five simple things #7 — The Traveling Notebook

Ugh. The Sunday scaries started to sneak in on Friday night- yes Friday night! It wasn’t that I didn’t have things to look forward to. Friday night, Badger and I ate dinner with one of my best friends, her husband and two adorable kids. Saturday included both a facial and the Galentine’s themed cookie swap. Today’s adventures include church, grocery shopping and polishing the presentation that I’ll be giving on Thursday. I’m hoping the Sunday scaries are minimal today since I already got some out of my system.

I’ve been working on this week's five simple things throughout the week. It is time spent on what I choose to do versus what I have to do. I hope that you find a moment to choose to do something that brings you joy this week.

1. Saturday facial. Since moving to our apartment almost three years ago, I have been consistently going to the same esthetician. I discovered the spa through my sister-in-law and she always talked about the facial she had before her wedding. Getting a facial has never really been high on my spa service totem pole. I was unsure about my face being the focus of attention for sixty minutes. Despite my initial thoughts, I scheduled a facial with Mama Bear. Let me just tell you- it was a divine experience. I found it incredibly relaxing and almost like mediation. My skin looks and feels pure. While getting a facial on a monthly basis will not fit into our budget, I am hoping to save my self care money to get another.

2. Cross training shoes. Before I had recommitted to running in January, I was consistently attending a workout class every Tuesday night. The class is taught by Badger’s cousin and I truly find myself enjoying the 45 minutes workout that feels more like a dance party. This is very surprising if you knew me because I am not a dancer. Sure I threw on a leotard as a kid for ballet and tap but I am not the first one out on the dance floor at weddings. I had been using my running shoes for class because I naively thought it didn’t matter. However, when I started running again, I soon noticed my shins and ankles hurting. The instructor had mentioned the importance of cross training shoes before but now I was listening. I bought these shoes (compliments of Mama Bear) and after two weeks, I notice an 80% improvement both while taking class and running. If you don’t believe me about the importance of the right shoes for your activity of choice, check out these articles from The Wired Runner (and this one), Asics, and Livestrong.

3. Wands for Wildlife. I can’t remember where I first learned about Wands for Wildlife but earlier this month I was reminded of the organization while scrolling Instagram. For the past several months I have been stashing away my used mascaras. I was motivated to clean and package them up as donations are only accepted in February and October. I also made a small donation because I am a believer that every bit counts. I hope to continue to collect my used mascara wands and even recruit others to pass on their used wands to me.

4. Talking about finances. I had a brief but interesting conversation with one of my co-workers. What made it interesting was the topic- finances. I have learned a lot in my 16+ years of education but one topic that rarely came up was finances. As I mentioned in another #fivesimplethings, I wish there was more financial talk on the internet. I personally don’t think it should be uncomfortable to talk about salaries, saving strategies or how to navigate asking for a raise. I found this post by Create + Cultivate very timely and a great way to start thinking about initiating the (often) difficult conversation.

5. Valentine’s Day Care Package. I love gift giving. I can pretty much make any occasion appropriate to give someone a gift. My love of curating gifts has led me to participate in at least 3 holiday swaps hosted by my favorite candle brand, Candelles. Mama Bear never quite understood why I was mailing a package to a person that I have never met before and was paired with via the internet; Fox at least seemed to be more understanding. Due to trying to stay on budget for the month and add more to our savings, I chose to not participate in the Galentine’s swap this year. Looking at photos on Instagram gave me a twinge of regret. However, I channeled my gift giving love towards a Valentine’s Day care package for Fox. It included homemade granola in an eco-friendly Stasher Bag, handmade cards by me, packets of trail mix, reusable produce bags, a cruelty free lipstick, and (one of my favorite sustainability products) Marley’s Monsters Unpaper towels. My hope is that opening the package will give Fox as much joy as I experienced putting the surprise together for her.

Ps- if I ever have my own business (as I said I would as a kid), this would definitely be a component!