Winding Down After a Busy Day 

Winding Down After a Busy Day 

This weekend (the first May bank holiday weekend) has been suitably manic on the busy-scale, as per usual. I took Kieran to Code Club and we did the library while Roy and Taylor did suitably blokey stuff (Roy showed him how to play the ukulele). Kieran had a party with a friend and onto the local fair, we’ve been walking, hit the park, there was ice cream for the fellas, we had people around on Sunday for the afternoon… it was busy but great fun.

Sometimes when you’ve had a busy day or a busy weekend you find yourself craving a bit of “me” time. I work from home full-time and so you’d think that when work is done, the kids are tucked up and what not that I’d be desperate to get out and about. Honestly, the complete opposite is true.

You see, I’m a home bod. I love my house and don’t feel the need to leave it of an evening unless we have to or have something particularly special planned. Indeed once the kids are in bed you are most likely to find me tucked up in my PJs and slipper boots. Not the look of a gal going out on the town!

Here are my top five ways to unwind after a busy day – please feel free to add more via the comments, I’m always looking for activities that are fun and don’t require summoning up extra energy!

Reading

An oldie but a goodie. I love to read and devour books. I’m also someone who will read from pretty much any genre. For those looking for inspiration in the last week alone I have read Hidden Treasures by Fern Britton (I’ve read a few of hers and they have all been excellent), Hide Her Name by Nadine Dorries and Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani (I struggled to put this one down!).

A must read!

 Planning

Bear with me on this one! I love to be organised, I am a self-confessed and publically recognise stationery tart. I love being a bit creative. I’ve managed to merge these loves into a hobby of sorts which is not entirely unlike scrapbooking. I have an Erin Condren planner which I had shipped from America. if you could love a diary/planner then I’d happily state I love this one. I offers everything I need for work, family AND home and even better, I get to spend time making it pretty.

planner

A Bit of Bingo

I was ever so sad when the Regent Bingo Club here in Thirsk closed down. The building was made into apartments and a swish cocktail bar (which has be closed for a couple of years now – what a waste!). I now get my bingo fix online, and why not? I set a budget, curl up on the sofa in my PJs and thoroughly enjoy a little flutter. Next on my hit list to explore is the Bingo EXTRA website, I might even win big and treat myself to some new PJs and slipper boots!

Cookery

I am not a baker. I’ll bake with the boys and fill the scone tin up from time to time however my true passion lies in cooking savoury dishes. I adore having the opportunity (and peace!) to turn on the radio, close the door to the kitchen and just create. I’ll often do this of an evening and freeze my efforts for easy meals during the week.

spiralized

Netflix / Sky

We (Roy and I) record certain TV shows and watch them together, such as Game of Thrones. I also have my regulars such as Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Good Wife, Madame Secretary and we both enjoy trawling Netflix for now (and old) films and seasons to enjoy. We’re both waiting for the new Orange is the New Black to start!

How do you wind down at the end of the day?

Rainy Day and Lazy Evening Activities (For Grown Ups)

We were incredibly lucky over the Bank Holiday weekend to have sunshine, actual real British sunshine. There were even talks of people getting their first t shirt tan lines thanks to these rarely seen rays. As a family we took full advantage, getting out and about, visiting the local car boot sale and parks and I even managed to squeeze in an afternoon of gardening. The kids played out, the little one blowed bubbles in the garden and we even managed to get some laundry line-dried.

Unfortunately this type of weather is rare at best so we always have rainy day activities planned as a back up to keep the kids happy and occupied. We also have activities for us growns up for when the kids are busy, out and about without us, (or one of us) and for those long evenings indoors after they go to bed when the garden is too wet or cold to sit out in and enjoy. What do you consider your rainy day / indoor activities?

Reading
I’m rarely without a book or an e book to hand. Lately I’m enjoying easier reads peppered with the odd hardcore read that keeps you gripped until the last page. I really must visit the library more as in theory it is cheaper than buying e books but of course only if I remember to return them in time so I don’t get hefty fines!!

Browsing
As silly as it sounds there are times when I just enjoy a good old fashioned browse around the internet. I work online so you’d think I’d get fed up of it however work tools, word docs and similar are simply not the same as looking at pretty stuff on Pinterest, reading blogs around my interests, and just generally catching up on social media in a non work-related manner.

Gaming
I blame Roy for this one. Years and years ago (before the kids) he got me hooked on online gaming; one game in particular really called Star Wars Galaxies. I haven’t played in years yet last week he badgered me into trying it again and I love it! Thankfully it’s one of those things where you can just walk away and come back to whenever you like which is essential when you have kids in the house. Being something of a Star Wars / sci-fi and fantasy geek anyway this is my kinda rainy day / evening in activity.

Cookery
Believe it or not I actually find cookery really quite relaxing. I enjoying messing around with new recipes, batch cooking for the freezer and generally just experimenting when it’s quiet and I’m not cooking to a deadline. I recently relinquished my rather large cookery book stash to the charity shop after copying down a few old favourites as the be honest all the recipes I’ll ever need are online these days. As much as I love to cook I really do not like bakingm isn’t that strange?!

Movies / TV
We rarely go to the pictures however Roy and I do love a good movie or TV series and so we record them on Sky+ or add them to our list on Netflix and every now and then we call Date Night. Date Night is the night we enjoy a quiet night in, just the two of us, doing what we enjoy. The kids go to bed and then we have a special meal (steak next time) and snuggle up together to enjoy our favourite shows. Simple but perfect for a lazy night in.

What do you like to do when you have some rare free time to yourself at home? Once upon a time I used to enjoy cross-stitch however I haven’t felt the urge recently. I’ve friends who are a whizz with the crochet needles and enjoy knitting and what not but I’m not that creative or craft driven.

I’ve told you mine, now you tell me yours 🙂