It was so savory and delicious that I had to ask her for this recipe also. She was happy to share both recipes, not only for my family but for you, my readers as well!

Delicious Healthy Mayo

2 eggs, pasteurized (see below)
2 TB apple cider vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard

2 C olive oil (plain/light)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)

1)  Heat the eggs to 140 degree F for 3 min.

Faith’s husband, Rod says, “We use a digital thermometer. Don’t let them go over 142 degrees F. After the 3 min, rinse in cold water and refrigerate until you are ready to use them. That is basically how it is done. There are some things I do, but its just technique. Once the water reaches about 141 or 142 degrees F, you probably can turn the stove off because it won’t cool much more than 139 degrees in 3 min. I also start the stove on high until the water reaches about 131 degrees F and then I turn it down to low heat. Otherwise you’ll blow right past the 142 degrees.”

2)  Blend the first three ingredients in blender or food processor.

3) S-l-o-w-l-y drizzle the olive oil in a thin stream, or by drops while blending until white and creamy. It’s very important to do this slowly or it won’t have the right consistency. Faith says she plans 10 minutes to patiently do this one key step.

4)  Season with 1 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp cayenne (or chipotle pepper powder).

Faith lives with her husband and five beautiful children in Tucson, AZ. She enjoys making healthy, yummy foods for her family. Thanks for contributing, Faith!

The truth is that we can’t live in a bubble, nor is that ideal. Despite our best efforts, they will be exposed to dark and negative things.

The best we can do is to strengthen their immunity and give them tools to fight dark influences.

In other words, it’s not about hiding them away from the world, but rather about giving them the power to thrive in it no matter what they encounter.

One simple yet extremely powerful way I do this is to display “Life Manifestos” in my home.

I learned this idea from my friend Stephen Palmer, who has created a company that creates typographic “manifesto” posters. The manifestos are designed to inspire greatness. They are constant reminders of cherished values and noble ideals.

When I saw Stephen’s manifesto’s I had to buy all of them and become an affiliate! They are each sooooooo good. They inspire ME!

As soon as I put one on the wall, my children start reading them. They read them out loud, and I catch them lying about the room, dreamily staring at them. I know the messages are sinking into their conscious and subconscious minds, which will then impact their choices, actions, and habits.

The Family Manifesto reminds us that friends come and go, but family is forever. It helps us work as a team. When we mistreat each other, I remind us that we’re “Team Wilson,” that we’re best friends. It makes each of us feel valued and appreciated, which gives us more confidence.

The “Live Extraordinary” Manifesto gives short but power-packed rules for living an extraordinary life. For example, “When you’re discouraged, forget yourself and uplift others.”

The Entrepreneur and Producer manifestos teach us to never be content with the status quo — to dream and innovate to make the world better. They prove a case in point with what I am trying to do with my blog and online business. These manifestos teach my children to reject the entitlement mentality that is crippling America and to take personal responsibility for their actions and choices. Most importantly, they teach them to trust their intuition over peer pressure and their own fears.

There is a brand new Leadership Education Manifesto that was just unveiled at the last Thomas Jefferson Education Forum in Salt Lake City. It’s so new, I don’t have it yet…but I will   Here I am with Stephen at the Forum.

The sun was so bright, you can’t see the whole thing, but it’s awesome! All of the manifestos were on display. You can see them up close and read the exact words used on Stephen’s website.

These manifestos are definitely part of my home education curriculum. Over time, the messages will become engrained into the minds of my children, and the values and ideals they’ve read over and over will come to them at critical points in their lives.

As a result, they’ll make better decisions, they’ll strive to achieve more, and they’ll see through deceptions more easily.

No matter how we choose to educate our children, we should be looking for as many ways to inspire them as possible.

So I’m curious: If you were to write and display a manifesto for your children, what would it say?

Healthy diet definitely increases your children’s chances of staying healthy and fighting illness naturally. I feel it important to learn some tools of natural medicine that can be practiced at home in case of illness. Things go around and good diet is not enough  protection. You need to be prepared to do some basic home treatments, primarily using herbs or essential oils. I hope to post more learning opportunities and classes in the future, such as how to deal with fevers and other childhood illnesses.

I can’t make absolute recommendation on this issue in general. My husband thinks that some vaccinations have helped dramatically decrease the incidence of vaccine preventable illnesses and I agree with him, but I’m not ready to accept so many serious risks from vaccines for my own children. Billions of dollars are involved and corporate greed is rampant, so I am taking an in-depth look at this issue. I don’t think all vaccinations are good, but I can’t say they are all 100% bad either. I choose to avoid them as much as possible.

The Vaccines

Flu

I’ve never seen that flu vaccines are that effective, and I don’t think flu is life-threatening enough to warrant to risk to myself or my children. Neustaedter claims “manufacturers are notoriously inaccurate at predicting the appropriate viruses to use in an individual year’s vaccine, rendering the vaccine ineffective. History in the 70′s, 80′s and early 90′s shows a link between this vaccine and increased incidence of Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Regardless of vaccination status, 99% of elderly recover from flu without hospitalization. According to an article publishing in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 1999, “the greatest susceptibility to methylmercury neurotoxicity occurs during late gestation” so why did the CDC recommend that all pregnant women get vaccinated in their 2nd or 3rd trimester? That doesn’t make sense, has not been proven safe, and is NOT safe in my opinion.

I agree with Neustaedter in saying “Those at risk of flu complications probably share a higher risk of adverse reactions to the flu vaccine as well. Avoid the flu vaccine. Risks are not worth the slim chance of vaccine effectiveness.”

Swine Flu

This vaccine was not sufficiently tested, and there were significant problems and side effects from the vaccine, especially in children. Read my past related articles about this vaccine:

Is Swine Flu Killing Us, Or The Drugs?
10 Top Flu Remedies Audio
Swine Flu Vaccine: Get Informed Before You Vaccinate
Top 10 Things To Do When Your Child Might Have The Swine Flu

I strongly oppose the use of vaccine for swine flu.

Chicken Pox

In Neustaedter’s Vaccine Guide, he calls the chicken pox vaccine “one of the greatest public relations marketing scams of all time” so that parents “can avoid missing an average of 1 day of work. This travesty is being perpetuated in the name of public health.”  Only 1 in 10,000-15,000 cases of chicken pox requires hospitalization, and most of these are probably adults. It’s most dangerous to pregnant women and their babies. Complications are rare in healthy children.

I would rather have my children contract this common childhood disease and treat it naturally with anti-viral herbs and essential oils, then get the vaccine right now. I want them to achieve natural immunity. I will consider allowing my children to get the vaccine when they are older teens, IF they have never had the illness, so they are less likely to get it during child bearing years or when they’re older.

Meningitis (Hib)

Highest risk for this invasive disease is non-breast-fed infants, from 0-18 months in daycare settings, Native American and Eskimo. The vaccine’s effectiveness has been difficult to track over the years. Neustaedter claims that “the most common and potentially significant Hib vaccine reaction has been the increased incidence of Hib disease following vaccination.” The general incidence of the disease has dramatically decreased since introduction of the vaccine, but serious reactions have been reported.

Meningitis is NOT a mild childhood disease. It is potentially life-threatening, and can cause many long-term problems and infections. However, the likelihood of exposure decreases dramatically for infants who are breastfed longer than 3 months, and stay home with a parent the first 18 months of life.

Since I do breastfeed my babies for a full year and keep them home beyond 18 months, and since I routinely use essential oils, which I believe decreases our risk, I opt not to give this vaccine to my children. I agree with Neustaedter, who suggests, “Parents should weigh the likelihood of exposure against their feelings about the know adverse effects of Hib vaccine, including the ability of the vaccine to suppress immune system function and cause an increased susceptibility to Hib disease.”

Streptococcus Pneumonia

This bacterium is associated with many cases of meningitis, systemic bloodstream infection, pneumonia and ear infections. According to Neustaedter, “The rate of invasive disease is highest among children under 2 and adults over 65 years. The pneumococcal vaccine is notoriously ineffective. The use of this pneumococcal vaccine has merely caused a shift in the bacterial types associated with childhood ear infections, as well as a shift in bacterial serotypes that colonize the nose. During the HMO trial of the children’s conjugate vaccine, the vaccinated group had twice as many seizures within three days of the vaccine compared to the control group. The vaccinated group also had significantly more asthma and gastritis than the control group. The vaccine does not prevent ear infections.”

We have not given this vaccine to most of our children. I believe that diet plays a large role in the susceptibility of our bodies to bacterial infection. Using whole foods and minimizing refined foods can help decrease risk from this disease. Essential oils are highly anti-bacterial, so using these regularly in home medicine can also help decrease risk.

Hepatitis A

This is not a serious disease, but the vaccine can cause serious damage to the immune system. Hepatitis A is spread through fecal-oral route in person-to-person contact or through contaminated water or food. It is most prevalent in day-care centers and places with poor sanitation. International travel and sexual contact are also common methods of exposure. Neustaedter’s conclusion is that “Routine vaccination of children will result in untold numbers of dangerous adverse immune system reactions in individuals who have little likelihood of exposure to a disease caused by poor living conditions.” He suggests getting your children tested for antibodies IF you live in a community with a high incidence of  hepatitis A, because if they have the antibodies, they don’t need the vaccine.

Washing hands after changing diapers and using the restroom is the best prevention of this illness. I would rather use good sanitation practices and essential oils then risk damaging my children’s immune systems with this vaccine, which has not been proven safe long-term.

Hepatitis B

Usually transmitted sexually or through injection drug use. Children rarely contract this disease (less than 1%), and if they do it’s usually through family. Newborns are at high risk for infection and chronic infection if the mother has hepatitis B. Vaccine protection only lasts 5 years, so what is the point of giving the vaccine to children if their mothers don’t have the virus? There has been much debate over this, even in the medical community. It is argued that targeting high risk infants and teens offers more immediate and cost-effective protection.

According to Neustaedter, “The viral vaccines seem to be the most dangerous and reactive. Hepatitis B vaccine has built a dramatic reputation for devastating adverse reactions. Studies and case reports have consistently identified Guillain-Barré syndrome, arthritis, demyelinating nervous system disease, and anaphylaxis as reactions to hepatitis B vaccines. In recent years, associations have also been made between HBV and diabetes, as well as multiple sclerosis.” In the 90′s almost 25,000 HBV adverse affects were reported to VAERS. Over half had received HBV alone, 6000 of the events were serious including 146 deaths.

Infants born to infected mothers can receive the hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis immune globulin at birth, but otherwise I would avoid this vaccine as it has been associated with severe, debilitating and life-threatening adverse reactions. Other babies  and children  do not need this vaccine, and teens should be taught abstinence from sex and drugs, along with safe sexual practices, which will prevent most sexually transmitted diseases, including hepatitis A, B, and C. You are at highest risk if you have multiple sex partners or exposure to blood in health care settings. Each family needs to make their own decision about whether the risk of acquiring hepatitis B is greater than the risk of reactions to the vaccine.

Measles-First in MMR

Most children used to contract measles virus. The illness itself is fairly mild and has become even more mild, causing very few deaths since the advent of the vaccine. Outbreaks generally occur in groups who have been both unvaccinated and vaccinated, but measles is definitely no longer an epidemic in the U.S. Both the disease itself and the vaccine can cause serious neurologic complications. The list is a mile long.

In Aviva Romm’s book Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide, she states that “while the disease may be considered devastating in developing nations, where it carries a mortality rate as high as 10%, it is generally a mild disease in developed nations, with complications being more the exception than the rule, particularly in healthy children. In developed nations, ‘while serious complications occur, they are relatively rare compared with the situation in developing nations…Malnutrition is also an important factor leading to the marked severity of measles in the developing areas of the world because of defects in cellular, and possibly humoral, immunity.’[1] Experiencing natural measles nearly always confers permanent immunity to the disease. In the prevaccine era, measles…was very rare in children under a year, as they maintained passive immunity from their time in utero and from breast-feeding. With the advent of vaccines, the epidemiology of the disease shifted so that more cases occurred in late adolescence, when the disease is more likely to have devastating effects.”

I would love for my healthy children to contract Measles while they’re young and healthy in order to develop life-long immunity. This would also allow my daughters to transfer natural immunity to their babies. I will quarantine my kids if or when they get measles and use essential oils as I normally to, to treat symptoms, limit severity and prevent more serious complications of this childhood illness. It’s a possibility we will vaccinate when our children are older if they haven’t ever contracted the disease, when their immune systems are more developed, which I hope will lessen the risks of neurological side effects from the vaccine. So we won’t be using this vaccine for now.

Mumps-Second in MMR

This is another fairly mild week-long, childhood illness with few complications or deaths. A full 30% of cases go mostly unnoticed. Again, natural infection leads to life-long immunity, and the vaccine comes with risk of serious neurologic side effects. Mumps usually causes swelling in female ovaries and male testicles, as well as in the salivary glands. This usually does not cause complications, but risk from complications does increase with age. Like measles, vaccinations have shifted this illness from typically occurring in childhood to a greater incidence in the adolescent population when the complication risk is greater.

Again, I will skip the long list of serious neurologic risks associated with this vaccine for now. I will look for opportunities to expose my children to this illness to instill in them life-long immunity, using essential oils and ice packs to treat symptoms, limit severity and prevent more serious complications of this childhood illness. I also routinely limit my children’s intake of white sugar, which also helps limit the severity and risk of complications in these typically mild sicknesses.

Rubella-Third in MMR

This very mild childhood viral illness, lasts 3-5 days and does not pose serious risks to children.

Photo Credit

The only population at risk is pregnant women and their developing fetuses. Rubella can cause death or serious impairment to first trimester fetuses. So the vaccine is given to children to prevent them from infecting pregnant women. But then the protection from the vaccine wanes with age, making girls susceptible again when they are childbearing age.

It seems more logical to me to avoid the side effects of the vaccine, allow our children to contract the illness when young, test our teenage girls for immunity, and vaccinate if they test negative. More young girls would develop natural immunity when young, which would, over time, give natural protection to more pregnant women and their fetuses, without subjecting the entire population to repeated vaccines and their associated side effects, especially of chronic arthritis in adults.

Diphtheria-First in DPT (or DTP)

This is usually given with Tetanus. The effectiveness of this vaccine is unproven. There have been problems in it’s history. The disease is a serious one, but the number of cases has decreased from many thousands 50 years ago to 0-4 cases per year in the 1990s to now. It’s almost non-existent in the US.

If I were traveling, I might consider it, but would not give it to my young children or especially not to my babies at 2 months old.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)-Second in DPT

In Aviva Romm’s book Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide, she states that, “Pertussis has become a generally self-limiting disease that causes discomfort and inconvenience but little damage in a well-nourished, healthy population. It also confers permanent immunity.” Rates of this disease were on the decline before the vaccine was introduced. There is a coincidentally high rate of SIDS in babies within 4 weeks of receiving the DPT vaccine.

Neustaedter claims that the Pertussis vaccine is “one of the most reactive vaccines ever developed associated with severe reactions including encephalitis, seizures, brain damage, and deaths. The vaccine has limited efficacy, the disease itself has these same risks, but it can be treated with homeopathic medications.”

I know there are also some herbs and essential oils that are effective in treating this illness, as I’ve had it myself just a few years ago. I don’t believe the risks associated with this illness are enough to justify taking the risks of getting the vaccine for my children at this time.

Gardisil

I don’t feel this vaccine is entirely effective, necessary or especially safe. There have been too many recent, serious side effects from this to warrant the risk for my daughter (including death, convulsions, paraesthesia, paralysis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, transverse myelitis, facial palsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, anaphylaxis, autoimmune disorders, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolisms, and cervical cancers!). The vast majority of cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papilloma virus which is a sexually transmitted disease. Abstinence and monogamy, accompanied by regular Pap smears, if necessary, can prevent these cases.

I would rather teach my daughters the importance of abstinence before marriage, the risks of sexually transmitted diseases and about diet and use of natural tools that promote low cancer risk, then expose them to such an unsafe, unproven vaccine. I am strongly against use of this vaccine.

Any Vaccines Under the Age of 1

Pro-Vaccine Immunologist Admits a Truth About Vaccines: “So the science seems fairly clear that for the first year of life, probably, that the immunization is not stimulating the kind of response we expect it to stimulate.” In other words, this doctor does not believe vaccines are effective until after the age of 1 year. It seems pointless to administer drugs intended to stimulate antibody production to babies who are too young to produce antibodies.

I recommend giving babies more time for their immune systems to develop before giving vaccines, especially multiple vaccines at once. According to Neustaedter, “The viral vaccines seem to be the most dangerous and reactive.” You should educate yourself about the actual facts and go by your gut feelings with the information to back yourself up.

Other Related Articles & Reading:
How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor
Homeopathy Halts Cuban Epidemic Better Than Vaccines
Respected Medical Journal Disses Gardasil
Vaccine Exemptions Under Dire Threat
New Study: Hepatitis B Vaccine Damages The Liver
Modern Alternative Mama’s Vaccine Series (These articles are awesome!)
10 Bad Reasons Not To Vaccinate
Pediatrician Exposes Vaccine Myths
20 Times The Risk of Autism When You Make This Choice

In the book, Vaccine Epidemic: How Corporate Greed, Biased Science, and Coercive Government Threaten Our Human Rights, Our Health and Our Children, it states the following, “Children today are sicker than ever before, with chronic disabilities and nutritional disorders, yet few in mainstream medicine dare ask whether there might be a vaccine link…There are no safe vaccines but only difficult choices to weigh and make. Americans want and deserve a more accurate, measured, and responsible national dialogue concerning vaccination. To dismiss as ‘anti-vaccine’ those who advocate for choice, safety transparency, and restraint harms us all.”

I hope this thoughtful review has given you some information to chew on. Have you decided not to use particular vaccines? Will you tell us why not?

This is the 3rd in a series on vaccines. Read Part 1 HERE. Read & Listen to Part 2 HERE.

Reference [1] C. Barriga et al., “Effect of Serum from Breast- or Formula-Fed Infants on Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte Function,” Comparative Immunology, Microbiology, and Infections Diseases 20, no.1 (January 1997): 21-27. C. Barriga et al., “serum Hemolytic and Bactericidal Activity in Breast- and Formula-Fed Infants,” Revista Espanola de Fisiologia 51, no. 4 (December 1995): 218-18.

There were 2 large schools with 500 students each and 2 small “schools” with about 80 students each. At each school Mike (my husband) and Craig Rickenbach (Co-owner of Persnickety Clothing Company) spoke to the children directly. They both speak Spanish and told the kids that we were so excited to share these uniforms with them. They encouraged them to study hard and do something kind for someone else.

We went into the separate classrooms and called each child out by name to give them a white shirt and blue bottom; the boys received shorts, the girls got pleated skirts.

The kids were so excited!

It seemed that all of them wanted to learn, but having a uniform formalized the opportunity and made it equal for the poor and those who were less poor.

Aren’t the children in Nicaragua beautiful?!

After the first big school, I noticed that our daughter Raquel and the Rickenbach’s Leah had brought some nail polish with them. I suggested we offer to paint the nails of the little girls at the next small school. The idea was a hit. The girls loved having their nails painted and our girls loved doing the service.

Corinne, her sister-in-law Candice, and I also got in on the nail-painting action (in the middle photo above, check out the girl’s pet!), and even ended up painting the nails of the mothers as well. We bought more nail polish to keep it going at the rest of the schools we visited. That little act of service was so fun, and it made our hearts brim over with even more love for those sweet people!

We learned that ultimately we loved providing uniforms, even more so than the dresses, to all these wonderful children! It made them excited to learn, and for many of them, made going to school a reality. We bought some school supplies to give out as well.

Persnickety Clothing Company will continue to provide uniforms for less fortunate children, and will be expanding the giving into other areas of need.

After all our projects around town, we had a great time visiting a gorgeous local beach.

The kids brought the hermit crabs back with us and had fun with them at our last dinner.

We were sad to say goodbye to Nicaragua and all the beautiful sites, people and experiences we enjoyed there.

We saw these boys on the side of the road on the way to the airport. They were selling these large lizards, which people there cook in their soups. Crazy!

We hope to visit again soon!

Stay tuned for another giveaway of Persnickety clothing on Mom Essentials!

This is my fourth (and last) post about our recent Persnickety Clothing trip to Nicaragua. If you want to read the others, here they are:

Clothing Children Through Persnickety in Nicaragua

My Trip of A Lifetime with Persnickety to Nicaragua

Visiting A Remote Village In Nicaragua

Faith’s Nourishing Cocoa Bars

8 big dates (Costco has them)
8 squares 90% dark chocolate (“Lindt” brand or 3 oz of another brand)
2 C raw cashews (unsalted)
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup cashew butter

Make sure all the pits are out of your dates. Faith says, be sure to stick the pits in your mouth and enjoy the yummy taste of the dates.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor.
Pour and spread on waxed paper in a 9″x13″ pan.
Put in fridge and slice.

Faith lives with her husband and five beautiful children in Tucson, AZ. She enjoys making healthy, yummy foods for her family. Thanks for contributing, Faith!

Many teachers want to “tell” the student what they need to know and what to think. It’s kind of a forced thing. The student has little choice about what they are to learn. This is appropriate in some situations. But if this is the model of learning all the time, it starts to become a forced march that is not enjoyable.

Hate of learning can be the result. The mentor, on the other hand, sees their role as one of preparing the student for when they will not be there, when the student will have to learn and think on his or her own.

The purpose of the individual who knows more is to guide, not to direct, to inspire, not infuse. An unfortunate situation that arises, especially in high schools, is a teacher who may be uncomfortable with the subject matter who stands up at the beginning of class, writes the assignment on the board, and then allows the textbook to teach the student. This is dramatically different from the mentor who engages the student in discussion or who challenges the student to disagree because the learner is thinking and developing.

One cannot “teach” anything. The learner must want to learn. The most important roll of the mentor is to inspire the student to seek knowledge and wisdom. Many professors want to get up and hear themselves talk. Others are mentors and have a sincere and deep drive to inspire.

One of Mike’s favorite mentors in college was a botanist. Mike loves biology, but was very uninterested in the biology of plants. This mentor knew that most of the students in the biology class were there for pre-med or pre-dental majors and weren’t likely to be interested in botany. So he started his portion of the semester with all the lights out, fog machines in the auditorium, and jungle noises playing over the loudspeakers. He then started snapping his fingers once per second. The students were paying attention. He then told them that every second, a swath of rainforest the size of a large football stadium disappeared. He had engaged the students. He had laid the groundwork for inspiring these pre-med students to appreciate botany. Later in the semester, he showed up to class dressed like a bee, brought in his family’s pet flying fox, and wrote exams that made Mike laugh out loud.

One of my favorite mentors for my boys, who we discovered through Boy Scouts, is a neighbor named Dave. He has a wood shop and loves to have the boys over to make projects. He always asks them what THEY want to create  and he finds out what things interest them. He has helped several of my boys make wooden swords patterned after their rough or fine designs. He is always positive, encouraging and fun.

Right now we have two of our boys in a Montessori charter school. They are not “lectured to” very much. Our boys have someone guiding them through self-directed learning activities and assessing their progress. We love this!

We can choose whether we want to be mentors to our children and whether they have mentors as their teachers some or all of the time. No matter what style of education our children participate in, we can always be on the lookout for mentors who can influence our children in positive and inspiring ways.

Some great mentors can be found in the public school system. Even though the curriculum is determined by legislators and administrators, these individuals go beyond the minimal subject matter and requirements, in the process making learning fun.

Great mentors can be found everywhere is we look hard enough…even on the internet!

The role for parents is to take seriously their obligation be the mentors and to find those mentors who will inspire students to learn, to think, and to develop into life-long learners and leaders in communities and families.

Can you think of mentors like this who have changed your life for the better?

Read more about how we educate our children in my Mom Essentials Stories & Education eBook.

A reader asked: Hi Jenni!  I’ve been learning about EOs for the past year, and enjoying it.  I wondered what your opinion is on diffusers.  Are they worth the $?  They seem awfully expensive to me, but people who have them love them.  I have four kids aged 2 to 8, so obviously lots of opportunity to need one.  Do you have a preference between the two that doTERRA sells?  Any input you have would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you.

My response:

Here are the differences I’ve found between doTERRA‘s two diffusers and a little bit about them.

Aroma Ace

doTERRA says this about the Aroma Ace: Enjoy the convenience and flexibility of an advanced aromatherapy system. The Aroma-Ace is a powerful, compact, and easy to use Essential Oil Diffuser System. It has built in on/off timers and output volume control for easy adjustments. Made in the USA. It provides a quick change system, which allows you to change your choice of essential oils at any time, without worries of mixing and spilling.

It’s easy-to-use timing provides exceptional flexibility and convenience and it’s output volume control allows you to choose the intensity of your aromatherapy experience. Its state-of-the-art diffusion technology preserves the natural essence and complete therapeutic benefits of essential oils by effectively transforming them into a micro-fine vapor, without the use of heat or water. These micro particles permeate the air and may remain suspended for hours, fully intact with all of their natural benefits. A 15 ml bottle of doTERRA’s OnGuard protective blend comes with each Aroma Ace diffuser which retails at $173.27. I offer free doTERRA membership and shipping also, at this price, so if you’re ready to make the leap into quality health products, here’s your chance!

The Aroma Ace can be set on a cycle to run for a certain amount of minutes and be off for a certain amount of minutes. So this allows some control over how fast the oil is used. It’s easy to screw the oil bottle on straight, but it can use up the oil faster. It also has a high/low output dial, which also controls the sound. The higher the output, the louder the humming. It doesn’t get too loud, though. I’ve had mine running non-stop (it does turn on and off per my setting) in my baby’s room, and it’s actually used much less oil than I though it would. It works well for kids’ rooms. I like it in my own room at night when I’m not in the mood for the light of the Lotus.

We woke up the other morning and could smell that a skunk had been in our yard. I don’t use diffusers everyday, but that day I grabbed the closest citrus oil, which happened to be grapefruit, and hooked it up to the diffuser. I set it on high and let it run for 30 minutes or so. The skunk smell was completely gone, and I was totally energized for my work! When I need a diffuser, I’m very glad I have one.

Lotus Diffuser

Doterra says this about the Lotus diffuser: The Lotus diffuser uses a highly efficient real time atomization technology to effectively diffuse essential oils into the environment. The essential oils are atomized into minute ion particles and active oxygen anions, which are more easily absorbed by the human body than oils diffused by conventional diffusers. dōTERRA® is pleased to be the exclusive distributor of the Lotus diffuser, which retails at $119.95 (wholesales at $89.95).

I love the Lotus diffuser because it looks like a work of art. It’s a beautiful item to have on my counter or in the main room of my home. The light makes it all the more beautiful. It uses only a few drops of oil over several uses, which is a big plus. Three to five drops of oil are put in one-fourth cup of water into the diffuser well. The downside is when you want to change the oils you’re using, but haven’t run it for the full couple few hours to use up the oil and water. Then that must be poured out carefully or it drips all over the diffuser. If you use proper care, this isn’t too big a deal. This diffuser will run for an hour straight or turning on and off. Then it needs to be turned on again.

I love to run this in our main room to purify the air whenever there is sickness, or just to make the house smell wonderful when I’m expecting company. I need to do more experimenting with calming oils at bedtime

In my opinion, it’s absolutely worthwhile to pay the $35 membership fee and get either one of these at 25% off the retail price. And if you get on the Loyalty Rewards Program, you will get points back on your account to redeem on additional free products. I enjoy using both of these diffusers at different times, for different reasons. It’s hard for me to say which I like best.

Using diffusers makes your home or office smell wonderful without creating “indoor air pollution” by filling the air with synthetic chemicals. Using essential oils in diffusers can actually have beneficial, medicinal effects depending on which oils you’re using.

If you want to diffuse essential oils, but don’t have one of these diffusers, try adding a few drops of essential oils to a bowl of boiling water. It’s a bit less effective, but it still works.

If you have experience with these diffusers, please let me know your opinion!

Nathan put it together for us, and when I went out to see it I realized they had sent us the wrong one.

I finally realized that the one I had originally ordered was MUCH smaller than I thought, and this one was originally priced at $400. We lucked out because they said we could keep it without paying more. It was their error, but that was sweet of them.

Nathan figured out a way to hang our new watering container in this little coop. This is the BEST water container we’ve ever bought! I’m so glad to have this coop to house our 7 chickens!

I put in an order with eFowl (so I could get all female) last month for 25 chicks to arrive mid-April. I must have entered the date wrong date, because they arrived on March 10! I had not double checked the confirmation email they had sent me. Yikes!

I had to run out and buy chick supplies!

By the way, this is what our chicken run looked like after the fire.

And here is the pile of burnt stuff that was leftover.

Here’s me blowing the candles on my cake after we finished  with the new coop. What a crazy birthday!  :)

None of the $300-$500 coops online will be big enough to house our 25 chickens when they get big. I want to have chickens for the eggs, a business for my kids and for emergency preparedness, but they are definitely an investment.

We are looking into coop-building options. Hope we find something reasonable!

Have you bought or built a coop? I’d love to hear how big you built yours for how many chickens. Please share!

IN THIS RECORDED CLASS YOU WILL LEARN:

• How to avoid the annoying, often harmful, sometimes dangerous side effects of pain drugs and medications during childbirth.
• Other options in labor and delivery besides those generally offered in hospitals.
• What natural tools can prevent episiotomy, check hemorrhages, manage labor pains, decrease stress during delivery, help speed up dilation and contractions, help cervix to open and increase comfort right after birth.
• Which natural tools are good for newborns right after birth and in their first month of life.
• What tools lend support in the case of miscarriage.

“I have learned so much from Jenni from her website and classes. It is so comforting to know that I have learned some basic skills that I can use to take care of myself and my baby instead of relying completely on doctors or others. My baby gets colds and croup quite often, and through Jenni I am learning how to treat them with oils and even prevent them from coming in the first place. It is a great feeling to be confident in caring for my family. I recommend her teleseminars to anyone who wants to care better for their family and for themselves. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience Jenni!”  ~Jenna

Receive a discount if you purchase all 3 of my teleseminars!

“How To Treat Babies With Herbs & Essential Oils”

“How To Use Essential Oils During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding”

“Best Herbs and Essential Oils for Labor and Delivery”

Click this button to get all 3 classes, recordings and transcripts, for $49.95 and an offer for Mom Essentials Doctoring Ebook FREE! Awesome value!

This means that if you purchase these classes, you will be able to download the recordings and listen to them whenever you want, as many times as you want! You will also receive the written transcripts of the classes.

“Last night I listened to Jenni’s teleseminar about essential oils for pregnant and nursing mothers. It was WONDERFUL! As a first time mother who fits into both of these categories I was really grateful to have her knowledge. I started using some of the essential oils she recommended for a cold, and my symptoms are nearly gone! I feel more confident to take care of my family herbally and nutritionally.
I also listened to her ‘Herbs and Essential Oils for Babies’ teleseminar and it was SO helpful. I no longer have anxiety about my baby getting sick, or dealing with other common ailments. When those things arise I now have multiple natural tricks to try in my home medicine cabinet. She also explained what to look out for, and how to know if I do need to take my baby to seek professional help. I am really so grateful that I found mom essentials. I feel more capable of treating common problems right in my own home! I would totally recommend these two seminars to any mother, at any stage of life. So helpful!  Thank you Jenni!”  ~Kylie

The whole process is so quick because you don’t have to cook the fruit or process the jars after filling them. You don’t have to worry about everything being sterile. It’s much easier to do in a short time. This takes about 30 minute total!

Strawberry Jalapeño Freezer Jam

10 jalapeño peppers, core removed (you may want to wear gloves)
6 cups strawberries, cleaned and cored or frozen, semi-thawed
1/4 cup lemon juice
7 cups sugar, I prefer evaporated cane juice crystals

If you are crushing the berries by hand, then chop your
peppers finely. If you are using a blender or food processor, just coarsely cut them up. Throw the peppers in a pan and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Either crush the strawberries one layer at a time with a potato masher and mix in juice and sugar, or put all into a food processor and blend up to a puree. I have a Cuisinart, which barely held this amount but worked perfectly.

Then over the stove mix:
2 packages original fruit pectin (I used ball brand, but just ordered)
1 1/2 cups water

Stir well with a whisk on med-high heat until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir constantly for 1 minute, remove from heat and pour into strawberry/pepper mixture. Stir or blend for 3 minutes. This makes a puree type jam that sets up very well. If you want it to be more loose, you can try using only one package of pectin.

Ladle freezer jam into clean jars leaving 1/2-1 inch of space at the top. Put on lids (they don’t have to be new, just clean-I put them in a little pot with some hot water). Then refrigerate the jam for 24 hours and be sure to try some fresh! I licked the bowl clean! Nathan, my 15 year old, was extra excited because he loves hot stuff!

Then keep in fridge up to 3 weeks or freeze. Should last a good year in the freezer.

When I made this, I did 2 batches of plain strawberry jam for the kid’s lunches and one batch jalapeño, so 3 batches total. It took exactly half a box of frozen berries from Azure Standard, which is 5 pounds. I even threw a star fruit from Bountiful Baskets in one batch and it came out delicious with a slight citrus tang.

Do you have a good fruit/hot pepper recipe you are willing to share?