I Forgot Already -- What Did I Just Say?

Poor memory is not just for those of us who are getting older...it's also for those of us who have too many things going on in our lives. Taking care of family, the house, a job, pets, all those little projects we do--they can all take a toll on us. It starts by us forgetting where we left our keys and snowballs into "OMG What day is it?"

It happens to everyone. It's just the universe's way of saying "Whoa, you need to slow down a bit. Take care of yourself too, okay?"

Try eating foods that are good for you--whole foods are so much better than processed foods. Greens, fresh veggies and fruit, grown locally is the best; maybe a little raw honey every morning. And how about some exercise? A walk every day in the fresh air is so beneficial for you--and to make it even better, take your child or a pet with you! Teach your children how important exercise is.

What's not good for you is the insufficient supply of nutrients to your brain, and also exposure to free radicals. Getting your share of anti-oxidant rich foods will solve both these issues.

Another way to help with poor memory is by using Rosemary. It's refreshing and stimulating. Try adding 10 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil in your bath and soak for 15 minutes. Or you can add a few drops to your massage oil, lotion, or other products that contact your skin. (Avoid use during pregnancy or if you have high blood pressure or epilepsy.) Breathe deeply, find some time to relax, and take care of yourself!

Heaven and Earth Essentials carries many different types of pure essential oils, which we can add to our products. And if you desire an essential oil that we do not currently carry, we will find it for you. Our website has an entire category devoted to them and we are ready to help you determine which one is best for you.

How to Make Your Own Fluoride-Free Toothpaste

After years of paying for toothpaste that really wasn't good for me, and then paying even more for "natural" and fluoride-free toothpastes, I decided to start making my own. (Sidenote: would someone please explain to me why an item is more expensive when you take OUT the nasty chemicals?) After researching and trying various ingredients, this is my recipe:

6 tsp Baking Soda
1/3 tsp Sea Salt
4 tsp Vegetable Glycerin OR Virgin Coconut Oil
15-20 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Mix this up VERY well and store it in a sealed container. You can keep it in the bathroom, no need to refrigerate it. The Baking Soda and Sea Salt work to clean and whiten your teeth, the Glycerin/Coconut Oil make a nice creamy base, and the Peppermint is for flavor and fresh breath. You can also use a different EO if you prefer.

I do say mix VERY well, because the last time I made it, I didn't and got a few brushings with quite strong salt or Baking Soda. Oops--that's how we learn, right?

I do not use fluoride as I firmly believe it is not good for us. Within two months of not using it anymore, I stopped having really bad PMS, I almost never get a headache, my asthma symptoms are lessened, I'm not having low thyroid issues as much, etc. If you ever want to find out more about the nastiness of fluoride, I advise you just do an Internet search or go to your library, there's tons of information out there. Let's just say since I stopped using it, I feel tons better! (We do not have city water, I use a Reverse Osmosis filter on my well water, I do not drink bottled water, etc. You have to be careful about where your water comes from!)

In the meantime, start with your own homemade toothpaste. It's inexpensive and the above recipe will keep for months. For a family, you might want to make a double batch.

If you need Peppermint Essential Oil like for the above recipe, Heaven and Earth Essentials offers all kinds of Essential Oils. We offer other natural products too, like an SLSA-free, old-fashioned Shampoo (called "Timeless" Shampoo). Just like Grandma used to make, but scented the way you want.

Find our wonderful products at Heaven and Earth Essentials

Lavender--a Cure-All?

Did you know that essential oils--natural oils from plants, trees, nuts--have all kinds of wonderful properties than can help your body heal from various issues? It's true!

Lavender, while smelling sweet/floral/herbal, has some amazing properties. It's like the SuperMom of flowers and helps many different kinds of issues. For example, you can use it to help depression, panic attacks, irritability, and mental fatigue. Try adding 10 drops or so to a nice, warm bath and relaxing for 15 minutes or more. Inhale the aroma while you are soaking and don't think of anything outside of that bathtub. It will all still be there when you are finished.

Can't do that? (What, you can't just take a nice, relaxing bath while you're at work? ...or while driving your car in heavy traffic?) That's understandable, so how about this: place a few drops on a tissue and seal it in a bag in the morning, and take it with you. Then when you are having a rough time, open the bag and inhale all the Lavender goodness. Imagine you are in a quiet field full of Lavender, no stress, no boss, no traffic. Just peace and quiet and you.

Lavender is also good for insect bites--place a drop or two on a cotton ball and dab at the bite area. Got allergies or sinusitis? Try a couple drops of diluted Lavender on a soft cloth and gently massage the sinus area.

For clearing up your skin, try a facial steam with a drop or two of Lavender. Or if you have a nasty bruise, place a couple drops on a cold compress and gently hold on the affected area for about 15 minutes. It should help relieve the pain and swelling.

Most people know that a few drops right before bed will help you sleep. Try it in a lotion and massage your feet, or a drop or two on your pillow or on a tissue next to your bed. Whatever is comfortable for you.

Heaven and Earth Essentials offers many products with Lavender essential oil. Our most popular by far is the Sweet Dreams Lavender Cream. A little massage with it before bedtime and you'll be sleeping like a baby. Shhhhhh....

Rheumatiz Medicine

I was doing a little research yesterday...as I get older I'm discovering that I have more aches and pains than I used to...and I don't like taking drugs for them because that just masks the issue. Plus I'm very sensitive to everything and if anyone experiences the side effects of a drug, it is ME. (I'm like the canary in the coal mine, and if you know what I'm talking about, you just aged yourself too.)

The layman's definition of Rheumatism is pain and inflammation in the joints and muscles; it can often be affected by temperature changes such as exposure to cold.

A wonderful and natural way to deal with these issues is to use essential oils. Try Chamomile, Lavender, and Rosemary. Not only do they smell wonderful, but they have amazing properties to help our bodies heal! Try adding a few drops to a warm bath and soak for about 15 minutes. To make it truly luxurious, add some Bath Salts, especially if they have Epsom salts, Dead Sea salts, and Himalayan Pink salts (and no additional fragrance). Relax and let the salts and essential oils work for you. Heaven and Earth Essentials offers Bath Salts with these ingredients and we can add any or all three of these essential oils in it for you.

Another good way to help your aching joints is to add a few drops of these essential oils to a non-fragranced, natural lotion or cream or massage oil. Gently massage into the skin, let it soak in. Try our Massage Oil, Emollient Lotion, or Silken Glove Hand Cream--we'll add the essential oils for you.

When you use natural products, you can't help but feel good!

Natural remedy with Essential Oils

It's that time of year again, the beautiful days and buggy evenings. I enjoy sitting by my new little pond and fountain, but I really don't like the bugs! I refuse to use chemical sprays, especially DEET. So here's something for y'all to try--Lemon Eucalyptus essential oil. Not only does it smell great (of course, that's my opinion), it has been found to be "just as effective as DEET"! So why are we using nasty chemicals on ourselves and our children? Heck if I know.

Another good essential oil is Rose Geranium. Also keeps the mosquitoes at bay.

Both are also good for getting rid of sandflies, ticks, midges, and stable flies. Sounds nasty! Try a drop here and a drop there. What have you got to lose but a bunch of itchy bug bites?

More natural remedies will be coming in future posts!

To Burn or Not to Burn

We went to the Air Show this past weekend and had a great family time. We are one of those families that works and works and works (multiple businesses, farm, job, leaders of Scouts, VFW, Legion, and more), so a day away from everything is almost a shock. (I do, of course, bring work to do in the vehicle so the day isn't a total loss, hahaha). The weather was foggy, then overcast, then later the sun peaked out a little bit here and there. It was very warm and muggy, and we were outside the entire day.

Me being a mom, I pull out our Sunscreen Lotion and start applying it to my 8-yr-old son, myself, and then forced some on my DH. Well, the top of his head anyway. He's a real man and doesn't want any sissy sunscreen on him, right? So I made a big joke about how the reflection off the top of his head might be distracting to some of the pilots, might temporarily blind them, etc.

He wouldn't let me put any on his blindingly white legs though. First time wearing shorts, long Minnesota winters, you do the math!
We're talking W-H-I-T-E. Like chalk. You get the picture.

Oh, yes, our manly man today is walking around in pants at work, that fabric rubbing with every step against his now hot pink skin, which he coated with our Healing Lotion this morning, but we all know that doesn't help that friction element.

Men! The 8-yr-old is just fine, not burnt at all. I got a little bit of sunburn around my neck, which I forgot about, but at least I was wearing a hat, which helped.
But our manly man, not so good. He almost cried this morning when the dog jumped up on his lap and missed with his back leg, which scratched his burnt leg.

I'll say this once--if you are going outside, either cover yourself with fabric or put on some sunscreen! I don't care how much of a manly man you are, you AREN'T so manly when you're crying because you got burned in the sun!

On Perseverance

My son and I went for a 13-mile-long bike ride yesterday on this wonderful trail we have on the old railroad corridor along I-94. It was overcast, humid, with a slight breeze, but a wonderful day. (It's been raining off and on for the past week, so overcast is totally acceptable.)
As we were riding, we talked about anything and everything. I really enjoy these times with him. But I started to notice something--little explosions of green coming up through the tar on which we were riding. At first I just saw the little tar volcanoes and couldn't figure out what they were. Then I really started looking and saw little weeds coming up through them. Coming up through a thick, fat layer of tar!
Thinking about it the rest of the trip, it just got more and more incredible. A tiny little seed or root pushing its way up through a thick, man-made layer, meant to cover the earth, not protect it or help it, but just to provide me with a smooth road on which I could ride my bicycle.
Mother Nature wasn't having any of that. She lets us know in little ways that we don't know everything, we don't control the weather, and nature will always win. (Just watch the world news--volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.)
Sometimes it's the little things that make big changes--over time those little tiny weeds are going to destroy that tar trail. Sometimes it's a big change like a hurricane.
But it's all about perseverance!
We're in the process of creating a new website and a new membership club for Heaven and Earth Essentials. Sometimes it is so difficult to work on both of these because we end up waiting on someone else, or something doesn't go exactly the way we want it, or we find out that we just can't do it or afford it.
But I'm going to take a lesson from Mother Nature. Perseverance. Stop, think about it. If the universe is saying you can't do something one way, try it another, or think about why you wanted to do it in the first place. I think she's a pretty smart lady and I'm glad she's my friend.