Five 5-Minute Breaks to Refresh Your Spirit

Life is super busy for most of us.  Between work, errands, housework, appointments, and your to-do list, there is not much time to just chill.  As  a Mom of five, I am learning how important it is to take five minutes out here and there to refresh my spirit.  When I get too frazzled and irritable (voice hoarse from yelling at kids or spouse), I put myself in time-out and take time just for me.  Here are five of my favorite ways to find peace.

1.  Give myself a mini massage.  I sit in my easy chair, massage a little olive oil (almond or avocado oil also work) mixed with a few drops of lavender oil into my shoulders and neck.  Then I gently stretch my neck to each side and then forwards.  The tension melts and I instantly feel more relaxed. You could also use chamomile, vanilla or other scent of your choice.

2.  Take a short walk outside and look at nature and think of nothing at all (or count my blessings), being sure to take deep breaths.  Bering in nature is an instant stress buster.

3.  Stretch my tired and sore muscles from head to toe.  I breathe deeply and hold each stretch for about thirty seconds.  This is a great way to let go of tension.  One of my favorites is the cat stretch (a yoga pose) that is very soothing to sore backs.

4.  Sit down in my easy chair and sip slowly either a cup of herbal tea or a glass of cold water with lemon or cucumber slices.  I think of nothing at all and I instantly feel calmer and more refreshed.

5,  Think of everything I have to be grateful for (from my amazing kids) to the puffy clouds and write them down.  This shifts my perspective, brightens my mood and makes me feel happier.

The next time you are feeling overwhelmed or frazzled,  I highly recommend giving yourself a time-out.  You will walk away feeling more calm, peaceful and rejuvenated.

What would you add to the list?  Write and let me know your favorite ways to unwind and de-stress.

 

None of us will…

None of us will every accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Migraines have been a part of my life for 27 years. My ongoing quest is to reduce stress, exercise and take supplements so I get less migraines.  I recently added in a new supplement into my prevention mix.  This supplement called Migralief contains three ingredients, two of which I am already taking.  That meant when I took this new supplement I stopped taking the other two I knew worked for me.  A little voice inside me feared this may not be the best thing to do.  For years I have been taking a powdered magnesium supplement that I mix with hot water.  It is proven to get into the bloodstream fast and be absorbed better by the body.  I know it works for me and I trust it, really trust it.

So, why did I give it up for this new product?  The reviews on Amazon were exceptional.  Some users claimed they only get one migraine a month. Some haven’t gotten any in six months since taking this product.  The thought of having far less migraines was appealing to me and quite motivating.

The problem is I have been getting more migraines since I started taking this new product a few weeks ago.  The bottle said that you have to give the product a couple of weeks to start working until you reap the full benefits. A few times in the past weeks there was a voice inside me that said to stop and go back to what I know works.  I didn’t listen to the voice.  I thought, if only I give it longer, it will really make my life remarkable.  Just hold on a few more days.

Today, after suffering with an especially brutal migraine yesterday, I listened to the still, small voice within me.  I stopped taking Migralief.  It felt really powerful to take the magnesium supplement I know works for me.  In fact, I am sipping it as I write this post.  I highly recommend tuning in to your still, small voice, and doing what it tells you.  You will feel so much doing what is right for you.

Today’s Happy List

When my younger sister and I were apartment mates at the University of Florida (Go Gators), she got into quite a funk one evening.  I don’t remember what was the source of her blues, but I do remember what helped lift her spirits.  I took an ordinary piece of paper and wrote a list of 100 things for her to be happy about.  I used markers to make it colorful and I am sure I doodled some happy faces and flowers and hearts on it.  I wrote down happy memories for her as well as listing her favorite foods, activities, things and people who make her smile.  My prescription worked.  She was smiling and laughing before the clock struck midnight.  The same year I made a list for myself when I was feeling especially blue  I made my list on happy purple paper and I looked at it over and over and over again until my smile returned.

Fast forward 22 years.  College is a distant memory.  Days are busy with potty training, refereeing five kids, cooking, cleaning up messes, driving kids here and there.  I think I might lose my mind if I didn’t stop to do one thing every evening.  I write a list of five things I am grateful for and I instantly feel better.  Here is my list for today:

1.  A lovely cup of tea sipped slowly while I took a rest break from the little kids.  I took slow breaths between each sip and savored the peace.

2. Happy music on Pandora.  Today we are listening to the Raffi station while I do paperwork and the kids play in the playroom behind me.  Kids’ music was never this cool when I was a kid.  It’s making all of us happy.

3.  Singing fun songs to my two little ones as we walk to the potty, the playroom, or to the mailbox.  They ordinarily don’t want to go where I want them to when I want them to.  Singing silly songs is working (for today at least) and that makes Mommy happy!

4.  A challenge I found on the Internet today.  You’ll never guess the focus?   Happiness.  Here is the link in case you want to sign up.  http://100happydays.com/

5.  I ate a peaceful lunch sitting down at a table.  It sure beats what I normally do–eat standing up while clearing off table or eat in the car while picking kids up at school.  Slowing down and being mindful makes me happy.

 

So, now it’s your turn.  What are five things you are happy about today?

Is it really possible to potty train two kids in three days?

When my two little ones are potty trained I am going to throw an enormous party and invite everyone I know.   I am fed up with poop.  I have scrubbed it out of carpet, the walls, sheets, and I shouldn’t admit this, but my four-year-old’s hair.  He has Down syndrome and sometimes sticks his hands in his pull-up late at night and then finger paints anything he can get his hands on.  Thankfully, his poop parties are becoming fewer and farther apart these days.

Over Easter vacation, I really stepped up my potty training efforts.  I bought a book claiming I could potty train my child in three days.  With advice from the book plus strategies designed by his behavior therapist, I was determined to potty train Michael (age 4 1/2) and his younger sister (2 1/2).  I took the whole week off during Easter vacation and locked myself in the house. My inlaws were there to take care of my older kids.  I focused on nothing but taking the kids to the potty every 20 minutes, and checking their pants every 10 minutes to make sure they were dry.  I gave lots of high-fives, hugs, cheers, and M & Ms.  I ate a whole bunch too but a Mom’s got to get some payment out of this, right?

There were lots of pee accidents but I was coached not to make a big deal out of it and to stay calm.  After five days my son and daughter were going to the potty every time I took them with few accidents.  I also kept them in underpants all day, which was really helpful in getting them to feel the pee.

I will say that the program worked while I could devote myself to it full-time.  However, life got in the way.  The older kids went back to school and their driver (me) went back to work.   Michael returned to preschool and his teacher insisted he wear a pull-up.  My inlaws went home and I had to go back to doing all the housework and cooking.  The pee and poop accidents became more frequent.  And I am again lamenting about the high costs of pull-ups and the necessity of once again stepping up my potty training efforts.  I have incredibly high hopes for this summer.  This will be the time that I do really get them both potty trained.  It’s the perfect time for a party! Do you have any potty training tips to share?  Give a really good one and I may add you to the guest list.

Why I took my kids berry picking. Even with a migraine.

I want my kids to have really good memories of childhood.  And one of my very first memories ever is of picking raspberries in my own backyard.  My younger sister and I would eat them right off the bush and get messy fingers and red mustaches.  It was a simple pleasure that I treasure.  Even now, forty years later, I can’t eat a raspberry without remembering those simple, carefree days.

I drive forty minutes to my kids’ school every morning and we pass by this berry farm with a sign that reads “U-Pick Thornless Berries.”  Every time I see the sign I think that would be wonderful to do with the kids but then there is never time.  Last weekend I decided to go there and give the kids an adventure.  We arrived a half-hour before closing and there were no berries left.  This morning, even with a migraine,  I dragged the kids out of bed early and I was determined to make it happen.  Berry season is almost over and I really want to give my kids this memory. We got to the berry farm at 9:00 a.m. and there were plenty of berries ripe for picking.

The owner and her grandson were handing out plastic buckets, and they showed us the blackberry fields and also pointed out the blueberry fields.  There were lots of ordinary folks, couples, families with young kids, and seniors all out picking berries.  We headed to the blackberry fields first as my 10-year-old Katie is crazy about them.  It was actually fun hunting for ripe ones and you felt like you found a treasure when finding one.  At first I kept my two little ones locked up in a stroller but I didn’t want them to miss out on the fun. I freed them and they had a ball.  They ate way more berries than they actually put in the basket but they loved it. (I must confess I even stole a berry or two.)   An added bonus was that I got exercise in, both squatting to pick berries and chasing the little ones down the rows and rows of berries.  I was actually sweating, which considering we live in Florida, isn’t all that remarkable.

When we got done hunting berries, the owner weighed them and charged us $4 a pound.  We ended up spending $20 and I think that was money well spent.  The owner even threw in a slice of watermelon for each of us on the house. I like that we now have faces to put with the sign we see every day on the way to school.   I have always been someone that loves to buy from “Mom and Pop” local places and this experience was definitely one that I will repeat.

Riding out the Storm in Mom’s Arms

My four-year-old son has Down syndrome.  He is especially frightened by loud noises, and often puts his fingers in his ears to show how uncomfortable he is.  A few minutes after I tucked him into bed a particularly loud and scary thunderstorm struck.  He started whimpering and crying.  My first reaction was to be upset.  I had been counting the minutes until I could climb into my recliner and just chill out watching a movie, alone, with no kids.  But the Mommy in me couldn’t let him cry this one out.  I came to his room and scooped into my arms and we chilled together in Mommy’s cozy recliner.  It was nice, really nice, being his shelter from the storm.  We snuggled and watched bedtime stories on Youtube.  Sometime during the second one, both of us drifted to sleep.  It was wonderful to take a nap with my son and just enjoy the warmth of him.  When I woke up, the thunderstorm had passed and all was safe and calm.  I put him into bed and he is now happily dreaming of trucks and cars and things that go.

A Berry Good Time

My oldest child fell in love with the berry farm. Good thing it is just 10 minutes from our house!

Up Close With Berries

My middle son studying the berries to find just the right one!

Berry Buckets

My oldest son picked more berries than any of us.

Stealing a Berry

Blackberries are too good not to eat. My youngest couldn’t resist stealing one.