December 2024 - PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Goodbye 2024!

With just hours left in 2024, I wanted to take a moment to say hi and wish everyone all the best for 2025! I’m also taking a minute to look back on everything it brought, and I can happily say that 2024 was a pretty good year. And for that, I am extremely grateful. Highlights of the Year January Steve and I had such a wonderful night celebrating our anniversary at The Opera Bar. Enjoying a delicious seafood platter while enjoying the view of Sydney Harbour was definitely a January highlight! February Cheers to my birthday month! My positive vibes-only work buddy encouraged me to treat myself all month long, and I did just that. I highly recommend it! March I love playing tourist in my own city with my fun friend. In March, we walked over the Harbour Bridge and explored The Rocks. Then, I started working towards my diploma but had to redo my Certificate III first—ugh! Many of our fun outings got put on hold, but we’re planning to make up for it in 2025! Another March highlight was Easter and getting together with some of my cousin crew. Hunting for eggs before they melted in the heat was a fun challenge! April We visited Canberra! May Sam had a wonderful time with his friends when they went to Japan. They all came home sick with colds and spent the next week recovering. It was a huge deal for us to have our youngest go overseas. He’s an adventurous lad, so I’m sure this will be the first of many trips. (yikes) May was a huge month- Steve had a knee replacement at the end of May, and his recovery has been such an achievement. Watching him regain mobility and confidence after years of limping is the highlight of 2024! June We bought our flights for our Cousin Connect adventure, and the planning began! July Christmas in July! August What can I say about August? It was cold, we got sick and couldn’t wait for spring! But we did have an August highlight, and that was a surprise birthday dinner at Mr Wong’s to celebrate Steve’s birthday. September Hooray for spring and visits to the Ramsgate Farmers Markets! October My big boys turned 31 and 20-they have a huge age gap but share the same birthday month. Good planning, Mum and Dad November November was not my favourite! I pretty much chained myself to the computer and knocked off assignment after assignment. There were tears and lots of frustrating moments. (Sorry, Miss D, and thank you for putting up with me. I couldn’t have done it without you, and I will be forever grateful xx). Having a fantastic cheer squad at work and home got me through November! December It was a scramble to get ready for Christmas, but we got there in the end. Lessons Learned in 2024 I can be brave: We’re heading overseas, and I’m getting on that plane! I can be determined: I finally hit submit on all my diploma assignments. I can’t watch the news: It gives me too much anxiety. Sadly, bad news always seems to find its way to me (and everyone else). I accidentally saw some footage, and now I can’t unsee it (sigh). I’ve learned it’s better for me to turn away and protect my peace. I can give myself permission: To rest and do nothing. To let go of worrying about things I can’t control. And to embrace being a big kid and having fun—because age really is just a number! Looking Ahead I’m excited to welcome 2025 with our upcoming trip and a nice long break from work. I’m also looking forward to continuing to share a peek into my world here. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you all stopping by to read—thank you so much!! So, that’s a wrap for 2024! I’ll be back in the first week of February. If you’d like to follow along on our Cousin Connect Adventure, feel free to join me on Instagram: @playworkeatrepeat. I’ll follow back! Have a wonderful New Year and I’ll see you in 2025! Big hugs

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Hello Monday

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Hi friends! I just wanted to jump on real quick to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Can you believe how fast December has flown by? It feels like I blinked and missed most of it. This weekend has been a mad scramble trying to get everything organised, but miraculously, it’s all come together—a Christmas miracle for sure! I’ve got all my groceries sorted, and they’re being delivered tomorrow, which is such a relief. For gifts, the Cousin Connect crew decided to do Secret Santa. We kept it simple with a low budget of $25. I also picked up a few extras for my boys, but it’s mostly practical stuff they’ll need for our trip. Exciting things like jackets to keep warm and compression socks for our long flights–hehe. Amazon saved the season! Today was such a treat! I met up with my wonderful friend, and we spent the day shopping in the city. Everything looked so festive, and while the shops were busy, they weren’t crazy busy, thankfully. We started at Martin Place to see the big Christmas tree. We then wandered towards Town Hall and stopped for lunch. After months of being cooped up working madly on my Diploma, it was so nice to finally get out and have a proper catch-up. I was starving, and this delicious club sandwich was just what I needed. As well as the chips, I always need a nice side of chips! I hope you’re all feeling ready for Christmas—or at least close to it! Sending you best wishes for a holiday filled with love, laughter, and plenty of good food. And if you’re like me and missing your special people, I’m sending you an extra big hug. Happy Monday and Merry Christmas! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

8 Comments / Friday Favourites, Home

Happy Friday friends! I’m excited to be back today to share a recap of the first week of the summer holidays. Today officially wrapped up the preschool year. But I took this week off thanks to some accumulated long service leave. The best part is that I’m also on leave for the first few weeks of term 1 and I won’t be back until the 19th of February. So that’s a total of nine weeks and two days off–no complaints here! So, how did I spend my first week off? Cleaning and organising, of course! Haha! Honestly, it felt amazing to finally have the time and energy to tackle so many things around the house. I sorted out the cabinet under the sink in the ensuite, organised the medicine cabinet, dusted the blinds, rearranged the office/garage, and even cleaned the oven. Look—one sparkly oven! (No before picture, though, because, it was really bad!) And finally, the Christmas tree is up—hallelujah! I even put on a cozy Christmas scene on the TV, complete with a crackling fireplace. It looked beautiful, but looking at that fireplace in this heat made me feel even hotter. Summer has hit with a vengeance, and we’ve been sweltering through some super high temps and crazy humidity. But I’m not complaining—I love summer!!! Steve and I bumped into my aunt at the supermarket on Wednesday, and just like that, we were invited over for dinner that evening. She quickly threw together a Christmas meal since her daughter won’t be celebrating with us this year—she’s off on a fun overseas trip. My aunt has a knack for putting together an amazing spread. This would have taken me days of planning! And when it comes to decorating, my Christmas-loving aunt is a champ. She definitely makes up for my lack of Christmas spirit this year! When all the little houses are lit up and the music is playing it looks so beautiful! Every day now our big trip is getting closer and closer! We really are on the countdown now with only days to go. I’m so excited, nervous, and a little bit terrified at times too. This is not just a total dream come true but also a trip where I will be conquering many fears (gulp). As I have mentioned so many times there’s the flying part (so many flights-yikes!!). We also have a few adventurous hikes planned when we get to Zion National Park including walking through the narrows. In Hawaii, we are also going to be doing some water-related activities. Then there are the rides in Disneyland. Sam, my youngest does not like rollercoasters, and neither do I! But if I can get on a plane I can get on a rollercoaster, right? He and I were chatting the other day about the trip and I was explaining to him how Disneyland is the happiest place on earth and how excited I am. When we got to the topic of the rides he said “Mum I don’t think it sounds like the happiest place on earth, it sounds more like the most terrifying place on earth”. Haha, no, it’s for sure the happiest place and I can’t wait for him and my husband who also has never visited to feel that magic! So for someone like me, a real homebody who loves to stay dry with both feet firmly on the ground, this trip is definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone. But still, I’m so excited that I can hardly wait!! Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Can you believe it’s only four sleeps until Christmas Eve? Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Hello Monday

6 Comments / Hello Monday, Home

Hi friends, and happy Monday! Thanks for stopping by—it’s time for a quick weekend recap. On Saturday afternoon, I made a quick trip into the city to return a few things I’d bought during the Black Friday sales. Online shopping can be hit or miss, and this time, it was mostly misses. So back to the shops they went. Getting into the city was a bit different this time. The trains weren’t running to Town Hall station—my usual stop for city shopping. The train only went as far as Sydenham, and from there, I hopped on the metro. Even though the metro’s been running since August (it was all over the news when it launched). I hadn’t been on it yet. A few kids at preschool were so excited when they rode it on opening weekend and couldn’t stop talking about it. Now I can finally say I’ve experienced it too! I felt like a lost tourist trying to find my way around and even had to ask a friendly station assistant for directions. The Sydney metro station is incredible–so sleek, modern and very futuristic looking. Honestly, I must have been living under a rock because I had no idea Sydney had added this new mode of transport. The metro is fully automated, and the carriages are spacious and air-conditioned. Which was a good thing because it was an incredibly hot and humid Saturday. I’m not complaining about the heat because summer is my favourite season, and I do enough complaining over winter, my least favourite season! It was a very fast ride to Gadigal Station. I have discovered that there are a whole lot of new stations with new names that I need to get to know. I returned the things I needed to return, and then I wandered around for a bit. It was so nice to be in the city and soak up the buzz. Before I went home, I went to Lululemon and bought myself a hoodie to take with me on the plane. Yikes! I’m getting on a plane soon–maybe having a nice hoodie will make me braver! I got home just in time to receive my online grocery order. Then my cousins came over—the ones we’re going on the trip with—and we all sat down to apply for our ESTAs together. Ticking off travel admin as a team!! Once we were all done, we went to Chebbos for burgers and fries. I always love hanging out with my cousins and can’t wait to spend three weeks travelling with them. Sunday I meant to put the Christmas tree up, but I wanted to do some reorganising first. My office/garage needed it desperately, or at least I think it was me who needed it done desperately! It was bothering me, and I wanted to cross it off my to-do list ASAP. As with all reorganising and decluttering projects, it took way longer than I expected. Especially when you do what I did and pulled everything out first. I’m not one to keep things, and I’m consistently decluttering, yet still, there was stuff that needed to go! I listed quite a few things on marketplace and loaded up the car with items to donate to the Salvos. So, there is no Christmas tree up yet, and this year, I’m calling myself a total Christmas flop! To top it off, I mailed my overseas Christmas cards this afternoon, and the postie said I missed the Christmas cut-off date. Hmph!! It’s Monday evening, and I’m determined to get the Christmas tree up tonight before I blink and it’s Easter! Have a wonderful day and wish me luck! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

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Hi there, friends! I’m so excited to be back for Friday Favourites on this sunny, hot summer day! After being away for a few weeks, I thought I’d share a recap of my favourites from the last few weeks. Let’s go! During all of November and until last weekend, I spent almost all of my ‘spare’ time in front of the computer working on assignments. I didn’t love this time, so I was incredibly grateful for the things that kept me going and gave me something to look forward to. Whether big or small, having something to look forward to is so important. We all need those little motivators, right? I know I sure do! A small moment of happiness– coffee with oat milk never tasted so good! And while I can function fine without coffee, I just love the taste! Food! This is a pic of a healthy Saturday morning brunch. And here’s a photo of my treat jar that kept me going. I also ate more than my usual amount of salty snacks. Yikes! I’m not usually an emotional eater. In fact, I completely lose my appetite when I’m stressed. So, I’m not sure why I couldn’t stop snacking—boredom, maybe? FOMO?? I didn’t go out much, but there were a few outings that were non-negotiable, and there was no way I was going to miss them. Cousin Connect was one of them, and we had a fun as well as delicious time. Mexican food and cupcakes for dessert. The Danish Christmas markets! It was such a boiling hot day, but we had a lot of fun, and this year, our group was bigger. So many lovely Christmas crafts. I went to see my youngest cousin perform at this year’s School Spectacular. The whole evening was amazing, and I had the best time. The stars aligned, and all but one of our girl cousins had a free morning to go to the Klook Travel Fest. I’ve got the travel bug, and I haven’t even gotten on a plane yet. But my trip is coming up soon, though! Yay! We each got free personalised Disney bags at the travel fest, and we were all giddy with excitement. I swear, we all turned into 12-year-olds, haha. Leaving my computer to pick up my new glasses was a total sanity saver. When I picked them up, I realised I’d chosen the exact same style of reading glasses as last year. The only difference? The rim is black, whereas my previous ones were gold. I do like them, though, and hey, different is different—even if it’s just a tiny difference. One of my cousins turned 30, and we celebrated with pizzas and a delicious berry cheesecake. Even though it might not have felt like it. Looking back, I did have quite a few fun moments sprinkled in amongst the dreary study days. And for that, I am so thankful!! Today was my last day of work for 2024. Preschool doesn’t finish until Friday of next week, but I have taken extra leave. I knew that being tied down to study would leave me with not much time for Christmas prep as well as for getting ready for our big Cousin Connect adventure in January. While I am very excited for our trip and also to finally have time to get ready. I couldn’t help feeling sad when I said bye to my work buddies today. Those guys are like my second family, and I love them. I don’t think I could ever retire as I would miss them too much! This weekend, I need to put up our Christmas tree! Can you believe I haven’t had a chance to do that yet? This will be the latest I’ve ever decorated in my whole life! Thank you so much for stopping by today— I always appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. Have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to being back here on Monday (hopefully with photos of my Christmas tree!) Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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How to Unwind During the Holidays

2 Comments / Health and Well Being, Home

Hi friends, and welcome to the final Let’s Look link-up for 2024! Can you believe it’s the last one? Today, we’re chatting about how to unwind during the holidays. Unwinding can be tricky for me this time of year, with all the end-of-year prep at preschool and the usual busyness of the season. Here in Australia, I’m lucky to enjoy a long summer break after Christmas, and that’s when I can finally get into some proper unwinding. In the meantime, I’ve got a few tips to help make it through the manic holiday season. These tips help me cross the finish line, and I hope you’ll find them helpful, too. How To Unwind During The Holidays Do Nothing I really struggle with this one! But lately, I’ve been learning to give myself permission to do nothing. Just yesterday, after the first of our preschool concert and party days, I came home feeling so incredibly tired. Those out-of-routine days really wipe me out. I was all set to get stuck into a big reorganisation project that’s been sitting on my to-do list. Normally, I’d push through and get it done, but instead, I decided to give myself a break. I even stood in front of the mirror and said out loud, “You have permission to do nothing.” (haha, thankfully, no one else was home to see me talking to myself!) I had a shower and tidied up a few things–baby steps because I’m not quite ready to fully embrace doing absolutely nothing. The guilt did creep in a few times, which is crazy because the only one putting pressure on me to stay busy is me. But I have to say that doing nothing felt so good! So it’s my mission that as I go into 2025, I will do this whole a lot more often. Pamper Yourself I think that one of the best ways to unwind is to have a pamper session. It doesn’t have to be a full-on spa day. Sometimes, just a relaxing shower is all the pampering I have time for during the busy holiday season. But other times, I love to do things like use a hydrating sheet mask, which means I get to lie down for 20 minutes while the mask does its magic. I also love a manicure or pedicure either at home or a salon. I guess at the end of the day, it’s all about finding what works and making time for a little self-care whenever I can. Watch A Movie or TV Show When I want to unwind, I like to pick an old favourite movie or TV show that I know is a guaranteed win. I find it more relaxing knowing that I am going to enjoy my time in front of the TV, and if I doze off, it’s ok too. Light A Candle I love gentle, subtle-smelling candles that waft through the house. Cozy candles are wonderful during the cold months. but I still light them during the summer because their soft glow and soothing scents create a calm and peaceful atmosphere no matter the season. Enjoy a Treat The holidays are all about indulging a little (it’s a good excuse anyway). I love sitting down with a cup of tea and a piece of something sweet, like a festive biscuit or chocolate. A glass of wine is also a winner, and lately, the hot weather has me craving an Aperol Spritz! Walk I find walking the perfect way to unwind during the whole year. Sometimes, I listen to a podcast while I walk other times, I listen to music. Yep, walking is a wonderful way to unwind, and if you’re feeling extra stressed, just walk faster–it really helps! Stretch The right side of my neck is my stress indicator. Once that starts to ache, soon the whole right side of my body starts to hurt if I don’t do some stretching on the yoga mat. I don’t follow any stretching guides (although I probably should). I just stretch like a cat until the pain goes away. These are the tips I use to help me unwind all year long, as well as during the busy holiday season. Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you have an amazing day. Linking up with Shay and Erika

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Top 10 Favourite Smells

13 Comments / Hello Monday, Home, Home Improvement Ideas

Well, hello there, lovely friends! It feels so good to be back after what feels like forever. At 6:09 pm last night, I answered the final question for my Diploma in Early Childhood Education. Hooray! While I still need to go over a few things before I hit that submit button, I can happily say that I’m pretty much done. I’ve missed blogging and this friendly blogging community (as well as so many social things). But I knew I needed to step away for a while to focus entirely on my diploma. Spreading myself too thin was leaving me frazzled (and trust me, I was very frazzled). But now that the shackles are off, I can finally say yes to fun things again! For the past few months, and especially the last four weeks, it’s been all work and not much play. From the moment I woke up, through lunch breaks at work, and right into my evenings, all I’ve done is work on those assignments. But now that’s all behind me, and it feels so good to be here, joining Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne, and Sarah for the final Share Our Lives link-up of 2024. It’s great to be back, and what better way to return than by talking about something that always lifts my spirits–my favourite smells! My sense of smell is my superpower. Sometimes, I’ll be talking to someone, and I’ll say, “Hey, can you smell that?” and they’re all like, “No, what smell?” Maybe my heightened sense of smell has something to do with being born in the year of the dog. Who knows? But anyway, here’s a list of my top 10 favourite smells. Top 10 Favourite Smells Coffee Number one on the list of my top 10 favourite smells is coffee. I especially love the smell of ground coffee beans. Whenever I open my jar of coffee, I usually stand there inhaling it first before I scoop it out for the plunger. But do you know what I love even more than smelling ground coffee beans? Percolated coffee! It just about sends me into a trance. Freshly Washed Laundry Yep, I sure do love the smell of fabric softener lingering on freshly washed clothes. Many years ago, one of my little students used to come to preschool with the most gorgeous-smelling clothes. She would often cry when her mum left, and I’d hold her on my lap, comforting her, and take in great big whiffs of her clothes that smelled divine. Haha, she came back for a visit about a year after she left preschool, and the first thing she said to me was, “Miss Ruth, I always remember how you always liked to smell me.” How embarrassing. Oops, I didn’t realise I was so obvious! New Cars Brand-new cars always smell amazing. Just the other day, I stepped into my cousin’s new car, and the smell of the leather seats and whatever else they make cars out of smelled so good. Apple Pie Baking in the Oven There’s nothing like the smell of apple pie baking in the oven. The mix of apples, cinnamon, and vanilla is just heavenly. Aftershave or Perfume I’m not a fan of super strong aftershave or perfume, but just enough to catch a whiff when someone walks by—now that’s the sweet spot. Right now, I’m still loving Coco Mademoiselle, and Steve occasionally wears Ralph Lauren. Though, I have to say—he never wears enough. I think he and I might need to have a little chat about that. Hotel Air Freshener A couple of years ago, when we stayed at The Parkroyal Hotel in Parramatta for a wedding, they had the most amazing air freshener I’ve ever smelled. You could catch the scent as soon as you walked into the lobby, but it wasn’t overpowering—just a subtle fragrance. I can still remember it vividly. Other hotels have great air fresheners, too, but none have topped the one from the Parkroyal. Leather Especially leather handbags– they smell so luxurious! Garlic Sizzling in Olive Oil Yum! Garlic sizzling in olive oil takes me back to when we would go to a Spanish restaurant in the city. They served the best garlic prawns, which came out in clay pots with the garlic sizzling right under my happy nose. Jasmine Flowers They smell so sweet! My neighbour has jasmine growing in her front garden, and when it blooms in the spring, I love being greeted by its scent as I walk up to my front steps after work. I’ve been meaning to plant jasmine in my own garden for years—it’s been on my to-do list forever! Spices Some of my favourites are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. So it’s no surprise that I love Glogg, which is a warm, spiced Swedish mulled wine. All those spices with red wine and dried fruit are such a heavenly combo! With the Christmas season in full swing, it means that I will be enjoying some Glogg very soon! I love talking about all things scents and smells and am always on the lookout for ways to make my home smell good. If you’re interested, check out my stove-top potpourri recipes for some deliciously fragrant ideas. I’m sure I’ll remember more of my favourite smells later on, but for now, that wraps up my top 10 favourite smells. What are yours? I’m about to jump off the computer and create some more of my favourite smells in the kitchen—it’s time for chicken schnitzel tonight! Maybe I should’ve included that on my list! Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m excited to be back on my old posting schedule of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Who knows, I might even have time for a few extra posts in between. Happy Monday!