October was a much better month for me personally, with things looking hopeful and back to normal. The month started with some storms and they made the best sky to watch. My boyfriends' son stayed with us for the long weekend so the house was filled with the sounds of the guitar and drums, it was nice. They spent time on the motorbikes and working out the back. It is the first time he has stayed over by himself in three years so it was a milestone event. As school thankfully resumed as normal, with all students and staff back now, it started to take it out of me so I took it easy most afternoons as I had no energy to do much at all, which did mean my blog writing went out the door. I did start preparations for my 40th birthday in November though and was thankful to get away with my boyfriend for a long weekend to Kangaroo Valley. It was a major reset for both of us and was so nice to ground ourselves again. We had a brilliant time and will cherish these memories.

Listened to - 

* my October 2021 playlist on Spotify

* The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes Podcast

* The Marie Forleo Podcast

* The Real, Raw, Relatable Podcast with Kat John

* The Lively Show with Jess Lively

 Read - 

* Busy As F*ck by Karen Nimmo

* The Abundant Garden by Niva and Yotam Kay

* Untigering by Iris Chen

Splurged on - 

* subscription to Adventure+ online

* subscription to Growth Day (personal development app) for an annual membership

Watching - 

* Have You Been Paying Attention?

* Rocketman movie

* Flight Movie

Went to - 

* get my second jab at the local doctor’s, thankfully I scored an appointment so did not have to drive into Homebush again

* the library

* Cumberland State Forest for a bushwalk for my mums birthday

* Kangaroo Valley for the weekend reviewing The Cottage accommodation plus visiting the beautiful Jervis Bay with my boyfriend. You can read about it here

* drinks after school with a gf at the Fiddler

* dinner at Quakers Inn with my boyfriend to celebrate 700 readers of my blog this month

Booked - 

* booked flights and accommodation in Norfolk Island - a belated joint 40th birthday getaway with my best friend to Norfolk Island for January

* in a family dinner for my birthday for next week as my parents are away my birthday weekend

* tickets to Wildflower concert in the Hunter Valley in April 2021

Cooked - 

* Chocolate Brownies, Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry and Ricotta Tart, Cinnamon Muffins

* Quinoa salad, fish, Lemongrass and Coconut Chicken, made my own Chicken Schnitzel, Malaysian Curry, Haloumi Burgers, Risotto

What's new - 

* Home improvements - not much this month - put up padding under the carport so the birds can not sit there anymore and poo on the car. Big clean up of things in the carport. Cleared out, cleaned up and fixed up the laundry. My boyfriend fixed the back wall of the laundry which was being pulled out by the roof movement. Was gifted a fern for the bathroom from my boyfriends mum. Fixed up the strawberries plants. Potted up more plants gifted from my Aunty.

* School wasn’t so bad as more teachers were allowed on-site so eased the stress and numbers in my class then everyone returned - finally - so I am back to being day to day casual

* bought a modem and sim so now for the first time ever have internet in the house and don’t have to hotspot off my mobile

* failed at completing Blogtober - which is to write and blog each day in October. Got overwhelmed and exhausted with life and school so had to give up the idea. It has been nice to take the pressure off myself not having to write each day and just write when it feels good

* finally got rid of the backlog of cans we had been collecting at Return and Earn

* did a lot of self-development this month including the Mel Robbins High 5 Challenge, Clarity 8 Day Challenge, Confidence 5 Day Challenge as well as The Energy Healing Rescue Free Virtual 5 Day Event. Usually, I sign up for things like these challenges but then never bother to complete them but this time I was determined. Also about to begin the Calmer, Clearer; 4 weeks To A Better You challenge

* had another 100 pins made for Pinterest using a designer on Fiverr. Love them but decided I should make time each week to make them myself but haven’t started as yet. Need to be more focused

Looking for - 

* info on hanging veggie gardens on the fence

* pot on a stand for the bathroom

Sold -

* large esky bag, 30x terracotta pots, Canterbury cap and flag, 5 sheets of penny tiles

 
Started - 

* sending a photo on Snapchat to my sister every day during the lockdown. She hasn’t signed in recently to her account so she doesn’t realize. Going to be a fun surprise when she does

* tanning season. I apply my own fake tan every ten days or so, so as not to scare anyone with my white skin. Bit of an effort but makes me feel so much better about myself

Attempting to -

* take my self-development seriously. Signed up for Growth Day app and been watching videos and completing challenges. Learning lots

How was your first month of freedom? Did you go anywhere special? You know I am always after recommendations, please let me know. We would love to hear your thoughts. Please feel welcome to join the conversation and leave a comment below.

For other months in hindsight click here