Lavender to Replace a Benadryl

I take Humira, which, for me has been causing a large amount of joint pain...from my finger tips to my toes.  I finally called my doctor on Friday afternoon when I realized  that, in addition, to my joint pain, I was having red dots break out all over my arms and legs.  She thought I might be having an allergic reaction to the Humira and advised me to take a Benadryl.

So, I pulled out my Lavender, which is a natural anti-histamine, and put about 10 drops in a pill.  When I say minutes....I mean within MINUTES, my joint pain was reduced.  On top of that, I put Lavender and Frankincense directly on the red dots.  Some of those dots were painful, others not at all.  BUT, they all had some inflammation.  Within about 15-20 minutes, the puffiness to the dots was gone (Frankincense is an anti-inflammatory) and the redness had lightened.  I did that on Saturday, too and today, Sunday, the dots that I put oils on are almost gone.  The dots I didn't put oils on....still there.

Essential Rewards are Da Bomb!

Do you like to get the best discounts possible when you shop?

Then you really need to check out Essential Rewards!

Suggestion: Try it for 3 months...if you aren't pleased then you can cancel at anytime. It is by far the best way to keep your home stocked with the oils you love! We are getting close to school starting...time to start planning on the oils you need for the year.  UP to 44% off....its a no-brainer! So why not earn FREE product along the way. If you need help on what to order...just let me know!  www.pennysampler.com

Slathering My Face in Essential Oils!

I have had so many people ask about the Young Living Skin Care products, so I thought this the best way to share what I use.

In December, when I dove into Essential Oils head first, I was really convicted by my skin care.  For several years, I have been working really hard to remove bad things from my diet, but not my skin care products.  When I looked at my favorite skin care products, they had bleach, SLS, hydroquinones and a handful  of other products that are truly toxins and hard on our liver.  When I added up the toxins in my foods (sugar, pesticides, fertilizers, preservatives) I was already panicked.  Then, I started to add all the known KNOWN toxins in my shampoo, lotion and skin care products, I started to have a small panic attack.  Cold turkey....I quit them all.

**Just want to insert here that I have always been of the opinion that my body can handle "all that."  BUT....having learned recently that when our liver cannot handle all of the toxins in our body, it stores those toxins in fat.  Our brain is 60% fat.  I don't want toxins in my brain NOW or in 20, 30, 40 years!  I want to prevent anything I can!**

It wasn't pretty immediately.  I will tell you that.  My face, while in the best place it had been on those old products, was full of toxins that needed to de-tox.  So, I dug in deep and waited for my face to clear out all those bad things while using products that were 100% pure and in no way harmful for my body.  I looked forward to using them every morning and night...it was so much fun!

I couldn't buy everything I wanted at once.  So, I started with the Essential Rewards Kit (The reason I love ER so much.  You can get more stuff for your money AND earn points for free products).  I use these on a daily basis.  I typically use the foaming cleanser in the am plus the Day Activator.  I rotate the Night Reconstructor with a few other things in my nightly routine.

At night, I use the Orange Blossom Face Wash.  I like this A LOT.

a) I have had it for 6 months and it is NO WHERE close to being out.  I use less than a dime size to wash my face and that is MORE than enough.

b) It has no soap in it.  Soaps dry your face, stripping your body of the good oils.  THEN, you have to replace the good oils.  That whole mess is when you break out.  By allowing your body to keep the good oils in your skin, it makes for really healthy skin.

While I was clearing my face up, I used the Cream Masque EVERY NIGHT.  And the best part about it, apart from the fact that it smells so great, you can sleep in it!  I sleep in it every time and when I wake up in the am and wash my face, it is SO soft!  Not to mention, it really keeps my skin healthy and blemish free.  One of my FAVORITE products for sure.

Eye cream.  Oh, lawsy.  LOVE the Wolf-berry Eye Cream.  I use it every night and sometimes during the day.  It does a great job of removing the dark circles.  It tightens the skin and it has Wolfberries in it, which is highly regarded by the Asian population (where it grows) for anti-aging effects.

When I don't use the Creme Masque at night, I love the Bosweila Wrinkle Cream.  It smells fabulous and has ALL the necessary oils in it to promote collagen production which, in turn, results in anti-aging properties.

When I have time and am wanting to be extra-special to myself :)  I use the Cloth Beauty Masques.  They are cloth.  They are wet, loaded with Orchid Oil (big name in anti-aging and refining your skin) and amazing.  The first time I used one, I could only leave it on for 20 minutes.  BIG mistake.  I use this when I can find time to fall asleep with it on my face...be it nap time {ha!} or I fall asleep with it on my face at bedtime.  It takes approximately an hour to dry and you should keep it on until it completely dries.

I am a product LOVER and have tried SO many things for my skin.  There are only one or two brands that I found in the past that I really liked.  There is only ONE brand that is totally pure and doing NO harm to my body as I use them.  Even better, the longer I use them, the better my skin is looking.  I cannot sing the praises MORE of all the skin care products at Young Living.  Every one of them is loaded with the essential oils that work best for your face and skin.  SO comforting to know they are ALL doing something fantastic for my skin.

You can buy ALL of these products on my website:  www.youngliving.org/pennysampler

Valor Oil for Attention...{Follow Up}

I posted this May 1st on Facebook:

This even surprised me a little....My oldest sometimes needs a little help with focusing during school. Mostly when he has long reading passages. He can't remember what he reads. Last week was the STAAR testing at our school, so I put a little Valor on a tissue and told him to keep it in his pocket. If he needed to stay focused, he could put it up to his nose and pretend to wipe his nose. Day one was math/science...."I didn't need it, Mom" Day two was reading..."I sniffed twice and it helped." He jumped in the car yesterday and said, "100, 104, 100 and a 101, Mom!" I was so proud of him, as his grades are all over the board lately... In a sweet little voice he said, "Mom...that stuff works! I sniffed it during my tests on Friday and I got all 100's!" If HE is a believer I am FO SHOW a believer! I will take Essential Oils to treat ADD any day over meds! PTL!

The last day of school, my boys brought home their report cards with their STAAR testing results.  My oldest, as mentioned above, typically aces Math and Science, but as he gets older, his reading/attention to reading is slipping.  It is nothing dramatic, but his all "A's" are creeping down to all "B's" in the reading and comprehension department.  When I opened the STAAR results, I couldn't believe my eyes.  In fact, I  thought I was looking at the wrong child's report.  Then, I realized that my middle son didn't take the STAAR yet.  The reading scores were even better than his already top math and science scores in some sections.  I could NOT believe it. 

I was so proud of him.  When I looked back at him with my jaw dropped, sweet thing hung his head and said, "Is it bad?"  I started squealing.....it was GREAT!  He was as surprised and as excited as I was.  Confirmation that the Valor Oil really worked for him.  So so pleased and excited for him.

Peppermint to the Rescue!

I made a very bad decision last weekend after I worked in the yard. I drank from a previously opened Gatorade bottle in our garage fridge. After I guzzled half of it, I realized there was something wrong. There were chunks. Then I looked and there were swirls....then I spewed as much as I had left in my mouth.....out! After I recovered from drinking who-knows-what, I was so mad as I KNEW this sensitive stomach was in for it. Sure enough 1am rolled around and I was awakened by a rumbling stomach. Loud enough to wake my hubs. I was up and down to the bathroom and was SO tired. I had to sleep. So I grabbed some Peppermint Oil (the go-to for tummy troubles) and rubbed a few drops on my fiercely angry stomach. I kid you not, the grumbles stopped almost instantly...within a few minutes. So fast it even surprised me. I laid down in bed thinking it was too good to be true, just waiting for the need to go back to the restroom.....and I drifted off to sleep for the rest of the night. After that, mark my words. I will not EVER be without Peppermint Oil. Not to mention, it zaps a zit, too  Whooda thunk?

RC and Asthma...Wow!

My sweet 10 yo has battled allergies and asthma his entire life....asthma attacks as an infant. Meds, steroids, breathing treatments, repeat. I discovered an oil called RC is good for asthma. So...we gave it a shot. Every night for about a week he was coming to our room at 2am b.c he was wheezing and needed a breathing treatment. So, I stopped his nighttime Advair and rubbed 3 drops of RC on his chest. No wheezing the first night. We relaxed and forgot a night. He came to our room at 2am wheezing. Instead of the breathing treatments, I put his drops of RC on his chest and held my breath! He slept next to me and within 10 minutes he was fast asleep, no wheezing and never woke up again. For us...that is miraculous. It's really tough having a child with asthma. We never miss a night now. LOVE that RC!

I Walked a Mile Last Night

I have always been active, exercising regularly, playing tennis, etc.  Since October of 2012 when I was so sick, I have not been able to exercise.  It has been very humbling, as I could tell that my body literally needed what energy it had to heal.  And...if I used too much energy, I would be set back.  That was even if I stayed up too late or was on my feet all day.  It's so hard to explain, even to my sweet husband, that I just don't have the energy.  I have never been one to not "do it all."  I think I have worked thru so much pain and nausea that I have great determination just to complete whatever it is I am doing.  Humira has changed all that.  It's not something you think about, but rebounding from exercise requires your immune system.  Your immune system is SO important to your daily health and energy.  It has been hard to explain to my husband that I literally cannot stand up a minute longer.  I have to balance my day according to my energy.  That really sucks when you aren't that old!

And, I am taking a drug that totally suppresses my immune system.  ARGH!  In addition to all the weird things that crop up in my body because my immune system isn't strong, I take a LONG time to recover after exercising.  I have been playing tennis on two teams just to get moving.  I play on one less competitive team and I do fine.  But, when I play on my competitive team, it can take up to four days for me to feel like I haven't run a marathon.  My joints ache, my muscles hurt, I am wiped out all day.  The kind of wiped out that feels good on day one.  But doesn't feel so good on days two, three and four!

I determined that I have got to start somewhere so I started with walking a mile last night.  It was just me and my music...my praise and worship music which always cheers me up.  I started strong thinking, "I can do three miles!"  By the time I looped our one mile circle and I was back at my house, my ankle was throbbing and my muscles were sore already.  I truly felt like I had run 5 miles.  It's crazy and humbling.  But I have to start somewhere.  I don't know if I will ever do better until I get to get off the Humira, but I am trying!

So, for me...one mile is a huge success :)