As you think so it shall be.

I am sure that many of you have heard the title of this post as a self help phrase from somewhere. There are a boatload more of them too. They come on calendars, planners and fortune cookies.

Here is the surprising thing though.

They all true!

Wait, not the fortune cookies. Those I just can’t endorse. Except in taste. Yum.

What I am endorsing is what much of the world’s greatest thinkers already know. Everything you want to change in your life is controlled by YOU. You want to attract more money? You want to find a relationship or grow in yours? You want to have a dream lifestyle? All of this is controlled by you.

Mainly your thoughts and how you speak to yourself. How you think.

You create the energy that surrounds you. Emotion is energy in motion. Emotion brings what you want to you as long as you are willing to work for it. This is called the Law of Attraction. This law is a universal law. It works really without realizing it, all the time.

I bet you can look at your life and find many times where you spoke about what you wanted, thought about it, imagined it in your mind’s eye and it came to fruition at some point. I know I can.

Many, many, many people have written about this. It was woven into the pages of history. But here are some current books to get your mind primed for this are below if you are interested in growing, learning, evolving. If you want to be a better person. A better parent. Have a better life. Whatever it may be. You can attract it to you.

Napoleon Hill Think and Grow Rich

Rhonda Byrnes The Secret

Vishen Lakiahni The Code of the Extraordinary Mind

Dr Joe Dispenza Becoming Supernatural

John Assaraf Innercise

I am only beginning to scratch the surface of what I am capable of and I want everyone to be living the life they want.

There are so many more layers and SO many more books. I hope that this piques your interest as well and inspires you to take a dive into how you can make your life what you want.

What gets you motivated to achieve your goals?

Long hot showers are incredible. You wash your hair luxuriously, scrub your face, scrub your feet and shave your legs. You can see it, can’t you?

Me too.

I miss it. Long hot showers as a mom of any number of littles is nearly as unimaginable as a mountain of money in my backyard.

But there are days when I DEMAND it of myself. That is one truly small thing that I can do for myself. It doesn’t have to be that hot or that long, depending on your preferences. But a shower where you can shave and deep condition your hair is bliss. Here are some more things I try to incorporate for my own self care because sometimes a few minutes is all you need.

Nightly Routine

My aging skin needs more TLC than I would like to admit. I LOVE to take care of it. I just don’t always do that. I am especially bad with taking off my makeup at night. If I have worn any. With the COVID 19 pandemic and quarantine, I am working from home. #nomakeup Nonetheless, washing my face at night is the first step of skin self care. I then moisturize all the skin. Do I look younger when I am done? Some say….no. Most say no. But I feel better. There are a few products I have found that I really like. I will share them below.

Schedule some time with YOU

I haven’t read a book that I physically hold in my hands, that wasn’t written for toddlers, for years but I love to read. Reading, giving yourself a mani/pedi or talking a walk. Whatever it is, do it and don’t ask for permission. OK, OK I know it is not that easy but let’s take my situation as an example. I will have my husband hold the baby and let’s say I am painting my toes (Finally, omg, they look like I live in a cave). I will then tell my other children that I am going to do it and I will gladly do theirs if they leave me be for a bit. This almost never lasts and that’s ok, but I get a little time to myself.

Move your body

I have been trying to get back into the workout scene since the baby. But if I thought it was hard before I was a fool! And because of this fact, I am NOT a champion for 45 minute workouts. Not even 30 minute. I like quick things that still work. Things like body weight exercises in the living room. And super slow weight training. Sprints down the driveway. All of these allow me to move my body and also see results.

Eat well

This is self-care that is needed all the time. For everyone in your family really. I have the worst sweet tooth. I have a huge sugar addiction and working from home does not make it easy. But I still try to match all the bad stuff I am putting in my mouth with good stuff too. I am on a journey to try to quit the bad stuff at least for a while. That means candy but also limiting bread, pasta and any other white carb that turns right into sugar. In the meantime, I eat lots of leafy green salads and vegetables. My favorite meat is chicken breast or turkey. And I am making my own salad dressing!

Just one more note, I think that we truly do have to take moments. If it is hard to be alone for any length of time, take a few minutes here and there. I think the cumulative reward is worth it. Still try to make sure your cup is full before you pour.

There you are my friends. Things I am trying to do to take care of me.

What do you do for self care?

Products that I love:

Anything by Dr Dennis Gross – I am not kidding I can literally see a difference in my skin and pores after one, yes one, use. I am using his clinical peel, C moisturizer and Alpha Beta face wash.

Update: I have tried to really limit the use of chemicals and have opted for more natural face care. However, I still have the items mentioned above and I still will use them from time to time.

I like to moisturize now with oils like squalene oil, hyaluronic oil, even castor oil. You can even cleanse with oils. I have a face bar from Crunchi though and it is great.

New baby amiright? You have waited so long for this tiny human to show up and now….what? This is the hardest thing I have ever had to learn! And what I have learned barely applies to another new baby that is also created by me!

In all honesty, that little baby is so lucky to have you and you are the person BEST equipped to take care of them. Think about that. In all your worries and fears, you are the BEST. Don’t forget that when you feel like you are lost.

Here are 5 things I have found that actually can help you while you learn about your baby and adjust to having them outside of you. This is a basic list and will not work for everyone but I am a firm believer that we don’t need all the things people tell us to buy. So here goes:

Baby Swing

Truth be told I haven’t had a swing with all my babies. I didn’t get one until my 5th! And it was a hand-me-down gift! I don’t know how I got by without one before. It has been great while I am trying to write this blog, run around after his siblings and just trying to get dinner done. This one is similar to the one I was gifted. However, there are cheaper ones and way more expensive ones. All I know is having one that moves on its own is amazing so whatever you decide, get the electric one.

Stretchy Panties

I know they aren’t pretty.

Now having a baby is hard and it gets messy. This is true for cesarean sections as well. I have had babies both ways but most recently it has been c-sections. However I wish I would have found these panties that stretch all over with my natural births. They are elastic enough to hold ALL the pads in place AND they don’t dig in anywhere. This was crucial this time for me because my incision and surrounding area were incredibly tender and I could not handle pressure of any sort. These undies kept the pressure away from that area and all the other things in place.

HUGE Water Cup

I LOVE ice water. I love it when I am pregnant and I love it when I am nursing. I like the 40 ounce size so I only have to refill it 6 times a day. I kid, I kid. But sometimes it is that much. It keeps my cold stuff cold and warm stuff warm. It has a straw hole in the cap and it is way better than those plastic cups they give you in the hospital.

Nursing Bras

I love these Cake Maternity nursing bras. I have tried and tried bras throughout my pregnancies and nursing. These fit the bill. Support and comfort. I mean as comfortable as can be when you are engorged and sore. My only complaint is that I need to wear pads in my bras for a few months postpartum. One of my Cake Maternity bras came with the ability to put a cup into it but not the other. I don’t know about you but I dislike the lumpy bumpy look of a nursing pad in my bra. I tend to always try to get bras with a cup. It is great there is an option but how about we just include it? Looking at you, bra people. Edit: one other complaint- they get pilly. That is annoying. I am a mom and can’t always get my laundry into mesh bags. However they are still holding up well.

Update- I found Auden bras at Target for half the price that are wire free AND have a built in cup for shaping! I can’t find them anywhere else. But they pill really easily so they don’t stay looking nice very long. But comfort is key here.

Lansinoh Nursing Pads

I have always used the Lansinoh nursing pads. I love them. They are thin and absorbent. I have a Haakaa that can collect on the side you are not nursing from so you don’t have to waste precious milk. But sometimes you are in a store and hear someone else’s child cry and my boobs want to respond. So pads are essential for this. Also the packaging is recyclable. Win! I also have the washable version. So if you are looking for an even more eco-friendly option that is the route to go.

Pads

Of course we are talking about period pads. Menstrual flow pads. BUT dare I say the ones I am talking about are the hospital version?! I really love these because there is no fanciness. I don’t need beautiful packaging for this mess. I also don’t need wings. I hate them and I don’t think they work. But it is pretty hard to find plain pads and no wings! So I order the same ones the hospital gives you and they work perfectly in my stretchy undies after baby.

There you have it. Five things that you actually need and can use. Enjoy your babies!

What is something you can’t do without?