We're so excited to share with you our interview with one of our favourite moms on Instagram, Kels from Ontario, Canada! You can find her over on Instagram at @kelsinwonderland – she’s not only a colorful content creator but she is also a twin mom and maternal mental health advocate. Kels lives a mindful day to day life, and we got some great answers from her on how to start your very own path to mindfulness at home!
What are 3 things you try to do every day to practice mindfulness with your kiddo's?
- We try our best to eat meals together at a table and be sure to not have the TV on or any phones or devices nearby. We talk about the food we’re eating, what we like about it (or don’t like, as is mostly the case for three-year-olds, lol), and keep focus on the meal as much as possible.
- We do a lot of breathing exercises especially when big feelings come into play. My daughter likes practicing unicorn breaths and my son likes dinosaur breaths. We also do this during the bedtime routine because that seems to be exactly when they get their biggest wave of energy.
- We have been working a lot on learning and naming feelings outside of the big 3 (happy, sad, mad) but have started to focus on what our bodies feel like when they are in a certain feeling. This is 100% adult-led at the moment but has actually really helped my own escalation issues when I’m describing how my body is reacting in a moment of anger, or frustration. For example, if I start to get upset about something, I will say something along the lines of, “My body is starting to feel hot, and I can feel my heart thumping fast in my chest.” My hope is that when the twins are able to identify the physiological response to certain emotions that it will be able to help them communicate and manage those big feelings down the line.
Are there any activities, tasks you do with your children on a daily basis that aids in yours and there's everyday mood?
Aside from the breathing exercises, the kids have become really into plants and flowers this summer. They helped us plant our garden and love to help their daddy water the grass and all the plants. Being outside in nature is a total gamechanger for us, mentally. The kids’ attitudes and behaviour completely shift when we spend time outside; they are so curious and adventurous. We are all a little bit happier after spending time outside of the house. On days when we are all home together, we try to spend at least 4-5 hours outside, weather dependant.
How do you use essential oils in your daily life?
I use rollers, mists, and diffuser oils on a daily basis. I have one roller I use in the morning instead of perfume, I have an activating mist I keep on my desk, and we use a diffuser in our bedroom an hour or so before bed.
Who is your favourite Rascal and why?
Our favourite Rascal is hands down Genie Germz. The smell is amazing, and the twins love that they can spray it themselves. We recently took Genie with us on a trip to the zoo and every time we took it out I had another mom ask me what it was and where they could get it!
If you had any advice for mom's trying to start on their own wellness journey, what would it be?
There is so much information and so many products out there that it is easy to get overwhelmed. My biggest piece of advice is to try not to get caught up in fads or the allure of quick fixes. Find one or two things that speak to you and then find a way to incorporate them into your lives/schedule until they become habit. Maybe not doing or using something every day, maybe it’s once a month. It doesn’t matter what the frequency is, to me it’s the longevity that matters. It’s far better to do something once a month for a year than every day for three weeks and then be completely burnt-out. I truly believe that any type of journey needs to be sustainable that way.
Kels is consistently posting about her sweet family and their life while living in a busy life as a mom of twin toddlers. She shares a lot about kindness, happiness and the occasional struggles she’s had to endure as well. Make sure to follow along on her and her family’s journey at @kelsinwonderland on Instagram and her online blog and website kelsinwonderland.com