Self care.

Self care is so hard.  It's hard for anyone in this "go go go" society, but once you're a mom, it feels almost impossible. It can seem selfish to take care of yourself when you're constantly taking care of someone else. So if you take the 20 minutes- 2 hours to do something for your own health like running, going to the chiropractor, or doing some yoga, somebody might get hurt or be unhappy or this or that. Ay yai yai.

Finding the balance  is difficult, but necessary.  Before I became a mother, I used to think, "How can some moms just let them selves go so much?  Go work out!"  If only I knew how difficult that is!  It seems pretty simple, but oh boy, it isn't.

 One day you say, "I'm going to run at least 4x a week."  So day 1 of running starts and you're feeling great!  You try again another day and 10 minutes in, the baby or toddler is not so happy in the stroller anymore.  Another day, you try to do an exercise video and your little one climbs all over you or steals your weights.  Then you want to go do laps, and you ask a relative to babysit, but nap time all of a sudden becomes an issue that one day and you miss your window.  Am I right?  There's always something ;).  I personally would rather be there for my daughter than be in perfect shape,  but it would be nice if I could figure out both. 

Not all kids are the same and I sometimes get jealous of the kid that will be perfectly happy for hours in a stroller or who will fall asleep for other people besides their mama.  But I love my daughter just the way she is and she'll only be little for a short amount of time in the grand scheme of life. And little by little, I'll be able to take care of myself more & more as she gets older. Until then, I'll stick to my bigger pants. 

Cold Remedies for Babies & Kids

My little one had a nasty cold recently. I am not a big fan of conventional medicine. I seek remedies in food, herbs, rest, water etc. I try to keep us all healthy with a preventative medicine lifestyle & diet, but sometimes sickness just happens anyway. 

Here's what I did to get my toddler back on track. 

1. I'm still breast feeding. Breast milk has antibodies, is easily digested, is hydrating & comforting. 

2. Warm mist humidifier. What was I doing with a cool mist back in the day?  This $17 machine has been amazing. I put a little bit of essential oil infused Neti salt and our room is like a little eucalyptus rainforest. 

3. Eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil & lavender & frankincense oil rubbed with coconut oil onto the bottom of her feet and onto her chest. 

4. Probiotics in her sippy cup of water, unsweetened hemp milk, unsweetened coconut milk or coconut water. We use the Garden of Life kids. It's raw, has the most for your money and I trust that it's super clean. 

5. Cherry Bark Syrup from Herbs for Kids really helped calm down her cough. (Not for kids under 1.  Make sure you read the serving dosage)

6. Chamomile tea with the alcohol free echinacea, burdock root & astragalus tinctures. (Make sure you use the proper dosage for your child's weight and age. Check the bottle and I also use Dr. Aviva Jill-Romm for guidance. By the way, her book Naturally Healthy Babies and Children is definitely one to have in your library.)

7. Nose Frieda!  If you aren't familiar with this, it's a better version of the bulb syringe. It's a Swedish snot sucker that is actually super productive and sanitary. You can wash it all out and use filters so that you don't get any snot in your mouth. They're amazing. 

8. Saline spray. Make sure to get the kind for babies and don't shoot it up, just drip it in. Read those labels and make sure you're not putting any unnecessary ingredients in their little nostrils. You'd be surprised that even salt water can be ruined by the drug companies. Boo. Anyway...

9. No sugar. I don't give my daughter sugar anyway, except for maybe 3 or less times in her life (birthday...) Sugar breeds sickness and nasal congestion. It feeds on sickness and makes it worse. Cancer patients aren't supposed to have sugar, but neither are people with colds. 

10. Easily digested foods. Smoothies, fresh vegetable juices, puréed fruits & veggies etc. Try to avoid crackers or things that could aggravate coughing. 

11. Warm baths with essential oils. 

12.  Rest, cuddling & so much love. :)