What day is it anyway?

Seriously what day is it?! In the interim between Christmas and New Years, where leftovers become a staple diet and sherry and a rom com in the afternoon feels normal, it's easy to lose sight of the year slipping away. After a hectic festive period me and the littles have been luxuriating in some time around home, where pyjamas have been our uniform
and walking the dog has been our only reason for leaving the house. 

Lately my tea has been going cold (and not just because I've been photographing it)! Which is a sure sign I'm writing again. I'm working on a new novel set in the 1970's, it's about a family of morticians, surfers and explores mother/daughter relationships through Billie Joslin and her mixed race sister Bobby. My dream is to become a published author, with my work being a fixture on doctor's read well booklists and featured on Reece Witherspoon's book club. If my silly, romantic imaginings could make people feel comforted, I'd be over the moon! 

I'm currently reading Jenny Colgan's 'The Bookshop on the Shore.' I picked it up for £1 in a charity shop and to be honest, had judged it by the cover, expecting it to be a fluffy, coffee read that would be enjoyable but probably a bit dumb. On the contrary it's so well written, I'm finding myself reading it over my baby's head! I knew I wanted something comforting, gentle and a bit romantic but this is all those things as well as, intriguing, thoughtful and with a bit of grit. Romantic novels or 'chick lit,' are often ridiculed and whilst I do understand that a lot of the genre is cheesy and well, a bit-crap, I'll always defend it. Where else can you find a world where women are the main protagonists, business owners,  rulers of their own destiny, whilst also getting the love and the happy ending? If we're not getting murdered in crime thrillers, we're getting haunted or abused or rescued in every other genre. The only other space I can think of that gives women a more equal role is Sci Fi which I've yet to adequately delve into! 

So, anyway. Let's do a quick round up of Christmas. We spent it mostly on the M40 tootling up to Birmingham for a few days then back down to St Albans, Hertfordshire before home to Oxfordshire. With two kids under three in tow, it was well - as you'd expect. Both hubby and I have conceded that next year we definitely want less travelling as it was tiring for all concerned. I always maintain that having the hardship of lots of family to visit and the inevitable people pleasing is a first world problem and massive privilege, we're lucky to have so many family alive and well. 

I took a pre departure photo of me and the kids in the hope it would make the motorway Gods be kind to us. I rallied up to my parents house a whole 2 days before Christmas Eve, as I wanted to spend time seeing extended family and in the chaos of the festive period have some time to actually chill. Whilst my parent's can't do enough for me, as a parent myself now I'm really conscious of not burdening anyone, so spent much of the time running around worrying we weren't being good house guests. I made dinner one night for everyone and I think even offered to vaccum at one point (look internet, aren't I nice, please validate me...or at least invite me around yours)!  

How cute and Christmassy is my parents dining room? The house was built in the 1940s and they've tried to keep as much original as possible. I'm wearing my thrifted New Look cardigan, a Vinted Dolly Parton tshirt (you saw last week) and my £3 Topshop jeans also thrifted. 

That's a cheeky prosecco you can see in my hand. After almost two years of not touching a drop (thanks to pregnancy and breastfeeding), needless to say I was two sheets to the wind after merely sniffing the fumes of this! I'm still breast feeding so I really didn't get to enjoy much, but my gosh that one glass was lush! The pyjamas were a gift a few birthdays ago from my sister Emily, they're what I call my 'posh pjs,' so I tend to only wear them when I'm visiting. 

I wore the above on Christmas Eve (I think), I knew I wouldn't be wanting anything high waisted and tight once we got to Christmas so I wore my thrifted 70's denim skirt whilst I could! I've had this skirt in my wardrobe for years and it's one of those that just goes with everything. I'll not be getting rid of it in a hurry. The top is new and was a gift from Emily again for my birthday. 

As my doggo Ozzie was having a sleep over at my sister Laura's house, (who had kindly agreed to have him as my parent's have had new flooring and don't want dog guests anymore), we got up early Christmas day and drove the 7 minutes to my sister's house to see him and walk him. Both me and the kids loved stretching our legs when the world was still waking up. Hubby took the photo and enjoyed being there too! My Christmas outfit was a low key one this year, my £3 jeans again and a vintage Peruvian jumper I got for £8 from a charity shop several years ago. The llama makes me laugh every time I see it.  The incredibly muddy boots were Vinted Topshop boots for a tenner (I think). 

You can see why we flock to my Mom and Dad's house for dinner! Mom goes all out and after 30+ years of this level of effort she's thoroughly fed up and desperate not not cook anymore. We're formulating a plan for next year as she very much deserves a break from years of hard work making Christmas so magical for us! 

This photo was taken boxing day just before we did our mammoth trek back to Oxfordshire, dropped the dog off home, then rushed to St Albans to spend time with the in laws. As my in laws don't want to be featured on the blog I haven't got any photos from our time there but let me just say it was AWESOME! My in laws are Nigerian so we had jollof rice and veggies for dinner and some sumptuous cheesecake that my sister in law and brother in law Fran and Kunle made. I wish I'd taken a photo of it as it was delicious! 

As the weather has been filthy since we've gotten back and hubby has been back at work, me and the girls have been doing lots of wholesome things at home. As I'm partial to a bit of cabin fever I usually drag the girls to all sorts of activities so its been nice to slow the pace a bit. Bar a playdate with my mat leave momma's (we all got preggers within months of each other at work, so have a ready made nursery when we all get together), I've been really enjoying being home based with the girls. How cool is mine and Eniola's potato print painting?! Me and her Dad love it so much we're actually going to hang it in the kitchen! 

The two photos above were taken in sideward rain trekking up the Wittenham Clumps, a sacred area of land in Oxfordshire, which is said to have links to Stone Henge. Despite the miserable weather we had an absolute blast running around in the mud and puddles. 

Well my lovelies, it's dawned on me that it's actually New Years Eve! Although I won't be out partying or clubbing, I'll be up late as someone will inevitably need feeding! It can be easy at this time of the year to feel a massive societal pressure to 'do something' and wake up the 1st Jan as this immaculate, together person. Just in case you need to ready it here's some food for thought to help quell that pressure... 

Last year at the start of 2022 I had prenatal depression. I started the year the lowest I have ever felt and honestly it felt so immensely hard seeing social media alight with people #livingtheirbestlives. But here's the thing...I got through it. Even with the crappiest start - no resolutions, no fitness goals, no ability to rise motivated - the year unfolded into something truly magical. So even if you're sat reading this, feeling low, worried you're not glamorous enough, that you're not fit, pretty, interesting or doing anything exciting - it will all be ok, just you wait. The low times are veiled opportunities, they teach us something or to quote Kahlil Gibran 'The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

Just in case you need it, here's a poem that says it so much better I ever could: 

The Orange

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.

— Wendy Cope

Happy New Year Lovebugs, you've got this

Love Soph 

xxx