Ways to embrace change

Hey readers, 

In life, there are going to be times when the change will occur and it can be hard but here are my top tips to help adjust to change in your life.

1. Personal growth. 

Sometimes to move on with your life and envolve change has to occur. Learning something new or having change your environment can have a positive impact on your personal growth. 

2. New Beginnings. 

Change can be good because it means you are open to new directions and allowing things to happen rather than being closed off and staying in the same life. We don't know what the future has to hold but trying something new means you are open and you never quite know what is around the corner. 

3. Acceptance.

Acceptance can be really calming because you have accepted the situation and allowing change to occur means that you have let go and allow the anxiety to sleep away. Being prepared and open allows you to keep hold of the positive energy and give you a better chance of succeeding with the change. 

4. Question your fears. 

Sometimes reflecting on the reasons why you feel anxious and going through positive affirmations to help ease anxiety when dealing with change. 

5 Ask for help. 

If you're really struggling sometimes asking for help such as having someone to talk to or getting someone to do something while you adjust to the situation can help adjust to the change in your life. 

6. You are not alone. 

I know sometimes dealing with anxiety regarding change can feel like you are the only person in the world to feel like this. However, you have to remember that everyone has fear over change and you not alone. 

 7. Victories.

When going through change it is important to celebrate the little victories to help you can confidence to move forward. 

8. Positives. 

A clear and defined way to help with change is to write down the positives that have come as a result of the change to help with the acceptance of the new direction that you are travelling down. 

9.  Back up plan. 

Always good to have a backup plan if you are scared then it might be useful to have something in place. You can slowly build your confidence by taking small steps to move forward. 

10. Vulnerability. 

It is ok to allow yourself to be vulnerable because we can't all be strong and have our sh*t together all the time. Sometimes, it is ok to vulnerable and not know what is happening with the time you will get through it and overcome the fear of the change and hey you may even be thankful of the change at a later date.

How do you deal with change? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. 

Cheers for reading X 

Purple swirl meringues recipe.

Hey readers, 

Check out this twist to the classic meringues with these fun and colourful swirl meringues.

Ingredients. 

★ Blue and purple colouring. 

★ 4 eggs. 

★ Caster sugar (we have golden as it is what we bake sponges with but use any you have).

**The sugar should be the same weight as what the eggs (with the shell on) are**. 

Method.  

1. Heat oven 150°c fan or equivalent. 

2. Make sure that everything is washed with a load of detergent even if you think it is clean as a tiny bit of oil/grease will stop the egg white from whisking. Wiping the bowls with lemon juice works a treat as a degreaser and speeds up the whisking later.

3. Measure out the same weight of caster sugar as your whole unbroken eggs. 

being stuck with golden castor doesn't matter because it only slightly dulls the white colour of the meringues. 

4. Separate the eggs and keep hold of the whites. Separate one egg at a time then put that white in the main bowl, this way if one yolk breaks you only lose one egg, not all the ones already separated (doing it this way with our children resulted in two individual eggs lost but thankfully not the whole batch each time) 

5. Put the sugar in a bowl with the eggs white. 

6. Whisk the mixture - a couple of minutes slow speed, couple of minutes medium speed and then medium or high speed until you get 'stiff' peaks. 

When you pull the whisk out the peaks should pull up and fold down on themselves gently. This is when you should be able to tip the bowl upside down. 

7. For the colour, take out a spoonful of the mix and put in one bowl and the same again in another bowl. 

8. In each colour bowl and a good squidge of colour and mix in a little. 

9. Put the blue mixture down one side of the piping bag. This was messy but we just did the best then laid the bag flat and squashed to the side with a silicone spatula on the outside of the bag. 

10. Repeat on the other side with the purple mixture - much messier.



11. Add all the white mixture in the centre of the bag the best you can, we used a tall jug to stand the bag in but a pint glass or vase works well too.

12. Pipe the mixture on the baking tray. Make sure that there is space between each meringue as they expand a little when baking in the oven. A little tip- put a tiny bit of meringue mixture on all the corners of the baking tray to help stick the greaseproof paper down.

13. Put the meringues into the oven on a low shelf and turn the oven down to 140°c - bake like this for 50 minutes. 

14. After 50 minutes, turn the oven off but leave the meringues in there and the door closed for a few hours until they are dried out and cold.
  

15. Put the meringues on a rack and melt some chocolate whichever way you find best - we use supermarket own milk 30%  cocoa and dark 70% cocoa mixed together- very nice. The easiest way for us is to break the chocolate up and place it in a bowl in the oven at either 40°c or 50°c for a few minutes.

16. Finally, the children dipped their bottoms into the chocolate then into either sprinkles or chopped hazelnuts. (the meringue bottoms, not their own!)

17. This produced a lovely light crisp meringue, if you want chewy or soft on the inside then you can experiment with a softer whisk consistency for chewy or couple of drops of vinegar and a small amount of cornflour for softer innards. Another method of bake we used to use was 120°c for 2 hours then turn the oven off, this seems to leave the meringue less 'hollow'.

Cheers for reading X 

My Sunday Photo 19/05/2019

5 things to remember when you feeling anxious.

Hey readers,

When in the depths of anxiety it can feel like aq turmoil in your brain. It can be hard to get past the feelings of anxiety. So here are five things to remember when you are feeling anxious.

1. It will pass. 

I know this probably obvious to people however when you are experiencing anxiety it is hard to see anything else. But remember it will pass as time goes on and they feels will end. Hold on to this thought and if you can reflect back to previous feelings of anxiety and remember that they passed.

2. Facts. 

Remember that anxiety thoughts are not facts but feelings. You don't have to believe them as they are just thoughts. There are millions of thoughts going through your mind and you have the choice to listen to them or not put any value on them, It is amazing when you let go the anxiety thoughts will disperse, however, it holds work so stick with it be worth it in the end. 

3. Change.

Sometimes it is easy to opt to stay in one place and feeding them anxious thoughts. A good way to help think about something else is to change the scenery, it does not have to be complicated it could simply be a walk down the road or around your local park. Changing the scenery is great for the mind especially getting fresh air makes a big difference. 

4. You are not alone. 

When going through an anxious time it can help so lonely and like you are the only one person suffering from anxiety, however, that is not true and there are many people who suffer from anxiety and from all walks of life. It doesn't matter what your age, wealth or background anyone could experience in anxiety. It is a known fact that people in the UK 1 in 4 people experience mental health problems each year. 

5. It is ok. 

It is ok not to be ok. It is ok to have anxiety and sometimes just accepting the anxiety can help reduce the stress and pressure that builds up from the stress of worrying about it all.  

Cheers for reading X

My Sunday photo 12/05/2019

16 thoughts whilst on my period

Hey readers,

Today I am going to talk about periods and that thought that occurs when I am going through the dreading menstruation. Some people may think this is a bit too much information but at the end of the day, it is so important to talk about periods to help period taboos.

So, what kind of thoughts do I have when I am on my period.....

1. Everything is annoying me, even the bloody kettle that leaks are getting right on my nerves right now. 

2. I hate my husband, absolutely 100% because he doesn't have the pleasure of having to deal with a period every sodding month.

3. I am hungry, from the moment I wake till I sleep I can not stop thinking about food and eating. 

4. I feel like someone is stabbing me in the stomach or kicking me as the cramps are taking over and I hate life. 

5. Why do they say periods last 5 days, this is a joke because mine don't and maybe Mother Nature hares so much she tortures me with a prolonged period time. 

6. Right now I am so full of emotions, one minute I am happy and then the next I am having a full-on breakdown because of the anxiety and fear that comes with having a period. 

7. I am definitely not wearing white because that is too dame risky.

8. Got to reach in the bottom of the draw for my 'period pants', all black, big and comfy around the waist.

9. I am out and randomly my period has arrived is it alright too makeshift and use toilet tissue for a pad? 

10. I think I am dying because there is no other way to explain this pain right now. 

11. If I sneeze whilst on my period that is a risk attached and probably best not to do in public unless you want it to look like a murder scene. 

12. I have eaten this tub of ice cream which is acceptable since I am on my period. I now have dealt and think I may become ever fattier and my life is destroyed by one single action. 

13. I wish I could live my bed for the next few days with my heated blanket on to deal with cramp pains and killing two birds with one stone by hiding away from the world because everyone annoys the hell out of me. 

14. Chocolate should be mandatory with sanitary wear just because it is helpful for when you are on your period, fact. 

15.  Why do men think they understand periods? you don't know the half of it so does all a favour with your advice f*ck off with it. 

16. When I start my period it comes to the realisation of why things happened recently and has enlightened me since being on my period. 

Have you experienced any of these period related thoughts? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Cheers for reading X 

Why is silence good?

Hey readers, 

Since recently I have found that I have really enjoyed now and again just sitting in my room in the evening when it is dark and just lying down on the bed. I just find it really calming and it got me thinking about silence the benefits of it for your health. So, in this post, I give you my reasons why you should embrace the silence in your life. 

Sleep. 

It is good to engage in silence during periods throughout the day as it can help with getting to sleep and insomnia. I think one the reasons is because you are taking time out to allow the noise to disperse and have the time to wind down during periods of silence which can help reduce the overactive thoughts that can occur during the day. This help calms down your mind when you go to bed at night because you are dealing with the thoughts. 

Relax.

When you actively enhance with having moments of silence in your day it is dealing with the tension so you can relax more. This, therefore, can help relieve tension as it is not being built up in your body as you are having periods when you calm and peaceful in silence.

Brain.

The brain needs time to rest without having constant stimulation. When you are embracing the silence you are shutting off more noise, therefore, allowing your brain to have a much-needed rest. 

Noise. 

Participating in silence allows me to think more and cut down on the noise. 

Rest.

  When I am having silent periods I allow my body and mind to rest. Therefore this opportunity of silence gives me the time to replenish our energy sources making my day much more manageable. 

Repair. 

  

Again the idea that having silence helps generate brain cells which mean overall will lead to a more better productive day because you are giving the brain change to heal and grow through silence and being still during the day.

Health.

 Research has shown that being silent during the day can help with lowering blood pressure which helps prevent a heart attack and boosts your immune system.

Mood.

  Being silence helps to get rid of frustration by letting go and just being quiet.

Listen.

 When you take up the art of being silent it allows you to listen to your mind and body with the messages it wants you to hear. 

Ways in which you can embrace silence in your day to day life. 

One way of embracing the silence is lying in your bed for five minutes before getting up or vice versa but don't turn anything on and just lie down and embrace the silence. 

Alternatively, you don't need to be inside to allow silence in your life just going for a peaceful walk outside but with no music on and just be present with the environment around you. 

Just sit die down on a bench and just watch the world go by.  

Do you enjoy the silence? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. 

Cheers for reading X