Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life From The Middle of The Road

I have been thrilled and a little bit overwhelmed by the huge outpouring of support for the baby steps “Slow-vo-lution!” I have received countless emails of support and tons of tips to share with you all! I think the whole idea of taking baby steps hits a chord with busy folks who are so dedicated to the service of others that they rarely take care of themselves. Many see the baby steps as a way to honor their own needs in a responsible way, while still remaining humble and not seeming to be selfish. The truth is, we all need to be a tiny bit selfish if we really love ourselves. Is asking for enough time to do five small things a day that will create more ME space really selfish? I think not!

If you are new to the baby steps please go back and read the first installment of Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life From the Middle of the Road so you will know exactly what we are talking about here. That way, you will also be able to read up on the wonderful tips that were shared last week. In the future, I will put a link back to the first installment and the previous week’s tips so everyone can be on the same page!

Baby Steps in My Life!

This past week I did make a committment. It was NOT a resolution. I resolve not to be resolute! I made a committment to have fun and try out every tip available to see if it fit in with my life and helped me to make more time for myself. I loved the two minute rule and that seriously helped me to get a lot more things done around the house because I stopped putting them in my “to do” pile and they became my “already done” things! That was awesome! I also did my best to do more deep breathing, but since that was already my tip and integrated into my life pretty reasonably, I just did it a bit more and I really felt energized.

I also looked at my menu planning in a more concrete way at the beginning of the week, while still allowing for the creative bug to bite me. I did make a Frankenstein Leftovers soup that was wonderful! I also saved time and energy by reading recipes I was going to make in advance and organized all the ingredients before starting. Finally, I made some lighter breakfast, lunch and snack ingredients so I could feel good about my eating while still enjoying the food my heart and soul were craving for dinner. All in all it was a great week and I felt like I accomplished a lot, and made a shift towards taking care of myself in a more loving manner. I also made time for a little dancing exercise and a nice luxurious sea salt bath a few times during the week which was sheer joy! I hope you all got to try out a few baby steps and I would love for you to share your experiences with the group.

Your Five a Day for You!

So, I ask you to join me here each week for five tiny steps or life hacks to think about that can make your life better in ALL areas. It is all connected after all isn’t it? If you can make a small step in the right direction with organizing, you might have more time for a small step in the right direction for health!

Each Wednesday I will be sharing short tips for better health, more happiness, organization, scheduling, routines, harmony, peace, contentment, cooking, finances, personal care and family life (really any positive aspect of life!). I will also be joined by many other wonderful bloggers who have great information to share with you as well! These “mini-guest posters” are all such wonderful inspirational bloggers and I hope you visit them on their home sites to get more of the good stuff they will be talking about!

Each tip is doable, based on positive action with cumulative effects applying consistent but minimal effort. In other words, it will take you very little time to do this thing but if you do it a lot, you will reap great benefits. Conversely, not doing it is not gonna slip you back into a rut.

You are also going to feel much better about yourself when you “check off” any of the five little things you do for yourself a day, if you make the commitment to put yourself FIRST. Yes, I mean that. Setting aside time to do five small things for yourself every day and making that a priority will turn your thinking around and make you a happier person because YOU will feel the love you are giving yourself. When you feel that love, all other things seem to be better! We will be sharing many things over time and you will have plenty of different things to choose from that will help you take baby steps to a rockin’ life!

Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life

Without further delay, here are the five Baby Steps for this week! While tons of tips are a good thing, too many will be overwhelming and defeat the purpose of thinking in small positive incremental movements in the right direction, so that is why there are five each week. Remember, these baby steps can be in ANY area of your life, but doing them will leave you with more time for YOU, and that means, filling that time with FUN stuff you want to do instead of piling on more things for others. We want you to have more time for yourself to do the things you love like crafting, cooking, blogging, dancing, painting, you get my drift! These are the very things that add quality to your life and make it more Rockin’!

Water yourself just like your garden

This baby step came from me! Did you know that besides oxygen, the number one most important thing to your body is water? Water is required for almost every process and chemical reaction in your body. When water supplies are low, your body will prioritize and use the water only in the most vital of functions. Without adequate water, everything in your body can become sluggish and you will not be able to function at optimal levels. It is important to try and get more pure water into your body every day. Remember, if you are eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, you will be taking in quite a bit of water already.

Every night before you go to bed, set a 16 oz or larger container of water by your bed. If you get up in the night, take a small sip before going back to bed. In the morning, when you rise, drink the entire contents of the container before doing anything else. Getting a good dose of water first thing in the morning alleviates the dehydration that occurs during sleep and helps your body to get a fresh start! Carrying a water bottle around with you all day is also a good idea, but if you forget how much you drink, why not put a piece of masking tape on the bottle and mark it every time you need to fill up? Drinking at least 10 cups of water a day is a great way to help boost your metabolism, clear out cellular wastes and keep your skin nice and fresh! Aim to drink that much pure water daily with all other beverages being additional and you will feel a huge difference in your body! Check out some of my great water recipes to make it more tasty, with a few added health benefits, if you don’t like it plain and see my post on having fun with water for more interesting and quirky information on water!

DeClutter ONE Thing a Day

This Baby Step Comes from Dr. Laura at Who Is Laura?! If you are like me, perhaps you have at one point looked around your home in astonishment…where did all your clutter come from? Last fall, it happened to me again, and so I decided to challenge myself to get rid of one item a day. I could recycle in, donate it, sell it, or trash it. It didn’t matter. I was going to challenge myself to get rid of 75 items in 75 days, ending at the end of December. Well, I tracked it and I didn’t end up eliminating 75 things. I ended up eliminating 1,150 things in my home in 75 days instead! And in the end there was a peace and calmness that could be seen in my home, and felt within my soul. I challenge you to do the same -get rid of 1 item a day. Take your home from chaos to calm. You can read more about my 75 in 75 Challenge at Who Is Laura.

Leave a Light On

This Baby Step comes from Wendy of Around My Family Table! We all know how rewarding it is to have a clean kitchen at the end of the day. I’ve made this a priority over the last several years. Hubbyman even does the kids’ bedtime routine so that I can finish the supper dishes. It really has made a huge difference. What I started doing last year, was leaving on a little light in my kitchen after it was cleaned. I mean a little light. This could be your stove light, a cabinet light, a little lamp, or perhaps a candle. I have a little sink light that does the trick. This might sound a little silly, but it gives the kitchen a nice, relaxing glow. When I look through the darkened dining room into my clean kitchen with a little light glowing, it makes me feel good to see it and there is a sense of accomplishment. Besides, what’s betterthan glancing into a nice clean kitchen at the end of a long day. Visit Wendy at Around My Family Table for recipes and more tips.

Get Up and Dance

This baby step comes from Jennifer at Midwest Mom-ments. Sometimes it’s hard to find time to fit in any kind of exercise when you have small children, especially if you are a working mom who wants to spend all your free time with your babies. Something that holds us back is thinking we need to spend 30 minutes to an hour working out at the gym or on the treadmill in the basement for it to count. But in reality, fitting in 5-10 minute bursts of activity throughout the day can make a difference. One thing we do in the morning sometimes is turn on music and dance while we are getting ready. Most songs are about 5 minutes long, sodancing to one with your kids can serve several purposes. First, it has a beginning and end, so it’s easy to define without throwing off your schedule. Second, it gets everyone’s energy and happiness level up, so getting the kids dressed is usuallyless of a struggle. Third, it creates a special activity with you they look forward to, and they will never know it is also good exercise and Me time for Mommy. And it’s fun! Visit Jennifer at Midwest Mom-ments for more great tips and recipes.

Feet First!

These baby steps come from Rebecca of Cauldrons and Crockpots. Few things make me feel as good as having clean, soft, pretty feet, especially in the winter, when they spend so much time wrapped up in fuzzy boots (yes, even in California!). It’s such a silly little thing, but makes me feel so happy every time I look down. Your feet are the work horses of your body: overworked, under-appreciated, and probably in need of some TLC. So set aside 20 minutes of your eveningto give yourself a relaxing foot treatment.

1. Make a warm to hot foot bath. Use what herbs you have lying around– I love a combination of rosemary, mint and lavender. If you have any essential oils that you love, then throw those in too (I LOVE geranium on my feet– it’s incredibly nourishing, and usually goes in all my foot balm recipes). Other delicious things you can use are ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, clove, citrus peel, rose petals… get creative! For circulation issues and that bone-deep winter cold, a combination of ginger and cayenne works fantastically (easy on the cayenne if you don’t want to feel like your feet just ate chili peppers). Add rosemary to boost circulation, revive the senses and wake you up. Add mint for that tingly-foot feeling. Rose and lavender combine beautifully for a relaxing, heart opening and head-clearing bath. I’ll often position the bucket that I use so that I can lie down with my knees bent, and my feet hanging in the bath– that way the rest of me can relax too. Dim the lights, light a candle, put a cold pack over your eyes, and relax with your feet soaking for ten minutes, breathing in the aromas.

2. Once your feet are sufficiently soaked, gently dry them and give them a good scrub. If you don’t have a pumice stone available, you can always whip up your own scrub using sea salt or sugar– either on their own, or mixed with some honey or maple syrup.

3. Rinse your feet off, trim your toenails if they need trimming, paint your toenails if you feel like it, apply some foot lotion (I love minty ones because they make my feet tingle), and then put on some thick socks. Voila. Makes you feel like a whole new person.

Really, it does! Rebecca has tons more wonderful body and soul loving information at her site Cauldrons and Crockpots, so stop on by!

So, you see, these are all positive and to the point, giving the benefits you will gain immediately from using these techniques, which you can employ whenever you want! If you want MORE baby steps because you are on fire for them, I found two other very interesting monthly themes. The first is health related at Bloghers main site called A Month of Little Steps. The second one I heard about from my friend Gigi Ross at Kludgymom, and it is a bit more than baby steps, but if you are interested it is run by Whole Living Magazine and it is called the Whole Living Action Plan, so check it out if you feel up to it!

Please visit again next week for more Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life and good luck doing your five a day for you!

These Baby Steps come from many different wonderful bloggers all over the map who have various expertise and insight so we can hit a wide variety of topics. If you want to participate, please check out the Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life Guidelines, because the more the merrier! This article is a part of Real Food Wednesday. Now Get to Rockin’!