Well then, hello! It’s been a really long time since I wrote a blog article like this.
I wrote this article in 2018, but when I reread it now, I realized, oh, my life was so busy!
In the past, writing a blog meant writing about what I was doing that week, such as updates on my daily life and thoughts that came to my mind, but things have changed a lot in the past few years. Social media provides daily updates, so posts like this don’t happen as often anymore.
Another reason I haven’t written anything like this is because for the past two years, life has been small and slow and I feel like I’m not really doing anything.
Of course it happens, but it’s hard to notice changes and good news when it happens so slowly.
For the past few months, I’ve been mainly working on behind-the-scenes things that no one on the blog notices. I’ve been updating old posts, analyzing statistics, and thinking about ways to improve the situation.
I found a great little hack to increase views on old blog posts, so if there are any bloggers out there who would like to know more, please let me know. Share this. (It’s very boring if you’re not a blogger!)
But now things are changing. I just sneaked back from woodwork and have lots of plans! Life is getting busy again and I’m loving it.
Getting married
I think the first big thing is Sam and I are getting married next month!
In fact, we’re at a stage where it’s not far away and everything is feeling a bit stressful.
We continue to vacillate between feeling so excited to be able to share this day with our closest friends and family, and that the idea of all of the people we love most coming together in the same space is truly amazing. But then we swing in the other direction and the whole thing starts to feel like a very stressful and expensive party and we start to think we’ve bitten off a little more than we can chew.
But it’s going to be incredible.
It’s a teepee wedding held on the outskirts of Delamere Forest. It’s next to a lake and surrounded by trees, just the most beautiful setting. With food, a band and twinkling lights, it’s going to be magical.
The kids
Look how big my baby is!
George is now 7 years old, Joseph is 5 years old, and Alba is 2 years old.
I hear many parents feel sad about their children growing up, but I actually love it. Whatever stage they are currently at, I feel they are ready to move on to the next stage.
I love being around talkative, intelligent, and curious boys who question everything and want to go out and try as many new experiences as possible. And I love watching Alba grow from her baby stage to a little girl. I loved the baby stage, but I was ready to leave it behind, along with the stroller, carrier, naps, and diapers!
My garden
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve been really into gardening lately.
I still learn almost everything through gardening YouTube videos…and a lot of trial and error. I’m one of those people who likes to make their own mistakes before believing there’s a better way. I mainly watch Hugh Richards and try to follow his guides and advice as closely as possible.
Raspberries, strawberries, potatoes, leeks, onions, peas, carrots, broccoli, spinach, pumpkins, zucchini and lettuce are grown here. And my greenhouse is packed full of peppers, tomatoes, sweet corn, and eggplant. There are lots of flowers and they look like they will be planted soon!
I love gardening. And I’m as surprised as everyone else with this new hobby. I was always the first to think that gardening was boring and I would rather be outside. But here I am, 34 years old, and totally hooked!
I love how it forces me to be present in the moment and forget about everything else. And it’s so much fun to watch everything change day by day!
Wow, yes, I’m an old lady.
It’s also great to have a hobby that can be done in 10 minutes here and 30 minutes there. It’s not easy to find time for hobbies when you have small children, but this one really works!
New trips
Photo taken by Joseph (5 years old)
Wow, a new trip is booked!
I can’t tell you how happy I am to have a few days of vacation locked away in my diary!
I am planning to go on a press trip to Spain at the end of May. It’s been incredible and it’s really exciting to be back on the press and work trips again.
To be honest, there was a time when I also completely stopped doing press trips and didn’t accept anything. They felt very stressed and unnatural. Maybe I was shooting too much, doing too many solo reporting trips, and I was completely burnt out.
June will be quiet due to weddings. Sam and I have 5 days to enjoy ourselves without the kids after the wedding, but we haven’t booked anything yet. It may sound a bit boring, but I actually want to go to the Abersoch caravan. We have never been to Abersock without our children. There are lots of restaurants and nice places to have a drink in the village, but you’ll never get to experience this side. (Going out for lobster and champagne with three young kids is not as fun as it sounds!)
There are also boats available at Abersock. It’s fun to bring the kids on the boat, but it’s so much more fun without them!
So if the weather is nice, I’ll go to Abersock. If not, book a last minute flight somewhere sunny and warm. I think it might be Lisbon!
We also have Valencia girls trip and Ibiza girls trip! My friend Jen has a hendo in Ibiza and will be extending her stay, so I’m going to visit her for a few cold days.
I can’t believe I’m talking about this already, but we also have a 3 week holiday to Tenerife for Christmas and New Years, so that’s going to be great! Check out my post on why Tenerife is perfect for a winter holiday.
The last time we went to Tenerife was when Spain went into lockdown in 2020, so we hope it will be a little less stressful this time!
Health and wellbeing
Staying healthy has been a huge part of my life for the past 8-9 months.
I’ve always exercised and always tried to stay healthy, but when my kids were little I pretty much stopped exercising. I don’t mean this in a bad way. With three young children, it’s impossible to do everything.
But I bought a Peloton bike during lockdown. It was a complete game changer. I can honestly say I have never felt so healthy and strong.
Read more: Is it worth using a Peloton bike for 7 months?
I think people think this health boost is just for the wedding, but really, I’m just getting into a phase where the kids are all together and I have more time and energy for myself.
When they were younger, I used to put pressure on myself to exercise. I joined a gym but rarely went and felt it was a shame to waste that money.
I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to just relax. It gets easier as the child gets older. No one expects you to have a baby and go right back to the gym.
That was when Alba turned 2, started sleeping better (though still not perfect!), George became really independent, and everything became so much easier.
I try to exercise for about 30 to 40 minutes five times a week. I love using the Peloton app to do a combination of strength training and cardio classes.
And for the first time, I felt like I was exercising to feel good, not to look good.
After a 30-minute workout, I feel energized and fresh, and my head feels clear. If you sleep well and drink lots of water, you will feel much better. And this feeling is what motivates me to get my workout clothes and do it every day. It’s not a feeling of “I need to lose weight” or “I ate a whole cake yesterday so I need to burn it off’.
I feel great right now thanks to exercise + time in the garden + a fair amount of work and life.
Work and blogging
Most of my work these days revolves around freelance writing. I write about travel and staycations for travel brands and I absolutely love it.
There’s something really satisfying about being cooped up in an office and writing about past adventures. It’s cozy, predictable, safe, and a great way to make a living while sitting there and drinking endless cups of tea!
But I’m also ready to start other projects.
My work before the pandemic was really diverse. That also includes writing, photography, film, journalism work, brand work, press strips, PR, and social media work.
Here is a blog post about “A Week in the Life of a Travel Blogger”. You know what I mean!
I’m looking forward to when everything gets back to normal and days with a little more variety.
We’re filming for ITV this evening and we’re heading to Cardiff in a few weeks to do some more filming.
And ever since I wrote a review about this anti-aging device, I’ve been flooded with requests for reviews of similar devices. Perhaps this is the beginning of a new field of beauty!
So here’s a little update from me. If you have any questions, you can always slide into my DMs and chat!