What's Keeping Me Sane

Photo by britt gaiser on Unsplash

Hey friends. I wrote a whole other post but decided to scrap it. Sometime after I have written something down, it no longer takes up space in my head, and I can let it go without sharing it. I decided to write a whole new post and here it is.

We can’t deny that this time of year is bonkers, mostly in a good way but sometimes in an “oh-my-god-please-slow-down” way, too. I usually feel totally overwhelmed and burnt out around now, but because this year has been the year from hell for our family, and I’ve spent most of the year feeling like that I decided to change the narrative this season. Here’s a few things that are getting me through

1. Instead of looking at my stupidly full calendar and letting anxiety take over, I’ve decided to go with it, lean all the way in and find the joy in things. Do I wish I hadn’t offered to bake for the end-of-year concert and man the sausage sizzle? Yes, I do, but I did, so now I’m looking at it as a fun way to meet parents I haven’t met yet. Have I maybe booked too many appointments for this last month of the year? Yes, but I will start the new year on top of things. As someone who does not socialise often, I am saying yes to all the things because I miss my friends and love doing all the Christmas-y stuff with my kids, and life is for living, right?

2. I am terrible at remembering to water my potted outdoor plants and the ones the sprinkler doesn't hit, so I have set daily alarms (630am for weekdays, 8 am for weekends) to remind me to give them water. I really want my self-seeded tomatoes to flourish and my potted hydrangeas to bloom, and with Perth warming up, I can’t afford to not water them for days on end. Alarms to the rescue!

3. I think most people who know me are aware of my Coke no-sugar addiction, and I make no excuses or apologies for it, but I can acknowledge that it (and I recently re-picked up the habit of scrolling on my phone in bed) is doing nothing for my sleep. I am back on the nighttime magnesium, back to not drinking Coke late in the day and (trying) very hard not to use my phone in bed and only read my books. It seems to be helping, and when I am well-rested, I am a much nicer person.

4. Speaking of sleeping, I am now sleeping in my own bed. My husband snores and likes to sleep with the TV on. I snore and like to sleep in darkness while quietly listening to a podcast I have listened to before ( I have two that I created a bedtime list for and replay those ones over and over) as if it’s white noise. He also has a restless leg, and I am a light sleeper. Separate sleeping beds are doing WONDERS for my sleep!

5. I think I am out of my “let’s try something different for dinner” era and have settled into my “let's eat basic food all the time” era. My kids are the worst eaters, which makes meal times very unappealing, and, to be honest, I just can’t be arsed being fancy or experimental in the kitchen, so meat and salad, a pasta dish, chicken wings, homemade burgers and a curry are pretty much where it’s at right now. Simple dinners make life easier, especially as we head into the hottest months here in Perth, and help keep me sane.

6. Christmas movies are totally getting me through! From Friday night through the weekend, I pretty much only watch Christmas movies right now. During the week. Tim and I have been watching Our Oceans, but come the weekend, he leaves me to my schmaltzy Christmas movies. Standouts so far are- Hot Frosty, Single All The Way, Meet Me Next Christmas, Holidate, Best Christmas Ever and Why Him. I won’t mention the ones I don’t enjoy or finish, but let me warn you, Merry Gentlemen is not worth your time. Others from years gone by are Falling For Christmas, Last Christmas, Lovehard, Dash & Lily and The Noel Diary.

7. Last year, we tried to book a staycation in the city over New Year's so the little kids could watch the fireworks over the river. We were too late to get anywhere, but last weekend, Tim suggested we try for this year, so we jumped online and were able to snag a couple of nights at Crown in the city over NYE. Having a little break to look forward to is so nice.

8. Over the weekend, Sadie and I went to watch Wicked. I am not a musical fan and didn’t know what the storyline was besides being a prequel to my all-time favourite movie. Tim had wanted to buy us tickets to see the musical over the holidays, and I kept saying no, it wasn’t for me. Well, we LOVED it and can’t stop talking about it or quoting lines to each other. I fell down an Ariana Grande rabbit hole, and I am now obsessed with her. I also can’t stop looking at Cynthia Erivo’s style and nails. Needless to say, I told Tim that if he still wanted to buy us tickets for Christmas, we’d love them. Having a new little hyper-fixation is fun.

9. Lastly, the Aldi paddle pops, called plat-a-pops, are the perfect little treat to have on a hot day. We all need cheap little treats to keep us sane and satiated, don’t we?

I wish I had ten things to make it nice and even, but I can’t think of anything else. What about you, what’s keeping you sane as we enter bonkers season?

Talk soon xx