There Ain't No Bugs On Me!

Now that I have learned about the origins of Boxing Day in the UK, I was all geared up to have a proper one, complete with a brisk winter walk in the countryside. Unfortunately, none of that happened. Early on this morning, I was complaining about my own itchy head, and Emma commented that her head was itchy too. I had a look and discovered, to my complete and utter horror, that we had ourselves Boxing Day Headlice infestation! My dear husband and Sophie spent the morning tracking down the appropriate antidote, which required a bit of driving and trips to more than one pharmacy. The rest of the day was spent nit pickin' and sanitizing everything I could possibly think of. Beds have been vacuumed, beaten and chastised. Linens, towels and hairbrushes have been scalded... and I still have a pretty good case of the heebie jeebies and phantom itches.

D*mn you, lice! You prevented me from going out for a crisp walk on St. Stephen's Day just like good old King Wenceslas, but at least, everyone appears to be sorted. I'm sure my reaction was an overreaction as I have never been able to make peace with creepy crawlies.

Anyway...in case you are curious about the origins of Boxing day/ St. Stephen's Day and don't have a sensible friend like my Joanna to set you straight, you can click here .

Today Sophie and I have been singing: There ain't no bugs on me. There ain't no bugs on me. Lots of bears have bugs in their hair, but there ain't no bugs one me! (May this continue to be true!!)

Your Daily Dose of English Lit...

Excerpted from Robert Burns's

Ode to a Louse

(to be read in your best Irish brogue)

Ha! whare ye gaun' ye crowlin ferlie?

Your impudence protects you sairly;

I canna say but ye strunt rarely

Owre gauze and lace,

Tho faith! I fear ye dine but sparely On such a place.

Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner,

Detested, shunn'd by saunt an sinner,

How daur ye set your fit upon her--So fine a lady!

Go somewhere else and seek your dinner

On some poor body.

Blessings Abound!

We're simply having a wonderful Christmas time. Although we are, of course, a bit blue to be so far away from family and friends, we are really enjoying the ease and comfort of hanging out with "just us," especially since we've all been a bit under the weather. Today, thankfully, everyone seems to be feeling a little better.

The children have been so excited about the simplest things, which is such fun for us to see. Yesterday afternoon we went to a children's carol service at St. David's Church of Wales, then we came home and cooked a lovely meal just for us. We shared some of the things our family across the sea had written for us and enjoyed a peaceful, candlelit moment...until Sophie finally shouted, "Can we open some presents now!!??" Funny enough, the kids, especially Emma, were most excited for us to open the presents they had bought or made for us. Emma has been in agony all week waiting for me to open her gifts. We finally agreed we'd open all of the family presents on Christmas eve, which cooled her jets a little.

All of us had lots of fun opening gifts. We were completely impressed when George opened up a harmonica sent to him by Mimi, and he instantly serenaded us with "Jingle Bells" and "Ode to Joy." Sophie fell in love with the baby brown bear given to her by Paw Paw. She even snubbed her faithful Lambie at bedtime and gave brown bear the place of honor in the crook of her arm! Sophie was also really impressed with the Hugo Boss "boy perfume" that I gave George. It is rather nice. George took one whiff of himself and said to me, "I smell so good, I wish I was you." The biggest reaction of the evening came when Emma opened a rock tumbler from her dad. Her body left the floor as she cheered and launched herself toward George, throwing her arms around his neck. Ever since she collected an interesting assortment of rocks in Cyprus, she has wanted a rock tumbler. Dad didn't forget!

Later, we tracked Santa on the NORAD satellite and saw that he wasn't too far off. "Can we just go to bed already!!???" Sophie shouted. So, we did, after putting out some brownies for santa (as well as apples and carrots for the reindeer). We also read a bedtime story written by our very own Paw Paw called "Slim Jim and the Chiristmas Plan." The kids gave it two thumbs up.

Today has been really fun and laid back as well. Santa was really generous to the girls, as usual. I was hoping George would have the turkey in the oven by now, but dragging him away from Emma's new "Littlest Pet Shop" game for the Wii has been harder than expected. Sophie has been enjoying the pirate treasure chest brought by Santa as well as her new Sylvanian family car (complete with 2 rear-facing baby seats). I am enjoying the fact that it is a super sunny day in Wales. I think I will have to head out for a winter walk shortly and recharge my solar batteries. Happy Christmas to all!!

I Can't Wait to Hibernate...

...as Bernie the Bear would say. (Actually I am hoping to avoid hibernation this winter with the help of my "litepod.") Unfortunately, the Carsons, excepting Emma who is completely bored with all of the rest of us, have been under the weather for the past couple of days. I have some sort of a mild, yet still unpleasant, stomach bug, and George and Sophie are all cold-y and scratchy throated. Of course, this is not nice, but it has saved us all from the last-minute Christmas mania that everyone else seems to be wrapped up in.

Most of the friends I chat to over here, are rushing around and too busy to even take a deep breath. We, on the other hand, have been feeling poorly, but cwtched up on the sofa watching some of the most wonderfully horrible Christmas movies you can imagine. Today's top choices were Unlikely Angel starring everyone's favorite disproportionate and adorable country singer, Dolly Parton...as well as Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus with the ever-charming Steve Guttenberg (who apparently enjoys jogging in the nude in real life, according to my reliable source, Caroline). Steve's "ho ho ho's" are laughably ho-ho-horrible in the film, but for some reason I can't get enough. I have a sick fascination with cheesy Christmas flicks. Luckily (for me) I think I am rubbing off on my family. (And yes, my mother is indeed responsible for my poor taste in entertainment options. Who knew she and I were both secretly members of the Diagnosis Murder fan club!? Coincidence or much much more??)

So... as much as I hate not feeling my best, I am definitely seeing the silver lining here. Happy Christmas Eve- Eve to all!!

Zen and the Art of Surviving the Most Treacherous Tesco at Christmastime

Today I grit my teeth and did it; I went to the most treacherous Tesco at Talbot Green less than a week before Christmas. I decided to go "with a Christmas heart," which worked out well except in the car park. Finding a parking bay involved lurking and avoiding the poisonous glares of other drivers. Something happens to us humans when we get in our cars and have to contend with traffic and crowds. We seem to forget that all of the other cars carry other humans just like us. We snarl and shout horrible things we'd never say to a person in passing on the street... but, you all know how that goes. Luckily after a bit of deep breathing and a prayer to sweet baby Jesus, I managed to find a legal place to park and headed into the store full of hundreds of other people who also wanted to be elsewhere.

I had planned to order my shopping online and have it delivered, but apparently, if you want your shopping delivered the week of Christmas, you are required to book months in advance. All of the slots were full. Everyone else thought this was a brilliant idea too. Everyone, that is, except for the hundreds of shoppers with whom I communed today.

Having realistic expectations (as well as a Christmas heart) made the entire experience a bit more tolerable. I found several fellow shoppers who were happy to join in with my lighthearted moaning as I attempted to squeeze my trolley through the jam-packed aisles. I also had to laugh out loud when I came across an adolescent boy wielding a roll of gift wrap like a Samurai sword (complete with appropriate sound effects). Finally his grandmother stopped investigating the clementines long enough to turn around and ask, "What is wrong with you, lad!?" To which he replied,

"I'm a twelve year old boy in a shop with my Nan the week before Christmas. I don't want to be here. What do you expect?!" A rather loud laugh escaped my mouth to even my own surprise. Nan didn't think it was quite as funny.

Finally after finding everything on my list, I headed to the till where I was surprised to meet a very friendly cashier. She even helped me with my packing without having to be asked. (This is major.) By the time she had sorted me and all of my groceries out, we knew practically everything about each other. I even felt comfortable enough with her to ask why in the h*ll she had green, glittery hair. (This lady was pleasantly plump, middle aged, and rather conservative-looking, apart from the green hair.) She answered, "Oh, it's because it's 'Mad Hair Day'." I had to ask her to repeat herself as my brain reeled through everything I've learned about British culture. How did I miss this holiday for the last 4 years?

Yes, it was "Mad Hair Day" for Tesco employees, an attempt to be festive and jolly for the holidays. She confirmed that it was "just for laughs" but at the same time ,"not optional." I had a quick glance around and realized that, yes, all of the other till minders were glittery or mohawked or something. I found this really amusing, and having already expressed to her that I didn't want to set foot in the treacherous Tesco again until the new year, she told me (in her lovely Welsh accent), "Oh, you'll be back...Come next Tuesday. It's 'Heroes and Villains' Day!" It might almost be worth it to see her in her Wonder Woman costume, but I think I will stay far away from Tesco next week. Anything I don't have, I will do without.

On another note...today was the kids' last day of school so....let the holiday fun begin!!!

It Is, After All, the Simplest Things in Life That Bring the Most Pleasure...

Who knew paper and scissors could be so much fun?! There are days when my experience as a teacher comes in quite handy. Today was one. Having provided ample insruction in the making of paper snowflakes, I was happy to be the expert on hand today. I was pleasantly surprised that even Sophie's little fingers could fashion a brilliant design. Emma, who already appears to have that engineer's brain, enjoyed the symmetry and geometry of it all. And, oh what fun, when we unfolded each snowflake after making all of the carefully planned snips and cuts. Sophie was practically giddy with excitment when she declared, "Every snowflake is such a surprise!"

I'm not sure what inspired me to have a go with paper snowflakes today. Perhaps it was one of those really bad Hallmark Christmas movies, but whatever the reason, our office is now decked out for Christmas. It was one of the few rooms that hadn't been made festive.

Girls' Day Out With Emma

On Saturday evening Emma declared that she and I hadn't been having enough quality "alone time" together and that we needed to have a "girls' day out." This sounded like an excellent idea until I remembered that I hate going out at this time of year when everyone on this crowded island comes out in droves to shop for things that no one really wants anyway. I also forgot that it takes Emma four times as long as a normal human being to do ordinary tasks (like brushing teeth and getting dressed). I think she takes so long because the inside of her brain must be such an interesting and distracting place to live. Sometimes when she is in the middle of putting on socks, she only gets halfway there before she has to stop and observe the scenario of a love story between a pengiun and a reindeer being played out in her head. Completely understandable.

So...instead of taking the train into the city and fighting the crowds, when Emma was FINALLY dressed and ready, we took a very exciting journey up to the local mini-Tesco where we had a lovely time picking out bread and soymilk and a few Christmas presents for Dad. On the way, we listened to the newest Carson family Christmas CD. Then we headed over to my favorite hang-out, Pugh's Garden Centre, where Emma chatted very briefly with Santa. As usual, when asked what she wanted for Christmas, she answered, "Just a few surprises." (She was quite certain he wasn't the real one. The real Santa, she said, is far too busy at this time of year to be sitting around at a garden centre.) Emma chose some Christmas ornaments for her teachers and generally enjoyed browsing and looking at all of the fabulous Christmas junk. Afterwards, instead of having a hot drink in the cafe, we decided to come home, bundle up and take a walk. I wasn't sure if Emma could hang with me walking, but she kept up as long as I held her hand...and she was a lovely walking companion. I learned all about what jobs she'd like to have if she were able to work at the North Pole for a day. (Caring for reindeer and baking cookies.) I also learned that a six-year-old finds it extremely funny if you try to shove her all the way into a post box... so I did it more than once.

So...all in all, although it may not have been a proper "Girls' Day Out," I think we had a nice time and Emma's emotional bank account has been topped up for now. We ended the day by reading the second chapter in our new bedtime story Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, so far an excellent read.

Sophie and her Dad had an attempt at some quality time today to. Unfortunately the father/daughter bike ride never really happened since Sophie is terrified of the bike for some reason. Both parties were extremely frustrated by the time it was all said and done. After Sophie had a much needed nap and George cooled off in his cave for a while, the two made up beautifully and also made peace with the bike.

Now it's back to the daily grind again tomorrow, but only for one week! Friday is the last day of school for Emma and Sophie, and we are all looking forward to the school holidays. School holidays are great. I am always glad to see them come and then just as happy to see them go! Have a nice week, everyone!

Get On Board, Little Children.

I am usually on Gingerbread duty, but this year, since we had set our sights on building a gingerbread Christmas train, the engineer in the family had to get in on the action. It turned out well and actually looked much easier when someone else was building it. I always have such a time getting the walls of my gingerbread houses to stay perpendicular. Sophie is not speaking to me at the moment since I told her she couldn't eat the train. (I actually do usually let them eat the gingerbread houses we make, but they both went to a birthday party this afternoon and took in enough sugar to last the entire weekend.) She will undoubtedly get over it.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Christmas Traditions

Someone needs to warn good ole Postman Pat that the Carsons have real live mistletoe hung by the front door. Emma and Sophie enjoy catching each other beneath it.

The girls have taken over the Christmas Advent tree this year. They take turns adding an ornament each morning.

Whoever doesn't get to add an ornament gets to change the number on Rudolph's Christmas Countdown. Only 14 days now, y'all!

"I am NOT a Grinch!" she declared.

Today was school Christmas concert day...

Everyone knows that I love Christmas. I also love teachers and appreciate all that they do for the children of our world, so I will try to carefully word what I am about to write. I will try to avoid sounding like a Humbug. Here goes...

I am really fed up with all of the busy-ness that has accompanied this year's Christmas. I am sick of fighting crowds. I am sick of the obligations that my children now have since they are both in school...and am dreading what everyone has warned me about....that it will only get worse as they get older. I long for the days when I had pre-schoolers and the only thing I was obligated to do with my children was feed and love them. There was so much more time to play and make a fuss over little things. There was time to leisurely bake cookies and sit and draw pictures. Now I feel like we are constantly rushing off to something, and I do not like it one bit. So...my conscious and determined goal for the rest of December is to s-l-o-w down and keep things simple. I want us all to have time to sit and "be" together. I want Emma to have plenty of unscheduled time to play with the fairies in her imagination, something I think she desperately needs.

Which brings me back to the Infants' Christmas Concert at school this morning... the infants' Christmas concert, which lasted an hour and involved the singing of countless songs whose words most of the chidren didn't know. (Poor Emma, when she wasn't picking her nose on stage, looked like Oprah when she has a musical guest on her show. Y'all know Oprah always tries to sing along but NEVER knows the words.) At least five of the four year olds in reception ended up in tears at some point during the show. Poor Jade, who is pictured above on the left, cried throughout the entirety of the performance and had a really impressive strand of snot leading from her nose to her ear by the time it was all said and done. Mary and Joseph looked completely petrified. And I sat there feeling grinchier and grinchier by the minute. I love Christmas. I love what the day is all about, but isn't this a bit too much for my little children? I want to simplify. I want to slow down. Did I already say that? I think I needed to say it again. I would have been very happy with a much shorter show, a few traditional Christmas carols and stage full of children who did not look completely dismal. Maybe it's just me?

Only 7 more school days left until Christmas vacation, and I am reserving the right to say, "no" to any invitations that conflict with my new mantra of simplicity. I do not care if I am labeled "Grinch." I am looking forward to sleeping late(r), reading Christmas stories to my kids, cooking good, slow food, and filling myself with the joys of the season. I may even go wild and have the groceries delivered the week of Christmas in order to avoid the most-dreaded Tesco. (A trip to Tesco on the week leading up to Christmas is enough to turn Santa, himself, into a Scrooge.)

So...here's wishing you all some quiet time to enjoy the real spirit of Christmas, unless you enjoy the hustle and bustle, in which case, I'll leave you to it! Stay jolly, everyone!

Christmas at Home

Now that things have calmed down, we are enjoying the simple pleasures of the season at home. We even had time to decorate the "children's Christmas tree" upstairs. Sophie is pictured above next to its sparkling wonderfulness.

We also bundled up and took a winter walk around the neighborhood to look at all of the Christmas lights. People seem to be getting into the holiday spirit earlier than usual here in Wales this year.

Emma thought Sophie's shadow with her bobble hat was really cute and wanted me to take a picture of it. Maybe you think it's cute too?

Sprang Cleaning!

The urge to do spring cleaning hit me today. Since I am suddenly no longer overwhelmed with being theatrical or planning tremendous PTA events, there was nothing to distract me from the complete and utter mess my house has become. And since the today was a particularly sunny winter's day, all of the dust and dirt was shockingly visible. So...moments after I got out of bed this morning, I found myself scrubbing the bathroom sink and tub, and boy, did it ever feel good. I got my room in tip top shape only to come downstairs and find a disastrous mess waiting to greet me there.

So that is what I've been up to today. A dent has been made and I feel confident that we will have a house we won't be ashamed of before long. I did manage to take a few breaks from cleaning today. At one point I took a shower myself and then got right back to scrubbing. It probably isn't the most sensible idea to vacuum one's house while dressed only in one's underwear in a house as full of windows as mine is, but I was a woman on a mission. I became obsessed with the need to Hoover up the bits and bobbles before I had a chance to dress myself. Luckily no one came calling. I did catch a horrifying glimpse of myself in the mirror at one point. My wild hair was still wet from the shower and I was furiously pumping the vacuum cleaner across the floor. It's a wonder my children weren't cowering under their beds. It was at this point that I realized something rather important. With the morning sun streaming through the windows, I could clearly see that body glitter and stretch marks do not mix. Note to self: get rid of that sparkly body lotion; give it to a twenty year old who has never had children. Yikes!

I also managed to get out briefly in the car for a trip up to the mini-Tesco in Criegiau. It was such a lovely sunny day. The sheep were in the meadow crunching on frost-covered grass and I was singing along with my newly- acquired Kenny Rogers/ Dolly Parton Christmas CD. I was a happy girl. Life as usual is a very good thing. I am happy to be done with plays and fayres and ready to re-assume the everyday boring tasks of cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. I'm sure that after Christmas I will get the itch to take on another outside project, but for now I am as happy as a possum pooping persimmon seeds.

Everyone Loves a Christmas Fayre...Especially When It's Over!

Strawberry Sophie and Emma the pink cat... Caroline and Lili's mum obviously rocked the face painting at the Christmas fayre. The queue went on forever!

The Christmas Fayre is successfully OVER, and like many things at Christmas time, a lot of work went into the planning and preparation of something that was over very quickly. I'm not sure how much profit the PTA made, but the school was packed...heaving, you might say, and nearly everyone was cheerful! I cannot take all of the credit, of course. I did do a lot of the planning, but for much of the fayre, I stood staring and feeling baffled about how we had managed to get all of it to happen. I had LOTS of efficient helpers. And now, it's over!! This fayre was the most stressful thing I had looming in December, and now it's done and dusted. Time to put my feet up!

George and Michael were Karaoke Extraordinaires today. Can anyone explain to me why nearly every child who visited the Karaoke stall wanted to sing "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade??!! If I never hear that song again, it may be too soon.

Sophie has made a lovely Christmas crown AND gotten her nails "did"!! (The quotation marks are there because I am turning slightly obsessive compulsive about grammar. Picture Adrian Monk with a red pen tucked behind his ear.)

Who IS this Girl?!!

I just had the loveliest time cwtched up in bed with my daughter Emma. She read to me; we chatted and looked at photo albums for nearly an hour. After asking her to describe a normal day in her life at school, I found myself thinking, "This is not the same daughter I had a few months ago!" She is growing and changing so much, and her long legs and missing teeth are not the only evidence. I was shocked by the sophisticated way in which she described her perceptions of a day in the life of Emma. Wow!

Near the end of our time together, the conversation somehow shifted to an unusual topic with Emma asking, "Is it possible for a thirteen year old to get pregnant?" (Yes, leave it to Emma.) I answered yes, but that I wasn't going to discuss the details of it right then. Emma replied (as serious as a heart attack),
"But, Mom, I AM a young lady!"
"Emma," I said, "You're only six."
"Yes," she replied, "But I will be seven before you know it!"
Oh my...do I ever know it!! Sieze the day, y'all, because tomorrow your baby will be all growed up!!

Coming Full Circle

During a quiet hour today while my children were at school, I finished the Christmas tree. The last couple of weeks have been way too full and busy, and we are all tired. This morning none of us were in the best mood. Sophie was actually so angry about having to get out of bed that she spat on the floor! Emma had to be dragged out of bed after sleeping fitfully all night and dreaming about frightful creatures who were out to get her. We all needed a time out and a little more sleep. If I hadn't committed to shopping for all of the food items for this weekend's big PTA Christmas fayre, we'd have all had a lie in, but anyway...

Today after school was a completely different story. The girls and I had such a wonderful afternoon. We put on the Christmas music, pulled out glitter and glue and other crafty stuff and just had a ball. We found a CD called "Papa Ain't Santa Claus and Mama Ain't No Christmas Tree," and Sophie discovered that boogie woogie tunes from the '50s are what have been missing from her life. Emma curled up on my lap (something I should do with her more often) and gushed over how much she loves me. She told me she has loved me ever since the moment she first saw me. She loves me now and in the future and forever and ever... and that her love for me will never die. "Wow", I said, "What did I ever do to deserve such a sweet pea for a daughter?" So...we are all going to bed tonight feeling all warm and fuzzy...a vast improvement from just 12 hours ago.

Santa's Little Helper

Just in time for the holidays, this little guy has turned up at our house straight from the North Pole. He hangs around at our house and goes back to report to Santa every night while we are sleeping. Emma and Sophie are amazed to find him in a different spot every morning. The other night I caught Emma having a very intense, whispered conversation with him. The only words I could catch were, "I know you are real." The children have been on their best behavior since he has been out and about in our house, so he is a very welcome guest. I have told Emma and Sophie that if he catches them being extra nice to each other, he may bring back some little treats from Santa on the occasional morning.

Treats from Santa's elf...just one more reason to love Christmas time!

The Goose is Getting Fat

Oh! The little darlings!! Here is what happens when Emma and Sophie get fed up with my picture taking. "Go on," I said, "Just be yourselves..." and Ta-da! I absolutely love this picture, and think it sums up my children quite nicely. Sophie looks like she has jumped out of the audience of a Metallica concert, but she's still my little angel.

That's more like it. They are dressed, by the way, in their costumes for the school Christmas concert, which will be happening next week. Sophie was given very strict guidelines for dressing. She needed a silver and white angel costume without wings and absolutely nothing gold. Thank you, eBay! Emma, however, was just told she needed to dress as a Christmas "party girl". No problem. She even got to slide her long legs into that lovely red satin dress from Jenny's wedding one more time. I've heard her practicing a song called "I'm a Christmas Cracker." Hopefully she will perform for the video camera, and I will be able to post a performance.

Christmas is certainly on the way. Putting up the decorations tends to be a process which takes several days in our house. The tree is up but not yet decorated. I suppose it's nice to take our time. On Saturday evening after the cast party, Sophie went to sleep, and I sent Emma to pick out a Christmas movie. Little Miss did not disappoint. She came back with White Christmas, perhaps the best movie to start off the season. I have learned today that White Christmas is also a favorite of Emma's great-grandmother. Good taste must run in the family! Happy Holly Hauling and Hall Decking to all!