To Dread or Not To Dread.........

That is the question. I have been admiring the dreads on the heads of several amazing ladies in the blogosphere. I love the look of dreadlocks. I love the idea of not having to worry so much about my hair. And Amazingly, my husband thinks I would look kinda sexy with them (good answer, baby!).

So what's stopping me you ask? Fear, of course. What if I don't like them? What if they don't look good on me? Will people judge me? What will my mom say? Why do I care?

I'm at about 75% of yes. So I'm very close to committing. My 15 year old daughter, Sierra, will do them for me. I prefer the look of crotcheted dreads. I think they look a little more polished, less bed-headish, ya know? She is going to watch a youtube video on how to do the crotchet method. I just need to work on raising my confidence level a wee bit. Because sister, you gotta have confidence to carry this look!



What do you think? Are you a fan of dreads like me? Share your thoughts.:) Check out this Dreaded Mama Pool on Flickr.
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Blessings,
Christy

Coming Home Again

My oldest son, Justin, came back home Wednesday. He went to live with my mom and dad last August. He's a good boy but is trying to figure himself out. Figure life out. He did pretty good there and was given everything he needed. My parents really outdid themselves by spending time with him and trying everything they knew to help him out and just show him love. It was fun for him for a while but ultimately, he missed home. Home with his family. Mom and Dad. Brother and sisters. Friends.

He's back in school. He had a great first day. He said he had missed his school alot and his old friends. Everyone was happy to see him too. His brother and sisters were happy to have there big brother back. They look up to him so I hope he will be a good role model to them.

Life can be confusing but it IS what you make it. This is what he needs to figure out for himself. Family and relationships are the things that matter most.

I'm happy to have my son back home. Having him  at the young age of 20 really changed my life.Changed it for the better. It seems like just yesterday that he was my little baby. Time truly flies by. I don't want to spend anymore time apart from him. He will be off on his own soon enough. Even so, this will always be his home.

I always pray for all my children's safety and happiness. My heart is over-flowing with love and peace to have our family whole again.

Have a beautiful weekend and enjoy your family!

Christy

Have a Happy Easter Weekend!

I just wanted to share a great song with you. Hope you enjoyed it!

Have a Happy Weekend!
Christy

Do YOU Have PMS?

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) (also called PMT or premenstrual tension) is a collection of physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms related to a woman's menstrual cycle. While most women of child-bearing age (up to 85%) report having experienced physical symptoms related to normal ovulatory function, such as bloating or breast tenderness, medical definitions of PMS are limited to a consistent pattern of emotional and physical symptoms occurring only during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle that are of "sufficient severity to interfere with some aspects of life".[1] These symptoms are usually predictable and occur regularly during the ten days prior to menses. Generally, symptoms may vanish either shortly before or after the start of menstrual flow. ~Wikipedia

I took my daughter to see The Last Song yesterday. There was a part in the movie where Miley's character is being moody and little nasty to her father who is sitting with her little brother. The brother (about10 years old) says, "She must have PMS." The father smiles and looks at  his son and says, "Do you know what that means?" The boy says,"Dad, of course, I'm not a little kid anymore. It means, pissed at men syndrome." Well, I don't have to tell you that there was a movie theatre full of laughs.:)

It got me thinking this morning about my own issues with PMS. I can be a bear when it comes to that time of the month. I especially get the bloating and moodiness. I also want to eat ALL day long. I'm going to do a little experiment this month and try some herbal remedies. Plus, maybe three days before I start, I will do a green smoothie fast. To me, greens are the ultimate superfood (that's a post for another day!).

Here are some of the herbal remedies I found:

1. Chasteberry ( vitex agnus-castus)- These small fruits have been used for menstrual disorders since the Greco-Roman times. Researchers have found that chasteberry helps relieve PMS because of its effect on female sex hormones. During a woman's monthly cycle, it increases the production of lutenizing hormon and inhibits the release of follicle-stimulating hormone. This leads to a shift in the estrogen-progesterone ratio, resulting in less estrogen to cause or aggravate PMS. The only caveat is women who have PMS with depression should steer clear of chasteberry.Some studies show that pms with depression is caused by excess progesterone, and chasteberry is said to raise progesterone levels.

2. Chinese Angelica (dang-quai)- used primarily in chinese medicine as a womens tonic for PMS and menstrual cramps.(do not use if you are pregnant)

3. Evening primrose oil- This has been used for centuries by the American Indian women for premenstrual and menstrual complaints. They take it in by chewing the seeds.

This is also apporved in Great Britain as a treatment for PMS.

3. Sting Nettles (urtica dioica)- This is a known liver tonic. It is recommended for flushing out the liver of all its toxins. When the liver is sluggish it processes estrogen slowly, contributing to high levels of estrogen in the body. This causes or aggravates PMS symptoms. Nettle Tea is also known to  reduce bloating and breast tenderness.

4. Burdock (Arctium lappa)- burbock is also a liver tonic and mild diuretic. It helps to alleviate the symptoms of PMS.

5. Raspberry-this herb is best known as a pregnancy tonic that quiets an irritable uterus. But it has been used to treat PMS wih success.

6. Skullcap and Valerian- Both of these herbs are sedative/tranquilizers that help relieve nervous tension and irritability of PMS.

So these are a few herbs to work with for relieving PMS. I was happy to find that I have five of these in my herbals stash already. All of these herbs are available at your local Health Store. It's so easy to take these herbs and make a tea or a tincture. I'm actually looking forward to putting these herbs to good use ths month. Let me know if try any of these remedies. I love the feeling of taking my health in my own hands. Knowledge is power!

Have a beautiful day!

Christy

My daughter and I went to see Taylor Swift this past Sunday. If you've not had fun in while or have maybe forgotten how to have fun then you should go to a concert with a 13 year old. My daughter Molly was having a blast singing and dancing. Not a drop of self-consciousness in her body. We had floor seats, so we got  within 3 feet of her when she hopped on a stage right next to us. Molly said she was looking right at her as she sang.

This will be a moment in time with my daughter that I will never forget.

Beautiful memories.

Blessing,

Christy

Strong Women

I hope that many women have been enjoying the WISH Summit these past ten days. I know that I have. The hard part has been trying to decide who to listen to. This morning I decided to go back through the speakers and Mimi Kirk was just calling to me. So, I just finished listening to her interview and feel inspired to write about her here..........

Mimi is just an amazing woman! So beautiful and positive. I could listen to her speak for hours. I heard about her last year when she won PETA's contest for sexiest vegetarian over 50. Folks, she is 71. Can you believe it? She has been a vegetarian for 40 years and a raw foodist for 2 years. Her story just inspires me to no end. Not only is Mimi beautiful on the outside, she radiates happiness and positivity from the inside. To me, she exemplifies the power of womanhood.

When I listened to the Raw Mom Summit last year, the woman that spoke to me and inspired me was Susun Weed. This year, Mimi Kirk. I really look up to these older women who have lived life and learned important lessons. I'm so grateful that they share their knowledge with all of us women.

 My grandmother is another inspiration to me. She took care of me when I was a moody teenager that was somewhat lost in the world. She showed me kindness and unconditional love that I'll never be able to thank her enough for. She is probably the strongest woman I know. Her life hasn't been easy but she always made the best of everything and always has shown so much love to her family. I love her so much.

It's a shame we live in a society that doesn't value age. As a nurse, I've worked closely with older people in the nursing home. Honestly, these are places to put our elders until they die. So many are forgotten. Saying that it is sad is an extreme understatement. In a perfect world ( to me), we would grow older but remain highly functional and mentally stable. Our elders would help the family and be independent and we would help them and respect them, and value their opinion and advice. If we ate properly, exercised regularly and stayed off of pharmacueticals as much as possible, I feel this could happen as we age.

I came away from the summit so ready for whatever comes my way. It gave me the inspiration and the boost that I needed to get on with the rest of the year. I took the time to reflect on the information and thought about how I wanted to apply it to my life.

There were so many wonderful women that were interviewed for the WISH Summit. I hope that if you weren't able to hear them all, you will get access the calls now. I see that Tera is offering different payment options so that everyone has an opportunity to have access.

Thanks to Tera and Shakaya for putting this together. I hope they realize what a blessing they have been to many women in the raw community and beyond. I look forward to next year's summit and until then, I encourage all women to seek out strong women mentors to help guide them through this life. Don't forget to be a mentor to someone else when the opportunity presents itself.

Blessings,
Christy

Wish Summit

The fabulous ladies over at RawDiva.com, Tera Warner and Shannon Leone, have done it again! They have put together a group of amazing speakers that will be available for you to hear for FREE for ten days starting March 8. Make sure you go here and get signed up ASAP. This is something you won't want to miss. I know that it will be a transformative experience. Now scoot!