At the end of 2022 I wrote a very depressing post about the type of year I had just had. I was in a bad place that day and there was nothing anyone could have said to make me feel better – I really was just as miserable as the post sounded. I felt like my life had spiralled out of control and I quite frankly lost hope. But the moment I published the post, I knew I had to come back at the beginning of January, revisit these thoughts and force myself into a more positive outlook for the new year. So here I am, and this is what I plan on doing to regain control of my life after such a disappointing year.
Christmas is approaching and I’m trying something different this year. I wanted to wrap the gifts with a more rustic, sustainable type ofwrapping paper so I opted for this roll of eco-friendly brown ‘scrap’ paper. I thought it would work with my simple, low-key theme I have going on this year for Christmas.
This was initially meant to be an Instagram caption but the latest update and horrible new layout doesn’t make it easy to read captions anymore. So here we are. And I guess this is also why I want to talk about my relationship with Instagram: it is very much a mixture of love and hate, and I’m still trying to navigate this dynamic.
A few months ago a stranger sent me the most beautiful, thoughtful and encouraging message after I briefly shared about my struggle to stick up for myself whenever I felt let down. I kept the message in my notes and still occasionally read it when I find myself in that same predicament.
I recently asked my friends on Instagram what sort of content would help them when it comes to life at home. The one reply that came back a few times was ‘routines”.
I don’t know if I can call this testimony time… it feels a little premature and random but today I feel very thankfuk and blessed to be able call my creative venture a part-time job, especially during these uncertain times. It’s taken me years to get to this point and even though I still have a long way to go, it feels good to know I’m on that path.
When is the last time you felt really confident about your lifestyle choices, or your opinions? With everyone on social media being so vocal about what they stand for, the things they agree/disagree with… with every social media platform encouraging some sort of discourse and debate, very often people’s lifestyle choices, opinions and habits will come under scrutiny.
A few days after the very first lockdown was announced at the beginning of this pandemic, I looked at my husband and said “Academically speaking, this year is pretty much void, right?” He just sighed. We both had a feeling that we’d just have to erase this year from our children’s academic journey and start over next year! Being a teacher, he knows all too well the struggle to keep children’s interest in learning alive. He knows how hard it is to stimulate their young minds to keep learning at a time like this.
This past year, every time schools closed, he almost singlehandedly took care of our children’s education, home schooling them to the best possible standard and supervising them while they took their online classes. And all this, on top of having to teach from home himself. We have a routine, but let’s be honest – being at home with all the distractions just simply isn’t the same.
In times like these, that feeling of dread for your children’s future is normal. But you don’t have to do it alone, you don’t have to struggle. If you’re a parent who is finding it hard to give your children the additional academic support they need in their school journey, or if you’re simply looking for an affordable tutoring service of great quality, I’d like to tell you about Joy Learning (Click here to visit the website).
One thing I absolutely love about this time of the year is using my imagination to transform our living space into the perfect festive setting. I usually do this indoors with our Christmas decorations, our tree and all the other festive touches that put us all in the mood for Christmas. This year however, I decided to do something different by creating a Christmas enchanted garden – an adventure that my children, especially my 2-year old daughter, would remember for a long time.
No matter the size of your garden, there are many different ways to encourage your children’s curiosity and sense of adventure. From creating a mini winter wonderland, to turning your outdoor space into a small campsite, you’ll find that a little bit of imagination can go a very long way. So get into the spirit and dress for the occasion – we are wearing Barbour’sgorgeous new Father Christmas collection, which is inspired by Raymond Brigg’s Father Christmas, available here.
I’m proud to embody different versions of what it means to be me. Throughout my adult life I have blossomed professionally, creatively, gained confidence in the workplace.
But I can’t celebrate ‘me’ without mentioning my more domesticated side. I take pride in my love for homemaking just as much as I take pride in my career journey.
À la Waïki 