1.  Son 1’s Party

2.  Son 2’s Party

3.  The Office Party

Hah.  Wear Your Own Clothes Day at School and we got Son 1 aged 5y 2m there in jeans and a rugby shirt. We have two previous convictions for Failing To Notice. Here’s one:    last day of term     Can’t find the other one, which completely negates the whole Capture Their Childhood part of doing the blog.  But never mind. It’s Son 2’s School Christmas Party, and the teachers were wearing fairy wings and tinsel halos. I dropped him off and then spent the day as I’ve spent the week, racing around Late For Everything. How do people do it? On Tuesday I met a brilliant woman, younger than me, just achieved a distinction in a professional qualification in a men’s field, single mother, working full time. And of course, Christmas shopping done “I do a lot online.” “I bet you make your own cakes for birthdays and school things too,” I said, again in that place where marvelling and envy mix. “Oh no.  I just make our Christmas cake and that’s it.”

Wonder Nanny took Son 2 aged 2y 3m to the Playgroup Christmas Party. There were apparently games, dancing, Christmas lunch and Santa.  His present was glitter. He is apparently noted at playgroup for having hugely enjoyed playing with glitter pens in craft sessions. I knew that. I have taken him to Church, where they do crafting for kids ahead of the service.  Son 1 and I just made it back home before Wonder Nanny left.  There was glitter all over the floor, in Son 2’s hair, on his face and on his clothes. Several very nice glitter pictures, ideal for home-made cards - were drying on the windowsill. Wonder Nanny had a piece of glitter in her nostril.  She laughed and wiped it away.

And The Office Christmas Party.  In the middle of nowhere - 47 miles on the clock to get there. I had to leave at 6pm, to Son 2 crying real tears and stretching out starfish hands: “I don’ wan’ Mummy go party. I don’ wan’ Mummy go work. I wan’ Mummy home wi’ me.”   Cheers for that Son 2. I’ll getcha later. “Mother always makes me feel so guilty at the end of my  monthly visit to Sleepy Corner Nursing Home. “  So I walked out and left him. It was a Good Do, everybody went, good food, good entertainment, and our table won the pub quiz, thanks to our detailed and contemporaneous  study of Eighties Music.