Bringing in the New Year – Disney Style! | #ThisGirlEats

Everyone moans about New Year’s Eve, how it’s the worst thing ever and they really hate when it rolls around, but I just don’t care – it’s my favourite night of the year! Maybe it’s because we always had big parties to celebrate NYE when I was a kid so, for me, it’s associated with loads of fun, happy memories. I always make sure I’m up to something and I always see in the new year with a bang. But, this NYE, I went bigger and better than ever before…

I spent the final moments of 2017 in “The most magical place on Earth” – that’s right folks, we Disney’ed it up in Paris for New Year’s! I mean, there are looooads of things about Disneyland that make it, um, not exactly appealing for everyone – the queues, the kids, the crowds, being confined to the bright, shiny Disney bubble where fairytale fluff is inescapably blasted at you 24/7.  BUT, even though all those things are true, Disneyland Paris really pulled out all the stops to make our NYE truly magical.

The fireworks were sensational, of course. Move over, London! The rides were exhilarating, especially whizzing through them in the dark. The music – mostly provided by Disney’s resident DJ, Goofy – was banger after banger. The bumper Disney parade, made up of the 25th anniversary, Halloween and Christmas celebrations, was dazzling (even when Mickey and Minnie’s showstopper float broke down and had to be rescued by a tow truck). So much awe encompassed every inch of the park, it couldn’t help but sparkle with Disney magic ✨

Some people hate New Year’s Eve because it’s drenched in resolutions, people professing to change this or that and boring us all with their repetitive recaps of the past twelve months. It’s all one big yawn, right? But I think those are the exact same reasons that I love it. I love having a reason to kick myself up the butt and make some positive changes, even if it is a cliché. I love looking back on my year, reliving the best bits and thinking about what I want to do better this time around. And when you’re standing there, shivering into your winter coat, snuggling your way into the crowds, watching a spectacle that is going all-out to so clearly define a line between the old and the new, it makes your resolutions seem even more… well, resolute.

Thank you Disneyland Paris for delivering a well-earned goodbye to 2017 and making me believe, even just for a moment, that anything is possible for the year to come…

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How Changing Jobs Finally Allowed Me to Enjoy My Christmas | #ThisGirlEats

Shout out to all the frazzled retail workers: I feel ya. This time of year is awful for you guys – until very recently, I was one of you guys! After my time as an Xmas sales assistant, three distinct experiences spring to mind…

1. The queues. Oh dear God, the queues…

2. The questions. Just so. Many. Questions.

3. The very rude, inexplicably angry customers. “Why don’t you have this in stock?” “I’m actually in a rush, I don’t have time for any of your offers.” “5p for a bag?! Outrageous!” “Why can’t I return this without a receipt? I know my rights, you know!”

It’s shit. You get zero time to yourself. You’re expected to work crazy hours that give the bigwig CEOs – who sit in their comfy offices and work nice, normal hours – cartoonish dollar signs in their eyes. You’re there at the crack of dawn for the early shoppers. You’re there until late at night for the after-work buyers. You’re there on Christmas Eve for the last minute-ers. You’re there on Boxing Day for the sales fanatics. You’re literally always at work.

There’s no build-up for you. No lovely festive shopping trips, no pre-Christmas get-togethers, no cosying up on the sofa for a day of mulled wine and Christmas films. Grabbing a spare few hours between shifts to purchase, wrap and deliver presents is a military mission. You get one day, ONE DAY, to celebrate – Christmas Day. My ‘one day’ had to be split between mine and my boyfriend’s family, so I ended up with half a day to see my ‘rents, my grandparents, my extended family (who I bloody love)… everyone!

It makes getting into the festive spirit really, really hard.

This year I left retail at the very last moment – I was Indiana Jones, rolling under the store shutter and snatching up my trusty hat just in the nick of time. I switched to my first office-based role in December and, thanks to the time of year, I’ve instantly felt the benefits.

The Christmas party, for one. When you’re a retail worker in a shopping centre or central city location, it’s impossible to arrange the perfect time for a Christmas bash – someone, somewhere, is always working and, inevitably, we’re told the party will just have to wait until the New Year… Again. But the office Christmas party – much like the recent Jennifer Anniston flick – went all-out and, for the first time, work felt Christmassy to me.

The computers are decorated with tinsel. Treats sit waiting for you on the desk – a secret santa gift, a thank you from your manager. Everyone wants to go for pre-Christmas drinks after work because, why not, it’s only 5pm. Not to mention actually knowing in advance which festive days you can spend with your loved ones – including Boxing Day and the glorious feeling of not facing the crazy ‘o’ clock shoppers first thing in the morning!

I don’t at all envy those who are stuck in yet another year of Christmas retail. I sympathise – no, I empathise – with you. Who knows, I may well end up back there again one day, the office might not be the place for me after all. Only time will tell. But for now, I know for sure that I’m so, so glad I left my retail job when I did because I finally feel like I can enjoy Christmas, just like everyone else.

SERIES: My Journey to a Healthier Lifestyle #1 | #ThisGirlEats

I’ve been trying to commit to changing the way I think about food for a long time now; however, last night pushed me to my limits. It’s not the first time my tummy has been so disgustingly full of ill-advised takeaway pizza, but I’m hoping it will be the last.

#ThisGirlEats was created as a gateway to adopting a healthier lifestyle without changing absolutely everything about our day-to-day lives. Weight loss clubs and gym memberships are expensive, complicated ingredients are a ‘mare, long-winded recipes aren’t practical and strict, low-calorie, don’t-eat-this-don’t-eat-that diets just suck!

But it’s time I really started living the #ThisGirlEats life – not just posting a fabulous new healthy recipe online one night, and then binging on chocolate the next.

So I’m kickstarting #ThisGirlEats, incorporating gentle exercise, nutritious food and a better, more positive outlook into my journey to a happier, healthier lifestyle – without restricting myself, turning my world upside-down, or making myself feel guilty for enjoying food.

It starts today! And what better way to force myself into it than documenting it? I won’t be publishing every single day, but I’ll be keeping you updated at regular intervals so you can see how it’s going!

DAY ONE

9:30AM: So, today hasn’t started out great. I’ve woken up to no electricity thanks to a power cut and no 4G connection thanks to what I can only presume is the gods hating me. Or possibly karma.

Anyway, I can’t make myself a cup of tea or catch up on last night’s Eastenders, and I’m pretty sure both my phone and laptop are about to die. But I’ll try to give a brief run-down of my morning so far – a big bottle of water, and some living room exercise. That’s about it. I’m planning to take little walk before heading to work, though, just to kill some time. Seriously, I’m so bored. How did people live before electricity? Even my books are on my Kindle these days, and it’s out of battery! Argh!

9:05PM: I am STARVING. Boots is alright, but it doesn’t last you through a late shift. I can’t be arsed cooking when I get in because I’ve got a 6AM start tomorrow, but if I don’t eat something now I’ll never make the bus journey home!

FOOD DIARY

Breakfast
✨ 850ml water
(I never really eat breakfast anyway. I know, tell me off, whatever.)

Mid-Morning Snack
✨ 2 leftover slices of BBQ pizza
(I know this is pretty much the exact opposite of everything I’ve just said, but it was leftover! It was either eat it or throw it out – not gonna happen.)
✨ 850ml water

Lunch
✨ Boots Meal Deal – BBQ chicken wrap, sour cream Pop Chips, Shapers Hot Chocolate Nougat bar, Diet Coke.

Dinner
✨ Chicken and bacon wrap with chips (okay, so not the best start. But, as much as I hate to admit, I’ve had worse days…)
✨ Cup of tea

Exercise
✨ 30 squats
✨ 30 weight lifts
✨ 30 push-ups
✨ 30 sit-ups
✨ 15 minute walk before work