FOOD!!! - U-Pick Season! Strawberries!

Apparently it is U-Pick Strawberry season!!! We've never been strawberry picking before but decided to go last minute since friends were going! Beautiful morning for it!

Decided not to go too far overboard our first time. Need to make sure I am going to use/freeze what I picked so far! But thinking about maybe going back next week for more if all goes well with this first batch!

Of course I'm cleaning them in my lemon water to get all the gunk off! No, they aren't organic, but the Lemon Oil will help remove the residue so I don't have to feel like I'm feeding my kids too many gross chemicals! And that makes me feel awesome!!!

View my post with more details on how I clean my fruits and veggies with Lemon Essential Oil HERE!

Young Living also has created the Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray and the Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak!  I still need to try these products and will update you when I have done so! From what I've heard, it is amazing!!!

Interested in finding out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils and Products?  Check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Chemical Free! - Teacher Gift Idea - Diffuser Necklace!

Another great Gift Idea for a teacher, party hostess, bus driver, day care provider, etc is a Diffuser Necklace with a sample of Essential Oils!

Diffuser Necklaces are awesome for anyone who likes to wear a little simple jewelry or a lot of jewelry.  The great thing about them is that there are little pads that come with each necklace and the essential oil is dropped directly on those, so the essential oils do not need to be applied to the skin or clothes in order to get the benefit of the essential oils!  The desired strength of a scent and the material of the pad will determine how many drops of essential oils to use.  Since everyone is different, it is very useful to include sample packets of essential oils or a small sample bottle filled with essential oils so that the gift recipient can adjust the scent as necessary.  (Read this useful article about how scent affects the brain!)

This Christmas, I am gifting Diffuser Necklaces to the teachers in my children's classrooms.  My sons' teachers will be receiving a dram/sample bottle of Young Living's Stress Away Essential Oil.  The name says it all!  It is a wonderful smell!  My daughter's teachers will be receiving a dram of a blend of Young Living's Peppermint and Lemon Essential Oils.  It is a very uplifting and refreshing blend!  I even started wearing a Diffuser Necklace!  One day my stomach was a mess and I was tired, but I had stuff to do!  I dropped Peppermint EO on the pad, put the necklace on and got on with my day.  The scent is not overwhelming at all and the locket can always be brought up to the nose for a quick whiff.

Diffuser Necklaces come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes.  There are many available on Amazon and Etsy if on-line shopping is preferred.  I have seen bracelets too.  It is true, there is something for every price range and style!  Get some now! 

My monthly promotion for December is even giving away a Diffuser Necklace for all new members who purchase a Premium Starter Kit AND for those existing members of mine who make a purchase of 190 PV or more!  They are such an easy way to start using your essential oils right away!  Contact me for more details.   

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Let's Learn! - Lemon Essential Oil

Let's learn about Lemon Essential Oil!  Talk about a versatile oil!  A must have for everyone!

Lemon Essential Oil comes from the rind of the lemon fruit from the tree Citrus limon.  I found a wealth of information on the Purdue University Horticulture Website concerning Citrus limon.  Lemon EO contains the naturally occurring constituent limonene.  Limonene is colorless and is the main main odor constituent of the Citrus family.  Dr. Axe did a great write up on Lemon Essential Oil complete with resources. (I guess you can say I'm feeling a bit lazy today, and why try to redo something that has already been done well?)  Young Living recommends Lemon EO as a dietary supplement.  It is also found in many of YL's essential oil blends (such as Thieves EO) and wellness products (like NingXia Red). 

         

I have used Lemon EO in numerous ways.  I first began experimenting with Lemon EO while cleaning.  I was impressed at its ability to cut through the grease and stickiness!  It is also great in drinking water.  Warm or cold water, Lemon EO is great to help promote wellness!  The light refreshing flavor is perfect any time of day!  I've even made a lavender and honey lemonade with it!  (I'll post that recipe eventually!)  I've also used Lemon EO as part of a detox bath to encourage a healthy body.  As I experiment with essential oils, I'm sure I'll find so many more ways to incorporate Lemon EO into our everyday life!

How could I forget that one of my most favorite ways to use Lemon EO is cleaning my fresh fruit and veggies with it!!!  Read "The Best Way to Clean your Fruits & Veggies".  I was seriously sooo excited and impressed with the results from this!  You HAVE to try it!!!

How do you like to use your Lemon EO???

Interested in finding out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils?  Check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

CHEMICAL FREE! - SCRUB THAT TUB! & SPRINKLE ON THE CARPET?

This Thursday's Chemical Free post is another DIY home made cleaning product.  This is one of the first things that I used my Young Living Essential Oils for when I purchased them!  I was so impressed by the cleaning power of the oils that I wanted to just clean and clean!  These days I'm not jumping at the opportunity to clean, but when I do clean, I love it!  The results are awesome and that always makes me feel good!

Surprisingly, or not if you're familiar with essential oils, a little bit of essential oil goes a LONG way!  I have used more drops of the oils in the past, but have gotten what seemed to be the same result as when I use less.  I like to conserve, get the most out of my oils, so I do a little essential oil and most baking soda.  Here is how I make my powdered concoction and how I use it!

Powdered Scrub Recipe

1. In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of baking soda with 3 drops of Thieves Essential Oil
2. Whisk with fork to break up clumps of essential oils
3. Pour into jar of your choice, or use directly from bowl (If transferring from a bowl to a smaller jar, I will use a funnel to minimize the mess.)
4. In the same bowl (now empty) mix another 1/4 cup of baking soda with 3 drops of Lemon Essential Oil
5. Repeat Steps 2-3
6. Continue alternating 1/4 cup of baking soda with Thieves EO and 1/4 cup of baking soda with Lemon EO until you have made the desired amount.

Directions for Use - Scrubbing, Cleaning, Whitening applications 

1. Dampen the surface that is in need of a scrub, could be a stain on the couch or carpet, the tub or shower, a pot or pan or even the vinyl interior of the boat!  (Of course it is always best to test a small section first, but I have not seen any color fading using this recipe.)
2. Sprinkle a light layer of the Powdered Scrub onto the surface that is to be cleaned.
3.  Scrub with scrubber of your choice depending upon the material you are scrubbing.  For example, I will use an abrasive cleaning pad for scrubbing pots and pans, the same for tile shower floors and for the vinyl boat interior I used a scrub brush with bristles to get into the creases and grooves.
4. Rinse well with clean water. 
5. You may need to add more depending on how tough the dirt/grime/stain has set.
6. It may be beneficial to use this in conjunction with the Thieves EO and Water cleaning solution or Thieves Household Cleaner and Water solution that I wrote about HERE.

Directions for Use - Carpet/Rug Deodorizer 

1. Sprinkle desired amount over carpet and rug areas to be treated.  A light coating is normally sufficient.  (Of course it is always best to test a small section first, especially with a dark carpet or rug, but I have not seen any color fading using this recipe.) 
2. For areas of special concern, potty training accident location (human or animal), etc., apply more generously to the spot and gently rub the powder down into the carpet.
3. Let the powder sit for about 15 minutes.
4. For basic deodorizing, vacuum powder up and you're done!
5. For areas of special concern, after the powder has sat on the spot for a while you can rub/scrub the carpet with a damp cloth or scrub brush.
6. Let area of special concern dry before vacuuming.
7. Let me just say that I spent this summer and early fall potty training my third child.  She was a handful!  So stubborn!  I may have forgotten to come back and scrub the accident spot after applying the powder a couple different times - did I mention she was #3 and there is always something pressing needing my attention?  Upon drying, or realizing that I didn't go back and scrub, I smelled the spot and could not detect a urine scent at all!  

Thieves is by far my favorite Young Living Essential Oil!  You can use it in so many different ways, but knowing that it is an amazing cleaner and can be mixed with other all natural products to create chemical free cleaners to use around the house, kids and pets is what really wins me over, time and time again!  EVERYONE needs Thieves Essential Oil!!!

Let me know what you think of this powdered scrub!

Interested in finding out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils?  Check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

CHEMICAL FREE - NEED THE HOUSE TO SMELL CLEAN???

Oh my goodness!!! It's Thanksgiving!!! People are coming over soon and house hasn't been cleaned! Plus, one of the side dishes exploded a bit in the stove and the spilled food residue burnt and now the kitchen and house smells awful! AHHH!!! What to do???

Don't worry! Essential Oils to the rescue! Here is a super quick way to whip up an air freshener that will help rid the unwanted odors from your home and no one will ever know!

A nice, cleansing, autumn scent is a combination of Thieves Essential Oil and Lemon Essential Oil. Thieves EO is a registered trademark blend of Young Living. It is made up of five different essential oils which were allegedly used together to help prevent the spread of disease in Europe during the Plagues which ravaged the continent on and off for about 600 years! The oils in the Thieves blend (Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus and Rosemary) are all quite powerful alone and especially so when mixed together! The oils support wellness and a healthy immune system. (Read last week's Chemical Free post about cleaning with Thieves EO) Lemon EO is a super concentrated oil derived from the peels of lemons. Of interest, it takes about 75 lemons to make one 15 ml bottle of Lemon EO! Lemon EO has a very clean and fresh scent. Many typical household cleaners are lemon scented. Young Living even made a graphic discussing how to use both Thieves EO and Lemon EO to help clean your home! Click HERE to check it out!

Using Witch Hazel astringent as a base, the air freshener will not leave water residue when sprayed. Witch Hazel has a natural alcohol content that dries up the wetness quickly. What is super cool to me, is that Witch Hazel comes from the bark of Hamamelis virginia, which is a shrub that is native to the Eastern half of the United States! I am a sucker for native plants!

Thanksgiving Cleansing Air Freshener

For a 4 oz glass bottle with fine mist sprayer, the recipe that I use is as follows:

- 2 oz water (tap is fine or if you have filtered that is good too)

- 2 oz Witch Hazel

- 10 drops of Essential Oils (for the Thieves & Lemon blend, I use 7 drops of Thieves and 3 drops of Lemon)

After the air freshener is made, run around and spritz it in all the rooms! All the rooms will smell great and your guests will never know about the chaos before they arrived! Then leave it in the bathroom and encourage your guests to use it. No one has to be self-conscious about leaving a not so pleasant scent in the bathroom - if you know what I mean... It will be like nothing ever happened!

What is so great about making your own natural air fresheners and cleaners, the essential oil mixtures can be tweaked and adjusted to your preference! If you are after fragrance alone, chose your favorite smelling essential oil to add. If you want it for cleaning the air and surfaces, use the Thanksgiving Cleansing Air Freshener blend. I use this air freshener in my children's bathroom multiple times throughout the day, spritzing it in the toilet, training toilet, counters, sink, on the tile around the base of the toilets, etc. Let's just say that even though the toilet has not been physically scrubbed in a while, even though it has had numerous #2's (daily), it still looks clean and the bathroom doesn't smell! Another oil that makes a great purifying air freshener is Purification Essential Oil. 

12/17/15 I'm making Holiday Cheer Air Fresheners for my kids' teachers and bus drivers.  Here's a video showing just how easy it is to make these all natural and chemical free air fresheners!

What is your favorite air freshener???

Interested in finding out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils & Products? Check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

WEEKEND OILY TIP! - STAYING ON TOP OF YOUR GAME

No one has time to be run-down as the weekend starts, let alone with a major holiday quickly approaching!!!  Here are some quick and easy things to try to start feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the tasks at hand!

In October, I posted So Now It Is Fall....  I briefly mentioned how to enhance your tea to help you feel better.  But there is more!  There is a delicious drink that is pumped full of wonderful antioxidants!  Do both to promote wellness so you're not stuck in bed or on the couch all weekend!

NingXia Red is wellness in a bottle!  The ingredients are listed below, and Wow!  There are so many fruits and essential oils which are full of goodness!  I first sampled NingXia Red when I received my Essential Oils Premium Starter Kit.  Two 1oz packets come in the PSK.  NingXia Red has a very unique taste and is a little thick.  It can be mixed into orange juice or drank out of a glass by itself or with some of your favorite essential oils added!  After a couple of months of not having NingXia Red, I finally got more, a 2-pack of bottles (shown in the picture above).  

Many people drink NingXia Red daily for the extra boost of wellness and energy! Since consuming it regularly, I have found that drinking 1-2 oz of NingXia Red daily in the early afternoon gets me through the rest of the day without crashing and feeling like I need a nap. Being a mostly stay at home mom, I've realized that by the early afternoon I'm done already! I can't have that though! There are still a lot of hours left in the day for me to be mom before I can sleep! So I have been pleasantly surprised by not having the urge to nap anymore! Honestly, I haven't changed my exercise routine (there isn't one to speak of... yet... but that's another subject...) or my nighttime sleeping habitats (still usually only getting 5-7 hours of sleep each night). I'm attributing my new found alertness and wakefulness to NingXia Red! There is no turning back now. I'm finally doing something good and healthy for my body and I like it!  

Looking back, it would have been awesome had I known about NingXia Red when I was younger.  I was always tired and falling asleep in class while in high school and college, at professional continuing education events and even work!  It was embarrassing!  The to-go packets would be perfect for these situations!  

PS. I have also heard of people drinking NingXia Red to help them feel like themselves again after a night of drinking...  I'll have to report more on that later...

From Young Living's Website, following are the Key Benefits of NingXia Red:
• Sustain energy with the combination of select wolfberries and other superfruits. Contains powerful ingredients which are involved in many antioxidant processes and may help prevent against oxidative stress.
• Balanced ingredients make NingXia Red a whole-body nutrient infusion for health and wellness support
• Delivers citrus essential oils containing d-limonene, a powerful component in citrus oils.
• Halal and Kosher certified in 750ml bottles (Halal Certified in 60 ml sachets)
• Powerful formula includes wolfberry which is touted for its health benefits
From Young Living's Website, following are the Ingredients of NingXia Red:Proprietary NingXia Red Blend 29g 
Ningxia Wolfberry Puree (Lycium barbarum), Blueberry Juice Concentrate (Vaccinium corymbosum), Plum Juice Concentrate (Prunus domestica), Cherry Juice Concentrate (Prunus avium), Aronia Juice Concentrate (Aronia melanocarpa), Pomegranate Juice Concentrate (Punica granatum) 
Proprietary Essential blend 50mg 
Grape (Vitis vinifera) seed extract, Orange EO (Citrus sinensis), Yuzu EO (Citrus junos), Lemon EO (Citrus limon), Tangerine EO (Citrus reticulata) 
Other ingredients
Tartaric acid, natural blueberry flavor, pure vanilla extract, malic acid, pectin, sodium benzoate/natural stevia extract.

There are other NingXia products available as well.  I'll discuss them once I have some experience with them.

Interested in finding out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils and NingXia Red?  Check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.