Positive Parenting Solutions

Thought I would take a bit of a departure from the usual oily talk today and tell you about an awesome resource that I found recently via one of my favorite bloggers, Mommypotamus.

The tagline was "How to Get Your Kids to Listen Without Nagging, Reminding or Yelling" and as a mom of an almost 4 year old I was definitely interested. Amy McCready of Positive Parenting Solutions promises to teach you how to do just that. I went to the webinar (she offers free webinars from time to time) and I learned a lot. Without giving too much of her own material away- I walked away knowing:
- why my son acts the way he does sometimes (and it's not just because he's trying to make me crazy)
- how to properly punish him when necessary (without using corporal punishment)
- and most importantly, how to train him to be a responsible child, then teen and later adult.

Positive Parenting Solutions does charge for a membership (which at the moment I currently don't have) but what I love is the plethora of free resources such as the webinars, blog and they are currently offering a free quick start guide which includes a parenting profile to help you identify what type of parent you are and how you may be affecting your children and their development.

The membership offers options of training videos, calls and other forms of supports to help you on your parenting path and the silver and gold levels offer you lifetime access.

Their blog is really helpful to follow- some of their recent free offerings include articles about apologizing and 10 steps to better behavior. And if you get the opportunity to attend one of their seminars, I highly recommend it.

What's In Our Healthy Kids (And Parents) Tool Kit?

This Saturday, I thought it would be fun to talk about the oils that get used the most in our home and why. Finding ways to stop a nosebleed dead in its tracks or helping my son have more comfort while teething is why I started this natural search in the first place.

As I mentioned before, lavender is the first oil I ever tried. Lavender is often called the "swiss army knife" of oils for its many uses but in our home we use it for allergy relief for my son and sometimes me. I helped my friend a month or so ago with a painful sunburn by pairing lavender and some coconut oil to take the sting out. I originally got lavender to help my oldest son take better naps and now he can't go to sleep without the smell of lavender.

Copaiba made my top 5 quickly for it's aid in helping my youngest teeth. All it takes it some coconut oil and a drop along his jawline and he is all smiles. I haven't yet explored all the uses for copaiba but since it is an anti-inflammatory oil I am looking forward to using it in place of my old go-to ibuprofen.

I picked acceptance oil for my oldest. This oil is magical, even my parents have noticed that he seems to behave and listen better after using this blend. I diffuse this also at night for myself because sometimes it's just a good idea to have some help letting go of the day (especially if it's particularly rough) and moving forward.

Frankincense is amazing. It is no wonder to me that it was brought to baby Jesus as a gift. It is a great calming oil and I have used it with both of my boys to help them when they get really congested. And for all of my fellow chronic headache sufferers, this stuff works wonders when you start to get a headache.

Finally, as I was writing this I knew I had to include cypress. It has stopped a nosebleed (and I mean stopped) twice in this house already. It is great for relieving nighttime coughing and I love it's woodsy smell.

What are some things you can't live without in your healthy kid's toolkit? I would love to hear your oily and non oily tools for helping your family stay healthy!

All About Copaiba Essential Oil

Breaking from my discussion about the everyday essential oils kit, I had to write a bit about an oil I just got 24 hours ago. This is copaiba essential oil. If you have the everyday essential oil kit, you will recognize this oil as one of the oils in the blend Stress Away.

I have been "on the fence" about ordering this oil for a few months now. It came to my attention as a super oil to pair with lemon and lavender for an allergy protocol. Copaiba is a strong anti-inflammatory and also acts as a magnifier to enhance the other oils with it. Last month, I read that it is helpful for teething babies.

In the short time that I have used this oil and I am already loving it. I used some diluted along Carson's jawline and he immediately started smiling. I have also tried some on his stomach and have noticed his stomachaches seem like they are causing him less pain. I have it diffusing right now and it is a sweet, faint smell. I am also really looking forward to using it for myself in place of ibuprofen.

Have you ever used this oil? What are some of your favorite applications? And as always if you want to learn more join our Facebook group at Let's Talk About Oils and we can all learn more together!

Orange Essential Oil Winner!

And the winner is Heather Alaniz! Congrats Heather! I will contact you and get your orange essential oil to you!

Essential Oils 101 Webinar- TODAY!

Our webinar is today at 7PM CST! Come join us for an introduction to essential oils and a watch party contest. We will be giving away a copy of Homemade Mommy's Beauty Essential e-Book.

You can register at this link http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EA57D683864A39

Hope to see you there!

How I Use: Frankincense

DISCLOSURE: My husband is a minister but what I am about to say about frankincense is purely my own experience. 

I LOVE frankincense. I was definitely most curious to try this oil out of all the oils that come in the everyday kit. For me, it was an acquired love. One of the earliest ways that I used it was for a headache. I put a drop on my temples and my headache was gone instantly.

Frankincense is very calm and relaxing. I love it diffusing. It's also known as one the oils that is safe for babies to have diffused. Frankincense is good for calming nervous energy and can help you sleep.

One of the most common ways, I hear about people using frankincense is for skin improvement like reducing stretch marks and skin rejuvenation.

My favorite oily story involving frankincense was a few weeks ago when we were hosting an oil watching party. We were passing around the everyday oils and my aunt had been having trouble with her chest feeling tight (from asthma). She smelled the frankincense and she said her chest didn't feel as tight. Frankincense is also known for reducing inflammation.

Frankincense is a great oil to have around your home because it works for headaches to immune support. I am actually about to be out of my oil soon and I am already plotting how I can get a lovely 15 ML bottle back in my house. 

Ever used frankincense? What are some of your favorite uses? Don't forget to join us this coming Monday at 7PM CST for our webinar. We will be sharing more stories and uses for these amazing oils.

***Also our giveaway is ending very soon! Don't forget to enter for your shot to win an orange essential oil!***

How Can I Get Rid of That Cough?

Well Mr. J is having a time of it again this week- showing all the usual symptoms coughing, asthma issues and runny nose. But this week I am trying something new-

Enter my cough fighting buddies- Coconut Oil, Cypress and Myrrh

Cypress essential oil is known for respiratory support and helping clear phlegm and easing congestion symptoms. Myrrh is also known as an expectorant. I have been rubbing 2-4 drops of each every couple of hours on Mr. J's chest using with the coconut oil to dilute. 

We also have a glycerite that I got from Sprouts last night called Aller-Calm to help him fight off this latest allergy attack. What is your best natural cough fighting ally? Would love to hear your tips!

Also don't forget about our orange essential oil giveaway! Looking forward to announcing the winner soon.

Essential Oils 101 Webinar

Join us online Monday, July 14 for an Essential Oils 101 webinar. We will discuss the oils in the Everyday Oils kit and will have a giveaway or two for those who join us online! 

Details on registration and where to join us will follow!

How I Use Peace and Calming

Today, I thought I would share a little about my second most used oil in my collection- Peace and Calming. This is a blend from Young Living that contains tangerine, orange, ylang ylang, patchouli and blue tansy.

At the time, I started using Young Living I was really looking for some help to encourage my then 2 year old to sleep (what mom doesn't want more sleep or at least to not fight that "time for bed" fight?). Peace and calming definitely smells uplifting. I remember the first time I used it with Mr. J he was upset and when I had him smell the oil, he stopped and gave me this look that said "what is this?"

In my home, I use peace and calming at night time in my diffuser. It is also one of my favorite blends to put in my bath or my little one's baths at night. A new use for me is diluted on my little one's stomachs. I read that when little ones aren't able to express themselves and they just seem unsettled that using this oil will help them release their emotions and help settle them down. So far it seems to be working.

You can also use peace and calming to help with teeth grinding and restless leg syndrome. Have you ever used peace and calming? Would love to hear your experiences and your personal favorite ways to relax at night!

Also don't forget about our orange giveaway this week!

Orange Essential Oil Giveaway

Who likes giveaways? I do! This week, we are giving away a 15ml Orange Essential Oil from Young Living!

Why do you want this oil? First of all, I love the smell of orange. It is definitely an uplifting smell for me. Orange essential oil can help (to name a few) ease depression symptoms, hypertension, fluid retention and wrinkles.

You can diffuse it or use it topically but if you use it topically it can be photosensitive. Avoid using it on your skin that will be exposed to direct sunlight within 24 hours.

I am looking forward to this giveaway and sharing with you ways you can use this amazing oil. Good luck!


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Got a Teether?

Well my life the last few weeks has been taken over by TEETHING. Yes, the dreaded T word that strikes fear into all mother's hearts, especially the poor nursing mothers who get to train these babies to NOT bite the mom that feeds you.

The other week, we drove Mr. C home screaming all the way and Aren said to me "I think he's teething". Luckily, this go round I have a few more remedies in my arsenal to help this than I did before. Both of my boys wear amber teething necklaces but when I got home I tried something I had seen on Pinterest. I rubbed coconut oil along his jawline with a drop of lavender.

I always enjoy that cool magic moment where the oils just work and that's what happened. Crying stopped almost instantly and we had our baby back. How awesome is that?

Another one of the things on my wish list is some Young Living gentle baby oil because I have heard this eases some of the tummy troubles associated with teething. What are your favorite ways to ease tummy troubles while teething?

Allergies, Sinuses, Stuffy Noses Oh My!

One of the first reasons I started exploring essential oils was for my son, Mr. J.

He has suffered with allergies most of his life and up until I started trying to search for natural ways to help him feel better, my only alternative was to give him Claritin or wait for the inevitable ear/sinus infection and treat it with antibiotics.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem using antibiotics when necessary but due to a series of events when he was younger, this kid already needs some help in the good gut flora department and I didn't want to keep killing it with antibiotics.

Enter essential oils, with the lemon, lavender combo he has shown a lot of improvement with general stuffiness complaints. We use this combo topically and diluted on the bridge of his nose.

Why does this work? Lavender is an antihistamine (yep just like those OTC options you can find at your local pharmacy). Lemon can help reduce inflammation.

Peppermint is generally regarded as the 3rd component of this powerful combo but since Mr. J is 3, I don't give him peppermint since it is generally recommended for kids older than him.

Young Living's Copaiba is also sometimes used with this combo as a magnifier. I haven't had an opportunity to try this yet but I am hoping to get this on my next Essential Rewards order so I will update with my experiences on this later.

What are your favorite ways to fight seasonal allergies naturally?

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil was my first essential oil experience. I decided to try lavender because I was looking for a way for my son to relax better and quicker to get to sleep at night.

Lavender is known for being antiseptic, anti fungal, anti inflammatory and can reduce cholesterol.

Lavender is one of son's most requested oils for him to get a good night's sleep and it is good for so much more! It is 1 of 3 in the allergy combo along with lemon and peppermint. I have also used it help soothe sunburn skin. It can help you with a headache. I like to put it in my diffuser necklace to just help me relax during a busy day.

Lavender can help with a lot of skin conditions including acne, eczema, psoriasis and stretch marks. I like to use coconut oil and put a few drops of lavender in it to help keep my skin healthy.

Young Living includes this oil along with 10 other oils in their everyday oils collection kit that comes with a premium starter kit. This is a frequently used oil around my house and we are about to be on our 2nd 15ml bottle since I got my kit in December.

Want to learn more about Young Living Essential Oils? You can join our group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalkaboutoilsyl/ or follow us at @talkaboutoils . What are some of your favorite uses for lavender?