Lavender and Chamomile - My Miracle Remedy

I know it's been a minute since my last post ..................... a  long while. Well let's say a lot has happened in the past couple of months........ My son is now the BIG "2" (terrific two, I refuse to adhere to the "terrible two" term) and now we have another one on the way. Let's say it has not been an easy adjustment. Trying to cater to a two year old and nurturing a growing pregnancy. I know it's by God's grace. With having a toddler, one would think well it gets easier and better; I guess it should but for me it's been a ride. I am still working hard to put him on a schedule and get a routine going for him (I know.. I know.... that should have been established a while back). I am working on it and I think I'm almost there. The one battle I have had has been putting him on a sleep schedule. My son is not a great sleeper. All he needs is couple of hours and then he is energized like a bunny all over again. My husband's diagnosis is due partly to my genetic make-up (his claims are based on my family not being great sleepers run in my family; we can take a nap and get going for hours) but for a two year old, this has been of great concern to me because getting enough sleep is essential for the growing process and also most likely will calm some of the tantrums I experience due to not getting enough rest. So after much research and googling (if that's a word), I decided to opt for a more natural way to routinely get him to sleep.

First off, I start with a nice lavender bath (The Body Shop Divine Calm Relaxing Body wash), then I follow up with a gentle massage with a Lavender body oil  bought from Whole Foods (will provide the name later), then I follow up with a nice Chamomile tea (Organic Chamomile from Trader Joes) mixed into his nightly milk or hot chocolate and Voila!!! These ingredients provide a calming event and he is out for the night. I tried this routine remedy last night and he was out for a good 10 hours and now tonight, he is out again. Fingers crossed.... I am still experimenting for a week on this remedy and hoping I have found my miracle remedy. Don't get me wrong, the lavender bath wash and oil can be for as long as possible but I don't intend on doing the Chamomile for long just enough to get him in a good sleep schedule.




Disclaimer:
Please do more research before you try this process especially the Chamomile. Not sure of it's use on babies, but kids with sensitivity to ragweed might develop a rash after drinking Chamomile. If you notice a rash, stop giving the tea.

Stumbles towards Purpose

 I know its been a minute......... maybe some months since I last blogged. Let's say Life Happens. In my last article, I talked about setting goals and working towards them. That's exactly what I have been working on and I can say I am very proud of myself because I see many of the goals coming forth to fruition. Lately, I have been getting a lot of emails from some of my readers asking why they can't seem to be moving forward in their plans and why they are stuck in a rut. I believe first and foremost, we as individuals have to understand what our purpose in life is and when there is a realization of that; then comes appropriate goal setting to achieving our goals.  After responding to several of the emails, I figured why not post an article that I read from an author and life coach titled "Why You May Be Struggling."  This article I believe will creating an understanding as to if i am on the right track in life.

(Reblogging from SPARKLESWITCH.com)

Why You May Be Struggling

When you take a fish out of the water and place it on the ground, notice how the fish will keep flip-flopping, trying to move. It would take the fish a very difficult time and struggle to move within the space because it is not designed to move on the ground but in the water.

Take that same fish that has been struggling to move on the ground and put it back in the water, it will surprise you how it can, with speed, great skill, agility and very high performance, cut through the water, moving freely in it. The difference is that the fish, when put in the water, is in its natural terrain and destined path. Its purpose is to move in the water and operate within it, and it has been equipped or designed to do that with much ease. But on the ground, it will be a life of struggles.

While the fish stays out of the water, no matter how much it prays for easy movement and to succeed on the ground, it will never happen because it is living in violation of its purpose and destiny.  At most, the fish will only get little grace from its Maker through showers of rain that dry up while the fish is still on the ground, until the fish understands it will only be successful in the element it was designed for.

Many are living in violation of their purpose and expect God to do great mighty things in their lives when they make request for progress. Just as the fish will only be helped by grace through its Maker, people asking for God’s help to make progress while in violation of purpose or destiny will only get little, little help by God’s grace until they come into their purpose and destiny.

Most people struggle in life because they are not on their track or have derailed from their destiny. Many have stepped out of their purpose for being on earth.  You could call it stepping out of destiny. Your talents, gifts, potentials, and abilities are all you came with to fulfill purpose on earth.  Once you neglect them and do something else, it may mean signing up for struggles.

You just have to make a conscious determined effort to live a purpose driven life!
 

Do you know your Life’s Purpose?

Are you sure what you are doing now or the kind of job you do is within your life’s purpose? 

(Emmanuel Obu)

(for more life changing information, visit www.sparkleswitch.com)

27, 26, 25.....(And the countdown begins)

I really want to thank my readers for their patience. I was having technical difficulties that have now been resolved. By the way HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!!!! Can you believe it? 2013 is slowly coming to an end. As we count down to the end of the year, I want to encourage every reader that just because the year is coming to an end and you still have not achieved your goals or fulfilled your dreams; it does not make you a failure.

Although we have 27 days left in the year, it is important to take this time to do a self-check on the reasons why you were not able to follow through with your plans. Below is a list to think about or ask yourself while you make adjustments during your self-check.

1. Were your goals really realistic? If not adjust them. It's okay to tweak it. For example, if your goals were to lose weight, instead of having a huge pound goal in mind, start with small goals and pace yourself to attain it. Also it is good idea to attach a  reward system to each goal that is attained as a form of encouragement. 

2.  What were your distractions or hindrances? Find out what exactly it is that seems to cut into your time. If  there are circumstances beyond your control, then try to see how you can work around it but if it is something you can control then it is time to break yourself loose from those things. You know you can definitely forfeit some of those reality TV shows; better still record them on DVR to watch during one of your free times and pry yourself away from Candy Crush.

3. One of husband's favorite sayings " Don't defer tomorrow, what today can accomplish." I know you all know where I am going with this...... PROCRASTINATION (our greatest enemy to accomplishing our goal or to some it is known as "Opportunity's natural assassin). This is indeed a mind thing.  At times our minds tends to foresee the more difficult aspect or work associated with accomplishing a goal and this is when procrastination sets in because we see the workload as being difficult and then we defer it. To overcome this little demon as I call it, in the words of NIKE "Just do it" (swoosh). Yes just get the goal started and then your brain will see the completion of the task rather than the difficulty.

4. Information is key but most times we overwhelm ourselves with a mother-load of information (reading eBooks, attending webinars, seminars, mentoring programs). I am not insinuating that there is anything wrong with it but it is important to narrow it down so that you don't find yourself spending more time on planning rather than attaining those goals.

5. Are your goals created in the moment i.e. out of a situation, event, emotions? Be very aware of the moments that lead you to set certain goals because when the wave passes by, you end up not achieving those goals. Make sure you set your goals with a clear head.

6. I remember being told that a "wise person learns from the mistakes of others."  It's okay to share your goal with a trustworthy person, someone who knows what the hurdles are like in achieving the dream or goal. One who is able to direct your step. One who knows you very well that can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and is willing to go all the way. If you want to accomplish a degree, an academic counselor should have information you need on a particular major or degree, if you want to change your eating lifestyle a nutritionist can provide you with resources or if you need to get your body in shape, working with a personal trainer can put you on the right track.

7. Make sure your goals are set based on your priorities. Set it based on what will enhance the quality of your life. If you want to get a degree, work towards going back to school. 

Apologies

Due to technical difficulties, I apologize for the brief hiatus on my blog page and will resume shortly. Thank you for your patience

Sleep Training Fail

It's approximately 9:30pm and I am sitting here with my glass of water in tow waiting for the next episode of "Scandal" to air (my guilty pleasure). Right next to me is my little ace....did I mention I have a 13month old? I know right!!! What is he doing up? He should be asleep. Well I must confess, I am a failure at sleep training.  I have long been in denial and chucking up my inability to train my little munchkin to sleep with the excuse of inheriting my family genes (I have a long history of relatives including me that tend to keep late hours for no reason). I have tried every method in the book -cry it out, no tears, fill him up with food e.t.c. ...... name it and chances are I have tried them all. Nothing worse that watching your little toddler cry it out and you have to completely ignore him while consoling at intervals. I remember sitting in the corner and crying myself out too. What in the world was Ferber thinking? I know a lot of moms that have successfully applied that method but it is definitely not for the faint of heart. Maybe another reason could be because I am a SAHM and I feel like we can go to sleep and wake up whenever we can. Yeah I know...... it's probably going to come back and bite me in the you know where. I have been told "it's okay he will learn it by himself".  I am still a work in progress. I need help........ I am definitely open to whatever works (except the "cry it out" method of course)

"so hard to watch this cutie patootie cry it out"

Tear Jerker of the Day

I stumbled upon this video and boy!! did it bring tears to my eyes. It brought back my memories of being a second grade teacher in an inner city school. I had my fair share of  "troublesome" kids but I still loved them like my own anyway.  This video resonates the same reasons some of the kids would give whenever I questioned them on why they always got into trouble.

What are your thoughts?

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Mommy Mind Detox

So I just got off a five day detox to get my life back in order and kick off a brand new way of eating..... (5 days on the Juice diet ...talk about "Brutal") It eventually paid off though. Lost as much as 14lbs (Disclaimer: I am in no way endorsing a juice diet as a way to lose weight) but I felt like a mother-load left me. I felt rejuvenated, felt so alive because i evacuated the gunk out of my system; then I figured why not detox my mind mentally!!.....hmm why not start a blog to let off some mommy steam.

So a brief description into my world. I am a mom to an adorable 13month old son, a wife to a TDH (tall, dark and handsome) hubba!! hubba!! husband and an owner of a 2 year old feisty Bichon Frise. Also a former educator who is coming along to understand that kids don't come the way you pray for them to be all the time. They indeed have their own personalities, you have to mold a major part of their life and then guide them through what the Lord sends them down to you with. The journey of mother hood has indeed been a ride. It is a journey that has had its ups and downs... I have lost my mind and gained it back. I now understand that being a good parent is understanding that you can never be perfect all the time and what the book says about parenting is far from fetched from reality. I welcome you all to my wonderful life. 

a moment is the answer to all of lifes mysteries!