Why photographing your food can help you to lose weight

Diet - the forbidden word. Because actually, everything you eat and every time you eat it is your "diet".  The dictionary definition of diet is "the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats" so that covers your three times too large bowl of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, your apple in the company of children and your vodka, lime and soda in the company of adults or no one.

And that is why you are not on a "diet" even if you are trying to lose weight.  You are changing your diet of course, or even changing your way of life (better) in order to lose weight. You are also "cutting out the crap" for want of a better phrase.  And this, however you want to label it, is hard work.

One thing I have recently discovered on my journey with WW, other than having like-minded people who fully understand what you are going through (and why it's so important to have bad days along with the good in terms of eating healthy), is to share what you're eating.  You're making yourself accountable to a whole new group of people looking for ideas and inspirations. And if you can be that person to post a picture of your salad, then you could be the one who has helped them to lose a pound this week.  And then, knowing that you've helped someone else with your photo, surely that would encourage you to help yourself.  Hence, my new trend for posting pictures of salads on my social media accounts.

The other benefit of this is that you have to think about what you're photographing.  No one really wants to see a bit of lettuce next to half a piece of chicken, that's not very exciting, but once you "throw" on your jewels of pomegranates, colourful carrots and a variety of green from your leaves, asparagus etc. you start to create a piece of art.  Art is attractive and enticing, whether you agree with it or not, if it catches your eye then you have noticed it. And if you notice it then you might look deeper into it.

As the creator of food art, you might then realise that the extra two minutes it took to put together the colour on your plate actually makes it much tastier, much more enjoyable as you sit down to eat the masterpiece before you.

Make yourself aware of the colours you have used, the different textures, and appreciate how once combined they actually make a great meal.  Then show it off to everyone else, and inspire them to do the same. In the same way that you might choose a meal from a photographed menu (especially on the beach on holiday) or a recipe book. You've gotta admit, it's much easier deciding a recipe based on a picture rather than the one created in your head when you've mentally put the ingredients together.

I have predominantly been photographing salad, as my evening meals might currently be a bit on the beige side (loving chicken and potatoes at the moment) but I'm working on that, and you never know, this might lead to my new enterprise of photographing my amazing salads and then selling them to auction houses and galleries for zillions of pounds. 

The best diet tool you will EVER need

For those of you who know me, and know my love for all things discounted and especially free, you’ll be pleased to know that I accepted to review a little tool the other day for my dear friend through Insta. Not really knowing why I was excited to buy a mini sealer, but having seen one on some advert the day before, I received my mini sealer in the post (next day) and promptly broke it trying to put the batteries in the wrong way round. 

Gutted that I might have to return it and wait for a new one, I changed the batteries over and my little sealer came to life.  I say it came to life, it’s great because it doesn’t heat up to a dangerous temperature and there is no risk of burning at all, because how it works is that the small heating element, heats ever so gently and literally melts the plastic on your bag back together again. The other end of the sealer has a little cutter (no risk of cutting fingers though unless they are paper thin) to reopen the bag should you wish.

Ok so that’s the science over with, now onto the WHY. Well, I thought I might use this to seal the bag of peas in the freezer but to be honest, every time I used peas, I put the clip back on and stuck them in the freezer forgetting my little tool. Maybe I could use it to seal envelopes but this doesn't work on paper, it's got to be plastic because that's how the sealant works. So I was thinking how I could use my new little tool, how I could get the best out of it to give it a good review.  And then that evening, as I was downstairs alone, Molly was laughing at TikTok in her room and Lucy and James were asleep it happened. There was a bag of mini eggs hidden in the cupboard where I hide nice food from other people. I looked around me to check I was alone, I only wanted a couple to satisfy my sugar craving. I opened the packet and took out 4 eggs. Oh those eggs were so enjoyable, so delicious, so tasty, so… so moreish! But No, I can’t have any more, I’m so close to my WW goal and I’m close because I’m doing everything in my power not to over indulge. It's so difficult and probably the reason that I've stayed the same weight all the way through lockdown so far. And so bring in the mini sealer. Literally, 4 eggs later, and telling myself that I was satisfied, I took my sealer, pushed down the heated side for 3 seconds to warm it up and then ran it across the opening of the packet. 1 second later and my packet was sealed again and back in it’s hiding place ready for another day. It was the best thing that I literally have ever done on my diet. Knowing that my mini sealer did indeed work, I could happily hide my chocolate away for another day, knowing that it wasn’t going to spill all over the cupboard or (hardly likely) go off. I’ve since done the same with Doritos and will continue to do so with any other treats I might treat myself to, or do it to the kids food to just annoy them and stop them from eating all their snacks in one go.

This is like just the best tool ever. It’s that final little encouragement to put the rest of the packet away, in the knowledge that it will still be there for you when you want it next. Seal it really well and you could convince others that it was never opened in the first place!

My obsession with Jane the Virgin

Have you seen this on Netflix? OMG if not, why not? Molly and I are currently on episode 97 out of 100, and I’m so distressed that it’s going to end soon that I had to blog about it today.  But why? I hear you ask, it’s just a TV show right? Wrong. It’s so much more than a TV show, it’s an addiction, a love affair, a fairy tale, a new family I didn’t know I had, an education and time that my daughter and I can share, reminisce about and totally get lost in.

I’m not going to spoil it for you and tell you what happens, there would be too much to tell and I really don’t have that much time, but I can give you a quick run down of why I’m so obsessed.

The story is predominantly about Jane, but massively about everyone in Jane’s life.  Jane is someone you want to connect with, relate to and sympathise with but at the same time she is someone you want to throttle and scream at “Just shut up Jane, you don’t have to tell everyone EVERYTHING” and that is her let-down.  That is the reason there are 100 episodes.

Firstly, it’s hilariously ridiculous.  If you’re aware of the term jumping the shark, well this happens in the first episode, which is the premise for the whole story.  Don’t expect a story you can relate to in any way, but do expect to want to relate to some of it, the love stories, the ambition and the family time.

It’s also quite educational. My Spanish has come along in leaps and bounds as it’s impossible not to pick up on some of the translations from Abuela, who refuses to speak English unless absolulely vital. I genuinely feel like I know a hell of a lot more Spanish now than I did at the start.  And also, my love of writing blossoms at each episode.  It’s no spoiler to know that Jane is a writer. I too am a budding writer and seeing her flying away on her laptop is so encouraging to anyone who has that many emotions and stories inside them. Not just for me, but for Molly too, who without asking, turned round the other day and said to me “I’ve just written a story.” It was the best darned story she has written to date because it was jam packed full of emotion, feeling, adjectives, adverbs and all the other grammatical things I forget what they’re called but are necessary for year 7 English.

There is a lesson also to be learned about judging people, and proving that people can change.  The lovely Petra, when she was first on the scene it was all boos and hisses, but as she has grown and we have binge watched, we have fallen in love with her, the poor lost soul with a kick-ass attitude.

Love does play a huge part in Jane the Virgin, and you find yourself yelling at the TV for Xiomara and Rogelio, Jane and everyone she has ever fallen in love with, Abuela and Jorge to just SPIT IT OUT, and say what they are feeling. 

And don't get me started on the triangle with Jane, Michael and Rafael. Are we team Michael or team Raf? It doesn't matter because your mind will change numerous times over the episodes.

Oh and for goodness sake, how could I have forgotten the villains, the murders, the cheating and lying. Everyone has a go at that one in some form or another.

And then Telenovella’s.  This will be our new thing going forward. Think you have nothing left to watch? Go find a good Telenovella and binge watch to your heart content.

We have three episodes left of Jane the Virgin, I don’t know if they will write another one, I don’t know how this is going to end, but I’m scared that I won’t have anything to fill the void… except… Jane Villanueva wrote a novel, that novel is on Amazon! For real! So I’ve just bought it. Maybe I will review that next time.

Until then, stay safe, enjoy time with your loved ones and cheesy, gripping Telenovellas.

Going back to school – there are so many schools of thought

And so we have just had the first week of non-keyworker children being allowed back to school, and Facebook is full of opinion on whether the government have been right or wrong to allow this.  But this isn’t a government decision really is it? This is a parent decision, as the advise from the government has included “there will be no fines if you do not return your children to school now.”  Something I have found quite amazing during this decision making is the number of parents who rely on other people to make their decisions for them.   We all have the same news channels and we all hear the same information. It is down to us as individuals though to interpret that information and make our best choices.

Based on this, I’ve put a little quiz together this week, so you can see which group you are in, and then take full responsibility for your own choice.  Which group are you in?

Quesetion 1	What is your view on home schooling?
a)	What’s that? I thought the BBC and Joe Wicks were doing it all for us!
b)	Up and dressed at 8, sat at the table at 9, probably allowed a lunch break if they’ve done well
c)	We do a bit of Maths and English but the rest of the time is about us spending time together
d)	Where are the kids? I think they’ve gone out or are still asleep
e)	We have to do it because we are stuck at home. We can’t go out so home schooling it is
Question 2	Are the schools ready to take back the children?
a)	Yes, no, no, yes. I don’t know because other people keep changing their minds. I’ll find out when I go to the park with Shaz later
b)	Tables are set, cleaning materials are in, teachers are prepared. Let’s go
c)	Not really thought about it, we’re too busy doing our family thing to think about school. They might be ready though
d)	No, I don’t think the teachers are ready. They’ve been off too for the past 11 weeks so they can’t be ready to take the kids back yet
e)	Not mine. I don’t care about what other people are doing, but mine are better off at home. It’s safer that way
Question 3	Are you ready for the easing of lockdown?
a)	Well I do like heading off to the beach at the weekend, but I think people should stay away from me whilst I’m there, if they can… it’ll be so nice for the kids to see their friends too
b)	Yes, we can’t continue like this for ever, or even until they get a vaccine. Let’s get back to some normality now but be cautious at the same time
c)	I don’t want to lose this time we’re spending together. Maybe going out a little more won’t hurt though
d)	Sure. I can’t have everyone under my feet continuously. That’s why the kids are out with their mates during the day.
e)	Not until I can be sure that there is a huge decline or a vaccine

 Answers. If you scored mostly:

 a)    You’re in the “Well so and so on Facebook isn’t group” – These are the parents who cannot make their own decisions, or don’t want to be held countable for the decisions that make, should it all go tits up.  If they send their kids back to school and they get ill, they can blame the government, exactly the same as when they all meet in the park and forget to socially distance. That’s not their fault either.

 b)    You are in the “Off you go kids group" – this group of parents have had enough home schooling. They’ve done what’s asked of them as best they can, and they now have heard that there is little risk to their children going back to school and little risk of them bringing the virus home.  The scientists have worked with the government and the schools have worked to make changes so let’s have a little faith in them.

 c)    You’re in the “Relishing this new normal group” – this  is the group of parents who have spent a lot of time weighing up the pros and cons and have a list of 50/50. But these families have realised how valuable their time together has been. They have a structure in place for home schooling, but also for playing in the garden, for spending really good quality time together, maybe the parents are furloughed or working from home and they’ve understood why they had children in the first place. They have had the best quality time whilst being forced to stay at home that they’re not quite ready to end it. Making memories but learning at the same time. They do say that family time is just as important as education don’t they!

 d)    You’re in the “I forgot about the kids group” – whilst some parents are working from home, some are sitting in the garden or the park furloughed and some are still going to work, their kids are fending for themselves.  Not really fussed about school, can’t really get good internet connection because the Playstation is still plugged in so might as well enjoy this super long holiday and blame the teachers for their lack of learning when they go back in September.  Kids will be kids eh?

 e)    You’re in the “Vulnerable families” – this group of parents have someone close to them who is vulnerable. There is no chance that they are ready to unleash their children into a building full of other children who may be carriers, and therefore risk their own children coming home and passing on the virus to more exposed family members.  Hoping for a vaccine before too long.

We are all individuals, we can fit into any of the groups above, but just remember. You made that choice, so don’t blame anyone else if you’re not happy with the outcome.  Stay safe guys.

Customer Services and why it matters!

Well good morning to you all, it is once again a sunny day in Hertfordshire, the sun is out, the sky is blue but the new paddling pool is still freezing! Not that the kids have noticed, they only come out when we tell them they’ve turned blue. A good mini investment me thinks.

And so on to today’s topic, the topic of Customer Services. I have worked within Customer Services for quite a number of years.  The Customer Services at Collect+ is top notch, the team would do everything they could to solve problems in the quickest time possible. Where a problem could not be solved (genuinely lost parcel) then we would act to rectify the problem by either replacing the product or providing a refund.  Now I’m sure there will be people who disagree with some things, but in general the idea at C+ was that you looked after your customer to the best of your ability.  This even lead to a Christmas presents being delivered by head office staff on Christmas morning on one occasion, to ensure that the customer’s child did not have a ruined Christmas. The ethos behind C+ customer service was that we have a service to provide and will do everything possible to make that happen, and despite the stresses in Head Office when we spoke to the Customer Services team on a daily basis we could be satisfied that we were providing what was expected. So, that comes down to the question of the day, why do the big companies not care?  Let me stop myself there though, because I’m not going to be generic. I’ve had some awesome customer services from Expedia and BA in lockdown, both companies were proactive and took little time to resolve my problem and get me my money back. I didn’t have to chase, I didn’t leave a call wondering if I would ever hear from them again, and when one of the payments didn’t quite make it back to my bank card along with the others, it took another phone call to get that escalated (and to be honest, that was an error from American Airlines rather than BA).

But some customer services department just don’t understand both their customers AND their product or service.  Here’s a little example from an IT company I dealt with in the last week, and now could probably take over their jobs. We won’t mention the name, just that they own most of the items on all our family laptops. They link everything together and own things that you might want to use to write things, or make spreadsheets, or nice little presentations… you get the idea?

So picture this, children are playing Roblox. Molly is playing online and Lucy has it downloaded from the M**** shop.  Both have been really good so after about a year of playing I’m allowing them to buy Robux. Molly goes on to her game, is given options to buy robux, Paypal payment (not my first choice but it worked this time) and it’s on her account. Easy peasy.

Lucy goes into her game, goes to buy Robux and is only given a choice of 80 for 99cents or 800 for $9.99. So we start with 80 because apparently things on Roblox are cheap. Thinking I’ll pay paypal again, imagine my surprise when I’m asked to upload the money to the Microsoft shop. Ok, whatever that’s fine. Hang on a minute, the minimum I can upload is £10 and I’m spending precisely 79p. Ok, then she can have that balance for rewards in the future.  We buy 80 robux, she joins her friends on a paid game. Everyone is happy, see my other blog for allowing them to game when they want. 80 Robux, compared to Molly’s 400 doesn’t last quite as long (bear with me we’re getting there).  Easy solution, I’ve got £9.21 balance I’ll just go in and buy Robux.  BUT, here’s the problem. First of all, Lucy can’t now access Roblox on her laptop, it needs updating but M*** takes up over half the memory on her computer so we don’t have room to download updates. So we play via google like Molly does, but oh no, we can’t buy Robux with Microsoft balance, only paypal or credit card.  First live chat with M*** and two hours later I start typing in CAPITAL LETTERS BECAUSE I’M GETTING A BIT PISSED OFF NOW. We’ve got nowhere, I can see where the problem is but Chuck A (like there is a Chuck B too?) can’t. I’m now saying that poor child would just like a refund to buy robux with on paypal. Not asking for freebies, just asking for the ability to do what we’ve already paid £10 to do.  The best response Chuck came up with was “can you download the game on another device?” What like my work laptop? Er… no thank you. We can play online, we don’t need to download it.

5 hours later, and poor Lucy is a little upset, but still being very patient. I delete everything I can from her laptop and still cannot put an update on Roblox.  I then find my old laptop that takes an hour to boot up. I download roblox on that. I go in to buy robux, it’s asking me for my Microsoft login, I put the details in. it’s asking me to upload money to my account? Say what????  I go back on chat and speak to Adrian M (Adrian T was on another call perhaps). I tell him that if I go into Microsoft store I can only buy Robux for Xbox. We don’t have a live Xbox. He wants me to buy an Xbox and play from that. I ask him what £10 means to M*** compared to what £10 means to an 8 year old little girl. He apologises for his company not being prepared to do anything about it. They’ll get back to me in 24 hours.

Meanwhile, I work out something. If I log out of everything ever, anywhere and log in as Lucy, even though her Microsoft account is linked to my parent account, I can go in to her account and buy Robux. I do this, and destress with a WW dance class, where I pretend I’m Goldie Hawn in Overboard and dance like nobody’s watching, even though there are potentially 200 people watching and I’m sure one is my WW mentor, Stella. Oh well, as long as I can put a smile on some people’s face.

Two days later, I’m still waiting for M*** to get back to me. I’ve solved the problem so I couldn’t care less what they come up with, but I’m fuming that they haven’t bothered to contact me, haven’t tried to solve my problem, really haven’t given a hoot!  At the same time, I ordered something for Molly’s birthday from a small independent company. It’s not arrived and it should have by now. I emailed the company and got a reply within a couple of hours, hugely apologetic and saying if it doesn’t come tomorrow they will send out a new replacement straight away. I love this company already and I’ve not even tried the product yet. I’m sure I’ll blog about it when it eventually comes, and if double arrive I’m sure I’ll send the first lot back or buy the 2^nd.

This is the key thing with customer services. Treat your customers right and you automatically get a little bit of loyalty. Customers want to be treated like customers, like the people who are prepared to give you their hard earned money in return for a good or service. It’s just a shame that the big companies who know that you don’t have a choice, don’t seem to care (although some do, please don’t assume they are all badasses).

I suppose the moral of this blog is to buy from nice people. People who genuinely care about you and want to sell you nice things.  Then give them good feedback and tell your friends and family and hopefully we can increase the love from Customer services and make the world a better shopping place.