High 5 4 Friday

Another week is (almost) over. I don't know when time started zipping by so fast. One minute you're a 16 year old kid just outta school, next your a 30 something woman with kid, job, responsibilities. Wow I'm feeling really old now.  It's got me thinking though.  We look forward to things. How many times have you said or thought 'I can't wait for the weekend' when it's only Monday morning, or 'roll on summer' on a frosty, cold January morning. My point is we wish our lives away. Take a moment today, not to wish for another time in the future but to enjoy a moment of today. Be thankful for something that's happening right now. Open your eyes, take a deep breath in and enjoy today. 

In the spirit of enjoying the moment lets take a look at 5 little things that have made me happy in the past week.

1.  Spotting 5 magpies on my morning run. I'm not sure why this made me smile but I just love spotting magpies. I've never seen more than 3 together before so I was super excited to spot 5.

One for sorrow

Two for joy

Three for a girl

Four for a boy

Five for silver

Six for gold

Seven for a secret

Never to be told

Does this mean I'm going to come into some money? So glad I put my Euromillions lottery ticket on! :D

I tried to capture a shot of them but they sadly flew away before I could get all 5 in shot.

2. Watching Mini Greenoid sleep. Ok ok I know this makes me sound like a creepy mum but really, who doesn't like to see their children peacefully fast asleep? This happened the night after I'd been shopping to buy Mini Greenoid some new pants. If you have kids you'll know what I mean what I say 'he's just suddenly grown out of all his pants' I had to buy age 11. Age 11!!! He's only 9 but he's suddenly shot up. Age 11!! He was a teeny tiny baby what seems like only yesterday. He'll be leaving home before I know it. I just needed to watch him and store it in my memory.

3. The smell of bacon. I'm a veggie but hey, the smell of bacon is still pretty amazing.  

4. The sunrise this morning. I think I've moaned (me? Moan? Surely not) about the end of summer on here enough. One thing I love about Fall and Winter are the beautiful sunrises I see when I open my bedroom curtains. It's a view I occasionally take for granted but every now and then I realise how lucky I am to look out of my window and see such beauty.

5. I think I'm finally embracing the start of a new season as another thing I've loved this week is shopping for a new Fall/Winter coat.  I've shopped online. I've shopped in real life. (I know online is real life but that's just what I call it when I visit an actual shop as opposed to the internet version of a shop)

I need something showerproof with a hood.  So far I've found these three beauties...

Wine Lightweight Parker £69 from Next

 

  

Hobbs Phoebe Parka in Winter Blue £149 from John Lewis

Superdry Bridge Coat £125 from Very This one hasn't got a hood but I think I'm kinda in love with it.

High 5 4 Friday

So it's Friday morning, 6:00am to be precise and it's still dark outside and that kinda makes me sad.  In true British fashion, every time I see someone lately the topic of conversation has been about how Autumn is well and truly here and the cold, dark nights are drawing in. I'm not sure I mind the dark nights so much as the cold, dark mornings. Who on earth wants to get out of their cosy, warm duvet in the dark to be greeted by freezing temperatures - I know I don't!

It is Friday though so let's look back on a few things that have made me happy this week.

 

 

1. Running. Oddly as I'm lying in bed writing this I should be out running but something in me just couldn't motivate myself this morning. But in general this week I've really enjoyed running and generally being more active. I'm trying to run every other day, I'm not quite managing it but that's ok. I've ran sporadically throughout my adult life and the reason it's been sporadic is because I've been too hard on myself if I missed a run, I felt awful, gave up for a few months, then started again, missed a run, felt awful, gave up for a few months.... You know how it goes from here.

There's something really great about running that you can do it anytime, anywhere, all you need are your trainers. I find it really helps clear my mind too. I don't listen to music. I just run. Sometimes I listen to Spanish as learning Spanish is something else I've done sporadically throughout adulthood. I'm clearly a sporadic kind of person.

2. Getting back to work. As I've mentioned before this is my first week back in work after the 7 weeks summer holidays and wow it's been hard! It's funny how your body just gets completely used to being lazy. But I've so enjoyed it. It was lovely seeing the kids I hadn't seen in those 7 weeks and just getting back into some sort of routine.

3. Pulling up my carrots. I try and grow a bit of my own veg. I'm so gardening whiz by any stretch of the imagination but I do enjoy growing a few things each year.  This year was the first year I've tried carrots. I've no idea if this week was the right time to pull them up but I just felt like doing so, so I did.  They were knobbly and odd shapes and sizes but it's so satisfying knowing I grew them.

4. Playing The Sims 4. As well as beauty and fashion and all things typically girlie, I also love gaming. I hadn't played The Sims for years and years but when 4 came out I knew I had to get it. I'm loving it so far. Check out my lets play series on YouTube.

 

 

 

5. Sitting in bed reading. I'm not a huge reader. Its not something I'm proud of it's just a fact. When I go on holiday I love sitting by the pool or on the beach with a good book but when I get home I just don't find the time to read. I ordered #Girlboss to take on holiday with me but I forgot it and it's a book I really want to read so this week I started it. I prop myself up in bed with loads of cushions around me, snuggle under the duvet and read. It's been really amazing just to shut off from technology for a short time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why I'm No Longer Weighing Myself

Let's talk about The Scale. Argghhh nooooo. Stay. Stay. I promise it's not that bad.

 

Are you a slave to the scale?  How often do you weigh yourself?  

 

Way back in May I started a Shape Up For Summer feature in which I weighed and measured myself each week in a bid to get my 'bikini body'. After a few weeks I decided to stop the whole shape up for summer idea. I don't want to shape up for summer. I want to be fit, healthy, eat clean, enjoy exercising for life, not for summer. 

 

What do I need for a bikini body? A body. Check. A bikini. Check. I already have a bikini body and so do you. Is it the best bikini body I could have? No. Do I love the idea of walking around in a bikini for all to see my lumps and bumps? No. But that's kinda ok.

As women we all have body issues/hangups/things we'd like to change. I am currently the heaviest, most out of shape I've ever been in my life and I don't like it and I'm consciously making an effort to change that. 

We give the scale so much power. Getting on a scale and seeing that number alters how I feel about myself. My mood, my happiness, hell even my self worth. The crazy thing is it doesn't really matter what the scales say - I'm never happy with it. I have never been a body confident woman. I scoured through my personal facebook and old photo albums and could find only 2 photos of me in a bikini.  In these photos I was 116lbs (I know that because I weighed myself everyday). Was I happy when I stepped on the scales and saw 116lbs? No I wasn't. 

They were taken 4 years ago on my annual summer holiday to our family villa in Spain. I was around 30 lbs lighter in these photos than I am now and hell, I look ok in my bikini. I vividly remember that holiday and period of my life. I was still trying to deal with a relationship breakdown, I'd quit my job, I was desperately unhappy, had incredibly low self esteem and, if I'm honest, really hated myself. I looked in the mirror and saw a big, fat whale of a woman.

My point being, rarely do we look as bad in a bikini as we think we do.

No longer will I allow that number on a scale to dictate how I feel about myself. I will wake up every morning and take little steps towards being a healthier me.

I want to be the best version of myself I can be.

Do I want a flat stomach, inner thigh gap and lean, toned arms? Of course I do. But most of all I want to be happy, I want to laugh with friends and family, I want to enjoy every precious moment with my son and I don't want to be a slave to The Scale.

Monthly Achievements | June 2014

Hola Sparkly1s

I feel like each time I'm gonna write one of these Monthly Achievement posts I'll look back and think 'wow this months gone fast.'  It's so nice just to spend a few moments looking back on the past few weeks of my life and I would encourage you all to try and do it.  It really makes me value the little things I'm achieved along the way.

Continuing my healthy eating.  If you read my Fitness Fridays you'll know I've experienced some wobbles this month.  I've really had to try hard and be determined not to slip back into unhealthy eating habits and so far I'm achieving it.  I'm making conscious decisions not to reach for that bag of crisps and grab a few nuts or a piece of fruit instead.   

Growing my nails.  Check these beauties out!  They're almost how I want them.  I've talked about my nail polish obsession before and how I don't paint my nails.  This month I've made a real effort with my nails and I've managed to grow them.  I bought some Essie Grow Stronger Base Coat from Boots and I really think it's helped.

(This sounds like a real shallow achievement. But I'm pleased with myself so I've added it anyway!)

Writing 27 blogposts.  This is only my second month blogging and I'm really pleased with myself with what I've achieved.  I'm definitely finding my feet and am so pleased I decided to start this little blog.  It's wonderful to have this creative outlet.

Keeping my mouth shut and avoiding an argument.  If you ever get to know me well enough you will find out I'm quite an opinionated thing.  Recently I was browsing Pinterest and came across this little beauty.   

I feel like ever since then it's kinda stayed with me.  It's so true.  I've been in a few situations since where I've thought, 'You're just looking for an argument.'  You know, those occasions when someone just seems to be saying anything they can to disagree with you or get a rise outta you?   The old me would have taken them up on the offer.  (Like I said, I'm opinionated.)  The new me takes a second to think about it.  Am I really that bothered?  Is it worth the argument?  9 times outta 10 it isn't.  So I just don't take them on and walk away.

 

Have you done anything this month you're really proud of?  However big or small. I'd love to hear about it. 

 

Take a moment now to think of one thing you've achieved this month and give yourself a pat on the back.

 

 

Unexpected Fun in York

Yesterday we decided to go to York for the day.  The reasoning behind the trip was that Mini Greenoid has a project to do for school and has decided to do it on Vikings.  I'm all for a bit of hands on experience when it comes to kids learning about things so I thought a trip to Jorvik Viking Centre would be the ideal thing to do. 

 

 

 

York's an hour and 45 minute drive away for us so its a fair way.  We had a fantastic day though and I thought I'd share some of my snaps and experiences.

 

Jorvik was good but not at all what I expected.  I've been before as a kid but couldn't remember it at all.  It's right in the centre of York (the entrance is in a shopping centre next to TopShop and JaneNorman I think) and it's a reconstruction of Viking Age streets 1000 years ago.  There's also a range of exhibitions in a museum style setting. 

 

 

 

After our visit to Jorvik Viking Centre we decided to take a stroll around the streets and I'm so glad we did.  There were street entertainers and mini festivals around every corner.  We watched RobRoy who is an amazing escapologist, some very talented people doing Capoeira, singers and dancers and Samba bands.  We strolled through the farmers market, smelled all the fabulous street food on sale from Indonesian to Italian and bought ice cream down by the river.

 

 

 

It was a wonderful, unexpected day of so much fun.  As we were leaving Mini Greenoid said 'I'm glad we came to York, can we come again?'  and that, in my book counts as a success.

 

I would definitely recommend a trip to York for any age and I think we're going to go back soon.  I just so love exploring new places. 

 

Do you know any good places to visit for a day / weekend? 

 

Hasta Luego Sparkly1s

Gemzicle Sprinkles

xoxo