LiFe {unscripted}

Wednesday For the Love of EOs: Thieves Spray

I know what you're thinking..."Didn't you just talk about Thieves spray last Wednesday?!"

Yes.  I did. 

But that was the Thieves Household cleaner that you mix with tap water and put in a spray bottle. 

Today, I am talking about the kind that you can make with just the bottle of Thieves essential oil that comes in the Premium Starter Kit.

Here's what you need:

• Distilled water
• 12-15 drops of Thieves essential oil
• 1 tbsp Vodka
• Amber glass spray bottle (comes with the set)
• (funnel - comes with the set of glass bottles)

I came across this recipe in the Oily Life Guide book I talked about last Friday. This book has other AWESOME recipes in here that I have not seen before and I completely suggest buying one if you are looking for a great guide to start using oils more.

How to:

1. Drop in the Thieves drops
2. Use funnel and measuring spoon to add vodka
3. Fill remainder of bottle with distilled water.
4. Screw on spray top
5. Shake a bit and spray.

I will definitely label this bottle and keep it in my car for the times when we are out and about and need to clean our hands in a pinch.

 

Wednesday For the Love of THIEVES

For the love of Thieves, please go away sickness.

I was just telling my sister yesterday that I feel like this cold/flu season seems like it's literally been going on for half a year.  Not a season, but several seasons, if you ask me.  Always hearing about people being sick and other kiddos  and then questioning myself like, "oh was I around that person?! Was Ellis exposed to that kid that was sick?!"  It's enough to drive you mad, am I right?!

Gah.  I digress.  It's a part of life.  I get it. 

BUT, I am also privy to something that can help keep tha germs away.  THIEVES. 

We use the oil on our feet at night with socks - I've talked about that before here.  We diffuse Thieves.  Smells great and is great for the body. 

But not long ago, I finally also made the switch from a bleach cleaner to Thieves household cleaner for my counter tops. 

I realized that I had several essential rewards points stacked up, AND I could use those points for the Thieves household cleaner.  So basically I got a whole bottle for free.

If you have ever been to my house, you know, we spend 90% of the time in the kitchen at the counter top.  It's where Ellis eats breakfast, enjoys drawing and playing, and sometimes it's where we eat as a family.  So, I now use Thieves cleaner to clean that very spot  -- some days 20X's a day!

For a while I just used a plastic spray bottle from Home Depot for my counter top spray, but just a week or so ago, I found these awesome glass amber spray bottles on Amazon. 

I used my Silhouette and some vinyl to make the label, and then put that baby to use. 

I prefer to fill the glass bottle with tap water first - so that when I add the Thieves cleaner it doesn't foam up and over the top.

One 160z. glass bottle only needs ONE cap full of the Thieves cleaner.  That means that this 14.4 oz bottle (retails for $29.61 or wholesale for $22.50) is going to last  a long time - even if I am spraying and cleaning the counter tops 20xs a day.

Screw on the top of the bottle, and give it a good shake and it's ready to use.

I love the familiar great smell of Thieves and even more that it's non-toxic, so I don't have to worry if my sweet darling decides to lick the counter top instead of using a napkin to wipe up drops of ice cream.  That's a hypothetical scenario, of course - ha! ;)

But seriously, Ellis can also help me wipe down the counters or cabinets and I don't have to worry about having to call poison control.   It's safe, smells good and is helping us to ward off tha germs. 

Cause when it comes to germs, "I kill, I don't steal."

(If you can tell me what movie that saying comes from, we can be besties!)

 

 

 

Are you a fitness instructor?

 

Today's "For the Love of Oils" post is bringing you the good news about Thieves spray!

I am fitness instructor of a hand full of Les Mills programs.  As I mentioned on Monday, this is our Launch week.  Lots of learning, lots of practicing, and lots of memorizing new choreography and it can be a tiny bit over whelming at times when juggling the rest of life.  I love it so much, (even the overwhelming part!) so that's not my reason for this post!

The reason is for the LOVE OF OILS. 

Let's start with the Thieves spray...

I keep one of these awesome Thieves sprays in my gym bag AT ALL TIMES.  Sometimes as instructors, we share the microphones, so my way to ward off germs, I spray down my microphone wind screen with a couple sprays.  Not only does it feel and smell cleaner, the scent of Thieves just freshens the whole room and I swear, makes my brain work better. 

Second, let's talk the oils that I use frequently before I teach class. 

Almost always, I use Peppermint on my wrists and behind my ears, and sometimes just a touch on the tip of my nose.  Peppermint helps my brain to wake up so that all that choreography I have learned, comes alive.  When I use it, I feel more confident that I will not forget chorey and also have the words to really engage with my participants.  

Today, I team taught during our Body Flow launch.  When I teach Body Flow, I love using Valor or Valor II, and Stress Away.  Both seem to calm my nervousness (yes, I still get nervous -ahhh!), and make me feel more calm and centered so that I can really embrace where my body is on my journey in Tai chi, Yoga, and Pilates. I seem to balance better (that was my track today!), and just feel more aware of my body so that I can engage and also connect. 

I wanted to share these here today because honestly, these oils have been my saving grace some days when it comes to getting up on a stage and teaching.  I feel the difference when I use them.  If you are a fitness instructor, there's an oil for that!

 

 

Let's talk Premium Starter Kit

I have talked about Young Living essential oils on here several times now.

Maybe you have tried a few EOs here and there, but never actually dove into the entire kit.  I get it...$160 is a good chunk of money to me, too.

But let's say, you have used some oils and have found yourself re-ordering some again and again...

I believe the Premium Starter Kit is for you. 

Why you ask?!

1.  I will start with the bottom dollar.
IT'S THE MOST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!

"Why would I spend $160 for the whole kit, when all I really use right now is peppermint, lavender, and lemon?!"

The kit is valued at almost $300 for $160. I mean, I know I am not the only woman/mom/wife who loves a good deal, right?!

Because oils work differently for different people it’s best to have a variety of oils to try.

Included in the Premium Starter Kit are 11 5ML bottles.

• Lavender 5-ml
• Peppermint Vitality™ 5-ml
• Lemon Vitality™ 5-ml
• Copaiba Vitality™ 5-ml
• Frankincense 5-ml
• Thieves® Vitality™ 5-ml
• Purification® 5-ml
• R.C.™ 5-ml
• DiGize™ Vitality™ 5-ml
• PanAway® 5-ml
• Stress Away™ 5-ml

 

 

There are 300 oils on the Earth, but you only need 10-20 of them to build a good kit and so that’s why this starter kit is so amazing! The oils you get in the kit are called the Everyday Essentials, and they are super versatile and are pictured above. These oils help support your respiratory and immune systems, support healthy skin and emotions and are a safe way to make your home smell fresh and amazing. Starting out with the kit will give you the opportunity to try different variations of oils and they all support your body systems so much.

2. "So what else comes in my kit, Beck?!" 
YOU GET AN AWESOME DIFFUSER

Diffusing is an easy but incredible way for you and your family to reap the benefits from the oils without applying them topically or  ingesting them . It’s a great way for the whole family to experience the benefits of the essential oils.  And the added bonus?! – your home will smell SO good and you won’t have to burn candles or have to use chemical air fresheners.  In all honesty, I was an avid candle burner...you know those 3-wicks that are so potent?!  I was so skeptical that a diffuser could put out the same amount of aroma and that the scent would actually linger in the room after it was turned off.  IT DOES.  I am a skeptic no more.  Even better, you can try so many different combinations of the oils to change up your scent each time you refill your diffuser. Right now you actually get to choose which diffuser you’d like in your Premium Starter Kit!

3. I call this one, "WAIT!  There's more!"

Your Premium starter kit will also come with some cool extras. 

 

• AromaGlide™ Roller Fitment - this will be your best friend if you are like me, and want/need to quickly swipe oil on the bottoms of your kid's feet before putting socks on her!  At our house, we like to call it the "Thieves tootsie two swipe!"  I know, we are dorks.  But seriously, it's fast and effective for a kid who is always on the move.
  
  
• 10 Sample Packets - these are cool to keep in your purse in case you are out and about and need some oil ASAP, or want to share some with a friend to try.
  
  
• 10 Love It? Share It! Sample Oil Bottles - great to make blends for friends, or just put a few drops in for a friend. 
  
  
• 2 NingXia Red® 2-oz. samples - a great antioxidant drink.  You can take a swig and decide if you like the flavor...I think you will.
• And lastly, your kit will come with some great literature about the oils including the product guide and price list, and member resources. 

4. 24% OFF ANY FUTURE OIL PURCHASES

Remember how we like a good deal? Well, here’s another one! Once you use up a few of those precious oil bottles – you’ll want to reorder them (and you’ll probably want to try the Thieves Household Cleaner and Ningxia Nitro and some Cedarwood and some Orange …) just you wait and see and so your wish list is going to grow! Well guess what? You don’t have to pay retail, you get a wholesale discount of 24% off retail prices. So yep – those good deals just keep on coming!  So even if you just end up re-ordering your Peppermint, Lemon, and Lavender trio oils, you will get %24 percent off each of those...so instead of paying $74.01 (+tax & shipping) for those three oils, you will only pay $56.25 (+tax & shipping).  I mean, good deals at every turn, am I right?!

5. OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF YOUNG LIVING’S LOYALTY PROGRAM CALLED ESSENTIAL REWARDS

One more reason to be a wholesale member and get a starter kit, friends. Essential Rewards is a wellness box that is delivered to your door every month that YOU can schedule and YOU can customize with whatever products you’d like. Not only that, but you earn back a percentage of your order (that amount depends on how long you’ve been with the program) and you get lots of free products, too! Why not use Essential Rewards to replace those “not so great for you and your family” products with products that will benefit your entire household’s health + wellness – all the while earning back freebies?!

Essential Rewards IS an option, but not a necessity right off the bat.  You can opt out if you want when you start, but the option is always there if you want to start earning those point for free product and freebies along the way.  I will talk more about this soon!

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Once you buy your starter kit, you are NOT required to order a certain amount each month. You do not have to tell a soul about Young Living, essential oils, etc...meaning that you can just USE the oils without being a spokesperson/salesperson.  You WILL simply be able to purchase oils and YL products at a discounted price. Kind of like a Sams membership. You pay a small charge to become a member to get cheaper prices.  But unlike Sams, you aren't just paying for a plastic membership card with your bad photo on it (my Sams card photo is awful!), you will get the Premium Starter kit of oils, a diffuser, samples, and literature.

When you get your kit, you won't be left just holding a kit and not knowing what to do with it.  I can and will add you to a few of my favorite oil communities online where great information is located.  If you have a question about what oil to use for what, I can find you an answer.  It's totally not a "one and done" type kit.  That's the thing about folks who use essential oils...we love to share information on how to use them, how to diffuse them, and and what has worked for us, personally.  I say it all the time about fitness, and it's kind of the same...we don't train for an event and then quit when it's over.  We train for a lifetime of wellness and longevity. 

I am more than happy to help you sign up and get started.  Here is a quick link, if you are tech savvy and ready to get started.  But, if you want some one on one time with yours truly, feel free to reach out to me via email and I will personally help you start your journey. 

You can leave a comment here, or email me at [email protected]

 

 

 

No drops left behind.

When I first started using essential oils, I had a hard time letting go of the bottles that I knew still had oil in them, but it would not drop out anymore.  Lucky for me, my smart friend Elizabeth, shared a tip that I just had to try for myself - and have been doing ever since!

Epsom Salt.

I keep this large cookie jar of Epsom salt in my bathroom.  When a bottle of EO is almost empty, I take off the plastic dropper like the photo below:

...and just drop the remaining few drops of oil right into the Epsom salt.

Once the last few drops are in the salt, I securely close the jar, and give it a good shake.  Just like that,  I have delicious smelling, health benefiting, "treat yo self" bath salts waiting for me the next time I get a chance to take a relaxing bath...because, y'all, let's be honest, it's not every day that us mom's get a chunk of time to take a relaxing bath.  AMIRIGHT?!

As for the oils I put into my Epsom salt jar...

I am generally not choosy when it comes to what oils I add to my salt.  The one's I use the most (Thieves, grapefruit, lemon, peppermint, lavender) all get added in there and create a lovely scent when I use them in my bath water - plus, have added benefits.  Every now and then, I will I will empty out Valor, or Frankincense, or Peace and Calming, and then y'all, it feels even more like a "Treat yo self" kind of bath!

For more specific uses of the oils, like when I want to add bath salt to Ellis' bath, I use this method. 

I put some Epsom salt into a little bowl, take off the plastic dropper, and just place the open bottles into the salt.  The combo pictured above are just the empty bottles had on hand this morning for photos.  When I use this method, I try to let the bottles sit in the salt for several hours to allow the salt to draw out any remaining oil. 

When ready to use, take the bottles out and dump the salt into a warm bath.  You can find great Epsom salt & Essential oil recipes for specific uses on Pinterest or even if you just Google search, "Epsom salt and essential oil." 

What to do with the empty bottles?!

Once the oil is drawn out, you can take off the labels, wash the amber bottles and plastic caps in warm soapy water, and save them for mixing other oil blends or sharing some oil with friends and family. 

In all honesty, I used to do this.  BUT once I became an avid essential oil user, I realized I had way more empty oil bottles than I would ever re-use.  So now, I just toss them out.  AAAAAH!!!  I know,  CRINGE!!!  My mom and grandma would shake their heads at me, for sure.   BUT, using this method to make sure that there are no drops left behind first, makes me feel better about tossing them.

Be sure to check out my friend, April's blog, to see what tip she has to share today for the love of EOs. 

Jimmy Legs, meet Dream Catcher EO.

Remember that old Seinfeld episode where Kramer is dating a girl that has "Jimmy Legs?"

I never realized that "Jimmy Legs" were a real thing until I had little miss Ellis Chandler Rose.  Even when she was a tiny baby, the girl would fight sleep.  We would swaddle her and that helped then.  Now as a four year old, she still fights falling asleep, but also staying a sleep...and you can't swaddle a four year old, right?! Noises don't really wake her up...not even barking dogs in the house - true story.   It's usually just her own body.  She has restless legs (and arms, for that matter).  I tried other things like diffusing oils in her room at night, wearing her out with lots of exercise and activity throughout the day, and sometimes it would work and sometimes it would not.

I have been an essential oil user for several years. From time to time, I put oils in my essential rewards cart just to try them.  Enter: Dream Catcher.  I originally bought it to see if it would help ME get better sleep.  And it did.  So one night while doing our normal bath & bedtime routine, I decided to try some on Ellis' legs. 

I diluted 2-3 drops of the oil with about a dime size of the Breathe Easy rub from the Honest Company.  I am sure you could just use coconut oil, but this is what I had on hand for bedtime.  I mixed the oil and rub in my hands and massaged it onto her legs from the knees down to the bottoms of her feet. 

The girl slept. IN.HER.OWN.BED.UNTIL.SUNRISE.

At first I thought, "okay, maybe it's just a fluke," so I tried it again and again. 

I have told many people (even recently), how at least two nights a week she usually wakes up in the middle of the night and comes to our bed. Though that still has happened once or twice, it's usually NOT on the nights when I have used this on her legs at bedtime.  I have also noticed that when she does come to bed with us, she is much more still and less "helicopter-ish." Adam even noticed - as he usually gets her toenails digging into his back - ha.

Not sure how many parents struggle with their kiddo's restless legs, but I can tell you, when it comes to sleep I am willing to try almost anything to get those blissful hours of uninterrupted sleep. 

And that is worth sharing about, right?!

If you have questions email me or leave a comment.  I'd be happy to share some with you if you live in my area or share info on how to get it if you don't live near me. 

Be sure to check out my friend April's blog, for more love of essential oil goodness!