Last Day #SelfCareSeptember

Monday 30th September 2019
Today be like your coffee - strong! 

Tomorrow is World Vegetarian day and eating healthy is of course part of the self-care routine so I thought you could either do meat free Monday today or plan to have Veggie Tuesday, all those lovely veggies will do you the world of good and if you're a WW member, they've sent out an email full of recipes for you to try.  Actually on having a google it turns out it's also International Veggie week, so you can do it any day this week.  Maybe you'll try going vegetarian for the week and see how you like it (I'm not doing that, I've done the vegan thing, I like my food too much these days) If you can't manage an entire meat-free day, just include more of them.  I can't today because I've got a beef stew ready for eating, I cooked it yesterday and it looks to die for.

I've just found this recipe on WW US Facebook page, these would taste good I reckon, plus they're Zero Smart Points! 

Corn Fritters 

Total Time

36 min

Prep

12 min

Cook

24 min

Serves

6

These fritters are also a great summer side dish. 

Add some heat by tossing in a chopped jalapeno.

3 large eggs, separated 

4 medium corn, kernels removed with a knife (You can use frozen corn in this recipe if you prefer. Just make sure it’s thawed.)

1 medium sweet red pepper, diced the size of corn kernels

⅓ cup Diced spring onions (roughly 50g) 

salt & black pepper 

2 tbsp all-purpose flour (I don't think it would matter if you use plain or self raising here) 

2 sprays butter flavoured cooking spray

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not glossy; set aside.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolks. Add corn, red pepper, spring onions, salt, black pepper and flour; thoroughly combine and then fold in egg whites.

Coat skillet with cooking spray and warm over high heat; when skillet is hot, reduce heat to medium. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter onto skillet to make each fritter. (Do not press fritters down with your spatula since they are meant to be fluffy.) Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes; carefully flip and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove cooked fritters to a serving plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat until all batter is used and then serve immediately. Yields about 4 fritters per serving.

They do sound good don't they, but back to me, I need to share that I've actually finished the weekend on track, I even have a few weeklies left over - that hasn't happened in a very, very long time!  I enjoyed a lovely roast pork dinner yesterday, went a little crazy with the gravy but I left some on the plate because I knew it was too much and I'm trying really hard to be aware of portions and my appetite.  I've experience a rubbly tummy a few times through the fact it's got empty, it's good to remind myself I won't die or starve to death if I eat less food, that I will survive without 3 big meals a day.  

I've really enjoyed thinking about my self care this month, it won't end just because the month's ending, I just won't be blogging about it every day, so I hope you'll also continue to think about your own self care needs.  I'm thinking #OptimumOctober or maybe #OptimisticOctober, any suggestions?   

Today though, I can enjoy spending Monday with Mom because tomorrow is also ​International Day of Older Persons 2019 but I'll be at work most of tomorrow, to be honest every day is Older persons day in my house but it's good to be reminded of how important they are and how blessed we are to have them in our world.  In America today is National Love People Day 2019, so today let's be loving people to every one we come in contact with, be especially nice to that person you struggle to like, make the effort.  Let's make today Make Nice Monday!  

I'll leave you with that thought, I'm going to hope that Alfie doesn't pay me as much attention as he did yesterday, he would not let me get on with my crochet, he was climbing all over me, as if he'd never met me before, still not quite sure what was going on with him, but he's slept on the landing all night, he's still there, nothing wrong with his appetite, let's just say he enjoyed his pork dinner!

Here's to Make Nice Monday or Mwah Monday ;) 

Mwah, 

Luv ya 

Love me x 

Day 29 #SelfCareSeptember

Sunday 29th September 2019
Sometimes the best things in life take time.

Woo Hoo, not only did I finish on track last night, I rolled over 2SP to today, yes I did, I didn't have that extra glass of wine, I was relaxed enjoying my crochet, mom went to bed at 8 but I wasn't tired so instead I decided to listen to the end of my audio book whilst crocheting and I didn't snack or drink, I don't recall the last time that happened, so I am very, very pleased with myself now!

The weather's not looking promising so unsure as to whether we'll get our Sunday walk again this morning, there's not much pleasure driving somewhere to walk in the rain and drive back soaked through, I'll still have to walk Alfie at some point so at least I'll get some fresh air.  Whatever I end up doing with my day, I'll relax and enjoy Sunday as a day off, housework can wait as always.

This months been all about Self care and yesterday my bestie took some time out to teach me about skin care, I've now got everything I need to attempt to take care of my skin which did you know is the largest organ of the body, this is my next step in taking care of me, I may not be able to get out and about and travel like I used to but I can make myself feel good in other ways and this will be one of them.

Have you been thinking about your personal self-care routines over this last month, hopefully you've done some of the suggested ideas, Sunday is a great day for thinking and doing Self Care stuff, there are lots of different things, here's some suggestions of the different areas of self care there are;

1) Physical self-care, it's important to take care of our bodies, moving doesn't have to be a crazy workout, it should be something you enjoy as opposed to an obligation, eating healthy doesn't have to be a chore, I enjoy my walks and I love to eat good food, but I don't eat much fruit as it's not something I particularly enjoy, veggies on the other hand I love.  Find your own ways for your physical self care.  (The WW app not only has great healthy recipes but also some Aaptiv podcasts to help you get moving)

2. emotional self-care is about getting in tune with your emotions.  Check in with yourself and become more mindful of your triggers and thinking patterns.  Start to find ways to work through them, rather than bottling it all up.  You could try journalling, meditation, a bit of mindfulness (the WW app has some headspace you could try).  You could also get creative through painting, colouring, writing, cooking, anything that works, my crochet is great for my emotional health.

3. Spiritual self-care, this doesn't have to relate to religion, I'm not religious but if you are great.  You nourish your soul when you practice spiritual self-care.  Striving for inner peace, finding your purpose and/or meaning in life.  Nature is a great place to start, or you can try meditation, do good deeds, pray, whatever works for you.

4. Intellectual self-care, doing things that nourish and challenge our minds.  Learning a new skill, expanding our minds.  Reading is a great way to nourish our minds, take a course, watch a documentary, again I'm trying to learn new stitches to challenge my crochet skills.

5. Social self-care because by nature humans are social beings.  Of course it depends if you're an introvert or extrovert as our levels of comfort differ in social situations.  I'm not the most sociable of people but connection is still very important to me, as it is to us all.  This is probably the easiest one to do, however you do need to make time to spend time with loved ones.  You could get in touch with an old friend you haven't seen in a while.  Maybe strike up a conversation with someone you see regularly but don't really talk to, if you go to a WW workshop, talk to someone different, make a new friend, you already have weight loss in common.

6. Sensory self-care, this helps you nourish your sense, sight, smell, touch, sound, which is an effective way of bringing your mind to the present moment and helping you lower your stress levels.  An easy one this morning is to go stand in the rain ;) or you could burn some of your favourite candles, I have my Scentsy diffuser going, my house smells gorgeous, I think I might cook a nice dinner too, get the house full of foodie smells, maybe make that stew I fancy or cook a roast - or do both as I'm not going for a walk!  Listen to some music at the same time, that's gonna help too.

Which of those do you fancy taking care of today?  I'll let you decide, meanwhile, I'm off to continue my quest to find my next Crochet project, mwah


Luv ya


Love me

Day 28 #SelfCareSeptember

Saturday 28th September 2019

Without rain nothing grows, learn to embrace the storms of your life. 

That rains wet and come from nowhere doesn't it the last few days, Alfie refused to go for a walk yesterday at all, so I hardly got any steps on my fit bit and didn't earn any FitPoints - boo, on a positive I did stay on track and have a very, very early night so I'm all fresh and ready for my morning at work with my wonderful members.

I had some tomatoes on the brink of no return so I roasted them in the oven with salt / pepper and some basil leaves that were dying too and I enjoyed them on two crusts, really tasty.

I snacked on nibbly stuff at tea time, packet of WW fava beans and a bit of ham, wasn't hungry just peckish.  I did resist the last packet of Walkers Cheese and Onion though, gave them to mom and I'll be buying Aldi's for her from now on because she likes them and I don't so hopefully that will save me from the dreaded multipack quandary.

I fancy making a nice stew this weekend, just leave it cooking on low for a couple of hours, nom nom, but today I'm thinking WW spaghetti on toast, nice simple food.  I need to go shopping in I'm to make any stew as I've not got carrots or beef, I want to be able to have a good look around Aldi so need to go when I have time not to rush.

What can be today's self care task, mmm to spend time with loved ones is a nice simple one that we can all do to some extent.  I had a chat with my bestie on the phone yesterday, it was only a short one (neither of us have much of a life to talk about anymore!) but it was lovely that she'd bothered to call and to hear her voice.  I want to spend some quality time with mom too whilst she's good, she sleeps a lot in the day but just being there when she wakes up is enough, she wakes up confused so that must be awful if she's in an empty house.  I'm getting better at hearing her move about or talk in the night and managing to go back to sleep once I know she's okay and back in bed, I guess it's like having a baby, you get your sleep where you can.

And remember you should be one of those 'loved ones' so if you feel like some time out on your own, that's covered by today's task, maybe go do something on your own.  I had a wonderful massage yesterday, extra half hour because I can't have one next week, my body was truly grateful and Karen worked her magic as she always does hence I was in bed before 8pm!

Right let's enjoy this last weekend in September, stay healthy too!

Mwah, luv ya


Love me

Day 27 #SelfCareSeptember

Friday 27th September 2019

I've just pressed a button on my old iPhone that will reset all factory settings, if only the human body was like that ay, if only you could take your body back to a previous health setting, mmm what year would you choose, I'd go for 2002, that would have made me 32 and I was as fit as, we cycled from San Francisco to Los Angeles over 5 days and I loved my body as it was then, actually I still love my body but in a different way.  Now I know I can't rewind the years but I can get as fit and healthy as is possible and after looking at this photo this morning and remembering how strong and fit I felt when it was taken it makes me want to keep working at taking care of myself even more than ever.

We may not be cycling across California these days but we're still walking across the Midlands every Sunday and I enjoy it just as much.  And that is why today will be another day on track, just like yesterday.  This was what I ate yesterday, enjoyed every bite...

breakfast was eggy bread, only 3SP of bread, it had been 3 small slices but as they were the last slices out the packet, they needed the not so 'fresh' bits off so I weighed what was left to Smart Point it.  

 For lunch I had turkey breast mince with Soy Bean Spaghetti (from Aldi and only 3SP for 1/4 of the box or 50g dried weight, that's how much is in the bowl) it was good stuff, more like noodles than spaghetti but definitely worth it for the savings on Smart Points.

Then for tea I enjoyed a ham salad sandwich, it was just what I fancied and it hit the spot for sure.

Yep a good day and today's going to be another one, just had a chat with mom and she said some lovely things to me so I'm feeling good.  She told me she'd had a little cry this morning, then said, 'not for me but for you because you're having to look forward to me', bless her heart, I reassured her that she didn't have to cry for me, I'm all good and she looked after me for more years, I'm just repaying the kindness.  She looks so vulnerable sometimes, so when we have these moments of lucidity, I take full advantage of them.

Right back to Self Care September, it's coming to an end, only a few days left so let's look forward to the rest of the year, what are your goals, let's set a Christmas one shall we, or the end of the year, have a good think about what you want to achieve.  Here's some tips on how to set and accomplish those goals;

Make it smarter - your goals need to be:

S - specific
M - measurable
A - attainable
R - relevant
T - time bound (hence Christmas being a good date)
E - evaluative
R - revisable

Write down your goals to clarify and strengthen your intentions.

Break down your goals into small and manageable steps to overcome overwhelm.  (one of mine is to end each month lighter than I started it, work in 4 week chunks)

Hold yourself accountable by maintaining focus and discipline throughout your process (Get to your workshop every week in other words!)

Reward yourself, this will help reinforce the positive actions you've taken so you can continue doing them.  (Don't reward yourself with food - you're not a dog!)

Develop systems and habits, this will make it easier for you to accomplish your goals on a regularly basis.  (One of the habits I'm working on developing is to carry my new water holder around with me all the time and drink the water to replace the coffee, yesterday refilled it twice and I easily drunk it)

That's today's task, set yourself a Christmas goal, we owe it to ourselves to take care of ourselves, mwah

Luv ya


Love me xx

Day 26 #SelfCareSeptember

Thursday 26th September 2019
Do it now, sometimes later becomes never.

 I only managed a maintain at the scales yesterday which proves it's better to try than to think sod it, I've blown it.  I'd managed 4 good days, then 3 not so good days, but I balanced it out thankfully.  Yesterday was a good day, all tracked and within budget.   I enjoyed this lunch 

and then Harj gave me my tea which was as always delicious, her rice is just lush.

You can't beat good healthy food, I slept well last night too, yeah I woke up a few times but that's okay, I was in bed before half 9 and woke naturally at 4.40am, 7 hours will help me get through the day.

We're talking our WHY this week and to have energy is one of mine, but also to eat and enjoy delicious healthy food, I love tasty food and I enjoy it even more if it's healthy because I have the added bonus of knowing I'm taking care of myself.  

I loved what one of my members wrote on her joining form as her reason "Lose weight, look after me, so I can look after mine."  There's her WHY in a nutshell and I love that she knows that by looking after herself she'll then be able to look after everyone else.  What's your WHY that can be today's self care task, to have a real good think about your goals and your reasons for those goals.  We have them, they might not be easy to think about and they may be lots of different WHYs, one of mine is to be able to get down on the floor and play with Alfie, it's easier to get back up when I'm lighter and healthier, another is because I know what I eat affects my mood and energy levels.  Then of course I need to be able to take care of mom, I need to be healthy to cope with the emotional side of that situation.

I've also got to get prepared with my meals today so I'm not caught out when I get home later tonight,  just going to get me a glass of water as I took my glass downstairs yesterday to wash and didn't bring back up.

Oh yes, I was a machine yesterday, I got my clean on and decluttered my bedroom, then changed all the bedding and cleaned it all up.  One room at a time is working, I paid for it with aches and pains later mind you, but a few painkillers and I was okayish. 

I'm going to plan on clearing out the bogeyhole this weekend and getting rid of even more stuff, I'd mention my office but that ain't happening I know it isn't.  I do love the feeling of a tidy room though, it was lovely to go to bed in a room where I could see the floor last night, also knowing that there's less clothing choice to wear will make getting ready easier because there's less stuff to sort through.  

Anyway, moms awake, I'm looking forward to a busy day, 12 weeks to Christmas and all that, let's end the year lighter than we started, I'm definitely doing that this year!  Mwah,

Luv ya

Love me xx

Day 25 #SelfCareSeptember

Wednesday 25th September
Live beyond What if? Find joy in What is!

Tuesday 5am - 8pm, on track, fully documented, within allowance.
Tuesday 8pm - 9pm, oops, off track, fully documented, well over allowance!

Yep that just about sums yesterday up in a nutshell.  In that hour I consumed 15SP, weigh in this morning, I won't hold any hope out for a loss, but I will draw a line again because that's what we do.

On a positive I ate delicious meals yesterday, for breakfast I had an egg sandwich with a few cherry tomatoes.  For lunch I had chicken stuffed with Philadelphia light wrapped in bacon medallions, roast potatoes and veggies.

Then my tea was chicken, katsu sauce (I added raisins and diced apple) and pilau rice.   I knocked this up in a few minutes, I'd cooked the chicken with my lunch earlier in the day so just had to warm it all up.

Then mom announced she was going to bed at 8 and I stayed up for just over an hour and pretended I had the hour to myself!

We had a bit of a thing before she went to bed though, she'd gone to the toilet and as she came out, she said, 'There's that mouse again or is a frog'.  I thought she was joking about one of Alfies toys because she talks to them often, so I laughed but she was persistent and thinking it was her seeing things went to have a look, but no, on this occasion there was a frog - quite a large one - in the hallway, relieved we weren't about to have an Alzheimers episode, I went and found a tub, caught it and set it free.

Anyway, we're in the last week of Self Care September and I'm running out of ideas, I won't lie, so I've just grabbed some coaching cards I have and this is the first one, at the top of the pile.

"What must you have in your life to make you feel complete, fulfilled and happy?"

If like me, you're not feeling the thinking vibe this morning, how about we just agree to take care of ourselves today by drinking that glass of water now, eating some healthy food throughout the day and go to bed at a reasonable time.   That'll do won't it.

Have a great day, I'm working on waking up this morning, I'll get there.  Mwah,

luv ya x

Love me x

Day 24th #SelfCareSeptember

Tuesday 24th September 2019
Today do not worry about things you cannot control.

It's back to it Tuesday for me today, after the weekend with mom, I'm not going to lie, my diet was the last thing on my mind yesterday, I didn't go mad though but again I ate what I fancied and that looked like this, breakfast 3 babybels (6SP)!  lunch/dinner fish in batter with oven chips, baby courgettes and peas - roughly 18SP oh plus 4SP for the tartare sauce, then I ate moms half bag of crisps she left on the side with a slice of bread so another 4SP.  I rested most of the day whilst mom slept by the side of me, she had a much calmer day thankfully.  I walked Alfie twice, didn't quite make my 10k steps but gave it a good go to say I sat watching tv most of it.  So yeah today is BACK TO IT TUESDAY.  My tracker pad / self care note book is out and I'll be eating healthy food within my Smart Points budget - oh yes I will because good food and eating well is ultimately where self care begins.  When I eat well, I have more energy, I feel better in myself, I sleep better, I also enjoy the food which is most important.

I did indulge in learning a new crochet stitch yesterday morning whilst mom was asleep, I sat at my computer with a YouTube video and started a baby blanket in Alpine Stitch, the stitch itself was easy enough for me but I needed to master the straight edges of the blanket because I have a problem working out where the last stitch is!  I think I've done it though and I managed to get through 2 balls of 50g yarn throughout the day. Yeah yesterday was a lovely peaceful day.  The only excitement I had was my new phone arrived and the plug was a posh one that folds up - easily pleased me ;)

Self Care Task - easy one - track 100% and honestly all day and do your best to make it healthy or healthier than it was.  Start your day with a glass of water, plan to eat at least your 5 a day, get outside if only for 10 minutes of fresh air.   Remind yourself of your goals and WHY you want to achieve those goals.  Think about your WHY, that's what we're looking at this week in workshops.  I always struggle with mine but I suppose it's everything I've already said above, eating well and watching my weight (hopefully losing it) gives me more energy to handle my life, I feel better in myself, I sleep better, I am better able to take care of my mom and that's crucial at the moment.

Oh we watched Grand daddy day care on Sky yesterday, that was a lovely, lighthearted comedy if you want something to watch, I'm also working my way through the marvel films from start to now, mom tolerates them as she just can't keep up with what's going on, I love watching them in order now as I'm picking up on little things that wouldn't have been relevant before.

Ooo what to eat today, thinking maybe a dry fried egg sandwich for breakfast, something with chicken for lunch, maybe stuffed with Phili light and chorizo, cherry tomatoes (I'm just thinking what I have in fridge.  Mmm, yes today will be delicious - ooo I like that, let's make today delicious!

Mwah, luv ya


Love me
 

Day 23 #SelfCareSeptember

Monday 23rd September 2019
Don't stress, do your best, forget the rest.

Yesterday was real tough and a scary reminder of how difficult Alzheimers/Dementia is promising to make life going forward, it's not getting any easier that's for sure, so if you've woke up thinking 'oh its Monday - boo', stop for a minute and count your blessing because my moms day was just bloody dreadful yesterday, she was so confused, trying to differentiate between real life and her dreams, not knowing what was real and what she was imagining, hearing and seeing things that weren't there. She got frustrated because she thought she'd seen her sister earlier but she's been dead for 50 years, she rang me when I was out walking Alfie, because she thought he’d just run in the house and out against she thought he'd got off the lead, only to be told nope he’s on the end of the lead I'm holding.  Then she kept asking when we were going back to Stanley Close (where we live) and if we weren't had I emptied her wardrobe and shed and not left anything behind.  I was trying to do what I usually do and reassure here that wherever she was she was safe and that's all that she needed to worry about but this time it wasn't working.  At half two this morning she was having a full on conversation with Alfie and getting up. So yeah, I'm glad she's asleep right now and hope today isn't going to be a repeat.  Not gonna lie, I had one two many glasses of red, plus I didn't count my points in my food, shall we do it now lol.

This breakfast only cost me 4SP so not bad. 

My dinner was just what I fancied and it really hit the spot, I didn't weigh the spuds but I'd guess about 12SP max for the lot.   For my tea I had more carbs with a crisp sandwich that cost me another 8SP.  So without the wine it would've been on track lol.  Hey ho, every day doesn't have to be great, today will be better.   

I did finish this blanket though which cheered me up, especially as I got some lovely comments on Facebook about my work. 

  

Right Self Care September, I just took a really deep intake of breathe after typing those 3 words.  I think with it being Monday (boo for some of you) we all need cheering up and I like the idea of a SMILE BOX, remember back at the start of the month we talked about a smile list, writing a list of things that make you smile, well how about a box of things that make you smile, things you can do / eat / drink / look at etc that when you're feeling a little low, you can go fetch your box, lift the lid off and distract yourself and make yourself smile.  I don't expect you to get the box done and dusted today, but you can make a start, maybe find a nice box to use, decorate one, line it with nice paper, personalise it or start a list of things to go in there.  

Things that could go in this box; 

photos of people you love and things you've done, places you've been

your favourite book 

A cd of your favourite tunes

lotions and body wash,  nail polish in your favorite shade, 

A nice mug

new pj's

a snuggly blanket 

colouring book and pens

A new notepad and pen 

Bottle wine / hot chocolate / posh coffee 

bar of your favourite chocolate / packet of your favourite crisps / biscuits etc 

obviously we may not stay on track the day the lid comes off this box but wouldn't it be better to actually have your favourite treats planned for such a moment rather than just grabbing any old crap to comfort eat on.  What goes in your book may differ from others, only you know what you like, what makes you happy, what would make you smile and take your mind off stuff.  Mine of course would probably have a crochet hook and a ball of my favourite yarn in there. 

You could even go one step further and make one for someone else!  This idea would make an excellent gift, Christmas isn't that far away you know.  

I think I'm going to cook me a delicious meal today, I have gnocchi in the fridge, might use that and have real comfort food, some chorizo in there we shall see, or I may try and pull it back and make a chicken casserole instead, if I take the chicken out the freezer now, it should defrost soon enough.  Yeah that sounds like a plan.  I'll go check my supplies for something delicious and healthy or at least without my allowance!  I've probably used my weeklies more than twice but I can get back to healthy today.

Mwah, luv ya, let's sort this and stay positive and strong.

Love me xx

Day 22 #SelfCareSeptember

Sunday 22nd September 2019
Be good.  Do good.  

Yesterday was a very good day in every way except being on track - oops!  But it's all good, one day doesn't make a bad week, I'm back on it this morning, the damage I did wasn't crazy bad but it did involve the most delicious 17SP sandwich that I'd left for mom and she hadn't eaten, when I got home and walked into hell after the WW roadshow, it was sitting there and I knew I wanted it, I'd wanted a decent sandwich all day, I'd resisted most of the lunch on offer at the roadshow so it could've been a lot worse and I had it for my dinner so it's all good.  

It really was great to get out and socialise with some of my colleagues, I don't get out much these days so really enjoyed being in a different environment even if it was for work, it was also good to be included by the business and told about where we are as a company and their plans for our future.  I left optimistic anyways.  

I love when I hear ideas in workshops and I've heard a couple this week, the first was yesterday, 'A command centre', now I know this is never going to happen in my world but it doesn't stop me appreciating the idea, if you do Pinterest go type it in and see the ideas, in a nutshell it's a place in your home where you keep important stuff, like menu plan, shopping list, keys, calendar, mail etc to help keep you organised, great idea if you're a busy working mom for sure.

The other was idea, what if you changed your to do list into your Ta dah list, I like this idea a lot, instead of just having that list of all those things you need to get done, have another one with all the things you're glad you've done.  Just think about how good that would make you feel.  We're constantly focusing on all those things we haven't managed to get done and the stuff we still have to do, but how great to stop berating ourselves for a bit and focus on the stuff we actually managed to get done.  

If you've been doing Self Care September, this is today's task, write TA DAH at the top of a page and start writing all the things you've accomplished this week, heck you could add the things you've accomplished this month, this year or even this life!  Enjoy thinking about how awesome you are for a change.  Optional: When you are finished, exclaim out loud, "Ta-Dah!"

I won't be doing my Sunday morning walk with my brother, I was woken by a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightening, it's now raining lovely out there, yeah I'm not going out in that.  I fancy a day of relaxation, give mom some attention, watch some telly, have a chillaxing kind of day, that's my self care plan for today.  I need to plan some meals for the week ahead too, as that really helped me last week.

However you plan to spend your day, enjoy it! 

Mwah, luv ya

Love me. xx

Day 21 #SelfCareSeptember

Saturday 21st September 2019

Be who you are not who you think you should be.

So yesterday I cooked and ate Sea Bream!  I had my shopping delivered and I took advantage of fish Friday 20% off and my vouchers in the end I got £145 worth of food for £98, my freezer and cupboards are now full to the brim, thank you waitrose. I also mopped in Aldi and will be shopping there a lot more in future they had lots of stuff I didn’t think they would have like tri colour quinoa and organic eggs so yeah they’ll be getting my custom for sure.  I don’t think my kitchen has looked this healthy in a very, very long time and I love it. I don’t remember the last time I cooked a recipe on a Friday, I’m usually exhausted.  I’m so glad I’ve been switching up my carbs and introducing a little oil to add flavour, I’m really enjoy my meals. I’ve even got some lunch ready for today so I’m not tempted! 

Anyway the Sea Bream, when I took it out the pack, it hadn’t been gutted!  I expected a head to still be on it but not all the inners too, my initial thought was no way, but then I realised the price I’d paid for it so straight to YouTube and 5 mins later it was oven ready and I cooked this recipe https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8010/whole-roast-bream-with-potatoes-and-olives, it cost me 12SP and was really tasty. I wouldn’t buy it again mostly because of the price and seabass tastes better for cheaper. However I tried something new, never had sea bream, never tried that recipe. That’s your task today, try something new whether it’s a food, a recipe or something else - maybe you’ll go swimming in the canal 😂😂 as long as you haven’t done it before that’ll do. 

That’s all your getting from me this morning because I have loads to get done, I’m off to WW roadshow later so need to leave mom with supplies and I’m gonna whizz Alfie round the block so he isn’t without a walk all day.  

Let’s have a great day, it’s going to be hot! Mwah

Luv ya

Love me x

Day 20 #SelfCareSeptember

Friday 20th September 2019
Stop doubting yourself, work hard and make it happen.

Another good day yesterday, lots of new members in my workshop last night and lots of smile moments throughout the day, I did manage to do a live cooking video on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WWBev/videos/517415665749148/ although I'm still not convinced by putting beans in a dish like this one, for me it didn't work, I just don't like the texture, it didn't knock me off track though and I had this for my tea later when I got home, this was delicious, pan fried sea bass, wholewheat soba noodles and veg, it cost me 10SP because I used a tablespoon of oil, I'm going to have a play with those noodles though and make a nice sesame seeds sauce I think, nom nom.   

  
I also need to nip to Aldi and get some of these noodles that were recommended by a member, 50g dried weight which is 1/4 of the pack is only 3SP. 

So now to today, I have to say No Whinging Wednesday has had a real impact on me, it's made me realise how much I've changed over the last few years and I do moan a lot more these days than I used to, I've always considered myself a positive person and when I said that last night, one of my members laughed and said 'really' or words to that effect and you know what, she's right and that's going to be one of my resolutions going forward, to stop the complaining, when people ask about mom from now on I'm going to say she's okay because once I get talking about her, I'm reliving what's going on at home and I don't want to.  I'm going to continue to consciously notice my thoughts and words and start to turn negatives into positives and observe my behaviour.  Moan less, even if it's done in a jokey way which it usually is, but a funny moan is still a moan isn't it.

Alfie's whining behind me bless him, he wants his walk so I better wrap this blog up sharpish.  

I'm keeping todays self care task simple because it's Friday and you'll all be tired from a busy week and let's be honest, I know half of you won't do it anyways will ay.  But I'm doing all these tasks so it's all good, it's really helping me.  

Clear a bit of clutter - I don't expect you to tidy the entire house but start, just ten minutes of decluttering, apparently decluttering your house can reduce housework by up to 40%!  I'm going to start in the easiest room, the living room as there's not much to declutter there and I've got to hoover the floor this morning and mop because I smashed half bottle of wine all over it last night, it rolled off the chair, me clumsy, I won't have it said. 

I do hope to continue to work my way through the house over the next few weeks and get rid of lots more.  If your house is super tidy maybe you need to do a bit of Emotional decluttering, do the stuff that you keep putting off doing. 


Right he's proper whining now, he's obviously not joining me in my new I'm not gonna moan anymore quest, so I'm off to walk the little darling.  Not sure what's on my menu today, but it'll all be on track and tracked, I'm being a good little WWer and I'm enjoying it.  I've got my supermarket shop being delivered this afternoon ready for another healthy weekend. 

I'm excited for the WW roadshow tomorrow afternoon, looking forward to hearing what's happening in the WW world and catching up with a few work pals.

Here's to a very great day, the suns going to shine too - yay!

Mwah, luv ya 


Love me xx 

Day 19 #SelfCareSeptember

Thursday 19th September 2019
I opened two gifts this morning, they were my eyes.

I have got to admit No Whinge Wednesday was difficult, I bet most of you reading this didn't even try to do it, I did and I failed to do it 100% but it was really interesting to notice those times when I had angry or complaining thoughts.  I know I won't be able to be 100% positive but I found it a good exercise to be aware of my thoughts.

Now back to this Self Care September how many of you said, 'oo yeah I'll do that' maybe you've done a day or two but you haven't done it all because you don't matter do you!  Isn't that why we have a weight problem because we don't prioritise our own self care!

Your task today if you can be bothered is inspired by something I did yesterday, it was to tick something off your to do list that you've been putting off.  I'm sure we all have those jobs no matter how big or small that need doing and we keep putting off.  Mine yesterday was pulling up some ivy in the garden and trying to repair the little built up flower bed that had fell down, I'd also bought some pansies and not got round to planting them up, so emptied one hanging basket and filling it, then I was inspired and put the rest in the flower bed - DOH, such an obvious thing to do.  I felt so much lighter having done it as I've looked out the window every day since buying them thinking, oh I've got to plant them.  Next on my list to get done is to re wax my kitchen worktops, it's not the doing that's the hassle it's how long they take to dry, but it's gonna get done before the end of this month.  What was the job that sprang to mind when you read this, maybe it's more than one thing, pick something quick to do, especially if you have a busy day, it might be just to tidy up the pile of mags in the living room, then plan to do that bigger task maybe at the weekend.  I also finally made an appointment with the doctors for my ankle, it's been 12 weeks since it starting hurting, that's long enough to leave something, it's not till October 9th but at least it's made.

Oh talking about feeling so much lighter, it was only in spirit as I lost 1lb on the scales and as happy as I was with that, it isn't noticeable lol, the weight goes on easier than it comes off that's for sure, I've still got to lose 2lb to get back to what I weighed this time last month, I'll get there though, I had a great week, was -20 on my weeklies but boy did I enjoy my food and wine, so if I can do that and lose 1lb a week, I'll take that.

This was yesterday's meals, I had an egg scrambled for breakfast, was in a rush, then lunch was a winner winner chicken dinner for 8SP,

I had a simple 2SP salmon salad for my tea

Even managed to roll over 4SP for the weekend, or maybe tonight when I've finished my workshop, mmm wine!

Well I've already done my Self Care task, maybe I'll find something else that needs doing, or maybe I'll work on whatever I give you to do tomorrow, will get my thinking cap on.  I already have an idea to be honest.

Right I'm off, teas drunk, waters half drunk, moms been looked after, not to get me ready for work, a long but good day, love my Bloxwich babes, enjoy listening to them all natter as I stand at the scales.

Oh and I found out yesterday that it was less than 100 days to Christmas OMG!  I've just looked it's actually 96 days, that's like 14 weeks, a possible stone could be lost at the scales, I'd love to be 11st 13.5lb, just to get in that bracket would be awesome, so for me thats 10lb, here's to giving it my best shot - what do you want to achieve?

Mwah, luv ya


Love me xx

Day 19 #SelfCareSeptember

Wednesday 18th September 2019
If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!

Morning people, it's pitch black outside as I'm sat at my desk this morning, I'm ready for my day, mid week already and it's weigh day, I'm quietly confident I've lost again, I've had a good week food wise, yesterday was like this; 























Salmon, spinach and spring onion omelette for zero points. 

10SP Mushroom and spinach tagliatelle from the WW Freestyle Cookbook, video showing how fast this is to cook is here https://www.facebook.com/WWBev/videos/371916683696448? 

 1SP for the mayo in the cabbage and onion, I added mint sauce to the tuna, really enjoyed the textures and tastes of this dish.

I also enjoyed some wine and a packet of WW Rosemary & sea salt snacks.  What I've noticed this last week is by cooking delicious meals, including different carbs other than bread is my cravings for other stuff haven't really been there, other than a couple bag of WW snacks one of which was part of a meal with humous and a babybel the other night, I haven't found myself snacking at all.  I love bread but it doesn't fill me up, it's never enough, I always want more, I've just realised I've gone 7 days without bread!  I'm writing my tracker in my notepad at the moment so was able to go back over my week.  I'm still using my app for accuracy of course, I just like using the notepad to plan, track and keep all my selfcare stuff together this month.  

Starting the day writing positive things always makes me feel better, I notice if I go over the negative stuff in my life, it doesn't make it better, it just makes me feel rubbish again going over it, so none of that today, that's your Self Care task actually, today is WHINGE FREE WEDNESDAY because as good as a 'good moan' feels when you're doing it, long term, it brings you down.  

We moan about so many things unnecessarily, the weather, how badly we slept, how busy we are, how hungry we are, as a nation, you’ve got to admit, we do like to complain, moan and whinge quite a bit… For one day, let's not do that.

To start you off on a positive, you could get your notepad and spend a bit of time writing about your life in the future, pretend for a moment that everything had gone perfectly, it's all worked out exactly as you wanted it to, keep it a bit realistic, you're not all winning the lottery!  Imagine you've reached your goals after working really hard on them, you've become the version of yourself you really want to be and your life is exactly how you want it.  Write it down, visualise that awesome life, it may help motivate you to do the things needed to achieve those goals, at the very least it'll put a sneaky smile on your face.  In my perfect life I'm about a stone lighter and they've invented a calorie free wine (oh okay, I said keep it realistic!, I'll settle for the stone lighter).

I love Winnie the Pooh, pooh bear is just awesome but Eeyore, well he's a miserable thing ain't he and it can be funny to read about, but can you imagine being around someone like that all the time, spreading their doom and gloom, let's be honest we all know a mood hoover, those who actually seem to enjoy it.  Today let's all be a little more Pooh, embracing his positivity, natural ways to improve the mood include physical activity - did you do your walk yesterday, get producing those endorphins.

I know it's impossible to be happy all the time, but just for one day, let's not moan about our lives, let's embrace whinge free Wednesday.  No whining, complaining or criticising, what's your reward?  You'll feel better by the end of the day - honest you will. 

Right I'm off, it's still really dark, I must have got up really early, more hours in my day to get stuff done!  Mwah, 

luv ya


Love me