Meatless Monday {2020

So here we are: week 33 of Meatless Monday 2020… weather has calmed down to a nice temperature and we got back into regular walks again… So nice to be out all together appreciating and absorbing nature 🙂

Here’s what we wore:

Me: Yoga T-Shirt: New on eBay, Jeans: GAP, Cardigan: F&F at Tescos, Bamboo Socks: Sock Shop, Right as Rain Coat: Joules

Boys: Jeans/ Chinos: Various sources/gifted/thrifted, T-shirts: TU Sainsburys, Trainers: Clarks

What’s in my ears:

I have two stand out things I listened to this week. One was the next episode of the Michelle Obama Podcast in which she has a frank conversation with her OB-GYN and friend Dr. Sharon Malone about women’s health and all the different things which effect our lives in different ways to men and how the workplace and the world in general still so often doesn’t accommodate these things well enough and how there is still so much honesty and removal of shame around these subject which needs to happen to make the world more equal. This podcast is a start, but I wholeheartedly agree we need to make sure we keep talking to our sons and our daughters alike, not in a gross way, but just in an honest way, so the next generation understand that half the population of the world does have periods and may one day have babies and give birth and will go through menopause and we need to remove the stigma around it all, so its not this big thing that people don’t talk about until they’re dealing with it, which I feel like unfortunately it still is in a lot of ways. I think great that such famous women are using their platform to discuss all these things and tackle them head on . I think brands are starting to get to grips with this too (eg the latest BodyForm campaign #wombstories which I featured a in my Meatless Monday post a few weeks ago)… I’m ever hopeful that the future will be more equal, more truthful, more free, but I guess as with everything we just need to keep doing our bit towards this goal for all :):

My second stand out thing I listened to this week was this oh so relevant episode from the wonderful Naptime Empires Podcast with Nikki Elledge Brow entitled “Dear Overthinker”, it really spoke to me this week, as I definitely can be an over thinker (in case you didn’t already know) but I always find it helpful to know I’m not the only one 🙂 … Here is the synopsis…

If you’re tempted to overthink, overcomplicate, and overanalyse the next (okay almost EVERY) move in your business, treat yourself to this episode. In this one I share some of my most relevant “overthinking” stories, the loving wake up calls that snapped me out of ’em, and a few simple Qs you can ask yourself when you find your work feeling harder and heavier than it needs to. It’s an invitation to bring more FUN, flow, and ease into your work. Because seriously – it’s all a matter of choice. SHOW NOTES: www.naptimeempires.com FB GROUP: www.naptimeempires.com/facebook
Podbean

Here’s my week in 4:

Converting to washable pads: I am a washable pad convert! This is the way forward and forever 😊 one of my most successful #ecoswaps and I highly recommend you source from some of the fabulous unique @etsyuk sellers so that (my favourites I’ve found so far are: @p.ssypads, @fannypaddams & @raghagshop ) you #supportsmallbusiness with your swap too 😊 ❤️ ♀️♻️ 🌍. Here are some of the top pros of making this swap:

Whilst buying enough pads to get you through a whole period may take you a while (I just bought a couple a month until I had a collection big enough – then I felt good that I was improving my environmental impact month on month) once you do they can easily last you up to 5 years, and you will not have to buy any disposable pads/tampons in theory in that time, so the cost saving is likely to add up to around £100 a year!
Reusable pads keep a lot of disposable products out of landfills. It’s estimated that the typical woman uses more than 11,000 feminine hygiene products in her lifetime. And that’s just one woman. Needless to say, that’s a lot of trash and money. Reusable products last much longer and stand up to multiple uses. They also don’t contain the toxic chemicals that disposables seem to have that can’t be good for your body or the environment.
Cloth pads are made from soft, breathable fabrics that allow for air flow. This means there’s less sweating, irritation and chafing when you wear reusable cloth pads. Some women are sensitive to the bleaching agents used to get disposable pads’ pristine white colour; switching to cloth pads is an immense relief to many women because of that. Some even say that once they switched, their menstrual cramps and P.M.S. decreased dramatically. And thanks to increased air flow, there’s less chance of getting a yeast infection when you’re wearing cloth pads.
You can get them in so many different cool fabrics prints – regardless of what your style is.
They are easy to manage out and about as when you need to change them they just fold in on themselves and popper up into a neat little package until you can get home and wash them.
You can support small makers and sellers by making this swap, and I really do suggest you do it this way, as I did buy a batch lot on Amazon, but decided to return un-used as they were just not at all the same quality as the ones I have found on etsy.

Though this is an American video its really informative and has some great tips about how to use pads, what options there are and how to care for them too 🙂

2. Wrest Park with on a family playdate: We had a playdate this week with the boys cousins and aunties, it was so lovely to see everyone and we went back to one of our favourite local places, Wrest Park, which has stunning and vast grounds for the kids to run around in. We did have some challenging threenager moods throughout the day, but it was still lovely regardless. I think I might give the boys their backpacks with a drink, a toy, a snack and a muz going forward for day trips as we might have some less drama as a result I suspect 😉 you live and you learn.

3. Earth Overshoot Day {22nd August 2020}: I have to be honest, I learn of the existence of Earth Overshoot Day, this year on Instagram, but it really has got me thinking, for those of you who also haven’t heard of it before…

So-called Earth Overshoot Day – the date when humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth can renew annually – has crept steadily earlier since the 1970s, according to the Global Footprint Network.
Science-alert.com

(There’s also a quick video to explain it below)

The good news is due to the global pandemic, and lock-down, our date has gone later in the year for the first time in years. This gives me hope that we can all make a difference if we all become more mindful and start changing every day things which we do, we start recycling. we buy less plastic, we teach our kids about nature, we basically REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE wherever we can. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, its not about everyone being perfect or doing it all right, its about everyone being environmentally mindful and thinking about how they shop and consume and how that’s going to effect our planet and our future. So I hope this diagram makes you think the way it did for me 🙂

4. Bed Yoga: I usually only post about yoga in my newsletter but this one has been so transformative to me this week that I wanted to add it in here too. I am very strict that I don’t allow my phone in my room at night, but I do allow myself to use my gratitude journal app as the last thing I do before I take it to the landing to put on charge, I have now been adding in an additional thing and this is “bed yoga”, ie yoga in bed, in your pjs, no need for a mat, just your last full body stretch and some positive vibes and thoughts before bed. I’m loving it and it is definitely helping me zone into sleep and also helping with my shoulder and back which has been bothering me the last few weeks since returning from furlough, please find the video I’ve been using below, I hope it helps you too 🙂

Video(s) of the week:

I was so happy when I discovered that season 3 & 4 of This is Us was on Amazon Prime this week! Eeek! I love this show! But haven’t had a chance to watch season 3 or 4 yet. It’s just such feel good TV and so well made, it really is the show with the big heart! And I love how there are so many time lines going on at the same time and so you just find out more and more about each character and how they came to be who be who they now as the show goes on. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend you do, seasons 1-4 now available on Amazon Prime 🙂

What we ate this week…

Breakfast:

I started my day a cup of TeaPigs Morning Glory Tea and with a personalised yoga nidra from my wonderful Women’s Wellbeing Yoga teacher Sam, it was such an interesting practice as it taught you to think how you would feel in a difficult set of emotions, eg. nervous, unconfident, sad and then imagine and feel the opposite. The idea behind this is to look at your emotions almost like you are a fly on the wall, rather than let them own and control you, to understand that this is a choice. I am going to try and do this practice regularly to build this understanding in my life as I think it could serve to be really useful and powerful.

I then went on to my normal Marquess tea with some marmite toast and some clementine, the boys had their milk with some marmite toast, pear and banana.

Lunch:

I’m trying to drink some more water throughout the day, I find if I have a cup (like this Wrendale Designs hedgehog one) then I find it more likely that I will keep drinking from it throughout the day 🙂

I had a Frusli cereal bar to keep me going mid morning and a packet of pom bears, followed by a slice of cheese and a bread stick. For lunch I had falafel with pesto mayonnaise dip and some salad and for afters I had a cup of decaf earl grey and a pick up bar.

Dinner:

I had some smoked almonds and sultanas as a mid afternoon snack along with a nakd bar on my walk. For dinner I had leftover veggie pesto pasta from the freezer along with an apple and some fresh juice for afters along with some new probiotic tablets which I am trying to help with my skin, stomach and sleep and so far so good they seem to be helping 🙂