Every mom does it! It’s free ecstasy for us mamas. My big boi even still gets huffed by mama. His baby smell is now very subtle + mixed in with a lot of rowdy-boy-smells, but I can still find it in there.

I’ve been using essential oils on my family for quite some time now + have been so pleasantly surprised by the results I’ve noticed. [I tend to be hesitant to share my holistic ways sometimes, because I have this little voice in my head that says, the second you share your ways, they won’t work anymore + you’ll be in the emergency room with the flu. But I’m putting the superstitious voice aside today + sharing anyway.]
Oils are super powerful when diffused, applied topically, + obviously consumed. I diffuse oils in our home all day long + I rub them on the bottom of our feet, daily. I can’t quite get the boys to consume them, but I’m all about the consumption when needed. I prefer the potency + food grade essential oils, so I order through Young Living. Below are some oils I’ve used to replace typical over the counter drugs [I love that you can order all of these at once with YL’s everyday oils collection.]
If you’d like to order some oils, check out YL’s oils + diffusers. You can go on their site, make a regular retail order, and get it shipped to your home. If you use oils often + make a minimum monthly order of $50, you can become a wholesale member + get discounted [wholesale] price, which is what I did since my family uses oils all day long. It’s so easy to sign up with YL, but if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.

I’ve been trying to get reiki treatments regularly. Reiki is a Japanese energetic healing technique. I’ve gotten reiki treatments by quite a few practitioners + in many different parts of the world; with + without stones. I prefer to go to practitioners that use [healing] stones, simply because I believe in the energetic healing vibrations of stones + crystals.
I know this is hippie shit to so many, but energy is something that makes so much sense to me. So I experience powerful healing with this kind of energy work. Continue reading »

COMMUNITY // on the daily is something I have craved more since having Leo. While I have such an amazing community with a lot of my tribe over the phone/internet, the face to face community is something I’ve wanted more of. I want the daily support for myself + I want the daily support of a diverse group for my boys as they grow + evolve.
Most of my high-vibe-mama-tribe is in Norman, but I’ve continued my search for that feel of community in OKC. With John Rex Charter School falling hugely short of my expectations [with early childhood education], it’s only made sense to go back home where there are other school options + where our family + OG tribe is.
My mom’s best friend owns a montessori in Norman. My little brother went there for two years when we moved back to Oklahoma from Baton Rouge. I was devastated about Lennon [we didn’t have Leo yet] not getting to attend this sweet school when we chose to move up to Oklahoma City. I quickly got over it when we found our amazing early childhood programs in OKC [Erna Krouch at Temple B’nai Israel + The Bilingual Schoolhouse].
We haven’t found a house yet, but I chose to go ahead + put both of the boys in programs in Norman. Lennon is now attending the awesome montessori + it’s a total dream come true! My mom’s sweet friend texts me pictures during the day + Lennon’s getting to run around like a wild maniac should get to do at age 4 + there was a built-in community there [quite a few of our tribe is already there + I already knew all of the teachers].

My religion is to be. -Jay Z
I had a transformative weekend in Salt Lake City. I filled all of my openings with powerful shoots of mamas getting naked in their flesh [many images will be used in the MOTHER LODE exhibition at Dreamer].
Between two of my shoots, I jotted over to the Diamond Fork Hot Springs with mah girl, Lindsay. Our hike was a long moving meditation. I was in awe of the beautiful Utah fall the entire time. I would look down at my feet + feel this unbelievable amount of safety + support from the Earth with each step. These vivid memories of  me connecting with myself through nature came to me throughout the hike; I’d remember experiences as a 4-year-old, 8-year-old, 16-year-old… nature has been my home my whole life, the place I feel the safest, the place where I come into my authentic self.
Immediately, upon arrival at the hot springs, clothes started coming off. I’ve been trying to reconnect with my flesh in my mama body + I knew these healing springs would facilitate the perfect portal for that connection. We hunted until we located the hottest spots of the springs + laid our bodies on these funnels of burning water until our skin felt numb. It was a transcendental experience that will forever be etched in my bones.

With the nervous system running down the spine, I have felt like it’d be a good idea to make sure our spines are strong + aligned . So, I have recently added weekly chiropractic adjustments to our natural medicine cabinet. There are so many health benefits that come with having an aligned spine. Lennon loves the adjustments. Leo doesn’t.

SIR LENNON // our connection runs deep. I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. I think back on my own childhood + I feel you in those memories. It’s like you were always there.

OKLAHOMA RED DIRT // While I’ve always struggled with accepting the conservative Christian influence [the judgement + sin-talk + weird obsession with talking about others + closed-minded bigotry] that is rampant here in Oklahoma, there will forever be something so comforting about Oklahoma’s sacred red soil.

I definitely reached a sweet spot [in my consciousness] in my late twenties. I mean, of course I did- I had no kids, I was in graduate school studying Buddhism in the middle of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, doing yoga for hours a day for my yoga certifications… It was the perfect recipe to bring me into the loveliest state of peace + perspective on life + a very calm place emotionally + a pretty consistent connection to my consciousness.
Since becoming a mama, I’ve been scrambling for that connection again. I’ve worked really hard, turning to all the things that used to raise my vibration; a clean diet + yoga + feeding my brain with knowledge + no alcohol + meditation + quality time with my tribe… I’ve come face to face with it, but haven’t really felt that sweet spot since becoming a mom. In July, I began meeting with Rebecca weekly + started reading The Conscious Parent. It has felt like a domino effect since July, a lot of hard work + the perfect series of events have brought me to a new place.
What I’ve realized is I’m a different person since I’ve had babies. The mama in me has new dreams + new fears + new pain + a new body I live in + new needs… that I had to make time to learn more about. That’s why I wasn’t connecting to my consciousness again, there was this giant piece of me I didn’t know + I wasn’t connecting with. I can’t say this process has been easy! I’ve had to go back + heal wounds from my childhood + make a huge effort to get to know myself as this new person, a mama. Thanks to Rebecca for holding me accountable, I’ve been taking much better care of myself; living a slower life, spending lots + lots of time outside, communicating my needs more openly + honestly with my man, staying on top of my holistic health [like acupuncture + adjustments at the chiropractor + clean diet + essential oils + existing in the present moment], making sure I eat more often, yoga daily, going on long walks, spending so much more time with my mama-tribe…
I’ve realized I need community more than ever. [This is a HUGE part of us moving back to our hometown.] I’ve been relentlessly indulging in my mama-tribe + have tapped into something new; a mama-consciousness. Something bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced. It feels powerful, yet still so raw + vulnerable. Of course this is major, I have the most badass + inspiring women cheering me on + supporting me [+ my babies] all hours of the day. They’ve played such a huge part in me learning to love myself as a mama. I’ve been pretty hard on myself since having babies. But being critical of myself did nothing but hinder me from being my authentic self. Which was painful. In this new acceptance, I have become such a better mama. So many of those things I did when I was judging myself harshly have simply dissipated in this new place. While I love how this feels [for myself], it’s been so amazing how it’s paved the way for me to be the mother I’ve always wanted to be for my boys. My heart has grown even more for them + my patience feels bottomless most of the time.
I wish for every mama to find her tribe, her village! It would be a revolution for future generations.
I love these words by Hannah at The Hushful, “There is a sisterhood within motherhood + that has become my village… This beautiful stage of life is where many women meet themselves, truly. A child is as new as his mother + both need nourishment, support, + a face or two who understand this new world in a way no other soul does. Motherhood cannot be done alone + was never done in such solitude as it is today. Women had a tribe of sisters to navigate raising children with. Our species was not as isolated as sometimes feel. We were not always so tired- or maybe we were, but our spirits were inspired, livened, + lit by one another. The Village needs a return. Mothers need it, fathers need it, our babies need it, + the Earth needs it.”
*beautiful photos by Choatehouse.