Gratitude

We have had a lovely Christmas - even though I have been a little ill. 


My illness is nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands who are suffering real ill-health. I heard just before Christmas that my Australian pen friend has cancer - the future does not look good for him as he is now over 70  -  and already suffering with general poor health.


So when I read on this website of the ungratefulness of some people I just went mental !!!! I don't know how "true" these are and I don't know if they are just wind-ups ..... but they certainly wound me up !!!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/people-who-didnt-get-what-they-wanted-for-christm


For those who cannot read the link it is a website of facebook statuses, from teenagers, mostly bemoaning that they did not get what they wanted and even worse - being very nasty about those who bought their main presents (usually parents) and complaining bitterly that "life is unfair".


How can it be that there are so many obnoxious and ungrateful teenagers out there? 
What on earth are their parents doing that can have produced such rude and ignorant children/adults?
I was just left reeling at the attitudes!


What has happened to being grateful to receive A gift, any gift. What has happened to not EXPECTING anything so everything is a bonus. What has happened to saying thank you (even now my 3 still apologise that they are not gonna do "thank you cards" this year so can everyone just accept a verbal thanks !!!)


These people need to do a stint in a hospice, or community service with one of the charities supporting families in poverty, or help out on a hospital ward over Christmas !!!


Then they would maybe see what "life is unfair" really means......... and yet these are the places where people still have hope, genuine joy at waking up another day (dependant on the level of pain they are in of course) and apparent happiness at receiving ANY small gift. I'm not saying this flippantly or in a Dickensian shmalzy  "Christmas Carol" way. Just ask those who do work with these organisations - yes there are still some rude families, or those who consider their dignity and pride damaged if they receive charity, or really awkward patients (oops that'd be me!) BUT for the majority, they ARE grateful and hopeful and appreciate small tokens.


Perhaps someone should seek out these facebook status owners, inform their parents as to how their child views them and make them realise that you cannot buy children's love with expensive gifts because in the long run - this is what it produces !


If I had , for one moment, thought that this had been the attitudes of my children, then their Christmas gifts would ALL have been donated to a charity by New Year!


On a lighter note - to all those I love and cherish - I hope your Christmas was a good one, you received some lovely gifts and here's to a Happy New Year ....... and maybe I will have stopped throwing up by then LOL !!

Christmas decorations part 2

OK. So . Wednesday came and went and I got a fair few decorations up - but did not get the BIG clean up completed and nor did I get the tree done (well, technically trees - we have 2 !)

So Thursday and Friday I was working .... that left Saturday. 

My husband ..... my darling DAH had organised (some time ago) for our friends to come this weekend to stay over ................................................... I love seeing my friends and we always have a good time ............................BUT THE LAST WEEKEND BEFORE CHRISTMAS ...... I ask you ?????? 

In fact several of Danny's male friends were amazed at my calmness in the face of pressure - In fact - I quote from one - "My Mum would have had a Christmas Hernia if my Dad had done that to her" Loved that phrase and will now use it for myself !

Anyway -  - picture the scene ......and I know most Mum's will empathise with these emotions ...... Saturday morning I am cleaning - smelling of bleach - the Kitchen is spotless - the dog is not allowed out, in case he comes in with Muddy paws - the toilets and bathrooms are shining - Cillet Bang is nearly used up - and I smell of that too - friends are due in about an hour - around 3.30/4.30pm and, although happy with the tidy house, the Christmas trees are bare - cue that Christmas hernia !!

Now if my girls had still been at home they would have seen the red mist descending and would have been able to intervene - they know the old tradition that the house has to be tidy for Christmas and that I go manic for a week before with all the cleaning ...... they know how far to push the "I'm the child so am not gonna bother" bit and carefully and cleverly anticipate that moment when they then get up ..... insist I sit down as I am "overdoing it" and step into the breach ..... going beyond the call of duty to continue where I left off (usually not too much left for them - probably just a bit of washing up or throwing some tinsel around)

ANYWAY ....... the girls are not home - my Dan is great BUT he does not "see" that red mist moment ..............I am struggling with the tree lights - they are tangled - my husband is outside chopping wood and doing man things *(he decided to use our smoker/BBQ thingy for the gammon we were having on Sunday!!)  I have one hour before the friends arrive - Men do not understand the time that it takes to untangle lights or to put these things up - they also don't register that I smell of bleach and Cillet Bang and would quite like a dip in the bath to freshen me up ! (I am generalising on men here - I know - some do understand ... but not mine!)

Cue Christmas Hernia - I was almost in tears - maybe a bit over dramatic but I bet some of you reading this will understand - I was mad with my DAH for inviting the friends this weekend - cross with myself for not having been more organised and procrastinating too much on Wednesday and yes ..... sad that my girls weren't here to help me  !

CUE an ANGEL (disguised as my son's girlfriend) 

I went upstairs to Dan's room where he, Hani, Chris and others were playing FIFA - My face must have said it all - even the boys at this point realised something was up - I said something along the lines of needing someone with some patience to untangle the lights and with her cheery smile and her sweet nature ..... up jumped Nicki who came gladly downstairs and happily sorted the lights ............. then offered to finish putting the tinsel and all baubles onto it and shooed me upstairs to go and have that bath!

So I believe in mini miracles at Christmas and just that general warm fuzzy feeling inside when someone has really helped you out at a time when you just needed it !!!

The house is looking lovely, tidy and decorated - the little tree in the front room is still waiting for the kids to put the baubles on (a family tradition) but the lights and tinsel are all on and ready courtesy of Nicki - and yes - the weekend was fun ........BUT hubby has been warned ..... NEVER EVER again on this "last weekend before Christmas" time of the year  !!!!!!

Christmas decorations

I absolutely LOVE Christmas .... the whole package .... even with older - adult - children - I am still full of Christmas joy.


I watch the schmalzy films, look for houses brilliantly lit up, drive through town just to see the lights ... blah blah blah!


BUT whilst I LOVE having the decorations up ....... I have found that this year I really really really can't cope with actually putting them up.  I think I just have to be in ABSOLUTELY they right mood!


This always seemed to work OK when the kids were at school - I would wait till they broke up for the holidays, then it would be all hands on deck with Christmas songs etc to put the decorations up. This is the first year with none of my children at school, and 2 not even at home - I have  checked the term dates for their old schools and today is the day ......... but - procrastination is my friend ..... I have even got the cillit bang out and have wiped down all the skirting boards !!!! 


I am now blogging ..... BUT the decorations still need putting up !!


I have an excuse for the next few minutes - last year we got a huge 7 foot fake tree - I have just got it out from the cupboard under the stairs and it has given me back-ache - seriously - I had to get Dan to actually put it together too, as it is too heavy for me to lift the top part on (plus it is too high LOL!!)


So ..... gonna finish blogging and get back to it - and in an hour or so I will be very happy that I did - I just sometimes wish I was a witch from Harry Potter and could conjure up a spell with the flick of a wand ....... and it would all be done !!!

Thank goodness for internet shopping

Well here I am, sat in front of the fire in my PJ's feeling crap cos of my man flu ....... definitely need to pick myself up as I really want to go out tonight (although have already cancelled a lunch date). I was not due in at work today and had planned to get lots done in the house so I could get the decorations up this weekend - but have no energy so that's not gonna happen!


SO ....what to do when you are stuck in the house ............ lots still ....... get the last of the Christmas pressies on-line - get the grocery shopping done on-line - get the travel insurance for our cruise in Feb on-line - check emails - facebook - blog - tweet ........ wwow (see what I did there - www LOL) ..... there is actually a lot I CAN do !!!!!


I could even send Christmas cards by email - I have one of those accounts for electronic birthday and Christmas cards - to be honest I doubt I will use that as I still like sending the physical cards- so although not on-line I will also be doing the cards too today - and finishing wrapping the presents I already have.


YES - a day sick can still be productive and ..... if I still feel awful ..... I can crawl back into bed for a sneaky nap as and when required !!!

Dreams

Perhaps I am a little odd ........... perhaps I don't realise that maybe everyone dreams in the same way ... or maybe not everyone, possibly just a few ? None of us ever really know how another person views their dreams.


I consider myself quite lucky. I dream in "Movie picture motion". I can actually DIRECT most of my dreams ! On some nights I feel as though I have not slept as I have been "busy" directing my dreams .... yes I know it sounds silly but seriously it happens. I can't choose the start of a dream, but once in full flow I can manipulate the dream to prevent it becoming a nightmare or sometimes, just to make it flow. 


I don't really know how long I have been able to do this for - but it seems like it has been all my life. More importantly, when the children were younger and had the occasional nightmare I think I may have helped teach them how to do this ..... so they could get themselves out of their nightmare. I advised them to choose an animal that could jump into their dream and rescue them - I always had 2 animals - a white stallion (no surprises there) and my tiger - Esso ! This always worked for me when younger - I have no need for them now but I know this worked for the kids too - Jess tells me to this day that she still "has" her animal!


I have only ever had a handful of nightmares in my life, 3 of which I still remember even though they were all many years ago (one I thought would make a great horror/action/mediaeval adventure movie - once I stopped it from being a nightmare it panned out that well in my imagination!). But for the majority of the time I make my dreams good ones. What I am finding as I get older is that I am tending to "dream" less - when my head hits the pillow I am out and just asleep, if I am dreaming then I no longer recall those dreams.


 I actually find that sad ... as I am, by nature a dreamer ... and always looked forward to my dreams.


So what about you .......... do you dream in black and white? In colour? Like a film or just bits and bobs randomly put together? And - - can you too, direct your dreams ?????