A Summer Challenge

We live in a time of extreme activity.  In most cultures, there used to be a mandatory 40 day sitting in.  40 glorious days of healing and bonding with a new baby.  This sitting in period would come complete with family and friends bringing meals, doing laundry, helping with other children, and cleaning the home.  Nowadays, women are lucky to get 1 meal brought to them.  Sure their husbands/partners probably help with some dishes and/or laundry but let's me honest, it takes a lot more to run a house than the occasional meal and emptying the dishwasher.  And our husbands/partners still work full time and might need to help with older children.  This fast paced life is straining our lives way too much.

We are now a majority 2 income household population.  Women just don't have as much time to help each other.  We are so busy over scheduling our littles, checking our Facebook, and taking cross-fit classes that we have forgotten about our community.  What if we, gasp, only scheduled one activity for our children at a time, logged onto Facebook/internet for 30 min max a day, and played outside with our family as a way to get fit?  Not including our full time work schedules and rest time, we would have SO much more time.  Time for intimacy, time for friends, time for worship, time for community.  We would have lots of time.

I challenge you to try this.  I challenge you to find someone you know who is pregnant.  Make her  the recipe below.  Spend time in conversation with her.  I promise you, it will open up windows, bring happiness to you both and maybe save a woman who was having a hard time and needed a kind gesture.  I believe in the domino effect.  Kindness preceeds kindness.  I challenge you to commit to 1 small act of kindness a week.  Be the change, share the happiness.

Easy Peasy Postpartum Herbal Spray

Equipment Needed:
muslin tea bags
1 pot

Ingredients:
2 oz lavender buds
2oz chamomile
2 oz calendula

Preparation:

Fill pot with water.
Boil Water.
Fill muslin tea bags with mixed herbs.
Shut off heat when water starts to boil.
Throw tea bags in water and steep for 30 min.

When cooled, put in a pitcher and bring to a new mom.
Placed in peri bottle or in a sitz bath, postpartum mom will have reduced inflammation and increased comfort in her bottom.


Alternative Acts to Help a Postpartum Woman:

Bring her a cup of coffee
Make her older kids a sack lunch and surprise her with it
Bring a meal/Order the family of pizza
Fold laundry
Wash/Dry the dishes
Mail her a homemade card/letter
Hire a Postpartum Doula to cater to the new Mom
www.ajoyfuljourney.org