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.
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.
We all have pressures in our lives or we have the same battles and arguments that have ended into saying hurtful things, lashing out, leading to the same feelings of hatred and bitterness. If it’s going to cause you unhappiness and then have your say, keeping it Civil and then hear there’s and leave it as a difference of opinion and move on. Often it isn’t actually a personal attack it can be that they have noone else to talk to about it and anger is often meaning that they are scared, not actually that they are confident and strong.
I have been jealous of friends and family to the point I’d feel low about myself and that I am never going to be good enough, but that has not been the case and so I had to do a lot of work on that and watched a Mel Robbins video about being Envious and Jealousy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS_Lu5IIFBI
She says that we feel this way because we feel that the person your jealous of has robbed you in having success in your life to have the same dreams come true and to turn it around and yes I would feel like “What is wrong with me?” and “I am never going to get that dream because they’ve taken it”.
It can make you feel resentful and looking at the way they talk, walk and gain success in their life, which leads us thinking we belong in the audience but not the stage. If it is making you not eat, sleep or go out, then it is time to look at yourself and why they are where they are, because they’re not bothered. Your bothered but you needn’t be because they not losing sleep over you, so use it to make you determined and find your spotlight by giving yourself time to focus on you and can often mean that there is a different stage for you and not feeling that you have lost out. Everyone in this world deserves to be happy so work on letting your negative feelings go to be happy and proud of your life no matter what some else has been doing to have a success career and that your never going to compete. I use others success to make me hungry of succeeding accomplishing my goals to have a life I dream of and that meant stepping back and working on my Mental Health and bring up my son and help him with his development and things he’d like to do.
I am all about working together and encouraging others to be happy with their lives. Be the person you want to be, as long as there is no bad intentions but that is good and not feel that we are never going to change and that we will miss out because of someone else’s success. So let it go.
Everyone can build a castle 