Self Care Girl Likes....

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,  Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, 

Brown paper packages tied up with strings, These are a few of my favorite things.

-Favorite Things, The Sound of Music

Something new on My Self Care Blog...

On Saturdays I will be adding a post called "Self Care Girl Likes..."  This post will highlight some of my favorite self care stuff.

Highlighted each week will be one favorite thing from each area of the "Official Self Care Girl School of Taking Very Good Care of Yourself" categories!  These include (with links to their primers) Physical, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Social & Volitional Self Care.

I am not paid for any reviews provided here.  I blog as a hobby and am not particularly interested in monetizing my self care blog at this time...all items and ideas provided here are purely my "likes", influenced only by my impeccable high standards and my mission in encouraging busy women-like you- to think (and do) more to take good care yourself!

So without further ado...

This week Self Care Girl Likes....


Physical Self Care:   

The Nutritionist Reviews  (Awesome blog!)

 

 I discovered this blog a few weeks ago and I find myself returning often.

Amanda reviews products and hosts giveaways here, but I was particularly impressed by the recipes she has provided on her site (I am a major foodie- and I am on a strict diet-so that is naturally where I zeroed in!)

These recipes are not just healthful, but the pictures look really delicious too.   I confess that I have not tried one yet (due to the aforementioned diet restrictions) but the second I am able to, I am definitely going to try the Skinny Mexican Layer Dip!

Check it out! (Click on the icon above!)


Emotional Self Care:    

Steel Magnolias  (major chick flick)

The ultimate "chick flick".   

Undoubtedly, many of you have seen this movie previously.  I watched this recently and there is one scene that gets to me every freakin' time!  I won't spoil it for anyone who has not seen this yet by providing the details,but at one point in this movie, I always find myself blubbering like a huge baby, and then, suddenly, I am shocked into complete laughter.   

It is an emotional roller coaster ride, really, but I think for women it is good therapy to be able to express our emotion with complete abandon now and again- its sort of like flushing out the system!  

I believe a good chick flick provides us a good forum for that. I encourage you to grab a copy soon! 

Mental Self Care: 
    

Food Rules- An Eater's Manual 

by Michael Pollan

I love Michael Pollan!  He is the author of several very good books on food and our food supply.  This book is no exception.  Short chapters, well-researched and just plain good knowledge about what to eat!

The book is best summed up with this excerpt from Pollan's website:

Eating doesn’t have to be so complicated. In this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, Food Rules brings a welcome simplicity to our daily decisions about food. Written with the clarity, concision and wit that has become bestselling author Michael Pollan’s trademark, this indispensable handbook lays out a set of straightforward, memorable rules for eating wisely, one per page accompanied by a concise explanation. It’s an easy-to-use guide that draws from a variety of traditions, suggesting how different cultures through the ages have arrived at the same enduring wisdom about food. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat buffet, this is the perfect guide for anyone who ever wondered, “What should I eat?”

Spiritual Self Care:   

Women of Character (facebook page)

I am very big on character- I choose to surround myself with women who are honest, genuine & big-hearted.  Women are so much alike- in spite of whatever differences in experiences and perceptions we have gathered over the years- we are moms, daughters, sisters, friends.  Our roles as nurturers and selfless warriors are so important in the world! 

Women of Character is a spiritually-based facebook page that promotes those ideals of character through lots of inspiring quotes and photos.  There have been several moments I have gotten on facebook and found a post by this page that was just what I needed to read at that moment.  

Women of Character's mission (from their info page):
Love is all. To inspire and motivate each other spiritually to become exceptional women while following the foundation of love. We can then take what we learn and share it with those who lack joy and hope. Be light!

I think you might "like" Women of Character's facebook page too!  Check it out!

Social Self Care:   

Book Swap - (great idea!)

A girlfriend of mine hosts this event quarterly.   It is a great excuse to get together with the girlfriends, it provides lots of topics for conversation, and it's creates a fabulous opportunity to remove old books from you library and gain a stack of new ones.

The swap is simple to organize.

• Invite your guests to bring along any books that they no longer want.   
• Arrange spaces in your home to divide the books into different genres (cookbooks, kid's books, romance, mystery..etc..).   
• As people arrive have them sort their books into the appropriate groups.   
• Allow your guests to browse and select new books. 
• At the end of the evening gather up all of the books that were not selected and 
• a) bring them out for you next event, 
• b) donate them to charity, or 
• c) exchange them at a used book store for more riveting titles that may be selected in the next swap.  

Our hostess usually cooks a main dish (a soup, lasagna, ham) and we bring appetizers, sides, beverages and desserts to accompany.  (You can't have a proper girlfriend gathering without food now, right?)


We also have a "circle" time where each of us talks about our preferred genres, our favorite authors and books, and where we can also provides a quick recommendation of one or two of the books we brought.

These events are a lot of fun and that girlfriend time is so important!
 


Volitional Self Care:   

Dave Ramsey  (debt free living guru)

Mr Self Care and I discovered Dave Ramsey on the radio about 4 years ago- well, actually I found him first and debated about whether or not to share my discovery with my "way-too-enthusiastic-about-finances" husband.

Naturally, Mr SC was completely over the moon about this.

We were able to get on the same financial page right away. We developed a budget and a plan following Dave's principles.  We began to just knock off one debt after another, and suddenly, in November 2009 we paid off the last student loan and became debt free-except for our mortgage.   We are well on our way to creating a financially secure future and we owe much of our success to Dave Ramsey.

Dave teaches a very easy to follow plan to get yourself out of debt, so that you can start focusing on more important matters than money...like people...and your health.   Being debt free can help you be more stress free and it really have a positive impact on your marriage.

Dave's advice is for everyone-from single moms who are barely getting by, to young couples burdened by debt, people who have unpredictable monthly income, or even older couples who have fallen on hardship or just didn't plan enough  for their retirement.   He starts with teaching you simple baby steps and before you know will be wiping debt out of your life forever. 

One more thing I love about Dave...the man has a HUGE heart and INCREDIBLE people skills!   I think you will fall in love with this man too.   

You can visit Dave's website to learn more about becoming debt-free.   Information about his debt-free plan and where to tune in for his radio or television show can also be found there.  

Soon you will be "living like nobody else" too!

So there you have it- the pilot post for Self Care Girl Likes...!

Please take a moment and let me know what you think in the comments.

If you have a favorite self care "something" to share, please let me know!   As you can imagine, I absolutely love this stuff!   You can email me your suggestions for Self Care Girl Likes...at theselfcareshop(at)gmail(dot)com.    Please put "Self Care Girl Likes" in the heading so I don't miss it!

Take Good Care!