A Crafty Staycation – July Monthly Goals
When going on a real vacation is not possible, a ‘staycation’ is a fantastic idea. I took a twenty days break from my online job to renew myself in July.
If going on a real vacation is not on the cards, for whatever reasons, try staying at home instead. We usually try to take a minimum of 2-3 small getaways every year just so the kids don’t feel boxed up but, I had been working almost all the time the past year. One of my June goals was to plan a holiday for July. We have had to postpone our real vacation this time and since Eid was just around the corner, I took the opportunity to log off and tune in to my spiritual self. I was also able to have a complete family time without any distractions.
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The staycation was great! The very first day we went to the Corniche with my siblings and their families. My siblings were in town and it was the perfect opportunity to go on long picnics.
My husband’s nieces and their kids came over for the holidays. This was the first time that my kids were old enough to really enjoy their cousins (as well as their own nephews!) because the last time they met, all of them were too young. We had an awesome time bonding while showing them around the city. One of the younger nieces had come over especially to learn to crochet (as I learnt later). She had just begun to learn the basic stitches and was excited to learn more.
We went shopping to look for yarn as soon as we could but it was a bit too soon as the shops hadn’t even opened for business after Eid! 
We tried to make use of whatever I had in my stash but then as you know, yarn-a-holics feed on yarn! We had to go check out Hindawiyyah! It had been ages since I had been to this craft market. There had been a few changes and new shops sprouting up. My niece had never been yarn shopping, she said. This was my perfect opportunity!
It was a good learning experience for her as she got a good idea of the different varieties of yarns available and how to use them. We also discussed hooks and needles. We bought loads of yarn but more fun was when we got tatting supplies too. She had requested that she needed to buy shuttles and learn tatting after she saw my tatted lace collection and books. I finally found the different sized Tatting needles and had to buy a few quickly.
The next few nights, although the house was jam packed with guests and little toddlers, I found myself sneaking out into the hallway to practice needle tatting. It is so easy and … addictive!! (Tutorial coming up soon!) I can’t believe I have been so scared of it all these years!
It was my second daughter ‘Lil’s birthday the day after Eid. My son and niece helped decorate the house. I made an ice cream cake for the little princess but she was so eager for it to be served that it disappeared even before I could take pictures of it! Here are the choco-chip cookies…
All in all, the staycation was a good idea. We are renewed and I have my energy back.
This post is part of a link up with my fellow mom bloggers. Every month, we write monthly goals to talk about how we will spend our month or what our plans are. Hop on over to see what the other moms are doing.
I love staycations! Can’t wait to see what you make!
It’s amazing how calming a staycation can be too! How wonderful you were able to involve some extended family in it as well. Hope you ended it feeling rested.