A healthier me

Hey,

So as its the new year & pretty much everyone makes resolutions that they barely keep. I'm not making resolutions as such,  I made a list '30 things to do before I'm 30' & said that I'm not making resolutions as such but I plan on getting things crossed off the list.

One of those things is to meet my ideal weight, 10 stone. I'm not doing this for any other reasons than its better for my general health & I want to feel better in my own skin. I wouldn't say I was particularly fat or overweight or that anyone else makes me feel that way I just don't really feel comfortable in most of my clothes lately & I can't really afford a brand new wardrobe full of clothes... However much I would love that shopping trip..haha.

So to meet this aim of becoming my ideal weight I will following the weight watchers points like I done earlier on in the year & cutting out fizzy drinks, with the exception of lemonade when I go to restaurants.... I rarely drunk fizzy drinks any ways however lately I've been drinking a lot of Coca Cola so that will be stopping.

I have also vowed to not buy any chocolate or sweets in January. Mainly to lose weight but also because I have enough chocolate and sweets at home and at D's house. I will limit myself to what I do eat but once it's gone I won't be buying more during January.

I'm not sure if I will post a weekly update of my weight loss, part of me wants to as I feel it will add pressure to me to keep on track but on the other hand I feel like it's too much pressure for me to blog & I don't want that sort of pressure when I'm hopefully returning to work, so it may be a monthly update of my process instead. We will just go with the flow for now. So wish me luck & give me encouragement to lose the weight I've put on in the last year.

Love Coco,

🎆P.S HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎆

Follow me on; Twitter , Facebook, Instagram 

30 things to do before I'm 30

Hey,

So with the new year fast approaching its the time when people think about what this resolutions are going to be, I usually make a few but never fully complete them, so this year I thought I would do something different & create a list of things I want to do before I'm 30 years old, which will be August 2018. I will update regularly.... Say every 3 months?? I'll post this list with checks or updates to let you all know how I'm getting on.


Here's the list;

Travel:
- [ ] Rome
- [ ] Australia (neighbours set)
- [ ] America (Hollywood)
- [ ] Paris
- [ ] New York

Money;
- [ ] Save money for IVF (£3000+)
- [ ] Save money for emergencies (£1000+)
- [ ] Be comfortable with monthly income & outgoings

Love;
- [ ] Move in with Dan
- [ ] Love myself more (be more confident & care less about others)
- [ ] Be totally surprised by an amazing romantic gesture/weekend


Day/Weekend Trips
- [ ] National history museum
- [ ] Night out drinking London
- [ ] Cadbury world
- [ ] Walk Pen-Y-Fan
- [ ] Weekend at the beach- Tenby
- [ ] Visit ; Bristol Zoo, Longleat, West Midlands Safari Park


Treat myself;
- [ ] Head to Toe spa day
- [ ] Decent family car
- [ ] Hot air balloon ride
- [ ] Find the perfect little black dress
- [ ] Go to a homesense uk store


Work;
- [ ] Complete the childminding course
- [ ] Set up my own business
- [ ] Be successful (have a good name for myself)


General;
- [ ] Read all the books on my bookshelf
- [ ] Take part in a charity run
- [ ] Do something amazing for charity
- [ ] Meet my ideal weight (under 10stone)
- [ ] Meet a blogger/internet friend




Do you have any resolutions in mind or things you want to achieve in the next few years? Let me know. 

Love Coco, 

Tough Love.....

Hey…. So if you've read my previous blog posts then you'll see the last few have been negative & moany. I'm tough on myself… I beat myself up on too many things. Everyone has flaws but I focus more on mine than anyone else I know. It is extremely rare that I give myself a compliment…. Even in my head. I always see pictures or read blog posts on how to be better, how to improve your life or mind, but I recently became very interested in a blog & I read every single blog post from the beginning & found myself connecting with this person & feeling very similar to some of her posts. If you want to read her blog click here.


Recently Sarah posted a ‘3 reasons to cut yourself some slack’ post & to be honest it came at the perfect time as I was feeling really fed up & it gave me a boost. The 3 reasons were;

You're only human
No one knows everything
You'll learn the best lessons

I'm not going to go too much into Sarah's reasons as obviously I think you should check her blog out. So here's my insight into it…

You're only human- when something goes wrong, when I think I've done something wrong I act like I'm the only person who it's happened to or who has made that mistake… I feel like I've totally failed & in all honesty I haven't. I'm just too harsh on myself. Everyone makes mistakes as long as you learn from them then it's a positive.

No one knows everything- I judge myself based on everyone else. I always worry about what other people will say or think about me. I always think that other people are better than me. But when I properly think about it no they don't… They may be smarter than me about certain topics but then I've had many life experiences that they possibly haven't. There is no way one single person can know everything!

You'll learn the best lessons- this ties in with the you're only human one… When I make mistakes I usually learn from them. I've been through some tough times, even from a little one, but without things being the way they were I wouldn't be who I am now, I'm kind, caring, thoughtful & regularly put others before myself  & as my girlfriend tells me I could of turned out to be completely different person & gotten in a lot of trouble.


Everyone has down days I know this but I seriously need to remember to give myself a break when I feel down & remember it's just one day!
So hopefully soon there will be some more positive & happy posts coming soon.

Love Coco

Living in hell.....

So things are really getting on top of me this week. Well this weekend just gone. The stress of everything happening is still there but now I have the added stress of my father & stepmother staying with me for ten days.

Now this is complicated to start with as the house that I live in is technically theirs & I have also never lived with my father. When I split from my ex I was still living in the one bedroom flat that we had shared for 6 years & at first she had moved out but a few months later she decided to move back in which meant I moved to the living room & turned it into a bedsit type which was uncomfortable but not as uncomfortable as sharing a bathroom & kitchen with your ex. So luckily for me my stepmother & father decided to buy a house in my hometown near to my family & that I would live in it & pay the bills but as I couldn't afford to live on my own completely they would pay the mortgage. Which obviously made me very happy & is basically my inheritance. The house is two bedrooms & a decent size. My parents decided that the one room would be theirs & that they would probably come down one weekend a month.

Now I'm not trying to sound selfish or ungrateful but when you are used to living on your own for most of the year it's hard work having two other people there for a weekend…the problem lies in that when they are down for the weekend they treat it like their own place & not my home. I live there 365 days a year, it's my home, I have my own ways of doing things so when someone else comes into your home & starts taking over… The kitchen, the tv, and moving things it really gets my back up. The amount of times I have gone to get something from the cupboard to find its either been used or isn't there. I have tolerance for this on for a weekend but this time they are here for ten days. It's only day three & I've already cried twice, had a rant every day to my girlfriend & got really wound up.

I just feel claustrophobic & uncomfortable in my own home & in all honesty I can't wait to have the place to myself again. Hope your weekend was better than mine & I hope my week will be better.

Love Coco

What a week......

Hey,

So my intention of this blog was to talk about setting up my childminding business & a little about my crafting & general life things. If you read my previous blog post you'll have seen that my grandfather got diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a type of cancer on the lining of his lung. This obviously took us all by surprise & has made me extremely emotional, even more than usual.

I felt like I needed to write down what I was feeling, I went back & fore with myself as to whether or not to post it but I just felt a little relieved when I pressed send... Just getting it out there made me feel a little more calm. Even though I really don't feel calm in any way. It's been a crazy week of emotions, from me, feeling like an utter failure at everything I do, feeling like my Bamp will never be able to be proud of me. It's also been a crazy week of appointments and things to do. Needed to take my grandmother shopping, I needed to go to the bank, the job centre, the doctors surgery.

 I also needed to take my Nan for her pre-op check, she is having surgery on a lump in her saliva glands, that luckily isn't cancerous, the surgery is going to be 3 hours long & she has to have a anaesthetic.... Hopefully. They may decide that because of her Parkinson's disease they won't be able to do it, which will not be good as the lump will grow & could become cancerous. Twice whilst I was at the hospital with Nan did I have to stop myself crying as she was talking to the Nurses she told them about my Bamp& I could see her getting upset & it breaks my heart. I am very close to my grandparents & it's just so harsh & horrible that this is happening. So that was Thursday.

Friday was Bamps first chemo session, originally I was taking him as I was the only one available as aunts & uncles were in work, however it turned out that my one uncle was given the day off & as he was supposed to be having a knee operation he would take them as that would be the last bit of driving he could do for 6 weeks, more on that in a minute. So Uncle N took my Nan&Bamp for the first chemo session, I went to the house when they got back, he talked a little about it, mainly because I asked questions. I read the paperwork & looked at his tablets, checked that my Nan was okay & then came home. Hopefully the chemo won't affect him in any way that will make him ill but only time will tell with that.

And so that brings us to today, Saturday, as mentioned above my Uncle N was supposed to be having a knee operation today but unfortunately it got cancelled last minute as his blood levels were too high when they did the tests on Wednesday. So this is not good news, although he was dreading the op and not being able to go out & drive, he needed it done asap as he is in a lot of pain & he has decided that if he can't get it done before January he's going to wait until July because of their wedding in May. I understand in a way why he wants to wait until after the wedding. It the last thing we need is for him to be in severe pain & doing more damage.

So yea, they say things come in threes & there they are, my Nan, my Bamp & my uncle. Let's just please keep our fingers crossed as I don't think any of us can take any more.

The C Word

You've just been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. It's on the lining of your lung… It's not curable. Yes you can have chemotherapy, but all that's going to do is prolong the inevitable. I just can't believe this is happening. I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart and that I will look after Nanny the whole time. 



My grandfather just got diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Caused by asbestos many many years ago. The cure…. Well there isn't one. This type of cancer forms less than 1% of those diagnosed with cancer in the UK. It affects the protective  lining of many organs in the body.

Bamp has been ill for a while… Started with a chest infection which just wouldn't clear up. They figured out he had fluid on the lung that just wasn't shifting like it usually should. So had to have a drain… We thought all was going to be ok. Waited for a follow up appointment & they decided they had to drain fluid again as the lung had filled back up & also to have a biopsy.
Now whenever I hear about someone having a biopsy I always start to think that it's not going to be good news, just from previous experiences it hasn't been, and unfortunately I was right.

Friday 13th November 2015 I took you & Nanny for your appointment at our local hospital… You were pretty much yourself in the car on the way down even though I knew you were worried. The fact that you told me to wait in the waiting room made me worried…. You knew it wasn't going to be good news. I could tell when you walked out the room …. You stood there and told me it was a form of cancer and that you had to see another specialist. My heart sank further…. You've always been a strong man, a  man who has worked all his life, a man who is so stubborn … But at that moment you looked so different.

Come forward to today, November 17th…. You went to meet the specialist. My auntie took you this time, another set of ears to listen. The doctor told you all you needed to know… It wasn't curable but they could try and prolong it. Chemotherapy starts soon. You need to take care especially at this time of year of being around those with colds, those who haven't had the flu jab it's advised you don't be around them. From what the doctor said it sounds like they'll take good care of you, they have a hotline available 24/7… No matter what it is if you or anyone else is worried then you can call anytime.  They'll keep an eye on you & the side affects, monitor your blood, and everything else. Sounds like you will be well looked after and supported. Not only by the professionals but by us , all your family too. They say the figure is 50% of patients survive 12 months.

You've got to keep strong & positive, you've got to walk your daughter down the aisle in May & watch my dad get married for the second time in October. Use your stubbornness to fight this horrible thing for as long as possible. Be one of the 50% …. Please!

My childcare background

Hey,

So as I said previously I aim to set up my own childminding business. I have always wanted to work within the childcare industry.... Even as a child myself I always wanted to look after other children. I'm not sure whether this came from the fact that I pretty much raised my brother myself or whether it was just me caring attitude. So when I was 17 I went back into education and did a course with a local training company where I worked on a portfolio as well as key skills and also had placement in a primary school.
After this I moved away to work in an educational camp which still worked with children but still wasn't quite right for me. I wanted to work more with children in a different way so to college I went to complete a Diploma level 3 in Childcare & Education. At the age of 22 I was finally on my way to being where I wanted to be. This was a two year course where I had to do coursework, and be on placement in a few different settings such as babies/toddlers, pre school and primary school. I enjoyed the majority of these but working with the babies was my favourite. Throughout most of my time I wanted to become a private nanny, I wanted to work alongside a family helping to raise their children, and to not have so many restrictions.

So after college I went and worked for the same college company but in another area working with young adults who had learning needs and disabilities. This was something I had never planned on doing, however it gave me a lot of insight into this sort of educational practice and also gave me lots of practice on how to adjust certain things to suit each individual's needs.

Back in February I finally got to experience my dream job of being a private nanny, and I got to work  to with an Indian family, both parents were doctors & they had one five year old girl. I got to do this for 6 months and unfortunately had to leave this job because the family had to move.

So after a few months of thinking and job searching I decided that maybe I should be more in control of my childcare job and so with some thought I decided I would become a childminder in my own home. Whilst I was searching for Nanny jobs I found that a lot of families in my local area were more interested in a childminder as it was more flexible and a lot of families can claim childcare with their tax credits. So with a bit of research and help from my aunt I found my local family service hold a becoming a childminder session and so I attended, sat down and thought would it be worthwhile for me and hopefully it is.

So yea, that's the background and lead up to me becoming a childminder. Look out for other posts that will be coming up about how to become a childminder and my journey.

Hope you'll  stay with me for the journey.

Love Coco x

Christmas gifts

Hey,

So like I told you last Friday I am setting up my own small craft business too. At this time of year it's all about Christmas. So I thought I would show you some of my Christmas makes. If you are interested in ordering anything then please send me a message to my email address or on any of my social media pages;

Chloescraftastics@hotmail.com

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

Thanks for your time & hope you like my creations.

Love Coco

Hey again,

So something I didn't tell you about in my first blog post was that as well as setting up my own childcare business I am also trying to set up my own small art and crafts business.

Ever since I was a little girl I used to enjoy being arty/crafty with my Grandmother. I used to go to her craft classes/groups & sit there with all her friends and either do something of my own or something that they were doing whether it be card making using parchment paper, knitting, sewing, anything. I've always loved making something of my own to be proud of & I give a lot of thanks to my Grandmother for this. So with a gentle nudge from someone close to me I decided to create a Facebook page where I could show what I've made & be proud... And if I can make a bit of money by creating things for other people then who's going to complain.

I will post links to all my social media pages so you can check out my work and I will possibly talk more about my products in another post.

Hope you'll stick with me on all my journeys..

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter


Love Coco

<!-- Go to www.addthis.com/dashboard to customize your tools -->
<script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-5671f8a6deee8c1b" async="async"></script>

Welcome to Coco Chats

Hey,

So a while ago, we're talking a few years here, I attempted to start a blog & YouTube videos... It didn't turn out very well as I felt embarrassed and I wasn't supported very well by my partner at the time. So now my life is quite a bit different I thought I might try to get back into it. So this is just my little introduction into who I am, what I hope to get from this blog & what I aim to write about.

Here goes.....

My name is Chloe however on here I'm going to be referred to as Coco. The name coco comes from one of my younger cousins who one day just started calling me coco, we think he got it from the fact that family call me Clo. Anyways, Coco is who I am & who I am hoping to be for a long time.

I am currently not working however my career is in the childcare industry & I am starting the journey of becoming a childminder & starting my own childminding business. More on this another time. I have worked in Nurseries, Schools, Colleges & recently got to fulfil a dream of becoming a private nanny. I always wanted to be a nanny & I got to experience this for 6 months, unfortunately the family I worked for moved & I couldn't continue to work for them.

I live on my own, with my two cats, Mister Smudge & Cleo. I live in a little town in South Wales, where I grew up. I moved from my hometown aged 19 to Northumberland for 6 months for a job, then moved to a Heritage Town in Torfaen & about a year ago I moved back to my hometown.

I have a girlfriend of 1 year, she doesn't live with me but we stay with each other quite a bit, she is very supportive of me in everything I do. She treats me like a princess. The one thing I have learnt in this relationship is that talking is the key to surviving. Even when I find it hard to say what's on my mind, I know that I can talk about it & can work out solutions or just get it off my chest. Any ways that's enough about her. 😝

I wanted to start this blog because like I said I am starting the process of becoming a childminder & starting my own business so I thought it would be good to document this as I am completing courses and setting up, I also will write about life generally, I always like a good rant or a good discussion on a topic that everyone can join in & I think that's probably about it. I'm not setting myself up to do too much as we shall see how it goes but hopefully this will work out & I'll meet some lovely people on the way.

Here's to the future & to the start of CocoTalks