Adventures with Ahrens loves us some Lamb Chop!

And just how did we use our essential oils today?  Let us start by Geoff waking up with a bad case of vertigo.  This is common for him.  We don't know if this has to do with his hearing loss or not, however, generally, this is a "sleep it off and wait until it passes" sort of event for him.  Today, I thought we might be proactive and see what research would afford us.  Turns out, there were a ton of options.  We started simple.  Frankincense behind his ears.  (As a Catholic, I figured this would be the logical route to go, seeing as we missed Mass today.)  Nothing.  Then, I applied lavender to the tops of his ears and massaged them for a few seconds each.  SUCCESS!  That might have been the quickest vertigo recovery in our house.

Good thing too, as we had plans to leave the house at 2:30 PM for a 3:00 PM "Mallory and Lamb Chop" show at the Falany Performaing Arts Center.   It was fantastic!  Mallory shares her mom, and her mom's legacy in such a touching way during the hour-long performance.  The vintage clips transcended time, and our seven and eight year old were mesmerized by a sock puppet for longer than they pay attention to their iPods in one sitting.  As a mom, I was in heaven to be able to share something from my past, and for all of us to enjoy it as much as we did.  Audience participation was a must, and I was shocked that my children, practically raised in a theater, chose to not go up on stage when Mallory invited ALL the children onstage for a sing-along.  It appears that Charlie will not go on stage unless Shayna goes, and Shayna won't go unless she has lines.  (I think she is ready for her own dressing room after the past two plays she was in.  Can you say "PRIMA DONNA?")

After the show, we were invited to make sock puppets, at no additional charge, while waiting to meet Mallory and Lamb Chop for a photo op.  The director of the Falany Performing Arts Center, Jessica Akers, goes above and beyond to make sure that families feel welcome, each and every time they come for a show.  We have been here enough to know that when we walk in, she remembers us, says "hi" to the migits, and is genuinely excited to see children come to experience the theater.  In general, the theater does not sell concessions, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that Mallory and Lamb Chop were selling Lamb Chop puppets as we entered the building.  That was a fun treat for the kidlets, and Mallory even signed Lamb Chop for us at our meet and greet!

I know you don't know my Aunt Rene, but I swear, she looked and almost talked just like her!   It might have been the New York Jew in her, but I swear, I was waiting for her to spew some random, yet highly useful information at some point.  Like, did you know that water is at its' hottest right before the point at which it boils?  When it boils, it releases heat.  Yes, an Aunt Rene-ism.  And Aunt Rene sends the most funny birthday cards of anyone I have ever gotten one from.  True story.  I don't even like cards, but if I see her return address on it, I know it is going to be good.

Isn't that the cutest?  Lamb Chop actually signs that ;o) 

It was like a smorgasbord of sock puppet making fun!  The Falany Performing Arts Center knows how to excite the art lover in all of us!  

I held the socks on my hands and they each chose to draw eyes, and then took wiggly eyes to glue on at home.  They had all the trimmings and tons of options to make different variations of puppets, but both were too excited and wanted to play with the one we purchased before the show.  I am sure they will be putting on little shows during our breaks from school in the morning.  I told Shay I might have her research and write a paper on ventriloquism.  That excited her.  Homeschool days can be as interesting as we allow them to be.  Tomorrow,  Lamb Chop will see how the Ahrens Academy does it.    

PS  I took great thought in naming Shayna.  Her full name is Shayna Rachel Ahrens.  Shayna, or "Shane" means beautiful, or pretty, in hebrew.  Rachel means "little lamb."  Since our "pretty little lamb" was a baby, she has always had a special fondness for anything lamb related.  Today was no exception.  

Adventures with more oils, and toiletry make-over

Not shown above is the doTERRA roll-on headache synergy called "Pasttense."  Geoff has had immediate success with it and I have had success with it, but not to completely eradicate a headache but relax it.  

Germ Fighter- Compare to Thieves

Calming the Child-  Liquid Ambien for my eight year old (he has autism)

 Headache Relief- Haven't used it yet… Will report back.  Slightly differently variation then the one by doTERRA.  

I have redone my bathroom toiletries as well.  I'm really low maintenance when it come to toiletries, but  won't do without some sort of a facial treatment for my PCOS induced acne and a good mouthwash.  After a couple of years of using apple cider vinegar on my face, I have found that it really isn't as effective as it once was.  Here's my new routine- wash face with regular liquid hand soap that has been diluted with water, then spray on this new essential oil synergy I made.  Found the "recipe on Pinterest.com.  Have seen various forms of this, and this one seemed the easiest and least expensive to try.  So far, I like it.  I am also using Frankincense (neat) on old facial scars as well as melaleuca (neat) on any new breakouts.  

Mouthwash- another Pinterest recipe find.  Peppermint costs $7.50 for 10 ml. (That is the actual cost including the fact that they don't charge for shipping or add tax through the Plant Therapy website.) I used filtered water, two drops of peppermint and 1/2 Tbs. of baking soda.  Trying to do the math on that, seeing as a 10 ml. bottle of oil generally gives you about 170 drops.  That means about 4 cents per drop of oil.  And how much do you think the baking soda cost?  The 12 oz of a natural and healthy mouthwash cost about 12 cents.  We can do this.  Besides the chemicals and the bottle, what do you have to lose?  Speaking of which…. I needed a glass bottle.  I purchased a four pack of Yoo-hoo for $2.99 and the kids got a special treat last night with dinner. (I was going to buy a soda bottle and dump it, but couldn't find one that was less money and as large as the Yoo-hoo.  I'm not as "crunchy" a mom as I would like to be one day.  It's a process.  Don't judge.)  

Essential oils will break down plastic (PET) containers over time.  Keep that in mind when considering storage.  We only store in glass.  (The facial toner is in a plastic bottle for the picture, but transferring to an amber, glass, spray bottle today since they came in the mail.)  

Report from the Mom- She broke her toe and is using "Deep Blue" from doTERRA.  Finding immediate and long lasting relief.  The swelling is also resolving with it.  I thought it was only for muscles, but seems to be helping with the bones too.  Nice incidental finding there.  Mom has suffered and dealt with night time choking for at least a year or two.  Juggling allergy medicines and concoctions were not only expensive, but frustrating due to side effects the following day.  Her snoring and choking was really causing problems for not only her, but my father as well.  I gave her "Breathe" by doTERRA and she has had (3 or 4?) nights without snoring, choking, or waking up because of it.  AMEN!  (Truly, it was a nightly thing.)  She places one drop of Breathe on a piece of gauze and then places it on her pillow.  (Mom, comment if I am wrong on the placement of that.)  I have read many suggestions about different ways to use the product.  We would probably roll it on the foot, big toe, or on sinuses, if not diffusing it on the nightstand.  She does not have a roller-ball applicator or a diffuser.   And somehow, she is doing great.  Her lungs have been clear throughout the past few years.  This is truly sinus related, and some sort of allergy that they have yet to figure out.  She is using the Breathe undiluted.

I spoke illness unto our family, literally.  After I started getting my oils, I suggested that we should start getting some common ailments so that we could test out the oils.  Bam.  The healthiest family around came down with illness.  Mostly, Shay and I were dealing with congestion and sore throats from allergies.  We began a synergy I made and roll on our throats and neck two to three times a day.  She is 100% better.  (All four of us are using a Thieves comparable synergy by doTERRA called "On Guard" morning and night. and we are diffusing it in two of the three rooms upstairs most of the time.)  The day that Geoff came home with a fever and body aches, I started him on the oils (mostly applying to the feet and then putting socks on), and he was better a full day later.  I felt achy one of the nights, but nothing that knocked me out.  I found that while I might have had a touch of something, it never developed and I feel so much better now.  Still have allergy drainage, but nothing like normal allergies where I would be blowing my nose, etc.  I have slight congestion in my throat, and blew my nose once yesterday.  (No coughing, watery eyes, etc.  Drainage is clear and watery.)  Charlie woke up congested yesterday and today, but I threw on some "On Guard," the Thieves-like synergy, and have begun applying the allergy blend to him, and off we go to a playground this afternoon.  I also diffused his room as he slept the past two night. 

At this point, we have had enough time and experience with both brands, I have mostly positives to say about both brands.  Other than price, and my daughter not liking the peppermint by doTERRA, I would say that both companies put out quality products.  I LOVE that Plant Essentials puts labels on the tops of their bottles.  When I dig through the box in the refrigerator, I can just look at the tops of the bottles and not have to pull them all out.  However, doTERRA sent me a label sheet for their oils so that when I diluted and placed into applicators or bottles, I could label those.  I could use them to label their bottles, but I find it more useful to save for the applicators.  I have made many of the same applicators because I like it for the purse, the house, and now, Geoff even has his own first aide baggie he takes to work.  He wanted a hand sanitizer, headache and stomach issue synergy for on the go.  He loved the DigestZen from doTERRA he used when he was home with what we assume with the flu.  He found immediate relief from diarrhea.  (TMI? Sorry.)  

Geoff was the hardest hit with the illness this past week for a mere day and half.  Body aches, stomach issues, fever, etc.  Crazy.  The rest of us take 4,000 iu's of vitamin D each day during the fall and winter season, in hopes that we will boost our bodies' immunity for flu protection.  There are studies done on this- look it up for yourself.  No one in our family has received a flu shot in years.  And no one has had the flu since before we started the vitamin D therapy.  Charlie got the flu three winter's ago.  We started the therapy the week after that.  

These are new arrivals for us.  The Ylang Ylang is in quite a few synergies I have found for some issues I have.  The Roman Chamomile was in endless "recipes" I found, so I ordered to have on hand.  I think my summer season will find a lot of use of this product.  I am awaiting helichrysum, bergamot, lemon and marjoram, and frankincense to arrive this coming week from Plant Therapy.  While there are a few "can't live without" essential oils that everyone should keep on hand, these are the oils that I found were going to be the most beneficial to our family.  Yes, it is a lot of oils.  There is a sale at Plant Therapy through St. Patrick's Day, and that helped a ton with this past order.  I am done shopping, and can now tackle all of our health issues.  I have neglected doctor visits for certain issues and will see if I can control, if not eradicate them, with oils, before I consider going back to the pharmaceuticals, co pays, specialists, medication trials/errors, waiting rooms, insurance not covering certain tests, etc.   

If you find a good, affordable, quality applicator company, please share that with me.  

Get ready!  Upcoming blogs will share what each oil can be used for, and how you can slowly replace your chemical laden medicines and replace them with essential oils.  

Adventures share Plant Therapy

Today is a big day for lil' sis-  audition day.  She was told that she already has a part in the production if she comes to audition this time around, but she is still a little nervous.  She asked me yesterday if I would let her use some of the "Calming the Child" essential oil.  Of course, since it is made specifically for calming children, hence the name.  However, it has been big bro's roll-on version of Ambien the past two nights.  We had success with easy sleep with lavender and even lavender and peppermint, but once I got the order in with the C.T.C., his socks fly off his feet in eager anticipation of me rubbing it on as he snuggles in to bed each night.

Plant Therapy has a fantastic educational site that answers so many essential oil questions, as well as shares fun ways to use oils that I might not have thought of.  (How about some in the Play-doh?)  Essential oils are incredibly potent, and some can be dangerous to children.  The website not only shares a fantastic formula page for mixing and diluting, but I LOVE the child friendly diagram.

I was fortunate to find Plant Therapy brand of essential oils, early on in my search.  They were actually who I made my first order with, through Amazon.com.  I ordered three oils.  Oregano, peppermint and melaleuca, a.k.a. tea tree oil.  Each one was about $10, with shipping, for 10 ml.  We hadn't used the oregano until recently, however, we used peppermint every which way to Tuesday prior to getting another brand in.  My daughter could tell the difference in oils, and says the first peppermint helped her allergies more than the second one.  (The second one came in a huge kit with 10 oils, 5 ml. each, at the cost of $169, with shipping and tax.)  You do the math.

When I found the Plant Therapy website, I found that they always have free shipping, any order size, AND, no tax.  Then, I found that they were a few dollars less on their website than on Amazon.  (on average of about $3 less!)  Instead of about ten dollars for a bottle with shipping, it was about seven dollars.  Wow!  That only means that I can collect a larger variety of oils and spend so much less.

Finding a really affordable place for glass roll-on and glass spray bottles has proven to be more challenging, but once you have them, you just refill them.  I have gifted a few bottles already, and have heard back with great success.  That makes me so happy.

The initial start up to essential oils doesn't have to be painful on the wallet now that I have found Plant Therapy.  I called and spoke to a man named Austin at the company today.  I have also dealt with Retha, their marketing manager, through the blog and Facebook.  The education and knowledge between the two overwhelmed me.  Explaining essential oils in a way that is easy to understand is a gift, and they both have it.  I believe they are ethical, and genuinely want to help others.  I am so excited to be dealing with this company.  Their stewardship is a blessing.

I just received my first order directly from them.  Everything came in perfectly, except the small, amber, glass bottles I ordered.

Considering I ordered twelve, and only one is broken, and not shattered throughout the bag, I won't complain. I feel like the oils were protected very well with bubble wrap, and had those bottles broken, I would have been upset to open the package.  Unfortunately, once you add the reducer tops to drop out the oil, the black top does not fit on the glass very well. Fortunately, I won't be using these too much, and wanted to store a few items in my bathroom that I will use more daily and not too concerned about the oxidation.  *Nice to have a weeks' worth of peppermint to drop in the diffusers upstairs without running downstairs to the fridge during the day.  

  Excited to see what health promoting/healing I can do next!  

Plant Therapy is based out of Ohio, and originally owed by a professional aromatherapist.  Her son-in-law currently owns the company, and she still continues to use the oils in her practice.  If you end up purchasing from them, will you share your experience with me?  Thanks!  Happy Healing!  

Adventures is "keeping" well.

 It's like Christmas around our house lately.  We have ordered so many new essential oils and products related to them, that each day, opening our front door or mailbox is like Christmas.  Today brought in some really good stuff that I needed to proceed with diluting and making synergies.  I learned that oils need to be stored in the refrigerator to prevent oxidation.  While refrigerated, the oils can last nearly twice as long!  That is significant when you are dealing with the amount of money we have spent, and considering that not all the all get used as regularly.

At this point, we are keeping all the oils I have mixed out of the refrigerator.  We are also keeping one of two bottles of peppermint out since we use that so much in diffusers each day, that I believe that we will go through a bottle in short order, and not have compromised the oil with oxidation due to the fact that our home is fairly cool anyway.  If storing in the refrigerator, it was noted that your food can take on the flavor of the oils, so it is recommended that you store your oils in bags and/or a storage box of some sort.  I didn't have a small plastic box, but used the cardboard box the newest diffuser came in.  At this point, unless I open a pharmacy, all my current oils fit well in their baggies in the box, in the produce drawer of our refrigerator.

Top left in drawer is the 32 oz. of the organic fractionated coconut oil.  You might read that as "OFCO" or just "FCO" in future blogs, or in your reading of other people's uses of essential oils (eo's). Just trying to educate as I go.  

Not too full, but once the rest come in, I won't have room for any more.  I might need one or two more for the summer recipes I plan, but for the most part, we have what I need and want for now.  I will be making insect repellent, flea and tick preventative for our long haired Collie, and sunburn cooling spray.  Just so happens that the sunburn spray looks similar to the anti-itch recipe I found.  That will help with bug bites, heat rash, etc, then double as a burn relief.  Lavender is really amazing to our skin.  

I mixed up some synergies (blends of oils) today.  I have been so excited about this process, but had to wait until all my bottles, rollers, etc. came in.  I am still awaiting some pipettes and smaller bottles, but here's what I was up to today.  

The labels on top are hard to read in the picture.  However, I did write on the side of one, and then found labels and labeled the side as that one will just be mine for allergies.  I can apply it to Shay as well, since she is not in that younger range of children that have to be diluted so much more.  

Here's an allergy synergy I made that has about 7.5 ml of FCO, and 5 drops each of lavender, lemon and peppermint.  

Big bottles, little bottles, pretty bottles…  Blue to block light as oils are light sensitive, and when mixing as often as I assume we will, the non colored/amber bottles bottles will keep fine for shorter periods of time.  I already stuck two roll-ons in my purse as well as a hand sanitizer I made in a spray bottle as well.

The hand sanitizer is the doTERRA version of "Thieves" that Young Living puts out.  I found a homemade "Thieves-like" recipe online, and when I run out of the doTERRA "On Guard," I will make it myself, if not purchase the same knock off from my new favorite essential oil company.  (Favorite only because it is literally a fraction of the cost and has the same quality as the others.  In fact, I have tried a couple now, and still like the less expensive peppermint that I got before I became involved with the more well known EO company.  I will share more about that other company soon enough. 

Acne Fighter
4oz Witch Hazel
20 ggts. Lavender Essential Oil
20 ggts. Melaleuca Essential Oil

Spray on twice a day.

The bottle is plastic, and not recommended when dealing with essential oils as the oils begin to compromise the plastic, however, I assume this one might be safe.  Plus…. I haven't gotten my glass spray bottles in yet.  

*I have yet to try the spray, however, have been using both eo's on my face for a week now.  (I thought the Tea Tree oil- a.k.a. Melaleuca, wasn't working, but I was wrong.)  Started using that a few weeks ago when it came in, and finally, see how the two work well together.  I even eradicated a cystic acne spot after about 4-5 days of using both neat.  (*Neat=undiluted)  The Lavender helps to calm my skin after I tweeze my beard.  So ridiculous that I should be given breast and facial hair.  Like, who wasn't paying attention the day I was given my feminine gene?  The joys of PCOS.  And so, the Acne Fighter was created after seeing a similar version online.  The Witch Hazel carrier choice made sense as an astringent.  Here's hoping!

This is the information I found to help with figuring out how much oil to use per dilution or synergy mix.

http://essentialoilblogging.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/dilution-guide-chart-final.jpg

I wanted a formula of sorts, and this makes it pretty simple when you know the size bottle you have and then if you just keep a journal with your recipes, refilling will be easy.  (I have begun a journal for myself in my word processing program on my computer.)

This little plastic bottle fits well in my bag for "on the go" moments.   As I contemplated the use of plastic, I realized that it would be the safest for my bag, and we refill sanitizers all the time since we use them so often.  Will be nice to be using a sanitizer that not only kills the germs, but also helps to improve my families' health at the same time.  As I understand it, eo's take about 20 seconds to reach the blood, and then after 20 minutes, the properties of the essential oil has reached every single organ of our body.  If that is true, then I am positively affected my body all day long!  (I literally have some cause to use an oil for myself, my children, and even my husband nearly twice a day.)  I apply and rub/massage in the oils to everyone around lately.  Besides diffusing it, we do use the allergy type synergy all the time.  That started out as our lavender bedtime spray, and eventually, because of the night time congestion, became a peppermint/lavender/water glass spray bottle

I also use peppermint in water as my mouthwash now.  I plan on switching both kids to that as their mouthwash as well.  So much better than the chemical laden ACT that they use currently.  The recipe for that simple one is 1/2 cup distilled water and 3 drops of peppermint oil.  That seems too easy.  I might even just make that into a mouth spray for them to spray and swallow if I can find out if that would prove safe enough for such a low ratio.  Essential oils really should not be ingested without proper counsel from a trained aromatherapist or doctor.  We do have some locally, however, insurance is generally not accepted, and the fees are steep.  me feel better.

Tonight, three of the four of us was not feeling well.  Almost feels flu-like.  We have been the healthiest group of people you have ever met, however, I think I might has asked to be hit with lots of symptoms to test out the oils.  And guess what….  I am feeling better, not worse.  Been two days of wondering if I was sick, and Geoff came home early and Shay was puny.  All of us using On-Guard by doTERRA, and Shay got a roller ball of ginger for nausea.  She is doing fine now.  Asleep, and hopefully we all wake up feeling like new in the morning.

That was today's oil escapades.  Hope you are enjoying this journey with/through me!

Adventures has allergies- and now, RELIEF!

It is so amazing here in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains this weekend.  We have been to a park, church, and out on two bike rides.  And with this change of season comes allergies.  For about two weeks, my seven year old daughter and myself have both have an increase in congestion, headaches and even a sore throat come night time.  My sore throat has been after sleeping and snoring the night away with the increase of congestion.  After realizing that there is an essential oil for practically every know condition, I looked up some seasonal allergy recipes and found that I had all the eo's (eo= essential oils) suggested to resolve the allergy symptoms.  

Enter three of the most commonly used eo's that can be used for at least 101 different uses from cleaning to healing.  

These three came in my large kit I ordered directly from doTERRA, however, doTERRA sells a kit that only has these three oils since these are such useful oils to use and work well together to address so many issues.  

These oils, as all essential oils of value, come directly from the source.  Meaning- if you are allergic to a lemon, or to peppermint, etc., you will be just as allergic to these oils.  

I just let Shay go lay down in her room after the bike ride since she was feeling tired with a slight headache.  I put some of doTERRA's "Breathe" eo into the diffuser which she seems to have hijacked, and then applied a dab of each of the three oils above to the back of her neck, as well as mine, and tapped the area right below the bump of the neck.  Turns out, there are some benefits to tapping.  While I don't understand the scientific side of it, I did it, assuming that the worst that can happen is that nothing will happen.  (At this point, I'd be willing to don a clown wig while hopping on one foot if I can resolve these allergy symptoms.)  I don't know about the historical evidence of the wig doing any good,  but I have read enough to know that the essential oils stand on their own.  

While the oils can be diffused, taken orally in a capsule with some carrier oil, or applied topically, the topical application seems most convenient for me.  The terms "diffused" and "aromatically" are similar but not the same.  Generally, you can receive benefits from just smelling the scent on a cotton ball, piece of cloth, tissue, placing a drop of oil at a vent, etc.  Diffusing is actually using a cool mist diffuser that spreads the oils through out the room by sending a cool mist of water with the oil in it.  I generally drop a few drops of oil in the diffuser each time I refill it.  A little goes a long way.  Think "less is more."  

Understanding that we will have to apply the allergy relief concoction twice a day, I am okay with it since we are not putting a synthetic, store bought, medicine that has more possible side effects listed than the actual symptoms it is supposed to resolve.  

Little tidbit of info. to keep in mind when dealing with any of the citrus fruit oils… they have a higher incidence of causing photo sensitivity.  Meaning, you might need to cover your skin or wear sunblock if planning on being outdoors.  Don't worry, there's an essential oil recipe for sunblock.  Of course there is ;o)  

I am sharing this with you in hopes that you will do some research on your own and decide if essential oils might make a good alternative for you and your family.  (And maybe that you will share your own experiences with me, as well.)  

I have been applying the oils to my finger or a cotton swab to this point, except for the oregano oil in a carrier oil, which is in a roller ball dispenser that my daughter uses on her thumb wart.  We ordered a nice bundle of different dispensers to mix up our numerous concoctions in, and I have a few in mind already.  I want a lavender one for bedtime, restless leg, and calming.  We also have a glass spray bottle with lavender and water in it right now.  Then, I will have a tea tree oil and lavender one for my acne.  Then, of course, a peppermint one for congestion and headaches.  The blends, or the "synergy blends," of more than one essential oil are really where some more experience comes from.  That is my next area to begin playing with.  I am researching nonstop at this point, and feel like my studying in this area could go on for years.  

a.k.a. Tea Tree Oil

PS  I had a cystic acne spot come up a week ago, and the first few days I applied a dab of tea tree oil, once a day.  Not seeing fast enough results, I started applying morning and night.  And today, there is NO soreness.  WHOA!  The skin is dried out, and will take a few days to calm down, but I have NEVER resolved an under the skin acned break out that quickly.  

This is the brand that I started with, after much research on quality oils.  I have had success with the melaleuca, a.k.a "tea tree" oil, and the peppermint ones.  I have yet to see the oregano in action, as I didn't make the oregano with fractionated coconut oil in the roller ball for the wart on my daughter's thumb until I got the doTERRA in, and wanted to use that one.  I have read it that with multiple applications a day, it may take a few weeks, if not more, to see results.  We will report back.  It's only been a few days so far.  

Adventures is all oiled up and ready to sleep.

It is just after 11: P.M. and I have attempted to go to sleep no less than FOUR times already tonight.   By 8: P.M. I was nodding off while waiting on Charlie to get ready to read tonight, and since Geoff was further gone than I was, I agreed to turn the light off and go pray with them and send them to read until 8:30 P.M.  I was nodding off after I prayed with them, and at 8:30, rolled out of bed to turn off Chaz's light and to tell him "good night."  Shay fell asleep after prayers.  

He was still wide awake, as usual.  So I grabbed the doTERRA lavender essential oil, applied some to his big toes, up his spine to his neck, and then sprayed the lavender water I made onto the pillow and turned the lights out.  In general, we put him to bed anywhere from 8-11: P.M., depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend, or if we have plans.  It is a Saturday, which means he is on weekend schedule with a late bedtime last night, and late sleeping in this morning, and in general, he lies awake in bed two hours after we turn the lights out.  Not hyper, but can't fall asleep.  His brain clicks away.  He comes to tell us every 20 minutes that he is still awake.  We have been doing this cycle for a while now.  EVERY.SINLGE.NIGHT.  He came in at 8:52 P.M. to tell me that the lavender didn't work.  I mumbled something to the effect of- "Go back to bed!"  

I nodded off again, and then, my phone rang.  I jumped.  Neighbor without a car asked if I could drive her to the hospital.  Her daughter took herself to the emergency room.  Two days ago she was released after a three week stay for pancreatitis.  After visiting her mom today, my neighbor, she ended up going back to the hospital.  My neighbor felt horrible for calling at 9:10 P.M., and I felt badly for her, as a mom.  I jumped to get dressed, and thought to check on Chaz before I got ready to take her to the hospital.  He was asleep.  I almost wanted to wake him to tell him that it did work, but that would have taken too much time.  I grabbed my essential oil book and ran downstairs and looked up pancreatitis.  Sure enough, two EO's and how they should be used were listed in it.  I looked up the oils on Amazon, and for the doTerra brand, one of the better known brands, the oils were about $30 with shipping and handling.  (no tax for Amazon.com orders)  I talked her ear off (mostly to try to calm her mommy fears down as we drove) and offered that while the doctors continue doing what they do to try to find the cause to this illness, it doesn't hurt to try the EO's.  

I get home, get into bed, and can't sleep.  I go back to my nonstop EO research, and then, feel sleepy.  I decide to spray my pillow with lavender oil, and turn the light off.  Before I even nod off, Geoff starts his restless leg syndrome and snoring.  I video him, and then he wakes up from the light and tells me that he wasn't even sleeping.  Uh, okay. Sure.  Here's the video dude.  He watched it, and I look up essential oil use for restless leg. And wouldn'tcha know?  Lavender on the feet and behind each knee.  Done. 

Shay is using the oregano on her wart a few times a day, peppermint in the diffuser for congestion and headaches from sinus pressure, and the rest of us are rolling around with some other basics.  At this point, if you tell me that you have something wrong, I will immediately, if not sooner, find a cure in essential oils, and suggest that you have nothing to lose by trying.  Even this morning I had what I assumed was gas, but not sure, and was rolled in a ball with stomach pain.  Then, I remembered the Digestzen that came in my doTERRA Physician kit, and rubbed a small dab onto my stomach and then forgot about it as I returned to reading, and poof, it was gone as quickly as it came.  

And yes, we do smell like 88 year old hippies.   But nothing can bother us now. ;o)  

Adventures says "There's an oil for that!"

Remember, not too long ago, when the favorite catch-phrase was "There's an app for that?"  Well, even though this therapeutic practice is nothing new, the re-invent of essential oils is beginning to re-saturate the landscape of those wanting to take control of the health of themselves and their loved ones in a time-proven, safe, and natural way that divinely intended for us.  

It helped that the past two days I tried reading the bible, and I didn't have to get too far in before I saw my newest obsession and how God intended for us to use and have the seeds, plants and the earth as part of His plan for our life.  I realized that Genesis account shared great detail of lives lasting hundreds of years.  One would have to wonder if that was coincidental.  There are many times that essential oils are mentioned throughout the bible.  The obvious mentions are myrrh, and frankincense, but even more obscure E.O.'s like cedar wood, cassia, etc. are mentioned throughout the old and new testament.

We have been dabbling with essential oils for a few weeks, and my daughter is now self administering her congestion/headache therapy in the way of taking my diffuser from the kitchen up to her room and filling the water to the line and dropping in a few peppermint drops.  She actually has recovered very quickly after these sessions, and I also use this treatment option with great success.  I no longer put acetaminophen, ibuprofen, Sudafed, or any other pharmaceutical into my body to alleviate my headaches or congestion symptoms.  (Anyone else suffering with the high pollen counts this early in the year? I think I heard that pine pollen is popping now.)

When in doubt, check the little girl's room.  She loves the diffuser.  This diffuser was bought on Amazon, and is the Now brand.  I have no complaints, but I went to a couple essential oil classes this week and saw another similar diffuser and was jealous.  While they both had the pretty lights, the hostesses' diffuser had a cup inside for the water and oil and mine has a well, which makes it slightly more challenging to be taken all over the house.  We might end up purchasing a second one a little down the road.  

  E.O.'s are administered one of three ways.
1. Topically- applied to the skin diluted or *neat (meaning, not diluted with a carrier oil)

This is a roller bottle with some carrier oil in it, awaiting me to concoct my recipe for it.  (I intend to make up a lavender sleepy-time aide for my son with this one.)  The people I spoke with this past week that have children who struggle to get to sleep gave me hope for him.  He just sits in bed for hours.  He is super quiet, and calm, but even offering a book seems to stimulate him even more!  

This spray bottle is perfect for making a homemade hand sanitizer to keep in the purse and cars.  

2. Aromatically- (smelled either in a diffuser, out of the bottle, on a cloth/tissue, etc.)
3. Ingested (I have empty capsules that I can fill and swallow, or just placed on the tongue)

I purchased these, but was given some sample veggie capsules.  I have heard both terms used for this as a form of ingestion and delivering the E.O.'s.  Some oils just don't taste well, and would be best off in a capsule, perhaps with some carrier oil to help aide in the absorption in the stomach.  

Many oils compliment each other to treat a variety of common ailments, and then there are essential oils that work perfectly fine on their own.  The brand I have switched to actually sells a really great starter kit that included only three oils, however, there are at least 101 ways to use those three oils!  (I can get you a discount on those oils if you are interested. ($20 for the three oils, introductory CD and booklet on the oils is included.)  I ended up purchasing a kit called the Family Physician Kit that comes with ten different oils (some are blends for specific needs) and ways to use them in order to resolve any number of ailments or conditions.

While you begin to learn about the oils, you will see the process that each plant goes through to be made into this super concentrate.  The more I learn, the more amazed I am that while this process is done with incredible precision, this is nothing new to generations of farmers and distillers of the E.O.'s. Like I said earlier, the use of essential oils dates back to ancient egypt and biblical times.

Please note that "fragrance" oils are different from "essential" oils and how they can be used.  I am not educated enough to share the process thoroughly, but I do know that fragrant oils may smell similar to an essential oil, or share a name, i.e. rose, lavender, but they are made with chemicals that would not be safe to use as you would an essential oil for therapeutic benefits.

Tonight, I grabbed the peppermint E.O. and made mouthwash with it.  I added a few drops to some water, shook the bottle up, poured a little into my cup, and there you have an antibacterial, pleasant tasting wash wash after an oil pull.  I diffuse the peppermint as I am working with my second grader on homeschool work in the kitchen.  It helps both of us focus, and energizes us first thing in the morning.  I am not sure where I read it, but I saw that when diffusing, 15 minutes at a time is really all the that is needed to obtain the maximum benefit.  Anything more than that is not harmful, but maybe depending on the need, not any more helpful?  I wish I remembered where I read that to cross reference.  At this time, essential oils are truly being used by a new generation, and the findings are endless in this field.

The oregano oil was handy for a little girls' wart on a finger.  (Mix that with a carrier oil since oregano oil is caustic to the skin, and children need a little more attention to skin sensitivities.)  The recipes that I use currently are either in a book,  passed down from others online, or for right now as I am still leery, from a very experienced and educated mentor.  From what I have read, at some point, using the oils becomes intuitive and my hope is that essential oils become more commonplace, and my house will be rid of chemical/synthetic medicines, and that we rely solely on essential oils to keep us healthy, or to recover us when needed.

Everyone has heard my vitamin D oil soap box.  The children and I take one drop of vitamin D (4,000 iu's) each day from fall through winter time.   Since doing so, we have never gotten the flu, and never gotten a stomach virus of any sort.  I think this was our third year of this regiment.  I was not the least bit surprised when I learned that the vitamin D is actually delivered in my carrier oil of choice- fractionated, organic, cold pressed, coconut oil.  Since I oil pull with coconut oil, use it in my home made body scrub, it was no surprise that I would begin using it to concoct the multitude of healing oil blends with it as my carrier oil.  (The term carrier oil essentially means it dilutes to further spread the oils as quality E.O.'s are incredibly potent.  "Less is more" is the theme with using them.)

After doing some very basic searches, I have found ways to help endocrine disorder (PCOS), as well as all the side effects of it, along with bacterial/viral/fungal infections, IBS, muscle pains, allergy issues, fibromyalgia, ulcers, skin infections including poison oak, toothache, nausea, ADD, ADHD, memory, low blood pressure, inflammation, M.S., bronchitis, COPD, diabetes, heart diseases, insect bites, cough, burns, cuts/wound care, yeast overgrowth, removal of skin tags/moles, and yes, even CANCERS!  There is even flea and tick repellent recipes for humans and dogs!  You must know that some oils repel mice from homes.   If I tell you that it would be hard to throw a symptom or illness my direction and not have my research it with the healing of an oil, I mean it.)  While I was gifted a book this past week to use as my reference to begin healing, I have found that there is a ton of invaluable resources that are available through the company I have ordered from.  I would love to share that with you and your family.  Mostly, I would love to learn with you.

Here's my overall thought on the oils-  I love the idea of them, and if they work because I want so badly to believe they will work, I will accept the placebo effect, and be thankful that I have not spent hours in a doctors' office, and then more time and money at a pharmacy.  I believe that there is truly a time and a place for proper medical care for myself and my family.  That time is after I have exhausted my resources and not endangered my children in doing so.  Do you run to the doctor if you have a child with a sore throat to run a strep test?  I don't run.  I wait about a day and see if the symptoms worsen, resolve, or if congestion shows itself and then I make a decision based on what happens.  The same will happen here, except this time around, I will be armed with oils that can actually begin fighting infections instead of masking them with over the counter medicines before I decide if I need to take a child or myself in.  Geoff seems incredibly open to trying the oils, and I am eager to report on specific issues he has once we can use the oils on him.


I am not selling you on my products, but if you are interested, I can help get you a discount.  You can order through me if you are not looking to get too involved, and still get my discount, or you can set yourself up to make some money, or earn incentives like I can.  At this time, I have no hopes for a business venture.  My desire is to help my family and friends.  I promise to share our successes and adventure with oils as we get further into the usage.

By the way- my oil pulling experiment is going better than expected.  I pull twice a day, and love my time doing it.  Just under one full tablespoon, twenty minutes, and being honest- not sure if it is doing anything but allowing me quiet time in front of a heater in my bathroom when no one bothers me since I can't answer them anyway.  It's really a win/win for a mom whole loves an excuse to be left alone a few times a day.

Addendum 3/7/14  On-going research today taught me that each 10 ml. bottle of eo's has approximately 200 drops.  This is relevant when it comes to deciding costs involved with recipes that call for large amounts of drops and also if you should divide a recipe to aide in cost per batch.