It’s still a little chilly outside, but if you’re like us, you’re already feeling ready to emerge. Let nature keep her schedule. In the meantime, we recommend a long weekend at home, and we have ideas for using the time wisely. Read on for a few simple and practical ways to prepare for spring by livening up your living space, clearing your mind and balancing your digestion.
RESET
We hope you stayed warm over the winter, wrapped up in cozy blankets with all the comforts of home and loved ones nearby. We certainly did, and as much as we love candles and classic movies, it’s time to invite fresh air and birdsong. To start, let’s reduce clutter. When was your last donation of old clothing and reusable household items? There’s no need for a major excavation. Choose a dozen things to part with, including a bag of clothes. Rather than moving them from closet to car to be stored for another three months, plan to stop at your local donation site today. Once you’ve freed yourself of these top 12 must-go items, you’ll find more than enough motivation to tidy and clean.
With the rooms feeling lighter already, take a moment to see what’s out of place. Move these items back where they belong and do a good base cleaning with soft cloths and natural solutions. Liquid castile soap and water will clean and disinfect most hard surfaces, while a simple one-to-one vinegar and water solution works best on glass. Moving from room to room, consider what a quick tidy-up routine might look like. As the weather clears, the last thing you’ll want is to be inside doing chores.
Lastly, spiff things up with fresh linens (keep an extra cotton blanket and slippers handy for now) and add a few special touches. Start an inside kitchen garden and plant a few seedlings or embrace the scent of spring with a diffuser and enlivening essential oils like lemon or geranium.
RESTORE
Now that your living space is clean, let’s clear some head space so that you can realign with your goals. Begin by setting intentions for the remainder of your weekend. For example, finding flexibility and settling into stillness are steppingstones that can lead to more openness and opportunity.
Work, family and community commitments are a lot to manage every day. Not to mention the pressure to keep up with media trends and news. To make room for mindfulness, move away from screens. A weekend without these distractions will begin to relieve you of thought streams that are no longer serving you. Writing in a journal, singing the soundtrack to a musical or soaking in a tub with Epsom salts may just take you the rest of the way.
One more way to restore the mind and body while keeping the house clean: spend an afternoon outside! Grab a warm jacket and head out to a familiar hiking trail. Gaining a little altitude or puttering around some ponds can fill your senses with exciting ideas and remind you of the potential we all have for growth, especially this time of year. Here in Oregon, we have a number of places within a short distance to explore nature while we stretch our legs and expand our lungs. One of our favorite family hikes is the trail at Mt. Pisgah. It’s simple with a beautiful view. If you have the chance to visit, make sure you go all the way to the top!
RE-UP ON LIVE PROBIOTICS
Having come this far, you’ve done a lot to release burdens, enjoy the sensations of spring and promote overall wellness. To be sure your success continues beyond a long weekend, it’s important to find ways of caring for yourself intrinsically. Eating foods that are rich in live probiotics can help your body to manage stress.
With billions of live probiotics per serving, the clinically documented strains in Nancy’s products offer multiple benefits to support your health. As you knock out the demands of a typical day, each strain has an important job to do, from supporting the re-balance of good gut flora and aiding digestion to supporting the normal function of the immune system. Together, these strains work toward a healthy and productive microbiome.
Beginning with a wonderful weekend of wellness, we hope we’ve inspired a beautiful transition into spring.
With love,
❤️ – The Kesey Family & all the folks at Springfield Creamery