Life · Lifestyle

6 Things Every Mom Should Add to Their Bucket List

When you get a child, you suddenly realize how quickly time passes. We’re completely confused during the first few years of a baby’s life. We believe things will get better as the child grows up, but age only brings new challenges.

Whatever the case, this prevents us from trying things we’ve always wanted to try. At one point, you have to hit the brakes, create a bucket list, and experience life’s small pleasures.

In this article, we talk about a few cool things every mommy should add to her bucket list. Now, we’re not necessarily telling you to charter a private jet (although that would be cool!), but you should definitely invest in some of these experiences. 

1. Skydiving

Many people never have the pleasure of skydiving. It’s one of those activities that are very hard to describe with words. The whole experience is cathartic, allowing you to put all your worries aside, even if only for a minute.

No matter where you live, there’s probably some small, local airport where companies organize skydiving. You just have to call one week ahead to book the jump and shell out a few hundred dollars. But trust us when we say this experience is well worth the money.

2. Scuba diving/snorkeling 

Staying on the topic of diving, you should try scuba diving or snorkeling. The choice between these two will vary based on your risk adversity. Snorkeling is much easier and doesn’t require much preparation. It’s a fantastic opportunity to experience marine wildlife in its natural habitat. 

Scuba diving is for adventurous types, and some people find the concept scary. However, despite what some might think, it’s an extremely safe activity. You’ll have assistance at all times, and if you ever feel uncomfortable, you can just bail.

3. Marathon

Marathon is a testament to the human spirit. Just about anyone can join this race and enjoy it with a bunch of other families that decided to spend their day outside.

The great thing about public marathons is that there are no prerequisites. You can run as much as you like, even if it’s for 10 to 15 minutes. After that, you can hit the local ice cream store and take a breather.

The cool thing about this activity is that it’s tailor-made for families. In fact, if you live in a big city, there’s a good chance that the local authorities will organize one such event every year. Alternatively, you can drive with the family to the nearby place that organizes the event, making it a fun weekend trip.

4. Outdoor camping

Here’s another activity that involves the whole family and is perfect for mommies. You can take your kids and partner to the nearby nature park if you’re an outdoor type. Spend the night under the stars and finally leave your PC and phone behind. 

Not only is outdoor camping great for unwinding, but it also allows you the chance to communicate with family members. We’re often too busy to socialize with the closest ones, which is a real shame. However, during this adventure, you’ll have the time to bond properly.

5. Chocolate factory

Of course, not everyone likes running, diving, and the great outdoors. Some would much rather lie down on the beach and relax. We can’t blame them; being a mommy is hard work! 

So, why don’t you book a visit to the chocolate factory? That’s every person’s dream, and we bet your kids will also enjoy it. Keep in mind that this kind of organized visit involves much more than simply looking at heavy machinery. There’s also degustation where you can taste all the locally-produced goodies. 

Of course, if you’re not that much into chocolate, you can always visit a wine factory! 

6. Live in Europe 

Many US citizens never leave the Americas. They might travel to Cancun or someplace in the Pacific during the summer vacation, but that’s about that. This is a real shame because every person should visit Europe once in their lifetime.

Furthermore, we suggest that you not only visit Europe but live in one of its beautiful cities. Take a hiatus for a few months, and rent an apartment in Paris, Madrid, or Rome. 

Most European capitals have a rich history, numerous museums, and various other attractions. So, even if you’re there for a month, there’s a good chance you won’t see everything. Even when you’re old and gray, you’ll never forget this visit!

Happiness · Life · Lifestyle

Why Wait til Retirement to Live Your Dream Life?

Why Wait til Retirement to Live Your Dream Life?
Photo by Ryan Grice on Unsplash

I’ve written before about my Nan and Grandad on my Dad’s side, who lived and worked in London and Essex for most of their lives and then moved to Lowestoft to enjoy their retirement by the seaside. They both worked hard their whole lives to enjoy a little slice of the quiet life in their old age, but if the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that life can be short and we should be embracing everything we can while we still can.

Continue reading “Why Wait til Retirement to Live Your Dream Life?”
Life · Money

My Bucket List (The Lottery Win Edition)

My Bucket List (The Lottery Win Edition)

Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels

Unless you’re already completely loaded, you’re probably like me and spend a fair amout of time thinking about what you’d do if you won the lottery. Aside from the obvious ones of buying a house and going on holiday, there are a few things that I’d love to do and so I thought it would be fun to share a few of them with you today:

A New Motorhome

Husband and I absolutely LOVE the idea of buying a new motorhome and spending time travelling around, seeing the UK and Europe. We’ve spent many an hour online looking at everything from top of the line Winnebagos to old converted school buses that people have made into the most incredible mobile homes and it’s something that would be really high on our list, should we win the lottery.

A Greener Car

I wrote a blog post a few years back about how “saving the world” seems to be reserved for the middle and upper classes, as they’re the ones who can afford to buy greener cars, install solar arrays etc. and I still feel that this is relevant now. We’re currently using my Dad’s car while we’re saving to buy our own, but it’s unlikely to be an eco-friendly electric model, so if we won some money I’d definitely be investing in an electric car.

A Treehouse

This one might sound absolutely bonkers, but I’ve always had a thing about houses in trees! I don’t know if I’d want to live in one full-time, but if we had a big house with a decent bit of land and some big trees, I’d definitely get someone to come in and build us a super treehouse for fun camp outs and even to have family over to stay in!

My Own Book

Bear with me here, again, I know this sounds strange! I’ve been in the process of writing a children’s book for a couple of years now and once I finish, I’m hoping to get it in front of the right people to get it published. However, if I had the money, I think I’d skip this step altogether and just self-publish and distribute it without a third party. It would be a lot easier and I wouldn’t have to deal with the inevitable rejections from editors!

An Education

I started my OU degree back when Sausage was a toddler but between life getting busier and tuition fees TRIPLING since I started, it’s been well and truly shoved onto the back burner. If I have the money, I’d start some sort of course just for the fun of learning. We all focus on education being a gateway to a career, but wouldn’t it be nice to just pick something you’re interested in and learn all about it?

What would you buy if money was no object after a lottery win? Leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear your ideas.

Family · Life · Travel

Anywhere But Here…

I’m not going to lie, between the relentlessly horrible weather (we’re currently on day 4 of being snowed into our village) and the looming spectre of Brexit, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about places I’d love to live which aren’t here. My lack of foreign languages and massive pot of money to enable us to do so means we’re pretty limited, but it doesn’t stop me from dreaming. Here’s a few of the places we’d love to go:

France

Husband actually lived in France in his youth, in a fairly remote Alsace town, and although I’d rather go somewhere warmer and more southern, France is a really appealing prospect. I think the girls would love the culture, and there are some amazing IB schools in France that they could attend where I think their education would probably be even better than here. France is also only a drive away if we ever need to get back to England quickly.

Iceland

Okay, so I know it’s really not an improvement in terms of weather, but I really love Iceland and the pragmatism which seems to be at the core of their culture. It’s a beautifully rugged country and the more I read about it, the more I’d like to go there – maybe for good!

Vancouver Island, Canada

I’ve had a bit of an obsession with Vancouver Island after reading about it a few years ago, and I think I’d move there in a heartbeat if I had an opportunity. Unfortunately, so would thousands of other people and I think it’s pretty expensive and hard to get visas for these days, although that does show you what a great place it is. The landscape is incredible and the way of life there just seems like something we’d really love. Also; who doesn’t love Justin Trudeau?!

New Zealand

New Zealand is another place that we have a bit of a family obsession with and somewhere we’d happily relocate to. It’s one of those incredible countries where you get the best of it all  – hot beaches, snowy mountains and temperate areas which feel pretty much like home. The wildlife in New Zealand would be fascinating for the girls, especially Sausage who’s had a lifelong dream of becoming a marine biologist.

South Korea

This one might seem odd, and the proximity to NORTH Korea doesn’t fill me with joy, but I’ve seen a lot of programmes about South Korea recently and as well as it being a beautiful country, the way of life seems really nice, too…although I must admit, a large part of the draw is the food!

Where would you go if money were no object?

For more info on the International school in Paris, follow the link.

Life · Love

Let’s Talk About Love

Valentine’s Day is a bit of a non-starter in our house. Husband and I don’t really believe in having a prescribed day on which to love each other (although the big git always manages to buy me lovely presents for it, even though we say we aren’t going to!) so we don’t do the whole ‘romantic meal’ thing like other couples do, and one of our anniversaries is on 22nd February anyway, so it all feels a bit silly.

The Independent Pharmacy have put together a really interesting infographic to show a whole load of facts relating to love, sex and health, just in time for Valentines Day.
Sex, health, and romance on Valentine's Day.

I’m genuinely shocked that 53% of women would end their relationship if their partner didn’t get them something fancy and proudly count myself not part of this group! I also love the stat about how many babies are conceived on Valentines Day – November must be a really busy time in maternity wards across the land! All of the stats are actually really fascinating from a sociological point of view.

What’s your favourite stat from the infographic? Did any of them really surprise you? Do leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.