September was a very busy month, between Dann’s birthday, a bit of travel, a road trip and work – there was just a lot going on! I very much enjoyed September – back to school time as well was a little chaotic, but now that we are at the end of it, it feels like we have a lot of routines we are back to. I wrote about each day as a part of Project 365. Some bloggers posted daily, some weekly, and some monthly like me. You can check them out at the bottom of this post.
September 1st – Dann’s Birthday
It feels like every September starts off on such a high note, as it’s Dann’s birthday! I woke up early, headed to the shops, and got Dann a surprise breakfast for his birthday. He slept in a bit, then was up for the day. Amelia, Robin and Kai gave him cards and he opened the gifts from his family – we had got him a pinball machine, which was already all set up and well tested before his birthday came around. Dann picked Song’s Buffet Chelmsford for his birthday lunch, which is a Chinese buffet in Chelmsford. It was delicious and we all ate very well! We then walked around Chelmsford and did a bunch of shopping – we even got some treats from a bakery stand Dann and I had previously visited at Cambridge Market. We then headed home and I prepped more food for a tabletop birthday party! Robin and Kai played DnD with us in the evening, everyone tried out pinball, and we were all up quite late before heading to bed.
September 2nd – Movies and Work
Today felt more like a normal day! We got up, had some lounging around the house time, and played a bit of pinball. I had some work meetings and Dann had some work to get through as well. In the afternoon, we went and saw Coyote vs ACME – the movie at our local cinema! It was better than I expected. We then headed back before going out to Raid Hour. There were plenty of people out to play Pokemon Go. We then headed home, as we had some house work to sort and there wasn’t really a good evening movie playing at our local cinema.
September 3rd – Volunteering
I got up early, packed some delicious sandwiches and headed to the local food bank with Kai! Kai doesn’t go to school on Thursdays, so wanted to come along. It wasn’t a super busy day, but it was busy! There were a lot of people here. In the afternoon I did some work at home, before Dann and I headed to London to see Twelfth Night at Drayton Arms Theatre. Before going into the show, we stopped to get some dinner at a lovely Asian place called NIU KO, which was so good! We then headed to the theatre, which was full of life. The cast was fantastic! Then, we went home where I went RIGHT to bed, as I was exhausted.
September 4th – Work and a Party!
Today I did the normal morning stuff! Woke up, got ready for the day, and did a bunch of work, however my PC died. This meant that I didn’t get much done at all before switching to my laptop and ordering a new PC. Robin still isn’t in school (Amelia was!), so we played games and reviewed some items during the day. In the evening, my friend Quang was hosting Ages of Awesome, which is like a big club night, but this time it was for his birthday! He needed someone to do the door, so I got ready and headed into London, eating dinner nearby at a pizza joint, before opening the club night. It was quite fun seeing so many old friends and chatting with new ones! The music was really good too, but by the night time, I was exhausted. I ended up home around 2 am, but it was worth it.
September 5th – Pokemon and a Drone Show
The last real weekend before school actually begins feels like such a big one. We checked over bags in the morning, did some meal prep, and made sure everything was in order. Then, in the early morning, we headed to do Mewtwo Raids with all of our friends. Amelia and Robin had a very good time, before we headed home for lunch, then headed back out to see friends, then headed back home to get ready to go out to an Alice in Wonderland Drone Show. This was where we had dinner – it was a lot of fun and I loved listening to the story and seeing the drones. All of our children also found it to be so much fun!
September 6th – More Pokemon
Today was another Pokemon day like yesterday. I did some of my work prep, but we mainly played Pokemon. This time we also brought home a bunch of Robin and Amelia’s friends, who hung out and had lunch with us, before heading back into town and getting Five Guys. It was an early night, though, so they did go home right after dinner, everyone got their stuff together one more time before school and went to bed early to prepare.
September 7th – Monday Back to School
Today was an interesting one – the first day back for Kai and Robin, and Amelia’s second day back. I woke up early, did breakfasts (making sure to make everyone’s favorites) and did lunch boxes. I cannot believe Kai is in college and Robin is in her last year at primary! It’s wild. Everyone headed off in time and then I went to work for the day. In the afternoon, I picked up Robin, and then Amelia, Robin, Dann and I headed to Geek Retreat to play some board games! This week we played Potion Express which felt very Halloween-y. We then headed home and decided not to go out for Pokemon as everyone was a little exhausted from school. Robin’s friend did come over for the evening, having dinner and playing, while Kai did DnD with his friends and Dann. I made chili for everyone, which was delicious as always, and in the evening I did some cleaning to prep for tomorrow before going to bed.
September 8th – Autumn Fair
Today I woke up, did some morning work and packed lunches, we dropped everyone into school and then headed to the NEC for Autumn Fair. Autumn Fair is a trade show for those who own small businesses or shops. Dann went to continue to stock his board game shop, as it’s been quite successful. If you’re looking for a board game, there are lots of options and it’s likely the cheapest you can find online. It was very fun checking out loads of items and hanging out at the NEC. We went to Dave’s Hot Chicken for lunch, which is one of my favorites in the area, before heading home. I worked some more in the evening and hung out with Kai and Dann before heading to bed.
September 9th – The Big Christmas Press Show
Another day, another fair! Today was similar to yesterday – lunch box packed for Robin, dropped off. We dropped Kai into school and then headed into London for The Big Christmas Press Show. This is the first time I went as an Influencer instead of a blogger, which was very cool. Turns out, you get so many more samples and I went home with a dozen bags full of toys! Gift guides are going to be loaded this year. We went out to Raid Hour but decided to skip the movie as there still isn’t anything super fun in cinema. In the evening, Dann made dinner and I watched some Criminal Minds while working. Dann set up my computer, but it was a long process, and I went to bed before using it! The new PC is very cool, it’s all lit up and colorful.
September 10th – Volunteering
Today I made the best sandwiches ever for Kai and I to have volunteering, and packed some lunch for Robin, which I dropped off before going to volunteering. Kai and I had a very slow day – this was as expected as it’s the first week back to school. We then headed home and I did some work on my new PC before I went to Robin’s school and did a big litter pick. We then got everyone home and hung out in the evening, playing Wobbly Life and on the Pinball Machine. Then I worked a bit in the evening and did some housework.
September 11th – Cupcake Class
It’s finally Friday! I did some fun Halloween themed packed lunches, as per Robin’s request, which was a whole lot of sillyness. I then went to work for the day, which was a lot of work to get through, before pick up time. I chatted with some parents at pick up before Robin came out and we all headed home. Fridays are a bit intense as Robin has perform and Kai gets home for school a little late before heading to the gym. I made lasagne soup for dinner, before we all ate and Amelia and I went to our cupcake class. We made Autumn Wreath cupcakes – it was so good to hang out back at this cupcake class and talk with Amelia about her week. It was just all a very fantastic evening – then I headed home and went to bed.
September 12th – Two Festivals
In the morning, we all got ready for the day and then Robin, Amelia, Kai, Dann and I headed to a local Scarecrow Festival – which was SUPER cute. We walked around, saw the scare crows, and checked out all of the fairground stands. Then, in the afternoon, Dann and I met up with a few friends for The Big Brine which was a pickle festival in London. This was such a unique thing – and so much fun! In the evening, Dann and I hung out, watched more Criminal Minds, and I did a bit of writing.
September 13th – Slow Sunday
Today was a day of getting housework done. We had some trips to book up, sort of last moment, before we headed out to do some errands. Our old air fryer seemed to be a little too old and our crock pot could use an upgrade, so we headed out to Curry’s and got a new, two-section large air fryer and bigger crock pot, which will come in handy for DnD nights as normally I am cooking for up to 15 people. Kai was actually extremely excited about the air fryer and spent time looking over all of it and playing with the settings when we got home. I spent the evening catching up on writing and cleaning the house – Dann very much did the same. In the evening, I was getting stir crazy, so Dann suggested we go out to a local forest to take photographs. It was so much fun, it started raining and we saw a rainbow – it was just such a good time.
September 14th – Lots of Work
We have a road trip planned for tomorrow, so today was a lot of work! I started off early, packing Robin’s lunch and dropping it off, before I started off doing tons and tons of my weekly tasks. There were meetings, lots of handovers as I am leaving one of my freelance roles at the end of the month. In the afternoon I went out for a little walk so that I could get out of the house before people were over for DnD. I made chili! After DnD I did a bit more work, packed a bag, and went to bed.
September 15th – Road Trip Day 1
Today, I started off early by traveling into London after packing Robin’s lunch and prepping some meals for Kai, for a work meeting for one of my freelance jobs. This was very quick, and I then trained over to Wimpole Estate to meet my friends for our road trip! This is a Pokemon GO related road trip where we were going to a bunch of National Trust sites to catch background specific Pokemon. We’ve been to Wimpole a bunch of times, as it’s our local, but I was really happy to see friends! We then headed to Stowe House which is a beautiful National Trust spot, with some stunning gardens. It was fantastic! We then continued up towards Wales, where we stopped for a buffet dinner, and then went to rest before tomorrow.
September 16th – Road Trip Day 2
I woke up bright and early today, getting some work done on my PC for the morning, and then we had breakfast and went to our first location; Chirk Castle. This was a stunning grounds with a castle that was full of activities. We had a lot of fun and caught some neat Pokemon. We headed back into England to go to Lyme, which was another beautiful place, and we had a fantastic time. There were tons of wildlife, a great hill to walk on, and a lot of beautiful moments. When we were done, we headed to a BBQ place for dinner (and ended up going to one that was shut, which was very silly!) before getting home in the middle of the night.
September 17th – Volunteering
Today was another early day, I feel like they all are, where I packed up some lunch for Robin, Kai and I and did some work. I then headed off to the food bank, but Kai had a school trip so headed there for the day! It was a bit of a slow day, but it was nice to be out and see some of the regulars there. The main guy who headed the volunteering program got me a sandwich, which was very delicious. Kai and I headed home, but I bumped into a friend while walking back and we talked for a while (and Kai broke off to go to the gym) before I went home. I was really happy to see my garden was still very much growing, with peppers and tomatoes basically ready to eat, which is neat to see. The weather has been so strange lately!
September 18th – Trying on Dresses
Today started much like yesterday – woke up early, packed a lunch for Robin, and then did a bunch of work. There was a lot of work to be done, as always! I do feel like this month is a big working month. I had some meetings in the morning, then Dann and I headed to Chelmsford as I had to try on a handful of bridesmaid dresses for my friend Molly’s wedding! This was super exciting. Dann and I got taco bell before hand, which was nice. We then picked up Robin and Amelia from school, brought them home, and Robin went off to her Perform class. We then went to see Circus Cortex, which was such a fantastic show! Tired, we headed to bed right after.
September 19th – Saturday Events
Today I slept in!! And then did a bunch of baking – I restocked Dann and Robin’s cookies and meal prepped a bunch of homemade sausage rolls. Once I was done baking, we had lunch and then headed out for Raid Day in Pokemon Go. Amelia got a shiny on her first raid! She hung out with a bunch of her friends and some of Robin’s friends joined us too. We all hung out for the whole day before we went to the Harlow Town Prom. This Prom was not an American prom and instead was sort of like a classical music event. It was a little on the long side, but everyone had friends to hang out with, so it was fun. We ate pizza for dinner and stayed until the fireworks at the end. Then we headed home, Amelia and Robin’s friends were picked up, and we all went to bed.
September 20th – Pumpkin Patch
It feels like October, so today I got up early, did some work stuff I needed to prep for tomorrow, and then we headed to a pumpkin patch! It was the first weekend that Tulley’s Farm was open. The patch itself was very very fun! It looked like the pumpkins were turned to works of art. I really like walking around and hanging out at this patch, it was just stunning. Afterwards, we headed home and I made dinner. I was quite exhausted but we played some video games together as a family in the evening before bedtime.
September 21st – Very Monday!
Today I woke up early, packed a bunch of lunches, and then everyone headed off to school. I had meetings and a lot of work to get on with, so spent a lot of the day doing that. Dann and I did go to Tesco and they were giving out tons of samples, which was fun! Dann also got me a little treat when I was in a meeting and he went to the post office. In the afternoon, we picked up Amelia and Robin, and then headed into town to play a board game. There were no seats at Geek Retreat, so we instead grabbed our shakes and went shopping before meeting up with their friends for Spotlight Hour in Pokemon Go. Robin’s friend then came home with us for the evening. Amelia had a lot of homework, so we all just did our own thing until DnD was over and we went to bed.
September 22nd – Our first BSL Class
Today was a normal work day, lunches were packed, kids went off to school, and then we had a lot of work to do. I had some writing and a lot of catching up before the evening. Dann and I had our first BSL class, which is online. It’s been quite simple for the start, but that’s okay! There was a lot of documents and homework type stuff given out, so I had a look at these before heading to bed.
September 23rd – Raid Hour
Today I made lunches for Kai and Robin, dropping off Robin’s, and then went back home to do some meetings and get a bunch of writing done. There was a lot of work today! Dann and I went to Robin’s school to see her off for her residential trip. It’s actually at a place we’ve previously been to as a family, which is exciting! We dropped in a bunch of items that she needed for her trip, gave her a hug goodbye, and waited for her bus to load and drive off. It was a bit of a weird one as her other parent was there, loudly talking to their dog, and sticking real close to Dann and I. Another parent wanted to take a picture of them, myself and Dann, and Robin’s other parent just kept going in the background even though we weren’t in a good place to see the bus off or anything. I guess I just find it hard to be in a space with someone who has spent so long acting quite unstable. I then had a big chat with Dann about the time that Kai was put on medication he didn’t need and how abusive that whole situation was, and why I struggle being around someone who did that. I then went out to Raid Hour, where it was great to see so many of our friends. We skipped out on the movie this evening as I have just had so much work lately and have been quite head-down in that work. I did take some cute photos while out for raid hour, but otherwise it was just a busy working day.
September 24th – Volunteering
Today I woke up, packed some lunches for Kai, Robin and I before Kai and I headed to volunteering. It wasn’t a super busy day and one of the chefs from a different but related programme brought down some chicken sandwiches which was fantastic. It was just a fun time, really! In the evening, I picked some veggies from my garden after getting Amelia from school. Robin was still on her trip. We had roast chicken dinner and then Amelia and I went out to see the sunset and take photos. It was a lovely evening.
September 25th – Baked Goods and Robin Home
I woke up early, packed some lunches, and then started baking! Dann, Liam and I headed over to a McMullen coffee morning, which was such a lovely time. We chatted with others, hung out with the MP of our town, and just enjoyed a slower afternoon. Then, Dann and I headed home to get some work done before getting Kai and Amelia from school. Amelia made some bread for us when she got home, to go with the soup we were having for dinner. Robin was at her trip until a bit later, but we followed along with all the pictures the school shared! Picking her up, she was so excited to tell us all about it and to be home. We got the house cleaned up and hung out together, playing more video games until bedtime.
September 26th – Portugal
Today, I slept in, packed a bag, and then we all had breakfast. I had a lot of chores to get done in the morning! Dann and I went out to lunch, at Nandos, which was like pre-Portugal food before Portugal, then headed out to Portugal in the evening. Once we landed in Portugal, it was 10pm, and we checked in at the Jupiter hotel. They had Jupiter sugar and Jupiter towels, Jupiter water, Jupiter bedding – it was wild! We took a dip in the rooftop pool, got some takeaway for dinner, and headed to sleep.
September 27th – One day in Portugal
Now, we were only in Portugal for one day! So, we got breakfast at the hotel, packed our bags, and headed out for a Pokemon Go event. I checked in with the media person there, and then instantly got a Shiny background Pokemon which was exciting. Dann got one too! We then met up with our friends Molly and Husk for a light lunch, before heading around to explore Lisbon. Dann and I had their national dessert dish, that seemed to be everywhere, we had their national drink, we ate fantastic food and visited the aquarium. It was such a fun, yet quick day! I have written about the individual activities we did, which should be on our blog soon. We then headed to the airport, where I ran into more friends, before heading home for just before midnight and going to sleep.
September 28th – Back to Work
I do feel like the first day back to work after a busy weekend stinks! I had a bunch of meetings, lunches to pack and drop off, and shopping to do. In the evening I made pasta with ragu for DnD dinner. Dann was really excited to tell all his friends about our little trip! We then had a friend over after DnD as they are going through a rough patch, and we played video games into the evening and ate junk food – it was a nice distraction.
September 29th – Soup and Friends
Today was a very busy day when it came to work, of course. We are quite close to the end of the month. I also have a lot of October things to sort out, as there is a lot going on in the run up to Christmas. October is one of my favorite times of year, so I am excited to get into the season. I made a big butternut squash soup for dinner, as we had friends over for Tabletop Night. We played Exit Catan, which was a very challenging board game, and we had the soup and grilled cheese. It was a simple evening, but a fun one, and I went to sleep right as everyone left.
September 30th – Work, Raids and Movie
Today I woke up early, got some lunches packed, and then headed into work. I had a lot of work to do and very little time. I finally also caved and got a new phone, which is exciting but isn’t coming for a few weeks. I am hoping that it can take better pictures then my current one, as I am going to more gigs that will not allow cameras. I then went into London for the IKEA x XBOX collab, which was very simple and short, but interesting that they did something for it. I made it home in time for Raid Hour, got some milkshakes with Robin and Amelia, and then went home with a friend for dinner. Dann made tacos! We headed out to Resident Evil, which was such a well done movie, in terms of the main character, but there were too many jump scares. I then headed home and we went to bed.