Keresimesi Odun de O

This has to be my most unfestive Christmas ever. Since we rejigged the sitting room, I decided we had no space for the usual large tree so bought a small tree from John Lewis online. This took a whole week to deliver and when it arrived, was described by my sister and my friend as a shrub! So the big tree came out but mysteriously all the decorations have vanished from the loft. Put some baubles and lights on, but the tree looks as festive as I feel. Lopes has loads of presents under the tree so I am glad I got the big tree out. Would have looked a bit strange with the shrub!

Altering naapali's words, She left me.... my Christmas spirit.

What I need is a recording of the old Christmas songs Nija style like:

Keresimesi Odun de O
Keresimesi Odun de O
Odun Olowo, Odun Olomo
Keresimesi Odun de O

Googled the song title and found this choral rendition
http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/1653810-Music-Classical


Skipping my usual introspection this time for loads of reasons including

• It's depressing. It is a conscious introspection but it depresses me so I am not going to do it. No point is sitting and wondering what I have or have not achieved in the last year so I refuse :)

• Have had a busy week with my nieces visiting. 3 girls including Lopes leave little time for quiet thought. They have had so much fun and I am quite pleased as I know they are building good memories.
  

So I am sitting here listening to Micheal Buble and Boyz to Men in a quiet house as Lopes, BabaLopes and GrandmaLopes have gone shopping for a present for Lopes. Off to mix some Chapman and season the bird.

So here is to 2008, the best year yet.

Funny old week

So the party came and went, but did Lopes stop talking about her party? Oh, no. Now she things she is having another party next week Saturday!!

Now as you would have gathered from my posts, I can't teach for toffee and Lopes has some assessments in January. As nursery is now closed for good, I dug out some workbooks, I had bought with good intentions, and proceeded to teach Lopes how to put numbers in order of size. She can count to 30 so I thought, "Piece of Cake". Well, we mastered the concept of more and less and then got down to the size of the numbers. Started off with 0 and 1. My Lopes told me 0 was a bigger number, explained the concept of nought, zippo, zilch till I was blue in the face but she still said 0 was a bigger number. After about 10 frustrating minutes, I asked her to explain why. (Note to self, children are smarter than their mums from day 1). She then proceeded to tell me that 0 was a nice round fat number and 1 was kind of skinny. Fell about laughing and class was dismissed. I guess I learnt more that day. Not enough to hear, one has to listen.

No Friday cooking today, waistline is complaining a bit concerning all the party food and drink we have been eating during the week. So decided to chill and also can't seem to shake this silly bug. Lopes and I had out customary soak in the bath and then she asked if she could go to one of her friend's house for a playdate. I said I would ring her mum to confirm. The next words, broke my heart. "XX does not have a mummy, she has an au-pair". You see, I know the said friend has a mummy, and I have met her twice. All the other times, I have met the au-pair, so I guess it's a fair point. I can now shake off my "Woe is me, what have I done with my life and all my palis, etc etc., because I know my daughter will never say, I don't have a mummy, I have an au-pair.

PS. Our read in the bath was the latest issue of the O (Oprah) magazine which arrived today via the postman. For those who sill buy them at newsagents, subscribe from the Oprah site. It costs $40 a year and this includes overseas shipping. A grand total of £20 for 12 issues and you don't have to go out in the cold and forget to buy it. Cost about £4 an issue at the newsagents who stock them. (Have take off the link :) No affliation to Oprah) One of my resolutions next year will be to buy as much as I can online. I simply cannot abide going to the shops.

Off to nurse a slightly alcoholic drink. Mainly for medicinal purposes :)

4 years ago

4 years ago at 7.11am on the 2nd of December, Lopes was born. And here we are, stretched knee ligament, hole in the heart all gone. See here for the summary

Lopes has been planning her party since the beginning of the year and at one point, I had to ban her from talking about it as she talked about it every day. And that was not once a day either.

She wanted a doctor cake as she had decided she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. I have tried to talk her out of it, but no joy. Anyway, the love for Dora has polluted that a bit as she wanted a Dora cake but it had to be a Dr. Dora cake with a stethoscope". Passed all the info to our resident blog ville Mama Oni cake and she did us very proud.

It was confirmed that her nursery would close for good on Friday so this was our birthday and nursery Christmas party as all her nursery friends came. A good day was had by all, Lopes got oodles of presents from all her resident aunties and friends and we came home to a small open house, with rice and stew very plenty, for those who could not make it. I love my caterer, if anybody in North London wants an excellent caterer, let me know. (She puts panla(stockfish), in her efo soup, Need I say more)

I did not actually shop for a present for Lopes this year, as she has loads of things and gets something at least every 2 - 3 weeks. Her dad went out shopping for presents the night before! My present for Lopes is a promise to appreciate the small things, listen and not just hear her and an even greater promise to count to 10 before I react.

Very tired at the moment. Feel I am coming down with something, No I am not pregnant. as some have been implying, just a bit run down. Off to bed now and so glad that due to the nursery closure, I get to have a lie in. Who said God has not ordered my life :)

Next week, we will be vegetating, working from home and trying to find a new nursery. We will probably not try very hard but we will try sha. I will also get my hair done, do lunch with the ladies and relish spending time with Lopes. I am sure I was made to be a kept woman :)

I really hope work don't call me early tomorrow morning as I am sure I won't have head for figures tomorrow. Have a great week and may this last month of the year be the best yet and may all you have been waiting for and hoped for this year, come to pass. Though it tarry, it will come.