2019 Goals & A Break

2019 is just hours away, people are planning their New Years Resolutions and their goals. As always, I'm setting myself some goals - and then some! I already have my 23 While I'm 23 list to complete by October 29th, but why not go all out and set some more? 

2018 Goals | End of Year Review

I didn't set myself many goals for 2018. I even switched them out for new ones back in August, as I was sure I wasn't going to reach them! It's been a bit of a crazy year, with lots going on, so my priorities had to change quite a bit. 

December Round Up

December is nearly over, and I think it's been my busiest month of 2018! I've done so much, and have lots of happy memories.

2018 Highlights

2018 was full of ups and downs - and it's not even over yet! It's certainly been a year of learning, love, loss and growth. Boy, am I glad to be at the end of it. 

How I'm Getting Into The Christmas Spirit

The last few years, Christmas hasn't really been my favourite time of year. I'm assuming it's down to it not being the same after my Dad passing. However, this year, Mum has challenged me to get into "the Christmas spirit" and I'm trying, I really am. 

My Festive Netflix Watch List

Christmas isn't Christmas without snuggling down in your favourite blanket, a hot drink and a Christmas film. Normally, I don't bother (I'm such a Grinch) but due to trying to get into the Christmas spirit, I've perused Netflix's 'Festive Favourites' to see what might not cringe me to death. 

The Cheapest Ways to Travel Abroad | Guest Post by Astrid Halliday

Wanderlust is something that many people have, wanting to travel the world and see more countries, but unfortunately lacking the funds. Many people don’t know that travelling the world doesn’t need to break the bank. There are many ways to see the world on a budget.

Unsplash

November Round Up & December Goals

Well November is already over and Christmas is nearly here. Ugh. HOW HAS THIS YEAR GONE SO FAST?! It has literally flown by, where have the days gone? Buut, anyway, time to discuss November. 

More Than a Mum

When I first became a Mum, it completely consumed me. As it should, of course. I was breastfeeding then, single, and in recovery from major/multiple surgeries, I had nothing else to do, apart from blog. I loved it. I never felt happier, and gushed about being a Mum. It was my Mum that kept telling me that I needed to not lose myself in it, and I even saw multiple bloggers talking about how they're 'not just a Mum.' In fact, Lauren recently spoke about reclaiming her identity post-partum too - but much more eloquently than I have. 

A Day in the Life | A Good Day

Thank you to Tamara for suggesting I do this post! I haven't done one of these before, and I think I've only ever read one...so, here goes nothing! 

Caravan Life | Empty Caravan Tour

I'm sure you've been dying for this. I always thought my first 'empty home tour' would be a flat or an actual house, not a caravan. Alright, I admit it, as much as I love my home, I do feel like a bit of a pikey. But for the most part, I don't actually care. Hah. Anyway, here's my pretty little home before I moved all of my stuff in!

Kitchen/Living Room 

Love & Dating | 2018 Edition

I've had a pretty crap year for dating. I know, you get it, I'm single, blah blah blah, change the record. But seriously, it's been crap!

23 While I'm 23

I love bucket lists. As a young teen I would spend hours on Pinterest, adding things to my bucket list, and even had a few notebooks dedicated to it! Of course, most of those things were completely unattainable, and these days, hardly any of those things are on my list. I do still love a bucket list though, and to celebrate turning 23 this week, I decided to make a list of 23 things I want to do, see and accomplish while I'm 23. 

September Round Up, October Round Up & November Goals

Well, it's been a long two months but I am so happy to finally be back to blogging as normal! Though I've not been able to publish anything until recently, I've certainly spent plenty of time writing and preparing posts, ready for when I had the Internet access to publish them. My blog won't be going quiet anytime soon, I can promise that!

What I Read in September

I finally did it! I finally surpassed reading just three books in a month and actually read seven! Caravan life has been excellent to my TBR pile. Talking of my TBR pile, I've been wanting to write a blog post about it but due to the lack of WiFi access here, I'm reading my books faster than I can blog about them! Almost as soon as I add a book to my list, I'm taking it off again. But, never say never! For now,  here's my thoughts on what I read in September. 

Caravan Life | One Month as a Home Owner

It's been a whole month since I officially moved in to my little caravan. Well, I say 'little', it's actually pretty spacious! It took me almost a full two weeks to actually want to spend the night here. Why? Because I was a teeny bit scared about the prospect of ACTUALLY living on my own! I literally used every excuse under the sun to put it off for as long as possible. 

To be fair, I wanted it fully cleaned and a bit more furnished before Charlie and I moved in, but I think Mum and Dave underestimated how hard it would be to have us in their little caravan for a full three weeks, so after filling my kitchen cupboards and the fridge, I packed up the rest of our stuff and took it back to mine. 

Caravan Life | A Permanent Holiday

I'm not back from Sheppey yet. However, I did have the long, hard think I needed and came to a decision. I've decided to stay in Sheppey, permanently. 

What I Read in August

I actually got less reading done in August than I anticipated! I hoped to read as many as four books last month, but it took me way longer to get through book #3 than I thought it would! But, I digress. Here's what I read in August. 

Today's the Day!

Today's the day; Charlie and I are off to spend a few weeks in Sheppey! 

August Round Up & September Goals

August seemed to be the longest month of the year so far! It honestly felt like it dragged so much - though that may be because I was counting down the days until Mum came to stay with me! I didn't have a great month to be honest, my mental health took a serious dive, and the last couple of weeks especially I struggled to pick myself back up. I do feel like I've done a lot of growing up these last couple of weeks though. Well, the last few months really but these weeks especially. But, I digress. Lets see how I did with my goals! 

My Current Tattoos & Future Plans

I love tattoos. I love the way we can cover ourselves in art, in whatever way we choose to and how much confidence they can bring. I personally only have four tattoos, but I plan to get many more. 

I'm Feeling a Little Lost, Lately

I've been lacking motivation lately. I've been wanting to write this post for about two weeks now but I just haven't had the energy for it. As I touched upon in my Self Care post, I've not been feeling my best. Although, the same week I published that post, I made a point of trying to utilise everything I listed and by the end of the week, I felt incredible. Unfortunately, that didn't last.

Goals for 2018 | Update

Back in January (it feels like it was SO long ago) I decided to make some goals for the year. Now we're eight months in, I feel they need tweaking a bit. 

All By Myself, Alone | Book Review #2

What's this? Another book review? Good! I decided last month that I really wanted to start doing more bookish blog posts, and what's more bookish than a book review?! Last month I reviewed Angels Can't Swim, a novella by Alexandra McCann. This months book is All By Myself, Alone by Mary Higgins Clark. 

What Self Care Looks Like to Me

I have been feeling pretty miserable lately. I thrive on having some alone time and, as a single mother, I obviously don't get very much of that at all. There's always lots I need or want to do, and not being able to do these things really affects my mental state. Today, I'm writing this to remind myself what makes me feel better, and to motivate myself to get up and go when Charlie lets me.

July Round Up & August Goals

July was very much up-and-down for me. I wasn't very happy a lot of the time, with some very good times inbetween. I didn't get much done, I certainly never got to create my habit trackers in my bullet journal, Gail came to stay for a week and my baby turned one. SOB! 

Charlie is One

Nope. No no no. Today marks 1 year of being a Mum and I'm not ready to admit it. But I've got no choice. My beautiful, tiny baby is now a one year old toddler. 

Angels Can't Swim | Novella Review

One of my goals for 2018 is to read more. My current Goodreads goal is 12 but as I keep buying more books, I'm sure I'll soon smash that and up it. I've actually been considering making my blog more book-y, and start reviewing them. So imagine how I felt when Alexandra McCann, an author, dropped me an email asking me to review her new novella. Of course I said yes, and delved straight into Angels Can't Swim.

Caravan Life | Part Three

Freeeedoooommmm! Our June holiday to Sheppey couldn't come quick enough, I was desperate for the daily long walks past the canal, and to finally take Charlie swimming. I was packed up and ready to go long before Mum and Dave came to get us. 

June Round-Up & July Goals

Another month of 2018 gone! June was a bit of a whirlwind. I finally started to knuckle down on party planning, started a pin collection, went on holiday and dyed my hair red again! I even finally did another photoshoot with Charlie. 

31 Day Minimalism & Simplicity Challenge | Simplicity Update

If you read my Minimalism Update you'll know I decided to write the updates of this challenge in two parts! Here is part two, the simplifying side of my 31 day challenge...

40 New Things in 40 Days | Days 38-40

This is it, the final update of my 40 New Things in 40 Days series...

31 Day Minimalism & Simplicity Challenge | Minimalism Update

So my 31 days are up! Instead of writing an overview of how I did of all 31 days, I've decided to split this post into two parts, one post concentrating on the minimalism/decluttering days, and one to concentrate on the simplifying days. Otherwise this would be a super long post and I don't think any of us have the energy for that! Here's how I did with my minimising! 

40 New Things in 40 Days | Days 31-37

These 40 days are going by so quickly! Not sure what I'm talking about? Check out the original post here. 

40 New Things in 40 Days | Days 23-30

Another day, another thing! I'm loving this challenge.

May Round Up & June Goals

I don't know about anyone else but May seemed to go on for an eternity for me. I'm still waiting for Charlie to cut his sixth tooth and his crying and clingy-ness because of it is exhausting. But, I digress. I had lots of goals for May; let's see how I got on...

40 New Things in 40 Days | Days 15-22

You may have noticed by now that I'm attempting to do 40 new things in 40 days - or at least, do more of what I enjoy! 

40 New Things in 40 Days | Days 8-14

Week two of 40 New Things! If you haven't read week one yet, catch up here.

The Spending Ban

I spend a ridiculous amount of money every month. Usually on chocolate or various other things I don't really need. This isn't good for my health or my minimalism. But mostly my bank account. I had over £2,000 in savings a year ago, now I'm down to £400, which I've literally just built back up today. Admittedly half of it went to Charlie, but even so. A spending ban is definitely needed. 

40 New Things in 40 Days

Not long ago, I was scrolling through Twitter when I saw Emma tweet:

and I got intrigued. I immediately clicked on her profile and found a link to her blog post titled '40 New Things in 40 Days' and had a read. I was immediately inspired. I'm constantly being told/thinking that I need to live my life and actually get out there and do things. I nearly died, I got a second chance and what have I done with it? Apart from raise an amazing, gorgeous little boy, fuck all. The last time I did something particularly exciting was date a fuckboy back in January/February. So, after reading Emma's posts, I decided to make a list of things I want/can do in 40 days, and got started. 

Old English Company Haul*

Even though I'm trying to be a minimalist, there's just a few things I can't resist adding to my collection. Homeware, prints and stationery to name but a few. When The Old English Company* got in touch, I trawled their website for hours, adding things to my basket and whittling them down one by one to my final favourite products. It was probably the hardest thing I've done in a long time. 

10 Items a Day Declutter | Update

I recently posted about a different approach to decluttering I wanted to take and how I'm going to be a bit more honest about it, and only list items I've actually removed from the house and/or binned. In March, I had some new furniture put in my bedroom, which meant turning my room upside down and finding a whole load more stuff to either find a home for, or get rid of. Here's what I got rid of over the course of 7 days.

Hysterectomy Q&A

My hysterectomy is a huge part of my life. It doesn't affect my day-to-day life but there's definitely some things I need to consider in the future, and some of you on Twitter had some questions about it. 

31 Day Minimalism & Simplicity Challenge

I mentioned in Mondays post that one of my goals for May is to complete a 31 Day Minimalism and Simplicity Challenge. This is one I've created myself to suit my needs, so if anyone fancies playing along then feel free to! 

Fitness Goals for May

Last month, I feel I made a pretty good start on losing weight. I still didn't get my daily walks in or workout as much as I said I was going to but I'm definitely getting there. This month I want to step it up a notch, and make a definitive plan towards losing my first stone. I even got myself a little health planner from The Range to help me along.

Goodbye April

April Round up 

May is just around the corner and April was all kinds of crazy. Also the longest month ever?! I finished my counselling sessions, which is mostly a relief but I'm kind of going to miss them. I'm not completely convinced that she always read me totally right but I enjoyed my bitching sessions with her. Charlie hit a whole bunch of milestones and I was an emotional wreck. I also didn't even remotely hit any of my goals. 

Charlie's 9 Month Update

I know I say this every time but WHERE HAS MY TINY BABY GONE?! My little boy is nine months old already and it won't be long before it's his first birthday. I genuinely want to cry. 

LETSCOM Fitness Tracker

The last couple of months I have been obsessed with tracking my daily steps. Normally I use my phone and Google fit to do this, but it became a bit of a pain if I forgot to pick my phone up before I started walking, or my outfit didn't have a pocket to put it in. I did consider getting a fitbit, but as I'd just paid out £200 for a car seat, I couldn't afford another £200+ for one of those. That's when Erin came to my rescue.

10 Items a Day Declutter and a Confession

I was doing my usual scroll through Pinterest when a blog post title caught my eye.

Slow Living & Single Tasking

In my Hello April post I briefly spoke about how I want to try slow living/single tasking. Slow living is essentially taking time to slow down, relax and appreciate where you are in life. It's also described as single tasking, which I shouldn't really need to explain. You know, the opposite of multi-tasking?