Being a Great Mom and Coping With Stress

Into every life a little stress must fall. When the stress reaches higher than normal levels on a regular basis, your health can start to be affected. Moms may look invincible or even think they are invincible but it’s not true. Stress and good health don’t mix.

Stress is our body’s response to outside stimuli. Sure that sounds good, but it doesn’t mean very much. When you come home from a hard day at work and the sink is full of dishes, the laundry room is piled high with clothing, and the sink in the bathroom has been dripping all day, your blood pressure begins to rise.

The first person who says something to you usually gets to hear about your frustration. Or, they get to see you run bawling to the bedroom and shut the door. This is stress.

Moms, you have to protect your health. If the above scenario is typical of your daily life, watch out. You need to cease and desist before you end up in bed or the loony bin. Popping pills is not a long-term solution to the side effects you are experiencing from your stress. Antacids and headache medication is not the answer.

Did you know that too much pain medication can irritate your digestive system? Your body will fight back with bowel trouble or worse. There’s a reason that labels tell you not to exceed a specified dose in twenty-four hours. We’ve go to stop abusing our bodies.

Are you a stress eater – increasing your caloric intake as your stress increases? I am. I didn’t know it until I had gained about fourteen pounds. Stress can lead to some unhealthy ways of coping. My fix was mint chip ice cream. Do you know how many calories are in ice cream?

Stress can lead to poor eating habits. Overeating or eating the wrong things can lead to obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. These illnesses can lead to heart disease and stroke. Basically, we’re talking about a premature death. That is not an option for you, mom.

Stress can also cause ulcers, migraine headaches, and depression. These conditions can be avoided when we take better care of ourselves. Enlist the aid of your spouse, parents, sisters, brothers, and friends. You are not the first one to suffer stress and you will not be the last. Living with it is not an option.

As a mom, your children can even help you. How can that purple-faced person with jam all over himself or herself help you? Kiss his/her jam stained face until all the jam is gone. Jump on the bed with him. Snuggle together with some books and let all the day’s worries stay outside that door.

Then, after the children are in bed, draw a hot tub filled with lavender bubble bath. You may want to light a candle or two for ambiance. Turn off the lights and let the glow and scent of the candles be your beacon. Just 15 minutes in a hot bath where you can turn off the day is a renewing and relaxing experience and will likely guarantee a better nights sleep too. Even a long hot shower will do the trick. You owe it to yourself and to your family to take a slice for time for yourself.

Scared to Fly

Why is it every time I am about to go on vacation planes starting falling out of the sky? Ever since 9/11 I have been terrified of flying. I was nervous before, but it got much worse after 9/11. It seems as if a month before I have to fly, planes start having all sorts of problems such as engine malfunctions, smoke in the cabin, landing gear tires blowing out upon take-off, and much, much worse.

I also hate turbulence and tend to look at the turbulence map 24 hours before I have to fly. I want to see how bad it is going to be flying across the United States. Years ago when we flew to London from San Francisco, the turbulence was so bad. I swear we had 9 straight hours of turbulence. I finally stopped one of the flight attendants and asked him how long the turbulence was going to last and in his British accent he replied "ages". I am certain I turned all shades of pale and green as he went on to say that we had a tail wind and it was causing a really bumpy ride, but nothing to worry about...yeah right! Have you ever noticed that the turbulence starts when they hand you a beverage? As soon as you have your drink or food on your tray, the shaking begins. I can almost count on it.

My doctor was kind enough to prescribe a teeny bit of medication for flying. It doesn't always help as my fears can get the best of me. I worry about who will take care of our dog Macualy and two kitty cats, Petals and Priscilla if something happens to us. I worry the entire way there and back..... I am making deals with God and making promises to do better in life If I make it off this plane alive. (Is anyone laughing yet?) As I am writing this, I think I sound like a whack job....but this is a real fear for me, and not much fun for my husband to experience right along with me.

I would love to hear about what others do to stay calm and not white knuckled while flying. I have 8 days to go before I have to walk down that jet way to find my seat on the airplane.

National Buy a Bar of Natural Soap Day!

EclipseSpa declares today to be "National Buy a Bar of Natural Soap Day". Lets all celebrate the fact that there is good, healthy, and great smelling bars of soap that you can use in your bath and shower. EclipseSpa's soaps are naturally scented with essential oils. Our soaps contain wild herbs for natural skin exfoliation and organic oils to soften your skin. Your bathroom will smell like a spa and your skin will be softer and more irresistible after using our soaps. We have soaps for women and men too!

Any soap purchases today will get a free wooden soap dish to display your soap. These soap dishes are perfect for letting your soaps dry naturally and not get mushy like other soaps can.

Happy Soap Day!

Anne

This could save your life..................

I found this information on Alpha Women today and wanted to pass this along to everyone that reads my blog.

What are you to do if you have a heart attack while you are alone!!

Read This...It could save your life!

Let's say it's 6:15 p.m. and you're driving home (alone of course), after an usually hard day on the job. You're really tired, upset and frustrated. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home.

Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far.

What can you do? You've been trained in CPR but the guy that taught the course, didn't tell you what to do if it happened to yourself.

Without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about very two seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.

Thought this was an interesting read... just wanted to share!

Natural Healing Spray for Sun Burns

I remember as a child and as a teenager being out in the sun all day long and crying all night because of sunburned skin. There just wasn't enough information on sunscreen or after sun care when I was growing up. I grew up with suntan lotion, not sunscreen!

Olive oil is excellent to use to heal burns and historically has been used this way for centuries. Extra virgin olive oil is high in vitamins and minerals too. The following is a recipe that you can make at home in a 8 oz or larger spray bottle. The dosage of the recipe is designed for children. Please double the amounts for essential oils for adults.

1/2 cup distilled water
1/4 witch hazel lotion
1/4 cup aloe vera gel or aloe vera juice**
2 drops of Chamomile essential oil
1 drop Geranium essential oil
1 tsp. honey

In your 8 oz spray bottle add the water, witch hazel and aloe. Combine your essential oils and honey, and mix very well with the end of a spoon. Add this mixture to the 8 oz spray bottle. Shake very well to mix. Label your contents. Shake well before applying avoiding the eye area.

**can be found at Walgreens or the Vitamin Shoppe

Jet Off to a Spacatin at Home

With the high cost of gas coupled with the downturn of the stock market, more and more Americans are vacationing at home this summer. Sure cleaning out the garage and getting caught up on chores is great. But don’t forget to plan for the season’s most important home improvement project – you.

With everything you need to turn this summer’s staycation into a spacation, EclipsaSpa’s all organic, paraben free line of bath and body products can turn any bath into an organic spa. The Spa Ritual Package contains wildcrafted shea sugar scrubs for both men and women. Filled with ingredients designed to renew skin by eliminating dead skin cells, men will enjoy the exotic scent of the bamboo body polish while women will love the calming scent of lavender on her skin. Both will enjoy two of EclipseSpa’s favorite handcrafted soaps that are included in the package: lemongrass sage and eucalyptus sandalwood.

Follow up your day skin improvement with a lavender scented bubble bath using EclipseSpa’s Organic Sugar Soy and Tea bubble bath or add Fizzing Bath Salts to your water and enjoy a hot soak. For centuries, an evening bath infused with lavender has been the preferred method of relaxation. It’s guaranteed to calm your mind and soul allowing the body to relax so you can experience a good night’s sleep.

Dim the lights, Tune to EclipseSpa’s Escape Collection of spa music while you soak in the tub and light a soy candle tin or two to complete the transformation of your bath into a spa.

No spacation would be complete without a massage. EclipseSpa’s Grapeseed Massage Oil blend of lavender and vanilla essential oils is a wonderful anti-aging treatment for your skin that will enhance every massage experience. Grab your partner and give each other a relaxing massage at the end of the day. Grape seeds are highly antioxidant making this oil a natural anti-aging treatment that can also be used as a bath and body oil. Bottled in a vintage green container made from recycled glass completes the look for gift giving.

This summer, make sure to take time to relax by turning do-it-yourself into do-it-for-yourself.

Use Water Temperature to Heal

Did you know that you can use water temperature to heal?

The term "Hydrotherapy" literally means "water healing".

This type of therapy involves the extended use of baths or showers in the home using hot or cold temperatures.

There is documentation showing how hydrotherapy is a very powerful tool that can relieve muscle soreness, help with relaxation, increase oxygen, nutrients and lymphatic flow.

It is important to know how water temperature affects your body. Here are a couple of tips before you get into your bathtub or enjoy a foot bath.

** practice safety by checking the water temperature with a thermometer
** never get to the point where you have the chills or experience fatigue

A Hot Bath (99-108 degrees) is good for insomnia, to relieve pain, increase circulation and eliminate toxins. Your heart rate can increase by as much as 4x the normal rate for the first 5 minutes, then will normalize. Recommended time: 20 minutes or less. Follow with cool water.

A Warm Bath (97-101degrees) is the most common temperature for the average bath. Spending 20 minutes to an hour is optimal for relaxation.

A Tepid Bath (92-97 degrees) is really good for when you want to rejuvenate or have inflammation conditions such as hives, itching, or skin rashes. Recommended time is up to 1 hour.

A Cold Bath (59-68 degrees) is recommended for short periods of time and are most common in foot and hand baths. Recommended time is just a few seconds.