Sleep...or Lack of

My youngest will soon be 5. And let me tell you, she's counting down the days. However, there were many times where I wondered if I'd make it to this point because I was running on very little sleep. I was lucky if I could get a total of 3 broken hours of sleep per night, (and the sleepless nights had started before the end of the first trimester -months before she was born).
This beloved child of mine didn't know what napping was either, once she came into our world. Fifteen minutes, twice a day, seemed to meet her needs. At night, which began around 11:00 pm for her, meant she'd be wanting to feed every hour or so...all night long. That was if she wasn't screaming at the top of her lungs. I often joked during this time that had she been born first, she'd be an only child, but joining the family as child #6 ensures her spot as the baby of the family, and I'm done.

When she was about two, she would wake up screaming at night, and we quickly learned that trying to soothe her with words or a reassuring touch only aggravated the situation and could make the event last an hour.  An hour of kicking, screaming...it was exhausting. Somehow, dad managed to sleep though most of her fits, but not me.  I was desperate for some sleep. (You know it's bad when you're looking forward to a few days in the bush with cadets on a field training exercise just so you can get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep at night...even if its close to freezing and you're sleeping on the ground without a fire nearby).




In comes Stress Away.  Now, I am not promoting this as a cure-all. I am not a doctor and am not

trying to diagnose or treat anything. I am simply sharing my story. But let's face it, I was desperate. A sleep deprived mama can be a dangerous thing...or so the men-folk want us to believe. And as I mentioned,  I was desperate. She was three now, and I needed some sleep, some rest or even just some down time.

I remember the first time I tried Stress Away like it was yesterday. As usual, she woke up screaming and I remember thinking -here we go again, because some nights we went through this more than once. I reached out for the bottle on my night stand and passed it under her nose so she could smell it, being very careful not to touch her. She paused when she got a whiff of it and took a deep breath. Then, to my disbelief, she dropped onto her pillow and went back to sleep. I thought she was messing with me. OK, I know that kids that young, in the middle of a fit, wouldn't try to pull one over on anyone, but it was just too incredible to believe that this oil could diffuse the moment. BUT IT DID. She slept for hours. I slept for hours. For the first time in almost four years!



I soon figured out that letting a drop fall onto her would quickly diffuse the fit and allow her to return to sleep almost a soon as she'd start flipping out. Even better, I started to offer her a drop before bedtime which she gladly rubbed onto her wrists as she settled into bed for the night. I say 'night' because I mean night. Hours of uninterrupted sleep. After a week using this blend, she began sleeping through the night. She's still not a peaceful sleeper, and can turn full circle moving in any which way in the bed while she sleeps, but she sleeps.
You can diffuse this oil and its amazing lime-vanilla aroma will fill the room and offer a blessed night. You can add a drop to a cup of Epsom salts that you add to your evening bath, or rub it on your wrist*. I imagine a drop on the pillow case might be nice as well.

I sometimes diffuse lavender and cedarwood to promote a good night's sleep since Health Canada says they both can 'act as a nervine and calmative which enhances relaxation'. These oils happen to be in the beloved Stress Away blend, and I much prefer its smell . So, needless to say, it has become a staple oil in my home. My daughter now has her own mini bottle that I take with us when we go out, and she can wear her diffuser necklace whenever she wants. 

I love this blend and I am grateful for the peace it has brought to my nights. I've shared it with some friends who were stressed out, and they have fallen in love with it as well.  It's a keeper!

Making Choices

Today we're going to see how making some simple, minor changes can impact not only your life, but our planet's life. It's as easy as swapping  a few things out for healthier, greener choices.
Somewhere on my blog, I mentioned using essential oils for over 30 years. One of the holistic health training courses I took included essential oils in its teachings, increasing an already existent love for nature's gifts.

I'm going to share some of these simple, effective and highly beneficial changes we can make. Oils are the life force of the plant they come from, and the many benefits are simply amazing. Today, with internet at the tips of our fingers, we can easily access the information we need to make informed choices.

I've used essential for most of my life, at first because they smelled amazing, and later because they made me feel better, and once I learned of their properties, there was no going back. Yet somehow, I've only recently switched over to Young Living. I started off with oils from specialty shops where you could get incense and diffusers, which were no more than hand-blown glass sitting atop of an aquarium air pump, (and we paid close to $100 way back then). Since going organic several years ago, I switched my oils as well, not wanting to have concentrated pesticides in my oils, but the ultimate move came when I was introduced to Young Living. Not only do they guarantee a "Seed to Seal" process, where they use only the best seeds, grown and harvested in ways that reflect my priorities, my values, and my vision for the planet. (We'll take a closer look at that another time, butif you'd like to know more now, just click on this LINK).

They are hands-down, the most amazing oils I have ever used. I still remember holding my organic 'before' oils and smelling the difference between the two. I happened to have lemon and peppermint from both companies on hand. The smell alone was enough to show me these were far from ordinary oils, but nothing had prepared me for what happened next...Where I would have used 20-25 drops of my organic oils, 1-3 drops of my Young Living oils did the trick. You cannot imagine my surprise. In making balms, deodorant, creams, lotions toothpaste, outdoor spray, room freshener, hair detangler, bath salts, and more, I just got way more out of every bottle of oil! (There's about 90-100 drops in each 5 ml bottle, and 250 in every 15 ml bottle).

Oils brought a boost of power to my cleaning, out went scented candles and room sprays, and the sense of well-being from diffusing them is something to be experienced.

Not only has Health Canada assigned NPN's* to many of the Young Living oils, but Health Canada recognizes these oils as having the following benefits:

1.  Used in aromatherapy for symptomatic relief of acne/boils.

2.  Used in aromatherapy to relieve minor skin irritation/cuts/bruises/burns.

3.  Used in aromatherapy for symptomatic relief of eczema/dermatitis.

4.  Used in aromatherapy as a nervine/calmative.

5.  Used in aromatherapy to help relieve joint/muscle pain associated with sprain/strain/rheumatoid arthritis.

6.  Used in aromatherapy to help relieve headache.

7.  Used in aromatherapy as a carminative/antispasmodic for symptomatic relief of digestive discomfort.

8.  Used in aromatherapy to help relieve colds/cough.

*(Natural Product Number's,  assigned to health products having passed the most rigorous standards and safety controls)

 (Copied from the Health Canada website)

Oh, and we now have a Canadian "+" line used in food preparation. I made a batch of black pepper and lime kale chips the other night...wow, were they tasty.

Yes, these oils are amazing!

Young Living took it one step further and came up with a "Starter Kit," making it easy to not only fall in love with these wondrous gifts of nature, but they assembled a collection of oils that do it all. All the issues mentioned above in the Health Canada list are covered by what you get in this kit, and more. Aside from a diffuser you get the following oils:

Lavender,
Peppermint,
Lemon,
Copaiba,
Thieves,
Panaway,
R.C.
Purification,
Di-Gize,
Frankincense,
Northern Lights Black Spruce,

A 1 oz bottle of Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier,
AromaGlide Roller Fitment (turn any bottle into a roll-on)
10 Love it? Share it! Sample Business Cards (5 English/5 French)
10 Love it? Share it! Sample Oil Bottles
2 NingXia Red 2 oz samples (a superfood/oil infused drink)
A Product Guide

All this is yours for only $199.97 Canadian. ($160 US) The oils in the US kit are a little different. PM me f you want more info on them.

Rather than go through what each oil does,  I want to share a few personal stories with these oils. Like Lemon, not only does it smell amazing, but at Costco the other day, my youngest was eating an organic lollipop...(yeah...it happens sometimes). But since they didn't have the kind I had purchased in the past, I got another, not realizing there was gum in the middle! The next thing I know, shes got gum on every finger, and of course, through her long, curly hair. I carry a mini oil kit with me everywhere, lemon is in it, so, out comes a drop or two of lemon, and I literally slide the gum right off her hair. (Next came the very sticky fingers lol).
This same child, managed to burn her shoulder on a cookie sheet that I had just taken out of the oven. She'd dragged her bench to look at the cookies, and came up under the edge of the pan, giving her an instant burn, and man can she scream.

A drop of lavender with a bit of coconut oil put out that fire within seconds. She doesn't even have a mark.
Anyone ever lose sleep because someone in the room is snoring? My nights are already short, so when the snoring begins, I whip out my peppermint oil and put a few drops on DH's ankle. (He's already tested it right on his skin and it does not irritate him at all), but what it does do, is make the noise stop within minutes -especially when he's eaten things he's sensitive to.
One of the women I work with told me she was in a lot of neck and shoulder pain due to an accident moving a patient. I pulled out my panaway, fitted with the roller top, and applied it to her sore muscles. She was able to lift her arm above her shoulder, something that had become near impossible since the accident. The pain eased, mobility increased...how cool is that?
My daughter loves to work out and runs a 10 Km as often as she can. Using R.C. before hand helps improve breathing while she's out running. (It can get pretty humid here in the summer).
Thieves....dearly, beloved Thieves. My 2 youngest do gymnastics in an awesome gym, covered with everyone's sweat and germs, lol. I rub a drop under their feet (mixed with a bit of coconut oil), and off they go. IF they catch anything, it never lasts for more than 24 hrs (and so far they average one 24 hr cold a year),  while the others can drag it on for weeks. We LOVE this oil. When people are nice enough to come over for a visit, while nursing a cold no less, I diffuse Thieves. (Thieves and orange smells amazing). So far, we haven't caught anything since.
For tummy issues, Di-Gize has got you covered. Trust me. I could go on... and just for fun, look up the benefits of Frankincense oil.

Imagine a soothing massage with these amazing oils...or adding one drop (I kid you not) of lavender oil to a cup of Epsom salts (shake well) and put that into a relaxing bath you'll fall in love with.

One last story...Stress Away. My youngest has always been very intense. She'd wake up at night screaming, and we couldn't even touch her to reassure her without making things worth. This had been going on for months...until I opened up the bottle of Stress Away and had her smell it by simply passing it under her nose, careful not to touche her. She fell right back onto her pillow and slept through the night! I  thought she was messing with me at first, but no...this oil not only ended her night terrors, but she finally began sleeping through the night. She was 3, so it was long overdue, for both my mental and physical health.

Oils are absorbed into the body within seconds, and they do a body good on every level. Simply breathing them in while using the diffuser is an experience all in its own. No more toxic candles,  plug-ins, or room deodorizers needed. And now with the 'plus' line, we can enjoy them in the kitchen. I added 2 drops of spearmint + and a few of tangerine + to a jug of homemade lemonade. Sooo good!

Why get a kit? Because you can't lose with this deal. When you buy it, you're saving about 1/2 price on getting these items on their own. You get an awesome diffuser, and as an added bonus, you can purchase any of the Young Living products at 24% off for a whole year. If you want to extend this privilege, all you need to do is buy for $50 during this year. That's it. You never 'have' to buy anything else.

I decided to give them a try even though I already had a cabinet full of oils -that I usually bought a bottle at a time. I learned that if I bought for 125 pv (point value based on $1 US = 1 pv), I got a free bonus oil. Also, between 10 and 25% of the pv value was banked, and I could use them in exchange for more products. (The 1st 3 months are at 10%, then you move up to 20% until it's been 24 months, from which point on you get 25%).

Young Living offers everything from oils to makeup, baby care products to supplements, infused superfood drinks and more. All made with safe, non-toxic ingredients that you can trace back to their origin. Their Thieves multipurpose household cleaner impresses me every time I use it, from crystal clear windows, to a sparkling clean kitchen, bathroom and floors. I washed down the siding on my house off the deck last week. This stuff is amazing! And all you need is a capful of soap in a spray bottle full of water! It's crazy. I've stopped buying glass cleaner, floor cleaner, bathroom cleaner, kitchen cleaner and all the rest. This one bottle does it all.


Young Living offers more than oils, they give you a helping hand in getting back online with a healthier lifestyle, making better choices and leaving toxic, chemical elements out of your daily routine. Add healthier food choices and see how far you've come? Feels good, too, doesn't it?

If the business side of Young Living interests you, give me a shout. I'm never far away -especially since my computer woes have subsided, lol.

My Young Living number is 11073874 if ever you need it.

You can have your kit delivered to your door within days.

Special bonus!!!
If you want one, I'll cover the shipping costs!

Reducing Your Plastic Use

By now you've likely come across a post on plastic waste in the ocean, or a campaign against drinking straws, or seen pictures of the tons of plastic rolling around and rapidly engulfing our planet. Terrible, isn't it? But have you really taken a close look at plastic in your everyday life? Have you given any thought to what you use, throw away, recycle?

 When you throw away something that could have been composted or recycled, when you chose single serve packs of apple sauce for the kids' lunches rather than buying a large a glass jar that you dish up into smaller, reusable containers, when you put a plastic spoon in the lunchbox to go along with the apple sauce...and you think something like, "What difference can I make, I'm just one person?" Every person, every gesture, every effort is valuable. I laughed when I read this, "The person who thinks they're too small to make a difference has never tried to sleep with a mosquito in the room." So never dismiss your efforts as being inconsequential.



We have done more damage to our planet in the past 150 years, than mankind had managed to do in the previous 1000. If we want to be able to leave something for future generations, taking action isn't really an option anymore. It doesn't have to be painful either. It's all about becoming aware of our actions and adopting healthy ones.

So come on, let's start the journey together, invite friends and family to join in, and make a party of it. I'll get the ball rolling and share some simple steps you can take to do the same. To make it more interesting, share what you've done with us here. Invite friends and family to join in.

Let's start with 10 items. Here goes!


1-Straws. We gave up plastic straws for glass and stainless steel. Now, I prefer the glass to the stainless, but glass is not practical with kids. Last week I found bamboo straws for them!
2-Utensils. We bring our utensils from home anytime we pack a lunch. Bamboo utensil packs are affordable and come in a cloth pouch. The adult kit has a pair of chopsticks in it as well. We went out for veggie burgers the other day and we got to sample one of their desserts,  using compostable utensils. Now how cool is that?
3-Plates. Be it for a beach picnic, a school lunch or a lawn party, there are alternatives here too. Paper, bamboo, stainless steel, and yes, banana leaves, (totally Awesome!) or even glass, depending on where you're going and what you're doing with these.
4-Bottles. Here too, we can buy glass, (sport bottles have a silicone casing to protect them), stainless steel, or even a mason jar can do the trick.
5-Coffee cups. Bring your own coffee cup to fill at your favorite morning stop. There are many models on the market to choose from.
6-Shopping bags. Most stores offer reusable bags, from IKEA to Costco to Walmart. In the end, it doesn't matter where you get them, it just matters that you use them. You could even make your own.
7-Produce bags. I am fortunate enough to do my groceries online (I love my awesome organic grocery store! Shout out to Bio Sattva up in Val David, Qc!) I pick up my order in 2 big bins, so no grocery bags, and no produce bags. Everything is placed directly inside the bin as is, without plastic. My daughter bought herself a set of mesh reusable produce bags, so that's another option, or again, make your own.
8-Food storage containers. I donated all of my Tupperware and plastic containers a while back and switched to glass containers. I also use mason jars a lot! There are also silicone stretch covers that fit over almost any size bowl.
9-Soap, shampoo and  domestic cleaners all come in plastic bottles. It's getting easier and easier to bring your jars and refill them at bulk stores. We have zero waste stores for both food and soaps/cleaners, so we just refill our jars or containers.
10-Plastic wrap/bags. It is now possible to buy reusable lunch bags to pack sandwiches and such. They come in different sizes with cool colors and patterns. To replace plastic wrap, beeswax covered organic cotton is another option.

Amazon and organic health food stores carry most of these products. If you find other places, let us know!

I came across this on Facebook one night...definitely food for thought. Even if we recycle, we're still contributing to the problem, not the solution. Plastic is everywhere and in almost everything, from your phone, television, computer, car, home and more. Every bit we can cut down on helps. Just look around you and count how many things are made of plastic. My laptop, screen, printer, wall plug/switch covers, thumbtacks, mp3 player, phone, pencil holder, pens, fake fireplace heater, and multi-frame wall art are all made of plastic to varying degrees. It's everywhere. I can't imagine a wooden printer either. So for now, we're still stuck with it. But that doesn't mean we can't start to eliminate the over-consumption and waste choking our planet.

Let me know how you are doing on your end. Together, we can and will make a difference.  I love sitting back and watching discussions between my 2 youngest, (4 & 10), on composting, recycling, organic foods and healthy choices. Every bit helps, every step makes a difference...not just for us, but for our beloved planet.