back to 'normal'

Christmas is officially Over. Last night we took down the decorations and took the tree back to the garden centre for recycling. Nearly all the Christmas food is gone (including that box of chocs). We're all back at school and work.

I weighed myself yesterday, and found that I weigh exactly the same as I did this time last year. Amazingly, this is the same as I weighed a month before Christmas. I can't quite believe I haven't put on at least half a stone over the holidays (although not eating for several days when I was ill probably helped).

This week I'm easing myself back into some healthier routines. Went to aquarobics last night, 20 mins walk this morning, belly dancing tonight. I'm working on eating sensibly (more fruit and water) and thinking about calorie counting from next week. Although tonight is a cava and pistachios occassion (start of Celebrity Big Brother).

Some highlights of our holidays (before I forget):

• O opening his presents on Christmas morning, of course, and playing with his favourites. He loved all his presents from Santa (esp the chocolate orange), and we had to rebuild the railway track (dismantled on Xmas eve so Santa didn't trip over it) for his new Thomas to play on. The shredded cellophane packaging from my lovely big Lush package did excellent service as snow on Sodor.
  
  
• We actually got some snow on Christmas! O had been desperate for snow, of course, but it hardly ever snows in Manchester. There were a couple of light flurries during the day and we thought that was it, but on Christmas night we got proper snow. So instead of spending Christmas night dozing on the sofa, we were out playing snowballs and building (very small) snowmen and watching tipsy neighbours making snow angels in the car park. The absolute top highlight of my Christmas was O playing in the snow singing "We wish you an irie Christmas and a dancehall new year". Trojan Xmas works its magic. Next year, I want him singing "Santa Claus Never Comes to the Ghetto" in the school concert.
  
  
• O's top pressie was Thunderbirds DVD & playset (we didn't actually have a dvd player on Xmas day, but it turned out Santa had delivered it to my parents' house so we got it on Boxing Day. It also turned out Santa was feeling v. generous this year and brought us a recording dvd player wooo).
  
  
• my parents bought themselves a computer for Christmas, so I spent a lot of the time we were at their house sorting it out and showing them how to work it. I am their Tech Support now, which I don't mind, in fact I quite enjoy that for once I have knowledge and skills that my father wants and needs. That's another way of saying that I feel smug that for once, I know more than him and he has to listen to me. Hah. I've waited 37 years for this kind of advantage, I'm not going to waste it.
  

Okies, time to do some work booooo