One of the scary things about resigning from your job without another to go to is the realisation that you will have a lot less money. Now there's something about this that appeals to me as I really dislike how money focussed society is but at the same time I'd like enough to get by whilst being able to have the occasional treat and beautiful shoes.
I also don't want O to grow up thinking that she needs lots of money or stuff to be happy. Even before making the decision to quit my job, I had very strong opinions that I don't want her to be surrounded with piles of toys. I want her to really appreciate and use what she has and be able to play imaginatively. I am so looking forward to us building tents out of bedsheets, making 'rose perfume' (those who did this know it's amazing!), making robot costumes out of boxes and reading fabulous stories from my childhood that I can't wait to share with her.
So I have decided to try and get better at being thrifty but still trying to make sure that life is full and exciting.
So far, so good.
I started my weekend with a trip to Lidl. I have heard mixed reviews but have some friends who use Aldi and Lidl regularly so decided to give it a go. I was very impressed with how much I got for my money. Just over £17 bought me...
Steak
2 packs butchers style sausages
Bacon lardons
2 cartons of peach juice
Potatoes
Peppers
Satsumas
Strawberries
Bread
Salad
Pretty good going I thought, and the thriftiness didn't stop there. We enjoyed some excellent free entertainment including a trip to the park, a walk to the beach (I love living by the sea) and seeing wonderful friends.
We were also very fortunate to be given some lovely gifts which will be enjoyed over the next few weeks. These included...
Home grown runner beans
Freshly foraged blackberries
Home made blackberry jam
A box of maltesers
A big bag of milky buttons
Locally pressed apple juice
A huge box of tic tacs (those who know me know that this is a particularly fitting gift)
We are so fortunate to have such brillianty generous people in our lives and I really much appreciate the variety of goodies we now have to tuck into!
So all in all, had a pretty low key and cheap weekend but one that felt very rich.
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Saturday, 2 August 2014
New beginnings
I'm in one of those periods of life where it feels like everything is changing. Everything is feeling exciting but very unsettled and uncertain. It all feels needed though.
One of the biggest/most exciting/most terrifying things has happened is that I have handed my notice in at work. Since going back to work things have been extremely difficult for a variety of reasons but in essence I felt that my job was no longer tenable and I didn't want to spend my time feeling so worried/frustrated/stressed about it any more. So I took a leap of faith, resigned and breathed a huge sigh of relief. I have no idea what I am going to do now. I have applied for a few jobs and had what felt like a promising interview (I'll find out if I was successful next week) but I have absolutely no idea what is coming next. It feels exciting and scary at the same time. Luckily having a faith comes in pretty handy at this point although every part of my rational brain is urging me to freak out. I feel like I should be worrying about getting a new job, getting money etc but it doesn't worry me. I fully believe that my family and I will always have enough because my faith tells me not to worry. Please don't confuse this with a sense of entitlement or laziness because its not but I do feel a peace that we will have what we need. I have no idea what I am meant to be doing next. Maybe a job will come along, maybe I'll be a stay at home mum for a while but either way it feels like a chance to have a new fresh start, get rid of some of the negative things in my life and move onto something new.
I have talked previously about my want to live an abundant and exciting life and I felt like a difficult work situation was one of the things getting in the way. Whilst I know that sometimes there are things in life that we don't want to do, sometimes we also need to take charge of our lives and make a change.
Who knows what will happen?!
One of the biggest/most exciting/most terrifying things has happened is that I have handed my notice in at work. Since going back to work things have been extremely difficult for a variety of reasons but in essence I felt that my job was no longer tenable and I didn't want to spend my time feeling so worried/frustrated/stressed about it any more. So I took a leap of faith, resigned and breathed a huge sigh of relief. I have no idea what I am going to do now. I have applied for a few jobs and had what felt like a promising interview (I'll find out if I was successful next week) but I have absolutely no idea what is coming next. It feels exciting and scary at the same time. Luckily having a faith comes in pretty handy at this point although every part of my rational brain is urging me to freak out. I feel like I should be worrying about getting a new job, getting money etc but it doesn't worry me. I fully believe that my family and I will always have enough because my faith tells me not to worry. Please don't confuse this with a sense of entitlement or laziness because its not but I do feel a peace that we will have what we need. I have no idea what I am meant to be doing next. Maybe a job will come along, maybe I'll be a stay at home mum for a while but either way it feels like a chance to have a new fresh start, get rid of some of the negative things in my life and move onto something new.
I have talked previously about my want to live an abundant and exciting life and I felt like a difficult work situation was one of the things getting in the way. Whilst I know that sometimes there are things in life that we don't want to do, sometimes we also need to take charge of our lives and make a change.
Who knows what will happen?!
Sunday, 27 July 2014
Another lazy weekend filled with musings
Another tough week has been rewarded with the weekend. Saturday was a day of cleaning the house, playing with O, eating homemade bolognese pizzas and watching Twister (always love a 90's tastic film as an early Saturday evening treat). Sunday was a morning at church, a roast dinner in my mum's garden and by far one of the biggest treats ever....an afternoon nap! I can't remember if I've blogged about the joys of afternoon nap but it has become a thing of serious luxury. Now I love my little girl to bits but after a massive Sunday lunch all I want to do is plonk myself in a comfy chair and doze off whilst watching a murder mystery on ITV 3. Unless by some miracle O has worn herself out, Sunday afternoons are now filled with building towers out of stacking cups, blowing raspberries on O's tummy and preventing her from launching herself off/over any piece of furniture that she has decided is now a climbing frame. I love it, I really do but today when my mum suggested taking O out for a walk to give J and I the chance to snooze in the garden, we couldn't get them out of the door fast enough ! It was blissful.
One of the things I often worry about is that I don't live my life fully enough. I spend a lot of time feeling like I should be busier like I should be packing more adventurous, exciting things into my time. Social media adds fuel to the fire as I see exotic holidays, nights out drinking cocktails, people that seem more creative than me, people who look better than ke, people who have 'exciting' jobs and I find myself comparing. Horrible but true. I sometimes fail to see the richness of my life because I often think I do more, I should be more than I am.
However this weekend life felt full, it felt rich with life and it was good.
One of the things I often worry about is that I don't live my life fully enough. I spend a lot of time feeling like I should be busier like I should be packing more adventurous, exciting things into my time. Social media adds fuel to the fire as I see exotic holidays, nights out drinking cocktails, people that seem more creative than me, people who look better than ke, people who have 'exciting' jobs and I find myself comparing. Horrible but true. I sometimes fail to see the richness of my life because I often think I do more, I should be more than I am.
However this weekend life felt full, it felt rich with life and it was good.
Friday, 18 July 2014
Finding calm in the storm
It's finally here. The storm that has been brewing has finally cut it's way through the searing, humidity to bring the cleansing and life giving rain and I am loving it. I love the low rumbles of the thunder, the icy blue landscape that is shown for a fraction of a second with each lightening bolt and the glorious sound of the heavy rain. As I sit in my home with the lights down low, a film on the telly and the storm in the background, I feel a much needed contentment and sense of calm.
A great end to a not so great week.
A great end to a not so great week.
Saturday, 12 July 2014
Saturdaytastic!
During my week I often think about things I could blog about. These are often important deep and meaningful things that challenge me about life. However when it comes to actually typing about it writers block kicks in and I end up writing about something else (usually trivial). Today is no exception. Well apart from the fact I have nothing deep and meaningful but just fancied writing so I thought I'd share a bit about my day (if anyone's interested).
Saturdays are fast becoming my favourite day of the week. Mainly because I get a whole day with J and O without the feeling of work approaching doom that comes with Sunday.
So today went as follows;
Had a lay in until 9.50 (thank you J for getting up with O, I am SO grateful! ). We all spent the day in our pjs watching telly and playing. Whilst this may sound slobby, I love it. I find a huge amount of joy in being able to sit on the sofa in a pair of fleecy baggy trousers with an elasticated waist and have spent many a Saturday in such a state. Today we discovered BBC 2's new drama 'The Honourable Woman' on i-player. I'm hooked, I think it's going to be a really good series which will be very welcome after the disappointment of the new series' of 24 and Hannibal.
Anyway, slobbing, eating and playtime was followed by a quick clean and tidy up (stuff shoved in drawers and a spritz of antibacterial spray around the house). We then got dressed and went to my mums for fajitas (a staple Saturday night dinner in my family).
Dinner wolfed down and a bag of food to bring home(thanks mum!), we returned to our house to get O to bed and again I find myself sat in my pjs watching telly.
As I predicted yesterday, there were times today when I wished I were doing something more 'significant'. Times when I compared myself to others, times spent daydreaming about other places but when it comes down to it, a relaxed day at home with my beloved family is a rich and abundant day.
Hope you're enjoying your Saturday!
Saturdays are fast becoming my favourite day of the week. Mainly because I get a whole day with J and O without the feeling of work approaching doom that comes with Sunday.
So today went as follows;
Had a lay in until 9.50 (thank you J for getting up with O, I am SO grateful! ). We all spent the day in our pjs watching telly and playing. Whilst this may sound slobby, I love it. I find a huge amount of joy in being able to sit on the sofa in a pair of fleecy baggy trousers with an elasticated waist and have spent many a Saturday in such a state. Today we discovered BBC 2's new drama 'The Honourable Woman' on i-player. I'm hooked, I think it's going to be a really good series which will be very welcome after the disappointment of the new series' of 24 and Hannibal.
Anyway, slobbing, eating and playtime was followed by a quick clean and tidy up (stuff shoved in drawers and a spritz of antibacterial spray around the house). We then got dressed and went to my mums for fajitas (a staple Saturday night dinner in my family).
Dinner wolfed down and a bag of food to bring home(thanks mum!), we returned to our house to get O to bed and again I find myself sat in my pjs watching telly.
As I predicted yesterday, there were times today when I wished I were doing something more 'significant'. Times when I compared myself to others, times spent daydreaming about other places but when it comes down to it, a relaxed day at home with my beloved family is a rich and abundant day.
Hope you're enjoying your Saturday!
Friday, 11 July 2014
Living for the weekend!
Just a short post this evening.... I am SO glad it's Friday! I need this weekend. I need to relax. I need to spend time with my family and friends. I need to just be.
It's been another difficult and busy week. I am feeling the weight of responsibility and frustration bear down on me as I continue to juggle family life and an increasingly demanding job. I feel exhausted and overwhelmed and so the opportunity for two days at home with family is a very very welcome arrival.
In essence the plans are as follows: eat, sleep, play with O, spend time with J, watch telly, go to church and see friends.
I am sure that I will feel like I should be doing more with my weekend. I'm sure that at some point I will feel jealous of the exciting things I see people doing this weekend when I look on facebook. However this weekend, I need simplicity. And that is just splendid.
It's been another difficult and busy week. I am feeling the weight of responsibility and frustration bear down on me as I continue to juggle family life and an increasingly demanding job. I feel exhausted and overwhelmed and so the opportunity for two days at home with family is a very very welcome arrival.
In essence the plans are as follows: eat, sleep, play with O, spend time with J, watch telly, go to church and see friends.
I am sure that I will feel like I should be doing more with my weekend. I'm sure that at some point I will feel jealous of the exciting things I see people doing this weekend when I look on facebook. However this weekend, I need simplicity. And that is just splendid.
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Moan, moan, moan
Hey readers,
My apologies for not writing for such a long time. Things have been super busy. I am not going to say too much at the moment in case things don't go to plan but let's just say there may be some exciting and scary changes happening in the near future.
Work is exhausting and I am failing miserably in the quest for a work/life balance. Despite working part time, there are lots of things going on at work and to say it is stressful feels like an understatement. Thoughts of work are permeating most aspects of life and thus I feel like an emotional and physical wreck most of the time. This is certainly not what I imagined being a working mum would be like. It saddens me because I used to enjoy my job and it saddens me because I don't feel fully present when I am at home with my family. I am frustrated that this is the shape of my life for the time being and frustrated that I can't control the physical symptoms of stress that I am experiencing. I am sure that I am not unique in feeling like this but I just hate it. It has however felt like a splendid excuse to watch ridiculous amounts of not so great telly (watching a 'well balanced, non-biased' channel 5 documentary on benefits claimants as I write) and eat double chocolate cookies whilst sitting in my pyjamas.
Something needs to change and so J and I have been having some serious conversations about a way forward. I know that I want to be in place where I feel at peace and content with life. I want to fully enjoy the time I have with my friends and family. I am learning that I don't need much to be happy and that actually I am more suited to a simple life.
So J and I have come up with some potential solutions which feels like a step forward but until we are more certain about what to do, I am going to leave you in suspense for the time being....
My apologies for not writing for such a long time. Things have been super busy. I am not going to say too much at the moment in case things don't go to plan but let's just say there may be some exciting and scary changes happening in the near future.
Work is exhausting and I am failing miserably in the quest for a work/life balance. Despite working part time, there are lots of things going on at work and to say it is stressful feels like an understatement. Thoughts of work are permeating most aspects of life and thus I feel like an emotional and physical wreck most of the time. This is certainly not what I imagined being a working mum would be like. It saddens me because I used to enjoy my job and it saddens me because I don't feel fully present when I am at home with my family. I am frustrated that this is the shape of my life for the time being and frustrated that I can't control the physical symptoms of stress that I am experiencing. I am sure that I am not unique in feeling like this but I just hate it. It has however felt like a splendid excuse to watch ridiculous amounts of not so great telly (watching a 'well balanced, non-biased' channel 5 documentary on benefits claimants as I write) and eat double chocolate cookies whilst sitting in my pyjamas.
Something needs to change and so J and I have been having some serious conversations about a way forward. I know that I want to be in place where I feel at peace and content with life. I want to fully enjoy the time I have with my friends and family. I am learning that I don't need much to be happy and that actually I am more suited to a simple life.
So J and I have come up with some potential solutions which feels like a step forward but until we are more certain about what to do, I am going to leave you in suspense for the time being....
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