Spring Break is done, the kid is back in school, and it’s time to shake off the blahs of winter, grief, 2020 and general pandemic anxiety and start paying some attention to myself again. It’s so easy to just focus on everything else, and before you know it you’ve got 2″ dark roots, bitten nails and your clothes are too tight in all the wrongs ways. It’s even worse when it’s your favorite sweatpants. Like, I don’t know what’s going on to make the pockets poke out weird on the sides, but it’s definitely a wake-up call when your sweatpants don’t fit. Which leads us to this special edition of the Editor’s Picks round-up, with a focus on self-care.

*Some links are affiliate links, so if you click on them, I may get a little percentage of the sale. And if you do that, then Thank You because you are pretty awesome.

Editor’s Picks: The 2021 Self-Care Edition

FitTrack Complete Body Analysis

I’m kicking off this self-care thing the way most people do- by trying to improve my diet and exercise. So today I am getting started with a new fancy scale that measures a lot more than just weight. The FitTrack Dara BMI Scale does a complete body analysis and measures things like body fat, bone mass, hydration levels and more. And I can keep track of it all with the FitTrack App. I’ll be using this to track my progress and write a full post about the scale after I test it out.

*I was sent the scale for free to test out for an honest review- click here to see the updated post about how the scale broke after 6 months

It was really easy to set up and synch to the free FitTrack Pro app on my phone. And after stepping on and weighing myself on a good scale, I no longer wonder what’s going on with the sweatpants. I have managed to put back on almost all of the “baby weight” I worked really hard to lose. Except now it’s more like “beer weight.” So apparently I needed to get on this self-care kick even more than I thought. I am honestly a little pissed at myself for letting this happen. I blame COVID. Technically it’s the extra beers in the evening I’ve added to my diet since the pandemic started. But I blame that on COVID too. Blame it all on COVID!

Verb Energy Bars

Thinking I might need a little boost of energy for my return to exercising, I agreed to try and review Verb Caffeinated Energy Bars. One bar is equal to a single espresso and two equals a double espresso. With minimal ingredients and caffeine sourced from green tea, Verb gives you a little something extra to make it past that 3PM energy drop without getting the jitters.

My favorite flavor is the Salted Peanut Butter, although it doesn’t taste very peanut buttery. Some of the flavors have a sort of coffee taste to them, but the salted peanut butter just tastes a bit like caramel. I would much rather eat one of these than drink a late afternoon coffee, especially because I’m also a little hungry at that time so I enjoy this little energizing snack. I will definitely be getting more of these when they are gone! Check them out here: VERB Energy

Hydrate with 64Hydro

Staying hydrated is important for your skin and overall health, so you might as well look cute with a custom tumbler from 64Hydro. I went for the new Cartoonify Me option where they take your photo and turn you into a Simpson’s character. And of course I put together a Marge Simpson cosplay to take pics with it!

*As of January 2022, 64Hydro does not appear to offer this option anymore! I also feel the need to mention that they had me host a giveaway and then never sent the winner their tumbler. They went so far as to send her the artwork, and then stopped responding to e-mails. They also did not respond to my e-mails asking about it. So use caution if ordering because customer service seems to be absent.

Slay Like a Mother

I’m also taking care of my mental health and feeding my brain with a new book by Katherine Wintsch called Slay Like a Mother: How to Destroy What’s Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Want. The book is full of advice and stories to encourage mothers to “live more confidently, enjoy the present moment, and become their best selves…” Sounds good to me!

I’ve only read the intro and first chapter, so I haven’t gotten into any of the self-help exercises yet. The “slaying” reference is about slaying your personal dragons, and the dragons are those self-doubting thoughts that grow big and monstrous in your head and hold you back. So far some things I can identify with, and some I don’t, but I wouldn’t expect to identify with everything in someone else’s story. I think everyone deals with a bit of self-doubt at times, so I’m looking forward to seeing where the book goes. The book is available in hardback, paperback and on Audible: Slay Like a Mother.

Makartt Gel Nails at Home

Discovering gel nails was a life changer for me. I am a life-long nail biter. I also destroy my cuticles. It’s really a disgusting habit that leaves me with bloody ragged cuticles and stubby nails. But I can curb my habit by keeping my nails in good shape, and that’s where gel nails come in.

One thing that leads me to picking my nails is if they get chipped or messed up. With regular polish, I’ve usually messed it up before it can even dry! And then it never lasts very long. (Except on toes. Don’t know why, but it lasts forever on toes!) So discovering the world of gel nails, and the fact that they are easy to do at home, really changed things for me. I’ve joined up with Makartt as a Nail Ambassador, and I’ll be doing a step-by-step post soon to show how easy it is to do gel nails at home for those that want to try it.

Makartt has a bunch of beautiful colors and is currently offering a 20% discount off their new spring line of polishes with my code SEWGEEKMAMA until March 31st. (After that, it will get you 15% off) I’ve been testing out all the new colors. My current shade is the sparkly green layered over sparkly blue. I’m really hoping being a Nail Ambassador, and taking photos of my nails, will encourage me to stop picking at my cuticles! Click here to check out Makartt and remember to use the discount code!

That wraps up this edition of the Editor’s Picks. Wish me luck on my attempt to shed my extra COVID pounds (aka: the beer belly)! I’ll be following up with individual posts about most of the things I mentioned here.