I have been taking an extended break from blogging since the start of this year, and concentrating on getting my two books finished and a few other business ventures that we have started (more to come on that) plus with a broken toe, I just haven't had the motivation to write.
I thought I would write a positive list because, if I'm completely honest, I am sick and tired of all the negativity lately and our whole lives revolving around flipping Covid!
So this is what I am looking forward to in 2021.
Birthdays
Obviously the C word (Covid) has put an end to birthday parties and visiting family members for the foreseeable, so I am determined to give the boys the most amazing birthday at home ever.
Elliot is 9 this month!
I still can't deal with how quick the boys are growing up. We are going to go to the beach for a walk (don't panic we live literally a stones throw away and can walk) He has chosen a whole day of meals and activities such as Pancakes and bacon for breakfast, Grilled cheese for lunch and he wants a pizza mega meal and wait for it.... Carrots. Yes, really this kid is obsessed with everything carrot. We are planning on playing bored games, testing out his new robots (he's getting for his birthday, also obsessed with robots) and just chilling out doing what Elliot wants (within reason).
Toby is 13!
Toby turns into a terrifying teenager in March (He's a leap year baby but we choose to have his birthday as the 1st of March) Nothing is set in stone for Toby's birthday yet because he is so indecisive like me and changes his mind. He will more than likely want an Indian feast for his tea though.
Adam turns 15, yes 15.
How the heck did that happen???
Again nothing set in stone yet as his birthday is in May, but I know he will probably choose a Chinese banquet for tea.
Craig turns the big 40 in April.
I'm not saying much about this one because he is just telling people he is really 39. Not sure what we will do to mark the big occasion but I am positive it will be an amazing day.
I will be 34 in July
I'm not too happy about it.
Cobra Kai
I was super looking forward to season 3 starting January 1st, we ended up watching the whole season in one day on January 1st and now we potentially have to wait another year for Season 4! I love Cobra Kai and was a big Karate Kid fan back when I was younger.
Staycations
I personally think this year will be a big big year for staycations, as long as places are allowed to open up for the summer. I have not booked anywhere for a break this year because everything is just so unknown. We will more than likely wait until later in the year, when we know more about the situations and then book a week or ten. I am passionate about raising awareness on staycations and how fantastic this country is and all it has to offer.
Attractions reopening
We are looking forward to seeing some of our favourite attractions reopening (hopefully) soon. We have a few places on our list that we want to get back to asap such as York Maze, Wolds Way, Museums and just venturing further to places like London for a long weekend and supporting the Zoo.
Disney World turns 50!
Disney world turns 50 this year and we are going to celebrate by watching some of our favourite classic Disney movies. I might even get to squeeze in The Little mermaid (house full of boys don't approve of girly films)
Friends Reunion
Something that I have been hoping for, for many many years is a Friends reunion. I was and still am a huge Friends fan and simply can not wait for this to air in March.
Lots of new movies
So many great movies coming out this year and next. (Look out for my new post on Movies coming out this year) I am particularly looking forward to The Matrix 4, Hotel Transylvania 4, Venom 2, Cruella and Sing 2. We will be rolling out the red carpet and having a VIP night in, making it a bit special. Unless you can head to the cinema in that case we will be supporting our local cinema.
Spring!
I love spring!. As a photographer I just love to capture the new life such as Lambs and lots of flowers. As long as they can open, Howick Hall and gardens have a snow flower festival which is so pretty. As a long time annual pass holder I highly recommend going.
Warmer Weather
I think everyone is looking forward to warmer happier weather.
Christmas
I know it is almost a year away but we had a fantastic Christmas last year and are determined to make it even better this year.
Halloween
I love Halloween and fingers crossed we get to head back to Beamish for the Halloween nights.
Travelling
We had big plans for world travel at the end of 2019 and obviously come 2020 everything was put on hold due to the C. But we have plans for when the future looks brighter again. In the mean time we are hoping to enjoy some UK travel.
Eating out
Not something we do very often because we prefer to cook our meals from scratch, but we will be supporting out local restaurants once they re open.
2022
Pretty obvious, hopefully we will have normality then.
Publishing my books
I have a few books ready to publish and for whatever reason I have been putting it of, but this year I will be publishing. Oh I'm excited!
Visiting family
I am hoping we can at least enjoy a cup of tea in Nana's house or she can come to our house this year.
Nature Journal
Some of those that personally know me, will know I love the animal world and as a conservationist I have decided to keep a nature journal for this year and document my findings. This will be filled with animals, fungus, lichens and anything else I find absolutely amazing in the nature world. I am thing of publishing this next year.
Summer walks
I love to be at the beach and we visit pretty much every other da. One of my favourite summer days is just be at the beach all day and I am really looking forward to that. Walks through the forests are just a totally different experience throughout the seasons.
Earth Day April 22nd
We have a whole host of activities set up for this.
More to come in a separate post.
The RSPBs big Garden Bird Watch is this weekend. (29=31 January)
Summer flowers
Again I just love to photograph Flowers and plants during the seasons and I am looking forward to seeing those cute little fuzzy bee butts covered in pollen.
Autumn Walks
Crisp leaves, colour of orange, brown and yellows on the forest floor and THAT smell.
Cooking
I do loads of cooking and baking and 2 of my new books focuses on Cooking and baking with kids. It is so important to give kids the skill of confidence in the kitchen and this year I will be cooking and baking some new treats.
Home Education
As most of you know, we are a Home Ed family and have been for quite some time now, I love teaching the boys, the boys love Home Ed and are just more relaxed in themselves and more confident in themselves too. They get to choose what interests to explore and there's no wasted time with walking to every lesson. They actually learn more at home than they ever did at school. I have one child who has set up his own business selling art work and that has rubbed off on his brothers to do something similar. Adam is continuing with college but will now be doing 2 days a week as he has decided to take on another two courses.
Home Ed just suits us as a family so we will be continuing with Home Ed and I am going to share a journal on what we are going to be studying for the next 6 months. I just want to add that if anyone needs advice, feel free to contact me.
Socialising
This is more for the boys, they enjoy attending various clubs such as Scouts, RAF, Police cadets, Swimming, Karate etc. The boys chat with friends online but that's just not the same.
Tokyo Olympics
It has been said that they will not cancel this years Olympics but its a wait and see really. I hope it goes ahead safely. We enjoy watching and supporting our country in the Olympics.
Farmers Markets
As an ex event organiser, I miss wandering around Markets and finding goodies. I love farmers markets and buying fresh fruit and veg ( I miss the giant rhubarb) The jams, chutneys and cakes the farmers wives have made.
Hiking
Not something I can physically do at the minute as I still have a broken toe. However I am getting better and hoping to be fully back on my feet in a few weeks time. I am hoping we can visit some mountains in the UK this year.
Home grown veggies
Being brought up by my grandparents, who had a huge vegetable patch, was something that I just loved. Watching and learning about growing your own. We grew all sorts and even won loads of awards for our leeks, rhubarb and tomatoes. Growing your own is something that I have always been quite passionate about and love to give it a go. The boys seem to have developed an interest in growing food too. So far this year we have tomatoes, chillies, runner beans, edible flowers, potatoes and sunflowers waiting to go.
Christmas Panto
A tradition in my family, every year we would go to the Sunderland Empire and see the Christmas panto (we would also visit throughout the year) Then Craig and I started taking the boys every year and we miss going.
Camping trip
As someone that started a very successful outdoor camping business from nothing, we flipping miss camping! I am hoping to at least go to a few places throughout the summer and camp otherwise I might put a tent up in the garden and camp out just to get that feeling again.
Some of our Beautiful Bell Tents for a festival weekend Birthday party.
Cornwall
We are really wanting to get back to Cornwall and visit attractions, surf and just have a really great time. Plus it is far enough away to make it feel like a proper holiday.
Eurovision
I know it is proper cringe but I love watching it and we always have a great laugh too.
Decorating
We only moved into this house December 2019 and it is a really big house. Decorating has been taking ages because its just one thing after another, sanding floors, painting walls, laying carpets. The next thing I really want to do is to get the kitchen sorted with new units and even a new floor. Although I can't see this as our forever house and have already been eyeing up other properties.
Astronomical events
So many this year. We have the Wolf Moon at the end of Jan to kick off the year.
BBQs
A beautiful sunny evening with a BBQ on the go. Lovely. One of things that really grinds my gears are people who have BBQs on the beach or in a forest and then leave the rubbish behind. If you must do it, then get rid of everything, including the charcoal!
Photography
I have been getting back into my photography lately and really enjoying it with a few projects that I am currently involved in. Looking forward to seeing what amazing things I can snap this year.
Picnics
We love to go on a picnic with our vintage basket. Watching the boys run around playing whilst Craig and I sit back and relax and then we all sit down for food whilst trying to keep ants, bees and those pesky wasps away from the sweet smelling food. Oh the joys of Summer and Nature.
A professional Haircut for the boys
A bit of a silly one really but Craig has been cutting the boys hairs since March last year.
The End of Covid
Could we see the end of this horrid disease that has turned our lives upside down and changed plans for years to come? In my opinion no, I don't think we will see an actual end to it. I think it is going to be something that we will all have to learn to live with and hopefully we can do that without the restrictions. I think it is going to take at least a few more years of treading lightly and carefully to fully understand what this virus actually is and what the real risks are. Will I be getting a Vaccination? Yes I will. I have health conditions that make me eligible for a flu vaccination every year and I wont be taking any risks with Covid either, however I want to see more research on the effects of the vaccination before I have mine. I also have Toby to think about who has a few conditions and Adam who has Asthma. This is my opinion and to be quite frank I don't care if you disagree with me. I am not here to argue with anyone on the divided Covid issues.
What are you most looking forward to in 2021?
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