Brrrr

It is COLD now. I know technically winter isn't supposed to start until December the 21st but to me, basically after Bonfire Night (5th November) it's winter. I don't care what the calendar says. Winter. Snow, no snow, rain, hail, a few warm days.... don't care. Winter. Done.

Well. The weird thing is, we hardly ever had snow as I got older since leaving the UK. We had a slight dusting the Christmas I visited with my Dad in 2008, and Patrick though it hilarious I got so excited about the "icing sugar" style dusting. I explained to him about how it is technically a White Christmas if it snows all over the country on December 25th. I used to think this was if it snowed on the BBC or the GMT place or wherever they 'do' the weather in the UK. Who knows. BUT NOW since I left, it won't bloody stop! Just look and last year... and now this year is shaping up the same... don't get me wrong, we used to have some odd snow episodes, but 2 years in a row? Madness. And now everyone is talking about a mild winter here (thanks Farmers' Almanac... do you really work?) and part of me (the DUMB part of me) feels very much jipped. I heard of legendary stories of the end of the world for winter here. It was insanely cold last year. I couldn't believe just how cold it could get, when Patrick would be outside for seconds and his moustache would freeze and the condensation would make icicles, or his car locks wouldn't work at all. I don't think it'll get that cold here in Somerville or Boston... thank you microclimates! (If you don't know what a microclimate is, look it up, I'm a nerd like that).

Anywhoo... yeah. I want to maybe sample some of that excitement. I like the slight panic chaos that ensues for things like that. Oh no! Giant power cut, trees fell down flooding etc, always makes me a little giddy. My brother is exactly the same. Don't get us started with major disasters or things like that. Weird, I know. There was a power outage in NH I think in maybe February, and Rusty and Sam lost some trees in the garden and their fence got smashed, and we couldn't get out and the power was out for maybe 3 days. We had a generator, and although it was kinda annoying at the time, because it was cold and Addie was driving me mental, it was just like indoor camping! We watched movies on my laptop, sat with tea tree lights and all took scheduled showers around generator on time. It was fun! I think I'd be sick of it though if I had my own house, that I owned. What a big kid I am.

Our bosses from Prague are supposed to be coming over, they should have been here today, but were apparently stuck in Germany, snowbound. So maybe they will get in tomorrow. Who knows. I will say though that I will be FURIOUS if we don't get back to the UK for Christmas. Although that is ages away though, so we'll see. And this is precisely why I booked flights on the 21st... and not 24th, like Patrick did. And he got caught up in an ice storm and stranded in Newark. FUCK THAT.

Yesterday I went shopping with Kristina. I had to get new jeans for my size 10 bum, woop woop, and measured for some new bras in Victoria's Secrets. Well yours truly had to hang up $250 worth of relatively new bras, because my size is smaller... again! This time I am a 36 DD. Only took my body 2 years to shrink back down from a 44. That is what having a giant baby will do for you. Cup size not much different, still a DD for now. Thankfully, I had a relatively new bra which I hadn't worn yet that I could change (I thought I'd shrink down funnily enough!) so I did just that, and bought another two. Now, I usually wear the perfect coverage Body by Victoria ones, and they are like $45 each, but (discounting the 3rd one because that was technically an exchange) the two I bought were only $55.50 for the TWO. There was a buy one get one 50% off, but even so, I think I lucked out! I also got a Secret gift card thing, so on the 1st I'll go back and find out if I won anything fun. Kristina last year got one for $500 of VS stuff. I really hope I do. So I can go mad in there. I love there stuff and I know Shannon and Rusty do too, so I can get them some Christmas pressies in there too!

I felt like a new women after putting on my new bras, so much so, I had a right proper spring in my step and then couldn't stop telling people at work about them. Whoops! I was so happy, I snuck (apparently this isn't a word but sneaked doesn't sound right) back after work and bought some perfume, which is something else I like to do, or rather did when I was a normal unmarried unkidded person. And I got another secret gift card! Hoorah!

We're trying to potty train Addie right now. Well, it is very relaxed, but we are getting there. She went on the potty a few times, and at daycare too. We should definitely be more consistent, but we are lazy. She likes to go when I go, and get PISSED when she can't go first. But then she just fakes me out and pretends. We started trying to catch her poop and then take her to the toilet and put the poop in the toilet and change her after we put her on the potty etc. Because "poop goes in the toilet. Bye bye poopoo!" Which seems to be making an impact, when you catch her time, but a second too late, and its poop everywhere, and nothing is more demoralising and demeaning than wiping poop off a feisty kids arse/trying to salvage some form of a turd to throw into the loo in a grand gesture. I hope it works. I think she will get there soon though, Patrick and I are definitely holding her back. She was not herself tonight and was all teary and upset. She got all frantic and burst into tears at the drop of a hat and was off with Patrick. I think she had a great day at daycare after the long weekend and was genuinely upset with Patrick for taking her home, which would explain why she wouldn't say hi or kiss him when he went to get her, and why she kept talking about them (Jeanine, and the other kids, Robert and Peter) when we got in.

She is all tucked up now though, exhausted and sleeping all sprawled out. Bless her. I wish I could get her to eat something proper though. It has been crackers, veggie puffs, french bread and dried fruit and frozen blueberries for dinner for like a week now. And eggnod (GROSS) before bed last night. Opps. Guess who forgot to buy milk?

I am listening to the new Arcade Fire album. I have heard a few songs on there already, but really, for the most part, it is AMAZING. I like the AF, but generally it is very hard for me to listen to an album in one go, let alone, listen to it and LOVE IT straight away. AMAZING.