Self Care

Lots of Moving Going On

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My husband and I are in the middle of chaos right now because we are moving at the end of June and we have a million things going on this and next month.  We have wonderful friends from Toronto visiting next weekend and then the following weekend we are headed to Acadia for our anniversary camping trip.  June is then filled with graduation parties and a necessary huge yard sale. This is causing some imbalances in my life right now but I am looking forward to moving into our brand new apartment overlooking Lake Champlain.  It will be a very positive (and necessary) change for both my husband and myself.

I have discussed self care in previous post and this is another key to taking care of yourself- living where you feel comfortable.  A home should not be a hotel and nowadays it seems that people are constantly on the move and the majority of time spent at home is to shower and sleep. I would like to challenge you to take 1 or 2 days a month and spend the entire day at home and see how it makes you feel; do you feel comfortable? do you enjoy spending time at home?

If you don’t feel comfortable or enjoy being home try and recognize what is making you feel that way.  Maybe it’s because your house is not as clean as you would like it or maybe it’s because the people above you won’t stop playing their fiddles at all hours of the day.  If there are things that are making you not want to be home consider making changes to create a place where you do feel comfortable. This may mean hiring someone to clean your house because frankly between work, events and fitness classes you just don’t have time or motivation to go home and clean your house.  If hiring someone is not in your budget consider enlisting a friend to help you get things in order so your home is in a state that is manageable.

If your living situation is not ideal for other reasons such as you are living with people that surround you with negative energy or in an apartment where you can’t get comfortable because the person above you won’t stop having fiddle sessions that include the stomping of feet then I encourage you to seek a new living arrangement.  If you are in a lease that you can’t get out of make the best of your situation and surround yourself with positive things while looking for a new place to move.

This is the general layout for our new apartment which I can't wait to move into!

For us it has been a combination of the state of our house and how it has turned into a hotel since we commute and it’s hard to keep up on household chores, as well as the fact that we live in a shared house where we are unable to be comfortable because of all that incessant fiddling going on above us.

This new apartment will bring a lot of positive changes to our lives:

  • NO MORE COMMUTING! That is one of the biggest ones because right now my husband and I commute 80 miles a day and since my hours are different than my husbands I spend half my day hanging out in the coffee shop next to his work waiting to go to work and then waiting for him to get out.
  • I can get back to my yoga practice –  I have started to lose touch with my yoga practice due to all the chaos that has filled our lives right now and the fact that I am never home and am unable to attend classes right now.
  • We will have a new space and live in an area that we know that we will be happier. How can you not look forward to living in an apartment with a view of the lake and a 2 minute walk from the bike path?  We can finally spend our evenings relaxing after work, not feeling rushed to fix meals and finally have a home not a giant hotel room. Also we will now live in the same area as our friends so I plan on having tons of dinner parties…..as soon as we get a new dining room table….but that’s another story.

Now that we are moving we are trying to get rid of the clutter before we move but have also come to the realization that we are going to have to do some shopping. We need:

  • A washer and dryer
  • A vacuum (we have hardwood floors in our current place)
  • Items for a second bathroom
  • Curtains
  • Blinds
  • 2 Bar Stools for the island in our new kitchen
  • A dining room table
  • A bedroom set
  • A new desk

A lot of items right! We won’t be getting all of these items at once but hopefully over the next year.  Q: where do you like to buy your furniture, house decorating items and any suggestions of a w/d or vacuum?

Also in more blog related news Cook.Vegan.Lover. is in the works of getting a face lift and will hopefully be ready by the end of the weekend or early next week.  So keep your eyes peeled!

Happy Earth Day!

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Happy Earth Day! How are you all doing?

Yesterday I came home to some yummy treats from Blue Diamond Natural.  Unfortunately a few things aren’t vegan such as the almond butter with honey, the Lime n’ Chili almonds and the Salt n’ Vinegar almonds so I brought them to work for the boys to have.

Last night was great at our house.  When we got home we did a 30 minute super clean which I find is always successful; basically we run around the house picking up as much as we can or doing dish or laundry and then we are done for the rest of the evening.  One of the hardest parts of working full time, going to school and commuting is having the motivation to come home and do house work so this helps us to be productive and then we can relax.  Last night we relaxed with some homemade pizza and caught up on Tuesday night’s episode of LOST!

Seriously best pizza I’ve had in a long time!  Now I didn’t make my crust but there is this great little pasta company who also makes whole wheat pizza dough and they sell it in the freezer section of the co-op.  All I have to do is let the ball of dough thaw out and it’s ready for me to roll out and top.  Last night I topped this crust with salt free tomato sauce, marinated artichokes, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, minced garlic, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and Italian seasoning.  It was delicious!

This morning was all about the oatmeal with banana and almond butter because it had just been too long.

So last week I posted about self-care and about making time for yourself.  How is that all working out for you? Have you taken time for yourself this week?  I just ordered a few things from Amazon for my own self-care that are inexpensive (only a couple dollars each) and are easy daily things you can do for yourself. They are:

  1. Hot Water Bottle: This is an inexpensive treat for your body;  just fill it up with warm water and place on your stomach for 15-20 minutes each evening.  The heat from the water bottle brings more energy and blood circulation to the digestive organs.  The heat is also comforting so jump into bed and place on your tummy before you head to sleep and it can relax your body and aid in a better sleep.
  2. Tongue Cleaner: This strange little thing is super inexpensive and aids in fighting cavities and bad breath.  It also helps with cravings by cleaning the tongue of leftover food which can cause you to crave food when you aren’t hungry.  Two other advantages to cleaning your tongue is that it improves the taste of food and enhances kisses.
  3. Hot Towel Scrub: Now I know that all of you must have a hand towel and/or wash cloth and this is an easy thing you can do every day.  Basically wet a towel/wash cloth with warm water and ring it out; then spend 5-10 minutes gently scrubbing your body.  This is great for relaxation, circulation and detoxification and it rejuvenates the skin.

Q: What have you done for yourself this week?