Powerful Peppermint

I have been using Young Living Essential Oils for about 4 years! I can't imagine my life without them. I have always been into natural remedies and try to avoid over the counter meds. if at all possible. I have had 3 natural births and been teaching childbirth for 10 years. I am a homeschooling mom, surrounded by Waldorf inspired teachers, whom all heal naturally. I found a anthroposopic pediatrician who believes in the mind and body connection. He spends at least 1/2 hour with each child. I feel fortunate to be able to explore this world of essential oils and to share my experiences with friends. I don't know anyone who wouldn't benefit from using these. On a day to day basis we all have some aliment that we probably take something for or at least want to. From waking up (caffeine) to headache or body aches ( pain killer). This is how I use Peppermint everyday!!! I try to get up at 6:30 a.m. to do my stretches and meditation. This may only last 10 minutes but it is worth it! I put 1-2 drops of peppermint in my hand and then put a quarter size amount of v-6 (carrier oil, like vegetable oil) in my hand. I rub vigorously together, then bring to my nose and take 3 deep breaths in. I then cover one nostril and take a few short breaths in, repeat on the other side. I then massage my face with the peppermint/v-6, rubbing my jaw (sore from clenching, leading to headache), rub my ears to help open up if closed, continuing down my neck, massaging sore muscles (from nursing a baby all night), then rub my tummy to help with digestion. I may also take a drop in my mouth for fresh breath! This process wakes me up and gets me going for the day! How many products can you use daily on many parts and use on your kids or pets, without side effects?

What Makes Me Happy?

When I stop and think about what makes me happy, I come to the word order. I almost cringe at the word, when you think of it from a ego perspective. What I really mean is I want harmony, in the way we see it in nature. Where everything has a place and perfection, in order for the things to flow the way they are supposed to. I like to have a routine and schedule to look at. The things to do list, to check off, makes me smile. I like to meal plan weekly, so at 4 o'clock I know what we are having. I like to have a balance of home time, class time, friend time and me time. I enjoy getting up before everyone else, so I can breathe, stretch, do some yoga poses and meditate, even if only for a few minutes. I love holidays and parties. I enjoy hosting events where I can bring joy to others! I like peace. I like when my kids are playing together and being creative. I really love when they make up games to play. At 7 and 10, that is amazing! To be a kid for as long as possible, what a treat.

As a mom I usually come last. That doesn't make sense, because if momma isn't happy, nobody is! So, as my husband heads off for another baseball season, I sit and try to process, what makes me happy? How will I handle the daily stress of three kids, homeschooling, running a home, all while my husband is gone? I made a list on my new phone and am trying to line up another grandparent day, a yoga class, etc. I have a saying, I used to say all the time when I taught in the classroom, "prevention is the key." This goes beyond school, it is a good life tool. I have been looking ahead to the season of single mom time and have decided to prevent mom meltdown. If I implement help from the village, I should be less lonely and stressed. So my homework is, when someone asks something of me, I will ask myself, "what do I need first?" I can help others, only after I have given myself the first minute, not the last. Move at my pace, help myself, so I am able to meet the needs of others. What a new way of life for me!

May Day Blessings

We celebrated May Day yesterday. We have been fortunate enough to find a group of home schoolers whom gather once a week at Ancil Hoffman Park. It is a beautiful setting near the river. There are no play structures or guided activities, which fosters group games and creative play. We celebrate many seasonal holidays, seen in the Waldorf schools. Yesterday about 50 people gathered around the May pole as the procession started. I was named the May Day queen and came in throwing rose petals. My children were a part of the procession, Cade playing the hand drum and Josie playing the maraca. We welcomed all and I shared a Spring poem. The day continued with other performances consisting of music, poems and jokes. Then the weaving began. The little fairy kids went round the pole to music. The older children had practiced weaving some going over, some under, ending in an intricate weave pattern round the pole. We stood around the pole, blessed our food and friends and had a delicious potluck.

I enjoyed the moments I had with my kids. It is special to enjoy the little things, like Cade rubbing the baby, kissing and saying I love you baby. I also enjoyed my little Josie trying to get me dressed for the job of the queen. She found the perfect dress for her and I. We shared the bathroom mirror to add the finishing touches. I watched Cade capture the special scenes on the camera. He also spent time with one of the youngest members, Mason, 8 months. Josie was a great momma to her newborn doll, Cambria.

It was a lovely Spring day! We ended by taking my parents to dinner and celebrating the time we have with them. The children ended the night with some musical performances for Papa. I went to bed at peace with where I am for now. I look forward to the birth of this third baby.

Trying To Balance

Well it's been about a month since I've last posted and who knows what time I'll have after the baby comes mid May. I am really going to make an effort to try and keep some balance in my life, even with a newborn. I was inspired to look back at a post awhile ago about BALANCE. It has some great tips on how to create a routine to bring balance in your life. It is also a eye opener to what areas maybe affecting you and creating some unsettled feelings.

Since March 13 th, the kids and I have been living at my parents house. This is the house I grew up in, the neighborhood I went to school in, the place we had kids over, the party home, etc. It is also the place my parents have opened to many in the family when they are trying to find their way. There have been a few cousins, aunts, nephews, friends, that have lived here. This is also the place my parents brought my little grandma to stay when she could no longer live alone. She stayed and then went to a care home, then returned to die in a more private setting.

My husband has been on the road since the end of February. He comes and goes for 4 day trips to 20 days, coming home for 4 or 5. It is constantly changing and the transition is often rough. We are fortunate he has a good job and the promotion he got this year has taken some stress off his plate. He has been working extra hard tying to get ahead, so he can take a few weeks around the birth. This will be a treat. The last two births he flew in from Washington and Florida and had to leave a few days after the births. I look forward to having him bond with our baby from the start, not months later. With him gone so much I have developed a survival tool for having to do it all. Now that I am at my parents home, I have more help. It is often hard to ask for specific things, because I am used to doing it. I also don't want to assume they are willing to do anything at anytime. We also have different ways of dealing with the children. Just as a mom and dad do things differently, now we have two other ways. It can be challenging to try and help kids understand the different dynamics of a family. The nice thing about being with my family is the meal time, we eat together every night. My mom usually cooks and my dad cleans up. This has been a life saver on my body and mind, as I approach the due date.

We sold our home and have been looking for a new one to buy. As I get closer to the birth, I realize we will not have a new home before the birth. I have planned a home birth and now have to change my plan from my own private space, to the space of my family's. For the last 6 years, every time I thought about another baby, I imagined a home birth. I have been teaching natural childbirth classes in my home for 9 years. The more I learn about the business side of birth and the intervention cycle that is hard to escape in the hospital, the more drawn I was to a home birth. I had pictured my living room, with a birth tub, candles, music, my husband and kids. Well, I no longer live in that home. My mom has been gracious enough to offer her room for the birth. It is the only space that is somewhat private. We can retreat to the room, have a bathroom and access to the outdoors. Now the challenge is to let go of the vision I had and create a new one. When you have a home birth it feels safer, more private, more comfortable. These are especially true when you make the space represent the energy you need for a calm birth. As with every person, every room has a different feel. What maybe calm for one, may feel overwhelming or cluttered to another. As I approach the time that I will birth I need to feel I have created the best nest I can for this baby. This is such a different time in my life, where I feel it is a blessing to have this baby join our family. I want to have a quiet space with different elements from each direction. The children and I have been out selecting items, such as shells, eggs, birds, chimes, fruit, and candles in different colors. I hope to set up a birth alter to have something to focus on, to draw strength from. If I can do this then I can have balance. The area is a huge factor in how you relax and surrender to the labor. There needs to be a focus on physical, mental and emotional relaxation. These can be achieved, I managed in a hectic hospital setting, because I had many hours to adjust. I got through a fast labor in a birth center. I look forward to a wonderful home birth, with my family supporting us in the way we seem best at the time.

So as you read my adventure, please take time to review your life and ask yourself how can you balance more? Look back at the BALANCE post and try and implement just one area. What are you doing daily for your body? What does the area around you look like? Are you surrounded with things and people you love? Are you being loving to others? What aromas do you use to help create calmness? Are you focused on the now? Are you trying to be present? Do you know how to center in the midst of the storm? Where do you go to take a deep breath and refocus? Are you willing to stop living the same old story and replaying the same old habits in order to embrace the ways to balance that I have presented? If you are feeling weak in any of these areas, it is time, now, with the energy of Spring, to move forward and change. I have faith that if we all try and live a more conscious life we can make this world a more peaceful place to be.

Party in a Cool Box

Over the years we have had many parties in our home, yard, street and garage. So, as we got ready to move, we ordered a Cool Box storage unit. It arrived at our home on a holiday, so all the kids on the street were out of school. The box was insulated and unpacked and the kids said, "can we dance in there?" I thought, no, we have to get packing. Then I stopped and realized we needed to make part of this moving fun. So I said, "one dance." They grabbed their friends, the boom box, their hip hop dance CD, and had an instant party in a box! There were about 10 kids in a 20 foot box. They needed no decorations, fancy lights, nothing, just a place and music! They wound up dancing for about 45 minutes, break dancing moves and routines were being taught. I haven't laughed so hard! I called the mom's to come see the kids. Seeing the kids and their creativity gave me and idea. One of the other mom's and I have had a Halloween party every year and transformed the garage. We would take a few days to push our stuff to the side, hang black plastic and lights. After I saw how much fun they had, I thought we could just rent one of these boxes and we'd have an instant party!!

It is amazing how dancing can lighten the mood and make you feel good. I often will turn on music while cleaning the house. It sure makes the job go faster. My sister and I used to turn on a record from the movie Annie. We would dance and clean to "It's a Hard Knock Life." So as you go through your day, I hope you dance!