My Autumn/Winter Look Book

Just wanted to share with you this Autumn/Winter look which I wore to a wedding on Monday last week.

I felt very comfortable in this outfit not too hot or cold and I thought the pallets I had chosen were also fitting for the season we are in.

The clocks have officially gone back, so we are now officially entering Winter. 😩 (just give me a moment whilst I shed a tear)

My outfit

Plum Jumper

Apricot Leather Skirt

Grey Wool Coat

Tweed Scarf

40 Denier tights

Footwear – Heeled Ankle boots

Jewellery – Pandora

On the train on route to the Wedding

On Board the Service to…

Can you believe this is Autumn, in October, in London England and the sun is shining like this!

I couldn’t step away from this beautiful Mosaic floor

…I mean, just look at this floor one more time ..

Sitting in the depth of Autumn…

I had to take a selfie by these beautiful steps too.

Hope you enjoyed my Autumn Wedding look book.

Comment below and let me know if you’d like me to share more Look books like this in the future. (This is my first one!)

Remember you can also catch me on;-

Instagram : Here

YouTube: Here

Twitter : Here

Pinterest: Here

Say hey Mumma! 👋🏾 on my other platforms and I’ll know you’re from my blog family.

💋

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How You Can Fight SAD!

Yep, the clocks are going back this week Sunday in England to retain some daylight and winter is on its way and here to stay, well, for a good few months anyway!

  • Are you fully equipped?
  • Are you prepared?
  • Have you heard of SAD and do you know what it is?
  • Do you / Could you be suffering from SAD?

Well, let me fill you in…

A type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

Let me tell ya!….

I am definitely a summer baby and my mood is certainly perkier in the summer months. I’m more of a go getter and confident and wanting to be outdoors when the sun is out and it’s warm.

BUT, when the weather is gloomy, raining (particularly that annoying rain, where it’s not really raining but it’s raining as though Someone is consistently spitting in your face), windy and cold I can tell you for free that I’d rather be at home all cosy, hibernating and staying warm. I have no interest in being outside in the winter months unless I REALLY have to.

How do you know if you suffer from SAD and what are the symptoms?

Well… here are the symptoms:-

Symptoms of SAD

Symptoms of SAD can include:

  • a persistent low mood 
  • a loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities 
  • irritability 
  • feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness 
  • feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day 
  • sleeping for longer than normal and finding it hard to get up in the morning 
  • craving carbohydrates and gaining weight (this is so me…)

I’ve done my research and these are the top…

6 Ways You Can Punch Up SAD!

  1. Get up and Go Out! – Yep unfortunately that’s the highest recommendation I can give you. Don’t think about how cold it is just get up and get out- I’m afraid you’ll have to brace it and face it.
  2. Eat up Love! – Get those Complex carbohydrates in you, they can really help maintain levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood.  Complex carbohydrates are found in foods such as peas, beans, whole grains, and vegetables. These are very simple and complex carbohydrates which are turned to glucose (blood sugar) in the body and then this in turn ignites your body with energy.
  3. Try some Light therapy – Is a special lamp called a light box which is used to imitate the appearance and exposure of sunlight. Or even better go out for 10 mins and absorb some natural sunlight and get some vitamin D.
  4. Get some exercise on – Netflix and Chill will have to chill I’m afraid. You need to head to the gym or run around and get your sweat on. Once your endorphins have increased from your exercise then you will begin to feel more cheerful and your mood will gradually bounce back. You can’t go for one day and pack it in though, make sure you keep it up, it doesn’t have to be an extensive workout at all- little and often will do just the trick! According to a study, physical exercise works like some anti- depressants to alter brain chemistry.
  5. Talk it Out! Invite some friends around, arrange an outing or just pickup the phone and have a conversation – Just get talking! When you’re not feeling spontaneous, you’re cold and just want to stay in and be cosy you must be around outgoing people they can subconsciously pick up your mood or even encourage you to go out.
  6. Stay warm – OK OK, you won here! You have to stay cosy and warm whilst you do all of the above. Feeling cold if you don’t like it, can actually make you feel more depressed and uncomfortable and totally grumpy. So wrap up like a burrito if you’re going out and if you’re indoors crank up the heating to you comfortable sauna setting and most importantly stay HAPPY.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found some useful tips. If you have any useful ideas that you think can help someone too please share in the comments below.

It would also be interesting to know how many other people suffer from SAD.

Love Mummanopoly 💋

Let me leave you with a quote of the day….

Remember you can also catch me on

Instagram : Here

Twitter : Here

Pinterest: Here

Say hey Mumma! 👋🏾 on my other platforms and I’ll know you’re from my blog family.

Stay tuned for my next post on ‘My First Look Book.’

Autumn Love Letter

Dear Autumn,

I feel like we need to have a chat! You’re giving me mixed signals.

You’re not consistent. I’d like to know where I stand. When we go out, I don’t know how to be with you…

You’re blowing hot and cold….

I get excited when I see you shining , I get so excited and all dressed up for you and then usually by the end of the day, you just switch and turn cold on me, it often catches me off guard. Like yesterday for example, you were so bright and chirpy, I loved it!

Today you’re so miserable and moody… Autumn, I can’t even lie… I think about Summer alot, we had a better connection. 😔 🍂🍂🍂🍂.

This was actually a post from my Instagram earlier this week and I thought it would be nice to also share with my fellow blog family.

My relationship with Autumn is such that I often begin to feel the winter blues as soon as we encroach October/ November. I think I’m one of those people who suffers from ‘ sad ‘Season Affective Disorder’.

I think Autumn is beautiful, the colours of the leaves, and conkers and the sun peaking through the shedding trees really makes you stop and appreciate nature and makes you realise that absolutely everything in life goes through a period of transition and a season of change, just like we do ourselves, physically and mentally.

Stay tuned for my next post on ‘Fighting the Winter Blues.’

Remember you can also catch me on

Twitter : Here

Pinterest: Here

Instagram : Here

Say hey Mumma! 👋🏾 on my other platforms and I’ll know you’re from my blog family.

Mumma playing the game of life to win…

💋

Successful Morning Routine – Not Just For Mums!

Mummy get up now, stop sleeping all the time – My 3 year old

Apparently I sleep too much according to him, because I’m not already up at 6:20am on a Sunday morning!!!

*Small print*
If you’re not a mother and cannot relate, please skip right down to the How to Wake Up Early Every Morning Checklist below.

I need some help guys! Mums and dads alike! Even those of you who can just get up with ease as though someone is handing you £50k at the end of your bed for getting up so early without prompt. Erm…How do you do it!?

I am just not a morning person.

You would have thought after nearly 7 years of motherhood I would be springing out of bed like a spring chicken and commencing the day from 4am prompt every morning. Making a healthy yummy Kale and banana smoothie for breakfast, with some freshly baked homemade multiseeded bread, Yeah right!

To the mother that has the house done and breakfast made before the household is up! If you’re that mum please can you DM me! So I can take some tips and give you some accolades! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

After some research and trying these myself, I know that the checklist below definitely works and has been proven by successful people!

How to wake up early everyday checklist

  • 1. Wake up Early!
  • Yep, just do it already! Apparently if you’re a top dog and you get things done typa person… Research suggests that you are usually waking up as early as 4.30am every morning.

    • In a poll of 20 executives cited by Laura Vanderkam, a time-management expert and the author of “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast,” 90% said they wake up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, for example, wakes at 4 and is in the office no later than 7. Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at 4:30 to read. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is up at 5:30 to go jogging.

  • 2. Do some Exercise mate!
  • Yep! God give me strength! The thought of exercising as soon as I get out of bed, I can’t even imagine!!
  • BUT, I have tried it before, and obviously I haven’t been able to keep up with it.. but I have tried the following; a yoga tutorial from YouTube and doing it for 20-30 mins every morning, and I do feel rejuvenated with a zest of energy and of course fully stretched. Just imagine you’ve been sleeping for so many hours… a good stretch is fully required! Google the health benefits! Or check out the benefits I found out Here
  • This is some more inspiration for you too..

    • Barack Obama starts out each day with strength and cardio training while Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey does three repetitions of a seven-minute workout, Anisa Purbasari reported for Business Insider.

    “These are incredibly busy people,” says Vanderkam. “If they make time to exercise, it must be important.”

  • 3. Get on with some important stuff (This is actually a 3 in 1 check)
  • I know when I’m up early and do some paperwork, pay bills, blog, respond to emails over a coffee or so, I’m fully alert and in the correct mindset.
  • Setting a To Do list for the day is also a great thing to do first thing in the morning before distractions begin to mount and fully distract us from what is important and must be done!
  • Work on your dreams, side hustle, business, plans or holidays- the stuff you can’t focus on once everyone one is up and in the way!

    • According to the Telegraph, Ludwig Beethoven, John Milton, Kurt Vonnegut, Maya Angelou, and Victor Hugo all tackled their creative projects in the morning.

  • 4. Last but not least… Enjoy the Silence..
  • Instead of sleeping an extra 5-10 minutes and snoozing your life away… just get up earlier and have a moment to yourself… it feels so great when I’m up before everyone and I can just allow my mind to run free in peace… or just Sit and just stare into space for 10 mins over coffee (who does the early morning blank gaze, mouth opened just day dreaming about nothing)…
  • By the time you need to be really up you’ve got the slouch out the way and you’re good to go!
  • Hope you’ll find these tips useful! Please also share any you may have too!
  • Catch me on Insta, Twitter or Pinterest (I’m Mummanopoly in all platform)! ..and say “Hey Mumma!”
  • Mummanopoly
  • Playing the game of life to win! 💋

    • 10 Steps to Motivation!

    “You cannot act like Flip Flops and expect to be treated like Louboutins.” 👠

    Sorry, we’re just not having it!

    Man!!! I love this quote!

    ….But isn’t it just sooooo true!

    You can’t put in 1% effort and expect 100% outcome and this is with everything in life.

    We all have can’t be bothered days but everyday we choose not to be bothered it will not push a better tomorrow.

    The more you push in today, the further you’ll get, in tomorrow! -Mummanopoly

    (Did I hear preach girl!) – Thank you!

    Hustle today for a better tomorrow, you’ll thank yourself for it!

    As a busy mum it’s ridiculously easy to forget about yourself and your ambitions or goals.

    By the time everything’s done…. (let me not bring out the list of things to do) work, cooking, cleaning, kids activities, homework, shopping, laundry…errr excuse me 👋🏾 and where is time for me?

    Uh huh, precisely, a conscious effort to stay motivated is so so so important!… Otherwise you’ll be chilling in your flip flops whilst everyone walks past you in their Louboutins. Okay OK! That was a dry joke but you get the gist right…

    Have a look at some of the things below which keep me motivated.

    10 Steps to Motivate Yourself!

    1. Read Motivational books (The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins is a great read!)
    2. Listen to Motivational videos (YouTube it! I love me some T.D. Jakes)
    3. Speak positively about everything (yep everything)
    4. Hang around with Happy people
    5. Hang around with Positive people
    6. Frequently engage with people who are Successful. (Particularly in your chosen field)
    7. Motivate others ( It will also motivate you)
    8. Plan things in advance to look forward to.
    9. Create a routine of things which make you feel positive about yourself.
    10. At the end of each day write what you have achieved. ( Trust me when you look back you’ll be like Wow!)
  • Comment below and let me know how you keep yourself motivated!
  • Check out my Instagram for more inspirational quotes too and if you visit don’t forget to say “Hey Mumma!” I’ll know you’re a fellow blogger!
  • Instagram.com/mummanopoly
  • Stay motivated..
  • Mummanopoly 💋

    • Procrastination

    Procrastination is an abomination!

    Procrastination, is the thing that takes over you and causes hesitation.

    Procrastination is like waiting at the station but not boarding the train to your final destination.

    …but I won’t forget to mention, how it creates so much tension and immense deep rooted self-frustration.

    You allow all of distraction to prevent you from taking action.

    Tomorrow is a new day we say.

    Constant self reminders, however, day by day it’s all left behind us.

    …and before you know it… it’s been 7 days and before you know it… it’s been 8 weeks and before you know it… it’s been 9 months and before you know it….. nothings changed…

    So if there needs to be a change, then make a change!

    So I changed from being negative to a mental state of positive and when I became positive it made me more proactive and when I became proactive it made me feel more reactive and when I felt more reactive I began to feel more active and when I felt more active….

    …Everything is more seamless and the possibilities are simply endless…

    Procrastination is an abomination!

    💛 Mummanopoly 💋

    200 followers on my WordPress Blog

    Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!

    This is quite a milestone for me, I never would have imagined I could capture the attention and support from 200 people with my writing!

    I’m so delighted and would like to take this opportunity to thank EACH and everyone of you for your kind comments and likes along my tiny blogging adventure.

    Its all still new to me but I’ve had so much fun writing so far and also reading many of your blogs. There are many amazing writers out here, very talented and also enriched with knowledge and the ability to motivate many people miles and miles away.

    I find that truly amazing, how you can touch the hearts of many through words and experience many of which you will never see in your lifetime but your words can stay with them for a lifetime – Simply beautiful!

    I have learnt and discovered so much from you all and I hope I have been able to motivate and encourage many of you too which is my aim.

    Catch me on my other social media platforms below;-

    Twitter

    Instagram

    (Lol I can’t seem to get the url for my Mummanopoly Pinterest page)

    Anyway… Here’s to more blogging and hopefully more followers along the way too.

    Love Mummanopoly 💋

    Mumma Playing the game of life to win!

    🙌🏾

    Mum on the Blog!

    Hello my lovelies,

    I have been missing in action for a moment…

    It’s been a great ordeal with my children’s father since we separated in 2015 to finalise our extensive court order surrounding contact arrangements.

    It’s taken a little over 18 months to have it all final and written in stone about how future contact arrangements shall be.

    Initially I struggled with the thought of being away from my children and not being there to witness some key moments in their lives as I have always been there and able to.

    This weekend however, really heightened the reality of how life will be going forward, co-parenting and not having the children on all weekends etc.

    So I told myself, Let’s NOT get caught up in the feelings, and who wants to live there anyway? There’s no happiness where negative thoughts and feelings reside.

    ….And then I thought to myself… GIIIIIRL! You just need to take this opportunity to remember who you are when the mummy hat is removed and embrace every moment!

    I completely changed my perception on things, because that’s what it really boils down to at the end of the day, our perception.

    Our perception about things in life can make or break us and we need to be really in-tune with our thoughts which in turn will have a huge impact on our feelings.

    I realised that actually, lets flip the script here… I can really use this time to recharge and be fresh and rejuvenated for when the kids are back with me and do the things I once loved before being a mother:- such as singing, song writing, dancing, reading, long baths, drawing and the list goes on.

    Sooooo….

    Here’s to self love and self care. 💕

    Look out for my pending blog on Self Love and Self Care actually… it’s just baking…

    You can check out my instagram Here too, which I have not long created, so would be lovely to see some of you there… pop over and say Heeey 👋🏾!

    Mummanopoly 💋