Frankincense

 

 

 

 

 

FRANKINCENSE

Immune Booster      Anti Inflammatory      Reducing Wrinkles     Respiratory Health     Increased Focus      Aches & Pains      Womens Health       Anxiety     Depression                      Acne & Scars            Spiritual & Meditative

I am getting even more holistic in my old age!  I really want to be around as long as possible to enjoy and be happy but also to carry on feeling GREAT and ENERGISED

In our house we view food as medicine and always treat ailments and grogginess naturally (did I mention before how sleep deprived we are?) and minimise the toxins around us. 

 

Give me prevention over cure any day!

 

 

One of my favourite essential oils at the moment is FRANKINCENSE and as you can see from the post picture... the benefits are ENDLESS!

If it's good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me!

There are loads of benefits to help our health, but here's just a snippet to get you hooked...!

1. BOOSTS IMMUNE SYSTEM - It is extremely anti inflammatory which is the main cause of illness and disease.  It stimulates the brain, thyroid and pituitary glands which work together to support a healthy immune system.  Making us EXTRA strong to fight off illness & disease with the regeneration of healthy cells.  Due to its anti inflammatory properties, I have noticed my hay fever symptoms reducing!

2. ANTI AGING - Promotes regeneration of healthy cells yet keeping existing cells and tissues healthy.  It can eliminate blemishes, fine lines and generally tighten and tone skin. 

3. WOMENS HEALTH - Reduces PMT symptoms and mood swings.  It helps general uterine health as it regulates cycles.  It also reduces uterine cancer cells.

4. CANCER CELL BUSTING - Frankincense kills cancer cells and increases white blood cells (our little in house defence army).  Frankincense is actually used in treating cancer holistically and actually breaks through the blood brain barrier  - which Chemo does not!

5. BRAIN BOOSTING - As Frankincense breaks through the blood brain barrier, it increases the oxygenation of blood going to the brain and helps the absorption of oxygen and therefore improves memory and cognitive skills.

Do you move to Africa and live in a Boswellia tree house?

Not necessarily...

Here are two ways in which I use Franki baby on a daily basis...

1. SNIFF IT -  Every night I switch on the diffuser in our bedroom and inhale Frankincense overnight.  Anything to improve my husband's memory and reduce "Where's my keys?  Have you seen my wallet? Where's my phone?"   Frankincense is good... I have hope!!

 

Fill the diffuser with water and then add about 10 drops of pure organic Frankincense oil.  Make sure it is a good quality oil as you don't want to be inhaling toxic stuff! 

It will smell LUSH.

 

2. TOPICAL - Recently I have taken to making my own moisturiser (less toxins and cheap!) which you may have seen on my INSTA @catjo84.

I always add a few drops of Frankincense for it's anti-aging benefits, lush relaxing smell and the benefits can get absorbed into me through my skin.

 

ENJOY!

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EXeczema

 Eczema

3 million sufferers worldwide

RED     RAW     ITCHY     SCREAMY    IRRITABLE      SORE     SAD

Eczema affects most of us at some point in our lives whether it is ourselves, children or family.  One thing we can all agree on is that it is upsetting and miserable for all involved.  I'm hoping you might find this post useful or use it to help others to stop the misery of living with eczema.

At six months old, baby James developed eczema.  It seemed to develop all of a sudden!  Dry patches at first... then full blown, all over red raw, sore skin.  He had been exclusively breastfed and we had just started introducing complementary foods (no dairy - this is for calves!) 

What on earth had happened to my baby boy's body? 

What the hell do I do now?

We tried all sorts... creams from the GP, including steroid cream antibiotic creams when it was infected, I made my own cream out of organic shea butter and frankincense (which smelled lush mind!) and we bathed him in oats!!  I was at my wits end! 

From my eczema suffering, I knew I didn't want James to become stuck in the GP's cycle of creams, which I knew wouldn't cure the problem - only maintain the situation.

One day, I was whinging to my close friend about Jimmy's skin when she remembered a talk she had listened to in a conference and managed to find me the details of 'the eczema man'.  She briefly told me what the talk was about and how he had a fantastic success rate at ending eczema for adults and babies, but with NO CREAMS! 

I was interested.  I e-mailed him.  He replied. 

And now James has no eczema!  Woo Hoo! 

 Here's the story...

I sent a brief e-mail to Dr Harley describing James' skin and was wondering if he could help us, after all I had nothing to  lose!  He replied promptly saying that he would help us!  I was so happy and relieved that somebody thought they could help our little boy.  Dr Harley pointed me in the direction of his website where there are short videos explaining the EXeczema programme and if I was happy he would send us the products.  I was keen to get moving quickly so I watched all the videos in one go whilst doing the ironing.  Within a week Harley had the EXeczema products sent to us and I had started reading his book.  Harley wanted us to send daily photos of Jimmy's skin so that he could monitor the progress and this was the most difficult part of curing James' eczema!  He was soooo wriggly!

http://www.dr-harley.com/

What we did...

Every day for about 2 weeks we used the foam wash in the shower and rinsing off with clean water, repeating this process a handful of times.  Then, once the skin had been dried, apply the gel emollient or the foam emollient (not pictured above).

It was THAT simple!

Most of Harley's success comes in about 14 days (which is half the time for cell growth and replacement)

If you'd like to hear me talking about curing Jimmy's eczema and our journey with Dr Harley then click here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi7Tzy7niOE

Day 1




Day 3

Day 5



Day 9



DAY 14

I honestly could not believe the improvement in just 2 weeks!

NO STEROIDS
NO CREAMS
NO WONDER DRUGS

A brief overview of Harley's Science...

1. If your skin flares up, your immune system works fine - this is your skin's way of saying NO to something and communicating with you.
2. There are lots of chemicals in the stuff prescribed by the GP.  They 'smother' the skin rather than letting the skin breathe, therefore they are hindering the skin's way of naturally repairing itself.  These products are maintaining and managing the red and itchy inflammation.
3. You need to flush out the accumulated toxins and irritants which have developed into eczema patches and we need to look after the skin's replacement cells.

** THIS IS THE MAGIC**

4. During this healing process (where skin naturally replaces its cells every 4 weeks) it is essential that the new replacement skin cells are given special attention and protection so that they can catch up and make normal skin.  This is where Harley works his magic with the gently cleansing products and your EXeczema journey begins...



We are now an EXeczema household!  I intend to keep it that way, but always have Harley's products at hand just incase...

We continue to talk about how we cured James' eczema and would love to help others discover this way to achieving happy, healthy skin!

Get in touch!

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Stuck in the Squidge

"I still can't wear those jeans without looking like my seams will combust!"

"I can't get my ENORMOUS boobs in that top!" 

"  I'll just put on this shorts and T-shirt AGAIN !"  

I thought breast feeding melted away all traces of fatness ...!   

 I LOVE fashion, I LOVE clothes, I LOVE how they make me feel.  That is me, my identity and what I get excited about!

When I took a while to get back into my 'normal' fashion I thought a piece of me had died!  Bit of a dramatic statement? HAH!  Maybe... Ok, but I was unhappy in my post birth body for a fair while, seeming forever.

Recently, I left an online breast feeding clothes group because I felt its recent posts had become irrelevant to the group's main purpose:  to inform other feeding mothers if there is a nice item of clothing on the high street or online which makes it easy to whip them out!

Instead, the last few weeks seemed to be ladies showing off their GREAT post baby bodies in bikinis, skimpy dresses and fancy underwear, followed by a thousand comments of compliments such like "You look fab!"  "What baby?!" "What's your secret?!" blah blah!

Some of these GORGEOUS ladies were so early postpartum I couldn't believe how great they looked already.  While I totally love giving and receiving compliments and the positive boosting effect it has on us, I couldn't help feeling what the reality is like for some breast feeding mothers.  For me, and it seems a lot of girls, it took the best part of SIX MONTHS to feel comfortable and happy in my post baba body and in my normal person clothes.

I felt so crap and just not myself with regards to my fashion identity and my SQUIDGE was holding me back!

This wasn't because I sat on my ass all day eating crap!  In fact, I was the complete opposite!  I love exercise and how it makes us feel.  I exercised at high intensity but in quick bursts, as time was not in abundance.  I also ate foods high in nutrition but STILL nothing shifted!  IT DID MY HEAD IN!  I was a complete nightmare to my family and friends as well!  (Big sorry if you're reading!)

I honestly couldn't understand why my body just wouldn't release my post birth squidge !

I researched and I read so much that it became a type of obsession in understanding breast feeding hormones and it is only NOW that I understand what Mother Nature was doing (bloody head case she is!) and in fact, how amazing our bodies are!

Read on for the sciency bit...Dear Old Mother Nature is a-mazing and she has been around for a lot longer than we have - so maybe (I) we need to quit whinging and just listen...!

• Your body has a mega high level of the 'pro lactin' hormone, which works with the pituitary gland to make your delicious milk.

• As this is so high (and oestrogen and progesterone are low) it works like cortisol, the stress hormone, which slows your metabolism and clings to fat.

• The prolactin rate is at its highest in the first six months post partum, and then it slowly declines after this.

• In other words it is your body's way of protecting your lovely, new, dependent bundle of joy in case we have a famine or if you have forgotten to do the Tesco big shop! That way, if Mama goes hungry, baba won't!

• Clever eh!?

If you're stuck in the squidge then you are not alone!

 

Chill out - Let's not fanny around (excuse the pun!) look at what you've created!  Hold, Squeeze and Kiss that baby and be thankful!  He/She doesn't care if you're in a top that is a size bigger or that your jeans won't button up!

Eat with nutrition in mind - Try to limit the junk and beige food.  Colour your plate like a RAINBOW It is far more tasty and pretty anyway!  I'm loving Deliciously Ella since I've gone much more plant based.

Exercise when you can - You're joking right?  I can't even wee in peace let alone exercise!  I totally get you !  Try doing a 15 minute session in the kitchen.  I used to put James in the FisherPrice Jumperoo and we used to jump around together!

Continue to feed - (if this is your choice) La Leche League say that some women find that they are slimmer in some places than before!  Hang in there...!  You never know!

Measure inches/cm - rather than weight on the scales.  The measurements might budge sooner than the scales and at least you'll see some differences and start to feel more positive about the squidge shift!

Don't compare yourself to others - one of my besties was back in her jeans after four months post baba and another after eight months!  You can be INSPIRED by others, but not compared with.

BE PROUD OF YOURSELF -  Look at how your baby is growing and developing!  You have done this single handedly!  WOW!  Let's just stop and think about that one.

Remember, your breast feeding journey is only temporary (I still need this re-enforcing 13 months on...)  One day, when your baby and you are ready, you will have YOUR body back to yourself.  Maybe to do it all over again! ha ha!

What you're doing is amazing for YOU BOTH so let's just chill and let Mother Nature do her thing!

 

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Yawn... Now where's my lippy?

Do you feel that your breast feeding journey is NEVER going to come to an end?

Does your little one STILL wake regularly at night time?

Do you wonder how on EARTH you're going to get to work, let alone actually do your job?

Hi!  All of the above for me please!  Jims is over a year old now, and still he wakes (like, all the time)for boob in the nights!  Sometimes it is about 5 or 6 times.  In our house, two wakes is classed as an AMAZING night!!

I went through a period of feeling so negative and down about the severe broken sleep cycle, that the negative energy around me was zapping me more than the mental nights!  It certainly is no joke when you're expected to function, work effectively and nod in the right places actually hold conversations! 

One day I thought right, enough is enough...! 
The photo in today's blog is of a poem that a lovely friend gave to me in a card when Jimmy was born.  I still think of it a lot (especially when feeding at night) and I remember that these sleepless nights won't last forever, because he won't be little forever.  Just writing that, has brought a little tear to my eye... Or am I just THAT tired!?

We can't control what type of night lies ahead for us, nor can we force them to sleep for longer stretches.  However, WE CAN control how we deal with the situation and still be POSITIVE for the day ahead. 

Think of Fleetwood Mac "Don't Stop" If you wake up and don't want to smile, If it takes just a little while, Open your eyes and look at the day... YOU'LL SEE THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY...

So here are some top tips I swear by to take the edge off the day after THAT night...!

• Drink water & fresh lemon juice first thing - the zest of the lemon juice really puts a spring in my step and I can feel it gently waking up my tired organs!  It also balances your acidic levels after the night before.
• SHOWER - never underestimate how lush a hot morning shower can make the world a whole better place
• Something nice - I actually got excited the other morning to put on lipstick for work that I haven't worn in ages!  It instantly brightened up my tired face and made me feel awake.  You could even wear your favourite top, jeans or whatever makes you FEEL GREAT about yourself!
• Smile - After all... sometimes we've gotta fake it to make it!

These difficult times will pass... Let's do this!

 

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About Mammy Poppins

Hi! I'm Cathy, writer of Mammy Poppins!  Practically IMPERFECT in every way... yes!  Being a working Mammy these days is a complete juggling act and I wish on a daily (ok, hourly) basis that I had Mary Poppins powers!  Just a quick "spit spot" and a wave of a magic finger and the house is tidy, the tea is made and I would still look as fresh as a daisy! 

The reality is I am a Mammy, Teacher, Life Coach & Housewife and I'm cooking family tea one handed, the baby is helping himself to a punnet of plum tomatoes and smothering his tomatoed face and hands into my crisp white work shirt, then my Husband walks in 'oh what's for tea? oh and you've got something on your shirt!'  Oh really!? 

If only it was as simple as 'SpitSpot' !

Since having my baby boy, I am constantly learning on how to optimise (precious!) time in order to feel my best  and maintain high energy levels by being as active, mindful and nutritious as I can, without spending hours in the gym or hours in the kitchen! This blog space will share ideas and top tips so that we can all optimise our sleep deprived, precious time and to feel our BEST!

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