Where Can I Get Me Some Of That?

Ahhhh, who needs cocaine, steroids, or Methylenedioxymethamphetamine? I've found something WAY better than any of those nasty things. It's a very nice drug called SUNSHINE!!!

Woohoo, the sun is here. And I feel as if I've been given some kind of miracle pill that gives me super human energy. Or, it would be super human if you were to consider my rainy day laziness as normal human behavior. For the past 2 days I've been cooking, I've been cleaning, I've been putting on makeup... and I have just woken up to the most brilliant morning sunshine I've seen all year. Oh yeah, things are gonna be good today!

AND, starting tomorrow around 11:30am, I get my slaves back. Oh wait, I meant to say: my two oldest children will be done with school and we can spend lots of time together. If the sun will stick around we can actually get this party started that I like to call summer. We have a whole posterboard covered with summer activities and goals that we need to get goin' on (and I just found this addicting site full of awesome activities to do with kids), and there is this little business of bringing another human being into the world that needs to get taken care of, too.

I keep getting asked to post a preggo photo of myself and I've finally decided to acquiesce. Happy now? I should have taken a picture of my feet too. Last night Mr. Hot was rubbing my feet and was shocked at how tight my skin was, I was shocked that he wasn't shocked about the fact that my ankles were triple in size (shows how often he rubs my feet). Just 11 more days till I go on a major drinking binge of castor oil. =)

I was browsing through some of my much earlier blog posts looking for a recipe and it amazed me how much wittier and better written those old posts were, you know, back when I had "full" use of my brain. Will I ever get those brain cells back? *Sigh,* only time will tell.

HAPPY MONDAY!

Sunblock

Stop And Smell The Sunshine

Can you smell sunshine? I can and it always makes me smile. At this time of year, though, it is very rare that the sun comes out long enough for me to get a nose full of joy. Because of this I have had to look for sunshine in a bottle to help me through all the rain. No, I'm not talking about pills, I'm talking about smells, or aromatherapy if you will.

If you are someone who puts aromatherapy in the roll your eyes 'cause it's all hooha category just think about this: Have you ever caught a smell that suddenly made you think of a memory? Does the smell of something baking in the oven make you feel warm? Does perfume make you feel prettier when you wear it? If so then you are witnessing the power of aromatherapy. Our brains have the wonderful ability to pair our senses with our emotions. I still get a giddy joy out of smelling burnt food on a stove burner because it reminds me of the smell in my grandma's old kitchen.

A tricky part of aromatherapy is getting the right scent for you and your needs. I found that if I'm looking for actual therapy I have to ignore the scents I usually prefer and seek out the ones I need. I've also learned that while one scent can make me feel good it can cause an unwanted reaction in others. Here are a few of my past experiences with trying to get it just right:

Last year, or was it two years ago, Bath and Body Works came out with an aromatherapy line of fragrances. There was one for sleep, energy, sensuality, and something else that I don't remember. I LOVE, and still love, the sensuality fragrance, Jasmine Vanilla, but it doesn't really make me want to put on jogging shoes or do the dishes. The energy fragrance was great. It was Orange Ginger, I believe, and it really made me perk up and want to be active. The big downside was that anytime I wore it people would ask me if I'd been cleaning because it smelled like all those orange cleaners that are on the market. I'm sorry, but as much as I wanted to feel energized I HATED knowing I smelled like mop water, or wood polish.

I also learned not to just use smells I like. I really like scented candles, especially ones that smell like food (hazelnut, apple pie, gingerbread, vanilla) but they did a lot of damage. When I smell food I instantly want to snuggle under a blanket with a good book and not move at all. Yeah, not a good thing when you are trying to avoid depression tendencies.

So, a couple months ago I was finally able to get a lot of kid free time, I was lucky enough to be out with my very helpful and honest sister, and I went to The Body Shop with a mission: To get me some sunshine in a bottle. I knew I needed something citrusy but that didn't smell like orange. And I think I finally found something that will work for me and everyone else that has to smell me. I bought myself some ginger shower gel and then some papaya lotion to top it off with. I think, if I could do it over, I might have reversed that. The papaya is stronger smelling and the fragrance might last longer after the shower than the ginger does, but I think I will remedy this by going back and buying some ginger body spray to add more when needed. This has made my mornings so much better as I feel like I'm getting a dose of sunshine before I even have a chance to look out the window and be saddened by more rain.

Other areas that I'm going to be smell changing are:

1. My cleaners and detergents. Orange scented cleaners are GREAT for making you feel energized as you clean. I have to avoid flowery smells at this time(they make me feel like day dreaming) and that can be hard to do with detergents. Any suggestions?

2. My cooking. Working with fresh herbs, citrus fruits, and using less butter have greatly enhanced the energy level of the smell in my kitchen. For some reason the smell of warm butter makes me want to stop, slow down, snuggle, and eat... lots. If I can avoid it and use salt or herbs for flavor I find that I can smell my vegetables better and I get more of an out-in-the-garden feeling.

3. Candles and air fresheners. Again I have to avoid flowers and food smells and find things with more snap or citrus. Often these scents don't appeal to me when I sniff them at the store, but I need to remember that it isn't about what I'm comfortable with, but what it makes me want to do.

Now, I am a total newbie to aromatherapy. I've taken no classes and I don't have the time to smell my way through all the essential oils out there, so I'm asking all of you: Do you have any other energizing smells you can recommend?

Sunshine and Joy

Only one more week till the Dirty Chocolate Giveaway deadline. Of course, if no one enters that means I get to eat all the chocolate myself. Hmmm, on second thought, don't enter =)

I'm sure at least a few of you have noticed that I've been in a kind of continually up and down funk this winter. This seems to be a wintertime standard for me. I had all these great plans for preventing it this year with a theme on sunshine. But then fall was so sunny and lovely that I let my guard down and before I new it I was in such a funk that I didn't even care about my lofty plans to create sunshine. However, the past few days the sun has come out and I can feel the difference. It is like liquid energy is being absorbed by my skin. I suddenly want to get dressed and take the kids to the park. I want to call old friends and reconnect with humanity. It is a lovely feeling. Now I'm really wishing I had kept up my intended sunshine theme through the winter. I think it would have done me a lot of good. But, there are still a number of weeks before spring is fully upon us so I think I will take up the sunshine theme until then, just in case.

Here is a lovely talk about happiness that I really needed to hear:

Finding Joy
Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

One of the most popular courses taught at Harvard University is a class called “Positive Psychology.” In essence, the professor teaches how to find joy in living. One semester more than 800 students enrolled. What does it say about our society that we must teach “finding joy” at the highest levels of academia?

Many myths and misconceptions swirl about how and where to find joy. For so many, it is elusive. Some think that joy comes from money or material possessions, so they conclude that adding more of them will surely bring increased joy. Or we may think we can only have joy if our relationships are always stable and our careers are always successful.

But real joy does not depend on our social status or our bank account, and it can even be found in times of turmoil and disappointment. Joy springs from our attitude and outlook. It comes from simple gestures, like making time for family members or friends, clearing up a misunderstanding, expressing gratitude for the efforts of others, celebrating their successes, or taking time to listen to their worries. (Notice how all these have to do with doing things for others? Looking beyond ourselves? A friend, who is clinically depressed, once told me that depression is a very selfish disease and I think she is right. Sorry, just had to interject there.)

This kind of joy is available not only during times of peace, when all is going well, but also when we face challenges, heartache, or pain. In fact, that’s when joy does its greatest service—it brings balance and peace to the harshness and stresses of everyday living. It lifts our sights and settles our souls.

Ask yourself where you find joy, and then diligently look for it there. If, at the end of the day, we remember and prize each moment of real joy, we will learn for ourselves the truth of what the Psalmist promised: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

-Tomorrow I will tell you about where I went to find joy and where I will be going to find it in the next few days and in the next few years.

Can you smell a sunrise? It smells dewey and fresh, like wet laundry when you first hang it on the line to dry. Can you taste a sunrise? It tastes cold and bright, like sparkling snow with a splash of lemonade. Can you feel a sunrise? It feels young and reassuring, like a child taking your hand.

My goal this winter is to create my own sunshine despite the wet Seattle weather and this month I am focusing on creating beautiful sunrises for myself every day. So, how can I manage to create the same feelings I mention above?

Smell: I have been using my great smelling lotions that I normally save for special occasions. It brings a smile to my face as I smell the lovely scents. I have also been using my big vanilla candle that, again, I used to save for when we had company over. Why did I never use these things before? I am special and every day is special and both deserve to smell great.

Taste: I have been buying more citrus and am loving the difference it makes in my day. By simply adding a squirt of lemon or lime to my food I greatly enhance the pleasure I get from it. I also love the bright colors they make in my kitchen.

Feel: I am trying to be more physically affectionate with my children. The power of touch is an amazing thing. It is very difficult to feel lonely, useless, or cold, when hugging a vibrant, loving child. I have never been a "touchy-feely" kind of person but I'm slowly being converted by my awesome children.

What other things could I do in order to Smell, Taste, and Feel the sunrise on a daily basis?

Good Morning Sunshine

I am off and literally running to my co-op class this morning. Until I can get back and blog about some cool homeschooling things I thought I would leave you with this lovely painting by Michael Sanders. This goes with my whole Sunrise theme. I love this painting because of the way he shows sunlight. I would swear that if I were to touch the wall of that building I would feel the warmth of the sun on it. I also love the stark contrast made by the shadow of an unseen banner or hanging sign and the arch of the doorway. It is amazing how instantly dark things become when they are denied the light of the sun.

Sunrise

“What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?”
E. M. Forster
“There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope."
Bern Williams If you live in Seattle, or near it, then you know what will be happening for the next 5-6 months. RAIN. Along with that rain comes a lot of depressed people. Now, when I first moved here I thought that all these depressed people were rather funny and I would just roll my eyes and think, "You all just need to get off your butts and get over it." I no longer laugh so easily at "those depressed people" now because last year I became one of them. Last winter was almost a record breaking rainy winter and I gotta tell ya, it did a number on me. I will never forget my first experience with deep depression. I was driving along in my car, it was raining and the sky was a very soul sucking gray, and for some reason my brain wasn't functioning. I could not manage to make a very simple and often used exit on the freeway (by this I mean I got lost 5 times and ended up taking over an hour for a little 15 minute trip). Suddenly I felt very small and I knew that I had to give up on my very important errands and just go home and get in bed, and never get out of it. I felt like I was being swallowed in quicksand and wanted it to swallow me whole. Luckily a flicker of thought was able to escape the mire and I was able to tell myself, "Liz, I think your are feeling depression." Having never felt this before I was curious and decided to observe myself. My back was hunched over, my eyelids were lax, my hands were cold and so were my feet and the sides of my torso. I could feel the color grey throughout my whole body. I would have sworn that, had you cut me open, my blood would have oozed in a greyish rotting mass. It was rather scary and extremely unpleasant. Once I felt I had quenched my curiosity I went into survival mode and delved into those dusty file cabinets in the back of my brain. What is it that I'm always saying that depressed people should do to get out of their depression?

1. Move, get your blood pumping. I turned the radio on to the oldies station , turned up the volume and started singing loudly and dancing in my seat (car dancing, it's an art).

2. Force yourself to do what you are supposed to do. I had actually turned my car towards home so I turned myself around again and made myself finish my very important errands.

3. Get around other people. While doing my errands I chatted with every salesperson I met instead of just rushing out with barely a "Thank you."

It worked! I was able to get myself back to normal, or what is normal for me anyway, and I was very grateful for that. The rest of the winter, though, I was doing battle with the greyness. I could tell you some of the horror stories of things I found myself doing but I will spare myself the humiliation. Needless to say, I had joined the ranks of the Seasonally Depressed in Seattle. Now, Autumn is here and while that means lovely colored trees and holiday excitement it also means, for me, the coming of the grey. Last year I was caught off guard, but this year I hope to be ready for it. One of the things I've realized is that I CAN NOT DEPEND ON THE SUN FOR MY HAPPINESS. When I lived in Idaho it was all fine and well to take a day off from life on a rainy day and stay curled up at home; but, when rainy days are everyday... well it's just not gonna work like that. So, this year I have decided to give myself a theme to work on to keep me out of the grey.

MAKE MY OWN SUNSHINE

I will be focusing on finding ways to create sunshine, and all that it represents to me, in my home and in my personal being. This week I thought I would kick it off with a sub theme of SUNRISE: Starting the day off right. Right now it is grey and rainy and I want sooo badly to stay in my sweats after my morning walk, but I am going to go take a shower and put on something bright and sunny and wear earrings or a necklace for some extra brightness.

And now, because I just found out how to add video to my blog, here is a little bit of sunshine to start your morning off right:

Please pardon Sweet Terror's PB&J face, I just didn't want to loose the moment just for the sake of a clean kisser.

Monday, Monday, Can't Trust That Day.....

The title is just a line from the Beatles song. It was the first thing that popped into my head while trying to think of a random Monday title.

Last night we held our Un-Mom Our Ride FHE. It went really well. We sang our songs, went to the car vacuums, cleaned that big sucker out, then went out for pizza. My car looks SO nice now. It made DH and I laugh to see the difference in carpet color when we took the floor mats out. Under the carpet the floor is this light, silvery, gray. Around the carpets, it is more of a grayish taupe color. The best part was dusting and washing the dashboard and radio area. Having that clean makes the car look almost new when you're sitting up front. This will definitely be a repeat FHE.

Today is sunny and we just came back from the produce stand, so I am headed outside with some dirty kids and a bag of apples. ENJOY THE SUN!
Liz