Recent Oily Successes...

I have been delinquent in posting much recently...where do the days go?? I wanted to share some of our recent oily successes because they have been many in recent days and weeks! It always excites me when oils wow me time and time again. Here's a list of just a recent few...

1. We found a wart cure!! Our boys for some odd reason seem to struggle with persistent warts and we have tried a couple of the recommended oils to try and get rid of them (Frankincense, Oregano) and have not been successful. I read that someone tried a layering of Melrose, Clove, Purification and Thieves. It was a pain to layer 4 oils on each wart so I added the 4 oils in equal proportion into a roller bottle. We began applying the combo to the warts before bed each night. I am so thrilled to say that after about a month and a half 3 warts have been dissolved!! 
2. Both of our boys have always been early risers - up until recently, my oldest son would frequently be awake before 6. Within the last month, I have used a combination of Cedarwood and Stress Away at night on him for his sleepy-time oils. He has consistently been sleeping until 6:45/7 am! An hour of extra sleep for him has been such a wonderful thing for both him and us!
3. I have discovered that Lime is another great grease stain remover.
4. We took a nature walk in a wooded area by our house on Friday and before we left I spritzed everyone with Purification mixed into some water in a spray bottle. Our woods are known for being infested with ticks. We managed to come home without any ticks or bug bites - a big plus! Ticks freak me out!! 
5. We have a terrible problem with gnats in the spring and fall when we want to have our windows open. The gnats are so bad that it is impossible to keep window open. I used the same Purification/water blend in the spray bottle and sprayed my screens. I have been able to keep my windows open as much as I please!! 
6. My five year old was consistently complaining (particularly at night) about his legs hurting. I figured out that he may be suffering from growing pains so I looked up growing pains in my reference book. Sure enough, there was a recipe using a layering of Wintergreen, Cypress, and Peppermint, followed 5 minutes later by PanAway. I applied it each night before bed and he stopped complaining. He did remind me each night to be sure I applied it:-) 
7. My hubby had been sleeping terribly for several nights (he didn't mention it so I didn't think to oil him up!) and last week he asked me to oil him before bed because he was desperate for some good sleep. After a couple nights he told me: "Man those oils are awesome - I have been sleeping so incredibly well the last couple nights". Oh how I love Cedarwood!

I am so thankful for oils!!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and cannot diagnose, cure or treat any illness or malady.

Homeschool project fun...happy oil...kid-inspired vegan paninis

It's been far too long since I last wrote - with beautiful weather, family time, and coming to the close of our school year, I feel as though the days are packed full without much time to spare! I decided to do a combined post of some recent highlights in the areas of our "healthy obsessions!

 One of our recent school activities was learned about how early Americans made yarn and clothing out of wool. We used cotton balls for the activity and the boys had so much fun cleaning the "debris" out of the "wool", combing it, rolling it into ropes and dying it.



Recently Keith has been struggling to stay positive when doing subjects that aren't his favorite (ie. phonics and math). He is a very imaginative and creative little boy and I decided to build on those traits to try and help him feel more empowered to do well at these subjects with a cheerful attitude. I suggested to Keith that he invent an essential oil blend that might help him feel more cheerful when doing not so enjoyable tasks. I asked him to research (using my essential oils reference guide) what oils would be good for relaxation and cheerfulness. He was thrilled with the task and came up with a blend of Joy, Valor, and Lavender. We put an equal amount of each oil into a sample bottle and he named it "Happy Oil". He uses it throughout the day, inhaling it when he feels frustrated or grumpy with his schoolwork. Most times, he can't help but smile:-) Of course we exercise plenty of prayer and scripture reference throughout our days as well because He is the true source of joy in our lives!

Last year the kids and I did a unit on healthfulness in school - we did a program called Nutrition Detectives, watched a couple of health productions such as the Engine 2 Diet on Netflix, and the boys tried 22 new foods in 4 days...take a look here! Recently, the topic of healthful vegan food came up (which is a frequent topic of discussion in our family!) and the boys begged to watch the Engine 2 Diet again. One of the recipes featured on the film inspired the boys to create healthy vegan paninis of their own. They turned out delicious and full of vegan nutrition. The method is easy and can be tailored to anyone's tastes. Start with some sourdough or whole grain bread slices, spread with a generous helping of hummus, and top with a variety of veggies - Keith chose zucchini, kale, asparagus, sunflower seeds, and a sprinkle of salt. Braedon chose zucchini, snow peas, sunflower seeds, and asparagus. Put your bread slices together into a sandwich and grill on a panini-maker or electric grill, pressing down to ensure both sides get toasted and the filling gets smooshed together. Results are delicious!

Tower Gardening 2014!!

 I love spring and summer and gardens and fresh produce!! These are my favorite seasons and I am so excited that we are entering the first stage of this time of year!

This will be my third year of using my aeroponic tower garden and I am extra excited because I will be gardening with TWO tower gardens this year!! I have had such amazing success and fabulous produce the last couple of years that we decided to purchase a second garden. My goal is to grow the majority of our produce this spring/summer.

For those not familiar with aeroponic tower gardens, here's a brief summary. Seeds or seedlings are planted in a soft, sort of spongy material called rock wool (seen in the first picture above). When the seeds have sprouted and grown to about 1-2 inches tall, the rock wool is placed in small netted pots that fit right into the tower garden. There are 20 spots in each tower garden. At the base of the garden is a 20 gallon basin filled with water and tower tonic (nutrients that feed the plants). A pump submerged in the water basin pumps water up through a hose in the middle of the tower and at the top, the water showers down over the roots of the plants and keeps everything watered and fed. A timer is attached to the garden so it waters the garden continuously through the day. For a much better explanation of tower gardens and to see the story of the man who created the tower gardens, visit here.

So, why are tower gardens so amazing and wonderful? Here are my top 10 reasons for choosing to garden aeroponically! 

1. It's easy!
2. No weeding or getting down on your knees
3. It waters itself on a schedule
4. It's very low maintenance - add water and tower tonic every couple days, trim when necessary and harvest!
5. It uses 10% of the water of conventional gardens - saves money!
6. It produces food like crazy (the pictures of the garden and the produce are from last year's bounty)! 
7. The number of pests is minimal because many pests come from surrounding soil
8. The produce is delicious
9. My kids can help plant, water and harvest
10. Almost anything can be planted in the tower garden (beans, squash, tomatoes, herbs, greens, melons, cucumbers etc!)

I can hardly wait to share pictures of this year's two gardens! I have 40 spots to fill and I am so excited! More pictures to come as the season progresses!

For more information or to order a tower garden, visit here.