Sweet home- the living room edition, 2020!

About Us

Welcome to our little virtual corner! I’m a single mother raising my wonderful son, Ruben, who has grown into a remarkable teenager. For years, I was the sole breadwinner as a Krav Maga instructor, balancing the challenges of parenthood and work on my own.

When Ruben started kindergarten, I embarked on a new journey by studying healthcare management at Semmelweis University, specializing in health tourism management. After graduating, I began working in my field and experienced firsthand the tragic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic while serving as a healthcare manager in a state hospital.

As the pandemic subsided, I transitioned into private healthcare, where I currently work as a practice manager. Meanwhile, our family moved from a small town to Vác, a charming historic Danube riverside city near Budapest.

Here, we embrace the everyday moments and joys of life together. If you want to hear more stories about us, you’re warmly invited to visit the original Daysonpaper blog at S&Ru’s Diary on daysonpaper.blog.hu.

So I decided to try living for a year on an international stage and see if there are other mothers in similar shoes for whom this diary could be a support on the harder days—just as it has been a support for me when I was able to look beyond the difficulties and sincerely believe in my own strength.

Thank you for stopping by!

After our lives were completely turned upside down by the first wave of Covid and as we were already preparing for Covid II, multiple changes across various fronts in our lives called for a home transformation. The nesting mood usually hits me in late summer to early autumn, and although this year’s urge wasn’t as strong as in previous years (see the Sweet Home posts from past years on https://daysonpaper.blog.hu), I still had to give in to the inner drive and get a few things for the house.

Since a piano became part of our family back in March (which, due to lack of space, displaced the sofa—the only remaining sofa being the one in the living room after moving the table there), practically no surface was left where we could offer seating to friends beyond the dining chairs. It also bothered me that we couldn’t host overnight guests—like Ru’s friends or my goddaughter and her family—because in this tiny home only Ru’s and my beds fit, and even those had to be carefully woven into our rooms. For a long time, I had been longing for a sofa that could also function as a bed when needed.

A little refresh of our living space was overdue after the turbulent recent period: closing the chapter on Covid and then starting anew is no fun, even if we are lucky and cautious, so we view the matter from this side of the illness, not the other. School started, and I won’t entrust Ru to anyone else for a single day, especially knowing how long a seemingly temporary condition can drag on. So mornings and afternoons revolve around getting ready for school (waking up, making a snack, breakfast, brushing teeth, getting dressed, “not those shoes,” turning off the lights, “I’m coming for you,” “I love you”) and picking him up (“Oh my God, how late is it?!”, “Leave a mask at the office, keep one in the car because they won’t let you into the schoolyard,” “Why is the traffic so slow? Green light, hurry up!!”, “Where is my kid?”, “Where’s my hug?”, “Tell me about your day,” “But we still have to grocery shop…”), sometimes sprinkled with cello practice or friendly visits. Now that it’s just the two of us again—which has opened many doors and closed many others—we have to skillfully organize the logistics of everyday life.

What else could a family long for in the evenings after all this but a comfortable, warm home where they can kick off their shoes, curl up with a book, sit down to play cello or piano, play Xbox with friends, or bake pizza and enjoy a few hours together before it all starts again? So, although unfortunately we couldn’t extend the space and increasingly feel we are outgrowing this apartment, I warmly present to you a reborn part of our home:

This text captures the emotional and practical challenges of adapting family life and home space during and after Covid, highlighting your deep care for creating a nurturing environment for Ru and yourself. It also reflects your appreciation for music, family connection, and the need for a cozy multifunctional living space.