Last Friday and Saturday I attended the AusMumpreneur conference in Sydney for mums in business. I got a huge amount of information and inspiration from the conference, but I think the biggest thing that I took away from it was the reminder that I must look after me. I rediscovered my inner goddess and when I got home I nurtured the bejezus out of her. My poor neglected inner goddess. Far from being nurtured over the past couple of years, she’s been shifted off to the corner and doused in boy germs. I’m the only female in my family of 6. It happened without me even realising it.
Like many women do, I’ve been putting myself last.
I’ve been having big trouble deciding which session was my favourite, they all gave me something unique and valuable but there was one moment that really spoke to me. I watched Kim Morrison (author & owner of the Twenty8 Aromatherapy range) enact her body boost ritual. Kim has a cute little bowl in which she puts a lovely organic carrier oil, a few drops of her favourite essential blend & 4 squirts of magensium oil spray. She then proceeded to show us how she rubs this concoction all over her body while telling each body part how much she loves it. It went something along the lines of “Oh leggy leggy leg, you’re so strong, I love you”. “Oh lovely healthy tummy, I love you”. “Oh boobs… you’re so nice and perky, I love you”. She swears she’s done this EVERY day for the last 20 years.
I realised that the most loving thing I do for my body is brush my teeth… I decided then and there that I need to show my body some real proper love. I had to buy Kim’s book, Like Chocolate for Women. And when I got home, I had to show me some love.
And here’s what I did.
I waited until the munchikins were tucked up in bed then I ran a bath. I got a candle, I dumped a stack of ginger and chamomile tincture in the bath, I put some classical music on, I found a ginger beer in the back of the fridge (the only alcohol I could find), I got a cute little glass bowl and put some ground coffee, lemon juice and olive oil in it. I got some jojoba oil, an essential oil blend & my new Twenty8 magnesium oil spray ready next to another cute little bowl.
As I was looking for the fluffiest towel in the house, my 12 year old got out of bed and informed me he needed to go to the toilet. I asked him to turn the bath off for me and continued my search for a fluffy towel which I had to extend to the clothesline. By the time I’d given up trying to find a fluffy towel and settled for a manky towel, I went back to my bath to find Mr 12 still locked in the bathroom. Despair set in as I realised he was stinking up my sanctuary then delight replaced it when I realised I was about to have my first bath alone since before Lachie came along, over a year and a half ago. The candle would take care of boy stink.
I massaged my face with the coffee, lemon juice & olive oil concoction, I washed my hair, I soak and chilled. I skulled my ginger beer and wished I had another. I got out, body brushed with my manky towel and did Kim’s body boost ritual. I felt great.
I got to have a bit of a read of Like Chocolate for Women yesterday. It is as it claims to be- A celebration of womenhood and the ultimate self care handbook packed with hundreds of tips and ideas to help all women live the life they want, reminding them that self-care is not selfish – it’s essential! There’s a heavy lean on aromatherapy but a whole lot more to offer too. I got a signed copy for both myself AND for a blog reader.
Leave me a comment below telling me how you show yourself love. Do you have any rituals? When was the last time you nurtured your inner goddess?
I’ll choose the winner right before my next Sunday soak. Somewhere around 9pm on Sunday September 16.
A bit like you I am the only female in the house and although I love my boys there are way too many farts and smells for my liking – although some would argue that I would fart just as much and that I am a tomboy at heart 😉
I rarely find the time to properly have a shower let alone a daily ritual. I usually have a bath with my boys just in case I forget to shower during the day I am that busy. I too forget about my health and I try to remember to brush my teeth when my 3 year old brushes his teeth. I love it when my mum comes over and I can have a proper shower. The weekend when my husband is home is also a time when I find a proper shower.
The only ritual I have is a yearly ritual and it is when we go to Busselton every year for a family holiday. I leave the family for half a day and spend it at a day spa. It is bliss and I book a real spa and while I soak in the aroma of essential oils I think about the baths I have with my boys and their oils…..eeeeeww.
I need to start thinking about my health and the Ausmumprenuer conference has opened my eyes to this. I was unfortunate that I missed Kim’s talk as I was outside with my bubba boy Lucas who was cutting two teeth. The things we do or our family but I must admit even though I would do anything for my kids I forget about their most important asset….me.
I love your holiday ritual. I was dreaming of that last night in bath. I’m due to visit my in laws soon. Last time I went, I got my first hair cut in 3 years. Next time I’m going to kick it up a notch and go to a swanky day spa too.
Lucus was adorable, I hope the teeth are through now and have stopped torturing him.
hahaha I too live in a house of boy stink, so I have decided if I live in a house full of spoilt princes, I will show self love by declaring myself a Queen…so… as queen of the castle, my new rituals will be that I get to have FINAL SAY over everything everyone wants to argue about; I WILL be the one eating all of the food on my plate – from now on I WILL NOT surrender it to the household masses for their enjoyment; I WILL NOT be waiting for everybody else to use the toilet first – my bowels are just as important as theirs. And when was the last time I nurtured myself?? yesterday, when I refused to let one of the princes use my new Moroccan blue glass tea cup as a paint container, and sat and drank tea from it instead – ahhh
“My bowels are just as important as theirs”. Damn right!
I love that you’re taking back the throne ;-p
I really wish I had been at the conference to hear Kim’s presentation. I am so guilty of neglecting myself and, I think along the way, I lost my inner goddess.
I have no rituals (lots of beauty products unopened with the hope that one day I will use them) I do shower daily but always wait until everyone else is done. I have not had a bath in decades (it use to be one of my favourite things)
My life is so hectic and there are so many demands coming from all corners of the family, and inevitably, they always come first.
My health is crap and is a reflection of my self neglect. I am always trying to be something to everyone else but know within that if I did something for myself maybe things would be better.
I guess I just don’t know where to start, then there is the guilt that I should be doing something else and not wasting time or money on myself……
Actually I just thought of something….. I always reward myself with chocolate…one of my few pleasures. Not sure my inner goddess (where ever she is) likes this though…….
I hear you Vicki! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with other things and it’s so hard to know where to start. The key is to start SOMEWHERE. Just one thing can make the world of difference. It can be as simple as drink enough water. One tiny little change will lead to another and another and before you know it, you’ve started to make yourself a priority and can’t even remember what things were like before.
You’re never wasting time or money looking after yourself. You’re too important to neglect!