Enjoying the Little Things in Life

The past few months have been so challenging for many of them. However, there is always something to feel grateful for. Enjoying the little things in life is essential. Here are some of the things we’ve been doing during lockdown.

Disclaimer: this blog post contains links to products that we were gifted.

Baking

Once the shortage of flour was over, it seems that baking became a popular hobby for many people once again. Prior to lockdown, we headed to Makro and bought an enormous 16kg sack of self-raising flour. I donated most of it to people within the village who were struggling to get any, as well as someone stealing a bag from my doorstep (flour-gate!). My girls and I adore spending time in the kitchen, and baking is far more exciting than cooking for them. My eldest won the best modern Victoria sponge in a village contest last year and seems to have developed a flair for it. 

We’ve made cupcakes to enjoy, cakes to celebrate and also ones to be handed out to the homeless through the People’s Picnic in Norwich. Not only is it fun, it is also educational for the girls. I must admit though that I stick to ounces when I’m weighing out the ingredients. Ratio is covered that way though! Fine motor skills can also be improved when it comes to icing the cakes using the piping gun. Although they might look a little quirky, the girls assure me that they tasted delicious.

Crafting

Both of my girls are creative. They adore spending quiet time drawing, colouring and making things. We were grateful for a first sewing kit and paint your own tea set sent to us by LoveCrafts. My eldest absolutely adored learning how to sew. Although the kit was lacking a little thread for some reason, LoveCrafts dealt with it quickly and sent out some more. The plastic needle was a bit tricky at times to get through the felt because some of the holes weren’t quite there. However, with my help, she persevered and is thrilled with the end result. The tea set went down a treat too. 

Exercising

My partner and I have done some running together over the past few months, but it has really been the PT sessions with Jack where we have done the most. Although both of us sweating and swearing because of the effort and exertion levels probably isn’t the most romantic of things, we do enjoy spending this time together as it’s something that is helping both of us to become fitter, stronger and healthier, both mentally and physically.

Studying

Believe it or not, I absolutely love learning. I crave access to courses and academia. Give me a book and I’m happy. I’m studying towards becoming a Level 6 qualified careers adviser at the moment, and I have also just taken another huge leap in terms of increasing my level of education (but I will blog about that separately!). Throwing myself into learning is something I do automatically. Lockdown has given me the chance to learn outside of my usual field. Someone posted in one of the Facebook groups I’m a member of about a session she was running about Growth Mindset. I signed up, attended, and came away feeling inspired. I’ve recently paid just under £6 to attend a precision teaching course, which I know will help one of my pupils immensely. Perhaps it doesn’t sound enjoyable to you, but each to their own.