Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things...

So again, I've had a long break from blogging, mainly because I've had a lot of stuff going on with uni and work etc but this year I'm really going to make more of an effort to stick with it. I'm moving to Germany next year for an exchange and I want to be in the habit of posting regularly while I'm over there because I'll be taking a lot of photos and doing lots of fun stuff.

Lots has happened since I last posted, I got a rabbit - a massive Flemish Giant named Puss, moved house, and I'm about to get a little Schipperke puppy! Not sure about what I'll name him yet but hopefully something comes to me between now and when I pick him up.

I've also become a vegetarian, mainly because I'm not a fan of supporting an industry that contributes so greatly to global warming through the release of greenhouse gasses, but also since having my own pets, I've become more aware of animal cruelty in the food industry and I definitely don't want to support that.

I'll be posting probably twice a week from now on, so post in the comments if there is something you'd like me to do a post about!

x x

Waking Up On A Rainy Day

At the moment I'm on a break from working, as my place of employment has temporarily shut while we move to a new location. That means around 1 or 2 months of me picking up shifts at other locations and lots of sleep-ins in between.

Today was one of those magical days when you wake up to pouring rain and realise you have nothing to do. My plan was to have a nice sleep-in but for whatever reason I can never seem to sleep past 8AM.
So instead I made myself a really healthy breakfast; rye toast with unsalted butter and organic honey, topped with a banana and chia seeds.

      

Rye is really good for you, as keeps you feeling full for longer, which can aid with weight loss.
I always eat unsalted butter as it is not as bad for your cholesterol levels, and if I'm craving something salty, I'll have the unsalted butter and sprinkle over some Himalayan rock salt. 
Organic honey has many nutritional and and healing properties, as it contains lots of vitamins and minerals. 
Chia seeds are full of omega-3 fatty acids and are loaded with fibre and protein - very good for me as a vegetarian as I don't have access to meat as a main source of protein. 

The 30-Day Minimalism Challenge

Day 6

Follow a morning ritual

This was an early start for me because I had to drive my brother to a photo-shoot but I still managed to follow my morning ritual for the weekend. I usually have to work early on Saturday and Sunday so I get up around 8 to have a shower and cleanse and moisturise my face. I don’t like to wear too much make-up at work because I don’t think its necessary but I do like a bit of mascara and some concealer if I have any major blemishes.

I like to have a simplified morning routine because I like to sleep late in the mornings, leaving me less time for doing make-up and other beauty rituals.

Day 7

Streamline your reading list

I love reading so my list of books to check out is always really long – what I usually do to keep them all in one place is to take photos of books that I want to read or write them in my notes on my phone, and then when I have time I put them on my Goodreads reading list. When I’ve read a book I can either delete it from the list or move it into my read books list and rate them. I think this is a really great website if you have a lot of books you want to read or you want to give people examples of what to get you as a gift – I use the site as almost a wish list!

Have a look at my list here

The 30-Day Minimalism Challenge

Day 4

No complaint day

I was surprised that this was a tricky one for me – you never notice how much you complain until you’re not allowed to for a whole day. I kept catching myself thinking negative thoughts and about to say them but by the end of the day I found it easier to keep complaints etc. to myself. I work in hospitality so its very common for my co-workers and I to complain if a customer was very fussy or rude (since it happens a lot!) but it felt good to hold myself back for once! I think its important to stay positive in a negative situation, it doesn’t make you a better person if you complain about something or someone al the time.

Day 5

Identify your 3 to 6 main priorities.

For New Years Eve, my best friend and I sat down together and wrote our goals and aspirations for the year into our diaries. It sounds really corny but doing this with someone else actually motivates you to keep going with what you’ve written. My main priorities this year would have to be:

1.     Go to the gym regularly and become more fit and healthy

2.     Save more of my money instead of spending it on things I don’t need or that don’t last

3.     Get high marks for my university assessments

4.     Sell my current car and buy a nicer one

5.     Get rid of possessions and clothes that I don’t need anymore

Doing this challenge is going to help me with the last one since I’ll have to clean out my wardrobe and decide which clothes are essential to me and which ones aren’t. I’m really excited to stick to my priorities this year – I like that I had to narrow them down so I don’t feel overwhelmed with how many things I want to achieve this year - it also leaves me time to relax without feeling guilty.

The 30-Day Minimalism Challenge

Day 3

Declutter your digital life

Today the challenge was really easy or me since I don’t really have a cluttered digital life. I keep all my passwords in one space so I don’t have multiple accounts, I have my email accounts signed on in the Mail app so I don’t need to go around checking multiple accounts and I don’t sign up to mailing lists that I’m not interested in. If I do find myself subscribed to something I usually immediately unsubscribe since I don’t like my inbox full of spam.

My tips would be to to keep al your emails in one space (like iMail), create folders for all your files so everything has its place, and go through your bookmarks every few months and delete the ones you don’t need or use anymore.

You can find the challenge and join me here.