Along the way I received a great bit of advice: Stop knitting once and awhile and admire what you’ve made. You’ll be encouraged by your beautiful progress and you’ll also catch your mistakes before you’ve gone too far.

This has turned out to be fabulous knitting wisdom, but also great life advice as well.

Here we are at Week 6 of Mama Makeover. This is the perfect time for a pause to admire and celebrate progress (and course correct, if needed). Reflecting on these weeks together, we’ve covered a lot of ground:

●     Week 1 was about Creating Community, finding and offering support for our MM intentions

●     Week 2 focused on Setting Intentions and choosing one small (or big) need to address

●     Week 3 looked at the approaching life from the perspective of Learning vs. Perfecting

●     Week 4 was a look at how self-nurture is rooted in Being vs. Doing

●     Week 5 explored how we tap into our wisdom by Connecting to Mind, Body and Spirit

While our makeover winners Kimberly and Mary have spent the past weeks working and playing with the many wonderful and generous MM sponsors, I hope you too have spent some bit of these weeks attending to your own personal and unique needs.

Maybe you’ve set, worked on, and met a goal (If so, congrats to you!). Or perhaps this time represents only the beginning of a longer journey. Either way, hopefully some aspect of MM has given you inspiration and momentum. Perhaps some of these thoughts have crossed your mind lately…

●     I am not alone.

●     I am already pretty amazing!

●     Lots of support is available to me.

●     I can make small changes over time.

●     I am taking steps in the right direction

●     Being present is more important than being perfect.

●     Self-nurture doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.

●     I deserve to take time for myself.

Do any of these statements ring true for you?

These are all thoughts I’ve considered and discoveries I have made over the past six weeks. Some are reminders of things I knew in my heart already; at least one was a bit of a lightbulb moment. As I reflect on my involvement with MM, I am deeply touched by the experience. I’ve tried new things and have uncovered limiting beliefs that I’m working to banish from my existence! Setting intentions and tapping into your resources is a powerful force.

Photo image credit: http://dyannesky.blogspot.com/

Action for this weekend: Take time to reflect on what you’ve been “knitting” these past few weeks. Notice the beautiful patterns you’re creating, and how much strength and warmth can be created from even modest materials.

Post a comment here to share your thoughts. And be sure to visit the MM Facebook page to be supported and to encourage other mamas on their journey. 

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About Kirstin

Kirstin is a local, full-time working mama to two boys, ages 6 and 2. She watched MM from a distance for two years, and finally took a leap in 2012 and applied. Kirstin was selected as a MM finalist and came to MM hoping to deepen her mothering experience while inspiring other busy mamas to do the same. We’ve invited Kirstin to share her personal experience here to encourage all the MM mamas to join in a supportive and inspiring community. Read her updates here, and also on her personal blog: http://maternaljourney.wordpress.com/

This week I’m playing a bit of catch up.  Last week was stressful and sad, and I fell right back into my routine of neglecting me to take care of others. (In this case, it was the dog.) As I spent more and more time focusing on the things around me, I felt that familiar frustration and agitation creep back in. My husband noticed it too. The upside is that I know it’s not permanent, and with some self-care I can put it to rest again.

I also got my lab test results back from Bloom Natural Healthcare this week. I received a nice phone call and email from Doctors O’Neill and Haywood and I’m heading in later this week to talk about what kind of supplements may help to bring me more into balance. The results were “consistent with anxiety and depression.” It sounds like supplements for 6 months to a year is the recommendation, which I think will be good. I’m looking at them as an extra helping hand, while I figure out how to balance daily life. 

I neglected a lot last week, though I did squeeze in a few things for me. Shelby Rice came back out to finish up my wardrobe makeover. I cleaned out a lot of items that just weren’t working for me. The next task is to fill those empty hangers with more functional items. The words of wisdom from Shelby that I will be taking shopping with me are: Don’t buy it unless you can think of three things to wear it with. It’s now I’m to put that credit card to work… responsibly, of course! 

I also had my makeup done twice this past week with Amanda from Pretty in Portland. Amanda is about the most adorable makeup person you can imagine, and she can work magic with a painter’s palette full of colors. We had one practice session, and then she did my makeup for my photos with Kim Campbell. She will also be doing my makeup for Friday night, so everyone can see her magic first hand.  

We had our photos taken this past Saturday with Kim Campbell. I’ve said it before, and it still holds true, I CAN’T WAIT to see these photos. The backgrounds that Kim has set up behind her studio are so cute. My girls got to sit down at a rustic iron table and have a pretend tea party. It was so precious. Kim also had an assistant on hand to help entertain the girls and to pull out their most adorable smiles. I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait.

(Mama working out with Wendy Foster at Pod + Kin – photo credit: Campbell Salgado Studio)

For busy mamas, achieving this state might seem overwhelming and even impossible. How much can one woman do?!?

Fortunately, working toward that kind of wellness doesn’t have to be an extra line on our endless to-do lists. Connecting the body, mind, and spirit is closely related to what Savannah Mayfield described so well in her post here last week. Savannah explained that self-nurture “encompasses your attitude and feelings towards yourself, how you talk to yourself internally, and your willingness to get your own needs met.”

Self-nurture is not about what you do to make yourself whole; it’s about the way you show up to your day-to-day life. When each of the three aspects of your Self is in on the action, that wholeness can begin to emerge.

Personally, I have a tendency to favor the mind and spirit aspects of myself over the body aspect. This is why I chose the health of my body as my Mama Makeover focus. I was curious about how learning a new form of exercise (I’m enjoying my PilateSculpt classes immensely) and finding some other ways to add more movement to my days (spring = more outside time for walks and gardening) would change my perspective on my overall well-being.

(PilateSculpt class in session at Pod+Kin – photo credit: Campbell Salgado Studio)

Here’s a little epiphany from my experience:

I scheduled a one-on-one session with Wendy Foster at Pod + Kin to get personal coaching on how to incorporate Pilates work at home. As we were wrapping up we talked about how difficult it can be to get into an exercise routine (I’ve got early rising little ones, a full-time job, etc., etc.). I basically kept saying, “It’s all mental – I just need to get my head in the right place and make it happen.”

But Wendy reminded me that the mind-body connection is where the magic can really happen. After a Pilates class or a brisk walk, my body feels alive and ready to meet life’s challenges. Connecting that positive body feeling to the mental process of deciding to exercise or not is a powerful motivator. Much more so than using mental energy alone.

(Wendy Foster instructing a private session on the Reformer at Pod+Kin - photo credit: Campbell Salgado Studio)

So I walked out of that session making a mental imprint (to use Pilates lingo) of the positive and empowering body sensations I feel after Pilates class. I’ll use my mind to access that imprint as I make plans and decisions about how to incorporate more movement into my life.

I’m excited to see the mind-body interplay in action! 

Do you use mind-body-spirit connections to inform decisions about how you go about your daily life? How you set goals for your next steps?

Action this week:

The three-legged stool is a good metaphor for mind-body-spirit connection. We need all three legs equally engaged to make the stool stand firm. Do you favor one or more of the “legs” over the others? If so, how does this imbalance show up in your life?

This week, see if you can pay a little extra attention to the less developed aspect(s) of yourself. Do this with curiosity rather than judgment. See what happens when you engage this aspect in your decision-making.

For example, if you tend to disregard your body aspect, try tuning into your body when making a decision or reacting to a parenting situation. Does your body feel contracted and tight or open and expansive? What is your body telling you to do?

Post a comment here to share your observations. And be sure to visit the MM Facebook page to be supported and to encourage other mamas on their journey.

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About Kirstin

Kirstin is a local, full-time working mama to two boys, ages 6 and 2. She watched MM from a distance for two years, and finally took a leap in 2012 and applied. Kirstin was selected as a MM finalist and came to MM hoping to deepen her mothering experience while inspiring other busy mamas to do the same. We’ve invited Kirstin to share her personal experience here to encourage all the MM mamas to join in a supportive and inspiring community. Read her updates here, and also on her personal blog: http://maternaljourney.wordpress.com/

I did some really fun things for me this week.  Shelby Rice (of Shelby Rice Style) came out to the house to help with my wardrobe, and I got my haircut by Kayla at London Influence Salon. 

I’m calling this Round 1 with Shelby. Shelby made the drive out to the house, which means that I had to clean the house so as not to appear like a completely over-whelmed mother of two. I don’t know about everyone, but our house doesn’t exactly have a place for everything.  Sometimes, just sometimes, things might possibly get thrown in the closet when we need to clean up for guests. It was a rude awakening when I realized that this approach was not going to work for Shelby’s visit. Ack! Thank goodness she isn’t also an under-the-bed consultant, or she might have gotten more than she bargained for. ;-) Before Shelby ventured into my always spotlessly clean and organized closet, we spent time talking about how I would like to feel/look in my clothes. My goal of “looking like I’ve been shopping for myself in the last 10 years, and like I showered today” seemed manageable. We then began the process of sifting through my current wardrobe. It was like a trip back in time as we examined my “space shoes” as I call them, which are bound for the girl’s dress up box, and discussed my tiny summer dress collection which hasn’t seen the light of day in about 4 years. We also took the time to have me try on some of my little worn items to figure out what about them just wasn’t working. We moved a few things from the hangers to the donation box, and Shelby left me with some guidance for how to finish the clean out process on my own. Shelby will be back next week to work more on organizing my closet to make it more functional, and putting together some outfits.

Next week, Shelby is also going to help me pick out my outfits for my “after” photo shoot with Kim Campbell of Campbell Salgado Studio. I met with Kim this week to talk about our photo session, and I’m so excited. Kim has some really great backgrounds set up outside, and I’m hoping that we get the right kind of weather for outside shots. Whether we are inside or outside, I’m going to look great for these pictures. I have Shelby to pick my clothes, Amanda (of Pretty in Portland) to do my make-up and my haircut by Kayla looks great. Bring on the camera!

At its core, “self-nurture” is about your relationship with yourself. It is how you be with yourself rather than just what you are able to do for yourself. It encompasses your attitude and feelings towards yourself, how you talk to yourself internally and your willingness to get your own needs met. 

In my work with women, I find self-nurture to be a very important tool for having inner clarity, for creating a fulfilling life and meaningful relationships.

You see, the more in touch with yourself you are and the better you take care of yourself, the more you have to give others.

Don’t take my word for it. I want you to take a moment and just think about your life. Consider times when you have haven’t taken very good care of yourself, when you lost touch with your needs and you got mired in negative feelings/self talk.

How much energy and attention did you have to give the people in your life that you care the most about when you were depleted?

Now remember a time when you were being kinder to yourself. Perhaps you were in touch with your own needs and took time to deeply nourish yourself.

Didn’t you have so much more to give to the people and projects in your life when you were more nurtured?

When it comes to self-nurture and women, there are a few common roadblocks.

The first is the idea that taking care of yourself is selfish. I can’t tell you how many women have sat in my women’s groups and wholeheartedly proclaimed this myth. As women, we are often naturally giving to others, even to the point of identifying our own self worth with giving. We are even trained by our culture to deny our own needs and pay more attention to the needs of others, especially if we are mothers.

But selfishness is considering your own needs without caring about the needs of others. Whereas self-nurture is about both: my needs are important and your needs are too.

Another common way women get stuck is when we believe that we have to earn self-nurture. We have to get everything done on our to-do list before we can pay attention to ourselves. I want to tell you something important: that is backwards thinking. When you wake up in the morning, the very person you experience is yourself. So, how you feel about yourself from that moment impacts everything that happens in your day.

Another challenge many women report is time/money constraint. I think this happens more when we make self-nurture about action rather than attitude. You see, it costs nothing and takes only a few moments to change negative self-talk. And 20 minutes alone being mindful and present is worth an entire day alone feeling guilty or stressed.

I want to encourage you to start thinking about self-nurture as who you be rather than what you do. It truly is a mind-set shift and one that will transform your relationship with yourself.

Savannah is a Life Coach, who partners with women in gaining clarity into their lives and relationships, launching new ventures, and navigating challenging transitions. She offers personal and group coaching and inspiring workshops. http://nurturelifecoaching.com/

Artist credit: Tracey Buchanan Studio

While the stress of having a dog in the hospital, certainly overshadowed a lot of what went on this week, there are some definite positives to speak of. The biggest news is that I’ve been sleeping a lot better recently. I’m not sure what to attribute my new ability to sleep to, but I’m definitely happy about it. It could be that I’m getting more exercise, so my body is actually feeling ready to rest at the end of the day. Or, it might be that I’m finally getting aligned correctly, so I don’t spend my nights tossing and turning looking for a more comfortable position. Either way, I definitely feel more refreshed when I wake up in the morning, and I can’t complain about that! Wendy (Foster of mamalates) and Dr. Amy (Watson of Whole Mama Whole Child) can argue amongst themselves about whether Pilates or chiropractic care gets the credit for helping me to finally get a good night’s sleep.

I was lucky again this week to have dinner delivered by Dinner at Your Door. By the time dinner was done, both girls were adorable little messes with pasta sauce smeared from ear to ear. I have to say that it’s a lot more fun to clean up kids than to clean up dishes. This meal was definitely another hit at our house.

Speaking of cleaning up, I picked up my dental care package this week from World of Smiles Pediatric Dentistry. The package included a sonic care toothbrush and a whitening kit. The sonic care toothbrush takes the work out of brushing your teeth, in case your arms are exhausted after a session with Wendy. I’m told that it has other benefits too, like being better for your gums in the long run. The World of Smiles office is such a cute place. I was immediately drawn to the enormous fish tank in the middle of the waiting area that was filled with turtles. If that doesn’t keep a little one busy while waiting for their appointment, then maybe the rocket-shaped tent in the corner will. If you decide to check it out for yourself, knock before entering the tent… I may be taking a snooze or blasting off to Mars. 

This coming week Shelby Rice (of Shelby Rice Style) is coming out to the house to makeover my wardrobe; I can’t wait. I’m also heading back to Zenana Spa for a facial on Monday. I’m definitely looking forward to the relaxation time. As for the dog, since I know someone will ask, we still aren’t sure what’s going on, but at least he’s home now.  He seems better than when we took him in last Wednesday, so hopefully things are heading in the right direction. I just wish that he would stop ringing his nurse call button at all hours of the night.

Do you ever find yourself being (too) critical of your mothering?
(Yes, I do too.)

Expecting to perfect the unperfect-able takes up a lot of energy and takes focus away from the learning and growing that we do every moment of our mothering journey. Let’s put our energy toward something attainable and meaningful.

Last week, we set intentions for what we want to accomplish on our personal Mama Makeover journeys (here’s where I’m starting). Hopefully, you’ve landed on something simple and nourishing that you can reasonably achieve in the next month or so.

This week, focus on making progress rather than actually achieving the goal. Don’t let small setbacks get in your way. Remember, taking small simple steps breaks down change into manageable pieces. Over time, those small steps will get you where you want to go.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Resiliency is the ability to recover – this is how we deal with life’s inevitable challenges (or, in Emerson’s words, our blunders and absurdities!). Mothers begin to hone resilience from the very beginning (who among us didn’t begin dealing with motherhood challenges of some sort as soon as we learned we were pregnant?!). Be sure to access that skill if you feel discouraged about your progress.

And, modeling resiliency is a wonderful thing for our children to see.

If you’re not yet set on a self-nurture path, use this time to explore lots of ideas so you can see what’s possible and what’s achievable. Exploration allows you to branch out, be creative, seek out ideas from your community, and consider options. Be curious and see what comes about.

Action for this week: Finish each day and be done with it. Strive to make progress, free yourself from getting it right every time, allow yourself to explore many paths.

Post a comment here to share your thoughts. And be sure to visit the MM Facebook page to be supported and to encourage other mamas on their journey.

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About Kirstin

Kirstin is a local, full-time working mama to two boys, ages 6 and 2. She watched MM from a distance for two years, and finally took a leap in 2012 and applied. Kirstin was selected as a MM finalist and came to MM hoping to deepen her mothering experience while inspiring other busy mamas to do the same. We’ve invited Kirstin to share her personal experience here to encourage all the MM mamas to join in a supportive and inspiring community. Read her updates here, and also on her personal blog: http://maternaljourney.wordpress.com/

* Photo courtesy of Campbell Salgado Studio *

I survived my first run-in with the Pilates machine this week, though it definitely got the last laugh. After my private session with Wendy on Monday, and PilateSculpt class on Tuesday, I fell asleep on the couch Tuesday night while my husband rubbed my poor, tired legs. Don’t let the photos of smiling women stretching gracefully fool you… Pilates is definitely a workout! BUT who couldn’t use a workout that makes you feel taller, stronger and more balanced? I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Dinner at Your Door, I didn’t have to stand on my tired legs to cook dinner Tuesday night. A nice boy on a bicycle delivered dinner for the whole family right to my work. My husband and I had a vegan Mexican casserole, while my older daughter had her own bean and cheese burrito meal. A real plus for me was that the meal came delivered in glass containers. I worry about plastic and what it’s leaching into my food, so I was glad to see that dinner came delivered in glass and I could throw it right in the oven/microwave when I got home. Not to mention that dinner was quite tasty, so much so that my daughter actually ate beans! 

On Wednesday, Teresa Nicola (of Collected Spaces) came out to the house to help us tackle some problem areas.  We talked about how to conquer the mountain of shoes that inevitably piles up next to the door, and how to keep items from landing on our center island. After we formed a plan, my husband got to work in the garage, while Teresa and I conquered the pantry. The most amazing thing is that I didn’t even get rid of much, but my pantry seems to have so much more space! The garage looks great too, if only my husband was as motivated by my ideas and he was by Teresa’s. ;-) Our trip to Ikea on Friday was to get some additional organization pieces to finish the jobs, and we are looking really good now. Having Teresa over was like having a very organized friend come to help you get things in order. She’s so nice and easy to work with, if you have a problem area that needs work, give her a call. 

I almost forgot that I squeezed in a massage this week at Zenana Spa and Wellness Center. Ahhhhhhhh… I LOVE Zenana! I discovered them when I was pregnant with my first daughter, and in my book they can do no wrong. The spa is beautiful, the staff is wonderful, and the products they carry are amazing. They also have support classes for breastfeeding moms and a wealth of other mama-oriented classes. Zenana is just wonderful. I’m really looking forward to my other services. 

We put the girls to bed early tonight, and now it’s time for some relaxing with the hubby.  Have a wonderful week everyone.

This is a time to get started. Think about what aspect of your life you would like to change or improve. If you applied to MM, review how you responded to this question, “What would you like to change and/or improve about yourself?”

Choose one thing. Set your intentions on making this one thing come true for you.

Making changes can be daunting. Taking care of ourselves can easily translate as another “thing” to add to our already busy lives.

Perhaps all it takes is a different attitude about self-care. Perhaps we need to get (even more) creative with how we “do” self-nurture. We need to also think about how to be nurturing to ourselves (we’ll dig deeper into being vs. doing in a few weeks).

Simplicity and creativity are important. A small shift in your routine could make a big difference in your life. Seeing yourself in a new light (exploring your creative side, even if you don’t consider yourself a “creative type”) could be a real ah-ha moment. Here are some affordable resources you might find helpful:

●     Nurturing Creativity: a Guide for Busy Moms, e-book by Renee Tougas, just $3! 

●     One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects to Make Life Simpler, e-book by Tsh Oxenreider, just $5

The Japanese concept of Kaizen is another way to think about change. Kaizen has been applied in many industries and even to the fields of coaching and self-improvement. If you have some formal experience with Kaizen, you may find my definition a little loose, but essentially I think of it as a process of making a series of small changes that over time, lead to significant results.

Using Kaizen, you make changes in small increments so you don’t even notice them! For example, set your alarm 5 minutes earlier each day for the next 6 days. Getting up 5 minutes earlier each day is hardly noticeable, but in a week you will have “created” an extra 30 minutes in your day. Use that extra time for a self-nurturing ritual. 

So, mamas, what’s it going to be? What small (or big!?!) change do you want to commit to for the next month?

Action for this week: Take this week to select one thing you’d like to improve or change over the next 4 weeks.

Allow yourself to be inspired by MM winners Kimberly & Mary. Gather momentum from the MM community. Get out your journal, your laptop, or the nearest piece of junk mail or coloring sheet and capture your ideas. Open yourself up to possibility. You are worth it. 

Be sure to visit the MM Facebook page to be supported and to encourage other mamas on their journey.

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About Kirstin

Kirstin is a full-time working mama to two boys, ages 6 and 2. She watched MM from a distance for two years, and finally took a leap in 2012 and applied. Kirstin was selected as a MM finalist and came to MM hoping to deepen her mothering experience while inspiring other busy mamas to do the same. We’ve invited Kirstin to share her personal experience here to encourage all the MM mamas to join in a supportive and inspiring community. Read her updates here, and also on her personal blog: http://maternaljourney.wordpress.com/

I have the overwhelming urge to start this blog post with…”When we last saw our winner, she was preparing for some ‘me’ time and contemplating her next move in her battle against ‘the Machine.’“ I guess my journey to become a supermom has got me thinking like a comic book writer… 

I needed my superhero skills to cram as much into this week as I did. My goal was to meet as many of the wonderful women who will be involved in my transformation as I could… and I think I succeeded. 

On Wednesday, I met with Kim Campbell for my ‘before’ photos.  If you have never seen Kim’s work, you absolutely have to look at the Campbell Salgado Studio website. The photos you’ll find there and the ones that are hanging in her studio are amazing. I really can’t say it enough. I’m not sure that my ‘before’ photos are going to find there way onto the walls of the studio, but I’ll let you know. I absolutely can’t wait to have my ‘after’ photos taken and to get some shots with my family. If anyone can turn my grubby, squirmy, little ones into works of art, it’s Kim.  

After my appointment with Kim, I headed over to Bloom Natural Healthcare to meet Dr. Molly O’Neill. I talked with Dr. O’Neill about my struggles over the last 8 months and she has suggested some adrenal testing and some brain chemistry testing. I’m really interested to see what the results look like because I’ve struggled so much recently and haven’t been able to figure out why anxiety has suddenly taken over my life. It would be such a relief to find that there is a reason for my anxiety and that it’s not just “all in my head.” And, if the tests look normal, and it is just in my head, at least I’ve identified the problem. The testing takes time, so I won’t be back at Bloom for another 2 weeks. On that visit I’m going to meet Dr. Ashley Haywood.

I had my first PilateSculpt class on Thursday morning, and I can now say for certain that Wendy took it easy on me on Monday. I definitely felt the burn during this class, but it was great. I’m sure that I looked like someone was asking me to do quantum physics in my head as I tried to remember to breathe, flex and point my toes and which leg was which, but I think I did okay. I can tell that my core needs work, since I almost toppled over more than once. The best part about the class for me was that it was a really laidback and comfortable setting. I’m not a group exercise person (I’m actually not an exercise person at all!). The thought of jumping around to hip-hop music makes my skin crawl. Honestly, even yoga intimidates me. The PilateSculpt class though was very unassuming, the ladies in the class were very nice and Wendy was more than happy to help when I was struggling. I’ve heard it said before that Pilates can change lives, and I’m starting to think that it’s true. I’m also starting to think that “the Machine” might not be so bad after all.

My final appointment of the week was with Dr. Amy Lynne Watson (of Whole Mama Whole Child) for my chiropractic adjustment. In my head, chiropractors are large, burly men who give you giant bear hugs and crack your back in the process. In reality, they can be very nice women who give you a gentle massage before making your back snap, crack and pop like a bowl of Rice Krispies. Thankfully Dr. Watson is the latter. What I loved most about Dr. Watson is that she is thorough. We spent more than half of the appointment talking about my history and getting a baseline for where I am today physically, before she moved onto the back cracking. It’s only been a few hours since my adjustment, so I can’t say for certain whether there is any noticeable effect, but I’m interested to see how I sleep tonight.

Speaking of sleep, it’s that time for me. I’m off to bed to dream about rabbits that lay eggs and deliver chocolate bunnies. Then we are off to our church Easter egg hunt in the morning, let’s hope that the rain stays away for a least a couple of hours.