the hipmom

Recharge with Epsom Salt

We're tired. We all are. I share this simple solution one woman at a time- as often as I can...because the truth is, we all have 5 minutes and most have a bag of epsom salt in the back of our medicine cabinet..or can throw one into our drug store run without making much dent in the budget. Bag runs around $3 and gets you about 3 baths...

It's an age old remedy. Run water, add one to two cups of epsom salt. Like a 5 minute miracle cure for an aching body- does wonders to draw toxins from your body, reduces tension and exfoliates all at the same time. I even ran an epsom salt bath for my 11 year old son the other night who seemed to be at the brink of a cold. It worked: eased his tired body, removed the junk.. and horray- no cold when he woke up the next day. 

Try it, you deserve it. Its cheap, natural, it's 5 minutes, It's yours. It's your body. Take care of it..

 

De-Clutter + Watch The Energy In Your House Flow

Clean up and clear out: clutter holds up the energy flow in our rooms 

3 Easy spots to attack right now 

SPOT ONE: Your Closet 

A seasonal clear-out allows you to make the most of what you’ve got.   

STEP ONE: Divide your clothes, jewelry and shoes into three piles: good items which go 

back in the closet; bad items in need of help  (e.g., dry cleaning, a new button or zipper); and 

the ugly items that are no longer flattering and can be swapped with girlfriends, sold to a con- 

signment shop or given to charity- this is a great way to be environmentally conscience. 

STEP TWO: Only put the good items back, this time storing everything by type. All trousers, 

even jeans, should be hung together. Keep one drawer for T-shirts, one drawer for black tops, 

etc. It makes it much easier to see what you have when you need it. 

STEP THREE:  When weeding keep these thoughts in mind: anything you haven’t worn in two years is most likely ready for the boot; pieces that have been altered and still don’t fit quite right also need to say goodbye. Remember, it’s better to have five or ten pieces in your 

closet that you can put on at any moment and feel great about, rather than 40 so-so pieces 

that make you feel mediocre. The whole point is clearing the clutter and hastle of getting dressed so you have more mental space to move on to your inner self.

STEP FOUR: Book an appointment with a tailor and tell them that you want to concentrate on fit. If your size has changed, consider adding darts into a favorite button-down blouse. Update tired sweaters by replacing basic buttons. Hem last year’s staple black pants a good 5 inches, turning them into of- the-moment culottes and wear them with knee high boots. Take broken jewelry into a bead shop and create a modern cuff bracelet with oversized hardware. It’s the details that really make the difference — small steps can still lead to big changes- and re-inventing what you have is certainly cheaper than starting new.

SPOT TWO: The Kitchen

For most of us, the kitchen is household headquarters. It’s the place where everyone begins the day, and it’s the place where they wind up after returning home. If your kitchen is a repository of possessions that don’t belong, consider setting up this fail proof system ( The Home Organizing Workbook by Meryl Starr, Chronicle Books,2004) before school is back in session and clutter overwhelms: 

1.  Designate an empty bin or basket for magazines, toys and other items that should not be 

stores in the kitchen. 

2.  Assign one family member the job of regularly putting everything away from this bin. 

3.  Find or create a space where family members can temporarily stash books, jackets, and 

other belongings when they come home from work or school. 

1.  Then make a rule that everything should all be removed from the kitchen by dinnertime. 
2. Hang large envelopes or small baskets, or put bins on a shelf and label one per family member. Use these containers to distribute paperwork, school notes and mail. 

SPOT THREE: Your Junk Drawers, Your Children’s Drawers 

Love this 5-bag system: 

In one bag put anything that is simply garbage and drop it immediately at the curb. 

In the second bag goes anything you don’t use anymore but can be useful to someone else- remember the green theory from your closet. 

In bag three is stuff that needs repair ( old watch, cell phone with no charger). 

Bag four is for things that are just in the wrong place. If you haven’t gotten around to putting these things away within six months, you must not need them anymore- so get rid of them! 

FAVORITE SOURCE: www.threebythree.com

Schedule in meditation for inner strength

You don't need to be in a yoga studio, on vacation or in a therapists office- to fit in some quality time with yourself. It's crazy true how this works; but when you develop the right mental attitude, it has dramatic effects on how you look and feel, not to mention your approach to the daily grind.

For me, clearing in the morning in bed before the chaos of the day is best -- before my feet ever reach the ground.

Try to:
1. Find a DAILY ritual time that works for you- in the shower, after your children are asleep, whenever, wherever. It should be your safe haven.

2. Quiet your mind, close your eyes, focus on the present- not the bills, not the dishes, nothing..
Stay as long as the time allows. It can literally be 5 minutes, of awake quiet dedicated YOU time.

3. Start this week by focusing on your inner strengths and what you can do to sharpen them, hone them, utilize them, learn from them ,teach from them, inspire yourself from your inner strengths.

Love this mantra from Anna Freud - " I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time.