February 20, 2013

The Art Of Bathing

February 20, 2013/ Angela

Nourishing Mama Mission Three ~

How have you been? Feeling a bit more centered and relaxed? I hope so! A few weeks of claiming sacred time for myself and practicing conscious thoughts of gratitude upon waking have done so much for me.

This third pursuit of the Nourishing Mama Mission promises to be my favorite so far, the art of bathing.

I love baths. I love water and how it has the power to wash away everything, absolutely everything. Stress, dirt, illness, concerns and on and on... One of my teacher's at herb school told us that water is very accepting and healing. He said that when sitting by a stream you can ask the water to take away your worries, and it will. Having tried this, I can attest that water will do this for you, even when you are in the tub. As the water drains from the tub ask it to take away your pain, your cares and give thanks to the water.

All the Elements are present in the bath ~

Water

Surrounding, cleansing and supporting, it is truly magical and healing.

Fire

It is Fire that heats the water and the soul.

Earth

Our plant allies become part of the bath whether in the form of herbs or essential oils, they add their special properties and healing.

Air

A deep breath is instigated by the deep warmth of water and by the fragrance of the plants.

Breathing deeply centers and calms the spirit.

Spirit

This is you, this is me, bringing ourselves to the moment. To be healed and nourished.

Most of the mammas I know would agree that taking time for a bath is really taking out some time for yourself. It means a lot to close that door on the world, slip into a warm fragrant tub and rest there undisturbed. Can you find sometime to do this for yourself? At least once a week? Give it a try and see how you feel.

Here is my favorite no fuss recipe for making a healing, relaxing bath ~

Fill your tub with warm to hot water and add:

1 to 2 cups of relaxing Epsom salts, depending on the size of your tub
6 to 10 drops of beautiful cleansing lavender essential oil

Have a big glass of cool water nearby to sip and bring a good book with you to read, if you so wish. Get in and relax, let go and know the water will wash away anything you no longer need or want.

More essential oil blends for the bath ~

Awakens the brain while also providing relaxation: 4 drops each rosemary and lavender
Great for easing stress and fatigue at the start of menstruation: 5 drops of clary sage and 3 of lavender
Soothes mental fatigue and anger, plus smells divine: 4 drops cardamom and 4 drops ylang ylang
For easing stress and when you need a bit of happiness: 5 drops rose geranium, 3 drops orange & 3 drops lavender

Note: Whenever possible add a big handful of Epsom salts to your bath which help to relax muscles and draw out toxins plus so much more, they are magical!

Look for more delicious bath recipes in the coming days. I know it will be hard for me, but I will research and try every recipe to give us all more wonderful ways to enjoy the art of bathing.

Blessings and Love!

Bath Blends To Try:

Minty Mint Bath

Soothing Herbal Bath For Irritated Muscles & Nerves

Rosy Oatmeal Bath

Candy Cane Bath Salts

More Nourishing Mama Mission...

Mama On A Mission ~ Introduction

Nourishing Mama Mission One ~ Cultivating Sacred Space

Nourishing Mama Mission Two ~ Attitude of Gratitude ~ The Start of the Day

Nourishing Mama Mission Four ~ Herbal Infusions, Healthful Simplicity

Shared On: Time For A Party!, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Wednesday Wonderings

Image Credit: Morgue File (photos 1 -5)

January 30, 2013

Attitude Of Gratitude ~ The Start Of The Day

January 30, 2013/ Angela

Nourishing Mama Mission Two ~

Yes, it may be a bit cliché yet an "attitude of gratitude" really serves me. When I am grateful for what I have, transformation in how I feel and in my thoughts is immediate. Pretty quickly those bits of thankful feelings spread into all areas of my life and I find myself happier!

This second week of the Nourishing Mama Mission is simply to be grateful especially first thing in the morning upon waking. Have you ever played with this?

How do you start your day? Those moments when you first awake are special. They set the tone for your day. The past few months have found me waking in the morning stressed. I would wake up with a to-do list running through my mind and guilt over what I didn't get to the day before. Top that all off with a good dose of mommy-guilty and I was a mess by the time I got out of bed. Recently I realized that I was using this worry and guilt to motivate myself into action. I couldn't believe how silly I was being when the realization hit! So the past few days when I wake I strive to instantly start thinking about all the abundance and love in my life. After all I have a home and a wonderful family that loves me. Letting myself really feel the beauty of all I have, I get out of bed happy and ready for a new day ripe with another chance to experience, learn and grow. This is a habit I want to cultivate so that it becomes effortless.

So, how do you start each precious day? Is it with grumbling thinking about all the stuff you have to get done? Or do you embrace the moment and give a bit of thanks for another day? A bit of gratitude first thing in the morning is a powerful act.

Gratitude anytime is powerful...

This morning as I cracked eggs into a pan ready with dark green steamed spinach, I was preoccupied with what to make for the kids lunches; whether it was time to wake up my daughter yet; and did I have time to unload the dishwasher? The typical morning rush... As the shells cracked revealing deep yellow yolks I realized (and deeply felt) that I have healthy food to cook for my family. Almost instantly I felt a wash of gratefulness for all that went into bringing us the beautiful food we have: the Earth and Sun working together, farmers and grocers, the money we have to buy the food and on it goes. Next I found myself looking into the fridge and instead of seeing that I need to clean out and organize everything, I saw more abundance. It was simple. And, it was something that I tend to take for granted. We all have something in our lives to be grateful for even it is something very simple and small.

Special Moments Of Gratitude...

Here are some moments during the day that I experience gratitude, if I am open and paying attention. These are moments I can later call to mind when waking in the morning that fill me up and get me started on a path of beauty for the day.

Feeling love for my husband and daughters, letting it fill me up!
Looking into the eyes of another human being and seeing the spirit within.
Taking a deep breath and feeling life-giving oxygen absorbing into my blood refreshing every part of my body instantly.
Holding hands with a precious child, warm tiny fingers intertwined with mine
Having someone really listen and hear what I am saying and being able to really listen to another.
Seeing the miraculous beauty in nature, even if it is just a blade of grass, a lovely flower or cloud in the sky.
Appreciating my body and the health I have within me.
The simple wonder of Being Here Manifest.

Of course there are so many ways to be grateful and experience the abundance that is all around us. Join me for the next two weeks and cultivate the amazing skill of waking with gratitude!

Blessings and Love!

More Please...

Nourishing Mama Mission Home Page Mama On A Mission ~ Introduction

Nourishing Mama Mission One ~ Cultivating Sacred Space

Nourishing Mama Mission Three ~ The Art of Bathing

Nourishing Mama Mission Four ~ Herbal Infusions, Healthful Simplicity

Gratitude ~ Three Simple Crafts

Pondering Early Morning Wake Up Calls

Shared On: Healthy Habits, The Sunday Parenting Party

January 16, 2013

Cultivating Sacred Space

January 16, 2013/ Angela

Nourishing Mama Mission One ~

This is the first week of my mission to reclaim my health, my creativity and well, my self! For this mission the focus is on cultivating sacred space in daily life. It is so important to me to have some time by myself without kids around. Time to have my own thoughts, to reflect and just be me. Perhaps all parents aren't like me, I really don't know about other people's experiences. I just know that this special time even if just for a few minutes helps me be a better mom and a better me. If this mission calls to you, please join me and cultivate your own sacred space.

The mountain and me ~

When my first daughter was born I found the tremendous effort of taking care of newborn shockingly overwhelming. I mean really didn't know what I was in for! At the time we lived in a tiny mountain town up high near the Continental Divide in Colorado. It was absolutely beautiful. My bright sunny kitchen window opened up to a huge mountain peak all covered in tundra and sparkly snow. Strong, steady and ever quietly present that mountain became my friend. Every morning after feeding and diapering my newborn baby, after sweet kisses and snuggles accompanied by my exhaustion from begin up at all hours, I would sit at my table drinking tea and communing with the mountain. As my precious baby napped next to me in her swing, I let the mountain's presence fill me up and anchor me in my new life as a mother while breathing in steamy herbal tea vapors. This ritual only lasted a month or so until things changed as they do with parenting, but it taught me something. It taught me to take advantage of those little moments of rejuvenation and to let them fill me up.

Well, I did learn but I also forgot ~

Yet, I forgot and forget to take this time for myself each day. The years since those lovely mornings at my kitchen table have found me here and there reclaiming sacred space for myself yet inevitably then something happens as life with my kids again changes and I lose my footing, I lose my way. I notice that I am lost when I start to feel disconnect from my inner guidance and yes, I even get snappy with my kids. It is ok though because this is how life goes and what matters is getting back to what feels right.

My sacred space ~

My favorite time to rejuvenate and center myself is in the morning right after I get out of bed. The times in my life when I have gotten up consistently to take care of myself right away in the morning have been some of the best of my life. I have energy and am focused, ready for the day to start. My favorite thing to do in the morning? Yoga. Through yoga I connect with my body and my breath. I feel better all the way down to my spirit. Because I am a bit out of sync right now with yoga I am starting small. Just 20 to 30 minutes max of a nice routine followed by writing in my journal for one page. That is it. Then I go on with my day. I have done this for about 4 days so far and plan to continue. In two weeks I will re-evaluate, see how I am doing and hopefully expand my practice. So far, so good. It feels wonderful to know that by the time my kids get up I have already taken care of me. Some how those morning hugs become even more precious than before!

Any time is a good time ~

Do you cultivate time and space for yourself in your daily life? What works for you? I know that some folks do their best at night while others like me find the morning the best time for connecting and rejuvenating. If you need time to take care of you, please join me on this little mission. Let me know how you are doing. What are you doing during your time?

Want to create your own sacred space?

Here are some ideas ~

Some of these take only a few moments while others require more of a time investment. Finding what works best for you is the important thing.

take a bath
take a walk
hit the gym
meditate
pray
have a cup of tea
sit for a few minutes and picture what you want from you day
take a few deep cleansing breathes
read
draw a picture
create a daily affirmation
just BE still and quiet with yourself
watch the sunrise or sunset

Blessings and Love!

More Please...

Nourishing Mama Mission Home Page Mama On A Mission ~ Introduction

Nourishing Mama Mission Two ~ Attitude of Gratitude ~ The Start of the Day

Nourishing Mama Mission Three ~ The Art of Bathing

Nourishing Mama Mission Four ~ Herbal Infusions, Healthful Simplicity

January 09, 2013

Mama On A Mission

January 09, 2013/ Angela

Back in another time, another universe, my husband and I dreamed of starting a family. Being very much into the guidance offered by astrology, we took the time to figure out when to conceive to create certain Sun Signs. For a while I was excited to have three daughters ~ Avena Lea the Cancer, Nettle the Scorpio and Violet the Pisces.

Well, as things worked out we didn't have three daughters, we had two instead. And at the (kind of) last second decided to have a Capricorn. My hubby and I are both Capricorns and we like each other so we figured, "hey, this could work out well and it will be an interesting experiment." Then when we were planning for a second baby we decided not to rock the boat and had another Capricorn. It has worked out great! It is really fun to see how alike and different we all are. Of course the only part of our charts that are the same is the Sun Sign, everything else is unique. Occasionally we will have some stubborn goaty times in our house with everyone emotionally banging heads but usually we do great together with a kind of under current of respect and understanding. The hard part comes at this time of year, at least for me it is hard because not only is it the holidays, it is also "birthday season". It is January now and we have had not only the holidays which are often stressful in themselves; we have also had three birthdays (four if you include our dog who was born on the cusp of Sagittarius and Capricorn) with a sleepover this past weekend, my husband's birthday this coming Friday and one more "friend" birthday party for my seven year old coming up. (We delayed her party with her friends for a few weeks this year.) Well, it really is fun in a lot of ways and I do my best to make each birthday as special as possible for everyone. Even for our dog who got a special outing on her big day.

But let's face it, all this partying makes for a tired mama. It has been a long month. In general I am bad at taking care of myself. Oh sure, I have my moments here and there. I do eat as healthy as I can and try to exercise yet as far as really taking care of myself in an authentic way, I typically fall way short. I have found this to be typical behavior for most moms. You know what I am talking about... mom takes care of everyone else and doesn't look after herself. I had heard of this phenomenon going into the whole adventure of motherhood although I really didn't have a clue what it meant. Eleven years later and I still fall short of really caring for myself. 2012 was a year of showing me what I am missing when it comes to self-care. I learned about how by caring for myself, I am really caring for my whole family. About how caring for myself is truly a way to give thanks for this life I have been given. Yet, I am still figuring out what it really means to take care of me in a deep way. And these crazy fun past few weeks have rocked the fragile foundation I had so carefully been building.

Nourishing Mama Mission

I am continuing my journey of self-care, of mama care and I would love for you to join me. Every two weeks I plan to introduce a habit, idea or even creation to help me take care of me and you too! I figure two weeks will be enough time to really try something out, to give it a chance while not being overwhelming. The goal here is to nourish, uplift and inspire not to overwhelm and create more "shoulds" or "coulds". Join me in as many of these activities as you want. I would love to hear any ideas you have. How do you take care of you? What are some of the ways you would like to care for yourself?

Look forward to my first post on this adventure later this week or early next week. I am so excited to get started and hope you will find some nourishment and inspiration here!

Capricorn (December 22nd to January 19th-20th ) Generally responsible, serious and organized. They like to hang out with older people and like old things. Goal/project oriented with everything being a potential business. Filled with inner determination and a desire to be good at something. Capricorns need to cultivate flexibility and gratitude for the present moment.