Today marks 150 posts on Tall Blonde Tales – holy moly I can’t believe how many that is!! Today I’m sharing some of the crucial lessons I’ve learnt about blogging, especially in the last few months and sharing some news so be sure to click and keep reading xx
The menu this week included macaroons (two different flavours), chocolate croissants, or pain au chocolat to be technically correct and a koi fish pond cake, with a jelly centre. Sounds scary and complicated? Oh believe me it was – but it was still lots of fun, so I’m going to break down each one and just share a little story of how the making went. 😊 I hope you enjoy xx
The bookworm in me has officially been resuscitated. I’ve always been a voracious reader and loved nothing more than to snuggle up in an oversized hoodie with a cup of tea and a book (I can’t believe how delightfully British that sounds – guess I chose the right location for uni huh?). In this post I dive into reviewing four of the books I read this month – I hope you enjoy it xx
Writing is definitely a terrifying task, because it requires you to be vulnerable and risk negative feedback about work that is incredibly personal. However, as I’ve realised, you can’t give in to the fears – you need to embrace your passions even if it means facing some terrifying fears.
How many times has someone told you to control your emotions? That being upset, hurt or angry about things is pointless, and you shouldn’t be so dramatic? Has someone ever told you that emotions are weak, or that showing your feelings is a sign of weakness? I’ve heard countless times people who are upset excusing their emotions because they’re scared people might think them overdramatic, or too sensitive. We’ve all seen in movies and books when people are crying, or dealing with a troubling situation they are mocked, ignored or told quite simply ‘to get a grip’ or ‘cry yourself a river and get over it’. Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t agree with this response at all! Emotions don’t make us weak, they are completely normal and an essential part of our lives. Keep reading to find out more about why it’s okay to feel xx
I know that the world is still in lockdown/quarantine mode, and you might be wondering why I’m giving you tips for planning an event that isn’t exactly possible. Well, I wrote a blog post a while back to honour the girl’s night in my best friend, and I would have had if lockdown hadn’t started (if you haven’t read it, be sure to check it out here), and that got me thinking … As much fun as a girl’s night in can be, it does require a small bit of planning and sometimes planning, and organising can be stressful. So, I thought it would be a fun idea to share some tips for planning your ultimate girl’s night (complete with ways to prepare a quarantine/social-distancing friendly version) so that the entire experience can be fun, easy and stress-free from start to finish. Also, it’s a fun way to get excited for a great night with your girls once the pandemic has calmed down and you can even start planning ahead of time … now without further ado, here are some tips for planning your ultimate girl’s night.
Just a little life update on my build up to starting university. From intimidating whatsapp groups to college webinars, I may have been stressing my socks off about certain things but it has been balanced out by so many positives. I honestly can’t wait to start university 🙂
I don’t know who’s been counting, but we are now entering what seems to be the one-hundredth week of lockdown. So please tell me I’m the only one getting tired of it? I mean sure a lot of us loved the first part when it felt more like a holiday – sleeping in, relaxing and just watching tv all day, not really focused on being productive. Now though, the prison sentence nature of it is starting to make me feel claustrophobic. However, being stuck at home all day and not being allowed to do all sorts of activities that could be considered ‘time-fillers’ means that there has been an opportunity to try out some new things and be more productive. That’s why I wanted to do a bit of a reflective piece to look back on everything that I’ve done during all of this extended time at home. From my social media streams, I see that a lot of people have been baking (I have been too), but I’ve also been doing a lot else. You see, I tried to use all of the extra time as best as possible to get things done that I haven’t been able to. So, here’s what I’ve been up to so far during quarantine.
Following my mental health awareness themed posts last week, I didn’t feel right finishing off the month without including this post to the list. After all, self-care is a key to good mental health, and one of the most significant forms of kindness we can ever show is to ourselves. No matter what, looking after yourself in all the ways you can (maintaining a healthy lifestyle, expressing yourself, taking the time to relax and do things that make you happy) is crucial to reducing stress, improving your emotional wellbeing and essentially keeping your head in a happy place. It may not cure everything. I mean last time I checked a long hot soak in a bubble bath didn’t alleviate mental illnesses, but it does help ease a few aspects of the pain. That’s why self-care is so crucial, and why I am sharing a few ideas for you to incorporate into a day filled with self-care related activities.
We all love our fast food, and now that we can get it delivered again I’m sure everyone is more than thankful. However, fast food isn’t exactly known for being very healthy – in fact it’s known more for being high in fat, calories and salt .. which isn’t good. But does that mean we have to say goodbye to all these delicious foods if we want to be healthy? No! So, whether you’re on a health-kick like me, or looking to make some healthier lifestyle changes, or simply don’t want to eat thousands of calories in one take away meal, here is a list of low-cal options from a few different fast food joints. The healthiest fast food option is no fast food at all, but if you still want to enjoy the treat without blowing your cal-count out of the water, this list has some of the best options.
