resolutions for the new year

It's official, the year is almost over. In fact, this time next week I will be placing pressies under the tree, stuffing stockings and turkeys and getting all christmas-y! Woot! Can you believe another year is almost done? I can't! I can't believe its that time of year already and I am starting to believe what I've been told for years, that each year goes faster as you get older...

I'm not ready. The presents still need wrapping, hell I haven't even finished shopping. My meal plan isn't finalised. Groceries aren't done. I haven't ordered a bloody turkey yet but you know what, it doesn't matter. Somehow it all comes together right? And next year I will be more organised.

Next year I vow to

• be more organised for xmas and actually buy bits and pieces over the year
• be more crafty next year, and actually make some gifts. How hard can it be?
• take my kids to see twinkly lights at night - I feel they're too little this year but next year I think we can make an exception and create some memories
• keep in better touch with friends and loved ones - to my family, I've been slack with birthdays etc but I promise to make amends next year
• lose those last few kgs I promised would be gone by xmas but seem to be hanging around
• actually get to a gym or at least an aqua aerobics class once a month, if not more - actively pursue that whole 'me time' I hear other women brag about.
• be a better domestic goddess: many areas here can be improved upon however when it comes to folding and putting away washing, well that's my arch enemy
• go on a mini break with my little family, and maybe another friend and her family - ROAD TRIP!!
• save for our big holiday in two years time. not sure how we will achieve this but we're going, so gotta find the pennies somewhere!
• have a date night with my hubby at least once a month - our relationship is important too

There will be more I add to this, I'm quite sure.

Whats on your resolution list for 2013? Are you making resolutions? Do you ever stick to them? Can we help each other stick to them?

Santa's not real??

So for those of you playing along, you'll know I've been working at a large department store for a couple of months now, just casually, mainly weekends, but its enough to give me a break from the house, a few extra dollars and minimal daycare fees. The only real negative is missing out on family time and shitty customers who abuse me because they feel like it. Oh and the same shitty customers are the ones that trash the fitting rooms and spill coffee everywhere but you know, whatever, right?  Anyway, yesterday as I took my bag out of my locker at work I heard Santa come in to the staff room. Being Santa, everyone says hi so it's hard for the poor guy to go anywhere without a noisy entrance. If you're not Santa you can walk the corridors and be totally ignored but that's another post about how cliques exist everywhere you go and how frankly, women are each others worst enemies but let's focus. Santa nodded his head at me and said 'hello dear'. . . I smiled and nodded back, spluttering 'hello Santa' like some lovestruck teenage groupie. I felt like I was a child again, or I'd met a celeb and they knew my name - can you imagine?!?! I don't know why it was all warm and fuzzy but it was, and it was lovely to be acknowledged by someone who seemed so, nice. I wasn't there paying to have my childs photo taken as they screamed in his arms, he didn't HAVE to be nice to me, but he was. No wonder he was employed to be Santa. . . .

And then he undressed in front of me. Not naked, don't get me wrong - it ain't that kinda story *wink* but yep, Santa disrobed in front of me and I have to admit I blushed, and then didn't know where to look. He took the scratchy acrylic beard off, his Santa hat, and jacket - right in front of me, while he chatted to me about the weather like it was the most normal thing in the world to do. Next thing I knew, Santa was a normal bloke wearing some funny clothes. Sorry Santa, but I gotta be honest, I felt disturbed. Someone else asked how he was and he said 'bloody hot' with great attitude and gruff. Santa was clearly sweltering in his suit. He then sat and had lunch with a few of us staff.

I know Santa isn't real but there is just something magical about seeing a Santa in real life, especially when they look the part and are being lovely to kids. It's heart warming, tears to the eye, goosebump producing stuff that has gotten more lovey dovey for me since becoming a Mum. Carols; Away In A Manger and Mary's Child bring me to tears everytime. I still believe in Christmas and think of it as a magical time. Santa, to me, has the white beard, the red suit and black boots despite it being hot here, that's how it's always been and that's how it always will be. It's been playing on my mind ever since. I'm pretty confident in saying that the sight of Santa beardless, hatless, jacket and boot less, sitting in his red pants, white socks, overall straps or whatever they're called, and eating a sandwich while bitching about screaming kids and over controlling parents, well it's an image that probably won't ever leave me. Ever.

A little of my Christmas magic died yesterday, and that makes me sad. I hope my kids believe in Santa for as long as possible. . . and I'll do everything in my power to help that happen.



Meanwhile, if Santa in his pants had looked like this fella, well I dare say my after thoughts would have been verrryyyy different

Christmas at the library

Today we went to Christmas at the library, a free event which I stupidly had high hopes for. I thought they would do craft with the kids, tell stories, hell maybe Santa might appear and all the kids would receive a little something.

Before we entered the library we tackled the post office, with about 50 other people. The queue was out the non-automatic door that I struggled to get my pram and free ranging chicken, I mean toddler, through. No one helped me which was very un-christmas like and I swore under my breath as I pushed the pram over my own toe. We were off to a good start?!?! I pulled Monkey Man's leash (judge me all you want) and he came in kicking and screeching at the top of his lungs, and then went and picked up every bloody thing in reach. Everyone in the queue glared at me as my 3yo touched and picked up everything, pushing buttons that played noises and music on various toys. People started commenting on how I have my hands full and my what a big pram you have. Basically it was like any other outing... Thankfully the queue moved quite fast, we paid for and posted our parcels and I made a mental note to be more organised next year. Yeah right.

A quick donut stop, as promised, happened before we entered the library and once 'we' all got over the fact that no, we cannot have ten donuts each and that one will suffice, everyone stuffed their faces and off we went.

I had hoped that having just been fed there would be no fuss and we could enjoy the event. Instead, Little Miss tantrummed not long after we got in there as I made her get off a seat so an adult could sit down. The very eccentric man running story time (ie camp as a row of tents) actually stopped the story he was telling, glared at me with a patronising smirk and instructed everyone to 'just wait til someone sorts out that child'. Seriously, I wanted to punch him. We were at the back of the room and everyone was actually turned and looking at us?? I felt a rush of red hit my face as I tried to calm her down with a room of 50+ people staring at me. Eventually she forgot what she was crying about and went on her merry way, and thankfully the story continued. Storytime was then interrupted again by Monkey Man going to the front of the room to put his reindeer antlers with another set on a table. When he was told to go and sit down he informed everyone he was 'just putting his reindeer ears up here for a minute'. I laughed to myself and again, everyone stared at us. Both he and Missy Moo kept shoving things into a cardboard box Santa and screeching when they fell to the bottom and thus they couldn't get them out. Little Miss also interrupted story time for her version of baby yoga, ass in the air in a packed room with the biggest smile on her face. Every other child there sat quietly with their parents and listened to story. We were subjected to lame ass christmas carols with the words changed to be more australian eg 'dashing through the sand' WTF and a Santa in a costume that had seen better days. Missy Moo freaked at the site of Santa and hid in my lap. The kids were then told to line up, hello they're all 2-5?? to collect a gift from Santa - a DIY christmas card? I was then told that I couldn't have 3 as each child had to come to Santa themselves!! oh for fcuks sake! I pointed to my two girls in the pram, both looking terrified, and said 'do I really have to bring them over here, really??' at which point camp boss man said 'oh just give her the cards!' with major tude. Dude, you work in a library! Where is your bloody community spirit??

Christmas storytime was lame and not worth the effort of getting there and if we hadn't had books due back today I wouldn't have bothered. Bah bloody humbug! I figured the worst was over though and we could get some books to borrow and head home for nap time. Before I could grab her though, Little Miss climbed onto a lounge and fell down between it and the window. Queue loud screaming, crying and once again, everyone staring at us. No one helped me, they just stared. It was time to go.

Monkey Man depositing something into cardboard Santa

Missy Moo seeing if she can get it out

Meanwhile, Little Miss is doing toddler yoga complete with thigh rolls on display, with her ass in the air. Sigh

I'm oh so tired

So apparently I have low iron levels. So low that I'm not far away from needing injections. What the hell? I feel fine. My Dr asked me do I feel tired? Of course i bloody do so I said yes but I have 3 little kids so wouldn't necessarily attribute feeling tired to low iron. I'd blame it on a toddler (or 3) who never sits still, who runs I'm sure just to get me to chase him. I'd blame it on two princesses who wake overnight for trivial reasons, who wake each other up and more importantly wake us up. I'd blame my tired state on motherhood and to be honest, between being pregnant, recovering from births, being in a newborn fog and now literally chasing kids from sun up to sun down, I cannot remember the last time I didn't feel tired!! Add in my penchant for staying up waaaay too late and its all one big state of exhausted. . . . . But I assume my iron levels aren't helping. So more tablets go in, I'm trying to boost my intake through food choices as well and I'm doing what my Dr has told me. Not much I can do about the motherhood side of things but I can try to take care of me. Without me there won't be much mothering going on right?

I haven't forgotten its the silly season and hectic as ever so surely everyone is tired?? Not just me? How many weeks til the bearded fat man arrives??