This was a very different week as it was the first with Mr S working away, he left Sunday afternoon and has just returned this Friday evening. It was a week of new routines and expectations but the children have been brilliant and it’s been a lot more relaxed than I expected. Before the children Mr S used to work away a lot so I am used to his absence but there is a big difference between just looking after myself and now the children too. However I am content how this week went and generally positive about the next few months. With Mr S away I have tried to keep Christmas traditions and activities for our time together and have ‘just’ done our Elf OnThe Shelf Tommy every evening. I love Tommy and so do the children, it’s the 3^rd year of doing him and is one of my favourite parts of Christmas.

READ

With Mr S away in the evenings, I’ve had the much needed opportunity to catch up with some statutory professional development which has involved lots of reading on a range of topics. I did it over two evenings and am pleased to have ticked it off. I’ve also been reading the Christmas Vegetarian Good Food magazine and planning menus for the Christmas period.

LISTENED

I downloaded the new Adele album and have enjoyed listening to it, it’s relaxed and chilled and perfect for quiet reflective times in the evenings.

From  December 1st I have my Christmas music on loop. I love it, both pop and classical depending on my mood and have been playing lots this week, singling along in the privacy of my home or car. I love the feel good, sentimentality of the songs and so many happy memories of Christmases past.

WATCHED

On Saturday we were looking for a family trip out on a pretty miserable day and we went to the cinema to see the new Pixar film, The Good Dinosaur.  The animation was stunning and it was nice film but it was a bit of a nightmare with badly behaved children running all around the cinema, up and down the stairs, in front of the screen.  I think we’ll stick to our little town cinema rather than the multiplex next time.

On Thursday evening, my Mum and I took Little Miss to see the ballet the Nutcracker. I have it on my bucket list to see the Nutcracker at the English National Ballet at Christmas. We didn’t make it to London this week, but watched it at our local theatre and still loved it, the story, music and costumes were delightful. We sat close to the stage and I was surprised at the toned and muscular bodies of the ballerinas, they had beautiful bodies but rather than the skeletal dancers they can be portrayed as these were healthy strong defined bodies. Little Miss loved the ballet and I can’t wait to take her to London one Christmas. It’s lovely that she enjoys dancing so much, I’m enjoying taking her to the theatre to see more performances. I think it’s time to introduce her to musicals too as she loves singing and dancing.

I also watched the children meet Father Christmas at the school fair. He was a lovely Santa and his grotto was so beautiful. The children loved him and chatted away, full of innocence and awe.

MADE

Ok, this may be a little contrived but I hope that this week with the return of Tommy that I’ve been making precious memories for us all. Tommy merits his own blog post but each night, I hide him in a themed tableau, write a letter and wait for the children to find him. They love him and it so adorable to hear them talking to him. I took a few photos of Tommy at the children’s school this week and sent some to Little Man’s TA who showed them to him on the iPad so now he’s convinced Tommy pops into school to see him doing great work too!

WORE

Another bandage on my hand, this running injury is a nightmare and I returned for a 3^rd hospital appointment this week! It appears I may have punched the pavement as I fell thus the deep, awkward cuts which are difficult to heal. I’m really hopeful that I’ll be able to remove the bandages at my next hospital appointment on Sunday.

I wore my sparkly shoes to the ballet on Thursday and then again on the school run on Friday! I was leaving to pick up the children on time but a top secret delivery arrived that I needed to hide and the sparkly shoes were first to hand as I ran out the door late. It added a little sparkle to the pick up!

And Lastly …

This weekend it’s my Christmas Saturday, I’m off with our neighbour to the county town for shopping, lunch and hair appointments and Mr S and the children are Christmas tree shopping in preparation for dressing the house on Sunday.