What to do when your kid gets blood ALL over your cousin's WHITE couch!

What to do when your kid gets blood ALL over your cousin's WHITE couch!

A couple of summers ago we went up to Maine for a couple of weeks and I got to spend some time with my cousin and her family.

I had no idea how stunningly beautiful Maine is! What I also didn’t know about Maine, was how bad the mosquitoes can be... and, mosquitoes just LOVE sweet Henry.

On our last day, Henry got up in the middle of the night and unbeknownst to us, went to sleep on the lovely white couch (instead of getting back in bed 🤔) ...what we also didn’t know, was that he’d scratch his bites and leave blood stains all over the place 😱!

I googled ‘how to remove blood stains’ and found all sorts of suggestions; none of which worked!


When I went to tell my sweet cousin, and apologise profusely, she looked at me and said ‘didn’t that Thieves stuff you were telling me about work?’...

Ummmm - I hadn’t tried it!!! What’s wrong with me?! 🤦🏽‍♀️.


Well, guess what... it DID work!!! See for yourself in the picture below! 😊



 

How my kids made me some toilet cleaner... all by themselves!

How my kids made me some toilet cleaner... all by themselves!
Having the kiddos home, and still needing to do all the things that used to get done in their absence, means that at times we need to get creative with our time.
 
One of the things that you may have gathered is that I am now a firm believer in removing as many toxins as we can from our homes.   There are so many frightening chemicals in the majority of household cleaners and the effects they have on our bodies (and our mental health) are even more terrifying! 
 
So, seeing as I don’t use the stinky blue stuff in my toilets anymore, I have started making my own toilet bombs.  They are like bath bombs, but for cleaning the loo – they even fizz and bubble! It is so satisfying to watch.  
 
This time I decided that I would get the children to help me – it counted for family time, outside time, and it ticked a chore off my massive ‘to do’ list. Win, win, win!
 
They are so simple and fun to make as well.  The boys, though reluctant at first, had a great time and they even let me take pictures of them! Oh, and they completed the whole activity without bickering too!! 


 
Here is the recipe we used (one that came directly from Young Living):
 
Toilet Bowl Cleaner 
 
YIELD: approximately 20 tablets
 
  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 1/2 cup citric acid
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 4 teaspoons water
  • 2 teaspoons Thieves, Lemon, Citrus Fresh or Tea Tree (about 40 drops)
  • 3 teaspoons of V-6 vegetable oil complex
  • Ice cube tray or candy mold
 
Directions
 
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix evenly.
 
In a separate small bowl, combine water, essential oils and V-6 vegetable oil complex.
 
Pour liquids into the large bowl and whisk together until combined.
 
Use mixture to fill ice cube tray or candy mold about three fourths full.  If mixture expands, gently repack into the mold.
 
Let sit overnight to dry.  When dry, pop tablets out and store in a glass jar.
 
When needed, put a tablet in the toilet bowl to help clean and deodorize. Let tablet sit in bowl for 20-30 minutes to fizz and dissolve.  Once dissolved, flush.
 
NOTE: This recipe is not recommended for toilet tanks.
 

Why I trust Thieves

Why I trust Thieves

Thieves is the name of Young Living’s most popular essential oil and it’s an important ingredient in their home cleaning and personal care products, in which the usual  harsh chemicals are replaced with pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils and other naturally derived ingredients.  Thieves is a blend of Clove, Lemon, Rosemary, Cinnamon Bark, and Eucalyptus Radiata (an amazing mix of highly antiviral, antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-infectious essential oils).  Legend has it that an aromatic combination of these botanicals were used by 15th century thieves to cheat death despite plundering and pilfering from the dead and dying victims of the Black Plague.  The authorities are believed to have offered them immunity (pun intended), or a more lenient sentence, in exchange for the recipe they used to protect themselves from the dreaded disease.

Fast forward to the 21st century where the plague is no longer a deadly threat, but we do find ourselves experiencing problems of a different nature.  Indoor air quality is five to seven times more toxic than outdoor air quality, mainly due to conventional cleaners. It is estimated that the average person is exposed to 100 harmful chemicals before even leaving the house in the morning.  Ingredients commonly found in household products are linked to asthma, cancer, reproductive disorders, hormone disruption and neurotoxicity; in spite of most cleaning product labels only warning about skin irritation and ingestion dangers.

A very disturbing fact for those of us living in the United States is that only 11 chemicals have been banned (for use in cosmetics; household cleaning products have significantly looser restrictions) whereas the European Union has banned over 1300 chemicals. This is especially frightening considering that the developing bodies and brains of children are more susceptible than those of adults to the toxic burden of chemicals stored in their tissues at any one time.  Thankfully, our homes are the one environment that we can control.

Young Living’s Thieves product line is it’s most popular and they are all formulated and infused with therapeutic grade essential oils. These are the products I am currently using that I can recommend to you with 100% confidence, (I have many others on my wish list, so stay tuned for future updates): –

1) Thieves Household cleaner (my favourite):
I use the Thieves Household Cleaner to clean my floors, my counters, the bath, the toilets, the sinks, the stove, the fridge, toys (mostly LEGO) and on occasion even the dogs paws!  I also use it as the basis for many DIY cleaning solutions; my favourite is an all purpose Thieves paste that I use as a gentle abrasive to clean anything that a simple dishcloth won’t clean – it works like magic!  I also use the cleaner to make a very simple and extremely effective glass cleaner. But, aside from the efficacy of the product, there is more good news – as a wholesale member you pay only $22.50; but guess what? If you do the math; this means you can make over twenty eight 16 fl.oz. pump bottles of all purpose cleaner for only $0.78.  That’s a lot of cleaning solution! I bought my bottle in May and 5 months later I have only used 1/2 of it, and not only do I clean a lot, I have also made several DIY’s and even shared some with friends and family.

2) Thieves Dish Soap:
I like this product and feel it works very well at removing grease from dishes, pots and pans.  I love the scent and as with the other Thieves products, I am thankful that there are no harmful chemicals, but will admit it took me a little while to get used to it.  Seeing as it doesn’t contain sulphates, it doesn’t froth, and this initially made me question if it was working as well as what I used previously.  It also took me a while to realize that a very little goes a long, long way!

3) Thieves Laundry Soap:
Again, I really love this product and my clothes look and smell really clean.  I was however, pretty; ok – very surprised, by how tiny the bottle of laundry soap was! I was used to the giant, heavy, bicep sculpting containers I used to buy from Costco and this one looked like it wouldn’t even give my pinky finger a work out! But, as a wholesale member you can purchase the laundry detergent for $29.50. This means you’ll get one load for about $0.50, or if you have an HE washer just $0.25. (64 loads for normal washer and 128 for HE).  This price tag for natural, toxin-free laundry soap is pretty amazing.

4) Thieves Foaming Hand Soap:
Another favourite! I feel like the soap goes a long way and lasts forever. I love that we are all getting immune support every single time we wash our hands.  I have this soap at every single sink in my home and I have purchased the refill container to keep costs even lower.

5) Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier:
This is quite simply a must for everyone! So many anti-bacterial cleaners contain triclosan, which is not only an endocrine disruptor, but is also known to promote the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. This natural hand purifier smells amazing (contains peppermint essential oil) and has no harmful ingredients.  I recently started using this and we all love it!

6) Thieves Spray:
I bought this to have one in my purse, and one in my car, for those situations where I would like to confidently protect myself and my family from ‘lurgies’, especially during this time of the year.

7) Thieves Aromabright Toothpaste:
I really do like this toothpaste very much – I find that my teeth feel clean and they even look whiter to me.  It is also a product that feels different to normal toothpastes, as it doesn’t foam, but it really works! In 6 months, when I am due to see my dentist and hygienist, I may have their  comments to share with you.

8) Thieves Essence Mouthwash:
Spicy, but I love it and I really like how clean my mouth feels and, to be honest, I use far less than the instructions call for.

I was never one of those Mums that used only organic skin care products or green cleaning agents when my boys were infants and toddlers.  I kind of prided myself in being a pretty relaxed mother – I never worried about my kids eating dirt or sharing straws with each other (I still don’t); but I do regret not being more cautious about the chemicals I unwittingly exposed them to.  It’s never too late to make a change; never too late to turn over a new leaf.

If you would like to know how you can start using Thieves products – click here.

First published October 9, 2018

Don't let Mother Nature be the only one turning over A New Leaf this season!

Don't let Mother Nature be the only one turning over A New Leaf this season!

Today is the Autumnal Equinox and I am going to do two things.  First, I am going to see if it is true that you can balance an egg on its end.  The idea that an egg could balance on this particular day comes from the thought that  during the equinox a special gravitational balance exists and therefore an egg is less likely to fall over.*

Secondly, I am going to schedule my first solo class and I am super excited about it! You may have read my previous posts about Thieves and the reason why I am so committed to eliminating toxic chemicals from my home.  The Young Living Thieves product line is one of their most popular and also the most versatile; you can find Thieves products to clean your home, your dishes, your clothes, and even your teeth; all the while supporting your family’s health, which is especially important during the approaching cold weather seasons.  AND, something that is very important to me, is that replacing toxic, mainstream products with completely safe products works out to be significantly cheaper! You can keep your home chemical-free and reduce the toxin burden on your family, as well as protect them from endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins and carcinogens, while saving money AND supporting their immune system each time they wash their hands?! Don’t you want to know more?

Can I tell you why I am so excited about this class?

1)  I get to spend time with my friends and hopefully meet new ones.
2) I have the privilege of sharing my experience about something I am passionate about and which I believe is beneficial for my family’s well being.
3) I get to plan fun DIY activities using Thieves Household Cleaner, so that my guests get to take some ‘Thieves-magic’ home with them to try.
4) Making DIY’s also means I get to use my brand new, prized Cricut machine to make labels for our DIY projects (my new favourite anti-stress activity!).
5)  I even figured out how my Instant Pot can join the fun – I can use it to make hot, Thieves-infused apple cider; question is – should it be alcohol free? Nah! I’ll use my baby Instant Pot for that! 🙂

*Oh, and by the way – I know that getting the egg to stand on its end is a myth. I also know that I have  sufficient information to help you reach the same level of confidence that I have in Young Living’s Thieves products.

First published Sept 22nd 2018

Thieves stole my heart!

Thieves stole my heart!

I am in love!
I am besotted!
I am obsessed!

The object of my affections stands 8 inches tall, smells like Christmas, cleans my ENTIRE house and saves me money too!  I’m talking about Young Living’s Thieves ultra-concentrated household cleaner.  It is 14.4 fl. oz of pure magic!  You can sign up and get the Thieves Premium Starter Kit for $125

Thieves Household Cleaner is a naturally derived, plant-based cleaner powered by pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils to replace harsh chemicals in your home.  The natural ingredients used are well known to be non-toxic, non-irritant and to increase solubility and help remove dirt.

In my past life I was a pharmaceutical microbiologist and it would be remiss of me to not urge you to ‘Google’ Young Living Thieves petri dish experiments!  I love that I can have my children help with household chores and not have to worry about them breathing in toxic fumes.

But, aside from the efficacy of the product, there is more good news! As a wholesale member you pay only $22.50; but guess what? If you do the math; this means you can make over twenty eight 16 fl.oz. pump bottles of all purpose cleaner for $0.78!

You MUST try Thieves! If you don’t believe me; then see what my dear friend Rachel has to say on her blog, An Essential Life, about Thieves Household Cleaner versus Dog Poop!

First published June 24, 2018