 |
| This is my niece. But her face accurately depicts my sentiments in the above paragraph. |
Our pediatrician calmly assured me that the boys were bouncing back from these illnesses just fine, and the fact that we were getting so many was likely due to my oldest starting school, and bringing a host of new germs back home that we had not been exposed to before. It was at this point that I seriously considered homeschooling. But he was confident that this would be the worst of it, that each subsequent year would be better. And, he was right, it did get better. Additionally, over the years I have added several tools to our family health tool box that help keep us as healthy as we can be as we start each school year.
One of those tools, and the family favorite, is essential oils. I knew about essential oils for a long time before we actually began using them. I thought it was just "aromatherapy" and I didn't think simply smelling something nice could have that many health benefits. Introducing doTerra essential oils*. Because they are clean, carefully extracted and tested, they are safe to use on the skin, through a diffuser that vaporizes them into the air, and with most of the oils, they are safe to ingest (some plant essential oils aren't safe to ingest no matter how clean they are).
Here are our top back-to-school essential oils:
OnGuard: this is a doTerra blend, and in my opinion is a must-have in every home. This oil blend smells amazing (clove, cinnamon and orange are the predominant smells), and it's immune-boosting and cleansing benefits are incredibly effective. I have a spray bottle filled with a mix of OnGuard and water, that I keep on hand for kitchens, bathrooms, and doorknobs**. A few quick sprays is all it takes. And it is much less expensive than the Seventh Generation cleaner I used to buy!
We also use OnGuard as a hand sanitizer (a drop or two on the hands), and when I feel an illness coming on, I put a drop on my tongue, chase it with some water, and I'm good to go! I'm certain I have kept some colds at bay with this technique.
Breathe: This is another doTerra blend that helps promote respiratory health and clear airways. When diffused, it helps a stuffy nose like no one's business, and it is also beneficial when rubbed on the bottom of your feet. My 8 year old has struggled with asthma, and I love having this blend to help him through a cold, when I'll rub it on his feet and chest, and diffuse it as well. When mixed with OnGuard in the diffuser, it makes for a great cold-therapy.
 |
| On Guard and Breathe, |
The "You're at a 10, I'm going to need you at a 3" oils. When we transition from summer schedules to fall schedules, we, like many other families I'm sure, struggle with getting back into a routine in which we are going to bed at a decent time and getting enough sleep to take us through a busy day. Essential oils have been instrumental in helping wind us all down in the evening, bringing that high energy from the day down several notches to promote good, solid sleep. All I have to do is simply think of some of our favorite evening oils and I feel a comforting feeling envelop me...ahhh. Here they are:
Cedarwood: this woody, earthy scent is my 13 year old's favorite. We do five drops of it in his diffuser every night, and add a few drops of Wild Orange to help settle his racing mind, and a couple drops of Frankincense for good measure, because Frankincense is pretty much good for everything. This blend helps him shut his brain down, and drift into a solid sleep.
My 8 and 10 year old's prefer that I rub oil on their feet at night rather than diffuse them. My 8 year old loves Serenity, a soothing sleep blend. My 10 year old likes Breathe on his feet at night, as he is usually drawn to more minty-smelling oils. On the evenings that he doesn't take a bath or shower, Breathe does a nice job of covering up that stinky sock smell that seems to take over our house during soccer season. (PS - it's always soccer season at our house).
Serenity is my go-to relaxing oil in the evening, both in a diffuser and rubbed on my feet. A long list of things to do tomorrow? That's cool, I have Serenity. Laundry all over my bedroom floor? Ahhh...Serenity. Getting up at 5:00 am the next morning for a hard hill-running workout? All good - Serenity now!
 |
| Frankincense, Cedarwood and Wild Orange. On the day of posting this blog, I have officially used my last drop of Serenity and have not yet ordered more. Noooooooooo!!!!!!! |
Lastly, we have our "You're at a 3, I'm going to need you at a 10" oils. These are the oils that give us a little pep when we need it, a little spring in our step when we're dragging. My 13 year-old brings In Tune to school with him. We have it in a roller, so it is easy to use and ready to whip out and roll on his neck, behind his ears or on his wrists when he needs to focus. He struggles to "engage" in the classroom, and In Tune has been a huge help with that.
My husband is a fan of a drop or two of Peppermint in a glass of water to fight that afternoon slump. He claims it's like a cup of coffee without the jitters. And, you guys, this man loves his coffee, so that's a huge compliment to Peppermint. I personally like to rub peppermint on the back of my neck for the same effect. One drop of Peppermint oil is the equivalent to 20 cups of peppermint tea (!), so it can give your lips a real tingle!
All of us love any of the citrus oils - lemon, lime, tangerine, etc. (and sometimes all 3 mixed together!)- in a glass of water or rubbed onto our hands for a little jolt of energy. Drinking water with one of these oils in it also has many health benefits (cleansing, detoxifying) along with the simple fact that it makes us drink more water - always a good thing!
 |
| Lime, Lemon and Tangerine. We can't keep up with the Peppermint use in our house and are in need of more. |
While these are just some of the oils we've been using in our house to promote good family health, it gives you an idea of the many benefits of essential oils, and doTerra oils in particular. If you want to talk more, please reach out to me - l'd like to hear about what particular struggles you might be having and see what oils could help with them. The wisdom of using essential oils for health is age-old - they have been used by generations of people from all over the world. Now is the best time to give them a try - give your family a boost before the winter germs set it...
*Note: I am a Wellness Advocate for doTerra, so yes, I do promote and sell their products, based on our experience with them and my love for this incredible company.
**Another note: In regards to this blog title - at least one of my kids has totally been caught licking doorknobs in public places. You guys - it's a for-real thing.
