natural parenting » Kingdom Twindom +1

I’ve been reading a lot of chatter lately from moms who are stuck inside. I know a little something about this. Actually, I could do two weeks standing on my head. When the four older kids were all babies, I went two, even three, weeks without going anywhere but the backyard. And to tell you the truth, that has never (in my mommy history) bothered me much. Although, there was a time when I would have gone nuts after two days.

About ten months before I got married (and I had no idea at the time that I would be getting married), I was sitting around with a few girlfriends. They were pouring tea and listening to music, but I wanted to go out, “Let’s go out. Anyone want to go out?!?”

One of my oldest and dearest friends looked up at me and remarked, “You’re so restless.” And then she said nothing more. But those few words weren’t really her words anyway; they were from the Holy Spirit, and the conviction of that moment changed my life.

My life now is different than I ever thought it would be. It’s more tiring, it’s more meaningful, it’s better. But no, it’s not often about me. My new clothes come from altering my old clothes. Actually, the shirt I wore on the forth of July was, at a skinnier point in time, a skirt. But it (as a top) was cuter than anything I’ve eyed in the stores lately. I’ll post pictures ~~after I lose five pounds~~ soon.

After a long day at home (or out), one of my absolute favorite things to do is to lock myself in the bathroom with a hot cup of tea and a book. Usually I just take a bath, and maybe I’ll do my nails. If I really want to go all out, though, and go to bed feeling refreshed and beautiful, I give myself my famous (well, now it’s kinda famous) Foodie Facial (which is a combination of all the wonderful tips I’ve collected from friends and beauticians throughout the years).

Reading from the cucumbers clockwise, we have an egg yolk, honey, milk, granulated sugar (ground finer in a coffee grinder) and olive oil. I fill the sink with hot water and tea tree oil, and I sit on the counter, soaking my feet, while common everyday foods work a miracle with my skin.

Milk is an excellent astringent, so I use that to start and then between the other steps as well.

Next, I massage my skin with olive oil for about two or three minutes before wiping upward with a warm rag.

And I exfoliate with the finely ground sugar, adding more oil as I scrub away.

If you’ve never experienced a honey “pat” facial, this is one I highly recommend (especially if you like those peel off black head strips – because that’s basically what this is). Smear a tablespoon or two of honey on dry skin, and let it sit for a few minutes. Then, simply pat your face, gently, with your fingers. As the honey begins to dry it will get stickier and stickier, drawing out impurities as you pat.

And to finish the evening, I paint the egg yolk on my very refreshed face, and I allow it to dry (about 30 minutes) while I read or manicure or blog (or rest in a hot tub with cucumber slices on my eyelids). Ahhh.