New year, new start....

Hope you've all had a lovely Christmas!

Christmas here was full of everything I love during the festive season - family time, friend time, good food, nostalgic films, theatre, apple and cinnamon scented candles, cosy jumpers and festive church services. I was well and truly spoilt and got some much needed time to relax with the people I love.

Without the business of 'normal life', it's been a time to reflect on the past year too. I think that 2014 has been one of the hardest and most emotional years of my life. Lots of great stuff has happened (I got to know my daughter more, watch her grow, laugh with her, cuddle her, listen to her snoring, spent time with my brilliant husband, enjoyed time with family and friends, had a few lovely breaks away amongst other things) but I have spent much of the year feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Health issues, a change in job and a unsuccessful house move have taken up a lot of time this year physically and emotionally and going into 2015, I know that I don't want to carry all of that with me. Fortunately my health is improving, work is going pretty well, the house move is on hold for the foreseeable future and the stress is lessening. As we near the end of 2014, I feel like I am coming out of the fog and starting to journey into a much better place. With that in mind I have decided not to make any new years resolutions (does anyone actually keep them?!) and am opting to have a year of less of some things and more of others.

So here's what I want more and less of in 2015....

• More faith
• More peace
• More laughter
• More time with those I love
• More fun
• More relaxing
• More reading
• More experience
• More good health
• More time making a positive difference to others
• More courage
• More music
• More learning
• More time outside

• Less stress
• Less worry
• Less clutter in my house
• Less fear of 'what ifs'
• Less junk food (that's going to be really tough)
• Less moaning  
• Less selfishness
• Less comparison
• Less materialism
• Less envy

It's a pretty long list and it won't be easy. I am already incredibly blessed and in so many ways love the life I have but I want to live life abundantly and fully and with a bit more of some things and a bit less of others I think life can get even better.

Anyone else fancy joining me in the challenge?

It's been a while...

It's been long time since I last posted anything on this blog. Life gets pretty busy and I also haven't quite known what to write. A lot has happened but it doesn't feel appropriate to bare all on here so I've stayed silent. I thought I'd just give you a bit of an update.

Today marks the end of a lovely week of annual leave. Work has been busy and tiring and it definitely felt like time to have a break. Luckily J was due some annual leave too so this week we have been able to recharge the batteries. We've had some great family time with O, eaten some yummy food, spent time with loved ones, read books and watched lots of films. I also made sure that everything is ready for Christmas as we are not going to have much time to prepare this week as we will be back at work. I am ending the week by going to the carol service at church and eating a home made slow cooked beef bourginon.

On the eve of returning to work, I have the same feeling I used to get as a student the night before term started, although with Christmas in the next few days it'll be a couple of weeks before 'normality' resumes.

O is continuing to flourish. She has a wonderful sense of humour and fun and for the most part is an absolute joy to be around. Despite a temper that appears whenever she can't get what she wants, I love being around her and it has been great to spend more time with her this week. I feel the guilt of being a working mum returning as I think about all I need to do for work tomorrow but I am hoping that in the long run working will be the right choice.

But for now I am going to enjoy the last few hours of my annual leave.

The restorative powers of home comforts

Having had a lovely relaxing weekend spending time with family and friends sitting in front of open fires, Christmas shopping and eating delicious food, this week has given J and I swift kick in the teeth.

Long working hours, a cold that refuses to go and a fallen through house move have left me feeling less than sprightly. Emotions are just about being held together, my face has broken out in spots and I feel like I could sleep for a week.

This is a storm that I know will pass and so life needs to be made as comfortable as possible whilst we wait for things to settle and a feeling of normality to resume.

So to make this evening as comfortable as possible I have indulged in a really long hot shower, fleecey pyjamas and the ultimate comfort food - slow cooked chicken stew and dumplings.

I flippin' love my slow cooker! Chuck in a load of meat and veg, some stock and a bottle of wine, put it on high for a few hours and hey presto! A warming, delicious and healthy dinner. Served with some dumplings chucked into the pot for the last hour and a hunk of warm buttered bread and I am instantly relaxed. It's a big cosy hug in a bowl and has lifted my stressy mood.

Thank goodness I made enough for tomorrow!

I love my dressing gown and other things

The dreaded cold virus has again hit Harriss cottage. O has woken up the past two mornings all snuffly and snotty and I am in the midst of that cold sweats/hots sweats/shaking thing. Having had a restless night, a throat that feels like I've swallowed a razor and a stuffy headache I made the decision to take a sick day and stay at home. I am not one of those people who tries to be 'noble' and drag myself into work no matter how rough I feel. I am 'an incubus of viral plague' (to quote Meryl Streep in the Devil wears Prada) and if you want to stay healthy, you'll be glad I stayed at home and kept my germs to myself.

Despite feeling as rough as a badger's backside, I often find these times to take stock of how blessed I am. Today I am grateful for the following:

• Comfy clothes. I am currently dressed in my baggiest pyjamas and dressing gown and it's 2 in the afternoon but I feel no shame. I am ill and want to feel cosy.

• Telly. Yes I know it's not stretching my mind, that I should be reading a book/crafting something spectacular/doing something meaningful but I love telly. There I said it. Oh, and I'm ill so I don't have the energy for anything else.

• Nursery. I never thought I'd say it but I am so glad that O is at nursery today. I know that she is safe and will be sufficiently fed and entertained and is not having to spend the day with a slightly grouchy mother.

• Walkers salt and vinegar crisps. They are the champion of crisps.

• A good comfy sofa. A snuggly chair is vital for fighting those winter germs. A sofa allows sufficient space to create a wallowing pit filled with the necessities of boxes of tissues, lozengers,  remote control and chocolate.

• A rest. Don't get me wrong. I am not happy to feel unwell but I am grateful for a forced opportunity to stop and rest my body and mind.

• Sick pay. I am very fortunate to be in job that allows me some paid sick leave. I know that this is not the case for thousands of others.

• The freedom to take an afternoon nap. Those with small children will appreciate what a luxury this is.

So bizarrly not a bad day at all :-)

In need of a cleaning fairy...

I'm a huge believer that your immediate surroundings affect how you feel. I know this to be true because my house is currently cluttered, disorganised and full and my mind is currently cluttered, disorganised and full. It's time for a physical and mental clearout.

I'm trying to strip back all that stuff that makes life busier and more chaotic than I'd like.

I'm starting with a physical declutter. We have so much stuff in our house. Our cupboards and drawers overflow with clothes, household items and unfiled papers. Our lounge could easily be confused with a toy shop and every available surface is covered. Now don't get me wrong, we live in a nice house, it's certainly not a hovel but I'm fed up of having so many things that aren't needed.

Now I'm not about to become minimalist to the point of owning only one set of clothes and a toothbrush but I do want to feel less overwhelmed by all the stuff around me. Consumption is a condition of living but having two chocolate fountains is going a bit overboard for my liking. So I am planning a clearout. On Saturday I took three bags of items to the charity shop. There is more stuff to follow over the next few weeks as well as a few bits to sell online. J has started sorting through our paperwork and I plan to pack away all of O's baby clothes that no longer fit. Some things will be sent to the tip and items that are no longer useable will be recycled or binned.

Going forward I want to get out of the trap of surrounding myself with tat and put my energy and resources to better use.

This also contributes to my overall masterplan of a richer but simpler life. Less stuff means less financial stress, less worrying, less maintenance of stuff and therefore more time to spend with the people we love, doing the things we enjoy whilst putting slightly less strain on the planet.

Easier said than done I expect...

Crazy busy

Life is still flying by at warp speed. With a job requiring lots of energy and travel, a pending house move, running a home with seemingly endless tasks, being a trustee of a charity and trying to maintain my roles as a wife and mum, I can say with certainty that I am pooped.

Since going back to work, it's especially important that weekends are reserved for quality time with family and friends and resting.

Despite working part time, I'm still figuring out the best way to achieve a work/life balance that I'm happy with. I suspect that things won't feel as settled as I'd like until we've moved house so may have to reside in a space that doesn't quite feel comfortable for a while. It's also taking much longer to feel settled in my new job than I'd like. Six weeks in and I still feel incredibly anxious about going to work. Although when I'm at work I don't mind it and think that I do a pretty good job, I still yearn to be home with my baby. People keep telling me it'll get easier and so I'm hoping that will be the case in the near future.

So as I sit on the cusp of a new week, I am thankful for this weekend which has involved time with precious friends, excellent food, laughter and the occasional nap.

Not the Friday night I had planned...

I knew it would happen. First O had it, then J had it and my colleagues had it so it was only a matter of time before I was struck down with a cold. I could feel it brewing over the past few days but finally this morning I woke up and felt like rubbish. Not only rubbish because I have a sore throat, delicate stomach and my body's doing the whole hot/cold thing but rubbish because tonight I was meant to be out with J having dinner with some of my dearest friends. With a little one, evenings out are few and far between so I had been looking forward to tonight for weeks. That, plus the fact I have been desperate to try the restaurant hosting tonight's festivities and I am especially peeved. I have been looking forward to eating that pulled pork for ages!

I am consoling myself by wearing my favourite snuggly clothes and watching episodes of Silk on netflix.  It's kind of helping but not really. Never mind, hopefully I'll feel better soon and I can arrange a return trip to the restaurant with my lovely pals.

In other news, work is going well but is exhausting and I feel like I am haemorraging my hard earned money on commuting to work and paying for childcare so that I can be at work. It's the first time in my life I've really had to really pay out to go work (or thought about it) and it's frustrating me. My frugal quest therefore continues as I search for other ways to save money. I am also hoping this will get me into better financial habits as we will hopefully soon be moving into our renovation project and will need to save some serious cash to do the work we want to do. I am in no way as frugal as some but I'm making improvements and will hopefully become more self disciplined and less wasteful in the process. If anyone has any tips on saving money, I'd love to hear them :-)

Anyway, I am back off to my pity party. I promise to stop writing so many moany rants soon!