That concludes our first ever week long giveaway contest!!!!! Hopefully not to be our last! Thank you so much to everyone who participated and spread the TOTG love!
And now for the blog...........
How many of you remember watching Dumbo as kids? You know, the Disney movie with the baby elephant that only thinks he can fly as long as he's clutching his magic feather in his trunk? That plain and ordinary crow's feather gave him the confidence he needed to be able to be himself and take flight.... to soar! Eventually, he lost his grip on the feather only to realize that he could fly on his own after all. Sometimes, we need our own "magic feathers" to help us succeed in some daunting task that we don't feel confident enough to accomplish on our own. Today is about one such magic feather.
Lady Bug has her EOGs (end of grade testing) today. Well, they start today. It goes on for about a week and a half and it's busted up into sections with as much as a week in between sessions. It's very stressful on the kids and they put ALL their emphasis throughout the entire year on the weight of these tests. You fail the EOGs, you fail your grade. This is one of MANY reasons I hate the public school system. They teach to a test, not to life, and they put kids through the paces all year to make good grades, pass weekly tests, have progress reports and report cards only to say that all of that work and effort do not matter as far as passing.... it's only about the test. It was like that when I was in school too. I used to have child anxiety attacks over end of grade testing. And my poor little Lady Bug is much the same way. She stresses and worries. She runs facts and drills in her head as she falls asleep the night before testing. She plays classical music because she read that it helps boost brain function. She insists on very well balanced meals for dinner and breakfast during test week so she can be at her best. And then she still hyperventilates with silent tears the morning of testing from sheer worry. Seriously! This is not fair to do to little kids. They make too big of a deal out of it and it's not fair to them. There is no reason 9 & 10 yr olds should be stressing out that much over anything that's supposed to be about their education. There's high school and college (and another few years of maturity) to take care of that for them. Thank God Booter doesn't start EOGs until next year.
How does a mommy deal with this? It's sooooo hard to see your child worry themselves sick (last year she threw up the night before) over something you have no control over. A mommy helps their child to deal with it on their own, to have the confidence in their own intelligence and abilities. To believe in themselves and know they will do just fine. Sometimes to accomplish this, we have to give them a magic feather. Lady Bug's magic feather last year was a bottle of store bought Smart Water, and some gatorade Gummy Bites that I told her were super intelligence chews. I told her both of them would help boost her brain function to the point that if she knew the answers her brain would always be able to find them. This helped her relax so much that she was laughing and joking on the way to school and got a super high score. I knew she could do it, she just didn't know she could.
But this year I wanted to do better by her than glorified tap water and chemical and corn syrup gummies. This year I wanted to give her something that would still be a magic feather, but healthier for her.... and maybe with a few of those brain expanding and calming properties I had so stealthily promised last year. Since we're going homemade on everything else, I decided to go homemade on this route too. I researched and took notes for days on the computer and devised what I believed to be the best options for what I had on hand. Hopefully it works..... We made homemade "Smart" water, a brain power sachet for inside her pillow case, and I made her a AromaWearapy bracelet. She also had a back rub with mommy's verbena massage oil before she was tucked in last night.
Homemade "Smart" Water
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Purified Water
Gingko Biloba Drops
Ginseng Drops
Peppermint Extract
Lemon Essential Oil
Lemon Juice
Honey
Vanilla Extract
Coconut Water
Baking Soda
In a water bottle fill 2/3 full with good water and 1/4 full with coconut water. This makes sure there is room at the top for the rest of the ingredients. We added 5 drops of gingko, 5 drops of ginseng, 4 drops of peppermint extract, 5 drops of lemon essential oil, 4 TBS of lemon juice, 2 Tbs honey, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Put the lid on and shake like crazy! One it's mixed it should taste more vanilla than anything else with a hint of coconut and lemon and an after taste of mint. It is slightly sweet and very refreshing. We even went so far as to make a little label for the bottle for her stating that it was Brain Power Juice! She thinks it's delicious!
No- Sew Brain Boosting Pillow Case Sachet
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1 quilting size square of fabric
6 in or so length of ribbon
2 TBS dried lavender buds
1 drop peppermint eextract
1 drop eucalyptus essential oil
1 drop lemon essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
Place the ribbon across the top of the fabric, laying it down the middle. Drop the lemon and eucalyptus essential oils and the peppermint extract onto the ribbon going length wise down the ribbon and rub so the oil/extract also goes into the fabric a little. Remove the ribbon from over the fabric and add the 2 Tbs of dried Lavender buds. Drop the Lavender essential oil directly onto the lavender. Gather the fabric square up over the lavender so it makes a little pouch and tie the ribbon tightly around the gathered open top making it like a ball with a spikey hair-do on top. Place this sachet in a bottom corner of a pillow case and let it do it's soothing and brain boosting work over night.
And the AromaWearapy bracelet is a cute little bracelet with essential oil (this one was 1 drop cedar, 1 drop, rosemary, 2 drops lemon) with an herb sachet on it (this one was lavender with an extra drop of lavender extract for a boost in scent). This way as she tests she can always have the calming mentally clarifying scents she needs with her at all times. The scent gently filling her space. And she can take a deep inhale with bracelet up to her face any time she needs with out looking conspicuous. I love the idea of that bracelet so much I am actually writing up a business plan to make and sell AromaWearapy from home. Shoot, just telling friends I have 3 orders for bracelets!
The result? Lady Bug left the car this morning telling me her mantra for the day was "Keep Calm, Do Your Best & Rock That Test!". Seems a good sight better than my nervous Nellie from last night. Once I got that sachet in her pillow she slept like a rock, awoke refreshed, and eager to test. She was calm, collected, and confident. After drinking a whole glass of "Smart" water this morning before we left, and huffing her bracelet as we were getting into the car she was a completely different kid than last year, or even last night. I have no doubt that she would do fantastic without her Magic feathers. She is a brilliant studious little girl who always strives to do her best. And I realize that this years helpers aren't as much of a benign feather as last years, but they won't take the test for her. They just keep her calm and focused enough to realize she has this all on her own. And I know, someday, she won't need her magic feather anymore. But I'll worry about that later. Right now, I'm just enjoying watching my baby spread her wings and Fly!
So today, find a way, using what's already available to you, to help you or a loved one find the boost they need. Find the magic feather that will help them see the ability that is already in themselves. It's honestly a fantastic feeling to be able to help the people you care about (yourself included) to be able to have confidence in themselves. Harness the power of nature to soothe, calm, and lift up those around you. Nature gives us the toold if we are willing to use them. The best part, everyone around you will be bettered for it.
Today I hope you find Confidence.... even if it is from your own personal Magic Feather.
Very nice! I've made pillows for my little bugs that double as heating pads. I used felt, rice, and lavender. I think I added lavender eo, too, and maybe vanilla extract, but I'm not too sure. :) For the bracelet, I'm sure you could make beads, with homemade play dough and add essential oils to it. You could even add different food colors to different scents if you wanted.
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