Hello! Belated Happy New Year heading towards February. I post a newsletter every month. It is free to download and print. I had a good Christmas and New Year. It was so relaxing and stress free. I didn’t cook the dinner my husband did and it was very nice.
My son and I did our Christmas Day Walk and was like always so peaceful.
Many thanks to those who have subscribed to this site. It is coming up to the end of my Winter Wellness programme. I will start doing Self Development Training on my Educational Youtube channel in February 2025. I will also be making videos and blogs about it too.
It is now the 14th January 2025. I have already started to do Good Practices like reading every day and training myself on my various interests. I am building my knowledge to extend my online platforms and social media posts. I hope these efforts will boost my online content. They will help me get the most out of the online tools available.
Studying once a week can be a good practice. It is true, yes, “We Learn Everyday.” I like to spend time learning from self-published authors and finance. I also enjoy learning about good books to read, beauty, fashion, skincare, and organization.
I build my fitness subconsciously by walking and using dumbbells. Also housework. This morning, I put some clothes away in my closet and tidied the breakfast ware. I went through my notion planner. I am finding different ways to work towards the life I want. Have more experiences that help me to feel good and ready for each day, month, and year.
I have Chosen my word for the year. This has really helped encourage me to take on new challenges. Working on radio is challenging. It is very technical, and you need to have good attention to detail and I am loving it. I am glad I applied and did not allow my inner critic to talk me out of it.
Each day I will journal. This really helps clear my thoughts, even if I write just one or two sentences. It helps me to have a better mindset. Writing it down puts my thoughts, whether good or bad, into perspective.
Cleansing and looking after my skin and body. I need to control what I because it can affect my mood. In winter, I don’t feel like eating fruit, but I eat plenty of vegetables. I’m starting to take my supplements again, which helps with my immune system. It also supports me during that time of the month by affecting my thoughts and feelings.
Having Good Practices can help with getting through the colder days. They can also aid us financially when you can’t afford electric or gas. This strategy makes you focus on survival. I have had financial struggles because finding work has been tough. I was made redundant. Then, there was Lockdown, which had a huge impact on everyone. I was working in Childcare. The nursery where I was a Bank Staff member closed. Because of this, I was furloughed. Then my husband changed his job, which was fine. He must make sure he has a stable living. Still, the agreement I had with the Nursery was that I worked up to 6pm. I couldn’t do this, and I was mentally struggling. Now that I have financial stability, I check my bank account every day. I control what comes in and out and paid off my debt. These actions have helped me get back on the ladder of building my life. I am doing voluntary work now for Epsom Hospital Radio as mentioned. I would like to do more and build up my income.
I hope these blogs helps you to succeed. That means building the relationship you have with yourself. Follow your hearts and dreams by staying in some days. We joined my son and I, in doing a Parkrun. It was a good way to meet people. I received financial advice and support. This was during my time in a Mental Health Hospital. I had terrible anxiety and didn’t want to go out and wanted to hide away. I got back on my feet, and so can you. Plan and make changes to your life by doing Good Practices. So lets support each other as we all succeed.
Hello and welcome! Here is my weekly Cheat Sheet that I post every Monday and is free to download and keep. At the beginning of the year I like to set goals and make life changes. The one life change that I have kept since last year was to read a lot more. I read in the morning and in the evening. I brush my teeth first thing in the morning. This year, in 2025, I have begun putting myself more together. I started styling my hair and wearing more makeup. It was a choice to keep or dispose. I decided I wanted to keep my makeup and use it.
I set my goals for the year yearly seasonally too, 2 years ahead and 5 years. Do what works for you. Why not put these cheat sheets somewhere you will easy see them.
I want to send my love to those in LA dealing with the wildfires. It is life destroying. It is heartbreaking to see.
It is now 2025 and boy am I looking forward to the new year. It means making changes to your life and make better than the last. Well try, I know many are snowed in, so I hope you get inspiration from my weekly Cheat Sheets I will posting every Monday to build your life so it is better.
It is good to kick start the year by reflecting on the previous year gone and it has been a long time for me to feel good about the new year and would set new years resolutions but never stuck to them so made Life Changes instead, So I found that I was able to achieve them.
So the year gone I became a Radio DJ, my Youtube channel Typical London Gal had grown, went to see a guy and a lady I have been wanting to see in concert, Mr Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper, travelled by UberBoat that I had wanted to do for my birthday to North Greenwich and took Henry to Portsmouth that my son had wanted to go to, by train, as he loves trains and so it has been a lot of fun and this channel got 10,000 all time views and got more subscribers on my Parenting blog, Versatile Fashion and this site too and feel elated by the feedback I have received from my blogs written and a few likes received for my Vlogs, along with views and my son thanks to my mum, joined a rugby club earned some medals and so it has been a good successful year.
There is no hidden secret to having a good year and feel better about life during the Winter period. It is about sorting out the cobwebs that hang over and make us want to hibernate and forget the troubles of life. So sort out one place at a time. Focus on what you can do and not what can’t. I can’t craft in the shed we have, which I plan to do yet, so in 2024 finally got around to sorting my closet where it had been stored and had a good clear out and am going to do a Reset in my next Vlog I will be putting together by tidying up different areas. The Windowsill in the Living room that needs clearing as it has piles of notebooks and folders one being my notes and lists for my Radio show, Filofax that needs clearing out and items transferred to my new financial planner and then organising my google calendar and updating my sons’ academic planner.
So use the wet and windy days to have a sort out in the Winter and stay in the warm and getting back into the School routine being off at Christmas and New years and feel a strange feeling because Christmas has gone and new years for another year.
So it being Sunday writing this blog going to write some of my book that I am putting together and got some ideas I’d like to do too and build my content and is my sons last New year going to Primary School so will be a huge transition as he will be in September going to Secondary school and we have had a good Christmas because we didn’t allow anything to stop us from what we wanted to do and we didn’t go on holiday but spent time as a family and concentrating having a Christmas that suits us and that is important. It’s not about spending a lot of money but having time to unwind and relax. I like to just chill and rest.
Please check out Youtube channels. I have a vlog channel, where I show you my life as a Mum, Writer, Coach and Radio DJ:
Who watched The Grinch this year at Christmas? It is one of my sons favourite films and think Jim Carrey is brilliant and as I was watching thought about how we can all be the grinch and not have Christmas Spirit, but this can be changed.
Photo I took yesterday in Kingston and had a nice coffee in a cafe in John Lewis with a good view of the River Thames.
If you have lost someone in your life then don’t feel obliged to read this blog. If you live with others who do want to celebrate Christmas then let them do that, find a place you can go to grieve as, from experience we feel bad in lowering the mood and don’t want to upset those looking forward to Christmas and new year.
If you just feel fed up because of affording gifts then don’t buy a gift. Instead pay them a a visit to chat. It can cause stress because of money and do what you want and celebrate how you want.
I know Christmas is over but even the new year can effect our emotions and my dad never liked New Years Eve and I would get emotional over it and disliked it. I felt my life wasn’t going anywhere and the new year is going to be the same. I felt unaccomplished and wanted to be lifted off my feet by someone. I wanted my life to be a magical story. Yet now I see I have had a great life and more to come because I made a choice to either grow or just fade away not doing anything with my life. I am in charge of my life and don’t want to be rescued but grow for my son and for myself.
Life is full of ups and downs. There is a guy I see in Wimbledon and he talks to himself and shouting about that he doesn’t like this and waiting at the bus stop have seen him look at me and my son Henry and say that he doesn’t like kids but that is up to him. I don’t see him all of the time, but now and then, but I have no idea of what has made him feel he needs to express those negative feelings and try not to feel like I have to be negative to him. People will always have those who are against them, it is how you respond and react that can help you not allow their feelings to pass on to you.
I am not a fan of crowds when shopping and yesterday we went to Kingston and walking down the stairs I try to move over and had these two woman totally ignore the fact that I was trying to move over so I could let those coming up the stairs go passed and expressed my annoyance. Yet we had a nice coffee in John Lewis and had a lovely view facing the river and all was good again and continued to have a good day.
I have set my goals this year and have my life together and by changing my own outlook on life has helped me to not be like the Grinch and had a good Christmas. I didn’t go any parties like I used to when I worked in London, but had a nice chilled one. I did my Christmas walk I like to do each year, wrote a blog and had a nice dinner and yesterday after we got back to Wimbledon from Kingston had a nice meal and watched the new years celebrations and this morning had a nice coffee in Pauls in Wimbledon Village and then back home.
I wish you a happy new year and lets continue to build our lives for 2025.
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.
If you like my blogs and like the content I share and want to be alerted then please subscribe.
Everyone can build a castle 