Welcome to my blog about my dieting adventures, thoughts, philosophies.
THOUGHT
Taking steps forward takes you into the unknown! Taking steps back keeps you in your comfort zone! Be adventurous today and step outside your comfort zone - life is an adventure!
Well it's ages since I posted anything! Been yo yoing all year and not lost any weight but 2016 must be THE year to lose at least 3 stone - that's 42lb to lose 4 would be phenomenal, but 3 would be fine!
Decluttering My House OK I'm really not an expert on decluttering - you won't see many (if any) photos of my house because I am soooo untidy BUT I'm absolutely fed up with having junk everywhere! I'm sure certain friends don't call around because they are super-duper tidy and can't stand my mess! I'm sure that I don't function well at all because of the clutter everywhere! When I'm in work I keep my area clean and tidy and I function much better! Alright, what I have done is - I have written out 12 labels, these are the 12 categories to sort into! What I mean by that is - I am going to go through each box of junk I have and place each item into its category on the floor or into several labelled boxes etc. I'm doing this, because in the past, I've found that if I just generally sort into 'keep' and 'throw' - the throw pile disappears but I leave the keep pile and I don't end up sorting it and filing the items away. By categorising my stuff, I'm hoping it will be easier to file away the items in the correct places! So my categories are:
Books - I have plenty of shelves to put them on!
Magazines and catalogues - I have a few mags coming in so I am going to dismantle them and keep the articles which will be of use and throw the rest
Avon - I'm an Avon rep/Sales Leader and I can't get going on it because I am so disorganised with the clutter I can't think straight to run my own business
Recycling - a blue recycling bag to hand to throw those things which can be reprocessed, straight in
Trash - A black bin bag to hand to throw the things which can't be recycled
Burning/shredding - A clear bag, with private info which I don't want others to get my details from (e.g. old credit card bills, utility bills etc)
Financial - up to date bank statements, bills etc to file away until they can go in the burning bag
Stationery/Writing - as I love writing I have notebooks and scraps of paper with poems on, ideas for new stories etc - time to gather those together and file them away in a plastic folder until I can put them into a book. File the notebooks away into a drawer, until needed.
Craft/Misc. - I don't think I'll have a lot of craft things, but just in case I do! Misc could be anything which doesn't fit into the other categories
DVDs/CDs - speaks for itself - I do have shelves with DVDs on and boxes for my CDs so the loose ones need to be filed away
One with my lads' names on - not for them to be tidied away, but their stuff to be taken to their rooms and filed away!
Music - as I play the flute, have singing and piano lessons, and I play various size recorders (occasionally), I have a lot of music!
Seems like a lot of categories, but I think I could work this way - I have a logical brain and this seems a logical way of doing this. Decluttering My Mind As a Christian (I know not everyone reading this will be one), I feel like so much 'other' stuff has come into my life, cluttering my brain. I write, play flute, piano and sing (not well or professionally), I work part time, am an Avon rep and Sales Leader, help with a youth group etc etc and my mind is getting clogged with political stuff (I love politics :) ) so it's time to rethink what I must prioritise, I feel like I have to get back to basics in my mind and stop cluttering it with all stuff which isn't important or won't change my life or other people's lives for the better. I came back from my church's holiday, yesterday and the speaker was talking about making God central in our lives and everything else will fit together! Time to do that, methinks :) Decluttering My Body This can be a short one: Stop eating junk! Drink more Eat less Exercise more I hope this works out - I will keep you updated and let you know if it did work and if my house is tidy or not :) If it does work - I will have to train my husband and adult sons to keep with my system (although I'm more untidy than they are!) Take care Carolyn xxxx
BB creams are an Asian import that have become super popular in the last two years here in the US. BB creams provide coverage with added skin care benefits like SPF and anti-oxidants--the list goes on depending on what brand you choose. They're lighter than foundation but heavier than tinted moisturizers. While the additives in BB creams can have the same efficacy as they would in stand-alone serums, be careful about counting on BB creams for adequate sun protection. "My only concern is that since BB cream is generally tinted, women use less on their face," Manhattan dermatologist Dr. Heidi Waldorf said. Meaning you won't slather it on the way you do--or should--with a more traditional sunscreen, resulting in inadequate protection.
CC CREAMS:
The difference between BB and CC creams is subtle--CC generally stands for “color correcting” and the products are meant to address issues like redness or sallowness (usually with light-diffusing particles), whereas BB creams are like lighter foundation with a few skin care benefits thrown in. “CC cream is a color corrector and will be lighter on the skin [than a BB cream],” celeb makeup artist Nico Guilis told us. “They have more of a whipped, light, fluffy feel and finish--kind of the new and improved BB.”
While BB and CC creams are marketed for separate issues, and are theoretically different, I've tried many BBs and a few CC creams--and honestly, they're almost the same. Where it gets most confusing here is that BB/CC benefits and coverage vary greatly among different brands. For example, Clinique's CC cream is definitely more opaque than some BB creams I've tried from other brands. So go figure. You have to be diligent in reading ingredients and most importantly, trying them out (like we did) to figure out what you want and need. (Allure has a great list here detailing which BB/CC brands are best for which type of skin issues).
DD CREAMS:
And now get ready for DD creams (sigh).
Julep is releasing what it's calling a "Dynamic Do-All" cream this summer, and it kinda sounds like a BB/CC hybrid. Weirdly, the cosmetics industry was predicting something completely different for DD creams. Back in November of 2012, a cosmetics industry analyst told Cosmetic Design (a trade website) that a number of DD creams, called "Daily Defense" creams were poised to launch, but they aren't for your face--rather they are "heavy duty body and foot creams." So it will be interesting to see if Julep single-handedly just changed that category with its forthcoming launch.
This is supposed to be posted onto my Avon blog, but for some reason I sign into my Avon account, but Google keeps directing it here so I'm going to post it here! :)
This article is from HERE and was NOT written by me therefore I do not own any copyright attached to the article! It was written by Lisa Niven 14th February 2014
BB creams made their European debut in 2011 following their huge success in the Asian market, and quickly made an impact on the beauty world. But what is a BB cream? Some companies refer to them as Blemish Balms, others as Beauty Balms, but the general consensus is that they should provide moisturisation, SPF protection and sheer coverage alongside soothing and healing properties - preventing the need for numerous separate products.
The similarity to tinted moisturisers has been noted, but BB creams are designed to go one step further - with additions such as hyaluronic acid and antioxidants to regenerate skin. Originally created by dermatologists for patients who had gone through laser skin surgery, the idea is that they actually provide genuine benefits for the skin - as well as providing enough coverage to be used as either a foundation or a primer, depending upon your preference.
I dug out some really nice trousers the other day from my wardrobe and they were a size 12 :-s they fitted me really well, 10 years ago! I know people say, don't hang onto your old clothes etc, but I have, in the hope of being able to fit into them again! I have size 16s (which I am, but I'm the upper end of 16), 14s and 12s so I have plenty of measuring garments! I don't like myself much - but I think to be successful we have to learn to love ourselves (not in a narcissistic way). I have been thinking about all the things which I didn't regard as important, in my past, until recently - achievements or acknowledgments that say - OK I can't be that bad... e.g. (not showing off - these are examples)
When I was 17 I was chosen to represent Girl Guides Wales in Thailand - someone must have thought highly of me to choose me out of 50 others.
I was chosen to represent my fellow students in Cardiff Uni - there were about 6 of us who had replied - again my fellow students must have thought highly of me...
I won't go on because you will all think I'm big-headed lol! I began to wonder - why do we think so little of ourselves when many people probably look up to us as role models or whatever? I remember saying to my sister that I always felt as if I lived in her shadow because she was very academic and always got good grades, but I'm a plodder and generally gained 'C; grades - her reply astonished me! She said that she always felt as if she lived in my shadow because I was little miss personality and everyone I met [adults] loved me! [my mum would have been happy to let me stay with them for a week because I was a right little pain in the butt at home lol].
Begin the year by thinking of your achievements - the compliments you've had, the things you've been chosen to do. Even if the only things you can think of are the hugs your children have given you and said I love you! The cards you've received from family and friends. etc. These things show that although we may not appreciate and love ourselves - others do - we can then start shifting the focus from not appreciating ourselves to thinking - you know what - I'm not that bad after all! Have a fantastic 2015 Carolyn xxxx
Christian, wife and mother who loves to write poetry and children's stories. I have 1 husband, 2 sons and 1 cat. I have been writing poetry and stories since I was a child.
