Do You Find It Hard To Give?

In this months Namaste newsletter Deepak Chopra writes a letter about giving. It resonated something within me because I'm dealing and have been dealing with this area of my life for some time now. But, do you know that the very things in your life that you find hard to do is all about fear? The fear of the unknown the fear of the what if's. If you are like me and have a challenge in this area I hope this letter moves you like it did for me to do something about it.

The first step to change is to be willing to acknowledge that there needs to be a change.

Be Blessed...

A Letter From Deepak

It has become a truism that to receive love, we must give it. Giving engenders receiving, and receiving engenders giving. The reciprocal action keeps the flow of love alive. Without it, love would stagnate. For so many of us, however, learning to give is extremely difficult. It runs counter to some deep conditioning that we all carry around inside. We may fear that if we give, we will have less. We have all been taught to hold on to a good thing.

It is the ego that has a hard time letting go of something precious because, at bottom, ego isn't guided by love but by the struggle to survive. It wants predictable outcomes, security, the prerogative to be right, and continuity. Anyone who has ever been trapped in a possessive relationship knows ego's smothering effect. Ego can't give someone else space to live his or her own life because of a perceived threat to its existence. In truth, giving space isn't simple. It requires the willingness to "allow" another person their whole being – to freely express their ideas, feelings, reactions even when they are in conflict with your own. In short, it is permission for your beloved to be unlike you.

While the ego's primitive nature wants to hold on and control, spirit has no such concerns. It wants being, love, freedom, and creative opportunities. Spirit isn't afraid to give because it knows that its essential nature is pure love, unbounded in time and space. The question naturally arises, how then do we free ourselves to love and give freely?

The first step is to recognize your true spiritual nature. In truth, you are pure spirit, pure love, created from the same spirit that in infinite form is known as God. Realize that the ego often acts like a scared bully trying to protect its tiny fiefdom, not knowing that it is part of an infinite field of pure potentiality and infinite possibilities.

One of the most effective ways to connect to your true nature is meditation. For thousands of years people have used this proven method of inner discovery, which takes you beyond the mind's mental confusion and emotional turbulence into the silence of pure awareness. When you meditate regularly, you go deeper and deeper inside yourself, beyond the ego's illusions, old thought-patterns, and rigid habits – into the silent, peaceful, unchanging level we simply call the self. This pure bliss consciousness is who we really are.

An Alternative Way, Take Two...

Joshy is doing a whole lot better and so is TT. Our visit with the holistic pediatrician was wonderful. It was surprising to find out that she not only cares for children but she's licensed to care for adults as well. I made appointments for the rest of us this week. The remedies that she prescribed have been working well and as time passes on I am slowly seeing my children come back to life. Life is exactly what holistic remedies give to us; they don't take away from us. The fevers are gone, the coughing is going away and the congestion is becoming less and less bothersome. They are getting better without us using the usual Tylenol, Motrin and cough syrups so commonly used by so many. All of this without exposing my children to harmful side effects caused by using these commonly used drugs, there is another way.

Our time spent in the emergency room was long and tiring. They treated Joshy with an hour breathing treatment followed by a dose of oral steroid which his body rejected and resulted in him throwing up. They then treated him with another breathing treatment for an hour and then attempted to give him another dose of the oral steroid which his body also rejected. Finally they decided (for time sake) they would give the steroid to him intravenously. Are you kidding me?? I told them I would rather try and give it to him orally one more time because while we were waiting we gave him his water to sip on and fed him some grapes and cantaloupe which he did keep down. They said it would be faster to do it through the needle instead. Was it time for us to go? Did my insurance have a time limit on my head as to how long our stay should be in the emergency room? I’m so fed up with our health care system. If you’ve done your research you would know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t know then a good place to start is to watch the film Sicko, by Michael Moore. <--- This link will take you to a 19 sec. video. Check it out.

To our despair they gave it to him anyway. Joshy just laid there when the nurse pushed the needle into his little arm. He didn’t cry, I think it was because the numbing cream worked and both D. and I were holding and comforting him. After she was done he didn’t want to sit up or talk, like he was doing before the medicine. His disposition changed. Before the medicine he was playing peek-a-boo with the nurses, coloring with his sister, and smiling. This was during the time he started wanting to drink more and more of our water. Joshy started looking and acting like himself again. Then after the medicine starting flowing through his blood stream he became very tired and eventually fell asleep.

On our way home you could still hear him breathing heavily. When we got home we put them to bed and stood there watching them sleep. One filled with holistic remedies sleeping just fine and the other filled with prescription drugs still breathing extremely hard. I was given a prescription to fill by the hospital for him but I refused to fill it until I took him to the holistic pediatrician. I haven’t had to fill the prescription and Joshy is doing a whole lot better. Have you guys ever wondered why there is a pharmacy on almost every corner? They are now inside the grocery stores. Why the cures for things like cancer still have not been found but yet we collect endless amount of money for research on finding the cure? If you plan on watching Sicko, please let me know what your thoughts are afterwards. I would love to talk about it. I can go on and on about this but I’m done for now.

The big day is tomorrow! Please if you haven’t done so already, go out and vote tomorrow. Change is here folks, let’s make it happen. YES WE CAN!

An Alternative Way

This morning I’m getting ready to take my 23 month old to see a holistic pediatrician. The night before last we found ourselves in the emergency room, again.

Since we’ve moved my whole family has been battling cold like symptoms. I thought we were better when out of nowhere (at least that’s what I thought) my 4 year old (TT) started coughing up a lung (at least that’s what it sounded like) just the other day. And then a day later she started running a fever. The bug was back with a vengeance. Fortunately for us 2 weekends ago we visited a holistic ob/gyn who also offered care for entire families, so I knew exactly who I was going to call. After speaking with her, one of her recommendations was to treat my entire family because if you treat one it’s more than likely they will get it again because the other members of the family haven’t been treated. I wish that I was in the position to do that but it’s not cheap so my focus was on getting TT well and than find a way to provide the care for the rest of us.

Back to Joshy…2 nights ago he woke up and we could tell he was fighting to breathe so I reached for his inhaler and finally he fell back asleep. Early Sunday morning he still didn’t look all that well so D. and I decided, because it was asthma, that we should take him to the emergency room until Monday to see the doctor. I left a message for the doctor who treated TT to let her know what was going on because I know that there is are alternative ways to deal with Asthma as well.

For blogging sake I’m going to make this long story short and end here. I will come back later (I don’t know if today, but soon) and let you know how our visit went and go in to some more details. I’ve got to get them ready to go now.

The movie, The Secret Life of Bees, was good but not all that spectacular to me. I guess I was expecting more but for what it was it was good. I did however enjoy my time with friends we have to get together again soon. It was so sad to hear about what has happened with Jennifer Hudson’s family. I’m sure many prayers have gone out for them, mine as well.

Before The Chapter There's Transition

It's so good to know that when life has you busy and kept away from the world of blogging that you're not forgotten and your friends reach out and touch. Thanks guys for checking in on me, it's been rough but in a good way. I've been pressed, squeezed and challenged to grow on so many levels lately that when I look in the mirror I sometimes don't recognize the woman looking back but I'm determined to finding out. Change is good!

A few weeks ago I got to visit Urbanbella for a consultation and purchase some of their wonderful products for natural and transitioning hair. Before I got there I was up in a bunch on what to do with my hair. I started becoming very impatient with wearing headbands. The stylist I had the pleasure of consulting with showed me different ways to style my transitioning hair and recommended the best products for me. Mind you, during a consultation you are only being showed on half of your head different styling techniques not actually given a whole style so after she was done she wet it down for me and put in a leave in conditioner. So I don't have any pics of a style just pics of the inside of the salon, which by the way is beautiful! I will post those soon. The pics below are different styles I've been doing on my girls with the help of some styling aids like, Baby Buttercreme (this is what I use to moisten the kids hair) and Curly Meringue (this is what I've been using on my transition hair). I've been doing two strand twists, twist outs, and braid outs with these products and sometimes I just wet our hair, apply these products and let it air dry. I also bought a couple of other products I'll share with you later.

Gotta run, I have a busy day ahead. I'm going to see The Secret Life of Bees with friends today. I'll share my thoughts on it soon!

Wordless Wednesday...#43

Gloves In A Bottle Winner!!!

The Winner is Blue Violet!!!
Congratulations!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered for a chance to win. Check back soon for some more giveaways at Lisa C Writes!!

Lucky Me I Got A New Tee!!!

Lately I’ve been on the run and if you catch me I’m sporting my mommy of five tote bag and tee. Lucky Me Tee designs apparel and accessories specifically for moms and kids. From long sleeved t-shirts to tank tops, hoodies and tote bags. Having a durable bag to carry the needs of kids is important to moms. For me I’m usually packing things like school assignments, snacks, pampers, wipes, sippy cups and my own personal things so the bag that I carry has to be able to hold all of that and then some. It’s wide enough, has an inside pocket flap and outside pocket with velcro closure and the straps don’t hurt my shoulders (which is a plus). The inside is lined to which helps for easy cleaning and those unexpected yet expected spills.

The tanks are perfect for the hotter months and now that it's getting cooler the long sleeve tee's and hoodies would be perfect to wear to flaunt the number of kids you have. Lucky Me Tee also offers baby tee's so that you could dress your little one in according to what # baby they are.

So stop on over to Lucky Me Tee and find the gear that's right for you!! Whether you're a mommy of 1 all the way to a mommy of 5, Lucky Me Tee has something for you!

Yet Another Lovely Saturday!

Just got back from a mother daughter spa party!! It was a much needed break for me and a great opportunity to hang out with my big girl, she loved it! Especially the part when she got her feet soaked, massaged and rubbed down. It was beautiful getting to hang out with other women who were interested in pampering and taking care of themselves. I need to do this more often, it's a great way to relieve the stress.

It was a warm spirit party, have you ever heard of warm spirit before? If not, check them out you might find some products you like. I bought the earth mask and the herbal lip balm for myself and the heavenly body butter and honey mango lip balm for my daughter, can't wait to get my products.

Moving onto other matters at hand...my reviews. They are still awaiting my attention, which has not strayed away too far just slowed down a bit. I have an absolutely good reason for this though, my psychology class has just started and well to put it lightly has been kicking a sister's butt!! I had some assignments due on Thursday and after that I needed a break from writing. After having some warm tea, a long talk with my mother-in-law, shopping (so therapeutic) and having a girlie day I'm ready to start working on them again.

Oh yeah, it's about that time again for D. and me to go on a date, it's been too long since the last one. Gotta get get get it! Had to throw that in. *cheezing* I've been wanting to check out this bath house that I've been hearing so much about. I hear it's definitely a place for "him and her" but only if you're not squeamish, nudity may not be your thing.

The Bees Are Buzzing This Month

This month the movie, The Secret Life of Bees is coming out and I'm going to see it with a good friend of mine. She called me last night so excited and told me she finished reading the book and loved it! I contemplated for a moment whether or not I should attempt to read it in between all of the reading assignments I already have for school but decided it would be best not to. Although the way she made it sound, it was so tempting. Not only do I have so much to read for school but my rule of thumb has always been to see the movie first and then read the book. By doing it this way I get the details that were left out of the movie, ultimately expounding on the movie and getting to see it twice.

Which do you prefer: reading the book first or reading the book after you have seen the movie?

Go Ahead...Touch My Hands and Kiss My Feet

I'll be honest. This was a pretty tough review for me to write (which is why it has taken me so long). I'm a real stickler for having silky smooth hands and feet, so for years I have grown accustomed to using lotions that provide all the moisture I need. When I find something that works for me and I really like it, I don't put it aside very easily. A few months ago I did a review for another popular shielding lotion, and I was honestly afraid I would not be able to provide as positive an opinion as I did for it. Fortunately I was wrong.

Gloves In A Bottle has done for me every bit of what the company claims it will. I'll spare you the details of how it works here and instead provide this link for you to read at your leisure. The website provides a lot of great information about dry skin and how to treat it. Most impressive was the list of (very) notable companies who use the product, numerous testimonials, and professional endorsements. If you'd like to cut to the chase and see it in action for yourself, just head over to the before and after pictures and check those out.

Having done my thorough investigation, I was ready to try Gloves In A Bottle. It wasn't long before I was totally impressed. I hate thick oily lotions that leave a heavy filmly feel on my skin. This lotion goes on smooth, is very light, and almost seems to soak into your skin. It left my skin feeling hydrated instead of lotioned. Most of all it was great that I only had to use very little of the lotion to get good coverage. If you've got eczema, dry, itchy, cracking or problem skin or are just looking for a good hand and/or body lotion, you've may find tons of choices on the market. I'd strongly recommend that you give Gloves in a Bottle a try. I have seen it work wonders on my own skin, and do what no other lotion could do for an eczema problem a friend had with her young daughter.If you'd like to get your own Gloves In A Bottle, today could be your day. Lisa C Writes is giving away to only one fortunate reader your own 8oz container of Gloves In A Bottle. All you have to do is leave me a comment asking to be entered into the giveaway, then check back on Monday, October 6th for the winning announcement.This giveaway is also opened to non-bloggers. Just remember to send me your contact information: lisac@lisacwrites.com