New Year, New Me

Back now from the Far North (no snow whatsoever so rather disappointing, very nice Christmas dinner*, and Mr Smat Senior who had pneumonia pre-Christmas and then blood clots in both lungs post-Christmas is recovering nicely) ready to face the challenges of Getting Everyone Back To School. Bit of a slow run-in though as one went back today, one goes tomorrow and the third goes back next week sometime (that's private schools for you though).
We all had a lovely Christmas as Santa Claus brought far too many presents (most of which are still sitting in the suitcase as I'm too mean to let the Baby Smats unpack them until their bedrooms are tidy. So that'll be next year sometime then) including an "anatomically accurate Human Torso Model Kit" with removable insides (quite scary how knowlegeable Littlest Baby Smat is about intestines) and a set of robotic bugs, one of which laughs in a rather annoying "na na na na nah" manner.
But I'm determined that this year will be the one when we finally get the house looking half way reasonable all over at the same time, which means finishing the dining room which has had plasterboard walls since last Easter, and the bathroom which still needs to be properly tiled. Not to mention redecorating everywhere as the only rooms whcih have been painted since my first flush of paintbrush-wielding enthusiasm on moving in five years ago are my room and the bathroom. And they're not finished yet either.
So, I've made a plan. And some lists. And done the menu-planning (can't tidy and decorate on an empty stomach). All I've got to do now is get on with it. Hmmm.

*diet is going well, despite the Christmas Dinner. And the pancake from Baxters. And the homemade soup at Johnston's where I didn't buy a cashmere dressing gown as £900 is rather steep. 21 lbs lost up to the 14th December, and I'm hopeful about having lost another 3 or 4 lbs when I am weighed on Thursday.