We are family

I have mentioned my all consuming passion for genealogy on these pages before. I am always interested to find links with past generations, which are often related to health issues or, certainly in the husbands family, ability or skills. In his family there is a clear leaning towards the arts - a family of artists, scuptors and musicians. Mine.....? Drinkers, apparently!

Although it can't be definatively proved, in my family I have found links to my hereditary deafness and my double-jointedness. I also tracked down the origins of my daughter's red hair.

Sadly, I now seem to be in the position of passing on something to a future generation....my poor wee poppet has tonsillitis

The ghost in you

It's 4.23am, and I can't sleep. Woke up to go to the loo, and then started puzzling about this....Since September we have lost the following:

* One blue school pinafore, possibly unworn.
* One long sleeved t-shirt, pink with flowers, from GapKids..fairly new.
* Two..yes two..school cardigans..blue sweatshirt material..badge with white rose of Yorkshire and a dove. Again, newish. Gone missing together.

What the f*** is going on? All these items have gone missing in the house. It's not a big house. Five bedrooms (oh stop...one is so small most folks have extended the bathroom into it - I use it as my study), kitchen, living room, etc....

The cardigans are the most recent item to go missing - sometime over the last nine days (It has been half term) I've checked all the obvious places, even been reacquainted with the bottom of my ironing basket, which is a rare happening.

So what do we think? Ghost? Do ghosts steal things? Very large rats making a nest?

I'm going to try to sleep now, after I've checked to see the results of the Oscars (oh did I mention husband with a head cold, snoring like a ..well, like his usual self actually), but I'll keep you informed.

I believe in Father Christmas

OK...Mum, Dad, friends B & M...you win. I WILL start taking Laura to Church tomorrow.

"Mum..is Father Christmas always with us?"

"No, that's God."

"But, does Father Christmas watch over us?"

"No, that's God too."

"But is Father Christmas higher than God."

"No, trust me, Father Christmas is nothing to do with God."

God, give me strength

I haven't been circumspect enough about disguising who I am and where I work, which means I can't rant about my colleagues, managers and ...sad to say..customers. Suffice to say it has not been the best of days. I think I need an alternative blog...

Then, to cap it all, I pick up my precious daughter from after-school club, and she is all red faced, and has been tearful all afternoon. She doesn't like club, you see, and wants to be at home with her mummy. And today I found it quite difficult to remember why it is I work f/t....

Ho hum

Red, red wine

or rather, white, white wine. I'm drunk. it's shameful.. I apologise. It has been a bit o' of shite week.

OK Computer

[I have a feeling that is an album title, rather than a song title, but ho hum]

So, Laura is quite clingy at the moment...has been for the last couple of months and it's driving me mad, but that is a story for another blog. Anyway, it means we have this ritual everynight where, when I'm kissing her goodnight in bed, she asks me where I'm going to be. Usually my answer is a sanitised version of "downstairs, slumped in front of the telly, with a large drink in my hand, arguing with yer dad". Tonight I told her I was going to be in my study, playing on my computer. She said "are you going into the internet?".....guess who started computer lessons last week? But she did make it sound much more interesting than just surfing other people's blogs, being jealous of their interesting lives...

Mamma mia

OH MY GOD

I watched this documentary this evening. I watched it with open mouthed horror. I watched it wondering if I should phone Burnley Social Services. If you get a chance to watch it...do.

We are the champions...

Laura had her first sports day a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately I was in London, listening to university librarians discuss the future of library management systems.......

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it...

Not me, I should point out. Laura. She slept with me last night, because Peter was getting up at the crack of sparrow fart to go to London. Anyway, she woke up when the alarm went off (result!), leapt on me, and proceeded to inform me why she was so excited:

1) she is starting packed lunches today. She is absolutely giddy about this. Her best friend, Christina, who is the benchmark for everything at the moment, has packed lunches, and for the summer term, so will Laura. I do feel a little guilty that she is so happy to take sandwiches. Mostly she has had school dinners since starting school because I can't be arsed to make her lunch....ho hum!

2) now this one is a massive working-mummy, guilt-trip jobby. She was beside herself with joy because i was taking her to school this morning. Not just dumped early in pre-school club, but actually taking her to the classroom, and helping her hang up her stuff on her peg. Actually, i enjoy it too. It's nice to see some of the other mums, and the weather was lovely this morning, so it was a very pleasant stroll back to the car. When I did a bit of pick up and collecting after I came back from South America I resolved to try to re-jig my working hours from time to time...y'know...do a long day one day so I can do the school run the next day. But it is difficult to be consistent - I'm off again for three days next week....

All work and no play

<

...makes Jack a bad tempered old witch, if he is anything like me.

I just checked back in the blog, and I don't appear to have mentioned that I got a new job. Now, that's not as radical or life changing as it might sound. I still work for the same organisation that I have worked for since 1996.....I just got offered (and accepted) a different role in the organisation. Actually...that should read "additional" role. As is typical with my employer I am actually doing two jobs, same money, same hours, etc etc etc! (stay with me...there's a point to this...) So, as well as a management role in Sales, I am now a Product Manager. It's actually a great job, but involves a lot more travelling. So, below, courtesy of the new, tiny (and gloriously pink) camera Peter got me for christmas, are pictures from my travels in January:



This is the train station at Frankfurt airport.


This is to show that I did actually get outside the convention center in Philadelphia.

And this is a view of Chicago, in the snow, from the plane, as I head off to visit the mothership in Ohio.

And, yes, this was all in January. I have convinced myself that laura doesn't suffer from all this travelling I do. She doesn't *appear* to care, so long as she gets a present. My sanity on the other hand.......well, that's another post!

Note to self: must do better

In this instance "must do better" with Laura's religious education. While not being full on, i have tried to bring her up in a vaguely christian...specifically catholic environment..and thought I was doing OK. Till we had this little exchange in bed this morning:

Me: So, what special time do we celebrate Jesus being born?

Laura: (thinks for a minute) At assembly?

Me: No...think again...a special time when we remember that Jesus was born?

Laura: (Again, thinking hard) World Book Day?

Me: (Sigh) No darling, at Christmas. We'll talk about this again.