The Saturday Before Christmas
It's been a few days since I emptied my head into the computer, and I have little to do this morning (waiting for the dryer to finish a load, while the rain falls non-stop outside). The younger children are watching Pippy Longstocking in the lounge, and I'm not entirely sure what our eldest is doing; she stormed off earlier after I refused to find out why some piece of junk she attempted to print hadn't come out of the printer.
I'm just relieved to have finished work for Christmas now. I'm on call for a couple of days, but otherwise I have the coming week and a bit off work. I would like to think of the coming week as “down time”, but I know the reality is anything but. The house is a complete and utter wreck; the product of both of us working full time, and endless draws on our laughable “free” time. We spent two days tidying up last week in order to get the Christmas Tree up, but that's as far as we got. The lounge has been filled with boxes full of Christmas Decorations all week – apart from the tree, nothing else has been put up at all.
For the first time I can recall, we didn't send any Christmas cards. I gave a few out at work, but otherwise – none. Wehad cards to give out, or post – we just didn't get around to writing any.
We haven't bought anything for each other this year – only for the kids. Saying that, I'm off to the shops (in the torrential rain) this afternoon to see if I can findsomething for W, but I'm pretty sure she hasn't had time to get me anything at all. She's asked for huge furry slippers, but I'm not hopeful of finding them anywhere. Her original present from me had been a Kindle Paperwhite, but the delivery estimate was some time in February...
Last night after work a few of my co-workers met up at the new bar in town. I left work half an hour early, raced home, jumped in the shower, and we arrived a few minutes after them. The new bar is amazing – apparently the best part of a million has been spent re-branding andrenovatingthe building – and it shows. Unfortunately it also shows in the price of drinks, but I suspect that's just me not being used to going out very often.
The girls at work got a chance to meet our kids, which was fun. The guy that sits next to me remarked on how well behaved they were, sitting at a table with an assortment of iPads, and Nintendo handheld games.
“Oh, they're only quiet because they are distracted”
“Oh... I get it now... these games – these didn't happen by accident”
“Nope.”
“This was planned...”
“Yep.”
And so a co-worker figured out pretty quickly how much work parents put into occupying their children to avoid the “but I'm bored” argument.
Anyway... lunchtime is rapidly approaching. I'm guessing it will fall on me today to make some assortment of crusty bread, cheese, pickles, and whatever else I can find for the little eating machines.