Young Living's Thieves Products!

One of the things that has always bothered me is the list of unrecognizable ingredients on the back of our products that we use every day. Just because I don't recognize an ingredient does not necessarily mean it is bad, but most of your every day products are full of chemicals that will seep into your body  through your skin or the air you breathe. Within the last 6 months I have been on a quest to change out most all of our every day products for clean products. It gives me a peace of mind that my family is not inhaling, ingesting or having toxins absorbed through their skin. We have not converted all of our products, yet, but we have switched over most of them with the help of Young Living. So, what products have we switched? Toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, mouthwash, air fresheners, bug spray, hand soap, house hold cleaner, eye make-up remover, moisturizer, diaper rash cream, and our entire medicine cabinet!

Today I want to specifically share with you about Young Livings Thieves products. Obviously, I love Thieves Essential Oil! It is what we use to keep sickies at bay and it works soo well! If we do happen to get a bug, it reduces the amount of time we are sick. But in addition to the Thieves oil, there is an entire line of products that contain Thieves oil for everyday protection against germs!

Why I love Thieves Essential Oil? Because of all the many uses!! 

How do we use it? We diffuse it to clear the air of germs (and it makes my house smell amazing!), we apply it to our feet for protection during cold and flu season, and we add it to capsules and take it with water for extra immune system support! 

Young Living has an entire line of Thieves oral hygiene products too! Toothpaste (AromaBright, Dentarome Ultra, or Dentarome Plus), Mouthwash, and Dental Floss! Every time I use the toothpaste and mouthwash I feel like I just stepped out of the dentist office after a cleaning! But with the peace of mind that chemicals and fluoride were not put in my mouth or accidentally ingested! And an added bonus, they all contain Thieves so my immune system is strengthened every time I brush my teeth! 

In the Thieves product line is probably one of my most used items. Thieves Spray. I personally, keep these handy around my house and on the go. When out and about I use it to disinfect icky bathrooms or grocery carts, or anything that just needs to be disinfected. My family has used Thieves spray for tooth aches, sore throats, and itchy scratchy throats too! 

Lastly in the Thieves line of products is the Hand Soap and Household Cleaner. I use the cleaner for EVERYTHING! It smells amazing and I love to clean counter tops, windows, floors, toilets, and toys with it! I have the peace of mind that bad bacteria is destroyed without compromising our bodies with harsh chemicals! The hand soap is so good and is in our bathrooms and at our kitchen sink. It smells so good, lasts a long time (foaming hand soap) and I know my family is getting a good immune system boost every time they wash their hands! 

My family loves Thieves! I truly believe it is because of these products that we use daily that we have been sick considerably less! It has not been hard to make the switch to clean products and we are enjoying all the benefits these amazing Thieves products have to offer! 

Would you like to try some of these products for yourself? Interested in getting your products at wholesale cost? Simply click here to get started! 

Do you have any questions about these products? Simply leave your questions in the comments and I will answer them! :) 

What made me jump out of the box?

My story begins shortly after I became pregnant with our firstborn son. In my mind, I was going to enjoy my pregnancy and go to the hospital when the time came for him to enter this world. That was my plan and I was very naive. It is what everyone seemed to do.  As the weeks passed and I entered my second trimester I would go onto the websites that would tell me what to expect in my pregnancy and what developments my baby was undergoing that week as well as what I ought to be thinking about. One day, I saw this funny word. Episiotomy. I thought to myself...what is that? It doesn't sound very good. So, I looked it up. No WAY in the world did I want that to be a part of the delivery of my son! So began my jump out of the box! I began to research and find a way to AVOID this awful thing called an episiotomy. Through this I learned about The Bradley Method of child birth. I read and studied and dragged my hubby to Bradley Birth classes. I was determined not to have an episiotomy! Well, as one would have it, I learned so much more about labor and delivery. I began to learn about what was necessary and what was not. I learned that I do have a say in what I want and do not want when it comes to the world of medicine and doctors. I began to ask the questions: how will this effect me and my baby? Is it the best option? Is there a better way? What are the ingredients? What are the risks involved? What are the benefits? And with those questions came answers that I did not expect. I began to ask these same questions for everything! No I am not paranoid and no I do not fear doctors and hospitals and the medical system. I am, however, proactive when it comes to the medical systems influence in our lives. I believe we have a right to know the answers to these questions. I will dive into individual topics later! So, what did this little decision to avoid an episiotomy do for my labor and delivery and my life almost 2 years later? Well, I gave birth to my son in the hospital naturally. He was 9lbs 8oz at birth. We said no to many standard procedures for me and for my son while in the hospital. We chose other procedures that are less routine and that helped me to not tear or require an episiotomy and were better for both me and my son. We have decided to decline the regular vaccine schedule given to children. I gave birth to my daughter through a home birth with a midwife (wonderful experience!) because we have realized our rights to refuse certain things in the hospital have been/are being taken away. I have come to discover the benefit of using essential oils everyday in place of OTC medicines. I will share how I implement those into our lives through this blog. I also take my family to an alternative medicine family practice instead of a regular family doctor or pediatrician. And I still am learning and I am still researching. I will be the first to admit that I do not have all the answers. But through this I hope to be able to inspire someone else to begin to ask the questions that I have and to maybe also "jump" out of the box! 

DIY Bug Repellent (Spray or Gel)

I think just every person at some point wishes Noah could have squashed a couple of pesky bugs as they were brought onto the Ark. Two in particular that are my least favorite are gnats and mosquitoes.    When we used to live in Alabama they were particularly horrible. Now that we are in Indiana, they aren't as bad, but they are still around.

I had tried a couple different recipes for a bug repellent using Young Living Essential Oils and none of them really worked well. Then I was asked to create this video for an online class using this recipe and so far it works really really well! Both my husband and I enjoy fishing in our pond in the evenings and we notice a significant difference when we use it and when we don't. So, enjoy this simple recipe and let me know what you think!

What you will need:

A small travel spray bottle or squirt bottle (like in the video)

Aloe Vera liquid or gel. 

5 drops Young Living Purification oil

2 drops Young Living Thieves oil

2 drops Young Living Melaluca oil

2 drops Young Living Lemongrass oil

1 drop Young Living Peppermint oil

A New Look!

Welcome to my new and improved health blog! Yes, it is focused more on Young Living and the health benefits that can be achieved through their products! But I will also be posting on different topics along the way as well! See those gorgeous purple flowers in the background? That is lavender! One of my most used essential oils!

Why do I love lavender so much and why do we use it so much? Because I am a stay at home mom in a house with two toddlers ALL DAY LONG! Sometimes we just need a little chill out time so I either diffuse the lavender or I apply it to little tummy's throughout the day.
Recently, I was ironing clothes on a Sunday morning and randomly decided to iron my thumb as well. Not such a good idea and it hurt and began to swell up immediately. I reached for my lavender! Within minutes it stopped hurting, the swelling decreased, and I completely forgot about the incident.
I applied lavender the same way when my daughter decided to place both hands directly on the hot glass surface of our gas fireplace this past winter!
We also use lavender in a allergy bomb with lemon, peppermint, and Copaiba. I put an equal amount of these four oils in a bottle with a roll on and whenever the stuffy noses, runny noses, sniffles, itchy, watery eyes begin I roll on as much as necessary to keep the allergies under control.
Needless to say, lavender is a staple oil in our household and we are so very thankful for it!

Would you like some lavender for your family? Have you purchased your Young Living Starter Kit that comes with a LIFETIME membership? Not yet? Well, what are you waiting for? Just click this link and complete the form picking out the starter kit of your choice! My favorite starter kit is obviously the Premium Starter Kit because it comes with EVERYTHING!

See what I mean? Everything you need is all right there! PLUS, as a member of my team you will have access to the best support group ever (just a little biased)! 

Again, welcome to my blog and I hope you enjoy your time here! 

Dealing with the Differences

Two children. Two completely opposite personalities and responses to everyday moments. What worked on your first has a completely opposite reaction/effect on your second. This is where I am at now with my life with two toddlers.

I am reading the "Mommy help" books and having to figure out a different strategy while still using my first strategy with my firstborn while making sure I don't cross strategies with my second! Sound exhausting? This is why I need a nap!

I am constantly learning and one thing that keeps being shouted out at me is to stop trying to simply correct behavior. I need to reach their little hearts. Pretty sure I have my sons heart. Not so sure about my daughters. And how exactly does one not simply correct behavior in a 1 year old? It seems like everything is "No! Don't do that! No! Don't touch that! No! Don't put that there! No! You're going to get hurt!"

Currently, my daughter has just discovered how to climb out of her crib. So, out came the toddler bed. The only problem with toddler beds is that they don't keep toddlers contained. The main issue is that a toddler can get out of any bed! My son was the toddler who, if he got out of bed, would simply read or play quietly by himself till I came to get him. My daughter, on the other hand, is the child who puts every toy in her mouth, runs with sharp objects, and screams at the top of her lungs if anything in her world is not perfect. Being separated for any length of time from Mommy counts as an imperfect world.

Life is definitely a crazy fiasco of discombobulation and me standing in the middle of it all with my hands in the air and a white flag of surrender being waved! I am learning as I go and praying much for the wisdom, sanity, and survival of both myself and my children.

How did you survive the toddler days? What have you found that has worked for you? Any comments on the matter are greatly appreciated! :)

Young Living's Peppermint Essential Oil!

Peppermint. The lovely scent of the holiday season! But, did you know that peppermint has many many many uses other than making your breath smell more pleasant? How about using peppermint medicinally? People have been doing it for centuries! 

Why I love it:

Decongest and un-stuff a stuffy nose! Yes! Forget all those over the counter decongestants! They contain garbage that will hurt you later on. By simply adding 1 drop of peppermint to the palm of your hand, rubbing your hands together, and then cupping your hands over your face and breathing in super deep (a method called cupping), you will clear your airways quicker than you will ever imagine! When allergies are hitting my family, this is what we do! It works every single time! 

Stay awake and alert! By using the same method above I can wake myself up when I feel my eyelids getting heavy. This works great when on a road trip, when I want to stay away during a Sunday morning, evening, or Wednesday night church service, or in the mid afternoon when I want to go to sleep but need to tackle my never ending to-do list. 

Keep icky creepy spiders out of sight! Yes! This really does work! Spiders are our friends. They eat other icky bugs like flies and mosquitos. Yes, they creep me out, and I will kill them if I see them, which is why I love this trick! By adding about 20 drops of peppermint to a spray bottle of water, I can make my own spider (and ant) repellent! It does not kill the spiders, just keeps them away! I spray around my windows, doors, and any little cracks and crevices where I think they might be hiding. When temperatures began to warm up, I began finding fuzzy, fat spiders around my windows INSIDE my house! Ick! Since spraying, I have not seen ANY! One application usually will repell spiders for about 2 weeks. 

Heartburn and indigestion go bye bye! Oh this works so well! Wish I had known about it when I was pregnant with my babies! Heartburn used to only be a pregnancy symptom for me. Now, after having my second, I will periodically get heartburn if I get too hungry or eat something spicy. I simply apply 1 dropof peppermint with a little coconut oil on my chest and within just a couple minutes recieve lasting relief. I have also taken 1 drop of peppermint in a glass of water for heartburn and it has worked great too! My breath smelled amazing! 

Headaches don't stand a chance! By simply applying 1 drop of peppermint oil with a little bit of coconut oil to the spot on our heads that is pounding (and the back of our necks) we have found amazing headache relief! No more Excedrine for us! This works great! For even faster relief, adding a drop of peppermint to your tongue and then pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth works wonders (also very effective for nausea or dizziness). 

Allergy Bomb ingredient! Spring is horrible for my family and allergies. Thankfully, we keep the ingredients for the allergy bomb quite handy! What are the ingredients? Peppermint, lemon, lavender, and Copaiba. I mix my own combination of these oils with some olive oil in a bottle with a roller ball for easy and quick application whenever we start to get a tickle in our throats, itchy eyes, or sinus congestion. I have even put all these oils in a capsule and taken them orally for quick relief when I have felt my worst! 

Natural fever reducer! Yes! This really works! We have only ever used childrens Advil once for my son when he had a horrible case of strep. All the other times I have simply applied a single drop of peppermint mixed with a little coconut oil along their little spines and their fevers have dropped a degree or two pretty quickly. The benefit is that this does not disrupt the bodies natural process of fighting the illness. Fevers are not to be feared, but rather a sign of a strong and healthy immune system. When we get fevers, it is visible proof of our bodies fighting and winning the battle against whatever bug we may have caught. Tylenol has bad effects on our livers and stomachs. Same with Advil and Motrin. I stay as far away from these as possible thanks to peppermint and a tepid bath. 

As you can see, the list of uses for peppermint essential oil is quite long! It is an oil my family will never be without. You can read about how others have used peppermint in even more ways at Oily Families facebook page or by searching www.oil-connections.com.

Would you like to be able to add peppermint to your families medicine cabinet? You can! Simply contact me via facebook, comment below, or Click here to join Young Living under my Sponsorship! We have a great support team that will be with you each step of the way! 

The Importance of Mommy Time!

         It is that moment. The moment you first stare at the positive result on the home pregnancy test in your hand. That moment when your emotions are a little crazy. You don’t know whether you are going to laugh, or cry. Maybe you have been trying for this moment for a long time, or maybe you just are not ready. Maybe you never expected to be at this moment till many years down the road. Wherever you are, the reality of the moment is staring you in the face and you know nothing will ever be the same again. 

During the next nine months, your body changes. You have no control over what is happening. Everything you eat goes to support the life growing inside of you. Everything that you do effects that little life. Then the day comes for you to deliver this life into the world. You experience an amazing phenomenon called labor. Again, you have no control over what your body is doing. You have to prepare, sit back, and try to endure the ride. 

Finally, you are holding this little bundle of screaming joy in your arms. In that moment, you are forced to become very selfless. Your entire life now seems to revolve around this baby. When it cries, you go to it and supply whatever it needs. It seems to cry continuously and sometimes for no reason at all. You are the main supplier to this little life. You are the source of comfort and nutrition. You are Mommy. 

Several months pass and you feel like you are slowly getting into some sort of odd groove. You now have a toddler. That toddler begins to learn the word, “Mommy.” You begin to hear one thing over and over throughout each day and each night. “Mommy!” “Mommy?” “Mommy.” The little voice can be soft and sweet, or so consistent you feel like you want another name! Other times that single word is said in a way that makes you feel like the most important person in all the world. Amazing how a little creature can cause such different emotions using just one single word! 

There are some out there who end up going through the entire process yet again, from positive pregnancy test to another screaming little life about this time. There you are, with newborn baby screaming in one arm and a needy, toddler in the other continually saying the only word they seem to know at the moment. It is at that point that you really have to fight to be a selfless mom.  

Everything inside of you screams to be teleported to a deserted island far away from the little needy people in your life. You might bring your husband (if you have one) or your best girlfriend, but really, it is the joy of solitude that you seek. Just you, and the peaceful sounds of the waves crashing on the shore and the gulls calling overhead. Maybe you have in your hand your favorite drink and are slowly sipping on its satisfying sweetness. Maybe you are lying on a massage table and all of your worries and cares are melting away by the masseuses steady hands. Whatever it is you imagine up, one thing is for sure, you want some peace! 

Motherhood is a wonderful time of life. For every tough moment, there are at least ten moments that make it all worth while. The struggle is keeping ourselves balanced as mothers. Finding that time away from our children for a couple of hours during the week is hard. It may require a babysitter, or it may require the help of a friend or family member. As a mother, you need to seek out this time for yourself. It is not only important for your sanity, but for your children as well. 

What about those moments when we wish we could take back our harsh tones or our frustration when our kids are just being kids? We have all been there. That is our selfishness coming through. We need to guard ourselves from that. It is not easy. It is a constant fight. It is why those quiet mommy moments alone are so important. Seek out help if you do not have help readily available. Recruit your husband on a weekend to watch the kids for you for just an hour. If he doesn’t understand why you need the time alone, he will after watching the kids for an hour! 

Most importantly, be a mom to your kids. Love them when they are frustrating. Enjoy them during the tough moments of exhausted crying for no reason at all or the overuse of your title. You are Mommy. Not superwoman, but Mommy! So, put down the cell phone’s and text messaging devices. Turn off the computers and lay aside that novel till later when you can have those "you" moments. Mother your children now while you have the chance, because before you know it the years will have passed and the kids will be gone and you will long for just one more day to be Mommy.