Do not try this at home

Yesterday morning I was getting ready in the bathroom. It was Boxing Day and manic as usual in our house. Jason was trying to brush his teeth, the children were running around arguing and I was trying to put my make up on. I put on hand cream a few minutes beforehand (big mistake) went to curl my eyelashes, wasn't concentrating, my hand slipped and I ripped the eyelashes out of my right eye.

The initial pain and shock were bad but there was no blood, just an eyelash curler with what looked like a set of false eyelashes caught in it. Now I'm rocking a Clockwork Orange kind of look. God, I hope these lashes grow back quickly.

We had a fantastic Christmas, apart from the eye balding incident, and I'll post details and pics soon. Still coming down from it all.

Bring it on

OK, the bed is fixed. The turkey is brining in a bucket in the garden covered with foil and a tray weighed down with bricks so the foxes can't get to it. The house is tidy. The loft is reasonably sorted, the laundry is drying and the fridge is full. I think we're ready for Christmas.

Last Saturday we had a lunch here with some of Toby's friends from school and their families. I really like both families and we had a great time. Another family around the corner was having drinks at 6pm so we opened a couple more bottles of wine and our lunch stretched into the evening then we all staggered over to Candy's for drinks and canapes. I love our new neighborhood. The children had a brilliant time playing all day at our place then running around Solar's garden in the dark while we talked and laughed. It reminded me of times I spent with my cousins.

New Year's eve will be similiar. Jenny & Kieran are coming down from Cambridge with Jack & Kate and Pete & Philippa are coming all the way from three doors down with Joey. Jason has aleady stocked up on champagne and I'm thinking of doing lobster. We've decided to dress up, because we never get to do that, and I'm going to get all kinds of finger food for the children. I don't think we'll even try to get them to bed. Not sure Rosie will make it to midnight but I bet Toby does.

Almost Christmas

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and even though we've been thinking about it for ages, somehow it's creeped up on us. I waited too long to do my online Christmas grocery order and had to brave the crowds today. I bought a positively obscene amount of food but hopefully it'll see us through the next four days or so.

Jason's parents are coming down from Skegness tomorrow and J spent the morning sorting out the loft so that they don't have to sleep surrounded by boxes. He discovered that the hinges on the sofabed have been bent. The bed would not lay flat. At all. Oh. Bugger. J rang to tell me the situation as I was fighting a woman for the last few pomegranates in Sainsburys. Not good. In the end he rang Ikea in Thurrock and when I got home he went out to buy new hinges and discovered that someone had nicked the registration plates off his Mini. He had to take my car to brave the traffic on the M25. Not a nice trip out the day before Christmas Eve but absolutely necessary.

I've spent the afternoon unpacking groceries and try to encourage the children into TV comas so that I can get on with things. I thought children these days watched too much TV, played video games and vegged out on the sofa. Why do mine keep following me around asking me to actually interact with them?! There's a mountain of laundry to do, rooms to be cleaned, food to be cooked, beds to be made and presents still to buy. Now I understand why my mother seemed to have a nervous breakdown around Christmas every year. It's times like this I wish I was a smoker or an alcoholic. It would be so nice to do something as simple as have a smoke or a drink and let the stress just melt away.

No phone

Our phones have been out for over a week. I think the supplier, Virgin, is doing some kind of upgrade. Anyway, if anyone has been trying to call us try us on the mobiles. We haven't been screening calls, promise!

NYC

Had a fantastic time in New York with Nikki. The best thing was just hanging out, wandering around the city then eating what and when we wanted. The first night we went to a great place called The Coffee Shop in Union Square and stopped in a few stores. Everything is open so late.

On Saturday we walked down Broadway, around the edge of Central Park to the Frick Collection. It was amazing. Beautiful building and extraordinary collection. I've wanted to see their Vermeers for at least ten years. Afterwards we went to a luncheonette for lunch. I love the soup, salad, sandwich thing. We don't really have that in England. Saturday night we went to the New York State Theatre to see The Nutcracker. It was really lovely. When I got back I wanted to take the children to see The Nutcracker here in London but it's already sold out. Definitely exciting enough to hold the children's attention though so I'll try to book early next year.

On Sunday we had a late breakfast, walked around the shops, went into Cartier and Tiffany's and a fabulous homestore called Gracious Home. They have the most amazing selection of hardware. They blow Restoration Hardware right out of the water. If you're into knobs and knockers like I am then it's sheer heaven. They even have a guy making coffees so you can browse with a cappucino.

Sunday night we went out to Astoria to have dinner with Nikki's roommates. Nikki's neighborhood is a nice Greek community full of families and there were lots of Christmas lights. It made me very nostalgic for American Christmases gone by. We had some New York pizza and cupcakes from the bakery on the corner. Delicious. Nik's room mates are really nice, funny and talented people so we ate and laughed a lot.

Monday was my last day in NY. Nikki and I had a room service breakfast and then she had to go to work. We had a tearful goodbye at the taxi then I spent the day wandering around the city, spending a fortune in the M&M store (three floors dedicated to M&Ms!), sitting in various coffee shops and reading my book. I walked around the MOMA shop and bought a few stocking stuffers but didn't have the energy to walk around the galleries. My mind was turning back to London and the things I would need to do over the next few days.

I've arrived back and jumped right into Christmas celebrations and preparations for the various parties and events we have coming up. It was really nice to get away for a while and spend some time with Nikki. Now that she's in NY I hope it'll happen more often.

Overheard...

Toby: Today at school it was like Primary School Musical because the whole class started singing when Mr Wilson left the room.

Me: Oh, that's lovely. What did you all sing?

Toby: "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin ran away. Uncle Billy tossed his willy on the motorway!"

Me: Ah.

Ready to fly

The car will be here to take me to the airport soon and I'm really looking forward to the trip. However, me being me, I'm convinced that the plane will crash, I'll be shot or fall down a manhole and will never see the children grow up.

I made a special meal last night and gave them extra hugs and kisses so hopefully their final memories of me will be good ones. I know they won't grow up motherless because some gold digging cow will distract and exhaust Jason with the sexual techniques she picked up on her gap year in Thailand and he'll be married before he knows it. So, though Jason might be happier, the children will grow up feeling neglected and bitter and will be unfulfilled, disatisfied adults. They'll forget all about me and all about being half American and end their days wondering about the mother who selfishly ran off to New York and left them behind.

Whew! I feel so much better getting that out of my head. Now I can go off and have a nice little break. Nikki, here I come!

Wintery weekend

We had a really lovely weekend. Saturday wasn't much fun but we ticked a major job off our list - we bought a new car. We drove out to Croydon with Toby getting carsick about halfway there. We traded in our car and Jason and I kept joking about "oh yea, the radio isn't working and you can't open the trunk... that vomit will wash right out though... so... what'll you give us?" We were very happy with the deal and the new car will be delivered this week and they'll drive our old car away.

I ended up with another Renault Scenic. This one is a Grande Scenic which means it has seven seats instead of five. I am so cool.

Yesterday Jenny, Kieran, Jack, Kate and Jen's mum came down for Jack's birthday. We went to Cafe Sol in Greenwich for Mexican food then walked through the park. Jason and Kieran played chase with the children (Jason was alseep on the couch within an hour of getting home) and we walked up to the top of the hill right at sunset. It was freezing but beautiful.

Unfortunately Toby refused to wear his scarf yesterday, was up coughing all night and is home from school today. I'm off to New York on Friday so I'm trying to get him well before I go. I've been trying to get my head around packing and preparing for the trip but there's so much going on here at the moment. We've had the builders in to do odd jobs and replace some bookshelves. We've got loads of Christmas activities and I have the Christmas shopping to finish. This week we also have Toby's school nativity play. Because Tobes is in Year 2 they're doing the play with the Juniors rather than the Infants so it's an evening show at the church. Busy times!

Toby helps set a new world record

From the local newspaper.