Monday 21 September 2015

Weekend Roundup


Happy Monday! I hope that you all had a lovely weekend. I'm trying to be as positive and happy as is possible on a Monday morning, in the hope that this week will be a lot brighter than last. It was truly an awful week that tested us to the limits both emotionally and physically and the weekend was spent trying to move on from it. That meant starting the weekend off on Friday night with a long soak in the hot tub after the opening match of the Rugby World Cup and a few glasses of Prosecco. We've only had the hot tub for a few weeks but honestly I think it is the best thing that we've ever bought. It's so relaxing once the children have gone to bed, I love looking up at the stars and it's given Tim and I an hour or so together after the chaos of the day, without the interruption of phones ringing or emails pinging through.




Summer reappeared on Saturday which was lovely as we headed to Castle Combe for Rally Day. We were a little disappointed with the cars that were there, nothing really stood out although the girls enjoyed the doughnuts on the test track. We went for a lovely walk around a neighbouring village but otherwise it was lovely to be at home taking care of ourselves and pretty much hibernating from the rest of the world.
 
 



This week some things need to change around here. We've made the conscious decision this week to be a bit kinder to ourselves and healthier all round. We don't drink a lot but the odd glass of bubbly on the weekend may have become the odd glass with dinner lately. Hardly warrants checking into AA but considering I'm usually a clean eating fanatic and that dessert has become a regular occurrence aswell, it is time to get back into a routine of preparing healthy, nutritious meals only during the week and saving a dessert and glass of bubbly for a weekend treat only. I'm looking forward to the detox and hoping that it will help me become a bit more productive. My memory still isn't too good from the accident back in March, which is making work difficult and I'm lacking any motivation at the moment. I know where I want to be but trying to work out how to get there is a struggle so this afternoon will be spent with a pen and notepad to hand writing some of my famous lists!
 
How are you starting your week off? Have you got any advice for regaining motivation? I'm all ears!
 
Amy
xx
 
linking up with IBOT

Thursday 10 September 2015

New Horizons // Introducing 'The Cherished'


I've talked about it plenty of times on this little space but I love September. For me it seems like the beginning of a new year (can't you tell I'm an academic?!), bringing with it new opportunities and challenges, whilst the sun is hopefully still shining with just a hint of crispness in the air. Of course the children returned to school last week (major fist pumping going on in this house!) which is giving me the opportunity for a fresh start after a challenging and emotional summer moving to a new part of the country.
 
As with every September that has passed since I left university, I am slightly envious of anyone starting or returning to university for a new year. Yes, I am the girl who obsesses over new notebooks , pens and the obligatory 'new term' bag. There's something refreshing about opening a new book with crisp, unwritten on pages and although I'm not returning this year I will be implementing change and fresh starts this month.
 
I've been super busy and stressed the last few weeks trying to revamp this space. I've been wanting to rebrand for a little while but I was struggling to think of a name that was suitable and what I wanted to do with the aesthetics and to be honest the thought of mastering html, domain tranfers etc just scared me! Making Our Own Way was born at a time where my life was a rollercoaster, I was putting my life back together after a break up and figuring out who I really was instead of who I'd been moulded into, how to be a single mum to a daughter with additional needs whilst taking care of my own health issues and where I really wanted to go with my life. There have been a lot of ups and downs and whilst some of these obstacles undoubtedly remain, I'm finally in a place where my life should be more settled and I can move on from the uncertainty of the past.
 
As my life has moved on to a new phase it felt only natural that this blog should also. The Cherished has been brewing for a while and sleekly fits alongside my business Cherished Heritage and I'm looking forward to developing my brand as a whole. 
 
I hope that you like the new look here and that you'll stick around to join me in this new phase and perhaps join me on my Facebook page here. My other social media channels have remained the same and can be found on the right.
 
Amy
xx