Alone Again | How My Sons' Visit Went, Baking Cookies and Talking About Weight Gain

It’s been a little while, so today’s video is a quiet catch-up at home as I ease back into normal life after my sons have headed home.

My sons stayed with me for four weeks over the holidays, and I'm now settling back into normal life. I so enjoyed having them here with me, but I am looking forward to going back to eating normally again!

In this vlog I talk honestly about some weight gain, and how my relationship with my body is changing now that I'm single and I don't need to take other peoples' opinions of how I look into consideration! I also share some thoughts about health, the effects of chronic stress, and wanting to take better care of myself moving forward.

You’ll also spend some time with me in the kitchen as I bake chocolate chip oat cookies, chat about my very temperamental oven, and share a few snippets of Christmas food.

This is a slow, cozy, conversational video — part storytelling, part gentle reflection, with my cat never far away.

If you enjoy slow living vlogs, quiet days at home, simple baking, and honest conversations about starting again in midlife, you’re very welcome here.


In this video:
– Settling back into normal life after Christmas
– Thoughts on weight, food, and health at 41
– Living on a tight budget & using Too Good To Go
– Baking Chocolate chip oat cookies
– Life with a very unreliable oven
– Reflections on stress, healing, and living more gently
– Cozy moments at home with my cat

Thank you so much for being here and for watching.

If you’re new, my name is Enid. I make slow living vlogs about solo life, cozy days at home, and getting back on my feet after a long marriage ended.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments — have you had some pavlova mishaps? Has your relationship with your body and weight gain changed as you've gotten older? Do you have any big plans for 2026?

Recipe is from: https://thecookiedoughdiaries.com/dai...

Oat Choc Chip Cookies

• 260g (2+1/4 cups) rolled oats
• 220g (1+3/4 cups) plain flour (I used wholemeal)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 240g (3/4 cup) margarine or butter
• 200g (1 cup) sugar (I used brown sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 100g chocolate chips
• walnuts, raisins, peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 175C or 350F.
Combine the oats, flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl and stir to combine.
In a large mixing bowl place the brown sugar and the margarine/butter. Beat with a hand mixer until soft and fluffy (2 minutes). Then add the vanilla and eggs and beat until just combined.
Fold in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips and any other add ins you're using (walnuts, raisins or sultanas, peanuts etc.).
Place heaped dessert spoons worth of batter onto a lined baking tray, leaving room for your cookies to expand.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are starting to brown around the edges. Leave on the tray for a few minutes.
Place on a cooling rack to cool (but as you can see, you can make it work without one!).

Can be frozen in airtight container or zipseal bags and remove the cookies you need to thaw at room temperature.

00:00 Intro
00:33 Hi, Hello
01:48 So, I've gained some weight...
05:08 A change in perspective surrounding my weight
05:40 Breaking old patterns
06:05 But, what about health?
06:50 Chronic stress, and health effects
08:42 Oat Choc Chip Cookies
12:10 My slightly dodgy gas oven
12:46 Rich Fruit Cake
13:14 How did the cookies turn out?
13:56 Pavlova fails
14:57 Third Pavlova
15:46 But I'm just grateful to have an oven
16:44 Cat!
17:35 Bye :)