What Are You Thirsting For?

What are you thirsty for?

That’s the question my pastor asked last weekend as he talked about all the different things we go to when we feel empty.

I’ve been thinking about that question for such a long time.

I’ve bounced between trying to fill my empty with food and exercise and relationships. I’ve found myself looking to accomplishments, perfection, social media, and I’m sure there are more.

But what really fills that void? Quenches our thirst? 

For me, I’ve found that what I really need is peace. Real lasting peace. And I haven’t found any better peace than looking to God’s promises and being reminded of his incredibly amazing, perfect love for me. And for us all.

It feels so good to pour out my heart to the one person who never lets me down. To be filled with his words from the Bible through music or time spent reading through a chapter every day.

I’m so so grateful to always have that peace waiting for me, no matter what my day looks like.

What’s your favorite go-to when you feel empty?

Take a Break and Meditate!

This season of the year is just a little extra busy, and that's added on to our already crazy lives. As I chat with all of you, I hear time and time again how much you need to prioritize your wellness and how much you want to relax and just breathe.

Repeat after me - I need a break.

That's where meditation comes in. I first started meditating about 3 years ago, when my naturopathic doctor recommended doing it daily and recommended a great app I've come to love and appreciate so much!

The reason meditation is such a big deal is because it helps you become aware of your body and how you feel, slows your breathing, helps you be more mindful throughout your day, helps reduce pain and combat anxiety and depression, helps you relax your mind and body and this list just goes on and on.

Here's the app I use 5-6 days a week - Calm. It gives you several free options, but I now have invested in my health with the full app and it gives me a ton of great options. I can meditate for as little as 3 minutes or as long as I want. I can do meditations for anxiety, for gratitude, for a body scan, for sleep, etc.

If you want to add a little more support and relaxation to your meditation, try diffusing your favorite calming oils like Frankincense, Copaiba, White Angelica, Stress Away or use your favorite calming roller before you start your meditation.

What a great way to take care of yourself every day!

Who else meditates consistently? How long do you meditate each day?

Homeschooling With Math Games - Part 2

Yesterday we chatted about using math games to help your child develop a love of math. Instead of sitting, listening to lecturing and doing worksheets, let's get them using math skills in every day life situations and through fun games!

Today I want to share another super fun game with you - this time it is all about multiplication. And let's face it - multiplication is normally just a bunch of memorizing math facts. It usually involves flash cards or some other "boring" type of activity.

Not with this multiplication game! Monster Sock Factory is a board game to practice multiplication mainly for grades 2 and up. It is designed to get kids 8 times more practice in their multiplication facts than in an average classroom.

The game starts with this cute story about the different monsters in this faraway land of Dimis, each with a different amount of legs and how you are working at the local sock factory to make and dispatch socks to each one. Each individual cartoon monster is kinda cute and makes the game more fun and activates the imagination a bit, at least for my kiddos. Your kids will also be working on strategic planning, hand-eye coordination, patience and memorization as they play this game.

And you're going to love this - the same company that makes this game offers FREE math worksheets for division, multiplication and more for grades 1-5. I am so excited to get these printed off and feed my kiddos excitement for the fun characters and story lines.

Grab your kiddo a new math game and start having fun with them while practicing a bunch of relevant skills.

Share with me - what are you doing with your kiddos to make Math fun?

*I was given product to review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own.

Homeschool Fun with Math Games

I don't know about you but I was never very passionate about math. I get excited about reading, history, even science, but math - nuh, uh.

My son is the same way. He struggles with it more than other subjects which has turned him off to math as a whole. Since I am homeschooling him this year, I am determined to help him and my other children develop a love  like (let's be realistic, right?) for this subject.

One of the ways I am going to be doing this is by having them do more life math skills and play more games that involve using math. Instead of them just listening to me lecture and then doing worksheets - I hope to bring math to life for them!

We recently got a fantastic math division game called Big Catch. It's a division board game for students of grade 3 and up. It is designed to get them 8 times more division practice than in your typical classroom in a FUN way!

My son was super duper excited to try it out. He loved all the bright colors and fun game pieces. He has a bit of practice to get the long division down to really get the game mastered, but he is excited to do so, and that is huge progress! This games makes you the fisherman and gives you a fun adventure to distract you from all the awesome math skills you are developing. It also helps you develop skills of patience, strategic planning, and flexibility.

Also - big bonus - the same company that makes this game offers FREE math worksheets for division, multiplication and more for grades 1-5. I am so excited to get these printed off and feed my kiddos excitement for the fun characters and story lines.

Check back in with me tomorrow for another fun math game that you and your kids will love!

In the meantime - tell me - what do you do with your kiddos to get them excited about math or any other subject they struggle with?

*I received product to review. No other compensation was given. These are all my real and honest opinions.

Wellness 101: Simple Strategies That Promote Healthy Living

Wellness 101: Simple Strategies That Promote Healthy Living 

If leading a healthier life is one of your goals for 2017, know that you can hit that goal! One great way to make it happen is by coming up with a plan and setting smaller goals to help you hit the larger goal. Below you'll find just four of many strategies you can use to promote healthy living starting already today. 


1. Make Meditation A Must. Meditation is beneficial for numerous reasons, including the fact that it can counteract the anxiety you experience due to the pressures of work or complications in personal relationships. Some of the other benefits of meditation include clearer thinking, better sleep, and enhanced immunity. Note that you can begin receiving these health benefits by meditating for just 10 minutes each day. I personally love the Calm app, which I use as often as possible to help with everyday stress.

2. Hire A Personal Trainer. At this time, roughly 80% of Americans fail to get in the recommended amount of exercise. Yet you need to get in regular physical activity if you want to look and feel your best. Some of the great benefits you'll attain from leading an active lifestyle include a slimmer physique, more energy, better memory, more youthful looking skin, and a better metabolism. With these realities in mind, be sure to consider the value of hiring a personal trainer. She or he will be able to develop a customized fitness plan that enables you to get fitter and stronger. Also note that the personal trainer will be able to offer you external motivation on days when you don't feel like working out.

 3. Develop A Meal Plan. If you're serious about getting healthy, get serious about eating well. Many health coaches and wellness professionals argue that diet is the single most important factor in contributing to or detracting from an individual's mental and physical equilibrium. As such, you want to focus on eating nutritious, delicious food around the clock. Developing a meal plan is one of the simplest and most effective ways to ensure that you do so. If you're not familiar with the world of nutrition, you can hire a nutritionist to put a plan together for you. You can also use free online resources like www.cronometer.com to log in your food and then determine whether you're attaining all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally.

 4. Purchase Your Health Products Online. Oftentimes, people complain that getting healthy takes too much time and/or energy. If this is one of your issues, note that purchasing high quality health products via internet can make the process of wellness optimization much smoother and simpler. Companies like Health365 are pleased to offer clients a wide range of wonderful supplements and wellness products that will contribute to mental and physical well-being. Visit their website now if you want to buy glucosamine online or simply browse through their selection!  

Start Your Wellness Journey Today! You can do anything you set your mind to. This includes getting healthy. If you're ready to get on the road to wellness now, start implementing the health strategies outlined for you above!

You can do it!

*This is a sponsored post. Thank you for supporting our blog.

The Great Debate - To Coffee or Not to Coffee

Is Coffee Healthy? That is the question of the day lately in my circle of friends. I wrote an article Is Your Coffee Healthy a few years ago, but I thought it was time to approach this topic again, because I feel like coffee drinking is the American thing to do these days, and I wonder how this is affecting all of us.

Personally, I am not a coffee drinker. I would rather feel tired if my body is tired, so I can give my body what it really needs - more TLC and rest. BUT - I just got back from another trip to Costa Rica several weeks ago, and I had a wonderful time staying on an organic coffee plantation. I took the entire tour of the plantation, learned a ton of great info about coffee, and had an eye-opening coffee tasting experience.

I must be converted to a coffee drinker now, right? Actually no. I mean, I won't turn down an amazing cup of joe, but my husband, on the other hand, has now taken his coffee drinking to another level. He immediately bought a french press, hand coffee bean grinder, and the best organic whole beans to drink every day. It's pretty awesome to research your food and drink to this level, so I am proud of him for not settling for mediocre coffee after we learned and tasted the best of the best.

Back to the questions at hand. My super-smart researcher friend Katie Mulinix had a great answer and much insight to share on this topic, and I'm thankful she allowed me to share it with all of you.

Is Coffee good for us?

Short answer:  Quality coffee brewed well is generally an okay thing to enjoy. It depends on how much you NEED coffee, as well as the state of certain aspects of your health. If you NEED coffee, your health is less than optimal. The easier it is for you to drop coffee, the better your health is. Also, it can be too hard on the body if you have certain health issues.

Long answer:  The NEED for coffee likely stems from a circadian rhythm issue and a lack of melatonin recycling that slows your electron chain transport--which drives your mitochondria's ability to produce energy to fuel your day--and coffee is the crutch many use to fix that issue....it doesn't fix the cellular level melatonin issue, but is a crutch to overcome that. If it's one off day, this is easily recovered from. But daily NEED means you should address those issues, because downstream repercussions are also potentially looming (like hormone issues, as melatonin signaling is an aspect of sulfating cholesterol to make Vitamin D and the more common hormones like progesterone). Coffee NEED is an indicator of brewing other issues, not the cause of them, except in the case of adrenal issues or potentially in high blood pressure. [Steps to reduce one's NEED for coffee--besides reducing your intake--aren't hard but take diligence, assuming you don't have bigger issues like adrenal fatigue or high blood pressure...though those steps also help those issues too...if anyone is interested, let me know, I am not going to go on about that here, now.]

If you don't have high blood pressure or adrenal fatigue, generally speaking it's fine to have a cup. But coffee has the ability to turn into a crutch, whether it's coffee itself or life changes (like not minding your circadian rhythm) that drive the need for a crutch.

As for the coffee itself, it has a lot of nice health benefits....but it can be hard on the body too. Even seemingly healthier coffees like bulletproof can cause issues.... bulletproof coffee can cause glucose to rise in those prone to issues (also depends on the ingredients used and their affect on one's body) and upregulate other pathways in the body  that aren't beneficial; if you add cream and sugar, those need to be quality too (no need to put extra chemicals or inflammation-promoting conventional dairy into your coffee).

The hardest part about coffee is the way it can be both a WANT and a NEED but the want feeds the need until the need for the crutch grows and grows and then you have downstream implications. It can be good for you, until it's not. And then it can be tough to extract yourself from needing it AND you have bigger issues to deal with, issues that often can drive you to wanting more coffee.

However, stressing too much about anything can have worse affects on the body, so there is that aspect, too. Making an educated decision is almost always a great thing, but just keep listening to your body and paying attention to the feedback it gives you let's you know if it's a good thing or not. Stressing about whether or not it's a good decision adds cloudiness to everything you are trying to figure out. 

Katie's personal experience:
I used to drink shots and shots of espresso in massive flavored/sweetened lattes. No surprise, my health was tanking and I had adrenal fatigue, among a laundry list of other issues. I don't think coffee was the key driver (though the loads of milk and sugar were contributing factors, among many other things like endless hours at a stressful job and brewing health issues), as my other issues were major, but in retrospect it was a huge indicator of my tanking health.

I have taken major breaks from coffee for various reasons over the past few years, to heal adrenal fatigue and to do the intro to AIP [the Autoimmune Protocol], which was a key piece in turning off my immune system overdrive that was attacking my thyroid and I have healed a lot of my Hashimoto's hypothyroidism as a result....to be clear, it wasn't just giving up coffee that did this, but was part of a broader plan. 

I have settled into a place where I have a coconut milk latte sweetened with maple syrup 3-6 times a week. And it's a small, personal size French press that yields 6-8 oz of coffee, not 12 oz, per cup.

I found that, personally, I missed the ritual and comfort of a cup of something warm (or cold in summer!), but tea has never cut it for me in the same way. I also need the fat from the coconut milk and the fullness in my belly for better functioning. I rarely ever NEED coffee at this point but it's a really nice to have. I NEED the fat and the belly fullness, but those stem from those health issues I hinted at. I am definitely at the WANT stage and sometimes after a tough night, the NEED stage, but that's a short lived thing now that I have dialed in my health, and that's an indication of my greatly improved health, and a solid place to be in regards to coffee.  

So - friends - those are our two cents. Take them or leave them. The bottom line is listen to your body and make educated decisions. :-)

Your thoughts?

Are Baby Gates Really Just Baby Gates for Stairs?

This is a sponsored post. All content is 100% my own thoughts and emotions. 

As I am sure you know, I am the mother of four beautiful children. After having my fourth 20 months ago, I realized how much my health had been suffering. Since then, I have been trying to nourish my body and bring it back to optimal health. One of the decisions my husband and I made along the way was that it would not be wise for us to have any more children, or at least not for a long time. Bam. End of an era. No more babies.

This was and is really hard for my mama heart to digest.

Finally I got up the courage to have a garage sale and get rid of all the baby stuff. However, I noticed the other day, I somehow forgot the baby gate - yep, as in baby gates for stairs. I walk past this gate 100 times a day, but somehow I have had no desire to remove it now that all my children can safely walk down stairs. Why is that? Is this baby gate more than just a baby gate for me? Is it a symbol of the end of a decade of baby-loving? Am I in denial that my baby is not a baby anymore?

If I am honest with myself, I would answer 100% yes.

Those precious moments right after birth, the days of snuggling and baby drool, a little head falling asleep against your beating heart, the sweet baby smiles, the firsts - first roll over, first time sitting up, first steps, first high five, these are the things I am desperately trying to hang onto for every precious second.

As my youngest grows up and my oldest grows up even more, I have to accept that we are moving to a new phase of life. And it is okay to shed some tears. It is okay to miss the baby moments. It is even okay to let the baby gate stay up for longer than it is necessary.

If you are struggling to move onward from the baby stage, move into the school age or move into the empty nest stage, it is okay. Give yourself some grace, let the tears flow, feel the emotions that go along with taking steps forward into new territory, and enjoy every moment with your precious family because these are the moments you all will remember forever.

3 Great Books to Read Your Child Today!

Reading to your children is one of the best ways to help them to develop a love for reading. As a homeschooling mom and former teacher, I have seen children's faces light up time after time when they are being read to.

The three books I want to share with you today are some of the best out there, and you will see why soon!

Wild Ones: Observing City Critters by Carol L. Malnor is a fabulous book for helping children learn about the nature around them - even if they live in the city. Wild ones are moving into the city! Follow the adorable, curious dog Scooter as he travels through an urban landscape, seeing many wild animals and not seeing even more. The charming illustrations draw upon real-life city scenes from across the United States. In the back of the book, there are many fun ideas you can do after finishing the book or after reading it for the 100th time. The activities are both informational and fun - the best way to learn!

Now we are heading out of town to the farm! Over on the Farm by Marianne Berkes is a fun trip without leaving your home. Welcome to the farm, where pigs roll, goats nibble, horses gallop, hens peck, and turkeys strut! Count, clap, and sing along to the classic tune of “Over in the Meadow” while learning about life on a classic farm. This book is just a fun adventure! The illustrations are so enjoyable and interesting to look at and study - your kids will ask to read it over and over again. At the end of the book, you can find songs, music and movement, science, math, language arts connections and so much more. This book is a valuable treasure you will definitely come back to.

One of the best ways to get your child to eat healthy food is to get them to be a part of it - from growing it to cooking it. Green Bean! Green Bean! by Patricia Thomas will get your child all excited about these green veggies. A freckled-faced young gardener opens a packet of seeds. And the magic begins! This books takes you through the growing season—from a sprout peeking out, to a curlicue catching dew, to a vine twining on a line, until finally . . . GREEN BEANS! It’s time to harvest a full season of garden knowledge and experience. Along the way the young gardener discovers a nook to read a book in the shade of growing beans. Again, the illustrations are beautiful paintings that will capture your attention on each page. At the back of the book, make sure to look for the life cycle science and related vocabulary, instructions on growing your own green beans, and a variety of fun things for children to do. This book encourages young gardeners to put their toes in the soil and get their own gardens growing.

Each one of these books is so much more than just a fun story. These are adventure books full of learning and excitement and fun activities! Get reading!

What is your favorite book to read to your child(ren)?

Thanks to Dawn Publications for these beautiful books for review. No other compensation was given. All opinions expressed are my own.

Online Piano Lessons From Hoffman Academy

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own, and I have loved using their piano lessons with my own children.

I have always wanted my children to take piano lessons. I took them for many years, and I think there are so many benefits to learning an instrument. A couple of years ago, I was fortunate to learn about Hoffman Academy and my son had a blast taking their FREE piano lessons! If you are looking for a piano teacher, please meet one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Hoffman! 

Joseph Hoffman has always wanted one thing, for more people to be able to learn music and to love it while they're learning. He spent years developing his own comprehensive piano method based on research in early childhood education and great music teaching methods like Suzuki and Kodaly. After receiving his master's degree in music and founding a very successful music academy in Portland, Oregon, he wanted to find a way to teach music to children whose families might not be able to afford private music lessons, or who might live far away from a piano teacher.

Five years ago, Joseph and his wife Kelly came up with the idea to create piano video lessons and post them online, for free, so that anyone in the world could learn piano with the Hoffman Method. To support their project, they sold downloadable lesson materials, like sheet music and audio files, to accompany the video lessons. Mr. Hoffman's video lessons now have over 5 million views, with thousands of students watching lessons every day. But he's not done yet.

Right now, Mr. Hoffman has 120 piano video lessons online. He wants to double that number in the next 16 months, then continue to make more. His ultimate goal is to make Hoffman Academy a complete piano learning program, so that a student who completes all the lessons would be ready to major in music at any university and become a professional musician. 

The Hoffman Academy team is also working on building a new, interactive, subscription-based website that will include music learning games and online progress tracking. Video lessons alone can't give personalized feedback, but the new Hoffman Academy will be able to guide students through developing their skills in rhythm, staff reading, music theory, and ear training, and make learning the piano even more fun and engaging.

In order to fund these projects, Mr. Hoffman is running a Kickstarter campaign through the month of February. Campaign backers can try out the new Hoffman Academy premium subscription for themselves at a great discount. Or, you can contribute to this campaign and fund a Hoffman Academy premium subscription scholarship for a child in need. Head on over and check it out!

Do you believe in music education for everyone? Visit their Kickstarter page to learn more and contribute to help make it happen!

The Swiss Army Knife of Essential Oils

I am a huge fan of using essential oils. They have been used for centuries, not just for their beautiful natural scent, but because they promote wellness so well. I love using them to support my wellness - from occasional neck and head tension to supporting my digestive track - they can even be used around the home as an air freshener or even a hand sanitizer.

Lavendar essential oil is one of my absolute favorites, because it is one of the safest oils and has a lovely light scent. Lavendar oil is one of the first essential oils I ever used, and I have been hooked since. I call it the "Swiss Army Knife of Essential Oils" because I can use this little treasure in so many ways and with everyone in my family - from my 1 year old to my hubby. In fact, I use lavender every day in my homemade facial moisturizer. I also love to use it diluted with coconut oil on my children's feet for calming.

 Lavender and Frankincense are two of my favorite skin oils!

First, let me just say that it is important to make sure you are using high quality, therapeutic-grade oils that are in a dark glass container to keep the light from affecting them. Since it is a huge priority to me to only put the highest quality products in and on my body, I get my oils from Young Living.

Did you know almost every oil is a fragrant/cosmetic/perfume grade essential oil, which means they are filled with chemicals/toxins/synthetics/fillers - they can actually do more harm than good. BUT the average consumer doesn't know this and companies can write "pure, 100%, natural" on the bottle if 3-5% of the bottle is pure. This is why I prefer Young Living oils - I can trust them. When I use Young Living, I know I am getting the purest essential oil in that bottle, nothing more. No additives, no synthetics, just pure, essential oil goodness. In fact, they have a Seed to Seal Guarantee that is unmatched by any competitor. That is why they work so well.

 Here are two pictures from the Young Living St. Marie farm in ID. You can even go visit YL farms yourself and check out how your oils are made!

Lavender is so versatile and so very gentle that it can be used by almost anyone. Although it is very gentle on most people, make sure you use caution when applying oils. I always dilute them with a carrier oil like coconut oil or sweet almond oil.

Lavender has a sweet and calming scent, and I love to put a little on my neck as a natural fragrance (bonus: it helps me with occasional stress and tension).

Here are some other uses:

• rub a drop on your palms and smooth on your pillow to support your sleep

• mix a drop with coconut oil on dry or chapped skin

• use 2-4 drops as deodorant

• put a few drops on a wet cloth or wool dryer ball and throw it into the dryer to scent clothes, deodorize and freshen the laundry

• mix with coconut oil to help soothe occasional skin irritations due to weather or activity

• add a few drops to Epsom salts to relax and unwind

Lavendar EO is a great place to start if you are new to essential oils. If you are an old pro, this oil is probably one of your favorites. If you are curious about oils or have any questions, comment below and I will do my best to help you! Also check out my Essential Oil Q + A: How and Why to Use Them.

If you have any other great ways you use essential oils, please share them!

Why You Should Start Adding Moringa to Your Diet

Moringa, what?

If you are not familiar with Moringa, now is the time to get familiar. This awesome plant tops my list of healthy foods right up there with Kale, Turmeric, and Acai.

Moringa (Moringa oleifera) has been eaten for centuries, and it is no wonder why. It contains 46 antioxidants, abundant minerals and minerals. It also offers more vitamin A than carrots, more potassium than bananas, more calcium and protein than milk, more fiber than oats and more iron than spinach.

With a green tea-like taste, moringa supports healthy heart function, liver function, energy levels, anti-aging antioxidants, and overall immune system. One of the brands bringing the plant to U.S shelves is ORGANIC INDIA— the first global brand to distribute organic moringa powder and capsules to the natural category’s nationwide shelves in 2013 and moringa tulsi tea in 2014.

I personally LOVE the Moringa Tulsi Tea. I am currently drinking 3 cups of it a day. My naturopathic doctor recommended having me drink Tulsi tea for combating stress. So for me to find Tulsi combined with Moringa makes this tea my absolute favorite right now. The taste is so mild and it is caffeine free, so I drink plenty of it.

Tea is so soothing and relaxing anyway, but with the power of Moringa and Tulsi in your mug, you will be stress-busting and giving your body great nutrition all in a cup of tea. 

Thanks to Organic India for sending products for me to try out. No other compensation was given. All opinions are 100% my own.

Essential Oil Q + A: How and Why To Use Them

While I have had a long standing, loving relationship with essential oils as you can see here, here and especially here, I had been using them without a huge amount of expertise and only as situations arose that I needed them.

Several weeks ago, Audra Bassett, my wonderful friend with a lot more know-how about oils that I have, wondered if I might be interested in learning more about essential oils and using them on a more regular basis. Learn more about something natural and healthy? Of course!

She sent me this fabulous book, The Essential Oil Truth - The Facts Without the Hype by Jen O'Sullivan, which I read in about a day or two and then re-read several times after. From there, I started using oils and oil blends daily with my whole family. I am super excited to share what I have learned with YOU!

I am going to be doing a three-part essential oils series. Today is the first part, answering your questions about how and why to use them.

Let's get started:

Question #1 - Why would I use essential oils?

I could give you about a million reasons. The biggest and best is because we are in a bit of a health crisis in our country. Much of that is due to unhealthy lifestyles, scary ingredients in the majority of products sold, and people being handed out quick fixes that mask the problem. Symptoms are our bodies way of telling us there is something wrong. When we try to get rid of them with a quick chemical fix that has a slew of side effects, instead of dealing with what is really wrong with our bodies, it often just gets worse and worse.

Oils are different. They are natural - from plants. They are safe. They are effective. And they smell sooooo good. As a mom of four with a lot of responsibilities, I feel comfortable using oils to help myself, my hubby and my children stay healthy.

Question #2 - What are essential oils? Are they safe?

An essential oil is a liquid that is generally distilled from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other elements of a plant. Essential oils are the life-force of the plant, much like our blood. They are highly concentrated, and you only need a little to go a long way. They have been used for centuries, not just for their beautiful natural scent, but for their antibacterial healing properties as well. I love using them for anything from headaches to stomachaches, from an air purifier to hand sanitizer.

They are safe when used properly for people and animals. I recommend that you always start out with a very small amount along with a carrier oil, such as coconut oil or olive oil. Apply a bit to your skin and see how your body reacts. Always do your own research and be responsible. I do not personally ingest essential oils, but if you do, MAKE SURE you use only the very best quality and be very informed about that choice.

Basically, essential oils are natural and very very safe, especially when compared to the alternatives - pharmaceuticals, prescription drugs, etc. But again, I cannot stress this enough - make sure you use only the very best quality.

Questions #3 - How do you use essential oils safely?

See my note on how to use them safely in the above question. But to expand on that, let me share with you the ways I use them. Here is a different post I wrote sharing how I use essential oils.

Oils can be used in three different methods: topically, aromatically, and internally.

Topically - This is applying the oil onto our skin. Oils can either be applied undiluted (neat), or with a carrier oil (which slows absorption). Always follow the directions on the label, and when in doubt, dilute. If any burning occurs or you get it in your eyes, never try to was it away with water. Oil and water don’t mix! “Wash” it off by adding more carrier oil.

Aromatherapy - This is inhalation of the oils. You can use a diffuser (pictured below), place your head over a steaming bowl of water with a few drops added, or directly inhale from your hands or the bottle. When doing so, you trigger aromareceptors, triggering chemical responses in the body.

Internally - This is through direct absorption of the digestive tract. Like I said before, I personally choose not to do this one. I may try it once in a great while, but have not decided to do that at the present time. Surely do NOT ingest any oil that does not say that it can be used as a dietary supplement right on the label. Again, do your own research and make informed decisions. Make sure you know where your oils are grown and how they are handled all the way to the bottle.

Question #4 - Which brand is the best? Why?

I have tried out many brands and you have probably seen me talk about them on my blog throughout the past 7 years. There is one company that I have used throughout my entire time using essential oils - Young Living. They were my first love, and after looking very, very closely at the differences between essential oil companies, I am now ready to say they are my only love.

Let me share with you why.

Did you know that you only need 5% pure essential oil in a bottle to claim it is 100% pure? Unfortunately, that is totally true. So while the labels on that grocery store brand may spout they are "100% pure" it is not what you are expecting in that bottle. Typically it's a little essential oil, and up to 95% additives, fillers, and synthetics - things that will lower the price and quality and result in you needing to use more, or worse, having a reaction to the "other 95%" they added to that bottle. You may notice the other labels say "for inhalation or aromatherapy use only". This means you shouldn't even put those brands on your skin. Some other brands will smell good and work wonders for your needs, but personally, I choose the brand that goes beyond smelling good, and has been tested for use beyond aromatherapy.

Just like I choose high-quality, organic nourishing foods for my body, I want to choose high-quality, organic nourishing oils for my body. I like to know as much about things that go on, in or around my body as I possibly can. My tips for you when choosing essential oils are:

• know where the company grows their crops

• know what they use to fertilize and treat the crops

• know their harvest process

• know their distillation process

• know EXACTLY what they are putting in that bottle

When I use Young Living, I know I am getting the purest essential oil in that bottle, nothing more. No additives, no synthetics, just pure, essential oil goodness. In fact, they have a Seed to Seal Guarantee that is unmatched by any competitor. That is why they work.

P.S. Did you know you can even go to Young Living's farms and help plant, harvest and distill crops? Yup, you can watch and be a part of the ENTIRE process. I think that just rocks!

Not all brands are created equal, and it is up to individuals to determine what is best for their family based on the research they are aware of. Do your research, no matter which oils you choose, make sure you know exactly what is in that bottle and be confident in using it on yourself and your family.

Let me know if I can answer more of your questions or guide you in your essential oil journey. I am here to help! If you would like to be added to a free, educational resource full of people sharing how they use oils, ask to join the Hello Essentials. It is one of my favorite places to go to get ideas about how others are using their oils and what they love about them. Everyone is so positive and helpful. I just love it! (And no, nobody will be trying to sell you anything!) You can tell them that I (Cara Nitz) sent you over.

Next post, I will be talking about how oils have helped me when I am suffering from stress and headaches. Stay tuned...

Three Ideas to Brighten Someone's Day

It is Monday.


The weather is getting colder. Less sunshine. Less Vitamin D. Less time spent outdoors. More colds. More grumpiness.

Let's not get stuck in this depressing cycle. There are many positive things you can do each day to help brighten up your own day and someone else's, as well. I am sharing a few of my favorite tips with you today. Cheer up!

1. Write a handwritten letter. Give a few genuine compliments, write about how much that person means to you, or share a special memory that will make them smile. Something so simple can mean so much. And it will probably only take you one minute to do this. Easy peasy!

2. Random Acts of Kindness. Do we only give gifts when we feel others deserve them? It can get easy to fall into that habit. What about giving a gift today for no reason at all? One fantastic gift idea is a beautiful plant that will not only brighten their day today, it will brighten their day for many weeks, months, and maybe even years.

I recently received a vibrant Grateful Red Hydrangea from Nature Hills. Isn't it beautiful? I kept it inside for a few days to brighten up my kitchen table, but then I planted it outside in a spot I can see every day. It will grow 3-4 ft high and will not wither like a vase of picked flowers, so you can continue to enjoy this gift that keeps on giving. It will provide you or your friend with armfuls of flowers for your vases all season. (extra tip: it is half off right now on the Nature Hills website) Every time you/they see it, they will remember your thoughtfulness and love and feel that special feeling all over again.

3. Make a special treat! My husband knows there is hardly anything I love better than when he makes me treats. Chocolate treats, to be exact. What is that old saying? The way to a man (or woman's) heart is through their stomach. Hmmmm...sometimes that can be true.

Here are a few of my favorite homemade healthier treats:

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies - paleo, gluten free, dairy free, yum!

 

Chewy Cinnamon or Chocolate Brownies - paleo, gluten free, dairy free, delicious!

 

Award-winning Chocolate No Bake Cookies - gluten free, dairy free, melt-in-your-mouth 

 

Make a difference in someone's day today, and I guarantee that you will feel better as well!

10 Concepts For Success That Fit People Live By

I was provided this book to review. No other compensation was given. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

I love a great self-help book. I think I may be a little addicted to them, in fact (part of my perfectionist habits). The latest one I am reading is from Dr. Oz’s personal trainer, Joel Harper.  His new book, MIND YOUR BODY: 4 Weeks to a Leaner, Healthier Life is absolutely fantastic! As I have been reading it, I have been able to learn a lot about myself, and I keep thinking of all my personal training clients who I want to share it with. 

The best part about the book is how personal it is. You work through the book and learn about yourself first.  Then, you can apply his great tips for connecting your meals, moves, and mindset. Meals to keep nourished, moves that can be done in the comfort of home, and the mindset to keep motivated, inspired and thriving. And in the process, he provides a three-step weight loss program that claims to help quadruple weight loss, maximize workouts by 85 percent, and boost happiness and energy levels by more than 40 percent—in just fifteen minutes a day. You will also love the easy, great tasting recipes and a complete healthy meal plan as part of the program.

The book also lays out the 10 core concepts of optimal success that fit people live by:

1. Shut out of the noise – filter your thoughts to discern and disable disruptive mental static.

2. Maximize inner motivation – determining your personal and emotion-driven reasons for wanting to change is what will sustain your motivation long term.

3. Cultivate grit – honing a sense of “try and try again” perseverance can up your success rate by more than 30%, according to University of Pennsylvania researchers.

4. Set specific intentions – clearly knowing what path you are on helps eliminate distractions and self-defeating habits from your life. Establishing extremely detailed daily goals and a plan of action that resonates with the unique vision you have for yourself can result in twice as much weight loss, according to researchers from the University of Sussex and Warsaw University.

5. Visualize success – mentally seeing your future develops a visual layout in your brain, which works like a road map showing you how to get where you want to go. Repetitive practice of visualization lays down actual physical frameworks via neural connections in your brain, which engages your muscles even when you are sitting still, and increases muscle mass. The more specific your mental image, the more specific your results will be.

6. Eliminate excessive choices – variety may be the spice of life, but making many decisions can be overwhelming, which depletes willpower. Having at least one planned meal per day can help make healthy eating automatic; too many choices will more likely lead to a less healthy snap decision.

7. Extinguish escape routes – anything that delays your goal or lowers your standards can take you so far off course, you’ll never get back on track. Don’t keep enablers like “fat jeans” in your closet that make it all too easy to get comfortable with anything less than the goal you’ve been working toward.

8. Yield to traffic – have grace under pressure, go with the flow and make on-the-spot adjustments as needed by accepting that there are times in life when things won’t work out exactly as planned. For example, if your husband surprises you by taking you out to dinner, embrace it and order something healthy off the menu, rather than freak out that you’re going off plan a special treat.

9. Believe it & become it – you can set yourself up with a belief system that produces dramatic differences in your health. An Israeli study published in 2007 shows that confidence in your ability to succeed at weight loss can triple the amount you’ll lose compared to those who doubt themselves.

10. Jump for joy – celebrating your success boosts your motivation. University of Connecticut researchers put women on a 12-week diet and offered half of them a weekly chance to receive small rewards if they lost a pound. Those who received rewards lost twice as much weight.

What do you think? What would you add to the list?

Do You Love Your Kids More Than Your Husband?

I have been struggling with this question for the last couple months.

At first thought, my answer was no. Of course, I love my husband. We were "one" even before we had children. I understand how important it is for my kids to see that my husband and I are a stable couple. So, my priority (after God) is my husband, right?

But, despite my confidence in this, the question keeps bugging me. Do I really love my husband MORE than my kids? Or is it the other way around?

Panic starts to set in as I realize...
I spend more time with my kids than I do with my husband. The time I actually do spend with my husband is most often zoning out in front of the TV or a good book after a long day.

I read parenting book after parenting book to try to get this mothering thing just right. But, am I working that hard to figure out how to be a better wife?

I study my children and wrack my brain all day long trying to figure out how to best communicate with them and love them? Have I quit studying my husband?

I spend every ounce of patience I have each day on my children. When my husband comes home, do I have any left for him?

I am more than happy to talk about all the cute or loving things my kids have done lately. But when was the last time I got excited to talk about how great my husband is?

I rush to give my kids hugs and kisses when I have not seen them in a little while. Why don’t I rush to give my husband hugs and kisses after his long workday?

From all outward signs, I actually love my kids more than my husband.

This realization hit me right in the heart. No wonder we have so many misunderstandings. No wonder we don’t have the passion or romance we used to have in our relationship. No wonder I feel like my husband is more of a roommate/partner than my lover and friend.

Many people might not think there is anything wrong with loving their kids more than their husband. From surveys I have seen, most women do, in fact, love their children more and are happy to admit it. Some of you might be outraged that I am even trying to fix this "problem" in my life. Our children are the only thing we leave behind when we die, right? We better put all the effort and love that we have into them, right?

Well, as I have spent time thinking about this, my personal thought is a great, big "NO!" One of the greatest lessons you can teach your children is that they are loved by you and your husband as a couple, allowing them to feel stable and confident in their family.

My struggle is this... What kind of love can compare to that of a mother’s love the first time she sees her baby? How can a husband compete with the bond of mother and child? When you spend almost all day every day with your children bonding and making memories, how can the hour or two at the end of a day with your husband compete with that?

It is not easy, but nothing worthwhile is easy, is it? It takes serious commitment from both you and your husband - hence the "till death do us part" promises you made. Whatever it takes, I am willing to work harder to love my husband at least as much as I love my children. Not that I will love my children less, but I will work to increase my efforts and make him more of a priority in my life. It is the least I can do for my stud-muffin husband. :-)

Here are a few ideas on how to get back on track with loving your husband just as much as you love your children:

•  Try not to have many expectations. They kill relationships. Don’t expect him to be romantic. Don’t expect him to comfort you when you are upset. Don’t expect him to love you all the time. Let God do all that. Let God comfort you, love you perfectly, make you feel like a million bucks every minute of every day. Your husband cannot be perfect. God is perfect.

• Live gratefully. Constantly think of all the reasons you love your husband and are grateful for him. For me, it always comes back to thinking about "What would I do if he died at work today? Where would I be without him?" Try it. See? Instantly grateful. 

•  Make the most of every moment you have together (and I am preaching to myself the most right here). I know at the end of the day the last thing you might want to do is try to come up with stimulating conversation with your husband. It might be easy to only talk/argue about money, to-dos, children, etc., but try to use this time to reconnect and keep learning about each other. I love asking my husband questions or having mini-dates in. Here are some other great ideas for connecting that I have on my Pinterest page.

•  Continue to grow as a person and grow in your faith. When you can bring the best of yourself to your marriage, it is a lot easier to connect. If you are super stressed, super needy, always tired, grouchy, or whatever it is, it will be much harder to have a healthy relationship with someone else. 

Those are just a few ideas. I know you have more. Please share with us your thoughts on this article and your ideas for how to make your spouse more of a priority!

Remember, your kids will grow up and move out. But your husband is your partner for the rest of your days. Love him!