solo pizza girl
Originally uploaded by meepmaap

Whether you are a single girl living it up or a lovely lady whose fella has departed for a blokes weekend - sometimes us girls get so caught up in the frenzy of being attached to another person that we forget how to do it on our own. "It" being life. Life being something you don't want to forget how to do. There are loads of ways to make the most of your solo time but lets concentrate on a few very simple ways to ensure our time with more ME and less US doesn't simply turn into a Sex & the City marathon while we bide our time waiting for that someone else...

Cook dinner. Yes it may just be you at home, and yes, cooking for one can be challenging & a little boring without the motivation of a hungry & adoring other half to dine with, but it's much more pleasant (and can be cheaper!) than eating microwave meals each night. Use fresh ingredients and cook enough so that there is left over for tomorrows lunch - save your lunch money for shoes & handbags. Teach yourself new recipes, you'll be surprised at how quick & simple good food can be. You need not even buy a cook book - Google is a marvellous tool. Or try kicking off the cook off with Vegetarian Pizza or an Omelette?

Make plans. Make them without checking if they suit someone else first. Book a hair appointment (and don't ask for anyone's opinion before hand, do what you want for once), go to the cinema (and see a chick flick, guilt free), catch up with friends long neglected (not 'his' or 'ours', yours... remember them?), make the most of the city you live in (be it a new one or that which you've lived in your entire life, there are bound to be places you've not yet discovered - or long since experienced). Do things on your own but don't let yourself be stood up by YOU - keep the dates you make with yourself, because at the end of the day you'll be far happier having done something that varies from your routine.

Bake. Get girly. Be a domestic goddess (or at least try), pop on an apron or dress up retro housewife style - cook giant cookies, make cupcakes & lick the bowl, bake a cake to share at work morning tea. Snack on your treats at work throughout the week - better than a bag of chips & cheaper too (again, keeping one eye on the shoe fund).

Fitness and photography. Get your tights, sports bra, runners & digital camera out. Take a long walk around your neighbourhood, walk quickly but keep your eyes open. Running can really take its toll on your knees and if you're larger up top, elsewhere too (you girls know what I'm saying) - and so while a whole ton of people love running, it's just not the ultimate fitness regime for all of us - that's where walking comes in. A bit of power walking can really raise the heart rate & start burning those calories while still giving you time to observe all the wonderful stuff you’re passing buy. Introducing the photograph portion - Project 365 is fantastic motivation to get the camera out and start taking notice of your everyday life. It makes you look for the beauty, the point of difference from one day to the next and gives you something to look back upon come the years end. Little memories that would have been forgotten will remain, at least as Day whatever of the project. Even if you're not doing Project 365, why not take a few pictures while you're out and about - pin them up on your bedroom wall and share them on Flickr.