It’s always nice to be able to tick off items on a list (or is that just me?) My #19for2019 includes some activities which I’ll work on over the year but others which I can quickly tick off. So far in the first six weeks of the year I’ve managed to tick off 1 and 3, bake a meringue and prepare a cub blanket for my son.
I used this meringue recipe from BBC Good Food which is my go to foodie website and it worked perfectly.
I chose a meringue as I wanted to try a new technical challenge. The meringues were that beautiful mix of crispy and chewy. I’m always keen to develop a theme so whilst this recipe ticked off make a meringue I also want to try a Baked Alaska and Lemon Meringue pie this year to perfect my technique.
My second item to be ticked off was the cub blanket. I needed to take the badges off my son’s old Beaver jumper and start his cub blanket ready for camp later this year. It was a comforting activity, sitting with it in my lap as I did the job and knowing its something he will snuggle under too. I suppose it’s part 1 as when he moves to Scouts I’ll need to do the same with his cub badges. He loves scouting and it is such a positive experience for him.
So that’s 2 of my 19 ticked off, I wonder what will be next …
For my theme of nourish, I decided that once a month I would have a ‘nourish’ day, set in my diary for my self care. Inspired by the book, Self Care Project by Jayne Hardy I realised that this didn’t need to be a day of massages and pampering but simple things to please me. I have some great ideas for the ‘nourish’ days in warmer weather but given the very hectic month, poor weather and the feeling of being overwhelmed, I designed a day I needed. I met a friend for coffee (and her gorgeous baby, what’s more nourishing than the wonder of a new life). I watched a film that’s been on my to watch list from the comfort of my cosy bed and completed the cub blanket I’ve been doing for my son, a little creativity in my day. It was just what I needed in January.
Other nourishing activities this week have been playing Lego with my son; our trip to a local attraction inspired some great builds. I also helped at cubs this week, I think volunteering is at the heart of a strong community.
We’ve also had a number of appointments this week. Whilst they’ll remain private, I felt comforted by attending them and addressing our worries.
Last night I read my new magazine and loved the quote below from the Simple Life magazine.
And finally it’s time to breathe, what a month January turned out to be. I had it planned as a month to prepare for the year in front and to also start some new projects but of course life took over from my neatly arranged plans. It was overwhelming at times but I have at least finished the month feeling a little more in control.
I think the best indicator of my life is my reading record. Last year I read nearly a book a week, this month I struggled to finish one. Reading is my me time, I don’t watch a huge amount of tv but do like to settle down with a book in the evenings. If I’m not reading then something in my life isn’t quite in balance ( I blame Ofsted this month)
The book I did finish was Jayne Hardy’s The Self Care Project, the irony of the content isn’t lost on me in this busy month. It was a really good read full of great advice, I appreciated that she doesn’t see self care as having a massage but for example doing life admin to help you feel in control etc.. It’s well worth a read.
This year I haven’t set myself a Good Reads challenge for a specific number of books but one in which I would like to read or reread a classic every month. Whilst I didn’t finish my classic this month, I did start it and am really enjoying I capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.
At the beginning of the month in the school holidays, the children and I went to the cinema to see Mary Poppins Returns. It was such a magical film and I loved every dance, song and sparkle, a new family classic.
I also finally watched Ladybird, a film which had much critical acclaim last year. I really liked the film, a bit Indy in style but thoughtful and from memory pretty realistic about the angst of teen life.
It was all about the jumpers this month, layers and layers. I love this star jumper from Next last autumn, it’s been perfect with jeans and has been keeping me warm.
Photo from the Next website, definitely not me!
For me cold Saturday afternoons are all about being in the kitchen and cooking. I like a bit of a theme and as South America is one of the school topics, we made a Mexican feast. Everything was made from scratch, salsa, guacamole, refried beans etc.. with Little Miss as my sous chef. Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos, as it was a really impressive table. Cooking is one of my favourite ways to spend time together, the kitchen is the heart of our home.
I love a good podcast and I’ve had a few car journeys this month to enjoy the new podcast Sentimental Garbage, a ‘cast looking at brilliant chick lit books, including Bridget Jones Diary, Watermelon etc.. It’s fabulous, witty and just makes you want to read more, a great new find.
Despite being a crazy month, there were some real highlights in January, seeing the new Mary Poppins film, a family mountain bike ride in the forest, a trip to a local animal sanctuary etc.. I’m hoping for a quieter February and a relaxing half term.
#littleloves
Im hoping to link up with @mummyheartsyou the new host of Little Loves and be inspired by all the contributors to the linky.
Last week, I read an excellent article from the Financial Times by Tim Harford entitled My Digital Reboot. It was one of those articles which really resonated with me and had me examining my online behaviour. We live in a digital world and it’s an integral part of my professional and personal life, I am not going to stop using it. However I have noticed how my phone is always near and I spend too long scrolling through Twitter and Instagram. I get great inspiration from these sites but it’s too easy to start looking at something that leads to something else and suddenly the evening has disappeared. I am not going to delete my accounts, I enjoy the social network sites but I am going to remove them from my phone to stop the ease at which I browse. At the start of this year, I organised my week as part of a self care project (yes I’m a sucker for all the latest trends) for example, Sunday is house admin, Saturday blog writing so I’m planning to add a social network evening too.
This week I’ve minimised the use of my phone and enjoyed more creative projects and felt so much more refreshed and focused for it. There are apps which I will keep on my phone, my Spotify account as I love my music and podcasts, some photography apps, email, Parentmail, the school app and of course Scrabble which has always been one of my favourite way to spend a free 10 minutes. As well as spring cleaning my phone, I’m also going to keep it away from me, to keep it in my handbag or on my bureau at home and just use it when I purposefully want to rather than as a distraction. I realise I’m now the role model for my children, I want them to have a mobile as a phone and not to be an essential part of their being.
My weekly nourishment continued this week with a focus on putting down my Smartphone in the evening and ‘doing’ rather than the mindless distraction of scrolling, tapping and ‘liking.’ I’ll write more about this in a different post but it’s something that I intend to continue.
My nourishing moments this week include
An early morning Sunday trail run in the light. I run at 7am on a Sunday morning and for the past weeks it’s been dark and on the roads. No running fills my soul like a trail run through the local country park.
Whilst this week has been about the red moon, I’ve been wowed by the morning skies, the colours have been spectacular, the pinks and greys beautiful.
We’ve had our 6 monthly check up with the dentist and all was fine. I’ve switched recently to a bamboo brush and natural toothpaste with no noticeable difference.
Whilst I’m not watching Marie Kondo’s new tv programme, I have been revisiting her book which I read a few years ago. I tend to pick what I think I can do and one of the best pieces of advice was to organise your wardrobe in colours. I did it before and it worked well but of course without maintaining it weekly it all mixed together. This week I have rearranged my clothes into colours and it does help with choosing outfits for the day. I also donated some clothes to charity and threw away (recycled at the tip) a few loved but worn or damaged items. I love Kondo’s motto of only keeping things which spark joy.
Given the clothes sorting, I did some work on choosing clothes for the spring and summer, courtesy of a few magazines, the Next catalogue and a White Stuff mailing shot. I tried not to go online but to look for inspiration, jot down a few ideas, cut out a few pictures etc..
Finally, Mr S works some weekends so on those that he doesn’t we try and do something together as a family. Today a local attraction was offering half price entry for locals so we took advantage and spent our day looking at the animals, learning about the conservation work and just walking around in the fresh winter air. It did us all good and as we were well wrapped up, I love a hat, scarf and globves combo, it was a pleasant and enjoyable trip.
This week has been full of nourishment and my list is impressive. However it has made me reflect that sometimes doing nothing may give me the greatest benefit. I did lots of my acts on Thursday, my day off and enjoyed doing them but was exhausted at fitting so much in. I think it’s important to balance and sometimes just take time to relax, the best nourishment for the body and soul.
My nourishing moments this week included
1. Tidying up my office at work!
We moved into our new office last week on the day we got the Ofsted call, our professional lives all boxed up. During the inspection our office was a mass of paperwork, drinks cans and even more folders, a chaotic mess. It felt so good on Monday to properly tidy up, file, shred and organise. I feel much more productive and in control now.
2. A long distance phone call.
I had a lovely unexpected call from a friend one evening, it was so good to catch up and plan a weekend.
3. A car valet.
Much like number 1 my clean car makes me happy, with its fresh smell, nice interior and sparkly exterior.
4. Neat eyebrows
If I don’t have my eye brows done, I would have a uni brow so I’m grateful when I have them done and they are all neat and tidy ( neat and tidy seems to be a theme this week )
5. A new jumper
I popped in to HM and found a lovely mint green jumper. I had vouchers so treated myself. I’ve worn the jumper today with a long star necklace and my jeans and felt confident and sparkly.
6. Fresh flowers
In big town there’s always a street stall selling flowers cheaply. I love a bit of colour in my kitchen and bought the roses to give me that colour pop. The best £1 I spent this week.
7. A thank you card
I had a lovely card this week with some very kind comments from a good friend. I appreciated the gesture and words.
8. Cricket practice in the garden
With Little Miss on a school sports fixture, it was just me and Little Man on Thursday. He was really keen to play cricket and on a sunny afternoon, we got the kit out and played together (in the cold with hats and gloves!). He was so happy that I agreed to play and it was a great half hour together, followed by a hot chocolate to warm ourselves up.
9. A Mexican Feast
Today has been a wet and miserable day and this afternoon Little Miss and I spent the time prepping a Mexican themed dinner. Home made salsa, guacamole, refried beans etc… I love cooking and it’s a genuine pleasure to be in the kitchen with fresh ingredients, prepping and cooking and listening to music. It’s fun having a sous chef although she’s not so good on the clearing up as you go along …
My word of the year is nourish and similar to a gratitude journal I’m going to try and do a weekly post of what has nourished me in the past week.
1. Mary Poppins Returns
We finally got to see Mary Poppins Returns at the cinema last Sunday and it was so special and magical. The songs, characters, animations etc.. were ‘practically perfect’ and the soundtrack has been on my playlist this week. I left the cinema feeling so light and happy, delighted at a perfect little film shared with my children.
2. Home made soup
I love home made soup and although I often take soup to work for lunch, I have a new Chilly tumbler. The pink is unusual for me but I’m really quite taken by it. On the cold January lunchtimes, I’ve enjoyed red pepper, tomato and lentil soup and my favourite, celeriac. Lunchtimes are to be enjoyed and to simply pause.
3. Family bike ride in the forest.
It was a mad week at work with an Ofsted inspection. Much of my week has been spent in front of a computer creating documents and producing and analysing data, far too much screen time! This morning we went on a much needed bike ride in the forest, corny as it might sound, I needed to reconnect with my family and nature. For a January morning it was a beautiful crisp day and the ride was fun for us all. It was the first time that we’ve all been able to ride together as the children are now both confident cyclists and don’t need us to run alongside them. Little Man was really chuffed at being able to ride his mountain bike and asked for us to take his photo so he could put it in his proud book at school. After a long ride we all enjoyed our picnic lunch, I’m impressed that we had our first outdoor picnic of the year in January.
I really enjoy listening to the Happier podcast with the writer Gretchen Rubin and one of her recent talks was on creating a theme for your upcoming year. I liked this idea and started to think of words which could shape my year. After much thought, I have chosen nourish. There are a number of reasons for this, I want to focus on my health and lifestyle this year. At times I feel overwhelmed by the toxicity in life, the relentless 24 hour lifestyle and I want to step back and choose what I want my life to look like. I also feel that this is a year where I need to be there for my family, its a tough year for Little Miss, SATS, the move to secondary school and some other personal bits and for Little Man ensuring that his learning difficulties don’t lead to isolation. Mr S also needs a little TLC too. Whilst my primary focus is my family, I feel the theme will also trickle out into our community.
I think that my first part of the project is myself, I can’t support others without being nourished myself. Although the main things, preparing healthy, fresh, local food, being outside more etc.. will have an immediate effect on my family as we eat the same meals and given the children’s ages, share the same leisure activities. To stop the feeling of being overwhelmed, I have already put a plan of the week together, choosing nights for different areas, eg Tues, lifestyle, Sat, blog, Sun, household admin. I have also added a ‘Nourish Thursday’ once a month in my diary up until August (I need the new school year dates to continue further) Once a month I have put aside a day to do something solely for myself, my ideas include a massage, visit a museum, shopping etc..
I love that there is so much one can explore on this project, to nourish the mind, body and soul. I started brainstorming a few ideas and created the word art below. I am looking forward to a year of nourishment for us all.
Ideas for the theme (excuse the lack of commas, the programme didn’t seem to like them or spaces!)
So here is my list of #19for2019, an idea inspired by the Happier podcast by Gretchen Rubin. It is not a list of resolutions, simply a list of things you want to do in 2019 which will make you happy. I’m just publishing today and as I tick each one off, I’ll explain the story behind the activity. I did it last year and it really did make me much happier and excited at planning and participating in these new opportunities. I’m looking forward to 2019!
At the end of last year I listened to a podcast from Gretchen Rubin on #18for 2018. The idea was to list 18 things to do during the year which would make you happy, some big, some small, I created and posted my 18 as below, and now time for a review….
Learn to kayak oh this was a brilliant experience and made me so happy. ACHIEVED
Bake a Souffle, one of my early accomplishments, ACHIEVED
Read some amazing books. According to my Good Reads account, i read 46 books last year, 11 of which I gave 5 stars, ACHIEVED
Train well and run a half marathon, mmm my foot injury put paid to this but instead of running, I have power walked many miles this year. Once I have an operation on my foot it will be a target again. TO BE CONTINUED..
Wear a pair of pretty high heeled shoes. Linked to the above, this was the moment when I realised I had a serious problem with my foot. I was trying on a pair of beautiful emerald green, kitten heels and when finally I got my foot in it, I cried with pain and nearly passed out. I now can only wear Converse pumps in comfort but have a rainbow of colours. TO BE CONTINUED
Have a cruelty free make up bag, I discovered some great new brands this year and no longer use companies who claim to be cruelty free but sell their products in China. ACHIEVED
Plan a trip to London, I’m disappointed not to have achieved this, there was a lot going on this year, its on my list for 2019 ON THE LIST of #19for2019
Go to the theatre, I’ve been to see 5 different shows this year, the highlight was Wicked. ACHIEVED
Meet up woth old friends, whilst we did go to a party in the summer to meet up with old friends, they were Mr S old school friends. There’s a group of former colleagues I would love to see so its another TO BE CONTINUED
Play summer sports, well with our summer I was able to play rounders, tennis and cricket in the park for fun, all throughly enjoyable in the hot weather. ACHIEVED
Look after my feet, at the start of the year I thought this meant pedicures and painted nails. The reality was doctors appointments, consultants and treatment, this is continuing but I’m counting this as ACHIEVED
Go to a roller disco, one of my more random choices but so much fun, it was much trickier than I remembered! ACHIEVED
Invest in a warm, winter coat, this has made me unbelievably happy. ACHIEVED
Make something on my sewing machine FAILED MISERABLY
Be more creative with the photos on my blog. I researched photos on my blog and have played with new collages, but with my blog setup and iPhone I’m not sure I can develop this more. ATTEMPTED
Swing on High Ropes, this was a lot scarier than expected even when I was all starped in, but I did it and gave it a go. ACHIEVED
Do one scary and exhilarating thing. This is not a wow moment but despite not being keen on needles, I signed up as a blood donor and have given blood regularly this year, an exhilarating and scary experience! ACHIEVED
Have a holiday inspired manicure, we all went World cup mad and I had England inspired nails for the semi final. ACHIEVED
So that was 10 out of my 18 fully achieved, others in progress and only one failed miserably. I loved this little project, it definitely gave me happiness and new opportunities to embrace. Thank you Gretchin.
Seaside Sparkles 