Sometimes life feels like one big blur and I easily forget all of the things we have enjoyed/achieved or survived! I want to be able to look back and appreciate it all. It’s also a way of remembering what to say when someone asks, “What have you been up to lately?” because I blank out every. single. time.
Awkward.
Friends and family.
In the past month, I celebrated the temporary arrival home of a beautiful friend (who stays with her fiancé in the US). We caught up a couple of times and the Little Mister appears to have a bit of a crush (he won’t stop talking about her)! I miss this gal so much and I am so excited for her next trip home – we’re going to have a hens night!
Mr Unprepared and I dressed up like old people for an old (haha) friend’s 30th birthday party and played lawn bowls badly.
The next day I backed it up with a kitchen tea for Mr Unprepared’s gorgeous cousin. I tried to look young again, but I was feeling a little ordinary! It was so great to catch up with the ‘ladies in-laws’ and this made me excited for the May wedding!
We caught up with some friends at the beach for a play date and I wish I’d taken photos because the weather was stunning! The Little Mister made a little friend and everyone made sand castles. I still have SO MUCH cuttlefish to clean out of the back of my car (thank you little collectors)!
I had dinner with a couple of girlfriends chatting about everything. EVERYTHING. It was nice to get out of town and driving home was a little exciting (or scary) as a storm had suddenly appeared! The lightning was amazing as we headed down the freeway. I would have taken photos but then we would have died. So sorry.
We celebrated my mother in law’s birthday last weekend and you’d swear the Little Mister thought it was his birthday.
It was great to have a slightly quieter month, with lots of quality time with my grandparents. I love that the Little Mister gets to see them so much (especially as he’s old enough to remember them), so we take any opportunities we can. The Little Mister has become very good at asking for “coffee and a muffin”. He doesn’t get coffee of course (can you imagine?!!), but he’s been brainwashed by all the adults in his life (except me)! Very impressionable haha.
Travel plans.
I forgot to mention it, but we booked ALL of our Korea accommodation. It’s all done. Now it’s just trains & Japan to go. Phew.
— Kez (@KezUnprepared) March 8, 2014
Lots was achieved in this area. We booked all of our accommodation in Korea and in a big rush (accommodation options were being booked up by the minute), we also somehow managed to sort out Japan. Now we just have to get the train and coach transport sorted! It’s great because now we can think of all the fun stuff we’d like to see/do. We’re busy figuring out what we’ll be packing and what we’ll be carrying it in with all manner of back packs, suitcases and carry bags! We have an abundance of great luggage, but no idea which combination we’ll use for easy travel! We had several family meetings over whichever weekends we could all get together (we are going with my parents and brother), where everyone sat around with all the Apple products you have ever seen, researching and confusing ourselves with ALL OF THE REVIEWS on tripadvisor.
Day 3 of our #KoreaJapan2014 planning meeting and…wait, it’s only been 2.5 hours?! #braindrain
— Kez (@KezUnprepared) March 8, 2014
The Little Mister.
We’ve been potty training. It started off a little rocky (not sure that he was quite ready yet) but he had some developmental spurts and suddenly something has clicked. We just do it at home for now, with nappies while we’re out, but he’s doing great. I learnt that the anticipation of toilet training a toddler for the first time was actually scarier (terrifying in fact) than just mucking in and giving it a go. We took a relaxed and positive approach and it seems to have paid off. It’ll be a while before we’re all the way there, but we’re not rushing – just taking it a step at a time. I get a little bit over the top excited when he takes himself to the potty without my help (or even without me noticing on occasion). So proud!
I have noticed that he is finally teething again. His last ever molar. Last I checked it was a bit bruised under the gum and waiting to cut through. Another of many little milestones.
We had a bit of a fun practice day for our big holiday with him recently. My mum and I took him on the train to the city for the first time. He was so good and only got the littlest bit restless (this was all without the aid of any electronic devices which I’m sure would help even more on longer journeys). We bought some things for our trip and then had sushi for lunch. He was so cute, trying to copy us as he ate his tuna roll. He loved the little fish shaped soy sauce squeezie thingies. Who doesn’t, right? He asks to go on the train all the time now. Breaks my heart to tell him we’re just going to the supermarket haha.
The (well…slightly more) boring stuff.
We’ve been busy budgeting and squirrelling away holiday money. It’s been going better than we expected. Just goes to show that when you pay closer attention to what you spend, there are so many savings to be made! It’s made me appreciate what we have so much more and has made me realise just how much more financially comfortable we can be even when we’re not saving for a trip. I think we’ll do things a lot differently when we return from Japan and Korea. Money has been tight in the past too, but I think it’s easier when you know it’s for a really awesome reason.
While having a family budget isn’t very new to us, we did add the extra meal planning aspect. Groceries can be so much more streamlined when you know exactly what you’re eating each week. You don’t have to buy “just in case” food items or waste as much food. Saving money – yay!
We’ve been enjoying more family time, visiting the farmers markets, exercising together, taking the Little Mister to just about every park ever. Running wild on the beach. We didn’t always have that balance in life before and it feels good.
Now that I look at what I’ve written, we’ve been fairly busy in between all the usual daily routine stuff we have to do all week. Sometimes I get all weird and think I haven’t done enough or seen enough people (it’s a weird insecurity that bugs me from time to time and I’m working on not equating being ‘busy’ with feeling important). It’s good to check in with myself and appreciate it all.
So…what have YOU been up to lately? x
