Things I Know

 Linking up with Ann from Help!! I'm Stuck!! for Things I Know this week.

This week I know (as I do every week) that I'm so proud and so blessed to have my beautiful daughter Miss Mac.

The last few weeks have been a tough round of mock exams in preparation for her GCSE's next year.

She's taken English early and hopefully in January we will find that she has achieved the predicted A* meaning that she can focus on other subjects knowing that this one is in the bag.

I know that I'm still terrible at French and that no matter how much I try to help her commit to memory the 5 paragraphs she needs to learn by Tuesday for her speaking exam, I'm actually probably more of a hindrance but it's still important to her to know that I will do my best to help her so she humours me as I stumble through it with my atrocious accent and mispronounce words.

I know that I was incredibly proud to count 11 A's and 12 B's on her recent report and to have her form tutor tell me how pleased she was with both her progress and her attitude.

I know that every time I visit Miss Mac school I'm struck by the relaxed and happy atmosphere.  The way the students and teacher interact.  The very clear affection and concern the teacher have for the students which isn't entirely driven by the need to succeed in league tables but is also a genuine desire to see the students succeed for themselves.

This week I also know that my lap is just the right size for one cat and two kittens.  We have brought the kittens with two Mums home from the farm to get them used to people before finding them permanent homes and, after several days they have finally decided that I am to be trusted and lie curled up on my lap along with Squishy (the cat who has no name because we are NOT keeping her - and yet, 6 months later she is still here ...).

I know that I've taken my oven for granted until I tried to turn it on a couple of days ago and ....  NOTHING - I'm hoping it's something simple like a fuse and have someone looking at it this weekend but if it's terminal then what a crap time for it to give up on me just before Christmas!

I know that 4 cats and Christmas decorations are not an ideal mix and I also know that the actual pleasure of decorating for Christmas is about 20% of the anticipated pleasure.  Miss Mac and I fell out within 5 minutes of untangling yards of tinsel, lights and beads and almost packed the whole lot up again.  fortunately we got over it and my dream of a tastefully decorated, colour coordinating, gently lit front room have once more descended into a chaotic, gaudy jumble of every decoration we have ever owned pinned around every picture frame, light fitting and doorway but Miss Mac loves it and after a day or two, so do I.

I know that today's chocolate in my Marvel Comics advent calendar looked like an elf on a pogo stick (a very small elf on a very small pogo stick) and if it wasn't such a cool calendar I might be a little disappointed in the size of the chocolate.

I know that I read a  blog post that I found so opinionated it made my teeth itch (none of my regular reads, just one I'd chanced upon).  I know that I formed replies over and over in my head but didn't actually comment and I'm not sure if it's because I didn't want to be shot down in flames by the post writer (and I did see them do it to someone who didn't agree with them) or because I just don't have to courage of my own convictions ...  I'd like to say it's more my live and let live attitude and the fact that I don't feel the need for everyone else to share my opinion but I'm a little worried that it might be because I just found it easier to walk by on the other side.

I know that it's COLD!!  Ok, it's December and it's supposed to be cold here in England and it's not even as cold as you might expect it to be but I don't deal with the cold very well.  I also don't care that SD laughs at me for taking my hot water bottle with me when I walk the dog.  I don't care if people think I'm either pregnant or have put on weight when I stuff that hot water bottle under my jumper - I just DON'T CARE!!

I probably know loads of other stuff too this week but I think that covers the important things ...