We'll add it to your Christmas list dear!

Our elder said to her dad, "can I have a car please?"

"I think we'll need to ask Santa Claus" was his swift reply. It was August.

She regularly flicks through the Early Learning catalogue pointing at toys and saying "we've got that", "I want that one, Mummy", "And that one, Mummy". "Got that". "Got that". " I want that one, Mummy". So we started trying to manage her expectations. "If you've been a good girl you might get one or two presents off your list. We'll write a list for Santa when it's nearly Christmas." The delaying tactics seemed to be working, and she'd definately got the idea that she won't get everything she asks for.

It's surprising how much a three year old thinks though. Last week her dad told her that if she's a very very very good girl she'd perhaps get three presents off her list. There was a short pause.

"Daddy", she said in that drawn out way that children have perfected, "if I'm a very very very very good girl, can I have four presents?" Caught by surprise, he laughed.

"Yes dear, if you're a very very very very good girl you may get four presents at Christmas." There was another pause.

"Daddy". She said again.

"Yes".

"If I'm a very very very very very......." He interrupted;

"No!" he said laughing "No more than four presents, because Santa has not got enough room in his sledge."

"Oh!....OK" she said (with amazing acceptance).

Another pause.

"Daddy, if you're a very good boy, will you get presents for Christmas?"

"Yes dear, I hope so".

"You'd like a Barbie wouldn't you Daddy, and then you can share with me."

No wonder I have to write everything down!

I clearly have too much on my mind. I started back at work this week, and whilst it's exciting, and great to be 'me' again for a few days each week, I appear to be losing my ability to think properly.

We left our freezer slightly open for, we think, a couple of days, before noticing it wasn't shut properly. So, as you'd expect, a whole load of food had to be thrown away, because even if it was OK, you just know I'd worry that it wasn't. OK, I hear you say, what's that got to do with not thinking? After all, anyone could make that mistake. You haven't heard the worst yet. Leaving the door open had ensured that it looked like there'd been a snowstorm in there; so I put down some towels, propped the door open, and left it to defrost.

The freezer is in the garage. It's one of two (don't ask). I went into the garage today to grab some food from the still-working freezer and happened to glance at the one I was defrosting. It was still frosty.

Hmm. I thought. That's taking a while. I suppose it has been cold the last few days though (our garage is freezing anyway.) And it took my brain a good couple of minutes to shout up enough for me to realise that it was still frosty because it was still turned on. The freezer door is wide open and I appear to be trying to freeze my entire garage. I dread to think what the electricity bill will look like.

I turned it off.

I think maybe I need more sleep.