Listography - Top 5 Photos of 2011

Yes I toyed with the idea of top 5 resolutions but even with pressure being applied from a certain someone who admitted needing a 'kick up the arse that only Listography can give' I decided to give Resolutions a two finger salute and focus on happy times instead.

So the challenge this week is to go back through your archives and pick out your 5 favourite photos of the year.

Let me warn you - this may prove more difficult than you think. I finally narrowed it down to six and then had to decide whether to bump my beautiful boy or the only picture of me with my kids available.

As you can see below I didn't make the cut.

I took this photo back in Feb for this post for the wonderfully hilarious I'm so Fancy. It was then used for this article in the Irish Independant. A well used pic that brings back happy memories.

 
An old Silent Sunday post that doubles as my screensaver.

 My favourite picture of the year.

The one sunny weekend of the year which coincided with a wonderful camping trip. These happy coincidences never usually happen to us. 

A momentous occasion when the middle child started school and the 'baby' started playschool. I still whoop for joy at the thought of my free mornings. 

Now I realise that rather predictably all these are pictures of my kids, so my New Years Resolution is to start taking more pictures of other things - and maybe even handing the camera over so that I feature occasionally.


Now see - I managed get a resolution in there after all.

Back to School already?

So Christmas is nearly done and dusted. Somehow it has passed in a hazy glow of 6am starts, ripped wrapping paper, over indulgence, nerf guns, amateur wine tastings and the most shocking, appalling karaoke anyone has ever had the misfortune to listen to.

The embarrassing siblings.

However there's just one final function that I need to attend before I can put a big fat tick beside Christmas 2011, and that is (deep breath) my 20 year school reunion.

To be honest I'm at a loss as to why it is called the 20 year reunion because I actually left school in 1991 - which clearly was only about 8 or 9 years ago... But anyhow, it has been decreed that this is our year and the party is all set.

Back in the day. Me on the right.

They're a funny thing school reunions. The last one was in 2001 and most questions centred around 'So what do you do then?' as eyes glazed over and brains started calculating what that equated to in £ signs. Being on the dole at the time meant my conversations weren't a great hit that night.

This time I imagine it will be all about marraige (yes) and kids (3). In ten years time I expect it'll be divorce and death.

The only questions left to answer right now though are (a) what to wear? and (b) is it too late to get botox?

Anyway, my plan is to drink too much, tap my feet to tunes like this:



and generally try not to embarrass myself.

I'll let you know how that turns out....

Last day of school and the obligatory swim in your uniform

Name That Carol - The Answers.

I know you've been waiting with baited breath for this. Tossing and turning at night, random carols running through your head. Jumping up in the morning to check your 'soundhound' app for a match (@PinkOddy I'm surprised at you).

So here they are - the answers to the Name that Carol conundrums:

Day 1 - Answer: Santa got stuck up the chimney
Correct answers: 11.
Favourite answer: 'No idea: possibly a 6th-century Coptic chant, judging by the language. But he's certainly gorgeous!' (Mills and Boon Wannabe)


Day 2 - Answer: Santa Clause is coming to Town with a touch of Santa got stuck up the chimney)
Correct answers: 2 (Red Rose Mummy and Alexander Residence)
Favourite answer: 'I think you're making up these Christmas songs! I heard something about pull me out, a sock, maybe something to do with a chicken?' (Marta) 


Day 3 - Answer: Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. 
Correct answers 0. 
Favourite answer: 'He shall feed his flock' from the Messiah. (Mills and Boon Wannabe again. Obviously been on the brandy early that day).


So there you have it. 


The winner of the £20 donation to a charity of their choice was chosen at random by the number 17 and is the very lovely @motherporridge. I shall be in touch.


Thanks to all that took part!

New Clothes!

Looking pretty pleased with his new clothes from Boots Mini Club

And again...

'Well I'm not smiling'

'Oh ok then. You said chocolate right?'

Just nonchalantly hanging out... 

'How about this move?'

'Hey Dad, you don't mind that I borrowed your suit do you?'

All of the very lovely clothes you see here were kindly sent to us by Boots' new Mini Club 

Name That Carol - Day 3

It's time for Name That Carol once again. The quiz where I take my verbally challenged boy and pit his carol singing against you lot.

This will be the last one before I announce the winner. All entries from Day 1 and Day 2 will be included and the winner gets £20 to give to the charity of their choice.

So lets begin:



Easy right?

Answers in the comments below please!

Listography - Top 5 things that make Christmas Christmas.

Is that confusing? Should there be a comma after the first Christmas?

Anyway - the title may be confusing but the theme is very straightforward. What are the Top 5 things or traditions that make it Christmas for you.

To start the ball rolling here's mine:

1. Watching It's a Wonderful Life.
I remember the first time my husband saw this. It was Christmas day and we were at my parents with the rest of the family. He sat down harrumphing that he'd never heard of it and got up with red eyes and a snivelling nose as he ran for the door. Christmas hay fever I think he called it.

2. The Opening of the Roses.
Tin not real.

3. The Tree.
Taking the decorations down from the attic. Picking through all our favouites. Arguing about where to hang them...Each year I buy one new decoration for each of the kids so that by the time they move out, like when they're thirty or something, they'll have their own little supply that will remind them of Christmases past.

4. Smoked Salmon and Champagne on Christmas Eve.
Always have, always will.

5. The Family Bust Up.
It used to be fisticuffs over Guess Who. Then alcohol and new four new partners were added to the mix. Always interesting.

Now it's your turn to open up your Christmas houses to the rest of us. What are you absolute uncompromisable traditions that make help sprinkle the magic of Christmas over your family?

Don't forget to linky up your post below and visit some of the other entries.

Now where's my champers...?

Name That Carol - Day 2

Name That Carol is back!

Thanks to those who joined in on the last one - your names are in a hat awaiting the final draw.

And so on to today's classic. All you need to do is listen to the following rendition and then Name that Carol.



The astute among you may notice some similarities with the previous one - but that's just his plan to throw you off course. Of course.

Answers in the comments to be entered into the draw for a £20 donation to a charity of your choice.

What are you waiting for?!

Scotch Pop-Up Tape Review

Every year I make the same grand plans.

Sometimes I even go so far as to buy expensive wrapping paper and colour co-ordinated ribbons.

But somehow I always seem to fall at the last hurdle.

There I am on Christmas Eve, sitting on the living room floor, smothered by a mountain of unwrapped gifts. Ripped wrapping paper, ribbon that only lasted for the first two presents, forgotten tags and crucially a blunt pair of scissors and full on sellotape rage.

You know when it breaks apart so that you are left trying to pull a millimeter of tape around the roll that just gets smaller and smaller until you are left with a Krypton Factor style puzzle that leaves you in tears of despair?

Or is that just me?

Anyway. Not this year. No Sirree. And do you know why? Because the lovely people at Scotch have sent me this:

This nifty little device is going to save Christmas this year. The blue bit is a tape dispenser that goes around your wrist (hands free!) and the tape itself is pre-cut and disappears on most gift wrap.

Perfect.

So far I've tested this out on a couple of gifts and am mightily impressed. If you have a few pennies extra to spend on your gift wrap to make it extra nice (and easy) I'd recommend it.

If you're a member of my family the usual recycled crumpled wrapping paper from last year is fine. *Sigh*

Maybe just remember to take the prices off this year?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All words are my own. Tape Dispenser retails at approx £2.50. See website for some great deals.

Name that Carol- Day 1

So I have this little quiz for the run up to Christmas.

On random days between now and The Big Day I will be posting videos of my verbally challenged son* attempting to sing well known Christmas Carols - all you need to do is guess what it is he's singing.

Here's the first one:

Answers in the comments below please. I'll be picking a name at random at the end of the competition to give £20 to the charity of your choice.

(*Hey, don't feel bad, of course we are not laughing at him. We are laughing with him. And anyway - it's for a good cause).

When your best friend dumps you...

We've had our ups and downs before of course.

The old Cromwellian raping and pillaging left a bad taste for a few centuries and those bombs in the 80's dampened the relationship a little, but we've been getting along pretty well since then as far as I'm concerned.

Joining the European Union together in the 70's meant that little old Ireland had a big brother to look out for us - a brother that was far bigger and more powerful than we would ever be. A brother who would put his arm around us and say to others 'hey, don't go picking on this guy ok?'

But then David Cameron came along and decided to leave us naked in the school yard whilst the bullies circle us, taunting the little guy whilst stealing our lunch money.

And what can we do about it?

Absolutely nothing. We can't stick up to them because we need their protection. We can't ditch our best mate (who incidentally already dumped us) because we need them too.

We're the poor kid with the holey jumper and patches on his trousers who gets pushed around whilst desperately trying to please both the bullies and the turncoats.

Of course it may turn out the D.C. has actually done us a favour. Perhaps walking away from the deal was the best thing for all of us, only time will tell. But for now we're left feeling like we've lost our only friend in the world and another kicking is just around the corner.

Perhaps we better all get shin pads for Christmas this year.

Oui, je suis off to Paris

When I gave up work a number of years ago one of the things I hadn't factored in the loss of (along with money and friends) was a good old Christmas Party.

You know - the one time of the year you get your legs waxed, put on fake nails, buy a new dress, put on some sparkles and primp and prime yourself until you look like a gaudy bauble instead of some leftover crumpled wrapping paper?

Then you wake up in the morning in a foetal state, cringing into your pillow whilst trying not to barf on the baby.

Ah happy days.

Anyway, at the risk of making you all jealous (ah who am I kidding - that's why I'm writing this post) - I'm off to 'Gay Paree'  in the morning in order to attend a swanky Christmas party in the evening. I may even partake of a glass of champagne and stay out past midnight.

It's been awhile. Wish me luck.

Man Flu - The Truth

This shocking and disturbing video about the horrors of Man Flu was sent to me by a friend last week.

I think we all have a duty to watch it - even if it makes for difficult viewing.

Don't let them suffer in silence any longer.



(Thanks Mo!)

Listography - Singalong a Christmas.

This weeks Listography is ushering Christmas in the best possible way.

My lovely blogging friend Alma from These Precious Things is hosting it and she's chosen Top 5 Christmas Songs to get you in the mood. She's picked some corkers but there's plenty more to choose from. I mean - she's missed out Cliff Richard and The Cheeky Girls for goodness sake.

What was she thinking?

So if you fancy ramping up the Christmas Spirit pop over to Alma and listen to some of her favourites before choosing your own Top 5 Christmas Songs and then linking up with her.

I'll leave you with one of my favourites.

5 Top Tips for looking and feeling younger. (And they're free too!)

Thought that might get your attention.

If you are anything like me you will have come to accept the sad state of affairs that grey hairs have now started to sprout with abandon and the wrinkles are settling in for the long haul.

Those days of muscle tone and glowing skin are a thing of the past and before we know it our zimmerframes will be taking up the space that our exercise bikes used to.

However I have some free tips on how to hang on to that youthful edge for just a little bit longer....

1. Ditch Grazia and take up Woman and Home. The celebrities are only ever 60+ and the models are ancient. You will come away feeling a distinct spring in your step.

2. Make friends with someone 10 years older than you. Then invite them to play squash.

3. Never, ever let someone take a photo of you near a) bright lights and b) children.

4. Start telling everyone you're getting your free bus pass next year. Being constantly told you look 'SO YOUNG for your age' will have you feeling 21 again.

5. Go to Mass. Being surrounded by 99% old biddies does wonders for the self esteem.

Of course you could eat healthily, get lots of fresh air and exercise, smother yourself in serums and anti-aging creams, hide from the sun and eat mackerel three times a day, but personally speaking I'm going to stick with my ones.

 Now who's got some more to add to the list?