Day 366 it's the end

So it's the last day of 2012, and what a year it has been. The country has been flushed with pride and patriotism. It's gonna take something epic to beat this year. What's more we haven't died yet! 2012 was meant to be the last year according to certain calendars and legends, but there's still a little time left so just incase I am prepared for the apocalypse, happy new year everyone!

Day 365 driving

Youngest daughter Violet was kindly given a ride on car for Christmas. Those of you who read my blog will know that at her playgroup she loves jumping on them and being pushed around whilst rudely pointing at people as she passes them. Well now she has a new habit playing on her phone! This is in fact one if my pet hates and i always shout at people i see driving on there phones. That's some jail time there...

Day 364 slippers

Santa brought ginger some slippers. I chucked my slippers out over the summer during the house move and have never got round to buying new ones. Ginger is away, the house are cold and tonight the slippers suit me...

Day 363 first shoes

Today we braved the crowds hunting down the January bargains to get youngest daughter her first pair of shoes. We went to a well known shoe company who measured her feet and then let her try her shoes on. Once we bought them we kept them in her (at least now she won't be able to pull her socks off) she was that pleased with them that when she got home and took them off she needed to inspect them a little closer...

Day 362 turkey

I love left over turkey from Christmas, the thing I love doing the most is making turkey and gravy sandwiches like off friends the TV show. The moist maker, scrumptious...

Day 361 Boxing Day

Today saw us have my family's traditional Boxing Day. It also saw eldest daughter attend her first football game. It was a non league game, my home town team, Spennymoor Town. I use to see them when I was a boy and a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go, eldest and mummy both wanted to so we headed down. Spennymoor won 2-0, we then popped back to Nana's for home cooked chips, fried egg and turkey our traditional Boxing Day lunch, yum yum.

Day 360 Christmas

It's Christmas Day, the girls awoke at 8am this morning, or should I say youngest awoke at 8am whilst eldest who went to bed saying she was so excited needed waking up. As me and her little sister woke her, she checked her stocking to see if Santa had been. Seeing some sweets and a few little presents in her stocking she woke with great excitement and glee. We awoke Nana and mummy before making our way downstairs, I popped my head round the living room door before opening it up for the girls to see the pile of presents that awaited them....

As you can see my family are big on Christmas and present giving, I think its fair to say that the girls were spoilt and I am not looking forward to getting all these presents back home in the car, something I doubt will be doable in 1 load. The girls started excitedly opening their presents, violet hugged her first present and forgot she had more to open, meanwhile rose would open something and excitedly shout, just what I always wanted, sounds like Santa got everything right. After opening the presents Rose decided it was time to be a princess for the day....

 We were then joined by more family, my sisters and nephew who in turn brought more presents and had more presents to open. The children played happily together, at first sharing and playing nicely, until dinner was served we sat round the table and popped our crackers before placing our crowns on our heads a feasting on our traditional Christmas lunch of turkey with all the trimmings...

After the full lunch and desert the children played some more, this time occasionally fighting due to tiredness. We all sat round and watched the festive TV watching the queens speech before allowing daughters to watch Rapunzel as she was dressed as Rapunzel for the day herself. More playtime with the mountains of Toys was allowed to the girls who duly obliged. Sitting and riding on toys from one place,before jumping off and playing with another toy just for 2 minutes before jumping to the next toy. Its fair to say that they were pretty tired by the end of it even though they wouldn't admit it.

Once the girls were off in bed after having a later than normal night it was left to us relaxing in front of the tele for the nights offering of Christmas specials.For me the highlight was Doctor Who and Thee Royal family, but I couldn't help but  think that there weren't many Christmas specials this year. Then mid evening it dawned that this  was pretty much Christmas over now, I love Christmas butt it seems to speed past, I love spending extended time home, with my family and being around the girls more. I love all the decorations and presents.The smell of the fresh pine tree and the glow of the lights. I love being at home, ever since I moved away I have seen my friends less and only get to spend a little time with mam but wish II could spend more, Christmas allows me to have more time there, allows my mam to spend more time with her granddaughters. I'm sure we can rectify that this coming year, I;m sure I can factor in more time for my friends and family. I already spend as much time as possible with the girls but I need to spend more with mam, my nephew and my darling Ginger,whilst not lessening my time with my daughters, after all they grow up so fast.

Anyway, that just leaves us to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a Happy new year, thanks for reading my babbling this year, I will of course still be posting my picture of  the day for the rest of this year...

Day 359 Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve. The children are excited at the prospect of Santa paying them a visit tonight and hopefully leaving them lots of toys to play with. But before bed there is the small tradition to keep to. Every Christmas Eve we sit down with a cup of hot chocolate and watch my favourite Christmas movie, a muppets Christmas carol, before we tuck the girls up ready for bed to wait for Santa, oh and not forgetting leaving Santa some refreshments...

Day 358 today's lunch

There's nothing like having last nights pizza as today's lunch, yum yum, dig in...

Day 357 Santa

Santa has already been and even assembled the girls Christmas present at our house. Luckily both daughters are away at nannys for the weekend before we head north for Christmas at my mams. So the me girls won't actually see what Santa has left at our house until later next week. I'm sure they'll love playing with this, fighting each other over it, falling out and then playing together again....

Day 356 photo booth

Ginger took these photos of us yesterday using her new photo app in the photo, we took shocked ones, then funny before a normal one....

Day 355 walking tall

Violet is walking more and more each day, here is conclusive proof she us more confident than ever...

Day 354 sitting pretty

Violet has started thinking everything is a seat. There is a child's seat in her and her sisters room, recently Violet has enjoyed sitting in this, climbing down and then back up again to sit down again. Strange but it keeps her occupied...

Day 353 Tiara

Violet is starting to act like a little princess, so much so that she has resorted to wearing a tiara...

Day 352 Christmas number 1

So this is the week that the singles battle it out to be Christmas number 1. The past years have seen an X-factor karaoke singers taint this time of year (sorry if you like X factor I just really hate it) we've also seen a decrease in the number of Christmassy songs too. This year I'd love to see the Justice collective get to number 1 with the song he ain't heavy he's my brother. Ok I know it's not Christmassy but its a great song for a great cause, to help the families fight for justice to be upheld from the shocking tragedy of Hillsborough. Please buy this song and support the fight for justice...

Day 351 Santa

Rose met Santa, in fact this was the second time in a few days she met him. She got to tell Santa what she wants from him for Christmas and got a Lilly off Santa, she even got to ride in his sleigh. And when it was done got helped out if the sleigh by Santas lion, yes Santa has a lion!

A musical journey - December

So it's December, and yet I've been quite lazy and not done a musical post, or have I cunningly waited till later in the month? No the first note was right I've just been lazy. But it is December so all should be forgiven. So at the risk of being cheesy, this months theme is if course Christmas!

I love Christmas, the family, the films, the weather (if it snows that us) the food, the TV, the drinks, the decorations and of course the music. Some places overkill it by starting too early, now I am by no means a Scrooge but I like to try keep Christmas to December. I like Christmas songs in December. I love all the traditional carols etc, and I love all the main songs we here like most wonderful time, wish it could be Christmas, etc etc but in this post I'd like to celebrate a few songs that might not be as famous/newer songs, so here goes....

Orba Squara - what I want for Christmas
I first heard this song a few years ago. I remember it was used on a sky movies advert. I instantly loved it, it's was soft and different for a Christmas song, It for me is a welcome change to all the other songs played traditionally at this time of year. It is kind of like my hidden gem, but I'm happy to share with you keep it quiet though...

Bo Selecta - Proper Crimbo
This is actually a contender for one if my favourite all time Christmas songs. It's just fun, pure and simple. And isn't this wheat this time of year is about fun? Avid Merrion dies a great job and the video is a laugh too, now come along sing with me...

The Killers - Happy Birthday Guadalupe
The Killers release a Christmas song every year. That's some fear, and every year it's a great song. Of there Christmas songs this us one of my favourites. It's quite a warm song and I quite like the video it's different, like the Orba Squara song has a different feel and a welcome change to all the other festive songs....

The Killers - Don't shoot me Santa
Ok Ok so I've put 2 Killers songs on, but it is meant to be about less celebrated different songs for Christmas and what could be more different than the idea if killer Santa who shoots people? Again a great song enhanced by a great video showing a psychotic Santa who has kidnapped Brandon Flowers, oh no!

Train - Shake up Christmas
Of all the songs on this list this to me sounds the most festive. Train are one if my favourite bands and ok they have sold out a bit doing a coca cola song, but it's Christmas and the Coca Cola truck whether you like it or not is now kind of a tradition of Christmas, after all Coca Cola is the reason why Santa wears Red. But back to the song, a very festive sounding Christmas jingle, again quite a recent song too, it always gets a smile on my face...

Day 350 ho ho ho

To quote one of my favourite Christmas movies, "it's Santa!" Ok it may not be Santa it's the next best thing a baby in a Santa hat!

Day 349 Winters beauty

So it's winter, it's cold but this time if year is one if my favourites. Cosy nights in, warm tea and pyjamas. Cold outside but warm inside. Snow, white beauty. Even the morning frost can make ordinary day objects glisten like these cobwebs....

Day 348 ear muffs

It's getting cold outside so best wrap up warm. Violet was eager to out her bug dusters ear muffs in this morning before we left the house....

Day 346 Grapes

Nom nom nom yummy yummy grapes, er yummy yummy free grapes....

Day 345 the dark side

Youngest daughter has the force, come to the dark side....

Day 344 Bubbles

Youngest daughter just loves bath time. She especially loves the bubbles in the bath, what's not to love, fun splashy water....

Day 343 The Christmas tree

Today was the day, it was time to decorate the Christmas tree. We had been and got the tree yesterday but decided not to decorate it or put it up until today so we can do it all together as ginger was working. Ginger had got the tree and location sorted this morning as the house filled with the fresh pine smell only a Christmas tree can give. The children were excited at the tree....

Youngest daughter was due her nap and although it would have been nice for her to help she would have been more of a nuisance and hindrance than a help so we put her for a nap. Then it was time to get all the decorations out and put the Christmas music on....

Rose was excited and prepared to put her new decoration up....

Ginger started putting the tinsel, beads and lights on...

Then Rose was allowed to start to help and was told not to put all the decorations together and spread them out as she did last year. She was very excited but also annoying as every 5 seconds she would ask, " is this too close" to the reply "yes" and then move one branch along and ask again...

The tree started taking shape and we had to ensure that the new decorations we had chosen as our part of our new tradition found a space....

Once this was done it was time to decorate the rest of the room, bunting that Ginger made last year, along with Holly Tinsel around the tree and other lights we had bought....

Ginger had this year made a reef from clippings she took from the tree, it looks great I wouldn't know where to start with something like this....

The house looks great and Christmas is settling in. Soon the food will start to fill the house and presents arrive under the tree and me and the kids will sit down and watch Christmas movies and TV shows. I love Christmas and its made even better having the daughters excited too. I do hope we have a white Christmas then we can sledging.

Day 342 tradition

Today we started a new family tradition. I like the idea of starting a few traditions that the girls will hopefully carry on and keep doing when they are older and get their kids to do. This year, spookily, myself and Ginger had the same idea 5 minutes apart. We would every year get the girls to buy a new decoration for the Christmas tree. We'd keep the decorations every year and have 2 new ones to add to the Christmas collection. I think it's a great idea, as I remember buying the odd decoration when I was a kid they all have their own little stories. So the girls chose a green owl (youngest daughter violet) I chose a pine cone with a snowman and eldest daughter rose chose a moveable reindeer...

Day 341 Teamwork

Teamwork makes the dream work, that is why along with making it more fun I prefer to at least have one or two team themed exercises in my classes. Yesterday was a team plank, and my class did well, but lets see which group are the best...

Day 340 vintage wheels

Youngest daughter has been cruising around today on a set of vintage wheels. These were at the playgroups she attends and each week has been busy playing specifically with the cars, she might be a bit of a petrol head...

Day 339 it's snowing

As the title suggests..... It's snowing!!!!! The white stuffs here, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! Oh I do love it...

Day 338 sleeping well

Youngest daughter tends to always sleep in the weirdest positions. Tonight is no exception but at least she has her friends around her. May I also add that when she went to bed she did actually have pants on!

Day 337 Quiz

Oh I do like quizzes

Day 336 goodbye mr mo

So we are officially into December which means a lot of things but at this early stage means the end if Movember and time to get rid of the tashe. This means my upper lip will be a little cold now...

Day 336 Advent Calendar Day

It's 1st December and you know what the means? Happy advent calendar day everyone!