Perks

We have all been suffering from an ugly cold that has left us with a very stubborn cough; the little ones got it first and I knew it was only a matter of time before I did too. I absolutely loath being ill, it’s the most annoying waste of my life and I get pretty angry about it when it happens. However, there were a few unexpected little perks this time around that I felt I should share with you in case you too were stuck inside feeling sorry for yourself.

Firstly, after dragging the kids out to the shops for the necessary supplies to feed ourselves, Little H was feeling particularly sad that he couldn’t go to playgroup. (He kept informing me that he needed to go to the doctors because he had germs, but that the best course of action was if I went to the doctors and He went to play group instead!) So on the spur of the moment I took him down the biscuit isle and said that he could choose ANY packet he wanted (I NEVER do this!). It took him a little while to get to grips with what had just happened, maybe he thought it was a test (!), but eventually he settled on a packet of party rings, great choice :)

Then, on the way home I swung by the drive thru and bought a coffee and a tiny hot chocolate. He was very excited about this privilege and couldn’t wait to get home. When we arrived I announced that we were having a picnic in the tepee. I pulled out a tray and some fancy china plates (these always make kids feel more grown up), piled everything on and went upstairs to squeeze into the tent. It was really nice to just sit and chill out with them both, all of us feeling just a bit crap and taking comfort in hot drinks and sweet treats. (Kids seem to love watching adults squash into spaces that are too small for them…?)

Secondly, I had an incredible bath. There’s nothing like a good soak, but there’s definitely a difference between the average bath and a Lush bath! This beast is called a Golden Wonder and its packed full of Lime and Orange oils, not to mentions tiny golden stars :)

Little H was in charge of putting it in the bath and was amazed at the different colours. Once I got in I made it clear that under no circumstances was he to play in my bath (it was MINE!!), so instead he ran to his bedroom to get a book, pulled up the little step and read to me. It was so sweet and made me feel much better.

(By the way, if you wish to feel like a mermaid at any point in your life then you need one of these bath bombs, it will do they trick every time!)

Thirdly, whenever I get unwell I constantly have the urge to surround myself with beautiful things, and this time around that need converted itself into crochet. I opened my wardrobe door and saw this huge ugly ball of artificial sheep that I had been ignoring for ages. 

It looked as much of a mess as I felt and so I set to work making something from it. Nothing fancy, just a basket. I used a large hook and doubled up the yarn so it would give me more satisfaction, more quickly and just hooked until it ran out! It felt so good to use it up.

Lastly, as I began to feel better I realised that what I really wanted for times when I was poorly was a place to go and be alone; one that was peaceful and visually quiet. And so I went to town on our bedroom which always ends up being a dumping ground for everything that doesn’t have a real home, and I gutted it all and cleaned it up good. It’s very calm in there now and I’m hoping to keep it that way :)

In other news….ITS ADVENT!!! Hooray, Christmas has arrived and we can all open our calendars. Our first family activity was to get out the Nativity set, the first of many Christmassy things to come down from the loft! Yay!

And today our advent activity was to bake mince pies…YUM!

I hope you’re as excited about the beginning of Christmas as we are, and if you’re feeling poorly, as a lot of people seem to be at the moment, I hope you feel better soon. Try surrounding yourself with things you love, or feeling like a mermaid in the bath :)

Thanks for stopping by,

See you soon,

Hayley

xxx