What I learned this winter

This is my version of the "what I learnt this summer" I'm seeing on Emily Freeman's blog.

1. Working from home is amazing 
 
I really need my one day working from home every week. I started blocking out one day a week about 6 months ago to get some work done that I need to concentrate on. I can't concentrate properly at work - too many noisy people, and I say that as a chatty person myself.

I found that because I'm at home, I work extra hard to prove to someone (?) that I'm not slacking. But it works for me.

I usually try to take Thursdays if possible because that's the day my kids have TWO extra-murals after school and I can comfortably get everything important done by 3.30.

What with the move and going on holiday, I'd forgotten to block out time but I did last week and this week, and man, I have an empty inbox and other important but not urgent things done too.

2. Don't sell your home to a freelancer

Seriously, don't. The banks don't like freelancers and getting bonds (mortgages) approved is a nightmare, which is how our deal fell through.

Also, I figured out something the other day. I always say that I'm a tither and God has never forsaken me financially. Yes, this is the time to act out with that faith. I believe now that it's a bit warmer my house will sell in Jesus' name!

3. I have awesome timing with phones

Completely unintentionally... or maybe not ;) But I decided to go upgrade one weekend and the week following my old phone was practically dead. By that I mean it's charged, I take one photo and it dies. Yep!

So people say, "oh you got a new phone" and I grunt because it feels like a complete grudge purchase.

Also, I went onto hello peter earlier this week and suddenly my service provider is refunding money that they owe me. Grrrr.

4. Konmari is not once-in-a-lifetime, at least not in my house

I wrote so many posts about Konmari I could have written another book. It's been a year now and I need to go through the house a bit more.

Winter's nearly over here in Joburg. Yes, I know we will have a couple of cold spells but I've worn short-sleeved t-shirts 3 times already which is perfectly lovely but a big signal that my favourite season is nearly over.

And..... there are many garments I haven't even worn. I have definitely worn my favourites over and over (all the purples :)) but it's worth going through the whole bunch to see if there's any I can thank and send on their way.



5. Reading and drinking tea is totally my thing

I've read such a lot this winter. Connor asked me how many mugs of tea I've had in my life........... I told him, "no idea but a lot".

Really, is there anything better to do in winter than read? No, there is not.

Hint - leave your phone at your bedside table and go read in the lounge or somewhere else to get real, good quality reading in.

6. The beach is good, winter or summer

I really don't mind what the weather is like at the beach but I love the sound of the waves, walking on the boardwalk, taking my tea on the balcony and looking at the horizon.

It stills my soul.

And then I come back, edit a million photos and let those photos play as a screensaver til the next trip :)

I should actually put them on a flash drive, plug them into my digital photo frame and display them properly.

and last but by no means least..

7. Moving house is really not for me

(the process of moving house, that is)

How do people do this? I suppose some of you think "big picture" and focus on the goal and all those good things. I just can't function for a week and I wake up at 3 am dreaming of to-do lists.... No, moving really is for the birds.

I will confess something slightly crazy - on Saturday, D took the kids to the library and I was pottering (one of my favourite activities after reading!) around the house, and I thought, "oooh, this is one of the benefits of moving - there's always a corner/ a drawer/ a cupboard to tweak, sort, organise"


What have you learned this winter?
Check out the hashtag #marcialoveswinter on Instagram :)

Our winter bucket list

I took this photo outside my MIL's house last year winter and yesterday when we fetched the kids, the tree looked exactly the same. Freaky... only because I remembered this photo.

Our winter list:

1. Go for colour, texture, pattern walks and a scavenger hunt
2. Have a great holiday at the beach
3. Meet up with a friend who shares the twins' birthday
4. Have a good party
5. Make pancakes with Kendra
6. Make an apple crumble with Connor
7. Have a good celebration in PE
8. Meet up with Lynette and Pamela
9. Go take photos at the beach
10. Go out to eat at nice places three times with the family
11. Make wraps again - everrrrybody loves them
12. Make 6 new recipes from my Pinterest boards
13. Come home early once a week to go for a walk with the kids
14. Have a few people over for my birthday
15.  Finish sorting out my website (removing products, tidying up sidebars, etc.)

And.... that should take us to 1 September!

What's on your winter bucket list?

PS for those in the Northern Hemisphere, tell me 3 things on your summer list.

Headaches, bees and interviews

Let me catch up on a few things:

The headache is all gone! I'm still being a little cautious, as in I'm drinking my 2L a day even if I don't feel like it (on Saturday I only managed 1,5 L) and avoiding caffeine. I've also only had one small Cadbury's Dairy Milk slab, which for me, is like avoiding chocolate :)

Thank God!



Also, I was stung by a bee on Saturday at a party. Milestones I don't wish to repeat!

Apparently it was in my hair, I just felt an annoyance and flicked at my head. And the bee stung me. Of course I screamed and had a few helpful people try and get the stinger (?) out. I still think there's a small part in there but it's mostly fine now. I had visions of My Girl - dying dramatically... or being rushed to the nearest hospital, which my friend's husband told me was right there and he knew the way. Comforting!



At the same party, I warned the kids that last year there was misbehaving and this year I will have none of that. They were fine! My kids always get more and more into it as the party progresses, so they had a BALL right at the end when we had to go. It was just getting colder and colder, and while the grey skies are beautiful, we weren't dressed for SUPER cold, only cold :)

This is weird too - my camera just flat-out stopped working right at the end. Battery was fine, but wouldn't click. Maybe overwork??? I shut it off (imagining schleping it to the camera shop on the other end of the world) but when I got home and switched it on, fine again.



We also had our interviews with the school principal on Saturday. I loved it. First time ever in the principal's office (first time for D too!) except for when I had to have a brief chat with the principal as the newly elected SRC chairperson. Those were the days when my bolshiness was a good thing!!!

This principal is a lady (which is a lovely dynamic for primary schools, don't you think?) and she's also a mom of girl/ boy twins and an ex-colleague of my 3am friend who was hijacked (Mrs FF, she was at my birthday lunch).

 

The kids will be in the same class next year. Can I tell you it was so nice to be ASKED what we as their parents would prefer?! I did say that the current school policy of no twins shall be in the same class or play together at break time may work for other twins (works fine for the same gender twins, according to my friend) but not for MY twins. She agreed! She said it was better for her two also in the early years to be together and only to be separate in the later years.



So when I told the kids about the interviews, they said, "what will she ask us?" and I didn't know but I guessed, "maybe what you like doing...."

I then asked them what are their favourite things to do.

K - watching movies with Daddy,  something else and still something else

C - sleeping

K - well then, why don't you SLEEP instead of talking to me at night?! (my feelings exactly)

Yes, she's getting sassy!

C - okay, sleeping, eating and watching movies with Daddy

Me - what about me? don't you like doing things with me?

C - I like being with you all the time but we don't need to be doing anything specific. (this, right there, is a quality time child!)

Me - okay, what about going for walks?

C - oh YES, that IS one of my favourite things to do. And to take photos with your pink camera (Sony Cybershot).


I finished all my photo organising and printing for July and wouldn't you know, my little Canon had JUST enough paper and ink to print them all. I love it! My printer just stops when the cartridge is empty - it won't carry on at all. Because there's nothing worse than 95% complete.

And this is a good place to end. Because I can quite happily ramble on forever.



What was interesting about your weekend?

PS Obviously all the photos in this post were taken while on a photowalk with Connor (winter walk 4)