To resolve or not to resolve...?

That's one of the questions I've been asking myself today. Should I resolve to do x, y and z and heap pressure on myself to achieve something, only to feel guilty in a fortnight when I've still achieved nothing? Or should I not bother, thereby putting no pressure on myself to achieve anything in particular, and gaining a huge amount of smugness when I actually do something I'm proud of?

Any help here would be much appreciated!! I'm thinking option B looks good for now, although I really must resolve not to eat so many crisps in one sitting again after suffering terrible heartburn all day today! Oh well, it could have been worse:)

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. We had a great time with family and catching up with friends who were home for the holidays. Santa was very good to everyone, although both Patrick and Conor were blighted with coughs and infections galore (nothing new there then!) Antibiotics all round, and an extra glass of wine for mum to help her cope, hurrah!!

Anyway, this is just another quick post with some pics. Glad to say I have actually done some of my lovely Christmas book - thanks mainly to Annie's promise of wine and chocolate ha ha. And a few faves from Christmas day - no tinkering with the photos, just to show you that I do take snapshots too!

Happy New Year:)

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A very quick post

Just wanted to post these few pictures before I go and make mulled wine for our open house this evening. Yesterday was Patrick's nativity in nursery - possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen! Patrick was a shepherd - tea towel and all!! Although from the look on his face throughout the entire performance it looks like it's going to take more than the Glory of the Lord to put a smile on his face! Not once did he smile - I think he was really concentrating on doing everything right.

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And one for Jo - my fab new Cath Kidston mobile!! How cool is this?

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Just a layout

I've been in a real scrap rut recently - probably brought on by lack of computer for photo editing/proofing and lack of internet access to my fave scrappers for inspiration. So this is just one layout that's been lying on my desk for weeks just waiting for the opportunity to be posted!

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I'm totally loving the time I have at home with the boys right now - it's such a contrast to the chaos and antagonism of school and it really makes me feel like this is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. Just being mum watching the two of them just being themselves. It's going to be gone before I know it, I'm sure. And this is why I scrap it:)

I need a push

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I made this fabulous little book precisely 15 days ago and this is as far as I've got! I was full of great intentions to be completing a page a day about the things that I love about this time of year and while I've taken a few pictures I've done nothing else :( Please give me some get up and go to get cracking on this. The funny thing is I really want to do it. I even have a pile of supplies on my desk ready and waiting to have their destiny fulfilled, but I just can't seem to get going. Help me out of this rut! If not for me, for the sake of the BasicGrey Christmas papers!!

Never work with children or animals...

or your photos may turn out like this!

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This is why I never attempt a proper photo shoot with my boys! All we wanted was one nice photo to include with our Christmas cards. Instead we got

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and this

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and my personal favourite in which you would think Auntie Lesley was holding a stick of dynamite in front of Conor and not a cute Rudolph toy!

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Out of about 30 shots the only 2 good ones are these ones..

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I'm thinking I might run with one of the funny ones - altogether more representative of life with the Boyds!

Why is it...

that whenever I become sick, so does at least one of the boys and Michael is on night shift? A question I had plenty of time to ponder in the small hours of Friday and Saturday night as I snuffled my way into Conor's room to change yet another nappy, vest, babygro, sheet and blankets (the joys of the tummy bug).

Obviously I am still waiting for my new modem, although I am assured it will be here before the weekend, hurrah! So once again I am at my sister's uploading photos from my last few sessions and generally getting my online fix. And as a special treat I can post a few photos for you:) These are from various sessions over the past few weeks. All a joy to photograph, and a couple of parents were indeed in shock that their little darling(s) didn't play up for the camera and seemed to have quite a lot of fun too! All good for me and my budding career (although now that we're all sale agreed and moving in Feb I doubt that I'll be giving up teaching any time soon!)

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It's getting beyond a joke!

I confess, I've deliberately been avoiding posting on my blog for the past couple of weeks because I knew all I would do would be moan about my lack of internet connection. But I've held off long enough and now I really want to moan about lack of said internet connection! Allegedly we'll be up and running in a week or so, but I don't believe anyone anymore! Until I see it with my own eyes the very idea is up there with the miracles!

Anyway, how has everyone been? Obviously I know Sheila is barely talking to me because of my poor show in the blogging world! She is probably about to strike me off her Christmas card list! And the lovely Ann(i)e has been sending me positive vibes to help with the stress - thank you :) The rest of you I have no idea about. Bizzarely, last night I met a friend of a friend who said she recognised me straight away from my blog! I nearly died laughing :D Could it be that there are people out there reading my ramblings and not stopping off at the comments section to say hi? If that's you, just click on the comments line at the bottom of this post and leave me a wee hello. Really, it will totally make my day! I'm that sad!

So anyway, we had fun in York with Rosie and Gareth. Love those two. It's just the nicest place to be - in a friend's house in a cool city, shopping, chilling out (as best you can with 2 tinies in tow!) an drinking fine wine. Such a great weekend. The boys were absolute angels to fly with. Patrick was so excited about the airport and the aeroplane. He wanted to hold my hand tightly when we were sitting on the runway, but when the plane speeded up for take off he said "I don't need you to hold my hand anymore." Now what's a mummy to do with a phrase like that? Cry? Wonder what purpose you have left in life? Or accept that at 3 1/2 your little man is already gaining independence and doesn't actually need you for everything anymore? Obviously until he wants another Percy Pig, which you have stashed in your bag, at which point you become the most needed commodity in his little life again!

We went to the National Railway Museum while we were in York - another totally exciting day. And again I was amazed by how brilliant something like trains, which ordinarily bore me to tears, can be when accompanied by the tiny one. Very cool indeed.

I really don't want to bore you to tears with the whole trip. Suffice to say we had fun and Fat Face cleaned my current account out! But I decided it was worth it for some quality items that make me feel good and which are even in my pre-pregnancy size! (Fat Face obviously do not use the same size guides as Top Shop!) So hurrah for all that.

Amongst other news, we have our house up for sale (don't even ask), I'm very busy with photographs, I have lost my gorgeous Pilgrim earrings and necklace, and I think my marbles in general are on their way to being lost! It's all slightly crazy, but seriously, it's all good :)

Grrrrr!!

Still not connected:( Still sneaking on during school - I'm sure no one really notices. It just looks like I'm working very hard on the computer he he!! So missing my daily reading of blogs and I'm beginning to feel like the world of scrapping will have totally changed in my absence!

We're off to visit friends in York tomorrow and they have wireless broadband. This trip will be heaven in so many different ways! Watch out Fat Face - there's birthday money to be spent!! Hope to log in a bit while we're there, and please send lots of positive thoughts to my computer for a speedy recovery :)