Hello hello! I hope you had a good Christmas. For me it was so nice and chilling and now we are coming to the end of 2024 it is time to plan for the new year (2025).
This is the last Newsletter that I post for 2024 and sharing my plans for 2025. It is time to set new goals, go through our finances and planning for other special holidays and events and making some changes in our lives. I am going to be doing a Fundraising walk and have linked in my Newsletter my JustGiving page as I am doing it for the British Heart Foundation.
It is Christmas day and was able to sleep in for a bit and watched BBC 1 and watching Breakfast TV they were showing volunteers and places where the those that are sleeping rough, its called the “Free Hotel” and have people on Christmas day helping to look after those who may be struggling and there are people who will be lonely, not see anyone.
I love volunteer work and do a radio show at Epsom Hospital, which is a charity and I love it. So rewarding and there are people at Christmas who have no place to go and it is heartbreaking. I believe that noone should be sleeping in the streets and have a roof over their heads and a bed to sleep in and so if you can give to a homeless shelter, volunteer for the local hospital or there are those that knit things for the children in the hospitals, then you are making a huge difference to somebody’s life. Even if it is a couple of hours. Since working on my local hospital radio, I want to do more volunteer work.
This is not to make you feel guilty in anyway and that you have to do voluntary work. Since doing Youtube it has helped me to connect with people who to help others, like Mel Robbins, Kate Kaden, Fearn Cotton and inspires me to help others too by sharing the things that are important to me, that may also be important to you, via my vlogs: Typical London Gal, my blogs too, along with my books and creating different projects and programmes like this one, to make a difference. I am changing one of my books as I am writing a series called Mum&Me and got another book being proof read that I want to publish in 2025 called When Mothers Are Real and its given me such a sense of pride and joy.
It for me is like giving back into society and being grateful that I am not sleeping in the streets and have a gorgeous son and family. Yes there are times when it hasn’t felt like Christmas, treating it like a normal day, but seeing people struggle because of events and that life doesn’t stop just because it is Christmas. People can still get sick. My son is getting over a Chest Infection, I’ve felt a bit rough and my husband is unwell, but we can go home to a house and afford food and gifts for Christmas where others can’t and watching those who have created a place for people who are homeless that have nothing makes me appreciate my life and I now each month give the Trussell Trust, which is the organisation for Foodbanks and hate seeing people struggle.
So I hope you okay and can have a Christmas dinner, do gifts and enjoy this time of year.
I am a little sad this week because of a Comedian called Duncan Norvellle died this week and I saw him live in Blackpool one summer season with Frank Carson and wish that some people would live for ever because people like Duncan, comedy has always helped me through the down days which I can often feel during Winter.
Having little day light can bring on the loss you feel and like my family members gone, because it’s so final, but tell myself that I will see them again. Many may not believe they will and that is fine, but for me it brings me peace and not fear death. Sorry if this is morbid. You don’t have to continue reading this blog if you feel uncomfortable about it, because death is a tricky subject and when that person has gone you can feel guilty in celebrating Christmas, knowing that they will no longer be there and losing them, can feel so strong because of their absence.
Keep with traditions. This can be a good way to help make them feel that they are still with you via keeping with the traditions that person had at Christmas time. Like having a tipple that person had had, when Bobby Ball died, who was part of a double act I loved, Cannon and Ball, held a gala and put out Bobby Ball’s shoes and his red braces on a chair.
Have your guests help you if they can raise funds for a charity. This can provide support to you if you have lost someone from a Stroke, a heart attack or Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and I each month I donate money or food to a local food bank. So needed at Christmas time as inflation goes up.
Light a candle with a picture of the person you have lost. Some people may feel a bit uncomfortable in doing that, but can help celebrate that persons lives and have people fill in a memorial book, sharing their stories and messages.
Create a scrapbook or a photo book of photos. Something your kids can do and do as a family and create messages, write letters or create a gallery. I love it near the Southbank towards Vauxhall, where there are hearts. This is memorial of those who died from COVID and can leave a message of someone you know who died of the disease. So if you visiting London, then check it out and write a message if you lost someone to COVID and take a photo that you can keep and feel we still have a connection with the person spiritually.
It is hard because Christmas is about Jesus being born and not grieving of someone who has died and if I could stop people from passing away at Christmas time I would because it feels like, life is unfair and when my nan died, it felt different that it too a while to get used to, because we always spent Christmas with my nan, because my life as I knew it was suddenly gone. This is why I do still have snowball at Christmas, having traditional Christmas dinner and watch my son opening up his presents like those who have passed did when they were alive and so keeping their memory alive.
So today it is an example of a gloomy day and it effects when not having enough light. I use these days to be cozy, make sure I have on some good woolly clothes, have a hot drink and then have a nice hot bath in the evening and read. I like to watch a bit of TV and making staple meals, like Sausages and mash, Pie and mash, casseroles, stews and roasts.
One place I love when picking my son up from school and enjoy the weekly walk and has horses and love Winter walks. I am going to be doing a Winter Walk in January 25th to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and is a 5K walk in London and so if you’d like to sponsor me then here is a link to my Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/typicallondongal?utm_term=YEkaAvGmE
It is good to get out a Scented Candle, making sure they are on shelf that your kids can’t get too and listen to some chill out music or any music that makes you feel content and take some time to write or watch some TV and create a good mindset even if it is dark outside and the one thing I love is putting on a pair of woolly socks.
What gives you peace is it going out and visiting the shops. Are you desperate to see friends but live too far apart, so feel isolated?
There are places you can go to see people and since doing Volunteering work for my local hospital radio station I have met some great people and having good social interaction and met a lady today who also volunteers at the hospital administering medication. I did some courses at an adult community college and was a great to meet people.
I also like time for myself and hate having small talk and like my coffee I have each week in a coffee shop. planning and write notes for my blogs, books and videos. I like to have a good clear out too and Boy George for example does DJing, singing and in his spare time creating art. My aunty who is retired started doing a local class in flower arranging and made some lovely table settings for me when I got married and love hearing stories of people, in magazines, that have made what was a hobby into a small business. There is plenty of opportunity to go round. In the winter it is good to have a hobby as it can take your mind off the dark days and you can get SAD lamps too help you get a bit of light and I love fairy lights.
If you are struggling financially then you can go to a a Food Bank and it can feel shameful but honestly they are good places and you can have a cup of tea and socialise with others who are also struggling and I donate each month to support families visiting the Food Bank, for support.
With Christmas it can be more of struggle to afford food and presents and then Food Banks can provide food for you and if you like to donate toys or a gift for a family then you can donate them to go to a families who are struggling to put food on the table and keeping warm and still have a good Christmas or cook them a meal or let them join you, if it is a neighbour, a relative or a friend.
Also do something different each winter. Like visiting different places, like a friend of mine went to LA one year or go out for Christmas dinner with friends and family. My dad and my uncles, along with my cousin would go to the pub on Christmas day whilst my Nan cooked and my mum, aunties and I would play a game and yes be sensible as I don’t condone Drink Driving, but have a meet up with friends and often my relatives would go out to the a local park to play.
So you can enjoy winter by choosing what will make you have a good winter rather than dreading it.
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Hello and a week away and it will be Christmas and I am looking forward to it. Then it is celebrating the end of 2024 to enter into 2025, so in this cheat sheet I have given some ideas of things to plan for the New Year.
These cheat sheets are free to download and print and this will be the last one for this year, but there will be more in the next year and thanks to those liked the ones I have created this year and if you’d like to be notified when I post a blog which I am continuing through Christmas and new year, then please subscribe.
Hello! Today is the beginning of my Winter Wellness programme that I have created to help you have a good winter when we can feel gloomy and fatigued all day and not wanting to get out of bed.
As I write this blog I am listening to Enya who I love playing when it comes to winter time. Yesterday I posted my printable on introducing this new programme I have created Winter Wellness Programme Begins
Image I took when we took my son and his cousin to the Winter Christmas event in Wimbledon.
So going to cover in this programme:
Wrapping up the year to get ready for the new year.
How to get through the darker days and nights
Cozy nights and what would you like to do in the Winter
Slowing down and do less
Setting goals for winter
Making the most of the daylight
Good Wellness Practices I use to enjoy the Winter time
My dad was never a fan of New years Eve as it is Winter here in the UK and I tended to get emotional about it. I would set resolutions that I never followed through with. So what I did instead was make life changes and helped me with following through and stick to the changes I wanted to make.
In the printable I have included a section to write down goals, go through your current routine and what you want to change and enjoy. Like what TV do I want to watch, meals I enjoy having and drink too.
I like winter walks and taking part in a Winter Walk this winter in January, in London and going to a pantomime or show. I like winter drinks, such hot chocolate, a mulled wine and winter ciders, making sure I am sensible, but just slow down and using the bleak days better by doing things I enjoy.
So in the work book go through what you enjoy and if it is to go on holiday to a warmer country then that is fine. One year I went away on holiday at Christmas. It was a brilliant experience and would like to do that again one Christmas time. I love Christmas and winter markets. I like to watch some old films and repeats of TV specials and new ones.
I am doing No spend January again this year where by I buy only what I need and still go out for a coffee to help stop me being on my laptop all of the time, but not spending money on clothes I don’t need or get carried away because of the New Year sales.
I like to plan my budget and planning for the new year and reflect on the year gone.
I really hope you get a lot of out of it, my Winter Wellness programme and if you’d like to be alerted when I post on this site and will be making videos too on my Educational Youtube channel too, please subscribe. Here is the link to this channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CarrieEducationalYoutube-ws4xp
Hello and welcome. No Cheat Sheets this week as my Winter Wellness Programme begins tomorrow and so will be back with Cheat Sheets next week and I hope you like this new programme I have created. It is to help you get the most out of Winter, if you feel low and unmotivated because of the shorter days.
Please check out my Printable which is completely free to download and fill in and enjoy the winter more, and will be filming videos for it too on my Educational Youtube Channel.
I will be posting multiple times and filming videos once once a week, and I am really excited about it because I feel good about Winter this year and you can do too.
There will be people who think differently to you and we try to think okay “Lets see if I can alter their way of thinking”, but there are people who won’t change their opinion, no matter what. I have come to realise that there are people who will always think that they’re right and your wrong.
Yet there are people who will be like “I didn’t think about that” and start to change their point of view and you agree to disagree. So how can you mend your differences with others?
Well think about it. Would it be good if everyone agreed with you? It would be great but people aren’t like that, different minds make you evaluate a persons persona. It can trigger emotions such as, “There is nothing in the world for you” “Everyone is against you” because you seem to get struck down and then you resent them.
Are they worth your time? Yes there is the political points of view. Hence why we have different parties in our government and wars. Yet if it is just a different view on something and doesn’t cause a death then just settle it by acknowledging them and say “Okay well that is fair enough” or “Okay” and move on. It doesn’t have to mean your life is over because they think that something is straight and you think it is wonky.
Is it worth having a heated argument?
I remember me and my husband had a argument about a draw and looking back at it, it was just a draw and the way we organise will always be different. It was around the time where he was trying to give up smoking so was extra agitated and it was that I could share a plate of chips but not a draw and as I edit and write this blog, is making me laugh over it, because I can imagine being in court being asked “So what was the issue?” “Oh a draw and a plate of chips”. Is this worth spending money on a divorce lawyer, how important was the draw? Not a lot.
Things have changed, but we do still respect each other and it is what is best for our son.
I like to eat and wash up and when I finish, but my husband gets pissed off so to stop the argument I will do it as I go and it does save time. There are people who like to lay out their make up, but I like it to be in a storage bin but still be accessible but when it comes to cleaning the window and windowsill in my bedroom, I can lift it up and put it back.
I like a cupboard but believe in out of sight and out of mind, so if it something I don’t use all the time I put it away. My husband hates reading but I love it and love reading, but I am not going to think “Oh wow you should read blah blah” because it is up to him. He likes playing games on his phone and I use mine to make notes, go through emails and listen to music and watch Youtube along with some TV and use a Journal app.
Not everyone will be on the same page no matter how much we try to make them see, so now I just evaluate and think is it worth fighting for? Is it worth slamming doors to get them to see it from your eyes?
Not saying that people aren’t entitled to have point of view, of course they are, but chatting about it, not using it to have a slagging match, calling each other names, but just with a coffee or tea, and if they still don’t agree then end it and let them believe what they want, unless it is causing harm to others, but keep it civil. Arguments don’t need to last forever and just put it to rest, rather than brewing and not getting upset and angry.
Life is how you make it and it time to let things go and be happy as best as you can I believe looking after each other and giving support to others. If you’d like to this blog then please click below this blog and if you’d like to be notified when I post a blog then please subscribe.
Hello! So here we are at the beginning of December 2024 but can follow this weeks Cheat Sheet, I post every Monday and free to download, for years to come and it is good to have as an adult to Having Time to Yourself at Christmas such as one is having a girls or Men night in and delegate Christmas duties and have someone in charge of decorating or get your kids to do. Obviously staying safe but not falling into on your shoulders.
Everyone can build a castle 