Without a word of a lie, it’s been one of the busiest December’s that I can remember. At one point my planner looked more like an essay than a list of fixtures and such-like. Thankfully things seem to have eased somewhat following Christmas and we’ve at last had a little time to rest, to relax, and to catch up with ourselves. On that note, here are a few of the things that I have #LikedandLoved throughout the past thirty-one days.
The Diva’s Dance Show
Unlike all the other Dance Mum’s I don’t lug suitcases filled with twenty outfit changes, seven cosmetic cases overflowing with makeup, two thousand bobby pins, and sixteen gallons of hairspray. However, with the help of my Mum’s rouge and my Auntie’s kind eyeshadow donations, we managed to doll our little diva up to perfection.
Following weeks of practice (and several missed lessons courtesy of Storm Arwen and Covid), E finally got the chance to take her dancing (and her incredibly glittery outfit) to another level as she stepped onto the stage to wow us all with her brilliant ballet and terrific tap dancing.
Christmas Jumper Day
Though I’ve never been a fan of ‘following suit’ I rather enjoyed switching smart for seasonal by donning my Christmas jumper (or should I say dress?) for the day. I’ve worn this dress three times throughout the festive season thus feel it was a worthwhile addition to my wardrobe.
Happy HomeSchool
E, unfortunately, tested positive for Covid a fortnight prior to the end of the term thus we were forced to revive homeschool for ten days. Though she was a little disappointed to miss the Christmas magic show and Christmas jumper day, she had plenty of educational fun at home and was thankfully back to school in time for her Christmas party and the end of term festivities.
A Winter Wardrobe Sort Out
I’m a tidy freak and cannot cope with clutter thus I took great pleasure in gutting and reorganising both my daughters and my son’s cupboards in preparation for Christmas.
Whilst J once had his Lego organised in colour-coded boxes perfectly placed on wooden stack shelves, which took up a huge amount of his cupboard, he decided to hand his Lego over to his little sister who was much happier with throwing the whole lot into one large tub for easy access.
I’ve got to admit that I cried inside whilst pouring the piles of perfectly organised Lego into one large tub but the final result is actually a lot easier to carry up and downstairs and it takes up far less space, that and we now have plenty of room to store books, toys, and the family board games – it’s a win-win!
Santa Stopped By
Earlier this month we had a surprise visit from Santa on his sleigh and though J is no longer ‘a believer’ he too got into the festive spirit and enjoyed the moment.
A Rare Night Out
Whilst we’d once go out every fortnight or so, it’s now a rare treat for Paul and I, especially so since Covid came about. Having secured ourselves a babysitter, we were sure to use the time wisely. We spent just short of four hours wrapping the kid’s presents before getting our glad rags on and heading out to a local bar, where we met up with some old friends and enjoyed a few drinks to celebrate Christmas.
Italian Tradition
Tradition once was that following our final ‘Christmas shop’, Paul and I would celebrate with a meal at our local Italian. Unfortunately, we’ve been unable to do this for the past couple of years thus it was rather a special treat to sling the shopping bags into the boot and to be seated at a table for two. I’m not sure whether it was because we’ve not been for a meal out in what feels like forever but I must say the pizza was out of this World!
Brand New Blinds
After almost ten years, we’ve finally completed adding blinds to each and every window around the house. I was only intending on ordering three or four blinds to complete the front of the house but having seen the price, I decided to go ‘all out and to replace our dark wooden blinds with fresh, white, wooden, ribbon-style, Venetian blinds that Paul spent quite a few hours drilling and fixing into place hours before Santa arrived. Talk about Christmas chaos!
A Cracking Christmas
Despite struggling with a nasty chest infection (don’t worry – I tested and it wasn’t covid), I managed to pull out all the stops and Christmas was indeed cracking. Having spent almost the entirety of Christmas Eve prepping food, I (with the help of my Mum) successfully served up Christmas dinner with all the trimmings for eight.
The kids were, as always, spoilt rotten with gifts galore. E was delighted with her Moon Box Karaoke Kit whilst J was made up with his scooter, hat, and mask which he plans to use for his YouTube videos in order to aid his anonymity.
New Year’s Eve
So here we are at the end of 2021, can you believe yet another year has passed us by? Though 2021 hasn’t been entirely easy, it’s most definitely been one of our most productive years in terms of DIY both in and out of the home what with the boiler being moved, the windows being replaced, the kitchen ripped out and refitted, the hot tub installation, the pergola being built, the summer house built and painted, and replacing each and every set of blinds… I’m hoping that 2022 may be a little quieter in terms of the workload but already I’ve got lists of various jobs to complete most of which are DIY based.
Given that covid is currently rife, we have chosen to ‘stay in our bubble’ and to stay with my Mum’s for New Year’s Eve, where we will enjoy a small buffet, a few drinks, and make our own entertainment with Karaoke, Just Dance, and various board games.
Thanks again for reading, for commenting, and for participating in my posts throughout the past year and more. I wish you all the very best for the new New Year and I hope that you enjoyed reading what I have #LikedandLoved throughout December.
If you fancy sharing some of your own #LikedAndLoved points from the month then why not join in either through your own blog post or by leaving a comment below, I would love to hear what you #LikedAndLoved this month!
