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on March 2, 2021 ·

My Evening Self-Care Tips For Special Needs Moms!

A few weeks ago, I posted my self-care journey as an autism mom.  I shared some things that I did at the start of my day to make sure I’m keeping myself in line with taking care of myself.  This week, I thought I would share some of my evening routine that also aligns with self-care.  Keeping up with self-care has been a way to stay on top of my mental and physical health.  It’s important that as women, we dedicate time for ourselves.  It’s not always easy or even possible, but I have been getting better at it. 

The post may contain affiliate links.  Joann Salas is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

As soon as dinner has been finished, after cleaning up the mess in my kitchen, I make sure that everyone else in the house is settled into whatever they need to be doing so I can take my 30 minutes to workout.  I spoke previously about how Beachbody has been the best way for me to maintain a healthy lifestyle and the luxury of being able to work out from home.  As a special needs’ mom, I have no time to go to a gym and. to be honest, I never would even if I had the time.  It’s convenient to have all of my workouts available right on my Firestick!  So much easier than having to drive to a gym, etc.  It just works best for me.  If you’d like to know more about Beachbody, I wrote a post all about my coach and my own transformation journey.  You can read more about it here. 

Let’s talk about pampering yourself – let’s talk nails!  Many years ago, going to a nail salon was part of my life.  After my boys, that all went away.  Again, didn’t have the time; never even tried to make the time.  And yes, I can easily make that more of a priority now but, during a pandemic, I try not to go anywhere unless it’s important.  For me, I can do my nails at home.  The best part of my new nail routine is that it doesn’t require me to sit and wait for my nails to dry!  I’ve been using several different brands of nail products and I’m loving all of them.

The first one is called Dashing Diva.  I’m sure you have all heard of them but, if not, they are nail strips made of 100% nail color that are easily applied by stretching the correct size nail strip over your nails, buffing the access off around the sides and tips and you are done.  It’s fast and easily removes with nail polish remover.  Not only are they easy to apply, they last relatively long! I like being able to change colors quickly and easily and these are fantastic!

The other company is called Red Aspen Nail Dashes.  Again, these are easy to use, you can apply them rather quickly and they can be worn up to two weeks.  They come in various sizes – average, petite and large nails.  These are applied with nail glue and you can cut them to the length you would like as well.  I love that they come in such a variety of sizes and colors! If you’d like to give them a try, please contact Kristinn on her Instagram account @mskristinn321.

A couple of years ago while visiting my mother-in-law, she introduced me to a tea she makes for herself every night before bed.  Since then, my husband and I have it on-hand and we like to have it before we go to bed as well.  It’s called Manzanilla Con Anis.  It’s a chamomile tea with anise.  Generally, I do not care for anise, but this has a mild taste to it.  I usually make it about a half hour before we are going to bed.  This tea really brings you to a restful and relaxed state.  It helps with anxiety and getting myself ready to fall asleep.  I usually put a little stevia in mine; sometimes, I have it with cream as well.  It has really helped us both relax a bit before turning in for the night. 

Sometimes it is so hard to fall asleep if you are rustling with your pillow all night.  I used to have that problem until I found the absolute best pillow called Coop.  I had never heard of this pillow or company until my husband’s co-worker told him about it.  My husband was complaining about the pillows never staying firm long enough and having to replace it every few months.  He told him about Coop and, after my husband purchased his, I could tell he wasn’t struggling with the pillow anymore.  I noticed he wasn’t tossing and turning, flipping the pillow around.  The pillow is an interesting concept and unlike any of the ones I’ve used in the past.  What makes this pillow different?  It would have to be their proprietary shredded memory foam.  The design allows air circulation to keep the breathability high for uninterrupted sleep.  Doesn’t that sound appealing?  I love that it comes pre-filled but also provides you with extra fill in case you want to take it up a notch.  I haven’t had to fill mine at all!  Also, a quick few minutes in the dryer refreshes the pillow.  It somehow manages to stay firm yet soft.  The price point for this pillow is obviously higher but, once you think about how you are buying a new pillow and spending anywhere from $20 – $50/ea every few months, this pays for itself tenfold.  I highly recommend this pillow.  I’m sure you will love it. 

The last thing I must share with you is an app.  The app is called MindZone.  It has so many different types of relaxing and restful sounds for you to choose from.  Sometimes I use a quick 5-minute sound right before bedtime and it really helps relax my mind.  One of my favorite features about the app is the story-telling feature called, Return to Childhood.  It gives you a few options to choose from and will read a fairytale-themed story to your child.  The stories range in length, from 11-25 minutes.  If my kids are relaxed and sleeping, then I can get a better night’s sleep as well. 

Over the past year, I’ve had to learn how to make myself a priority.  I felt the strain and anxiety as many of us have during this pandemic; add a special needs child to the mix and it can be overwhelming.  I was just getting use to giving myself a break when I needed it and then came Covid.  I had to learn how to adjust and continue to get my breaks, even when it meant I couldn’t leave the house.  Thankfully, during the worst of the lockdown, I was able to, at least, sit in my yard for a little bit.  That’s the good news, my friends!  Spring and better weather is on the way!  Hang in there and, in the meantime, I hope some of my suggestions will help you get through your self-care journey.  Please let me know what you have been doing to give yourself breaks and the self-care loving you deserve in the comments below!

Thanks for stopping by! I would love to talk more! Please come hang out with me on Instagram at @Lovealwaysjoann. You can also find me on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. If you want to be alerted whenever I publish a new post, you can follow me on Bloglovin’ or subscribe via email.

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Filed Under: Autism, My Story Tagged With: health, Self-care, wellness

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lovealwaysjoann

Lovealways,Joann
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday I went to Alex’s basketball game.  Although they lost, it was sooo close and such a great game.  I never had an interest in basketball, but amazing how things change when you have kids! I’ve become an “Official” basketball mom! 😜
I’m still working on decluttering my house and organizing as much as I can every day.  I’m slowly working my way through getting rid of things that I no longer need, want or have any use for.  It feels good to finally be in the right mindset for letting things go.  I don’t think I’m a pack rat, but for many years I’ve held onto things for the “Just in case” moments.  I’m trying to keep focused on the fact that keeping things for that reason isn’t necessary anymore.  It feels so freeing as I am starting to see a real difference.  So far so good.  How was your weekend? Have a great evening! #weekendupdate #basketballmom #declutter #declutteryourhome #organizing #autismmom
Do you like to cook or bake? Over the last several Do you like to cook or bake? Over the last several months I have been receiving DM’s asking if it was possible to do a cooking collab with me. It seems as though many of you love to cook and bake AND want to share your skills on my YouTube channel! I love this! If you are interested in releasing your “Inner Chef” on my channel, please let me know! I’d love to have you! My next available spot is for March and I’m open to whatever you want to do! Whether you want to make a Disney recipe or an old family recipe, I’m here for it! So, who wants to join me, just send me a DM or let me know in the comment below ⬇️ Let’s do this! Have a great evening my BFF’s! #cookwithme #innerchef #wannabecook #bakewithme #youtube #cooking #baking #disneyrecipes
Good evening BFF’s! We are almost there, I can s Good evening BFF’s! We are almost there, I can see Friday from here! 👀 I’m so ready for this week to end.  It’s been a little tough for Michael this week and that means it’s been tough for us too.  We are pushing through the best we can and hoping for calmer days ahead. 
I know I’ve been a little quiet over here but I’ve been keeping myself busy decluttering and organizing our home.  In between that, of course I’ve been working, and keeping up my reading goal.  In case you missed it, yesterday I posted a “Spend The Day With Me,” vlog, please go check it out if you haven’t already.  Thank you for watching and have a great evening! #wednesdaymood
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Yesterday I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Yesterday I had to work but after that I headed to Alex’s basketball game and they won! Right after the game, we headed to Applebee’s (per his request) to celebrate! 
Today I spent a majority of the day decluttering, organizing and cleaning.  I’ve made it a goal this year to get rid of everything in my house that’s dragging me down.  I want to be able to walk into a room and feel peace, not overwhelmed.  It’s a work in process 😂 
Thankfully I am off tomorrow.  My only plan is to finish my second book of the year!! I’m on a roll my friends! Have a great evening! #weekendupdate #basketballmom #decluttering #organization
Come bake cranberry muffins with me while I finall Come bake cranberry muffins with me while I finally answered your questions in this week’s bake and chat with me on my YouTube channel. Thank you for watching! Direct link in bio.  #bakeandchat #bakewithme #cranberrymuffins #youtube
I’m loving my new spice jars! I’ll be sharing I’m loving my new spice jars! I’ll be sharing more about it these beauties in next week’s vlog! Stay tuned! #spicejarorganization #organizing #pantryorganization
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How was your weekend? Yesterday morning bright and How was your weekend? Yesterday morning bright and early I had to take Michael for bloodwork.  I was dreading it all week! But a huge thank you to Michael’s home therapist for helping me and he did awesome! What a relief! 
I went to mass on my own today.  Alex had a slight temperature and sore throat, so my husband stayed home with him.  Michael stayed home too because I’m not brave enough to go with Michael on my own. 😝
Since I was going by myself I decided to go to mass at a smaller church that I use to go to. This was the church we attended when we moved out of the town I grew up in. 
My mom loved this church because it was a smaller church community, similar to our old parish.  It was such a beautiful mass and it was nice to visit again. 
The rest of the day consisted of my favorite thing in the world, laundry.  But I have managed to do a lot of reading this weekend.  I’m so happy to say, I am almost finished with my first book of the year! If all goes well, I should be finished tomorrow.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  #weekendupdate #lovealwaysjoann #autism #autismmom #autismfamily #littlecornerofmyworld #littlestoriesofmylife
Good morning ☀️ Have a wonderful day! #sunday Good morning ☀️ Have a wonderful day! #sunday #spaceshipearthsunday
Give me ten minutes a day. That’s what I asked Give me ten minutes a day.  That’s what I asked my family when my dad gave me a Kindle for Christmas.  I told them to please just give me ten minutes a day so I can return to reading, something I truly missed.  I’m happy to share not only have I been getting ten minutes, but some days I get a whole half hour.  It’s been wonderful getting to slip away into my room and leaving the beautiful chaos for a few minutes! I was so excited to get back to reading that I decided to include reading in my own personal goals this year.  I’m going to aim for 50 books this year and hope for the best.  I just recently started my old Goodreads account again and if you also enjoy reading, please consider joining me.  The link to my Goodreads account is linked in my bio.  Now if you’ll excuse me, my ten minutes of reading is about to begin! Happy reading! #kindlepaperwhite #reading #readinggoals #goodreads #goals
Are you team goals or team resolutions? Or maybe Are you team goals  or team resolutions? Or maybe neither? 
When I was younger, I remember friends and family asking me, What’s your New Year’s resolution? I used to hate that question and I still do.  I always felt like why  did I need to make a resolution? What was the point? As I got older, I realize that resolutions really weren’t necessary. At least not for me.  Any resolution that I had ever made, I never followed through.  For the longest time, I sailed through the new year only counting down the days to summer. 
After start my blog in 2018, things changed and in order to grow my blog, I needed to work on goals.  That’s when I realized I was much more of a goal oriented person and I accomplished so much more.  With that said, of course I do have goals this year and I will share more about them in my next Youtube video. 
Speaking of Youtube, I’ve been thinking about what direction I’d like to go in this year and I’m going to make a few changes.  I’m excited about it and I’m hoping this will be something you enjoy watching too.  I’ll share more with you all soon. 
Earlier, I posted a Q&A box in my stories and I would love it if you could send me some questions.  It can be about anything including my drunken escapade with Long Island Ice Teas! 🤣🤪 If you are not sure what I’m talking about, go watch my Christmas Cocktail Challenge video and you’ll find out. 😉 
I’m looking forward to talking about new goals, word of the year (which I may or may not have this year) and of course cooking, baking, Disney and autism.  Thank you for sending in your questions and let me know in the comments below ⬇️ Do you have any goals, resolutions or a word of the year? I’d love to hear! #goals #resolutions #wordoftheyear #autismmom  #autismfamily #autismawareness #autismlife
A very Happy 13th Birthday to my Maggie! She had a A very Happy 13th Birthday to my Maggie! She had all the treats she wanted today! 🐶 🐾 🎂🥰 #seniordogsofinstagram #chocolatelab #chocolatelabsofinstagram #seniorlab #seniorlabsofinstagram #happybirthday
Day 1/365 - Walking into Day 1 of a new year with Day 1/365 - Walking into Day 1 of a new year with anticipation of what’s to come! Leaving behind last year’s never ending journey of trying to do and be everything.  Here’s to living a slower pace and more present life! Here’s to a new year and new beginnings! Happy New year! #dayone #2023 #newday #newbeginnings
As we get closer to the end of the year, I just wa As we get closer to the end of the year, I just want to thank you for all the love and support you have given me this past year.  Whether you followed along on social media, watched my videos on YouTube or made a purchase in my Etsy shop, I’m so grateful for each and everyone of you! Thank you, thank you! ❤️🙏
So many wonderful memories were made in 2022! An unexpected Disney trip, Michael transferred to a private school and watching my little YouTube channel growing to 290 subscribers, it was a really memorable year! I’m looking forward to seeing what the new year brings! 
Wishing you all a Happy New Year’s Eve Eve! 🎉 #thankyou #goodbye2022 #hello2023 #newyearseveeve
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Thank you so much to everyone who sent me a Christ Thank you so much to everyone who sent me a Christmas card! I made my last pick up of the year today and I was so happy to see all your beautiful cards! I wrote out the last of my cards today so you should be receiving them shortly.  Thank you again and I will see you in the summer for my Summer Vacation Postcard Exchange! #christmascardexchange #christmascards
I lost my mom to cancer on December 27th, 2013. I I lost my mom to cancer on December 27th, 2013.  I can’t believe it’s been 9 years.  I miss her every day and I would do anything to see her again, even if it was only for a few minutes.  I’d love to give her a hug one more time.  Life is short.  Don’t waste one second of it .  #imissmymom #grief #griefjourney #timedoesnotheal
Happy Anniversary Patty & Teddy! ❤️🥰😘 #a Happy Anniversary Patty & Teddy! ❤️🥰😘 #anniversary #happyanniversary
Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful day wit Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful day with your family and friends! 🎄🎁❤️ #merrychristmas #jesusisthereasonfortheseason
Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas Eve! Have Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas Eve!  Have a wonderful day! #merrychristmaseve
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