52 Acts of Compassion Campaign ~Week Eight

With me being due with baby number 3 anytime now I have created a few “quick and easy” acts of compassion for us to do these next few weeks.  This week it is going to be our goal to give everyone we see a smile. They are free, don’t take any extra time and chances are the person you smile at will smile in return.  Smiles are a silent way to say “hey, have a nice day!”

 

 What will your act of compassion be this week?     

52 Acts of Compassion Campaign ~Week Seven

My family’s act of compassion this week is going to make care packages for a few soldiers.  This may not be something that everyone can do because of cost but there are many ways to put one together very affordably.

Following is a list of items that are great to send:

·         Commercially prepared snacks and/or treats. Examples would be, gum, nuts, trail mixes, granola bars and snack crackers. (Canned goods and home baked goods are not safe to send)

·         Toiletries. Examples would be (sample or travel size) lip balms, lotion, hair gel, shampoo, soap, dental care, nail files and eye drops. (Hotel samples are not allowed)

·         Entertainment items, such as puzzle or game books and small craft kits.

·         Random items such as pillow cases, pre-paid phone cards, air fresheners, laundry detergent, small flashlights and stationary.

Unfortunately there are also many things that CANNOT be sent overseas to our soldiers and they include:

·         Home baked good

·         Glass bottles

·         Aerosol cans

·         Canned food

·         Expired food

·         Candles, lighters or lighter fluid

·         Hotel samples

·         Contraband items (tobacco, live plants, knives or nudity)

·         Prescriptions

·         Used or dirty/stained clothing 

If you need more ideas of what to send in a care package, both “Google” and “Pinterest” offer many great ideas.  Remember that these do not need to cost a lot, in fact, chances are you have a few of these items laying around or hanging out in your pantry.  The United States Postal Service has even made it easy to send care packages by offering free boxes with a flat rate.  As of March 26, 2014 the cost for flat rate boxes starts at $5.80 (for the small box).

What would you include in a care package?        

Uses for Essential Oils~Frankincense

Most of us have heard of Frankincense and not in the essential oil form but from the Bible.  One of the three Wise Men presented Frankincense as a gift to Jesus the night he was born.  “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11 NIV)  Back in biblical times Frankincense was considered fragrant, rare and precious and to this day it still is.  Using Frankincense in an essential oil form has many benefits because of its many properties including anticatarrhal, anticancer, antidepressant, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antitumor, expectorant, immune stimulant and sedative.  Frankincense essential oil has many uses including counteracting Alzheimer’s disease, breathing issues, and concussions, as well as, improving vision, the look of scars and wrinkles.  With its antiseptic and anti-infectious properties it works great on wounds, fighting plaque and even getting rid of warts.  Many times you aren’t sure what oil to use for what, and so I always follow this rule, “When in doubt use Frankincense!” 

In your medicine cabinet, Frankincense oil can replace:

·         Tylenol or other pain relievers

·         Mederma or other scar reducer creams

·         Freeze Away or other wart removers

·         Neosporin or other antibiotic ointments

·         Abreva or other cold sore treatments

·         Anti-aging face creams

dōTERRA™ Franincense Oil~$93.00 15ml

To Order dōTERRA™ Products Please Click Here

Application Methods for Frankincense Oil

·         Applied neat (with no dilution) Dilute 1:1 (one part essential oil and one part carrier oil) for children or those with sensitive skin.   

·         Diffuse or inhale aroma directly

·         Place 1-2 drops under the tongue or in a veggie capsule and take internally

What’s even better? When using Frankincense oil there are no side effects, no drug interactions, it is all natural and proven to be effective.

Watch for future posts on “recipes” that use Frankincense oil, including an all natural headache remedy and an anti-aging face cream.  Need a recipe sooner?  Leave a comment and I will post one right away! 

What do you use Frankincense Oil for?    

St. Patrick's Day 2014~The Leprechaun Came

The night before St. Patricks's Day

Setting up the Leprechaun traps before bed

The morning of St. Patrick's Day

It appears the that the boys caught the Leprechaun but it was all just a trick!
 



The Leprechaun outsmarted the traps; all that the boys discovered in them were toy Leprechauns. 

 Then we discovered feet prints...they led all the way to the living room... 

 

The Leprechaun spilt his entire pot of coins all over our living room floor!

No fear!  The boys cleaned up the coin mess very quickly.

 

52 Acts of Compassion Campaign ~Week Six

This week our act of compassion is going to impact our whole neighborhood community more than just an individual.  With Spring well on its way the wind has also started to rear its ugly head; that means trash and debris blowing everywhere.  With the warmer weather our family starts taking more walks and so this week on one of our walks we are going to clean up our neighborhood.  The plan will be to take our wagon with us so we can put our bags of rubbish in it and haul it home.  I like this idea because not only are we “serving” our community, but I can also teach my boys to take care of Mother Nature. 

What will your act of compassion be this week?      

St. Patrick's Day~Leprechaun Traps

It is no surprise that my 8 year old is full of questions.  That is the season of life in which he lives right now.  He inquires about EVERYTHING; from the most important assets in existence to things that don’t make sense or are irrelevant in daily life.  With St. Patrick’s Day less than a week away it was no surprise to me when he started asking me things about leprechauns.  How big are they?  How do they get inside?  Why do they like coins?  Of course while he is firing these questions my way I am trying to drive through rush hour traffic on a Friday night.  If you are like me, answers to such questions don’t always come easily, but I manage to answer most of them.  For those of you who follow my blog know that every year for St. Patrick’s Day I cut out green feet and make a trail from the boy’s bedrooms to the living room where I dump coins all over the floor for the kids to pick up.  Malachi (being old enough to remember) is convinced that a Leprechaun visits every year leaving them these coins, thus, the reason for so many Leprechaun questions.  This year let’s just say a very curious 8 year old is determined to catch that leprechaun!  So this year I will still cut out feet and leave a trail, but we are also attempting a new project of creating leprechaun traps.  I must say as a mom, I also enjoy these projects.  My oldest can create his trap by himself with little guidance, however, my youngest (he’s 2 ½ now) still needs quite a bit of help which allows me some creativity time as well. 

Here is how I pitched the whole scenario to my boys:

*How to catch a Leprechaun*

You will Need:

1.       Shoe box or like sized box with a lid

2.       Glue and/or tape and scissors

3.       Gold coins

4.       Shamrock Stickers (or other St. Patty’s Day themed stickers)

5.       Gold fabric

6.       A pencil

7.       St. Patrick’s Day themed scrapbooking items

8.       Confetti or glitter

 How to Make it

1.       Decorate the box to look festive

2.       Fill box with coins and other items that will attract a leprechaun (Look for leprechaun traits   below)

3.       Leave the trap set up by the front door the night before St. Patrick’s Day

Filling up the Trap



With Gold, Green and Colorful Things



Getting Close to Being Done!



The Finished Product

 

Leprechaun Traits

·         They are very greedy

·         They love coins

·         They love the bright colors of the rainbow

·         They especially love the color green

It only took the boys about an hour to make their traps and they came out looking great!  Now we wait and we will set the traps out this Sunday night before bed.  Let’s hope we catch a couple leprechauns (but not before they scatter coins about the living room)!

What types of activities does your family do for St. Patrick’s Day? 

P.S.- I will post pictures of the traps set up and with the trapped Leprechauns next week!

Spring is Just a Week Away!

It is probably no surprise to anyone that I eagerly await spring; starting at about the first snowfall we get during the fall or winter seasons.  As much as I love snow, I absolutely loathe having to shovel my driveway, can’t stand driving in it and I am not a fan of the cold temperatures.  In all actuality, springtime still brings snow and cooler temps, but the anticipation of warmer days makes it a much better season and the diminutive snowstorms we do get don’t last long, nor do they bring much snow.  I love spring for many reasons; warmer weather, sunnier days, stays lighter later, leaves begin to form on trees, flowers start to pop through the ground, and the barbeque comes out of hibernation.  Some of the littlest things in life are the biggest to me, such as opening up all your windows in your house on a warm spring afternoon.  Nothing beats the smell of a fresh air circulating through a house that has been closed up for the last 4-5 months.  This last weekend we had 60 degree temps and tons of sun so my husband and I (as in mostly my husband because I am sporting around an 8 month pregnant belly) put the swings back on the swing set, brought out the kids toys from the garage, got the bicycles down from overhead storage (to discover every tire needs to be fixed), made an appointment for someone to come aerate our lawns, washed off patio furniture and put the tiki torches back up along the fence among many other things.  To some, this might sound like “work” on a day off, but to me, this is a break.  Preparing for something I love like summer is never considered work in my book.

This time of year I also start to plan the layout of my vegetable garden.  Besides the many things mentioned above, I just love having a garden.  There is just something about having fresh produce all summer long and being able to share my bounty with my neighbors!  In the past I have tried starting my veggie plants from seeds but with no feat.  I am very successful in getting the seeds to sprout and growing the plants indoors but then when I go to plant them outside in the warm soil something goes awry.  It has been suggested to me that they weren’t acclimated to the outdoor temperatures or the plants were still too feeble.  Not to mention my little plants are nothing compared to the size of the plants you buy from your local nursery or garden center.  So after taking all that time growing my own seedlings, I end up buying much larger, healthier looking plants and go from there.  Well, this year I am determined to change that habit.  I have educated myself, and by educated I mean I have Google-d “planting seeds” and “starting your garden from scratch”.  I have found dozens upon dozens of great ideas, advice, tips, hints and suggestions for beginner gardeners. So this last weekend I ventured out to my local nursery and bought greenhouse trays and seeds.  After returning home my youngest son and I got busy right away planting those seeds. 



Seeds and Greenhouse Trays

My son loved helping me put the seeds in the soil pellets!

Now we wait and see...

Needless to say, my spring fever is almost unbearable this year. I guess I will sit back and try to enjoy the last week and a half of winter. *Sigh* 

What is your household doing to prepare for spring?      

Uses for Essential Oils~Helichrysum

(Pronounced hell-ĭ-cry-some)

I just recently was introduced to Helichrysum essential oil and have discovered its vast array of uses.  Helichrysum is a plant related very closely to the daisy and the oil comes from the flowers.  Like most essential oils Helichrysum is antibacterial and antiviral, but is also an expectorant and mucolytic.  It also has anticoagulant, antispasmodic and antioxidant properties. Helichrysum essential oil can be used to help control bleeding to helping control cholesterol levels.  Other common uses for Helichrysum include, tooth abscess, detoxification, earaches, eczema, psoriasis, tinnitus and viral infections.  Helichrysum essential oil can also chelate heavy metals from the body making it a great blood cleanser.            

In your medicine cabinet, Helichrysum Oil can replace:

·         Tylenol or other pain relievers

·         Mederma or other scar reducer creams

·         Cortosone or other topical steroid creams

Application Methods for Helichrysum Oil

·         Applied neat  (with no dilution)  

·         Diffuse or inhale aroma directly

·         Place 1-2 drops in a veggie capsule and take internally (make sure you are only taking therapeutic grade Helichrysum oil internally, like dōTERRA brand)

 

dōTERRA™ Helichrysum Essential Oil~$100.00 5ml

To Order dōTERRA™ Products Please Click Here 

 

What’s even better? When using Helichrysum oil there are no side effects, no drug interactions, it is all natural and proven to be effective.

Watch for future posts on “recipes” that use Helichrysum oil, including regenerative face lotion. Need a recipe sooner?  Leave a comment and I will post one right away! 

What do you use Helichrysum Oil for?    

52 Acts of Compassion Campaign ~Week Five

With spring just a week away, I thought it would be fun to have my boy’s paint a couple of clay flower pots and then plant some pansies in them to give to their grandma’s.  Pansies are very hearty flowers that love cooler temps and so they are perfect for the spring and fall.  I noticed that my favorite garden nursery advertising that they just got theirs in so now is the perfect time to plant them.  This act of compassion is perfect because both of my boys love to paint, and I love to plant flowers; sounds like a win-win situation!

 



Painting the flower pots!

Perfect! 
 

If gardening is not your thing and you prefer to do something a little more easy, you can change up this act of compassion just by buying a bouquet of flowers from your local nursery or grocery store and then delivering it your loved one.  Either way it is sure to brighten someone’s day!

What will your act of compassion be this week?

Uses for Essential Oils~Oregano

Most of us are familiar with oregano because we have a jar of it in our spice cabinets.  It is a spicier herb and is used frequently in Mediterranean and Italian food dishes (think pizza).  What most of us don’t know is that Oregano is a very nutrient dense spice, containing vitamin K, manganese, iron, fiber and calcium. With that being said you can imagine the benefits of Oregano essential oil.  It has antibacterial, antifungal, anti-parasitic, antiseptic and antiviral properties.  With common uses ranging from curing athletes foot to calming whooping cough.         

In your medicine cabinet, Oregano Oil can replace:

·         Tylenol or other pain relievers

·         Tums or other heartburn remedies

·         Dayquil or other cold medications

·         Pepto Bismal or other anti-nausea medications

·         Cepacol or other types of throat lozenges

·         Freeze Away or other wart removers

dōTERRA® Oregano Essential Oil~ $32.00 15ml
To Order dōTERRA® Products Please Click Here

 

Application Methods for Oregano Oil

·         Dillute 1:3 Use one part of Oregano oil and 3 parts carrier oil.  I always suggest fractionated coconut oil (Note: Oregano oil can cause skin irritation)

·         Diffuse or inhale aroma directly

·         Place 1-2 drops under the tongue or in a veggie capsule and take internally

·         Use as a flavoring for food

 
What’s even better? When using Oregano oil there are no side effects, no drug interactions, it is all natural and proven to be effective.

Watch for future posts on “recipes” that use Oregano oil, including an all natural sore throat spray and an Athlete’s Foot cream . Need a recipe sooner?  Leave a comment and I will post one right away! 

What do you use Oregano Oil for?    

 

52 Acts of Compassion Campaign ~Week Four

Even though I am four weeks in to our “52 Acts of Compassion Campaign” doesn’t mean you can’t start this week.  If you are interested in joining this campaign please comment below.  My goal is to make this huge.  Random kindness can be such a great thing, it can make someone’s bad day a good one and it can bring a smile to someone’s face that might not otherwise smile today.  When I think about it, I am not deserving of a lot of the blessings that God has given me, yet he still blesses me, day after day.  I want to be a blessing to someone else, whether they deserve it or not.  My job isn’t to judge, my job is to share Gods love, to take my blessings and pay it forward.  I don’t have to do this, I WANT to do this, and the best part of it, I am also teaching my boys the right way to live.

This week, we are going to create a “dinner for 2, in a basket” and deliver it to parents of young children. As a mom, I know how stressful it can be with young children.  Our goal with this act of compassion is to make it easy for a couple to prepare dinner after their child(ren) have gone to bed for the night, so they can spend some one on one quality time together and have a dinner just the two of them.  You can make this basket as inexpensive or expensive as you would like.  Chances are you may have a few items already in your pantry that you can include.

Here are some ideas of what to include:

·         Biscuit mix or muffin mix

·         A loaf of French bread

·         Bagged salad mix

·         Boxed rice or noodle side dish

·         $10 gift card to the local supermarket for them to purchase a couple of steaks (or meat of their choice)

·         2 large potatoes for baking or several small red potatoes for boiling

·         A boxed dessert (lemon bars, coffee cake etc)

·         An already prepared dessert

·         A handful of asparagus

·         A bagged or packaged soup mix

·         A cheap DVD (turn the dinner for 2 into a dinner and a movie)

Tip:

To save a few dollars you could put all the ingredients into a gift bag rather than a basket.

I am going to include a little note that says:

Being parents of young children takes a lot of time and patience.  Please take the items from this basket and make yourselves a relatively easy dinner.  Then take time to enjoy each other’s company (because you deserve it) and should you find yourselves remembering this gesture in the future, please pass it on!

~Fellow Parents of Young Children

You may wish to include your name on the card, or you may want this to me anonymous, either way I am sure you will brighten some couples night.

What would you include in a “Dinner for Two Basket”?