The Ultimate Guide to Self-Care: Nurturing Your Mind, Body, and Soul

Welcome to the blog beautiful people!

 We'll be diving into the world of self-care and explore essential ways to prioritize your well-being. In today's fast-paced society, it's crucial to take time for yourself and engage in activities that promote mental, emotional, and physical health. Let's embark on a journey to discover effective and accessible self-care practices that will help you create a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Make Your Physical Health a Priority

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• Embrace Regular Exercise: Find physical activities that will bring you joy. It could be a morning jog, yoga session, or dancing around your living room. Not only does exercise improve your fitness levels, but it also boosts your mood, reduces stress, and enhances cognitive function.
• Nourish Your Body: Focus on maintaining a balanced diet that includes whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and moderate healthy fats. Stay hydrated throughout the day and remove heavily processed foods and refined sugars.
• Prioritize Quality Sleep: Establish a consistent sleep routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Create a soothing bedtime ritual, ensure your sleep environment is conducive to rest, and consider relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing exercises to help you unwind before bed.

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• Foster Emotional Well-being

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• Practice Mindfulness: Incorporate mindfulness techniques into your daily routine, such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, or mindful journaling. Mindfulness helps you cultivate self-awareness, reduce anxiety, and increase emotional resilience.
• Allow for Emotional Expression: Give yourself permission to experience and express a wide range of emotions without judgment. Find healthy outlets for emotional release, such as talking to a trusted friend or therapist, journaling, or engaging in creative activities like painting or playing music.
• Set Healthy Boundaries: Learn to say no to activities or commitments that overwhelm you or compromise your well-being. Setting boundaries ensures you have time and energy for self-care, preventing burnout and promoting a healthier work-life balance.

• Nurture Your Mind

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• Engage in Hobbies: Dedicate time to activities that bring you joy and allow you to unwind, whether it's reading, gardening, playing an instrument, or learning a new language. Engaging in hobbies fosters creativity, relieves stress, and brings a sense of fulfillment to your life.
• Embrace Lifelong Learning: Feed your mind with knowledge and new skills by exploring topics of interest through books, podcasts, online courses, or workshops. Embracing continuous learning keeps your mind sharp, expands your horizons, and opens up new possibilities.
• Take a Digital Detox: Unplug from technology and social media periodically to reduce information overload and constant stimulation. Disconnecting allows you to recharge, be present, and engage in other meaningful activities that enhance your well-being.

• Cultivate Healthy Relationships

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• Prioritize Social Connections: Surround yourself with supportive and positive individuals who uplift you. Schedule regular social activities, such as meeting friends, joining clubs, or participating in community events. Meaningful connections provide emotional support and a sense of belonging.
• Seek Professional Support: When needed, reach out to a therapist or counselor who can guide you through challenges, help you manage stress, and promote personal growth.
• Quality Time with Loved Ones: Make time for your loved ones, including partners, family, and friends. Engaging in meaningful conversations and shared experiences strengthens bonds and provides a sense of connection and fulfillment.

Congratulations on taking the first step toward prioritizing your self-care journey. Remember, self-care is a personal experience, so feel free to explore different activities and find what resonates with you. By incorporating these self-care practices into your daily routine, you'll enhance your overall well-being, improve resilience, and create a more balanced and fulfilling life. Make self-care a non-negotiable aspect of your life and watch as it transforms your mind, body, and soul.

Until Next Time!

6 Self-Care Tips for the Holidays

Happy Thursday!

We are a week away from Thanksgiving. I can not believe this year is almost over already. This blog I want to discuss Self-Care during the holiday seasons. We as mom's get real busy we forget to take time for ourselves. 

Why is Self-Care important?

 It encourages us to be kind to ourselves. If you are able to be kind and love ourselves, we are able to be kind and love others. It improves our relationships. It also helps improve our health by decreasing stress. So how can we give ourselves self-care during this stressful time of year?

• Morning Routine

 Every morning do something that gives you care. Journal, go for a walk, listen to music or simply sit quietly with a cup of tea or coffee. 

•  Eat Healthy

You can still enjoy your favorite Holiday treats. Just remember 85% to 90% of the time to eat something healthy. Only induldge in the treats you truly love. Do not indulge just because it is there.  

•  Be Intentional

What are ways you can be intentional? Be mindful of what you take in. This is things such as news articles, post, stories you read, watch or listen to. Choose to be kind to others even when kindness is not returned. Do something that brings joy into your life. Do something that makes you proud.   

•  Nap 

 Honestly this is my favorite one. If your body is tired let it rest. Be kind to it.

•  Laugh

Spend time with someone who makes you laugh. Laughter is after all the best medicine. 

• Take a Bubble Bath

Turn on some relaxing music, light some candles and relax. 

Most of all, remember to be kind to yourself. Don't let the stresses of the Holidays drag you down. Deep breaths and remember you can only control your own actions and reactions.  

Until Next Time!

Also Remember,
You are kind,
You are smart,
You are important.
-Aibileen Clark (The Help)

Update: It's November 2020!

 Good Monday Morning!

Oh my goodness it has been awhile. So much has changed in 2020. We are nearing the end of a year many call the worst ever. We joke and say on New Year's Eve as the clock strikes midnight we must call out 'Jumanji'. 

This has definitely been a crazy year for us. As I last blogged about here, we downsized. We are now living the RV life, stationary. A week after moving into our new little home Covid-19 happened. 

Our state announced it would be shutting down schools. A few days later came the state-wide lockdown. The day they announced the lockdown my husband got the call. 

After this happened I finished my application with Instacart. We lived off of the earnings I made until assistance kicked in. That was a rough month, but we pushed through it. 

We have made big moves this year also. One we moved to a bigger city. Big difference from where we use to live, for sure.

I have also taken on starting a home business. It is something that I am really excited about. More to come later on that. This year has also brought me smiles. My niece brought into this world a beautiful baby girl. Also, with our move, I am now able to see my niece and her family. We spent a Sunday together recently. It was the first time I met her little boy and he has grown on me a lot. I am proud of the person and mother she has become. 

What has gone on for you guys this year?

Has it been a year of total disaster?

Did you move past the what-ifs and uncertainties? 

Did you find silver linings?

Reach out to me in the comments and tell me about your year. 

Until Next Time
&
Remember...

You are kind.
You are smart.
You are important.

The Packing Continues

Good Saturday Morning!

Last night was our second time staying in our new home. The biggest challenge for me, which really isn't a challenge, is finding spots for everything. We actually have a good bit of storage so I move around items a lot. The hardest so far was my freezer. It is slap full right now. I threw away half of what I had in my big fridge freezer. It literally was items that needed done away with anyway so no biggie. Thankfully we do have an outdoor kitchen as well. We store items out here also and in the fridge. Best place to keep our bottled waters and drinks.

We are still in the packing process. Mostly packing and getting rid of items we don't need. Also during this time we are dealing with the Covid-19 scare. The state we live in announced yesterday they are closing public schools for a month. Our stores are selling out of so many things. We went to Sam's Club yesterday trying to simply find one bottle of hand sanitizer. There was none! They were even out of toilet paper and only allowing people 2 cases of water each member. We couldn't even buy a box of green beans, because they were sold out. Got one of the last boxes of Mac n Cheese. People have gone crazy needless to say. We even saw people wearing plastic bags on their shoes, gloves and mask while going through the store in a frenzy. Simply cover your mouths when you cough/sneeze, wash your hands (which is better than using hand sanitizer) and use hand sanitizer when water is not available to wash hands. It is simple as that! The mask are not going to help.

Among this craziness we woke up to a peaceful morning. My husband and his cat sat watching the birds while having coffee. We are in the same park our mobile home is located in, but we have more trees and nature around us. We are able to sit and watch Cardinals, Bluebirds as well as Squirrels. Where we were living we saw nothing but Mahogany Wasp. This kept us locked up indoors year round due to allergies to wasp stings. We could not sit outside and enjoy anything. Now we can enjoy the outdoors fully.

When Suddenlink gets our internet set up, some time today, I will be able to get pictures shared to the blog. Till then you can catch photos on my Instagram @TheWendyCLife. There will be more posting in the future there as we get settled into our new life.

So with that being said... It's time to get back to unpacking and organizing! Wish me luck!!

Until Next Time!

The Moving Begins

Hello Friends, Family and Followers,

Monday was the day we got our new home. This literally is the first brand new, never been lived in home myself and my family have ever had. We are super excited and more than ready to be fully moved in. The moving process started off yesterday. It was very slow going though. Today me and the kiddos are hitting it hard though. All we can do is sit, look around and wonder what in the world are we going to do with all of this stuff.

The hardest part for me is the standing and walking so much. My back has been bothering me since I re-injured my Achilles Tendon last year. Sitting around made me soft again and the added weight doesn't help either. Come tomorrow though we should be staying in our tiny home. Our power will be turned on tomorrow. We got our water hooked up yesterday. The fridge is nice and cold for our food to go into. Yes, our fridge is working without electricity. It runs off of propane and electricity. Perfect for dry docking and living off the grid. We are even wired up for solar panels. Just have to buy the panels and plug them in.

After we are moved in and settled I will start posting pictures. Right now life is too crazy and turned upside down, literally. Just pray for our family's sanity as we sort through 11 years of accumulated junk to find our treasures.

Until Next Time!

We Are Downsizing!!

Hello Friends and Followers!

I hope everyone is having a great start to March. This month brings in the start of Spring soon. The time for rebirth and fresh starts. This is the perfect time for changes.

Yes, my blog title suggest changes for my family and I. They are actually pretty big changes, so here goes.

After long thought and discussion we have decided to move. First move will be into an RV. The area we want to move to is pretty much impossible if you are not already established near by. If you can afford to live in a motel/hotel then you will be fine. For us however this was not going to work. So, the RV route seemed our best option. Also, it will be cheaper to pay a monthly note and rv park cost than to rent a house and pay utilities.

It was suggested to me that I should share this RV Living journey, so here I am. If I am going to share I am going to share from the beginning.

We went to NW Arkansas where we plan on moving to last week. We decided last week this was home and looked at some rentals. This is when we found the roadblock when it comes to renting a home. Mind you we have talked about moving to NWA for not even a year now. We just didn't settle fully on which area.

We had given ourselves the goal to move by October of this year. This Spring or Summer, can't remember which, will mark one year of our decision to move. Well to move to Arkansas. A few months prior we actually were looking at Texas. Less than one week later after visiting up north we found our new home. Green light was given a week later and we will be getting it in our possession Monday. One and a half weeks after we said "this is home" and began working toward moving.

When things are meant to happen, they happen fast.

So, now we are past the shopping phase. We are now on to the planning and downsizing phase. Granted we are moving from a single wide mobile home into a 37' trailer, but you can honestly fit a lot of un-needed items into a 16 x 80. Now it is just all about weeding out what we don't need. Then it will be all about what to do with items we will need when we get a home. The items that won't be able to go inside the RV.

So what's to come in the future of this blog?

Tips, How Tos (this will be on what works for us), our adventure, Cooking and much more. Heck, I might even give YouTube another go. So stick around and see where this adventure takes us!

Until Next Time!

Happy 2020 ~ Year of Good Health

Hello Readers!

I hope the new year is finding everyone well. 

I thought I would share my biggest resolution for the new year today. Trying to make myself accountable in all ways possible. Also, this could help someone else with the same issues or similar ones. Let me share a little back story first to show what brings me to this. 

Oct 30, 2017 I had my gallbladder removed after an ER visit two days prior. I never knew I had a gallstone and actually argued with people when they suggested it was causing my heartburn. All ultrasound test came back negative for Gallstones when they would run them. Imagine my shock when I was told not only that I had a Gallstone, but that it had probably been what was causing me issues since I was 17 to 18 years old. 

Had it removed and was feeling so much better. Well that was for the first 3 months or so. After that I started having pain in my right side again. Not the same pain as I had with the gallstone though. It hurts bad none the less. Went to the ER a few months after removal and was told my liver needed to be checked through ultrasound due to tenderness. Ultrasound was ran within a week and found my liver was enlarged. The year 2018 was nothing but mysterious health issues and symptoms all year. I literally did not get any relief until about Christmas time. Still no clue what all was going on and why that year.

2019 started out good and promising, kind of. My bilirubin was extremely elevated, but our new PCP sent me to a GI. Someone I should have been sent to the year prior. The old PCP however was a complete knob and went by what his iPad said. Oh, I forgot to mention that after removal I had lost weight. I got down to the 190 range and lost a size or two. I was feeling amazing. We were going to the gym in 2019, but had to stop after I ended up with an Achilles tendon injury. That is when I put my weight back on, and then some. I was unable to get up and move much. I sat all day in pain, eating ice cream and junk. We had very easy and not so healthy meals since my oldest son had to cook most of the time. 

I am back on my two feet, still having some tendon pain off and on. When I need to I rest. I also am back to square one with my back and neck pain since I lost Core muscles and my neck has tightened back up. One goal I know I need is to work on all of that so I can walk long distances again. It even causes me pain walking around the store at times. 

Oh, I also have been diagnosed with Fatty Liver. This diagnosis was given in November/December. I have to lose weight and get healthy so that is my resolution this year. By my follow up visit when I got my diagnosis test I had lost about 4 pounds from the prior visit in November. I had tried a plant based diet for a week or two before Thanksgiving. Since then I have tried counting calories and found I was falling short on nutrients I need. Searching the internet I found out Weight Watchers have made changes to their plan. I have always been curious about the program and with the 6 month plan I get a free month starting out. What the heck, I have nothing to lose, except for this excess weight. 

Saturday I started the Purple Plan with the new Weight Watchers. It is now being called My WW. I did an assessment which matched me with the plan. They have three various plans to choose from now. One is the green plan where you have higher daily points, but fewer zero point foods.  The next one is the blue plan. Moderate daily points and a few more categories of foods allowed as zero point foods. Purple plan gives you even less daily points (I have 18 daily), but the list of zero point foods is 300+ foods. I am already a person who will measure my food if need be just to make sure I am not getting too much. I know portion control is one of the areas I struggle in when not making myself aware. The other is choosing things I thought were healthy and actually are not. Or choosing items I don't think make too big of an impact, but actually are. 

So, like I said I just started on Saturday. I have not had the most perfect meals. I do tend to go over daily points allowed and dip into my weekly extras. I am not going to deprive myself while I adjust to a new way of eating. It's not even so much a new way of eating. It is just me giving up things that are too high in sugars more than anything. Most of my meals already are pretty healthy, just needed to be reminded what proper portion control is. So this morning I wanted to see if I have dropped any weight yet. I honestly didn't expect a change on the scale since I have still not been doing the best with my food choices. I did a happy dance when I saw I lost 1 pound so far. 

My goal I set is to reach 150 pounds. Starting this week I was 222 which is what I have been at since early December when I was weighed at the doctor. Before that I was 226 and kind of been stuck at 226 since mid to late Spring maybe. Possibly since Summer. I was back up to 210 - 215  just before my tendon injury. This was the weight I gained back since my gallbladder was removed. I really think this WW plan is going to be very beneficial for me. I plan on sticking to it for 6 months, since that is the agreement I signed up under. Even if I hit my goal weight before the 6 months is up I will do as a lot of people do. They stick with it to maintain their weight and keep themselves educated and accountable. So, here we go!

Have you ever used Weight Watchers, or a program similar to it? What goals do you have for 2020?

Until Next Time!

Goodbye 2019

Well, tomorrow is the last day of this year. Not just this year but this decade. 

The past two decades have been filled with so many health issues for me.

2001 I gained a great deal of weight. From that point pain started to set in.

I stopped being so active after depression hit me in late 2000.

Fast forward to 2017, I dealt with an Achilles tendon injury.

Dealt with another one this year.

2017 also is the year I had to get my gallbladder removed.

I didn't even know I had a gallstone, much less knowing it had been there for 20+ years!

Ever since the removal I have dealt with an array of symptoms.

Fatigue and liver pain being two major and persistent symptoms.

2018 was filled with test after test and so many visits to various specialist.

No clue still if I was having mini strokes that year.

This year started with a new primary care doctor.

He is really good. Got a knot in my arm finally diagnosed and was sent to a GI.

Got diagnosed with Fatty liver recently. My husband was diagnosed with it early in the year.

Just so much illness and poor health as we close out this decade.

Even my youngest was diagnosed with scoliosis on his 12th birthday this year.

Middle child was diagnosed with a few things, but pro-activeness has corrected some.
His Pectus Excavatum can not be corrected, but it will be monitored.

He is doing fine though. His heart is healthy and not being pressed by his sternum.

That's a plus at least.

So the new decade and new year will bring new beginnings.

Or at least the start of being pro-active and bringing on new beginnings.
I am tired of the fatigue and pain.

I am ready to live life again. It has been way too long since I have truly been able to do that.

2020 I plan on transitioning to a Whole Food Plant Based diet.
I read it can help reverse a lot of health issues. I also read it can help prevent a lot as well.

Never in my life thought I would be going "Vegan-ish".
I say -ish because I am not giving up my honey.
I will give up my dairy and meats though.
Found out I am lactose intolerant this year anyway. I won't miss dairy.

My biggest thing is going to be sugar.
Since my gallbladder removal I seem to crave sweets a lot more than before.

That would be one of the big factors behind me gaining back weight lost after surgery.

All those nightly bowls of ice cream.

That and being inactive thanks to a tendon injury.

So 2020 will be a year of eating habit changes, lifestyle changes and getting active.

God knows I could seriously use the activity increase.

I hope all of you have a blessed and safe New Years Eve!
Happy 2020 and Until Next Time! 

Wait, Say What?

Y'all I am sitting here right now with my mind reeling. 

So, I have two cousins running for Sheriff in our local elections. I have no issue on who I plan on voting for, because I know both people's character. So, I am on Facebook today and I see a post. One of my cousins' wife had posted up about them visiting a local church. A lady came to my cousin and told him a young child had told her not to vote for him because he was not a Christian. I will add, this came from the lips of an 8 year old. Let that sink in for a second. My cousin's wife did not mention this fact. This fact was told to my mom, by the young lady's grandmother when she private messaged my mom harassing her. 

So, I shared a very personal story about me being raped, molested, sexually, mentally, emotionally, verbally and physically abused on my Facebook. I also shared that this man who people are attacking his character is the reason why my Rapist no longer stalks me. That this man is the reason why I was able to find my voice and heal from this hurt. He didn't even know about the abuse and rape. He only knew I was being stalked and harassed. He was the one who answered the call that night this creep was parking in my driveway and just sitting for 30 minutes. He was the one who showed up when I was having threats on my voicemail. He listened. He stood up for me. He did his job when everyone else told us there was nothing they could do about it. 

My grandfather called and had the other cousin who is running show up. He was wanting to have a report done up against people who lived next to his cattle pasture. They were trespassing, leaving gates open, cutting his fencing causing cattle to get out. He got told there was nothing they could do about it. He also got told to fix his fence then when he said they kept cutting his fence. 

Sorry, but the one who has kindness and compassion to listen is qualified. 

But with all of that aside... What really has my mind boggled is this 8 year old child.
The post simply stated what was told to them. It was followed with they do not fault this child. It was learned at home. The grandmother is attacking people saying this was not learned at home. Stated her daughter told the family at the dinner table she will not vote for said person because he has made bad choices. Personal choices at that I think it was. So this little girl, according to the grandmother, believed that meant he was not a Christian. For a child to believe that they have to be taught that. No matter how they want to look at it the child was taught this at home! She was taught to gossip and to believe if someone makes a bad choice they are not a Christian. She is not taught what it means to be a Christian and how no one is perfect. She has not been taught that her parents have made bad choices if she believes that means you are not a Christian. This child has not been taught how to be a true Christian. Yet now the grandmother and mother want to act as if the mother to the girl is being attacked. No one stated this woman is a bad mother, un-Christian, horrible person, ect... Not one single person. People praised my cousin who this was said about. People talked about how amazing of a person he is. How kind of a person he is. Not all of this other mess this woman wants to imply.

I truly feel for these people. They have to carry a lot of hatred in their hearts to have the kind of mindset they do. Victim mindset at that. They victimize someone else with hurtful negative words, but want to cry wah them. These people truly need some Jesus in their lives. 

So tonight as you say your prayers please include these lost souls. They truly need to seek out the true meaning of being a Christian and living a Christian life. 

Time Management for Mompreneurs

As many of you know we are a homeschooling family. I also have my own business that I work from home. So how do I find the time between family, schooling and life to run my own business? This was the exact same question I sat here asking myself a year ago. After a lot of googling and reading on tips I learned one thing. Schedules are key!

Father's Day Tribute

Hello Everyone!

Happy Father's day to all of you awesome dad's out there. Today I am remembering my amazing dad. He was my Step Dad, but I never thought of him as that. To me he was my dad. The one and only. Up until I was 21 he was the one and only dad in my life. Yes at the age of 21 my biological (sperm donor) showed up on my door step. That story is for another blog post. Today I want to praise the dad who was there for me. 

He taught me a lot about life and values. He taught me how to protect myself. He taught me that it's okay to be realistic as well as positive. He never treated me different. He also was raised a devote Catholic. He never treated me like I should be ashamed of my beliefs. He nurtured the fact that I was open minded. I was eager to learn about everything. He would buy me various books to learn. Even if it was topics that went against the Catholic beliefs. He was an amazing dad. 

There is one memory that stands out from the rest for me. I had just had scoliosis surgery. When I opened my eyes in recovery he was standing there smiling down at me. This memory stands out so much for me from many because he was there. A major moment in my life he was by my side as my dad. Everyone always thought he was my biological father. We had that bond. He treated me as his own. He was going to give me a pint of his blood for my surgery. He was excited because it would be like I was his own blood. It was heart breaking when we found out my blood type was actually RH negative instead of RH positive like him. In the end he still dedicated time to help care for me after I came home. 

This value has lived on in me to this day. The value to help others without expectation. He was a good person who helped those in need. I am proud to call him my dad. 

I also want to honor my husband. The father of our three boys. I would include a picture of him on my blog post, but he is not a fan of the camera. He has been there for me and our children through the years. No matter the curve balls life throws at us he is there pushing us through. He works hard to provide for his family. He teaches his sons to be strong young men. He teaches them value to be loving and kind. He teaches them to be strong. He teaches them how to treat a woman. He tells them to value their mother and always to speak kindly and protect. He teaches them to stand up for one another, because they will be all each other has one day. He is an amazing father who we value and love more than words can express. 

So, to all of the fathers out there, no matter what gave you the title of Dad, Happy Father's Day! 

Until Next Time!