Have you ever said something dumb  – and then had to back-pedal and change your tune?

I still remember where I was standing – it was in the girls’ bedroom. And I went Live on Periscope to tell about 4,000 people that I thought essential oils were DUMB and I was STOPPING.

You see, I had been using “essential oils” for years. I had had ZERO results. I thought they were ridiculous, so I gave up and walked away. The problem is, I was using any essential oil from Dick, Harry, or Suzie Q, and I expected them all to work the same.

Here’s what I didn’t know – I didn’t know my friend Nikki was watching.  I didn’t know she had bought some for me to give to Eli – I didn’t know…I didn’t know what I had done wrong for years.

What Changed?

You see, Eli (4) has allergies to synthetic chemicals. He lived every day in scratchy, broken-out misery. I didn’t know to help him. Nikki did.

After switching to Thieves cleaner, Eli stopped breaking out. After switching to Thieves laundry soap, Eli stopped having break-outs on his legs. After switching to daily use of Lemon+Lavender+Peppermint, Eli could play outside in shorts instead of long-sleeves and pants.

None of my family can deny the drastic difference that Young Living oils/products have made in our lives. I am so thankful – thankful that I got over my big-headed dumb self and admitted I was wrong.

Toxic-free living isn’t bunk – it’s not a trend. It’s necessary for living a healthy life. When nothing else worked for us, Young Living did. When I prayed for an answer, God sent it. And I am grateful.

I started studying. I’ve learned that xenoestrogens in our “fragrances” that are man made are really bad for us, resulting in overloads of estrogens – and that leads to all sorts of problems: heavy periods, early puberty, PMS, migraines, hormone problems.

I’ve learned that man-made things aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. That God has an amazing way for us to take care of ourselves. And we are thankful.

I don’t want my kids to grow up in a toxic environment. I want to give them the best that I can so they can live their best lives. And I want the same for Barry and me.

I HATE it when people are vague, so I will be pretty frank with you right now….as frank as the FDA will allow me.

How have we seen improvement?

Stacy: I have been able to support my hormones so that my periods are amazingly easy. My emotions are more stable. I know how to deal with stress in a healthy way. I sleep better than I ever have. My skin looks amazing (thanks, Frankincense!).  Energy levels? No problem, thanks to Super B!

Barry: I am able to rub his back down with OrthoEase at night to help him sleep better since he has a bad back. He is able to support his stomach issues with Digize and Peppermint Vitality. He keeps himself above the wellness line in the winter with NingXia Red and Super C chewables.

Annie (age 9, almost 10): Really struggles with sleep…Stress Away and SleepyIze have become her friends. She can use them at night and finally drift off to sleep. She also struggles with really dry skin and has had amazing results with the Genesis Lotion and the Coconut Lime Body Butter.

Andy (age 6): When I use RutaVaLa on him, behind his ears, he can fall sleep literally in minutes. His favorite oil is TummyGize. When his tummy needs it, he can lie down, get it rolled on his tummy, and be right as rain in only a short time. He likes to carry a roller bottle in his pocket – with Highest Potential or Christmas Spirit.

Eli (age 4): He’s the reason we started. All the Young Living products changed things for him. Lemon + Lavender + Peppermint before playing outside. Genesis Lotion on his skin when he has issues. Peace & Calming when he has  4 year old meltdown (we see results in minutes for his mood). He loves the oils – and I love that he does.

Ruthie (age 3): I love that she’s growing up in a toxic-free environment. She knows oils and how to use them safely. Because of her tendency to climb and explore, we use Owie on her regularly. She loves to choose the diffuser blend each night!

It Didn’t Happen Overnight

I’d love to tell you we made an overnight change. But that’s just not true. It’s been small steps each month. We use Essential Rewards to help us – every month I choose what I want. Every month I get a nudge that this is a new thing we do.

Every month they give me back 20% of what we spend. I get so much for free – it’s really the only way to live this oily lifestyle.

Over the course of 2.5 years, we’ve changed out harmful things for safer things from Young Living. Small, slow changes stick and keep me from being overwhelmed.

It’s also really helpful to the budget, considering Thieves cleaner only costs me $1/bottle to make. Thieves laundry soap lasts me for months. Oils are diluted and easily stretched. It allows me to spend extra on our supplements.

The kids take MightyVites every day. 1/day for maintenance.

They also take MightyPro, the probiotic for kids that’s price-compareable to what’s recommended at the pediatrician.

Barry takes: Master Formula, NingXia Red and Super C chewables.

I take: Omegagize (fish oil), Multigreens, NingXia Red, Super B (energy), Super Cal Plus (magnesium), and we both take a Young Living enzyme for our digestive health.

What I Won’t Tell You

I won’t tell you it’s easy and I won’t tell you it’s the cheapest thing you’ll ever do. The average household spends $2,200 in medical care each year- and that’s not counting major medical ANYTHING. You probably won’t spend $2,200 with Young Living, but you CAN improve your wellness. For us, the switch made sense.

It makes sense to us to invest in our health and wellness via Young Living and healthy foods.

I realize not everyone is on board with that – or even ready for that. But when you are, I’m your gal. I promise:

• To give you all the resources you need to be successful
• Check in with you regularly and be there for you when you need me
• Get you plugged into our amazing Facebook community
• Invest in your business when/if you’re ready

What do YOU have to do?

• Purchase a Premium Starter Kit and let that be your first Essential Rewards shipment
• Get plugged in to the community
• Use the resources provided
• Use the oils!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ORDER HERE – make sure the number 10093632 is in the Sponsor and Enroller field – check the box to let this kit be your first Essential Rewards (ER) shipment (you can change it before next month when you decide what you want. I change my order each month. I’ll be mailing you info about how ER works.)

ER is really the best way to live an oily lifestyle and get tons of freebies at no extra charge. You order $50 or up each month in products you need.

If you want to know what other items I recommend as you get started living oily, I will put some options below for you – but know that I am sending you a welcome packet and you can literally get started with that and what comes in your kit. These are all just extras.

• Roller bottles https://amzn.to/2GitipP
• Glass Spray bottles (2pk) https://amzn.to/2X7Alat
• Carrier oil https://amzn.to/2X2qOBu
• Extra diffuser https://amzn.to/2KzOoEo
• Gelatin capsules https://amzn.to/2UbvDXC
• Epsom Salts https://amzn.to/2X82DBI
• Storage Shelf https://amzn.to/2Dn3MhF

ORDER HERE – make sure the number 10093632 is in the Sponsor and Enroller field – check the box to let this kit be your first Essential Rewards (ER) shipment!!

You’ll hear from me ASAP so I can get you plugged in and start loving on you immediately!

Have you ever been in a season or state of life where you are just so busy and it seems like all you do is run from the time you get up until the time you go to bed? Do you ever feel like you are just going crazy and can’t get it together? Do you ever wonder if you’re going to make it to tomorrow?! Is it possible to deal with busy seasons without losing your ever-loving mind? Today I am going to show you that yes, yes it is!

[Read more…]

We’re getting ready to chat again about Ditch and switch. This time, we are headed into the kitchen! Since I know some of y’all might be wondering, what exactly does ditch and switch mean? This is all about deciding to ditch a nasty, harmful toxic product and switch it out with something better and healthier. You don’t need to go out and buy a whole new closet full of cleaning supplies all at one time and break your budget! Instead, we slowly ditch and switch one or two products at a time.

When something runs out; replace it with something better.

The main two resources I recommend to help with this are the Think Dirty app or the EWG Skin Deep Database. When first started the ditch and switch process,  I pulled up my kitchen dishwashing soap. I was completely SHOCKED to learn that my lovely blue colored dish soap – that I had been using for my entire life! – was rated a 9!! Y’all – a 9 out of 10! And I’m scrubbing the things we EAT off and DRINK out of with it!

Ditch and switch number 1 – Thieves Cleaner.

This Young Living product literally cleans EVERYTHING in my house. Kitchen, bathrooms, floors, spills, windows, doorknobs – you name it, Thieves Cleaner cleans it. I have a spray bottle in the kitchen – and under every sink that is easily ready to grab and go. I don’t have a different product for every room or every job. I use this for EVERYTHING.

Next on today’s ditch and switch – Thieves Dish Soap.

This dish soap is so amazing and very concentrated. It very effectively replaces “the other leading brand” and is free of all the harmful chemicals! When I get a new bottle, I pour 2/3 out into a mason jar. Then I add some baking soda and distilled water and shake. And y’all know I cook A LOT of bacon, sausage, etc.  and it totally cuts grease!

I always keep foaming hand soap by my sink too. In my kitchen, it’s a pretty blue mason jar, but in all the bathrooms, I use plastic containers. Because… children. I’ve shared this recipe before – because I have been using this for years. If you haven’t yet, check it out here.

The next ditch and switch – Thieves Dishwasher Detergent.

One thing I know…people take their dishwasher soap very seriously.  It’s about to get really personal y’all. Because as it turns out, everyone is going to have a favorite dish-washing detergent. You know why? Everybody is different. Some people have hard water while some people have soft water. Some people have a crummy dishwasher and others clean like it was made by NASA!

I’m a huge fan of Thieves dishwasher detergent. It works great for our water and our dishwasher. I use half of cap of dish-washing detergent and then fill up a little bit more with vinegar. You might not like this detergent and I completely get that.But please go check on Think Dirty’s App to see if there is a brand that will work better for you!

Last big switch – Thieves Fruit and Veggie Wash.

If you’ve followed me for awhile, you know that I am OBSESSED with washing fruit and veggies. The thought of eating your fruit and veggies WITHOUT WASHING IT completely disgusts me. I used to wash my produce with a big sink full of water and vinegar.But I actually hate the smell of vinegar!

Now, I just fill my sink all the way to the top and I add two big capfuls of Thieves Fruit and Veggie Wash. Then just let my veggies soak for about 5-10 minutes and watch as the dirt and grime literally lifts off the produce and sinks to the bottom (no pun intended).  Big bonus – I’ve noticed that my produce keeps WAY longer than before I used Thieves.

Making small changes like this in your life can have a snowball effect on other areas too! Baby steps like these ditch and switch substitutions lead to a natural progression toward health and wellness. You’ll realize that not only can you make changes in your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry, but you can change the food that you are feeding yourself and start exercising to take better care of yourself. Natural, gradual changes are the VERY BEST way to make life-long changes!

What does ditch and switch look like for you in your kitchen?

This is the first post in a three post series all about what I’m calling “Ditch and Switch”. What exactly IS ditch and switch? Several years ago, my family and I became very aware of the harmful and toxic chemicals in so many of the products we were buying in the store. We learned about this firsthand because of the struggle we faced with my son, Eli, and his very sensitive skin. Very slowly, over the last few years, we have begun to gradually replace the toxic products in our home with cleaner, healthier options. And just so this whole idea of “Ditch and Switch” is not too overwhelming, I’m breaking it up into three parts: Bathroom, Laundry, and Kitchen.

And today, we’re headed into the Bathroom!

[Read more…]

Slowly in our home, we have replaced things that are harmful or contain harmful or toxic chemicals. Over time, we’ve been able to do better! We don’t believe it has to be all or nothing. We believe gradual change is the kind that sticks! When you jump in and try to do something 100% whole hog – it’s too much!

Today, I want to focus on ditching and switching in the laundry room and cleaning closet.

[Read more…]

If you are a new follower of the blog, you might be wondering…what is KonMari? KonMari is another name for decluttering and it is actually not really a new thing. It originally became a trend when Marie Kondo published her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up in 2014. The idea of the KonMari style of decluttering has just resurfaced lately thanks mostly to the new TV show on Netflix. But Barry and I started our journey with KonMari over 4 years ago and we owe a lot of thanks to Marie Kondo and her book.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up really did change our lives. Let’s get into how.

[Read more…]