Last year I started to see posts on Instagram encouraging educators to take part in self care before the start of the work week. I thought these reminders were great but never could seem to find the time to participate. So much had to get done before the week began. In retrospect, I can now see that I never used my weekends to recharge. Rather I took it as time to try to catch up on all the things I didn't get done during the week. Everything took priority over taking care of me. I learned last year that I am a pro when it comes to neglecting myself. As the year progressed I took opportunities to schedule ME time into my week. I found the weeks that I took time and set boundaries, I was more grounded and had more to give. I also found that I was able to organize things better. This year I am making "Self Care" a priority. I add it to my "to-do" list and I find creative ways to budget the money needed for such activities. This week I decided that I was going to endulge in a bubble bath while reading a good book. I had most of the items needed for my bath. However, I was lacking a good book and soft light. In fact, I wanted candles and I needed a few more to make reading a possiblity. Since I am on a budget and love a good challenge, Dollar Tree seemed the perfect place to go (see below for a breakdown of my purchase).
2 Marina Bay Candles
Although I picked these up at Dollar Tree, there is something classy in these candles' presentation. The scent was clean and crisp and the picture doesn't reflect the true color of the glass. The camera did not pick up the green tones that make these candles truly stunning.
3 Crackled Glass Votive Holders
1 Package of Candles (4 count)
These votive holders were a must have. They were elegant and the light truly danced through the cracks elevating the bubble bath experience.
1 Mystery / Suspense / Romance Novel
I know it seems strange to think of book shopping at the Dollar Tree. However, I have scored good reads often. You just have to be willing to dig. In fact while at the Dollar Tree today, I purchased a beautiful, rather heavy, cookbook. I sort of like the hunt of seeing what book is hidden behind the others. I seem to find a treasure each time!
1 Natural Sponge
A bubble bath would not be complete without a very large sponge to lather up with. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.