Church Softball in the south is a serious thing.  (To everyone except me. Shhh.... don't tell, they'll kick me out.)  They have rules.  Lots of rules.  For instance, there are rules about switching teams.  To be a "free agent" you have to meet certain conditions.  You think I'm kidding.  I am not.  Church softball is serious.

You want to know what I like best about church softball (besides the Chief hitting a homer and my cute kids)?  I have a friend who brings her camera and takes awesome pics of our kids.  You want to know what Josiah likes best about church softball?  The endless supply of ring pops.   

Thanks so much for the pics, Hope!  I love them!

Summertime is almost here!  I can hardly wait!

In preparation for our summertime activities, our first aid kit got an essential oil makeover.  There are some oils we can't leave home without.  I have my "dr. mom" bag well stocked. 

Some common summertime ailments and the oils to treat them naturally:

Allergies - Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint (one drop each for children, two drops for adults in a swish of water taken orally)

Asthma/Respiratory - Wild Orange/Peppermint one drop each in palms, hands over mouth, inhale. 

Bee/Wasp Stings - Purify (topically)

Bug Repellant - TerraShield (topically)

Bug Bites (for when we forget to apply TerraShield) - Peppermint or Melaleuca (topically)

Sunburns - Lavender (topically)

Head Ache - Peppermint or Past Tense (topically on forehead and base of skull)

Over Heated/Fever - Peppermint (back of neck, inside of wrists)

Scrapes - Lavender or Melaleuca (topically or on bandage)

Splinter Removal - Lavender (topically)

Tick Removal - Peppermint (topically)

Enjoy a healthy and active summer with your family!  Hope it is the best and healthiest ever!

P.S.  You can learn more about treating your family with essential oils here. 

A few weeks ago, we celebrated two birthdays!  We had a lot of cake... and ice cream... and pizza. 

All of those treats triggered some bad eating days for me.  I felt crummy awful.  We all know a treat once in a while is no biggie but when we treat ourselves several times a day?  For several days?  "Houston, we have a problem."

I was in desperate need of something to cleanse the digestive system, get rid of bloat and reset the eating plan.  Of course, there is an oil for that.  ;)

I started by having a dose of Digestzen essential oil blend (2-3 drops of Digestzen mixed with 1/4 cup of water).  I used Frankincense on the liver reflexology points in the hands and feet.  I followed that up by drinking lots of water with Lemon essential oil throughout the day, two more doses of Digestzen and another application of Frank to the reflex points.  I repeated the detox for two more days (3 days total). 

This was a great way to reset my appetite and get back to eating healthy God made foods.  The detox curbed my sugar overloaded cravings, got rid of the bloating, and just made me feel so much better! 

DigestZen^® is a proprietary blend of seven different essential oils, formulated to provide soothing, all-natural relief from digestive symptoms, such as heartburn and indigestion.  For many individuals, digestive issues are difficult part of everyday life.  In fact, Americans spend close to $1 billion per year on popular over-the-counter (OTC) antacids.  Heartburn, indigestion and sustained inflammation from unwanted microbes are only a few of the digestive problems with which they contend.  Clearly, there is a problem here, and the common approach to dealing with it has not been proven very effective.  But, there is a better way. 

It has been well established that certain essential oils contain compounds that are very therapeutic for the digestive sytem.  Many essential oils, such as peppermint and ginger, have been researched and recognized as powerful agents to help restore normal balance in the digestive system.  Other oils, like tarragon, fennel, caraway, coriander and anise oils, each have specific attributes that, when blended with peppermint and ginger, add to the overall efficacy of the blend.

I know I could have gotten back on track without the detox and eventually the bloating would have left and my body would have felt normal again but it was wonderful to have something to speed the process along and help my body heal itself from my poor choices.  I highly recommend digestzen!  You can learn more about essential oils here.