Hello! I hope this week sees you well if you are off with your kids on holiday. If you are new to this site then welcome! Each Monday I post free printables to help you with various areas, when we take on so much. I began these through when I worked because I found them great to look at to give advice and help and wanted to do this too to help coach and see people getting there plans completed and achieved.
This weeks is all about Where You Can Save Money as money is tight at the moment. I watch a lot of financial videos to help me handle my money and do have a Youtube channel too, which is all about managing my money to help you manage yours. Check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/@financialliving
This month I am doing some more training. Check out my last blog on this site: breaking-barriers
It will be free and will making videos and blogs if you are looking to Make Changes to your life and feel better about yourself and your life and will be writing another blog for the programme this week.
Last Saturday completing 5KM doing Parkrun. I kept thinking about it but too the plunge and now really enjoy even though I get nervous every time.
This is part a series of blogs to Help you make changes to your life and will be for the Month of April on this website along with some videos on myEducational Youtube channel.
Here is the first blog.
Every Friday when I know I am going to be doing Parkrun on Saturday, I get the usual anxious feelings in my stomach. It is nerves and find it hard to think of anything else, until I have done it. It is breaking a barrier of what I know is challenging but know by doing the Parkrun I am going to feel on top of the world.
As a kid I remember watching Samantha Fox she was a page three girl, who poised topless on in the Sun Newspaper everyday. She had already been singing but got the page three girl job, only to cross the barrier once again and her debut single “Touch Me” was released in 1986 and was a success.
Kylie Minogue had sung as a kid but was firstly known for her acting and then became a pop sensation and both Samantha Fox and Kylie Minogue have had brilliant careers, in music. Gary Lineker who was a brilliant Striker for clubs and England, being part of the famous, 1990 World Cup squad, now is known from his presenting on Match Of the Day and now going to be leaving. Many may not remember his goals for Tottenham, playing for Barcelona and playing for England.
I went from hating P.E at school when we had to do running and took part in the Great North Run and made me change my mindset of seeing what I could accomplish if I crossed a barrier that I never entered my brain to do, a half marathon?
Have faith in yourself and yes your fear can contribute you in not crossing a barrier, because of what if this happened and that? You will never know unless you get up and give it a try. If you find it is not for you and noone got hurt then that is fine. You have to challenge yourself to see what you are capable of and think “What if it is a success?”. Give it a try.
I love Strictly Come Dancing. Watching Chris McCausland dance and he was amazing and Rose Ayling-Ellis. Not saying that because of their disability, but the fact that they didn’t restrict themselves and opened our eyes to “Its anybody’s competition” not matter of what, may be a barrier to some but them not and having self belief.
So break a barrier and see what you can do and accomplish. It’s never too late and will be writing a blog on this too.
I love to use a journal for different purposes and having a blank or journal for me to do that. The first thing I like to do is think about each day. I set goals and decide what I want to focus on. I am designing a journal at the moment. I am using it to junk journal. I also use it to store photos and special memories. I have designed one for my son. I have been meaning to print off photos and write down what we did. He can keep it forever. Journaling helps me think about the good times I have had, not just about the bad days.
I love to journal and try to do it each day. Even just a paragraph can be enough. Sometimes I list things I want to do and places I’d like to go. This includes where my son would like to do and have one for my fitness too. Some want to stick to one. There are no real rules just write what’s in your head.
Anything you’re excited about or things you are looking forward to. Some may want to put in a vision board or mood board. Jamie Oliver does a journal about his garden and did a show about it. There are so many things you can put down and keep track of where you are in life.
There is bullet journaling and some make handmade journals. Its just about how is it going to serve you.
I like to see a blank page and write what is in my heart and mind.
I have always kept a diary/journal since a kid and not kept them all as it helps me to forget about the things that were in my mind in the passed, what I didn’t want to hold on to. I journal to make sense of things that I am finding hard to consume and things I have learned from books, TV and online training videos. I do have a educational Channel please check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/@CarrieEducationalYoutube-ws4xp
Hello and happy Monday! How was your half term? Did you go on holiday or had days out? My son went to a holiday club and my son got his hair cut with his dad as he has few free ones to use.
I thought this Cheat Sheet should be about Finance as this can cause us anxiety when it comes to school holidays as if you are like me a tight budget I have to plan ahead and because my son loves his holiday club at last minute was able to book him to go another day.
These are free to download and print off. If you’d like to be informed of when I post on this site then please subscribe and I do have a Youtube channel called Financial Living where I post videos about how manage my money to help you manage yours.
Here is my first Video for this training and talk about Self Neglect. Not getting dressed, not brushing your teeth and it is not saying that your doing anything wrong, I am writing about myself when I would become depressed, I didn’t do those things, knowing that if I did I would feel better and so I had to get out of bed and live.
Life is full of a challenges and I have learned to take in the feelings, then think what can I do that will help me through those thoughts and listen to the positive side of the brain. Life is full of influences, like when we watch the news and hear of another stabbing and it has made me more determined to not allow it stop me from embracing my city, which is London and thinking of he good things. There is always going to be good and bad, but having a good breakfast, reading and listening to podcast can help me not to be affected but enjoy life as you don’t know when its going to end, and so I watch things that bring me joy not sadness and why I started fundraising for good causes.
I share my challenges I faced and not being happy about myself and my life. I felt like my life was boring when actually that is not true. I had a good childhood I just struggled because of not feeling good enough at school. Now see that I had a good holidays and did dancing. I had proper grandparents, relatives and friendships that have lasted so long.
I began to make Life Changes, getting fit and active and not dwelling on things that have gone wrong, but what I learned from those mistakes and not allow anxiety to control my life.
I will be making another video next week. These videos will be on this site forever and if you want to be notified when post on this site to subscribe.
Last week, my son wasn’t well. I didn’t get a chance to do one then. So, here is a new one. I really enjoy creating these and this one Ten Ways to declutter.
These are free to download and print and if wish to share with others then please do so.
Have a good week. I still have one more post for my Programme Winter Wellness to help you have a good winter. In February, I will be doing some Self Development training. It will also be free and will include blogs and videos.
If you subscribe, you will be notified when I post a video on my YouTube channel, linked above. You will get updates if you subscribe to this blog site.
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.
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! 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
Everyone can build a castle 
