Back to School Routine 2017

It has been a few years since I shared our back to school routine. Not only is it important to get your kids back into a routine but yourself as well. There is nothing worse than being unprepared. We had a wonderful summer, it went way to fast but we enjoyed it. We had so much fun we were all dreading going back to school.

Getting Ready
A week before school started we started going to bed earlier. This summer my kids went to bed on average around 10:00-10:30pm. On a School night I like them to go to bed at 8:30-9:00pm. So we started going to bed a half hour earlier every night and started our foot massages consistently every night. I do try to continue throughout the summer giving them foot massages with Frankincense, OnGuard or an oil of there choice.

Aromatouch Technique
I try to give the kids an Aromatouch once a month, or when needed. I would love to give them one weekly but it is hard. Life is busy. I do love giving them Aromatouches. With summer we are so off schedule and it is nice to be off schedule. Getting geared up to get back on schedule takes time, not only for them but me too.

Not only had we started going to bed earlier every night. We started our evening meditation and I gave AromaTouches to all a few days before school started. As the first day of school got closer, we all were getting more excited and nervous for back to school night. I have a 8th, 6th, and 4th grader this year. My 6th grader was the most nervous as we home schooled last year and this year he is going into middle school, no recess  and shorter lunch and they have to change classes. We got home from back to school night and they were all so excited. my 6th grader wanted another AromaTouch and the other two followed, so I got the pleasure of giving them all another AromaTouch before bed.

The AromaTouch Technique is a simple yet powerful way to provide every individual with an essential oil experience

To watch a short I mean short under 2 min  video that explains what an AromaTouch is.visit www.aromatouch.com

Well worth watching! And well worth getting one if you can. 

The First Day
The next morning, first day of school, up early, excited and nervous but calmer than the days before. I applied the Balance blend and Lavender to the back of there necks, had them take a few deep breaths, set there intention for the day and off we went. I also have them repeat after me, I say you are a leader, not a follower. Then they say I am a leader not a follower. God has your back, then they repeat that, then God has a plan for you, they repeat that. Then I have them choose and I am affirmation. Examples are I am Smart, I am delightful, I am fun, I am fortunate etc. Then I have then tell me three things they are grateful for, my daughter has about 10 things. I love that they are willing to do this.
They had a great first day.

The First Week

What you begin the first week, can be a start to a great school year so don't be afraid to jump back in. Create what you want and what is best for everyone. Family time is very important to me. They grow up so fast and we get so little time with them. When they got home from school, a quick snack and then homework. I don't let them do anything until homework is done, I have found the longer we put it off, the harder it is to get it done. Once homework is done, they can play and enjoy the evening. We also don't do any fall sport activities, well my daughter might do Gymnastics for one month but she is still in elementary school. And she is extremely good about getting her homework done. I feel it is hard enough to get back into the routine of school and so much is new and it takes a few weeks to figure it all out.

Spending time with my kids is important, as a caregiver to there father with a brain injury and Nana (my Mom) with memory issues and living with us. My kids will tell me often they need attention. It is a hard balance but I manage to do it and I am grateful they tell me when they need attention.

We are blessed to have horses so I made sure they all got a horseback ride with mom before school started and we were so lucky to witness the eclipse the day before school started. We had a wonderful ending of summer and we were ready for our new adventure of the school year.

We all had a great first week. I made sure they were up early enough, ate a good breakfast, put the oils on them. When they got home, I gave them a healthy snack, got homework done and then family time. Before bed teeth brushed, computers plugged in,  relaxing Tibetan bowl meditation, foot rubs and then off to bed.
Remember to take care of you
My husband, my mom and had a great first week with a lot of getting things done and self care. Patrick and I went horse back riding, went to doTERRA for couples massage, went horseback riding again, cleaned out the garage. Now that they are back in school I can get to work on all those summer projects I was going to get done this summer. Oh Nana got a massage too.

Here are some suggestions I got from the Empowered Life Series Back to School from doTERRA. for essential oils to help support you and your children before you go back to school and throughout the school year.

Mental Clarity and Self Focus
In Tune - Recommended to put down the spine. People who are sensitive can put on the bottom of

feet.
It is really important to also take out red food die and add Omega's into your diet. Doterra has wonderful Omega supplements. The IQ Omega for kids, has wild orange in it or the Omega's i the Life Long Vitality pack for adults. Which I recommend all the supplements from doTERRA.
Other oils for Mental Clairity and Focus are Peppermint, Wild Orange and Frankincense. I love all three and so do my kids, just depends on the day.
Peppermint Beadlets are wonderful to have on hand and in your childrens back pack for focus and stomach issuesand I have them on me always. I need self focus to keep up with my children.


Immune System Support
For you and your Children. The Children's supplements and PB Assist and for adults the Life Long Vitality pack. Especially in the winter months or bad weather, make sure you are all getting enough Vitamin D. Low levels of Vitamin D are not good. Also make sure you are getting enough sleep and eating the right foods. Do your kids need a snack before dinner? Try banana's and dates - they both promote a restful night sleep.

I did forget to mention that my kids do take the doTERRA chewables, Omegas and PB Assist JR.

On Guard - Put on the bottom of the feet daily, doTERRA has the new On Guard touch which is in a roll on already diluted for easy application and they can take it to school with them. A great gift for the teachers is a doTERRA Petal Diffuser, with On Guard or Wild Orange. Diffuse as much as you can in school and in the home.
Again they mentioned diet - Lots of fruits and veggies and exercise which provides more oxygen to the brain.

Heavy Metals - accumulate in the Bran, be aware to know how to avoid them. Oils for support are the Balance Blend
Serenity
Frankinsence
Myrhh
Vetiver (my favorite)
Sandalwood.

Not sure what to use? When in doubt use Frankincense on feet every morning and night.

We love the Balance Blend and use is every day. Remember to take care of yourself and use the oils on you too! Also I recommend a monthly massage for mom, you deserve it.

I wish you all a great school year! You are not alone and you have tools and support. Bring essential oils and doTERRA in to your life.

Here is a link to Past Back to School routines Click here
Enjoy!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. 

When Life Gives You Limes, Make Limeaid

Homemade Limeaid

Here is What You Need...

 8 cups of water

1/2 Cup Honey

Juice of 3-4 Limes

Ice

3-5 drops Lime Essential Oil

Lime Slices and fresh mint leaves for garnish

Here is what to do...

Step 1. Combine honey and water in a pot or saucepan over low heat. Stir to dissolve the honey, once dissolved removed from heat.

Step 2. Stir in fresh lime juice and lime essential oil.

Step 3. Chill and Serve with ice.

Other Yummy options are Lemon, Grapefruit, Wild Orange, Peppermint, Lavender and Ginger Essential Oils. You can mix and match as well. I love the Lime with Ginger. My kids love Lemon and Lime. My husband loves Peppermint and Wild Orange.  Enjoy!

Accidents Happen - Take Care of you!

Accidents happen and we are often so busy we don't take care of ourselves. My husband must have been hurting before his heart attack, two months later his dad had chest pain for four days before he told anyone and he was experiencing his fourth heart attack! I am sure you know someone who has done the same in some way. Why do we ignore taking care of ourselves? Through my experiences and yes I am busy but I am here to tell you to stop and take the time to take care of yourself and loved ones because you just never know.

Last week I was horseback riding with my neighbor and husband. We were strolling along on a flat part of the trail, I was eating my apple and enjoying nature and good conversation. A very fluke thing happened and my horse lost her footing and did a face plant and went down. So of course I did too! Didn't get a speck of dirt on my apple. My horse was so good and went back to where my husband was and to our other horse. I was a little shooken up and shaking and probably a bit in shock.

I walked to my horse, she was shooken up too. She had a scrape on her forehead and nose and her knees were a little scraped but no blood. My knee was scraped and my wrist hurt. Not too bad for the fall we had. I walked my horse around to make sure she was okay and didn't have any other injuries. I was grateful to have my first aid kit in my saddle bag. I put deep blue rub on my wrist and on her knees. She was more interested in my apple. I gave her my apple. Got back on her and we headed home.

Once we got home I put the healing slave (recipe here) on my horse's forehead, her knees. I put some Aromatouch blend, marjoram and peppermint on my wrist and the correctx on my knee. I also iced my wrist.  Got everything put away and off I went to take my mother to her doctor appointment.

We made it through my mother's doctor appointment and then I went out to lunch with her and my daughter. Then my wrist really started throbbing. After we returned home to drop off my mother and pick up my husband to get him to the dentist. I did re-apply the oils, deep blue rub and correctx (similar to neosporan, but with oils in it). And off we went to the dentist.

After the dentist my husband suggested I go to the clinic to make sure my wrist and everything else was okay. So we did. Few all okay, well I didn't break Anything, I was a little bruise and hurt my wrist. I was very lucky. I got a soft cast for my wrist, and only need to wear it for 5-7 days and ice it and no horse back riding. I am so glad I got checked out and only had minor injuries. I am so blessed I had my oils and deep blue rub in my saddle bags and able to apply immediately.

I continued my oil routine on my horse and I and we are healing beautifully. I am so glad I went to the clinic and got checked out, it really eased my mind and my husbands. So please stop and slow down in today's busy life and remember to take care of you or your loved ones. And if you see or hear someone else hurting, stop and help them. Life is precious!

I am ready to get back on my horse in a few days and so grateful. I will be adding the salve to my saddle bags. I also have a first aid kit and oils in the car. You just never know and it is always better to be prepared for life's little mishaps.

Here is a list of what I have on hand in my essential oil first aid kit.

Helicrysum
Deep Blue Rub
Lavender
Frankincense
Melalueca
DigestZen
OnGuard
Peppermint
CorrectX

Pick and choose which oils you want to have with you. Your favorites or ones that make sense to you. Use your intuition. It is always changing what I take with me on a daily basis. I do however always have the deep blue, On Guard, Lavender, Melalueca, Peppermint and Frankincense..

Remember to take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Slow down and listen, enjoy the path you are on. Learn from your mistakes and what the universe is teaching you.

Emotionally, I have had a hard time, my horse feels really bad and I needed to stop and listen. The Console, Peace and Balance blend have been very helpful. I feel bad that my horse feels bad, it was an accident. But sometimes we need to figure out why accidents happen. Are they just accidents or is it a message? You get to decide. I know why this happened to me and what I need to do. Be aware, pay attention as my husband used to say. So much to learn in this life and I am so grateful for every experience, good or bad. I hope you find this post helpful in your own life. Everyone is different, everyone has hardships, and different experiences. Sending you love. Be aware and love yourself.

Thank you for letting me share my story and I hope you choose to bring essential oils in to your life. Remember to love yourself!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Lemon Marshmallows

These are so yummy and you can adjust the recipe to other flavors. Enjoy!

Lemon Marshmellows 

Here is What you need

• 1 cup filtered water
• 3 tbsp. grass-fed beef gelatin
• 1 cup organic honey
• 1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
• 2–3 drops Lemon essential oil (Also try Spearmint, Peppermint with mini chocolate chips, wild orange, Lime, Cinnamon and Sweet Fennel/)
• ¼ tsp. sea salt

Here is what to do....

First.  Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and grease with coconut oil. To prevent stickiness, dust with powdered sugar or arrowroot powder.

Second. In a bowl, mix gelatin with ½ cup of water; set aside.

Third. Bring other ½ cup of water honey, vanilla, and salt to boil over medium-high heat. Place a candy thermometer in sauce pan and continue to boil mixture until it reaches 240f; immediately remove the sauce pan from the heat.

Fourth. Slowly pour the honey mixture into the bowl combining it with the softened gelatin; mix on medium-low. Add Lemon oil, and vanilla. Increase speed to high and continue mixing until it reaches a smooth, thick, and creamy consistency.

Fifth. Pour marshmallow mixture into prepared baking dish and spread evenly.

Sixth. Let sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Seventh. Dust top of marshmallow with powdered substance of choice.

Eighth. Carefully remove from pan and cut into squares. Keep in airtight container for about a week.

Note: They also freeze well, and don’t need to be thawed out. Be sure to dust them with extra powdered sugar, arrowroot, or cornstarch before freezing to avoid stickiness.

Our favorite is Peppermint Essential Oil with mini chocolate chips. You can also add coconut for the topping. Enjoy!

I got the recipe courtesy of doTERRA Living Magazine. But the ideas for other options we came up as a family. Enjoy!

Lime Citrus Aurantifolia

Lime is known for its distinct aroma and taste, Lime provides wonderful cleansing benefits when taken internally or used topically—making it the perfect oil for purifying skin, air, and surfaces.* I love cooking with this oil, adding it to fruit salad and drinking it in my water. I have added it to smoothies and I love diffusing it. It has so many uses and benefits.Lime is Cold-pressed from the peel of fresh limes, doTERRA Lime essential oil is refreshing and energizing in both aroma and taste. I love the taste and smell of Limes. Lime provides internal cleansing benefits* and can be diffused to help purify the air. It is also great to clean with. Lime is known for its ability to uplift, balance, and energize. Lime is is known for its purifying properties and uplifting scent. Lime also promotes emotional balance and general well being. It can also be used to help cleanse and; add p purify the skin.UsesLime can be used Topically, use 1 - 2 drops of oil. It is recommended that you use a carrier oil to dilute for sensitive skin. Fractionated coconut oil, coconut oil or grape seed oil are recommended. Internally you ca use one drop of oil in 4 oz. of liquid. Diffuse, use three to four drops in a diffuser to freshen the air.For cooking, one drop is recommend to the equivalent of 2 tsp. of dried herb.Precautions - Possible skin sensitivity. Keep out of reach of children. If you are pregnant, nursing, or under a doctor’s care, consult your physician. Avoid contact with eyes, inner ears, and sensitive areas. Avoid sunlight or UV rays for up to 12 hours after applying product.

This month, the month of August 2017 doTERRA's Lime essential oil is the product of the month and FREE with a Loyalty Rewards order of 125pv. If you would like to learn more about doTERRA's product of the month and get your FREE products every month, feel free to contact me or visit my web site Click Here.RecipeHere is a great recipe using Lime essential oil. This recipe is from the doTERRA Blog. 

Ingredients

Chicken

Lime essential oil

Water

Salt

 

Directions

1. Place chicken in gallon-sized plastic bag.
2. For each pound of chicken, add 1 teaspoon of salt and 4 drops of Lime essential oil.  A
3. Add enough water to make a liquid marinade. Marinate for 8 hours. 
4. Grill chicken.

Tip: Place on corn tortillas with guacamole and salsa fresca.

Enjoy the benefits and flavor of this amazing essential oil. 

**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References, doTERRA.com, doTERRA blog, Itovi app