Bath bombs and taking a break

I didn't post last week as I had a very tough week both physically and mentally so decided to take a step back, utilise self care and do some craft projects that were just for me. If you want to know more about self care i wrote a whole series that starts here. I apologise for the not very photogenic photos but i'm still not 100%.

While i was having a break I made this beautiful dream catcher just for me:

I'm torn between making more and listing them in the sending spoons store or keeping it as a hobby just for me. What do you think?

To keep myself busy I've been making bath bombs to give as small presents for Christmas. I thought I'd share how to make them and what I learnt from my disastrous first attempt.

The recipe:

1 cup bicarb (baking soda)
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup epsom salts (I use Dr salts eucalyptus muscle therapy salts)
1 tsp water
2 tsp essential oil (I used lavender)
3 tsp oil (I used coconut oil. If solid microwave for 20 seconds first)
Extras like food colouring, shimmer, sugar stars etc

1.Add all the dry ingredients together (add petals too if using) and mix well.

2.Add the liquid ingredients together, including the food colouring and shimmer.

3.Carefully add the liquid to the dry a drop at a time whilst stirring. If you accidentally add a bit too much stir quicker until absorbed.

4.Once all the liquid is absorbed you should have the consistency of wet sand and it should hold its shape when squeezed together.

5.Fill a circular mold a little bit over, (for a mould i'm using a christmas decoration featuring Olaf from frozen, you can buy proper moulds or even cut a tennis ball in half for a mould.

It's important to fill it quite tightly and make sure it's firmly in place.

6.push the two halves together and leave to dry. 

I put mine in the fridge for 4 hours to dry.

Tips:

• To make different colours in one bath bomb, separate the dry mix into different bowls then add food colouring and mix before piling into layers in the mould.
• To put something in the centre of the bath bomb make a small hole in both halves and fill with goodies then press together.
• For petals on the top add petals to mould first then press mixture in.
• If you make a batch that reacts too quickly or doesn't work it makes a great toilet cleaner!

The basics of self care.

Spoonie self care

This week I'm going to be covering self care, I'm currently having a flare up of my ME/CFS so I'm writing this post at quite an apt time over several days. Todays post is covering the basics, over the week I'm going to cover each area in more detail with more ideas for adapting to good days and bad days.

I spent two years learning health and social care at college when I was younger. That taught me the basics of how to care, nurture and support someone's health and wellbeing. I then went on to spend 10 years working in the health and social care sector where I put this into practice again and again. I'm now going to apply that to nurturing my own health and well-being and hopefully help you to do the same.

So the acronym we were taught was P.I.E.S but I think an extra "S" is needed. PIES stands for:

Physical

This is nurturing your physical health, for those with a chronic illness this could be as simple as ensuring that you have taken your medication, eaten properly, drank plenty of water and completed  your Physiotherapy for the day. This can also include exercise (if able) and anything else that you may need to do to look after your physical health.

Intellectual

keeping your mind stimulated. Read or listen to audiobooks, learn new things, take classes, complete puzzles, write, anything that keeps your mind busy. Remember that your brain is a muscle and also needs exercising. Spoonie life can be boring, this keeps things interesting.

Emotional

This can be a tough one for a lot of people especially those with disabilities who can have mental and physical issues. Counselling, journaling, crafting, getting out of the house, been around nature, cuddling pets, taking a bubble bath and chatting to a good friend can all help nurture emotional wellbeing. Emotional ill-health is just as serious as physical ill-health and should be treated as such. There are symptoms which are called "psychosomatic" these are physical manifestations of psychological issues like hair loss and rashes when stressed or a twitch when nervous.

Social

Pain and fatigue can make you cranky, anxiety can make you want to build a fort and never leave but its important to maintain contact with the outside world, even if your fort is amazingly comfy and you need a "warning, approach with caution!" sticker on your head. This doesn't have to be going to a massive party and talking to everybody you see! It can include social media chats like #spooniespeak or @spooniecult on twitter, support groups on facebook, having a Netflix and pizza party with your closest friends or simply making time to call your family and friends for a chat once in a while. Of course if you have the energy and confidence to go to a massive party and chat to everyone go for it! Its about what's right and feels comfortable for you.

Spiritual (The added "S")

This doesn't have to be in the traditional sense of the word. This can be anything from prayer to meditation or even spending time appreciating nature or animals. Watching a sunrise or sunset can be a spiritual experience for someone. As hippy as it sounds whatever makes you feel at peace with the world can take care of your spiritual needs.

Self care should nurture each of these, it doesn't have to be all of them everyday, but as long as they are all covered in some way you can take some control and responsibility over your own health and wellbeing. You can do as little or as much as you can. Adapt your self care to how you are feeling and remember you are important make some time for yourself.

As always thanks for reading. Each heading is now linked to each post from the series.

Laura :)

Bubble t (bath infusion tea bags) review

I love baths, despite the risk (for me), they relax my muscles, relax my mind and always feel like I'm pampering myself. For me they are an important part of my self care. I recently splashed out a bit in Superdrug and amongst my haul were these bubble and T tea bags.

They smell amazing and come in such funky packaging. I only found one option in my local Superdrug, the summer fruits tea. It's said to smell of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and white tea. It really does. Online they have bath pearls, fizzies and a body spray in the same scent.

Each t-bag contains bath salts and the bags themselves are made of a breathable fabric with "don't drink me" printed on the front. This may seem obvious (to those with self preservation instincts) but the look and smell of the bags really smell like berry herbal tea to me.

You chuck one in warm water whilst running your bath and leave it there until your done. I tried one and it made the bath and the rest of the flat smell amazing.

I was a little disappointed that there were no bubbles, I have the brain of a 5 year old so I love bubbles! At £3.99 for Ten bags It was also a bit pricey. However it did leave my skin smelling just as amazing as the bathwater. I can't emphasise how gorgeous these smell.

Finally I found that I could reuse the empty bags by removing the staple and filling them with lavender and chamomile flowers before stapling them up again. Amazing for future herbal baths and recycling, y'know saving the planet one bath at a time.

That's it on these beauties, they're a really simple idea that smell gorgeous and can be a nice treat for yourself. The packaging looks pretty and is quite funky, but they are a bit pricey and despite the name no bubbles :( I would like to try out the other varieties especially if they made bubbles!

 

Do you have any bath time favourites? Let me know in the comments below..

 

As always, thanks for reading.

Laura :)