September has been a really difficult month emotionally, physically, financially, and in every which way. Given that it’s been more than a struggle to make it through the past four weeks or so, here are a few of the things that we have #LikedandLoved from what was a very poor month.
A Return To Routine
September saw us return to our regular routine, though it was somewhat staggered as Paul and I went back to work at the very beginning of the month, followed by E who started her final year of primary school, and then finally J started in key stage four and is getting to grips with all things GCSE related.
Not a single one of us in this household is an early bird, though we’ve somehow swiftly adjusted to the early morning alarms and have managed to get back into the swing of stuff without too much upset.
Back To Black
We’ve been meaning to update J’s room for some time now and whilst we are yet to refloor and repaint his room, we’ve finally replaced his turquoise IKEA furniture sets with beautiful black cupboard doors and Kallax Drona boxes. It looks far cleaner and I can’t wait to grab some purple paint and tart up the rest of his room hopefully before the new year.
Shady’s Back
Following a traumatic incident involving an overturned inflatable doughnut in Volcano Bay’s lazy lagoon (use your imagination), I found myself having to replace my much-loved prescription sunglasses as my previous pair were bent, broken, and scratched to smithereens. After booking myself in for an eye test I then replaced not only my shades but also my specs and I am now able to see clearly at last.
Secondary School Applications
It doesn’t feel like five minutes since our darling daughter first started primary school and yet here we are, she’s now in year six and the time has come to apply for her secondary school place. It’s a bit different this time around as not only have the local education authorities switched names and boundaries but the dates seem to have been brought forward thus I’d applied before E even had the chance to attend any of the local open evenings. Thankfully she was already 99% sure where she wanted to go so I’ve done the deed and I’m now keeping my fingers crossed for March 2024…
Ride On Time
E was given a brand new bike for her birthday back in August and honestly, I’ve never known a child to ride their bike as keenly as our little lady. She’s transformed from a very timid, wobbly, unsure rider to a keen, confident rider and I couldn’t be prouder. She’s enjoyed numerous rides out with Paul and J along the coast though now the dark nights are drawing in it’s limiting her ‘ride time’ a little.
Snuggly Slippers
Given that I practically live in my beloved slipper boots, they don’t tend to last all that long. Having established that my slippers were well and truly beyond repair I finally caved and ordered a brand new snuggly set of Bedroom Athletics slippers for the autumn and winter months and it really does feel like I’m walking on clouds.
Fantastic Flute
As always, E was spoilt rotten for her birthday with gifts galore back in August, including a beautiful silver Yamaha flute that her Grandparents very kindly gave to her. E couldn’t wait to get started and September saw her do just that – she is now three lessons in and seems to love practicing and playing her fabulous flute, I’m so pleased that she enjoys it and I am so impressed with her progress.
Baking & Making
With the recent wet and windy weather, E and I have spent time staying warm and dry indoors whilst enjoying baking and cooking in the kitchen. We’ve also spent some time crafting; E made some beautiful bracelets for her friends using embroidery threads and charms, she also used one of her hot bead sets to make a marvelous mat and threw some clay together producing some awesome ornaments.
Back On The Road
In terms of travel, September really has sucked. We started the month with a very poorly Mini which after an investigation was pronounced ‘undrivable’ and had to be taken away on the back of a lorry. As you can imagine this was costly, to say the least, thus I wasn’t all that happy to be told the news that she would cost a further £2.5K to repair due to the extent of her issues. Still, £2.5K is a whole lot cheaper than a replacement vehicle and thus we forked out the funds and kept our fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, our backup vehicle decided that it too fancied some attention as it began chugging and making some rather worrying noises. My husband very quickly set to work replacing the spark plugs and refreshing the oil and, touch wood, our backup car seemed to be ‘back to normal’. Juggling two kids and two adults at three different venues was somewhat of a struggle, to say the least thus I was relieved when the Mini finally returned home following her extremely costly repairs.
Cosey Autumn Evenings
If there’s one thing I love about this time of year it has to be the cosey autumnal evenings sat snuggled on the sofa. Since the weather rapidly switched from splendid summer sunshine to wet and windy winter-like storms, we’ve enjoyed staying warm, dry, and snug whilst watching Disney movies (including the recently released Elemental) and we’ve also started our weekly autumnal watches such as Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Bake Off.
Thanks again for reading my blog – I hope that you enjoyed reading what I have #LikedandLoved throughout September.
If you fancy sharing some of your own #LikedAndLoved points from the month then why not join in either through your own blog post or by leaving a comment below, I would love to hear what you #LikedAndLoved this month!
