2. I sought out clean water. I wanted wild water in my life. There’s a website I used, www.findaspring.com ,that helped me locate springs in my area. Even if you don’t feel comfortable drinking the water, go play in it. Put your feet in it. Spring hunting is a magical experience. 

3. I brought Chaga into the house. They say, you are what you eat and I believe that. It’s funny how when you start adding the good stuff, the bad stuff eliminates itself. Chaga is a medical mushroom. I could go on and on about what a difference it made in my overall health and mental wellbeing, but you should look into and try it for yourself. I keep a crock pot of chaga going all winter that way I can have as many cups as I want during the day. 

5. We took the TV out of the house. It was hard at first, but it was hands down the best thing I could have done for my household. 

4. I planted a Rosemary plant. I started small and learned everything I could about that one plant. How to use it medicinally. Also, how to grow, harvest and store it. From there my herb garden has grown and become my favorite place to be. 

I am not the healthiest person on the planet, but I am damn near close to the happiest. Nothing has changed about my surroundings, except me. I changed my daily habits and changed what I was putting in and around my body and my whole world changed. 
With love, 

Brooke Hampton 

The post Return to me appeared first on Barefoot Five.

So, here goes…

Question: Should you vaccinate your children? 

My answer: I don’t know. 

What I do know is this: In my experience, If the majority is doing something, it’s likely not the best route to take. 
Don’t not vaccinate just because some hippie mom on a blog says it’s dangerous. And don’t vaccinate just because your doctor told you to. 
Ask questions! Lots and lots of questions need to be asked and your kids deserve to have those questions asked for them.  

I mean, can we be real for a hot second. Who is funding the colleges that train the doctors? Your local Doctor is probably the nicest person ever and they entered into this profession because he/she truly wanted to help people. They cannot help what they were taught as truth. That degree hanging on their wall doesn’t make him or her all knowing.

You cannot abandon your common sense and instincts. Stop believing everything you’re told. If some nurse, fresh out of nursing school, is standing in front of you telling you it’s totally safe for your baby to have 7 vaccines today. Tell him or her to fuck off and run. Seriously, come on! 

 You still have to think for yourself. Sorry. 

Here’s what I did: I took a step back because I’m not interested in the fear that has everyone bowing to western medicine and I’m also not interested in the sheer ignorance that has people abandoning western medicine when it’s needed. Balance. It’s about finding balance and learning how to utilize the ancient herbal remedies from our grandmothers and the advancements in medicine. 

So, I started from the ground up. I researched the ingredients in each vaccine. Why are those toxic fillers in the vaccines in the first place?!? WHY!?  I wanted to know every single ingredient being injected into my baby. I also looked long and hard at the vaccine schedule. Then I took each of these”deadly” viral diseases that my kids were scheduled to be vaccinated for and learned as much as I could about each disease. Can it be prevented?  If my kids got sick, could it be treated naturally. 

What I found was shocking! 

Be brave enough to ask questions!!!! 

And then, in the end, trust your intuition. 

If something feels off, it probably is. 

Love you all. 

-Brooke Hampton 

The post Vaccines appeared first on Barefoot Five.

1. Create safe space for them to be outside for a least an hour a day. Preferable barefoot & muddy. 
2. Provide them with toys made of natural materials. Silks, wood, wool, etc…Toys that encourage them to use their imagination. If you’re looking for ideas, Google: ‘Waldorf Toys’. Avoid noisy plastic toys. Yea, maybe they’ll learn their alphabet from the talking toys, but at the expense of their own unique thoughts. Plastic toys that talk and iPads in cribs should be illegal. Seriously! 
3. Limit screen time. If you think you can manage video game time and your kids will be the rare ones that don’t get addicted, then go for it. I’m not that good so we just avoid them completely. There’s no cable in our house and no video games. The result is that my kids like being outside cause it’s boring inside…hah! Best plan ever! No kid is going to remember that great day of video games or TV. Send them outside! 
4. Feed them foods that support life. Fluoride free water, GMO free organic foods, snacks free of harsh preservatives and refined sugars. Good oils that support healthy brain development. Eat to live!    
5. Don’t helicopter parent. Stay connected and tuned into their needs and safety, but don’t hover. Kids like adults need space to roam and explore without the constant voice of an adult telling them what to do. Give them freedom! 
6. Read to them. Kids don’t do what they are told, they do what they see. If you’re on your phone all the time, they will likely be doing the same thing some day. If you’re reading, writing and creating your art (painting, cooking…whatever your art is) they will likely want to join you. It’s like Emilie Buchwald said, “Children become readers in the laps of their parents (or guardians).” – it’s so true! 
7. Let them speak their truth. Don’t assume that because they are young that you know more than them. They were born into a different time than you. Give them room to respectfully speak their mind and not feel like you’re going to attack them. You’ll be surprised what you might learn. 
8. Freedom to learn. I realize that not everyone can homeschool, but damn, if you can, do it! Our current schools system is far from the best ever. Our kids deserve better. We simply can’t expect our children to all learn the same things in the same way. Not every kid is the same. The current system does not support the unique gifts of our children. How can they with so many kids in one classroom. It’s no fault of the teachers, they are doing the best they can. Too many kids and not enough parent involvement. If you send your kids to school and expect they are getting all they need, you are sadly mistaken. Don’t let the public school system raise your kids, it’s not their job, it’s yours! 
9. Skip the fear based parenting tactics. It may work short term. But the long term results will be devastating to the child’s ability to be open and truthful with you. Children need guidance, but scaring them into listening is just lazy. Find new ways to get through to your kids. Be creative! 
10. There’s no perfect way to be a parent, but there’s a million ways to be a good one. Just because every other parent is doing it, doesn’t mean it’s right for you and your child. Don’t let other people’s opinions and judgments influence how you’re going to treat your kid. Be brave enough to question everything until you find what works for you. Don’t be lazy! Fight your urge to be passive about the things that matter. Don’t give up on your kid. This is the most important work you’ll ever do. Give it everything you have.
-Brooke Hampton 
Holy Flow Parenting #holyflowparenting

The post Raising a wild child  appeared first on Barefoot Five.

2. When someone tells you that you’re beautiful, believe them. They aren’t lying.

3. Sometimes we all wake up with breath that could kill a goat.

4. For every woman unhappy with her stretch marks is another woman who wishes she had them.

5. You should definitely have more confidence. And if you saw yourself the way others see you, you would.

6. Don’t look for a man to save you. Be able to save yourself.

7. It’s okay to not love every part of your body….but you should.

8. We all have that one friend who seems to have it all together. That woman with the seemingly perfect life. Well, you might be that woman to someone else.

9. You should be a priority. Not an option, a last resort, or a backup plan.

10. You’re a woman. That alone makes you pretty damn remarkable. 
-Mary L. Leonard 

 
I posted this beautiful photo and the above quote on our Barefoot Five FB page. It has been reported too many times to count and my inbox is full of messages from people who are livid about the “explicit” nature of this photo. People who are threatening to have my FB account deleted if I don’t take this post down immediately. While I understand how this could be found offensive to some people, I also wonder if these same people are just as offended by mainstream media, Victoria secret commercials and all the other trash and propaganda we are being exposed to daily. Or, if the realness and raw beauty in this photo is what made them so uncomfortable and angry. 

To those of you who want to know if I’ll take this post down. Here’s your answer: No. I will not take delete this photo. I might not be able to stop Victoria Secret, Hollywood and magazines like Vogue from glorifying fake, photo shopped women, but I CAN use the little voice I have to encourage women to embrace their unique beauty. To inspire people to love their so called flaws and own their magic. To show my own children that cialis generic. 
I’m here to make people uncomfortable if that’s what it takes to see real change. I’m up for taking a little shit from people if it means that my children won’t have to grow up in a shallow, artificial world where nothing is sacred and nothing is real. I’m here to show the world what it looks like to be real and raw and perfectly flawed. 
Real is sexy! #takingbackbeauty
-Brooke Hampton

The post Real is Sexy  appeared first on Barefoot Five.

Does our hair make you make you angry? 

There are many reasons people don’t like our hair, but there are two predominate reasons that I would like to address.

They are dirty: There is a massive misconception that we don’t wash our hair and that we are dirty. That assumptions stems from a pure lack of education and doesn’t deserve a full blog post. Some people are just close-minded and judgmental and there’s nothing I could say in this post that will change that reality. We keep our dreads washed, clean and smelling lovely. The end.

Cultural appropriation:

I had never even heard the term ‘cultural appropriation’ until I stopped brushing my hair. I didn’t even know that was a thing, how sad is that? I was defensive at first, due to the intense and hateful way in which it was presented to me. With time I have begun to better understand why people could find offense upon seeing my unbrushed hair. Especially if I was calling my hairstyle dreadlocks.

After a long time meditating on the cultural appropriation issue, I realized I have been really insensitive in regards to this topic. Everything is perception, right? Well, if someone is truly hurt or offended, then it’s real. Even If I don’t understand completely, I have to accept that I have caused offense and try to better understand why. Now that I am more aware, do I plan on cutting all of my hair, no. But I can be more sensitive to how my actions affect those around me.

Here are some of the things I’ve discovered.

I really shouldn’t be calling my knotty hair ‘dreadlocks’ because technically I don’t actually have dreadlocks. I have messy, wild, knotty, matted hair. I am okay with that. I’m not attached to the dreadlock name and I’m truly sorry if my past use of the word ‘dreadlocks’ offended you.

While digging into the history of knotty hair, I found that almost all of us have ancestors have rocked the untamed, wild hair at some point in history. But, regardless, I have renamed my hairstyle based on my own bloodline.

The Celts called knotted hair faerie locks or elf-locks When their young children would wake from an evening’s slumber with tangles and snarls in their hair, mothers with a tradition of faerie folklore might whisper to their children that they had caught faerie locks or elf-locks. Faeries, they say, tangled and knotted the hairs of the sleeping children as they played in and out of their hair at night. It was considered bad luck to brush them out.

So, we don’t have dreadlocks.

I have faerie knots and my son has elf-knots.

Let’s step away from the hair for a moment. Cultural appropriation applies to so many things – from our hair to the dream catchers hanging over our beds.

Why does the term ‘cultural appropriation’ exist? Well, I believe it’s because people are having to watch their beautiful, sacred traditions be reduced to mere fashion statements.

I think we have culturally appropriated our entire existence here. Nothing holds real meaning anymore. Show me what is real, what is sacred, what is true. Everything has been watered down. It’s disgusting!

I see that, I feel that and I want no part of it. I do, however, wish to exchange culture with all of you. Show me the beauty in your history, culture and traditions and in exchange I will show you the beauty in mine. Let’s help each other return to ourselves- to beauty, meaning and all things sacred and real.

I don’t want to steal anything from anyone. My home is a melting pot of cultures and traditions. I want my kids to grow up loving and understand all different ways of experiencing this life. I don’t want to limit them or cut them off from the world around them. If you feel I am not showing proper respect to your history or culture, please educate me. I want to learn. I come from a long line of kitchen witches, artists and writers. I am the embodiment of generations of wild women deeply knowledgable in the rhythms of the Earth and her healing power. I want to share my culture, my knowledge and my history with you. Will you do the same for me? Teach me.

If you allow yourself to be angry with me because of my hair, something I am wearing or something you see in my home then you’re feeding the very energy you say you’re fighting against.

I am you. You are me. We are all the same.

~Brooke Hampton 

#culturalexchange

The post Cultural Exchange appeared first on Barefoot Five.

I love discovering new ways to help my kids get excited about eating foods that give life vs take it away. At one of the longevity conferences David Wolfe talked about what the color in our food tell us about the type of body fuel that food contains.
For instance:
Red foods are good for your heart and blood, brown foods assist in digestion, etc…

So obvious, right?

I have been reading herbal lore, health magazines, blog posts and wellness books for years while overlooking the most obvious way to tell how we can heal ourselves with food.

“The colors in our foods are clues.” ~David Wolfe

Well, my kids understood this concept immediately.
After the conference, I took the kids to our local pottery place and we painted ‘color cure’ plates.

Instead of just telling them why they should eat their veggies, I was able to help them connect with how fruits and veggies can help their bodies function properly.
My kids now tell me what color veggies and fruits they need based on how their body is feeling.

When our middle child came home fro softball practice the other day, she said, “I need some yellows and oranges tonight.”

To have this level of understanding is so empowering for them!

Here’s a short list of examples that may help you get started.

Red- Blood building, heart strengthening.

Orange- Anti-inflammatory, mood elevating. Natures ‘Happy Pills’ ha ha!

Yellow- Tissue building, tissue repair, immune system development.

Green- Neutralizer, deodorizer, detoxifier, liver cleanser.

Blue- Creativity, stem cells, bone marrow, throat, thyroid.

Purple- Gut and Central nervous system protector, brain and eye nourishing.

Brown- Intestines, digestive track tonic.

White- Beneficial to the lungs, and the immune system, source energy.

We were at a friends house the other day and R.W asked for cauliflower. He says, “It has God energy in it.” ha ha! LOVE it!

Black- Jing (primordial life-force essence), longevity, kidneys.

The color cure concept has been a wonderful discovery for our family.

Eat the rainbow! #colorcure

~Brooke Hampton 

The post Eat the Rainbow appeared first on Barefoot Five.

Because a voice speaking truth, an inner fire burning up fear, a mind free to create, and a soul awakened are a threat to this system that thrives on our silence. 

I am daily met with controversial people who seem hell bent on misunderstanding me. Energy vampires who thrive on drama meet me at every corner. And I have come to the conclusion that: Everyone in the world doesn’t need to agree with me or think I’m wonderful (even though the Leo in me tries to argue otherwise). It’s okay for people to dislike me, disagree with my views or judge my actions. If someone isn’t ready to hear what I’m saying, then I’m only hurting myself by arguing with them.

Avoid energy vampires! 

Some people just want to argue. They are stuck in their belief systems and nothing you say will change that. They are there at the other end of everything you say, do, post to tell you why they think you’re nuts.

If you find yourself deep in a conversation where you’re not being understood, and you feel like the life is being sucked from you. STOP!! Love yourself enough to walk away.

I often think about this quote by Thomas Paine,

“To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.”

Those words helped me avoid a great deal of drama.

Let people scream their truth at you; let them get angry and act crazy if that’s what they need to do.

Just breathe and keep moving.

Trust that the unconditional love, truth & authenticity in which you’re living your life will plant a seed in them that will spout when they are ready.

If your life is making people question themselves, then you’re doing something right.

Keep going. 

Often times my life makes people act out for no reason other than their scared to face the possibility that maybe they really have been pawns of corrupt systems, made-up religions, and corporations who benefit greatly from us sleep walking through this life.

BE YOU

Take a deep breath.

Smudge yourself and keep moving.

~Brooke Hampton 

#goSMUDGEyourself

The post Go SMUDGE yourself appeared first on Barefoot Five.

Below you’ll find a great deal too much information in the blog post I should never have posted…ha! Enjoy!

Nurturing the Aphrodite in me. 

I am often asked how I’ve managed to hold onto a healthy sex drive after having kids. Well, I think this is a question worthy of discussion.

I am deeply connected to my inner Aphrodite and I am not ashamed of that. I used to buy into the story that it was evil to be sensual. What a crock of shit!!! Don’t believe that lie for a second. Our sensuality holds our magic and our healing power. Without our sensual nature, we are disconnected from the beauty of being a woman.

How to nourish your sensuality. 

I had three children all under the age of 5 at one point in my life. There were days when I was covered in spit up, and things we don’t need to talk about in this post. I barely knew who I was some days. Even then, on my worst days, I still enjoyed making love to my man. One day a friend of mine who was struggling with her sex drive asked me to share my secrets. I had never really thought about it before. When I sat down to make her an honest list, I realized how simple it was.

1. Protect the sacredness of love making.

Love making is sacred, and should be treated as such. For many of us, love making has been tainted by the world. Hollywood, pornographic movies etc have really fucked up our idea of what good love making should be. Connecting with another soul on this level should be buy modafinil online https://www.topcanadianpharmacy.org/product/provigil/. If it’s not, we need to ask ourselves why. Is it our programming, past experiences, dark energy, or a lack or real connection with our partner that’s keeping us from enjoying our sex life. Find ways to purify your relationship with sex. Make a list of what’s keeping you from a healthy relationship with sex and let that shit go!!

2.  Fall in love with yourself. Loving yourself unconditionally is the first step to a healthy and fulfilling sex life.

3. Time in Nature. The more connected I am to the Earth, the more connected I become to my inner Goddess. Find yourself in the rhythms of Mother Nature. Let her teach you her ways.

4. Health. Wellness is everything. And I’m not talking about being physically fit. Being fit surely helps, but I can tell you from experience that you can be supermodel material and not have a healthy sex drive. When I eat good food, I feel good. Keeping my body well nourished, hydrated and free of toxins has been crucial to protecting a healthy sex drive.

5. Confidence. Know who you are. Find your power and walk in it. Don’t give up your personal power & magic for anyone. Not your husband, your family, your kids, your career. No one should hold that kind of power over you.

Protect your magic!!! 

6. Freedom. This might be a touchy subject, but It needs to be said. We need freedom. We are wild by nature and were not meant to be caged, domesticated house pups. Rewild your love life. Give yourself and your partner (or partners) freedom to be themselves. Freedom to follow their heart and be their authentic self. We do not own each other. I don’t care what that marriage certificate says or what our culture tells us about relationships. We do not have the right to manipulate and control any other human being, ever! Freedom of expression is key. Rewild yourself, your relationships and your sex life. Ready, set, GO!

Kitchen remedies to help boost sex drive. 

Maca. This has been the go-to herb for women living in the Andes for centuries. Maca’s high iodine content supports a woman’s hormone balance and its high zinc levels, an essential mineral for sex hormones, does more than fan the flames of desire. Women who took maca root in one study reported improved sexual experiences and satisfaction.

Take your love making serious. Skip the wine, and blend up a cacao, maca elixir.

Dark Chocolate. Dark chocolate containing 70% cocoa may help increase dopamine levels in the brain. A rise in the brain’s “pleasure chemical” dopamine lifts the mood, relaxes, and improves the body’s response to stimulation.

On my nightstand: 

Cacao butter lotion (it’s edible): My mama makes a chaga cacao butter lotion that is out of this world. Lovers that smell & taste like chocolate. Um…YES!

Yoni serum. Rose scented yoni serum from Living Libations. It’s amazing!!

Love butter. Another epic Living Libations creation.

Did you know that women greatly benefit from daily orgasms?

Love making provides a unique form of healing. It helps slow down the spinning for a little bit and helps us fully relax and be present in the moment. Who doesn’t need that in this crazy world?

Love making is damn good medicine that we all need more of.

I know that life can make it difficult to find time for sex. Kids, jobs, schedules etc.. All present a pretty massive challenge. Get creative. Make time! We need to get our priorities straight

An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away. 

Brooke Hampton 

The post Aphrodite appeared first on Barefoot Five.

“She had wild eyes, slightly insane. She also carried an overload of compassion that was real enough and which obviously cost her something.” Charles Bulowski

Yes, sometimes it hurts to care.

But what is life if don’t care about something or someone other than ourselves?

Yes, sometimes it hurts to love.

But what are we if we are not love?

Life wasn’t meant to be perfect all the time-

life was meant to mean something!!

I am here to care, to create beauty, and to love wildly.

Yes, living with passion & purpose will probably cost me something.

I will let it hurt, and choose to love anyhow. I will feel the pain and struggle that comes with caring for the people, the creatures, the planet and my purpose here.

I will continue to create even when the world calls me crazy.

I will feel it all, and I won’t be sorry.

Too many people have gone to sleep or medicated themselves in order to avoid the pain of being alive.

I will not die before I am dead.

I will feel something.

I choose to be awake, I choose to feel, I choose to be aware, I choose to care…

I CHOOSE TO BE ALIVE!!! 

~Brooke Hampton

The post I will not die before I am dead appeared first on Barefoot Five.

If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales. 

~Albert Einstein

In this video I talk about some of our favorite stories. Hope it’s helpful to you!

Books mentioned:

*In the land of Merfolk by Daniela Drescher (all of her books are amazing!)
*Woody, Hazel and Little Pip by Elsa Beskow
*The one-winged Fairy by Julie Cavalca
* The Story of the Wind Children by Sibylle von Olfers
* The story of the Root Children by Sibylle von Olfers
*Enchanted Cedar by Brooke Hampton
* The Last Wild Witch by Starhawk
* My Mama Earth by Susan B. Katz (Barefoot Book)
*The Tales of Tiptoes Lightly by Reg Down

Grimm’s Fairy Tales illustrated by Daniela Drescher

* The Waldorf book of Poetry

* Cosmos by Carl Sagan
* The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
* Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol
* Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
* Inkheart by Cornelian Funke
* Eragon by Christopher Paolini
* Peter Pan by J.M. Barre
* The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
* The Neverending Strory by Michael Ende
* The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Other mentions

Dune series by Frank Herbert
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

It’s never too cold, too wet or too hot
To pick up a book, and share what you’ve got
You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild
To pick up a book, and read to a child.
In churches and chambers, let’s gather round
Let’s pick up a book, let’s pass it around
There are children around you, children in need
Of someone who’ll hug, someone who’ll read

—Anita Merina

The post Tales of Fairies appeared first on Barefoot Five.