Cleaning and Eggs and Breaks Oh My! It Must Be Spring!

I love spring. The birds are chirping louder, the weather is getting warmer (finally right!?), and there just seems to be more optimism in the air. Spring is synonymous with words like NEW, BEGINNING, and HOPE. It really is a time for change in so many ways.

One of those being CLEANLINESS. Oh my gosh, I really dislike the actual cleaning part but when it is all done it always turns out that it was SO worth all the work. I love the uplifting feeling of getting rid of the extra junk and those eh...dust bunnies!

Bunnies also bring to mind another part of this season that is so filled with hope and renewal. Easter time. For those of you who celebrate, Easter can be so fun (and delicious :p), but it can be hard to stick with diets or healthy options when it comes to decorating those eggs, breaking out those old holiday recipes, oh and um all that darn candy...so much candy.

Not only are the holidays right around the corner but hopefully everyone is taking a spring break this year! When traveling all around the country (and the world for some of you lucky's) it is so imperative to take steps to keep your family safe from all those germs out there. ESPECIALLY with this nasty strain of flu this year. YUCK.

So let's dive in and talk about a few things that will keep the SPRING in your step this season. Hold on to your bunny ear hats guys, there will be puns in these blogs!

Spring Cleaning:

Thieves Household Cleaner: diffuser purification, I can rid the air of dust, debris, and allergens like a professional came into my home, then by blending it with RC, I can help to open our nasal passageways and lungs up naturally to receive all that good, clean air. So easy and smells so refreshing. Wanna enhance your air purification process even more?Using essential oils is a great way to stay away from those nasty chemical cleaners, which let's be honest...I use sometimes for the really crazy hazmat suit jobs. But when I am cleaning things my baby gets a hold of, I like something just as strong as Clorox but as gentle and safe as mom's kisses (which he gets a lot of). So that is when I break out my Thieves y'all. Wait Courtney, did you say Thieves? Why yes, and it is amazing. And with a combination of distilled water and my favorite oils. I love to create my own blends by dropping in whatever oils to meet my family's needs. But there are ready made blends produced by YoungLiving to fit specific needs as well. By diffusing the YoungLiving blend, it is the safe way to clean almost every surface in your home without those harmful, stinky fumes and the risk to pets and kids. AMAZING STUFF. It is infused with Thieves oil and a lemon, citrus blend so it leaves a really "springy" smell lingering in your home as well. Speaking of smells, did you know that you can actually clean the air in your home without one of those crazy expensive filters. This is TRUE! You can actually clean the air in your home with the oils! In my own home I use an oil.

Here's a cool tip:

So I know you have seen those Himalayan salt lamps around, they are everywhere you go right now! Well do some research (they aren't all authentic), buy one from a reputable company and leave it on 24/7. A medium-sized salt lamp can purify an entire living room and kitchen area in as little as five hours! For an added bonus, I put my diffuser right by my salt lamp. WHY? Because there is some science to this. As it turns out, salt works by reversing POSITIVE ION poisoning in the air by producing NEGATIVE IONS with the help of moisture in the surrounding air. Therefore, I figure I can kill two birds (as they say). So here is a simple breakdown for you... Salt+Water+Air+Oils= AMAZING RESULTS when it comes to keeping your home a purified, allergy fighting machine! Rock on with some diffusing and salt rocks!

Spring Break

Okay so speaking of Thieves, seriously GO NUTS. Thieves is of course safe to kill germs on and inside (it is ingestible, which you of course cannot say about Clorox...um eww) the body as well as in the home but what about when you aren't home? YoungLiving has a plethora of Thieves products to meet your needs. For trips away from home, I highly recommend Thieves hand wipes...great for surfaces too. Wanna save some money but still be germ ready? Take your household cleaner or Thieves drops...mix with a bit of lemon and water...Shake up and soak some strong paper towels. Throw those in a sandwich baggy and break them out to wipe off hands when you get off that bus, or to wipe the table down at the McDonalds in the airport. Y'all know you will need them! But this way it is budget friendly too. Another high recommendation that you may wanna go ahead and just purchase...Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier. Comes in a bottle that will be perfect size in your airline ready liquids bag and is so safe to use. Unlike the nasty stories you have heard about sanitizers on the market, the Waterless Purifier is infused with Thieves and peppermint oil to leave your hands squeaky clean, safe from harmful chemicals, and minty fresh. WIN WIN WIN. Need some more products on the go while you are packing that bag? YoungLiving has a BON VOYAGE Travel Pack! That is right. Everything you need for your vacation including lip balm, lotion, toothpaste, mouth wash, and more. Awesome, right? You don't have to give up your healthy living goals on the road. YL has your back, and your hands, and your teeth, and your...well you get the picture.

Spring into Easter:

Alright, lets talk eggs here... They are messy, they smell, they can be fun, and they can be gross. I am telling you, this is something I really don't want to do when Declan gets older but hey, it's un-American not to, right? Well in the Spring Issue of YoungLiving Essential Oils magazine last year, I actually found an article that got me excited to get my Easter egg on for once. The article featured the idea that you can make your stinky eggs natural diffusers! Now that is what I am talking about. No sulfer-y, vinegar-y, egg-y smell...CHECK. So go grab some fresh fruits and veggies at the store for GORGEOUS natural colors and grab your favorite springy oils, it's egg time.

Natural, Smelly-Good, Egg-Ceptional Egg Dye

Dyes:

• Bright Blue—Red Cabbage (uh weird but works) (1/4 head of cabbage)
• Purple—Beets (1 medium beet)
• Lavender—Grape Juice (1 cup)
• Light Green—Spinach (large handful with 2 cups boiling water and 1 Tbsp vinegar, simmer for 15 mins)
• Orange—Yellow Onion Skins (6 yellow onion skins in 2 cups boiling water, strain after boiling then add 1 Tbsp vinegar)
• Yellow—Tumeric (2 Tbsp into 2 cups boiling water. Add 1 Tbsp vinegar)
• Pink- Cranberry Juice (1 cup)

Cut your veggies into chunks and added to four cups of boiling water with two Tbsp white vinegar. Remove cabbage after cooling to room temp. Be sure to boil your dyes with one Tbsp of a carrier oil (olive oil, grape-seed oil, fractionated coconut oil, or sweet almond oil) and ten drops of your favorite scents. Store your eggs in your dye overnight in the fridge until they reach that perfect shade (and smell, YAY!).

Spring is just amazing. It brings with it such warm feelings and no I don't just mean that light breeze. It carries promise, potential, and precious reminders that we can all be made new again. Let this spring inspire you and ignite your health goals into solid habits and practices. You won't ever regret living a healthier life! And with that, I pray that you all have a beautiful spring and a blessed Easter. May you all feel renewed and energized in this season of new beginnings!

About Me

I am Courtney, a massage therapist and small business owner. Married to an incredible man and together we have one beautiful baby boy! I am just about to finally go back to work for the first time since my son was born last July. I am so passionate about helping people reach their healing potential and in my massage practice, essential oils are a HUGE essential part of the process. A lot of what I blog about on my website correlates to my life-long experience surrounded by Young Living Essential Oils and how they have changed my life. My nana was a massage therapist and oils distributor also while I was growing up and I feel at home whenever I immerse myself in their healing presence. So I hope you can take something away from my articles, I try to make them fun and informative so I can share something so dear to my heart and health with others!