Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I don't ask for much really, the odd diamond or pearl encrusted tiara, latest model Mercedes Benz, another island home and of course those edible gold statues of the cadburys chocolate bar range for my collection... see? I'm of simple needs. Sure I could ask for something as fakily altruistic as world peace but I imagine that would take up a lot of your time during this busy season and besides, I would really hate to come off as a shallow minded beauty pageant entrant.

You see Santa, the wonderful E at Whining at the World has tagged me in a Christmas "blog a long" originally started by Jess from 'Essentially Jess' where bloggers share our Christmas wish lists on our blogs as part of the last IBOT (I blog on Tuesdays) for the year.

It seems that E has already put her dibs on those highly desirable cleaning fairies and private cooking tuition from Jamie Oliver, so this could be a bit tough but, here goes my wish list for this year:

*Firstly - some doubt has been cast recently by my older children as to your actual existence, so as today is the last day before the world ends can you have a brief chat to some of your friends, (the Easter bunny, tooth fairy etc) and prove your existence to my kids by allowing the world to continue beyond tomorrow, thus still bringing Christmas to all. 

* Secondly, can you please postpone Christmas day to the 27th, so we can make the most of the boxing day sales 2012 before the retailers figure out whats happened.

* As per last years wish, The Princess's hair has finally started to grow, and I thank you for that. However, its luscious curl whilst pretty is becoming rather hard to tame and it's lack of length renders it impossible to tie back, which is unfortunately giving off impressions of Fran Fine's mother from the Nanny and risking most unwanted Nit infestations... So this year, could you please provide a magic potion to let it grow to pony tail capabilities before pre-school starts?

*Chocolate. And not that cheap crap either - good stuff.

* I could also really use a literal truck (make it a tipper) load of 'magic erasers' - it seems The Princess has recently discovered her inner artist and my house is her canvas.

* I never forget my friends so I would love to give my friend T a nice present this year - she would really like a Kitchen Aid and its out of my budget so could you see to it she receives the purple coloured one? That or she would also settle for Johnny Depp in his birthday suit with a strategically placed Christmas bow.

*Last but not least, I am really need my Sanity back, half way into day one of the school holidays and my marbles have well and truly rolled away and we have more than 6 weeks to go. Oh that reminds me, perhaps you could also make a few alterations to the English language - those silly nonsensical words for example have you ever wonder why it is that when you are sane you are sane but when you are crazy you are called in-sane, wouldn't it make more sense to be called out-sane? Yeah them.

Cheers,

Suzi

So that was my first I Blog On Tuesdays post and of course in typical Suzi style two days late. Luckily IBOT could theoretically also stand for I Blog On Thursdays :D 

I must also tag 5 people:

Your it!

Cate from Keep Cate Busy
Melissa - The Things I'd Tell You
AM - The house that AM built
Trish - My Little Drummer Boys
Eden - Edenland

I forgot to mention the best news in the world...

In all my months of broken Internet, I forgot to mention the best news in the whole world!


You may remember how I donated eggs for my SIL & BIL who have been struggling with infertility earlier in the year?

Just when it seemed the odds were stacked against us, she got the best news in the whole wide world, that it worked -  she is going to be a mum!!

Now she is just over halfway through the pregnancy and has the most perfect watermelon out the front baby bump, we just found out its a little girl and I am SO EXCITED! I know it doesn't matter as long as its healthy and all that jazz, but I was secretly really hoping she would have a girl, I have really enjoyed having The Princess after all my boys so a new little niece to bestow pink pretties upon is just perfect!

So miracles really can happen (with just a little help from modern medicine) and this Auntie is going to seriously have to avoid the baby isles in Target once she is born or risk going bankrupt - I don't know that "but it's pink and sooooo cute" is a reason the bank will except for defaulting on the mortgage...

Have you ever considered egg donation? (It's a bit of an emotional roller coaster but so worth it, feel free to email if you have thought about it and have questions.)

The story of my egg donation journey is at the top of the page for anyone interested.

HO HO Hum...

Well its apparently 13 days until Christmas. Does that strike fear into your heart too or is it just me?

source

I have developed a rather uneffective coping stratagy recently of if I can't deal with it just put it in a corner and forget about it - unfortunatly this has resulted in some rather unpleasent letters from telecommunications and electric companies insisting on immediate funds or threatening to send out the hired goons...

This debt avasion isnt exactly intentional, I have lost my part time job due to being too old and expensive in a dying retail climate so we are financially even less well off and it's just all so depressing - upon reciept of another huge bill a sigh of oh crap MORE debt and sticking it in a pile I just don't seem to bring myself to look at again.

The trouble is I have done the same thing with Christmas this year, frankly, Christmas Sucks it is all too hard and expensive and I have put the whole notion in a corner and tried to forget about it, much to the childrens horror, poor darlings keep asking me when its time to start advent calanders... ahem...

We did manage to put the Christmas tree up on Sunday, thanks to DH who found the centre sticky part that all the branches slot into -for some unknown reason, last year I thought it would be a good idea to store it in a 'safe place' away from the rest of the tree. The kids decorated it and I knew my bah humbug was getting bad when I didnt even feel the need to re-do it after they went to sleep, its just been left with the lower 1/3 covered in decorations and nothing on the top or back - this would normally kill me.

I have bought exactly two presents and they were because I was roped into going to a next door neighbours jewellery party and could buy on the spot - I guiltily used the cash from the hidden part of my wallet that belongs to son number 2 (who is saving up to buy himself an iPod touch) to pay for them.

To add to my excuses top it off with rego due in two days, my car decided now is a great time for the gear box to blow up, so I have a friend and his car trailer helping me drag it into littlebig smoke for a quote on monday. The chances of the car being fixed before christmas are less than that of the impending appocolypse and there for with four children and only available transport being DHs ute it seems we wont be driving to the big smoke as planned for christmas celebrations with family this year.   Sigh.

source

So despite the temptation of converting to a non-christmas celebrating religion I really need to come up with a plan to get in the spirit and create something christmassy but cheap for the kids - I googled it but just got distracted by a house with christmas lights themed to  'gangam style' which I have inserted below for your viewing pleasure.

 

 

How is your christmas shaping up, are you a whinging bah humbugger like me or one of those super organised types I would like to be?
Do you find really expensive things ALWAYS break down in december?

Mylo Xyloto - Cold Play Sydney 2012

There is something very special about the intense feeling of anticipation that comes over a crowd of 50 thousand when the lights go out and the stadium is plunged into darkness, the screaming stops for a moment and everyone catches their breath knowing that in just a matter of moments the rock gods you have been waiting 10 years to see are about to burst onto stage.

 

It had been 8 months since my friend and I had sat at our computers with bated breath as tickets went on sale hoping we wouldn’t miss out as we had on their last visit to Australia. Then suddenly this was it – our long awaited weekend in Sydney for Coldplay’s ‘Mylo Xyloto’ Tour was finally actually happening!

We got to a packed Sydney Football Stadium lined up for the customary memrobilia and fought our way through the crowds to find our seat.  

Every person in the audience was given a wristband with a different coloured strap at the gate, they had a funny little battery pack on them no on or off switch and no explanation as to what they were for. But at that moment, when the lights went out we finally found out their purpose as every wrist in the stadium erupted into a mass of multi-coloured flashing lights, the effect was indescribable.  

As the music started, fire-works exploded into the Sydney skyline and massive screens that  looked like neon ringed trampolines threw out images of neon walking men and close ups of the band, and our wrists flashed in time to the music. It’s no wonder Chris is so skinny, its not just drugs, the sheer amount of energy he throws into his performances is phenomenal and warranted at least three sweat soaked shirt changes.

During the set, which included favourites from not just Mylo Xyloto but X&Y and Viva la Vida too, confetti fell from the sky, giant multi-coloured balloons with flashing colour changing lights were thrown into the audience and bounced around, nearly knocking people off the seat ledges as they jumped up to touch them.

“Paradise” rang out with an intense firework finale and the band said goodnight and left the stage, after approximately three flashing wristed, screaming, clapping stomping standing ovation attempts to get an encore later people started to wonder if they were actually coming back!

 Just as it looked like a full scale riot was inevitable, they appeared, on a smaller stage at the other end of the stadium and performed some acoustic ballads from albums new and old then heading back to stage number one and doing another fantastic energy and firework filled set before saying goodnight for real.     

We left the stadium with a wave of several thousand others all heading in the same direction. Some held giant balloons above their heads, lucky enough to have caught a little piece of memorabilia to keep for all time and as I looked at the wrist band I didn’t recycle in the bins provided, I knew it was an experience I will never forget. but just to make sure I bought the T-Shirt.