This year, more than ever, our house has had to find new routines and be flexible. While Billy is at work, Wyatt and I are pretty much at home all day, doing our thing – homeschool, art, playing. All that good stuff. And we have a great time together. But Wyatt is an extrovert, like his dad. He is nonstop, go go go all day, and his speech has improved like crazy this year, which is awesome and amazing and I love it. But as an introvert, there are days that by the time Billy gets home that I need some quiet alone time to decompress just from all the chatter and play. I love my child more than anything in this world, but mama needs a break sometimes!

So, on those nights, after dinner is done and all cleaned up, Billy starts bath time and I take a glass of red wine or a cup of mint tea, and hide myself away for a bit. To take a much needed deep quiet breath, and just chill, quiet my mind. In these moments I am too scattered to read, I don’t want to watch a television show, and I have found that Youtube works perfectly to fill the transition for me from go go go get it all done to evening and calm down time (that is what I call it for Wyatt- calm down time). I have found a few that are so quiet, gentle, and serene. I just sip my beverage and watch and listen. They are soothing and picturesque and inspiring.

The first is Fairyland Cottage. Her beautiful lilting accent, her slow way of living, her home and lifestyle make her videos a treat to watch. She shares about simple, quiet living, minimalism, nature, plants – all things that I love. And she makes tea a lot and I weirdly love the sounds of tea being made. I think it makes me think of when I was a little girl, and I would wake up and hear my mom in the kitchen, making her own tea, remembering that safe feeling I had knowing I was warm and cozy and my mom was there.

Another Youtube vlogger I enjoy has a similar name! The Cottage Fairy. Her videos are so beautiful, full of majestic landscapes, snow, meadows, books, dogs, and her bunny Mr. Darcy. She is an artist and a teacher and loves reading and lives in a tiny house. She also talks about living a very simple lifestyle. She painted a running rabbit over one of her doorways, and it looks so cute. I think I am going to ask Billy to do that here…lol.

The next one is a little less solitary and slow living, but still is very soothing to watch most of the time. Trout and Coffee is a young guy just kind of living the best life, in nature, vintage cars, great experiences. And good coffee too apparently. His videos have spectacular shots of landscapes, the kinds that make people dream.

These are my top three favorites for taking a beat, decompressing, restoring some peace and quiet in myself before getting back to it. Sometimes we just need the space to be able to take a deep breath and relax for a few. This is a gentle escapism. Just grab your tea and a blanket and get cozy, and turn off for a minute.