Diffusers, Diffusers, Diffusers!

So, I think I have a bit of a problem....I have a diffuser for my classroom and every bedroom in my house (if you're counting, that's a total of 5).  There's something about a great smell but knowing that it's keeping my family healthy or helping us feel better that makes me keep buying them.  I have 2 that I purchased from Amazon and they work fine but don't hold a candle to the sq ft that my YL diffuser covers.

The problem is, now my friends are starting to love all things oils and so I am running out!  I currently only have 2 diffusers in my home (one in each of the kids rooms).  So I'm left with the temptation of buying yet another diffuser from YL (I mean...come on, you get 2 free oils with it, lol) or just waiting until my friends are done.

Well, I tried the latter...and then I had more friends want it.  So, I think I'm going to purchase yet another one.  I'm laughing as I type this because it seems completely excessive yet necessary at the same time.

The past few months, the success of the company that I'm supporting has skyrocketed.  I'm not sure if it's just that people are raving about essential oils more or what?  I know I certainly am.  The downside??  The demands on my favorite oils are thru the roof so the shipping has had a bit of a delay (a LOT of a delay in some cases).

So, I guess I'll have to wait a little bit longer for the next addition to my obsession.

NingXia Red

Ok, I feel like I can honestly say that NingXia Red has made a difference in my life.  I can't say for sure until I get back on it but I've been without it for going on 2 weeks now.  I ran out right before the beginning of the month and it was on the order I placed on the 7th.  (cheap me wanted to get rewards points!)

Well, I won't make that mistake again.

I've been tired, grouchy and had less energy overall.  I'm ready to get the spring back in my step!!  I think I might hug the UPS driver tomorrow.

Stay tuned.....

Updated 10/18-it is amazing the difference I feel!!  For a teaching mom of 2 under the age of 4 I'm never tired :)

Energy

So, I have a bit of an addiction to coffee.  When I was pregnant the first time I craved coffee ice cream (I went caffeine free for both pregnancies) and this last time I choked down decaf.  If I had an endless supply of cash I'd drink Starbucks daily but I don't so it's Folgers for me and Starbucks when I need/want a treat.

I'm a gold member at Starbucks and my kiddo doesn't know what the "golden arches" mean but she will point out the Starbucks logo and ask for banana or pumpkin bread.

Anyhow, after my caffeine-free breaks I thought I might be able to stay that way.  Yeah, that didn't happen.  I found that as a mom of 2, one cup of coffee just wasn't doing the trick...or two and three just upset my tummy.  I refuse to drink the monsters or redbull (they're neon colored...something is just wrong about that) and tea just makes me wish I was drinking coffee. 

I ended up buying 2 bottles of NingXia Red at a local YL meeting and thought I'd give it a try (I forced my husband in hopes it would help his cholesterol and BP).  I didn't notice anything shocking and didn't even really like the taste at first but it's not cheap so I was going to drink the whole thing.  After about a week we went on vacation so I didn't really notice a difference (and i didnt NEED anything, I was at the beach!) but I picked up this habit I was trying to get into when I returned.

I've been drinking it faithfully since, 1 shot each a.m. and have really decided I like the taste now.  I didn't think that it was making a noticeable difference because I felt great and was happy.  Well, we went out of town this weekend and it stayed in my fridge....BAM!!  After 2 days not only was I craving some NingXia Red I was dragging!!!  We got home Sunday night and I was tempted to drink some but didn't want to keep myself awake.  First thing Monday morning I had some and after 2 hours of grading papers I decided to clean out and re-organize the entire garage!  4 hours later instead of emptying and re-loading the dishes I decide to wash them all by hand...(what!?!)

And the best part was I had unending energy and was SO productive.  The bad part is I'm not sure I have enough left to last me until my next shipment arrives....ack!

Kidscents Round 1

So, I ordered Kidscents when they came back in stock in July.  My packaged arrived the beginning of August and no kidscents :(  backordered.  Randomly on Friday my kidscents showed up!  I was so excited to try them and so was my 3yr old who kept saying, "theyre MINE???  Just for ME!!"

We leave to go out of town and I pack my oils and the kidscents.  MY oil bag somehow never left my bathroom counter but thankfully the kidscents were in one of the kid suitcases.  So here we were, outdoors all weekend, staying in a hotel and no oils. 

M had been sick the latter part of the week so the first thing we did was rub tummygize on her tummy.  She was already feeling better when we applied it but she still asked for it.  no tummy issues all weekend :)

Then since I'd forgotten my purification, I rubbed the bite buster on M as a bug repellant.  Had no idea if it would work for that but I knew it had purification in it so it was better than nothing.  No bites all weekend!!  (don't tell M but I rubbed it on myself too after I heard family members complaining about the mosquito bites!)

M immediately developed a runny nose/cold as soon as we arrived at our destination.  We go there every year and the window unit is damp and always gives us sinus issues.  We applied snifflease to her nose and a little inside her nostrils and thankfully the runny nose stopped!  She was still a little stuffy all weekend but no longer grabbing for tissue.

All in all it was a GREAT first weekend with kidscents!  Hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and friends, back to the grind in the morning and this mom is going to need a double shot of NingXia red, I'm beat!

Toddler tummy troubles-win!

So I wake up in the 4s this morning and my 3 year old had snuck in bed with me.  I'm normally a light sleeper but this is the first week of school and I'm worn out.  I realize that she is sans-sleep diaper (she's potty trained during the day but I haven't been brave enough to try nighttime) and I asked her where it was.

Well, she'd used the sleep diaper in a major way and brought me a new one in the middle of the night but decided to just crawl in bed.

I walk her back to her room, take her to the potty and discover that she's had an upset tummy.  This is the first time she's had the big D since she could walk and it's confusing to her.  She keeps saying, "my poop is weird and my tummy hurts."  She asked me for some oils (love that) and I grabbed my DiGize (for anything digestion-related) and rubbed it on her tummy.  She said she was hungry but I was fearful it was confusion about the tummy pain and I didn't want to give her anything.

As I walked back to my room I heard a noise and was devastated to discover that my alarm was already going off.  ugh.

I got ready and woke her up about an hour later.  Her tummy was still bothering her but she was acting fine, not warm, etc.  I put more DiGize on her tummy and she said it felt better.  Packed a bland "brat style" lunch for her and sent the bottle of oil in her backpack.

They called to tell me she'd had an accident (unlike her) and her bottom was red from it.  Said I didn't need to get her as she was feeling fine but wanted the protocol for her bottom.  I told her about the oil and asked her to get some diaper cream I'd made from baby brother's room.

Fast forward to the end of the day, I pick up the kids and she has had "regular poop" (her words) and feels great.  I checked her bottom when we got home and it wasn't pink at all.

Double-oils win!  (the diaper paste is 1 tbsp coconut oil and 4-5 drops lavender)

And the bonus is I got home and my kidscents oils arrived!  I'm super excited as these are already diluted by Young Living and I don't have to mix up my own little batches for the kids....stay tuned for a report on them!

Happy Labor Day weekend!

note to self

Don't reuse your NingXia Red bottle for lemon water. 

Here's why....people will think you're drinking Vodka straight from the bottle!!! 

I started teacher training this past week and had a genius idea to reuse an empty NingXia Red bottle for lemon water.  I was going to be gone all day and my normal mason jar wasn't going to be enough H20 to get me thru the day.  I washed and refilled the bottle with lemon water and went to work.  (Side note: I'm in a new district this year and no know one).  I walk into training and before I sit down someone said, "Girl you're crazy, we need to be friends."  I had no idea what she was talking about and I smiled, laughed and sat elsewhere.  I was assuming it was because I got there with about a minute to spare.

Fast forward to day 2 and instead of being at new teacher training, I'm with all of the other elementary teachers.  I was stopped 8...yes 8 TIMES by random groups of people saying something like, "ok we've placed bets on what's in the bottle" or "why would you bring the good stuff and not share?"

The best is when my new Assistant Principal said something.  (thankfully it was really funny)

Not exactly the way I wanted to make a name for myself but I got to talk about oils....alot.

Back to school lunches

So, unfortunately it's that time of year again and I'm sad to send my kiddos to "school."  While we're excited about this new chapter in our new city, I've loved spending the last 6 months with them.  Our previous school provided lunches so this is my first attempt to send lunch with my kiddos.  To be honest, this is what first started me on a healthier path because I didn't want to just send my daughter to school with quesadillas, lunchables or grilled cheese everyday.  I feared her lunches would all be in the tan/brown/orange family without any color or nutritional value.

So, I have a lot of ideas for what I'm going to send and I'll be sure and post successes and failures as we go along.

In preparation though, I've found some great containers and accessories that I plan to use.  **I'm experimenting with links, I apologize in advance if they don't work...I'm a novice.

I found some  Thermos Ice Mat, 6 Cube packs at my local store but they also make these in 9 and 18.  They were $1 per 6 cube pack.  I ended up finding some other ones that looked more like ice cubes and you can cut in the size you want.

I'm still on the hunt for the right lunchbox and the Land's end ones were recommended by the crew at www.100daysofrealfood.com but, of course, I'm shopping locally if I can.

I love love love this Thermos FUNtainer Bottle, Disney Princess, 12 Ounce ...it stays cold all day and lasts forever!  It's not recommended for hot stuff because it keeps it HOT and could burn your little one's mouth but for cold stuff its AWESOME and doesn't leak!


I went to the store looking for the ziploc take along sectioned containers but my grocery store is a little smaller and I didn't have any luck.  What i DID find were these awesome Sistema 21652 Klip It Lunch Plus To-Go Container .  They come in all different colors, shapes, sizes, functions.  Some even have utensils that snap together.  My mom first found some of these and I'm addicted now and excited about having reusable containers that won't be thrown away.  You can find these at a ton of different stores and there are so many styles to choose from!



I can tell you that day 1 (and every day for awhile) he will have bottles and she (3.5yrs) will have carrots, cubed organic cheese and turkey pieces, veggie crackers, watermelon and a note from me (she can't read yet, just hoping Ms. Chrissy reads it to her).

Best of luck with your back to school lunches!  I think I'm stressing about this more than my lesson plans!!!

Wanna learn more about oils?

So I get a lot of inquiries on facebook/email about this crazy oily journey I'm on.  I decided to do an online video chat type of thing where I could talk about the most popular oils, how I use them, what others say about them, etc. 

If you promise only to laugh with me and not at me, I'll share it with you.  (excuse my messy house in the background).

Vlog on top 10 oils I love!

I'd love your feedback.  I know that when I talk about Panaway I said one ingredient was Walgreens instead of Wintergreen, hahaha.  oops. 

Get oily people...all the cool kids are :)

Granola from scratch from someone who doesn't like granola!!

I'm all about trying to give healthier versions of our favorite foods when it comes to feeding my family.  I found a meal plan online for kiddos and it included this recipe and used it several different ways:  as cereal, on yogurt, in a smoothie, etc.  My little 3.5yr old chef and I gave it a shot. 

The hardest part of this recipe is getting all of the ingredients.  You have to go to that aisle in the grocery store with all the healthy stuff that you never go down.   You know, the one with the dispensers like the candy stores?  This mom is not a fan of those but I was willing to try.

I loved this and so did my 3.5yr old!  It was an easy recipe for her to help with as it just has a lot of mixing, stirring and pouring.  It made my house smell FANTASTIC!  It didn't make an enormous amount like most granola recipes which is awesome because we actually ate it all before it went bad (lasted us about 2 weeks).

Shout out to the crew at 100 Days of Real Food for coming up and sharing this one.  I adapted it a bit.

Granola Cereal

makes 3 lbs

Recipe adapted from Anson Mills and 100 Days of Real Food

Ingredients

• 3½ cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raw sliced almonds
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Also need – parchment paper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Cover a rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry oats, almonds, coconut, seeds and spices together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Heat the butter and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat. Once the butter melts stir in the vanilla and salt.
4. Pour the hot liquids over the dry ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula until evenly coated.
5. Spread mixture onto prepared pan in one even layer. Bake for 75 minutes.
6. The granola will become crisp as it cools at which point you can break into pieces (if making bars) or break it up into small chunks by pounding it in a zip lock bag (if making cereal). Store in air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Placebo effect and oils....you decide

So I have friends and family who are asking me about the "hippie oils" I use.  I think this is awesome.  I don't like to broadcast my use of oils and the benefits of it other than this blog because I don't want to look like a saleswoman.  I think most of my friends don't even know I have a blog!  Occasionally I'll make a comment on FB or I'll have an oil with me and use it when I'm with someone but other than that I try not to make a huge deal about it.

Not that I don't WANT to but I get annoyed that I'm constantly bombarded with sales tactics from my friends who earn extra income with whatever product they recommend.

It's not a bad thing for them and I wish I had enough money to throw around and buy something to help them with their business.  But, I'm a teacher and a mom and that just isn't in the budget.

I've had friends tell me that oils are just placebo.  That it's all in my head and there's no real effect.

Well, I'm not a scientist (but I do teach science) and you know what...they could absolutely be right.  I have no scientific evidence that oils work.  I also have no scientific evidence that the migraine medicine I used to be on worked.  But the fact is, you could have scientific evidence that a pain reliever gets rid of a headache or a nausea medicine makes you feel normal but anyone who has ever had a headache or been pregnant can tell you that it doesn't always work.

Most of the time when someone asks me about oils and really wants to know, it's because there is something going on with them or someone they know and whatever they're trying isn't working.  A lot of the time they're at the point where they'll try anything.  It's such a compliment when someone comes to me in need because it shows a lot of trust in my friendship as they often are sharing things that are going on in their lives that they wouldn't tell just anyone.  Not only am I humbled by this act but I'm so happy to help and try to get them as much information as I can.

To be completely honest, I don't really care if this is all a placebo effect because that is working for us.  If it's placebo effect that an oil just got rid of an awful rash my 5month old had on his back from an exploding diaper that went everywhere....well give me more placebo because it's not there anymore.  If it's placebo that some stress away, pan away and NingXia red helped me feel normal/functional after having a few too many glasses of wine the night before...good lord, bring on the placebo.

I'll tell you one person who IS using it as placebo...my 3.5yr old.  Everyday she tells me about something that is wrong and wants oils.  Yesterday it was that her back hurt and she wanted oils (she's seen me use them on her daddy's back who has a crushed S2) or her throat hurt and she wanted oils (my neighbor loves the thieves).  She knows that the green bottle (peppermint) is her magic potty potion, the pink oil (Joy) goes in her diffuser to help her sleep and the purple oil (Valor) is what she gets to put on in the morning.  As a mom, we're at the age where when I ask "where does it hurt?" she can tend to be a little dramatic and say, "it hurts EVERYWHERE."  Or she can come up with some interesting ailments that need curing.

I'm so happy that I have a natural alternative that I can use on these "ailments" that won't harm her and can satisfy her placebo-desires.

Fighting the cold without medicine Testimony!

I've been using oils for a few months now and thankfully we haven't had any trips to the doctor other than "well checks" for my almost 5 month old.

We went out of town for a 4 day get away with family and the first morning we woke up (Monday) at home, my 3.5yr old had a nose like a faucet and was coughing/hoarse.  great.

The sick part of me was excited to have a good reason to try oils because as any mom knows, if you take your kid to the doctor with these symptoms on Day 1 with no fever they are just going to tell you it's a virus and send you home $30 poorer.

So, I put Young Living Thieves in the diffuser, rubbed Thieves neat (undiluted) on her spine and the bottom of her feet.  I added Peace & Calming to her big toes and got her settled on the sofa with a pillow, doll, blanket, Doc McStuffins and lots of tissues.  I didn't put anything on the baby but moved his exersaucer near the diffuser.

At lunch I put lavender on a q-tip and rubbed it along the inside of her nostrils like you do with a Zicam swab (she did NOT like this...she once got a peanut stuck in her nose and now hates anything in her nose)

Her nose stopped running in less than 30min and I knew she could smell again because she said the house smelled like Christmas!!  She felt so much better that afternoon that I was a little bummed I didn't get more "quiet time" haha.

I didn't do the lavender in the nose again but continued the rest for 3 days and alternated between Thieves, Purification and RC in the diffuser.  On Thursday evening my son was congested, ugh!  He hadn't started breathing out of his mouth yet so I feared that it was going to be a LONG night.  I moved my diffuser to the nursery and put RC in it.  I let it go in his room for about a half hour before putting him down.  After a half hour in his crib, I finally heard him take a deep breath!!  I couldn't believe it!

No one ended up sick!!  Yay oils!

At this same time my neighbor was complaining of a terrible cold.  I made her the Cold/Flu bomb recipe, the morphine bomb for headache and gave her Thieves tea.  I think she's now obsessed with the tea, haha!

Cooking with oils: Iced Lemon Pound Cake-EO version!

 
So I love to cook with my 3yr old, I love essential oils and I love Starbucks!  These are 3 things that don't always go together but I found a recipe that combines them!!

This recipe was adapted from oneprojectcloser.com who adapted a recipe from On Sutton Place.

Iced Lemon Pound Cake-EO Version!

Ingredients

1 3/4 c. milled soft wheat flour, or 1 1/2 c all purpose

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3 eggs, room temperature

1 c. organic sugar or sucanat

2 T. butter, softened

1 t. vanilla

1 lemon

8 drops of Young Living Lemon Essential Oil

1/2 c. coconut oil, melted

Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar

2 T. milk

2 drops Young Living Lemon Essential Oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease metal 9x5 loaf pan

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon juice and Young Living Lemon EO with a mixer.  (The recipe originally called for 1/3 c lemon juice but I only had 1 lemon.)

Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and blend until smooth.

Add melted coconut oil and Mix well.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 -50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cook 20-25 min for cupcakes.

Remove from oven and let set 3 minutes.

While cooling, prepare glaze in a small bowl.

Remove cake from pan, apply glaze, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

I sliced this after it cooled as we each had a piece and I mailed a few pieces to a friend as part of a "thank you" for sending my little chef some cooking equipment.  I will say that after a day of the cake being sliced it dried out some so if you're not serving this cake at a party I'd only slice out the pieces you're eating in order to keep the cake un-dry (I can't stand the M word that most people would use here).

Enjoy!!

Life in balance

I'm no health food expert.  I don't have a magic pill/potion/drink that makes you healthy without putting in any effort.  I don't have any certification or credentials that should make you believe anything I say.  What I do have is a lot of family members with opinions (all who love to read and research) and I have friends on all ends of the "health" spectrum.

I've always bounced around when it comes to weight and "size."  I've never considered myself as someone others would reference as healthy but I don't think I've been in the unhealthy category either.  I'm a typical female in that I always want to be healthier and look better than I do. 

What makes me different than the average female is that I don't look in the mirror and see a version of myself that I dislike.  I'm a positive person and a silver lining seeker and I've always liked what I've seen in my reflection.

Why is this a bad thing?

Because it makes me rationalize every decision to have a piece of cheese, glass of wine, ice cream and anything other than exercising or making a healthy choice.

I've tried diets, juices, fad programs, supplements and crazy tactics.  Thankfully I never dedicated a tremendous amount of effort to anything other than happiness.  When I started dating my husband, I realize that it wasn't about how I looked but about how I felt.

I read and follow a lot of healthy people blogs.  I try to stay up to date in the battle of the GMO and what I should/shouldn't give my children.  I don't think there are enough hours in the day to know everything you need to know.  When I research and learn about healthy habits/lifestyle the one thing I'm always coming back to is balance. 

Ultimately there is no cure for laziness, there's no perfect solution that fits everyone's needs and everyone's lifestyle.  And think about it...if a pill existed that could make you fit and healthy without doing anything....would you really want to take it?  What the heck would you be taking?

My journey for a healthier lifestyle is all about balance.  I love essential oils and I've started drinkin NingXia Red daily.  I believe that they help keep my family happy and healthy.  I love cooking.  I believe that I can cook a healthier meal from scratch than I can from a box.  I love to be outside.  I would rather burn calories playing with my family than going to the gym.

BUT....

If my kids get really sick, I'll take them to the doctor and I'll leave there with a perscription.  I'll try oils for what I think is a reasonable amount of time and then I'm giving them modern medicine (hopefully we won't get to that point).   I love to cook for my family but I will always have a box of macaroni in my pantry and when my choice is to spend time with my kids or spend time alone in the kitchen, I will always choose my kids.  And when it comes to exercise, I love to spend time with my kids but I will happily choose to sacrifice burning a few calories to picking up my camera and capturing a precious moment or two.

It's about balance.  It's about making a healthy choice and understanding what is a sacrifice and what is not. 

There are plenty that are far past me in this journey for healthy and what I consider a sacrifice may  not be on their radar...and that's okay!  I challenge you to find the balance in your life whether it is financial, emotional, psychological, physical, spiritual or professional.  It's about the journey, the experience, the lessons and the memories.  I hope yours are filled with laughter and love.

Post Partum/Mommy Pain Testimony

I think I'm like a lot of moms in that I tend to put myself last.  Not that I want it to be that way, but I think when you become a mom you experience guilt and worry like never before.  Like if I take time to go do something for myself I'm somehow a bad mom.

Well, this second testimony is out of order for me but I wanted to share it early!  I'll be honest, I didn't apply oils to myself very often in the beginning because 1) I never had time  2) I didn't want to waste the oils on myself  3) I was too busy with "life" to think about what I needed help with.

When my son was about 6 weeks old I developed this awful pain in my right shoulder.  I've never been someone who got "knots" anywhere and whenever I've gotten a massage it's been purely for relaxation and pampering, never for an ailment, etc.

Husband gave me a gift certificate for a spa 2 Christmases ago and I still hadn't used it.  This pain in my shoulder was hurting BAD...at dinner I just put my head down on the table one night in pain.  He started rubbing my shoulder and found a ton of knots!!!  I tried ice, heating pads, hot showers, tennis ball between me and the doorframe, husband working them out nightly but nothing seemed to be working.  I finally called the spa and said I need help.  They recommended a deep tissue massage focused on that area.  I'd never had one and heard that they hurt but at this point I was willing to try anything.

I figured the knots were coming from feeding my little one and always holding him more with my right arm + looking down, etc.

I went for my 90 minute deep tissue massage with 60 of those minutes dedicated to my shoulders and specifically my right one.  I was prepared for it to hurt and focused on it as "good pain."  The gal was pushing on my shoulder with her elbow and hands and stretching my arms all over.  She said I had way more knots than she expected but none of them were huge, just a ton.  I learned that you have to apply direct pressure rather than rub and the knot should release.

The massage ended and I felt good (any mom will tell you 90 min in a quiet dark room will make them feel good in itself!) but I wasn't in pain....when she elbowed my rear end a few times that hurt but nothing really hurt my shoulder as bad as the pain normally does.  I went home expecting this to be one of those "feel worse before it gets better" things.  The next day I was in pain EVERYWHERE but my shoulder felt the same and I kept thinking, "why doesn't it hurt worse?"  I felt like I had bone bruises on other parts of my back, my butt hurt and my legs were sore but my shoulders had no change.  I called the spa and they said to give it a few more days.  Nope.  Everything else got better and no change in the shoulder.  Called back and they said I must have a severe case and they recommended weekly deep tissue massagess....WEEKLY???  Seriously?  It took me over 2 years to use this gift certificate and you think my schedule has now opened up MORE since I had a second child?  Fat chance.

I'd had my oils for a several weeks at this point and never used them on myself really (other than diffusing).  I had a rollerball on my Panaway oil because I'd been using it on my husband's back and one night after a few tears he suggested he try it on me....duh!!  He rolled it on my shoulder before I went to bed and I smelled like toothpaste/mint gum.  I woke up the next morning and I was AMAZED!!!  I could move my neck and arm (both of which had been so bad I had limited range of motion) and it felt GREAT!!  I felt so stupid for not trying it earlier.  I was so productive that day that my shoulder was especially angry that night and Panaway again was my relief!!  There was no "maybe it was the oils" with this one!!!

Now, I should say that I still have these knots.  I haven't tried anything else on them or gotten another massage because I'm a mom and haven't dedicated the time....BUT...when the pain flares up I FINALLY have something that gives me relief.  And I smell great!

Catch phrase...Essential Oils

So, unless you've been living under a rock you've probably heard people talking about Essential Oils.  It seems to be the new thing the cool kids are doing.  I also drank the punch of all things Essential Oils (will call them EO from this point) and I wanted to document my journey and learning curve in this oily adventure.

I've been using EOs for almost 4 months now, I started just a few weeks after my son was born.   To avoid being a book, I'll try to keep this post focused on why I started looking into EOs and why I went the direction I did.

I've always loved to make stuff but I'm creatively challenged...this makes being a teacher difficult, thankfully Pinterest exists.  Two years ago I found a recipe to make your own bug spray and I bought my first bottle of Lavender EO for this.   Friends loved this for their kiddos and I shared the recipe a gazillion times.

Well, one of my new neighbors was making homemade body scrub for friends and asked if I had any EOs she could borrow.  I let her borrow my lavender and I noticed it didn't smell the same as it did when I'd first gotten it.  I started to research this and learned alot...let me bullet point some interesting things I learned:

• the FDA doesn't regulate Essential Oils.  
• an oil can say 100% pure on it as long as it has 5% essential oil in the bottle!!  (this means it has pure oil and is diluted in the bottle but the company doesn't have to list what it's diluted with!)
• some EOs have "for external use only" type of warnings on the label
• as with other "organic" "natural" type of products, there is no regulation of these type of labels and the companies can basically put what they want on there.  This is true for so many products on the market...do your research!
•  many EOs have added fragrances to them (can contribute to allergic or site reactions..or in my case, headaches!)...oh, and they don't have to list this on the label

So, at this point I have a 3 week old and have read about the calming effect of EOs on babies...after this, you can bet I'm not going anywhere near them until a long convo with my pediatrician!

This week 3 of my son's life and he's going on his 2nd week of cradle cap.  My daughter had cradle cap and we were able to use the little hospital comb and massage the baby shampoo and it was manageable.  Well...not the case for this boy.  I asked for help in a FB mom's group, asked friends and family and tried everything:  hospital+shampoo (got the top layer off only), olive oil (just made it greasy), head and shoulders (nothing), baking soda paste (nope) and then I read about coconut oil.  I asked my neighbor and she is in love with coconut oil and let me borrow some....BAM!  Not only did the flakes come off but now my newborn smelled like a pina colada...bonus!  Unfortunately, it came back but the coconut oil helped get it off.

I talked to a friend of mine who'd been using EOs and has 3 kids and she encouraged me to research and she'd answer what questions I had....and the obsession began.  I looked up the bottle I was used to purchasing, the MLM brands I'd heard of and found several bloggers did comparisons.   I read and read for a week and a half (this replaced my reality TV obsession and it's what I did during feedings and while both kids napped).  I ended up going with a company called Young Living.

Before I dive into this, let me first say I am NOT marketing against any other company...I'm sure they all have their great parts, I'm just listing the reasons why I chose the company Young Living.

• I'd seen friends have success with it (as elementary as that sounds, word of mouth is very important to me...what my friends recommend impact my purchases of baby gear, recipes I cook, vacation spots I travel to, doctors I choose, restaurants I try, places we go, gifts I give, etc)
• You can visit their farms.  They have a "seed to seal" guarantee which means they pick the seeds, plant the seeds, grow them, harvest them, distill them, bottle them and you are welcome to visit and see any part or all of this process.  Open door policies are cool.
• They've been in business for more than 10 years (I don't doubt the validity of new companies but I like to give a company enough time to see if people get mad at them and see how it's all handled...drama queen in me?  maybe)
• I don't have to leave my house to get it (this goes along with my obsession with Amazon Mom/Prime and how I can shop in my pjs)
• I read about success with cancer and Frankincense (had no clue what that was other than it was brought to sweet baby Jesus).  I basically googled Frankincense and cancer and found a dr with the University of Oklahoma (gasp) doing research and having success fighting cancer with this and it specifically lists the YL Frankincense.  Cancer sucks...it's in my family...anything showing progress with this scores MAJOR points for me.
• It is a MLM (multi level marketing) which initially made me want to walk away.  (Side note: I've been a "rep" for a beauty product MLM and I loved their makeup/skin care, etc BUT you had to buy several hundred dollars worth of products every quarter in order to maintain your "rep" status.  And it was always the new season stuff...seriously...what am I going to do with eyeshadow set that is bright green and royal blue?  Maybe if I'd been able to pick how I was going to spend my $...maybe..anyway I never made any $, I did get a discount on what I wanted but I ended up spending a FORTUNE and had a TON of products I didn't know what to do with...finally ended up throwing them away...sad face).  Anyhow, when I found this out I asked a LOT of questions to the gal I knew and here's why it's ok.  1) you don't sell anything.  2) you get 24% off.   3) the only requirement to keep your discount is spending $50/year.   4) you don't HAVE to buy anything specific (no preset packages like my previous MLM)..you spend that $50 on what you want, when you want it.  5) you don't do the "parties"  candle, makeup, bag, food, jewelry etc..(i.e. you don't have to monopolize your friends/facebook/coworkers etc and be "that girl").  There IS a business side to it and plenty of people make money with (basically you get a check if you refer a friend...so if you do have someone who drinks the punch like you did, you want them to list you as your referral).
• the drama that I mentioned in a previous bullet, I found a lot of negativity being spewed toward people in the company.  Saw another company and strong competitor was formed from previous employees and has almost identical names for their products (a lawsuit was involved).  People were questioning the religious beliefs of the founders.  I found all of this interesting and it didn't bother me because as a mom, what I was looking for were lawsuits against the company for false claims, damages, injuries, etc.  Didn't find that.  It did make me feel better to know that it is a company with Christian founders/leaders but that had nothing to do with my decision.  Because lets be honest, I have no idea who founded the products I buy for my kids or what their religious affiliation is (Chicco, Homedics, Pampers, Huggies, Enfamil, Carter's, Fisher Price, Baby Jogger, etc).  This did, however, entertain me for awhile and made me realize that people attack each other's character when they can't attack "what they're selling."
• my pediatrician.  My pedi is the type who will always give me the "home remedy" or "wives tale" to try and also write me a prescription for when those don't work (his words), haha.  I asked him about how he feels about EOs.  He told me he gets approached by parents all the time trying to "enlighten him" on their favorite stuff and he always looks into it.  He asked, "are they the ones with the nutrition labels on them?"  I didn't know the answer.  He told me, I've talked to a lot of holistic doctors and read a lot and if you're going to pick someone, stay away from the ones that say "for external use only" BECAUSE children's skin is so soft, they absorb things easily.  Even if you're only applying it externally, it will absorb internally.  With other baby products, they are regulated but since these aren't that's what I would look for.  Also, if it has a nutrition label or says "supplement" usually both, it's met the requirements for food (ingesting) but that is for adults NOT the kids.  His stance on the use of EOs is that he thinks they are great for mood, temperament, staying healthy, sleep, emotional needs, etc.  However, when someone is sick....and not just has some annoying symptoms,  he chooses modern medicine.  I agreed.  I left with a promise not to put oils IN my kids but ON my kids and he said always diffuse or apply feet first and then maybe wrists, tummies, etc but to use a tiny amount of oil and a large amount of judgement and common sense.

I'm sure there are more scientific,  important and legit reasons that I should've researched and maybe others do...this is not to compete with those but just a list of reasons I felt good choosing YL.   I took a breath, signed up, my friend put me in a private FB group where I could ask questions or search for remedies and just like trying a new recipe, I went in skeptical/cautious/hopeful.

As I'm writing this 4 months in I already have a lot of success stories and "maybe it was the oils, maybe it was luck" and I'll post them separately.

Oh, and my MIL called me a hippie and told me I better not stop shaving my legs...

I am not a hippie...

So since having my youngest I've gotten into a healthier kick.  Maybe it's because I'm trying to lose baby weight, maybe it's because I'm determined to do it right the second time around when it comes to parenting or maybe it's because I have an amazing new kitchen and love spending time in it!  Regardless, I one of my neighbors referred to me the other day as someone who eats/cooks healthy!  I had to pause and give that statement the true moment it deserves.  (And I did not inform her that I was eating an oreo while on the phone with her...oops).

Anyhow, since becoming a family of 4 I've really focused on providing my kids with healthier alternatives that don't taste like cardboard and trying my best to carry that mindset into other avenues.  I've fallen in love with essential oils and have seen amazing results in just a few short months.  The whole reason I remembered about this blog is because I've been wanting to document some of my journey with oils as well!

My 3.5 yr old loves to cook and we've had fun trying new healthier recipes.  Once school starts the experimentation will be at a minimum so I'm trying a lot over the summer to know which ones are keepers.  During this process I made my first absolute fail in cooking...so bad we didn't finish the meal, threw it away and busted out with some ramen....ugh.  Mulligan?

I realize that so much of this is trial and error and with any new recipe, you're taking a leap of faith on whether or not you'll like it (cooking metaphor for life??  hmmmm).  I digress.

My current list of go-to's for healthier eating comes from www.100daysofrealfood.com

I found this website when I was searching for healthy toddler meals as our new daycare has me bring lunches for my 3.5yr old.  I thought they might label me "that mom" if I only ever sent her with quesadillas, grilled cheese, pasta, etc.  She has a 1 week meal plan for every season complete with a shopping list and prices.  I don't go as far as she does and make everything from scratch but I'm taking baby steps.

So far I highly recommend the Granola, Caprese pasta salad, and Carnitas.  I had some issues with the yeast I used when making the pizza pockets and that was my awful failed meal.  Plus, that was the one that was hard for me to have the little one help with so I'm going to move forward and accept failure on that one.

I also made an amazing Iced Lemon Pound Cake that tastes just like the one from Starbucks and while not labeled healthy...It's a much healthier version.  I pinned the recipe for that one for sure.

The lemon pound cake actually is made with Lemon essential oils in it rather than rind!