Essential Oils

I've had some family using essential oils for years and years. Over the past year or so I'd grown more and more interested in them as they kept coming up in other natural remedies I was looking for at the time. 

This year alone, I started reading about them a lot. Since I wasn't a distributor, already hesitant, and owned no oils at the time I feel like it made me a fairly objective researcher. 

I read a lot of blogs, emailed some professionals, got statements from different companies, looked at the research in what these oils even are, before making a decision to try utilizing any of them. 

First, I think aroma therapists get over looked in this area. It is their profession. So, if you're not taking their opinions seriously, then it's like ignoring your doctor's advice over the random person selling medical equipment/medicine. 

Secondly, every single company I looked at basically has false information put out. Example: "Pure Therapeutic Grade." 

These are terms that these companies literally have to go get trademarked because they're not true on the basis of testing. The FDA nor any other national organization runs organized testing on oils, thus not 'grading' them. So, just ignore these statements.  

One aroma therapist told me directly, and this statement was found in numerous other AT blogs I read: "Essential oils are not intended to be ingested." 

Some research even suggested ingesting citrus oils, can later cause scaring in esophagus and stomach lining. Because, yes, these oils are that potent. And they really should only be ingested with the guidance from a physician, and not the guidance of a company selling the oils. 

I compared the distilling process between: Young Living, doTerra, Mountain Rose Herbs, Eden's Garden, and Plant Life. 

According to the information available from each of these companies, the process was basically identical. 

I read in an AT's blog that you actually do not want to see the same exact oil being the exact same every time you order it. Because, this is plant life and it's never going to be identical twice. So, if your oil is 'identical' in every batch, then clearly the company is doing something to make it so. 

The best resource I found was from a 3rd party testing organization in France, who is trying to study the quality of essential oils. They got several EO companies to participate. They sent in their oils sealed and packaged exactly as they would be to a buyer. Someone then removed company labels and sent the bottles to their chemist being labeled with only numbers. Results are on nourishingtreasures.com and learningabouteos.com. It was nice to be able to look at these very unbiased results and see that all of these companies produced basically the same quality of oil (with like a .2% differential). The oils tested were Peppermint, Myrrh, Tea Tree. 

The companies that participated (in one study or another) were:

• Bulk Apothecary
• doTERRA
• Eden’s Garden
• Essential Oil Exchange
• Heritage
• Mountain Rose Herbs
• Nature’s Gift
• NOW
• NYR Organics
• Scena Essentials
• Spark Naturals
• Young Living

"Beyond the basics of Latin name and chemo type, we need to see GC/MS tests to verify the contents of the bottle and the quality of the contents." (learningabouteos.com)

So the compositions as per ISO were ran with GC/MS testing. 

With Tea Tree oil, the only company "Not in Compliance" with recommended levels was: Spark Naturals.

With Myrrh, all of the oil samples sent in were in compliance with recommended levels. 

With Peppermint, the only companies that were in compliance were: Essential Oil Exchange, Nature's Gift, and NYR - and all of the companies listed above participated in this one. So all of those other companies were not in compliance with recommended plant percentages. 

Pretty solid quality evidence, in my opinion. Also, pretty solid evidence that the batches of oils between these companies really do not vary all that much. I'm not saying there isn't any variance, because clearly there is. Also, clearly there are really terrible oils out there. So, just do your research. I'm of the opinion that most of the popular ones you're going to come across are perfectly acceptable oils. 

As far as organic goes:  "Ensuring organic status throughout the entire production process [of essential oils] is problematic and requires further investigation. At this time, testing of the end product is not required and is rarely done. Intentional and non-intentional contamination can occur at several points in the production process. Studies on Organic v. Non-Organic Essential Oils To date: there are no studies indicating that organic essential oil is superior to non-organic essential oil."  (57aromas.com)

Per suggestion of numerous aroma therapist blogs, I focused on companies like Mountain Rose, Eden's Garden, and Aromatics International (they have archived and current GC/MS testing right on their website!).

If you're worried about costs, because I did read comments like, "They're cheap, they must be low quality," that simply isn't true. If you don't believe me, do the research yourself. MLM companies have money going to several different people, and that's why they're expensive. 

Some companies cut out the middleman. Since my research provided valid (enough) evidence that the quality of these oils, between the companies I was looking at, were of extremely similar ranges, I just decided to go with not paying more when I could pay less for the same thing.

I know a lot of people are pretty hard-core about the company they buy from, but I'm pretty open and will probably buy from a few of the ones suggested by aroma therapists. 

I'll keep you posted on some of my topical experiences though and if I feel I've benefited from the magical oil powers of plants ;)

http://www.learningabouteos.com/index.php/2013/08/04/why-we-perform-3rd-party-gcms-testing/

Child Proofing

I have a 17 month old and I'm just now child proofing some things. I think it's safe to say I like procrastinating the inevitable. 

For the most part, I don't mind my son wandering around the house and rearranging stuff. But, recently, he's proven some of these aren't ideal for his safety. 

So I finally ordered these:

You know I ordered them from Amazon, right? (here)

These are a bit on the expensive end when compared to other kinds and brands. I got a 10 pack for $25, I'm of the opinion that they're worth it though.

I love these. I think they're amazing and extremely versatile. I had read some problems people were having with the sticky part actually sticking, but I've had no problems with this and have these stuck to various different surfaces. 

Hopefully it's known to clean the area before sticking it - if not... clean the area before sticking it. I used vinegar, alcohol would also work. Just give the area a quick rub down, let it dry and stick your little straps down. Ready to go. 

I have some cabinets that are grooved in such a way that my sticky part couldn't make solid contact with the surface throughout. Even those have held up to the violent pullings of my toddler. 

Still, these get the most love because they're so universal. I didn't have to hunt down cabinet locks, then trash can locks, then drawers locks, etc. If whatever you're needing to secure doesn't exceed the length of the strap, then these will do the job. 

Snack Cup

I'm not all that big on the idea of letting kids just snack whenever. But from time to time, I will give my toddler a small portion of puffs or crunchies (let's face it, there isn't much to either of those snacks anyway) to keep him satisfied while I finish a chore. 

I tend to love OXO products. I have some OXO cups, silverware, bowls, plates, baby food containers, and who knows what all else.

So, I was disappointed when I purchased the OXO Tot snack cup. It's a clean, cute design like most of their products. I like that's it's clear, and my toddler could easily hold it by its handle. However, the flaps on this cup top aren't nearly flexible enough. Heck, I thought it was hard myself to reach through the stiff flaps and achieve the goal of actually pulling my hand back out with food still in it. I mean, I'm all for things that work fine motor skills on kids, but my kid would get so frustrated with this cup that he'd end up just throwing it down and not wanting it. 

On Amazon (here) it's listed at $5.99. I found the one I have for $3.99 at a local baby shop though, so they can probably be found at a better price. 

Due to my toddler's inability to use this cup, I hunted for a different brand. I purchased a set of two Munchkin snack cups for somewhere around the same price as the single OXO ($5). The Munchkin snack cups are $4.47 as an add-on with Amazon (here). 

These cups are much easier for my toddler to use. They're a bit larger in size, but that wasn't a hinderance. The handles are nice and my toddler usually holds the cup by them. The flaps are a more flexible rubber, and much easier for my kid to use successfully. Plus, having two of them is nice. 

Though these are the only two toddler snack cups we've used, I'd definitely recommend the Munchkin cups to anyone with toddlers. 

Poly-Vi-Sol

Before I'd even had my son, my Pediatrician had mentioned vitamin supplements. Once he had arrived, she mentioned them several more times thereafter. 

If you're the parent of an infant/toddler, these are a must! I was surprised by how many of my other parent friends hadn't been informed of an infant/toddler vitamin by their doctors.

Poly-Vi-Sol is what we use:

I usually find it easily at most Target stores I visit, but like most things, have taken to purchasing it from Amazon (here). 

Homemade Cream Soda

Drinking soda is a rare treat for me, so I've really gotta make it count when it happens. I've tried a few homemade cream soda recipes before, but the one I'm about to share is by far superior to all others I have tried. 

1 cup of club soda
1/4 - 1/3 cup of vanilla syrup (like coffee aisle syrup or make one similar to this recipe)
2 tbsp of half and half
Put a nice mound of whip cream on top (yum!)

Tada! Cream soda. Enjoy :)

Menu Planner

I'm all about menu planning. I like not having to guess what's for dinner on any given night of the week. I like knowing exactly what groceries I need to purchase at the store, to limit excessive and unnecessary purchases.

There are lots of different ways to go about this, and a wealth of apps and websites to help. But, I made a very simple template that I just print and fill out each week. 

So, I thought I'd share it: download template here

I use a full page, utilizing the top half for my and the hubby's menu and the bottom half for the little one's menu. Soon enough, they'll be completely merged, but until they are, it's helpful having the two separate menus on the same page. 

Here's an example of what it looks like (mind you, this week's menu is pretty sloppy, but you get the picture):

1-Year-Old Menu

I've been asked a few times lately about what I'm feeding my little one these days. I decided to share a few of the menu options I have in place at this time.

With breakfast, snacks, and dinner I give 4 ounces of milk. For lunch, I offer water - as well as sips of water throughout the day as wanted. 

Breakfast options:

• Oatmeal
• No sugar, banana/blueberry muffin
• Scrambled egg
• Toast (with a bit of butter)
• 1/4 Cup of cereal
• Chopped fruit (strawberries, bananas, oranges, peaches, cantaloupe, etc)
• Bagel (with cream cheese)

Snack options:

• Organic animal crackers
• Organic fruit/veggie squeeze pouch
• Mango and sweet potato chunks (1/4 cup of each)
• Steamed carrots with a bit of ranch
• 1/2 Cinnamon toast
• 1/2 Banana
• Grapes
• String cheese
• Puffs/yogurt melts (on occasion)
• 1/8 Cup yogurt

Lunch options:

• 1/2 Sandwich (variety: turkey/cheese, strawberry/cream cheese, sloppy joe, PB&J)
• 1/4 Cup vegetable (green beans, peas, carrots, sweet potato, etc.)
• 1/8 Cup organic applesauce
• 1/8 Cup tomato soup
• 1/2 grilled cheese
• Zucchini bread
• Cheese

Dinner options:

• Pasta (with tomato sauce)
• Cheese ravioli 
• 1/4 cup chicken/fish
• 1/8 cup vegetable
• 1/8 cup fruit
• Black/pinto/white beans (cooked and cut in half)

My 1-year-old's eating schedule is:

8:15am - Milk, Breakfast
11:15am - Milk, Snack
1:15pm - Water, Lunch
3:45pm - Milk, Snack
6:30pm - Milk, Dinner

Anyway, just a few ideas of things to feed your little ones :)