Mother’s Day is one of my favorite days. It’s a day where I’m instructed to Sit. And Stay. I’m not a good relaxer but on this day it feels nice to have someone order me to do so. I can usually do it fairly well…I get about an hour of sitting after breakfast in bed before I get ansy. So I usually get up and workout, telling myself I will get right back in bed after the post sweat shower. That rarely works though, and especially didn’t on this past Mother’s Day. You see, when my sweet husband came into the bedroom and brought me my hot coffee and delicious, homemade breakfast, with a handwritten note and a massage gift certificate,
he also dropped a bomb- a Mother’s Day nightmare-
“Well, it’s a good day to be taking a day off- our son is sick.”
BOOM.
And there went any possible chance of relaxation. I still tried, telling myself I deserve it and need it (I really, really need it…) but the thought of my baby being sick just couldn’t leave my head. I started to feel selfish and guilty- That Mom guilt that we all know so well. He had a high fever, a bad cough, no energy, he was basically a sad shell of his normal, energetic and happy self. He took a lot of naps, and that (selfishly) helped me enjoy a little break, but when I found out my husband had been hiding his own sickness most of the day, I’d had enough. I put on the Mommy gloves and got down to business. My husband protested, but what he doesn’t realize is that this stuff is second nature to me. It’s easier for me to clean the kitchen and tuck in a sick child than it is for me to sit back and allow someone else to do it.
I know Mother’s Day is supposed to be a day where we give moms a rest, thanking them for all they do throughout the year, but it’s also a celebration in their honor. And the reason we have a Mother’s Day lies in those children. Those little people are why we have this special day to begin with. So, because of some strange universe joke, my child got sick on that day, just to remind me why I’m supposed to be honored.
The following day, the first words out of my son’s mouth were,
“Do you want to see the stuff I made you for Mother’s Day?”
He still had a fever, was still weak and felt terrible, and yet the first thought he had after waking was about me. He sat on the floor beside me as I opened up all his handmade gifts and I cried.
They were beautiful. He drew me pictures, wrote me things, told me in crayon flowers and misspelled words how much I meant to him. And I cried some more. He could barely crack a smile because he felt so terrible but he couldn’t wait to show me his presents.
Today he’s still sick, I’m a little under the weather myself, but I’m at home doing what I do best- taking care of my babies. When your children grow out of ‘snuggle time’ and ‘being-carried-around-all-the-time time’, you start to miss out on those precious moments that you once longed to end. My son is 6 and doesn’t need me like he used to. But he does this week. He did on Mother’s Day. I have carried him to bed, spoon-fed him, snuggled with him, held him, and sang to him. He has been my baby again and because of some strange universe joke, I have slightly enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed being his Mommy again, not just his Mother.
As my daughter took her nap yesterday, my son and I took a warm detox bath together and I held his limp, feverish body for so long that the bath cooled and our hands wrinkled- a visual reminder of how quickly life can pass. I held him as he lay flat in the water and played with his hair as his head was cradled in my hands. I brushed the damp locks away from his eyes and studied his face that almost seemed unfamiliar to me. My baby was so big. My baby has changed since I last bathed with him. But he needed me now and I needed him. He asked me to sing to him and I sang him every song I could think of for 20 minutes. I sang him the songs I sung him as an infant and he just lay there still, and listened. Just when I thought I had bored him with too many songs, I asked him if he wanted me to stop and he said no. So I sang some more.
When we got out, I toweled him, I dressed him and held him close. My baby. My sweet, sweet baby needed me today. And because of some strange universe joke, I had a good Mother’s Day.
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*How to Take a Detox Bath
The term ‘detox’ is controversial, and means something different to everyone. I’m not a doctor, not a scientist, I’m just a mom who believes in taking a holistic approach to life before anything else. So I take a detox bath when I have any of the following:
-a stomach virus
-bloat/menstrual symptoms
-sore muscles
-the feeling of overindulgence in anything and the need to feel cleansed
-a sick child
•Fill your bath tub with very warm to hot water (adjust temp if you’re bathing a child but if it’s just an adult, make it as warm as you can stand it so you’ll break a sweat.).
•Once the tub is filled, add about 2 cups of Epsom salts, and the same amount of baking soda. (The water will fizz, this is normal.)
•Optional but preferred when you’re bathing a sick person- several splashes of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and/or a chunk of raw ginger.
•Optional- add a few drops of an essential oil- I like lavender because it makes me think I’m in a spa. Just 2-3 drops should be plenty.
•Soak for 20-30 minutes, then rinse the body in cold water.
**This detox bath is an ancient remedy that I happen to believe in. But again, I’m not an expert on anything other than my and my children’s bodies.
Here are some stats on why the ingredients are ‘allegedly’ beneficial…
*The Epsom salts contain magnesium sulfate which replenish the body’s magnesium level and flush out toxins. I use it so often that I started to keep it by the tub in a large mason jar…
*Baking soda helps detoxify and alkalize the body, it’s also good for soothing any skin irritation. I use it for many different things so it’s also got a permanent jarred home by my sink…
*Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (and ginger) has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties… soaking in a bath with it also can help cure a yeast infection.
*Lavender Oil is a relaxant, pain reliever, respiratory problem reliever, and circulation improver.
allegedly;-)
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