Life Lately | Back to School, New Routines & Things I'm Working On | Ngumabi

Hope you are doing well.

It's been a little while since I shared a proper life update, so I thought I'd sit down and tell you what's been happening around here lately.

A few things have changed since my last post.

The holiday is officially over, the kids are back in school, I'm trying to get myself back into a few routines, and there are a couple of things I've been working on that are taking much longer than I expected.

So, let's catch up.

And Just Like That, School Is Back

The long holiday went by so quickly.

I know I say this almost every year, but how does a holiday that feels so long when it starts suddenly become over? Lol.

One of the first signs that school has resumed in our house is the living room.

During the holiday, the children's toys seem to slowly take over the place. They spend weeks coming out whenever they want, and somehow there is always something lying around.

Now that school has started, the toys have mostly disappeared to their storage.

They come out on weekends again.

That's how I know we're back to school. 😂

The early mornings are back too.

We're waking up earlier, getting ready, making sure everyone has what they need and trying to get into the rhythm of the new school year.

And honestly, there is quite a bit that comes with starting a new school year.

It's not just about buying school supplies and paying fees. There's also the responsibility of making sure everything is in order and helping the children settle into a new routine.

You want the year to start well.

You want them to have what they need.

You want them to get comfortable with their new classes, teachers and schedules.

And then, of course, you have to get yourself used to the routine too.

After weeks of slower mornings, the alarm suddenly feels very serious again. 😂

I'm Apparently Re-Schooling Myself in Mathematics

Speaking of school, my daughter is now in Level Two of primary school, and I've been getting a little refresher course in primary-school mathematics through her homework.

And honestly, it's funny because there are things I understand now that I definitely did not understand when I was in primary school.

I actually remember struggling with some of these things myself.

I started school quite early, and I think some of the things we were being taught were simply beyond my capacity to understand at that age.

But instead of thinking, I don't understand this yet, I think I developed the mindset that mathematics was just difficult.

And once you decide something is difficult, you can easily carry that belief with you.

So now I'm sitting with my daughter trying to explain some of these things, and I'm looking at the questions thinking, Wait... this is actually not that difficult. 😂

Apparently, I'm re-schooling myself in mathematics thanks to her. By the way, during our time, we called it Arithmetic. We only met mathematics in secondary school lol.

I'm not complaining though.

It's actually been interesting to revisit some of these things as an adult and realise that I understand them differently now.

I Started a 90-Day Challenge

Another thing I've been doing lately is my own little 90-day challenge.

I'd already been thinking about doing something like this before, but then I started seeing people on TikTok talking about their 90-day challenges and sharing what they were trying to accomplish.

It motivated me to take my own idea more seriously.

So I decided to use that energy and give myself a 90-day period to really focus on a few things I want to improve and work on.

The idea is basically to spend September, October and November being more intentional, and then look back at the end of it and see what actually happened.

Of course, getting motivated to start something is one thing.

Keeping up with it is another. 😂

It's very easy to watch a few motivational videos, make a beautiful plan and feel like you're about to transform your entire life by Monday.

Then Monday comes.

And Tuesday.

And suddenly you're like, Okay... let's just take it one step at a time.

So that's where I am with it.

One step at a time.

And Yes, I'm Still Trying to Get Back Into YouTube

Part of this whole "getting back into things" also involves YouTube.

I have footage sitting on my phone from months ago that I still haven't edited.

Meanwhile, we are now in September.

At this point, I don't even know whether to call them old vlogs or historical documents. 😂

But I'm finally trying to get myself back into the rhythm of filming, editing and publishing again.

I'm hoping to start getting them out instead of letting them sit on my phone forever.

I think sometimes the hardest part isn't even starting.

It's getting yourself back into a rhythm after you've fallen out of one.

So that's another thing I'm working on.

Slowly, but surely.

My YouTube Channel.

My Plants Are Doing... Okay

My little plant corner has also been keeping me busy.

The plants I brought back from my trip are now growing, although not all survived.

Some are doing really well.

Some are just surviving.

And some didn't make it at all.

Which, I suppose, is part of gardening.

You can plant something, take care of it, wait patiently and still not get the result you wanted.

But we have new harvests! I'm so excited 😊 

My tomatoes are beginning to get ripe and they are big! I also harvest the last green pepper and hoping it will bear some more of them. I have harvested four big green peppers so far. 

I'm also dealing with a little pest problem at the moment.

Something has been attacking some of my vegetables, especially the tomatoes and green pepper plants.

I've been trying to keep on top of it by cleaning the leaves regularly and removing the pests whenever I find them.

Some of the tomato plants seem to be more affected than others, so I'm still watching them and hoping I can keep them under control.

My snake plants are giving me a completely different problem.

They are growing so much that they're starting to outgrow their container.

And I know what I need to do.

I need to repot them.

Or divide them.

Or separate some of the new shoots.

Something.

But for some reason, I keep overthinking the whole thing.

I look at the container, look at the plants, think about how I'm going to separate everything, think about the soil I'll need, and then somehow I end up doing nothing.

😂

I've been saying for a while that I need to deal with them, so maybe this is the year I finally do it.

I'm Still Figuring Out My Ankara Business

And then there's my Ankara handmade business.

Yes, I'm still working on it.

Well... working on it might be a generous way of putting it because a lot of what I've been doing lately is thinking, planning, changing my mind, thinking some more and trying to figure out exactly what I want to make.

It's taking a while.

Sometimes that bothers me because I really would like to see myself moving faster.

I want to have the ideas, make the things, take the pictures, put them out there and just get on with it.

But I'm also learning that I don't want to rush myself into making things I'm not completely comfortable with.

I'm still figuring out what I actually want this little business to look like and what I would be happy creating and selling.

And I think that's more important to me than simply being able to say, I launched.

So yes, it's taking longer than I thought.

But I don't regret taking the time.

It's not about getting everything perfect.

I just want to feel comfortable and happy with what I'm doing.

And hopefully, I'll have something to show you soon.

That's Life Lately

So that's what's been happening around here.

The holiday is over and the school routine is back.

The toys have returned to their weekend schedule.

I'm apparently re-learning primary-school mathematics.

I'm attempting a 90-day challenge and reminding myself that motivation is great, but consistency is where the real work begins.

I'm trying to get back into YouTube, despite having footage from months ago sitting on my computer.

My plants are growing, fighting pests, outgrowing their containers and generally keeping me entertained.

And I'm still figuring out my Ankara business, one idea at a time.

I'm just getting back into things, paying attention to what feels right, and taking it one step at a time.

See you in the next update. 🌿