Everyday I am loving essential oils just a little bit more

I just 'face-spaced' during nap time and was amazed at how many people posted about aches, pains, depression and other maladies.  It was really eye opening to see!  Each time I thought, "Oh!  I have an oil for that!"  

Cancer?  Frankincense.  When in doubt, use Frank!  Just google those two words together and you'll find so many articles!

Cough that won't go away?  Rosemary!

Autistic child or child that is out of control?  http://www.peacefulchildblend.com/  I'm working on this one myself, but in the mean time, here's the original.

Immune system boost?  On Guard! DoTERRA's blend

Come see my website and discover what doTERRA can do for you.  If you look around and see some things you'd like I'd recommend just signing up for your own membership.  Like a Costco membership you'll have discounted prices and freebies every month with a qualifying order.  This month if you sign up for the Family Physician's Kit you'll also get a free Slim & Sassy  (weight loss oil blend) and a free Wild Orange!  Add on the free Loyalty Rewards Program (monthly order of anything you want) and you'll receive a free Modern Essentials book AND free On Guard Beadlets.  Create an order of over $200 and get a free Immortelle this month too.

I'd love to have you on my team, and together learn more about the power of essential oils and their incredible healing properties.  Want to learn more about the membership?  Go here.

Joy in the Journey

So much has happened and changed in the years this blog has laid dormant.

A few months ago we moved our little family out of the desert and into the tropics.  It has been so refreshing to see the ocean on a weekly basis!  To enjoy the water and put our feet in the sand.

It is amazing how much has changed.

We now have two little babes and my lovely husband is in the throes of graduate school.  We live near his parents and it has been interesting living where he grew up.  Its one thing to come and visit and see the high school he went to and the stores he's told me about, but now they are my stores, and if we stay here my kids future high school.  Fortunately that is many MANY years off!

I have changed so much on this path of crunchiness.  I went from pro-circ, pro-vax, anti-organic (because its not that much better anyway) to very anti-circ, and mostly anti-vax.  I word it that way because it is something I believe, but I don't (yet!) have the strong picket sign opinion that seems to be shared by most people with those beliefs.  I don't even really know where it came from.  I think for me I tried to lay out the risks and benefits FOR MY FAMILY and am presently in the camp of its not worth it and at least with my baby feel very uncomfortable about it.  He had a welt on the spot after an injection at 9 months for over a month!  I called and complained and got that that's a typical reaction.  Really?  That's why it was listed on the sheet?  (Which if you couldn't guess it wasn't!)

I certified as a postpartum doula.  I would love to move into birth doula, but don't feel like the hours are what my family needs right now.  Between my husband's full course load in grad school and his full-time job I can't add more right now without becoming a circus performer.  ;)

I aslo jumped into doTERRA essential oils!  Which I love!  I love the way I can feel good about my kids applying them solo, (something both of them really enjoy) and I truly believe in people making their family's health better.  I believe that homes should be a haven from everything on the outside.  Essential oils make my life simpler, more streamlined and definitely less filled with doctor's visits and co-pays!  Soon I'll start posting some of my favorites and what they can do for you.

Comment below with what you'd like to see more!

the part with the floods

So my dad has a really short commute.  Like less than 10 minutes.  When the hurricane hit on Thursday (the 8th) it took him over an hour and a half to get home.  There were so many roads blocked off, people would drive down one, only to be turned away because of flooding and roads washed out.  it was CRAZY!  here are my photos to prove it:

because I missed the memo of taking BEFORE pictures I don't have any.  But where my sister is standing is the beginning of where you can hop across the stream river and make it safely to the other side.  Not so now!  There was a little boy her same age (same town too) who lost his life in the flood.  A word to the wise: don't get in past your ankles because A. you don't know where the end is and B. the current might be just strong enough to sweep you downstream....a bad thing indeed.

This little bridge was once over a VERY TINY trickle of water and as you can see, the water moved the bridge and is a trickle no more....

So there you have it.  flooding.  

The part when I was actually in VA

*side note -- my hubby keeps point out to me that I call it V.A. lately instead of Virginia.  Do you ever do something like that??*

     The whole reason for my impromptu excursion was that my family was in desperate need of fresh meat for their move.  (They moved to a new town 3 hours away.)  This in and of itself isn't so terrible.  What IS terrible is when out of 5 kids, (I'm numero uno--that means the best, most awesome one EVER in case you didn't know)  my bro-ha is in college and who really brings ALL their childhood memories to college?  thus not only unable to assist, but also with baggage.  Then we have my sister, (Hermana Lauren -- currently serving the good people of Spokane, WA and bringing them closer to God) who again, for obvious reasons isn't going to bring all HER childhood memories to Spokane.  Missionaries travel light, and this girl packs it in.  Yes, many memories will be her job to sift through upon her return next fall.  Then we have the second sister, who, you guessed it, is in the dorms and obviously can't be bothered with nostalgia and the crap stuff that comes with it.  :)  Then finally, you have the baby, the 11 year old.  Who, although totally helpful and very eager to serve, (she's not a teenager....yet..) is tired from moving all summer.  Plus the padres who are also very tired and like I said, in need of fresh meat.
     Thats where I came in.  ta-da!  your fairy god mother, to make all your wishes and dreams come true! and not to put salsa on my tacos (this is a Mexican phrase meaning that you're giving yourself airs or credit where it is probably deserved, but maybe not....but mine totally is.) So vansy-pansy and I hop on the little tiny 747 and make the house shine.  Okay maybe not really, but ya know.
     The whole point to telling you about the family line-up is that if you know that you can understand how many other people's stuff we're dealing with and how much space all of that stuff takes up.  Yes, you could say, well Cam DUH get a storage unit.  But first you have to FIND all the stuff that the movers haphazardly put everywhere.  Second problem: one box might contain things belonging in 3+ areas of the home.  So you're CONSTANTLY bringing things up the stairs, or down the stairs all. day. long.  yes, the back massages were many and in the end my knots had knots!

tomorrow I'll tell you all about the flooding and hurricane that happened while I was there!!!

Sorry everyone...

I know, I know, I've been a terrible blogger.  But I have some pictures to make up for it and some great stories to share.  First up, my trip to VA with a 10 month old. (did I mention she was/is teething??)

  So our departure went like this: I handed the guy checking id's ours (yes, I brought her picture pool pass, totally not worth it as the guy didn't even crack a smile.  "WHAT?!!  she's flying, she has a picture id, what gives?!"  And they made her take off her shoes.  The leather bottom type that is practically nothing.  Yes, because she could possibly have an explosive in that size two shoe.  It's cool, I'm in a good mood, we're having fun, so off come the shoesies.  I had her in the Bjorn the whole time at the 'port because I'm that mom.  whatever that means.  But obviously, they wanted her out at security.  (FYI this isn't law if you look at the standards on the TSA website.) So when we make it through the metal detector I set her on the carry-on bag to suit back up.  "BABY ON BELT!"  *all action comes to a screeching halt.* 'cuz she was there all of 3 seconds too.  Honestly, I thought it was nice, way to have my kid's safety first.  I can handle that.  :)  


Then we get on the plane, mind you, I was PREPARED.  I had sippy cups filled, in the little pocket in front of me for easy access, books, toys and every other needful item within hands reach and I KNEW where they were before anyone else even boarded.  Once everyone is seated and patiently waiting we have a 'flap' issue.  Whatever that is......so they let people deplane or wait for 45 to an hour.  This is not okay.  I had timed her nursing and napping PERFECTLY with the plane ride.  Now she's mad, hungry and I have no choice but to do the necessary right there.  I am not that type of mom.  So she fell asleep before we'd even left the ground.  (See above)  And slept for about 20 minutes after we'd achieved the necessary altitude.  
Then I was left to entertain my child (who had NO interest in ANY of her stuff) with my stuff.  (See below)

We made it only a few minutes late and had no other problems on the plane.

more to come....from that mom....

I'm a vocab snob

You may or may not know this about me, but I'm a word snob.

*Hi, Word Snob*

Allow me to explain...

I don't profess to know anything about punctuation.  In fact it's a sad truth.  Much like the fact that I can copy you when you play a song on the piano, but don't ask me to sight read anything.  It will not happen.  Even if you hold a gun to my head.  So, like my love of music and dislike for sight reading, I love words and don't like the periods, semi-colons, commas, etc.  I tell you this so you know that it is out of ignorance that I  over-comma and under-hyphen or whatever.  

BUT, the real reason for this post.  

SINCE.

it was originally a word used for time.  

Merriam Webster defines 'since' as

: from a definite past time until now <has stayed there eversince>

                                         : before the present time : ago <long since dead>

: after a time in the past : subsequently <has since become rich>

(these are just the adverbs.)  

So, when you start a sentence with;

"Since I felt like sharing this with you..." and making it synonymous with "because" it's not correct English.  It drives me crazy!!!!  So please, next time you use "since", use it correctly, use it wisely.

"You can look like the smartest person in the room until you open your mouth."~Anonymous 

MGM asks;

what have you done lately to simplify your life?