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.
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.
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.
It is coming close to the season of cheer and joy, but for some it can be the worst time of the year if they have experienced trauma or a loss of someone. This can affect our feelings. When my spark had gone for Christmas it made me feel that I couldn’t wait for it be over. I felt under pressure because of my gift will not be good enough and how much I pay matters, but now I know that is not true.
Now I love it and the birth of my son has helped and loves it and it taking it step by step. I wrote a long time ago about changing traditions: Creating new traditions So I go for a walk, prep for dinner or my husband does that and just chill.
So now any celebration I acknowledge it and set into play good days out, seeing family and going for a drink (remember safety) can help with creating memories that my son can cherish and the tables turn when you have kids, like when my Grandad died (my mums dad), she’d come to us for Christmas dinner rather than her cook, we then went back over to hers when she was in Sheltered Housing, being elderly so couldn’t go we went to hers so she wasn’t on her own and that we still celebrated as a family.
It is time take it easy and not allow it to beat you over the head of can’t afford it because we think the more expensive it is the more reassured that our family or friends know you love them and we get into debt which causes you to fear it. Your presents and time is enough and not about causing guilt or anxiety because you have lack of funds and if you need support than ask. Going to the Food Bank is not to make you devalued but is about getting support so you can still celebrate Christmas and I feel strongly that we shouldn’t have family needing to go to a foodbanks because all families should be given support by our government and reducing cost and Foodbank isn’t a dirty word and there is no price tag when it comes to love.
I each month now I give to the local Foodbank to help families. This is not an ad, but how I feel about the world and love to give and we should all be helping each other so we can have happiness and enjoy the festive season.
A cup of tea and breakfast: I look forward to breakfast now and plan what I am going to eat that will boost my energy each day.
Reading: I love a good book to read and its nice to do a bit of reading and helps build my knowledge and helps me with my writing.
Go for a walk: I read at the doctors last Monday, as I had my Mental Health review and on the wall was a leaflet saying, that just a 10 minute walk is still exercise and vary my walks and routes I like to walk that is peaceful and love a pond or a river.
Do some studying: I have been doing a lot of courses and this has helped me use my time wisely as there is so much I’d like to do and helped me with writing my blogs and focus on my own wellbeing and understanding the body and mind, and love studying and learning new skills and building my knowledge on life to help me and pass on my knowledge to others, build their wellbeing.
Set your goals: A lot of time we can feel overwhelmed when we hear about setting goals and take a lot of time, but that is not the case. Focus on what you want and can be a small goal or a large goal. I did my 2025 goals and didn’t take long at all and looked the areas and things I enjoy and will help me feel good and enjoy life as much as possible as it goes to fast.
Change jobs and lifestyle: I have worked for many large companies, like I was a steward at Fulham Football club, the manufacturer Philip and International Tennis Federation and Diners Club and it has helped me shape my life and found the working world suited me, because I like earning my own money, but often found I would get bored and as soon as I found myself dreading the day, knew that it is not for me anymore and moved on. I currently do volunteer work and I really enjoy it. I work for Epsom Hospital Radio and have my own show on Sunday’s 4pm to 6pm, and been focusing on the things I enjoy and why I have been doing courses and getting back into fundraising. I am doing a Winter Walk in London in January and so glad to be able to do these events again as I have had battles with my Mental Health and so focusing on what I really want to do, like writing and working on radio, doing more volunteer work.
Family Time: I like family time and taking my son out and playing sports and walking. I feel privileged to be his mum and love that he loves my attention and this week after dinner and bath time, in the evenings been watching Deal or No Deal and playing table tennis. This week was his birthday and I was nervous about it but seeing him enjoy himself and love his presents make me appreciate time I have with him and with seeing other members of the family, because it flies by and like feeling like I have had a good day being productive and love the little things, as well as the big things.
I hope you all had a good time doing Trickle Treating and fire displays. I have done some gift guide videos. Please check out my channel: https://www.youtube.com/@financialliving
Now it is birthday season for me and then of course there is Christmas and hear is my first Cheat Sheet with gift ideas.
This is all those who love books and planners and great gifts as they are useful and I love to read and can be passed down and give old books too, if they are in good condition.
These Cheat Sheets I post on this site each Monday are completely free to download and print.
Everyone can build a castle 