calendar, every year the school made us do some kind of project on Mr Fawkes history. I was consumed with worry as to what my guy was going to be stuffed with and whose clothes I could "borrow" to make it with. Christmas was a distant event in the far future and there were much more immediate and pressing concerns to think about, like how many pairs of gloves to be worn on the NIGHT and should I stay at home or go to a display. The advertisers seem to have knocked the wind out of these events consuming our minds with the 25th of December. Even poor Halloween making a brave attempted to bring Autumn back its own festivals is struggling against the onslaught of the mighty Christmas promotions.

So this year, I'm going to try and not mention the C word until at least the last week November and we are going to enjoy our Halloween party and our local town fireworks display, Christmas can just get back into its proper Winter place.

Feeling all Gloria Gaynor “I survived” !!

I did it, I pulled the party off, with a little help from family and friends. Everyone said they had a lovely time and that the party was brilliant, and quiet frankly I don’t care if they are all lying. Mooki loved every minute of it, she looked gorgeous even if I do say so myself and she was an excellent hostess. I managed to embarrass her only once and she was horrible to me only once so that was pretty good going too. I spent most of the time with my head down trying not to be too visible, while her brothers spent as much time in the limelight as possible and her dad just continually poured out cups of squash. 9 ltrs of coke and 9 ltrs of lemonade went with in the first 45 minutes. The DJ was an arse who turned up late and started playing the music late which really peed me and her dad off, but mooki didn’t seem to mind, he has since sent me a customer satisfaction questionnaire which I refuse to fill out because I will probably write something defamatory that he’ll then sue me for.

Went for low key understated dressing for the party with a pair of skinny jeans and a pretty but not showy top and no one batted an eyelid. I was planning on wearing this really cool “vampire” dressing up outfit I’d picked up from Tesco for £15 and while I ignored her protests of “mum you can’t wear that !!” when 6 year old looked at me and said “mummy its not dressing up party and please don’t wear that” I relented and decided not to. Since the party I have added fake black nails and extra long lashes to go with my Vamp dress for trick or treating next Sunday (can’t wait :) ). My mother on the other hand, yes grandmother to birthday girl, decided she would pull out all the stops and where the sparkliest, shiniest and quiet possibly loudest thing in her wardrobe. It did raise an eyebrow on my face when I saw it and I wanted to ask her what the hell did she think she was playing at when I realised that I was being just like my kids and does it really matter.

Sunday we all crashed a burned. I was so tired and still so wired it wasn’t true. None of us felt like doing anything and we were all pretty grumpy. We had to wake the birthday girl up to open her presents, we’d all been sitting downstairs for 2 hours waiting for her and we were starting to get annoyed. So that started things off being tetchy. It took her 21/2 hours to open all her presents and her 74 birthday cards. At the end of this the boys were climbing up the walls with boredom and had started playing with her new makeup and bath stuff. You can imagine that didn’t go down to well. So when the in-laws arrived it was a relief to go out for Sunday dinner and not have to cook. The rest of Sunday was spent trying not to shout at each other and it was mostly successful.

We’re a week on and I am still recovering, except we have Ninja’s birthday at Kids Play tomorrow so that’ll be fun, 15 5 & 6 year olds running around that I don’t actually know, but I am sure it will feel a lot easier than last weeks event !!

Neat freak or Stig of the Dump

I'd like to say I'm both but my beloved would argue Stig all the way. I just can't seem to keep things tidy for more than 2 minutes, I think its heredity though my mother would kill me for saying that. I don't think it makes me a bad person just a messy one. Speaking of which I am in a real pickle.....

Mooki's 13th big birthday bash is coming up very soon and I am extremely conscience of not "showing her up". So I plan to keep as low a profile for the evening as possible, having said that I still need an outfit. I am torn, do I dress up or down? smart or casual? Jeans ok or do I need a dress. What to do what to do? Maybe I pose the question on facebook and see what other people think.

This week at college made my brain actually melted and the annoying tutor that had offended us all last week managed to upset me once again this week. He's very productive comment to me all lesson being "Caroline, you are looking very vacant but you seem to be getting everything right" I mean how bloody rude !!! He'd look sodding vacant dealing with 3 kids and one of them not having been very well.

I had eldest and middle one describe to me the conversations they have been having with their friends, it was a real eye opener. From Mooki forming a friendship with a friends boyfriend ( I am sure this will only lead to trouble) and Ninja telling me he's been discussing seeing me naked with his little school buds and that I shouldn't be mad at him.

I have so much to get organised over the next couple of weeks its almost impossible to try and fathom it. I have both the kids birthdays to organise, try and get myself back in to the swing of working and find time to get some home studying done and to top this all off my tumble dryer has packed up.!

Oh want is a girl to do.....

One week on....

I really wished someone had calmly sat me down and explained exactly what the ramifications of Humf getting his tonsils done would actually be. I don't think I thought once of all the implications which has left me very unprepared and more than a little startled.

Firstly I should have spent more time explaining to the kids what was happening and why. They just woke up Wednesday morning to Humf going to the hospital with mum and dad and them going off to school. I did manage to arrange childcare for them for school collecting time but didn't plan for dinner or putting to bed or even the possibility of Hubbie needing to stay with me. I burned bridges with my mum because she upset me with what seemed to be a lack of empathy for what was happening so was expecting no support from her..

As it happens Humf didn't go in for his operation till around 2pm. Having to hold him as they inserted the cannula and then watch as they pumped drugs in to him to make him sleep was indescribably horrible. As he all of a sudden stop crying and his eyes rolled in to the back of his head I just totally fell apart. They grabbed him off me and put him on the trolley as I nearly collapsed to the floor, then they whisked me out the room trying to calm me. As soon as I was out the room I wanted to run back and make them wake him up, it was terrible. I really had to control myself not to run back in there screaming "no don't do it, just wake him, we can go home".

The wait for him to come back was surreal, I don't think I was consciences of anything else but waiting for him to come back. Paul had left his phone on the ward so he ran back to get it and within what seems like a few minutes of him being gone I heard a child crying. I sat there in the waiting room sitting on the edge of my seat listening to this child crying, thinking that's my child, God I am so happy I can hear my child crying. I waited and no one came for me and still I heard this child crying, at this point I was starting to doubt my conviction that it was Humf so I decided to stand outside the room even though they had specifically told us to wait in there. Standing at the door frame listening to him screaming and still no one coming to get me I decided I wasn't prepared to wait any longer. My baby was in major distress and I was going to find him. Just at this point Paul came back in to the surgery room and together we walked in to the recovery room to see Humf still asleep, blood pouring down his face screaming at the top of his voice (he'd just had his tonsils removed for goodness sake) trying to get out of the arms of this nurse...I've never been so happy and so upset at the same time ever.

Looking back I can feel a bit sorry for the nurse, she was trying to do her best to calm him down. But he has both his parents fiery blood in him and he just wanted a parent not a stranger holding him while he was feeling so vunerable and scared. Paul held him, stroked his hair, rubbed his back and soothed him and he relaxed enough for them to take all the tubes off and check his blood pressure and heart rate. It took him a good two hours to come round properly and by about 4 hours after the surgery he'd managed a drink and a bit of sausage. But all he wanted to do was come home.

Much to my relief my mum had ignored my childishness and traveled up to be with my other two this allowed Paul to stay with us and support me through that first night and being in the hospital. Its been a week now and while I can't say he is totally over it he is getting better everyday. His hearing is so much improved and his breathing while he is sleeping is quieter and much more regular. So feeling positive it will all be worth it.

Roll on October and eldest 13th birthday and Ninja 6th its party time for the Hill family.