Tomorrow is Ballet Exam day

Two of the three Baby Smats are doing various dance exams (group Tarantella* and tap for BBS; Grade 1 ballet, tap, modern, and rock and roll for MBS) tomorrow, so I will be spending lots of time sitting in the upstairs changing room trying to work out which shoes are needed next. Yes, each exam needs a different pair of shoes, and they grow out of them at the same speed as they grow out of school shoes, so a word of advice for anyone who has girls, or is thinking about having girls - don't let them take up ballet unless you wish to hand over nearly £300 per term to the ballet teacher, enabling her to drive a rather nice car.
And I have to sew on ribbons to ballet shoes tonight, then take them off again before January because MBS isn't allowed ribbons for class, just for the exams. And find the ballet dresses/jazz pants/leotards/pink socks/white socks that they need.

* she assures me it's all perfectably acceptable, but doesn't Group Tarantella sound ever so slightly dodgy?

'tis the night before Advent

This year I swore I was going to be Organised and have the little parcels which go into the Baby Smats' Advent calenders ready before 11pm on the 30th November, as it gets too stressful trying to wrap fiddly things in Santa'a Special Wrapping Paper (which obviously is totally different to Mummy's wrapping paper) after a couple of glasses of wine. And I am. (organised that it, not on the outside of a couple of glasses of wine - it's only 11.30)
And then I thought we'd decorate the Christmas tree in time for Santa to see it when he comes tonight to deliver the Advent parcels and collect the Letters to Santa, so no problem, I'll put the tree up while some of the Baby Smats are at school, it'll be a nice surprise for when they come home.
But, the new Christmas tree is much bigger than the old Christmas tree, and I've just finished reorganising the entire contents of my living room to fit in the tree and some seating, while not disturbing the viewing of Postman Pat. And it's been even more stressful than the Advent parcels as the room isn't big enough for the tree, two sofas, a chair, a large coffee table, some shelves and the television. Something's going to have to go, and it might very well be me.

Domestic Goddess

This week I am mostly:

1. Batch cooking for the whole of December and part of January.

2. Knitting approximately 3.5 miles of scarves as Christmas presents.

3. Decorating my new Christmas tree, which replaces the (now rather tatty) 14 year-old one. Which is rather sad as the old Christmas tree is almost as old as my relationship with Mr Smat. Fortunately that's not quite as tatty, due to my Domestic Goddess skills. I don't delegate the cooking, cleaning and ironing to Mr Smat, oh no.

Nor do I tell fibs because Santa is listening and watching everything.

There goes my stocking this year then, best get on with the knitting.

Under the weather

Am recovering from Friday night's hangover caused by drinking 6 times my current alcohol allowance. By mistake. Oops.

Curry was nice though.