As more and more children head back to school for the new school year it becomes apparent to me that for most parents or teachers September and the start of a new school year is actually more of a new start than the actual new year in January. I feel exactly the same way.
So what does this new start New school year hold for the The Spencers?
During the Summer I love to sit down on a naptime (or quite time for the big twins) with a notepad and plan the rest of the year. This year most of the planning was done while quiet time happened on our road trip.
Holidays & Outings
Holidays
One big adventure we have planned is mine and chris’s 10th wedding anniversary trip. I’m excited and anxious to be leaving the kids at home for a week in December. They will be staying with the grandparents during our trip while we head to New York. I have wanted to go to New York for most of my adult life I really want to see the famous Rockefeller christmas tree and witness winter in the city.
Every year at new year we usually head off to Lanzarote to celebrate there and I hoping to take this trip again but we will need to see if we can get some cheap flights as at the moment they are just so expensive.
Theatre
Chris and I also have a few lone theatre trips booked in. This month is Brydon, Mack and Mitchell at Sheffield which I hope will be a hilarious date night out. Later in the year is The Entertainer which stars Shane Richie. I have no Idea what this is going to be like but as a fan of Shane I think it will be a hit. I also have a trip with girlfriends to see the emotional rollercoaster that is The Girls. It will be my 4th time seeing this musical. Each time there has been slight changes and updates to the performances. With Gary Barlow being the co writer and producer though I’m sure it will still tell the amazing story of those brave Women’s Institute girls the best it can.
Memory Making
After our road trip we made a plan to spend as much time as we can outdoors and doing the things that fill our memory banks. Both for me and Chris and the kids. One of the things that we really loved on our trip was pulling up at the beach and jumping in the rock pools then heading back to the motorhome for a hot chocolate. So we are now on a mission to find a beachside carpark that we can pull into thats not too far from home.
During the colder months our van side cinema nights will be replaced by movie nights in our cinema room. Toasting marshmallows and BBQ’s will turn into Hot chocolates and Autumn snack platters in the living room surrounded by blankets and cushions.
Fitness
I have decided that I need to do something a little more than just trying to eat healthy. So as of this week I will be joining Slimming World in the hope that it will support me to eat better and lose a bit of weight. Alongside this I hope to get back into my 20 min walk a day and swimming 3 times a week. When the summer holidays descend I struggle to find the time to head out and never feel motivated enough to exercise at home. That said we did lots of walking while we were on our trip which I really enjoyed When i didn’t have a toddler to carry!
Simplify and Organization
These dont necessarily go hand in hand however I believe from simplifying routines and belongings you can feel more organised.
I have talked and talked about decluttering spaces within our house but nothing ever seems to stay that way. Drastic change within the house needs to happen for it to start making an impact.
Pantry
There are three main areas that I want to declutter and organise The first being the Pantry. The big twins are now in year three which means that school dinners now have to be paid for. Luckily they have asked for packed lunches. By creating a better organised pantry I am hoping the kids will be able to help with making their own lunches.
Office
Next up is My office / Workshop space. I really want to get this up and running this winter. At the moment this space is used for storing rubbish and garden items again there are things in there that need to be decluttered , Old paperwork that can be shredded, toys that can be given to charity, garden equipment that needs a better home. This project is quite a big one really involving replastering, rewiring and a patio door fitting in the long term. For now though I just want to concentrate on getting it empty and usable for the short term.
Toys
Finally Toys. We have an abundance of toys that rarely get played with. There are four children in the house and often that means four or at least two of most things. While we were away the kids made things from stones to play with. They actually played with their toys, They played together most of the time too. I believe the more toys they have the less they play as they feel overwhelmed by choice. There is more I want to talk about on this so at a later date I will post a seperate post about my great Toy Cull.
Work
At the moment and for the foreseeable future there is no way I could go out and get a job. The child care would be astronomical.
Blogging
So blogging is what I have been focusing on to try and make me a bit of an income. I have recently been think about other forms of income too Something I can do from home.
Social Media Management
One thing is to offer out my social media management skills to local businesses. This is something I need to work on and I would like to take a couple of courses to ensure I can offer the best service.
Public Speaking
To accompany my “Online Life” I have started on a public speaking journey too. I have only given the one talk so far but I have another written up for a keynote at a blogging event in November. I also Need to write up something for the Nottinghamshire Women’s Institute to offer my Social media talk out.
Creating
Another thing I wouldn’t mind doing is creating. Before we had kids we made concrete garden ornaments. I loved painting them up for customers. I need to look into what I could make to sell. My dad has a retail yard so could easily sell a few bits through his yard. which I why I need to declutter the office/ Workshop.
Who else thinks back to school feels like a new start? What’s on your to do list for Autumn Winter?
Nina x
