DoTERRA Essential Oils Review

Today I have another review for you as part of our Christmas Gift Guide.  (Make sure you check out all the ideas there!)

I've been using essential oils for cleaning for a long time.

But there are so many more ways to use essential oils!

My fellow blogger Virginia George also sells DoTERRA oils, and she sent me this lovely starter kit to review.

The thing I liked most was the sheet of 101 uses for Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint that came with it.

I read over the whole thing when I first received the kit, and have gone back and referred to it several times since.

A few examples of what I've done with the oils:

1. Lemon – added to my mop water to help loosen some of the gunk on the floor.

2. Lavender – used to help remove a splinter from my son's finger

3. Peppermint – put it in a diffuser to relax me when I had a headache

Seriously, there were so many practical uses for just these three oils!  I can't imagine what all you could do with more of the oils from doTERRA!

I'm pretty conservative when it comes to essential oil usage.  I always want to make sure they're diluted properly, and I don't ingest (controversial I know, but that's my personal stance.)  But even so, there are plenty of ways to use these oils.

One thing that impressed me in particular about Virginia as a rep. is that she is super helpful.  She reached out to me several times to check if I had any questions or needed help using the oils.   In fact, this is her business motto: When you enroll in doTERRA with Virginia, you don't just get a product, you get a friend. And step by step help to navigate the world of essential oils, natural health, and how to integrate oils into your lifestyle. 

If you're wanting to get started with essential oils, I highly recommend hooking up with Virginia. She will help you get started and help you find the right oil to address your particular health needs.

If you know someone who enjoys a more “natural” way of doing things, this would make a fantastic gift.  You can see how the starter kit is packaged in an attractive box that makes it perfect for a gift.

Check out everything Virginia has to offer here.

Disclosure: I received the starter kit free of charge to facilitate this review.  However, as always, all opinions are 100% my own.

To the Mama Who Feels Like a Failure

Guest post by Laura Carnes

To the Mama Who Feels Like a Failure,

I guess I never felt like a failure growing up. My parents were amazingly supportive and encouraging. I made good grades and always felt school was pretty easy. (Well, there was that one quiz in Geometry, but let’s not talk about that). All went well, until I got married and had children. Great heavens, that was the beginning of what felt like a horrid down-hill spiral of FAILURE!

I forgot everything, never could remember where I put the diaper bag, much less if I put wipes and diapers in it. All those lovely stories about “knowing your child’s cry” and having this amazing “bond’ with your child just seemed to mock my inabilities even more. I remember many times looking down into the adorable albeit dirty faces of my beloved children and thinking “I have no clue what I am doing. I don’t think I understand a word they are saying or vice versa”. I finally came to the conclusion that motherhood definitely does NOT highlight my best skills AT ALL. Truth be told I realized that I FELT like a BIG FAT FAILURE!

I messed up altogether too often.

I yelled, actually yelled, at my kids. I can’t remember my Mama ever yelling at me and my sisters.

My house was never FULLY clean and my kids ate –brace yourselves- CANDY! We even ate cereal for supper sometimes. And heaven forbid, they get sick and need a prescription.Like I was going to remember the dosage for 10 straight days. Forget about it!

The horror of it all was starting to weigh on me. I was (and sometimes still am,) tired, overwhelmed, and yes, a bit emotionally unstable! At some point you finally have to admit what is going on in your home and face it.

And there it is- GUILT. Big, ugly, you aren’t good enough and never will be- guilt!

Then, I realized- I really can’t be a good mother on my own and furthermore I think God agrees with me!

Isn’t that the point? I have come to the conclusion that every circumstance and life situation God puts us in to further our dependence on Him and remind us of our deep abiding need to allow Him to be for us what we can not be on our own. (Click to tweet that!)

That includes Motherhood!

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and he shall bring it to pass.”

There it is in plain black and white. I was trying my hardest to understand, and remember, and stay awake, and etc. etc.

God’s desire is for us to trust. Rest in Him and the ability only he can give.

John 3:3 “He must increase but I must decrease.”

Was I doing all this to be big in my kids eyes or to show them how BIG my God is?!  (Click to tweet.)

Practically though, the Lord taught me a few lessons (and still is) about what to do when I fail my family:

1. It is not only okay to ask your children’s forgiveness when you mess up, it is actually GOOD for them to see you apologize and admit when you have failed. Be real with your kids, because honestly, they usually already know that you messed up. We tell them to be honest with us, then proceed to try and hide our own failings. They not only know, but tend to resent the inconsistency. Admit you were wrong and ask for forgiveness. Model the right way to handle your sin and be a good example of working through your mistakes. They need to learn that from someone that loves them.

2. It is not wrong to ask for help. I repeat, it is not wrong to ask for help. I have found that when I really communicate my needs to my husband, he makes a concerted effort to step up to the plate. He often just doesn’t realize that I need help or if he does, is not sure what specifically I need. Men appreciate specifics! Well, mine does and I am sure I am not alone. Which brings me to:

3. YOU are not the first mama to feel this way! You are not alone. I am sure that not all Mamas feel this way…well, at least not everyday. And neither will you! It is just that – a feeling! My parents were constantly reminding us that “Feelings should not determine actions.” (Tweet) Just because you feel like a failure doesn’t mean you are. Take a step back, a deep breath and then keep moving forward.

I recently have taken up running as exercise and- well let’s just admit it- time for my sanity. The principle of endurance has been reinforced everyday in my sweat and tears. The only way to reach your goal is to keep moving even when you want to quit. The only true failure is quitting.  (Tweet) If you are still trying, and learning, and growing, and making mistakes, and doing better the next time, then you are not a failure, my friend. You are a human!

Parenting may not highlight my best features, but it certainly reveals what needs my focus- dependence on the GOD who is the GREAT I AM when I am nothing.

Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!”

Isn’t that good to know?  Because right now I need to go. My kids are calling!

Love,

A mama who's been there

P.S. Don’t wish the years away! The days are long, but the years are short.

Find more mom-to-mom encouragement on Facebook:

25 Clutter Free Gift Ideas for Homemakers

“It was a nice thought, but I really don't need this.  I don't want to get rid of a gift someone just gave me, but it's honestly just going to clutter up my house.”

Isn't that such a bad feeling?

I don't want you to have to feel that way this Christmas, so I came up with a list of  25 clutter free gifts for homemakers (things you'll actually use and love!) Now you'll have a go-to idea bank when your sister or husband asks what you want for Christmas.

You won't have to worry about any more unwanted gifts cluttering your house if your gift-giver gets wind of these ideas!

1. Restaurant Gift Cards – great for date nights or errand days

2. Etsy Gift Card – if you're wanting a specific accessory or home accent you'll be able to shop for exactly what you like.

3. Music/Audio- A voucher for some new music downloads, audiobooks, or dramatized stories to play as she does her housework is practical and clutter-free.

4. Weekend Away – A couple nights at a bed and breakfast with babysitting lined up would be an amazing gift for a husband to give his wife.  (Find fabulous deals on weekend getaways on Groupon.)

5. Tickets to concerts, events, museums, etc. are great for date nights

6. Gift certificates – perhaps for a massage, manicure, or hair salon

7. A Kindle or some real books if she likes real books better

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8. Digitizing old photos and videos- this is something many women would like to have done but hesitate to do it on their own due to the price. Legacybox is a company I've seen highly recommended.

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9. Something needed – New vacuum, replace old kitchen or bath towels, etc.

10. Outside plants – shrubs, trees, blueberry bushes, etc.

11. Home improvement or home décor gift cards

12. Food gifts –  cater to their dietary needs or to their favorite foods (gluten free, tea lover, coffee lover, chocolate lover, etc.) A Love with Food subscription box would be amazing!

13. YMCA/gym membership – only if she's expressed a desire for one! You don't want her to think you're dropping hints!

14. New cell phone – an upgrade would be a fun surprise

15. AAA membership

16. Home-cooked meals for the freezer – this might sound boring but it would be heavenly to a busy homemaker!

17. Maid service gift certificates – need I say more?  You can find deals on Groupon sometimes.

18. Offer your time and services – painting a room, fixing a computer, cleaning out and organizing a garage, etc.

19. Menu planning service – Build a Menu is the one I use and recommend.  You can purchase an entire year's worth of pre-made menus and save her loads of time!

20. Amazon Prime – This is sooo nice to have!  Free 2 day shipping on every day items like groceries and diapers saves tons of time and stress.  It's wonderful not to have to drag a bunch of kids to the store for those things.

21. Online class – If there's something she's been wanting to learn you can find online classes for almost anything. Craftsy is a good place to get classes on all kinds of things like cake decorating, sewing, photography and more.

22. Photo gifts – Women are sentimental creatures.  Photo gifts are perfect.  I have found that Tiny Prints has some very tasteful designs on their photo gifts.

23. Other sentimental gifts – For example, pay someone to make a quilt from sentimental articles of clothing.

24. Cute apron – I promise cooking is more fun when you look cute doing it!  Check out Flirty Aprons for all kinds of cute designs.

24. This one is for you to decide!  Let's put additional ideas in the comments so everyone can benefit!

Creamy Berry Smoothie Recipe

I am not a big breakfast eater. I know it's important to eat a good breakfast, but I'm just not really an eggs and bacon kind of girl.

I went browsing around on my Build a Menu account for some easy but nutritious ideas that I could make for myself and my kids, and this is what I found:

The recipe was actually a Trim Healthy Mama recipe, but I modified it some and ended up with what I call a Creamy Berry Smoothie. I have no idea if it would still be THM approved, if you do THM, I'm sure you'll know right away if it is, and if not you can modify it back. 🙂

Here's what I used: (definitely approximations because I was really just trying to fill up the blender so there was enough for me and all the kids)

1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup milk
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
3 scoops protein powder
1/4 cup coconut oil

This made a ton! I ended up filling up the kids' popsicle molds with the leftovers.

It turned out so good! I'll definitely be building smoothies into our weekly menus a lot more often – we get our protein, our fat, and part of our daily produce all without cooking or cleaning up a bunch of dishes.

If you want more amazing recipes to build into your week, you really must try out Build a Menu.

(And shh…I've got the word the sale they are having right now is the lowest price they ever offerr. I know a lot of you already love their service, but they've made some changes and it's even better!)

Now go make that smoothie! It's amazing!

Free eBook: 470 Crock Pot Recipes!

I was given this collection of 470 crock pot recipes several years ago with complete permission to share.  I let it sit on my computer for the longest time until I finally decided that it wasn't doing any good sitting in a folder.  So I packaged it up all nice and neat to share with you!

Note: I emphasize “real food” eating around here, and many of these recipes contain packaged ingredients that I wouldn't recommend.  However, so many of those things are easy to replace with something else.

For example: I use yogurt in place of cream of ___ soup or mayo.; create my own seasoning mixes instead of using packets, use homemade bread crumbs, etc.  For baking, here is a list of healthy baking substitutions that I put together a while back.

To get your eBook, simply enter your email in the form below and the download link will arrive in your inbox shortly.  (Be sure to check your spam folder if you don't see it right away.)


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Printable Halloween Tract

Someone emailed me the other day asking if I knew where they could get a printable Halloween tract to hand out this weekend.  I didn't.  So I made one!

I know you can order Halloween tracts from various places, but if you're like me, you never think about it until it's too late to order and receive them in time.  Thus, printables to the rescue!

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I am not even going to go into the question of whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween, but just for the record, our family chooses not to.  “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” seems clear enough to me.  Yes, millions of people are celebrating Halloween “just for fun” and are not out to worship the devil.  But many are.  I'd prefer not to associate myself with the evil that is going on behind the scenes.  (A good book that we have for our kids is called “Mommy, Why Don't We Celebrate Halloween?”  It may even help you think things through for yourself.)  I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do; I just hope that you have put thought into why you do or don't participate in certain activities and have evaluated them under the light of God's Word.  Where your decision falls is between you and Him.

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Okay, now that we got that out of the way, regardless of what your family chooses to do, the fact of the matter is that millions of people are taking their children out for a night of trick-or-treating.  Dozens of children and parents will be showing up at your door.  If you are a Christian, you have a responsibility to spread the gospel to every creature.  You may not be able to spend an hour witnessing to every person who comes to your door, but you can send the gospel home with them!

If you're typically a “stay away from home on Halloween so I don't have to pass out candy” type of person, let's change that this year!

Go buy some candy, print some tracts, and be ready to give the Gospel to dozens of people with whom you would otherwise have never crossed paths!

A few thoughts:

1. Please, please, please do not just give a tract without giving some candy!  Do you honestly think a disappointed child who was hoping for some good candy wants to read your tract?  Do you honestly think a parent with a disappointed child wants to read your tract?  (I know most of us around here are trying to be healthy, so if you can't stand the thought of giving candy, get some little prizes – pencils, little plastic animals, superballs, etc. to hand out.  But to be honest, the parents apparently don't care if their kids get candy, and that's probably what they really want anyway, so you might just want to give them the candy!)

2. It would be good if you could attach the tract to the candy or prize in some way.  (Put them in a baggie together or punch a hole in both and tie together with a ribbon.)  If the parents didn't come to the door with their child and they see a tract when they look through their child's candy bucket, they may not know you actually gave them something else.  If you google “Halloween tract”, you would not believe how much of what comes up is people on atheist forums mocking the tracts that their kids get from people who are too stingy to give them candy.  “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness” and people who hate God will always find some reason to mock, but let's eliminate as many of their reasons as we can!

3. It would be doubly good to make up 2 candy/tract packets – one that says “For You” and one that says “For Your Parents”.  Put some of the good kind of candy in there – the kind that parents raid their child's stash for – and you will make their night!  They may actually want to hear/read what you have to say when they see that you put effort into doing something thoughtful for them.

4. I tried to leave a little room on the back of the tract so that you can write your personal or church contact info on there.  If someone is truly interested in receiving the gospel, they need a place to find more information!  Don't leave them to figure it out on their own.

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