Calm, Peaceful & Less Crazy

As I sat down to write today, I noticed that my ideas were not flowing.  I did what every mom does, I asked my daughter, "hey what should I write about?"  Her response...."me and my favorite oils."  

She is 5 and unafraid to tell everyone that she loves her "Mommy's oils" and her "favorite oils are Lavender & Serenity."  I love that she never feels awkward about telling perfect strangers about her love of oils.  On occasion it has prompted questions and led to me giving a one on one.  She is a great little oil sharer.

Why are these her favorites?  "They make me feel calm, peaceful and less crazy." 

And yes, yes they do!  She along with her sister and brother can get wild and crazy which makes their momma crazy.  

Lavender is one of the most well known oils on the market.  Many call it the "swiss army knife" of oils.  It can calm bug bites, burns, headaches, and much much more.  It is lovely.

 

Serenity is one of the four oils of the Mood Management matrix.

These oils include Serenity, Elevation, Citrus Bliss and my own personal favorite Balance.  

They really do improve people's moods. It can occur in minutes.  The transformation around my house is truly amazing.  We will go from so wild you would think no one has an inside voice to chill, fun and relaxed.  

I know I rely on the oils' ability to keep the chaos in check.

So what can Serenity do for you in your house?  

Diffuse Serenity to fill the room with scents of Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Vanilla and a few more to help everyone feel less anxious and calm.  She requests it in her own diffuser nightly because she said it helps her sleep and have good dreams. 

It is also great to rub on your feet, apply to your wrists or down your spine to help you release those knots in your stomach from the anxiety.  I know I use it frequently on my little oil sharer when her "tummy hurts" but really it is just her nerves.  

For me, I use it on myself when the kids get so crazy and I need a mommy time out.  I will take 1-2 drops and rub my hands together then cup over my nose and mouth.  Take multiple deep breaths until you feel the calming effects.  

Yes, she needed a drop so I could keep typing. For the record, after her "modeling session" she decided she needed to go find a book to read so I could finish.  It is so awesome when it helps her break her cycle of asking the same question over and over.  

We are truly grateful to have the doTERRA essential oils in our home.  I would love to help you get them in your home.  Just let me know if I can help you!

Bugs bug me!

Spring and Summer in Georgia always means you are going to see critters.  Critters creep me out!  I know there are many people love the great outdoors but my definition of camping means the hotel doesn't have room service!  Only kidding....well only slightly kidding.

Well, it is May and I have started to see the spiders, ants and the gnats.  Yuck!  If only they all could be beautiful butterflies.  Before I had oils, I would grab all the standard bug sprays.  Man do they smell bad.  Worse, they are filled with really nasty chemicals.  The warning labels scare me too!  I really didn't think much of this until I had kids.  Now, we have the oils and I have really adopted these as my first line of defense against the multi-legged creatures.

So let's talk Spiders.....I admit, I am scared of all spiders even though some are really not that dangerous.

What I do when I see spiders.....diffuse Peppermint!  They hate peppermint!  Lucky me, because I love it.  

Peppermint is also a great use in the garden against aphids on your Crepe Myrtles and roses.  I mix about 6 drops with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle and bathe my plants.  It cut the black residue down to almost none last year.  This year I will be better since I will be home more.

Want to keep the mosquitoes away?  TerraShield is your friend.  And you will smell great!

Also works great for fleas and ticks!  Never go camping for real without a bottle.  I sent a mixture of 5 drops with a half cup of water in spray bottle for my daughter who went to see Frozen in the park.  She didn't get a bite but smelled really good! 

Ants?  Ants hate Lemongrass!  Wipe down your counters and baseboards with a damp cloth with a few drops of Lemongrass to help drive away the army of ants trying to overthrow your kitchen.

For more ideas and oils to choose, check out the blog from doTERRA!

And if you get bit....turn to the swiss army knife of oils to soothe that itch....Lavender!

Try the natural alternatives to drive those bugs out.  Reduce your exposure to toxins and chemicals.  

I'm Diffused!

Typically, most people think of essential oils and immediately think of Aromatherapy.  They imagine gorgeous scents that help them to relax, sleep or conjure up visions of happiness and tranquility.  And, yes, it can do that!  It is just one of the many things I love about the oils.

The nose is an amazing organ where just a scent can activate the olfactory system.  It can trigger great memories and feelings.  

I spent many years buying the candles scented with Vanilla or Christmas cookies or spring flowers.  And they were nice, don't get me wrong.  My mother once burned this lovely candle in the house and the bird she had sitting near it fell over dead.  Why?  Birds are very sensitive when it comes to respiratory issues.  This candle was labelled all natural and was actually a bundle of chemicals manufactured to smell great.

But think about this.....if burning a candle is so toxic it can kill a bird, do you think that is great for you as the human as well?  

An article in How Stuff Works reports, "Indoor air pollution, the degradation of indoor air quality by harmful chemicals and other materials, can be up to 10 times worse than outdoor air pollution [source: Dunn]. This is because contained areas enable potential pollutants to build up more than open spaces do. "

Not just candles can increase this pollution, the Teflon cookware you use daily, the stuffing in your sofa, pesitcides you use in the garden all get trapped under your very energy efficiently sealed home.  

This type of pollution can lead to a toxic build up in your body leading to headaches, allergies, asthma and even worse.  It all depends on the toxins you are exposed to daily.

There are many simple ways to help improve the air quality of your home.   During nice weather, open the windows.  It can really blow out the junk including cold and flu viruses!  If you live in a high humidity area like I do, make sure to keep your levels inside 30-50% and use good air filters in your HVAC systems.

"But I want that great smell of fresh flowers I got for my candle, how do I get that?"

Diffusing essential oils!  That's how.

If you don't have a diffuser, I highly reccommend one.  Anywhere you are allowed to use air freshener or candles, you should be allowed to use a diffuser.  Chemical free fabulousness!

Citrus oils are a great economical option and used in many hosptials including Vanderbilt ER.  They are expanding the use throughout their healthcare network and patients are loving it.  Citrus oils are a great disinfectant and anti-depressant.  

Other great oils to improve air quality would be OnGuard, Breathe & Frankincense.

Some combos that smell great:

OnGuard & Lime

Cassia & Citrus Bliss

Frankincense & OnGuard

Breathe & Lime.

Your house will smell fantastic and you can get the health benefits for cleaner air as well as the health benefits from the oils themselves.

Since it is Spring, I am loving combining my floral oils together.  A little bit of heaven is the combination of Lavender, Geranium and Jasmine.  I earned Jasmine last year and hope to again this year.  It is truly a precious oil!  I really want to earn Rose too.  Fingers crossed!

Check out this video on how they harvest those precious Jasmine flowers.  About 30,000 flowers are needed to make 1 5mL bottle!