A Self-Care Quiz

Self-Care is a buzzword that seems to be everywhere these days. Normally I think of the things I do for myself as indulgences but when reframed as self-care they become more necessary for improved mental health and less of a luxury. It is always a surprise to me how my view of something can change just by renaming it. So let’s take a few minutes to share how we care for ourselves. Please feel free to leave your answers in the comments or leave a link to your blog if you’ve answered there.

• Do you practice self-care? Is it a term you use or is it a foreign concept?
• How do you practice self-care in a physical way? Do you put make up on or get your hair done? Maybe get a massage? Go for a run?
• How do you practice self-care in a mental way? Do you meditate? Do you pray? Do you sit quietly and empty your mind?
• Do you consider time alone to be self-care? Or time with family? Or time with friends?

Here are my answers.

Self-care is a pretty foreign concept to me. I’m one of those people who spends their time doing for others. I’m a mother and wife. The needs of others have always come first. When I do something for me I normally try to fit it in with the needs of other. So I’m just learning to do things specifically for me. Knitting (and buying yarn) has been my one thing for many years.

The one physical/mental thing I’ve been doing for myself is kind of crazy but I find it improves both my mood and how I feel physically. I crank my Spotify up loud on the speaker in the living room and I blast my playlist loud enough that I’m sure it can be heard outside and I sing. Now my voice is horrible so the music has to be really loud but my mood always improves and I feel physically revived. I totally recommend it.

I spend 90% of my waking time with other people so for me a little time alone is good. I look forward to my regularly scheduled alone time (Friday midday) and when I don’t get it I miss it. I also like 10 minutes to just lay in bed when I wake up in the morning. Don’t look at me. Don’t talk to me. Just 10 minutes to get my head ready for the day.

I think self-care is something I’ll be incorporating into my life. Remember to answer in the comments or leave a link so we can all learn new ways to care for ourselves.

The photo is a close up of the origami mandala. I wish I could have gotten closer but it was hanging too high on the wall.

Some Days

Yesterday was weird. I planned to be the dutiful housewife and get a few things done that had been ignore. I did laundry, cleaned the bathrooms and vacuumed. I even got half of tomorrow’s dinner cooked to cut down on the time I’ll be tied to the kitchen. Then did a couple of errands. All the while I had my eye on the prize: homemade pizza for dinner. We do our homemade pizza as an interactive make your own event. We each pick the sauce and toppings we want and then they’re baked one after the other. I even planned ahead and had all the fixings for a salad. Because my life is my life there was a little dinner time interruption. H needed a pick up at the subway and a ride home. She’d missed her bus and didn’t want to wait an hour for the next one. I left The Husband and N to fix their own pizza. When I returned home I made my pizza and ate my salad while it cooked. The pizza was tasty and I was thrilled that mine had a large bubble. I think we’ll have to try again next week.

WIP Wednesday: To The Heel

So there hasn’t been lots of knitting. I’ve finally finished the leg and moved on to the heel. At this point I’ve basically thrown much of the pattern out the window. I’ve knit the sock top down instead of toe up. Now I’ve started a heel flap instead of the short row heel that the pattern calls for. It just fits me better. I really have nothing against short row heels.

What have I been doing instead of knitting? Good question. I’m not sure. I think I’ve just been losing minutes doing time wasting things like Pokemon Go, bingo on the iPad and just puttering around the house.

A Trip To The Big City

We live a mere 10 miles from Boston but rarely take the opportunity to visit. Sure we go to the doctor there on occasion and N has his winter track meets there but we just don’t go there for dinner or shopping.

We started planning last week to take N to dinner at Fire & Ice, an interactive all you can eat restaurant. We arrived a bit early and did some walking around while waiting for our reservation time. Along the way we saw a Disney plus movie being filmed in Copley Square and the beautiful Moneyfly Mandala above. The mandala is origami butterflies made from international paper money. The link shows pieces from the same artist. It was beautiful in person. N really enjoyed the restaurant and ate his fill as we all did. It was both fun and delicious. Our trip to the city was only a couple of hours long but we squeezed plenty of fun and interesting things in.

Monday Thoughts

• For the second recently we’ve gotten double yolks randomly in our eggs. This thrills me every single time!
• We have a birthday at our house today. N is 17 years old. It seems like it was just yesterday that he was a baby. We’ve got plans for today. They start with him taking the car to practice. He recently got his drivers license and has been taking the car now and then. Later there will be a dinner out and of course cake!
• I’ve been thinking about how I live my life. I thought writing it down would be a good thing. Goals for a life well lived: Be kind- you have no idea what another person is dealing with. Use encouraging words- you never know who needs a boost. Forgive and accept forgiveness- it is easier than carrying resentment. Smile and say hello to strangers- you will feel good and so will they. Be polite- hold the door, say excuse me, say thank you. Be a conduit for civility. We set the tone for our life and the world we live in. Bring more positivity. Bring more inclusion. Bring more caring. Bring more love.

Another Track Meet

Yesterday we spent a good chunk of the day at a track meet. This was a special one where everything was a relay. It was lots of fun to watch. N’s team did really well finishing in 4th place overall. N had an exceptionally good day. He earned three medals. He’s very proud and totally thrilled. The next meet is next weekend.

Well, It’s Not Dead

I can’t remember when I bought this. A year ago or maybe two. I asked you all about a watering issue back in June. That has resolved. Marilyn posted a photo of hers and wow! It is spectacular. Obviously I’m not treating mine correctly. At a minimum it needs a better pot and more dirt so it sits higher. I’ve got to figure out where it will be happiest. Our house is cold and drafty during the winter. I used to have it in a room with a north and east facing windows on the north side. Then I tried close to the East window. Now it’s between the two. I don’t have a good west or south window to put it near. I think I’ll leave this photo here and check it again in a couple of months and see if it looks better.