We live in Michigan. The winter months here drag on and on...and on. They also tend to be brutally cold. The dry indoor air from the furnace running all the time paired with the biting cold outdoors, is a disastrous combo for our skin. Lucky for me, I've got the best essential oils for dry skin on my side! So do you just deal with it and wait for spring? I think not! Instead of suffering from dull, itchy dry skin this winter, check out these 7 essential oils that can help your skin feel more supple and refreshed. You'll be ready to face the day with these essential oils, no matter how cold it is. 7 Essential ...Read More
Foods What Are Your Cravings Telling You?
What are your cravings telling you? I feel like a piece of chocolate. Oh, doesn't that movie popcorn smell heavenly! I'll eat that last cupcake. . .we don't want it to go to waste now, do we. What do you crave? Krispy Creme Donuts? A thick slice of bread and butter? What foods trigger the munchies? Peanuts? Chewy candy? The crunch of potato chips? We joke about the cravings of pregnant women, but are you the average Joe - or Josephine - with food cravings all the time? What are your cravings telling you? Maybe your cravings are telling you that you have a bad habit of late night snacking. Or your body ...Read More
Humility: A Christian Parent’s Secret Weapon
Good parents may appear to always know what they're doing. But honest parents will freely admit that they're usually flying by the seat of their pants. Because, while the Bible is far and away the very best parenting manual, there are a lot of practical things that the Bible doesn't specifically address. I wish it told me how to help my 8-year-old stop sucking her thumb. I wish it told me how to help my teen navigate her last couple of years in high school as she prepares to enter college. I wish it told me how to help my 11-year-old open up about how he's feeling. I wish it told me how to un-spoil the 3-year-old ...Read More
When Your Child Says They’re Gay: A Christian Parent’s Response
What are the odds your son or daughter will tell you they're gay? If Gallup Polls have anything to say about it, and all other things being equal (which they rarely are), your child has a less-than-4% chance of identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. So the odds are small. Regardless of what you think about same-sex attraction, for many parents those smaller odds allow them to breathe a sigh of relief. No one wants their child to grow up feeling "different" or "weird." And yet those smaller odds means for those kids to do experience same-sex attraction, they feel all the more alone. As a Christian parent, ...Read More
Beating the Winter Blues with Essential Oils
I live in the cold north of Michigan, and while I love it here—and I even love the winter—I must admit, the short, overcast days of the winter occasionally get me down. It just gets greyer and greyer here as December moves into January moves into February. But given my love for oils, I wondered: can you beat the winter blues with essential oils? What are the "Winter Blues" If you feel as gloomy as the weather looks, you're probably experiencing the winter blues. Feeling sad, but not for a specific reason? That's the winter blues. Feeling lethargic and like your get-up-and-go got up and went...yup, that's the winter ...Read More
Can I Garden in the Winter?
Have you ever wondered if you can garden any time other than summer? Can you garden in the fall? Yup (check out this article on fall gardening). But can you garden in the winter? That just doesn't seem possible. Well, surprise, surprise: you can. You can garden in ANY season. It just looks different than what you've become accustomed to thinking of when you think "gardening." Things to Consider to Garden in the Winter A winter garden needs more protection than your typical summer garden, and yes, even more than a fall garden too. While frost may pose a threat in a fall garden, actual snow is a likely possibility in ...Read More
30 Minute Recipe: Parmesan Salmon and Veggies
I have a confession to make. I don't like salmon...or any other fish for that matter. However, my kids and husband love this parmesan salmon and veggies recipe. And I want them to love it (even if it means I have to hold my nose while I'm cooking and diffuse some extra essential oils to clear out the fish smell!). Salmon is a powerhouse food and I don't want them to miss out on all its benefits just because mom is a party pooper. Are you looking for tips for going gluten free? I’ve gathered them all together in this Everything Gluten Free page. Many regard wild-caught salmon one of the healthiest fish ...Read More
What are Essential Oils (and do they really work)?
What are essential oils — and do they really work? If you're like me, when you first heard of "essential oils," you might have thought it all sounded like a bunch of hippie voodoo and snake oil. There was a time when I scoffed at the use of essential oils because I didn't understand them. I didn't know exactly what these oils were, what made them "essential" in the first place, and just what kind of research had been done on their effectiveness. Now, I use them every day in my home and regularly teach others about the amazing benefits they bring. One of the first things I didn't understand was the name: ...Read More
