Guilty Pleasures....

This is my secret guilty pleasure. This is the Gilmore Girls.

I have a canadian friend name Natasha, I call her Nit... hah, she in turn, calls me Jin (there's more of us you know... "Doona" and "Hamy", more commonly known as Donna and Amy - you had to be there really lol), its a long story but to cut it short she was obsessed with Gilmore Girls and she was always disappearing to go watch it when we were all chatting in our lil chat room and then she's come back and rave about how funny it was. She was gutted when the network cancelled the show and since then she watched re-runs. It's a real US feel good programme, a young single Mum and her teenage daughter living in a little town in Connecticut - that's it, its pleasant easy watching and its very funny too.

One morning last summer I came downstairs and Rich was watching tv, he was moaning how there was nothing on and we ended up switching channels mid programme to E4 and an American show... I'm giggling at it and settle in for the duration and the adverts come up and of course I then realise (as the title of the show is splashed across the screen) what it is I'm watching, so I keep watching... and I've watched every episode ever since.

I LOVE IT!

This is why...



It's so funny!!! and the final series is showing on E4 at the moment and its almost over!!! Every time something bad happens I head over to Nat's facebook page and bitch at her!

Its such a nice show that the kids love it too, I pick up the girls from morning nursery and get them their lunch and we all sit together to watch. They even sing all the words in the theme tune and they know all the characters too!! In fact as I was looking on youtube for clips they were leaning over my shoulder singing!!

Of course its about to finish soon... we must have 6 or 7 episodes left and so I begin to panic about what I'm going to watch instead because I can't cope with The OC or any of that rubbish... I NEEEEEEEEEEEED Gilmore Girls.

So I hit Amazon and I bought the first 3 series for a bargain knock down price of £26.

WINNER!!!!!!!!

I'm such a sad git aren't I?

Nit's gonna pee her pants.... LOL

So where are the bargains?

See this? This is my "I'm soooooooooo not impressed" face.

Who caused this face this week?

Argos.

Argos (for those who don't know) is a big store over here that sells everything... Fairly cheaply (although if you want my opinion it's been steadily rising in price over the last few years). At Argos, everything they sell is in a big catalogue book that you take home and peruse and then you either order online or you can go buy at the store - up to you and Argos are brilliant for sales.

They change their book twice a year and they're often selling things off cheaply.. which is great!! Soooooooooooo at Xmas/January sale time, Argos is one of the places I would look at AFTER I've raided Next of course (a few times...lol).

I get excited because they're advertising half price items and with the credit crunch etc, half price anything is good!!

So I start shopping and what do I discover???

Its shite.

Half price sale? Everything I've looked at is only offering a pound off. A pound? wtf?

It is not surprising me that some of these places are closing at the moment, the British retail business is shocking. Over the last few years they've hiked up their prices as the banks began lending more money.. they made MILLIONS out of the British shopping public - especially stores like Argos and Woolworths that are selling toys and aimed-at-children products and household goods that gets us happy little homemakers every time and they've fleeced us over the price of Music cd's and dvd's and video games and even the supermarkets got in on it with necessities like FOOD for God's sake and then they insult us further by MOANING that "because of the credit crunch, people have stopped spending and British High street institutions like Woolworths are going into administration and will be lost forever." boo hoo. The only bad thing about it is the poor shop assistants that will be out of work now.

Well I'm at a loss as to how this is my fault...

You've taken my money for far too long, you've bled me dry on more than one occasion, The company fat-cats are rolling in money with their huge salaries and bonuses and all the time the banks are fannying about with loans and mortgages, they charge extortionate fees for simple services that in actual fact cost them pence and then they moan when people start asking for their money back. Shops that have had huge mark ups on products for years are going out of business because they've finally bled us all dry so the banks go under and shops go bust and still taxpayers have to pay to save them... its all wrong.

I know how much money these people put on to the things that they're selling you... I know how much it costs to cancel a cheque (I worked in a bank ffs!) and I know how much money a head chef puts on a plate of steak and chips too... lol.

Anyway..finally I sit here at my little computer perusing the sale at Argos and I think ...why?

Their half price items are the bottom of the pile crap that no one wanted anyway and all the best stuff has a pound off here and there well they can shove it... and as far up as it'll go too.

I'm not doing anymore shopping today.

Well not until the kids have gone to bed anyway...lol

hmmm.... maybe I'll just have a look at next again...heh.

So this is Christmas...

It passed in a blur of activity... shopping, wrapping, writing cards, posting presents, planning, cleaning, preparing and worrying and that was before the big day!!

Christmas Eve was the usual hive of activity, the kids and I made their gifts for Grandma and followed Santa on the Norad website and as last year, they got quickly bored and then the wall bouncing began. By lunchtime I was ready for bed but they were still going...

I managed to get through the day thanks to the BBC and Tim Allen and his impression of Santa and a spot of High School Musical ensured enough quiet for my headache to disappear if only for and hour or so.

Before we knew it it was time for a bath and then jammies on and the Xmas Eve bedtime routine began. Rudolph got his carrot and this year Santa opted for a nice cup of coffee (to keep him awake all night of course and v NOT drunk) and a mince pie (yum!) and he was very happy with both I can reliably confirm ;).

ok... check THIS out.

They slept solidly ALL NIGHT from the second their heads hit the pillow. In the morning Richard had to go wake them up!!!! They were flat out, I was not surprised because I had been witness to the day before's events and they had had a busy week, there's been the panto on Tuesday (its behind yoooooooooooooooo!!) which was absolutely hilarious thanks to Billy "Chase me!" Pearce and Angelina and her set of 3d glasses..I swear I thought my daughter would fall out of the dress circle if she leaned any further forward to try and grab that 3d carrot for the weird 3d bunny (I know... you're thinkin "Wtf?" this was Cinderella afterall..carrots?) and bless little Heather and her "OMG SHE'S A PRINCESS MUMMY!!!!!!!!!!! WITH A REAL HORSEEEEEE!!!" moment and the boys that desperately wanted the light up swords and tiaras so they could play star wars during the girlie bits (don't ask. lol).

So its no wonder that they were exhausted. Anyway, here's some of the highlights before I go into my next post about how shite this years January Sales have been... I have lots of catch up posting to do... blame the Wii. It's Xmas after all... 'tis the season for stupid video games!!! LOL



Check out Heather opening presents in her dressing gown and a tiara!! She thinks she's a princess!!!



Angelina was happy having finally bagged Simon Cowell for Xmas "SIIIIIIIIIIMON COOOOOOWELLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanted him LAST YEAR y'know Mummy!!"



My boy and his Dalek leader.



My princesses that also double up as ballerinas...look!!!



BLESS! Can they get any cuter??



Mummy's little helper!! (More commonly known as "Grandad John"), yes Mummy's best Xmas present was the fact that someone else was here to do the cooking... now if it was a naked David Tennant dressed as Santa in the kitchen I would have been in heaven...but alas, we cannot have everything can we?



Here's Jake on the Wii... surrounded by the path of destruction that my children regularly leave in their wake!!



and Rich got a Stephanie wig!!! what....? even rock n roll star's love Lazytown y'know!!!


and finally I have to share this with you.



I don't know what my Mum said to them, but look at their faces!!! hehehehe I can't stop giggling!!!

Make me an offer...

I've been thinking about the bonuses of a V+ box for the last few weeks now and I had decided that I didn't think it was worth it. That is until my Step-Mother-in-Law tried to recruit me from my cable tv provider over to her satellite people Sky.

We had Sky before when we lived in Halifax, to be honest I prefer Virgin Media, its cheaper and better quality AND its one bill instead of one to Sky and then one to British Telecom for line rental which is part of the big scam with Sky's package deals in my mind... they don't tell you in the advertisement that the only reason it comes over as being so cheap is that they don't include telephone line rental in their package because its provided by a different company!!

Anyway, I digress.... I had decided that a V+ box (which is the Virgin equivalent of Sky+, which for my USA friends is a recordable Satellite viewing box..lol) was a bit of an extravagance as Virgin (and Sky) charge an extortionate fee for installation, I think its £150 for someone to come in and change a box over, which is...lets face it... ridiculous. So I said no and my hubby's pleas fell on my pretty lil deaf ears as I have said until Liz told me that Sky were offering + boxes for free if you brought a customer with you.

As I said, I prefer Virgin and so turned down her offer but then I got to thinking... if I tell Virgin that I am leaving them to join SKY and their fab new deal of a free + box, what will they do?

Normally I would not be so bold but then I remember my younger brother Phil who always gets freebies just by being a smart arsed cheeky little git...hmmmm... (you can hear the cogs whirring can't you???) I'm a smart arse, think I.... yup...I'm a cheeky lil bugger too.... can I pull it off?? Have I got that much nerve?? Are my lady 'balls' big enough??

heh.... duh. ya.

and so I phoned them and lucky lucky me...its a man...and he has a lil cold. Bless!! He's mine, he has absolutely ZERO chance.

I quickly acknowledge that he sounds terrible and really should be home in bed being looked after with a "Oooh!! you sound terrible love, you poor thing, you should have stayed home in bed." he laughs and virtually flings his masculinity at me with a swift "Pfft, it's just a bit of man-flu (yes he actually called it man-flu...I'm THAT good!!), I'll be fine by tomorrow, now... what can I help you with?"

I pull the "I'm not really sure what to do..." out of the bag with a "Well.... I'm very sorry to say I have to leave you..." and I explain that Sky (their biggest rival) has poached my custom due to their fantastic offer.

My lovely friend pulls out his first offer "You do know we have an offer of our own at the moment for valued customers such as yourself?" Oooooh..... nicely done Steve...I have to admit it...that was smoooooooooooooth.
He tells me that its half price installation @£75 for existing VALUED (he said it again!) customers (or anyone who cares to ring up and try their luck..) and would I like to take advantage???

Oh I'll take advantage mate...

Its still a bit expensive for the lil woman with the 3 kids...at Christmas time (I did!!) especially when Sky are giving away boxes for free. He informs me that it's not really free and there are catches to the deal (of course there are.) like installation fees etc.

I "Hmmmmm" and "oh yes I see..." and giggle at him in all the right places whilst he tries his best to persuade me to part with £75 and then he just stops and says "You don't really want to pay £75 do you?" so I figure we're both at the point where he know's that I'm not as dumb as I'm sounding and I know that he can offer it cheaper and I say "Nope." and laugh. He says "Ok then, how about £30?"

"Sold" say I... "When can you come and connect it?"

£120 off... not bad for 10 minutes work.

'Tis the season for sulking Angel's!!

Faa laa laa laa laaaaaaaaaaaaa laa laa laa laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Xmas is upon us and this can only mean one thing... School Nativity play's!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE them. Kids crying... pushy parents fighting over who's child gets the lead part ahhhhh the joys!!!

Personally I don't give a crap... when Angelina came home with a face like thunder a couple of weeks ago because she was a sheep I just laughed. It was funny though!!!

"I'm a sheep Mummy." she said completely straight faced. Jake snorted.

"Ok babe, well sheep are cute!! That's good!! isn't it?? I love sheep, I'm sure you'll be fabulous."

Her face never moved, I just got that evil "Damian Thorn" kinda glare she gives off when she's pissed. So being frightened that her head would start spinning and the Linda Blair pea soup was heading my way I did what any normal parent would do... I kept babbling.

"I bet you're the best sheep there is darling, do you have any lines? what do you say?? hmm?? what do sheep say?"

"Moo." says Angelina. I thought Jake was gonna pee his pants.

So I patted her on the head and said in my knowing Mummy voice "Don't worry sweetheart, I don't think you'll be a sheep for long."

Later that same night she decided she was going to be Mary. The fact that Kaycie is playing Mary is obviously not a problem because "I AM MARY!!!!!!!" is obviously going to make sure that she gains the part she requires, regardless of what I, or Kaycie or even (Mrs) 'Robinson' says... Later I talk Angelina out of being Mary by reminding her of Lola and her school play and how she wanted to be the sun but couldn't be because Lotta was the sun and Lola had to be a leaf, but she was the BEST leaf there... she sat nodding and then announced.

"You are right Mummy. I don't want to be Mary anymore." I breathed a sigh of relief...slightly too soon though....

"I'll be Lola instead."


OH F*CK!!!!!

"Angelina I don't remember Lola being in the Nativity... I'm pretty sure she's never been to Bethlehem....."

but she wasn't listening.... I had a lot of explaining to do at school the next day anyway...

I knew she wasn't happy with what she got and so I wasn't surprised when she told me last night that she wasn't in the play anymore...so I asked her why not...

"BECAUSE..." she said with her hands on her hips "ROBINSON says I have to be Santa."

So I'm enthusiastic and trying to tell her that Santa is very important etc but she's having none of it.

"Santa is a boy. He has a beard. I am an Angelina, they are girls."

I quickly hit on the fact that they want her to be Mrs Claus and try to explain but no, Heather, Megan and Chloe (the best friends) are Angel's and that's what Angelina wants to be "Because I am an Angel, Cos its says so in mine name and on my t-shirt dunt it Mummy?"

*le sigh*

We go to school this morning and Mrs Robinson stops me in the cloakroom to ask if Angie mentioned it. Apparently she point blank refused to take part in the rehearsals yesterday and at one point even tried her luck by calling the teachers bluff and suggested she would have to just sit with Mum and watch instead... Angelina it seems was holding all the right cards and Mrs Robinson wondered if I might have managed to persuade her? I know my Daughter very well and so admit defeat immediately...

"You've no chance."

looking a little shocked, Mrs Robinson gives it a quick mental assessment and caves like a true professional that knows when she's beaten!!!

"Ok, so we have 4 Angel's and no Mrs Claus, nevermind...Santa wasn't married anyway!!!" and she puts her head around the nursery door and says "Angelina...would you be in the play if I make you an Angel?"

My beautiful (and very determined, annoyingly headstrong and slightly demon-like) daughter flashes her winning smile and nods her head in a 'butter wouldn't melt' kind of way.

Then she turns to her sister and says.....

"See."

I love that little bitch. LOL

Xmas is coming!!!!!

and Chez Savage is a mess....

nowt new there then!! LOL

It's time to begin the Xmas clearout I think.

Last year I was organised, old toys sorted and thrown out (or sent to charity shop) ready for the new ones, clothes too... all the little bits of clutter that accumluates throughout the year...all GONE. In fact I actually hired a skip and threw out a load of garden rubbish and crap that needed getting rid off too all in time for Xmas... then of course because I was doing that, which obviously took up a lot of time, I was panic buying Xmas presents 3 days before the event.

This year I've done the same only the opposite way around... presents are all bought, christmas tree is going up tomorrow night before bed, cards are all written and ready to go out this week and the lists are all made...letters sent to Santa (and replies organised of course!!) and all is well.... Anthea Turner and her perfect Xmas would be proud of me... of course the Perfect Housewife side has gone to shit over the last few weeks.

Now, being a woman I can multi-task as good as anyone but even I get bogged down eventually. I'm running a house with 3 small (and one fully grown) children and a mental cat, organising school runs and homework and birthday parties and football and shopping and Xmas parties and xmas fayres and Xmas plays and football xmas parties and then there is the making of xmas decorations on Sunday's at Tracey's and squeezing in visits with Nana on Saturday's, laundry (and extra Chef type laundry) and picking up the toys all over the rug in the front room 14 times a day, this week we've had snow... and children off sick with colds and shaving the hubby a mohawk and making the advent calendars and cooking and keeping in touch with friends and on top of all that I'm learning to drive too and that's not everything either!!!!

The Xmas declutter has been lost somewhere... this week is going to be busy. I do NOT do anything in the week of Xmas. My last driving lesson is on the 22nd and then thats it. Pantomime on the 23rd, Christmas Eve is strictly reserved for the children as is Xmas Day and then Boxing day with them and Rich.

So Monday morning the kids are going to school and then I'm on it. I hate clutter...which is typical because I have masses of it! But come the end of the week every room in this house will have been Anthea Turnered!! The Children's society (charity) love me, this year they're getting a MacClaren double buggy (last year it was that enormous three wheeled twin pram and some high chairs and baby gates n god knows what else) and a shit load of other baby stuff and the BHF (British Heart Foundation, my favourite charity) are getting everything else!!

Out with the old and all that... clearing my Dad's house has just brought home how pointless it is to keep everything... I'm surprised my house isn't bursting at the seams!!!

Can't wait to get started!.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snooooooooooow!!!

Well we woke up this morning to more snow. We'd had some earlier in the week which ensured my driving lesson was cancelled and that Heather immediately came down with the sniffles as she always does at the first sign of the cold weather season beginning!!

But this morning brought REAL snow... yes real, snowman making kind of snow... and as the school was shut the kids were onto a winner. So armed with wellies and gloves and scarves and hats and ear muffs for Heather (cold in her ears... think I'm over protective much??) we headed outside for some fun.





They all started to build a snowman but then they got a bit bored and started creating havoc instead so we ended up with poor Heather and her snow 'boy' - he was a bit short to be a full grown man...Jake found it incredibly funny that we made a dwarf in the corner...he's too much like his Dad that one.





He also thought it would be funny to spin the washing line around so that all the snow fell off onto Angelina's head and made her a snow 'girlfriend' for our midget. Angelina, as you can probably tell, was less than impressed.





and so ensued all out "snow wars" between Princess Lina and Darth Jake




whilst Heather continued to happily chat (and have her photo taken) with her snow 'boy' whom she named "Dora" (funny name for a boy if you ask me!!).



Next someone threw a snowball at Mummy who quickly decided that must be enough and made everyone come inside to get changed and sit in the warmth.



It was fun though... hope it snows again tonight, football practice might be cancelled tomorrow!!! LOL