A New Year, A New You?

So we've all set some resolutions for New Year, and now it's time to stick them out. If you are anything like me you will know that making them is the easy bit, but actually seeing them through is a completely different story. In fact to be totally honest this year I haven't made any. I did however set some goals before Christmas through a self improvement book I'm working on. And resolutions are a bit like goals, they are something we want to do or achieve.  So in this post I'd like to help you stick to those and give you some tips on the best ways of sticking to your resolutions.

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces, so keep driving!

The best way to start is to make your resolution into a goal. This is because a goal is not just a statement, it goes deeper, looking into and setting out a pathway that leads you to achieve them, and it needs to be laid down in a certain way according to the book I'm reading:

S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Time limited

As well as positively framed!! This is a hugely important step because, if Professor Wiseman from the University of Hertfordshire is correct, 'only 10% of people succeeded in reaching their New Years resolutions', he knows that because 90% of the 5,000 people he followed failed with theirs.
But don't let that get you down and cause you to give up and go straight out to your newsagents for a chocolate.... He found that one of the reasons was that they focused too much on the downside of not achieving their goal. Looking into this further, the book I'm reading tells us that there are two types of goals:

Approach Goals - goals that are moving towards something positive
Avoidance goals - goals framed in a way that focus on trying to get away from something bad or negative.

The authors use an example where you are to imagine running away from a Tiger, the avoidance goal would be 'to avoid being eaten', compared to the approach goal of 'finding safety'. Have a think and see what you conjure up when you think about both of these in terms of your own goal. I am sure like me you will find that when you think about the goal in terms of an approach goal it is far more motivating, positive and empowering, and takes the focus away from the negative (what you are missing out on, giving up, getting away from). We could say that an Approach goal is a positive re-frame of an avoidance goal, which helps if you are anything like me and your automatic, knee jerk thought when setting a goal or resolution is always on what I want to give up, leave, remove from my life.
So lets take an example of a resolution many people make 'I want to lose weight', we know that one way to lose weight is to do more exercise so let's positively frame this - 'I am going to get fitter!'

Lets turn it into an Approach goal and use the above factors to increase our chances of success:

APPROACH GOAL : GET FITTER

S - I'm going to go to the gym, and I'm going to go walking.
M - Go to the Gym once a week for an hour, and walk for half an hour on a Tuesday and Thursday night
A - We haven't gone overboard and tried to make goals of going to the gym every night which in most peoples lives would take up too much time and we'd find we'd soon give up. And we haven't tried to push ourselves to doing something that will cost the earth or be difficult to achieve. We've kept it simple and attainable.
R - We've chosen things that are not unrealistic, the gym (in our case is walking distance to my house) so I have no reason not to be able to get there, and walking is something I don't need any equipment and can do at any time just walk out my door!
'Remember make the right thing the easy thing to do'
T - For the next three month this is my goal. After that I will review.

Now comes the motivation, a lot of us give up because we don't have the motivation, but if you have a read of a great blog post we found on motivation - its says that

'If we wait for Motivation to show up, we wont show up'. 

And that Motivation is more a result of doing something ie. by going to the gym you feel good and that creates the motivation to go again. So all you need to do is take the first step.

But remember  - To reach your goals you have to try new things, goals are all about what you are trying to do, but nothing is set in stone, you can change them and tweek them any time, so if your gym is too expensive maybe take up a yoga class once a week, or walk to work one day a week if you don't have time in the evening that day.

Finally when push comes to shove - actually it doesn't matter if you don't achieve your goal entirely, only that you are trying! So if you've made some resolutions but are struggling to stick to them, go back through this blog and turn your resolution in to an Approach goal and start again! Good luck, you can do it!

Why Wildly Woolly Loves this HOT & SWEET Tomato Chutney

We love all things natural, hand made and created with love. Yes that includes food! And we've got a simple delicious tomato chutney recipe that uses up even the semi-ripened tomatoes so there's no need to waste anything.

This year we've found our tomatoes haven't done so well, probably the unsatisfying Summer we had, and instead of ripening on time we still have many on the vine that are waiting to turn red. Well if you are anything like us you hate to waste (escpecially all that time and energy you put into growing them!)- so we've got a great chutney recipe that you can use even the semi ripened tomatoes in.

What we did was take some of the tomatoes off early and let them ripen on the windowsill, and the other half we picked off still semi ripened.

SIMPLE HOT & SWEET Tomato chutney: 

You will need:

Approx 5-6 empty jam jars (we like to recycle so storing them up as you finish jams)

Giant saucepan or jam pan 

Pestle & Mortar

3kgs tomatoes (any, but we had grown Roma)

2Tbsps Salt

10 cloves garlic

1 inch fresh ginger grated (or 1tsp of ground ginger will work)

2 dried small chillies crushed (or 1-2tsps chilli powder) this is optional and can be left out or put in as you like (be warned though!!)

1 pint Vinegar (white or malt)

1kg sugar (any sugar will work, we used castor)

 Recipe:

• Roughly chop up the tomatoes (no need to remove the skins or seeds) place them in a bowl and add the salt sprinkled over, and leave to sit.
•  Meanwhile add the garlic, ginger and chillies (optional) to a pestle and mortar and grind into a paste and leave ready.
• On the stove pour the vinegar into a jam pan (a really big sauce pan of any description will work!) and add the sugar.
• Bring this to the boil slowly, stirring.
• Once boiling reached add the paste and stir, then add the salted tomatoes and keep stirring until mixed through.
• Boil gently stirring occasionally, for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the liquid has been reduced by half - in the last half an hour keep an eye on it as it's easily burnt!
• In the mean time you can be getting your jars ready - (click here to have a look at our Jam making blog to see how best to sterilize your jars ).
• Once everything is ready set your jars out (beware they will be hot), and start spooning the chutney, still hot, into your jars (a jam funnel makes this easier but don't worry if you don't have one), seal them as you go. 
• As they cool you should hear the lids 'pop' as a vacuum is created to seal them completely.

Enjoy with cheese and cracker or in a sandwich - YUM!!

Ps. We've got this pinned on our Pinterest click here to check out our other favourite recipes for healthy families

Organic and Natural Kids Summer bag Essentials

Yay! It's finally Summer! It's so great to be getting out doors and enjoying the warmth. But for most of you Mums you will be thinking about your children and protecting their skin against the harmful rays.

We don't want to stop them having fun outside, but we do want to make sure they are protected! So here at Wildly Woolly we have put together a few fab suggestions for the essential beach/summer day bag! Along with this we're giving you the opportunity to win 1 of 3 Green People's Organic Children's Sun lotion, details below.

1). The Bag:

First things first, and in order to carry all this great kit you need a bag. Not just any old bag, we've found a super duper bag that will have all the Mums asking where you got it from! The Notting Hill Tote bag from Pink Lining is so funky and has so many great features. Our favourite being that it's made of water resistant coated canvas - so even if it does get splashed it will keep everything nice and dry! Yay!

Internal Features:

• 2x removable insulated bottle holders, 
• 2x nappy pockets, 
• pen holder, key fob, mirror, phone pocket, small zip pocket, 
•  padded changing mat and wet zip bag.

2). The Towel:

Let's face it, kids don't get out of the water much, once they're in, but when they do what could be better than a poncho towel to sit in whilst they dry-off. At Bebeco they have a fab Organic cotton and Bamboo towel which we love!

• Designed for little ones from 1 to 3 years.
• A blend of Organic cotton and Bamboo, creating a beautifully fluffy towel.
• Created with the help of baby swimming professionals.

3). The Swimwear:

We've discovered some really great kids swimwear from Swimbabes that in particular can help protect those babies and children who suffer from Eczema and sensitive skin. Protective creams can make babies very slippery in the water, but with these grip suits on they can splash about safely and in comfort, as well making it easy for Mum to hold on to their little ones.

• Available in ages - 0/3 months up to 1/2 years
• Available in a range of colour options
• Recommended especially for kids with sensitive skin.

4). The Hat:

These hats are so adorable, and what's more they're reversible so you ultimately get two hats for one! From the wonderful planet-friendly Kite Clothing company, who like us at Wildly Woolly, love Organic cotton - high five!

• Girls reversible hat - Using their beautiful primrose potato print and rainbow daisy print, with a little elastic at the back to ensure a good fit. Made from organic cotton because it's good for the farmers, for the planet and good for you.

• Boys reversible hat - featuring ocean print on one side and gingham check on the other, something rather special! Made from organic cotton because it's good for the farmer, good for the planet and good for you.

5.) The Sun cream:

We love this Green People's Organic Children's sun lotion.What's not to love with great reviews from Mums who's kids have had problems with other sun creams saying this one is a dream, so grab one for your little one!

• SPF 30
• Scent free. 
• Its perfect for sensitive skin, and what's more they give a 30p donation to the Marine conservation society when you buy one.

• Click here to enter the competition to win one of three tubes.

6). The Sun glasses:

We have been looking all over for organic sunglasses - so if you know of any let us know! But for now we found these great kids UV protection sunglasses from Polarn O. Pyret. A great company that also offers a range of eco and organic kids things - check them out!

• Designed for 2-6 year old
• UV protection

7.) The UV Bracelet:

These inventions are incredible and we take our hats off to Nipper Skipper. The kids bracelets are made with beads that will change colour when exposed to UV, letting you know it's time to put sun cream on - now how clever is that?

• 2 funky colour  options
• Changes colour when exposed to UV light

And finally ...

8). The Toy

After a fun filled day that has exhausted everyone, even the dog, it's time to head home. And your last item is probably the most important for your own sanity - their favourite Wildly Woolly toy, to cuddle and thus stop the wheels falling off, which does tend to happen even to the most angelic of children, after a fun and adventure packed day! Don't forget to pull it out from the bottom of the bag and hand it over to make the journey home a peaceful one for all!

• 100% Natural Organic cotton
• CE 0+
• Machine washable
• We've also got a Giveaway of one of our Elephant toys on Green People's Facebook page - got to be in it to win it!

Have a wonderful summer and remember to keep yourself protected too!

Why is Organic Cotton so Important?

At Wildly Woolly, we're raving about our products being Organic Cotton, we love it and all our products are made from it. But then we thought, hang on, not everyone knows about it's benefits, and some of you are probably thinking - 'Sounds good, but I don't really have any idea WHY that's good and why I should be choosing it?'

 So let's see Regular-cotton (non-organic) vs Organic-cotton. We want to explain to you why Organic cotton is good, but also why non-organic cotton is bad.

Down with the non-organic cotton:

Why is regular or non-organic cotton so bad for us?

• 2.5% of the world's farmland is taken up by cotton. 
• BUT it uses 10-16% of the world's Pesticides (including Insecticides, Herbicides and Defoliants).
• During processing, regular cotton uses more chemicals per unit area than any other crop. Chlorine bleach is used to whiten the cotton, heavy metal dyes colour the fibre, and some even use formaldehyde resins which are the often the hidden hazards used to treat cotton to make it 'easy care' material.

What's wrong with that? Well those Pesticides don't just kill off anything that might affect the cotton growth, they can be toxic to the farmers or pickers if this is still done manually.  They can have a negative impact on the local ecosystems and biodiversity as they don't just kill off the pests, but everything around it. If sprayed from the air as many are, the pesticides can drift into surrounding villages affecting the population living nearby, as well as forming a toxic run-off that contaminates the groundwater. So the toxins aren't just confined to that area and those plants.

Still thinking this doesn't affect you directly? Well here goes - some of the chemicals from the pesticides are absorbed by the plant, so a lot of the toxins are retained by the Regular cotton. Residual chemicals can irritate the skin, especially those with sensitive skin and allergies. Not only that, most of the pesticides used on cotton fields have been considered by Environmental Protection Agencies as 'likely' to be carcinogenic.

 

Benefits of Organic cotton:  

At Wildly Woolly we're all about the Organic cotton, and here are some facts to backup why we love it:

• A field must be pesticide free for 3 years before the cotton grown on it can be classed as Organic.
• Seeds for crops are not GM (Genetically Modified which they often are in regular cotton).
• No use of toxic chemical pesticides, only natural composts, and the prevention of pests is done by encouraging their natural predators and preserving the natural eco-systems.
• Crop rotation and mixed crop planting is used to prevent the exhaustion of the soil and the need for unnatural additives.
• The Eco-friendly processing also helps as dyes are environmentally friendly, but also free of Chlorine bleach. Which means no harmful toxins left in the cotton that touches our skin.

 Shop now for Organic cotton kids toys - www.wildlywoolly.co.uk 

I may be preaching to the converted with some of you, but it's always interesting to read about these things I think, even if we feel we know it already. If you didn't know and just thought this was the latest fashion to choose Organic cotton, hopefully we've made you see why choosing Organic cotton is actually important, no just for you, but also for the environment and our planet! 


Refernces:
wikipedia.org
ecofriendlyonline
haenow
orimpex

Wildly Woolly's first guest blog - Happiness.

with thanks to Alka Bahal for allowing us to share these precious thoughts.

Happiness – A journey

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.”

Mahatma Gandhi

In the last few weeks, I find myself become quite intrigued about the life of Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings. Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most revered figures in world history. He was a diminutive man who had the courage to stand up to British Rule in India and fight for Indian Freedom and independence as well as justice for the oppressed. Gandhi went to jail several times during this struggle and yet never harboured any hate or animosity against his oppressors. Instead he said:

“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.” 

Has the world forgotten his teachings? Have we forgotten how to be happy and peaceful, whether things are going our way or not? I find myself doing a lot of philosophical thinking of late and I want to find out what can make us happy? Why are so many of us unhappy when we have so much to be grateful for?

A wise woman once told me “It is more important to be positive when things are not going so well. It is easy to be happy and positive when things are going good, but we forget this when things are not going well and complain instead.”

I am trying to implement these values into my life now. There was a time where I would complain and whine about things – whether it was work or colleagues or life in general. I found that this would make me feel negative and stressed and have effects on my health. I would feel sick, have a headache and feel nauseated and weak. Negativity grasps your thoughts really hard and doesn’t let go so easily. It can make you feel depressed and helpless and useless. It tends to overpower you and you feel stuck in this dark place and don’t seem to find a way out.

Granted, it can be hard to find happiness and peace during our “bad times.” When things do not go well, we try to find scapegoats and blame other factors for our problems by saying “We are in this situation because of so and so” or “It’s that one’s fault or this one’s fault.” We all have done this at some time in our lives – we find it easier to blame other factors or situations for our problems rather than try to find a way out of them. I have been thinking recently, maybe if we started working more on finding solutions to our problems rather than complaining and finding a scapegoat for them, we would save time and perhaps find a way for the situation to become “ideal” again.

This brings me to another question: Why be unhappy in the first place? A lot of people will say things like “I am not happy because I don’t like my job” or “I do not like where I live,” or even things like “I do not have enough money” or “My life sucks.” Then I wonder, if money makes people happy, why are some of the world’s happiest people poor and many celebrities and rich people on drugs and unhappy?? And if your job is causing you grief, try look for other work or find a career change. If you feel your life sucks, well you are responsible for your own life, find things that make you happy and do them.

I was always told when I was younger to “count your blessings.” I find in the world these days people don’t know what this means or have somewhat overlooked this. Many of us seem to be competing in a rat race and are engrossed in trying to buy the latest cars and have the newest gadgets and trying to keep up with the Jones’. We tend to compare ourselves to others who are more affluent and successful than ourselves and go “He has a better car than me,” “He earns more than me,” and such goes on. We feel somewhat cheated especially if we feel we deserve better and someone else got something that we wanted. Envy is a vice; it can breed hate and again leads to negativity and deterioration of one’s health and peace of mind.

As I have been through this journey, I have found that indeed, happiness comes from within. When you are unhappy or insecure in something about yourself, it prevents you from being truly happy and positive. We have to learn how to love and forgive ourselves. Whatever it is that happened in the past, or whatever decisions you made before that have led you to an unhappy state, you have to let it go and find a solution to restore your state of mind to peace again. Let’s count our blessings every day. We have the biggest blessing of all – life, the present. Let’s make the most of each day we live and learn and love. This will ensure positivity and happiness. Give it a go! You will be surprised what happens when you start to condition your mind to take responsibility for your own happiness and to challenge every negative thought with a positive one. I keep telling myself– “Pretend you are Muhammad Ali, in a boxing ring and you are not going to go down without a fight.”

A big thank-you to Alka for allowing us to share these thoughts, because we all strive to find happiness, and too many people look to outside factors, when really we must start by looking in.

www.wildlywoolly.co.uk