What I've been up to lately

 A little look at my life recently!

Reading

I've been busy working away at my to be read pile, although I did have a bit of a fail when I dropped off some donations at the charity shop and came back with four more books. I read quickly though, and they will probably end up back there when I'm done with them! I've been reading a wide range of books - longer classics, young adult, contemporary fiction and older books by some of my favourite authors. 

Watching

I've hardly watched any television this month! We had a binge over Christmas working through our watch list, and since then we've been doing other things in the evening. We did watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which was released on Disney+ last week. It was very good, I found it so sad as the plot had to deal with the death of the main actor Chadwick Boseman.

Crafting

This year I'm determined to do more crafting from stash, in particular my fabric stash. Something that I've been enjoying making is some scrunchies for an upcoming cruise. I used some anchor fabric and some fabric from the bandanas that Disney Cruises give out on the pirate themed night. Two smaller ones for Mia and her plaits and a larger one for me and my pony tail!

Eating

I'm doing very well with eating more healthily over the last few months, and it has definitely paid off with some weight loss. I've not been snacking between meals and I've been limiting the sweet treats (although I did manage to eat my way through the enormous bag of Lindt balls that my husband bought me for Christmas). I've been using my soup maker a lot to make soup for my lunches and I've also been trying out some new dinner recipes. I've never really thought of myself as a good cook but I've had a few successes with recipes recently which have given me some ideas for ways that I can make our usual meals more varied and interesting. 

Working on

I've been having a big go at getting the house sorted over the last few weeks. We have a guest room on the top floor which the children took over during covid and filled it with all their Lego and Playmobil sets which they haven't played with since. You couldn't see the floor, and it was stressing me out with all the little lost pieces everywhere. So I had a good sort out of the Playmobil - we don't want to get rid of it all but I have packed it up and sorted out which pieces go with which sets. The Lego has either been removed for display in their rooms or taken apart and packed away in sets for them to deal with in the future. I've given the room a good clean and hoover, and although there are still boxes of toys around the walls it is looking so much better and ready for guests.

I have become a regular at the charity shop near their school as I keep turning up with more bags of things to donate while I'm doing the school run. I find it a bit stressful dropping things off but I think they are good quality items so hopefully I can help out the charity and pass things on to a good home.

Planning

I am loving using my new Bullet Journal! I enjoy planning my week in advance and then scribbling through the tasks as I complete them. It has definitely helped me to get myself more organised, especially when it comes to the housework and working on my goals.

Feeling proud of

I'm very pleased with how my health and fitness has improved over the last couple of months. I was running regularly but I had got myself stuck in a rut with a couple of 4K routes which I was running over and over. I've managed to up my distance to 6-8K three times a week and I've been enjoying getting out and about to some new places. It's been very cold so it has been difficult to get out sometimes but it's always worth it. 

Looking forward to

I am very much looking forward to some warmer weather. We have the heating on in the house but some evenings I just feel so cold that I get into bed in my thick pyjamas with a book and a hot water bottle. Hopefully it will only be getting warmer from now!