{ time to cleanse + BLOOM }

Pictures from my fridge.

I generally take a week in the spring (a bit delayed this year due to some travel)...to cleanse the system...and practice some extreme self-care. This may not be for everyone and that's fine. I am not a doctor, so don't take any of this as medical advice. This is just what I do and what works for my body and mind.

So, this will take a week total...so if you want to participate, schedule a week that works for you - when you are home a bunch, have some extra time, aren't traveling, etc. This will also cost you some extra $ (yoga class, massage, sauna visit, extra food & veggies, colon cleanse session(s), dry brush, and supplies for the people's chemist cleanse). You will also need a juicer and a blender. I should mention that I don't do this for weight loss, I do it to give my digestive system a break. It spends a lot of time working hard and it gives my body a break and a chance to start fresh again. It also helps jump start healthier eating habits (especially after all of the traveling we've been doing) and detoxify my body. I eat really healthy throughout the year so this isn't probably totally necessary but I feel like it helps give my system a little more breathing room. I'm not going to go into detail about colon therapy sessions - there is a ton of information on the internet about it, but I am a fan (a one-two times a year fan). I like the therapists ability to tell what is going on with my body and to give dietary and lifestyle advice about what might help my body process food better in the future (eg. proteins earlier in the day, but not late in the evening; more water!!, etc.) Begin and end each day this week, with 5-10 minutes of quiet meditation, stretching or prayer.

Day 1. Clean out your fridge & pantry. Seriously people, get rid of the crap. Get rid of the caffeine, the cookies, the processed food once and for all. This will take 2-4 hours depending on how much work you have to do. Drink plenty of water with fresh lemon throughout the day. Schedule your massage, yoga class, sauna visit and colon therapy session (I prefer to do this at the end of the week or you can do it first and see what cleanse or eating habits your colon therapist wants you to do). Again, this is what works for ME.

Day 2. Grocery Shop for this juice/raw food cleanse and TPC cleanse. Lots of fresh smoothies, veggie juices, water and big green salads loaded with fresh, organic veggies (chewed well and slowly). Restock your fridge and pantry with FRESH food, real food. Prepare the veggies and fruits in individual ziploc bags for faster prep time before meals. Freshly prepared juice should be drunk immediately. Drink lots of water, don't put any crap into your body today (caffeine or processed food). Begin daily dry brushing - Your skin needs to breathe too so dry-brush it with a natural bristle brush (which you can find at any natural health food store). It helps keep the skin pathways clean and clear so waste can leave the body easily.

Day 3. Do the TCP cleanse. Drink lots of water. Eat clean again - eliminate the crap and start hydrating your body and dry brushing (see above tips).

Day 4. Begin juice cleanse. This is the one I like from breathe yoga studio, but there are tons of options out there. (I also adjust this a bit and have Health-FX whey protein in with the smoothies as I need protein). Go to a yoga class today (preferably a hot one which will aid in the detoxification of your body). If you can't make it to a yoga class do these poses.

Day 5. Continue juice cleanse and schedule a sauna visit (at your local gym or spa). Drink lots of water today. I generally sit for 10 minutes in the sauna, take a break and do 2 more 10 minute sessions. Again, listen to your body and do what works for you. Sweat out the toxins!

Day 6. Continue juice cleanse (last day) and have a bit hearty veggie salad for an early dinner. Schedule your massage for today. Massages are great or moving blockages, stimulating energy flow and creating better circulation and lyph drainage. That night, soak in an epsom salt bath for at least 1/2 hour, this is great for detoxification also.

Day 7. Colon Therapy Session. Ease back into a healthy eating pattern with clean, organic foods.

And there you have it, your summer cleanse so you can BLOOM. :)

* I'll answer your questions in the comments section of this post. Thanks!

{ tranquility + cleansing on the brain }

Shankara, a yogi philosopher had a wonderful list of “suggestions” for successful Sadhna (daily work or effort to foster change), which I've been contemplating a lot lately and attempting to incorporate into my world more.

1. Viveka- discernment- the process of finding out what is important and what you can get rid of. {I'm still in the process of clearing out all of the stuff that clutters our home & lives and focusing on experiences vs. more stuff. I'm also doing a 3 day juice cleanse this week with massage, hot yoga, sauna sessions, etc. for continued detoxification. I'll post my plan for this later this week in case any of you are interested in doing your own cleanse before summer begins!}

2. Vairagya- detachment-becoming “ok” with getting rid of some elements in your life or behavior to foster personal growth. {Here I've been working on clearing the schedule more so that we all have more free time - learning to say no to people, projects and tasks. I've also been spending more time on the yoga mat and in meditation to work on being ever-more "present."}

3. The 6 Treasures...which I will post more about soon.

- tranquility of mind {I'm taking a workshop next week on The Principles and Practice of Pranayama and Meditation in Healing.}

- poise

- burning faith

- self control

- patience

- self surrender

discovered originally via Yoga for Liberation.

{ river trip }

Some pics from our river trip this weekend! I don't think the kids had any fun, do you?!?!

{ spending hiatus - week 3 }

Well, I'm sure you can all guess which book I bought. The waitlist at the library was like 6 months people! I could barely wait 6 minutes. I think I could have read it right there in the bookstore if I didn't have a 5 year old with ME. Who by the way is also in love with you know who. She runs around the house pretending she's Bella's little sister who Edward rescues. She is FIVE. {We are in such big trouble with this little one.}

So, the book. And then while I was there, I caved and bought this book too. I also bought a vintage glass tea container at the thrift store. Why, I have no idea but it's on my counter now. Oh and an adorable skirt ($8). I wore it today. I'll post a pic of it soon as I remember. I also bought a punch pass to the yoga studio in town. I decided that it was a necessity for my sanity and no longer a splurge or a bonus. It is what it is and I need more of it in my life.

So, there ya have it. How are you all doing?

{We are off tomorrow for a family raft trip, so hope you all have a nice, relaxing memorial day weekend and I'll be back next week with hopefully something more than weeping because I've finished the twilight books.}

{ my LAZY weekend with edward }

I had all sorts of plans and things to do this weekend {work on garden, clean out shed, catch up on orders, clean the kitchen, go on a long bike ride, go to yoga class, go to the farmers market, take sam mini golfing, etc...} I did NONE of these things because I was reading the Twilight books. OMG. I have been bitten big time by the mania of the Twilight series thanks to my BFF Lisa who loaned me her books. Damn her! DAMN HER! She warned me but I did not take her seriously. “Yeah, right, like I’m going to read these huge, long books about vampires written for teen girls? I have way to much going on in my world with 2 kids, 3 businesses and not enough time in the day. No way do I have time for this trival vampire crap." Then, I saw the movie, and then I picked up the first book...and then watched the movie again...and then the second book...and then the third. BAM! Minutes turned to hours, turned to days, turned to an entire weekend. I hardly slept. I ate applesauce and goldfish all weekend. My family was neglected, my household duties put on hold, my to do list down right ignored. I didn't go out in the sun. Edward and Bella are my TOP priority - well, the kids too, but only when Will was unable (or unwilling) to tend to both of them at the same time. I’m 300 pages away from finishing the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn. The family is no longer cooperating. They want dinner and the children need baths and the house needs some cleaning. But the books are almost over and now I’m panicking! What will I do with myself when the books are done? Will she write more and SOON? When does the next movie come out? This is bad. This is real bad. My husband thinks I've lost my mind...and maybe I have. But, you know what? I don't care. It's been a long time since I sat on my A@# and did ABSOLUTELY nothing but read and daydream. Thank you Edward for providing ME with a fabulous excuse to live in lala land for a little while. My Monday morning reality check will be here soon {gulp}. I'll be back posting soon once I can think about something else other than HIM. {yes, I went to a fan website about him.}

{ brain buzz }

Lots of LobotoME luv in the world lately... {Thank you!}

Canadian Family Magazine's Summer 2009 Issue

Stationary Trends Magazine Spring 2009 Issue {alongside other amazing eco-friendly designers including Bird Dog Press, Eco-Jot and Ink+Wit.

Mod Eco Kids

My Favorite Things

SparklePower

Paper Crave

The Peoples Chemist

{ wrap up }

First things first...I had my husband read through the comments and choose a winner...he was so funny...he did say it sounded like a lot of you needed some organization :), but he chose Miss Aimee as the winner for inspiring the spending hiatus to begin with...He said that she has already saved HIM money, so she deserved to win ;-) ...so Aimee, send me your mailing address and your sanity saving goods will be on their way to you soon! I'd also like to send some goodies to Rachel who sounds like she could use a little extra help right now while her husband lives out of town training for a new job.

Speaking of the spending hiatus....So far so good...I have cash in my wallet in envelopes and have refrained from buying much of anything this past week. I did buy 4 vintage children's books from the thrift store for Samme and a winter hat (because I was working at our 18 hour adventure race and was freezing my butt off in the middle of the night and didn't pack one...So there went $20.) So $21.00 on non-essential items but it came out of my {ME fun} fund. This month I'd like to sell a few more things on ebay, donate more stuff to the women's shelter and maybe get ready for a garage sale next month? How's it going for all of you?

So, I hope you all had a great weekend and got enjoy a little bit of relaxation on Mother's Day... But speaking of mother's day...I heard from so many of my friends who were so delighted that they were given the gift of TIME on mother's day - time to sleep in, time at home without the kids, time to go to yoga class, time to get a massage...that is great and I'm glad that y'all got to do some things you love and relax but I think we as MOMS need to do a better job of taking care of ourselves everyday...doing a little something EACH day for us, not waiting until May 10th rolls around each year...do you know what I mean? It's also a reminder about all of the woman out there who are struggling to BECOME mothers...say a special belssing for them today, will you? So, be inspired by the TIME you were given and figure out how to incorporate a little more of that into your days (early in the morning, while the kids or at school, after they are in bed, etc.)

I also wanted to remind all of you that there are so many types of MOTHER's out there...and it's so important to show appreciation, love and respect for them all of the time...there are birthmothers (I wouldn't be celebrating mother's day at all if it weren't for our children's courageous and loving birthmother's), grandmothers, teachers who act like mother's all day to our kids - caring for them, loving them and teaching them while they are at a school, friends who are like second mother's to us or our children....And to all of the woman out there who are struggling or waiting to become mothers ~ a special blessing to all of you. And to all of our daughters who may grow up someday to become mother's - may you be blessed with the spirit of love, patience and adventure. So, to all of the wonderful mother's in our lives...thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our family. We love and cherish you all. Have a lovely day!

{ a mother's day wish }

A dear friend passed along this quote to ME, and I thought it was perfect for Mother's Day.

'May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.'

And here are some photos from a recent photo shoot of my sweet family by the delightful Julie Afflerbaugh.

Wishing you all a delightful, relaxing Mother's Day weekend with the ones you cherish. {For the record, I am working at one of our adventure races...so not exactly the Mother's Day weekend I would plan if given the choice, but grateful for the opportunity to be in the mountains and be surrounded by awesome, adventurous souls.}

{ what I'm wanting... }

....but not buying....this bike. You can try to win it here or here. Oh, pretty please, pick ME.

MADSEN Cargo Bikes

Oh, and this bag and this book too!

Don't forget to enter to win some sanity saving goods from LobotoME here.

{ inspired ME }

A few things that I have been inspired by lately...

This book {more on this one later} and this one.

This post about being {good enough}.

This adorable play group invitation...doesn't it make you want to coordinate your own neighborhood weekly playdate?

And all the peeps participating in Aimee's {spending hiatus} group. It's working already...I literally glanced through the anthro catalog before giving it to Samme to cut up for a collage.

Free downloadable artwork...like Tara's imaged shown above.

This woman's mission to better and beautify her children's public school. {This is exactly what the world needs more of.}

Tara at Ink+Wit's lovely, simple home.

Our garden starting to take shape and the pride Sam has in helping care for it.

The clothesline being up in the backyard and Samme hiding amongst the towels and sheets, as I remember doing when I was little.

My ability to say no more often...even to things I enjoy but don't have time for. Each time I say it, it gets a little bit easier.

Hearing Sam practice her {spring sing} songs at the top of her lungs in our yard...the neighbors even phoned saying how much they enjoyed her singing... :)

This article on Simple Mom about the emotional benefits of being debt-free.

The May Spring cleaning and de-cluttering underway in our home... {I think I need to have a yard sale stat.}

These hilarious facebook greeting cards. {My sentiments exactly.}

Henry beginning to sit all by himself and do his {beached-whale} attempt at crawling...too cute for words.

And this post about making time for the one we love.

The 3/50 project.

What's inspiring you lately?

{ help mom stay sane giveaway }

Up for grabs in honor of Mother's Day is a LobotoME weekly momME planner and a help ME honey do list! Just leave ME a comment by next Friday with why YOU need this for mother's day or why a mom in your life does...




And in case any of you were wondering if the momME planner will really help you and your busy life, here is an email I received recently from the proud new owner of a momME planner...

"THANK YOU SO MUCH for this product - it keeps me sane!!! I have often thought of tearing off my page & sending it in to the contest, but after my week is complete there is so much writing, one could not decipher it. This is my lifeline to each day - it travels on my front seat & as I drive & my mind thinks of what I need to do, I simply jot it down in the proper day column & don't have to worry about keeping it in my brain. Superb & thankyou again and again and again!" - Lora B.