I’m Taking Part In RED January

Happy New Year everyone!! 2019 is upon us, and I can’t wait to see what great things are going to happen this year.

For me, this is the year of me trying new things and pushing myself out of my comfort zone; and what better way to start than by doing something I’ve never done before! Cycling. Now, I know what you’re thinking, how can I have never cycled before??

Well, that’s not 100% true, the last time I had a bike I was 6 and it still had stabilisers on it with pink tassels on the handlebars. So in my mind, I’ve never really done any cycling. Especially not on my own bike now that I’m an adult.

So, what even is RED January?

RED January was founded by Hannah Beecham after she found out how your mental health can benefit from exercise; she found this through helping her mother through the darkest of her depression with love, support and by working together towards a goal (The Walk The Walk Midnight Marathon).

Why am I taking part in RED January?

One of my new years resolutions for this year is to raise some money for charities that I have had a personal relationship with. And one of those charities is MIND.

I decided to take part in this challenge because I realised that I’m actually reasonably active; this is due to having to do physio for my back (that’s a post for another day) and developing a healthy relationship with exercise since recovering from anorexia, and it has definitely improved my mental health.

And also because I’ve just received my first every bike, I’m now cycling to work every day! So it makes sense that if I’m already being active every day and feeling the benefit, why not raise a little money in the process??

So that’s what I’m doing this month. Even on my birthday, the 17th! Taking part in RED January doesn’t sign you up for having to force yourself to do something terrible every day that is harrowing. The only requirement is that you do something active everyday in January, if you don’t like running, you can go for a walk, what if it’s raining and cold outside? You could do some yoga, find a workout on YouTube or simply dance around your house just in your pants if you want. That active part is up to you.

Now, since today is the 5th January, I’m about to go do day 5 of the blogilates 100 Ab challenge (wish me luck! I’ll be doing a follow up of this at the end of the month so stay tuned!) and then go for a bike ride if it’s nice outside.

Oh, and if you wanted to sponsor me, you can find my JustGiving page here! I know we’re all tight on money since Christmas is over, so don’t worry if you can’t donate, why not sign up to do the challenge yourself with me?

Have a great day lovelies!! See you next week!

Love,

Elf On The Shelf Games

Merry Christmas everyone! The kids are soon breaking up for the Christmas holidays which means not only planning what you’ve bought/buying them, but coming up with fun ways to get the kids in the Christmas spirit! That’s why I’ve come up with 6 easy games you can do with the kids with your ‘Elf on the Shelf’!

Let’s get into it!

1 . Candy Canes ‘n Baubles! (Noughts and Crosses).

This one’s a simple and easy one to create; it’s a Christmas version of noughts and crosses and if you wanted to do this one over a few days I’m sure your Elf will take his turn whilst the kids are asleep! And if you wanted you can make the grid even bigger, add more baubles and candy canes!

2 . Candy Cane Treasure Hunt.

Here’s a great game that can be played over and over again with the help of your Scout Elf! I think all kids like a good treasure hunt don’t they?! And with candy canes being so cheap, why not do a treasure hunt with them! You can even swap the candy canes for other treats or even mini Christmas crackers.

3 . Elf – Who am I?

This game takes a little more prep than the others; but I promise it’ll be worth it! This game is great fun for both adults and kids; it involves picking a celebrity, character or other famous person etc. and dressing up your Elf as that person and getting your loved ones to guess who your Scout Elf is!

4 . Where’s Elfie?

My family loved this one, partly because we love a certain series of books that sound like ‘Where’s Holly?'(you get the idea) … if your kids have loads of toys, put them in a group and hide your Elf within the toys and give the kids the challenge of finding their Scout! This game can be repeated several times and you can add a time limit for searching to add a little suspense.

5 . DIY Elf Bed! 

Since your lovely ‘Elf on the Shelf’ will be staying with you over the Christmas period, you’ll want them to be comfortable when they’re having a nap; so why not use some of those boxes from all of your Christmas shopping and make your Elf his very own bed! You could even make him a house if you wanted!

6 . Riddle, Elf Book or Joke Hunt!

I love this one, it can be used as a cute morning ‘Elf on the Shelf’ prop and for a game. For this game all you have to do is make as many little Elf books as you want, write in them (in very tiny handwriting..) either riddles, puns or parts to a story, and hide them around your house! If you’d like this can be a daily thing with one tiny book hidden per day for the kids to find!

All of the games and activities can be altered and tweaked to suit you and your family. A few more activities you could do with your ‘Elf on the Shelf’ are:

• Elf portraits
• Elf hide and seek
• Making the perfect Elf dinner
• Building an house/cottage for your Elf
• Making your Elf their own special table for their Christmas dinner

Those are just a few extra ideas you can have a go at! And please let me know if you try any of these out and which one is your favourite. Oh, and don’t forget to register your Scout Elf and receive your adoption certificate and a special message from Santa! I hope you enjoyed this post my lovelies, and have a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

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