
Hello! Thanks for tuning in this week and Cheers to the new year!

This week I’m trying this Matcha Love Matcha Peach Cinnamon tea. Matcha tea is not my thing but with the peach and cinnamon this one is actually tolerable. somewhat. lol I, of course, sweeten it still with real maple syrup but you only steep the tea bag for 30 seconds if using hot water so it’s a very light tea with medium caffeine.
Now that we’re in a new year I’ll be making some changes. I’ve taken some time to look at what works and what doesn’t and realized I need to make certain things (ahem, writing) a bigger priority with lessening the pressure from other things. One of those changes will be this blog. I absolutely love writing it and sharing my tea recs but it is a time suck and I’m trying to avoid those. With that being said, I’ll be continuing with this blog but only once a month instead of once a week. It’ll still be published on Sunday but only the first Sunday of every month from now on. I’m really excited about some of the ideas I have so I hope you’ll still come hang out with me for a monthly catch up. I’ll be cutting down my newsletter to every two weeks instead of every week and I’ll share the link for my newest blog post there for easy access. If you’re not signed up for my newsletter you can do so *HERE*.
Which brings me to my next announcement…Cover reveal for Changing Lanes. It’s coming! Soon! In 3 days to be exact and you do not want to miss it. On Wednesday January 6th I’ll be sharing the cover all over my social media with my newsletter subscribers seeing it first thing that morning. I’m beyond thrilled to finally share it and hope you’ll join me in celebrating on Wednesday. Just a reminder that Changing Lanes releases January 21st and the sign up to help spread the word and/or read an early copy in exchange for an honest review is still open *HERE* if you’re interested. I’d love any help you’re willing to give. Changing Lanes is very special to me and I can’t wait to share the story with everyone.
Since It’s January I feel like self care is more important now than ever to start off on the right foot. All week I’ve been trying to tune into my body more and listen to what it needs whether it’s more water or more rest. With it also being Winter skin is a major concern too. Am i the only one suffering from horrible dry skin right now?? I have sensitive skin anyway so I’m always looking to better my situation lol. My daughters and I just had another spa night in where we shut ourselves in my room away from the boys in the house and pampered ourselves. It does wonders for all of us. Our skin, our self esteem, our overall mental health of taking that time out to enjoy each other and treat ourselves. I recently bought this *foot bath* from Walmart and it’s been such a good investment without breaking the bank whatsoever. I use it weekly but let my daughters use it on our spa nights too. So we take turns soaking our feet first then we use masks for our feet I bought at Target with the pick up option. I used these Aveeno ones last time but this time we used the ones shown below. Click on picture to find on Target. I highly recommend both. They make your feet soft as butter afterwards for a good amount of time.

After that we do masks on our hands as well which again last time we used Aveeno ones which my Target had but this time they were out so we used the ones below. Click on photo to find on Target.com.

My daughters didn’t like the smell of the avocado ones as much but i thought they still worked great. Very soft hands and feet for several days after using either brand honestly. Once our hands and feet feel fully rejuvenated we paint our nails. I end up painting both my girls’ nails and typically my own but my 10 year old offered to paint my own this time so I let her. It was her first time and most of the paint ended up on my toes but that’s okay. She tried her best and nobody is seeing my toes anytime soon so it worked out, plus I enjoyed having someone else paint my toenails for once.
I also bought some under eye masks but the last time my girls didn’t like them so now I just use them once a week as I do like them. I haven’t seen any real difference but they make me feel more relaxed so it’s worth it to me. I got them from target as well and chose the pick up option. Although I’m currently using these Yes To Cucumbers ones I’ve heard great things about many other kinds so don’t be afraid to try different ones out.
We put on a fave movie or netflix show (I’m looking at you Julie and The Phantoms) and we snack on popcorn and chocolate with my diffuser in the background and sometimes some spa music. I even cut up a cucumber and put it in our water to make it that much more fancy. Bottom line is it doesn’t take a bunch of money or effort or even time to put yourself first. Your body, your mind, they need it. This year more than other years we need to make sure we are putting in the attention to ourselves that we might not have been before. An at home hair mask, some lavender drops in your shower—little, tiny things can add up. Little things I know I wasn’t doing before but want to start this year. As a mom of 3 and a wife I don’t ever put myself first but even the smallest choices can make a big difference. For Christmas I bought myself a back massager and face cleansing brush and I can tell a difference already. With these tools at my disposal I can put my needs first that much easier without leaving the house or spending a lot of money or even using a lot of time. The last week has been so different overall for my mental health knowing that I’m caring for myself finally and i don’t have any guilt about it.
The new year is the perfect time to develop new habits and there’s nothing wrong with starting some that will only benefit you and the your family. I hope this helps you too. Let me know what your favorite self care choices are. I’d love to pick up even more along the way. It’s an ever-evolving journey. An entire lifetime actually.
Have a great upcoming week and start to the year. I’ll see you next month for some at home date ideas for Valentines Day.
Ashley
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