One: Hit the home ground with a plan. Get focused and keep busy. Declutter, paint, plant a garden, organise your photos into ibooks or slide shows...

Two: Make your home beautiful. Fill jars with flowers, open the windows and let the sunny air in, play your favourite tunes, make your bed, pop your holiday souvenirs around the house....

Three: Do something you love every day. Bake, crochet, dance, write, draw...


Four: Don't force yourself to settle back into old, busy routines too quickly. Have some quiet time in the afternoon, take a Nana nap, snuggle up with a book and a cuppa, challenge your kids to a board game, take a blanket outside and read a book on the grass...

Five: Be active. Go for a walk every day, dance around your lounge room, jump on the trampoline, go for a bike ride, skip rope...

Six: Keep it fun. Eat pancakes for dinner, read aloud to each other, give each other manicures, have a party...


Seven: Change things around a bit. Move the furniture. Change the focus of the room. Be brave.

Eight: Make new rules. No TV during the week, kids set and clear the table for meals, chores, family Friday fun nights (thanks for the idea Rapps xx)...

Nine: Eat well. Plan meals, buy lovely seasonal ingredients, pick from your garden, try new recipes, get everyone involved in the prep, set the table with your best and fanciest stuff, light candles, eat together.

Ten: Be a tourist where you live. Explore the local area, go for long walks, visit the shops/farm-gates/wineries/restaurants/lakes/attractions, go on a picnic, row the lake...


And if all else fails, fake it til you make it. Pretend you are enjoying yourself and then you probably will.

This list is by no means law. It's just what's working for me at the moment three days after coming home. I was a little worried about how I would feel when the holiday was over. I was worried we would come home and I would be sad. I can be quite emotional like that. But I haven't. In fact I'm having a lovely time at home. So I thought I'd share my list here. Partly to remind myself and partly because it might possibly be of use to you when you get back from your adventures.

Happy travels - happy homes - happy Hannukah - happy Christmas - happy weekend. xx