Summer holidays 2024

The School Summer holidays 2024 are in full swing and took my son up London and walked to Vauxhall. 

It has been testing as Henry wants to do so much and find it hard to keep up with him and has bags of energy. 

He also loves to eat and made sure I took some snacks with me and had a few coffees by the river and watching the world go by. 

My son Henry wanted to go to the London Aquarium which I felt guilty because I thought he had grown out of visiting Sealife and go for walks outside instead. It is good to go and see so promised we will go and see if we can make it a playdate as it is great to do as a group. 

I going to see if I can get money off when I book it and want to travel by bus as I like bus rides and so used to traveling via London Transport its what I have always known being a Londoner and walking too, my dad who worked in London would walk from Central London home and he used to walk so fast that I would be almost running. 

Tomorrow we are baking and packing up as we are going over to Wimbledon and hope the weather behaves itself so I can read my book in the local parks and go for walks, take a takeaway coffee and just chill. 

I hope I haven't jinxed it. The one place I love too is Battersea and would like to visit Covent Garden as I do love the street acts and there is an indoor market and the London Transport museum. From there you can get to Leicester Square and this leads on to Piccadilly Circus and Oxford street. 

There are a lot of Theatres from Tottenham Court Road and the Strand which is near Covent Garden and then there is Trafalgar Square and St James park,  Hyde Park and love having a coffee near the Serpentine. 

The other places is the Riverside Studios where they have shows and things on has a cafe to have a drink and sit by the river and Barnes is a nice spot too. 

If you wanted to venture out of London then check out Hampton and you can get a boat from Kingston to Hampton and one of my birthdays when I was a kid did that and went around the Thames and visited Hampton court and there is a maze that can entertain your kids with, and be quite competitive. 

The one thing I like is making discoveries of new places to visit, to eat and drink, meet people and love being by the river or water and taking in what is around me. 

So it is good to take a trip and given you ideas of where to go during the holidays and making the most of them.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

Feeling Shamed by your lifestyle and body

There was a time, and reason why I began this blog, was because I would avoid looking at myself because I felt so ashamed and who would want to look at me? Yet realise that's there insecurities and they're having a pop at me because in some way releases their negative thoughts that they have of themselves. 

I still get a little self conscious when watching my videos because I don't wear a lot of make up, I am not super slim but then I ask myself is that important? and no, not saying those that do wear a lot make up, that I have a problem with it, not at all, but be happy with myself and stop thinking it makes me less of a person and enjoy looking after skin and now created a simple make up routine, gone for a no make up look because I do feel better having with a bit on and not affect my skin as I have had problems in the passed and keep it minimal. 

Its been like a long road, because it has taken a lot to overcome my negative thoughts about myself and take a lot of tears and sadness to feel better about myself and being grateful that I have legs that can walk and arms to feed myself, my hair and face. 

There are times where I hated fitting rooms and would make me feel awful and that nothing suited me, and that I had a terrible dry skin and there was a time when I was a child that I begged to have freckles and now I have a lot and makes me feel regretful that I wished that and that I should have been satisfied but no.

Listening to Jennifer Gray who was in Dirty Dancing had a complete transformation and it surprised as her image was epic and brilliant actress and couldn't imagine her not being baby and a part that was made for her. 

It is surprising that just because they are on TV the way the think of themselves is positive and can add to their unhappiness about themselves and body image and that it's not what you do, but the influences that are making you feel ugly and not good about yourself. I remember meeting up with work colleagues and they were so super tall that I felt so little and out of place and stopped meeting up with them as I just felt inadequate. 

Then there are emotional relationships where you feel under pressure because of the way you look and feel bad because I don't shave my legs all of the time and armpits and don't wear dresses all the time but now love my clothes and have fun with them and like wearing funky socks, with leggins and a fleece and just getting the most of the things that make me feel good about myself and not being serious about it. 

So stop the shame a live and go through your image and create a vision board and have fun with trying different make up, if you wear it and just let self image get you down and I think you are amazing and that beauty is within too and not just about the clothes and image.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X