Christmas Bullet Journal Spreads

Hi everyone! As you may know, I have a bullet journal and I love using it to organise and plan EVERYTHING. Today I’m showing you three of my favourite Christmas spreads that you can work into your planner.

This month, I made my calendar very festive and focused on red and green as my theme colours. I think that the baubles along the top and the pine tree on the side make the Christmas theme very clear : ).
The squares are also the perfect amount of space for events each day (the spacing is 6 x 6 squares). In the blank space on the right I added a “tasks” list for large to-dos and key goals. I highly recommend this layout as it made it easy to plan things out at a very busy time!

For my second page, I made a “gift list” to track all of the presents I would be giving to my friends and family. This one is really useful for future Christmases and birthdays as you can go back and check that you’re not giving someone the same gift multiple times in a row!

Lastly, I made my own Christmas wish list with a minimalistic look to counteract all of the colour and images that I had put in my other spreads. I love the idea of paring it down to four things: something you want, something you need, something you’ll wear and something you’ll read and I included this idea at the bottom of my initial brainstorm.

Eating Recommended Serving Sizes

Today I tried out something new and embarked on a food-related challenge. I ate recommended serving sizes at each meal throughout the day! I’m really enjoying doing challenges like this so let me know if you have any recommendations -I already Ran Every Day for 30 Days and you can read about that here. Anyway, here’s what I ate at each meal:

Breakfast: Yoghurt with Muesli

With my muesli this morning I had organic Greek yoghurt. The recommended portion seemed way bigger than what I would usually eat, weighing in at 125 grams. The muesli I ate was homemade, organic and fruit-free so the serving size was harder to find. I settled on the recommendation for the muesli that I would have otherwise bought: 45 grams. This meal was really filling and probably more than what I would typically eat at breakfast.

Lunch: Salad and Focaccia

I was full throughout the morning and didn’t have any snacks. When it got to lunch, I got out my measuring cup and piled 1 cup of salad and raw vegetables into my plate. I ate cabbage, lettuce, tomato, feta and cucumber along with some focaccia. This was much harder to calculate than breakfast as the food was all homemade so I found the recipe we’d used and worked backwards from there to reach 1/16th of a 500-gram-flour focaccia.

Afternoon Snack: Fruit and A Muesli Bar

I’m in the habit of having a mid-afternoon snack and today I ate a nectarine and 40 grams of our homemade muesli bars. I wasn’t too full after my light lunch and this snack was the perfect pick-me-up.

Dinner: Homemade Pizza

When it came to dinner, I definitely failed when it came to counting portions! Our homemade pizza is very light and has a super thin crust with no extravagant toppings. While most pizza stores and recipes recommend eating 2 slices, I knew that this wasn’t an accurate judgement. I ate a whole personal pizza (find out more about the concept here) and I definitely don’t regret it!

Overall, eating serving sizes was hard for the foods that I really like but definitely could be realistic as I didn’t feel too hungry throughout the day. Although the portions are not always realistic, I was very lucky with my food options. Let me know if you’d like to see me participate in more challenges in the future!

Christmas Wishlist 2019

Christmas is coming! It’s the most wonderful time of the year 🎵 and I’ve finally finished my Christmas wishlist for 2019. I love seeing what other people are hoping to receive so I decided to write this post for you guys but I’m definitely not expecting any of these gifts, these are just some things that I’ve noticed throughout the year and would make the most of if I ever purchased them in the future. Like this post if you want to see more Christmas content as I’d love to make some more!

Stationery & Books

Zebra Mildliner Highlighters

“You Are Not So Smart”, By David McRaney

“Brief Answers to the Big Questions”, By Stephen Hawking

Clothes, Shoes & Accessories

Layered Necklace from Princess Polly

Nike Air Force One “Shadow” Sneakers from Platypus

Leaf Ring from Henryka

Bathing Suit from Zaful

Miscellaneous

Scratchable World Map from Amazon

I Ran Every Day for 30 Days – Week 1 Recap

Welcome back to Chamomile & Colour! Today I’m doing something completely new – I’m starting a running log online. I recently challenged myself to run every day for a whole month right in the thick of exam season because I wanted to prove to myself that I have more time than I think. While exams are on, I leave many things undone; I don’t practise the piano, I forget to tidy my room and I’m a bit of a mess overall. I hope this experience can change my ‘busy mindset’ and maybe even inspire you to join in!

Week One Review

I started this challenge on a Sunday as I had seen the idea on YouTube and was excited to join in – I like running and I’d been feeling unproductive and unmotivated due to my school exams.

Distance –>

The total distance I ran this week was: 21.59 km.

Notes –>

The biggest changes I have seen so far are in my appetite and drowsiness. I found that I’m eating a lot more and that I’m much hungrier than what I was a few weeks ago. Another interesting change is how much more energised I feel daily which I hope will translate into more sleep.

Each week I’m going to be checking in and hopefully I can see some progress in distance and how I’m feeling as well. I would encourage anyone to participate in a similar challenge as it’s taught me heaps already! Stay tuned for more updates!

Halloween Costume Ideas

Happy Halloween! 🎃👻
Today, in honour of “Spooky Season”, I’m sharing three of my favourite Halloween costumes, ones that I think are totally underrated but perfect for that last-minute outfit scramble. Enjoy!

Some cute outfit inspiration from pinterest.

A chef

This one’s so good because you can dress as a creepy killer chef or imitate a famous cook or even just dress up like a perfectly normal waiter or kitchen hand. To pull off this idea, you can add some funky props like a cloche, a squeaky chicken (don’t ask) or a rolling pin. I think a moustache is also a hilarious touch to this outfit.

A kids police officer costume online.

A cop

This can be a hilarious costume and can be taken in so many different ways. You can dress up as a scary cop, a good cop and anything in between. There are many pre-made outfits but you can definitely put something together yourself with a sheriff badge, a blue cap and some homemade handcuffs.

This idea would be so easy to replicate! Find out how here.

A movie character

I’m sorry, I know how unspecific this idea is but it’s just so easy to create a last-minute Halloween costume inspired by a movie! If you want to see my book week dress-up ideas, feel free to click this link but I’m sure that you can think of an iconic character who dresses quite similarly to you. Here’s an example from the kids movie “Inside Out”. It’s so easy to recreate and looks so effective! Make sure you match your personality to the character’s one for the night to make the costume even funnier!

French Playlist September 2019

During my trip to France, I heard so many catchy songs that I can’t wait to share with you all! I love the French language and even if I usually don’t like rapping, French raps are some of my favourite songs! Without any further ado, enjoy this list of seven french songs!

Réseaux – Niska
This song is sooooo catchy! Trust me, as soon as you sing it once, you’ll have it stuck in your head for days. It’s really heavy rap and although I don’t like the lyrics, it is definitely popular in France since it is so catchy.

Côte Ouest – 47ter
I LOVE this song. Each time the chorus comes around, it’s played twice so it gives you a chance to truly practise your French when singing it.

Aristocrate – Heuss L’enfoiré
Super popular in France right now, teens just won’t stop listening to it! The chorus is really catchy in this one too.

Paris sera toujours Paris – Zaz
This is my all-time favourite French song, it has such a classic feel and somehow reminds me of the good old days (although I never lived in them)😆.

Je veux tes yeux – Angèle
The singer Angèle is really popular in France right now and this song is one of my favourites from her. Another really catchy song with a double chorus.

Jalousie – Angèle
A great song by a great singer. Need I say more?

Elle me dit – MIKA
An old classic and a personal favourite of mine since before the trip. Would definitely recommend this song.

Did I miss out on any of your favourite songs in another language? Please do let me know if you think I should add any more songs to my foreign language playlists as I love listening to music in languages other than English!

Australia to France Culture Shocks 🇦🇺 – 🇫🇷

As you may already know, I recently travelled to France on an exchange trip. While there, I discovered some very different social norms and so I wanted to share some interesting differences between the two countries with you. Of course, none of my comments are attacks on anyone and they are broad generalisations that are not meant to offend people neither in France nor Australia. Keep in mind that I love both countries and these are just some observations I made during my time overseas.

• skinny jeans
  In Australia, most teenagers love to wear wide leg jeans or cropped jeans and very few people wear tight denim pants. I hate to break it to you but I guess you could say that it’s the complete opposite in France: EVERYONE has them. People of every age and gender wear skinny jeans almost daily in a variety of colours (from every wash of blue to black or white as well). Rips are also uncommon in jeans so most people wear unripped, skinny jeans, a clothing item that you can hardly find in Australia!

• music
  I love French music so I didn’t find it too annoying that teens always played the same few songs on repeat. I’m used to listening to heaps of songs and rarely hearing the same song twice on the radio but in France, it felt like everyone was just rotating through a couple of top hits.
  
  
  

• chocolate!
  I am definitely not complaining about this but after a while, eating chocolate with EVERYTHING can get a bit tiring. From “pains au chocolat” and yoghurts to muffins and muesli, most sweet treats had chocolate in them!
• too many sweetS ?
  I’ve always considered myself a sweet tooth but even I couldn’t keep up with all of the desserts in France. At each meal, there would be a dessert and at snacktime after school, we would also be munching on something sweet (most likely with chocolate in it)!

• branding
  I feel like wearing popular/expensive brands is really important to teens in Australia and everybody wants to wear clothes that are considered “cool” but I didn’t notice anything like that in France; most teens wore unbranded clothing.
• handbags
  I had never seen anyone go to school with a handbag instead of a backpack before travelling to France but there, most girls brought all of their books and pens in one. Those who opted for backpacks mostly bought them from a very particular brand called Eastpak.
• smoking
  Smoking is just so much more prevalent in French society compared to Australia. At every street corner, there would be someone with a cigarette and in certain areas, the smell of smoke would cling to the walls and you could smell it when walking down the street!
• pin-stripe pants
  Another fashion-related cultural difference is the abundance of pin-striped pants in France. Every French girl I knew owned at least one pair of pin-stripe pants and wore them regularly, swapping out her skinny jeans for a pair of these every once in a while.

Have you ever been overseas and noticed something similar? I thought it was so cool to recognise that the French and Australian cultures are more different than one might think!

Paris Travel Diary – Day Four

Our last day in Paris was another amazing experience and by the evening, I had decided that my fate was to live in the City of Light.

In the morning, we took a relaxing cruise on the Seine where we had some stunning views of the very famous Tour Eiffel. Notre Dame was still under renovation but we were able to see some very typical Parisian alleyways and churches from the water nonetheless.

After a packed lunch under the hot sun (and right beneath the huge Tour Eiffel), we decided to head off to our next stop. While a group of the boys rode off on their electric scooters and many of the girls left for (yet another) shopping trip, my friends and I decided that we wanted to immerse ourselves in yet another building of culture; the museum of Centre Pompidou.

On our way, we took a detour to another famous square so by the time we had arrived at Centre Pompidou, we were itching for an icecream. Ordering in French was making us a little nervous but luckily chocolate is the same as English except for the final 'e' (chocolat)! 😉
Before heading into the art gallery, we decided to look inside one of the vintage shops Paris is teeming with. The little store had so many cool pieces of denim - I wish I could have stayed there WAY longer... 

The works in the modern and contemporary art museum of Centre Pompidou were fascinating and we particularly enjoyed an exhibition tracing humankind’s life from prehistory.

By then it was time to meet at the restaurant for our dinner. Crepes awaited us once again and we were given two huge ones each! I adored my egg crepe for the main meal but the chocolate-filled one for dessert was unbelievably good!

In the cooler temperatures of twilight, we left for the Tour Eiffel. It's sparkling lights helped us navigate our way through the Parisian evening and soon, we were in the elevators and on our way up! The view was astounding in the night as the Parisian lights sparkled from all corners of the city. We were able to see the most famous landmarks of the City of Light with fresh eyes .

Paris Travel Diary – Day Three

Day three in Paris was our most jam-packed day by far. In the morning, we spent a few hours at the Musée du Louvre, only just managing to score a selfie with the Mona Lisa before the security guards moved us along. All of the artwork there was amazing but by the end, we felt like our feet were going to fall off! We then headed to the Jardins des Tuileries for lunch.

After our sandwiches, salads and pains au chocolat (taken from the buffet breakfast at our accommodation of course), we headed to the Place de la Concorde, a famous square in Paris.

Frenetic shopping on the Avenue des Champs Elysées ensued with no spending except for a $14 smoothie (nice one, Maddi). After a long day, we met at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe and tried to muster enough energy to climb the famous monument.

The views from the Arc were amazing! You could see every corner of Paris! Mont-Martre was a stunning hill in the backdrop and it would have taken a while to pull ourselves away from the amazing view if we hadn’t heard the word ‘dinner’ being uttered.

Dinner at Le Bossu was, of course, delicious and after a busy day, we were ready to finally head home to our hostel.

Paris Travel Diary – Day Two

Our second day in Paris was just as exciting as our first! We spent the morning at the Chateau de Versailles, the main royal residence of France for the period before the French Revolution. Unfortunately, whilst there, I lost my camera! For that reason, I don’t have many good photos from my first two days in France (but never fear, I used my phone on the other days!).

At the Palace of Versailles, we visited the living area and then spent the rest of the morning in the ENORMOUS gardens. Seriously, they were practically a park with all of the fountains and pathways.

In the afternoon, we went for a self-guided tour of the Musée D’Orsay, the museum which turned out to be my favourite Parisian art museum thanks to its large collection of Impressionist artwork.

In the evening, a sumptuous dinner awaited us at Le Gourbi, a Moroccan restaurant in Paris. The food was delicious but it was sooo much! Nevertheless, he scoffed it down after a long day of sight-seeing.