30 Days of Spring Cleaning - Naturally!

Cleaning?  Naturally??  For 30 days?  Why not!  Who is with me?!


Only recently have I organized my Pinterest boards, in hopes that they would be useful to others.  As a result, I have noticed more people pinning from my boards and more specifically, following the Cleaning Naturally with Essential Oils board.  So, due to popular interest and my own lackluster cleaning routine, I thought April would be a great time to get myself into gear!  I am taking the challenge to use only natural cleaning products during my Spring Cleaning this month!

My goal? To share with you how I will switch out regular cleaning products (with chemicals) to a simpler, more natural way of cleaning our home. My hope is that this will be a positive change in caring for the overall health of my family.

Tools You Might Find Helpful for the 30 Day Challenge:

1. A desire to learn and possibly even ENJOY cleaning!  (I'm praying for this myself!:)


2. Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes : this beautiful ebook is my go-to manual for the next 30 days.  Most of the recipes I try, will come from this treasure trove!  It's a great reference where you can find inexpensive, all natural cleaning recipes.  For a limited time, it is even 25% off! 


3. Essential Oils:  I love Young Living therapeutic grade oils because of the high quality and a little goes a long way!  I am so excited to start adding them to our cleaning routine and see what health benefits come from this.  You can visit my Young Living website to order, if you would like to purchase some for the next 30 days!

If you have a tight budget right now, feel free to follow along and Pin things for the future!

What to Look Forward to for the Month of April:

1. Advice from an older woman:  I hope to interview 1 or 2 older and much wiser women than myself to get their take on spring cleaning and how they use this time to bless their family by taking care of the home.


2. A guest post (or 2): One of my good friends uses essential oils AND Norwex.  She is planning to share her favorite cleaning products with you- I can't wait!


3. Reviews on homemade cleaning recipes- I will be honest with you and let you know if it worked or bombed!


4. Things I already do:  There are a few things I already do to clean more naturally, so I will share those as I go.


5. Tips and Tricks- I hope to share little tips and tricks with you that will make your spring cleaning a breeze!

Please come back and visit often throughout April and share your thoughts on spring cleaning naturally.  My hope is that these posts will bless you and your family and inspire you to take charge of your family's health in the realm of cleaning products.  Blessings!

Day #2:  From Grimy to Shiny- DIY Kitchen Scouring Powder Review

Day #6:  Cleaning Advice from an Older and Much Wiser Woman

Day #10:  A Few Ways To Start Your Spring Cleaning – Naturally

Day #13:  Day #13: Natural, Inexpensive, DIY Laundry Detergent and Giveaway!!

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Please remember I am not a doctor or professional and the FDA has not approved these items for  the prevention or treatment purposes.  It's important that you do your own research and consult your doctor with any health issues you might have.  This post contains affiliate links- thank you for supporting our family and ministry by using them!

The Essential Dozen Club: 12 Oils in 12 Months!

 

[caption id="attachment_59" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Youngliving.com[/caption]

Are you confused by all the information out there about essential oils?  Are you limited on time?  Are you wanting a healthier alternative with no side effects for your family’s health?

How in the world do you learn about oils when you’ve got a million other things to do?  How do you try them out when it may be out of your budget range to order the Premium Starter Kit?

Enter… the Essential Dozen Club!   I’m so excited to start this up and help others learn about essential oils and how they are so beneficial in everyday life! 

Who:  You!  The experienced oiler, the novice, the person who wonders even what an essential oil is!

What:  I will be choosing one Young Living Essential Oil each month.  (It will be an oil that is very useful for a variety of things, so that we can experiment with it and test it out)  Some months I will be including a roll-on applicator, a glass spray bottle or a 10% discount with your order FREE depending on which oil we are using! We will also share our findings collectively on a Facebook page, so other can learn from each other.

Why:  Many people are reluctant to buy essential oils if they have never used them before.  I really want people to be fully educated on what they are and how to use them, before they choose whether or not to implement them in their household.  Essential oils have been a huge blessing to my family and I want to help share that blessing with others!

How to Participate: 

-Leave a message on this post with your email address and I will forward you specific instructions.  (If you do not want your email address to be shown on the blog, please note that, and I will delete it before I approve the message- therefore keeping your information confidential.)

- You can choose which months you want to participate ahead of time.  There will be a deadline when I need to submit the order, so you’ll need to let me know before then. 

-Those who place an order each month will receive a bonus at the end of 6 months!

-If you already have the EveryDay Oils Starter Kit, you can participate freely since you will have the majority of the oils we will be exploring!

Look for the post revealing our 1^st Essential Dozen Oil for February ..... coming soon!  I can’t wait for you to join me on this exciting journey of exploring essential oils! :)

A Glimpse of Jesus

Do you ever wonder what Jesus would look like in your everyday life, today?  What would He say?  What would He do?  Where would He be hanging out?  And with whom?

I caught a glimpse of Him today and.... it took my breath away!

My husband and I were visiting one of our friends who was a refugee.  We were watching a television show from her native country, so it was in a language we did not know well.  Our friend explained that there was a celebration going on in the streets of this city and that the television camera was capturing the festivities and the people who were partaking.

Eventually the camera settled in on a crowd where there was a television reporter and he was speaking to the people.  One by one they were taking turns speaking into the microphone.  At first all we could see were people weeping and gesturing wildly with their hands.  Our friend translated for us:  one man was holding up his 5 year old daughter with a bald head - she had cancer.   A woman was dressed all in black, lamenting the death of 2 of her sons in terrorist bombings.   Another and another... and another came to the microphone voicing their pain, their loss, their poor health.

You didn't even have to understand what they were saying to understand the pain in their eyes and their hearts.

It was then that I caught a glimpse of Him.  This must have been what His daily life looked like- swarmed with crowds of hurting and broken people.  All clamoring to see Him and tell Him their hurts and to be healed.   But what kind of man would stand there and just listen.. I mean really listen?  What kind of man would have the patience to speak to each one individually?  What kind of man would have the power to heal - not just their broken bodies but their broken spirits?

Only one man would (and has done this!)...

Jesus.

He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  Yet... He knows how many hairs are on your head and mine.

He is the Alpha and the Omega.  Yet... He thought of you and I before the foundation of this world was laid.

He is the Good Shepherd and yet.. goes out and searches for that one lost sheep.

He is perfect and loving, strong and just, compassionate and forgiving.  I hope and pray that He comes back soon, because I can't wait to get more than just a glimpse of Him - like I did today!  Just that glimpse filled my heart to overflowing and took my breath away.   Doesn't that make you wonder what it will be like to see Him face to face and spend forever with Him?!

 

 

Battle Round: Menthol Cough Drops vs. Thieves Essential Oil

"And from the package comes............Mr. Menthol!!!!  The cough drop who has ingredients one cannot pronounce.  

Froooooooom the other side .........Mr. Thieves!!!  A spicy, strong and aaaaaaaaalll natural essential oil.  

Who will win this battle round?!  Let's watch and see...."

Okay, so I maybe have been watching (a couple too many) episodes of The Voice with my family.   OR.. a week and a half of fussing, sick children has driven this momma a bit loopy!

But either way, I want to let you know how my real life experiment worked out.  So there I was, my throat felt like it was on fire.  And I mean....ON FIRE!  I was sitting on the couch and it must have shown on my face... or by the gallon of cold water I was chugging.  My concerned hubby asked," Why don't you just take a cough drop?"

Me: I haaate how it tastes!  (said in my best, if not a bit whiney, voice :)

Concerned Hubby: "It will make your throat feel better."

Me: "oooooooookay."  *sigh*

So I toughed it out and took a menthol cough drop (Yuck!  Hate that flavor... anybody else?)  And I'll give props to my concerned hubby, the fire in my throat was somewhat quenched for 30 minutes or so.

As my throat reignited with what seemed like another fire- I had an epiphany!

Now might be a good time to try out my own 'Soothing Throat Spray' recipe from:

So within a couple of minutes I had gathered the materials and followed this super simple recipe:

Soothing Throat Spray

- 1 clean glass spray bottle

-8 drops Young Living Thieves essential oil

-water

I put the Thieves oil in the spray bottle first, then filled the rest of the bottle with water.  Put on the cap, give it a shake, and was ready to put out the fire in my throat!  I opened up my mouth, said, "Aaaaah" and sprayed a couple of well directed sprays to the back of my throat and waaaaaaaaalaaa!  Fire quenched!

This time, I had relief for one and half hours!  I sprayed it again after that and I had sweet relief for the rest of the night!

So who is the winner of this battle round??  I'd say we don't even need to vote on it! (Mr.) Thieves oil is the clear, all natural, and budget friendly winner!

 

 

Please remember that I am not trying to treat, diagnose, or prescribe anything.  I'm sharing because I am excited to tell you of my own experiences with Young Living essential oils and how they have worked for our family!

A Manly Post; Essential Oils Aren't Just for Women!

Guest Post: Please join me in welcoming my loving, talented, and supportive husband who wrote this guest blog post today! 

 My wife is a Young Living distributor; so naturally I have learned a few things about essential oils. I'm no missiOILogist, but when something aches, I have a few oils that I can recommend for someone to try. Over the last 6 months, I have seen my wife minister to refugee women using oils and prayer as a means to point them to Jesus. I have been amazed at the knowledge and care she brings to her ministry! As a good husband, I have advocated for her use of oils and supported her in her endeavors when it comes to purchasing new oils, writing blogs, and attending classes. However, I never planned to actually use the oils outside of our home or even in my ministry to men.

That is until last week..

We meet with a wonderful family each week. We all usually crawl around on the floor and play with my one year old son. We eat tasty Middle Eastern food, drink tea, and watch a lot of Arab T.V. But as our relationship has grown they have begun to share their struggles with us. So, when my friend told me that his back had been hurting for a number of years I offered to pray for him; but my wife also reminded me that she had essential oils.

So I reluctantly offered to use them...fully expecting him to refuse; after all, he is a guy and using oils is more for girls right?

[caption id="attachment_144" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Listen up, guys! Oils are for manly men, too![/caption]

Wrong!

 My friend was very excited to try them. So I applied Lavender and Peppermint oil to his back, and applied some heat afterwards. After placing the oils on his back, I prayed in the name of Jesus to heal his back. And to my joyful surprise, God healed his back.

He felt great afterwards!

Praise God!

So here's the point: God is powerful, my friend was healed, and men, oils aren't just for women!

Click here to visit our Young Living website to find out more or to order your own essential oils.

Disclaimer:  Please remember we are not doctors and are just sharing our own experiences with Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils. 

Hey Moms...You Can Reach Out and Make a Difference!

Moms-  do you ever feel like you are unable to 'do' ministry?  Do you feel like you can't possibly add another thing to your busy life which is filled with changing diapers, preparing meals, and cleaning up afterwards?

OR... maybe I should ask... Do you know God can use you to transform communities???  Do you know that you and your family can love your refugee or immigrant neighbor like Jesus and not be afraid of the unknowns of a different culture?  Do you know that it might even be easier to befriend foreign born families if you have young children?

Rewind ........



I felt like I was in a busy phase of life... I had just had a new baby and a 3 year old who loved running around singing "do-do-do-doooooooo.. Batman!"  I was cooking meals, attempting to keep up with the housework, opening our home to our church and our refugee friends a few times a month, supporting my husband in his work. making weekly ministry visits and trying to find ways to diligently teach our eldest son about Jesus' love.

Fast forward less than one year.............



Now I am living in a beautifully diverse neighborhood where daily I am blessed to interact with and love on my neighbors who have immigrated here from countries that are considered closed to the gospel.  I am still struggling to keep the apartment clean, support my husband, disciple our children and run after our little one as he tries to crawl away and get into something he shouldn't!  But God, in His grace, has allowed me to be a part of my neighbors' lives.

I am just so excited about how God is using me- an imperfect stay-at-home mom who has her hands full -  to try to live out the command to 'love your neighbors as yourself'!

I want to encourage all moms out there that YOU CAN participate in the great commission and not have to make a huge life change or pack up and move your family to another country!

I'm praying that God will give us all a passion and grant us courage and love to reach out to those of our neighbors who have never heard the gospel or met a 'real' Christian before.   Moms, let's open up our homes, our hearts, and our lives for the glory of God!  Let's not be content to live with our comfort in mind, but to truly follow Jesus and love the sojourner and the oppressed.  Let's lay aside the weight that easily entangles us and run this earthly race with endurance and purpose!

.....I can't wait to share with you some ideas on how to get started!

How Ocotea Oil Helped Save the Day

.............I might have to give up......

FEELING TERRIBLE

My sweet husband was laying in bed, looking quite pale and miserable.  His hands were shaky and his energy was super low.  He has bouts of hypoglycemia and has problems with low blood sugar.  Normally he would eat a bunch of things with sugar to try to get it under control.  But.... that's not an option during these 30 days of fasting... (well not the 1st option anyway!)

He looked at me and said,"I might have to just give up and eat. "

Have you prayed about it?

"Yes, I'm praying about it."

I prayed also, and we went about our routine for the afternoon.  Then I had a thought..

Do you want to try an essential oil?  I've heard Ocotea is good for blood sugar problems. (Ocotea oil is derived from a type of tree found in Ecuador related to the cinnamon species)

"Sure." he replied.





I went to my Higley Desk Reference and looked up 'hypoglycemia' and 'low blood sugar'.  The main recommendation was to use Thieves oil, but ... I was out!   So I prayed and then got the ocotea-  put a couple of drops in his hand, he rubbed it around 3 times in his palm (to activate the oil), and then applied it to the middle of his left foot.

Why the middle of his left foot???

Great question!  It's the vitaflex point for the pancreas.  (This information is also found in the Higley Reference book)   To be honest.. I don't really know much about the vitaflex points and why the point for the pancreas is on the left foot.. but we went with it!

GOD USED OILS TO SAVE THE DAY!

He still looked miserable........until...about 5-10 minutes later!  God made a way for the oil to work and my husband has been able to continue to fast.  Yay!  I get so excited when God uses the Young Living essential oils to bring healing to our family in different ways.  AND I was super excited that I didn't have to continue the fast by myself...  :)



Disclaimer:  I am not a professional or a doctor- just sharing what has worked with my family using Young Living therapeutic grade oils.  Please consult your doctor for medical advice.