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You are here: Home / ADVENTURE / January so far

January so far

January 18, 2016 by Molly 15 Comments

Beach Huts

Historically, January has always been a miserable month for me. The jolt of reality has always been a real downer after Christmas, despite embracing the return to normal at other times of year. As a kid who usually loved school, I really dragged my feet back in January. And as a student who loved uni, I dreaded packing up my stuff and leaving the cosy sanctuary of home for my shared house.

This year, however, something’s different. The weather has been awful, but for some reason January hasn’t felt so blue. Partly this is because I started the month with some exciting plans, which have helped to distract me from the neverending rain.

Eighteen days in and January is still running fairly smoothly, although there was a hiccup on the Dry January attempt after a particularly difficult day of mum life last Thursday (sick child off school, toddler practising Free Running off the furniture etc). So I won’t go polishing my halo just yet.

Bath time

One of the reasons I’ve always hated January as an adult is because I’ve always been skint. I’ve not had cash to burn in the sales or to blow on a “beat the January blues” holiday.  This is the first January in as long as I can remember when we haven’t noticed such a huge drop in spends and this is down to two big factors.

We were more organised with Christmas, meaning we spread the cost out a bit more. Plus, we’d already saved up some money for our summer holiday next year, as well as booking it all too. (I’m going to write a post soon on how we saved money on our family holiday abroad next summer, as there are a few things I did which you might find useful if you’re looking at ways to save cash on a holiday.)

All of this has meant January hasn’t been such a bleak month after all. TSB have some useful advice on saving cash this year in their New Year Money Resolutions guide and, unsurprisingly, two big areas are saving and budgeting.

Using a savings account to put aside a little money every month has meant we’ve been able to gradually spread the cost of things like holidays and Christmas without feeling a huge dent in our pocket. It’s not rocket science, but it’s never something I’ve managed to do up until recently. We’ve also got into eBay the last few months and made a bit of extra money on some of the things we no longer want or need – all of that cash has gone straight into the savings pot too.

Me and my girl

My mum also has a big part to play in helping keep the drudgery of January at bay. Before Christmas she booked tickets to take me and Frog to the theatre to see a beautiful play (Elouise and the Curse of the Golden Whisk by the incredibly creative Wardrobe Ensemble – look them up, trust me) which gave us something fun to do on an otherwise rainy and miserable Saturday. And then, last weekend, she entertained, fed and generally looked after us all while my dad and the NLM started phase one of the bedroom renovation (building a new wardrobe).

We spent Saturday at soft play, before heading to the seaside for fish and chips and a play on the beach. Baby Girl is obsessed with my mum and follows her around like a little shadow, which is rather sweet (if rather tiring for my mum).

Beach fun

So far the month has had just the right amount of busy days in between calm ones. We’ve got on with house projects and my big work project of 2016 is well under way too, which is pretty exciting (as well as being daunting and scary).

One of the hardest things I often find about being a mum is that balance between getting stuff done and accepting that sometimes it’s enough just to make it to the end of the day with everyone fed, warm and happy. I often get frustrated if I haven’t ticked anything off my To Do list on any given day, but so far I’ve somehow managed to keep the balance so things have got done but I’ve been able to carve out time for the kids too. Not sure how I’ve done it, so of course it could all go wrong at any moment. Still, it’s nice while it lasts.

How’s your January going?

 

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Thanks to TSB for working with me on this post. For more information about how I work with brands check out my Work With Me page.

 

 

Filed Under: ADVENTURE, Kids, MOTHERHOOD Tagged With: Family days out, home projects, January, saving money

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Comments

  1. Kathryn says

    January 21, 2016 at 2:16 pm

    That’s very organised of you. I really wish we’d saved some money so we could book a summer holiday right now. Would be great to have that to look forward to. Well done! xx

    Reply
    • Molly says

      January 23, 2016 at 8:25 pm

      It does help with the Jan blues for sure. Just hoping the organisation continues as I find things SO much easier when I’m not chasing my tail all the time!

      Reply
  2. Lori says

    January 21, 2016 at 1:15 pm

    January hasn’t really kicked in for me so I’m kinda looking forward to sliding into feb, also savings is such a god idea as then we can use it for treats when having a blue day x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      January 23, 2016 at 8:26 pm

      Hurrah for treats!

      Reply
  3. Adele @ Beautiful Tribe says

    January 21, 2016 at 12:31 pm

    This is what I want for next January. We really tried this year but not enough in advance so wound up over-spending at Christmas (easily done with extra people staying) but we cannot do this again. I am so done with January being about recovering. Worse, it always spills into February and two of our family birthdays are in that month and I hate not being able to really celebrate without worrying. Well done on spreading the cost and saving for your holiday. Looking forward to hearing about the latter. x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      January 23, 2016 at 8:26 pm

      I know the feeling exactly – every other January for the past few years has been like that in our house too. x

      Reply
  4. Scruffy Dad says

    January 21, 2016 at 11:29 am

    It’s November that does it for me. The moment at the end of October when it’s suddenly getting dark at five in the evening – ugh! I cannot bear it any more, and it’s definitely got worse as I’ve got older. January, on the other hand, always feels relatively fresh – I’m always amazed how that end-of-year feel at Christmas is magically transformed into a clean slate every New Year. The power of calendars, eh?

    Glad you’re having a better time of it in 2016. We’re pretty much skint all year round, so it’s quite nice for us to have a break from monetary demands like Xmas and birthdays and summer holidays for a few weeks.

    Enjoying the blog. Thanks for posting.

    Reply
    • Molly says

      January 23, 2016 at 8:27 pm

      Thank you! What a lovely comment. And I know the feeling about the November lights. I’m really looking forward to some lighter evenings soon!

      Reply
  5. Bryony says

    January 19, 2016 at 11:25 am

    I’m a bit of a weirdo and like Jan, I always feel refreshed! We were super strict with ourselves at Christmas and it’s so nice not to feel the dread when our credit card bill drops through the door 🙂 Hope you’re excellent life balancing continues xx

    Reply
  6. Nelly Ritchie says

    January 19, 2016 at 10:23 am

    I know exactly what you mean about the January slump. This is the first year I haven’t really felt it. After nearly 4 weeks off at Christmas I skipped back to work, eager for some me-time away from the toddler (bad mum?) also, we were super frugal and planned Christmas well so money wasn’t quite as tight as I expected.

    All in all a good Janaury

    Reply
  7. Jess @ Along Came Cherry says

    January 19, 2016 at 6:42 am

    Ah it’s so nice to read a positive January post! I wish I could say the same but I’m really struggling with it, I can’t take being cold, I’m owed money from three companies who won’t pay up and the greyness is really getting to me. Roll on the spring! x

    Reply
  8. Alice says

    January 18, 2016 at 9:53 pm

    Ahh glad to hear you’re having a lovely Jan! Mine has been OK – better then December, which for some reason I always find tough? I’m looking forward to summer now, is it too early to do that? Oh, and I have also not done so well at dry January. Dry April instead? Dry June? Dry October?

    Reply
  9. Eleanor says

    January 18, 2016 at 9:05 pm

    January is going busily and expensively for us, with lots of things to buy for our new house. But, we have a spreadsheet, and a budget (my husband is much more financially wise than me). I love the little flashes of fun in your photos, and the colour. Happy January!

    Reply
  10. emma white says

    January 18, 2016 at 3:46 pm

    my january is going pretty good thankyou 🙂

    Reply
  11. Lia says

    January 18, 2016 at 2:20 pm

    I’m kind of loving January this year too! I don’t really know why though!?! I’ve been loving dry jan but I did have a minor blip at the weekend when my sister announced her first pregnancy – I had to celebrate 😉

    Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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Tonight should be our first night on holiday in Sp Tonight should be our first night on holiday in Spain. Made up for it with a meal outside at the village pub and a “late” bedtime (any evening out past 8pm is late for us!). Devon is heaven ❤️ #mumlife
ALL children have the right to feel good about the ALL children have the right to feel good about themselves and their body - not just the ones who “look healthy”. Children are being taught at a younger and younger age that their body is a problem that needs to be fixed. 
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The current climate of intense body shaming disguised as health concern is creating policies which actively damage the relationship children have with their bodies. There is a huge amount of evidence showing that the better kids feel about their body, the more likely they are to make choices that make their body feel good - like taking part in movement or eating in a happy, intuitive way. 
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Making health all about weight not only damages kids’ body image, making them either feel like their body is “wrong” or fear it becoming “wrong”, it also gives a free pass to the diet industry to aggressively market their products at children, under the guise of health. Ironically, encouraging kids to engage in dieting and habits which are actively bad for their health. This culture affects ALL children.
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And of course this version of health, and this focus on making kids’ bodies the problem, lets the politicians off the hook. Easier to put the nation on a diet instead of investing in policies which will reduce inequality and give everyone access to the things needed to live a full and healthy life.
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There is a silver lining though, because we can choose to be part of the solution. We can say no to diet culture at home and challenge it when it pops up in the spaces kids should be safest.
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If you’re a teacher our Body Happy Kids workshop is an intro to this subject with tools for creating body happy spaces for the children in your care. Find out more and sign up via my bio. ❤️ #BodyHappyKids
To lift the mood after the last week, here’s a t To lift the mood after the last week, here’s a throwback to this time last year when I roped my husband into filming me for an alternative Love Island title sequence. Out of shot: a packed beach full of people confused why a woman is doing multiple bikini changes under a towel and instructing her husband on different camera angles while her bemused children look on 😂. The video was an alternative title sequence for if Love Island was filmed in Devon and featured a mum the “wrong” side of 35 and the “wrong” side of a size 10. 🔥 HAPPY BLOODY FRIDAY you lovely lot 🥂🥂🥂 #BodyHappyMum #MumsGoneWild
[Stat from @themilitantbaker’s brilliant TED Tal [Stat from @themilitantbaker’s brilliant TED Talk] 
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Poor body image and weight stigma are serious public health issues. These are complex, far reaching issues that impact us on an individual and societal level in many ways. This thread isn’t to say that each of these things alone accounts for the fact kids as young as three are feeling bad about their body, but combined, they create an environment that makes it really tough for children (and adults) to like their body just as it is, regardless of what it looks like.
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If you care about health you need to be aware that weight stigma kills and poor body image has serious health implications. Want kids to eat more nutrient dense food and move their body? Stop shaming them and teaching them their body is wrong, because research shows body hate is NOT a long term motivator for treating a body with care or respect. 
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And then realise that even when kids ARE eating more nutrient dense food and moving more this will not guarantee their body will shrink. And this doesn’t mean they are unhealthy, despite what the headlines might tell you.
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Kids’ bodies don’t need “fixing”. Society needs fixing. Give every child access to good food and safe spaces to move and play. Eradicate inequality and discrimination, challenge stigmatising language. Raise awareness in the mainstream media of what many health professionals already know: health is complex, multi-faceted and is hugely impacted by socio-economic conditions. Saying it’s all down to “personal responsibility” lets the politicians off the hook. 
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Maybe then, as a nation, we can have a fair crack at good health. Until then I’d argue it’s not about health at all, it’s about money. 
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#bodyimage #BodyHappyKids
In an alternate universe I’d be packing for a ho In an alternate universe I’d be packing for a holiday to Cantabria in Spain right now. Yet here we are. This summer is brought to us by Argos (paddling pool) and Monki (cozzie). FYI I’m still bikini all the way, but prefer a cozzie for when I get serious doing lengths at the pool 🏊‍♀️🏊‍♀️🏊‍♀️ #bodyhappymum
Did you know that many of the health outcomes blam Did you know that many of the health outcomes blamed on being in a bigger body can be attributed to weight stigma and weight cycling rather than the weight itself? But despite a huge amount of evidence showing this to be the case it’s rarely reported in the mainstream media and doesn’t form the basis of health policy. 
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You know what’s also bad for health? Inequality. Again, not something informing policies that conveniently apportion blame and simplify weight as all being down to personal responsibility and “lifestyle choices”. 
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If this government really cared about the health of the nation they’d look at the impact of weight stigma and inequality and create health drives based on these things, instead of saying that putting calorie counts on food labels or telling people to go for a bike ride would make everything better. 
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I am all for people living in a healthy way, if they wish to and if they can. Eat nutrient dense food, sure! Move your body, sure! Just don’t assume this will automatically lead to weight loss, or that anyone in a bigger body isn’t already doing these things. 
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The latest focus on the weight of the nation makes me scared for how this will impact children. Will kids get put on diets and begin a lifetime of harmful weight cycling? Will it give yet another green light for bigots to go on national TV and say hugely discriminatory, offensive and uneducated things about people in bigger bodies, thereby perpetuating the weight stigma that we know is so bad for health? Probably. But who cares as long as £££ is being made and the weight loss industry is booming. 
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It’ll keep us all distracted from issues like the inexcusable number of children living in poverty and the many families in the UK struggling to access nutrient dense food.
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Look beyond the headlines and the health rhetoric, know that the shape of your body does not signify your worth as a person. And challenge any person or article telling you different.
#bodyimage
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