When you hear PTA what do you think? Before Boo started school it conjured up memories of frantic bake sales when I was a child, and Mum heading out to race nights. When I attended my first PTA meeting I wasn’t expecting much and I was certain whatever I did find wouldn’t be for me; the reality couldn’t have been further from this.

What I discovered was an open, friendly bunch of parents who are committed to maximizing the opportunities available to our children at school. It was great to meet parents from such a diverse background who without the forum of the PTA I’d have been unlikely to meet as our children are spread amongst the school.

Fast-forward a year and I was elected co-chair in September and was charged with my first task: organizing the first casino fundraiser evening. 4 months later and I managed to pull off an evening of food, music, fundraising and fun casino… not to mention Prosecco and dancing!

We chose the local golf club, The Oaks to host our event and they were absolutely fantastic with helping nail down the details to last minute seating changes. The main event of the evening apart from the much anticipated raffle was the fun casino – we were super fortunate to have Alan from KG Entertainments who helped make the evening possible, thanks so much!

If you’re in two minds as to whether a fun casino would work at an event you’re organizing, take it from me, they’re the perfect party entertainment – it was the talk of the playground for weeks.

I was absolutely blown away by the great prizes we managed to secure for the raffle, including tickets to Sarah Millican at The Eventim Apollo, Afternoon Tea at a Handpicked Hotel, Blow Dry at Frank Di Lusso, Beauty Treatment at The Flutter Lounge plus lots more.

The main aim of the game was to raise lots of money for our PTA and between the fun casino and raffle we raised just shy of £1000 which was fantastic, massive thanks to everyone who came, supported, photocopied menus, or listened to my napkin colour choice dilemma.

PTAs are a fantastic way of making a real difference to your child’s school experience; I learnt that when it comes down to it, we have a lot more in common with the parents at the school gate than you might imagine – pretty sure everyone hit the dance floor when the old school garage came on! My only regret? Not taking ANY photos!

And the best part? We’ve just rebooked to do it all again next year.

Happiness is a word that is banded around an awful lot so when the lovely Donna from What The Redhead Said tagged me to share my happiness non-negotiables it was a great opportunity to think about what really made me happy:

Sleep
I’m not one of those people who boast about surviving on less than four hours sleep a night, I need my sleep; yes I can pull all nighters, yes I regularly wake up at 5am as I find I am most productive whilst most are still snoring but I cannot sustain a healthy life without sleep, even if I could I don’t want to – waking up rested makes me happy, almost as much as getting into bed with fresh sheets.

Light
I’m not talking about overhead vs. lamp – for me the simple joy of natural light is the best mood lifter. Working from home means I get to see my home from every single angle (wherever I can balance my mac on my lap – you can bet your bottom dollar I’ve sat and worked there) and light wins every time. Light is also what makes me smile on a cold winters’ morning when I remember how it dances across Boo’s face when she’s splashing in the sea.

Laughter
Ask anyone about me and one of the first things that they’ll probably say is that I laugh… a lot. If I’m not cracking a joke you’ll find me laughing my head off; it’s probably one of the most endearing and annoying things about me and I love it. Laughter isn’t just good for the soul, it’s good for the household – be it pinning Boo down for tickle time or watching her crack up as I do my best throwback performance of Spice Girls. Laughter brings our house alive, plus you can’t help but smile when you laugh!

Music
I’m pretty sure this one doesn’t need too much explaining; music is ever present in our life. Early mornings, late nights, shower time, car journeys, dance offs in the kitchen on a Saturday morning while I make my legendary breakfast pancakes. Whatever we’re up to there’s a song that can not only match our mood but sometimes even lift it.

Love
Love is all we need, blah blah – I’m not talking about the hearts and flowers type, it’s the feeling of love in your life; it’s a Mama and Boo thing. I can’t even begin to imagine how many kisses and hugs I’ve given Boo, it’s a real joy of being a mother, being able to show your love in such a fundamentally instinctive way.

Friends
Mum squad, girl gang, wing woman, call it what you want, friendship is integral to my happiness; from building me up and encouraging me to the ‘what were you thinking’ face that only a friend can give you. Surrounding myself with positive, strong women can only be a good thing.

Family
Family means so much to me in so many different ways; it’s where it all begins, we head out on our adventures that take us far away on such differing paths yet we return to family and motherhood has allowed me to realise just how important it is to belong. I’m fiercely proud to be part of #CorrietteClan.

And these are my happiness non-negotiables, would love to hear what yours are; I’m tagging Jenni, Lisa, Jess and Clare to share your non-negotiables when it comes to happiness.