Here’s a photo from Christmas Day last year, which makes me laugh out loud. It’s my Mum and Dad. Dad is singing karaoke “Come On Baby Light My Fire” on the X Factor game for the Wii. Look at my Mum’s reaction to his performance! LOL

Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a great Christmas!?  I had a lovely time with the family!  However, all good things come to an end, and I was back to work today.

I took a complete break from my websites over the holidays, but I’m now ready to get back into the swing of things!!

What better way to kickstart the New Year, than one of my favourite blog memes – Working Mommy Wednesday

#1. A Christmas memory… from this year or year’s past

My answer to Q2 on this post is all about very happy Christmas memories: 5QF – Christmas Presents Past and Future

Here’s some photos of our recent Christmas celebrations:

#2. Biggest challenge for the new year

• Work – Managing changes and challenges presented due to budget pressures in the public sector.
• Study - I have two modules to study this simester, which will finally conclude my degree course.  I will be attending university every Monday and Tuesday evening for twelve weeks (on top of working full-time!) – I know it’ll be tough going, but it’ll be so worth it when I graduate this summer!
• Blog – I really want and need to re-vamp this blog!  I have so many ideas but too little time to make them come to fruition.
• Writing- Once I complete my degree I want to concentrate on my writing.  I have several ideas for novels, which I’d like to develop.

You can join in the WMW fun over at Work, Wife, Mom, Life!

1. Do you regift…and if so, do you have a regifting horror story?

No, I don’t re-gift, but I have given away unwanted gifts to charity.  I don’t often get horrible gifts, and I tend to appreciate everything I receive.

I do recycle my gift bags though!!  I always keep the gift bags and re-use, and have probably given a bag back to the person who bought it!!? 

2. Do you know what you are getting for Christmas this year?

Hubby bought me a dress and a pair of boots, which I picked.  He’s also asked what perfume I’d like, and what CDs, so I expect to see those things on Christmas morning.

My lovely parents have bought my sister and I tickets to see Take That in Concert next June, so that’s one present I’m going to have to wait a while for!…  (It’ll be so worth it though!)

3. Who brings the most gifts in your family, you or Santa?

Santa brings the bulk of the presents for the girls, with a little extra something from Mummy & Daddy.  We tend to buy the girls some clothes and accessories in the run up to Christmas and we tell them that that is part of their Christmas from us.

4. What store do you love to buy jeans from?

I don’t have a preference to be honest!

5. Christmas meal: Big, All Out Meal or Snacks and Apps?

We have a big three course Christmas dinner at 5pm at my parents house with tea, coffee and snacks later on in the evening.

Wishing for more time before Christmas!…. :S

1. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

It’s gotta be Christmas morning, cos Santa delivers them during the night on Christmas Eve, right?!? 

If truth be told, I’m still wrapping presents late into the evening on Christmas Eve!!  This year will be no different, as I haven’t even bought one single gift yet!!!  Hubby and I are going out late-night Christmas Shopping tonight, while the girls have a sleepover at Granny’s!…. :) Wish me luck!!… I’m gonna need it!!…

2. What is your favorite Christmas cookie (or candy)?

I LOVE gingerbread!!  However, my favourite festive treat has to be hot mince pies!  Yum!!

3. What’s the worst Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

I can’t recall anything particularly horrible!  Years ago, when I still lived at home with my parents, we only had a shower room, not a bath.  Therefore, if anyone gave me bubble bath, bath salts, etc, it wasn’t particularly appreciated!  LOL  However, it would be much appreciated now!! :)

4. Christmas song that you love?

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” always makes me feel quite emotional.  I also love “White Christmas”.

5. How many trees do you put up?

Just the one in our livingroom.

Most definitely Christmas!!  No contest really!!  My answer to No.2 explains why!! 

You can link up to the 5QF meme over at Mama M’s blog – My Little Life.

Don’t forget to join the New Friend Friday Blog Hop too!!

Guest Post by Jen Malik

It’s fun (well, for most of us…I think!) to have the entire family together for a Christmas dinner. You share good food and good times on that special day of the year. But, what happens to the food once the meal is over? Well, I’ve got 8 ideas for you and hope they’ll come in handy.

- Make soup. Soup is a very comforting and warming dish when the temperature begins to dip. Using chicken or beef broth, you can use your leftovers to make some chicken noodle soup, turkey noodle soup or even beef stew.

- Freeze them. Freezing means that you can enjoy your Christmas fare at anytime. If you use plastic storage bags, make sure that they are freezer bags and write the date of freezing on the outside. When you divide food into portion sizes then you can thaw out only what you need and not the entire lot.

- Send guests home with food. Why keep all the bounty to yourself? Load up on reusable food containers (in festive colors) so that each guest can take home some food for later.

- Make a salad. Green salads can be so boring sometimes. Add a slice or two of turkey, beef, chicken or ham to spice it up. Leftover meats make great salad toppers.

- Breakfast additions. Omelets are fun to make. Even more fun than making them is adding different items to them to see what kind of combinations you can come up with. Use leftover Christmas dinner fare to decorate your omelet. Ham can be diced to use as an omelet add-in. Leftover vegetables can also be cut up to sprinkle inside an omelet.

- Go eastern. Did you have steak for Christmas dinner? Cut the leftovers into thin strips. With a few stir-fry vegetables you have created a new dinner meal. If stir fry is not your cup of tea, you can make lo mien, fried rice and other Asian dishes that include steak. Or if you had the traditional turkey, go wild with turkey chow mein.

- Casseroles are always a hit. Who doesn’t love a good casserole? With Christmas dinner leftovers, you can whip up a casserole for any meal. With breakfast, combine ham, veggies and shredded cheese with egg for an after Christmas treat. For lunch, use some turkey, rice, cream soup and vegetables for a midday meal. For dinner, try chicken, vegetables, noodles and cream of chicken soup for an easy all-in-one meal that takes less than an hour to cook.

- Create a pie. This is not the sweet treat but a dinner pie. Turkey or chicken and even beef can be placed inside a crust with tons of delicious veggies to make a pot pie your family will love.

I know it can be overwhelming when faced with all that leftover food, but hopefully these ideas can make sure nothing goes to waste.

* 2 cups flour
* 1 stick butter
* 1 cup of water
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup of brown sugar
* Lemon juice
* 4 large eggs

* Nuts
* 2 bottle wine
* 2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the wine to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the wine again.
To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.
Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it’s best to make sure the wine is still OK. Try another cup… Just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the wine to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the wine. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink. Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
Don’t forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the wine and wipe counter with the cat.
Go to Sainsburys and buy cake.

Bingle Jells!

(Thanks to my friend Ilse for forwarding this recipe to me via email!)

“As a parent of twins, all I really want for the holidays is…”

Twin Happy Jen’s, answer to this questions is…

“All I really want is for my girls to feel the magic of the holidays that I felt growing up. I know a lot of people complain that the holidays are too commercial and all, but I just don’t see it that way. As a child, I was obsessed with presents I would make a hundred copies of my Christmas list, trying to get it just right :-p However, while some would worry about that kind of behavior from a child, thinking they’ll just become selfish, materialistic adults, you must keep one thing in mind: Children are not simply little adults… everything is a learning process for a child. And the primary way that they learn is observing their parent’s actions.

My parents worked very hard each year to make sure we had a great Christmas, even if they didn’t have a lot of money. Now that I’m a parent, I do the same… while it’s always nice to receive gifts, it just isn’t anywhere near as important to me as it was when I was a child. Because, even while caught up in what Barbies or My Little Ponies I wanted each particular year, what was really happening inside of me was this: With each gift, each decoration hung, each trip to see Santa… each way my parents gave of themselves, their time and yes, even money, taught me the true spirit of giving.”

Now for my answer:

“As a parent of twins, all I really want for Christmas is…”

• I want the girls to receive lots of lovely presents from their Christmas List (which is quite detailed for the first time, now that they are five!).  However, this year, Hubby and I are hoping that their presents from the extended family will not be huge bulky plastic contraptions that tend to take over a modest 3-bed semi!
• I want the girls to continue to accept their “Sharing Gifts” without grumbles, and to share them!  (of course!)
• I want the girls to sleep to a civilised hour on Christmas morning!  This has never been a problem in past years, but now they are older and more aware, I fear I might have an early rise this year!
• I want my girls to pose for some lovely family photos over the Christmas period.  (Sometimes they are right little poseurs, but sometimes they point blank refuse to play the game!)
• I want my girls to enjoy the magic of Christmas, the anticipation of Santa Claus and the story of the nativity.  One thing I’ve learned in the past five years is that they grow up far too fast!