an hour of sanity

Once a week, I head to the library for Lulu's storytime.  She's old enough now to go into class by herself, which leaves an hour for me-time.  Except this year, I'm choosing to spend it with a group of moms.  We sit at a table together.  Some of us knit, some of us talk, some of us just listen.  We share stories and plan crafts. We problem solve.  It's the fastest hour of my life, and sometimes it's a lifesaver.

Today I went into storytime at the end of my rope with Lulu.  I was grumpy, frustrated, and just wanted to go back to bed.  But the simple act of sitting together and being with other moms lifted me up.  At the end of the hour, when Lu ran out and hugged me, I was refreshed and ready to go back home and not kill her.  So I'm counting that as a win!

Eternally grateful for the network of mamas that lift me up when I need it. 

*cough cough cough* remedy

My neighbor made this for me last year (yes, I have awesome neighbors who drop off hippie remedies and kombucha!) when I was dealing with my first ever cough and some major rib pain.  I took a teaspoon of it and I swear I was singing its praises!  It really gives you a little kick but is still sweet and not too offensive.  It clears out your sinuses and allows to you breathe. I made up a batch and stuck it in my fridge so it's ready for when any of the troops get sick.  I'm imagining that it will keep for a while, but I don't concern myself too much with things like shelf-lives, so don't take my word on it. 

*cough cough cough I feel like poo* remedy

4 tablespoons of Bragg's apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons of water

4 tablespoons of local (or raw, or whatever) honey

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground ginger

You can take a teaspoon, or a tablespoon, or whatever feels right for you.  Give it to the little ones, give it to the big ones.  With each use, give it a good shape.  It won't be thick and syrupy...it will be more liquidy.  That's OK!  It's yet another cool trick to have up your sleeve when you or a loved one feels like complete pooballs.

earthy crunchy fire cider recipe

I posted about my fire cider making day on Instagram, and there was some interest in the recipe.  Fire cider is a all-natural, antimicrobial, homeopathic health tonic used as a preventative or as a way to fight off a sickness that has already taken hold.  It's base is apple cider vinegar, which in itself is a powerhouse.  The ingredients, when combined, support digestive health and boost immunity.  A shot of this cider will put hair on your chest and kick that cold to the curb without having to run to the drugstore! 

I used the following recipe, which is an amalgamation of lots of recipes that I culled from Pinterest.  Feel free to add or subtract ingredients to your liking.  There really is no right or wrong when it comes to fire cider. 

::Earthy Crunchy Fire Cider (that will knock your socks off)::

*1 quart of Organic apple cider vinegar (we used Bragg's)

*the zest of one orange

*1/2 cup horseradish root, grated

*about 10 fresh, organic rosemary sprigs

*1/8 cup of garlic, chopped

*1/2 cup of onion, chopped

*1/2 cup of ginger, grated

*1 tsp of cayenne pepper

*2 tablespoons of raw honey

This recipe actually made two jars worth of fire cider for us.  You may need a bit more apple cider vinegar.  We just divided all the other ingredients evenly between two of the bigger sized mason jars, and then topped them both off with ACV.  Just make sure your ingredients are completely covered.

It is recommended that you let this brew steep, preferably for 8 weeks but for the minimum of 4.  So it's a great idea to get this prepped now before cold and flu season hits.  After 4-8 weeks, strain mixture through a fine cheesecloth into a clean jar.  When you feel like poo, take a shot of this concoction and you'll have those germs running for the fences!

Enjoy! 

being me, bravely

I'm part of a local moms' group that meets every other week in town.  It's one of those things that I was initially pretty resistant to sign up for---another commitment, something to show up for and something that would require me to be present and real for.  Would I sign up and then not want to go because I felt like I had to?  What if I just wanted to go to yoga class and lie in savasana instead?  What if I just wanted to curl up with a book for an hour while Lulu was at school and feel resentful that I had to go socialize?

 

Despite my reservations, I signed up.  At the first meeting, we were informed that the theme for the year is "Be You, Bravely."  At first it didn't speak to me.  I wasn't getting the message.  What did I have to be brave about?  Then I attended my second meeting, and after hearing a very powerful speaker offer us her story of bravery, the whole message really got driven home. 

 

These past few months for me have been huge on the bravery front.  I had to be brave to have a C-section alone, with no support, on Christmas Day while my family was tucked into their beds.  I had to be brave to go to the doctor and pursue treatment and surgery in May.  I hate going to the doctor and never go.  I'm that person who doesn't know who their PCP is.  I didn't want to go at all.  But I knew something was wrong and I knew that my old ways of ignoring things and pretending that everything was fine wasn't going to work anymore.  I've had to be brave tackling the state of my postpartum body.  After I attended Squam (where I had a humbling experience where I couldn't hike up a mountain with my friends due to my huffing and puffing), I decided to completely change the way I look at my body.  I started going to yoga regularly, began working out, and totally revamped the way I look at food.  It feels brave to admit this in this public forum.  Brave to admit that I wasn't happy with the way my body was feeling and looking.  Brave to admit that I'm trying to change it, because change is slow, and hard.  It hasn't been easy.  Finally, brave for me was standing up in front of almost two hundred people at my friends' wedding this past weekend, and speaking into a microphone, and officiating their marriage.  I always told myself that my social anxiety prevented me from doing things like that.   Being brave this week meant going back to the dreaded doctor for some more answers to lingering health questions. 

 

Being brave is in the little things.  Waking up with a smile, making the same lunches again for the millionth time, wiping another butt without complaining, taking the dog out when it's freezing.  It's the little things that have the power to bring us to our knees, especially as moms.  Being brave is admitting that you need help, that you want to change, that you wish some things would always be the same.  Being brave is taking time for yourself and taking an extra minute for one more deep breath. 

 

 I am committing to bravery for the rest of 2014, and into 2015.  What sorts of things are you being brave about?