by Dee | Nov 24, 2016 | Featured, GloWellness
It is hard to believe that just a few hundred years ago women were being burned at the stake for their ‘devilish’ behaviour, and it is only in recent years women have had the freedom go out alone and have fun.
How times have changed, and nowadays our inner ‘devil’ is not only recognised, but it is being revered and given a space of its own, outside of the home.
The ‘man shed’ is yesterday’s news, and we are now seeing a rise in the ‘she shed’, where we can hang out, chill out and even pass out if we want to.
We have been hearing for ever about man’s need to have time out with his tools and tinkering and even stashes of vodka or whatever his poison happens to be. But it is equally important for us girls to have our own ‘hang out’ to explore what is important to us.
I was particularly excited to see that ‘she sheds’ come in all colours, shapes and sizes and are catering to every taste.
For instance, if you love pink and are a bit of a princess there is a gorgeous pink shed that ticks all the boxes – or if you prefer a gothic stance, and tend to walk on the dark side, there are also sheds available for you.
You could have it sound proofed for instance and install a recording studio to play with some beats if you are a secret rock chick, or build a cocktail bar and play Sex and the City with your friends.
I have just put in my order and am talking to my inner Kardashian as I am indulging in cupids and the more ornate look with a bit of Marilyn glam thrown in with a fabulous fifties print at Central Station in New York.
What I love about this is that it is completely my own space to do what I like in and with, away from the demands of everyday life and even my nearest and dearest if I want to escape.
Well, I also have the freedom to welcome who I want into my ‘she shed’ and believe me any visitors will be carefully selected. So anyone that does get an invitation should feel very special, and prepared for a lot of devilish fun.
by Rachel | Nov 21, 2016 | Featured, GloWellness
With Christmas almost upon us, why not bring some festive magic into the home by making your own Christmas cards this year. This is a fun activity for the whole family – as witnessed with my own tribe this weekend. We had all decided that it was time we demonstrated some home grown festive cheer, and so we got to work to create our unique Christmas card designs.
You can find supplies in most stores such as Poundland, The Works, WHSmith, Wilkinsons and even in major supermarkets like Sainsbury’s and Tesco. I recommend sourcing a range of coloured card and non-toxic adhesive to begin. I then bought some amazing items, such as stickers, gems, sequins, glitter glue, ribbons, glitter and coloured card. I also found some pretty gel pens to glam up my messages inside the card itself – plus some double-sided tape for easier assembly.
As the family gathered around the table, we all chipped in with ideas, and utilised all of our individual creative skills to design some original Christmas images. As you can see. we improved with each design, but I have an affection for the rougher ones as they hold their own charm with their imperfections. We are all proud of our creations too, and can’t wait to send them out to non-suspecting family and friends. Wonder if they will realise that we made them with our own fair hands!
As we improved in our venture, I was particularly pleased with the small card, and think the matching envelope makes it even more special.
Then as we progressed with the cards, we discovered a really useful tutorial for some extra ideas – http://www.instructables.com/id/Present-Pop-Up-Cards/. Check it out if you are planning to get creative this Christmas.
Do you make your own Christmas cards? If not, will you try it this year? Share your fabulous card designs with #ChristmasAtGloTime and #GloTime on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Share with us with #ChristmasAtGloTime and #GloTime at the same places as above.
by Olivia | Nov 16, 2016 | Featured, GloWellness
A year after giving birth to three children, two of them twins, I caught a sideway glimpse at myself in the bedroom mirror and said ‘enough is enough’ – I was running out of excuses.
Weighing in at a robust 15 stone, and as I am 5ft 8ins in height felt that I ‘carried it off’. Both friends and husband had tactfully told me that this was the case and after all, looking after three kids under four was no mean feat.
All of this was true, but the truth of it is I just loved eating foods covered in high calorie sauces and high in fat content, and am prone to indulging in chocolate and relaxing at the end of the day with a glass or two of red wine.
It was a Monday morning when I made the final decision to take action, as I had indulged in the most sumptuous meal the night before with friends, as I prepared pulled pork and chunky chips followed by banoffee pie and an entire cheese board of full fat brie and dolce latté.
I had tried Weight Watchers and various fad diets which had worked for a while, but when I stopped had piled the weight back on again.
A couple of friends had told me about Slimming World and how it was different from other diets as you could eat loads and never be hungry, but it was about the content and not the quantity. So no painstaking weighing and tiny portions of food. It was all too good to be true, but I decided to attend the local Slimming World class which happened every Wednesday in my local village.
I am telling you this now as it was just before Christmas, and I knew that if I didn’t do something about it I would just put on another half a stone over the festive season.
I had envisaged a mean mouthed sadist similar to Fat Fighters in Little Britain, but instead was greeted by a rather lovely lady who was very sensitive when I weighed in and told me I was doing well, but it was good to nip it in the bud and just control the weight gain, but that she didn’t want me to lose it too fast or feel I had to compete with the other members.
That was a good thing for me as I am competitive by nature and so refrained from aiming at ‘Slimmer of the Week’, but after two weeks did achieve a special prize for losing four pounds.
Now, ten months later I am a healthy 12 stone 10 lbs and am happy to just lose a few more pounds and am enjoying the camaraderie of the group meetings.
It is true I relate more to certain members as with any group of people, but have made a couple of friends I can swap recipes with and have met up with them socially as we have kids and similar interests in common.
You also don’t have to change your lifestyle that much, and can still drink alcohol in moderation and enjoy the odd chocolate bar. These are classed as ‘sins’ and are encouraged so that you don’t go off the boil with boredom.
The most attractive element of the Slimming World ethos is the clever strategy of the diet which is as long as you eat low fat foods, you can more or less eat as much of these foods as you like.
These are called ‘free’ foods and range from bananas and other fruit to meats and vegetables. As long as you stick to the diet you lose weight immediately and never go hungry. Did I say that before? Well it needs to be repeated because it is hard to believe, and the only reason I have stuck it out.
Here is a Slimming World recipe to try:
Grilled Cajun-spiced chicken, wedges and corn on the cob
Serves: 4
Ready in: 30-60 Minutes
Syns per serving:2
ingredients
4 chicken drumsticks, skinned
4 chicken thighs, skinned
900g large new potatoes, quartered into wedges
30g sachet Schwartz Flavourful Cajun Chicken Recipe Mix
8 mini corn on the cobs
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish
For the coleslaw:
200g summer cabbage, quartered, cored and shredded
2 carrots, coarsely grated
Salt
4 level tbsp. extra-light mayonnaise
4 spring onions, finely shredded
method
Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°Fan/Gas 6. Cut a few slits into the chicken drumsticks and thighs and put them in a large roasting tin with the wedges. Sprinkle over the Cajun seasoning and toss everything together.
Roast in the oven for 50 minutes, mixing occasionally.
Add the corn cobs halfway through the cooking time.
For the coleslaw, put the cabbage in a colander.
Pour over a kettle full of just-boiled water, letting it drain, to soften the cabbage slightly. Cool it quickly with cold water and let it drain again.
Add the carrot to the colander. Sprinkle over a good pinch of salt and mix well (this both seasons the veg and draws out some of the moisture). Leave to drain for 15 minutes.
Transfer to a large bowl and mix together well with the mayonnaise and shredded spring onions.
Divide the spicy chicken, potatoes and corn cobs between 4 plates, garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve with the coleslaw on the side.
See more recipes at: http://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/healthy-eating/recipes.aspx
