Project 365 – March

This is the third month of Project 365, which is a challenge to post an image and little diary entry each day of the year. I’ve been posting mine monthly, looking back on everything I’ve done each month. I think it’s a really neat idea and a fun way to get to know the blogger that you are reading, to hear about their day to day life. Some bloggers post them weekly, some daily, and some – like me – post them monthly. You can check out a handful of other bloggers participating in the project at the bottom of this post.

March 1st – It’s Pokemon Tour Weekend

It should be clear now to everyone that I play a lot of Pokemon Go. This weekend is a global tour, which means Pokemon events from 10 am to 6 pm. I started off my morning normally, but as it was Saturday, I also made Robin a bunch of pancakes to freeze, to eat throughout the next week. This is really the only batch cooking I ever do. Then we all got ready to go out to our local Pokemon community. It was a very tiring day – I got a lot of fun shinies and had a great time – we had over 100 people attend!! By the end of the day, my back was really acting up (I have a curve at the base of my spine), so I rested for the evening.

March 2nd – Day Two of Pokemon Tour Weekend

The second day of Pokemon Go Tour was basically the same as the first! I woke up early, did the chores that needed doing (mainly, washing all of the sheets and getting the laundry done), before heading out for Pokemon Go. It’s a sunny weekend, so I wanted to make sure we got as much laundry done as possible. We then went out for Pokemon Go and honestly assumed there’d be far less people today than yesterday. We start at 10 am, where there was a smaller group, which really grew by midday! Dann and I went out for lunch at a new steakhouse at the back of our town, which was very nice, then we went back to Pokemon. By the end of the time, we had seen more people than the day before, which was so much fun. So many old players and new players were stopping by and taking on raids. I felt very happy with how much I spoke to people and how much of a good time I had. The sun was out and it was just fantastic. I also got a lot of fun shinies too. I went home absolutely exhusted.

March 3rd – Resting and Recovering

I woke up with my back hurting tons due to over-doing it at the weekend. It’s just one of those things that happen from time to time. It’s a weird thing that I don’t really talk about, but I have daily back pain and sometimes, when doing things like the dishes for too long, my back starts to get lightning pain. Today, it’s more of a complete pain that’s not allowing me to walk or sit up, so I am bed bound. Dann’s been fantastic at making and bringing me snacks and lunches, and taking care of me, which is really lovely to have. I’ve just been doing some work from my bed and watching Disney+ documentaries. I watched the entire three part episode about Ruby Frankie, which I found to be so interesting, especially when asking the eldest children if they missed their mom.

March 4th – Things to Do

I woke up today with moderate back pain which did hurt way more as the day went on. Dann went out and got me some medicine which really helped things! I was in a lot of meetings and getting a lot of work done between going back to bed and resting. In the evening, we went out for Spotlight Hour in Pokemon Go, where we had a small group, but a fun one. Dann even got a shiny! After Spotlight Hour we went to our first comittee meeting for a local fete that we are helping with. This was very interesting as none of the people really knew about technology and had been running the fete a specific way for years. Dann’s making them a website and I am working on helping with things like sponsorship. There’s lots of ways we can help! After that, we had some people over to our house for our bi-weekly Tabletop Night, despite having one last week, due to going to America later in the month. We had a few people who hadn’t been in a while, which is always fun. We ate Marry Me Tofu, which is both Keto and vegetarian, Dann’s friend Taylor stayed a bit later than everyone else, to finish off a RPG that they had started earlier in the week when they hung out.

March 5th – It’s Wednesday

Wednesdays always feel the same! I spend a lot of the day doing work and getting work done, which is the best thing to do. I got an email about my book needing a few changes now that they’ve done final page layout, which is interesting. I honestly thought everything was signed off, but we’ve got more! It’s been such a fun experience writing a book. In the evening, I made pins for our Pokemon Go Raid Hour, which had a lot of new people this week. The Legendary Birds are always fun ones to take on, and many people didn’t have them, which was interesting. Afterwards, Dann’s friend came over to ours for dinner. Dann made Korean Beef, which is a staple, and then we went to see Captain America. I clearly have not seen that many super hero movies, as I didn’t know that the old Captain America had died. The movie felt like you needed a lot of background information, but was okay. We then headed home and went to bed.

March 6th – Spring is in the air

Today was a more relaxed day. It’s mainly work, and the sun was so nice and bright that at around 2pm, when Dann and I start to get a bit stir crazy, we went out for a big walk. I took photos of the flowers and squirrels, then we took the car for a car wash, which it was very much needed. Dann decided to grab a new dresser for Kai, as his drawers are having trouble opening and closing. He tried to figure out how to fix it, but we just don’t know what’s wrong, so went with a whole new one that we then picked up and Dann is going to build as my back isn’t at 100 percent. I also booked up my Pokemon Go Fest trip to France and got a phone call by one of the community members who is also going! There are so many friends attending it’s going to be so much fun. Dann and I got a little stir crazy and went out for a big walk in the sun, where I took pictures of some flowers and squirrels. For dinner, we also went to the Polish shop in our town and got some dumplings and kielbasa for dinner, which was very fun.

March 7th – Busy Friday

Fridays are becoming increasingly busy! We woke up early to do a tip run with the old dresser from Kai’s room, then started planning the menu for the week and getting the house set up for the weekend. Robin is having a friend from school over today, as she asked, and tomorrow is Kai’s birthday party with his mates. Then, on Monday (or well, Sunday night) he is going on a trip to to Berlin, so we needed to get the suitcase out and start getting things ready for that trip as well. It just feels like a lot! The end of the week and start of the weekend is one of those things that starts to feel rushed to me, but I am always excited for activities! Amelia made some sponge cake in school today and brought home a bite for us to try, which is always a highlight. We ended up doing some drawings and Kai went out for a haircut, so it was very packed. On Fridays my dad also calls me and we have a great long talk in the evening, which I look forward to each week.

March 8th – A Birthday Party

Today is quite a busy day! Every Friday, we actually get a bunch of games that we can review, which Robin absolutely loves going through on Saturday morning. This week, we got another cat hidden object game (Dino Park!) and a Care Bear game that’s been absolutely fab. We then got ready for Kai’s party, which is a little different, as him and his mates are all going bowling without Dann, myself and the girls. So, we are going out to play Pokemon for Community Day. This is what Kai, a now 15 year old, wanted, and it does make sense that he wants a break from siblings and parents. He seemed to have a very good time though, and his friends came back for walking tacos, video games and a sleepover. It was a very long night, but Kai was very happy with it all!

March 9th – Cooking Class and Pokemon

After an extremely long night, we all took it easy in the morning. The boys were picked up after breakfast, and we had a bit of down time. I help out with the Chinese School’s Cooking Class. As Kai is on a fitness journey, I did get up a bit earlier to make the recipe at home, so everything was weighted out for him. It was baos today, which are really fun to me! We had a good time, with everyone getting involved and really enjoying cooking. I think cooking classes can be hit and miss, and with this one there is a lot of down time (plus not everyone was in their best moods due to sleep) so I was really pleased everyone enjoyed it so much. I think it helped that the buns came out so tasty! Kai headed home to rest up a bit and the rest of us went out to take on Pokemon Gigantamax raids. I got two shinies and so did Amelia. We also got shakes at Five Guys before heading back home. Kai then wanted to go to the gym, so he headed over before dinner. Dann made beef pho and we had an early bed with lots of baths as it’s Sunday.

March 10th – Girls Night All Night

Kai left early in the morning to go to Berlin – the flight was sort of changed, which resulted in a very long bus ride for him, but he was pretty content once he landed. He even got a window seat on the plane! I sent him with my card, so it’s been fun seeing what he spends money on with the freedom to do so, much like Disney, and he’s kept in touch well for a teenager. As Dann woke up to take Kai to his trip so early, I woke up and did morning school stuff with our girls letting him sleep in. He woke up in time to take them into school, then we started working. We had a few errands to run today, which wasn’t too much, and had leftovers for lunch. After school, we took Amelia and Robin to Smyths to grab some birthday gifts for their mates, before heading to Geek Retreat for our Monday shakes and board games. This time we played The Dog Ate My Homework, which was a pretty easy game (maybe too easy!) before heading home for dinner. After dinner, we went back out for Dynamax Monday, where a handful of people were battling. We started the Spring Pickers challenge, which is encouraging people to clean up their area, before heading home for girls night; Plankton the Movie, face masks, and fun desserts. After, everyone went to bed and I got some chores done.

March 11th – Long Tuesday

Today was destined to be a long day. We all got up, with Kai still in Germany, and got ready for school. In the morning, we had enough time to do a little walk before school for the Spring Picker’s challenge. It was fun to see Robin so excited about making the world a better place. We then promptly went to school drop off, and I started work. Because Dann and I are off to America for a work trip on Saturday, there is just so much to do between now and then. It’s honestly just a lot, so that I am not so behind when we get back. Kai had sent some pictures throughout the day of places he visited, which was lovely. Today was also a day where the end of a lot of email chains that have been weighing on my mind finally resolved. When co-parenting, even over 6 years on, it’s a real challenge to change around any days. WIth Easter coming up, and so many things planned for that month already, we wanted to offer times that made more sense then the current requirements. It just became a massive argument that actually resulted in the other person literally suggesting what we suggested at the beginning of the whole chain a week ago. Honestly thought we were going to be cancelling all of our plans to agree with the other person. I am personally so glad it’s sorted! In the evening, I normally go to Spotlight Hour in Pokemon go, but I was actually teaching a class at the National Film and Television School today, which was 3 hours long! After Dann took me out for a bit of Pokemon, but it was late, so we just battled some gyms and then went to bed.

March 12th – Feeling the Pressure

Wednesdays are always kind of relaxing days for me. They are a catch-up in the week. However, this week, with a big work trip at the weekend, it has felt really intense. With so much stuff to do, I started the day early with a list and tried to blast through it! Lots of primarily boring work, paired with a few different meetings. I got a lot of my list done and felt very set up for Thursday, but it is a big time in work. In the morning, I actually went out to get my hair refreshed so the color would be fresher, which was very fun. Kai, surprisingly, sent tons of pictures today of his trip in Berlin – we texted a lot. Dann cooked a new pasta dinner, which was lovely, and then we both went out to Raid Hour. It started to rain right before Raid Hour, which is always a bad sign, but we had a great number of people and it was our Food Bank Donation day, so we collected a lot of fantastic donations. Dann and I went out afterwards to grab some donations that were requested by the food bank, to add, and then went to the movies to see Mickey 17! It was a strange movie, but Dann really liked it.

March 13th – Friends Over

Following on the race to get everything done before heading out on Saturday, I slept in today, which was a questionable decision, but one I felt is worth it. Dann and I dropped off the food bank donations at our local Trussel Trust, which we helped sort a bit as well with them. We then headed out shopping so that we had everything for the day. Once we got home, I hit the ground running with my to-do list. A bunch of calls were cancelled due to a manage for a freelance gig I do being out of office today, a plus. I got a lot of writing done, which was fantastic. The school run, however, was wild today. Robin stayed after for a club – drama – and then went straight to gymnastics. Amelia came home with her friend from school and then another friend came over shorty after. Once Robin was back, two of her friends arrived, to play. Kai is traveling home from Berlin today and ended up back early, making it in time for dinner. I made mac n cheese, a favorite by all kids, and we did a lot of playing inside due to how rainy it’s been today. Once everyone had headed home, we ended up going up town to play Pokemon and for Robin to collect some trash for the Spring Pickers challenge. We did a handful of raids, grabbed some new shamrock shakes (they weren’t as good as America) and headed back home to get ready for bed.

March 14th – A Friday of Prep

It’s a day before going to America, and there is so much to do! Kai actually is going into school a bit later today, as his class were given this privilege due to their trip ending yesterday. It turns out, a lot of the schoolwork he needed to have done he hasn’t, so is spending this morning doing homework. We got our girls ready for school and dropped them off, and then started work. I’ve got so much to do!! We picked up everyone and got them home, Kai wanted to do a quick gym run before hanging out with his friend. We took Robin and Amelia out bowling, which was a very, very fun time! The place was so quiet, due to the time. We then went home and tried to clean as much as possible. The thing about going away, is that you have people looking after your home, and you want it to be clean! It was pie day, so I did make a cherry pie after dinner, and spoke to my dad on the phone.

March 15th – Plane Day

Oh gosh! Today we woke up early and started packing. There is so much to do the day of the flight, so much getting ready. I made sure that I had everything done and dusted before Kai headed off to the gym. Amelia, Dann, Robin and I did a bit of Pokemon, as there is a new Dynamax out, which is always fun to do together. Then we got the kids dropped off and headed straight to the airport. It was an 11 hour flight, but the food itself was pretty good and I spent a lot of the time watching movies and sleeping. We arrived and it was still March 15th in America, so we headed right to our hotel and went to sleep.

March 16th – San Fran Pocket Gamer SetUp Day

We woke up and went right to the Pinecrest Diner, which is always a must! I ordered way too much food, before we headed to set up for Pocket Gamer. The venue is an old bank and it’s super fun to set up the area. Dann and I helped out for a few hours before we headed off. We went to Target and Trader Joe’s to get a bunch of snacks to take home to England before going to Game Dev Days. Game Dev Days had a press hour, which allowed us to play a bunch of games ahead of everyone else. We both really enjoyed the selection! I headed back to the hotel with Dann to write up some of our games, before we both fell asleep, due to jet lag.

March 17th – Pocket Gamer Connects Day 1

Dann and I woke up early and headed to Pocket Gamer for the first day. The first day is always a bit hectic. Dann was on the Journalist bar and I was on the reception desk. We did grab some snacks along the way, which was so much fun. America has the best snacks! Dann and I ate lunch at the venue, which was big sandwiches. I ran the Very Big Indie Pitch during the day, which is a pitching competition for indie game developers. It went smoothly, which was fantastic. At the end of the show, we headed to The Mix to check out some games, which was very fun. We had dinner there, played a bunch of games and bumped into a bunch of friends before heading back to our hotel.

March 18th – Pocket Gamer Connects Day 2

Today started a lot like yesterday, but I had a massive headache despite not having too much to drink at all! Turns out, I was starving, so I got a sandwich at a deli on the way to PGC. I worked reception for most of the day, breaking for lunch (which was also sandwiches! Too many sandwiches lately), before the end of the day session was on, where I got to present the awards for the Very Big Indie Pitch. This was so much fun, I do like being on stage. Dann and I went to the Indie Media Connects event, you guessed it, to play more games, before we met our co-workers at Cheesecake Factory, which wasn’t as fantastic as everyone hypes it up to be, but the food was very interesting. Then, we headed back to the hotel and rested.

March 19th – Games Games Games

Today, we hit the floor at GDC with action in our veins! There is so much to see at GDC, and so much to actually get to cover. We both went through the showfloor and made sure we saw most of the venue, as this was our big day there. As a little treat, we went to Japanese BBQ, which is always a really fun time, before finishing off the showfloor and heading to the European Games Showcase. From there, we went to a few after parties before going to bed. The first day of GDC is a lot of running into old friends and playing games.

March 20th – A Little Explore

Dann and I wanted to spend a day exploring places in San Fran! Dann booked up the Aquarium on the Bay to start off our day, then we walked along the pier, which had their tulip festival. This year, the weather hasn’t been terrible so the tulips were fantastic. The sun was shining, the seals were shouting, and we walked our way to the old arcade. After wandering around, getting an ice cream, we then walked to a few museums nearby. One had a focus on San Francisco itself, while another was all about comic books. We then headed to our flight and boarded our plane, thinking we’d land in London. It was a truly lovely day.

March 22nd – Back in San Fran

Our flight flew nearly to London, before turning around and heading back due to the explosion and power outage at Heathrow. We then got back and into a hotel at 3 am. What a stressful morning! We slept a bit, then headed back to the airport to try to get a flight. They started saying that we needed to wait until Tuesday, which really sucks, so Dann found another flight that we booked instead, which had it’s own issues and wasn’t until the next morning. So, we met up with my uncle and went out to dinner at The Brickhouse, as there wasn’t really much else we could do with our time anyway.

March 23rd – Did we leave?!

I am not sure if this was technically the 22nd or if it was the 23rd, but we left America and made it, finally, back home in England. The trip was normal this time, though Dann and I couldn’t sit together, we had some nice food at the airport – I had ramen and Dann had sushi, then we went on the plane. This time, it was with United. It was a long, 10 hour flight and we arrived in the late morning in England and headed home. Then, we got in and started unpacking and cleaning. Shortly after, our kids arrived and we got on with the day! Lunch was easy, then we went out with Kai going to the gym and Amelia and Robin going out for some Pokemon Raids. Robin was so excited about us being back! We then headed back home in time for Amelia and Robin’s friend to come over. We all had dinner, then went out to see Snow White in the cinema. It was a good movie! I do like the Disney remakes. We then headed back home for our normal Sunday evening routine.

March 24th – A Normalish Day

Today is actually Kai’s birthday-day, but as he has school and after school activities, we celebrated his birthday a few weekends back. He did get a bit of Happy Birthday’s in the morning, but he is also not a morning person. I am sure his main celebration, as he is 15, is going to be at DnD with his mates. Teenagers are like that! I woke up early this morning to get packing lunches and back to the normal Monday routine. Once we grabbed everyone from school, we went straight to Geek Retreat to play our board game. This time, it was Garden Heist, which was so much fun! We then headed home for dinner, went to Max Monday, and then went back home for Girls Night. At the end of Max Monday, because we were with a bunch of friends, we went to Five Guys where they gave me a free milkshake! Very nice, and we walked home, where a cat (that we call Baked Potato) followed us home and tried to bolt into our door. At girls night, we watched a new movie, did face masks, and Amelia painted my nails and I painted Robins, before a slightly later bedtime. It’s so fantastic to have this one on one girl time – I really value it!

March 25th – Concerts and Meetings

It’s so nice to be back to normal life for a bit. I do feel like I am a little behind on work, but am really catching up! I woke up early, got back to chores, and got everyone out to school. Then, I spent the day working and attending meetings, before Robin’s guitar concert. She did really well, I do feel having a guitar for her to practice on at home has helped so much when it came to her ability to play. Afterwards, we did some shopping and went home. In the evening, Dann and I went out to Pokemon Go Spotlight Hour, and it was so great to see all of our friends again. From there, we went to a committee meeting for a local fete, which is coming up very soon, so Dann presented the new website he made for them and we all spoke about the fete coming up. We then went home, where Dann made dinner, and we chilled before bed.

March 26th – Wednesday Outings

*Still* playing catch-up from being caught up in America, but nearly done. I spent a lot of today doing small talks, trying to get back ahead. Dann and I started actually planning out our trip as well at the weekend, so that’s good! We had to do a bunch of calling to the places that should have refunded us, and found that British Airlines have denied the refund and instead booked us a flight from San Fran to England on Friday. Not very helpful, but got it fixed. In the afternoon, Dann and I went out to Raid Hour in Pokemon Go – I got a shiny! It’s so nice to have the sun out until the late evening, so we aren’t in the dark at all. We then went to the movies to see Black Bag, which was a bit slow, but very good.

March 27th – Board Game Fun

Today was a pretty average day! Lots of work in the morning. After school, Robin had gymnastics, Kai went to the gym. Robin when she got home was obsessed with playing board games, so we played a bunch of them. Amelia joined in too for Scribble Showdown. In the evening, Robin had a homework project that we completed, and Kai and Amelia worked on their homework too. As always, there were some video game splayed, but I primarily got caught up on the house, as we are going away again this weekend, so I wanted things to be all done and dusted!

March 28th – Timing Madness

Getting everyone to school felt very easy today. Too easy. I spent the day working on various projects, starting to see the end of everything and the month. Then, we picked everyone up from school. Kai wanted to go out with his friends at a very specific time, to go bowling, but did not pre-book or ask in enough time for me to pre-book that exact slot. As a result, we had gone over the plan a few times at dinner last night, but he didn’t retain anything. We had decided that Kai would go to the gym after school. Amelia, Robin, Dann and I would go to the trampoline park within the gym, and then after an hour we all can head home, have dinner, and he can head out. Now, he suddenly decided he didn’t have enough time to go to the gym, as he wanted to shower because he decided not too that morning. This was fine, the girls and I went jumping while the boys headed home. The trampoline place was basically only us and one other family, so it was very fun! I then made dinner and he headed out. The bowling alley in our town is actually really unorganised when they are busy, so even though he got there on time, they moved his slot back an hour due to “how busy” the place was. So, he ended up coming home a bit later then expected. Meanwhile, Amelia and I had our cupcake course, this time for a cupcake wreath. We had a really fun time, this one had so many Easter decorations. Robin and Dann stayed home, where they played board games and some new Xbox games together.

March 29th – Back on a Plane

Today was an extremely long day. We woke up, got everyone ready, Amelia wanted to drop some of the cupcakes we made yesterday around to her friends. Dann and I packed, so that we were ready for our trip to Milan! Once our children were dropped off, we grabbed a quick luck and headed up town to play Research Day in Pokemon Go. This was a simple but fun day where we get quests from stops and there is an increased shiny rate. After the event, we headed to the airport. The plane was slightly delayed, but Dann and I got on, and it was a quick flight to Milan. We got there pretty late in the evening and went out to eat my first pasta in Italy ever! We then headed to our hotel and went to bed.

March 30th – Pokemon with Friends

We woke up quite early to get ready for Pokemon today! There is a special event in Milan, and the first bit of the event has an Ambassador meetup, where we walked together and took promo shots for the brand. The weather in Italy has been fantastic – sunny and a great temperature – so it’s been easy to walk around. We spent some time walking around the Doumo, completing quests and getting the special eevee stops. We then grabbed some lunch, which was tacos, before meeting up with Molly and Husky from our Pokemon Go local community. We did a big walk all around a park, getting more of the special Pokemon appearing in this area. They then headed off to make it back to England, so Dann and I went to a Japanese spot they suggested, walked through Chinatown and headed back to our hotel to sleep.

March 31st – Still in Milan!

March has gone by in a flash, and I am still in Milan enjoying the sunshine. Dann and I decided to start spending a few extra days in new places, so we can really enjoy them. Today, we headed out to see a bunch of the iconic structures and statues around the area, before grabbing very Italian food by the Doumo. We then went to the Museum of Senses, which Dann picked out, and it was so much fun! I quite liked the tasting rooms as well, where they wanted to test our pallets. We then started walking back to our hotel and came across a cat cafe, so went in for a drink and a bite to eat. The cats were so friendly! Afterwards, we had some downtime before going to the canal for dinner and making some plans for tomorrow, our last day here.