7 Simple joys in January.

How on Earth did we reach the end of January? In some ways the first month of 2022 feels like it's been super slow, but in others it feels like it's flown by. I can't quite decide. This month has been a great one for me, an amazing month to kick off the new year. Here are my seven simple joys from the month of January.

^{[Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash]}

7 Simple joys in January.

Games.

I don't know what's come over me this month. I'm not a gamer in the slightest, but this month I've found myself playing a whole host of different games on my phone. I like the old classics so I've been playing things like tetris, bubbble smash and solitaire. Me and my husband actually got pretty into tetris, competing against each other to be 'top players in Middlesbrough'. We're ridiculously (and playfully) competitive with each other. I've just downloaded wordle too, to get my brain ticking! Gaming has been lots of fun this month.

The school run.

My eldest daughter started nursery school this month. It was a rather stressful first week adjusting to fitting the school run into the day and getting two children out of the house for a certain time, but we're acing it now. I've learnt that if I think something will take a set amount of time, realistically I need to double it to accommodate for my toddler.... Whether that's needing to poop just as we leave the house or crying because her socks are 'too white'. Her words, not mine. Now we're four weeks in, I'm really embracing the school run mum life. It gives me an excuse to get out of the house, do a bit of light exercise and enjoy what mother nature has to offer. We walk through a lovely little wooded area to get to my daughters school. It's lush and easily one of my simple joys this month.

Garden renovations.

We've been in our new house four months now and although we've done little bits of interior renovations, it's the exterior which really excites me. We're very lucky to have such a big space, but with that comes a lot of work... And a lot of work to clear up from the previous owners. Thankfully for us we're quite good at visualising what the space will end up looking like. And it's going to be fabulous. I'm looking forward to getting all my veggies planted, establishing some height and giving the woodwork a super slick paint job.

TV dramas.

Because I'm up with the baby during the night, I've been whizzing through TV dramas like it's no mans business. I've watched some really great ones recently, and I'm looking for more. I've watched The Stranger, Safe and Stay Close, all of which I've been glued to. If you have any recommendations of a similar vibe, please let me know in the comments. I've got plenty of time during the night to catch up with them all.

Blogging friends.

Seeing as blogging is my full time job (or as full time as possible with two small children) and I'm solely working from home I need to surround myself online with a great network of pals. Luckily for me I've got a few blogging friends who have supported me vastly since going freelance last year, even more so this month as I've come back of maternity leave. Whether its retweeting posts, pointing me in the right direction of sponsored work or just being a pal to whinge to, I've been really grateful for my blogging friends this month.

Working.

Off the back of my previous point, getting back into work has got to be one of my simple joys this month. I love being a mum, but for me working brings me another purpose. I love that I've been able to turn something that was once a hobby into a job. It's been brilliant to get back into the swing of things this month. I've worked on some brilliant projects this month such as working with Trade for Aid and their reusable sanitary pads. I've also written for Your Baby Club on a couple of articles, one being 'Things to ask yourself whilst shopping for baby clothes'. There are some great things in the pipeline too! I've never been more excited to go to work - or WFH in my case.

My dentist!

I couldn't not give a shout out to my dentist this month! My goodness than man has made me feel amazing again! I've been suffering with excruciating wisdom tooth pain this month. So much so the whole right side of my face was hurting and I had a week long headache. Luckily I managed to get booked in with my dentist and he whipped my tooth out without any issues at all. My dentist is the loveliest man and always puts me at ease whenever it comes to daunting dental situations. I didn't feel a thing when extracting and thankfully I was in and about within about 30 minutes. Who'd have thought having a tooth whipped out would make me feel so good!

What have your simple joys been of the month? Do let me know in the comments. Also, do you think the month has gone by super quick or super slow? I can't decide!