So rather than give individual gifts, why not buy for the whole family with one big gift. Buy the family a beauty pack for the whole family to enjoy.
It is good to be inventive and what you can afford. Prices of things are going up and so I hope these gift ideas help you to budget and have a good Christmas without worrying about the price as its the fact you have given a gift that means the world to the people you love and care for.
Even a collage of family photos. I love being creative and I ask those I buy for of what they’d like.
So I will back with more Cheat sheets as we move forward towards Christmas and wish you a good week.
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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.
Sometimes we just need a break. From devices, cleaning, socialising and do nothing, which Mel Robbins has talked about and it so true: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNPgn_qfoNk to recharge.
Yesterday we went out for my sons birthday and did a bit of planning using my notebook and Notion and taking a break to have a bath, watching and listening to the football scores and listening to Epsom Hospital Radio.
I have forgotten how good it is to do nothing. On Saturdays I love spending time sitting on the sofa listening to Marcus Tattersall who does the Saturday afternoon show on Epsom Hospital radio and can be heard in the UK and so please check it out. I also do a show show on Sundays, 4pm to 6pm. I’m not doing my show today, Sunday, as I am celebrating my sons birthday but back next Sunday and is free to listen.
It is good to sit and be present, taking in what is around you and so just chilling with a brew and with family is so fulfilling and love having days where I don’t need to go anywhere and stop in, so I get a good boost to go out on somedays but not putting too much pressure on myself and helps aluminate stress.
After my son came back from celebrating his birthday, going to the Ninja Warrior Adventure Park and it was good to take my makeup off, get into my Pjs and one of my nieces loves staying in her Pjs at the weekend and there was a time I did this too on some weekends and not having to lift a finger. I like to be ready to get back to sort the home out, going to appointments and just the daily grind after the joy of doing nothing.
I like Sunday mornings watching repeats of Cheers, Match of the day and normally my son will go to a rugby club, but he didn’t want to go, but is going to his football club later and I get to see it as I normally be doing my radio show.
So it is good to just relax, take some well earned time to just be doing sweet FA and enjoy.
I am going to do series of blogs called Body and Mind and making sense of the things we fear and how to control our mind and understand what our minds are trying to tell us.
To clarify I am Coach, Writer and Radio DJ and so not a medical expert, but from experience want to teach you to have a better look off life, with its obstacles. I suffer with anxiety and feel anxious a lot and now I use to help me, but not haunt me.
This is the first blog called, Thinking of the Worst Case Scenario:
I think it can be easy to the think the worst and there was a time where I would be fearful of my own shadow and when going out would be paranoid about having my belongings taken, missing the gap between the trains and platforms especially when travelling with my son and my anxiety became too much. Now though seeing things differently, I have come to see that our minds protect us and this is from a person who can and have been careless at times and thinking the worst is not always a bad thing.
Its our minds helping us, to see the danger, to warn us, of the worst case scenario, reminding us that life is full of unexpected events and seeing the dangers before they happen, to put things into play for potential risks and dangers.
This is what I do, to keep myself safe to stop the potential thoughts, thinking the worse case scenarios happening:
I do routine checks, so before I go out and or go to bed, check to see if my back door is locked and that the front door is locked.
In the mornings make sure my son has his water and snack as he has his lunches at school, as I always fear forgetting to do that, and not being able to fuel up and stay hydrated. Doing positive habits.
Make sure that my phone is fully charged each day. I was born during the time where there was no such thing as an mobile phones and so it amazes me, how times have changed and that my phone is a tool, so my sons school can get in touch with me and keeping in touch with friends and family and have my calendar set up and put notes into my phone, aswell as writing it down, so I keep track of health appointments and will be implementing another way of keeping tabs of appointments and special events by carrying around a diary with me, aswell as my phone.
I don’t disclose my personal details when vlogging or to scam emails and phone calls, along with messages.
I make sure address labels on packaging are destroyed when disposing packaging and that I wrap up food and the bins have been put out ready for the bins to be emptied by the dustmen and washing my hands after I have touched the bins and I keep areas of my home clean and food is not left out and open.
Be vigilant on buying chargers and electronic devices secondhand and make sure they are in good condition and things are not left on charge and electrical equipment is lying around and not switched on all of the time.
I have put phone the TPS system on my mobile to stop cold callers and make sure anyone calling is someone I know and if I sniff a scam that it is dealt with immediately by ending the call and anything on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are reported and blocked and I do my research when it comes to being followed and are legitimate followers.
Making sure I am aware of roads and not, unless it is a park, have my earphones on and fully alert.
Create habits that help you not to worry and don’t avoid the thoughts that can cause a negative movie in your mind and you have reassurance by taking precautions and have more good days, rather than bad.
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.
So it is the last day of October, Halloween and so is the last week that I will be posting about my Autumn Reset and I have been looking at Secondary schools for my son, for next year and we have seen ones we feel will be good for my son Henry, I have cleared out my closet, just need to move bins out of there and buy some hangers for my clothes check out my last vlog I had posted yesterday:
I was trying to complete the first draft of my second book of Mum&Me, check out book 1, already published on Amazon: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lK525tveL._SL1499_.jpg however didn’t so need to make changes to help me next time and also I have continued working on another book called Behind the Eyes Of the other Woman and so feel a little disappointed that was unable to complete the first drive of Mum&Me, but going to continue on and will need some editing but deadline will be by Christmas and more realistic. I feel that with half term it was hard to fit in some writing and perhaps plot a bit more and recap from book 1.
The one thing I am pleased about was completing my Counselling course so now looking to continue to learn as was given advice on what courses to follow on from doing the Counselling course. I just need to plan more. This is all about learning on areas which I found easy and what I found difficult to get my first draft of my books completed and as said keep plotting and use notes that I wrote for book 1, to help.
So been a good challenge and please give me some feedback and if you joined me in doing an Autumn Reset then please let me know how you got on. See Comment box below.
All in all though pleased with myself and have still made progress and feel good about it. That is the main thing. If it has made you feel good then that gives me a boost and that my different programmes I have created have helped you and so have a good Halloween and more blogs and programmes coming soon.
Hello! Second week of half term and it has been tricky to get bits done, because my son had a dentist appointment and wanted to go to Sainsburys, so just go a bit of time to read and get my weekly Cheat Sheet posted. It Different Ways to Plan Your Days.
So it coming up to the final week of this years Autumn Reset. I have completed sorting out my closet in my bedroom. There still storage bins full, in there but it is organised and ready to be transported to the shed and I can now hang up some of my clothes.
Check out my latest Youtube Video, which is a vlog that includes me sorting out my closet, and there are a few more to go up so if you want to be notified of when these go up, then subscribe to my vlog channel: https://www.youtube.com/@typicallondongal
Here is my latest vlog:
The areas I wanted to complete was to sort out my closet in my bedroom in Epsom, find a secondary school for Henry, for next year, complete my counselling course I was doing and complete the first draft of book Mum and me, book 2.
Seeing the results is what matters to me and that I have uncluttered my build in wardrobe. My book is taking its time and feel that I won’t complete the first draft because it will need a lot of editing and feel I need to do an edit to continue to write the first draft but am getting chapters finished and written so far, over 38,000 words. Yet seeing it coming together and areas I like is helping me push through. This book follows on from book 1 which is available from Amazon: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lK525tveL._SL1499_.jpg
I want more space in life to grow my content, clear clutter from my bedroom to help me have a clear mind and make it into a nest for myself, support my son in his education and grow further my knowledge in helping people to have space in their life and have found by doing an Autumn Reset has made you see the results of completely projects/tasks and you are getting the outcome you want.
Hello and welcome! It is the first day of my son’s school holidays and we have done three bus rides and a train ride, along with some tears because he wanted the bus to up and down hill and get off the stop on the opposite side the road and it is only Monday.
If you have been following me then you will know that this time of year I like to do a reset to get tasks that I want to complete done before the following year to then get other tasks and achieve my goals and sort out my life.
A picture of me working on my book and spending time plotting and creating ideas to complete my book 2 of a series I am writing called Mum&Me.
Yesterday I completed the sorting of my closet, which was one of the tasks I want to complete so my husband will store the rest of the bits I am keeping and now all that needs to happen is for the items I want to keep is stored in the shed where I’ll be doing my crafting again and once the completion of the shed done.
I have been working on my book. It is taking some time and struggling a bit to get the first draft completed and so need to spend time plotting and go through my notes to help.
It is a comedy about a mother and daughter who live together and Elizabeth lives in chaos and not domesticated like her mother. The one thing she is good at is baking but when it comes to other things, in terms of house work she can’t be bothered and rather sit and watch some TV, bake and and her mother is obsessed with TV and online shopping, filling Elizabeth home with lots of boxes.
Elizabeth neighbour Gloria who has the two point 4 children, with three kids, dogs and cats and head the school where Elizabeth son goes to, with Glorias kids, the head of the school PTFA, which Elizabeth is a member and Gloria arranges a virtue bake off, due to lockdown, but hates it when someone else wins and it not be her. She sees that other members of the PTFA, including Elizabeth want her to step down as head and someone else take over and Elizabeth puts herself forward at which Gloria tries to stop and tries to persuade Elizabeth to take her side and tries to gate crash Elizabeth’s birthday at which Elizabeth gets friendly with a drag queen. The second book carries on the story and hope it makes you laugh out load,
The other task I am trying to get done is to find a good suitable Secondary School for my son, for next year and I a nervous about it as he goes to a special school and become bit of a challenge.
I am given myself these tasks because I want to then start a fresh come January and have a good feel good bedroom, feel confident in making sure Henry is prepared for the next stage in his education and focus on other books I want to write.
I hope these blogs are helping you too and please give me some feedback as the growth of this blog continues and help have joy in your life and I have filmed for my autumn reset, please check out vlog channel: https://www.youtube.com/@typicallondongal