Journeys Are My Diary

Life, Adventures, Entertainment and more - A little bit of everything blog!

Life Lately

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As you’ll have seen, I haven’t been posting as much recently as I did before I went on holiday to Florida. At first it was tiredness and a need to get the holiday clothes washed, the house straight and life back to normal etc. Then it was procrastination of all the things I wanted to post about to do with the holiday. Finally life got busy again, then it got tiring and then it all just piled up! This week has been bank holiday weekend, half term and tomorrow it will be my birthday. I’ve mostly been concentrating on spending time with my kids as it’s nice to have some time together.

However I’ve made some decisions, because I know it’s been holding me back with my blogging. While I fully intended to do a post about each Disney World Park and Universal Orlando, I just can’t find the motivation to do so. As so I’m writing off my holiday as thoroughly enjoyable but I don’t want to ruin it by dragging out long posts that just feel like hassle. So if you want to read about my Florida trip, read Monday Round-ups week 14, 15 and 16. We had a fantastic time and maybe some time in the future I’ll write up some sort of tips post but for now I’m done with Florida.

I have a few posts however that I do still want to catch up on – one is Nutella Cheesecake, another is MCM Comic Con this last weekend and undoubtedly I’d like to post about any birthday celebrations I get up to over the next few days. Otherwise I’m starting fresh next week, onwards and upwards, hopefully more motivated.

I’m now working (volunteer) in school and getting some office experience, so my free time isn’t as free as it was. However I’m really hoping to get back to my sewing machine too and run up a few more creations. I’d like to open a store and maybe sell a few of them but that’s a work in progress right now so we’ll see how that goes on. I’d also like to write murder mysteries but there doesn’t seem to be spare minutes for that.

Finally I’m really wanting to get my house sorted over the next few months. Today I laid lino in the front doorway, with the help of the girls. This is a small job but one that has needed doing for a long time now. I’m going to make a list of everything that needs doing, from big jobs to small and get cracking with it. Every day there becomes more and more reasons to move and less and less reasons to stay.

If I get time, I’ll post about my birthday stuff on Saturday, then 52 Project on Sunday and my Monday Round-up again on Monday. After that I’ll start a fresh and renewed hopefully, bringing posts because I want to, not because I feel I have to! Hope you’re all having a great week. Please check in again soon.

Happy 7th Birthday Lily!

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This was my first glimpse of Lily May Smith, on 10th October 2007.

Born on March 5th, 2008, Lily turns 7 today and I honestly can’t believe it!

Despite the fact I was huge while pregnant, Lily was born smaller than Megan. Like the terrible mother I am, I don’t remember exactly how much she weighed or at what time she was born, but I made the effort to find her red book and look it up – her weight at least. Born around 4pm and weighing 6lb 15oz, Lily May Smith was my second baby girl to be born. For the first year of her life, she was an awful child. She cried too much, she was grumpy and miserable, but I loved her regardless. She hated affection, shied away from kisses and literally scratched at you when you hugged her. However I vowed that I would give her all the love in the world, whether she wanted it or not.

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Lily is now one of the most loving children I have ever met. Her hugs can literally turn a bad mood, good again. She is funny and kind, with a smile that makes anger melt away. Though she has sometimes taken a back-burner to Megan (since Megan’s incredibly smart and mature), Lily is amazing. I couldn’t ask for two nicer children and I’m so glad that Lily is one of them.

Happy 7th birthday, Lily May Smith! Here’s to many many more!

Goals and Hopes for 2015

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So its been a week since New Year’s Day and I haven’t gotten around to posting about my New Year Resolutions yet! Part of that has just been because there has been so many other things to do, but partly it was deliberate – to see how the year got going. Last year in January, I posted about everything I hoped to do during the year. I then wrote a round-up post in December, talking about how well I’d gotten on. My hopes and goals covered everything from my blog, to my weight and fitness, to keeping in touch with friends. This year I want to do the same, especially given how much life has changed in the last 12 months.

On New Year’s Day, I involved the kids in a sort of “New Year” game. As I knew I wanted to write some resolutions, I encouraged them to do the same. We then decided we’d write them all down, roping Chris in to participate as well. It only took us about 10-15 minutes but it was a nice and fun activity to do as a family. Once we were done, we sealed them all in an envelope, to open next year and see how we got on. Lily made a copy of her resolutions, to place on the wall of her room to remind her. I’ll still be interested to see how everyone got on.

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Above you can see Chris’, Megan’s and Lily’s New Year Resolutions. For the most part, Chris was just participating because we asked him to, but it was nice that he did. His resolutions included eating healthier, learning to drive and being a better boyfriend (haha!). Megan wants to blog more, start a YouTube channel and write a book. Lily really just wants to join in – writing a blog, helping Megan with a YouTube channel, and basically being a good little girl. A lot of Lily’s were her ideas, but they are based on things she has picked up around her or things she’s been moaned at for recently. Anyway, the point is, everyone wants to try and I guess we’ll see how we get on!

Put on the spot, I couldn’t really think of what I wanted to do. Above you can see what I managed. I’d like to reach my goal weight and maintain it. I’d like to work from home rather than have to look for another job. I’d like to get some of the outstanding DIY jobs done and get the house on the market for sale. I’d “like” to Vlog. I’d like to get more of a handle on my debt and money. I’d like to write a book. However, what I’d really like to do, is expand on these ideas and set myself some realistic targets for the year!

This is what I’ve come up with:

Blog Stuff
– One of the main things I wanted to do this year, was go self-hosted. It was actually something I hoped to get done last year, but what with one thing or another, I never got around to it. Since I was so determined to do it this year, I actually kick started the year that way. While I say it was a goal for 2015, I can actually confirm that I’ve already done it – my blog was officially moved to it’s own little space on January 6th.
– Last year, Amy and I organised a blog meet, best known as #LincsBlogMeet. I was really pleased with how well it went and would love to organise another this year.
– Overall I really just want to try harder with my blog this year. By the end of last year, I was posting daily, trying out new content and had gained almost 700 followers throughout the year. I’d like to continue on with this, making my blog thrive, getting myself out there and really just seeing what the blogging life will bring.

Money
– Ugh. This time last year, I’d gotten myself in quite a bad financial situation. I did manage to sort it out and get myself on a better footing. However, just weeks ago I managed to make myself jobless, so I really don’t know how I’ll end up financially. I’d love to get to grips with it all over the next year. While I can’t possibly imagine being any better off, this time next year, I do hope to have not gotten any worse.
– Sort of connected to this, I hope to be able to earn money in other ways, that don’t require actually getting a physical job. I’d love to earn money through blogging, jewellery making, clothes sewing or writing a book or murder mysteries.

Family
– This time last year, I hope to be able to save and book a family holiday. However this year we are embarking on the holiday of a lifetime – to Florida. I don’t plan to book any other holidays, because of that, but I do hope to provide everyone with an enjoyable time. I also hope to be able to book something smaller – just a few days break – perhaps around October half term time.
– I already know (and have noticed) that not working will make me a better mum. I was genuinely very miserable in my last job and I know at times it made me snappier and angrier than I should be. I hope to move forward in this year, keep my calm more, spend better quality time with the kids and really just be a happier, more pleasant mum to be around.

Friends
– I feel like I should make a resolution to ensure our group of friends continue to get together, though I’m honestly not sure what. With Florida coming up in April, we have basically said there will be no murder mysteries between now and then, largely to save on money. However already I’m itching to have a get together, so maybe I’ll have to sort something out. I guess the best I can do, it attempt to organise one event per month – be it a meal out, a games night, a quiet drink or whatever else. Ultimately money will be a very controlling factor of the get togethers this year.

House
– As I’ve previously mentioned, I really want to get on top of the house this year. We originally moved into this house in Gainsborough, in July 2013. The view was to work on the house for a year, looking to sell the following summer. However that year has been and gone and really only a few little bits have been tackled. This year I really want to get to grips with the house and maybe even get it on the market this summer. It would be lovely to be living back in Saxilby by Christmas.
– I’d love to be a better “house wife” this year. Over the last year, the house has really felt neglected. As well as actually painting and decorating, I’d like to be cleaner and tidier. Little things, even like doing the dishwasher daily, keeping on top of the washing etc. will all make a big difference to our lives.

Health and Fitness
– This is a really big one for me this year. I want to hit my target of 10 stone (that’s from 13 stone 3lb where I started last year), preferably by April and our Florida holiday. I’d then like to maintain that weight, throughout the year. I have already started to eat better, watching the calories, and I hope to actually get a bit more fit, toned and exercise. I’ve already been looking for an online self defense training course that spikes my interest. My plan is to work at home, and I’ve always been interested in learning a bit about martial arts and self defense as a whole, so it should make for a nice and useful workout. Yesterday I bought a sports bra, an armband to hold my phone and some earphones. A few days before, I also purchased an ab roller. Though I will admit I haven’t managed any fitness yet, I do hope to get myself motivated!

Creativity
– This year I will participate in NaNoWriMo. I really really wanted to last year, but it just wasn’t possible with plans for Megan’s birthday and also working. If I’m still not working by November, I will definitely participate.
– I hope to improve any and all creative skills this year. In the last few months of last year, my dressmaking skills really improved. I’d love to get more into my jewellery, try out my new Paper Panda kit, improve my cake making skills etc etc. I really hope with more time on my hands, I can definitely get in touch with my creative side.
– In an ideal world, I’d like to earn a living through one of my creative outlets. See Career!

Career
– I quit my job, literally 3 weeks ago. I didn’t plan to and I felt it was quite irresponsible of me, but I can’t deny I’m 100 times happier now. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll figure out all my finances and see where I stand. However my perfect career move at this time, would be to work from home. I have a variety of options and maybe all of them combined would be the best idea right now. However ultimately I’d like to be able to stay at home and concentrate more on being a mum, being creative, sorting out the house etc.
– While in an ideal world, I don’t want to go back to work, I know that it would be more responsible if I do. Getting a mortgage would be easier for a start, as would providing money into the household. As such, I plan to volunteer in school for some office work, to give myself experience. This to me is giving a negative situation (quitting my job) a positive outcome (getting experience). Once I have some experience, getting a job within school – in the office – would be far more enjoyable, than what I was doing before.

Life
– I wasn’t really sure where some of this stuff fit, so I decided to add an extra category. I guess a “me” category would also work. This year I would like to get a divorce and try to look for a credible divorce lawyer. I have been separated from my husband for over 4 years now and we’re still not divorced. I wouldn’t say I was in a rush to do it but I wish I could just justify £100 for one of these online divorce services.
– Vlogging. Perhaps you’re wondering why I didn’t put this in the blog section – well I’ll explain. I don’t want to vlog, in replacement of my blog. In fact, I don’t really “want” to vlog at all. What I do want to do, is push the boundaries of my comfort zone. Last year on my blog, I did about 3 outfit posts – something which a year ago I wouldn’t have thought possible. This year I’d like to vlog, even just once, just to push myself out of my comfort zone and into untested waters!
– Another tattoo.

Entertainment
– As always, something a little fun to end with. Movies, I’d love to do 52 again this year. I’d also like to have seen at least 6 movies at the cinema. I’m off to a good start, having already seen one in January!
– With regard to reading, I really want to manage at least one a month, if not more. Last year I failed miserably but that’s really because I felt like I had so much to do, that I didn’t have time for “down time”. This year I will make the most of me time and get more reading done. Target is 12 but I’d love to hit 24.

So there you have it – my aims, hopes, goals and resolutions for the New Year. None of them are “unbreakable” which is why I don’t really like to refer to them as resolutions, but I do hope to be able to stick to majority and achieve any goals. Check back in a year to see how I did haha!

2014 in Review – This Year’s Goals

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Almost a year ago, I made a list of all the things I hoped to achieve during 2014. At the end of the year, I wanted to take a look back and see what I hoped for and what I’ve managed to actually succeed in. In a few days time, I’ll be putting together a new list of goals for 2015 and maybe looking back will help me decide what it is I want this coming year!

Blog Stuff
This time last year, one of the things I vowed to do with my blog, was post at least once a week and if possible 2-3 times a week. I definitely achieved this for majority of the weeks, in fact for the last 3-4 months of the year, I was posting every day! As well as that, I said I would try to advertise myself more, mingle on Social Media and make blog friends. I’m confident to say that for the most part, I did do all these things. I know I definitely need to try harder on social media and hopefully in the upcoming months/years, make more friends too. Finally, my last goal with blogging, was to attend a Blog Meet. Not only did I attend one, but I also arranged one, so I’m pretty pleased with that! Also, though it wasn’t a goal, I started off the new year with 53 followers. Now at the end of the year, I have almost 700 more. Though the current total fluctuates a little, at the time of posting, my followers on Bloglovin’ were 735. I’m pretty proud of this!

Money
I’m sad to say, that really my money situation is no better than last year. I made the goals of getting myself out of debt – which I did to some extent – but I also know I could have been much better. I also aimed to save, by starting a saving scheme of £1 in week one, £2 in week two, £3 in week three etc. and about 7-8 weeks in, this all came crashing down. I would say I’m probably in a slightly more manageable financial situation than last year, but having just quit my job – I obviously have no idea how that will turn out.

Family
For the new year, one of the most important resolutions I made, was to shout less, keep calm and make the most of my time with the kids. I think for the most part I definitely achieved this and while working has definitely placed a strain on me, I’ve gradually got better at dealing with it. I’m looking forward to a few months without working so much and hoping it continues on calm and enjoyable like Christmas holidays have been. The other goal I set, was to plan and go on a family holiday – preferably Rome. A few weeks after making my goals, my mum announced she would be taking us to Florida in 2015 so really all savings needed to go into this. We did manage a few nights away in Berwick though, along with a visit to Edinburgh. We also had the odd day out, with visits to The Deep & Hull, Butlins in Skegness (though mum paid for this), Eureka, Adventure Farm, Harry Potter Studios, Warwick Castle, days at the cinema and other fun stuff too.

Friends
I only set one goal this year and that was to host a gathering at least once a month, to touch base with all my friends – especially the ones at a bit more of a distance. I’m trying to work out in my head if I managed this and I think I pretty much did. In January I think we had a games night, in February a Valentine’s Murder Mystery, March had both Amy’s birthday Murder Mystery and Chris’ birthday games night, with April having an Easter Murder Mystery. May had both Erika’s birthday Murder Mystery and my birthday Murder Mystery, along with a Eurovision Song Contest night. June had my brother’s birthday Murder Mystery and July had Chris Boatman’s birthday Murder Mystery. A large group of us also attended Comic Con in July and while I didn’t host it, I definitely organised it. Sadly in September, we didn’t actually hold any official gathering. I’m pretty sure we had a games night or two, but it was just 4-5 of us, which I guess still counts. October had Halloween, November had Nat’s birthday Murder Mystery and December had both Megan’s Murder Mystery (involving mostly my friends) and the Christmas Murder Mystery. Next year will probably be far quieter but I’ll need to make some effort to organise something.

House
Before I even refer back to my goals, I already know I’ll have done badly on this one. Sadly the year has just been so busy and working took up so much time, that nothing ever really got done on the house. One of my goals was to have the kitchen finished, the garden cleared and the hallway painted. In fairness, the hallway is pretty much done and the garden did get cleared, so its not as bad as I thought. Unfortunately nothing really got done on the kitchen so perhaps that’s a goal for this coming year – along with many others. Tidy and clean more was another goal and while I’ve probably done better than 2013, I know it still needs more. Just over the Christmas period I’ve got to grips with certain areas, so hopefully being off work will mean more time spent on the house!

Health and Fitness
This was a bit of a mixed bag, when it came to success and failure. Get back on track with my diet and achieve my 10 stone target, was goal number one. With the help of Weight Loss Wednesday, over at Twice the Mum, I managed to drop 22 pounds. I still have another 23 pounds to go, to obtain my 10 stone target, but I’m confident over the next 3-4 months, that I should hit that goal. I wanted to find a healthy lifestyle and stick to it, along with go swimming more and venture onto the Wii Fit. I can hand on heart say that I didn’t really manage any of those things, except in summer when we went swimming more – largely to get Lily swimming and improve Megan’s swimming. Finally I wanted to quit smoking altogether and I’m glad to say I’ve managed this one. While I will admit I’ve had the odd one here and there, I’m not smoking on a regular basis and I’m definitely not purchasing them.

Creativity
I failed miserably on my creativity goals. I wanted to write more of my book – preferably finishing it – and take part in some sort of writing competition. I didn’t add a single word to my book (though I did help Megan plan one) and while I was > < this close to participating in NaNoWriMo, life just got far too busy and it wasn’t possible. That said, I did write a murder mystery for Megan’s Birthday and I did get creative in other ways – mainly clothes making and sewing. I’m hoping that some form of creativity is going to find me a new occupation in the upcoming year.

Career
My one goal for my career, was to find a way to work at home. While that didn’t really work out, I guess since I did actually quit my job on December 17th, I can technically say I completed this. I’m unsure what the new year will bring but I do know I’m not actually looking for a job. I have several things I want to do, but everything involves staying afloat, building up a business and/or planning for a better future job.

Entertainment
Finally, in my list of goals, were some easy-going entertainment related goals. I vowed to read more books and watch more movies, even setting myself some targets. For reading, I set myself the goal of one book per month. Some months this would have been easy to accomplish, while others it felt impossible. Being out of the house between 8am and 4pm every day, definitely took its toll on my leisure time and I’m sad to say I only got 9 out of the 12 read (and even then only 6 of those were completed). I did enjoy some really good books this year, but sadly I also got stuck on some really rubbish ones too. Next year I hope to improve this figure and read a lot more. With regards to movies, I set the target of 52, working out as one per week. At one point I thought I was nowhere near, but counting up now I’ve actually watched 68 movies this year. 4 of those movies, I watched whilst being on my computer (so didn’t fully watch) but even deducting that, I still clocked in at 64, which is 12 over my target!

All in all, I know that I tried. Looking back, I’m pretty pleased with everything I accomplished. I know its a bit of a cop-out, but working (and specifically the job I worked) was definitely my main stumbling block this year. I felt constantly tired, constantly like I didn’t have time for the things I wanted to do and fairly constantly miserable. I feel very positive, moving into the new year, knowing this hurdle is now gone. I know there will be other things that cause issues this year, but fingers crossed it will be a happier year overall!

My Day in London

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Later on today, you’ll read all about my week as a whole, however I wanted to post specifically about my day in London too. This time last week, I was boarding my train in Newark North Gate, to take me down to London’s Kings Cross – where I would spend an unknown amount of time – getting my hair cut!

I started off the day, by dropping off the girls with my mum. Their dad was actually having them for a few days, but he wasn’t picking them up till 11am, so she offered to have them till then. I drove to Newark and parked my car, getting on a train at 10.18am. I was feeling a bit bummed out, so I buried my head in a book and that took up the majority of the journey.

When I arrived at Kings Cross Station, I immediately headed to Platform 9 3/4 shop. I was wanting to grab my bearings, look up on the map where I was going, check my oyster card etc. I headed into the store and picked up a few Christmas gifts. I also snapped a pic of the platform again. It’s sort of what I do!

After figuring out where I needed to go, I decided to head for Covent Garden first. I had plenty of time and I needed to pop into Build-a-Bear. While I was in Covent Garden I managed to pick up the Anna and Elsa Build-a-Bear costumes that the girls wanted and I also popped into the Disney Store there. I then went for a wander, wasting time before I needed to catch the tube again. As I was rounding the corner, on my way back to the station. I spotted a Five Guys burger joint. I had first eaten Five Guys when I went to New York and had told everyone I hoped to find one when visiting Florida next year. I couldn’t believe it when I found one in London. Of course, I had to eat there. I ordered a bacon cheese burger and it was amazing.

I headed back to the tube station, only to find it was closed as an entrance and was exit only. Instead I headed to Leicester Square and then it was an easy journey on the Northern Line, to Googe Street. From there it was just a short walk, to Saco where I was getting my hair cut.

Whether you want a complete colour change, quick trim or top-to-toe beauty experience, at the link there is a round-up of the Charle A Hair Studio beauty team’s favourite salons.

Saco is a well known Hair Salon, specialising in Education. It was for that reason I was invited to have my hair cut, since the salon was training some Brazilian students. It was definitely an interesting experience but it took a LONG time. I arrived at the salon for 1.30pm and it was almost 6pm by the time I left. While I don’t have very good pictures (and I forgot to take an actual “before” picture), these show the change!

Though I wanted to head straight home, I also wanted to head to the big Disney Store. I headed for the tube and to Oxford Street, popping into the store. It was beautifully decorated and I spent much more time looking around than I expected to. However it didn’t have the one item I wanted, so I left empty handed!

After the Disney Store, I considered Primark but really I just wanted to go home. Instead I headed for home, stopping at a M&S to grab a salad and an apple juice. I arrived back at Kings Cross for about 7pm and then found there was a train within five minutes so had to run for it. I grabbed the train and headed home. My phone ran out half way so I just read until I got into Newark. When in the car, I charged my phone and headed back home. I was super tired but Chris loved my hair so that was really great.

That was my adventure to London! Interesting as always but a great escape from every day life!