In the run up to Christmas it's always hectic with so much to do both at work and at home. Presents to buy, plays to attend, shopping, cooking, cleaning and that is just at home.
At work everyone is stressed trying to get on top of it all before they break up for Christmas. Tempers are running high, the pressure is on.
But this year I found a solution - time off in leiu. This year I thought, I will have a week at home before the kids break up then I will be on top of things. Right? Wrong!
The joys of being in marketing mean that when we attend functions and events we don't get paid overtime, we get time off in lieu. This can be quite annoying sometimes as the extra money would be welcome, but when school holidays are looming and you still have 52 hours to take it can also be very handy. So, I reasoned, I would take a week off before the children broke up to catch up with all my chores, clean the house right through (why do we all do that when it always looks like a bomb-site again by Boxing Day), finish the Christmas shopping etc so that when the rest of the family broke up I would be ready, relaxed and full of the Christmas spirit.
Ha Ha, very funny. Did this happen? Did it heck. Firstly I was unable to quite leave work behind. The joys of modern technology enable me to login to my work desktop and emails so I can keep on top of everything. Which, of course, means that I do. Secondly, we were waiting for the BBC to air a report they had done on some of our foreign students. They promised several probable days when it would be aired, which meant setting the video just in case. Eventually, over a week later when we had just given up, it was shown. Which meant frantic emailing to let those involved know when they would be seen on the big screen! So much for leaving work behind.
On the home front I fared no better. I spent all week cleaning out and rearranging the whole kitchen in readiness for my new cooker - a job which I would not normally do in the lead up to Christmas. In between this I ran up to the school to see the play, chauffered the girls round to various parties, carol services and other Christmas events. I shopped, I threw out stuff and last but not least I felt really ill.
Yes to top it all I am eight weeks pregnant. So my plans for Christmas domination have come to a standstill - everything has revolved around extreme exhaustion and total nausea. Roll on Christmas - this year I will be toasting it with nothing stronger than Gaviscon!
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