Another Charity Headshave: What prompt me to do this again and more about my charity work

So glad to be back...

Hi everyone! I am so happy to be sharing another post with you all finally. It has been far too long and I appreciate everyone's patience. I have had a lot going on (all will be explained in blog posts to come) but now I am back and hoping to post at least once every two weeks, once a week if I can manage. I have so much I want to share with all my readers from mental health and vegan recipes to toddler life and mummy posts, all will come soon and I cannot wait to receive some feedback from all of you. Thank you again for the continued support despite my lack of posting and for all the post ideas I have been sent, they are all jotted down in my notebook I promise and hopefully I will get round to typing up every one of those ideas into a post. LauraJaneLife blog is back and I am so happy about it! So let's just jump straight into today's topic... my newly shaved head! 

Previous Charity work and why I think it is important to give back...

I have done some charity work in the past and want to do so much more in the future! Since a young age my aim in life has always been to help people and make the world a better place. Sounds cheesy I know, a cliche that you hear people say all the time but that is the honest truth. I found it difficult to choose in what way I wanted to help people/change the world, I have been through many job possibilities in my head; mental health nurse, midwife, prime minister, M.P., author, psychologist, working in the criminal justice system, army nurse, police officer.. the list goes on. All these jobs I still think would be amazing to do and who knows maybe in the future I will pursue one of them (fun fact- I did get into university for Mental Health nursing and also a course that would of helped me to become a certified counsellor but it did not feel right for me at the time so I did not accept, but who knows maybe I could go back to this in the future). I could never decide what exactly I wanted to do career wise, I did know I wanted to help others however and that has driven me throughout my life. This being the reason any job I have ever had has been caring based- a children's party host, a nursery support worker, a learning disabilities care worker, elderly carer- I just want to help out and make a difference. Being a Mother was also something I always wanted to do and I would say is one of the biggest ways to change the world and impact the future because you are literally raising the next generation. Through being pregnant I also then re-discovered my childhood passion of writing leading to the moderate success of my blog, being employed as a writer for two online parenting websites and the starts of a self-published book (still a LONG way to go with that one). In all these ways I have become more passionate about making the world a better place and impacting the world positively with my time here. I am so grateful to of touched so many people with my writing, making people feel not alone when it comes to things such as mental health or motherhood. Receiving messages saying that I have made people feel accepted with my open-minded attitude or that I have made them re-think their lifestyle habits through my animal rights and environmental posts. It may be a small impact but an impact none the less and I hope to continue this. So yes through my life so far I have tried my best to find ways to help others and other than career paths there is charity work, here are some of the things I have done previously. 

-Donated to Foodbank every month
-Bought food for the homeless

-Coffee mornings for macmillan cancer support 

-Headshave for macmillan cancer support 

-Volunteering for Childline

- Fundraising for Rosie's Cafe (Mental Health Charity) 

The first headshave...

The first time I shaved my head, as I said, was for Macmillan Cancer Support. It was around 3 years ago I did it and raised £300. Still to this day I get letters (telling me of what work they are doing/have done with the money I raised) and little rewards you could say from Macmillan (such as Christmas cards, tags for presents, postcards etc) which I think is really sweet. I originally wanted to shave my head because around this time my hair was SO damaged from the amount of dying I had put it through in a very short amount of time, but then I began to think that instead of just shaving it I could shave it for a cause which as I have explained is something I am very passionate about. So I went for it, here is a picture from that first head shave. (Side note: I did not donate my hair because of the damage and the length was too short). 

Second headshave and why...

People- including family and friends- thought I was crazy to do this again! Why would you shave your head after growing it all back? Well the answer is simple.. because I can. It is just hair at the end of the day and if I can help a very worthy cause just by shaving my head then why wouldn't I? For me there was no answer to this question and thus I shaved my head. There were of course other reasons apart from 'just because I can'. I was always planning on doing this again, I just wasn't sure when or what charity to do it for and then I heard that the wonderful Willows Animal Sanctuary were really struggling with donations and were not sure if they could continue to look after their animals through the winter months and this gave me that final push to set up the just giving page. As you readers will know since I had my daughter I became vegan and through this I have found a whole new love and respect for animals so this cause was close to my heart. I also think Willows is so one of a kind to be a sanctuary that saves animals not only from abuse and neglect but from slaughter! In Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire anyways I don't think there is any other place like this that does not profit from the animals or exploit them but simply care for them, save them and try to spread the message that choosing a plant-based lifestyle is best for your health, environment and of course, the animals. I honestly adore this place and could not sit by and let such a wonderful place close. I want to take my daughter and any other children we may have to visit here a lot in the future to teach them all the values Willows upholds so they can use them through their life. So as I have said anything I could do to help I was most definitely going to do that! Aside from this I have noticed, as a woman, a lot of your beauty is defined by hair? If I was a man shaving my head it would be no big deal but as a woman, your crazy?! I have been called brave for shaving my head 'as a woman', I have been called of course 'crazy!' and one man said to me recently "why would you do that to yourself, your a woman?" and when I replied saying it was for charity it was then "That's okay then because it was for charity". I am not saying people who think this way are bad of course not, our society conditions us to think in these gender stereotypes but I would like to be an individual that challenges these and opens the minds of others who may think a woman's beauty is based upon her hair or looks alone. Not going to lie, last time I shaved my head I hid it all the time under wigs to make myself more 'feminine', this was 3 years ago when I was a lot more self-conscious although looking back I did not need to be, no one does. Where as this time around- I don't know if its the fact I am a Mother now and do not have the time to put a wig on every day, that I am a lot more chilled about looks as it is not important in my eyes or both but I am rocking this shaved head look and loving it. Embracing the funny looks I get in the street as compliments or at least I stand out? Mainly I want to be a role model to Ella-Grace in all aspects of life and show her that her beauty does not depend on her hair or her looks, it does not matter what anyone else thinks and that as long as you are confident yourself that is what matters. I cannot stress enough to anyone reading this that at the end of the day looks do not matter! Yes of course people like to look there best or get dolled up for special occasions but that does not make you beautiful or not. I put on make up not because I think I need it but because I enjoy it and I like the way it looks that does not mean I look worse without it or I am not beautiful, because I am and everyone is. Once you live in this mindset you feel so much happier and free and make others feel the same because you are not judging anyone on looks. So yes, sorry for the word vomit, I was very confident in my choice to shave my head for Willows and 'beauty' never crossed my mind nor did bravery for that matter. I did not and do not consider myself as brave for shaving my head although many have said I was, bravery is people saving lives, bravery is people fighting for their lives, I just don't see this as brave although I do appreciate the supportive messages and comments from people who do think that. I just saw this as me doing a good deed for a good cause and I have a new hair style at the end of it. That's all. In the end I raised £210 for Willows Animal Sanctuary. 

How I pick what charities I fundraise for...

I by no means am the fundraising or charity work champion, far from it in fact I wish I had the time and money to do more for good causes and organise more events. I have always said I would love to run a marathon or organise a charity ball, hopefully this will be in the future at some point. Any ways I may not be the fundraising champ but I do have specific charities that in the future I do plan to help and these are for many reasons. Someone messaged me and asked me to go through the charities/causes I think are important and I personally would want to raise money/awareness for. This list could be a blog post in itself so here I will put my top 3 at the moment. 

Mental Health Charities 

As many of you know I have struggled with mental illness through most of my life, still do now and always will. Anxiety, panic attacks and self harm are all subjects that I have personal experience in and really touch my heart. I do think these things are still very stigmatised which is very wrong. When I was going through my darkest times all I wanted was help and for someone to tell me that what I was feeling will pass and there is help. Unfortunately so many people of all ages do not get this support and often get met with negative responses when they try to open up, sometimes even bullying. On many occasions unfortunately people struggling mentally feel their is no way out and take their lives because of this. I have been in that dark place where you feel so alone and that no one can help you and now being in a totally different mindset yet having that empathy for others who have experienced mental illness/ are experiencing, I would love to help. Charities I have strongly considered volunteering/fundraising for have been Samaritains, Mind, SAMH and many more. I have previously contacted Samaritans but unfortunately the timing just was not right and I was not able to volunteer but it is still something I am very open to in the future. Mental health is just as important as Physical health, I am a firm believer of this FACT.

Rape and Sexual Assault Victims 

I don't really know where to start when talking about this topic. I have written in the past that I myself have experienced sexual assault and sadly many of my friends have been victim to sexual assault and/or rape. In fact pretty much every woman I know has an experience of some sort of injustice that has been done to them when it comes to sexual harassment, assault, attempted rape or rape, it is a very sad fact that to this day it is a very scary place for women and I feel very strongly that something needs to be done about this. From improvements in the criminal justice system to changes in society's attitude (for example victim blaming is such a big problem), there are many things in my opinion that can be done to support these victims and potentially stop other assaults occurring. No one asks to be raped. Of course this is not just a female problem, there are many men that are also a victim to sexual assault and rape, I am in full support of them also when I say I wish to help these victims and survivors. Although I do think that women are more at risk of this, men and women a like should not be treated any differently when it comes to support after a sexual assault or rape, all cases should be taken seriously. I hope that all made sense, I get a bit overwhelmed when talking about something I am passionate about. 

So, having some horrid experiences myself and knowing many people who have, not to mention seeing first hand victim blaming (for example I know someone who got raped walking home, by two men and many around her said 'Well she shouldn't of been walking home alone?' NO the men should not have raped her!). All of this makes me very passionate about helping rape and sexual assault survivors and even more so since I have had my little girl. I am already teaching her about consent when it comes to giving hugs, she does not have to hug anyone if she does not want to nor can she make someone hug her. These little steps I think are very important. I would love to volunteer for rape and sexual assault support groups, help fundraise for charities that support such survivors and maybe, if the opportunity came up, I would love to speak to schools about consent because that I think is a very blurred subject and it is time those lines were made clear especially for young adults. This is truly one of the most horrific things that could happen to you and more often than not unfortunately, people get away with their actions or incidents go unreported out of fear or shame, this NEEDS to change and I want to be a part of that change. I could go on and on about this but just as an end note I would like to say if anyone needs to talk about a situation they are going through regarding sexual assault or rape I would be more than happy to speak to anyone, also if anyone knows of any volunteering, fundraising, awareness raising or school speaking opportunities in this area I would love to know about them. 

Animal Rights Charities 

Going to keep this one short just because I have spoke about it already in this post and A LOT in other posts. Obviously I am very passionate about animals and helping them in any way I can. Humans are so destructive and animals are the opposite, what is sad is that they really don't have a voice. If they did maybe as human beings we would not do the evil things that we do to them. This lack of voice that the animals of this world have makes me feel that I need to be that voice. I need to speak up about the cruelty of farming, how we are ruining their homes, vile hunting, animal testing, exploitation of animals for entertainment, the list really does go on and on and the sad thing is that many people don't even know these things are cruel and willingly take part. That makes me so sad but also grateful that my eyes have been opened to what is really happening behind the scenes to the beautiful creatures of this planet. For some reason what I have just said will be deemed 'controversial' to some but it is the honest truth and with out change animals will continue to suffer, go extinct and our environment as well as theirs will deteriorate, fast! Again, I could go on and on! I hope to do more fundraising for Willows animal sanctuary and other charities that benefit the animals. I plan to purchase some Go Vegan Scotland merchandise  for myself and Ella-Grace this Christmas and I am very excited about that and the cause my money will go towards. 

Summary and Thank you for reading...

In conclusion (haven't wrote that since I was writing English or Philosophy essays in school haha), I am very passionate about charity work and living my life to change the lives of others and the world around us in positive ways. There are specific areas that I gravitate towards helping but really there are endless lists of worthy causes and amazing charities I am sure people could fundraise for, donate to, volunteer etc. I am proud of what I have done this year and in the future hope to do much more as I have said. I want Ella-Grace to grow up seeing her Mummy helping others and hopefully she will be proud or even better want to get involved with me. 
That is the end of this weeks post, thank you so much for reading! Sorry if the post is a bit all over the place it has been a while and I have had to type this out quite fast in the short space of time I have while Reece baths Ella-Grace (that's the life of a work from home mum). As always however I wrote from the heart, I wrote this post honestly and although it may  be all over the place and I am sure full of spelling and grammar errors, it is me and I like to think of my blog as an online diary and you are all here reading my inner thoughts. Quite a scary thing to share with the world but I feel it has a place here and may influence others positively. Rambling on again, seriously need someone to stop me haha. Thanks again for reading. Till the next post- I have many more unfiltered posts to come from motherhood to mental health, I have a lot to talk about! And as I always end my posts...

Stay Happy Everyone! :)

The year of helping others continues: Achievements in February- April

Where have the months gone....

Honestly I feel like 2018 is going in a flash! Hey there readers I hope you are all doing well today! I said at the start of the year that I was going to do one of these achievement blog posts every month... the last one I did was January... I really need to catch up!! So here is months February to April and what my goals are for May and June also. I think I have achieved/organised quite a lot, helping others and facing fears a long the way. Which is what I really want this year to be about really, new experiences, helping others and setting a good example for Ella-Grace. Let me know in the comments what you have achieved these past few months or what you want to achieve later on this year. Happy Reading!! 

Did I meet the goals I set for February? 

(In case you did not read my February goals that I set myself back in January they were as follows:

• Finish planning Ella-Grace's party
• Give blood
• Plan more of the wedding
• Donate food again
• Create a writing schedule
• Go to trampoline park for the first time
• Book Swimming Lessons For Ella-Grace )

I am happy to say I met all of those except 3.

Finish planning Ella-Grace's party: ACHIEVED 

Of course I wasn't going to miss this goal because of course it was my main goal for February! Yes some of the party planning went into the start of March and there was some of the party jobs that could not be done till nearer the party (Food, balloons ect) but the majority of the planning I finished in February and as you all already know Ella-Grace has an amazing party when it finally came around in March- I couldn't of asked for a better 1st birthday party for our little babe. 

Giving Blood: NOT ACHIEVED 

This was one of my main goals for this year for many reasons. I said at New Year that I really wanted to help people/ do more good things this year because last year I was very focused on being a new mum (naturally) but this year I wanted to start setting a good example for Ella-Grace when it comes to helping others and doing good in the world. I also wanted to give blood because when I was in labor with Ella-Grace there was a possibility that I would of needed a blood transfusion, I wanted to give my blood so if anyone else was in this situation I could help (my blood is O negative and that can be used for any blood type and also is rare!). So as scared as I was to face my fear of needles and give blood I was determined to do this at the end of February and the only reason I did not was because unfortunately Reece was working and my parents ended up not being able to watch Ella-Grace last minute so I had to change my appointment. I did however reschedule it to March which I will go on to talk about in a minute.

Plan more wedding: ACHIEVED

This is going to be a goal every month until the wedding so sorry if you get bored of seeing this one over and over again but there is A LOT of planning and organisation when it comes to weddings. Not much more to say about this one other than some more planning was done meaning I achieved this goal. I don't want to say too much because I am planning on writing a blog post on my wedding and the planning of it after the wedding is over, so look out for that in July!

Donate food again: ACHIEVED

Again not too much to say in this one as this is one I am happy to say has become quite regular for me. Whenever I go and do my food shopping I pick up whatever I can afford (that fits the guidelines) and donate it. It is such a good idea to have a food donation box in the middle of a supermarket I think it encourages people to donate and makes it easy, you don't have to try to remember to go out of your way to do it you just do it there and then! So yes that is another goal ticked off the list and I am very happy Ella-Grace will grow up to see me doing this, it is so important to be taught to be kind and helpful.

Create a writing schedule: ACHIEVED 

This I have achieved but obviously I have a toddler who runs my life haha she is definitely the boss so the writing schedule is not set in stone but when I can I try to stick to it. \I find I do a lot more work in the mornings when I have just woken up so Reece and I have made a system where he gets Ella-Grace up for breakfast, getting dressed etc and they have some Daddy daughter time for an hour or two and then when he has to get ready for work we swap. This leaving my evening free from work and Reece and I can spend some couple time together. But yes this can vary depending on what we are doing that day, what time Reece starts work etc but it is still in place. #

Go to Trampoline Park for the first time: NOT ACHIEVED 

This I have not done yet unfortunately and for the simple reason being we have not found the time or money yet. I promised my niece and nephew we would take them to the trampoline park and we 100% will but we have just decided to leave it till after the wedding when our time frees up and we have more money. Also Reece will be off work for 2 weeks after the wedding so that works out perfectly.

Book swimming lessons for Ella-Grace: NOT ACHIEVED

I wouldn't say this wasn't achieved but we decided not to book swimming lessons and instead start taking her swimming regularly ourselves. Some babies get a lot of use out of swimming lessons but Reece and I have decided we are happy at the moment just taking her ourselves until she is a bit older. It is a great family day out for us and Ella-Grace loves it, our little water baby. More on this in the March section coming up next!

What did I achieve in March? ALOT

March ended up being a very productive month which is surprising considering Ella-Grace's birthday was that month but maybe that just made me more motivated I don't know but yeah very proud of what I managed to get done in March. 

Gave blood 

FINALLY! After rescheduling the appointment I met one of my biggest goals for this year and faced one of my biggest fears which was giving blood. Let me tell you I was so nervous and was so sure I was going to faint but surprisingly I did not faint and it only took 5 minutes for me to donate blood. I was very proud of myself and even made an appointment to go back in July and donate blood again. I in no way enjoyed the experience and I still hate needles but I am so very glad I have done it. One of the stats that really stuck out to me was that ' 3 teaspoons of blood can save a premature baby's life' now if that isn't a reason to donate blood I don't know what is. 

Started taking Ella-Grace swimming regularly 

Like I said I did not book Ella-Grace swimming lessons but Reece and I have been taking her swimming and we have gone with a few friends as well which is really nice. I am not a big fan of swimming personally (probably because I am not very good at it) but I want Ella-Grace to be confident in the water and I know she loves it so of course I want to take her on a regular basis. We have even found a pool that we like to go to regularly which is not too far from where we live so it is going really well. I am not saying we take her every single week but regularly enough for her to build up her confidence.

Done more wedding planning

Sorry I know it's back again but as I said this is going to be a goal for every month. So yes more wedding planning was done. I actually had my hair and make up trial for the wedding and all the bridesmaids tried on their dresses, it is getting very close now!

Ella-Grace's party was a success 

You already know about this so I am just going to add some more pictures here because they say it all. Ella-Grace's First Birthday Party was a success!!!(If you would like to read more I wrote a post all about her birthday here : Ella-Grace turns 1 )

Gone full vegan and started doing more for the environment 

Bonobo Vegan Cafe. YUM!

YES! I did it! After a year of progressing from non-vegan to vegan I finally did it. For a long time I had been majority vegan but if I ever went out I would maybe dip into some dairy or go to my parents and have eggs for breakfast but not anymore. I know where to go to get vegan options, I have scrambled tofu to satisfy my egg craving and I can not 100% say that my diet is 100% plant based. I am so proud and would recommend choosing vegan to everyone. For your health, for the animals and for the environment.

Speaking of the environment, as a family we have all been doing more for the environment. Excuse the capital letters but I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO LOOK AFTER OUR ENVIRONMENT!! Obviously being vegan helps a MASSIVE amount as well as this we obviously recycle everything we can, try to buy the loose fruit and veg in supermarkets to reduce the plastic packaging we are buying, walk as much as possible instead of using transport, we no longer use plastic straws, pick up litter that we see just thrown on the ground and get rid of it properly. We as a family have become very environmentally conscious and that is one thing I will push because I think everyone should care about the planet. There is no planet B, as I like to say.

Donated Clothing 

I have lost a lot of weight since having Ella-Grace which I am very proud of and also I have turned my wardrobe into the wedding cupboard so I have had to get rid of a lot of clothes. Which was fine by me because donating clothes was the next goal on my list. I am such a hoarder so I get piles of clothes that either didn't fit me or I didn't even like.So finally after years of building on a pile of clothes that were never to be worn I donated them and hopefully someone else will get use out of them.

Decided to donate wedding dress

This is one some may think is crazy but I think is a lovely idea. I am going to be donating my wedding dress and I think some of the bridesmaids are donating their dresses also. After looking around online I found a charity called 'Heavenly Gowns UK', they create clothes for angel babies from donated wedding dresses. Need I say more. Yes it is a lovely idea to keep my own wedding dress but why when it could be helping someone deal with the loss of their child. Something as simple as a nice outfit for their angel baby could really make a difference. I will be keeping my veil in case Ella-Grace may want it some day but as for my dress I think donating it is an amazing thing to do. 

What did I achieve in April? 

Donated food and clothes again

Like I said donating food has become a regular thing for me to do and as for clothes I went through them a second time and found more clothes I did not want or need so I donated them too.

More Wedding planning 

Standard haha. A big chunk of my life at the moment is wedding planning.

Took Ella-Grace to a new group. (Dance class) 

This I was very excited about! I had been wanting to take Ella-Grace to this dance class for AGES. I had always not had the time because her baby group started pretty much when the dance class finished and I would not of been able to make it to both but now she is older we have moved onto a toddler group on a Tuesday (which she loves) and now that has free'd up my Thursday to take her to dance class. YAY! And she loves it! My favourite group I take her too as it is so different from the rest and I love how it is actually teaching them the basics of dancing very young in full ways and hese classes can turn into proper dance classes as they get older. Highly recommend for anyone who is in the Aberdeen Area
(Monster Bunch- Citymoves Dance Studio- 11am-12pm-Thursday-£4 per class- 0-18 months)  

Gave food to a homeless person

This I have done twice now and it is something I always want to do but can never find the money to spare unfortunately. It is always going on the wedding or Ella-Grace, there is no wiggle room sometimes. But this month twice I managed to give food and the other time a hot drink to someone in need of it. Some people live with the attitude 'It's their own fault their homeless' or 'How do you know they are really homeless?' and to that I say 1. I don't care how they got onto the street with no home, what I care about is that if I were in that situation I would want someone to help me and 2. I would much rather give someone on the street a little bit of food or some money to then find out they aren't homeless than not give someone food or money on the street in case they are faking and then them end up being genuinely homeless and in need of help. There is enough bad in this world and if I can show some good to my little girl and help someone out with just a little gesture then why wouldn't I.

Walked ALOT

With the weather in Aberdeen being so nice at the moment instead of using public transport to get to places I have just been walking everywhere. Town is about an hour and 15 minute walk away and I have done that several times now. Once you get into the rhythm of it it honestly does not feel that long and Ella-Grace loves it. 

Goals for May and June 

-More Wedding Plan
-Continue donating food
-Start writing my first children's book
- Continue with my walking
-Get Married
- Take Ella-Grace outside more

Thanks for reading...

As usual thank you so much for reading! I really hope this post doesn't come off as showy. I am writing it as more of a personal log of things I have done so I can look back and be proud of what I have achieved and things I have done. I also would hope that it would encourage others to do some more good things and remember to look back and be proud of what you have achieved too. 

A lot of the time I feel like I haven't done enough. I didn't play with Ella-Grace enough, I didn't take her out enough, I don't cook enough healthy meals, I don't write enough, I put myself down and always think I haven't done enough or haven't done what I should do but looking back on this I can say oh wait I have done a lot and I should be happy. 

Please don't forget to follow my social media, links can be found at the side >>> 

( Facebook- LauraJane Life , Instagram - @laurajanelifex ) I have started doing little chatty videos on my instagram stories so if that is something you are interested in definitely check it out! Until next time.....

Stay Happy Everyone :)!

January Achievements

2018, the year of achievements..

Hi readers and happy February! I hope everyone is doing well. This is a post I am going to do monthly to track my achievements in 2018. 2017 was a great year and my biggest achievement was obviously giving birth and becoming a mother early in the year and the rest of that year was focused on getting the hang of the whole parenting thing. Now we are in 2018 and I feel a bit more in control and have a routine established when it comes to Ella-Grace I thought this year would be the year to start make some new goals and try and help people- which is always a goal of mine. Of course being the best mother I can be to Ella-Grace is my top priority but it is nice to set some goals for yourself and help others which I think in turn makes you a good role model to your children and as Ella-Grace gets older she will be able to take part hopefully. 

Off to a good start...

As soon as we returned from my parents after the festive season I wanted to make a start on my new years resolutions and I am happy to say I made a start/achieved quite a few of them within the first week. Which is great considering Ella-Grace and I have been ill for the past week now and so have not done much but eat and sleep meaning what you are about to read was all done at the start of January. Hoping we will be all better next week and back to our routine and goals. 

Achievements...

Went Full Vegan 
This one I am extremely proud of as I have wanted to do it for a while. As most of you know I have been meat-free and dairy free since Ella-Grace was just a few weeks old, Ella-Grace also has this diet. I did however eat eggs and over the Christmas period succumbed to the temptations and had some dairy (still no meat though). When the new year hit I was determined to go back to my dairy free ways and now cut out eggs too. I wanted a full plant-based diet that is free from animal cruelty and full of goodness- not to mention the amazing impact it will have on our environment. I caved once or twice and had egg while I was out but now I am so happy to say I am at the point where animal products simply repulse me and I feel sick if I eat them. Plant-based diet forever, I am feeling happier and healthier than ever. I will be doing a full blog post on this soon so that is all I will say for now but yeah big achievement!

Made an appointment to give blood
I have thought about doing this for so long but due to my fear of needles and the thought of getting blood taken making me feel faint, I haven't done it (not to mention getting tattooed and being pregnant -obviously at separate times- making me postpone it even more). But this January I bit the bullet and made an appointment. The appointment isn't until the end of February but at least I have made the appointment, no backing out now I am not one to let people down. I am not rolling around in riches so cannot donate lots of money to a charity but blood I can do and knowing that if myself, Ella-Grace or anyone else in my family could one day need a blood transfusion and also that my blood type (O negative) is so rare and is the only type that can be used for EVERYONE - yes everyone I feel like I have a super power- I had to do it. I could save someones life and that is amazing.

Donated food to a food bank
Something else I have wanted to do for a while but always forgot to do, donate food to a food bank. My local supermarket has done this for a long time where you can drop off tins of food and I have had tins sitting in my cupboard or ages (still in date though obviously). I was getting no use out of these tins but someone else could so finally after forgetting AGAIN when I went to do my food first food shop of 2018 I marched back home got the tins and went back to the shop to donate them. Since then whenever I am in the shop I pick up a tin of beans or something similar and put it in the box. I cannot tell you how good that feels. Also knowing Ella-Grace is seeing myself donate food and do good deeds often I hope she will learn from this, we all need to help each other and be a little bit kinder.

Created a cleaning schedule and kept on top of it
Okay this one has kind of gone downhill since we got this flu bug but I think that is a valid excuse to step back on the cleaning routine for a while. At the start of the month however unfortunately Reece got ill (don't worry he is okay now) and I had to do literally EVERYTHING because he needed his rest. Usually Reece helps with the chores and obviously Ella-Grace as much as he can but he just had to come home from work and go to bed in order for him to heal. Because of this my superhero powers must of kicked in and I was on top of every little thing from cleaning to parenting, I felt like Wonder Woman for those two weeks and I have no idea how I didn't pass out. So that was an achievement for me because I love a routine and I was on top of everything. Time will tell whether this routine returns after this illness has gone. I will let you know.

Stared planning Ella-Grace's birthday party
I wrote started but to be honest it is almost all finished apart from the minor details and I am so happy with how the whole party is coming together- going to write a separate post on 1st birthday party planning I think, let me know if that would interest anyone. Since Ella-Grace was born she has come to the Disney movie 'Moana' and everything related to it (toys, music, books) so that is the theme of her party, my sister has even booked someone to come dressed as Moana and sing the songs, she is going to love it. Our special girl deserves a super special birthday and I hope she will have lots of fun.

February Goals...

So that is how January went and now we are into February. Still a battling this illness but hoping to be over it soon and fulfill a few more goals...

• Finish planning Ella-Grace's party
• Give blood
• Plan more of the wedding
• Donate food again
• Create a writing schedule
• Go to trampoline park for the first time
• Book Swimming Lessons For Ella-Grace 

Till Next Time...

Thank you for reading this blog post, this one is more for myself to be able to encourage me to do something new/help people every month but I do hope it will also push you to do the same. What have you done this month? What have you achieved? What are your goals for the upcoming month? Comment below I would love to know. Till next time..

Stay Happy Everyone :)! 

Last blog post of the year: Looking back on 2017.

The last blog post of the year...

Goodbye 2017 from LauraJaneLife. Don't worry I will of course be writing again when 2018 rolls around and I am sure between Christmas and New Year I will still be posting on my social media accounts but as for blogs and articles I am taking a little holiday in order to spend some much needed time with my friends and family. So this is the last blog post of the year and because of that I am making it a kind of summary of this year, a thank you to all the people who have been there in the good and bad times of 2017 and an insight into my hopes for 2018. Lets get started.

Rounding up 2017...

So 2017 started with Reece and I sitting on our sofa (Ella-Grace still in my belly at this point, I was around 30 weeks pregnant) knowing this was the year we would become parents, bringing our baby into the world. Now it is coming to an end and going into 2018 with our 9 MONTH OLD little girl (her update will be up after New year), looking forward to our wedding and her first birthday. It has been one amazing year and here are the reasons why as well as rounding up some of the things I went through in 2017.

Ella-Grace...

First and foremost of course is Ella-Grace. On the 19th March 2017 she was brought into the world and it was definitely the BEST thing to happen to me, and Reece. It is so hard to explain in words how much I love her and how much she has enriched our lives, but I will try. Before Ella-Grace I was happy but always dreamed of being a mum, felt like something was missing. When she came into the world yes, baby blues was hard and the start was a struggle but our bond was and continues to be very strong. As time went on, her now being nine months old, she has made me the confident and empowered woman and mother I want to be. Everything I do I do better because of Ella-Grace, I want her to be proud of me, I want to set a good example, I want to teach her right. I want to be my absolute best for her. She is my best friend, my daughter, my reason for always striving to do what is right and what is good. I love her so so so so so much! And still that only explains 1% of how much she means to me. 2017 has been the best year of my life and ALL of that is down to Ella-Grace. I may have given her life but she has gave me a whole new outlook on life and my goodness I have never felt better. We take care of each other. You are my angel my darling and I know you can't read this yet but when you are old enough to, please know how deeply loved you are and that you are a blessing to me and your Dad. We love you so much. 

My Fiance...

We have been together 5 and 1/2 years now and I am so thankful to have him as my future husband. This new year being particularly special as we are now entering 2018, the year I will become his wife. As always Reece has supported me through everything, made me laugh more than anyone else - yes he is slightly annoying BUT I wouldn't change him in anyway. And in 2017 we brought our child into the world which only made our bond stronger. Reece, you work so hard for me and Ella-Grace but never fail to spend time with us when you are home from work. You are the best dad and the best fiance, you have made 2017 a great year supporting me through the hard parts and being right next to be through the good parts. You are the definition of a partner, we go through everything together and always will. I love you very much. 

Postpartum...

Everyone goes through postpartum recovery and to start with I am not going to lie, it was hard and painful. After having a c-section I struggled to move because of the pain just now getting to a point where I feel comfortable that my scar won't rip open when I move (it wouldn't of done that for a while now but it is nerve-wracking for a while). Weight wise I have lost what I gained during my pregnancy but I don't think it is the weight that matters, more the vast amount that your body changes. The stretchy skin on your belly, breasts shrinking, hair loss, skin problems. Lots of problems, It can be disheartening. But looking at my beautiful daughter, knowing that I gave her life, the most amazing thing a body can do. I am proud of my Mum body. I am confident with my non-conforming body. I want Ella-Grace to be comfortable in her body and love the skin she is in and that starts with me doing the same, Leading by example. Not meaning it is easy, sometimes I hate my skin and look at old photos of my body and think, I look so good in that photo, But that does not mean I hate my body now, in fact I love it more than I ever have, I am more confident in my body than I ever have been. So that is where I am now. (Side note: I think everyone should love their bodies no matter what, great if you want to loose weight, great if you want to gain some but always do it in a healthy way and you should never hate your body, We are all beautiful and should lead by example with this mindset for the next generation). 

Vegan Diet...

Before I had Ella-Grace I was a meat and dairy eater like the majority of people but I can tell you right now becoming vegetarian/on my way to being full vegan, is one of the best decisions I have made and is another reason this year has been so great. A lot of people do not understand this which is understandable as we are fed information that we need meat, dairy ect. and I have been judged but I know the facts and I know what I am doing is right for me any my family.  I had wanted to do this for a while and it was having Ella-Grace that gave me the push I needed as I needed to think, how do I want her to be raised? An vegan was what I wanted. I want her to respect animals, I want her to understand that their is a lot of injustice in the farming and dairy/egg industry, I want her to know that her living on a plant-based diet helps the environment we live in so much and that is very important. I cannot stress enough how important it is to look after our environment and I want Ella-Grace to also be an advocate of this. I feel healthier, happier and more at peace knowing that my food is not harming other living beings or the planet in which we live. 

Anxiety...

If you had asked me 2 years ago how I was coping with my anxiety, I would of said I was on the edge of a complete breakdown, But now, although it is still there and I have bad times, I feel a lot happier and a lot more able to control my panic attacks and anxiety. At the start of the year when I was going through baby blues, panic attacks came almost every night and being a new mum was very stressful. But thanks to the support of my family, friends and especially Reece as well as just the amazing bond Ella-Grace and I have, I got through it. And from then on my anxiety has been pretty steady and controlled. Panic attacks do show up now and again but I have definitely got better control of them. Something else that helped this year on the anxiety side of things is that I have just started being totally open and honest about my struggles, writing about it on here as you will know if you read my blog regularly. This has been a big change this year as I used to hide my battles. 2017 has been the year to let me demons out and not be afraid of them anymore. I hope I have inspired some people to also be honest and open with their anxiety. 

Writing...

13th March 2017, still pregnant (3 days past due date), with the support of Reece I decided to star my blog. I am so glad I did as it changed my life. Made me more confident, comfortable with myself, gave me a voice, helped me reach out and make connections with people all over the world and most importantly lead me to other writing opportunities which turned into employment. If I never started my blog I would be returning to work in January, but now I have the privilage being a work-from-home mum. I'm not writing/blogging my way to riches yet but that's not what it is about. I am working at something I love, in the comfort of my own home, not missing any moments of my baby girl and being able to provide for her through it. Keeping my identity as a person separate from my baby at the same time as her being a huge part of everything I publish. Yes it has hard times and getting that balance between time I need to work and time I spend with my family is hard (as you can see above I am often working with Ella-Grace on me- she loves to "help" haha) it is the best job I have ever had and who knows maybe one day I will be writing books. But that's a topic for another day. 

Achievements...

- Giving birth : My birth experience may of ended up being a complete contrast to what I had planned but no matter what kind of birth you have, that is an achievement. I brought life into the world. I am proud!

- Raising Ella-Grace: Yes there are times when I get down and think to myself "I am a terrible mother" (that's usually when I am feeling anxious) but deep down I know this is not true and I know I am doing a great job. I am so proud of how I am raising Ella-Grace and how I have embraced motherhood. That is definitely achievement of 2017. 

-Starting my blog: For as long as I remember I loved writing and I am so glad I started writing my blog! It was a personal achievement for me as it has made me more confident and open. But it is also an achievement because I have helped others through it. 

-Getting my first paid writing job: I could not believe it when I landed my first paid writing job this year. Paid. For Writing. Yes, it is difficult but THE best job I have ever had. I am so proud of myself for getting this job and all the articles I have written this year. 

- Starting a second blog with my friend: This is a recent achievement that I don't think I have even mentioned on this blog yet. My friend, Keely and I started a poetry and short story blog called "Let Us Tell You A Story". We have both wanted to do this for a while and that is finally done. Go over there now and check out our first posts.

- Cutting out meat and dairy: This is definitely an achievement and although I am still on the road to being full vegan, going from meat eater to vegetarian/almost full vegan in less than a year is quite impressive I think because once your used to a certain diet it is hard to change it. But I am so glad I did, feel healthier, happier and I know I am doing good in the world as I mentioned earlier. 

- Being a good person: Don't know if that sounds big headed but I live by a certain set of morals: Be open-minded, be kind and be helpful. And I think this is something to be proud of as there are so much bad things in the world that you can be strayed and sometimes what is good means you have to go against the crowd which takes guts. I am happy to say I will always do what I think is the right thing to do, what is kind, helpful and non-judgmental. Setting an example for my daughter. 

-Controlling Anxiety: Mentioned this one earlier but yes managing my Anxiety and panic disorder has definitely been a battle and I am so proud to say that I am winning. From being that 18 year old girl who would go to extreme, unhealthy methods to stop the anxiety to a 21 year old mother who is confident and even though of course I have slip ups and relapses but nothing like I used to have. I am winning, I control my anxiety not the other way around. This was a long fight and I am proud this year I have made so much progress. 

- Body Positive: This is actually the first year 'lose weight' won't be on my new years resolution list. Whether that is because I have become more confident or because I adore my body that brought my daughter into the world I don't know but I am very body positive now. Which has helped with my anxiety and also has stopped me saying negative things which means my daughter won't learn to be negative about her body which I think is so important! In this society loving the skin your in can be hard but I am so proud I have got to this point. Embracing my mum bod. 

Hopes for 2018...

- Happy. healthy family: Number one on my hopes for 2018 is of course for continuing happiness for my little family. Ella-Grace and Reece are my world and I want the best for them, that will always be my priority. I want to continue to be the best mother and fiance I can be for them. 

-Another writing job: This would be great for us financially and good experience for me to gain and put on my CV. I hope to write a book in the future so anything that can help me get there eventually would be amazing. 

- Wedding: Finally marrying the love of my life!! I cannot wait to be able to introduce Reece as my husband! Honestly so excited even if the planning has been stressful and expensive. The main thing is that there will be a day to celebrate our love. I would say I hope the day is perfect but as long as I get to be Mrs Webster at the end of they day and that Ella-Grace is a big part of the day, that's all that matters. 

-First birthday: Ella-Grace is the best thing that has ever happened to me as I have said and although we were originally thinking of just having a tiny celebration, we can't help but want to have a semi-big party (sticking to a budget) as that is what she deserves. She is just amazing and I want to basically say thank you so much to her for blessing our lives and how grateful we are for the best year of our lives. I hope that we can make her birthday very special and that she has a great day. 

- Blog growth: I love all of you readers, I never expected to even have minimal viewings on my blog never mind a moderate finding, building my own little kindness community and have messages from people all over the world on social media that can relate. In 2018 I hope my blog grows and reaches more people who may also be able to relate, who I might be able to help. 

-Look into moving: I doubt we will be moving in 2018 but looking into it after the wedding would be great so we have an idea of what we want. And who knows maybe an extra bedroom would be good in case we ever have a brother or sister for Ella-Grace (definitely not anytime soon though, this is not a pregnancy announcement haha). Edinburgh here we come (hopefully). 

Thank you, Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year...

So that's it, the last blog post of 2017!  I can't believe this year is ending it has truly been the best year of my life. Thank you to everyone who has made it so great! From of course the two loves of my life, Reece and Ella-Grace who drive me to be my best. I love you two so much. Thanks to my parents, siblings, bestfriends who have been around for years, new mum friends I have met since having Ella-Grace, NHS staff that helped me bring my daughter into the world, my editor for giving me my first writing job, the lovely people who read my blog and send me lovely messages of support. Thanks to this planet for the life it gives all of us. I am so very grateful and blessed to have the life I have, it may not be full of fancy things but it is full of love and happiness and that is what really matters. I hope I have been part of what has made someone else's 2017 great. Have the best Christmas and the best New year. I will see you the first week of January for the next post! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! 

Social Media

To keep updated with me over the Christmas period and to be notified of when my next blog post will be up please follow my social media. Linked above this blog post or on homepage. And here are some (by some I mean A LOT) of my favourite pictures of  2017 and for the last time this year....

Stay Happy Everyone :) !