My mornings seem to be getting earlier and earlier at the moment – Maggie has been up before 5 the last few mornings, I think in part motivated by the chocolates in the advent calendar. Nothing shows a Mum has given up more than allowing chocolate at 5am in the morning does it? At least I have new sandals to keep me going in style. I LOVE these (Ivy Copenhagen – they also come in the most magnificent neon pink which I got for Lucy).
This week Rob is away for work down in Flinders Island off Tassie so it’s just me and the girls and our 8 million end of year things to attend. Tonight Daisy has her first Speech night, Mum coming along to keep me company.
Last weekend Rob and I traveled up to the farm without the kids (but with Frank) to catch up with Rob’s Dad and step mum for the weekend. My goodness it’s dry and smoky and AWFUL up that way (they are past Port Macquarie) and the fire damage is just devastating. There were a few storms, but little to no rain as it seems the clouds have forgotten how to rain. We got a little on the trip home through Taree, but not enough, no where near enough that’s needed.
Monday I went into Christmas OVERDRIVE as it was the 2nd December and we had no tree! Mags and I soon fixed that first thing Monday morning where we spent the morning getting our tree, decorating it getting the rest of our Christmas stuff out. It just NEVER gets old does it? The magic and the ritual of it all – it takes me back to when I was a little girl, doing the same thing, the same smell of the pine tree, the same Bing Crosby album on, it’s engrained into my soul as moments of happiness my entire life.
Helped by the fact we had some kind of polar arctic blast too with LOTS of cold weather…the fire was lit which just added to the magic of it all. What a country we live in where we have fires and snow not far from each other. We could all use some 18 degree weather with torrential rain to be honest.
I had to head out to grab Daisy from a late school performance at night and was delighted to come home to show her the Christmas wonderland that was waiting for her…the smell! The fire! The twinkling lights…heaven!
The little kids have been better this week – a little less fighting (ish) poor Lucy has Maggie for me tonight as we head to speech night – Harper off to a disco – it’s a full on organisation mode as I arrange where which child will be and when – no wonder we are all frazzled. Frank has the good life I tell you!
This coming weekend we have our village Christmas party in the hall, another tradition I adore – the rhythms of the year that come and go, quicker than we would like, showing another passing of another year. Older, not so much wiser.
Hope you guys are holding up despite the madness…soon enough we will be in that magical time of the year between Christmas and the new year where the days are long and slow and involve reading and resting…my very favourite! We are almost there, dig deep x
I escaped down a rabbit hole on the blog this morning thought you might like a trip down memory lane on this day over the past years I wrote these posts (my lord I have written so many blog posts):
2018: dessert hacks for Christmas
2017: The Tale of the woman with no wriggle room
2016: December
2015: One thing: make the damn cake already
2014: On being a Mum
2013: Miscellaneous 32
2012: Stuff
2011: A very BabymacChristmas (The house)
2010: Point & Shoot
2009: Harper Valley PTA
2008: Next week…Paris!
2007: The hair, this is what I am talking about!
2006: 30 weeks
We finally got our tree up on Tuesday. Late by my usual standards but it’s fiiiiine. I couldn’t help but laugh at the utter chaos that is 4 kids putting a tree together that ended in a game of Christmas feeeze then a wrestling match on the ground. GET AWAY FROM THE TREE!!!!! I swear we lose at least 7 baubles every year.
Bring in cheistmas week I say. I’ll be off work, my mum & sister will be over & it will FINALLY be time to exhale.
I can’t wait either…a chance to do NOTHING and feel so guilt about it too!
Thank you for sharing Beth! Look at those cuties doing yoga, they’re going to be prime-time loving all the shenanigans of Chrissy. Enjoy, it’s hard this year with all that’s going on, so when you get to share in the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of childhood, it really is a gift. Liz X
We are SO lucky to have little ones to help us still have the spirit alive and well – it’s the BEST!