Oh, Baby!!

When you start using essential oils in your home several things happen.

• You realize that there is something beyond what is available at the grocery store.
• You find that you can replace many of your houesehold products with chemical free options.
• Then you wonder.......how do I use my essential oils for my baby?

The answer used to be........make your own products and make sure you dilute, dilute, dilute. Many people were afraid that their homemade products for baby weren't as safe as they wanted them to be. To answer this problem, Young Living introduced a BRAND NEW line of chemical-free products for babies.  Yeah!!  They are all chemical free, safe for baby, and a wonderful alternative to the major brands with their chemical ridden formulas.

Enter in the new Seedlings product line.  Isn't that an adorable name?!!  The line includes:

• Baby Wipes
• Baby Wash & Shampoo
• Baby Oil
• Baby Lotion
• Diaper Rash Cream
• Linen Spray (coming soon)

When you are ready to use chemical free products for your precious baby, let us know!

New Catalog!

With all the new products that were introduced recently, we now have a new catalog.  If you would like to look through it, click HERE!

Speaking of new product, over the next couple of weeks, we will focus on some of the awesome products that will help you focus your family on Wellness!!

Popular wipes Vs. Thieves Cleaner

The kids are going back to school and not only are the schools asking for you to donate cleaning items like this (some ask, some don't), but you may be stocking up for yourself as well.  We all want the surfaces our kids come in contact with to be free from germs and these wipes seem to make this job easy.  We feel like we have done a good job and protecting our kids from getting sick.....except for one thing.....we probably aren't!!

There has been a LOT of marketing for disinfecting products but the data supporting their effectiveness isn't there.  Even the FDA (Food & Drop Administration) admits that "there is no evidence that cleaning with disinfectants is any better at preventing illness than cleaning with regular soap and water"

The other problem is that many of the popular products contain some pretty harsh chemicals that can cause side effects like skin and eye irritation as well as asthma like symptoms.  Have you ever read the back of the packaging of the wipes?  You should!!  In the fine print you will frequently find the recommendation to "wash your hands immediately after use!"  Well, that takes some of the convenience away from the wipe doesn't it.  Then there are other instructions that say if you want to really disinfect, you should use enough product to make the surface stay wet for FOUR minutes!  What?  Really?  Later on in the instructions it tells you that you should wash the surface with potable water after you have used the wipe if you are going to be putting food on that surface.  Suddenly, they aren't as convenient as you thought.

Then there are the chemicals commonly found in wipes.......some are called quatemary ammonium compounds ("quats") which are problematic.  They cause skin irritants, they can irritate your lungs, and have been linked to asthma and reproductive harm. There are also many preservatives that help to prevent bacteria from growing in the package.  These could include parabens, formaldehyde releasers and others that have been linked with adverse health effect.  The overuse of these ingredients and the promotion of tons of antibacterial products have started to create "superbugs".  THAT is super bad news for all of us.

So........what are you going to do about it?  You want to have clean surfaces for your family and you want it to be convenient too.  WE HAVE THE ANSWER!

Thieves Household Cleaner........made with a proprietary blend of essential oils (Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Clove, Cinnamon, and Lemon) and no chemicals.  You don't have to rinse this off your counters in order to eat either.   Thieves ability to protect you is awesome.  The cleaner is a concentrate.  Only 2 caps makes 16 oz. of spray that you can use on most of the surfaces in your home.  Kitchen counters, Bathroom (everywhere) and more.  We even did our own experiment a while back to test the Thieves blend.  See that yellow spot on the bread in the picture below?  That is Thieves. The black and grey......lots and lots of mold.  This piece of bread was in my dark cabinet for over a month!

So, when it comes to protecting your kids and family, consider Thieves first.  Ask your school who is allowed to use the popular wipes.  Are they being used according to those instructions on the back?  Their way of using the wipes may not even follow the directions.  Then you can go an extra step!  Offer them a spray bottle of Thieves instead!

EVERYONE CAN COME!

THIS Saturday there will be a rally at Ann's home.  Anyone can attend.  And it's FREE!  It is called the Live Your Passion Rally and it is open to anyone who would like to attend.  We will be showing a number of short (2 - 4 min) videos from Young Living corporate.  You'll hear about a new oil they have coming out, a report on the mission they support, see D Gary Young's recent quest in Alaska, hear about new products coming out just in time for Mother's Day and learn about products that will be on sale (yes, please)!  And that is just the tip of the iceberg!  We'll be giving away door prizes (oily things!) and have some oil infused treats too.  It will be an exciting day and we don't want you to miss it!

Use your Tax Refund for Healthy Change

Many of you have a tax refund coming.....here are a couple of ways you can use your refund to give a boost to your body for health.

Grow a Garden – GMO ingredients taking over your food?  Take charge of your own food and start a garden!  Raised beds, compost bins, heirloom seeds and some fruit trees can start you out right. Your body will thank you for this!  If you don’t have room on your own land, many communities offer a plot in community gardens.  If neither of these are an option, consider investing more in the local farmers market and purchase organic foods there.

Healthy cooking!  I get it, eating healthy is a lot of work.  If you find cooking to be a struggle, especially healthy cooking, maybe it is time to take a class to learn how to cook from scratch.  (No more box food!)  Learn how to preserve the food you’ll be raising in your garden.  Many community colleges and senior centers offer cooking classes no matter what your age.

Inside air quality changes - Did you know that the air inside your home can be laden with chemicals?  Your paints, carpets, flooring and cleaners all give off fumes making the air in your home unhealthy.  Spring is coming and it is an excellent time to air the house out.  While your home is shut up, get a good air purifier or ionizer to start yourself in the right direction.

Start Using Essential Oils – You didn’t think we’d forget this one on the list!  We are HUGE fans of essential oils.  When we started using Young Living essential oils several years ago we had no idea of how much they could support a healthy body, a clean home and even great cooking!!   There are several ways you can get the oils.  You can be a retail customer and just purchase at full retail price OR we suggest that you save $160 of your tax money (plus tax & shipping) and sign up as a wholesale member to get 11 oils and a diffuser (Retail over $300) plus 24% off the retail price on all future purchases.  Believe us.....this small investment can have a huge impact on your life in multiple ways!!

Join a Gym or Hire a Personal Trainer – CrossFit training centers are really becoming popular. With a little money in your pocket right now, you may want to pay for some classes and maybe even a session with a personal trainer!  Investing in your health this way is really a win win situation.

Buy A Bike – Riding a bike is great exercise. Get a good bike and promise to pedal more instead of using your car.

Investing in Healthy Sleep – Did you know that many mattresses and pillows contain Endocrine Distruptors?  The definition of Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that, at certain doses, can interfere with endocrine (or hormone) systems. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. Any system in the body controlled by hormones can be derailed by hormone disruptors.   What does this mean to you?  Now may be a good time to invest in a new pillor or a new ‘green’ mattress....one made of wool, cotton, or latex without flame retardant. You may notice better sleep as well!!

Read if you use wax warmers!

My main mission in the world of essential oils is to help you rid your home of chemicals.  Here is just one more way!

Do you know that saying....."Friends don't let friends (you fill in the blank).  Well, in my world, Friends don't let Friends use wax warmers!!!  Wax warmers may sound like a good idea.  Many think they are soooo much better than burning candles.  But, in all reality, they are nothing but chemicals or fragrance oils of poor quality.  

So, if you really want to freshen the air in your home, don't buy a wax warmer.  Heck, don't even think of buying those plug in the wall fresheners either.  They are also nothing but a bunch of chemicals.  Get yourself pure chemical free Young Living essential oils and a diffuser and let your body thank you.

Watch if you use Dryer Sheets

If you are like me, you dry your clothes in a dryer instead of on the clothes line.  I'm not here to debate how much better one is over the other. I do know that many of you use Dryer Sheets. I used to use them too. But about a year ago I started to use something different. Dryer Balls! Yup.....these 100% wool natural balls are awesome. AND I can put any essential oils on them I want to give me a scent. The video below lists all the yucky things that dryer sheets can have in them. In the effort to purge the house of chemicals, dryer sheets were that silent little piece that were a BIG offender. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. Your clothing, towels, sheets and more touch your skin all the time, so eliminating the dryer sheets eliminated chemicals that were touching my skin.....all the time!

The only thing I don't totally agree with that is mentioned in the video is that the wool balls will eliminate static. Not entirely so. But I found that I was OVER DRYING my clothes! Yup. The balls dry them faster and without remembering that fact you tend to over dry them.  Do you know what over drying your clothes can do to them?  Put in Static!  It is an a-ha moment!!

So, use wool dryer balls, scent them with Young Living essential oils (which are also totally free of chemicals) and dry them less (saving energy)........it is a win-win solution for a more chemical free home.

Want to make your own dryer balls?  Go here!