Share our Lives - Habits to make time for reading!

It's that time of the month again, to share some of my life and join in with the other Share Our Lives bloggers. This month the prompt is: Habits to make time for reading. This one seemed difficult for me at first as I am not a big reader of books until I started to think outside of the box, I read blogs and lots of them so thought I would go with that.

Life is busy and it’s amazing we have time to do anything fun but I always seem to make time to sit down each day and read some of my favourite blogs! There’s something so comforting about blog reading. It’s like catching up with a friend who always has something interesting, helpful or funny to say. Whether it’s tips, parenting stories, movie reviews or just someone’s weekend recap, I love it. It is sometimes it's hard to make time to read our favourite blogs but I came up with some ideas to help you out and get your blog fix!

Start your morning with a blog instead of social media!

I know I am sometimes guilty of scrolling on social media at the start of my day. Instead you could use that time productively. Try swapping that five or ten minutes for a blog reading instead. It’s a simple habit switch and it can make your morning feel calmer. I like reading blogs that inspire me or make me feel productive first thing on a morning. It’s a nicer start to the day than being bombarded by news stories and ads.

Use a blog reader app!

You can use blog reader apps like Feedly or Bloglovin’ so all your favourite blogs are in one place. You simply add the blogs you love to your list and whenever those sites post something new, it appears in your Feedly or Bloglovin feed. I prefer Feedly over Bloglovin. Feedly looks a bit intimidating at first but once you sign up and start adding blogs to your list it is quite simple to use. I have used Bloglovin it in the past and only stopped when it went down for a while a few years ago.

Set a time slot and treat it like an appointment!

This one sounds a bit formal but if you can carve out even 10 or 15 minutes a day and actually protect that time it makes all the difference. For me, I’ve claimed mid morning, everyone’s doing their own thing and I feel like I've earned a sit down after doing jobs around the house.

Use blog reading as a mini break!

Instead of reaching for snacks or doomscrolling when you’re feeling bored or need a sit down, read a blog post instead! It’s a quick mental reset that can leave you feeling inspired or at least a bit more cheerful.

Comment or Share!

When you read a blog and really enjoy it, leave a little comment or even share the post with someone you think would like it. It turns reading into a more interactive habit and you're more likely to remember what you read, go back for more and feel connected.

Declutter your blog list!

Sometimes we don’t make time to read blogs because we’re overwhelmed by how many we’ve bookmarked or followed. Give your blog list a little tidy up. Keep the ones that make you smile, teach you something or leave you feeling uplifted. When your reading list feels lighter you’ll be more inclined to dive in.

Pair it with something you already do!

If you want to read more blogs pair it with a habit you already have. Maybe you always have a cup of tea mid morning or like to unwind with a bath in the evening bring your phone or tablet and catch up on a post or two. When you link blog reading to a habit you already enjoy it becomes second nature.

Let go of the guilt!

Don’t feel bad if you don’t read every blog post by every blogger you love. Blogs are there to dip in and out of when it suits you. Some weeks you’ll read loads, other times none at all and that’s OK! The point is to enjoy it and not turn it into another item on the never ending list of things you should do.

I love reading posts from people all around the world and because of reading blogs and commenting I can now call some of those bloggers friends.

How do you manage reading other blogs?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

Sarah from Toronto Sam.

Our weekly meal plan! 10th - 16th November! #MealPlanningMonday

We had a nice weekend. We didn't really get up to anything exciting. We stayed home, watched TV and a couple of Christmas movies. I did think about getting the Christmas decorations out of storage but talked myself out of it, I stick to the plan and will wait until after my birthday.

Last weeks meal plan went OK, we ate most of the meals but skipped a couple. Life got busy, plans change and it was easier to grab something quick from the freezer. I’ve actually been trying to use up what’s in there anyway because with Christmas creeping up, I’ll need all the space I can get for festive food and treats. You can’t exactly fit a turkey and three packets of stuffing balls in there if it’s still full of mystery leftovers.

This week I’m keeping things flexible again with a nice mix of Gousto meals, a couple of easy freezer nights and some proper comfort food. I don't have much planned for this week, in fact I have nothing on at all which I am looking forward to. After this week things get busy! My birthday and then all the prep for Christmas!

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - A help yourself evening.

Everyone’s fending for themselves tonight which is great for using up odds and ends from the freezer. The girls are quite creative when it comes to pulling together random meals. One will probably find a portion of leftover pasta bake and the other might cook a few of chicken nuggets and some waffles. It’s chaos but it works and it saves me from cooking which is always a win on a Monday!

Tuesday - Gousto meal - Chinese-Style Chicken Curry With Egg Fried Rice And Chips.

We have had this before and it was so good, probably one of the best curries I've ever made. I hope it's just as good this time around.

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Beef Bourguignon With Mash.

This one feels a bit fancy but thinking about it, it's just a French stew. It seems perfect for this time of year, filling and warming!

Thursday - Gousto meal - Sausage Meatball & Tomato Sauce With Fresh Orecchiette.

I love a good pasta night especially when I know that this one will go down well with everyone. I might even make some garlic bread on the side.

Friday - Something out of the freezer with chips.

Friday nights need an easy tea. By the end of the week I’m usually done with cooking. It could be anything from fish fingers to pies but whatever it is it will be with chips.

Saturday - Burgers in buns with onion rings.

A classic Saturday night tea for us! I’ll set up a little burger station with cheese, lettuce, tomato and all the sauces so everyone can build their own and there will be onion rings because burgers and onion rings go so well together!

Sunday - A roast dinner of some sort.

Sunday wouldn’t feel right without a roast dinner of some sort. It could be a carvery from the pub or something I make at home. I will see how I feel at the end of the week.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 2nd - 8th November! Week 45 of #Project365

Week 45 seems awfully close to the end of the year! Christmas decorations are coming out, there's festive drinks in the coffee shops and there are mince pies being sold everywhere! I’ve had a bit of an up and down week but it finished on a much brighter note. Friday and Saturday were lovely. I spent Friday with the girls and of course went to see my dad. He was busy but took time out to have lunch with us which was nice and yesterday was a day of pottering about the house and doing a bit of blogging. We have absolutely no plans for today. I think I just want a cosy day at home.

Now before you judge me when you scroll down I promise I don’t eat this many sweet treats every week, I’m blaming Christmas! There are so many festive goodies out already and I can’t resist trying them all. Some of these things are only around for a short time and it would be a shame not to make the most of them. That’s my excuse anyway, and I’m sticking to it!

Now for a photo every day!

306/365 - 2nd November

I missed a photo but I’m sneaking in a dessert photo from my Sunday lunch. You might wonder how I’ve got a photo if I missed one, well I had the exact same dessert on Saturday evening when Stu and I went out for a meal so this will have to do! The chef tempted me with freshly made Bailey’s cream profiteroles which he was trying out for Christmas and I couldn't say no! When I saw them again on Sunday I just had to order them again as they were that good!

307/365 - 3rd November

I treated myself to a truffle yule log from Cooplands Bakery. Tis the season! hehehe

308/365 - 4th November

My garden is still surprising me! Do you remember those little black buds I shared a few weeks ago? It turns out they are Cosmos flowers! Jane and Joyce commented that they thought that’s what they were and you were absolutely right. I love that even in November, there’s still a bit of colour popping up outside.

309/365 - 5th November

I poked my head out of the back door and snapped a photo of one of the many fireworks going off. I thought they would have stopped by now but there was a ton going off Friday and last night too. Ugh!

310/365 - 6th November

Bucks Fizz Popcorn from Tesco! This was an experience. It’s got a fizzy orange tang which is weirdly addictive but I can’t decide if I loved it or just found it interesting. It’s the kind of thing you try once just to say you have, I won't be buying it again.

311/365 - 7th November

Ellie got the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula cream from the tattooist when she got her tattoo and I have been pinching a bit here and there and I forgot how good it is. I always get dry skin at this time of year so it has came in very handy.

312/365 - 8th November

Bacardi Breezer drinks! I feel like I have gone back to the 90's. These were all the thing, on a night out when I was about 20 years old. I bought myself a couple of bottles just for the memories and I forgot how much it tasted just like fizzy pop! Eek!

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This week my Word of the Week is: Frustration!! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

I’ve had an OK week. Nothing to write home about but not awful either. It has been one of those in-between ones where everything feels a bit flat after the excitement of the week before. Last week everyone was off work and school and we even had a little night away so I suppose this week was always going to feel a bit meh!

The week started off great. The girls headed out to town with their friends so Stu and I decided to have a meal out, it would have been rude not to with the pub doing 2 steak meals and a bottle of wine for £30. Bargain! We sat chatting over our meal, enjoying being just us for a bit. Afterwards we wandered off to another pub that had a live band on. It was one of those random, unplanned evenings which turned out better than anything we could have planned. We were back home by 11pm, feet up and watching wrestling on the TV! It started earlier than usual because our clocks had gone back but America’s hadn’t so for once we weren’t staying up until the early hours to watch it live. What a treat! The girls had great nights too with their friends and didn't roll in until half past three in the morning. Eesh!

Then came the rest of the week and my mood dipped slightly. There were a few frustrations that had me muttering under my breath and rolling my eyes. My phone network decided to be stupid and for some reason, it started texting me my balance every ten minutes for hours at a time. At first I thought it was just me but after scrolling through social media, I saw loads of other people were having the same problem. Apparently if you spoke to customer services they could switch the messages off. I spent 50 minutes on hold listening to the worst music before finally getting through to someone who couldn’t have cared less if she tried. She told me the problem was because I’d been using social media and using my data. Except my data was turned off and even if I had been on social media it would’ve been over the Wi-Fi! Her advice was to top up my balance and the messages will stop. What a load of nonsense. At that point I’d lost all patience, I told her she was useless and hung up which wasn’t my finest moment but she really was about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

I had another situation during the week where the poor woman on the other end of the phone was trying to help but her hands were tied by ridiculous rules and then of course on the one day Ellie absolutely needed to be home on time from college, the road was blocked and she ended up having to walk into town to get a different bus which meant she didn't get home until much later.

Wednesday evening rolled around and I decided to stay indoors hiding from Bonfire Night or as I call it the night I turn into a nervous wreck! I’ve never liked fireworks. This year seemed worse than usual too, there were fireworks going off in every direction. I totally get how pets feel now. I turned the TV up, shut all the curtains and tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. The girls went to the local display with their friends and had a brilliant time right up until they realised Becky’s girlfriend had lost her bank card. She did the sensible thing froze it and reported it lost straight away and it turned out she’d done it just in time. A notification popped up not long after showing someone had tried to use it. £63 at a sweet stall! £63, the cheek! I hope whoever it was looked very silly when they tried to pay for their mountain of sweets and the card was declined. Some people really have no shame.

By Thursday I was ready for a bit of calm and something to look forward to. The Celebrity Traitors final! I’ve loved this series and wasn’t sure if the celebrity version would work but they’ve been so serious about it which made it even more fun to watch. I was so excited for the finale until I accidentally saw the spoiler online. It had been released early on a Canadian streaming service and before I even realised what I was clicking on the show was ruined. I still watched but it wasn’t the same knowing what was coming.

We’ve got no big plans for the weekend and that suits me fine. After the chaos of the week a quiet couple of days sounds perfect. I’ve stocked up on some tasty snacks for while we're watching TV tonight: Bucks Fizz popcorn, maple honey roasted nuts and Pigs in Blankets flavoured crisps from Tesco’s festive range. I’m such a sucker for all the Christmas snacks that start popping up this time of year.

It hasn't been a bad week, it has been a mix of little annoyances and nice moments. How has your week been? I hope you have had a good week. I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay to join in with her Word of the Week linky.