Working Out with and without my Oils

So here are the results of my two walks according to my FitBit. 

The first is my workout from yesterday when I had forgotten my respiratory essential oil blend (what I've been using to help my respiratory issues I often have while exercising). The second is my workout today when I used my respiratory essential oil blend.

Some differences to note. I worked out in the afternoon yesterday after I had eaten lunch and had done a LeBarre class in the AM. I also was pushing an umbrella stroller with my 25 lb 19 month old son. I didn't have a water holder so I didn't really stop to take a drink, except the 3 spots where you can clearly see I stopped in the blue pace chart.

My work out today was with the 30 lb jogging stroller pushing the 25 lb 19 month old, my 30 lb 3.5 year old, AND my 35 lb 5 year old. I also had to stop more often to pick up things they had dropped, for potty breaks, etc. Another thing to realize is that I had not eaten lunch yet nor had I exercised earlier since this was at 10:30 am. I drank about a half a bottle of water while exercising. Otherwise, the only difference was my respiratory essential oil blend.

Not only was my speed quicker, but my stride was obviously longer. I had 1300 steps more yesterday over the same distance of 3.2 miles. It could have been due to pushing a heavier stroller today which helped me to take wider steps. I'm interested to see how this may differ next time my husband is home and we can split the kids between 2 strollers again. I'm amazed that my heart rate was slower by 13 bpm. This isn't enough data for this science based gal, but it's definitely an interesting look at my heart rate. I remember worrying my trainers years ago because my heart rate would skyrocket into the 200's when I'd exercise due to my breathing issues. I'm glad I now have a natural way to take care of my health and I can most definitely tell the difference when I do work out. Not to mention how nice I smell (at least it'll cover up the sweat in this heat and humidity).

Half My Life Without Mom

So, it's my birthday this week. YAY. I'm turning 32. Not usually a big number or a reason to get up in arms. Except it is to me. My mom lost her battle against cancer when I was 16. This means I will now have celebrated as many birthdays with my mother as I have without her. Every year on the anniversary of her death, I envision I have less and less of a hard time. But it's never true. Every time, it's like a sucker punch to the gut. Day to day life is easier, but the wound never fully healed. And I'm not sure it ever will, even if I live to be 100.

My mom and I when I was 6.

My 16th birthday, the last one with my mom, was probably one of the worst days for birthdays. My father was flying in from somewhere and his flight was delayed. So I ended up hanging out at home alone for almost the entire day waiting for my parents to get home (not to mention my birthday usually falls on Memorial Day weekend and all my friends were out of town with their families). Dinner was late, and I don't think we even had a cake made. Most of the details are fuzzy. I know, without a doubt, had my mom known it was the last birthday I'd celebrate with her, she would have made sure it was an amazing one. But the truth is, none of us know when will be our last. Which is why we must make sure to make every one count! 

(Don't worry moms, I'm equally guilty of dropping the rope on making fun parties happen for the kids)

Ever since that day, I've realized the rest of the year followed my birthday. If I had a bad day, my year wouldn't be the greatest. Silly thoughts? Maybe. But it's part of why I try to enjoy celebrating my birthday to it's fullest. I rarely succeed, but I try.

I'm never one to throw a huge party for myself, and if there is one, I like bbq style get togethers. I love surprise parties, but as a mom now, there wouldn't be much surprise since I'd have to clean the house or I'd be thinking the whole time that my house looks like THAT house. Plus, my kids are terrible at keeping secrets. 

My adorable kiddos

As I look at my kiddos, I know the love my mother felt for me. I know my mom and I would have been very close if she were still with us physically. My life most likely would have gone in a completely different direction. My husband and I probably wouldn't have met or even if we did, we wouldn't have had that one thing in common that got us talking in the first place (my late father-in-law passed a few years before I met my husband). And I know I wouldn't be as close to my father. 

My Father walking me down the aisle in 2008

My dad has always been amazing. He says he doesn't know what he did to make me think that, but I see a man who lost a spouse at a young age, and still had to raise a 16 year old, hormonal, spunky girl (not to mention my 18 year old brother who had enlisted in the Marines 2 years prior to 9/11). I look at my husband now, and cannot imagine the strength it takes to raise your kids after the death of your other half.

My Husband and I hiking the Arizona Trail earlier this month

My kids have made me into a new person too. One that makes me sad I cannot share this life with my mom. Being a mother, without your own, is a very hard walk. I didn't envision it to be so difficult. After I had my oldest, I hated seeing any grandmother/mother/daughter pairing. I was jealous initially, and thankfully have since worked through that. My mom was a great mom. Sure, she had her moments, but she was mine. My kids NEVER had the opportunity to meet her or hug her. I never even got pictures of my children with her.

The Martina McBride Song, "In My Daughter's Eyes" reminds me that my mother does indeed live on in me, and I can help her to live on in my daughters as well. Peanut and Bean Sprout may never have met Carla Niemy Taft, but they can know her through stories, and how I act, because it's the way she raised me. My mother will never truly be gone from my life. She is always a part of me. Just because I've now lived as much and more life without her physically present than with doesn't mean she's not with me every day.

I plan to enjoy this birthday. I'll be in Nashville with my doTERRA buddies for the Regional Conference. I'm excited! I don't want to be miserable on my birthday and I know my mother wouldn't want me to as well. Instead she'd like me to enjoy my life and my kids. To live each day to the fullest. And to tell stories of her to my children and friends who never met her.

Here's to 32!

God Bless.

Christianity and Depression: Part One

I'm a Christian and I suffer major bouts of depression.

Yes, you read that right. 

But how? Why? Haha, I wish I knew why. My husband wishes he knew. He'd like to just fix it and move on. He's an engineer. So he's a fixer as our oldest loves to call him. But depression, like happiness, is only on the person it affects to actually 'fix' or at least mine is. 

It's all in how you react to what life throws at you. And I continually say that I've lived a very privileged life so far. But I've dealt in the past with many issues others do. Flat broke? check. Abusive relationship? check. PTSD? Check. Childhood trauma? Definitely check. I could probably go on. The thing is, I probably have every excuse in the book to allow my depression to define me. And in this day and age, not many would fault me for it. 

But there's one thing I have on my side. One thing. Love. Even at my deepest, darkest time, I knew I was loved. Maybe not by the people that should have. But I knew God did. And there's no way to say that without sounding cliche. But if you've had a deep, true relationship with Jesus, you know it isn't cliche. It's deep, and it's divine.

But I haven't always felt that way. Even though I grew up in the Church, I never memorized scriptures. Sure I knew the stories of the Bible, but never the true scriptures behind them. Recently, I memorized my very first scripture. It was a big milestone, but I felt almost foolish to share this fact. Two main reasons kept me from sharing, at least what my own mind kept telling me. A. my non Christian friends wouldn't really understand how big of a deal this is. and B. my Christian friends would not understand why I hadn't done this years ago. 

But it is a big deal. Even more so that the verse I kept coming back to was this one: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 NIT This is a major scripture verse for a control gal like myself to understand. God has this. He has me! And He has your life too. 

I want you to join me over the next few weeks as I blog about different tips and tricks I've picked up in dealing and coping with depression. So bust out that Serenity and Lavender, and stay tuned. And please, if you are struggling with depression or know someone who is, please contact a professional therapist to help. I've been to my share of them and know when you find a good one, amazing and life changing things will happen in your life. Don't be afraid of them. Know you are loved. And God is most certainly on your side.

An Homage to Oils and Obligations

I asked my husband to do a guest blog post for me from the guy perspective. If you have a guy in your life who questions your dōTERRA work, please share this with them. I'm sure they can relate to it!

Enjoy

~Cristin

My wife (Cristin) asked me to do a blog post about why I (as a guy) use  dōTERRA  essential oils, but I want to make this about more than just why I use them.  But let me get to that point first.

Over the past year, we have decided to try taking a more holistic approach to our health. And I don’t mean holistic in the hippy tree hugger kind of way. I assure you, and anyone that has met me will attest to this, I couldn’t be further from the hippy tree hugger demographic. With multiple health issues in our family like food allergies and arthritis, among other things, we just wanted to be able to treat them without pumping ours or our children’s bodies full of chemicals. dōTERRA essential oils have become an integral part of my overall wellness plan, and there’s several great options that make them easy to use both while at home and while traveling.

As for me, I’m not in the greatest shape. I try to workout when I can, but with the hectic schedule and the amount of travel that I do, it’s difficult to keep any kind of regular workout schedule or healthy eating habit. Oh yeah, did I mention that I travel a lot for work? Like, A LOT. Those 180+ flights per year don’t just run down my immune system, they expose me to all kinds of nasty bugs and germs. 

Using On Guard, along with xEO Mega Complex is one way that I have been able to help protect my body from environmental threats and support a healthy immune function. Case and point, most of my coworkers caught a nasty bug in Daytona (did I mention that my job is to follow NASCAR around? See? Not a hippy…) and have passed it back and forth for the past 5 weeks. Guess who’s the only guy that hasn’t caught it yet? That’s right. This guy. ::knocks on wood::

Another issue that comes up a lot while traveling is clogged airways and breathing trouble. I like to combat this by using the Breathe oil either topically, or in a diffuser at night. Cristin bought me a travel diffuser that’s meant for a car, but is the perfect size to carry in my bag and deploy in a hotel room.

My job requires me to keep odd hours. I find that the calming and grounding blends do a really great job of helping me relax and promote restful sleep at the end of the day.

I’m also not a big fan of caffeine. I know. Gasp now, then read on. I don’t like the way it makes me feel. Peppermint oil has become my “wakeup juice” on mornings where I just can’t seem to get going.

There’s several other oils I use from time to time as well, a seasonal discomfort blend being among them.

So as you can see, I have embraced essential oils as an integral part of both my mental and physical health. But that’s not the only thing I have embraced.

The other thing I wanted to write about was the other thing I have embraced: my wife’s ambition to sell dōTERRA products as a business.

Now you can say what you want about me using them. Some people, especially guys, view them as hoodoo-voodoo or new-aged hippy crap, and that’s fine, you’re entitled to your opinion (you're wrong though, for what it’s worth). But what disturbs me greatly is the amount of guys that don’t seem to be getting behind their women that have decided to sell them, either as a business or a hobby.  Cristin has met many of her friends through dōTERRA. And it really is shocking to me how many of their husbands are completely unsupportive of their efforts.

When Cristin first approached me about her desire to sell dōTERRA as a business, I will admit I was somewhat skeptical of the products, but never of her desire or ability to take them from a hobby to a career. My only request was that we never pay out of pocket to support the business, aside from the initial investment. And we haven’t had to do so thus far.  And we’ve had a fantastic return on our investment so far. Not only do we get the products we already use at a discounted price, but she makes good money selling them to other people that are also interested in leading a healthier, more holistic lifestyle.

Let me take this out of the realm of just essential oils, and into of the realm of general relationship advice. To put it bluntly, if you don’t support your spouse in their endeavors, whether they be personal or professional, you’re a jerk. Yes, you. So many times our women stand behind us, support us, comfort us, and cheer us on. Don’t we owe it to them to do the same in all their efforts as well?

Stay healthy, live well, and may the beard be with you.

-RB

But I Don't Like to Clean!

I know. We're not all suzy homemakers. Not everyone is weird like me and actually enjoys cleaning the dishes. I actually don't like cleaning the dishes. It takes me longer than I care to admit to scrub them so there isn't food pieces left over. But while I stand in front of the hot, soapy water, I pray.

My kids don't really care if the dishes are clean or not. And my husband is on the road most days out of the week. So why do I bother? Well, for one, it's not exactly sanitary to eat off a dirty plate. But no ones sees it, so why does it matter? 

IT DOES MATTER! When no one else sees, God does. And He does appreciate it. Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

So clean, because God is watching and he does appreciate everything you do!

Cleaning Dishes with dōTERRA

How do I clean with doTERRA?

I love the On Guard Concentrate. I use about 3 TBSP of the cleaner concentrate for every gallon of water in the sink. My dishes are cleaned! It's also non-toxic so I never need to worry if my kids decide they magically want to help me clean up. And it also helps eliminate odors when someone (usually me) forgets to do the dishes and there is some stinky foods stuck to the plates. I love that it's great for the whole family and the environment! It's really that simple.

To purchase your on On Guard Concentrate, click on my website today! To get it at wholesale cost, enroll with me today to get 25% off all products and earn free oils and products! Message me at SpoiledByOilsPA@gmail.com

Don't Leave Dirty Dishes In Your Sink!

Happy Monday! As you start out your work week, think about the little things you can start doing in your life to change it upside down. Make the negative a little more positive. Now, I have a question for you.

Would you leave this overnight?

I'll let you in on a little secret. I occasionally do! I don't do the dishes every night. I never let them go more than one night though (they wouldn't all fit in our tiny sink!).  But I feel so refreshed every morning that I wake up and don't have to worry about dirty dishes and needing to clean up last night's supper. Instead, I can immediately grab my coffee, In Tune, and go! 

It doesn't take long to clean the dishes. And even if you're exhausted, just do them. Clean up a little bit before you go to bed and I'm sure you will feel better when you wake and realize, "Hey, I don't need to worry about cleaning up first thing in the morning!" I promise to make sure I do mine before I go to bed every night. You should too, especially if you have a working dishwasher.

God Bless,

Cristin

My Why: Part 3 of 3

After my lifestyle why and dōTERRA why, this is why I work and concludes My Why. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

As I spoke in my first post, I am a Christian. I became a SAHM because two children in daycare would have cost us as much as our mortgage. My husband and I threw around the idea I would return to work when the girls were in school. But then God decided we would be blessed with a son. My dream of returning to work went right out the window. 

I struggled with depression again with my 3rd pregnancy. After birth, I realized I was in the midst of postpartum depression. I worried that all my life would be cleaning up messes, doing dishes, cooking meals that wouldn't be consumed, and living a life focused solely on my children. I know being a mom is a rewarding job by itself. However, I felt drawn to something more to raise my children as well as inspire them.

I worried I would turn into one of those Housewives of the Lehigh Valley, where reality shows make bad things look good and gossiping is an art form. "A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends." Proverbs 16:28. I had already started distancing myself from people I found I only gossiped with. It was not because I felt I was better than them, but because I knew needed to focus on the positives in life. When I surrounded myself with people who gossiped, I jumped right in. I hated that. I didn't want to become that and look down on others.

So I opened up the Word. I searched the Bible for scriptures to direct my path. My first search lead me to reading Proverbs 31. I'm sure we all know the Wife of Noble Character. My good friend and godmother to my children would talk with me regarding her torn decision to work out of the home, away from her children. We both felt we were making the wrong decisions so we prayed. 

I like the flexibility to drop everything if my children need me. My husband travels for work, which leaves me as the only parent available to pick up the slack if someone falls sick. My last position allowed me that flexibility with an amazing boss and coworkers. However, the pay didn't allow me to provide for my family. In fact, with 3 children, I would have been paying to work. 

I came to the decision that God wanted me to work again, but as my own boss. Which is what I have with dōTERRA. I continue to stress over the importance of working as opposed to being idle. Proverbs 10:4 (HCSB) states, "Idle hands makes one poor, but diligent hands brings riches." And Provers 21:5 says "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty." I love when my hard work is rewarded. I know that if I don't work, I won't get paid. 

The more I put into my business, the more I get out of it. I don't mean financially either. Yes, the more money I put in, the more I make. But I'm talking about everything else. The more I put into my team members and the friendships, the more I get out of them. My teammates are my best friends now. When they go through good times, we celebrate. When they go through trials, we pray and help one another. We look out for one another. That makes this a purpose for me, for my life.

I leave you to meditate on 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Warning Against Idleness

6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

11 We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

God Bless,

Cristin

My Why: Part 2 of 3

Monday I started my blog and today, I'm going to discuss why I decided on essential oils and primarily, why I chose to work with dōTERRA. I will have one more post on Friday so make sure you stay tuned for Part 3!

I was introduced to essential oils when I was in college. I like using them as alternatives to using anything else for my healthcare. I dabbled with different brands on and off for the next decade. When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, I decided I was going to eat healthier, for her sake. After her birth, I was eating my lunch and I had a banana with it. Half way through eating it, my mouth began to itch and my throat felt like it was closing. Knowing a few people with food allergies, I knew this was an allergic reaction. But I had never been allergic to bananas! So a week later I decided to try another banana I purchased at a different store, and sure enough, the same reaction.

After receiving allergy testing, it turned out not only was I allergic to bananas, but also melons (I never liked them growing up anyway), sesame seeds, eggs, and my biggest reaction was to corn. CORN!?!?! Corn is in EVERYTHING. So I started my research in the midst of cutting all corn out of my diet as well as beauty products. Which meant, I basically began making all my meals from scratch. Suddenly, my fatigue began to lift. My depression began to disappear. My skin looked fabulous. Not to mention I began to lose weight by cutting out all processed foods. And suddenly, my back, shoulders, jaw, knees, and every other joint inflammation, started to die down (unfortunately this was the beginning of my Rheumatoid Arthritis). Finding out I had a food allergy was the beginning of a full on lifestyle change for me.

The next year, I became a stay at home mom (SAHM for those who aren't familiar with the slang) because I gave birth to our second daughter. Daycare was as much as my salary at the time and we figured, we'd rather have me home than working. This helped me to dive into an amazing exercise routine and I met Heather who owns Sweat Like a Girl (now located in Nazareth). I was absolutely in love with a healthier lifestyle and I daydreamed about moving to the middle of nowhere to raise our own food too (this should probably never happen because my thumb is the opposite of green - I've managed to kill 4 out of these 9 houseplants which are supposedly impossible to kill). Then we welcomed our third child, a son, in 2013. Homemade meals are a given, because now 3 of our 5 family members have severe food allergies. But I wanted something more to help our family, to get away from all the sick visits to the doctor everyone associates kids with.

A mom friend in an online group posted about dōTERRA and their enrollment promo last year. Even though Jenn and I had never met in person, this was a fellow mom friend I had talked with, and cried with, for 3 years. 

I know dōTERRA is a larger company, but since working with them, I've learned so much about their business practices as well as their amazing Healing Hands Foundation. Did you know they don't actually own any of the farms where their plants, flowers, trees that are used for the essential oils are from? They are all owned by local farmers in indigenous regions around the globe. dōTERRA works closely with their growers and the local populations with clean water standards, fair wages and working time in poverty regions.

And I simply love the products. I love the fact they are a younger company but completely debt free, they have scientific backing, and they are 100% pure and certified pure therapeutic grade (CPTG). Each batch is tested to be free from any and all fillers or synthetics in 5 different analytical methods. They are blindly tested by 3rd party independent laboratories. All of our oils are produced on natural farms globally to get the highest yielding essential oils. Lavender is grown in France, Arborvitae is from the Pacific Northwest, and Cardamom is from Guatemala to name a few.

So I threw caution to the wind (after discussing with my husband - he's now an avid users as well!) and enrolled.

I had initially intended to use the products simply for myself. And you know what? Our sick visits became nearly nonexistent. Not necessarily with the oils per say, but the entire healthy lifestyle we now live. But as I started learning more and more about my essential oils, I felt I had to share with many of my other mom friends who were looking for more natural care for themselves and their children. I liked that I didn't need to purchase oils every month, nor did I need to hit a quota like many other companies. It felt like a costco or sam's club membership. I couldn't complain about the $35 enrollment fee (which was waved with an enrollment kit). Plus the compensation plan is phenomenal, which definitely helped get me interested in starting this as a business.

DōTERRA offers an amazing give back program, their Loyalty Rewards Points (or LRP). I now receive 30% back on all my LRP orders as well as 100% back in shipping costs. When I order 125 Product Volume (PV) by the 15th of each month, I receive their Product of the Month (POM). POM is offered each month but is only available to existing Wellness Advocates (WA) and one purchase per month. This month, I will receive a free 15 mL bottle of Wild Orange. 

DōTERRA also offers a 200 PV promotional every quarter. This month, when I purchase 200 PV, not only do I receive a free 5 mL bottle of Deep Blue (the soothing blend), but I also receive a free bottle of the Deep Blue Rub. I go through all of those oils so often. They're great to use after I do a strenuous workout, like this morning's snow shoveling.

DōTERRA even has a 10% off special every month, available to anyone. I mean, there are so many ways to get free stuff with dōTERRA for being a loyal customer. 

Plus, they have a fast delivery. I often order on a Sunday night or Monday morning. I typically get my shipment within 3 business days simply by placing a normal delivery LRP order. It's fantastic service. If I ever have had a problem with shipments or question with my items, their customer service is impeccable. They are available online and by phone during business hours, or I can email dōTERRA after hours.

I love that dōTERRA is a natural alternative than what my family was using. I keep finding unused bottle of allergy something or other or headache stuff that I can now throw out, simply because we don't need them anymore. Or I can take vitamins once again without fear of corn. I'm excited that my family has been able to live healthier this past year, and I can honestly thank my oils for that. If you want more information, you can find me on FB. I'll be transitioning my Spoiled By Oils PA to Keystone Oiler over the course of a few months as well as building a website. If you are interested in joining my team, you can visit my dōTERRA page. We have team members all over the United States as well as Canada. If you are in another country, there is a strong chance you can enroll too! You can also email me at keystoneoiler@gmail.com or spoiledbyoilspa@gmail.com. We have all types of dōTERRA wellness advocates on our team, users, sharers, and even builders and we have a place for you too. 

So jump on board because I'd love to personally mentor you too!

God Bless,
Cristin