What is my blog about?

I was thinking hard yesterday. What is this blog about? What am I trying to do/make/be/sell/live here? After getting quite irate with myself about this I realised it all comes back to one thing.

For me, this blog is about making people feel better about themselves.

Pretty simple really, and pretty much all I ever want to do with my thoughts, words and actions. I read lots of blogs, I love pretty ones, sporty ones, foody ones, life affirming ones. All I really want from them is to come away with a new idea, a nice image in my mind and feeling a bit good about my normal self. I don't want to feel stressed about how my life should be, how other people seem to have perfect style/homes/careers/partners/lives/interest whatever area you feel lacking in here/.

Reintorudcing pie and chip - a blog a come to and feel better about yourself. Simples.

22 before 22... update!

Here is the list. And how I did...

Complete!

• Blog every week
• Link into someone else's blog
• Win something [bouncy rubber ball in an arcade]
• Cook vegetarian food [tried going vegan for a few days - YUM]
• Play with my pets every day
• Complete my garden remodel [done in line with my original vision... now the vision has grown]
• Turn 22 with grace [party pics to follow!]
• Do some yoga [Bikram - report to follow!]

Nearly there...

• Read 7 book
• Paint the bedroom [colours chosen and bought]
• Weekly date night
• Do my to-do list every day
• Eat at the table most nights
• Finish photo frame project
• Stop wasting food
• Lose those pesky last two pounds  [Complicated post to follow]
• Floss every day

 Oops.

• Make art for my home
• Have a really good picnic
• Start some origami
• Make easter cards/gifts for family
• Play on rockband and pretend to be ringo

I love a good list and found this really fun. Will give myself more time next go around... in fact I am off to pull together my next list.

Duvet lover to a.m runner...

Last week I tried a wee experiment- what would my life be like if I got up and exercised in the morning? Pretty simple idea right - wrong! My week turned upside down [in a good way] and not keeping up the habit today only confirmed how good it was... Here's the [amazingly simple] way I did it.....

Step One - Getting your bum out of bed

The hardest part for me. I have never ever been a morning person. I LOVE bed. The duvet, pjs, toastyness, everything about it. Breaking the habit of a lifetime was completed in a few ways - going to bed on time. No matter how late I went to bed, I got up on time; this forces you into a routine so that even if you love late night TV, you will get so tired you go to bed on time [keeping in mind that time depends totally on you and your life]. Lay out your gym kit and water before bed, once you have crawled out of bed and into your kit you might as well go out. Set more than one alarm - I can very easily switch off an alarm in my sleep. Two did the trick for me, especially with one on the other side of the room. 
Just as a note - I look this cross every morning:

Step Two - Leaving your Chateau
Again, seems simple but is really not. I can very easily procrastinate my way through a five mile run by folding washing, making toast, having missing shoelaces/ipod/shoes/sportsbra/banana/brain. My way to deal with this, don't talk and don't do anything but move towards the door. The prep from the night before means everything else should be in place, just put up your blinkers to washing/pets/kids/partners/floods and get out the door. It will all be there when you get back and it'll be much easier to manage with endorphins.

Step Three - Do it
Go out, run, swim ,bike,  hop, skip and cartwheel your way to a happier day and a clear mind. Enjoy the journey - I saw wild bunnies, a fox and a very explicit part of a horse. All learning experiences. If you are playing mental games use the 'just do 5 mintues' trick. Most times, you will do more and even if you only do the 5 minutes, it was better than doing none at all.

p.s Why do I never look like this exercising? .

Long time no blog

Hello again world of blogging!

Quick update: Lost miss poppy aged nine, grandma died, went to Berlin, had my birthday, hit a big bump in my relationship, started new job.

I thought around the middle of May I was over the worst of this blip but turns out [not suprisingly] I needed a bit more time to let the dust settle and see my way through. Now it actually has settled, probably not totally but enough for me to get going again on thriving and not just surviving day to day.

Thinking about how I got by in the last few weeks - support of close friends really kept me going, not so healthily I lent on food a lot. Not eating well is a big alarm for me that I am starting to let my own wellbeing slip down the list. I trusted in my gut instincts, and let myself feel sad, angry and any other emotions as I needed to. Nice to look back and see I have been using some ok coping skills!

Now fun stuff -meet the first of three new additions to the zoo in the last weeks.

Piggy came from a well known pet shop [my rage about that is another post for another day].  Cowering, underweight and scabby, I suggested that she was being neglected. They let me take her with no fuss. Through my animal loving networks I found out that only a week after a baby guinea pig died in the same store. Sorry, that was a bit miserable really! She now has a cushy home chez nous.

 

Lots more updates to come in the next few days/weeks/months!