I know these are little late, and should have been posted about a week ago, but I was determined to take a proper break over Christmas. That meant keeping computer use to a minimum. We had a great Christmas with all the Toman family, and then a trip down to Cork to see all the O’Haras. The rest of my days were spent pretty much watching movies, warming myself at the fire, and making sure  all the quality street, after eights, and mince pies were finished by New Years. The Christmas pudding is still in the cupboard though. It will probably be there till next year. Does anyone eat Christmas pudding? Anyway here is a little round-up of some family shots from Christmas 2009.

Seanan has an unusual tactic for opening crackers. The over-the-shoulder wrestle.

Dessie finally got to relive his childhood with skalextric. Seanan feigned interest for Dad’s sake for a little while, then, when he felt enough interest had been shown, he quickly shuffled off back to his playstation.

Of course, on Christmas morning the place was covered in this green ecto-plasma. The best toys are usually the messiest:)


This is a new development for Niamh, a big fake smile…

Some things are definitely, genetically passed down through the generations, like the eating of tunnocks. Bite off the chocolate shell, proceed to lick out all the cream, finally forcing all the remaining biscuit base into mouth. No one teaches you this stuff…

Dessie single-handedly transformed Christmas dinner with his new experiments in carrots and parsnips. He’s keeping his special ingredients a secret but I reckon he just followed Jamie Oliver instructions. It was so sweet and lovely it totally transformed turkey dinner! Lets face it, any bird that you have to put loads of jam (sorry cranberry sauce) on to make edible has got to be pretty boring.

And the rest of the family on Christmas Day. It was so great to have everyone around for Christmas. I also loved that we had such a white, frosty Christmas this year but, to be honest, I’d be happy enough for it to go away now!

Just for record, and maybe so that somebody can remind me of them, here are some of my resolutions. Most of them are my crucial steps to losing weight. Trying to be positive about it all, but resolution 12 is probably the most realistic. Four days in and its all going downhill:(

The 12 step plan

1. Yes, finishing the kid’s dinners off does count as extra calories – this needs to stop
2. Also, you do not need to finish off the Jaffa cakes just because there are only two left in the packet
3. Give yourself a break. Your probably not as hideous as you think you are but  you should make a point of always brushing your teeth and hair before sitting down to work. You’ll feel better!
4. Picking up washing and toys does not count as your 20 mins exercise a day. You’ve got to feel the burn!
5. Create more ‘me time’ somewhere in the week. Read at least one book a month.
6. When the kids start to scream, they are just having sugar withdrawals, be strong, don’t give in to their demands.
7. Actually cook something that involves the use of an oven (excluding pizza).
8. Resist the urge to check facebook, twitter, flickr, blog posts every five minutes. Remember the ‘me-time’ and the books.
9. When husband or children are speaking put down the iPhone and really concentrate on giving the correct response. Mumbling an agreement can create all sorts of trouble for the future.
10. Stop worrying so much about every tiny thing. It might never happen.
11. Learn to say NO if it doesn’t suit.
12. Must find a way  to meet Michael Fassbender and then convince him that he needs me to take his pictures from now on, all his pictures.

The end.