Essential Oils Class

Have you ever wanted to attend an essential oils class, but couldn't make it? I decided to make it convenient for everyone and record an online class. Watch it here

To order Young Living essential oils, visit my website at www.youngliving.org/dstrunk

Why We Celebrate Halloween

Every year on Halloween, it's inevitable that there is controversy from Christians. The whole "To celebrate or not to celebrate" debate is seen on every form of social media. I am a Christian. I am a Christ follower. Jesus is Lord of my life. And I celebrate Halloween. *gasp*

I believe that instead of hiding in your prayer closet on what is said to be an evil holiday...maybe, just maybe, we should put our focus outward. I truly believe with all my heart that if Jesus were here on earth today - you would find him at the trunk or treats. Why? Because it's a chance to reach the lost. I recently attended my parents church trunk or treat with my children and there were hundreds of people there. This is a church that my dad has been the pastor of for 21 years. I grew up in this church, and I only knew a fraction of the people who attended the trunk or treat. This is ministry. This is a chance to take what people call the most evil day of the year, and turn it into something pleasing to the Lord. There are people who would never step foot in a church on any other day, but they are taking the time to visit churches on Halloween for trunk or treat. We are planting seeds that one day may bear fruit.

Now, when my family does Halloween, we have "rules". We don't call it harvest or a hallelujah party - we call it what it is. It's Halloween. Why call it something else? It doesn't make it more holy by calling it an alternative name. We celebrate Halloween...but we do it God's way. We have do's and don'ts. We DO embrace the fun. We DO make it all about family time. We DO dress up. We DO pray for our kids, that they will be protected by any form of evil in the spirit realm. We DON'T let them dress as anything evil or scary. We DON'T take them to haunted houses or places with demonic costumes or decor and we DON'T deny that we have fun celebrating Halloween. That is something we will not be ashamed of.

Regardless of your stance, I see both sides. I understand the people who feel wrong about celebrating Halloween. It's not those people who bother me. The people who get under my skin are those who shame other Christians for participating. Your convictions and my convictions may not be the same, but that doesn't make either one of us wrong. If you feel that your place on Halloween is sitting at home, praying for the hearts of those who are out celebrating - then by all means, pray! That's an awesome thing that God has put on your heart. If you feel that handing out candy and ministering to kids at a church trunk or treat is where you need to be - do it! And do it shamelessly! If you want to go make memories with your children, then go take them out and have fun. If you have a conviction, listen to it. We are all going to celebrate this day in a different way. None of those ways, unless you are worshiping the devil, are wrong. Pray about it and ask God to guide your decision. We have and we feel no guilt in taking our kids out, innocently dressed, for a night of family fun.

There is nothing evil about this -

A Healthy Halloween

What does a crunchy health conscious mama do for Halloween? This has been a struggle for me. I have two precious kiddos. Stella Rae is my spunky two year old. She is curious and adventurous. Did I mention that she loves candy? She does. *sigh* I unfortunately did not get the one in a million child who hates sugar. Does that kid even exist? ;) I'm not a big fan of our kids getting candy, and to be honest, they really don't get it from us. On the rare occasion that Stella gets high fructose corn syrup, bleached sugar, caramel coloring nonsense...it's usually from a certain family member...who shall remain nameless. ;)

So what about Halloween? The Mecca of candy. What do we do then? I will tell you what WE do. I refuse to deprive my girl from the festivities of Halloween. This is her first year of really getting to enjoy it and so far she has had a blast. So, I let her enjoy her time, and at the end of the night I let her have TWO pieces of her favorite candy. And then, the candy "disappears".

In a perfect world, everyone would all have healthy snacks and treats for our kiddos on Halloween. This is just not reality, so we have to make guidelines.You might think I'm being paranoid or over protective...but do you know what sugar does? Here's the ugly truth...

Yes, I know these health issues come with extreme amounts of sugar...but sugar is in SO MUCH MORE than just candy. I'm not the Halloween police telling you that you are an awful person for giving your kids candy. It's a FUN night and I LOVE Halloween! But consider making it more about dressing up and other traditions than making candy the focal point. Think about making some yummy healthy treats with them like these super cute pumpkins and ghosts...

(You can make these out of Bananas and chocolate chips, so you still get a little bit of the good stuff ;) and the pumpkins are pealed oranges with a celery stick in the middle)

Here's another idea - take some fruit cups (we get no sugar added organic fruit cups) and draw a pumpkin face on them. Healthy and festive! :)

Here's a treat that will rock your child's immune system AND taste great! Ningxia Red gummies! Ningxia Red is LOADED with antioxidants and vitamins. Order some here

So, what are some ways that YOU make Halloween healthy? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Young Living Interview

Hello friends! I was recently interviewed by a dear friend, Dr. Tim Henderson on Unshackled TV. Unshackled is the home of our upcoming show Living Wholly. In this interview I touch a little bit on what the show will be about, and I also talk about Young Living Essential Oils. Check out the interview by clicking here

DIY body spray with essential oils

Two words: synthetic fragrance. *gag* Do you know how many toxins are in perfumes and body sprays? Enough to kill you slowly. Synthetic perfumes and fragrances are a silent killer, loaded with poisonous chemicals that cause serious health issues over time. So, what can we do to smell fresh and not harm our bodies? There's an oil for that! ;) Watch my tutorial here:

The I am Challenge

Hi friends! This blog post is a bit different than my usual ones. The purpose of this blog is shifting ever so slightly. While I will still be referencing Young Living Essential Oils, I am also incorporating more of my day to day life, what God places on my heart and other ways of embracing a "wholly" lifestyle. ;) So, here's my first video post. It won't be the last. I plan to start sharing with you on a fairly regular basis what God is doing in my life. I hope you find this inspirational and I truly hope you take the I am Challenge with me. (see video below)

Back in Action

Hellllooooo friends! I have been a little MIA lately. Great things are on the horizon. In case you didn't notice - the blog now has a new name - Living Wholly. The contents of this blog will be very similar to what it was before. I am still going to be talking a lot about Young Living Essential Oils and how to use them in your every day life...but I also have other things I will be talking about as well. I will be incorporating healthy living and family values along with advice on how to use Young Living products. We have a new show Living Wholly that will be coming to the Roku channel "Unshackled TV" in the fall, along with a website. These are coming soon, but for now, enjoy the blog! Follow me on my health journey as I try to live wholly. ;)

Changes to the Premium Starter Kit!

Today's post is really exciting!! BIG changes are coming to Young Living! Our Premium Starter Kit is getting a makeover! Woop woop! What's changing? I'm glad you asked! ;)

The new kit will feature RC, Copaiba and DiGize. These are three fantastic oils!! The oils that will no longer be offered in the kit are Joy, Citrus Fresh and Tea Tree Oil. They will still be available for purchase individually, just not in the kit. The NEW kit will be available to purchase mid-June. So, if you're still a fan of the current kit, and you haven't made a purchase - buy it NOW. It won't be available for much longer!

So what's the 4-1-1 on the new kit?

RC - An oil that is GREAT for coughing and congestion. (The RC actually stands for Respiratory Congestion)

Copaiba - An oil often used for pain. It works wonders when it is layered with other pain oils (Peppermint, Panaway, Deep Relief)

DiGize - This is a family favorite of ours! It is SO awesome to use when your tummy has the rumbles. It helps with an upset stomach, it supports healthy digestion and we have seen it work wonders with helping constipated kiddos find relief.

The other oils will still remain - Purification, Frankincense, Thieves, Peppermint, Lavender, Panaway, Lemon and Stress away.

To order a current kit CLICK HERE and I will let you all know when the new kit makes it huge debut!

Remember friends, I'm not a doctor. These products are not meant to treat or diagnose an illness. Take any serious health concerns or questions to a medical professional. :)

Young Living Easter Basket Goodies

Easter will be hopping here before you know it, so now is the perfect time to think about the treats you want to put in your kiddo's Easter basket. I am an absolute stickler about my daughter having sugar and processed foods, so when it comes to holidays that are centered around candy...I like to find an alternative. What's a healthier alternative to candy than Young Living? It's basically as beneficial to one's health as you can get. So today we are talking about Young Living goodies for the Easter basket. Give the gift of good health this Easter! ;)

Obviously with Easter you don't want to break the bank over a simple basket, so what are some little things you can add to your child's basket that won't hurt your wallet? Here are a few ideas...

Thieves Hand Purifier is a great little goody for an adventurous kiddo. My daughter Stella is obsessed with washing her hands and/or using hand sanitizer, and the best part is - it's healthy! You don't have to worry about a bunch of toxic chemicals, like the generic hand sanitizers have, because this is made with natural ingredients and essential oils. This is an absolute favorite in our house! (Available as individual bottle for $5 - Wholesale members and $6.58 - Retail Customers OR Available in a 3 pack set for $13.75 - Wholesale members and $18.09 - Retail Customers)

Young Living Lip Balm is another great little treat for the Easter Basket. It comes in 3 scents - Grapefruit, Lavender and Cinnamint. (Grapefruit and Cinnamint - $4.25 for Wholesale member and $5.59 for Retail Customer, Lavender - $4 for Wholesale members and $5.26 for Retail Customer)

A roller bottle is such a great gift for little kiddos. If you're an avid oil user, chances are your kids have taken notice to that and are oily fans themselves. A personal roller bottle would make any oil-loving child happy. And the best part about making your own, you can make it out of your child's favorite oil or an oil they need. The sky is the limit with oil selections for your roller bottle. (Suggestions - Joy, Peace and Calming, Lemon, Orange, or Lavender) Find various sizes and colors of roller ball bottles online at www.abundanthealth4u.com

A diffuser necklace (or leather bracelet if you're buying for a boy) is the perfect touch to any Easter basket. My favorite place to buy diffusing jewelry (like the one picture below) is at www.sacredarrowjewelry.com

Finish your Easter basket off with a touch of fun. Make your own essential oil scented play dough! You can use food coloring to make it your child's favorite color, and pick a fun scent to match. Click here for the recipe!

I hope you have found these ideas helpful in making your kid's Easter basket a healthy one. :) All of the Young Living oils and products mentioned above are available to order on my website - www.youngliving.org/dstrunk

Homemade Thieves Cleaner

The first warm day of spring has sprung and I am all over spring cleaning. I want to share with you my favorite house cleaner, for all of you lovely readers who are planning out your spring cleaning schedule...you will love this! (for all you readers who couldn't care less about spring cleaning...you will love this too!) ;)

Make it yourself with the above recipe or order the concentrated bottle of Thieves Household cleaner on my website (www.youngliving.org/dstrunk)

DIY Sugar Scrub

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I decided to treat my daughter's teacher with a special Young Living sugar scrub. I made hers with Peppermint and Orange essential oils, but you can use any oil of your choice. Some other suggestions could be Lavender (relaxing), Joy (uplifting) or your favorite oil. 

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 Tbsp of olive oil

6 drops of essential oil of your choice (I used Peppermint & Orange)

Directions:

Mix sugar and essential oil in a small bowl. In another bowl mix melted coconut oil and olive oil. Slowly pour the oils into the sugar mixture and stir until you get an even consistency.

Yield: This makes one serving for a mini Mason Jar container.

(I used scrapbooking paper to decorate the lid and some festive ribbon and tags to spruce it up)

Stress Relieving Bubble Bath

Got stress? Try lighting a few candles, putting on some light music and see what this does for ya...

And let the stress roll right off your back. ;)

3 Ways to Use Young Living Essential Oils