Relax... sleep, de-stress and enjoy your charmed life

So it’s November. It is starting to get cold and dark outside and everywhere you go you see the word, ‘detox‘. I am also thinking along those lines but what is different is that each of us are detoxing with you. I will try and help you save money for Christmas and by completely detoxing naturally, I want you to feel pampered to. It’s just no fun when people tell you, ‘don’t do that, don’t eat that’, and just ‘don’t’ in general. I want to encourage you to, do and make and be.
November is a month where it’s really difficult to get motivated. But if you manage to motivate yourself this month it’s likely that you will be encouraged to keep up your new regimes for more than just one day. By the way I am writing this whilst lying on my bed - Before you carry on reading, if you are at home go and make yourself a big mug of tea, relax and unwind. This could be the start of your girls day or night in.
This day isn’t all about pampering it’s about so much more. charge and making plans. Organize your wardrobe, kitchen cabinets and any cupboards that are so full they are about to burst. Discard the things you no longer need, and discover things you’ve neglected. It’s also about making some home made beauty products and absorbing yourself in your home.
Now I hope this doesn’t make me sound like your mother but I want you to go and tidy your bedroom and bathroom. You will enjoy the later part of your day so much more if you have a lovely haven to laze in. Also don’t forget to make sure your biggest and snuggliest towels are available - OK so there is my first ‘don’t’.
By doing all of this you will have given yourself a very good workout and you will have everything just as you need it. Please don’t despair if you haven’t got the items I am going to include in the ingredients list as they are all readily available in most good supermarkets, chemist or your local health store.
Now the fun stuff begins, you have cleaned out your cupboards and you now know what goodies you have to put to use for your pamper session. I have always been a woman who has enjoyed a good night out but as I have gotten older, I have appreciated the benefits of having a night in. We all spend so much time and money in making our homes lovely that we forget that they are ours to relax in and appreciate.
If like me you find yourself at a loose end, wondering what everyone else is doing, stop and think about what you are doing, there is no point in feeling like you are missing out. Instead make your evening lovely and therapeutic and I could almost guarantee that you wake feeling fresh and rejuvenated the next morning.
Can I let you into a secret? At this time of the year women, a sweeping generalisation I know, often go into hibernation. We cover up and hide every part of our body and actually neglect our skin. Then spring raises its head and miraculously we think that a couple of days of moisturising a razor blade and maybe a new hair cut will make us look better, healthier and ready for the months ahead. Why bother spending time, energy and money I hear you ask? Well you should bother because after almost four months of not taking care of ourselves both inside and outside it could be classed as neigh-on neglect. If we take care of ourselves from now, come April when our bodies are exposed to the world they would have received five whole months of TLC and your skin will be soft and lovely and you won’t be a fuzzy-wuzzy bear with fuzzy-wuzzy hair, which is a head start on all those women not reading my blog..

Your cupboards - ingredients needed

You won’t need them all today but over the next eight weeks I will be introducing you to new recipes.

Oats (preferably organic)
Sea salt or rock salt
Milk
Brown sugar (the softer the better for face but rougher for knees and elbows)
Virgin olive oil
Lemon
Pear, apple or banana
Honey
Double cream
Baking soda
Epsom Salts
Essential oils
Shower cap
Body brush
Five home made natural recipes to get you started
Pear face mask

Ingredients: 1 pear (as ripe as possible), ½ teaspoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of double cream
Peel and core the pear. Cut the pear into small pieces to make it easier to mash. Put the pieces into a bowl and mash into a smooth paste. Add the honey and double cream. Spread the mixture evenly over the skin on the face and neck. Leave for about 15 minutes. Rinse the face and pat dry with a clean towel.

Oatmeal mask
Ingredients: Oatmeal and water
Mix 2 tablespoons of oatmeal with a little water (or milk) in a small bowl. When it is in a paste form it is ready to use. Spread the mixture evenly over the face and neck. Leave for approximately 15 minutes. Rinse the face and pat dry with a clean towel.

Brown Sugar Exfoliator
Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to a half tablespoon of olive oil. Stir to mix. Apply the mixture to your body using circular motions. Rinse the body with warm water.

Honey and Olive Oil Hair Mask
Mix 2 tablespoons of honey with honey with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Apply to hair from root to tip; this is mild enough to be used on the scalp. Cover hair a shower cap. After 15 minutes shampoo and rinse well.
Salt bath

This will help aid the removal of toxins and relax you
1 cup of sea salts, 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup Epsom Salts, 1 to 2 tablespoons Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps - "All-One!"per bath (optional - Dr. Bronner helps to keep the skin from drying) and essential oils (optional - lavender is very good to aid relaxation)

The proper method is to combine the sea salts, baking soda, and Epsom salts in a bowl and blend them. Pour ¼ of the mix into the bath while the tub is filling. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons glycerine to keep your skin from drying out (more for dry skin, less for oily skin) and essential oils of choice.

The quick way is to scatter the individual parts in the bath just before you step in. Try both methods to see what suits you best.
When you step out of the bath wrap yourself in a big towel and enjoy feeling of being relaxed.

Put on your pyjamas, make a warm mug of almond milk with some agave necter and then go to bed and sleep.

In the morning, the house is tidy, your mood lightened and you will be ready for the day ahead whatever it may bring.

Please note - I am not a alternative specialists or a doctor. But all of these recipes have been made, used and enjoyed. However, if there are any contraindications as to why you shouldn’t try these recipes then please don’t. Do not take hot baths and salt baths if you have heart trouble, high blood pressure or are diabetic.

I am an information junkie, organic foods advocate, style diva, foodie, and mother of 2 wonderful eco boys Leif 8 and Lance 6. If you would like your product reviewed on my blog, please email me at: venusjacobson@yahoo.com View my complete profile

Miso Soup

Hey Guys, Fall's here! Yeah!!! During this time of year I crave soups around the clock. I prepared this healthy yummy soup all the time. My kids love adding their own seaweek snacks to the soup and help mix in the miso paste..

Ingredients:

. 1 large sheet nori seaweed, shredded
· 2 teaspoon fresh ginger juice
· chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish
· 6 cups filtered water
· 3-4 shitake mushrooms
· 1/2 cup Wakame Seaweed Flakes
. 1 teblespoon dried bonito flakes
· 2-3 tablespoons mellow white Miso ( I use
. 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
. 2 tablespoons of roasted sesame seeds ( love Eden 's ogainic Gomasio~ seeds w/ sea salt)
. 2-4 large garlic clove, minced

hot pepper sesame oil to taste

Serves: 4

Cooking Time: Under 30 minutes

Fabulous Giveaway

*Image adapted from www.novica.com*

AMAZING! Recycled Pop-top backpack,'Gleam'~artisan "Neide Ambrosio"

Hi My Loves,

I wanted to share this Fabulous Giveaway with all of you.. I am so excited about highlighting the Eco Diva's Beauty and Fashion Website. Thanks, Elena Lipson~You Rock and I truly enjoy reading you blog! Your website is loaded with such valuable "Eco Style" information thanks for sharing!

Healthy Blessings,

Venus

Hurry Diva's Enter ASAP!!!


http://theecodiva.com


Giveaway} $150 Gift Certificate To NOVICA.com

Novica.com, in association with National Geographic, is an incredible global platform for artists and artisans around the world to showcase and seel their creations in a Fair Trade environment. Novica.com offers everything from Jewelry and Sculpture, to Handwoven Blankets and Tapestries.



One of Novica’s latest divisions is one of my favorites, Handbags. Featuring bags made from eco-friendly materials such as cotton, hemp and silk, Novica brings together an amazing group of artisans from exotic locations such as Bali, Brazil and Thailand.



Here is your chance to choose from the many original designs and get yourself something special for the holiday season.

To Enter Simply do the following:

1 – Comment and mention one item you plan to buy with the gift certificate! {please don’t forget to leave your e-mail address!}

2 – Follow theEcoDiva blog via Google Friends on the right hand side of this site

Extra Entries {let me know which you did by leaving a comment}:

* Share this giveaway on Twitter and follow @theEcoDiva
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One Winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced December 1st, 2009.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday ~To Our Precious Niece Annika!

Happy Birthday to you.. Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday To our Precious Little Niece Annika..... 3 Years Old.... Happy 3rd Birthday Our Little Princess. We are so very sorry we couldn’t be there with you, but we are always thinking about you. We wish you the very best in life and always have a fabulous time. ~Wow Sweetie how you have grown. What a beautiful little girl you are. You are such a Doll, Baby!! We are so glad to hear you had a great day at school today and you had so much fun with your friends enjoying "Yummy Cupcakes" that Mommy brought in to your class. (That is so cool!) As always many prayers going your way for your continued journey in life our Sweet Angel Annika.

***Lyrics to the Norwegian Birthday Song with an English Translation and YouTube Videos

~Here are lyrics to the Norwegian Birthday song “Hurra for deg som fyller ditt år!”

*~Hurray for You for Celebrating Your Birthday).

It’s a birthday song written by Margrethe Aabel Munthe (1860 – 1931):

Hurra for deg som fyller ditt år!
(Norwegian)

Hurra for deg som fyller ditt år!
Ja, deg vil vi gratulere!
Alle i ring omkring deg vi står,
og se, nå vil vi marsjere,
bukke, nikke, neie, snu oss omkring,
danse så for deg med hopp og sprett og spring,
ønske deg av hjertet alle gode ting
og si meg så, hva vil du mere? Gratulere!

Høyt våre flagg vi svinger. Hurra!
Ja, nå vil vi riktig feste!
Dagen er din, og dagen er bra,
men du er den aller beste!
Se deg om i ringen hvem du vil ta!
Dans en liten dans med den du helst vil ha!
Vi vil alle sammen svinge oss så gla’
og en av oss skal bli den neste – til å feste!

Here’s an English translation I found…

Hurray for You for Celebrating Your Birthday!

Hurray for you for celebrating your birthday!
Yes, we congratulate you!
We all stand around you in a ring,
And look, now we’ll march,
Bow, nod, curtsy, we turn around,
Dance for you and hop and skip and jump!
Wishing you from the heart all good things!
And tell me, what more could you want? Congratulations!

We wave our flags up high! Hurray!
Yes now we’ll really celebrate!
The day is yours, the day is great,
But you’re the best!
Look in the ring who you want to choose!
Dance a little dance with who you want to!
We’ll all turn around together so joyfully,
And one of us shall be the next – to celebrate!

Here you can hear the first verse (which is how it’s traditionally sung)…

www.mamalisa.com/.../lyrics-to-the-norwegian-birthday-song-with-an-english-translation-and-youtube-videos


Hope you enjoy the Birthday Song Annika, We Love You!!!

Give yourself the same love and attention that you would give to a lover, a baby, family or good friends..

Healthy Wishes, Venus

My Favorite Poem...

Every time I read this , it makes me feel empowered.

Attitude
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on my life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes. --Charles Swindell