Backsides into gear...

What a weekend.  Both Mr G and I have been full of cold.  I felt so ill, I thought my head was going to explode, my sinuses were throbbing.  I was dosed up to the eyeballs.  Surrounded by tissues.  I also had to go shopping in the middle of this, and that took everything I had.  Weather is atrocious, we're on a yellow weather warning and it's been nothing but high winds and rain for days.  

I had my three youngest children in the space of 47 months.  I was pregnant for 27 of those months.  And even though it was hard work, I thought 'Oh, how nice.  How close they'll all be'.  The boy and girl not even 13 months apart.  Had one been born two weeks earlier and the other three weeks later, they'd have been in the same school year instead of two years apart.  The two boys less than 3 years apart.  Little playmates for each other.

Wrong.

I have three very different, very individual children, and none of them seem to like each other.  (Nature not nurture).  But all three adore their big brother.  As a rule there's only peace in my house when they're separated.  They won't lift a finger to do anything to help or assist the other, to make their life easier, no favours, nada.  So this little exchange that I witnessed didn't surprise me in the least.

Ryan: Adam, have you got any loom bands?
Adam: *snaps* Why?
Ryan: I just want to borrow one.
Adam: For God's sake, Ryan!  What for?
Ryan: I want to make something.
Me: Adam?  You've got thousands of the bloody things.  Don't be mean.
Adam:  Fine!  They're upstairs by the shelf.  And DON'T use any black or white.  Or any of the primary colours.
Me:  You can use pink or orange Ryan.
Adam: Or orange...
Me:  Just get a pink one Ryan...

And then there was this from Adam.  Mr G was showing him a picture of his great Grandfather.

Adam: If he hadn't died, would he be alive now?

Give me strength.  So, with under four weeks to go until the big day, on Saturday I dragged my sorry backside to Llechwedd Meats to get my Christmas meat.  They have fabulous quality meat there at great prices anyway, but they've started doing offers recently, offering freebies or extra packs of things for a penny?  I buy their 5kg pack of Chicken breast, their 2kg packs of bacon and pork sausages as standard anyway, and the freebies that they had on this week were quite good.  Mum hadn't seen the offers so when I told her what they were, she said that we could go to get our Christmas meat, providing that I could store her stuff in my freezers.  That suited me fine.  One less thing to worry about nearer the time, I've been saving all year with them so that paid for the bulk of the bill.   This is my meat haul...

I had 5kg fresh chicken breast, beef mince, pork and herb sausages, a huge pack of bacon, my Christmas gammon, my turkey, a whole pork loin and a huge pack of sausages for £80.  I bought a leg of lamb in Morrisons on Thursday as that was on offer, so that's New Year's Day sorted as well.  Now I just need to get fresh vegetables, snacks and maybe some beers.  I've had to stop drinking wine because I am clearly intolerant to it.  It's not only exacerbating my allergies but it's making me physically and violently sick too, even when I only have a glass.  It's just not worth it anymore.  So I need to find me a new tipple!

I have my glaucoma test thingy tomorrow, Mr G has had his date for his MRI scan and also a letter from Musculoskeletal Department to make an appointment, so I have had his word that today?  We clean.  We clear.  Our family tradition dictates that our tree should have gone up yesterday.  Nobody had the energy to do it, we felt so poorly.  By tonight, I want this house to be ship shape and ready for Christmas.