Category: Self Care

Mother’s Whisper

Your mother is always with you…
She’s the whisper of the leaves
as you walk down the street.
She’s the cool hand on your brow
when you’re not well.
Your mother lives inside your laughter.
She’s crystallized in every tear drop.
She’s the place you came from,
your first home…
She’s the map you follow
with every step that you take.
She’s your first love
and your first heart break…
and nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, Not space
Not even death
will ever separate you
from your mothe
You carry her inside of you

-Deborah Culver

Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching, I felt it long before I knew the actual date. Missing my mother is something I’ve grown into, but not something I adjust to. I know how much I was loved, but felt ill prepared for the day I’d go on without her. Yet, here I am four years into this journey.

I’m a very nostalgic person at my core. I have strong memories that live inside me and I try to share them here on this blog, especially in my older cooking posts. Here is one such example, Isn’t it Ironic. Or, This is Us which talks about holding on to those items that have memories connected to them. Finally, my Mother’s Day post from back in 2018. Not much has changed, except I won’t be serving meat based meatballs this year. I do have a nice vegan version of meatballs to serve over zucchini noodles though.

I’ve learned along the way, that the best gift to give, or receive, is the gift of time. Spending time together means more to me than any flowers you send, though I love flowers. I do, however, love giving and receiving gifts that carry special meaning and memories. When it comes to Mother’s Day gifts, I always tried to attach that sentimentality to my selections. These are a few of the things I’ve been looking at for myself this year, all connected to family traditions, memories and of course, health.

*I only share things I personally love, whenever sharing items, and if you purchase through these links, there is no additional costs incurred to you. I may receive a small compensation from Amazon, which offsets the costs of running my blog, so thank you for your support.

Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2024

A Loving Table:Creating Memorable Gatherings, Kimberly Whitman

A truly stunning coffee table book that carries such a beautiful testament to family traditions. Beautiful photographs and words, take us on a journey. Inspiring tables and entertaining styles of 34 tastemakers in their regions or society at large show how they keep traditions passed down from mothers and grandmothers alive in their families. Each style maker shares tips and lessons in entertaining that she learned from the women in her life. Tip boxes from each generation will help the readers learn from them and use their ideas, or even better create their own traditions. This book pulled at me from the start, but the fact it was published on my birthday, made me feel all the more connected.

Fitbit Versa 4 Fitness Smartwatch with Daily Readiness, GPS, 24/7 Heart Rate, 40+ Exercise Modes, Sleep Tracking and more

I’ve been wearing my Fitbit for years and truly think it is the best gift of health you can give to anyone in your life. What get’s measured, gets improved and this watch allows me to measure my daily activity, heart rate and more. The most important measurement for my health journey has been my sleep tracking. I have really improved my sleep through awareness. I have written about the importance of sleep on my blog several times. Consider visiting one of these posts to learn more – Sweet Dreams and Sleep Your Secret Weapon.

Ninja BL770 Mega Kitchen System, 1500W, 4 Functions for Smoothies, Processing, Dough, Drinks & More

I love this system so much, I’ve bought it twice. It was the first thing I purchased when I moved to my new home and I gifted one to my daughter in law. It’s truly the best gift you can give, or get, this Mother’s Day. It is a key component of my cooking and healthy lifestyle and one I use daily. I make morning smoothies, full of healthy vegetables and fruit to start my day off strong and I use the food processor almost daily to prepare my plant based recipes. I’ve had an expensive Vitamix, but the ease of use and especially cleaning of this machine makes it the winner, hands down! It is a must have for any home cook in your life.

Maman and Me: Recipes from Our Iranian American Family by Roya Shariat and Gita Sadeh

This is on my personal gift list this year, so I hope my family is reading. A gorgeous cookbook filled with 78 delicious cook-at-home Iranian American recipes from a mother and daughter. The authors welcome you into their home, as they share their family recipes that include soups and stews, main dishes, desserts, beverages, and so much more. The book takes a unique approach to Iranian cuisine, with recipes and twists that celebrate the evolution of Iranian food in America. I have been expanding my cooking repertoire to include more international recipes and this book looks so exciting. I cannot wait to try the garlicky eggplant dip!

Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy’s Best Home Cooks

In NYC, we often ate at a beautiful restaurant called, Nonnas. The chefs rotated and were all Nonnas from different regions. There is a Youtube channel put out by the Nonnas in this book. I highly recommend you check them out and this book as well. I mean, who doesn’t love pasta? I love making homemade pasta for my family. Fresh ingredients and homemade are so much healthier than processed pasta offerings in boxes at supermarkets. Give it a try, even if you limit your pasta indulgence, you’ll be glad you did.

Body Restore Shower Steamers Aromatherapy 15 Packs – Stress Relief and Effortless Self Care, Lavender Bath Bombs

I love these shower steamers and bath bombs, especially as a way to end the day. Totally relaxing and feels so comforting. Cannot go wrong with this gift for anyone in your life, for any gift event.

I hope you enjoy shopping for those you love as much as I do. I am honored to share my journey with you all and hope you get what you most want this year, health and happiness. In life, there is no gift we need more than that. I’ll close with a loving kindness meditation poem and hope it brings you joy this Mother’s Day.

May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you live with ease.

As always, feel free to reach out anytime. I love hearing about your journeys. You can contact me via email at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog, or on Instagram or Facebook.

Miracle Morning

“Good morning is not just a word. It’s an action and a belief to live the entire day well. Morning is the time when you set the tone for the rest of the day. Set it right!” — Fain Blake

In his book, The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod argues that everyone is capable of achieving their dreams in every area of life. The answer is found through committing yourself to a morning self care routine, which can empower anyone to transform any area of their life in a surprisingly short time. Mornings have long been my favorite time of day, especially early morning before the sun rise. I just love the quiet and stillness of the morning, before the world has awakened. I’ve witnessed so many beautiful sunrises, especially here at the beach and I’m most productive in the morning.

Hal Elrod, in his book, describes a specific morning routine you can follow each day. I have followed that routine for many years effectively. Lately, I’ve made some tweaks to my morning routine, to reflect my current exploration and learning about health and nutrition. I’m leaning into Ayurvedic teachings and exploring some simple morning routines. The Little Book of Grounding: Seventy-Five Simple Ways to Restore Balance to Your Mind–Body–Spirit Using Ancient Ayurvedic Teachings for Today’s World, by Karen Sibal, is a great place to start if you want simple information and advice about Ayurvedic teachings. It is currently being offered digitally for free on Amazon.

What is Ayurvedic Nutrition

Translated from Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “science of life.” Ayurveda is a complete system of medicine in India, which includes the prevention and treatment of disease. One focus is on nourishing the body through food, eating for balance and harmony with nature and using nutrition to address health concerns, along with conventional care.

Ayurvedic Eating Principles

In her new cookbook, JoyFull: Cook Effortlessly, Eat Freely, Live Radiantly, Radhi Devlukia-Shetty shares in a practical manner, principles of an Ayurvedic lifestyle, with a focus on food and simple morning wellness routines.

Ayurvedic Principles:

  • Eat Seasonally – Nature provides us with food for every season. Eating from these seasonal foods will help balance your energy. When we eat seasonally, we are said to be better nourished.
  • Eating Organic – Buy locally grown foods which are organic. Realistically, this can be challenging depending on your location. Frozen fruit and vegetables, along with no salt canned bean options can fill any gaps. Also, if you cannot afford organic, use guides for the most important produce to spend the extra money on. One such list is known as the Dirty Dozen shopping guide, found for free on EWG’s website.
  • Cycles of Nature – Our bodies follow the circadian rhythms of nature. Eating your meals in alignment with this rhythm is important. Breakfast is the warm up for the day and your digestive fires. A warm breakfast such as stewed apples, or a smoothie are good to get your body moving. Lunch, is the beginning of our highest energy part of the day and we should consume our largest meal at this time. Dinner time finds our body getting ready to transition towards sleep. This meal should be a light meal, so as not to interfere with this transition, or the quality of our sleep.
  • Snacks – It is believed that we get all our nutritional needs from our meals during the day, making snacks unnecessary.

Morning Routine

After reflecting on my morning routine, coupled with these ideas, I made a few changes. The new self-care routine, is based on information provided in the Joyfull Cookbook. Here is my current daily routine:

  • I wake each day at 5:00 A.M.
  • Self-Care & Reflexology Routine :
  • I stand on my Daiwa Felicity Foot Massager Reflexology Mat with Magnetic Therapy Acupressure Disc while I wash my face, brush my teeth, dry brush my skin and apply massage oil. This disc is used for reflexology, which is a therapy that applies gentle pressure to specific points along your feet to help you feel better. The theory is that this will ease stress, and help your body work better. I wear thin socks when doing this and am working towards being barefoot on it.
  • Mouth care – I use a tongue scraper to remove the film from the night off my tongue. It is believed that tongue scraping removes debris and bacteria from the tongue, improving mouth health and bad breath. It may also improve your sense of taste. I then brush my teeth and follow this up with oil pulling, using a perfect blend of oil, vitamins and herbs that leaves my breath, teeth and gums invigorated for hours.
  • Skin & Body Care – I wash my face. I then begin to dry brush my entire body, using upward strokes towards the heart. I make circular motions with the brush on joints and the stomach area. Dry brushing is said to exfoliate and detoxify skin. Once I have dry brushed my entire body, I apply massage oil , working it into the skin, using massaging strokes. This oil moistures your skin and has a warming effect on me. If I am going out early, I shower following dry brushing and apply the oil after my shower.
  • Breakfast – When I enter my kitchen, I light my scented candle on the stove and begin to prepare my food. Most days, I have a smoothie because it’s easy, but I do rotate in some Chai Oatmeal (Recipe found in Joyfull).
  • Morning Movement – I go for an early morning walk, often the sun is just starting to rise. Some days, I go a little bit later after journaling, reading and reflecting. It really depends on the events I have planned for the day. If journaling and reading, I sit in my chair with my scented candle nearby. I plan to add some breath work here, but have not started yet.

This morning routine really is very simple, but powerful, my favorite kind of routine. It helps me enter the day in a great frame of mind and energy. I have been far less stressed, so it definitely is easing stress and anxiety for me. If I didn’t say this already, I do not have the morning news on during any of the routine. I like to sit in the quiet of my home. I’m very excited to see how the new skin routine helps my dry winter skin!

If you’d like to try any of the routines mentioned above, I highly recommend you consider purchasing the Joyfull Cookbook as a great tool. The recipes are fantastic, nourishing and easy to prepare. Radhi’s simplicity in explaining her beliefs and morning routines are an added bonus. The cycle of the body aligned with nature, really made sense to me. I had been eating my main meal at lunch for years, but it was helpful understand why it is important.

If you have any questions about my morning routine, or where to start, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at laurakump@reclaiminghealth.blog, on Instagram or in the comment section below. Let’s make use our morning routines to capture the energy, strength and beauty of the sunrise.

*All items are linked in the post, and as an Amazon Associate, I may receive compensation for any purchase made. I thank you for the support as it helps cover my expenses for running this website.