Before the Ides of March…

March 14, 2020March 14, 2020 leahjorgensen

Ncov spreading concept, Earth and virus models

It’s Saturday the 14th of March following a full cosmic and looney tunes week that included turning the clocks forward on Sunday, March 8th (thank you very much for the lost hour of sleep), a full moon on March 9th, the end of a Mercury Retrograde on March 10th, with the week ending on a (insert horror film music) Friday the 13th.

The most obvious course of energetic chaos is centered around the planet’s state of emergency during the ominous coronavirus pandemic – with the US having declared a state of emergency on Friday as public life in the country has come to an alarming halt leaving an eerie feeling of an apocalypse.

What the hell is going on?

I’ve been trying to take all of this in with an open mind and genuine curiosity without stoking the fires of my anxiety. Meantime, I’m nurturing my OCD tendencies to wash my hands beyond religious ritual – to the point of requiring a good therapeutic dose of Bloody Knuckles.

I am not certain how important chronology is when reviewing what feels like cosmic phenomena, but, I’ll try to sequence things for my own understanding of the big stuff, the matter of where we are in the universe. This isn’t astrology because I don’t know how to predict anything or read into any of it. This is a look at traditions and energy.

Sunday, March 8th – Daylight Savings Time
The idea behind DST was to make the most of sunlight during the summer months. Farmers hated the concept of DST. In the 1920’s opposition from dairy farmers repealed the law. DST didn’t come back until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the US had entered WW2. The idea of the new DST was to save fuel and energy. Energy Policy rules DST today, though farmers organizations still oppose and continue to lobby against the practice. The “cost” of DST is that millions of Americans experience disrupted sleep.

This is a time of major energy shifting – which can feel bonkers. Amiright?

Monday, March 9th – Full Moon / Worm Moon & Supermoon
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the name “worm moon” refers to the earthworms and grubs that tend to emerge from winter dormancy at this time of year, marking sure sign of spring. It’s also considered the last moon of winter. It’s also the first of three supermoons in 2020. So, we got to experience a bright Super Worm Moon! On a positive note, this is considered a time that’s especially beneficial for winter retreat. Notice the return of robins (looking for those worms!). Native Americans also call this a “crow moon” and the crow represents “justice, shape shifting, change, creativity, spiritual strength, energy, community sharing, and balance,” (Cherokee Billie, Spiritual Advisor).

According to Cherokee Billie, this is a time of “reflection and revising your journey in life. In the grand flow of life, these inward moving energies are conducive for fine tuning and helping to bring greater clarity, awareness, and focus… Use this extra Full Moon energy to make the necessary changes in your life.”

It’s also an important time for spring cleaning, including clearing your own energies, cleansing your spirit, clean out clutter, deep clean your home.

This has been an important message while we practice public distancing during the coronavirus outbreak. Many advisors have touched upon the importance of not only washing your hands and practicing good personal hygiene, but also practicing good cleaning and sanitizing practices at home. No better time than spring cleaning!

Tuesday, March 10th – End of Mercury Retrograde
The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains “[in Mercury Retrograde]… times in particular were traditionally associated with confusions, delay, and frustration. Think email blunders and frazzled travel plans.” (Catherine Boeckmann, Feb. 3, 2020).

Mercury Retrograde is chiefly aligned with communication breakdown. Boeckmann reports, “this is an excellent time to reflect on the past. It’s said that intuition is high during these periods and coincidences can be extraordinary.”

This explains a lot for me, personally. Especially around my logistical planning and execution of Spring Bottling – when I bottle my white, rosé and small lots of reserve wines. But, on the global stage this is bananas.

Communication breakdown – there’s a lot of criticism around President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus. The delays can potentially harm millions. Frazzled travel plans? Well, yes. Confusion and frustration? Mmm-hmmm. Yup. The question is now that this particular Mercury Retrograde is over (there are 3 scheduled for 2020), how will the recovery phase work out? Will things suddenly become clear? Will fears and anxieties subside, along with frustration around shutting down our communities and… waiting. Here’s to hoping for better communication and understanding around this pandemic.

Friday, March 13th – Bad Luck?
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has all of the answers to everything under the moon here for this blog post! OFA writer Heidi Stonehill addressed this particular Friday the 13th. She answered the big questions – why this day is often associated with bad luck and what’s the meaning of Friday the 13th and how did this superstition even begin?

This is all from her March 11, 2020 report:

According to Stonehill, “Friday the 13th occurs one to three times each year. In many countries around the world, this date is considered unlucky and tied to misfortunate events.”

“The fear of the number 13 and the fear of Friday likely combined around the late 1800s into this new phobia; no clear mention of it had been discussed in published works before then.”

“According to Norse mythology, a dinner with 12 of the Norse gods took place excluding one God – Loki – who, known as a trickster and trouble-maker, showed up anyway. Fighting ensued and a popular god (Baldur) was killed that day.”

“The predominant 20th-century theory suggests that Friday the 13th bad luck stemmed from an event that had occurred on Friday, October 13, 1307, when thousands belonging to an influential religious military order called the Knights Templar (officially, the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon) were arrested for blasphemy and other affronts at the command of France’s king, Philip IV. Many were later tortured, coerced into making false confessions, and executed. When the knights were burned at the stake in Paris, the order’s leader Jacque de Molay cried out, ‘God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death.’ The holy warrior’s curse and wrongful death put a hex on Friday the 13th through the ages.”

“Another superstition associates Friday the 13th with the Last Supper, attended by 13 people—Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples. The number 13 is associated with 13th disciple, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ shortly after that Last Summer. Christ was handed to Roman soldiers the next morning and crucified on Good Friday.”

“No matter how the phobia came about, superstitions abound concerning it. On Friday the 13th, some people refuse to cut their hair or nails, dine out, buy a house, start a job, conduct business, marry, or participate in any event. Other folks are so terrorized that they fear even crawling out of bed or going anywhere on this day (including Winston Churchill, who considered traveling on Friday the 13th unlucky).”

“Fun Friday the 13th Facts”

The horror novelist Stephen King is a triskie. He’s also a friggatriskaidekaphobe.
Franklin Roosevelt had such an irrational fear of Friday the 13 that he would avoid traveling on Fridays.
Alexander Hamilon died in a dual with Aarono Burr on the 13th of Friday, 1804.
Jack the Ripper claimed his final victim on Friday the 13th in 1888.

In conclusion, I’ll let the dear reader draw their own conclusions about this crazy cosmic week ending on Friday the 13th.

I can only ponder, what lies in store for us tomorrow on the Ides of March? Will we return to some semblance of balance and peace by March 16th?

New Tools in My Toolbox

February 5, 2020February 5, 2020 leahjorgensen

These Are the Best Things I’ve Discovered to Help Me Live with More Intention, Precision and Vision in 2020.

Grandfather's Tools

It’s only February and I’m already exhausted in 2020.

I want more naps. I need to cut back on my caffeine dependency. And I needed to hire a life coach who works specifically with new moms to hep me get my life back on track after my first year in a postpartum fog.

There are certain things missing from my life that once gave me endless energy and laser sharp focus before baby. I exercised a lot. I was a runner, hiker, golfer, tennis player, and occasional yoga student.

Now-a-days, to maintain energy, I drink a lot of water and take supplements. I chase after a toddler. I consider the steps I take when grocery shopping to be an equivalent to the first mile a marathoner runs. I take it one step at a time. And I often break off a small piece of a 75+% dark chocolate bar stashed in my tea cup cabinet, an indulgence and medicine all wrapped into one bittersweet energy boost.

I found my life coach on one of my favorite sites – Motherly. Her business is called Mother Nurture. My intuition pushed me to write to MN owner, Katelyn Denning. We each have a son born a couple weeks apart (January babes) and I just felt like this woman had the tools I needed to help me get my energy back, to help me focus and to help me get things done.

After just one session with Katelyn I already feel better! I have hope. I have vision. And possibly a renewed sense of self appreciation needed to actually put my vision into action and fruition.

I’m learning all kinds of new things from a new mom lens. I think [hope] it’s making me a better person. I have found some short cuts and detours and little breaks of inspiration that keep me going and help me to stay focused and energized – tools that I either didn’t have or didn’t use in my toolbox until now.

I’m happy to share them here.

TIME TO USE A TIMER.
What a revelation! My life coach gave me a few assignments to work on with the instruction to use a timer to keep me on track [and also to prevent me from not using my time wisely – getting distracted or lost in thought]. Having a timer made me accountable for my time! Imagine that! I now use a timer on my phone for all kinds of projects and assignments I’m working on, as well as other activities that can suck up time like using social media. I’m saving time, reclaiming time and owning my time!

MAKE TIME FOR MEDITATION WHENEVER/WHEREVER YOU CAN.
Mindfulness, mindfulness, mindfulness. It’s been one of the top buzz words for over a decade. It’s been named “word of the year” off and on since 2014. It’s even been considered by the New York Times as having a “muddied meaning” (April 2015). Still you find mindfulness everywhere – on coffee mugs, water bottles, probably even on shampoo bottles. There is something to the concept of quieting the mind in this day and age of mental noise and mindlessness. Gurus lecture about it on podcasts and Tedtalks. It promises something healing, revitalizing, and grounding. Personally, I have never had much success at quieting the neurotic voice in my head! In yoga classes I would be anxiously sorting through too many to do lists, re-hashing conversations, and trying not to forget things that aren’t on my to do lists. I would try to meditate at home but then the cat would sit on me or I’d get the giggles. Since I now have a baby in my home, I have found myself in these woozy, subconscious, thoughtless moments that I have come to love. I’m talking about the quiet time when I’m nursing my son. He often dozes off and I often space out. I think of nothing. I’m not asleep, but I’m not awake either. I just am. I am quiet and happy and at peace with this sweet babe nestled into me. I never contemplated the quieted mind that came about with nursing as anything other than checking out from sleep deprivation and new-momness. I allowed myself to be tired and to relax into this time. There was nothing else to be done while I was nursing. The function of feeding my child took over. It’s a gift. It is the consummate lesson of letting go and being present. Nursing, for me, is meditation. And in emptying my mind in these moments, I am able to be more mindful when I need to come back to whatever else is going on.

FINDING EXERCISE IN THE MOST UNCOMMON PLACES.
This kind of feels like cheating, but it’s not! I have found ways to be present with my son while simultaneously exercising some much needed self-care. I used to work out a lot. I don’t work out at all anymore. I know this is just part of my transition from pre-baby self to mama self. So I’m being gentle and kind with myself. Instead of running, I move around the house like a rabid racoon putting stuff away, cleaning up after my toddler eats, running up and down the basement stairs to do laundry, etc. One of my favorite new mom exercises is setting myself into yoga positions while my son plays with his favorite non-plastic toys (shout out to Melissa & Doug and Hape!). But, yeah, he has some classic plastic ones, too. Anyway. Back to me. My favorite yoga position while also playing with my lil boy is… shavasana, or corpse pose. Yup. It still counts.

LIGHT CANDLES.
I was never really all that into candles in my pre-baby life. But now I light up for all kinds of mom-sense nonsense. Doesn’t matter. It makes me feel better. It even helps to energize me. I love clean, sustainable, aromatherapy candles that smell like real things – not artificial chemical toxins. Wellness candles are my jam. I already wrote about my “Grounded” candle a couple posts back. I light it up every time I need to feel my feet on the ground, to feel like I am still able to walk about without falling off the face of the earth – because, let me tell you, sometimes as a new mom I feel like I could fall off at any moment and drift off into a black hole. So burning a fresh, clean candle that has grounding properties within it really, really helps.

PODCASTS & PLAYLISTS & BLOGS, OH MY!
Okay, it’s not water, or exercise or crack cocaine. But I really do get energized by certain media material. I’m a non-news junkie! I love new mom and parenting podcasts. Right now I’m listening to Mom and Dad Are Fighting on Slate. I listen to a lot of moms talk about mom stuff on TED Talks. I really like the suggested list of best TED Talks for mothers on fatherly.com. Reading various parenting blogs has been a life saver – Scary Mommy is saved as one of my top favorites. And I listen to a bunch of different playlists on YouTube. I just got bored with Pandora. Right now I’m listening to a Girl Power playlist with the likes of Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Lizzo, Lady Gaga. You know the songs. This Girl is a Firecracker on Fire, Good as Hell, and She was Born This Way! Whatever. This playlist gets me fired up.

BE BOLD & LEARN NEW TRICKS.
I’m not the most tech savvy person. But I really want to learn how to do certain things. Sometimes I can teach myself how to use a new app and I’m stunned at the results. Proud of myself! I wouldn’t say I have mastered Canva – but I make some pretty cool marketing posts for Instagram, in particular, using this creative app. I love it. I have a TikTok account but I still don’t get it. I set up an app to manage my nanny’s payroll – Nanny Pay Advisor – and I feel like a real boss! I discovered Otter and now record interviews and conversations I want to save and even transcribe! This has been a revelation! I will showcase my Otter skills in an upcoming post about breastfeeding after six months – so stay tuned!

This is just the beginning. I’m learning how to be a better version of me, the new me, the new mom me. And I’m starting to feel pretty good about myself again – more energized, more clear!

I’d love to hear how other moms are getting their groove back, evolving and getting re-energized!

The New Mama Re-Set: Managing the major life transition after baby

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020 leahjorgensen

Tired woman sleeping on the table in the kitchen at breakfast. Trying to drink morning coffee

My therapist once told me there’s a difference between failure and fear of failure.

Before baby my professional life was challenging, yet rewarding. But now with baby in tow, being a mompreneur of a wine brand feels like I’m a failure with a capital F. I dropped the ball on my business for the entire first half of last year. I just couldn’t…

By the fourth quarter I was barely getting through my company’s wine grape harvest, let alone running the business operations. It didn’t seem right bringing a baby to a wine production facility with busy forklifts, loud machinery, CO2 and SO2 in the mix. It was crazy difficult for me each day I arrived at the winery with my baby. Even with my entourage of nanny, mother, and trusty hired cellar hand I was overwhelmed and anxious.

My anxiety ran the gamut from caring for my baby; [not] caring for myself; failing my child; failing by business; experiencing an identity crisis; not caring about my work anymore; contemplating a business shut down; and feeling exhausted, depleted and incapable of the work I accomplished before I was a mother.

I knew I needed to address these feelings. I wanted to feel like I was in control again. I wanted to feel like I got this! I wanted to feel motivated, inspired and excited by my
work again. I just didn’t know how to be me anymore.

So I leaned into a bunch of books and resources. I literally had an Amazon Prime binge and Google overdose. But here’s what I initially found in my search for the answers to my new mama problems:

Breathe Mama Breathe: 5 Minute Mindfulness for Busy Moms by Shonda Moralis, MSW, LCSW

The Empowered Mama: How to Reclaim Your Time and Yourself While Raising a Happy, Healthy Family by Lisa Druxman, Founder of Fit4Mom

Self-Care for Moms: 150+ Real Ways to Care for Yourself While Caring for Everyone Else by Sara Robinson, MA

Warrior Goddess Training: Become the Woman You Are Meant to Be by Heatherash Amara

Motherly.com

Parents Magazine, especially the Special Edition “Balancing Your Life: Family. Career. Love. You.”

It seemed like a good start. I pride myself in being able to reframe relatively easily. And yet I wasn’t able to shake these feelings of inadequacy, exhaustion and anxiety. I didn’t recognize my old badass self. She was left behind in the delivery room – hiding from a traumatic birth. The new me was barely getting by – a doe in headlights.

Everything I learned from my research to understand my new mama self came to the conclusion that I’m a different person now. So, now what?

On one particularly dark wintry Pacific Northwest afternoon, just after my January birthday, I ran another Google Search about finding a life coach for new moms who work. I came across a Motherly article entitled “If I had my way, every working mom would have a life coach” by Katelyn Denning, a regular contributor.

I cried my way through the article and followed a link to Katelyn’s website: Mother Nurture.

“Don’t just survive motherhood. Thrive.”

I decided it was time to commit to something bigger than a mini library of self help books for new mamas. While I appreciated the books I selected and read – and they all helped me in some way or another – I just felt that I still couldn’t…

Until I picked up the phone with a professional.

After my initial phone consultation with Katelyn I knew that I had a real support person available to me who I would pay for three months to see me through this challenge. This meant I would be accountable for doing the work my coach assigned.

It was time to shift from this major upset to a RESET.

I agree with Katelyn. If I had my way, every working mom would have a life coach.

These Were A Few of My Favorite Things in 2019

January 1, 2020January 1, 2020 leahjorgensen

My Top Ten Self Care Products That Got Me Through My First Year Postpartum

When I decided to write about my “top ten of anything” to wrap up 2019, it was very clear that my top ten would be related to the birth of my son. His arrival dominated my year!

I have written extensively about my postpartum experience because I think it’s really important to be open, candid and honest about what really happens when you are recovering from having a baby. While every woman has her own unique experience, there are many unspoken aspects of recovery that make the process challenging, both emotionally and physically. More and more women are speaking up about those things.

Among the most important messages, advice and wisdom I received during this period of my life was to make time for self care. It sounds easy enough. It wasn’t! Caring for a newborn and yourself at the same time is not easy at all. Especially if you have more recovery needs than the average new mom.

I simplified. Self care would sometimes be as simple as taking a shower and using products that made me feel like a queen. I compiled a list of my favorite self care products that were especially nurturing and luxurious! These products made a huge difference in my emotional recovery – not only are they healing to the body and soul, but these businesses share high ethical standards and use the most natural, clean ingredients available.

It’s the little things that really aren’t little at all.
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10

BEE LUCIA WELLNESS CANDLE
I brought home the “Grounded” wellness crystal-infused candle with labradorite crystals. I would light this candle any time I needed to get grounded. Simple as that. Its delicate but soothing scent is all about relaxation and getting centered and to create a meditative environment. Each candle is crafted around a specific intention, made with toxin-free beeswax, organic coconut oil, therapeutic grade pure essential oils and natural crystals. When you burn your Wellness Candle negative ions are emitted to bind to toxins and help remove them from the air. I write about the benefits of negative ions all of the time! You’re not just getting the benefits of aromatherapy – but negative ions, too! Note: negative ions are beneficial particles for the human body while positive ions are harmful; negative ions are found in highest concentrations in natural, clean air and are abundant in nature – especially around moving water like waterfalls, ocean surf, at the beach or after a storm and especially in mountains and forests. Take this candle home and you can create a similar soothing environment! A local family-owned Portland, Oregon company
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9

URBAN MOONSHINE CALM TUMMY BITTERS
I have long used bitters for digestive relief. I studied holistic nutrition and have made recommendations for many clients to use natural herbal bitters to help soothe digestive diseases. I discovered Urban Moonshine at Portland-based market New Seasons. I love the Calm Tummy blend because it has a strong yet gentle balance of chamomile and ginger – perfect for pregnancy nausea and postpartum tummy aches. Urban Moonshine has an incredible website with pages like an online classroom – super informative! A woman-run company based out of Burlington, VT.

8

SHEA MOISTURE GROUND COFFEE SCRUB
This is another product I found at a New Seasons store in the greater Portland area. The nutritionist working in the personal care section highly suggested this product. I explained that after having my baby my arms and legs were dry and a little bumpy. I tried a few approaches, unsuccessfully. This scrub healed my arms and legs, leaving me with soft, smooth skin like my baby! I love the texture and fresh ground coffee smell – a natual wake- me-up with my morning shower. I will say you need to rinse out your shower after using this product – it can get a little messy. But, well worth a brief clean-up for such luxurious natural medicine! Shea Moisture was founded by Sofi Tucker a woman who started selling shea nuts at the village market in Bonthe, Sierra Leone in 1912. By age 19, the widowed mother of four was selling shea butter, African black soap and her homemade hair and skin preparations all over the countryside. Her grandchildren run Shea Moisture, Sofi’s legacy. This business has pioneered fair trade through Community Commerce at home and abroad. A woman-founded fair trade company from Sierra Leone, Africa.

7

PACHA SOAP CO. SWEET HONEY ALMOND FROTH BOMB
I’ve never been into bubbles, froths or bombs in my bath. I prefer basic epsom salt soaks – sometimes with a little milk and honey infusion for an added indulgence. I received a Pacha Sweet Honey Almond Froth Bomb at my baby shower with some other self care items for new mamas. I put the bath bomb on the shelf. About the time my son was six months old, and I was done with the sitz baths, I decided to try the froth bomb. It was a revelation! The ultra luxe gold shimmer entices. Once added to hot water, this lovely froth opened up all of my senses with its warm honey-almond fragrance. The delicate froth turned the bathwater silky and didn’t leave residue on me (or my bath!). Instead, the all- natural ingredients kissed my skin and gently softened my elbow, knees, heels. I didn’t want to get out of the tub! The ultimate self care! Read about Pacha’s incredible mission on their website. Pacha Soap Co is another global-conscious company spreading goodness through good causes.

6

EVAN HEALY TULSI FACIAL TONIC HYDROSOUL
I get compliments on my skin all of the time. I have been blessed with my grandmother’s excellent genetics. But I still take great care of my skin. I’m a little OCA (obsessive compulsive Advantage!) about it. I use Evan Healy products for my morning and evening skin care regimen. When I was diagnosed with celiac disease back in 2007 I became more mindful about not only what I was putting in my body, but what I was putting on my body. I had to read labels for gluten ingredients, often hidden, like triticale, wheat germ, barley, and so on. Once I began reading labels I quickly saw ingredients that I didn’t want to put on my skin. I adopted the philosophy “if I can’t eat the ingredients then it won’t go on my skin.” Your skin is your largest digestive organ – it absorbs everything you put on it, as well as other unseen things in the environment. To lessen the toxic load, I decided I had control over what I would put on my skin. Evan Healy’s products are fine to eat – not that you would, but, there are no harmful chemicals. Her products align with my philosophy. Just as I practice holistic nutrition, holistic skincare is nutrition, too.

I love the Tulsi (Holy Basil) Facil Tonic HydroSoul. I mean, I love all her products. But, this was a standout for me in 2019. It was especially restorative and therapeutic during my postpartum year. Plus, it has an amazing spicy, sweet clove-like fragrance. In Hindu tradition it’s believed that Tulsi is a goddess embodied in an herb and is revered as the holiest of all plants. In the wisdom of Ayurveda, Tulsi exhibits anti-oxidant, purifying, awakening, grounding benefits to skin, respiratory passages and psyche. This is more than a skincare product. It is medicine. Another great website to educate and inform. A woman-run company based in California also involved in ethical projects as well as the American Family Farm Revival.

5

WELEDA WILD ROSE PAMPERING BODY OIL
Weleda has long been a pioneer in natural products and even has its own certification for sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. The mission is to create products that naturally work with your body’s own systems. I only recently became a fan of rose oil or rose water. This particular product is pure luxury. I apply it from neck to toe as soon as I get out of the shower. It has warming properties and just feels lovely. I picked this out just at a time when I was going through some postpartum depression and I was going through the typical new mom identity crisis feelings. This lifted my spirits. Turns out, I learned in a healing Mayan abdominal massage treatment that I also needed work on my heart chakra, which is associated with balance, calmness and serenity. Rose oil is associated with the heart chakra. I was intuitively applying medicine. Though global, Weleda still cultivates its own biodynamic gardens and work in fair trade agreements with small farmers and gardeners to source the best raw materials.

4

WILD CARROT HERBALS WANDERLUST FOOT CREAM
My feet hurt a lot during my third trimester. I had a bit of edema and my high arches were pushed nearly flat from the weight of my baby. Even months after I gave birth to my son my feet hurt. They sprang back to their normal high arches, which, I think exasperated the pain. I just wanted my husband to squeeze my heels as hard as he could for relief. My feet were also very dry from hormone changes and during harvest (I’m a winemaker) after being on them for grueling hours they’d often get wet and stay wrapped in damp socks for hours. My feet needed some love. I found this foot cream, thanks to the lovely new packaging. It drew my attention! I applied this indulgent cream immediately – the night of purchase, right before bedtime. As the website promises – it’s perfect for slathering on weary feet, cracked heels and dry legs, and uses Oregon-grown peppermint oil to help revitalize the skin and restore the spirit. It definitely softens and hydrates. My feet felt completely renewed and restored. A woman-owned company based in the beautiful Wallowas Mountains in Oregon.

3

BADGER PREGNANT BELLY OIL
I started using this soothing belly oil during my third trimester. I continued to soothe my healing tummy skin during my postpartum year. It’s that rose scent again – but with vanilla. Jojoba and coconut oils blend to make a super luxe, non-greasy oil that absorbs immediately and leaves a light scent. Lovely! Feels so good on stretching, stretched and stretch-marked skin. A family-owned company with healing products, a healthy business and a mission to make a difference.

2

KUU BOTANICALS GINGER & WILD ROSE INFUSED CASTOR OIL
Unfortunately, there isn’t a website available for this product. I found it at a pregnancy and postpartum wellness center in Portland, Oregon. This roll on castor oil was the perfect medicine for my c-section scar and scar tissue. It can also be used for menstrual cramp relief. It’s every bit soothing and warming with a delicate ginger and wild rose aroma. A gentle application with the roller ball – and heat can be added like a traditional castor oil pack. This product was ultra nurturing for me during my postpartum year. A local woman-owned Portland, Oregon company.

1

EARTH MAMA ORGANICS PRODUCTS. ALL OF THEM!
I am naming ALL of the Earth Mama Organics products as my number one self care products that got me through my first year postpartum. I received many of these products as a baby shower gift – probably the most nurturing gift for my self care regimen. Let’s face it – mama is often forgotten after baby comes along. But Earth Mama Organics takes care of both baby and mama. I could not have survived my immediate postpartum days and weeks without the herbal sitz bath, herbal perineal spray, skin and scar balm, nipple butter and milkmaid tea. The diaper balm is by far the best we’ve tried – our baby has gone almost diaper rash free as a result of this balm. I can’t praise this line of product enough! The website is a wonderful resource for expecting moms to visit – with a “Birth Plan” category and other really useful information – I recommend all expecting mamas read the section on “Postpartum Lying-in Plan”, a practice we implemented that has made all the difference for both my recovery and my child’s comfort. A local woman-owned Portland, Oregon company.

Seeing Clearly in 2020

December 13, 2019December 13, 2019 leahjorgensen

Preview of our 10th Vintage Blanc de Cabernet Franc label.

2019 was an enormous year for me and my family. Giving birth to my first child was the biggest blessing of my life. And yet I wasn’t prepared for the many challenges that would come along with my long and painful recovery. I was unable to properly manage several aspects of my life and my business suffered the most – so much so that I nearly lost it.

I feel like I was under a veil of brain fog, depression and anxiety for the first half of the year. Pain was at the center. My family was far away and I felt the agonizing isolation that so many new mothers feel. I was a deer in headlights and I had no idea how to get things back on track. So I just focused on taking care of my baby while healing and trying to regain my strength – and I hoped that would be enough until I could manage the rest of my life.

I knew I needed more support. Eventually, I hired a part-time nanny. I then hired a marketing consultant to help me get organized. I then hired someone to help me in the cellar to get me through harvest. I had no idea how I would afford all of this help when, for so long, I managed to do the majority of my work by myself. There was never a budget for staff. My business is not yet profitable so I need to reserve all net sales for the cost of production. There’s no line of credit and no current investor – no real financing. Up until now I managed to make it work.

Becoming a mother changes everything. Until you find yourself in it – you really have no idea what that means. Beyond the shock of the injury, recovery and postpartum depression that came at the beginning of my mother journey, I had to reevaluate how I would continue to work as a mom and how I would develop into a mompreneur.

As soon as harvest completed and I had time to process my life and my work – it became abundantly clear that I needed to address my challenges on a deeper level. I bought a bunch of books that tackled the struggles of a new mom. One especially helpful book, The Empowered Mama: How to Reclaim Your Time and Yourself While Raising a Happy, Healthy Family by Lisa Druxman, gave me exercises to do some important self work and self care.

One of the first assignments was to come up with your top ten values picked from an extensive list of empowering words; from there you narrow it down to your top three values, and then finally your number one value. I put my complete list of top ten values up on my wall in my office, highlighting the top three.

My top three values were easy to identify:
3) Integrity
2) Generosity
1) Resilience

Resilience to me often manifests as simple “reframing” from a negative situation or outcome. It means your place in that negative situation or outcome is not permanent. You have the power to change your experience. It is a skill that I believe I have cultivated over many years. I needed this skill now more than ever.

As I began to explore my new identity as mompreneur I considered all of the challenges that have come my way since I brought my son into the world and looked deeper into my experiences in relation to those challenges.

I love winter. It allows for the quiet needed to self reflect. I worked diligently in my home office and discovered some new truths about me and my business. I explored the dread and resentments I felt regarding my business. It was time to get real.

A little bit of self reflective work opened up the gates to the visionary work I was meant to do. I had been stuck in the minutia. Deep breathing and a little more kindness to myself helped.

I am proud of my business. I am proud of the wine I make. But there’s so much more that I want to do!

I’m not going into all of those details here and now. It’s a work in progress. But I am excited about the vision I have for my business, for myself. I am working on the framework of that vision. I am more centered and focused on the ethos of my work – what is really important to me to put out into the world? We should always explore our gifts and reflect on how we can best use our gifts to make the world a better place. We should also be inspired, impassioned and empowered to do the real work we are meant to do.

For a little preview – I am evolving the wine business. It will have a cosmic make over with an exciting plan that will be cutting edge and will make for a lasting legacy for our grape growing and winemaking plans. It will be epic! I am manifesting everything I need right now to transform this business into something that better reflects my values, curiosity and big picture vision.

I will also be working on some other projects that tie into my nutrition background and interest in lifestyle and wellness – and motherhood. Big and exciting work to be done! Not to mention some amazing collaborations that have me so inspired and ready to roll up my sleeves and get to this important work!

As for my wine business – 2020 could not be more auspicious! I’m launching a celebration for my 10th Vintage – that’s right! 2020 will be my tenth vintage! 20/20 is perfect vision and I am just about to launch a campaign to honor this incredible milestone. The whimsical girl on my label holds a telescope and looks into the cosmos. It is foreshadowing…

Fans can order special 10th Vintage t-shirts with this anniversary edition design (see above) on charcoal gray. Stay tuned!

What a way to wrap up 2019 – a year full of blessings and challenges and a vintage that most certainly closed the decade in a memorable way! This might be the best vintage on the books for Southern Oregon. I can’t wait to release these wines and hold on to many of them in future celebration of my son’s birth year.

So we’re looking ahead to 2020 with hope and faith in the many miracles that can and we believe will happen. It will be a game changer year and vintage – I can feel it!