A Year in Review 2019

Well, what can I say?  It’s been a busy year!  So busy, I haven’t written for nearly all of it!  But it’s been a good year and there has been loads going on, loads I’m thankful for and loads I’m super proud of.  So we’ll start from the top I guess!

1. Book Club.

Some of the girls at work and I were always talking about books, what we’ve read, what’s on ‘the list’ etc and after a chat in passing with our CEO one day, we decided to form a book club! It’s been great, I’ve enjoyed the books, I’ve enjoyed the company, I’ve enjoyed the food, I’ve enjoyed time with the girls and I’m a proud member of the ‘Strong Ladies’ book club.  We’ve been through some rollercoasters this year, new children, new houses, new jobs and the support and love from the Strong Ladies has been second to none. Thank you all xx

2. My Beautiful God Daughter.

What a proud year it’s been! My god daughter has finished school, with amazing grades, she is totally beautiful and really shone at her prom.  She has also got her first job, started college and is learning to drive.  She is amazing and we are also so proud.

3. Work.

This year I applied and was successful for a huge promotion for me and am now a Deputy Service Manager for a Domestic Abuse charity.  I don’t talk about my work here much, most people know what I do, but confidentiality and my work being not that cheery means there’s not a great deal for me to chat about!  But I love my job and I’m really proud of me.  It is very busy, we have taken over a new service and are still finding our feet, but it is great.  I’ve moved to a different area in Hampshire, sometimes it’s like wading in treacle and it’s emotional, but it is for me.

4. Spice Girls

This year I got to fulfil a teenage dream!  Off I went to Wembley, with my best friend and my step daughter and we partied like it was 1997.  It. Was. Epic!  We stayed in the dingiest, tiniest, scabbyist hotel, but that didn’t matter.  We drank, danced, sang, cried and hugged.  It was AWESOME.

5. Bowen.

This year I’ve been introduced to an alternative therapy and I love it.  Bowen.  My mum recommended it to me and I’ve been having it every 3 weeks and wow, what can I say!  My immune system is improved, my back has improved, my sleep has improved, my life has improved.  You can read more about it here.... 

Helen Cooper Bowen I would recommend it to everyone, honestly - I shout it from the rooftops regularly!

6. Race For Life.

This year my best friend and I took part in our, possibly 10th race for life together and this year, we were joined by some juniors! My niece and her daughter.  It rained the whole way round, they Ran, we ran in a fashion and we completed it in around 50 minutes.  We also raised lots of money for cancer research, a charity close to my heart.

7. Jarvis.

Gosh.... where do I start with this hooligan!  He has been a bit of a worry this year!  An emergency stomach pump after eating mince pies, foreign object lodged in his intestine (when removed was a piece of carrot he was allowed to eat - but seemingly forgot to chew!) plus the rest!  But he’s such a babe, I love him so hard.  He’s been with us 7 whole years now, and I couldn’t imagine life without him, even if he is expensive!

8. Crystals, Moon, Spirituality.

This year this has been a big one for me.  I’ve always loved nature, loved magic, loved spirits (not just gin based!) loved mystical and always believed the moon held a special secret.  My step daughter introduced me to 

Jeannie at Sole Care and I have learnt so much!  I’ve been on a monology workshop, crystal workshop and learnt about Goddesses and everything in between.  I am slowly learning how to quieten my mind and meditate with intention.  Check Jeannie out on fb if you get chance and I certainly recommend any of her workshops. 

You’ll now always find me with some kind of sage and moon ritual at hand, my altar stacked, light in my life and I’m loving it.  I love looking at the world in a slightly different way.  I love making a meaning of things and knowing that things are truly ‘Always working out for me’.   I’ve always been weird and I totally embrace that!  Wild women and witches unite - we’ve got this!

9. Mr. B.

Forever grateful to my soul mate.  We’ve had some great adventures this year.  Weekends away, cursed holidays (as per usual) and pj nights in front of the telly.  Here’s to many more!

10. Good Times.

There’s been travel.  Girly weekends (posh old birds rule!).  Festivals.  Day trips.  Time with my niece and sometimes but rarely, nephew.  Swimming.  Shows.  Music.  Parties.  Family group holiday.  Birthdays.  My dad turning 60.  Get togethers.  New babies.  The list is endless and makes my face smile and my heart happy.

Thank you to each and everyone of you, for being part of my 2019.  I can’t wait to get started on the new year and the new decade with you all.  I am so lucky and so privileged to be growing older, to be experiencing new, to reminisce on the past and to be enjoying now.  Happy New Year to you all, may it bring you light, love, happiness and everything in between.

Big love xx

Plastic Free - Cleaning

So as previously talked about, we’re looking to go as plastic free as possible in 2019.  Here is topic 4!  Again, I am not a guru by any stretch of the imagination, but I am trying and that I can share with you!  I’m not necessarily going to change the world by myself, but if I can be part of that change then that is good for me.  Here is a couple of things we’ve already done.

 

Washing/Cleaning/Household products

 

Well we’ve been introduced to a new company this year, Splosh!  They are an online company, they sell cleaning products, clothes and household, washing up liquid and things like that.  You can find their website  

here....

I have purchased, washing up liquid, toilet cleaner and kitchen cleaner so far.  You select the products you’d like and they sent them to you in plastic bottles (hold that thought!) that are reuseable and heavy duty.  If your bottle breaks at any time, you can send it back to them and they will replace it free of charge and recycle that bottle.  Once you have your bottles sorted and have used the products in them, you can then buy concentrated refills and they are sent in the post to you.  They come in a cardboard box easy enough to fit through your letterbox, the pouches inside contain super concentrated liquids and you can send them back free of charge to Splosh and they reuse and recycle them.  

The box the delivery came in is of course cardboard and recyclable, and the packing beans are made of starch and home compostable – excellent!

 

The washing up liquid I bought is lime flavour and it is just fabulous!  It is really bubbly, smells delicious and cleans really well.  The toilet cleaner, I’m using a little like I would bleach (liberally and daily!) and it is a peppermint smell and makes the whole bathroom smell lush, which is great if you live with a smelly boy!  I haven’t used the kitchen cleaner yet as I’m still getting through my last bottle of zoflora (thanks Mrs Hinch, but the plastic consumption is not great!)  so I’ll keep you posted.  I have placed a further order for washing powder, washing detergent and fabric softener, glass cleaner and clothes stain remover.  I’ll pop up another post when they’ve arrived and I’ve had chance to use them.

 

TTFN x

Plastic Free - Beauty Regime

So as previously talked about, we’re looking to go as plastic free as possible in 2019.  Here is topic 3!  Again, I am not a guru by any stretch of the imagination, but I am trying and that I can share with you!  I’m not necessarily going to change the world by myself, but if I can be part of that change then that is good for me.  Here is a couple of things we’ve already done.

 

Go green face cream!

Back last year I was invited to a fund raising party.  It was a Neal’s Yard party and like all the other parties, you go along, look at the products, make your purchase and the host benefits in free products, that type of party.  This one was a fund raiser and the commission the host would’ve made was being donated, to a charity close to my family – Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association.  I went along, only due to the fact it was a fundraiser and I was so surprised and amazed by the products.  The company started in Covent Garden in London, are a family run company, and now run from an co factory in Dorset.  The products are mostly bottled in beautiful blue glass bottles and pots, some of the items do come in recycled plastic tubes and these can be recycled too.  They contain no parabens or nasty chemicals, they are organic and give you a percentage rating as to how much of it is organic (unlike some companies, if 1% is organic they will just claim the product is organic).  I bought a frankincense cleanser which came with a beautiful cotton wash cloth, and at subsequent parties I then bought a palmarosa toner and face cream.  I am loving the products and what they have done to my adult acne skin and would recommend them to anyone.  I have since signed up to have an account and sell the products (mainly because I wanted the discount on offer!) but because this is a company I can truly get behind.  I’m not suggesting to buy products from me, but you can grab them in some Waitrose, online and there are some Neal’s Yard shops around too – give them a try!  

NYRO Website

Reusable cotton pads

Now I couldn’t go all this way and not think about the cotton wool buds and pads I throw away daily.  So I have switched to cotton buds with paper stems and not plastic, winner.  And I have bought some cotton wool pad rounds that are bamboo and reusable rather then throw away ones.  I bought mine from ebay from a seller called ‘kinderearth’, but you can get them from loads of sellers, on amazon and in shops too.  I purchased the rounds, a little bag to put them in and a wash bag to machine wash them in.  

These are small swaps I’ve made which haven’t cost a fortune and have fitted in really well with my beauty regime.  Give it a go, see what you think!

 

There are more to come, so watch this space! 

 

TTFN

Plastic Free - Toilet Rolls

So as previously talked about, we’re looking to go as plastic free as possible in 2019.  I am not a guru by any stretch of the imagination, but I am trying and that I can share with you!  I’m not necessarily going to change the world by myself, but if I can be part of that change then that is good for me.  Here is a couple of things we’ve already done.

 

Who gives a crap

These guys are an ingeniously named company who provide paper wrapped toilet roll!  They are an online company and they sell toilet roll, kitchen roll and tissues (there could be more, I’ve not explored fully as yet).  You can purchase directly from them or sign up for a subscription and the products are delivered directly to your door.  You can also get a free trial, with the cost of p&p £3 for a short while, so go and check them out.  I signed up for the free trial and I got 3 loo rolls, one kitchen roll and a box of tissues.  Not only do these not come wrapped in plastic, they are also tree free (made of bamboo or 100% recycled paper) and they donate 50% of their proceeds to building toilets.  

 The subscription I signed up for is 48 toilet rolls delivered for the cost of £36.  You can get 24 toilet rolls for £24 also and you set the frequency in which they are delivered.  They bill you 3 days before the delivery I believe and you can cancel at any time with no penalties.  Again, you can just purchase a one off delivery.  You can find out more  

right here

There are more to come, so watch this space! 

 

TTFN

 

Plastic Free - Milk

So as previously talked about, we’re looking to go as plastic free as possible in 2019.  I am not a guru by any stretch of the imagination, but I am trying and that I can share with you!  I’m not necessarily going to change the world by myself, but if I can be part of that change then that is good for me.  Here is a couple of things we’ve already done.

Milk delivery

We’ve switched from buying milk in a supermarket to having it delivered in glass bottles.  I googled milk delivery in our area and came up with Milk & More.  It is really easy to sign up and I had fresh milk delivered 48 hours later.  The website showed me which days the delivery was in our area and I just picked which I wanted.  The milk is delivered before 7am in the morning you’ve agreed and they take back the used glass bottles at the same time.  I have a safe space for ours to be left, so no opening the door in my dressing gown which is great, as I’m not a morning person!  It costs around 80p a pint of milk and we have two pints a week delivered in total, a pint in one delivery and a pint in another delivery.  I could see price could be an issue if you’re a high consumption family; but there is only two of us, we work full time and aren’t in a lot, we are tea drinkers, but make porridge with water - so not a great consumption in our house!  As an added incentive, we got a free bottle of orange juice with our first delivery.  So far we’re very pleased with the service and efficiency.  You can find out more

here

There are more to come, so watch this space! 

TTFN

Happy New Year 2019

New Year’s Resolutions So it’s been a while! I have missed writing, but I don’t seem to have had the time since I started at my current job. So I thought the best place to start would be new year. I do love a new year’s resolution, but I’m not a fan of giving things up. I could say the usual, lose weight, exercise more etc but how boring is that. So I’m looking at things I want to change really, and change for the better, and there’s things I want to do more of, rather than less! So here we go....

Read more – I used to be an avid reader. My Nan died and it just sort of stopped. I know I’ve spoken about this before, and I did start reading again but it’s still nowhere near it used to be. So I’ve just two book clubs locally (let me know if you’re local and would like the details) and one online (again, happy to share). So far I’ve read most of the books, but not been to the actual meetings so that is incorporated in this resolution too. I have set myself a challenge for books in 2019. I’m not sure if I’ll reach it, but I’m going to give it a good go and it is pushing me to read more definitely! 

Less plastic – I have a few friends who have done plastic free months and I think it’s about time we gave it a go too. There has been much publication around the plastic crisis and the statistics are photos are shocking. I’m not sure if I can make much of a difference, but it is a start. I will write a separate blog on what we’ve been doing so far and any suggestions are most welcome! 

Less food waste – Mr. B and I are terrible at this, we shop well and throw well too! So we’re back on the menu planning, buying only what we need and actually using leftovers. The freezer tends to house lots of leftovers and then months later we throw them, so it’s incorporating those meals in our menu plans too. So far so good.... left over roast dinner from yesterday for lunch today! 

Less booze – An obvious one I know, but after all the indulgence at Christmas and for my health it is one I’m keen to stick to. I’m not doing dry January, but I’m going booze free at least during the week. 

Move more – Yes this is a little, you should exercise more, but I’m going at it with a slightly different angle. I’ve joined Red January, I’ve joined Race at your Pace and I’m looking to get outside more to exercise for my mental wellbeing. I will blog some more about the both of these too, I promise! 

Save more – So I’ve started this a few times, but am determined to do it this year. The penny challenge. So saving 1p on the first day, 2p on the second day upto £3.65 on the last day of the day. Now this may be a tall order for some and indeed for me, so I’m switching it up a little. I have the amounts written out and depending on how flush I am, save that amount each day. So on 1st Jan I saved £3.65 on the 2nd of Jan I save 3p and so on. I don’t do this in a jar with small change as I never have any cash, so I simply move it into a savings account that I have named ‘pennies account’, I’ll keep you posted on my progress. The other thing I do, is at the end of the day, move over any loose change into my penny account. So I log into my online banking and if my balance is £30.24, I move the 24p across also. I’m hoping this will give me a great start on Christmas or save towards something nice for next year. 

I think that’s about it for me, how about you guys? What are your plans and would you like to share? TTFN, Mrs B x