Winter Self-Care in Ten Minutes or Less

It's that time of year when we find ourselves in need of a new self-care routine.  In this post, I’m going to share my favorite items and techniques that take 10 minutes or less.  Most of them can even be done at your desk!

First, I’m going to share the relatively cheap or free self-care items and techniques that I love.

Wash your hands!

We all know how important hand-washing is to our overall hygiene and health. However, we are all also under strict time crunches with our schedule. Please do not skip washing your hands. It’s not worth it the risk of getting the flu!

Hydrate your skin after washing your hands

We all know how important it is to hydrate our bodies, but we often neglect hydrating our skin. Every time you wash your hands, you should be applying lotion during this incredibly dry season. Cracks and dry skin on your hands let bacteria and viruses in. My favorite lotion is by Doterra but any lotion will work.

Hydrate your body with more than just water

Bone broth powder

I buy packets of these bone broth packets at Walmart. Bone broth has amazing anti-inflammatory and healing qualities. It also adds extra protein to your diet without adding a ton of extra calories. I just pour one of the powder packets in a mug and add boiling water and within minutes, I have a wonderfully nourishing cup of broth to sip on.

Magnesium tea

I have an entire post on how to make Magnesium Tea. In that post, I talk about the amazing qualities that magnesium have for healing your body and calming your mind.

Now I’m going to share some of my self-care items that will require a small investment but pay off big time in the mental health department.

Wireless earbuds

My favorite wireless earbuds last a long time before needing to be recharged.  On rough days I like to put on either an uplifting music playlist or a positive video on YouTube. On long days, I love listening to energizing music. Wireless earbuds allow me to move around the classroom and complete tasks without being tied to my phone.  The same thing applies at home. Doing dishes is a lot more fun when I’m jamming to my favorite songs. 

Get some sunlight… Or get the next best thing

My room is on the ground floor of our building. That means I do not get any natural sunlight in my classroom. Especially in the winter, I get the blues when I can’t get enough fresh air and natural light. So, that’s when I reach for the next best thing: A Portable Light Therapy Energy Lamp.  Just spending 10 or 15 minutes in front of it while sitting at my desk grading papers makes a huge difference in my mood.  

Combat dry air

Studies have shown that dry air carries viruses more readily. At home, I have humidifiers running constantly but in the classroom it is a little more difficult. So the answer is a portable humidifier with a USB cable.  I can plug it into my laptop and move it around the classroom on my portable podium.   The optimum humidity is between 40 to 60%. If you are curious what the humidity of your classroom is, you can use this hygrometer that I use at home.

Try some aromatherapy

I use a portable diffuser that also has a USB cord that I plug into my laptop and travel around my classroom with. I turn it off when students are in the room. Several studies have indicated that the benefits of diffusing essential oil last 2 to 3 hours so it doesn’t need to be on all of the time.

Here is my favorite January-inspired diffuser blend if you need some extra inspiration.

Nurture your body

I saved one of my favorite new things for last. I bought myself this portable body massager for Christmas. It is amazing because it has a car charger converter so I can use it when I am waiting to pick my son up at school in the car line. Then I can use the AC adapter at school for a quick neck and shoulder massage while I’m sitting in my desk chair.  It has a heat option that feels amazing on those cold winter days. 

What are your favorite self-care routine‘s and items? I am always searching for new things to nourish my soul.

Teacher Savior: How to Get to Sleep Fast and Stay Asleep

Would you like to get to sleep faster?  Do you wish the sleep you do get was more restful?  Then this post is for you!

Teachers!  This time of year can do a number on our sleep if we let it. Confession: I have to really work on my sleep.

The following are the time-tested things that help me. 

1. Dim the Lights an Hour Before Bedtime

That includes all electronics, especially your phone. Change your phone's setting to "night shift mode". This is what it looks like on an iPhone.

2. Take a Warm Bath or Shower

There's just something soothing about washing away the day's cares. Plus, I like knowing I won't have to rush to shower in the morning. 

3. Essential Oils

I use a roller bottle of cedarwood, wild orange, frankincense, and serenity blend (DōTERRA).  I put it on the bottoms of my feet and big toe before bed. It gives me such amazingly restful sleep!  On nights I forget to use it I toss and turn a lot more. 

4.  Get in Bed 1/2 Hour Before You Need to Go to Sleep

This one is pretty simple. Put the papers that need grading and the to-do list down. Get yourself in bed with a good book or a meditation podcast. You know, things that make you feel relaxed. 

5.  Use White Noise or a Fan

For white noise, I use the White Noise Baby app. It does cost money but it's got a bunch of different noise options, such as air conditioner, hair dryer, and vacuum. Oddly enough, I always opt for the fan noise. I also like the real thing. So don't be afraid to get an actual fan if that appeals more to you. 

6.  Use a Sleep Mask

This might be too much for some people, but I swear it's increased my quality of sleep.  I like the Drift to Sleep mask. 

Those are my must-haves for a restful night. What are yours?  I can never have too many tricks up my sleeve for sleep!  

Slow Cooker Teacher Savior: Italian Marinara Sauce

As I am full-swing into the school year now, I rely more and more on kitchen gadgets to make life easier at home.  I mean, who has the time to work 12+ hour days and come home to cook and clean it all up?  Not this chick.

So, in my latest installment of the teacher saviors posts, I'm focusing on the perfect pasta topper: Italian Marinara Sauce.  My family loves it and it's far more organic than the jarred stuff on isle 6 (although I love that, too!).

Servings:
About 2 1/2 jars (36 ounces) of spaghetti sauce.

Ingredients:
8 cups diced tomatoes (1 average tomato yields about a cup)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons McCormik Garlic and Herb Perfect Pinch Seasoning
4 tablespoons Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons lemon juice (I use the bottled stuff because I never have fresh lemons lying around)
1 tablespoon sweetener of choice (I have used Splenda, but I prefer Truvia baking blend for it's more organic nature)
2 tablespoons garlic powder


First:
Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker and give them a really good stir.  You want the tomatoes to be completely coated with the herbs.

Second:
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  I do not recommend cooking on high for this recipe.

Third:
Take the lid off and turn the cooker off to let the tomatoes cool while you get the pasta water going.

After they have sufficiently cooled so that you won't get burned if they splash onto you, use a blender to puree them to the desired consistency.  If you have a stick blender, you can just blend the tomatoes in the slow cooker.  I used my Magic Bullet to make batches of sauce.  Warning:  If you use a Magic Bullet or other blender that has a lid, you need to make sure the contents aren't too hot or they seem to create excess bubbles that want to explode out.

Fourth:
I save my old mason jars so I can store the sauce in them, but you could just leave it in the Magic Bullet cup.  I only like to leave about 12 ounces out at time so it doesn't go bad.  There's no way I'm using 2 jars of sauce in a few days!

I like to freeze the rest in baggies.  I measure about 12 ounces into each baggie and lay them flat in the freezer.

Finally:
Enjoy over the pasta of your choice!

So, with about 20 minutes of prep, you can have a boat load of delicious sauce!  Do you have any slow cooker recipes that make a bunch of freezable meals?  I'd love to hear about them!

Slow Cooker Teacher Savior: Applesauce

I have a child that loves applesauce, I usually have several apples lying around that need to be used ASAP, and I am a busy teacher that has very little time to make meals from scratch.  So, when I saw this post from Mrs. D at The Third Wheel blog, it reminded me again of why I love my slow cooker so much.  It reminded me that I need to share some of my life-saver slow cooker recipes.

First up: Applesauce!

Ingredients:
*8 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples (1 average apple is about a cup)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup water

*Alternatively, I have also used 4 apples and 3-4 pealed and sliced pears

Directions:

First, peel, core, and slice the apples and add them to a slow cooker greased with PAM spray. I use gadget similar to this one to core and peel the apples. It saves me a TON of time.  Bonus:  It will also peel and core pears (although they need to be firm, not ripe) and potatoes! 

Next, you add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 cup water and mix up it.  Yum!

Set the slow cooker for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.  I have 2 slow cookers, and they both cook foods at different temperatures and rates.  Thus, the ranges of time and temp :)

Now, I KNOW there's no way a busy parent or teacher is going to have time to turn the slow cooker off or down at EXACTLY the end of its cook time.  So.....

I recommend this slow cooker.  I have had this for over two years now and it is AWESOME!  You set it for the cook time and it automatically goes into "warm" mode when the cook time is up.  So handy when you will be out of the house for longer than the recipe calls for!

When the apples have cooked and are mushy, you just mash them right in the slow cooker with a potato masher.  You can wait for it to cool before you mash it, but I don't.

That's it!  Now you can enjoy fresh applesauce by itself or mix it into things like smoothies or baked goods.  Enjoy!

Do you have any slow cooker meals that save the day when you are too busy or tired to cook?  I'd love to hear about them!