Have you ever noticed how a subtle theme can run through your day, without you really realising at the time? Whether its a colour, a mood or an object. Its not the star player. It wouldn’t make the headlines. Most likely it won’t even be noticed as, to be honest, it is mundane. Bear with me I have got a point.
This morning, I made porridge for all the children and we sat round the kitchen table discussing what we wanted to do and …. what we were really going to do. We settled on gardening and shoe shopping. As it turned out, it was me gardening and the children playing in the fresh air.
When I came in, my hands felt dry and sore, so I soaked them for a couple of minutes in warm water and oatmeal. Lunch and then shoe shopping. New school shoes bought. Chocolate consumed.
Move on to bedtime. TF occasionally has dry patches on his arms and legs. Nothing serious and usually clears up after a couple of days if I add oatmeal and lavender to his bath. Of course, if one munchkin has it, they all have to have it. I only discovered this “treatment” when BL and TF had chickenpox last year. It appeared to ease their itchiness.
Here comes the theme, if you haven’t already spotted it. As I put the oatmeal away for the third time, I couldn’t help thinking how an everyday food cupboard staple is so useful. We used it inside and out today. Yet it is so overlooked and under-rated. Its not much to look at.
Well I’m going to use it one last time today. I enjoy making my own beauty treatments. I’m planning a homemade starflower mask tonight, from The Ultimate Natural Beauty Book by Josephine Fairley. I love this mask, so much that I have a small forest of aloe vera plants around the house (ok, exaggeration – about six plants. We use it for Aga burns, as well). Tonight, before I apply the mask, I think I’ll exfoliate first with some ground oatmeal. Now where is my mortar and pestle…..
