This is a picture of Chloe. Chloe sits in a chair in my mom’s living room – I am often startled by her when I come around the corner. I forget she is there and yet when I remember, I smile. She is an over sized stuffed doll, book in lap and glasses perched high on her nose. I think she has a Spirit.
I was visiting my mom this weekend and spent a lot of time around Chloe. Mom and I sat in the living room, playing with the new iPad I bought her. It was as if Chloe was learning along with mom – she sat and listened intently to every detail.
It was a gift to be able to give my mom something so modern and to teach her how to use it, so that the distance between us could more easily be bridged. I miss being around her. She is really a smart and funny woman. Kind, generous and always spouting something political that makes my eyes roll, we teach each other.
My mom has always had a lot to say and has usually been ahead of her time. As a kid, she led a crusade to have all the junk food removed from the cafeteria in my elementary school and fed us Tigers Milk bars instead of candy. She shopped in the natural foods store when it really was a natural foods store and not a Whole Foods store. She wanted to create a curriculum called Life 101 to teach kids the details of living life with money. Now they are every where. As a kid I was embarrassed. As an adult, I am eager to hear what she has to teach.
So this trip, when she told me I could rinse my hair with leftover coffee to tone out the gray, I laughed as usual, but listened. I actually asked for other tips. Then, I wondered if that was what Chloe had in the book in her lap: Tips from Mom.
Wherever they come from, there are some good ones. In the spirit of Chloe and E (my mom), I pass them along. You can laugh. I do. But give em try and then remember, sometimes mother really does know best.
Coffee Rinse: Take a cup of coffee that’s left over and cool it down. After you shower, go to the sink, bend over and carefully pour the coffee through your hair. Use an old towel to blot it dry (as it will stain). As mom says, “it doesn’t cover it, but it tones it down.”
Coffee Scrub: Mush a few coffee grounds in with your soap and gently scrub your face. It will draw out impurities and bring out a little color in your cheeks. Rinse with cool water.
Lemon Scrub:
1 tsp Honey
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 TBL Almonds ground or chopped up oatmeal
Zest of a lemon
A little Olive Oil
Mix it up and use as an exfoliate. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
Lemon Nail Brightener: Soak in lemon juice for 5 minutes. Rinse in warm water
What natural tips did your mom MindFULLY share? Let us know!
themindfullcreative.com 
Cool, very cool. xo, Andy
My mom taught me never to turn your back on the ocean. Larry and I were walking along the beach at Pacific City on Sunday. We stopped to look at the “Cottages” on the bluff. No, we didn’t get washed out to sea, but we did get our feet wet. Just a two inch deep reminder that Mother knows best.
My mom taught me so much perhaps one I remember (and use) the most is to pour boiling water from a height on fresh table cloth stains. Now at first I took this literally and stood on a ladder to pour the boiling water (quite a sight). Really an arms length does the trick. Then wash immediately. Do not dry. Roll up table cloth wet, put in a plastic bag in the fridge til ready to iron. Iron wet. I use this sometimes, but sometimes just sent the damn things to the cleaner after I’ve spot cleaned them. Thanks Joan.