Christmas is coming...and mama's getting panicked!

Life has been fraught in the Pink House - sick children, non sleeping baby (see Adventures without Sleep, written about Number 1 child five years ago, and just slot in Number 3's name in its place!) And having got hyper excited about Christmas back in September, and decorated the house on 1st December, to occupy sick kiddies, we are now less than 2 weeks to Christmas, only 6 days till my mum arrives. I need to get motoring. I have lists to write, and lots of them - shopping lists, cooking lists, Christmas card lists, lists of lists.

Reading Delia's Smith's Christmas book in bed this morning, post-it note bookmarks to hand, she gently says "to avoid panicking, you should get planning and write lists in mid-October." OCTOBER! It's now mid December. I have no lists. I am panicking. So no more blogging for this mama, (boo hoo) instead I will be writing lists. And bleeping Christmas cards, addressing them (by memory as I've lost my address book, grrr!) Though I do have EVERYONE'S pressies bought. Hurray!

The house smelt of Christmas last night, as I simmered a cranberry mincemeat on the stove - wafts of orange, cinnamon, port and cranberries greeted my husband as he came in from the cold. Heaven! But this is only one cooking achievement from a very long (yet to be written) list of Christmas delights that I want to make. I don't feel like have a half-hearted Christmas, but fear that exhaustion will get the better of me.

But the kiddies won't let that happen, we made paper chains this morning, before the breakfast plates were even cleared. And now Number 1 is hassling me to make more of them, and star stained glass windows...

We have a festive women's group here tomorrow, where we'll be making embroidered felt decorations and drinking mulled apple juice. (Do visit the blog on Tuesday for pictures of it, and my posting on craft-tea Christmas parties, as part of the Natural Parenting Carnival, which this month is on traditions. )

But now back to lists: a chocolate yule log, jewelled panforte, ruby cranberry sauce, spiced nuts, ginger glazed ham, steaming mulled port, and cider with buttered apples, cranberry and white chocolate cookies, chocolate dipped orange peel, and another batch of choc cherry cupcakes... Christmas is coming and mama will be gettin fat!