Christmas excitement is mounting in our house, which is odd as we don't celebrate it in any way at all, and in fact I never bring the subject up myself. The recent snowfall brought a joyful shout of "look, christmas" when they got up and looked out the window yesterday morning. When we see the xmas decorations in shops or snow-sprayed windows they say "look, christmas!"
They get their understanding of christmas mostly from the tv, so of course they know that christmas is all about decorated trees and snow and presents and a fat man in a red suit. TV viewing is strictly limited at the moment thanks be to God, what with the shocking amount and intensity of toy adverts that leave you reeling and the kids delirious with avarice. I would love to credit this with responsible parenting but the truth is they don't get the chance to watch tv as the big tv with the aerial is in the bedroom where their dad sleeps in the daytime. The small tv is in the sitting room with no aerial so they can only watch maternally-approved DVDs on it. I suppose I can take credit for the fact that I have so far resisted buying another tv aerial.
I was almost tempted to buy a christmas tree this year, Zudie asked me very earnestly if we could have one. They do love to see the bright lights and the shiny baubles and tinsel. Where's the harm in a little tree, perhaps 2 feet high, shiny and twinkling in the corner? Of course we couldn't just have a christmas tree without having lots of other christmassy type things. What's a tree without presents under it? wouldn't chains hanging from the ceiling be nice and cheerful, maybe a wreath on the door as well? The next thing you know we'd have dancing santas outside the front door and a simpsons themed nativity scene on the coffee table. We went to a friend's house and saw their tree, sumptously huge and green and beautifully decorated and the first thing Zudie said was "where's the presents?" so maybe that's why he wanted the tree. Zeno vetoed the tree idea anyway, not that I would have caved in if he hadn't but still.
We do have some tinsel in the house at the moment - not on a tree but festooning the walls, as it's Boudy's birthday and we have decorated the place with banners and balloons and tinsel. I got him a "5" balloon and I also had to get a "6" one for Zudie as he doesn't understand about birthdays yet and feels left out. It's been a bit fraught as he (Zudie) doesn't cope very well with excitement, and when he gets a wrapped present he decides what he would like it to be and then becomes very upset if it's not that. It's impossible to predict what he wants because if you ask him the day before it will be something different from what he decides he wants on the actual day of present giving. So Zudie is sharing this birthday with Boudy, and happily Boudy doesn't mind TOO much, I'm trying to make an extra fuss of him whenever I get a chance (whenever zouzou's not watching). Boudie chose the cake (chocolate hedgehog) and he'll blow out five candles but then we'll have to put six candles for Zudie to blow out as well. He's choosing the lunch menu as well - surprise surpise, chicken fillet burger and chips.
Once they opened the presents (and Zeno got one too, a Meerkat mug), and Zudie was over the meltdown that inevitably followed, the 2 of them actually had great fun with the wrapping paper and sellotape, wrapping up various toys and carrying them around for a bit, saying "happy birthday!" and ripping them open with joyous cries upon seeing their old familiar toys. Priceless. Next time I won't bother buying anything just wrap up the entire contents of their toy cupboard.
Well, I say Zudie's 'over' the meltdown but he's still shouting at me intermittently "no dvds presents".
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
CBBC TOUR!
Had a lovely time at Television Centre for the CBBC tour with Gail and her boys. The older one is at school with Zeno. Being the nerd that I am, it was a real thrill to be at Television Centre. We were greeted in the reception area by two guides who were really nice, but unfortunately when they told us about the imminent security checks they said "don't worry it's just like at the airport" which sent Zeno into a tailspin. We had a dreadful experience at Heathrow Airport in the summer and my two autie boys both had meltdowns (and I nearly had a nervous breakdown).
However the security at the BBC wasn't such an ordeal, just had to put all our bags and pocket contents into a basket and go through a metal detector. First stop was the Prank Patrol van and then the Tardis for photo ops. The Blue Peter garden was disappointing. Then to a studio where volunteers were requested for reading the (Newsround) news and doing some technical behind the scenes stuff. The other kids were very reticent and shy but of course Zeno jumped up and volunteered to read the news, which he did beautifully, carefully following instructions about reading from the autocue and not the paper in front of him, and to carry on with the voiceover while they showed some VT footage. I was so proud and immediately had visions of him reading the 10 o'clock news on the BBC. Harry was less keen to volunteer for anything but Gail persuaded him to do the weather later, pointing at a blank board behind him while the tv camera overlaid it with a weather board. Both boys really enjoyed it I think.
However the security at the BBC wasn't such an ordeal, just had to put all our bags and pocket contents into a basket and go through a metal detector. First stop was the Prank Patrol van and then the Tardis for photo ops. The Blue Peter garden was disappointing. Then to a studio where volunteers were requested for reading the (Newsround) news and doing some technical behind the scenes stuff. The other kids were very reticent and shy but of course Zeno jumped up and volunteered to read the news, which he did beautifully, carefully following instructions about reading from the autocue and not the paper in front of him, and to carry on with the voiceover while they showed some VT footage. I was so proud and immediately had visions of him reading the 10 o'clock news on the BBC. Harry was less keen to volunteer for anything but Gail persuaded him to do the weather later, pointing at a blank board behind him while the tv camera overlaid it with a weather board. Both boys really enjoyed it I think.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday Blues
I am a bit grumpy today. I am by nature a woman of few words. One of the hardest things about becoming a mother was the amount of talking I suddenly had to do - it's impossible to be quiet when you have the constant clamouring of kids wanting attention and asking you stuff. It was quite a shock to me that whereas previously I could get away with saying very little, once I had a child I always had to be chattering away answering questions and having conversations. It wears me out more than any other activity and leaves me drained and nervy.
Today it was the children's father making me talk, to absolutely no purpose. Having mentioned that there were no eggs at breakfast I provided other foodstuffs, and once they were all replete (motherhood has also made me a skilled or at least speedy short-order cook) Himself wandered into the kitchen where I was washing the dishes and opened the fridge, like he does about a million times a day hungry or not. "There's an egg here. One egg. In the fridge", he says. Well what do you say to that? While I was turning the possibilities over in my head ("really? an egg?". "oh is there?" "that's nice") it just suddenly struck me how sometimes conversations are really nothing more than the rattling of a coin in an otherwise empty tin. Pointless. We might as well have been a couple of monkeys chattering and gibbering at each other. It made me feel very cross. I waited but nothing more challenging was said, no further revelations or even a direct request that I could provide an answer for, which would have made it at least a legitimate exchange instead of just useless, pointless words. The next word from him was a rather huffy "well?" which burst from me a narky "well what? what do you want me to say?". And that's how marital arguments start. Mostly I manage to stifle the occasional irritation but this time I just felt so resentful of being made to speak empty words with no purpose. I want to be quiet again.
Maybe I was a bit irritable because of a previous conversation, again typical of our verbal exchanges. Putting the phone down on his family in Iraq, he tried to explain to me the intricacies of the interrelatedness of his brother and his brother's wife - his mother is related to the wife's father-in-law, first he said they were cousins, then he said:
"he is her brother's son"
"so he is her nephew"
"who?"
(silent scream - "THE HE IN YOUR PREVIOUS COMMENT OF COURSE!")
aloud: "the father in law. If he's her brother's son that makes him her nephew" (SO MANY WORDS!)
"yes. no. Her uncle's son is my brother's father-in-law"
"so who is the brother's son?"
"who? Not her brother's son. Her uncle's son. my mother is Kusay's father-in-law's cousin"
"ah, yes, I see" (*sob*).
That's quite complicated and easily confused of course. Very often though we can be talking about one person, just the one, and in response to a statement of mine "he's very nice though" himself will suddenly say "who?". It drives me bonkers to be honest. THE PERSON WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR TEN MINUTES. And while we're on the subject, can I mention that his habit of making me repeat everything I say at least twice is really annoying. It's not that he doesn't hear me, because if I keep my lips firmly shut and refuse to repeat my comment, he does respond eventually. I don't know if he's having trouble processing language, like our son, or if saying "huh?" is just an ingrained habit but I really, really - REALLY - wish he'd stop.
Sometimes I really don't think I was cut out for marriage. Polygamy seems like a good option. Make that polygyny (2 husbands???!!! shudder!!!).
Today it was the children's father making me talk, to absolutely no purpose. Having mentioned that there were no eggs at breakfast I provided other foodstuffs, and once they were all replete (motherhood has also made me a skilled or at least speedy short-order cook) Himself wandered into the kitchen where I was washing the dishes and opened the fridge, like he does about a million times a day hungry or not. "There's an egg here. One egg. In the fridge", he says. Well what do you say to that? While I was turning the possibilities over in my head ("really? an egg?". "oh is there?" "that's nice") it just suddenly struck me how sometimes conversations are really nothing more than the rattling of a coin in an otherwise empty tin. Pointless. We might as well have been a couple of monkeys chattering and gibbering at each other. It made me feel very cross. I waited but nothing more challenging was said, no further revelations or even a direct request that I could provide an answer for, which would have made it at least a legitimate exchange instead of just useless, pointless words. The next word from him was a rather huffy "well?" which burst from me a narky "well what? what do you want me to say?". And that's how marital arguments start. Mostly I manage to stifle the occasional irritation but this time I just felt so resentful of being made to speak empty words with no purpose. I want to be quiet again.
Maybe I was a bit irritable because of a previous conversation, again typical of our verbal exchanges. Putting the phone down on his family in Iraq, he tried to explain to me the intricacies of the interrelatedness of his brother and his brother's wife - his mother is related to the wife's father-in-law, first he said they were cousins, then he said:
"he is her brother's son"
"so he is her nephew"
"who?"
(silent scream - "THE HE IN YOUR PREVIOUS COMMENT OF COURSE!")
aloud: "the father in law. If he's her brother's son that makes him her nephew" (SO MANY WORDS!)
"yes. no. Her uncle's son is my brother's father-in-law"
"so who is the brother's son?"
"who? Not her brother's son. Her uncle's son. my mother is Kusay's father-in-law's cousin"
"ah, yes, I see" (*sob*).
That's quite complicated and easily confused of course. Very often though we can be talking about one person, just the one, and in response to a statement of mine "he's very nice though" himself will suddenly say "who?". It drives me bonkers to be honest. THE PERSON WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR TEN MINUTES. And while we're on the subject, can I mention that his habit of making me repeat everything I say at least twice is really annoying. It's not that he doesn't hear me, because if I keep my lips firmly shut and refuse to repeat my comment, he does respond eventually. I don't know if he's having trouble processing language, like our son, or if saying "huh?" is just an ingrained habit but I really, really - REALLY - wish he'd stop.
Sometimes I really don't think I was cut out for marriage. Polygamy seems like a good option. Make that polygyny (2 husbands???!!! shudder!!!).
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