The Wild Folk Co.

How to Order Oils

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Sat, 08 Jun 2019 19:53:00 +0000

Ready to get your hands on some quality Essential Oils?
Here's the step by step of how to order:
So, you can if you want by choosing the "retail customer" box, but...... friends don't let friends pay retail. A wholesale membership will save you 24% off everything for LIFE - I mean, hello! Who doesn't love a discount, right?! <3
Here's how it works: Follow this link
A new window will open (The wholesale box will be checked, and our member number will be filled in), click "continue."
When it tells you who will be your enroller you click "continue" again because heck yeah you want to be on our team! <3
Now you get to choose your starter kit.

Step 1:

If you just want a wholesale membership, click the tab for basic kits on your browser (it's a drop down menu on mobile), and choose "Basic Kit."
Or you can be like me and start with one of the Premium Kits (these are by far the best deal - like $400+ worth of products for just $165). There are also kits for Cleaning Products or Makeup, so just choose the option that best suits you.

Step 2:

This box is asking if you would like to join essential rewards, Young Living's monthly auto-ship program where you have home/body/wellness/essential oil products delivered to your door. This program comes with loads of freebies, but there is a $50 minimum monthly order requirement to participate. It's super easy to cancel, but if you're not into this sort of thing right now, just ignore it and click "next" at the bottom of the page.

Anddddd that's basically it for things that may not be self-explanatory. The rest is just filling out your
payment and shipping info.

Pretty easy for something that will change your life!!!

Once you've joined with either a membership or a starter kit, you will receive a welcome email from us. Be sure to check your inbox for the next couple of weeks because we'll be sending you some helpful information about how to use your products. You will never have to walk this alone - we are always just a message away!

Still want to know more? Here's a post answering common questions about joining Young Living.

Want to do Young Living as a business? Cool! A membership is the only thing you need to get started.

Never want to do Young Living as a business? That's totally cool too. Just enjoy your oils and learning about all the ridiculously amazing things they can do! <3

Either way, we're totally happy to help you on your journey to stay above the wellness line!
xo -
The Well and Wild Tribe

DIY Natural Tooth Powder

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Thu, 16 May 2019 19:51:00 +0000

We use Young Living’s aromabrite toothpase (definitely not the dentarome lol), and love it, but we ran out with a week to go until our monthly wellness box delivery. After few days of water brushing and mouthwash, we were all starting to really miss our minty mouths (ok, the kids couldn’t have cared less, but Jon and I were missing it), so I made a little jar of toothpowder to tide us over.

Here’s what I used:

2 tbsps Baking Soda - for cleaning
1 tbsp Bentonite Clay - helps remove toxins
6 drops Peppermint Essential Oil - for fresh breath
3 drops Citrus Fresh (or orange) Essential Oil - for whitening
3 drops Clove Essential Oil - high antibacterial properties

Just combine the powders in a small glass jar, drop in the oils, pop the lid on and shake to mix the ingredients.

Voila! Easy, affordable, natural way to keep your teeth clean!!
Just wet your toothbrush, gently dip it in the powder and then brush away for pearly whites!

DIY Natural Garden Pest Spray

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 19:49:00 +0000

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” ~ Margaret Atwood
For many of us, Spring means gardening. Spending our days in the warmth of the sun, tilling our soil and nurturing our plant babies.

Unfortunately, it can also mean pests. There’s nothing worse than spending weeks (or months) of effort caring for our plants, only to have them ravaged by bugs.
Fortunately, there are ways to deter pests and protect your beloved plants - without using dangerous chemicals.

There are some budget friendly essential oils that are very effective at repelling bugs, slugs, and snails without being harmful to you or your plants.

Here are a few:

Peppermint: a natural insecticide, this oil will work on ants, beetles, flies, fleas, aphids, and squash bugs, as well as repel spiders.

Cedarwood: this oil is great for keeping slugs and snails away.

Orange: because of it’s high limonene content this oil is lethal to flies, fleas, and fire ants. It also repels silverfish, roaches, and mosquitos!
Simply add 5 drops of each oil into a 4 oz spray bottle, and fill with water. Spritz on plants as needed (shaking before each application).
No scary chemicals, just natural protection.
Do you use essentail oils in the garden? Tell us your favorite natural methods for keeping pests away from plants.

DIY Naturally Scented Bodywash

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 19:48:00 +0000

One of the items in the hub’s Essentail Rewards order this month was Young Living’s unscented Bath Gel. It is SO hard to find unscented, green (as opposed to green washed) products at the store, so we were pretty stoked Young Living offered this.
We’re also stoked that just about everything YL sells is concentrated, so we knew we would get 3 bottles of body wash out of this one bottle, so we decided to make a his and hers, and then still have one bottle left over for whoever runs out first.

Here’s how we did it:
Divide the unscented bath and shower gel into thirds (we used foaming pump bottles, because natural soaps don’t have the chemical in them that gives them all the lather of standard soaps)
Then we chose our scents. I chose Peace and Calming, Patchouli, and Orange. Patchouli and Orange are already in the Peace and Calming blend, but I just wanted to enhance those notes.
Jon chose Cypress, Cedarwood, and Northern Lights Black Spruce. Woodsy and manly, without smelling too much like a forest.

I used 2 drops of Peace and Calming, 1 drop Patchouli, and 1 drop Orange in mine.
Jon used 2 drops Cypress, 2 drops Cedarwood, and 1 drop Northern Lights Black Spruce in his.
Then we just filled the rest of the bottle up with water, shook it around to mix, and voila!! Naturally scented, toxin free bodywash - at 3 for 1 pricing!!

Have you made your own naturally scented bodywash? What oils did you use?

How to Boost Your Immune System Using Essential Oils

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 19:47:00 +0000

Because essential oils are plants in their most potent form, they make wonderful tools for us to use in creating and maintaining wellness.
Some oils are well known for their powerful immune boosting properties, so let's go over a few that we recommend everyone have on hand.
Copaiba: This is one of the most powerful substances on the earth for reducing inflammation. The BCP in copaiba boosts immune and endocrine function. Mix a drop with honey or gargle a drop with warm water to sooth a sore throat.

Oregano: This is a total powerhouse for the immune system. Apply (always diluted) to the bottoms of the feet.
Frankincense: This is an amazing overall immune booster, as it not only decreases inflammation, but it also helps your body to produce more white blood cells.
Lemon: Rich in limonene - there are some amazing clinical studies about this - be sure to check them out. Lemon essential oil is wonderful for your lymphatic system, helping to flush out cellular waste.

And of course, one of Young Living's most well known blends - everyone's favorite - Thieves. Thieves essential oil is a blend of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. Thieves oil has high anti-bacterial properties, fights harmful fungi, reduces inflammation, and helps to promote overall wellness. It also smells like the holiday season, with it warm, spicy scent, so that's also a huge bonus!
I make a roller that we use frequently to stay healthy using a few drops of Thieves mixed with a carrier oil.
If you happen to be feeling under the weather, try this Get Well Tea recipe (makes one pot of tea):

Essential oils are a powerful way to boost your immune system, but remember, the most important thing you can do to maintain a healthy immune system is to take care of your body. Get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and eat nutritious foods.
If you'd like to learn more about essential oils and how they benefit your body, you're welcome to join our Facebook Group
and if you're ready to order some of these immune boosting essential oils, click here for the path to wellness.

Joining Young Living - Common Questions Answered

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 20:20:00 +0000

I had been hearing about the wonders of essential oils for so long, but always thought it was all hype because the ones I was using were doing nothing. I figured that I was either immune to holistic remedies or all these people talking about oils were just trying to scam people (andddd had pretty much settled on scam).

I finally decided to give Young Living oils a try and HOLY MOLY - I wasn't immune to holistic remedies and these people weren't lying! I had just been getting what I was paying for by buying "cheap" oils (which I now realize were probably synthetic or watered down and that's why I wasn't seeing results).

So many amazing things happened to my family the first few weeks of trying out our Young Living oils, that I knew I needed to share them with others.

But.....how does it work?

Will I have to spend a bunch of money every month?

What if I want to cancel?

Will I have to sign away my first born child?

Isn't it like, a cult or something?

I'd rather die than have my friends think I'm part of an MLM...

I could NEVER message people trying to sell things to them.

These are all the things that stopped me from trying Young Living for like, YEARS!

And now that I'm "in the cult" (lol it's totally NOT a cult), I feel like I need to share these things with people, because I'm totally not the "I'll PM you" type. I'm the "put alllllll that stuff out there from the get-go" type.

First of all, you NEVER have to sell anything or commit to buy anything else EVER again, but if you do happen to fall in love with your oils and want to share about them with friends, you can earn $50 for every friend you refer! If you want to. How great is that?

Ok, so here's how it works:

You spend $45 - $165 on a wholesale membership. The $45 membership comes with one oil (Stress Away) + some samples, and earns you 24% for LIFE. There is no need to renew, just purchase $50 worth of products A YEAR to keep it active. Don't want it anymore? Don't buy anything.

Simple.

There's no monthly ordering commitment. No elusive 1-800 number where you have to wait 3 years on hold to cancel. Just don't spend $50 within a year and you're no longer a member. Boom.

The $165 membership is exactly the same as the $45 except for the fact that it comes with the addition of a whole bunch of oils (12 total) that are great to build your home apothecary, and a beautiful diffuser.

As far as selling things, you totally don't have to sell anything.

Like ever.

The huge majority of Young Living members are in it for the toxin-free products, not the selling.

I'll write up another post about selling so you can read up on it in case you do want to make a business out of Young Living - but please know, I still never recommend you message people trying to sell things to them - ew, gross.

Now, let's talk products.

Ermagersh.

There are supplements, body care, hair care, dental care, essential oils (duh), makeup, baby care, children's products, etc. All with ingredients that would make the Think Dirty app proud. You can basically replace everything you normally buy from the non-grocery sections of the grocery store, except with Young Living, you can feel confident that you're bringing plant-based, toxin free goodness into your home.

Here's a quick look at the two most popular memberships:

Joining Young Living has been an eye opening experience for my family, and we couldn't be more thankful for the knowledge and clean products that we have found through this company.

Remember, signing up as a wholesale member with us grants you access to come AMAZING resources and education groups! You'll also receive a welcome package and gift from me for joining our tribe! What what!!

Ready to sign up? Click HERE We're so excited to be able to help others stay above the wellness line!! <3

DIY Toxin-Free Perfume

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 20:19:00 +0000

Did you know that almost all modern perfumes use artificial fragrances? Not only that, but when "fragrance" is listed as the ingredient in a product, what it really means is "any combination of thousands of toxic chemicals?" People are even calling fragrance "the new second-hand smoke."There is a sign at my doctor's office asking patients to refrain from wearing perfumes or colognes to the office, as they can have harmful impact on others.

A 2001 study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that synthetic fragrances were often shown to contain hormone disruptors linked to abnormal cell reproduction.

From NonToxicRevolution: EWG found that about 75 percent of products that list fragrance contain the hormone disrupting chemical, phthalates. Phthalates, used to make fragrances last longer, have been linked to many hazardous health conditions, such as reduced sperm count, liver and breast cancers, reproductive malformation and diabetes. This carcinogen has been banned in many countries (EU, Japan, South Korea, Canada, even China), but our government sets such an intense level of proven harm for these chemicals that some say it’s almost impossible to reach.

The good news is, you don't have to wear chemical-laden perfumes. You can make your own and it's super easy - and much more affordable.
To show you how easy it can be, I thought I'd show you how I made my current perfume. I like warm/woodsy scents, so if that's not your jam, I'll list some other oil combos you can sub out for the ones I used below.

Here's what you need:
A glass spray bottle
Witch Hazel
A pinch of salt
Water
Your favorite essential oils (I use Young Living because I trust their quality)

For this blend I used:
4 drops Patchouli
5 drops Cedarwood
1 drop Vetiver
3 drops Valor
3 drops Bergamot

Just drop your oils in, fill the bottle half way up with witch hazel, add in a dash of salt, then fill the rest with water, put the lid on, and shake it up.
That's it!! Told ya it was super easy.

Here are a few other combos to try if you're not a partial hippie like me and not into the earthy smells:
Daydream:
4 drops Lemon
6 drops Lavender
8 drops Valor

Take on the World
4 drops Joy
3 drops Orange
6 drops Valor

For the Fellas:
3 drops Pine
5 drops Northern Lights Black Spruce
6 drops Cedarwood

Give it a try - your body systems will than you!
If you try it, let me know what combo you used and how you like it. <3
Also, you should join our facebook group Well and Wild where you can connect with other natural living friends. We'd love to have you there! <3

Frankincense, the King of Oils

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 20:17:00 +0000

Frankincense essential oil comes from the resin of the Boswellia trees, which grow in desolate conditions.

Known as being one of the gifts presented to baby Jesus by the 3 Wise Men, Frankincense was known for its healing powers, making it valued more than gold during ancient times, and possessed only by those with great wealth.
It is mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian list of 877 presecriptions and recipes and one of the oldest known medical records (dating from the 16th century, BC).

There are 4 types of Frankincense:
1. Boswellia Frereana (not pictured): This species of Frankincense is native to northern Somalia, but contains no boswellic acids. Frereana has a lemony dcent and is uplifting and cheering.
2. Boswelia Serrata: Also known as Indian Frankincense (where it's sourced), this is a very affordable option. According to Dr. P, "Many people are surprised to learn how cheap this oil is but its important to realize you get what you pay for, the odor and chemistry will be drastically different than a good carterii oil and the oil would not have the same therapeutic effects......In fact, serrata is often used to adulterate other frankincense oils because of its low price..."
According to Dr. Axe, "
Boswellia extracts seem to lower inflammation and support immune function on multiple levels, including (3):

interfering with cytokine production that raises inflammation (interferon gamma, interleukin-4 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha)
delaying reactions to sensitivities
helping regulate lymphocytes (white blood cells) and T-cells interactions
regulating production of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, which protect the body from bacterial and viral infections
regulating production of immunoglobulin M (igM) antibodies, which are found mainly in the blood and lymph fluid"

3. Boswellia Carterri: Sourced in Somalia, this species increases spiritual awareness, stimmulates the immune system, supports the respiratory system, improves attitude, reduces negative emotions and lifts spirits. Frankincense supports overall cellular health.
4. Boswellia Sacra: Young Living's Sacred Frankincense oil is the first Omani Frankincense to be available to those outside of Saudi Royalty or the privileged of Oman. It is regarded the world over as the rarest, most sought-after aromatic in existence. If you're into vibes and frequencies, you might like to know that Boswellia sacra has the highest frequency of the boswellia species.
Frankincense supports skin health, reducing dark spots, lines, blemishes, and reduces redness and skin irritations.
Research suggests that frankincense can be used to improve memory and learning.
Frankincense helps the digestive system by speeding up the secretion of digestive enzymes, increasing urination production, relaxing the muscles of the digestive tract and also helps improve circulation, which is needed for proper digestive health.
Frank was also historically used for tooth health, and you can still find it in some toothpastes.
According to Dr. Axe, frankincense "It has a calming, grounding scent that can naturally help you to fall asleep. This natural sleep aid helps open breathing passages, allows your body to reach an ideal sleeping temperature and can eliminate [discomfort] that keeps you up."

Holy moly! It's no wonder Frankincense is known as the "real incense" and King of Oils.
Here are a few ways I use Frankincense:

*Diffuse a few drops during Yoga, Meditation, or Prayer
*Drop in my palms and inhanle when I'm feeling anxious
*Drop into a carrier oil and rub on my chest before bed for breast health
*I also use frank nightly on my face before bed in a roller with sweet almond oil, lavender, and myrrh (yes, another gift for the Christ child). Since starting this nightly skin care routine, my skin has been better than ever and any blackheads have disappeared!

Do you love Frankincense? How do you incorporate it into your life?
Frankincense is one of the oils (along with 11 others) that come in a Young Living Premium Starter kit. If you're looking to get started with Essential Oils, this is the best way jump in. 12 of the most useful, versatile oils, a diffuser, and other goodies, plus a lifetime wholesale membership.
It's how I got started, and I can't recommend it enough.
If you'd like to sign up and experience that amazing benefits of essential oils, simply click here.

DIY Soothing Muscle Rub

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 20:14:00 +0000

I've been sending Panaway Essential Oil to everyone I know who could use its soothing benefits on their muscles and joints. If you think essential oils are just things that smell nice, or that people who say their bodies benefit from them are just drinking the proverbial koolaid, then I dare you to try Panaway. It's one of those oils that you cannot doubt once you've tried it, and the wonderful thing about it is: its actually like 4 bottles in one!

Panaway essential oil can (and perhaps should) be diluted before use and still be quite effective.

One way of diluting is to pump carrier oil into your hand, and then add a drop of the panaway before rubbing on your skin to soothe joints and muscles.

Another way is to do the same as above with an unscented lotion.

This past weekend, I had fun making a mess of my kitchen by using Panaway to make these salves to give to friends.

Want to make them? Here's what you need:

1/2 c Beeswax

1 c Coconut Oil

20 drops Panaway

(you could just stop there, but I added in a couple other oils)

10 drops Copaiba (copaiba is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and is also known to boost the effectiveness of other oils it is paired with)

5 drops Peppermint (great for tension, and smells divine)

Melt the beeswax in a double boiler, then stir in the coconut oil.

Remove from heat, drop in oils, and stir.

Spoon (or pour) into tins or glass jars.

*pro tip: You may see bubbles in your liquid, try to avoid adding these to the tins or jars, as they are water that has separated from the coconut oil and will settle to the bottom of your tins/jars as the salve hardens, causing you to get all annoyed (or maybe that's just me)

This recipe should make 8 two ounce tins.

**Panway (along with Copaiba and Peppermint) comes in the Young Living Premium Starter Kit, which is an amazing deal and great way to get started into the world of essential oils. The Premium Starter Kit also includes 8 other oils, natural household cleaner, antioxident rich Ningxia Red juice, a diffuser, and a wholesale membership so that once you see how freaking amazing essential oils are, you can restock or try out other oils for 24% off. There's no need to sell anything - EVER, but...if you refer a friend, Young Living will send you $50 for each friend you refer!!

Essential Oils 101

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 13:42:00 +0000

I wanted to give you a little introduction to the oils that come in a Young Living Starter Kit. Some people prefer reading to video watching, so I thought it would be helpful to have all the info in my Essential Oils 101 class here in text form. Shall we get started?

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are basically the essence of the plant. Obtained by steam distillation, they are the most powerful part of the plant.
They aren't hippy, witchy woo-woo, nor are they some new age fad. Essential oils have been used for thousands of years (hello, 3 wise men, bringing Frankincense, gold, and myrhh to baby Jesus).

How do you use them?

3 ways: Inhalation, Topical Application, Ingestion.

For inhalation, you can open a bottle and sniff, or add a few drops to a diffuser. Did you know that oils can reach your organs with in 3 seconds when inhaled? How cool is that?!

Topical application just means rubbing the oil on your skin. You can do this neat or with a carrier oil. A carrier oil is just another oil that you mix with your essential oil that slows down the process of absorption because essential oils can be absorbed into the body within 26 seconds. It is recommended that young children and people who are new using essential oils use a carrier oil when applying oils topically.

Internal uses for essential oils would be to use a drop for cooking, putting it in a vegetable capsule, or a drop in water or tea. This topic can be controversial so please use caution and do your research. I would not use any essential oil internally that was not part of Young Living's Vitality line.

Why is Young Living supposed to be so much better than the oils I can buy off amazon?

3 words: Seed to Seal

Young Living has a seed to seal promise, no one else has that. Young Living controls every aspect of their esssential oils from the time the plant is a seed, until it is sealed in the bottle, and they put their oils through rigorous 3rd party testing from accredited, independent labs. Other companies just can't promise that. They either haven't been around as long as Young Living (25 years!!), or don't have the resources.

Since the FDA doesn't regulate essential oils, the oils that you buy from other places, like the grocery store or amazon - even other "natural wellness companies" could be synthetic, adulterated, manipulated, diluted, etc. Smaller companies just don't have the resources to produce the same quality oils as Young Living. There's just no way to know for sure, but with Young Living, you can tour any one of their farms at any time. They provide so much transparency because they have nothing to hide.

All this sounds great, but let's get to the real question:

What can oils do for you?

So many things!! From mood boosting, grounding, cleaning, bacteria fighting, pain relieving, seasonal supporting, respiratory supporting, there are thousands of things these brown bottles will do for you. I'd have never believed it unless I tried it, but they really are like little bottles of magic potion.

The best way to get started in oils is with a Young Living Starter kit because it's uses are so versatile.

Here's what comes in the kit:

A diffuser. You can choose from a few different options - the one pictured is the desert mist diffuser (so pretty!!).

11 different oils

Let's go through them:

Lemon Vitality: Fresh smelling, uplifting, helpful in cleaning (a key ingredient in Theives Household Cleaner). It a natural goo remover, so you can use it to remove sticky labels from jars, etc. You can also add a drop or 2 to water to clean fruits and veggies.

Copaiba Vitality: This oil is ahhhmazing!! It is one of the most anti-inflammatory substances on earth. Can be used as an astringent to tighten and strengthen skin, and eliminate scars. Helpful in relieving congestion when inhaled. Copaiba helps to reduce pain and inflammation with little to no side effects. Use it to ease head tension, and loosen muscles. It's antibacterial, antifungal, and a diuretic. This magical little oil contains 20% more BCP than cannabis (beta-caryophyllene "BCP" interacts with cannabinoid receptors in the body, releasing beta-endorphins).

Digize Vitality: Great for digestive support. We rub it on our tummies when we're not feeling so well. Smells a bit like licorice.

Thieves Vitality: Immune Support in a bottle. Diffuse it, rub it on the bottoms of feet or down spine daily for immune support. It smells warm and spicy and wonderful - like Christmastime in a bottle. The main oil in this magical blend is clove oil, which is higher in antioxidents than any other oil. This is also the main ingredient in Thieves Household cleaner.

Peppermint Vitality: Great for nausea, head tension, seasonal support, respiratory support, and is so energizing!

Panaway: Holy moly, this oil is so good for sore joints and muscles. It works sort of like those muscle rubs - you know, the ones that tingle and soothe, but are full of yucky chemicals? Well, it's like that, minus the yucky chemicals.

Raven: This is the oil that really gave me my first magical oil experience. I'd been sick with a chest cold all week, rubbed this stuff on my chest, and immediately felt it seeping into my chest and giving me relief. Magic stuff, I tell ya. Diffusing Raven is great for respiratory support, and it also provides a cool, soothing sensation when applied topically to chest and throat.

Citrus Fresh: This oil is uplifting and great for emotional support. Just be careful when applying citrus oils topically, because they can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

Frankincense: This is like the OG of oils. It can do so many things. I use it in a roller with lavender and a carrier oil on my face every night because it helps smooth the appearance of skin. It is commonly diffused for prayer and meditation because it is very grounding. Frank reduces stress and anxiety, boosts immunity, and reduces pain and inflammations.

Lavender: Lavender is the big mamma jamma of the oil family. She can be used pretty much always. Calming, soothing, it's the oil of relaxation. One of the top oils to help the skin, they sometimes call Lavender the "swiss army knife" of oils because you will always find a reason to bust out this lovely.

BONUS OIL!!!

Stress Away: Pretty self explanatory. The main ingredient is copaiba, but also contains lime and vanilla. I sometimes just wear it as perfume when my kids are acting a fool.

The premium starter kit comes with all of those oils, plus a sample (enough to make an entire bottle) of Theives Household Cleaner, a couple of samples of Ningxia Red, a roller top, and some little bottles so you can share the awesomeness of oils with your friends. The best part - the PSK give you a lifetime wholesale membership so that you can save 24% off of anything you ever buy from Young Living ever again! There is no obligation to buy anything else, ever, but if you decide you want to start adding to your oil collection (and you probably will), you will be able to save that 24%.

If you're ready do change your life, and begin a journey to wellness along with me, follow the link below:

Get My Starter Kit

When you come across something wonderful, it's natural to want to share it, so when your Premium Starter Kit arrives, and you find out how much you love it, if you share the wonderful things Young Living Products do for you with a friend, and they end up purchasing a PSK, Young Living will send you $50!!! What the whatttt?! Yep. Get $50 for every friend you refer!!

The Power of Intention

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 19:06:00 +0000

I am magical.
Don't worry, you are too.
Let me tell you why.

Since I've been introduced to the amazing powers of essential oils, I've decided to incorporate them into our daily life. I knew that by doing that, I'd need a better system than leaving them scattered all over the top of our dresser.

I'd seen some really pretty oil storage shelves for upwards of $50, and knew that I'd like something like that, but definitely not for $50 or more. Plus, I'm not exactly sure where I'd want to keep the shelf (kitchen, master bedroom, office), so I wasn't ready to commit to hanging them on the wall anywhere just yet.

Last night, Bent and I checked out Goodwill, but they had no shelves, and he felt bad that I came up empty. "It's ok, I'll find the right one," I said as we left.

Today, after school, Cole and I went to run errands on the other side of town, so we stopped at a thrift store that we don't usually frequent and guess what they had? A lovely little free standing shelf that can also be hung on the wall and was painted by its previous owner the exact color of the mirror and picture frame hanging in our master bedroom! $5 and a wipe-down later, that cute little shelf is now holding our essential oils.

Yes, this could certainly be chalked up to coincidence, but these things happen all the time.

Just last month, I was wondering to myself if I should get a crockpot to make dinner time easier since we've been so busy with back to school. I went into Target for groceries, and guess what? Marked down crockpots were on an endcap display! I didn't buy one, but I smiled because I know that those were put in my path because I'd called to them using the power of intention.

These situations have happened so often that when I tell people, "Don't worry, things are going to work out fine," I'm not just saying it. I truly believe that they are, because I know that things are always working out for me. In fact, they're always working out for you too, or they will be once you believe that they are.

Before you think that this is some witchy woo-woo, even Jesus says, "Ask and ye shall receive." Technically He says,

"Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
Matthew 7

"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24

Medical studies have shown that the placebo affect is a real thing. In fact, it accounts for 1/3 of healing in patients. One third!! Your mind is far more powerful than you think.

The next time you start to beat yourself up over something, replace your words with positive affirmations because when you tell yourself you are a failure, you become one. Tell yourself that you are awesome, and that good things come easily for you. Even if you don't believe it. Lie to yourself if you must, but over time, that lie will become the truth.

You know why? Because you're magic.

Do Essential Oils Really Work?

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 14:10:00 +0000

It's a question I'd wondered for nearly 3 years. Do essential oils really work? Across social media I'd seen people singing the praises of essential oils for things ranging from headaches to thyroid issues. I'd been curious to try them out, but didn't have the time because I was drowning in orders at the time from my handmade business.

Once I turned my business into a hobby, and had more time, I started tinkering with oils, buying a couple of diffusers and oils from Amazon and Etsy. I'd been hoping to diffuse some in Bent's room to help with his seasonal nighttime asthma, and try out a few other things. I used them for nearly a year and what I found was that they didn't really seem to make any sort of real impact on the issues I was hoping to address. They did smell nice though, so I continued to use them on lava bead bracelets and necklaces, and diffuse them just for scent's sake.

****This is a post sharing my family's personal experiences. I am not a medical doctor, nor can I claim that anyone else would have the same results.

Recently, Young Living, the supposed "ultimate" oil brand was having a sale on their premium starter kits, and something in me said, "what the heck, let's try 'em," So I ordered one.

With the kids back in school, I have a couple of hours to myself now every morning, so I was pretty excited to experiment with the oils just for the sheer entertainment of it. I was mostly expecting the same results, but to my great surprise, the oils I've tried out so far from Young Living actually do something. Yes, they smell good too, but these have given us actual, real results from the things we've tried.

Here are a few that we've tried and had results from so far:

Lavendar + Copaiba: This combo in my youngest's diffuser at night has changed bedtime to an hour long "get back in your bed" fiasco to a 15 minute, "good night, love you" snooze fest. I would never have believed it unless it happened to me.

Panaway: Rubbing this on sore joints has provided my husband nearly instant relief (sort of "ben gay" style, but without any nasty chemicals)

Digize: Rubbing this on our tummies when they're feeling yucky has helped us to feel better.

Raven: Mixing this in a roller with a carrier oil and rubbing it on Bent's chest when he feels like he's breathing heavily has given him relief without needing his inhaler.

The kit came with 11 oils, the diffuser, a sample of Thieves household cleaner (which made 2 bottles of cleaner!!), and some Ningxia Red (which I have not yet tried), sample bottles, and the most gorgeous diffuser!

We're still working on trying other oils in the kit, but from our experiences so far, I can say, that yes! Essential Oils really work IF you are using quality oils. Apparently, there are no FDA regulations on essential oils, which means that anyone can sell what they call essential oils, regardless of their quality, so oftentimes, the oils you buy from the grocery store or amazon are synthetic, diluted, or just straight up fragrances that have no actual plant oil in them.
Young Living has a Seed to Seal promise, which means that they control everything from the time the plant is seed to when it's sealed up in the bottle and sent to your home. No other company has that, and apparently it makes a huge difference if you're looking for anything other than scent from your essential oils.

If you'd like to try out Young Living Essential Oils and see what a difference they can make for your family, you can click the link here.

Please know that these are my personal experiences, and I never would have believed that the past few weeks would bring me the results that we've received. I am not a medical doctor, and I cannot guarantee results for anyone else, but I wanted to share the experiences that our family has had from Young Living oils.

Have you tried Young Living or other brands? Did you notice a difference? I'd love to hear your experiences!

How to Make Leather Baby Moccasins

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 17:37:00 +0000

It's no secret that I've been in the moccasin game for a few years now. With the decision to put shoe making on the back burner, I thought it would be nice to create a tutorial for making moccasins, in case you're feeling particularly crafty.

Aside from a couple of fun projects with my Granny, and 8th grade home-ec, I basically taught myself to sew by figuring out how to make leather baby moccasins. Once I found a pattern that worked nicely, I created a variety of sizes.

These moccasins can be made by anyone with a sewing machine, depending on how thick your leather is. I recommend a leather that is approximately 3 oz, so that it's thick enough to hold up to wear and tear and to protect your child's foot, but won't be too thick to sew with a standard sewing machine.

The best part about this pattern, it can easily be adjusted for babes with chubby feet! Simply make the top piece (the one that looks like a hill) wider (like a less-steep hill).

You can find the patterns for baby and children's sizes 1-10, along with a step by step tutorial over in the ETSY shop.

AO Year 4 - Term 3

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Sun, 08 Jul 2018 17:10:00 +0000

We just finished out year 4 of Ambleside Online's online curriculum (our first year tackling everything listed) and I'm so impressed with what an impact it has had on our family. School is easy and enjoyable, and I can't imagine ever going back to a worksheet-style curriculum.

Here is the link to our Term 3 daily schedule:

AO Year 4 Term 3 Daily Schedule

Because of my husband's work schedule, we chose to school Tuesday through Saturday, and because our flag football season fell during term 3, the schedule was adjusted to give Saturdays a lighter workload.

As with any school curriculum, there were some books we really loved (Ocean of Truth), and some that we just trudged through (looking at you, Abigail), but all in all, it was a great year.

We also left Plutarch behind after term 1. That's the beauty of AO, you can easily adjust as needed for your family.

If you're looking for the Year 4 daily schedule in its entirety, I will link to the other terms below:

AO Year 4 - Term1

AO Year 4 - Term 2

To parents just starting out into Ambleside, this can be done and it's so rewarding. You've got this!! Have a wonderful school year!

90's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 15:17:00 +0000

Sunday we woke up itching. Itching to go somewhere. Do something. Be outside.

Bent suggested a road trip, and I was feeling nostalgic, so we headed to my old town.

The boys grabbed their road trip entertainment (Bent brought a book, and Cole brought a notebook and a pen, which made me feel even more nostalgic: 90's baby! When those were your items of choice on a road trip rather than "can we: bring our tablets/dvd players/use your phone."), and we set off. We jammed out to all our favorite songs on the way and when the boys were tired of their books, they just looked out the window and let their minds wander.

When we arrived we found that the azaleas were in full bloom, and many of the other trees were spotted with new buds or beginning to bloom - yes it's February, but it's Florida, "winter" is only 2 month long here. Everything was beautiful.

We set up blankets on the hill, kicked off our shoes, and I read my book (but mostly people watched), while the boys played ball until they were breathless and glistening with sweat.

We took a stroll along the gardens, took in the waterfalls, attempted one of the back trails, and debated jumping in the river, but decided against it since we were running out of light and didn't want to make the drive home soaking wet.

The boys truly enjoy days like this. Days that cost little to nothing except time, and that bring adventure and memories.

My goal for 2017 was to "Be Here Now," and after an entire year of reciting that mantra, I find it much easier to live every moment as it happens, and cast aside worries and regrets.

2018 is my "year of the 90's." 1990's, that is. When there was just enough technology to make life a bit more convenient, but not so much as to swallow you whole and make you forget about the beautiful world around you.

In the 90's you had to make your own fun, use your imagination, play outside. If the weather was bad, you could come in and watch tv, or play a video game, but it wasn't life. Cole and Bent aren't technology obsessed, but Jon and I feel everyone benefits from adventure, exploration, and outside time, so we are making it our goal this year to provide the right environment for the kids to experience life in this way.

We could all do with a little less technology, a little more nature, and a lot more imagining.

If you're local, or road tripping through Florida, I cannot recommend Rainbow Springs State Park enough (yes, I might be a little biased since it's where I'm from, but it really is beautiful). It's only $2 per person, and if you pack a picnic, you can easily spend the entire day there swimming, canoeing, trekking, and soaking in what's beautiful about Florida.

Saying Yes.

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 20:02:00 +0000

When the kids heard that it was snowing a mere 2 hours north (and not the kind of snow that melts before it hits the ground, this was actual snow), we were met with cries of, "Can we please please pleaseeee go see the snow?"

Sure it would have been easy to tell them no, that daddy was working, and it was a weeknight, but something in me thought, "why not?" I called Jon at work, he rescheduled the rest of his appointments for the day (it was a slow day anyway), and we hit the road.

We originally intended to drive to Savannah, but our gas light came on around 2 hours from home, and when we pulled off for gas, there was actual snow on the ground! Another family was already there, all bundled up, watching as their children built a snowman, so we pulled on the kids mucking boots (we're from Florida - that's all you need down here), and let them run wild in the field next to the gas station.

Sometimes, you just have to say yes.

Yes to adventure.
Yes to exploration.
Yes to experiences.
Yes to the unknown.
Yes to making memories.

Your whole family will be better for it.
Trust me.

We will always remember that time we hopped in the van, drove across the state line, and played in the snow by a roadside fruit stand.

Making Time

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 17:48:00 +0000

I needed more time.

Especially since the time change, there just hadn't seemed to be enough hours in the day. Sure, we'd been getting our school work and house work done, but there was just not enough time for doing nothing, and well, I needed more time for.... nothing!

When I think back to just 5 years ago, there was always time. So much everyday that I'd find myself wondering what I could do to busy myself until Jon came home from work. We were still homeschooling, so that can't be used as an excuse, because we could get our work done and still take a walk to the grocery store for dinner ingredients with time to spare.

If I'm honest with myself, I know what's changed (and it's not the addition of a child).

It's likely the same thing that prevents you from finding more "me time," more time for stillness, contemplation, reading, being.

It's social media, and it's something that I'm ok with admitting I struggle with. I have a love hate relationship with social media. Facebook used to be so great for staying connected to far away family, old friends, and people from across the country that you met on your honeymoon and now get to watch their children grow up.

Instagram has been awesome for peeping into peoples beautiful (albeit sometimes made up) lives and imagining how lovely it must be to bake pies from scratch using organic ingredients from your garden out back of your cliff top house in Switzerland (you know what I'm talking about....).

But let's be real. They are time sucks, and it's so hard to avoid them.

Even with notifications turned off on my phone, I'll check in to facebook, and before I know it, 20 minutes have gone by and I haven't even interacted with anyone I know.

But I've watched a video of Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, seen someone complaining about the president, seen 10 cat pictures, more complaining about the president, complaining about the people complaining about the president, found out what my Fairy Princess name is, taken a quiz to see what type of shoes I would be if I were a pair of shoes, and so on and so on and so on until I've wasted all of that precious time I was looking for earlier.

Sure, it doesn't always happen in a large chunk like that. Sometimes, I check in a few times a day for little nuggets of nothingness here and there, because, that's what it is, nothingness. I haven't actually retained anything from that video recipe for making caramel apple streudel that I watched for 8 minutes.

Anddddd there's my precious time.
That's where it went.
That's why I've been reading the same (actually really fascinating) book for a month and am still at page 104.

I've decided I don't want to live like that anymore. I'm tired of wasting time on scrolling that I could be using on things I really care about (ie. reading, gardening, crafting, learning), so I decided I was going to make a concentrated effort to find myself more time in 2018 by deleting my personal facebook account.

I'm on day 2, and while I have noticed a slight compulsion to reach for my phone, only to realize mid-grab that there are no notifications to check, I'm already feeling much happier.

Yesterday, we found the time to have family movie night, color gorgeous meditative coloring pages of wolves for the Wolf Moon, and the Hubs and I even enjoyed a cup of eggnog and read our books (yes, real books - no phones needed) by the fireside together after the kids went to bed. It was heaven!

This combined with the return of the light now that solstice has passed, and my head is spinning with all the possibilities of what I will do with my new found time each day!

Is there anything you've let go of for the new year?

Surprises

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Sat, 02 Dec 2017 15:57:00 +0000

This boy.

Our cautious child.

He's always been slower to try new things than the others, and the older he grew, the more cautious he became. Refusing to try new foods (even foods that he once ate daily) until he was living on a diet of flavorless cardboard type foods (like cheerios and dry toast).

He stopped wanting to jump in the pool, though he used to do it all the time. Even refusing to ride the small roller coaster at Disney.

Until recently.

One day, he began to emerge from his cave of cautiousness, taking one tiny step at a time - "Mom, can I have butter on my toast?"

"I'll try some of that Chinese food."

"I'll come with you to ride the roller coaster."

"I really want to do the Flow Rider on our Thanksgiving cruise."

And you know what? He was awesome. Even the lifeguard stood up and clapped for him.

So mamas, if you're stuck in plain cheerio-land, don't worry. We were there for a couple of years.

You will get out.

Maybe not on your call, but you will get out.

Your kiddo will come around in time.

It's up to you to always offer the new foods/opportunities/experiences, but be ok with it if your child turns them down.

One day, they just might surprise you.

And it will make your mama heart soar.

Good for you.

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 14:00:00 +0000

Ever wonder why we can't just be whatever we want? I mean, some people can, but not all of us. We worry about what people will think, who we might disappoint, etc.

Growth is hard.

It really is. Because when you grow, you leave things behind, even people. But people who don't grow, or grow at a different pace than you, or in a different direction that you get offended when you don't stay the same.

It kind of like someone buying you a pair of Unicorn slippers for Christmas because they know you love unicorns, even though you haven't loved unicorns since you were 12.

Ok, that was a crappy analogy, but you know what I mean. I'm not the same girl I always was - heck, I'm not the same girl I was yesterday.

Just because something resonates with you doesn't mean it resonates with me. And just because something from a certain "category" resonates with me, doesn't mean I fully fit into said category. I've said before that I don't like boxes and have spent my whole life trying to find the one I fit into (only to realize that boxes are for the birds).

Things that are important to you may not be important to me and vice versa, and guess what? That's OKAY. I promise.

I've been searching for how to deal with leaving people behind who can't be left behind, if that makes any sense. People who are around for the long haul, but that you've outgrown, or can't connect to anymore.

See, I've never been good at bullshitting. Actually, that's probably one of the things that I'm the worst at in life. I don't care about that sports team, or your makeup, or how the weather is, or what so and so is up to. And I have a really hard time engaging in things I don't care about/don't agree with/don't believe in. I don't have to proclaim my view, but I can't really fake in sharing yours very well, so I always flounder around until I fall silent.

Well, a friend taught me the PERFECT response to for moments like that:

good

for

you.

That's it.

Good for you.

Isn't it wonderful?

This way, I'm not compromising my beliefs by lying and I'm not being rude by not reacting.

Good for you.

You have a different religion? Good for you.
You love so and so? Good for you.
You're fighting to save the sea turtles? Good for you.
You got a new car? Good for you.
You're selling all your belongings and backpacking across Europe? Good for you.
You got your nails done? Good for you.
You're going vegan? Good for you.

See? You have no idea whether I believe in what you're doing or not, because I'm not agreeing with you, but I'm not judging you either.

Imagine a world where we used good for you rather than judging each other, or feeling like we've betrayed ourselves by faking it to our friends and family.

Give it a try. See how it works for you.
I think you'll find it's the perfect way to keep things kind.

Keep it Kind Unisex tee available in our shop.

Tee: @TheWildFolkCo
Shorts: Target
Shoes: SaltWater Sandals
Bracelet: @Sundrenchd
Necklace: @@shopmountainmade

Goodbye October

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 18:25:00 +0000

October is my favorite month. Not just because of the whole pumpkin spice fad, (I'm old enough to remember life before flavored coffees), although they are pretty wonderful, aren't they?

October feels like freedom.
It's shedding of the old, to allow room for the new.

Outside, the leaves begin to turn beautiful colors, fall from the tree, and leave the branches bare for the winter. While the tree is bare, it rests, preparing for the spring, when new growth will begin.

Though I don't wait until October, I feel as if my spirit is often turning beautiful colors before it sheds parts of me that no longer serve my higher purpose. Then I turn inward, rest, and reflect until new spiritual growth begins.

This frequently occuring cycle is natural and happens to all of us. We only have to turn our focus inward a bit to recognize it.
And embrace it.

Crotchety Coast

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 14:42:00 +0000

For so long, I've been in denial.
Wishing for something that is not.

This girl.
Who loathes being covered in sand.
Who doesn't like that crispy feeling after swimming in the salty sea.
Who has fair skin, burns after an hour, and needs to get honest with herself about making a trip to the dermatologist.
This girl makes no secret that the beach is not my happy place.

I come alive in the woods and around fresh water. Maybe because that's where I spend my formative years - living alongside a crystal clear river that begins at a beautiful spring.
I've been longing to return to that place and live alongside that river - we even gave it a go, but it didn't work out, so we ended up back here.
For all this time, I've been holding on to this dream that we'd be somewhere, anywhere in the woods, alongside a fresh water source.

We live near this lovely little beach in a town that is so full of people who are unlike me.

When we lived in the city, everyone was just everyone.
No one judged, no one cared.
You could drive a pinto or a range rover, and no one batted an eye either way.
When we lived in the city, if you put on your blinker on a crowded highway, someone made way for you to change lanes.

But this town.
In this town, you may be run right off a bridge if you would like to merge when your lane is ending.
This town is full of transplanted people who come from somewhere very different than where I come from.
There is no melting pot to mix the different types of people, for they are all nearly the same, save for a few.
This town is full of what you call "new money," and I have learned that "no money" is far better than "new money" in terms of kindness offered to strangers.
Many here have to be better.
Before.
First.
More.
I don't even know if they realize what they are.
It only takes joining a local facebook group and observing how people talk to each other to make you cringe.
I've never seen anything like it.
Driven by ego.
Crotchety.

Joseph Campbell said, "When you get to be older, and the concerns of the day have all been attended to, and you turn to the inner life - well, if you don't know where it is or what it is, you'll be sorry."

I wrote this post to convince myself that acceptance is my key to happiness. That this is where we are, so this is where we're meant to be, and that I should turn my attention to the present instead of dreaming for what may come one day.
I thought that putting it to words would help me pull up my boots and move on, but you know what? I can't.
I will always long for a place where I can be among the tall trees, and listen to the birds and the running water, but I think what I'm truly longing for is to be surrounded by different energy.
Loving energy.
Accepting energy.
Putting people before yourself energy.

Until then, I will spend more of my time in our city to the north, which has much more of a "kindness vibe," and learn to appreciate the beach more, because our little neighboring beach town truly is lovely - especially in the evenings when the sun has begun to fade.

Daily Schedule for AO Year 4 - Term 2

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 17:06:00 +0000

We're nearing the end of Year 4's Term 1 using Ambleside Online's curriculum, and it has been such a refreshing couple of months. I cannot say enough great things about this curriculum and about implementing the Charlotte Mason method in schooling. Watching my son make connections and really learn from the living books we're using is such a magical thing. I've even learned a few things myself!

Term 1 really helped me gauge where Bent is academically, and just how much independent work he's ready for. I've learned a few things:

1. We weren't ready to read Shakespeare. Part of it I'm sure is that I'm from the camp of "Shakespeare's plays are meant to be watched, not read," but another part was simply that Bent hadn't been exposed to any Shakespeare before, so it was a bit much to take in. Instead of reading the scheduled play for this year and term, we decided to take it back a notch (AO's year's 1-3 style) and read from Tales from Shakespeare (Puffin Classics) which we will continue to do on Saturdays (our Friday) for Tea Time.

2. Plutarch is NOT our thing. I see you reaching for your pitchfork, but hear me out. What works for some does not work for all. Some people like chocolate, some like vanilla. Bent was dying of boredom from each passage we read about Caesar, and frankly, I was too. He just wasn't there yet comprehension-wise. Language aside, Plutarch read to us like overhearing a conversation about Season 3, Episode 6 of a television program which we had never seen before. There were no connections being made, no backstory to pull from, no way to remember the names since there were no details or development of any characters. I felt like if the aim was to learn about Caesar, another book would be a better fit for us, and if the aim was to expose him to Plutarch's writings, well....we've been exposed for now, but we will have to wait a while until we revisit. We will not continue Plutarch next term, but Ambleside Online has a handy, 3 times/week breakdown on their site, which works nicely for a Mon/Wed/Fri schedule if you'd like to add it in.

I've made the schedule available in PDF and Word formats, that way you can edit it to fit your family.

Click HERE to Download the Daily Schedule for AO Year 4 - Term 2

A few notes:

We've been using Easy Grammar, Grade 2 in our Morning Basket, as that's the copy I had on hand, and this is the first year Grammar is formally introduced. We have been working through that at a pretty quick pace, so I think we will be moving up to Grade 3 after Christmas break.

We use the version of Madam How and Lady Why pictured below, so the reading breakdown by page number on the schedule has been adjusted for that version. If you are using the other version, use the page numbers listed on the AO site.

Our Morning Basket will stay pretty much the same as Term 1, with the exception of a new Cursive Writing workbook, and the replacement of Khan Academy for Math with Saxon 6/5.
Khan academy didn't work for us at all. My son made a game of it where his goal was getting points and not actually learning the material. We switched back to Saxon Math mid term, and I'm so glad we did. It's familiar to him, the spiral method works very well for him, and he understands the material.

George Washington's World will be part of the daily morning basket to be read independently and then narrated.

Kidnapped will be read independently twice a week, while listening along to the audio on Librivox.

I've moved one of the weekly Storybook of Science chapters into the morning basket time slot. The reading is something he can handle independently, and we will read the second chapter in the afternoon the same day, which provides the perfect opportunity for him to "catch me up" by narrating the chapter he read that morning to me before we begin the chapter we read together.

For Latin, we've been using Getting Started with Latin, and I'm so glad that we chose this program. It's such an easy program to follow, with just the right amount of new material each lesson. Bent has really impressed me with his retention! Other than a little bit of Spanish when he was younger (colors, numbers, etc), this is his first real attempt at foreign language, and I'm really wishing we would have started the recommended language schedule sooner! I'm wondering if it would be ok, to begin Spanish with him after Christmas break, since 2 languages are scheduled for year 4, or if I should hold off until next year. I'd love opinions from other CM/AO mamas, so please leave me a comment if you have suggestions!

P.S. I mentioned in the Term 1 post that I was thinking about purchasing Bird Bingo, and I wanted to let you know, it was SUCH a hit! If you're on the fence about it, GET IT! It's very well made, the whole family can play together, and you can't help but learn all of the birds just from playing. I definitely recommend it!

School Room Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 12:38:00 +0000

Our homeschool room has been so many things over the past few years.

When I was working from home full time, it was my office/sewing room.

It's acted as a spare bedroom for when my stepson came to visit in the summer.

Usually though, it's our school room.

My absolute favorite thing in our room is our yellow booth. My aunt gave it to us, and while we intended to use it as a kitchen table, it has served us SO well as a school table.

Our little fern may look kinda sad to you, but it was one of my $1 Plant Graveyard saves, so it actually looks amazing compared to the state it was in when we rescued it. I save plants the way other people save dogs and cats. Please tell me I'm not the only one who saves the marked down plants at Lowes. They all look so sad, and just need a little love, I always come home with at least one!

We were gifted the bookshelf on the right from a neighbor (okay, he was throwing it away, and we asked if we could have it), and Jon built the bookshelf on the left when our book collection grew too large.

Our closet had those old school, sliding doors, and it was so annoying to look for what book we needed, so I asked Jon to take the doors off and hang curtains instead. Now we can see all the books at once, or just close the curtains if needed.

I used to keep our games on the top shelf of the closet, but now that Cole is older, and I don't have to worry about lost pieces, we keep them in a more easily accessible spot for the kiddos.

If you've done a homeschool room tour, please feel free to link to your post in the comments! It's so much fun to check out other people's spaces!!

Ambleside Online 2017/2018 Music Playlists

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Sat, 16 Sep 2017 01:25:00 +0000

I wrote in a previous post about creating playlists to share for our Composer Study, Hymn, and Folk Songs, and I've just remembered I never shared them!

You can find the Composer Study playlist by clicking HERE. Please note: this playlist is only for Term 1, not the entire school year. Since you may want to do additional reading about the composers (2 per term) that we are studying, I thought it best that I keep the playlist restricted to who we are covering for this term to avoid confusion for the kiddos.

You can find the Folk Song playlist by clicking HERE. This list contains all of the recommended Folk Songs for the 2017/2018 school year. I chose the versions that appealed to me, though with some I was lucky to find any version at all.

You can find the Hymn playlist by clicking HERE. There are some duplicates on this playlist because I wanted to show my children how hymns can be sung traditionally, soulfully, or in a more modern fashion and all still be wonderful.

*Please note: I was born in the 80's. Sister Act 2 was HUGE when I was 11. Joyful, Joyful is one of this year's hymns. You can bet your bottom dollar I included the scene from Sister Act 2 as one of the versions of Joyful, Joyful. If you don't like it, you're welcome to skip over it (but how could you not?!).

I will add the Term 2 Composer Study playlist soon!

Thanks Irma

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda) — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 13:00:00 +0000

Hurricane Irma may just be the strangest hurricane experience we've ever had. I think because the media was coming off the devastation of Harvey, they may have gone overboard on sensationalizing the apocalyptic nature of Irma.
Please know that I'm well aware of the devastation left by Irma, neighborhoods near our beach are still flooded, and friends and family are still without power. Irma was not, however, a world changing catastrophe the way the media ~~hoped~~ said it would be, and at no point, even once the storm had been reduced to a Category 3 (something most Floridians have been though many times), was the media willing to admit that it was anything less than the apocalyptic Cat 5-type storm they had originally hyped everyone up over. I just think of people with anxiety issues, people who couldn't afford to evacuate - but did anyway for safety and are now behind on their bills, people who cannot buy groceries because the stores are empty of many items, people who could not make it to work because there was no gas at many stations even after the storm had passed. I am truly grateful that the storm was not the apocalyptic beast that it could have been, but it will be a while before I place as much trust in the weather reports as I did in the past.
As of Tuesday before the storm, I (and many others) truly believed that when we evacuated, there'd be no home to come back too.
We were bombarded with reports of "the worst storm EVER," but the track was changing daily (sometimes twice daily). By the time the track had Irma coming up the east side of the state, where we live, all the hotel rooms in Georgia and SW Alabama were all booked. We ended up booking a hotel room in Orlando, which seemed like it would be safer than being on the coast according to the forecast.
Since the track was all over the place and the weather people seemed to have no idea what was going on, we ended up being in our evacuation hotel a day earlier (maybe even 2 days earlier) than we actually needed to be. On top of everything, Irma ended up shifting west, and the eye of the storm traveled right over us in Orlando!
Thankfully, we made it through safely, and though we had a couple of days worth of manual labor to get our home and yard back to its pre-storm state, no major damage was done, and for that we are very thankful.

Though we've been on a minimalistic path for the past few years, Irma did a great service to me by helping me realize that I don't actually need anything. When a catastrophic storm is headed your way, it forces you to take an assessment of your home, your belongings, and what's important to you so that you can decide what to try and "save" and what to leave behind.

Do you know what we "saved?" Important papers (birth certificates, mortgage paperwork, etc), family albums, my camera, and our current year school books.

That's it.

Everything else, we can live without.

What if our T.V. is destroyed?

Then we have no T.V.

What if our furniture is ruined?

We head down to goodwill and get a $20 couch.

Our clothes?

We'll just live with the ones we're wearing for a while.

None of it really matters.

None of it.

None.

Of.

It.

It can be replaced.

Or we can just do without.

Either option works for me.

So I'm actually thankful to Irma, for helping me solidify this mindset.

Plus, the kids got to go up on the roof to help clear fallen limbs - which is like, the coolest thing ever.

Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be. ~ Matthew 6:21