Baby massage for all ages - this is how easy, effective and cosy it is!

Mother and Daughter's Retreat!

When: Friday October 9, 2015 at 6:00 pm - Sunday October 11, 2015 at 12:00 pm

Where: Santa Cruz, California

Why: For You to Relax, Reflect and Recharge!

This Retreat is now SOLD OUT!

Escape the hustle bustle of daily life, and join me on this rejuvenating getaway! You will wake up to the smell of salty air as the fog drifts among the pine and eucalyptus trees and fall asleep to the crash of the waves. The stunning beach house where I am hosting this Retreat is brand new and the view from the upper deck is amazing.

We sit in the kitchen and eat our breakfast as a family. Before my 8-year-old daughter starts eating, she lines up everything on the table. I ask her what she is doing and she says, as if it is a matter of course, that she puts the packages in order according to how much sugar each product contains. On the far left is the unsweetened almond milk and on the far right is Dad's orange juice...

I wish for time.

Time is like an endangered flower, an endangered species. At least if you are a parent and especially if you are the parent of a baby. Being there for a new little person all the time is absolutely wonderful, but at the same time so incredibly time-consuming and binding. In my case, I am available 24 hours a day, and should I have the occasional time to do something else, then I'll also have the energy to do those things I dream about when I'm with my baby all the time, like taking a shower in peace, going shopping, sitting down undisturbed and drinking a cup of tea or, like tonight, getting a whole 2 hours to produce something (writing and working on my website gives me energy, as long as I don't make it a must).

Doesn't it sound great to have a world full of efficient adults and happy children? But how would it work?

I myself have always tried to please everyone else, tried to meet other people's expectations of me even as a small child, and then when I had children of my own, I thought that the children must be first in line for my attention, maybe I can develop my dreams and have more time when the children are older. But my thinking didn't work for very long, prioritising yourself for someone else and constantly trying to please others is not very sustainable. I disappeared as Johanna and only parts of me remained. Imagine if I had learned as a child the reverse way of looking at things; that I am actually highly responsible for my own life and my visions and that I can go as far as I want as long as I put myself first and when I learn to take care of myself and live according to my visions and goals, I can also take care of others in a much better way. That's how I think now and I know that my children and husband are so grateful to have a strong, determined mother and wife respectively.

The Mother & Daughter’s Retreat was a weekend of fun, creative mother & daughter time.

We did all kinds of things, like hiking up to the maze made out of rocks, late nights in the Jacuzzi, teaching yoga to our moms (all the girls and I made a yoga class for our moms to enjoy), drawing a mandala with your mom, and a dress-up and dance surprise!

A few weeks ago, our youngest child started complaining that she had a sore throat and my first thought was: "Oh, no, not now!" I really didn't feel like everyone in the family was going to get sick and in the event of a sore throat also have to take antibiotics!

So instead of taking her to the doctor, I used my knowledge and compiled a list of what we did to boost her immune system, so that the healing process could begin.