IT'S THE HOLIDAYS!!!!!! I don't need to get up at 7.04am for a whole two weeks, and I don't need to get dressed at all if I don't want to.
I did the final rounds of my Christmas shopping last night, and somehow the "Essential Guide to Blogging" jumped into my hand as I stood in the queue for the till in Hammicks. So, give me a few days and there should be some changes round here, oh yes.
Tomorrow is Dads Day Out - A. is taking DH and C. to the rugby. DH is also going to watch Lord of the Rings in the evening (so he thinks) - fortunately it's 3 hours long so he should have slept it off by the time he crawls home. If he snores too loudly, you have my permission to poke him in the ribs. Hard.

A big hello to everyone who has just joined us here in Smat's World. The bad news is that I've deleted the scandalous gossip from yesterday's post in order to mask the identity of the guilty and ensure I still hear lots of juicy goings-on. But in the tradition of JK Rowling here are a few words from the original post :

pre-school staff.........pole-dancing..........photos allegedy exist..........big knickers..........party games

Onwards and upwards though. Lat night saw the final performance for 2002 from the Parent's Orchestra. Actually orchestra is a bit adventurous a word. A motley assemblage of "I'll play so long as my part doesn't have too many notes" combined with some proper musicians. Loudest cheer of the evening however went to C. on percussion - Year 6 have obviously been talking about future careers and have decided that playing the drums for a living is way cool! And we managed an encore with no rehersal whatsoever. Next stop, the Albert Hall. Or maybe we'll stick to the school hall.

Well into the series of 'work' Christmas parties now. As part of a "dying breed of non-working mothers who prop up the voluntary sector" according to Radio 4's You and Yours, I've been to the Brownies party (lots of children, no booze), Verity's post-management committee meeting bash (no children - Interviewer :"Why do you do volunteering?" Smat: "It's a day out away from the kids" - mulled wine, but a need to rush back to relieve DH from childminding duties so he could go out that evening), and last night the Pre-School staff's do (definately no children, the entire Euro wine lake). DD3 and I are having our own private work Christmas party on Friday (1 child, 1 mother, 1 bottle - milk, 1 bottle - Sainsbury's Cava now reduced to £2.99, a case on order for pre-Christmas delivery to the House of Smat). There will be singing and dancing and Teletubbies. What more could you want?