Resolutions and aspirations ~ part two

after our chat about resolutions and what changes we would like to make this year, i was full of enthusiasm to get started!

i decided to set a challenge every day of the week for two weeks to give myself a kick start!

here they are...
 
CHALLENGE 1 ~ take two black bin bags {label one to throw out and the other to donate} walk around your house and fill them up! then bin one and put the other in your car boot to take to your nearest donation point or charity shop.

CHALLENGE 2 ~ switch your oil.
Coconut oil is a great alternative for cooking – it can replace butter or oil in most recipes and if you use an organic refined coconut oil it wont impart an aroma or flavour.
Coconut oil has some saturated fatty acids like Capric Acid and Lauric Acid, which raise the level of High Density Lipoproteins in the body, lowers bad cholesterol, boosts immunity and fights ageing. They also increase the rate of metabolism and help shed weight.

Plus you can use it as a moisturiser, teeth whitener and hair conditioner... to name but a few of it's many many uses!
Try this yummy recipe instead of an expensive and {not that healthy} breakfast bar ~ http://www.epicurious.com/…/Nutty-Grain-and-Oat-Bars-512100…

CHALLENGE 3 ~ IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP! Make your bedroom a screen free zone, write a list to clear your head and read a book instead. Or take a bath with some epsom salts {bet your granny used to do that!} the salts draw out impurities from the skin and if you add a little lavender oil into the bath too, you will be drifting off to sleep in no time... get out of the bath first though!

CHALLENGE 4 ~ Pick a shelf, worktop or cupboard... that drawer in the kitchen {you know the one I mean}... this will be your first clutter free zone – protect it with all your might!
Take everything out and sort it into three piles or boxes {I found it helpful to take three cardboard boxes and decorate them all nice and pretty and label them}
1. file/put away
2. bin
3. donate

PUT NOTHING BACK ON THAT SHELF THAT DOESN'T BELONG THERE!
Repeat this step once or twice a week with a new area...

CHALLENGE 5 ~ FAST.
Intermittent fasting is when you change the times that you eat to 'allow your body to go into a fat burning state that you rarely make it to during a normal eating schedule'.
My suggestion would be to just extend your normal fasting hours {when you sleep} as this is probably the easiest to do initially... So, eat a decent meal between 5 & 6pm {with the kids perhaps} and don't eat again until 8am the next day.
Change your eating habits one step at a time!

CHALLENGE 6 ~ REDUCE your Caffeine... coffee, tea, fizzy drinks. This will improve sleep, help keep your teeth and bones strong and may decrease your risk of hypertension.

CHALLENGE 7 ~ WALK MORE! Try to walk at least 10,000 steps every day ~ helps to have a pedometer or there are lots of free apps for your phone. This one seems easy but in actual fact even with the school run and a dog walk I only just hit it!

CHALLENGE 8 ~ Think about changing your blue top milk to green, or your green top to red. Or how about mixing it up completely and going for oat milk, coconut milk or almond milk? This is actually one that I already do and since changing to skimmed, have really noticed a difference... my husband Sam noticed too especially as the middle age spread started to make an appearance! The once tall and lean surf hunk who could eat what he wants now has to think twice!

CHALLENGE 9 ~ DRINK MORE WATER!
Everyone tells you to do it... you know you should do it... so do it!
Introduce an extra glass of water to your daily routine ~ maybe it's a cup of hot water when you wake up {add a squeeze of lemon if you want a morning boost} or carrying a bottle of water with you to work.

Upping your water intake will flush out more toxins from your body, can eliminate the feeling of being hungry {as a lot of the time you are actually thirsty, not hungry!} and can improve your mood, your skin and your circulation.
Try adding fruit to your water to make it a bit more interesting – cucumber is a big favourite in our house... I make up a big Kilner jar fresh every morning and put it in the fridge ~ ours has a wee tap so the kids come and help themselves!
Lemon, raspberries, apple and limes all taste great – or a maybe try a combination!

CHALLENGE 10 ~ This one is all about de-cluttering... Go into your bathroom and bring a black bag! Anything that is out of date or more than a year or two old... bin it or recycle it... Keep all the basics in a wee basket or wash bag above the sink and keep them there! This makes it easier to clean as well as you just need to lift the basket and not lots and lots of bottles!

CHALLENGE 11 ~ Reduce sugar and salt in your diet. Some sweet alternatives are honey {specifically organic, raw and unrefined} or agave nectar and if you still like the taste of salt then try Himalayan pink salt. {I found a really big mill in B&M's for a couple of pounds}

CHALLENGE 12 ~ It is time to tackle that wardrobe! Check out this page for inspiration! ~ http://www.marthastewart.com/…/konmari-trendy-new-organizin…
And just go for it!

CHALLENGE 13 ~ Introduce yoga into your new routine. As part of a physical detox the yoga asanas {poses} stimulate the digestive, lymphatic and circulatory systems helping your body remove waste products more efficiently. Twisting poses in particular are known for aiding detox.
A regular yoga practice also acts as a detox for the mind, releasing anxiety and bringing about improved focus and emotional well being.
For some examples of great January detox poses try: http://www.doyouyoga.com/8-yoga-poses-to-detox-your-way-to…/

CHALLENGE 14 ~ BANISH THOSE PAPER PILES! Create an efficient filing system – two folders or box files would work well... all incoming papers, letters, notes etc go in to one. TO DO could be the other folder and you immediately file the rest – no cheating with a 'TO FILE' folder!

we made a craft activity and made ours out of some old cardboard cereal boxes!

pinterest parties

i had some friends round for drinks and a pamper party this weekend. i had a good look through pinterest for ideas and as always it didn't disappoint. i got a great idea for gin cocktails using herbs and edible flowers. they looked and tasted amazing... i froze the edible flowers {i used pansies, viola and flox} in ice cubes, for best results i found cooled boiled water worked best and i froze the cubes in two parts so the flowers floated. the cocktail itself was a shot of hendricks gin, a shot of elderflower gin, a tea spoon of rose essence and a sprig of thyme. oh, and some tonic! if you dont have elderflower gin then there is a lovely elderflower tonic that would work just as well...

and then there was the birthday party for the five year old! can leave out the preparations for that one!

the safari passes were printables i found online and the binoculars were toilet rolls with animal print duct tape wrapped around. pretty basic stuff!

the pinata was bought ~ i thought about making one but really time ran away from me and a trip to tescos ticked that off the list!

 

the cake i made with two batches of batter, one white and one chocolate... then i layered the batter in dollops one on top of the other to make the stripes in side the cake.

the party favours were just old jars that i collected from friends, i glued an animal to the lid and painted it then i filled them with the crayons ~ i had thought about sweeties or marshmallows... but thought there was enough sweet treats going around!

my favourite part was making the crayons... i have done this before here but this time i got to use lego moulds! and i love lego! who doesn't? so i collected all the crayon ends i could find... i even begged some from friends and family {i had a lot of jars to fill!} and melted them down... it was like i was making a miniature army! and they turned out better than i had hoped

 

i had plenty of games planned including the usual musical statues and musical bumps... but had to find a use for the binoculars... so we went on an elephant hunt to find dung! this was just flour, water and some old coffee grounds formed to make a dough, i then hid an insect inside {toy insect!} and baked them in the oven for ten minutes...the kids then went on a hunt to find them in the garden {luckily the weather was nice!} and cracked them open to see what was inside! fun.

we moved house

we were busy bees this summer, we managed to pack up home and move near the sea... just like we always wanted.

it's a bigger house with a bigger garden. and we are five minutes walk from the sea, poppy's school, all the main shops and cafes and an amazing play park.  it has been the best decision we have made so far {except the decision to have children of course... and to get married... ok, the third best decision}

so we have been busy moving and filling our home with stuff and most of all we have spent a lot more time doing things... so many projects... so many crafts!

during the move we decided to de-clutter. everything. and we also decided to make the things we already had, nicer! so plenty of up cycling going on here too!

first of the projects was the kids craft cart. we decided to collect all the broken crayons together and make nice new shiny ones...

step one ~

fill a silicone baking tray with all the ends of crayons (wrappers off) you can make them all the same colour/shade or you can go multicoloured.  melt them in the oven for about five ~ ten minutes on 180. and leave out to cool {i found that giving them a stir at this point stopped the wax and colour separating}

step two ~

tip them out!