January Favourites

Favourite music:
It's happened. I am a mini Belieber. I have been listening to Love Yourself on repeat. I am not as crazy about the entire album as many others, so I wouldn't call myself a fully fledged Belieber...yet.

Favourite TV show:
D (my husband) and I have been obsessed with The Returned since we started watching the first series last year. We have been watching the second series this month, and it's not quite as ground-breaking as the first, but it's still the best TV show I have ever seen.

Favourite movie:
The Revenant most definitely. I will be doing a roundup review of all the movies I watched in January, but this was definitely the standout one. If Leo doesn't win the Oscar for this, I don't know what he can do to win one.

Favourite book:
Beasts of no Nation which I reviewed on the blog here. This was a really harrowing, clever, engaging read and I would really recommend it - but with the warning that what you will read will scar you for life.

Favourite article:
Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them in the January 2016 edition of National Geographic. This was an eye-opening piece on why it is so, so important to save the vultures that are being poisoned and targeted by poachers. They are being targeted at they hover over where dead animals have been killed by poachers, alerting authorities to their whereabouts. The poachers take what they need, and leave a poison in the animal, killing the birds. Also, vultures mate for life and never kill another animal - only do the clean up job for us. What's not to love?

Favourite new recipe:
This month, I made my first ever attempt at making bread by hand. I used this BBC Good Food recipe to make rosemary and new potato foccacia. I will be doing a recipe post on the blog, so stay tuned :)

Favourite moment:
When D passed his exams that he's been working so hard on - stepping one bit closer to the new business venture he wants to set up :) Incredibly proud wife.

Most proud of this month:
Sticking with my blog, putting up regular content and joining Instagram and Twitter (both handles @sunnydayswithc - come join!)

Looking forward to in February:

Going to London to see my beautiful friend and celebrate her 30th birthday after what has been a really tough time for her. 

Slimming World Update - Week 3

Well, well, well. After what can only be described as some righteous nights out with friends and family the gain I was expecting was nowhere near the gain I escaped with - so that was a stroke of luck!

2 syns

I also had an Italian date night planned with my husband (focaccia recipe to follow), which involved several syn-heavy recipes and wine, prosecco, espresso martinis, limoncello... you catch my drift! Sometimes plans are made and it's worth sticking to your guns, abstaining, and driving. This week wasn't that case. So I really let my hair down and enjoyed myself, and I can deal with the fallout knowing I did that with a clear conscience. If you are following this blog for Slimming World posts, I am sorry I let you down - but I am more determined to be honest than to lie to you!

A great SW saver I had during the week this week (when I was trying to be better and pull it back a bit!) was the Cadbury's Highlights Bourneville hot chocolate sachets. I have quite a slender mug that holds my HEA milk, and I frothed it in my coffee machine. For 2 syns, you feel like you are having a really indulgent treat - just making the hot chocolate with milk rather than water really ups its game!

Normally January can be a really quiet time for us, but not this year. This coming week we have another two parties which are going to be a really big challenge for me. Otherwise I have a couple of good SW friendly things on our menu (the pesto chicken bake previously featured on the blog among them), so if I can pull the weekend back and just remain the same weight, I will be over the moon

This week's loss: +0.5lbs
Total loss in 2016: 3.0lbs
Aim for next week: STS

January's resolution review

So can you believe the first month of 2016 is hurtling towards the finish line? The end of January is the longest awaited end of any month in the year! Dark days, cold weather, with no twinkling Christmas lights to brighten the place up - let alone the fact that the last pay day was a thousand years ago. Alas, rejoice! For we are nearly *nearly* into spring. If you squint your eyes enough... you can nearly see it!

So I want to take one new resolution each month and build up each one, seeing how I am faring. I promise - even if it's not good - to give you an honest review of how I'm doing.

The first resolution I had in 2016 was to use my planner, that I had set up on google docs for myself. I have split this up into four tabs per week. First - an overview of my goals for the week, split into time management, financial goals, work goals, personal goals, weight loss goals, and rewards for meeting all of these. This is a really helpful page that keeps me accountable through the week about what I want to achieve and how I am going to get there. I do an overall page at the start of the month with three goals in the month that I really want to achieve, so these will all feed into these overall monthly goals in some way.

Second tab contains a breakdown of each day Fri-Thursday. I start my week on a Friday as this is my weigh in day. Each day starts with my meal plan, then my to do list for that day, followed by my main goal for this day. After this I have a checklist, loosely based on Keri Glassman's eight pillars, except I have nine. My pillars are: drink up, eat empowered, love more, nurture yourself, feed your brain, sleep deep, stress less, sweat often and daily time goals. By reviewing each of these for 5 minutes at the end of each day, it helps me feel accountable and reflect on a daily basis how I am managing all of these. There is also a space at the bottom to reflect on what was good and what I wasn't so keen on in the day.

The third tab is my daily time goals. Here I record roughly how much time I have spent doing all the things I want to make space for in my life. Things like reading my books, my magazine, walking my dog, exercising, sleeping, etc. This helps me on a weekly basis work out where I want to spend more time the following week, or what might not have got enough attention on the previous week.

The fourth tab for any given week is a reflection on the week gone past. Here I review (and give a score out of 5) whether I was bored - excited, unhappy - happy, tired - energetic, stressed - calm, unhealthy - healthy. Then there is text space with the following headers, where I make more journal-like notes: 'Good things about this week', 'Negative things about this week', 'Positive things about the negatives' and 'Things I will improve next week'.

So overall I think I have been doing a pretty good job. I am finding it hardest remembering to complete this before I go to sleep, so that is something I want to try to make more of a habit in February. So far, 2016, so good.

Book Review - Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala

***THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN PLOT SPOLIERS***

Of all the horrific, exploitative, monstrous things you could write about, I don't know how many things could be worse than child soldiers. This barbaric practice is exactly what is dealt with in Beasts of No Nation. The book tells the story of a young boy named Agu, who lives in a village in an unnamed African country that has just broken out in civil war. The government has retreated from his village, and as the novel opens we see the rebels rampaging through the villages, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.

When I first lifted the book, it took me a good few pages to get used to the prose and the way it is written. It is written in first person narrative, from Agu's point of view. He speaks in English, but the English is a realistic, second language version, and as a result provides a level of authenticity along with a level of acclimatising! There is a brutal introduction in the second chapter to the violence in the novel, which is not for the faint-hearted. Agu is forced to really join the army - much different to the expectations of army he had - and everything that entails, including killing people. The description of him killing for the first time is heartbreaking and vile. The most hard-hitting point was possibly where we were introduced to the commandant's sexual abuse of the boys. This book serves to disturb.

"I will be old man before the war is over. I am knowing I am no more child so if this war is ending I cannot be going back to do child thing."

You feel trapped for Agu, and feel his desperation as he is a young boy trying to deal with situations most adults would not be able to cope with. He is vulnerable and taken advantage of, and it's a cruel reminder of how humans can exploit the innocent and the weak. The most interesting dichotomy of the whole book is the style in which it is written versus its subject matter - this childlike voice, written in staggered and simplistic English (even the font and size of the print in the book harks back to a children's book) versus dealing with child sexual abuse, child soldiers, imprisonment, murder, war, and everything else that goes along with these.

It is definitely one of the hardest, yet one of the most successful and difficult books I have ever read and it will stay with me for an age.

Overall score - 5/5

Books of 2016 (first half)

I love my reading. And there's nothing more than I love than watching Booktube videos and spending hours perusing Goodreads. So I wanted to do a quick blog post on books that have caught my eye that I want to get to in the first half of 2016, and have a quick look at scheduled releases that I would like to pick up at some point.

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
For those of you who followed by New Year's Resolution post, you will know that this series is on my bucket list to start in 2016. I have a love/hate relationship with book series, and need to read one and take a break before the next, so I know it will take me a few years to get through it! Fantasy ain't my bag, baby. So this really is a challenge for 2016 - but I am looking forward to it!

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
This book has been on my radar for quite some time now, and I am really determined to get to it this year. I have a real fascination with American culture in the 20s, and I really love the premise of this book taking a race through history and slowing down and focusing on one year and the impact that a season within that year had.


The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
This historical fiction novel is set in Paris during the 1800s, more particularly Paris Opera. Very Moulin Rouge. Very fantastic. Published Feb 2nd.

Lazaretto by Diane McKinney-Whetstone 
This historical fiction novel is set in the first quarantine hospital in the US, and centres around characters who have emigrated there to start a new life in Philadelphia. It is due to be published in April and the cover is just perfect.

LaRose by Louise Erdrich
In this American-set novel, Erdrich tells the story of a hunter who mistakes a young girl for a deer and shoots her dead. It's an interesting premise and a look at an accident's rippling effect.

Slimming World Update - Week 2

Well this week was a mish mash of ups and downs! I was sick on Monday and that really threw me off, I wasn't able to take my pup out or get anything in the way of exercise and my eating was more centred around comfort than anything else! I still managed to drop 0.5lb, and anything is better than nothing, so I am not going to beat myself up too much about it.

We had a couple of gorgeous dinners this week, really filling, tasty and recipes that were low in syns. Albodingas (spanish meatballs) were a real hit in this house on Saturday night, while the chicken and chorizo jambalaya we made for dinner during the week was really indulgent.

A SW saver this week would definitely be this Muller Light Greek Style yoghurt in lemon flavour. At only 0.5 syns it feels really indulgent and dessert like, and so low in syns.

Only 0.5 syns each

This coming week I have a couple of meals out planned, so I am going to try and make really good choices with those and focus afterwards on really good weight loss. I am hoping for a 1lb loss bearing in mind that I will be wining and dining.

This week's loss: -0.5lbs
Total loss in 2016: 3.5lbs
Aim for next week: 1lbs

Book Review - Yes, Please

I don't think I have met anyone who doesn't love Amy Poehler. She's funny personified. Parks and Recreation is one of my favourite shows I have ever seen in any genre. I knew this was going to be funny, and I knew I was going to enjoy this book. Is that OK to do? To go in with preconceived notions of how you are going to feel about a book? I dunno, I hate when people approach things already with their minds made up that they will hate it, so how is it different if you know you're going to like something before you start it? Sorry, I started monologuing. What I wasn't prepared for is how wildly different the Amy Poehler I got would be to the one I expected. That was a surprise.

A white, suburban, middle class upbringing in Boston isn't the most exciting childhood to write about and I think Poehler did a lovely, touching and funny job of describing her (pretty nondescript) childhood.

"We never locked our door. I had a younger brother whom I loved and also liked. I thought my mother was the most beautiful mother in the world and my father was a superhero who would always protect me. I wish this feeling for every child on earth."

I really enjoyed hearing all about Amy's experiences coming through the improv scene in Chicago, and the foundation of the Upright Citizens Brigade, a little of which I was familiar with from reading Tina Fey's Bossy Pants a few years back. I also found her retelling of living and trying to make it in NYC particularly funny. It was great to read all about the goings on of SNL and when Amy talked about this part of her career, you could almost feel the electricity.

As a personality, I was expecting a cross somewhere between the sassy Golden Globes host Amy and Leslie Knopes from Parks and Recreation. I wasn't expecting a character full of drug stories and tales of anger management issues - a surprise indeed! It was a funny read, trying to marry this side of her character with moments when she displays utter humanity, love and kindness.

"The only way we will survive is by being kind. The only way we can get by in this world is through the help we receive from others. No one can do it alone, no matter how great the machines are."

Overall it was a very enjoyable read, with lots of poignant moments mixed with moments of pure hilarity. Recommended.

Overall score - 4/5

Christmas in Toronto - trip report

In the air

PRESENTS

It seems but a distant memory now, but only a few weeks ago I was preparing (with my bronchitis in tow) to head off to the cool and snowy climes of Toronto, Canada. My parents live there, as I have mentioned before, and I have visited a good few times before. Notably, once at Christmas in 2012 when the love of my life asked me to be his wife. Toronto is like a second home to me and I love going there so much.

It's such an energetic city, with a lot of heart and kindness, which sounds odd for a city. But, trust me. Go there and you will see. The people make it, and it helps that it's so pretty.

We flew direct with Air Canada Rouge from Dublin, which is great on one hand as we don't have to faff about in London, Amsterdam or Montreal (as we have in the past) and the flight is only 7 hours long. On the other hand, Air Canada Rouge is not the best airline to travel with, somewhere between Ryanair and Aer Lingus, but it is cheap. In all I think our flights cost £690 return (for the both of us). So I can't complain!

We landed to unseasonably warm weather on the 23rd December, the day before Christmas Eve. My parents live downtown, and we got there around mid-afternoon. My brother and his fiancée arrived the evening before us, and were there to greet us as well. It was a lovely day spent catching up, laughing, settling in, going for a swim in the building's pool and a dip in the hot tub, before a lovely wine and dine and an early night ready for Christmas Eve - only my favourite day of the year.

Brookfield Place

We started the day, as is now tradition in our family when we are in TO, with breakfast at Marché in Brookfield Place on Bay Street. We love this place, not purely for the novelty either! The set up inside is amazing - each station is like its own separate market stall, selling its wares. Each diner in the party gets a card, which is swiped when they add an item from that stall. The food is also really good - and particularly the breakfast offerings, though I would definitely advise trying to get there before 10.30am. Christmas Eve was the most magical day. We went to the city Christmas carol service which is held annually at City Hall, before wandering around the shops, visiting the infamous Bay Window and stocking up on mince pies and mulled wine to bring home for the evening. When we got home, we chilled out all afternoon, I had a bath and a read, and headed up for our traditional Christmas Eve supper of Spaghetti Bolognese. (What else?) Dad has a little vegetable patch in the city, and he made his own sauce with tomatoes he had grown there, and Christmas pasta I had brought over for the occasion. We played party games, ate gorgeous food and drank gorgeous wine, before we all changed into our PJs, made mulled wine, laid out all our Christmas snacks and stuck on Elf. It really was the perfect Christmas Eve.

Happy Christmas

Christmas day was a marathon present opening session, and a marathon eating and drinking day. We had all the traditional bits: turkey, ham, three types of stuffing... the dinner of champions, and the one you look forward to all year! We napped, took a nice walk, and did all the traditional Christmas Day things with the family. It was a lovely day.

The rest of the week we spent relaxing, visiting some nice restaurants and bars. We had a great meal at Wurst, which is a German restaurant in the city. They specialise in sausages and beer - so it's obviously amazing. But the star of the show was definitely the duck fat fries on offer, DO NOT PASS THESE UP. Far.too.good.

I love this city, and will definitely be back. We have lovely memories of Christmas 2015.

Toronto on Christmas evening

Toronto on Christmas evening

Winter TBR List 2015/16

So this post is mega late. I should head right back to the start and explain.

The end of 2015 got right on top of me. As you know things were crazy enough that everything was put on hold: my blog, my reading, my weight loss, and I pretty much stopped taking care of myself. I stopped being organised enough to give myself the tools to do that, and let work dominate. As an extra side effect of this, I ended up running myself into the ground, catching a cold, developing bronchitis, and pretty much ruining my life. Enough. Keep taking the vitamins, y'all. And give yourself food your body needs and wants, along with sleep and water.

I digress.

Long and short of it was that my autumn reading list blended into my winter one. So here I am going to take a hatchet, split the two up and tell you what is coming up this winter (let's pretend its November end, shall we?)

Winter TBR

A Kindle read

1. Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
Amy and Tina, Tina and Amy. I Loved Tina's Bossy Pants, so undoubtedly, I'm going to love Amy's book just as much, right? I look forward to witty anecdotes, life advice from a pro at living and lots of Parks and Recreation tales. Winter laughs, please.

Bathtime bliss

2. The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere
It's no secret how much I love a trashy Christmas novel. I schedule one every single year, and this year it's The Christmas Shoes. And the best place to read your trashy Christmas novel? The bath, of course. Wine optional.








3. Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala
I have wanted to read this novel ever since I heard of the Netflix original movie of the same name that was coming out. I love to read the novel before seeing it on the screen, like so many others. My husband has already read this and has prepared me for how difficult a read it will be, so I am looking forward to it. As much as one can look forward to child soldier stories.

4. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
I'm pretty sure this one came on my radar as part of Oprah's Book Club way back. It has been on my shelf (literal, not hypothetical) for the longest time, and this winter is when I am going to get it read! I love a book that has a lot of online presence, so you can read all around it, watch videos on it and listen to podcasts about it. Looking forward to this in 2016.

5. Wake by Anna Hope
Back in 2015, one of my resolutions (and part of my 32 things I want to do before I am 32!) was to read up on both World Wars. I have a really keen interest in history, and I knew very little about these, WW1 in particular. While reading some hard-going history pieces on the time, watching some documentaries and reading magazine articles, I also wanted to make the era come alive through fiction and film.

6. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
In the same way, War Horse is intended to bring the first World War a little to life, and I've also seen the stage show which I loved. Looking forward to this, and I think it will be quite a quick read.

7. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Another of my 32 things to do before I am 32 is to read ten classics. Before I started the challenge, I had never read any classics (that weren't essential in school). I am looking forward to Oliver Twist - a tale everyone already knows, and one with a lot of TV adaptation and discussion to get involved with afterwards.

And there you have it. Only one non-fiction book on the list this season, it's a fiction-heavy list this time! I also think this number of books is quite ambitious for me, so I will try to power through as many as possible before the end of February. Have you any Christmas or winter reads planned for this year? Let me know, I'd love to hear about them!

Slimming World - week 1

I know this says week one, and I know technically it's not my first ever week on the plan, but in order to start back in 2016 with a clean slate and a belly full of nothing but ambition, I am treating it like I am starting again. So week one came and it left. I was really happy with my progress this week, losing 3lbs in total! :)

I don't know whether it's the welcome relief of salads and soups after a glutinous festive period, or whether starting from scratch again made me really stick to the plan, but either way, a 3lb loss is a very welcome thing indeed.

This week was all about getting back to work and back into routine, and as a result I didn't really have many things standing in my way this week. No challenges, meals out or workarounds. Just plain old healthy eating, which is exactly what I needed.

Breakfasts this week were a mix of fruit and yoghurt, with the occasional omelette and eggs/bacon. Lunches were a good mix of salads and soups - my recipe of the week being one of these lunches. (See below) Dinner highlights this week included a wonderful hubby-concocted (and free) Chilli con Carne, while I made sesame turkey meatballs with chilli noodle broth, which I will definitely make again and do a recipe post for next time. They were supremely tasty, really filling and (best of all) very low in syns.

SW Saver - 1.5 syns

Cuppas in the evening with the telly were made a lot easier by my SW Saver this week - Lotus biscuits! If you haven't tried these, drop whatever you are doing and go bag yourself some. They are delicious, caramel-y and heavenly - and only 1.5 syns each, to boot.

My recipe of the week has to be this. It was so good, even my husband didn't mind the fact that I served him a salad. For dinner.

Not a picture of mine, but similar
to how the chicken *should* look (mine did not)

Warm balsamic glazed chicken salad

4 slices smoked bacon, all fat removed
4 chicken fillets
1 rosemary sprig, leaves torn off
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
596g new potatoes, halved
255g cherry tomatoes
Juice of 1 lemon
113g baby spinach leaves

How to
Wrap a piece of bacon around each fillet, secure with a cocktail stick. Place in a shallow bowl with the rosemary leaves and balsamic vinegar, turn a few times to coat and set aside to marinade for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until tender. Cook the tomatoes in a griddle pan until cooked through, turning frequently. Drain the potatoes, place in a serving bowl and keep warm.

Return the griddle pan to the heat, and add the marinated chicken and balsamic juices and cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pan, slice and add to the serving bowl.

Add the lemon juice to the balsamic juices in the griddle pan and gently heat through. Drizzle over the warm salad and add the baby spinach leaves. Toss the ingredients together to evenly coat.

Serve.

The only things standing in the way this week are my dad's birthday, which means a cake I will have to try to resist, and a dinner out with friends. Other than that, things should be plain sailing this week, allowing me another good loss (I hope!)

This week's loss: 3lbs
Total loss in 2016: 3lbs
Aim for next week: 2lbs

Movies of 2016 (first half)

2016 is set to be another bumper year for movie lovers. I try to get to the cinema once or twice a week - and inhale my copy of Total Film each month. So, without further ado, here are the movies I am most looking forward to in 2016.

January


The start of the year is usually a great time of year for movie-goers, with award season approaching and 2016 is no different.

The Revenant - Leonardo diCaprio wears a bear for his latest extreme survival movie, due in cinemas in the UK/Ireland on 15th January
The Hateful Eight - We tried to see Tarantino's new movie when it was on limited release in Toronto but it was unfortunately sold out. Really love Tarantino's work, and looking forward to seeing this one.






February

Hail, Ceasar - the new Coen brothers film looks fantastic and has a stellar lineup, including George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton.
Zoolander 2 - need I say more?








March

Zootropolis - Disney (which always will win my heart) has been on a particularly good roll in recent years, with releases like Inside Out, Frozen and, of course, the revival of the Star Wars franchise. Really looking forward to this sweet-looking movie.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - The latest instalment of the Batman series and the first since the departure of Christopher Nolan will be interesting as he faces another superhero.




April
The Jungle Book - Disney's foray into cartoons as live action movies continues with a much darker feel in the Jungle Book. Trailer was particularly interesting. And, you know, Disney.







May

Alice Through the Looking Glass - Another Disney offering in 2016. I really loved Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland, and the trailer for this new movie looks stunning.



June

The Boss - Melissa McCarthy stars as a fallen national treasure trying to win the love of the people again. I have to say, I really like McCarthy and I am looking forward to a laugh with this one.
Independence Day: Resurgence - The sequel to the original Will Smith great will not feature Will Smith *sigh*. But only having seen the original in 2015, I'm looking forward to seeing the next installment.

New Year's Resolutions

Well, hello! It's been a while and I feel like we have some catching up to do. Christmas break was wonderful, I enjoyed some real time out with my loved ones and even though I had bronchitis again over Christmas, I tried not to let it spoil anything too much. My hubby and I spent a lovely week in Toronto with my mum and dad, brother and his fiancée. I will have a trip report for you in the coming couple of weeks with all the things we got up to. Coming back to Ireland was nice, as we got a few days before we were back to work to spend with my in-laws, and of course with our beloved puppy who was staying with family when we were gone, and was well and truly spoiled.

I love New Year. I feel the need here to separate New Year's Eve and New Year as a concept. I hate going out on NYE - much preferring to relax at home and take stock of the past year and the year to come. This year we were invited to a family party, so I didn't get my evening in that I love! But the party was lovely and the craic was good, Sin-é. On the run up to a new year, (concept, not party) I always start reflecting on where I am and where I want to be, like approximately 95% of the rest of the world's population. This year, I have come up with 12 new year's resolutions which I will try to uphold each month, and each month I plan to check in with you and tell you HONESTLY how I am doing with each one.

So, in no particular order:

1. Planner - I have devised a planner on Google Docs which week-by-week will help me sort out everything I need to be doing, what I am planning to eat, etc. There is also space for little gratitudes each day. I intend to spend 5 minutes before getting up and 5 minutes before I fall asleep going over this and making sure I am on track for the next day or day ahead.

2. Time goals - I want to spend more time doing the things I love. I love the movies, and walking my dog, and I love listening to and practising my French and German (which I studied at university and which completely lapse if you don't maintain them - like I have been allowing to happen). I love my magazines and my books, as you know, and I love blogging and want to make more time for it. I have a target of minutes or hours I want to spend doing the things I love and I am going to try to keep up with that each week.

3. Make lunches the night before - In an effort to remain more organised, I plan to have my lunch packed and in the fridge the night before work, instead of scrambling to sort it in the morning.

4. Blogging - within my planner (see 1) I have a dedicated blogging calendar, which I see more as an archive of my life and I really want to keep up with.

5. Exercise routine - I have been extremely lazy in the last year with getting into a routine and practice of exercise. I plan to really address this in 2016, and have completed the first week of a couch-to-5k app from the NHS. It is a really useful tool for complete beginners like me. We are planning to have a gym room in our new house that we will hopefully be building this year, so we may start buying some equipment to fill it this year, so I have no excuses and no places to hide.

6. French and German - As I mentioned, I really have let these lapse. So I intend to spend more time listening to podcasts and reading German and French magazine articles to help me pick them up again.

7. Game of Thrones - I have never really been one for fantasy fiction (with the exception of Harry Potter of course), and I have tried and failed LOTR three times already. Enough, I said at the tender age of 25. Now I'm a little older, I think it's time I gave it another shot. I got my husband the boxset of books for Christmas as he wanted to read them before we joined the 21st century and started watching the series. So GOT is officially on my Spring reading list.

8. Wednesday morning routine - Working at home one day a week throws things in the air a little. I don't have to listen to that alarm telling me to get up so early. I can hit the snooze button and roll over for another 20 minutes. Enough. I want to spend Wednesday mornings getting a run in, doing my blogging and planning the following week in my planner, showering, dressing, breakfasting - all before I start work at 9.

9. Minimise eating lunch out during the week - I got into a lazy and bad habit last year of eating out at work during the week, which can hurt the wallet and the waistline. No more. It comes down to one thing - planning! If I am well organised and plan my meals, this won't happen.

10. Never start a week without a meal plan and groceries - Each Thursday, without fail, I intend to plan the following week's meals and have a shopping list completed and ordered online (to collect free from the store on Friday after work - genius invention). No excuses for eating out, eating poorly or anything of the sort.

11. Swimming - I really love this sport, and used to be good at it when I was younger. I want to take up swimming again, at least once every fortnight, if not weekly.

12. Weight loss - the old demon is still here. I feel a lot more focused this year than trying to lose weight in the craziness of 2015. Time to really focus on hitting target, maybe not hitting target by December, as I have a lot to lose, but I want to be well on my way there.

What are your resolutions? Do you make them? (Do you break them?) I'd love to know.