Wow, a lot has happened since the last time I posted one of these, huh? And right now it might seem hard to comprehend the idea of listing some of your favourite things but, actually, it’s all the more reason to, right? Trying to explain things to a four year old without terrifying him is impossible so we’re trying to keep things as normal as possible – without parks, cafes, cinemas, swimming pools, school, forest school, visits with grandparents… But we’re focusing on the positives for a few minutes, so here’s a look at some favourites from the last few weeks.
Not on the High Street giveaway
I was so excited to win a Not on the High Street giveaway earlier this year! My prize was bursting with positivity. I’ve currently got the House of Hooray banner hung on my bedroom door, my Happy News mug is my current ‘working from home mug’ of choice, and I’m planning on reviewing these Positive Planners soon. Have you tried one?
All of the stationery
I pre-ordered the Under the Rowan Trees ‘Deeds Not Words’ box before they booked a slot as one of my 2020 National Stationery Week sponsors and I’m loving the contents: a greetings card, postcard, stickers, slogan pencils, a Tombow pen, and more.
The latest Papergang box dropped through my letterbox too (click here for a referral link). I loved the notebook design for the March box.
I also treated myself to some erasable highlighters (again, I bought these Pilot pens before they booked as a sponsor). I like my diary to be as organised and tidy as possible and regularly highlight meetings which are moved or cancelled, so these made me a very happy bunny!
Out and about
Just before the semi-lockdown, we fell in love with Heartlands. We’d been a few times before but when we discovered you can order a bottomless cup of coffee and have lunch served in the soft play, it became our new favourite place. We’ll see you in a few months, Heartlands!
We also attended our last Forest School session for a while. We don’t have a garden and now that we can only leave the house for a walk or bike ride a day, it’s going to be hard. We have a tiny balcony if anyone has any ideas…?
80% Awesome
I discovered this awesome company/event on LinkedIn and went along to an afternoon session before the shit hit the fan. I highly recommend signing up to their newsletter and downloading the Lean Life Canvas. There’s a Facebook group too. It’s all about learning to operate at 80% awesome, as aiming for 100% just leads to burnout and isn’t sustainable.
New books
The libraries are now closed! Fortunately I still have a good dozen or so books to keep me going. And I’ve just received a review copy of Making Space from Blurt. Even during this social distancing time, I still need to work on boundaries, so this should prove useful.
I also treated myself to a copy of Modern Lettering in Betty Etiquette‘s recent seconds sale. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.
Mothers Day
Luke was meant to be working (as is usually the case on Mothers Day) but it actually turned out to be his first day off work for the forseeable future, so it was nice to spend the day together. Jenson made me a cute card at school, I bought some daffs the night before for the ‘gram (I know, I hate me too!), and we went out for a walk in the sun. Turns out that’s all we’ll be able to do for a while now but at least we live in a beautiful part of the world. Oh, and I treated us to cake from The Honey Pot – gotta support small businesses at a time like this!
Herman
Speaking of lifestyle changes, I’m now working from home and learning to adjust. My desk isn’t this tidy at the moment but I wanted to introduce you to Herman, my prayer plant (thanks for the name suggestion, Hannah!). He’s grown a bit since this photo was taken. I used to think the idea of desk plants and mental wellbeing was a bit bullshit but he does make me smile when I look over at him. I’m surprised I’ve kept him alive for three weeks to be honest!
How are you coping at the moment? What little things have made you smile? PSA: these Smarties Buttons are The Best!