What is all the hype about Essential Oils?

Unless you have been hiding under a rock somewhere, you have heard of the new Essential Oil craze. WHAT IS AN ESSENTIAL OIL? Used for centuries in our medicines, cleaners, and beauty products, an essential oil is a highly concentrated natural product made by distillation with either water or steam of flowers, rinds, leaves, bark and other natural products. Essential oils combine the benefits of aromatherapy with the therapeutic benefits of plant oils.
When applied to the skin (the largest organ of the human body) the tiny molecules of the oil penetrate quickly while the fatty carrier oil stays on top of the skin but allow the essential oil to penetrate slowly. Some inexpensive brands of "essential oils" are actually fatty oils with essential oils added which may not be clearly added to the label. A pure essential oil will smell like the plant, not like a candy or a cleaning product and will not be greasy.
Source: The Chemistry of Essential Oils by David Stewart

Many claims have been made about the health benefits of essential oils.  I myself have jumped on the bandwagon and use them like there is no tomorrow.  As you are doing your own research, I have a couple of things to share with you.  

#1 Be careful of your source.  Not all essential oils are equal.  Some essential oils, even the ones labeled as 100% pure, are not. Truly pure essential oils will not only cost more but when stored properly will never expire. Consider the cost basis from the fact that it takes much more of the plant constitutes to make up an oil with pure chemical qualities.  For example, it takes 75 lemons to make a 15mL pure bottle of lemon oil, or 1 pound of raw peppermint material to make one 15mL bottle of peppermint oil. Here's a link to my personal favorite oils My recommended pure essential oils

#2 Watch for drug interactions.  Essential oils will never replace a good physician.  I use a balance approach with the oils.  If my irritated throat does not go away after a few days of essential oil use, obviously I go to the doctor.

#3 Learn the lingo.  As you are reading up on oils, here's a few vocab words you should know.

Essential oils are a wonderful way to stay healthy and when used correctly, are a valuable addition to a well family.  To learn more about essential oils there are tons of resources at www.lifesciencepublishers.com . To get started using essential oils, check out my favorite, trusted oils here: my favorite oils Happy Oiling! 

It happens...Any dog can bite. What to do when it happens to your child.

When my husband got the call, I heard it in his voice. Keys already in my hand, I walked up to him and said, "Who got hurt? and How bad is it?"  Nate got bitten by a great dane he told me. In his next breathe he made sure to follow up with, "He's fine".
The thing about dog bites is they can happen at anytime with any dog.  Even the best dogs can bite.  It's their  protection of themselves.  In Nate's case, he was riding his skateboard down the street with a friend and the dog, who was leashed, got away from it's owner.  The dog was spooked by a skateboard.
Although it did break the skin, thankfully, Nate's dog bite wasn't much worse than some bruising and 4 small scrapes, but I scoured the internet for advice and asked around.  It appears that so many moms have frightfully had this happen to their children.
According to the internet, I did the right thing.
We made sure Nate's wound was immediately cleaned and cared for.
We introduced ourselves to the dog owner.
We asked for her name, address, phone number, vet information, name of the dog and name of her homeowners insurance.  This VERY responsible pet owner was completely upfront with all the information we needed and showed great concern.
After reading lots of information and taking in all the advice, I found that  the best article was given to me by my friend Tammy.  It can be found at Dr. Sear's web site.  I'll provide some excerpts here.

Bites - Human & Animal

It invariably happens to almost everyone. An overzealous toddler bites a friend. A scared dog bites an intrusive child. A curious boy catches a mouse and gets bitten. Many parents are naturally worried when this happens. Is my child going to catch rabies or some other strange disease? How do I keep the bite from getting infected? Should I go to the ER or page my doctor urgently?

Here is Dr. Sears guide to both animal and human bites. This will help you decide what to do immediately, when to call the doctor, and what treatment protocol, if any, is commonly prescribed.

INITIAL CLEANING OF ALL BITE WOUNDS

As soon as possible, preferably within 8 hours, do the following:

• Gently wipe away any dirt.
• Irrigate the wound. Go to a drug store and buy a large bottle of sterile saline and a large syringe. Flush the wound with at least 16 ounces of the saline using the syringe. Use as much force with the syringe as the child will allow. If it is too painful, apply an antibiotic ointment that also contains an anesthetic ointment. This may ease the pain.
• Apply an antibiotic ointment.
• Use the guidelines below to determine whether further medical attention is necessary.

GENERAL BITE SITUATIONS THAT ALWAYS REQUIRE A CALL TO YOUR DOCTOR

Here are some situations that require you seek medical attention the same day.

• Any large bite that results in a large tear that looks as if it requires stitches.
• Any bite on the hand, finger, foot or toe (unless it is just a little scrape).
• Any bite on the face (unless it is just a little scrape).
• Any deep puncture bite (those from long, thin teeth, such as a deep cat bite).

Animals that pose the highest risk:

• Bats
• Raccoons
• Skunks
• Foxes
• Bears
• Opossums
• Weasels
• Wolves
• Woodchucks

Animals that pose less risk:

• Immunized dogs
• Immunized cats
• Immunized ferrets

ThreadUP launching new Women's Chic resale online

ThreadUp, one of my new favs written about here, is launching a new Women's re-sell online and are collecting your like new women's clothing along with children's clothing.Very simply, I requested a thead UP bag that came by mail, I double checked all the clothes I wished to sell for cleanliness and quality, I loaded up the bag, dropped it off by UPS (free postage!) and I waited for my email on how much cash I had earned. Now you can stuff it all in one bag, clothing from my kids and from my own closet.  How easy is that!
To be on the email interest list and watch the program launch, or get your gently used items in on the sale....use this link:http://lnc.hr/j0juS

A Little Snot Goes a Long Way

I'm so proud of my 13 year old daughter.  She got a dose of mothering the other day.  Not the babysitting experience of watching her 3 year old brother, but the dose of the unselfish, dirty job of mothering.

It was a particularly tough day for me as our family was packing up our entire household for  a big move the following weekend.  We had an impromptu appointment with some perspective residents and were thrown into that world of chaos where the entire house had to be picked up and cleaned up in under 2.5 hours.  The anxiety level was high, and I knew that having my overtired and under attended 3 year old in the home when said grown ups arrived was a bad idea.  Hence, my 13 year old daughters turn.

"Please honey, just take him on a bike ride for me," I pleaded with her.  "He loves his bike rides. I promise it will be easy.  Just go up and down our street until you see the guests leave."
With the usual roll of the eyes, thankfully she agreed and took the little guy to helmet up.

Fast forward to the time when our grown up guests have safely driven away.  In walks my disheveled 13 year old daughter.  Her arms were inside her shirt. You know, like kids do when they are freezing and they forgot their jackets? With a look of disgust and slight pride, my beautiful girl exclaimed.  "He got snot all over me!"

"What the heck?  How did that happen?" I asked.
She went on to explain how Asher had a runny nose while bike riding and started screaming for a tissue.  Not wanting to disturb us, and his screams escalating, she decided to do what all good mothers have found ourselves doing at one time or another. She told him to wipe his nose on her shirt.  I have to say, that was one extensive snot rag.  He was particularly runny that day.
With a look of pride, I congratulated her and sent her to the laundry room for a good shirt cleaning.

Several days later, I'm still thinking of what has changed in my daughter.  She is becoming a lady that I imagine will make me a very proud grandma in the future.  It's times like this where for a quick moment, I can say to myself that I must be doing something right. For a brief moment, I took off my "hard on myself hat" and put on the "proud mom hat".  The hat that knows of all the times when I have sacrificed for these 5 kids.  The times I have cleaned up their puke, wiped their snot, stayed up all night, held them when they cried,  driven 100's of miles for them, and countless other acts do get noticed. But, they get noticed in a much more graceful way than I would ever imagine.  In the pride of seeing that daughter grow up to be a momentary mother to her brother. Such beautiful grace. It's all the thanks I need.

Trying to take some of the sting out of Immunizations

I realize 2 things, FIRST: This is a controversial subject and I hope that the reader understands that I am not in any way advocating for or against immunizations.  I am also not a doctor, so I cannot stress enough how important it is to use common sense and discuss these tips and your child's immunizations with your pediatrician before attempting them on said children. I am simply a mom who has vaccinated her own kids and I would welcome any tips from a licensed practitioner on ways to naturally protect my child from vaccine complications.

SECOND: Being that I am a purist blogger of sorts and I believe whole heartedly in giving credit where credit is due, I have to tell you that I searched and searched for this article online and could not find it.  I will tell you that I found it laying in a scrap pile on printed newspaper of sorts while on a vacation in Bend, Oregon.  From what I can tell, The Dr. that wrote the article is Dr. Michelle K. Jackson.  Obviously a mom or dad who found the article as important as I do, found it, tore it out to save it, but failed to pocket it.  Their loss, our gain.

Now all disclaimers aside, here are some excerpts from the article by Dr. Michelle K. Jackson:

"The number of routine vaccines given to children by the time they attend school has risen from 10 in the 1970's to about 36 presently. This article will not discuss the absolutes of administering vaccines but rather if you do decide to vaccinate your child I [the author] aim to offer some practical information to those who want the best long-term health for their children, regardless of their sentiments on the topic of vaccination in general.
Since there is evidence that at least some of the time vaccines do cause negative reactions, the question that emerges is whether something can be done to minimize, if not eliminate, such damage, however infrequently it may occur...
First, always make sure your child is healthy at the time of a vaccination.  We want the immune system to respond to the vaccine since that is the purpose of vaccination.  I often recommend one hour before vaccination a dose of a powerful Omega 3 supplement, preferably one that is from an alternative source of marine lipids, to fish oil, such as New Zealand, greenlip mussel oil, which is my favorite...Omega 3 oils are beneficial for so many health issues that taking it daily is not a bad idea.
If you do have an adverse reaction, especially at the injection site, take a dose of additional herbal
antioxidants, such as curcumin and quercetin in particular are good, because they have been found to block the ability of vaccine additives that may trigger a long-term immune reactions.  If you take the antioxidants an hour before the vaccination, it should help dampen or negate the adverse reactions.
Immediately before vaccination, take a calcium supplement.  The calcium needs to contact the mucous membranes of the mouth, so hold it under your tongue or have your child hold it under their tongue, even a tiny bit of a calcium tablet will work.  Magnesium citrate or malate (500 mg. of elemental magnesium) two capsules, tree times a day after the vaccine will help as well.
After an injectable vaccination, apply a cold or ice pack to the injection site.  This will inhibit blood flow to the area and keep the vaccine ingredients from spreading into the blood and surrounding tissues.  This is especially important for vaccines that contain additives.  Take your own pack with you, as we want it applied immediately.
Taking a dose of homeopathic Thuja Occidentalis 30C, immediately after vaccination (or at least within 2 hours), and then every 12 hours for a total of 3 doses (no more)...Thuja is available at health food stores that carry homeopathic remedies, such as Whole Foods and Henry's.  Arnica homeopathic gel can also be applied to the injection site.
Vitamin E , in a natural form, that is high in gamma-E, may help dampen the negative immune reactions and may also reduce several of the inflammatory reactions.  [Check with a doctor for dosage] (Note: Kiwifruit seed oil is an excellent source of all the natural forms of vitamin E and is second only to avocado oil.)
A most important ingredient on the list is Vitamin C.  It is very potent anti-inflammatory and should be taken in a buffered form, not as ascorbic acid.  If your child experiences diarrhea, cut back on the dose to bowel tolerance.  In a addition to its general antitoxin properties vitamin C has been demonstrated to be highly effective in neutralizing the toxic nature of mercury in all of its chemical forms.  Even the very highly toxic organic forms of mercury have been shown to be effectively detoxified by vitamin C.  Mercury derivatives and other heavy metals are found in vaccines. [A common myth that mercury is no longer in vaccines when it is. http://www.naturalnews.com/035432_vaccines_mercury_court_case.html]
Zinc may be protective against vaccine toxicity.  (Do not use zinc mixed with copper, however, as copper is a major trigger of free-radical generation).  Additionally, Vitamin D3 is very important for people who vaccinate.  It helps if you are over-reacting immunologically to a vaccine, by cooling down the reaction.  Similarly, if you are under-racting, it may help to boost your immune response.  I often recommend dosages of Vitamin D after a vaccine but the amounts are dependent upon age & weight and I often run a simple blood test to determine Vitamin D levels before recommendation of dosage.
Please consult with your own health practitioner before embarking on these or any other changes to your own regime, or that of your children.  Every individual is unique, and should be treated accordingly by their own medical practitioner.  Medicine for people should never be one size fits all! "

Fun Advent Calendar

I made these fun and inexpensive chewing gum advent calendars with the kids a couple of years back and they ask to do them again and again.  They make great gifts for friends, neighbors and teachers. For detailed instructions, check them out at My little mochi.

From my little mochi blog at www.mylittlemochi.typepad.com
-Jen C for Binkys and BonBons.

Promo Code for FREE 10 Pairs of re-usable nursing pads

Here's a great deal submitted by Emily B.
Thanksgiving PROMO CODE FOR FREE 5 4-PACK (10 PAIRS) BREAST PADS!

Go to www.uddercovers.com.
Click on "Shop Now" and select the 5-pack breast pads
Once you have made your selection, you'll automatically be directed to the shopping bag.  Enter the promo code "THANKPADS" and they will deduct 100% off the cost of the breast pads - all you pay is the shipping fees!