Small lifestyle changes I have started making in 2025

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GOAL:

To research and understand how food additives and non-organic products can affect our health and to combat this by starting to make more food where possible and eating organically/whole

When I go food shopping now I’ve started making switches to organic produce where available. For examples I’ve recently picked up organic lettuces and organic Scottish porridge oats. I’ve also made switches with our pasta choices to wholewheat varieties.

I’ve also started making some sauces from scratch and I’m about to prepare some cereal bars!

GOAL:

To implement ‘slow living’ strategies to make my brain calm down and focus on the ‘here and now’

I’ve started a daily sensory activity with my toddler whilst I’m in the kitchen cooking dinner. We have so far tried sponge painting and also breaking his Lego animals out of a block of ice.

I’ve got a few more ideas up my sleeve to try!

2025 Goals

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1) To implement ‘slow living’ strategies to make my brain calm down and focus on the ‘here and now’

My brain is always going at 100mph. I think my past jobs have conditioned me into thinking that the busier I am the better employee I must be. Which has always fulfilled my people pleasing tendencies. I’m battling this and trying not to flick between too many tasks or have an insane amount of mental tabs open at once. 

Plus with the constant access to social media, I sit and doom scroll. So I struggle to slow down and switch off which is why I’m making a conscious effort to disconnect and be present more. 

2) To not buy any more books and get through my To Be Read box!

Very self explanatory – I’ve got about 50 books to read so not buying any new ones until I’ve got through this lot! And then will hit up the secondhand shops.

3) To be financially comfortable by the end of the year – I don’t need to have tens of thousands of pounds behind me, but to have a buffer in my normal account so I don’t have to go to 0 every month

This is the year we get married so to be comfortable financially by the end of it would be a great milestone to hit. We have a lot of bills to pay but we will get there! 

4) To research and understand how food additives and non-organic products can affect our health and to combat this by starting to make more food where possible and eating organically/whole

I’ve gone down a rabbit hole and now I can’t escape. I read every food packaging label now to see what I am actually eating and there are so many chemicals that we don’t need to be putting into our bodies! 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a busy working mum with a Fiancé who typically works 80 hour weeks so I really can’t go too hard with prepping everything. But I’m starting small and buying organic and whole foods where possible, and trying to make more snacks and things. 

    5) To fall back in love with looking after my animals again rather than viewing them as ‘the next job to do’

    I love my animals and it’s always been a dream to have them. But it’s hard, and even harder when you’re tired and run down. 

    Making a conscious effort to slow down and enjoy them again this year, it’s what they deserve and I need to do this for my soul. They’re my happy place. 

    Things that make my soul happy

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    ⁃ Clean sheets on the bed

    ⁃ A roaring fire on a chilly day

    ⁃ The smell of yummy home cooked food

    ⁃ When my boy reaches a milestone and I witness it for the first time

    ⁃ Progress with my animals

    ⁃ Having a loving, caring family

    ⁃ A clean kitchen in the morning

    What makes your soul happy?

    Seasonal changes

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    I think it’s pretty common for people to feel down once the weather changes. In fact even our pets can suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (aptly shortened to SAD).

    The NHS describes it as a lack of interest in things that would normally excite you and feeling in a low mood.

    Don’t get me wrong – autumn is my favourite season! I love the temperature, the ability to wrap up cosy on dog walks and also lighting the fire in the evening. However, waking up whilst it is dark outside never seems to get any easier.

    Especially as this year I have the most perfect toddler waking me up at all hours of the night (teething – yay!).

    It’s also a nightmare for keeping the house clean. I struggle when it’s completely dry outside as we don’t have a porch or boot room – we only have the main door that goes straight into the dining room. Which makes everything feel nice and open but also mucky. Think muddy farm wellies, work boots, dirty paws and mucky pram wheels.

    So if you’re like me – living your best farm life and working on your dream homestead but also a little bit demotivated with the grey skies and dark mornings – you’re not alone. Keep going – it all starts to change again on the 21st December!

    Alternative career choices

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    List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.

    If I had my time again, I would definitely want to explore working outside.

    I love my job, but I very much have to be tethered to a desk and computer all day. Which can be difficult and mentally draining.

    I know working outside would be physically more tiring but actually being able to see progress is something I thrive on.

    I’d love to be able to garden for people or help design their outdoor spaces

    I’d love to work with animals – so try and get into farming from a younger age.

    Alternatively, I do think I could be one of those people who cut themselves off from the world and become completely sustainable. I don’t like relying on convenience and I’m slowly falling in love with homesteading. So if I could turn that into a career then I’m up for trying!

    Creating health

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    I’m overweight. I love food – I love cooking it, eating it, baking it for others.

    I know I’m carrying too much weight on my frame right now. I’m a work in progress.

    I’m fairly active and I love being outside. But I also love snacks and treats.

    I’ve decided that rather than ‘lose weight’ I’m going to start living in the mindset of the woman I want to be in a years time. I always get so down on myself if I diet or restrict myself. So this time I’m going to try and glow up.

    I don’t know if I will stick with it – I really hope I do.

    I’ve booked a hot yoga class this Sunday and plan to do another one this Thursday whilst Bertie is at nursery. If I can stick with it and keep trying I will take out an off-peak membership with the studio near me so I go regularly.

    I’ve started healing my gut health with a daily superfood supplement. I’ve also purchased an intolerance test to see what foods and environmental allergens are affecting my body as there is definitely something affecting my eczema.

    I now drink a lot of lemon water and buy my vegetables seasonally and locally which makes them taste so much better.

    I aim for 7,000-10,000 steps a day. Attainable on my office days and my non-working days.

    Let’s see what tomorrow brings!

    Future career planning

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    I’ve been thinking recently about where I would like my career to go now I’m working in marketing.

    I like working part-time as it allows me the hours I need to keep on top of everything else and to not feel like I’m slipping behind.

    However, do I want to be sat at a desk forever? Probably not.

    I spoke to Dan about our 10 year plan yesterday (I have a 10 year plan – he just goes along with it!!!) and admitted that by the time we are finished growing our family, I would love for our income to partially come from our farming ventures. Whether that means diversifying or investing into new plans – we will have to see.

    I don’t know how this will happen or if we can grow it to be successful, but I do know it’s a lifelong dream that we can’t step away from.

    At the minute, my chickens in the garden and our tiny herd of Welsh Black cows won’t make us much of an income – but watch this space!

    Back British Farming and locally sourced food

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    Eating locally and using British products in my cooking is incredibly important to me.

    This weekend, a long-standing dream of mine has come true and I am now the proud owner of chickens! So farm-fresh eggs will be used daily here in my kitchen.

    Our homegrown produce is also ready to start harvesting – so apples, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, beetroots and peppers.

    We still have lots of home-reared pork in the freezer, along with lots of other British meat from the butchers. I also love the fact that we have milk from our local milkman!

    It’s a long process that I keep tweaking but we are slowly, as a family, becoming more sustainable with our meals.

    Starting nursery – a parent’s reflection

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    Taking your little one to nursery is a huge step. It often signifies the end of maternity leave and will be the place where your child will spend a lot of time.

    I dropped my baby to his nursery intro’ session yesterday and as I drove away I felt content. I was prepared for the surge of emotions I was told that I would feel, but this didn’t come. I was also prepared for tears but instead, I was happy.

    In the back of my mind there was the voice that whispered ‘what if he doesn’t like it?’ and ‘what if he doesn’t make any friends?’ but I didn’t listen and remained positive.

    This lack of sadness isn’t because I was relieved I didn’t have to look after him for two hours – honestly, I do enjoy it as hard as it can be sometimes! But it was because I felt in control of the situation.

    I had chosen the nursery based on how I felt when I went in. The children were happy as were the workers. The baby room was set out beautifully and there was always an activity they could get stuck into, as well as plenty of play and themed story times. There was also a sensory room for the babies to relax in if they get overwhelmed at any point and a relaxing nap space.

    Bertie’s specific carer was lovely and spent time going through what his normal routine would be and answering my questions regarding meals, naps, and everything else.

    I know the nursery will work to the latest guidance and is completely baby-proofed. So Bertie will have a full day of fun, plus 3 healthy meals, and plenty of love and care.

    So I wasn’t sad because I knew he would love it and in time, eventually he will be asking to go to nursery!

    It also gives me an opportunity to grow my career and earn an income for my family. Yes, childcare is expensive but I really do believe the benefits outweigh the cost cons. It also means that when he does see family, it’s a nice change rather than having to rely on them for childcare.

    Some questions I asked when viewing nurseries are listed below:

    ⁃ Do the children have free access to water and drinks?

    ⁃ Are nappies, wipes and formula provided?

    ⁃ Do you need to provide bedding for nap times?

    ⁃ What safeguarding is in place for pickups?

    ⁃ Do we get notification of what activities the babies have been up to throughout the day?

    ⁃ What is a normal menu?

    ⁃ Are there any parents evenings or catch-ups with your child’s carer?

    ⁃ What outdoor activities are available?

    What I appreciate now I’m older

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    What do you think gets better with age?

    The one thing I now appreciate more than I ever used to is a cosy home.

    I like to spend time cleaning it, making it practical yet homely, rearranging decor and burning candles/wax melts.

    I like the smell of the bread maker baking our latest loaf, or the clink of the glass milk bottles rather than plastic ones.

    I like putting my money aside now to save for our home improvements. For example, over the next few years we will be investing in projects that help our home become self sufficient.

    To briefly explain, my family and I live in a farmhouse that the previous owners extended into a horseshoe shape around a courtyard. So we have a big but awkward home. There are 8 bedrooms in total and 9 bathrooms. However, my family lives in the original farmhouse that makes up the left side of the horseshoe. We have 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. We have separated our house with a lockable door so we are at no risk of people wandering in.

    The entire house is run on one oil boiler that is temperamental to say the least. We also only have one hot water tank that’s enough for 2 normal showers.

    This year’s investment is to open up the chimney and replace our small, non-efficient open fire with a wood burning stove. In theory we will go from about 30% efficiency to 80% efficiency with our investment!

    Also, now that I’m working from home and Bertie will be home on the days I’m not working, we need to ensure the house is warm. Something that it never seems to be!

    Next year or maybe the year after, we plan to separate our house with its very own heating system. We have solar panels so think that an electric boiler could be the way forward. As we do this we will also replace our upstairs bathroom and have an electric shower put in.

    So, as I age I have started to appreciate how making a house a home is time consuming and costly. But it’s also so worth it.