There is a kind of grace available to you right now, in this very moment — no perfect morning needed. Just a willingness to pause, breathe, and notice.
There is wisdom in the pause.
Starting your day sitting in gratitude with intention, allowing yourself to really feel it—invites one of the highest frequencies there is into your life.
Not for the big moments or the ones worth celebrating, just for this—-the breath in your body, the ground beneath your feet, the simple grace of still being here.
There’s something almost sacred about real gratitude. Not the kind you perform, but the kind that finds you — in the way morning light falls soft across a room, in that first sip of something warm, in the simple miracle of an ordinary day.
Here’s what we know — the words you speak and the thoughts you carry have energy. They shape the way you feel, the way you move through a room, the way your day unfolds. Choose them wisely. Choose them kindly. Especially the ones you say to yourself.
Gratitude is one of those choices. And it might just be the most powerful one you make all day. We don’t always get to choose what the day brings. But we get to choose how we meet it. Open hand, not clenched fist. You don’t need a ritual or a perfect morning or the right words. Just these two, meant sincerely, before the world asks anything of you: Say thank you.
And mean it.
This moment, this breath, this life — it’s all worth the gratitude.
Do you have a child that suffers from constant ear infections? Before it gets really bad try treating it holistically.
.I’ve been using essential oils to keep my family healthy for years. It has made a world of difference in our lives.
Here is what you do for children suffering with ear discomfort….
.INGREDIENTS
1 drop Lavender
1 drop Frankincense
1 drop Tea Tree
1 tablespoon carrier oil
Cotton Ball
DIRECTIONS
In a small dish, combine the essential oils with the carrier oil. Saturate the cotton ball with the mixture.
Rub essential oils around the ear and down the neck, them put the cotton ball right on the outside of your ear.
Refresh the cotton ball every 30 minutes until the pain subsides and then every 4 hours for the next two days.
For Babies and Toddlers…
MASSAGE BLEND
20 drops Tea Tree
20 drops Thyme linalol
20 drops Lavender
Carrier oil, warmed
Combine tea tree, thyme, and lavender in a small stock bottle.
To use, place a teaspoon of carrier in a small dish and add 4 drops of the blend.
Massage around the ear, on the cheek, and down the neck.
Follow with a warm compress.
For adults…
This blend can help to support a healthy immune response.
10 drops oregano
10 drops clove
10 drops rosemary
10 drops lemon
Carrier oil
Place oregano, clove, rosemary and lemon in a 2 ounce stock bottle. Fill with carrier oil.
Shake well to combine.
Place 5 drops on the bottom of the feet ever 30 minutes until pain subsides.
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DISCLAIMER: While I do believe that natural remedies are a sage and effective way to deal with minor ear pain, it’s important that you seek medical attention should your ear ache persist. Use the holistic alternatives when you feel discomfort, if there is no improvement within a day and if the pain is acute, please seek medical attention.
These remedies have worked for my family but should not be taken as medical advice.
For the past couple of years I have leaned to use essential oils as a way to keep the people I love stay healthy. At first, many family members, including my husband, were skeptical, but eventually they came around. They saw the benefits of using essential oils first hand.
I was recently asked to share what I know about how to use essential oils, so from now on, I will be sharing what I know one essential oil at time every week. I’m not an expert, just a mom who has spent many hours researching the benefits of essential oils. I would love to help you learn from what I know.
More people, especially parents are turning to more natural & holistic approaches when it come to healthcare. By using natural remedies to heal ourselves we can be free of the worries of unwanted side effects.
My use of essential oils began over a decade ago when I got into meditation, to help my anxiety. The person guiding the class applied Lavender essential oil on our temples to help us relax. Lavender has a wonderful smell and it really helped relax me. I used it every night before bed for a long time, I still do but now I tend to alternate oils, not just Lavender. I loved it so much I started to seriously look into essential oils more.
Also, I grew up with an amazing, magical mother who always used natural remedies for us. She would have us gargle with salt water for a sore throat, massage sweet almond oil once a week into our scalp and hair to keep it healthy. She taught my sister and I how to use yogurt as a face mask, put cold cucumbers on our eyes to bring down any puffiness, toothpaste for our burns and a million other holistic remedies. She would even make ridiculous faces and claim she was exercising her facial muscles so she would not need a face lift. She was brilliant and beautiful with such class, strength and impeccable manners. She had a heart of gold and a smile for whomever crossed her path. She and I started writing a book together that included all her beauty and health remedies, but then my dad got sick and then he passed away and then she left this earth and left us.
Today is the first anniversary of her death, she has always been the wind beneath my wings, and she continues to be even in death. I know she would want me to be strong for my family. I’m doing just what my mother would want me to do, helping others like she always did. Thank you mom, I love you so much and will miss you all of my life. She was the first to want to learn and then use my essential oils. I hope to pay it forward and help you help yourself.
So the first thing you need to know is that you should always use pure essential oils, that way you avoid any pesticides. Do your research, I prefer to use Doterra, but there are some other companies that use pure essential oils as well. There are a few ways to use the oils, you can inhale them, diffuse them, use them topically and there are a few that you can actually ingest. It’s a lot to learn but if you take your time and do your research you will use them without even thinking.
When I use essential oils topically, I aways dilute it with some sort of carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil, a heat pressed refined oil. Using essential oils straight or neat is usually too abrasive and can sometimes harm you, even burn your skin.
This week’s essential oil is Peppermint oil. It’s one of the most versatile essential oils out there. It can help with muscle aches, seasonal allergies, low energy and digestive problems. Its also used to boost energy and improve both skin and hair health.
The next time you have a headache, instead of taking a Tylenol or an aspirin, use a teaspoon of a carrier oil with two or three drops of peppermint oil. Apply it to the back of your neck, to your temples and your forehead. I usually make a roller , most of it is filled with fractionated coconut oil, with a few drops of peppermint oil and I roll it to my temples and back of my neck. Be careful not to get any in your eyes. Wash your hands after handling any essential oils.
For fevers, you can rub it down the spine on the hairline and the neck. To help boost energy, rub peppermint with some lemon essential oil on the back of your neck, you can also put a drop or two in your water.
To help relieve seasonal allergies symptoms, diffuse peppermint and eucalyptus oil at home, or apply 2–3 drops of peppermint oil topically to your temples, chest and back of neck.
To boost your energy levels and improve concentration with peppermint oil, take 1–2 drops internally with a glass of water, or apply topically to your temples and back of neck.
You can put a drop on your toothpaste to freshen your breath and kill bacteria. Add 2–3 drops of peppermint to your shampoo and conditioner. It’s actually used in many high-quality hair care products because it can naturally thicken and nourish damaged hair. It helps stimulate the scalp.
There are so many other ailments that peppermint essential oil aids, here is a list of a few,
Relieves itchiness
Relieves sunburn
Reduces nausea
Repels bugs
promotes healthy skin
Let me know if you want to know about a particular oil and it’s benefits. Next week I’ll tell you all the benefits of Lemon essential oil.
Recently a mother from my community passed away after battling cancer. Although I did not know her personally, my heart ached for her loved ones. Especially her children. Ironically, just weeks after this young mother’s death, one of my closest friends was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her news really shook me up. She is a remarkably strong woman and I know she will be OK.
I’ve had people in my family battle cancer, thankfully they survived but I’ve also lost people who I love to the devastating disease. When my friend told me about her diagnosis all I could think of is after all the years of research why do we not have a cure for cancer? Why do we get cancer? Is it in our water? Our food? Is it the amount of stress we have to endure?
Another friend of mine who has looked into the same questions and has fought her own battle with cancer sent me an article written by Professor Keith Scott-Mumby, a British alternative doctor. He has what he calls his three pillars to beat cancer and advises that if we are serious about keeping (or getting) cancer out of our lives, we follow these steps.
Pillar #1 – Diet
Dr. Mumby says we have to beat the root causes of cancer. Diet is one of the root causes according to Mumby! The World Health Organization estimates that 40% of cancers are caused by diet. Mumby suggests a diet rich with fresh, organic foods (where possible), salads, smoothies, and brightly colored produce. He claims that dairy, soy, grains, and even certain produce can be unknown stressors. This is no surprise, white sugar, white flour, white rice, processed foods, dairy, and soy should be deleted from our diet!
Pillar #2 – Emotional Cleansing
Negative emotion is also a root cause of cancer. I can vouch for this! Some of the people in my life who went through cancer smiled through every bad situation in their lives. They never dealt with the pain they were going through.
A Stanford psychiatrist, was shocked to discover that at the ten-year breast cancer survival checkup, women who included therapy in their lives survived twice as long as those who didn’t. Another Yale research study found that cancer spread faster in women who bottled up their emotions.
Stress is known to be a major cause of inflammation. In fact, inflammation has been discovered at the base of all known diseases.
In other words, stress will kill us through cancer or heart attack or autoimmune disease…if you allow it to control your life!
Pillar #3 – DETOXIFICATION
This pillar is the most difficult one to control in my opinion. I can’t wrap my brain around how much pollution we have around our lives! We are surrounded by pollution! There are pollutants in our soil, water, and air and that means they are in our food supply. They are also in our cosmetics, household goods and everyday cleansers! From heavy metals and arsenic to formaldehyde and parabens…products we buy every day at our local markets are filled with endocrine disruptors, estrogen mimics, and poison the cells in our body.
Dr. Mumby suggests reading “The Politics of Cancer ” by Dr. Sam Epstein. In the book he tells us how cancers are essentially preventable diseases. He says there are hidden political and economic factors which have blocked attempts to prevent cancer.
There are so many things stressing our bodies, junk nutrition, stress, and chemical contamination push these stressors past the brink of what we can handle. It’s important that we take it upon ourselves to be aware and do what we can to keep our loved ones and ourselves healthy.
It’s summer time and that means that the heat is on. This is the season that most of us don’t want to cook in the house so we either grill or eat lots of salads. Thankfully I happen to love a good salad. Here are some of the salad’s that you may want to try out on your family. How about a cucumber salad? It’s colorful, delicious and it’s gluten-free.
Cucumber Salad
Here is what you will need: 2 large English cucumbers 1/2 onion 2-3 tomatoes
{For the dressing} 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. oregano 1/8 tsp. salt Make the dressing: add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Slice the cucumbers and onion. Dice tomatoes, remove excess juice. Place in a bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Salt/pepper to taste if needed. It tastes best when refrigerated for at least an hour to let the flavors combine.
Another one of my favorites is the Avocado and Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad with Skinny Chipotle-Lime Ranch.
Avocado and Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled and diced
10 oz grape tomatoes, halved
2 medium avocados (semi-firm but ripe), peeled, cored and diced
1 1/2 cups fresh corn
1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese
Chipotle-Lime Ranch
1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt (I recommend Fage)
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk, then more as needed
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 chipotle chile peppers in adobo
1 clove garlic
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried chives
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
To make this dressing, place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until chipotle peppers are well minced. Add in a few more tablespoons of buttermilk to thin as needed. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.
Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss. Plate and serve with Chipotle-Lime Ranch.
There is also an easy to make super delicious Summer Quinoa Salad.
Summer Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (I used Trader Joe’s organic tricolor quinoa)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 Persian cucumber (or 1/2 English hothouse), diced
2-3 ears fresh raw corn, kernels cut off
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
3 large nectarines, pitted and diced
1 small shallot, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
Instructions:
1. In a large serving bowl, toss together all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste if desired.
Enjoy and keep cool. I’ll post some more easy to make summer recipes soon.
Ingredients:
