Hey guys, I'm off enjoying some of the last weeks of summer with the fam before fall schedules kick in. I'll be back with fresh content August 15! You can still find me on Instagram and Snapchat. Until then, go and relax with your family or friends for these last few moments of summer. Make sure to have a cocktail or two, too, mmmk?
See ya August 15! Peace out, homies. Happy Summering!
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Monday, August 1, 2016
5 Self Care Activities When Your Child Goes Back to School
Here are some ways to practice self-care once your children are back in school this fall
I just got my back to school packet and am unashamed to say I was thrilled to see that the preschool my son goes to moved up the start date by a week. I remember last year it seemed like we were the absolute last people to go back. Nay, it didn't seem like it - we were indeed the very last to go back! Otto will be joining Henry at the same school come January and that's when I finally get about 15 hours a week to myself *dances jig at the thought of it* I spend the bulk of my time blogging, but I also want to set some parameters around how much I work/run non-baby-friendly errands and how much I spend some time on my own-self care. Self care is SO important, especially for SAHM/WAHM because we get so little time to do anything other than care for children. If you're a WAHM, you spend every non-child moment working. There have been too many days where from 5:30am straight through 10:30pm, all I do is childcare or work. I don't even take the time to shower or get myself together because there isn't time! (There IS time, I'm just prioritizing children and work.) So this fall, I'm being intentional about my own self care.
 |
While I'm taking the angle of how to do this if/when you have kids, it applies to ALL women. Whether you have a career and are single or married with any aged children, self care saves your sanity! It's just especially challenging when you always have littles around demanding every moment of your time and who always get prioritized, while you scrape up whatever bare bones leftovers there is (or isn't) for you to take care of yourself.
Although rare, I've found myself with a few spare moments and I'm so caught off guard (with happiness) that I don't know what to do with myself. Now I can just pull up this short list
of ways to practice self care once the kiddos are back in school, and I have more free time. I tried to cover multiple price points and various lengths of this beloved "me time":
Read a magazine.
I specifically call out magazines because the handy thing about them is that you can read them article by article or cover to cover. There's no story line or plot to remember so if you finish an article and need to jump back into mommyhood, you can pick it up again at the next article, no probs. Also, I just don't have time for books. Books are time consuming, and one thing moms don't have a lot of is time - especially if you have really little kids like me. My magazine of choice is Southern Living, but I also like Good Housekeeping (the non-Southern Southern Living) and the NYT's mag. I've fallen out of love with fitness and fashion mags because all their articles are the same, month after month. But hey, read whatever suits your fancy - it's YOUR time!
Pick up an arts/crafts hobby.
I really enjoy home decor crafts. Before kids, I did one or two of these a month. Since kids, I think I've only competed two things... Most of my crafts involve painting
because I enjoy it, but yours could be anything! Floral arrangements, creating table-scapes for dinner parties, painting china, building something like coffee tables, refinishing old furniture - follow your interest! If you don't know what you're interested in because it's been that long since you've had time to explore these things, try a few things out. I know my sister enjoys knitting, and she picked it up from reading a few instructional books and getting yarn and supplies. Head to a craft store and get some things to try out until you find something you enjoy!
Get a massage.
Massages aren't cheap, but they sure are nice! Most spa's I've been to have various levels of massages you can get, which can fit a limited budget or limited time. For example, my favorite spot in Dallas has a 50 min option or an 80 min option. I know it can be hard to spend that money on yourself, but do it once and watch how much more relaxed and happy you are! And when momma's happy, everyone is happy. That's not just a saying, that's fact.
Take a bubble bath.
I like to call this the "poor woman's massage" because you don't need to leave your house and bath bath salts are cheap!
In cooler months, I take a good 4-5 baths a week. After the kids go down for the night, there's nothing better than getting into a deep hot bath with a glass of wine to unwind. Another plus is this "massage" is completely compatible with however much free time you have. Whether it's a quick 15 min soak or an hour, you can alter it for your schedule. Not into baths or have a crummy tub? Cool, take a steam shower! Hot water in whatever form is so relaxing.
Sit in silence.
I know, it sounds strange. Like you're oddly wasting time if you decide to sit and just BE for a minute. Or two. Or twenty. One of the most rejuvenating things for your mind is to sit and enjoy some silence. Sometimes I go and sit by the lake that's near my son's preschool and just sit on a park bench and finish my coffee. In fact, that's my favorite thing to do after the weather cools down. I leave my phone in the car and just hang out with myself and my thoughts. And coffee, because hey - I'm a mom. You might actually find that because you're so used to people being around you and "being busy" that you struggle to just sit and be! That's when you know you need it most. Set a timer and allow yourself the peace and quiet - even for a few minutes - before you tackle that to-do list.
Self-care is important for all women, but especially those of us who take care of others nonstop. It's so easy to forget about yourself, or not prioritize yourself. If you've ever been coasting along with life, constantly playing triage to the demands life throws at you and suddenly wake up angry, depressed, stressed out or unhappy, odds are good you're in desperate need of some self-care! These activities are great for once your child goes back to school and (hopefully) you have a bit more time to dedicate to yourself during the day or after the munchkins have passed out from getting worn out at school.
of ways to practice self care once the kiddos are back in school, and I have more free time. I tried to cover multiple price points and various lengths of this beloved "me time":Read a magazine.
I specifically call out magazines because the handy thing about them is that you can read them article by article or cover to cover. There's no story line or plot to remember so if you finish an article and need to jump back into mommyhood, you can pick it up again at the next article, no probs. Also, I just don't have time for books. Books are time consuming, and one thing moms don't have a lot of is time - especially if you have really little kids like me. My magazine of choice is Southern Living, but I also like Good Housekeeping (the non-Southern Southern Living) and the NYT's mag. I've fallen out of love with fitness and fashion mags because all their articles are the same, month after month. But hey, read whatever suits your fancy - it's YOUR time!
Pick up an arts/crafts hobby.
I really enjoy home decor crafts. Before kids, I did one or two of these a month. Since kids, I think I've only competed two things... Most of my crafts involve painting
because I enjoy it, but yours could be anything! Floral arrangements, creating table-scapes for dinner parties, painting china, building something like coffee tables, refinishing old furniture - follow your interest! If you don't know what you're interested in because it's been that long since you've had time to explore these things, try a few things out. I know my sister enjoys knitting, and she picked it up from reading a few instructional books and getting yarn and supplies. Head to a craft store and get some things to try out until you find something you enjoy!Get a massage.
Massages aren't cheap, but they sure are nice! Most spa's I've been to have various levels of massages you can get, which can fit a limited budget or limited time. For example, my favorite spot in Dallas has a 50 min option or an 80 min option. I know it can be hard to spend that money on yourself, but do it once and watch how much more relaxed and happy you are! And when momma's happy, everyone is happy. That's not just a saying, that's fact.
Take a bubble bath.
I like to call this the "poor woman's massage" because you don't need to leave your house and bath bath salts are cheap!
In cooler months, I take a good 4-5 baths a week. After the kids go down for the night, there's nothing better than getting into a deep hot bath with a glass of wine to unwind. Another plus is this "massage" is completely compatible with however much free time you have. Whether it's a quick 15 min soak or an hour, you can alter it for your schedule. Not into baths or have a crummy tub? Cool, take a steam shower! Hot water in whatever form is so relaxing.Sit in silence.
I know, it sounds strange. Like you're oddly wasting time if you decide to sit and just BE for a minute. Or two. Or twenty. One of the most rejuvenating things for your mind is to sit and enjoy some silence. Sometimes I go and sit by the lake that's near my son's preschool and just sit on a park bench and finish my coffee. In fact, that's my favorite thing to do after the weather cools down. I leave my phone in the car and just hang out with myself and my thoughts. And coffee, because hey - I'm a mom. You might actually find that because you're so used to people being around you and "being busy" that you struggle to just sit and be! That's when you know you need it most. Set a timer and allow yourself the peace and quiet - even for a few minutes - before you tackle that to-do list.
Self-care is important for all women, but especially those of us who take care of others nonstop. It's so easy to forget about yourself, or not prioritize yourself. If you've ever been coasting along with life, constantly playing triage to the demands life throws at you and suddenly wake up angry, depressed, stressed out or unhappy, odds are good you're in desperate need of some self-care! These activities are great for once your child goes back to school and (hopefully) you have a bit more time to dedicate to yourself during the day or after the munchkins have passed out from getting worn out at school.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
DIY Acne Clearing Toner
If you suffer from acne, try this all natural DIY facial toner to clear up your breakouts
These claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
I was gifted with great genes: I'm tall. I'm slender. I'm smart. I have straight, white teeth. I like to think I'm kinda funny, even if only on my best days. But where I tanked in the gene pool is my skin. I have had acne prone skin since I was a pre-teen. Back in those days I attempted to over-treat it and developed "combination skin", drying out any of the normal/healthy sections with aggressive acne treatments. When I was pregnant, my skin was about as bad as it was when I was a teenager! And then I got it under control after Otto was born... Until I stopped breastfeeding. Since then, my skin has been a complete horror. I don't wear makeup most days, and I've been embarrassed to go out in public. When I was pregnant and couldn't do the aggressive chemical treatments, I learned that oils and natural products actually worked BETTER! So after a bunch of research and basically becoming your personal horrible-skin-test-lab-rat, I've come up with a DIY toner that really clears out stubborn acne. Even that dreaded hormonal acne. Yassssss!
When I was boobie feeding lil O, I used this DIY acne clearing face wash and it did WONDERS. My skin cleared up completely in two weeks, and stayed clear until I stopped with the boobie feeds. When you wean, there's a massive hormone shift - and I even took about two full months to wean! I was also battling an extraordinarily humid Texas summer. Add the hormones and the high humidity and my skin was about the worst it's been since I hit puberty and shot up to my glorious 5'10 self. Gene pool win met gene pool fail.
Anyway, my wonderful coconut oil/baking soda/essential oil acne clearing face wash was no longer enough! I needed more. Being the {un}smelly hippie that I am, I immediately looked into some go-to, centuries old (um, at least) stand-bys: apple cider vinegar
and witch hazel. I added a few of my fav, thousands of years proven essential oils.Not so much for the benefits of the essential oils, but honestly? I think apple cider vinegar
STINKS. I know people who drink it and wash their hair with it and I'm just over here like the most basic of white girls with her "cannot even" to the smell of that stuff.But to cure some nasty, ever-lingering acne? Ooooooook, twist my arm. I'll plug my nose. And add some great oils. And hope this stuff doesn't smell as I sweat throughout our 100+ degree summer days. (Spoiler alert: it doesn't smell as you sweat!)
So! Here's how I made it. And yes (shameless plug) you should use it with my DIY face wash.
DIY Acne Clearing Toner
- 2T apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 C witch hazel
- 1/2 C distilled water
- 10 drops tea tree essential oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
Witch hazel
has been used for thousands of years by Native Americans for it's gentle cleaning ability. apple cider vinegar is used for just about everything it seems, but from my research it has cleaning and anti-inflammatory properties, which is beneficial for clearing acne. In terms of the essential oils, lavender helps to calm any breakouts and irritation you may have on your face, tea tree is a natural antibacterial cleaner (bacteria is what's causing those breakouts) and lemon helps to fade any scarring you may have from past acne. Mix everything together in a small bottle that you can either unscrew or pop the top and pour a small amount out of and boom! You're in business. Use a cotton ball or pad and wipe it over your face after you've washed it in the morning and the evening. Give this DIY acne clearing toner about two weeks and watch your face clear up, even if you live in a hot and humid climate like me!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)