It feels so good to be back here for Sunday Serenity. Perhaps it was just me, but I have been feeling out of kilter lately, and I needed some true “me” time over this weekend.
Our weekends lately have been taken up with soccer games for the boys. I really enjoy watching them play, and coming into their own by not playing on the same team for the first time since they began. Their games are normally hours apart, so after Elwood’s game in the morning, I snuck home to spend the afternoon with myself.
The rain began mid-morning, and with the temps only in the high 40′s (um, hello Spring, where did you go?), I decided some bath spa time was in order.
Years ago I had a chance to visit an amazing aruvedic center in New Mexico. The experience was intense, but very purifying as well, and one thing that I fell in love with was detoxifying scrubs. While I was there, I learned that the traditional scrubs were used in place of soap, and were created to try and draw toxins from the body. They were also used as full body masks for even deeper purification. I asked one of the aruvedic practitioners what was in it, and all she could tell me was vegetable protein and spices. While that was not a ton to go on, I tried to recreate the smells when I returned home, and I think that I have it pretty close.
I tend to use the scrub as a body soap as well, and always at the beginning of the shower.
As I think that I have mentioned in the past, I love blending nourishing oils for my family, and finding different ways to nurture our skin. I have recently fallen in love with the amazing properties of avocado oil, and since my boys can not live without their chocolate oil smell, I knew we needed to add that in for them. From that, a simple oil was born of melted cocoa butter and avocado oil, along with a few drops of lavender essential oil. It is so hydrating for the skin, and the perfect way to seal the pours after a detoxifying scrub.
Detoxifying Scrub
3/4 cup of gluten free vegetable protein
1/4 cup milk powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander
Mix together with a fork or whisk, and store in a cool dry place for up to 2 months.
Hydrating Oil
8 oz organic avocado oil
4 oz cocoa butter
2-4 drops lavender essential oil
Melt together in a double broiler, and bottle when cooled.
This is a very rich and intense oil, perfect for dry or sunned skin.
I am coming to realize that it is important to have a spot that no matter what is happening, is comfortable and relaxing. For me, that spot has become my own bed. I have co-slept with two beautiful souls, breast fed, read, dreamed, loved, dried tears, and been granted a ton of snuggles in my bed, and I feel that it is the most sacred place that I have in my home. For me, it is now a symbol of all that I have become as a mom and a woman, and a place where I can feel free to get lost in myself. My journal, a great book, these are the types of things that I like to curl into my spot with, on a cozy weekend afternoon, and enjoy.
Sitting in my bed, reading a great book, and drinking a pot of tea. That is an afternoon well spent.
I love a great cup of coffee in the morning, there is no denying that. I did not begin to drink coffee until my youngest child was two, but since that time, I have enjoyed it each and every morning. Having said that, there is nothing that I like better than a good cup of tea. My mom was great at introducing tea to me young, and I loved all the varieties of fruits and herbs that were available. Oh how I remember going out to dinner with my parents, as a pretty young girl, and how grown up I felt with my pot of water and wooden tea box at the end of the meal.
Today, I have a blast taking the boys to a fun tea shop, and letting them pick out something really indulgent. Tea time in our house has always been a part of our days, and since we can never go out for pastries or breads, it is nice to create that in our daily lives. Two of my current favorites; Chocolate orange roobios, and apple cinnamon. A friend of mine sent them from a small tea store in New York that she lives around the corner from, and I only ever drink them on special occasions. Hey, some people save special bottles of wine, or brandy. I save tea.
A special blend that the boys and I have been working on is dried mint, orange peel, and a cinnamon stick. So warm and uplifting
With the rain still falling, I (almost reluctantly), dragged myself from my warm spot to go and watch Jacob play his game. Those boys work so darn hard, and after a grueling hour in the harsh weather, my baby was in need of some serious energy. Jake and I have been talking a lot recently about the Green Smoothie Challenge, and some recipes that we might want to try. I think that one of the incredible positives about Jacob having celiac disease, and being faced with some health challenges early, is that he knows how EVERYTHING makes him feel. He knows that when he eats well, when he takes his supplements, when he gets outside and exercises, he feels good. I think that he spent so much time feeling horrible, that he is very attentive to keeping himself in a balanced place.
We stopped off at the natural food store on our way home and picked up some seasonal fruit, as well as some Kale, and headed home to give us both a little bit of energy.
I LOVE cooking with my kids, and I know that is one reason that Jacob going to school is painfully hard for me. Waking up in the mornings, cooking, reading, and just being together has been so amazing. I know that times like these, when he and I are sharing space, making something for the rest of the family to enjoy, that it is going to become sacred time for both of us.
I let Jacob take the reins on our smoothie for the day, and I must say that he did a great job of picking out some yummy ingredients for all of us to enjoy. It was just what we needed
Jacob’s Green Smoothie
2 Tbsp 3-6-9 oil
1 Tbsp flax meal
1 Tbsp probiotic powder
1 Tbsp Spirulina powder
1 Tbsp honey
1 chopped apple, skin on
2 roughly cut bananas
1 box of organic strawberries
1 small bunch of kale
1 cucumber, skin on and chopped
1 mango, chopped
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh mint
The juice of one orange
Place everything into the blender, and liquefy.
Drink immediately and enjoy
And the perfect way to end a simple but wonderful day? Movie night
Friends of ours from Denver came up to stay last night, and brought a copy of the movie Earth for the kids to watch. After some thought, we decided that we all wanted to see it, and we popped some popcorn and got ready to head downstairs (our only TV is in our basement, which is SO nice). As only my Jake could do, he went outside to the garage and came back with individual Chinese take out containers that he knew I had from a party last summer.
Having kids has taught me something that I think I had forgotten; that life is supposed to be pretty and fun, and even something as simple as popcorn should be eaten in a beautiful container.
Indulgence has become such a bad word in our society, and yet, indulging in time to take care of ourselves, time to read and find comfort, time to spend with our amazing children, is what makes us whole. It is what makes us wake up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to fight hard for our kids safety, security and well being. Fight hard for our work, for our marriage, and for our community. Indulgence is essential, and it is a way for us to take some time away and say that we are worth doing something nice for as well. “Me” time can be hard to come by, but when it comes, it is always transforming.
Happy Sunday everyone
