Yo. I skipped a week because we were away camping, but now we’re home again (back to reality) and I’m about to dive into life as a school mum, starting tomorrow! Hold me!
I seem to have stopped freaking out about name labels and booklist items, and now I’m worried about lunches and this school lunch box shaming I see so much of all the time on the internet and OMG I don’t know if I have the time/energy to be a crazy health nut Pinterest worthy lunch making mummy!!
Breathe, Kez. Breathe! Go to a happy place!!
Here are some things that have made me feel happy since the last happy list…
Ticking off holiday traditions
We go away to the same place every year. There are always things you have to do while you’re there. A trip to the light house. Fish and chips from the little takeaway shop on the foreshore. Drive though the beautiful Karri forest. At least one brewery lunch. Chinese takeaway on the last night. Time in/on the water (although the weather wasn’t as conducive to that as it has been in previous years). While we always try something new too, it’s nice to experience the familiar. It’s like a little home away from home.
Not relying on as much technology while away
I love my wifi and my laptop and my Netflix and…you get the idea. But there’s also something liberating about being away from it all. Sure, I had my iPhone and a limited data allowance, but it was really quite easy to switch off. Easier than I thought it would be. I wasn’t against having a browse and a chat. I did post some stuff, but there was no pressure to. I just didn’t feel naked without my phone in my hand, like I thought I would. Sometimes I’d put it down and just forget about it for hours. Then I’d realise I’d forgotten about it and feel quite pleased with myself.
I read more. I sat in the quiet more.
I didn’t even miss my DVR. I did good, y’all.
Holiday scenery
Coming home to my own bed and ensuite
While I enjoy camping and living more simply, I do reach a time in my holiday where I’m happy to go home and sleep well in a bed that doesn’t move when you roll over, with a toilet in the very next room. It’s the little things that you look forward to when you’re lying in your camper van bed and it’s 2am and you have to decide whether you can make it through the night without peeing or risk waking everyone up and trudging up a hill to the shared ablutions block!
It’s amazing how much I love my toilet when I get home again. I am sorry, convenient, private toilet. I take you for granted!
Good neighbours
While we were away, we were lucky that we didn’t have to worry about the mail or the bins because my sister in law kindly came down the road to tend to those things. It was so nice to save a little money on getting the mail temporarily stopped and to know that we wouldn’t come home to full, stinky bins or bins that had been tipped over or had goodness knows what else done to them.
We also appreciated our good neighbours when we came home and they told us that they had scared off an intruder from our backyard! Some not so good neighbours (totes from the next street over of course) had hosted a rowdy party not long after we’d left for our trip and someone, presumably from that party, had decided that entering our backyard was a cool idea. Joke was on him when there were no drinks in our outdoor fridge, and when he discovered that Mr Unprepared had locked our side gate up. He couldn’t get out, so his rattling had woken the next door neighbours who had bravely and kindly decided to go outside and scare him off. It’s kind of comforting having good neighbours who are burly and have tatts and who at first glance would scare the bejeezus out of you if you were a stupid, drunk kid!
Nothing was stolen. Our house wasn’t damaged or broken into. We somehow gained a tennis ball (not sure if that’s related) and had damage to the dog kennel by the back fence, but we were lucky. Nothing like an unofficial Neighbourhood Watch to make you thankful!
Other stuff that has made me happy:
- Trying Pana Chocolate for the first time. I highly recommend the mint flavour! It’s raw, organic and handmade, but hear me out! It actually tastes good. Not even kidding. I can’t wait to try some more! Also, I know I risk sounding like a health obsessed wanker (see the below item on this list to see why I am so not), but the cool thing about it was that just one piece was such a nice inside-my-mouth experience that I didn’t need any more than that in one sitting. Perfect for those after dinner sweet cravings! [not sponsored – just impressed]
- Red Rock Deli sea salt flavoured chips. I am addicted and they aren’t the best thing for me, but I ate my body weight in them while I was away, with no guilt at all. YUM.
- Getting some solid sleep since we arrived home.
- Watching the Little Mister building mud castles on our holiday. He was So. Happy.
- When I’ve been a little confused about the Little Mister’s school’s dress code requirements – hair and shoes – the barber and the sports shop staff knew exactly what he needed, so I won’t get in trouble. Gotta love great customer service!
- The realisation that there is life after school holidays. While I’m nervous AF about the Little Mister’s first week at ‘big’ school (kindy), I am kind of also getting excited to have some time back to work and exercise and tick things off my ever growing to-do lists.
- While the weather on holiday was quite cold and windy, it was a nice change from the relentless heat we’d been experiencing at home.
- Having nice hair on holiday – the water is not so harsh there and my hair always fluffs up nicely and feels so soft when I’m away!
I’m sure I’ve forgotten so many things, but tell me – what would be on your happy list this week?
