Exchanging wine for a water bobble

I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling a bit blugh after all the buffets and chocolate and maybe a glass or 5 of wine consumed over the silly season. My body is actually craving a salad and water not a sentence i thought i would ever be writing but there you go.

This year Santa brought me a really innovative gift in my stocking a cute little thing called a water bobble its basically a really cool looking water bottle that filters tap water as you drink it. Literally you just fill it under the tap and off you go really handy. .

 

Today has been the first day i have properly been able to use my bobble as since Christmas i have been sharing it with little E as he took rather a fancy to it. I'm not complaining though anything that gets a child choosing to drink water definitely gets my vote. He gave mine a proper test drive its been dropped several times, tipped upside down on numerous occasions and did not drip or leak. Today i popped out and bought him his own as drinking more water is definitely a good thing for both of us for a healthy new year.  I brought little E the small size for £8.99 and my larger one i saw would of been £9.99. When you think the average small bottle of water purchased out costs around £1 in just over a week the water bobble will pay for its self.

All the toys and he wants my bobble!

I can honestly say having it on the side i have regularly taken sips of water instead of going for the old habit of sticking the kettle on for a caffeine fix. So my first baby step towards a healthier new year is well under way and i had forgotten just how lovely and refreshing water really is.

http://www.waterbobble.com/

I hope your new years have started well and if health is on your list of resolutions i definitely recommend you try a bobble.

Its always lovely to hear your comments and suggestions and meet other bloggers so feel free to leave a comment below or join me as a follower.

Thought of the day ................  Water is the new wine !

Oh no not more resolutions

Happy 2012 everyone xxx

The time is finally here for those new years resolutions you know those good intentions we all have !!!!!
This year my resolution is not to make any resolutions as i know very well that much as i may wish it this time next week i wont be a stone lighter.

Instead I'm going to think a bit more long term and put little baby steps in place. I generally want to be healthier and my first step to that is drinking more water, i would like to get fitter and that can easily be achieved with activities with my very active little boy instead of trying to cram a gym visit into an already over full day.

There are plenty of things to look forward to this year we will be moving house at the end of January and starting the mortgage challenge by moving and improving in the bid for mortgage freedom.

I'm looking forward to becoming a  #grooving mum a loveley weekly blog hop with other mums getting their groove back.
 http://kateonthinice.wordpress.com/how-to-be-a-groovy-mum/

I have just joined photo 365 to take a photograph a day for a year a lovely way to record a year i think.
http://photo365.org/

My biggest long term aim is the day zero project  to list  101 things i would like to do in 1001 days this is a really exciting project and i will update my progress on making it as mum.

This year will also see me celebrate a big birthday as in a few short months i will turn the big 40 how scary is that !

I wish you all a very very happy new year and look forward to hopping over to your blog soon xx

Thought of the day.................. Bring on 2012 I'm ready xx

End of year ritual, the new year waiting room

The year is finally coming to a close all presents have been exchanged a months worth of calories has been consumed in a matter of days and children and parents everywhere are just starting to crash and burn after all the Christmas excitement.

The time between Christmas and new year is always a bit like no mans land a kind of waiting area for the new year to begin with all its promise of fresh starts and resolutions. I often find myself wishing it away as I'm eager to start a fresh with new plans and ideas but often then forget to use the waiting area to live the moment and find time of refection and celebration.

I was inspired by Holly Beckers end of year ritual to use the time to reflect on this years accomplishments before planning full steam ahead.
http://decor8blog.com/2011/12/29/end-of-year-ritual-list-your-accomplishments/

I think this is a great idea as often we just rush around always planning in our heads what we need to do next so much that we are not even present in what we are currently doing. We rarely take the time to see how far we have come or congratulate ourselves on what we have achieved too busy focusing on what we didn't achieve.

Looking back over 2011 is a bit scary my instinct is to dwell on and berate myself for time i feel i have wasted but if i look closely even the things that did not go so well have taught me valuable lessons and i have learnt new skills as a result so this is an achievement in its self.

I have made a lot of life changes this year and like many mums have realised that you cant have it all therefore to focus on whats really important and just let the rest go. I would far rather be enjoying time with my family than paying someone to look after them, this has meant having to creatively survive on less money but again in this i found new ways to use my skills.

The skill of being creative with less money inspired me to start blogging and  making it as mum was born, i am the least technical person i know so had to learn a new skill from scratch and I'm so glad i did, i have met some wonderful people and found lots of wonderful blogs. I followed the little mummy free blog course and found it really easy to follow for a novice like me and definitely recommend it to anyone thinking of starting a blog. http://www.littlemummy.com/mum-blogger-e-course/

Following the mum blogger course also gave me the confidence to try become a mumpreneur this again is a fantastic course that helped me to re asses my skills and see how i could be a great mum and earn an income.
http://www.becomeamumpreneur.com/

This course for me turned up a surprising result as i realised that i could use my retail visual merchandising skills and my love of property to move and improve and set the mortgage challenge (there's money in the house) http://makingitasmum.blogspot.com/2011/12/theres-money-in-house.html?utm_source=BP_recent

My mum has become housebound this year as is very poorly and i look back over the year and see that although i have felt stressed and often overwhelmed by responsibility i have done a great job of holding the family together and I'm really proud of myself for that. I am glad that my mum gets to stay in her own home for as long as possible with the care and support i can give her.

I love designing and decorating and my favourite project this year was definitely my little boys room that was achieved on a really tight budget and is something to look back this year on with pride.
http://makingitasmum.blogspot.com/2011/11/nautical-boat-bedroom-on-budget.html

I'm also proud of being the best mum and wife i can be, I'm very far from perfect but i do the very best i personally can do to ensure i have a happy and healthy family.

Before i started writing this post at first glance 2011 was a year i thought i was pleased to say goodbye to but on closer inspection i see how many precious moments pass in a year that barely get the praise they deserve and it truly is worthwhile spending a few moments in the new year waiting room and being grateful for the present moment before welcoming in the new year.

Take a little time  to reflect and celebrate 2011 and feel free to share your thoughts and comments.
Lets hope 2012 brings as many good things our way, Happy new year everyone xxxxxxxxxxx

Thought of the day.......... Live the moment