What we did this Christmas...

Drank...

....and drank....

until some were fit to burst

...and others drank so much over the cooking, that they nearly fell off their chair!

Chatted...

and dressed up...

...unwrapped allsorts of lovely gifts

and entertained,

found new ways of playing old games,

bounced...

and bounced some more...

..and partied

...and posed (with looks like these who wouldn't!)

...ventured outside

and spoke Furbish!

And last but not least, seasonal greetings to family in the Caribbean...hi mum, hi dad, Happy Christmas! xx

Snow, Beechams and police!

Did Santa bring you what you wanted? Hope so :o) Take a look at the view from my conservatory this morning...Oops, forgot to rotate, you'll just have to turn your head, or tip your monitor on its side, or something ;o)



My children wanted, amongst other pricey things, snow, and we got it, a few days late, but it's here! There's enough of it for me not to even think about venturing out to the sales in the car, and enough for me to wonder if the dustmen will make it up our windy hills to collect my 10+ sacks of rubbish. Darn, it's me that's got to put them out...hub has just returned from nightshift and was so tired he didn't think to put them out before he fell into bed.

I'm nursing a stinking cold (when will those 7 assorted vitamins from Holland and Barrett kick in?!), have had it since Xmas Eve. That's an evening I won't forget. I'd been taking Beechams Flu Plus through the day, hadn't exceeded the recommended amount, and after our guests had gone and the kids were tucked up in bed awaiting Santa I felt terrible. I thought maybe the prawns I'd eaten were playing havoc in my tum, so I retired to bed with the bucket, leaving poor hub to wait up until kids were definitely asleep to do the stuff that a parent has to do on Xmas Eve, no matter how tired.
An hour later I couldn't sleep it off , hadn't been sick, my hands had pins and needles, and my heart was pounding harder and faster than I could ever imagine it could. I've experienced panic attacks but this was ten times worse!
It wore off after an hour, but I had a rough night and managed to worry husband enough so that he had a rough night too! It was a job getting up with the kids at 6.30am!

During a quiet moment on Xmas Day I armed myself with the leaflet from the Beechams packet, having sussed that it can't have been the prawns, and did a websearch on its ingredients. Sure enough, one of them can cause palpitations and nausea, especially if you suffer from high blood pressure (which I did when I was on the pill and during pregnancy, it also runs in the family so I suspect maybe it still is a bit on the high side).

So here sit I, without medicine, trying to fight it off 'naturally' Thought I might get a good night's sleep last night, but no, following raised voices at 1.40am, a police van arrived noisily outside (snow meant I heard every officer's footstep and the turn of the van wheels) at 2.30am and carted off someone from down the street!

I'm hoping there's a suitably dull film on this afternoon and that the kids will remain entertained by their new pressies so that I can drift off on the sofa.

Time to stop, kids are up and preparing to go out (sans brekkie) in the snow already...
a-ha.....maybe they can lug the rubbish sacks to the road!!

Night Shift

yippeee, hub has heard that he has not only got a promotion to middle management, but that his new job will involve maybe only the odd night shift. He's put up with working 2 weeks out of 3 on night shifts since before our son Sam was born, and Sam is 12 now, he'd had enough of it years ago and has progessively found it more and more difficult to sleep when he needs to, so you can imagine how pleased we are. I'm expecting to see a happier husband when he starts his day work. Not sure how I'll study with the TV on every evening though, I'm used to being on my own and doing my own thing.

Rate your teacher

This is an interesting site. You can rate your teacher! Funny how the teacher I found least approachable 18 years ago still doesn't rate very well today!
No rating for any teachers at the school I work in...are we that dull?!

Another quiz, can you tell I am bored?!
1.What are you doing for Christmas?
entertaining in-laws

2.What do you WISH you were doing for Christmas?
lying by a pool or deep blue sea, somewhere warm, where the kids and hub would be happy playing while I read a good book with copious Malibu and pineapple

3.What should you be doing while you’re answering these questions?
clearing away dinner

4.Quote something ridiculous that your boss has said this week.
Have you changed your mind about wanting to cut down your hours Tina?

5.Do you like Jimmy Carr? Explain your answer fully…
Who's he?!

6.What’s the worst job you’ve ever done?
worked in Woolworths as a 'Saturday girl'

7.Sofa, settee. or couch?
Sofa

8.“9 to 5” by Dolly Parton or “9 to 5” by Sheena Easton?
Like both

9.If you could have a miniature talking anyone to keep on your mantelpiece
/ in your pocket, who would it be?
Joe Pasquale, he makes me laugh.

10.What is the most delicious thing in the butchers?
minted lamb chops

11.Would you rather run a mile, jump a stile or eat a country pancake?
run a mile (thinks weight-loss!)

12.What was your most embarrassing exam result?
Maths GCSE - grade C (I got an A in the mock and didn't bother to revise for the real thing!)

13.What is the lowest price for which you would sleep with Anne
Widdicombe/John McCrirrick?
no lowest prcie, just wouldn't do it!

14.Which part of your body do you like best?
eyes when made up, otherwise pierced navel

15.And least?
thighs

16.Describe the contents of your fridge right now.
milk, vegetables, salad stuff, cous cous, pineapple juice, yoghurts, bacon and cheese

17.How old is your oldest item of underwear?
15 years old! Wedding day undies, they don't fit now but I've still got them.

18.What’s the most embarrassing song that you LOVE?
there's probably loads, but the one that comes to mind is Barry Manilow's Mandy

19.Rate your dancing from 1 to 10 (1 being lowest, 10 being highest)
nothing special....5?

20.What time did you (will you) get home from your works christmas night out
you dirty stopout?
12.45am

More about me

What time did you get up this morning?

8.50 (well, it is Xmas school hols!)

Diamonds or pearls?

diamonds

What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

War of the worlds

What is your favourite TV show?

A Place in the sun

What do you usually have for breakfast?

yoghurt or a banana

Favourite cuisine?

chinese

What food do you dislike?

beetroot

What is your favourite CD at the moment?

David Gray's White Ladder

Morning or night person?

night

Favourite sandwich?

don't like sandwiches

What characteristic do you despise?

narrowmindedness

Favourite item of clothing?

jeans

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be?

mid-west USA

What colour is your bathroom?

white

Favourite brand of clothing?

Next always fit nicely

Where would you retire to?

southern Spain

What was your most memorable birthday?

my 21st, not only was it my 21st, I'd also just passed my driving test and moved into my first house

Favourite sport to watch?

football

Who do you least expect to complete this?

husband

Person you expect to complete it first?

son

Person who is least busy?

son!

When is your birthday?

25th January

What is your shoe size?

6

Pets?

died

Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?

I've just booked 10 days holidays in Spain during the Easter break :o)

What did you want to be when you were little?

teacher

What is your favourite flower?

pink carnations

What date on the calendar you are looking forward to?

Xmas day

One word to describe the person who you snaffled this from?

unfamiliar (I was just browsing blogs!)

Waheey!!

I don't believe it, I got 2 distinctions and my diploma in Classics!!

As a result I've changed my plans for next year and am going to follow up from the diploma with AA309 (Culture, Identity and Power in Rome)
http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C02AA309
Yep, that's right, just one course next year :o) It's a level 3 so I gotta make a good job of it haven't I if I want a 2:1

If you've just had your results from the OU I hope you got what you wanted.

wisdom teeth

If it's not one thing it's another. Got my filing today...fine...was very brave .... until she then tells me that I need another wisdom tooth extracted (yipes). I've already had the bottom two wisdom teeth out, both required stitches and were horrific experiences, even with the second one being done under general anaesthetic. The dentist assures me that upper wisdom teeth come out much easier than lower ones....I hope she's not telling me porky-pies, 'cos I've opted for no sedation, just the numbing injection. How I hate going to the dentist, now I have to go again next month for this extraction, and then make yet another appointment for another filing. Is there a dark corner anywhere that I can hide in?

Rock bottom

I think I've reached it, or maybe it's that S.A.D. thingy that is around at this time of year. As a consequence I have, all in the space of a week:
had a lickle chat with my Head about the demands of being a mum, worker and student, and as a result am now only working 3 days a week from January, I thought that would give me more time to do study, lesson planning and housey stuff, hence more time for kids and hub in the evenings and weekends, but.....feeling no more positive about this forthcoming change after a couple of days I...
cancelled my O.U courses for next year!! Anyone who knows me quite well will be as shocked as I was the day after I sent the cancellation email. O.U has been a big part of my life since 2001. Maybe that's the whole problem, am I 'all studied out'? Admittedly my job was never as busy as it has been in the last few months, could be that I have just reached overload all round. Even the O.U's conferencing, First Class, doesn't hold the same appeal anymore. I'd rather get an early night with a nice easy book (and I have plenty of those waiting to be read)

Anyhow, to get over the shock I have been planning what I can get up to next year:
1. Use the treadmill that has gathered dust since the summer
2. Start learning Spanish in time for 2006's summer holiday
3. The kids!! They'd love more playtime with me!
4. Ever-tolerant hub, I'm sure he'd appreciate not seeing my head stuck behind a book or in front of the PC screen.
5. Read all those juicy-can't-put-down books.

Still no exam results, although I hear some results for courses that have no exam are out. November flew by, but December is dragging! Won't make any difference to my plans though, whatever the results. If they are good, then that's a good way to end this period of study, and if they are bad, I never intended to resit them, so it will still be time to move on. Maybe I'll come back to finish my degree in 2007, maybe I won't...not sure I need it if I don't want to become a teacher!

Ending on a positive note, it's Panto season! The whole school is marching down to the Central Theatre on Friday for, not sure now, Aladdin? Can't wait, big kid when it comes to pantos, in fact, if I recall, last year it was me up and clapping while the Year 4s stared at me as if I was mad! I'm sure the Year 1s and 2s will be much more appreciatve of my fun-loving side this year :O) And 'cos they are diddly-lickle Year 1s and 2s, we get to sit near the front! Maybe I'll catch a sweetie this year....or a squirt of water!

Therapy over, off the couch and back to reality, where that book and a bubbly bath awaits.

Seasons Greetings to all Bloggers, and to those awaiting exam results....not long now, hope the news is good.

T