Names have been changed to protect the innocent...and my husband...and me...but not the dog. His name is Dexter.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Tip Tuesday-Essential Oil Uses

About three years ago, I was at a blogging party (I can't remember the name of it now. I'm a bad blogger.) and in the swag bag was some essential oils from doTerra.  It was peppermint, lemon and lavender.  As much as I liked them and enjoyed smelling them, I was kind of at a loss as to how to use them.  Whenever I would try to look up information on-line I found it overwhelming and often contradictory.  My friend had told me that peppermint helps with chest congestion so I started using that with my girls (they loved it) but that was the extent. 
Maybe I should have listened to the CD that came with it.  That might have been helpful, but hindsight is always 20/20.
 
Fast forward a couple of years and I'm in charge of Teacher Appreciate Week at Lolly's school.  There were a few people that helped, but there wasn't exactly a line of people begging to help.  The week before the BIG WEEK I started getting migraines.  Everyone is different, but when I get a migraine I go completely blind in one eye and get sparkles in the other eye.  Obviously, this is not conducive to taking care of small children.  Or doing anything PTA related. 

This is probably where I should confess a great annoyance...it drives me crazy when I see people going on and on and on about a migraine on Facebook, Twitter, etc. If you have a real migraine you're either locked in a dark room or praising the porcelain goddess, but you are definitely not staring at a bright computer screen for hours on end.  Rant....over.

Anywho....the prescription medication I had been given always made me feel really sick.  I still had a terrible headache and I would be shaky and weak for the rest of the day.  Not as bad a a migraine, but still not great.  Desperate for help, I asked my friend (I call her my voodoo guru) if she had any tips for migraines.  Her tip....PEPPERMINT OIL!  The oil that had been sitting in my medicine cabinet waiting to be used for two years?  Yes, that peppermint oil.  She said that it works best if you put it on as soon as you start getting the migraine.

So, the very next day when I got yet another migraine (once you get one you're more likely to get another and another....very annoying) I put that peppermint oil on the back of my neck as soon as it started.  And miracle of all miracles, I could see again within 5-10 minutes.  And my headache actually went away.  Plus!  I didn't feel sick the rest of the day.  I felt great! 

Now I know it may sound dramatic to say that peppermint oil changed my life.  And it is.  But to anyone who has had to deal with migraines, such a simple and safe treatment that works so well really does change that part of your life.  Now, obviously it's not going to work for everyone because nothing ever does, but I recommend it to everyone who mentions migraines.  Plus, even if it doesn't work for you, it won't  hurt you.  And you'll smell like a candy cane.  Bonus!

A few months ago I decided to finally take the plunge and take an essential oils class through our community education program.  It was so much fun and helpful!  I learned a lot (I won't bore you with all the info now) and thought it would be good to share a few of my favorites with you. 

First of all, the peppermint oil for migraines.  But I've talked about that long enough.

Next up is lemon oil in laundry.  We all have those loads of laundry that seem to always smell a little funky no matter what you do.  Last week I put some lemon essential oil (5-10 drops) in the washer with a load like that.  And POOF!  The smell was gone.  It didn't smell lemony afterwards but the "life smell" was definitely gone.  There was even pit sniffage to verify if it really worked and it worked!  So simple and non-toxic.  A beautiful combination.

Another one of my essential oil projects was car fresheners.  I just got a small glass spray bottle (1-2 oz) and filled it with distilled water and a few drops whatever oil we picked and put it in the car.  That way it can be used whenever we want to and I don't have to worry about what I'm spraying on the upholstery in order to smell good.  And in case you were wondering, CG has lemon-lime in his car and I have lemongrass in the van.  It also works well for in the home.  Just spray it and enjoy the smell!

As we all know, my girls are girly girls.  And girly girls love their girly things.  First of all we made some perfume using almond oil (any oil would work) and the girls each got to pick their own perfume scent.  Then I filled a roller ball bottle with some oil and a few drops of their oil and VOILA!  Customized perfume.

We've also made customized lotion by adding a favorite oil to some all natural shea butter lotion.  The girls love getting to choose their scent for lotion and perfume.  They actually love the oils in general so we have a lot of fun with it.  I've also made some lotion for muscle pains, etc. and have loved using that.  And forcing it on other people to use.  I'm sure they love having me do that.

Remember when we talked about making your own foamy soap?  Well, not only can you make the soap but you can also add an essential oil.  I use a protective blend (doTerra's On Guard) but you can really use any oil that you want, depending on the benefit you're looking for.     

I also love adding essential oils to my water.  I keep a container of water in the fridge (so it's super cold) and add whatever oils sound good at the time.  It's super yummy and it makes drinking lots of water so much easier.  It's also yummy added to juices and smoothies.  Just make sure that you use oils that are safe to ingest. 

My next project....homemade lip balm.  And cleaners.  Wish me luck!

     

Friday, April 20, 2012

Ogden Nature Center's Earth Day Celebration

Last spring our cute little family got to go to Ogden Nature Center for a fun filled day and we just loved it.  It was such a wonderful nature escape in the middle of a city.  Here is the highlight reel from our trip last spring.  Or possibly 80% of the pictures that I took.







And you know it's been a successful family field trip when they fall asleep in the car on the way home.

We had so much fun that when I got the email about the Earth Day celebration at Ogden Nature Center it took me exactly two seconds to decide that we just HAD to go.  And at only $2 per person, it's actually an affordable activity with the money supporting a local nature retreat.

And now I present the details!
On Saturday, April 21, from 12-4, a HUGE day is on tap for the Ogden Nature Center's annual Earth Day Celebration. We're packing the house with tons of earth-friendly ideas, booths, workshops and fresh food options! All of Utah's green gurus will be on hand and activities will range from composting & bee keeping lectures, to hoola hooping! Children love the water trailer and the rock climbing wall, while adults enjoy taking home special plants from the native plant sale. An amazing artist will be here to paint faces too! The website has a full listing of entertainment, vendors, booths, and activities. www.ogdennaturecenter.org

Thanks to our sponsors, cost is only $2 per person. We encourage the use of alternative transportation or carpooling to Earth Day! 


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Breathing Space Blogger Retreat...It's almost sold out!

The Breathing Space Blogger Retreat on May 4-5 is almost sold out!  There are a mere ten tickets left and they are going fast.  The retreat included staying in one of the model homes in Daybreak Utah, many classes to choose from and a chance to have a great time with some blogging friends.  And seriously, I am so excited for the Stepford Wives party I can hardly stand it!  Now, I just need the perfect dress..... 

You will definitely find me in the Style Please! class learning how to fight my frump and in the Cooking For Your Family class hoping to learn a new trick or two to make dinner preparation a little bit easier.  If you have been debating about whether or not to attend, you need to just take the plunge and get your ticket today before you've lost your chance.

And then tell me that you're coming so I know exactly who to stalk while I'm there.

Monday, April 16, 2012

And The Color Me Rad Winner Is....

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:
5
Timestamp: 2012-04-16 14:35:31 UTC


And the winner is.....Emily!  Congratulations!

Here winning comment was "I totally LOVE you on Facebook!"

It seems as though even Random.org responds to true devotion.
 

Friday, April 13, 2012

Friday Favorite-Meditating Gnomes

I saw this beautiful work of art recently at Ross and immediately fell in love.  This gnome did not get to come home and live with me because, HELLO, it was $40.  Pricey gnome.  But just looking at the picture brings a smile to my face.
Happy Friday!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Color Me Rad 5k in Utah!

Have you ever heard of the Color Me Rad race?  Honestly, I had seen the ads on Facebook but figured that it didn't happen around these here parts.  Boy, was I WRONG.
There is a Color Me Rad 5k at Utah Valley University coming up very soon.  And I am beyond thrilled to be participating.  Lolly and Babs are pretty excited too!  Not only do they get to actually do the race with Mommy Dearest (that would be me) instead of standing around at the finish line waiting (a long time) for me to finish, they get to participate!  All children under 12 race free.  I just bought them each their own color packets when I registered and we are good to go.  There are just no words to truly express their excitement at getting to throw colored corn starch everywhere without getting into trouble.  I can't say that I blame them since I'm pretty excited myself.   

There is really just one thing that could make this whole experience even more fun.  If I was lucky enough to have an extra entry to give away.  Oh wait.....thanks to the fabulous people of the upcoming Breathing Space Retreat I DO have an entry to give away to one of my fabulous, lovely readers.

In order to give you lots of chances to win, there are several things you can do to get extra entries. You can get a separate entry for doing each of the following (please leave a comment for each):
**This giveaway will end Sunday April 15, 2012 at midnight.  The winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond before I pick another winner.  

And to be extra nice, here's a list a few other blogs that are also giving away an entry for Color Me Rad.   Just be sure to tell that I sent you!

Beau Court Family
Evidently & Either Way
Eclectic Mamma
Topsy Turvy
Newlyweds on a Budget
Summer Scraps
Beauty and the Bypass

Monday, April 9, 2012

Update

Yes it has been a while since I last blogged.  A few things have happened and I've just kind of lost my blogging mojo a bit.  As a matter of fact, I've been trying to start this particular post for the last half hour or so, just staring at the screen trying to decide where to start.  That's odd for me since I usually spend about 10 minutes on my awesome, thought-provoking posts.  Surprising, yes?  No....

As my usual, I had to have some unfortunate dental work a couple of weeks ago.  Pulled a couple of teeth and replaced 3 crowns (two of which were just done in October...sigh) which was really as much fun as it sounds.  Maybe someday we'll get to stay in the vacation house that we have surely bought for our dentist with the amount of money we have spent on my dental work in the last 10 years.  Another sigh.

The next day, we got news that my grandmother has passed away.  She has had Alzheimer's for the last 10 years and had declined significantly in the last six months so it was not unexpected.  And yet, I don't think you can ever be truly "prepared" to lose someone.  You might think you are.  But you're not.

As expected, I was sad, but I really wanted to keep it as non-upsetting for my kids as possible.  We talked about how even though we were sad, Great Grandma was happy because now she can talk and walk and be herself again and see all the friends and family who had passed on before her.
My grandparents in 1946

I think the thing that struck me as the most surprising was how I handled it all.  I have now learned that when I am under large amounts of stress, I become very distracted and flaky.  Even more distracted and flaky than I usually am.  Which would explain why Babs got to have jelly beans for lunch and why I almost had a heart attack when I realized that I had to make dinner.  I'm pretty sure that moment took years off my life.

In reading the timeline that my mom wrote about my grandmother's life, I learned a lot....she was a city girl but loved the country life, she loved gardening and flowers and started painting later in her life. I was not very close to my grandmother, but I think I probably would have had a lot in common with the woman I read about.  I think that is what made me the saddest.   

Her funeral was on the first day of our Spring break.  We had planned to go to St. George for the week but it just didn't seem like the right time for so many reasons.  So we opted for a staycation and I'm so glad we did.  We spent a lot of time as a family doing lots of fun activities without all the stress of packing, driving, unpacking, hiking, packing, driving, unpacking and then laundry.  

Babs spring break was the previous week so she still went to preschool on her usual days, then we would head out for some serious fun after picking her up.  We went to explore the new City Creek shopping center in Salt Lake City, went to see The Lorax (my most favorite Dr. Seuss book ever!) and even took the family bowling for the first time.  I really should share the video of Babs bowling.  It's priceless.  Then we finished up the week with picking up a few essential oils and supplies (I'm addicted) and Easter celebrations.
Unfortunately, today was the official back to school and work day.  I prefer spring  break.  And it's quite possible that I'm already counting down to summer. 
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