This weekend though, my wife Katie and I are trying for a final burst of summer fun with a camping trip with a group of friends.
Nothing like a couple of days away with some good times to take your mind off all of the crazy stuff happening in the world right now.
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One of the best parts about camping is the greatly reduced amount of time spent on our smartphones, essentially limiting use of, in particular, social media.
It would be tougher for some, and especially if you have teenagers. Getting them off their phone for an hour let alone a day or longer can be pretty difficult.
But that wasn't the case for one mum, whose 18-year-old son promised to stay off social media until he was an adult.
Sivert Klefsaas was 12 when he made the deal with his mother, which she called the "18 for 18 Challenge".
On Facebook last week, Lorna Klefsaas shared a picture of her son, along with the phone and the cheque he earned, with the caption: "He turns 18 tomorrow. He will have $1800 in his pocket and new accounts on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter."
Sivert said it wasn't too hard growing up without social media, and his friends kept him up to date on any information or trends he might be missing.
But once he turned 18, he immediately created new accounts.
Quote: "It's hilarious. I feel like I'm 80. I can't seem to figure out social media. It's pretty embarrassing."
Do you reckon you could try that one with your pre-teen right now? Good luck!
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And while it's close to goodbye for summer, I've been happy to say hello to brown sugar again this week!
A supermarket visit finally coincided with finding some on the shelves. And timing is perfect as we get to the cooler months because porridge without brown sugar is just not right.
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Right now on The Hits, we're doing a competition called Live Free where one person will win their rent or mortgage paid for a whole year.
And I've got to admit that it has been a pretty emotional three weeks so far, as many of our callers for the draw have shared stories about how it would change their lives.
Many renters who have said that would mean they could raise enough for a deposit for their own home, to a solo mum who would be able to move out of a caravan in her friends' backyard, to homeowners struggling after losing jobs and hours due to the pandemic.
It really is life-changing, and we've got two more weeks to go for you to get into the draw as well.
It is a massive amount of money that you could save (or let's face it, splurge!) so to be in to win one of the five keys that could give you a year of financial freedom, make sure you are listening to The Hits Rotorua 97.5 every weekday for our five key songs, and visit our website for all the info!
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Paul Hickey is your local host on The Hits Rotorua weekdays between 9am and 3pm. Featuring Rotorua news, information, and giveaways, plus trending stories from around the world. Listen on 97.5FM or download the iHeartRadio app. PLUS follow The Hits Rotorua and Paul on Facebook and Instagram.
