What’s In and Out: Year-long Chronic Illness Self-care, Home and Motherhood Favorites

If you asked me back in January 2023, what would be your New Year resolution? I would have said, “survive”. I started 2023 with a newborn, a highly sensitive 7-year-old, and my old friend Thoracic Outlet Syndrome with some newly added difficulties. So, surviving is all I did for the past year. I worked on a limited number of carefully chosen projects. I was mindful of the products and services I was using, and I used my social media channels more as a spectator than a content creator.

The whole year, I made a conscious effort to upload some self-care, home, and motherhood products that became my everyday favorites. My self-care routine is nowhere near as indulging and detailed as it was in 2020 or 2021. You may have probably noticed this shift if you follow me on Instagram.

Here are some of the drastic changes I have gone through so far:

• Stopped using retinol (pregnancy, breastfeeding)
• No foundation for nearly 18 months (extra sensitive skin during pregnancy and postpartum period)
• Stopped doing the million-step curly hair routine (no time, extreme arm and shoulder pain due to carrying the baby)
• Started using baby products on my face (because of the baby’s sensitive skin. She would get rashes if I used any other products)
• Stopped plucking my brows regularly (I only tweeze the stray hair to make it look a bit groomed once a month)
• Fully growing out the grays.
• Using lipstick as a lip tint whenever I am using it.
• Stopped saving the luxury perfumes for “special occasions.”
• Adding more modest styles into my wardrobe.
• Stopped following those immaculate, extensively curated accounts on Instagram. I am now following more art, home DIY, motherhood and chronic illness content creators.
• Focusing on real people, real problems on social media and the outside world. #ceasefirenow #FreePalestine.
• Started planting (and failed miserably. Could not continue due to the pain)
• Started using more sustainable household products than disposable products.
• Books! I am reading more books whenever I can. I will be sharing some of those soon!
• Started painting. I used to sketch and paint before my life with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. I have started it again with small steps. Sketching hurts my arm a lot, so I have been painting to destress and decompress. So far, I absolutely love it!

Chronic Illness Self-care, Home and Motherhood Favorites from 2022-2023:

If you have made it this far, I am thankful you are still interested in learning more. Here are some of the products that are worth mentioning and deserve shoutouts! Some of these are affiliate links.

Self-Care Products:

Marigold Salve’s Clean Body Care Products: Remember I told you how sensitive my skin has been lately? My hands and also quite dry due to lots of hand washing. This is why I started to use their Skin Salve and Skin Recovery Complex Oil daily. The best thing about this salve is I can use it on my baby’s dry patches in the knee area. It softens the dry areas and heals them.

Waxelene Multi-Purpose Ointment: Another skin product, and this one I love for anything and everything! Chapped skin, small cuts, peeling cuticles- you name it, we use it in our household. Find it here.

Here are some of the other products I have started using and loving:

Fashion Products:

Shapermint Leggings and Underwear: When it comes to comfort and functionality, I always choose Shapermint leggings and underwear. Their sizing has never been a problem for me. The quality of the fabric and the high waist support from the leggings is what makes it perfect. You can use code SIFASCORNERCREW20 to get 20% off of your purchase. Visit their website here.

Home Products:

Pure Sky By Persik: If you are a mom and use paper kitchen towels, you must know how quickly things get messy and how many paper towels you go through every month. So, I am gradually switching to clothes made specifically for everyday cleaning. From kitchen pads to multi-purpose gloves and even mop pads, Persik’s products are going to serve you well. These are made from thousands of antibacterial ultra-microfibers that only require water to clean. It can be found here.

RollRanger Tape Edge Finder: This nifty little gadget makes crafting and gift wrapping so easy! Kids (and adults) often get frustrated while finding the edge of a scotch tape (I know I do). This gadget helps to find the edge and makes the whole project go faster. It can be found here.

Degrii Smart Thermostat: We LOVE this affordable, smart thermostat in our home. This product was launched in January 2023; we have been using it since July. There was some initial glitch on the app, but they fixed it in their app update, and it has not disappointed us since. Find it here.

Kid Products:

TeeTurtle Reversible Octopus Plushie: My kids love these plushie toys from TeeTurtle. These are adorable and also great as a gift. Find it here.

KeaBabies: I talked about KeaBabies products in my previous article  How Am I Preparing for Baby no. 2? I am happy to share that I have been using their products non-stop since baby S was born. I am still using them and I always suggest them to other mothers. The cloth product quality is top-notch, and the blankets, bibs, and other clothing items we use are still strong after everyday wear and machine washing. Find them here.

Activity Books: If you are looking for screen-free time with your kid, try these activity books. I posted about these on my Facebook pages, too. You can find them here, and here.

I do not want to make the first article of 2024 overwhelming, so here are some of the chronic illness self-care, home and motherhood favorites I have been using over and over again from last year. Did you find anything that you like? Share with us in a comment below!

Affiliate Links

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