Essential Oils--The Top Five from "Oily Mom" aka Patti Dolan

Hello!   I am Patti Dolan, a busy mom of two boys, happily married to a wonderful husband.  I am a registered nurse and a Christian yoga instructor. I'm known as the "Oily Mom" because I'm also a  Young Living Essential Oils Independent Distributor. 

Essential oils are the essence from plants, flowers, trees, roots and seeds. Used since Biblical times, they're known for their life-enhancing, healing properties. 

I am going to share with you my FIVE favorite oils that I use for my family --these five oils have literally replace my medicine cabinet!

#1! Peppermint: I use this topically, to cool fevers (placed on temples, nape of neck, and feet). We also drink a drop of peppermint in a glass of water to relieve tummy aches!

#2! Thieves:  This is a blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary.  My boys have this rubbed on their feet every night at bedtime for immunity protection.  We diffuse Thieves in our house in the winter and also add it to our water.  There is also a huge line of Thieves household cleaning products and personal care items (such as toothpaste).

#3!  Lavender:  I begin diffusing  lavender an hour before bedtime in each of our bedrooms to promote a relaxing environment for sleep.  (LOVE the diffuser, because it will turn off a few hours later on its own after we are all in dreamland.)  Lavender provides itch-relief from bug bites and if applied quickly, can help keep a burn from blistering.

#4!  Lemon:  Each morning, before I put anything else in my system, I drink a large glass of water with 1 or 2 drops of lemon.  Why?  Our bodies are generally acidic.   This drop of lemon in water helps alkalinize our body.  Research has shown that cancer cells can develop and grow more rapidly in an acidic environment.

#5!  Panaway:  This is a blend of wintergreen, helichrysum, clove and peppermint.  I use this for everyday muscle aches, pains, or headaches.  Soothing and cooling - Love, Love, Love it!!!

 

 

Well, these are my favorites in a nutshell. There are literally hundreds more available. 

 

From time to time Patti receives a $20 voucher.  If you're interested or you'd like more information on essential oils and Young Living, email Patti: at dpsad95@gmail.com. Check out her Facebook page.
(Please note, the publisher of this blog receives no compensation from this product.)

God Bless!!!

Patti

Back to Work--Does the Idea Send Shivers Up Your Spine?

I can't tell you how many moms I've heard say they would love to go back to work but they're afraid. 

Afraid of what?  Change alone is scary, especially if your family/household depends heavily on you.  Many moms are worried about managing a new schedule, handling the double duties of work and home, the loss of flexibility, lack of skills and so much more.

If you're planning on returning to a paid job, I'd love to hear from you. Consider these questions:

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Add more comments below, or contact me to share your story in Your Words.  

Are You Behind Career-Wise

If you've taken any length of time off from work (a paying job) to be a mom, or if you altered your career-path to make family time more manageable, you might have a few fears about returning to the workforce, particularly when it comes to how marketable you still are.  Here are some top fears you may have:

·         your experience is outdated

·         you have too large of a gap in your resume

·         you are no longer corporate material

·         your skills are limited

Is this really true or simply how we perceive ourselves?

Unfortunately, it's often a little bit of both.   If you are or were a stay-at-home mom, or a mom who took a part-time or generic job out of convenience, you probably are outdated compared to those who continued on a full-time career path. 

That doesn't have to mean you are unmarketable.  Nor does it mean you’re stuck with a useless resume.   How can you improve your professional portfolio?

·         Take a class or two. Great options to start with:   MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are online  courses attended by thousands of people via the Internet.  MOOCs are almost always free.

o    MOOC info

o    MOOC pros/cons

o    Continuing education courses

o    Certification courses

 

·         Ask for a brief internship at a company you'd like to work for.  If you want an internship, don't be shy.  Do your homework on local companies. (Small companies often offer the best opportunities.)   Ask and negotiate for an internship. They'll get a free worker, you'll get a free education, be able to add to your resume and possibly have a job offer at the end of the internship. If that doesn't happen, intern at another company.   

o    How to get an internship

·         Volunteer. Volunteering is not only good for the community, it's good for you, emotionally and in the business realm--if you pick the right opportunity.   To spruce up your resume, choose a position that compliments your future career plans.  For example, if you want to work in public relations you could volunteer as a fundraising coordinator.  An accountant?  Volunteer as the treasurer for your child's PTA or a local church. 

·         Consider your home skills.  I don't mean turn your resume into a domestic thesaurus. (Helping your children pick out nice clothes does not translate to fashion designer.   Stopping sibling rivalry does not make you a relationship therapist. You get the point.)   However, many moms underestimate the skills they use every day.   In this case, it's a matter of listing your skills set rather than creating a job label.  For example, many moms become great at organizing, problem-solving, handling finances, budgeting, etc.)  If your best skills match the job you're seeking include them.   (I'm currently working on a post that displays various types of resume styles including one that focuses on skills and accomplishments rather than specific employment.)

·         Join organizations.   Nothing works better than social networking (the old-fashioned kind).   Find an organization, a club, an association--anything that relates to your chosen field.  Join AND attend.  Yes, meet real people, in person.   Get to know them, their businesses, let them know about your strengths.  Volunteer for a position within the organization that demonstrates or improves your skills.   Offer to intern or freelance for a potential employer.

o    Professional Organization Tips and Info

 

·         The new social networking.  You can't deny the power of the internet.  Consider career sites such as Linkedin.  If you're using the web to gain employment, remember your reputation matters.    Do your best to save the web for professional activity and posts.  

o    The Value of Linkedin

·         Freelance.   Thanks to the web, freelancing opportunities are available for many fields.  Again, you might start out working for peanuts, but eventually if your work is good, you should be able to build up a following or at least be able to update your employment status on your resume.

o    Freelance Blog

·         Return to School.  Many colleges offer classes on-line making it easier to earn or upgrade your degree.  If you have the time and resources and want to start anew, talk to a school advisor about options. Free scholarships. 

o    Scholarships

Affiliate links are embedded in this post. If you purchase a product from these links, I could receive a small compensation from your purchase. For more information click Renew's  Disclosure page.
  

One New Thing

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Learn to Bird Watch

We all want to make improvements in our lives (at least, we should want to).

So, why not set up a challenge? Just one itty-bitty trial a day.  Is there any fear you've wanted to conquer?  A hobby you've wanted to take on?  

I'd like to give credit where it's due.  This idea came from my teenager prior to her first year of middle school.  I remember how frightened she was (and excited).  Yet by the end of the week, she'd met plenty of new friends (as did most of the other children). 

What I didn't know was that she had made a pledge to say "hello" and compliment one new person every day.  Every day. 

So, what's your challenge going to be? 

 

• -striking up a conversation with someone in the grocery line
• -taking the elevator instead of the stairs (if you're scared of heights or claustrophobic) or
• taking the stairs instead of the elevator (if you want to start exercising)
• -learning one fancy word every day
• -learning a new language (one new word a day, one phrase a week)
• -starting a journal
• -applying for jobs you'd love, even if you don't meet all of the requirements
• -writing your spouse love notes
• -reading a famous novel
• -paying for an extra coffee and giving it to the person in line beyond you
• -signing up for a class you've always wanted to take
• -volunteering for something you believe in
• -sending hand-written notes to friends you haven't seen for years
• -apologizing to or forgiving someone
• -writing a paragraph a day, a page a week, a chapter a month, a novel in a year
• -helping a neighbor with a chore
• -scheduling an appointment for a physical, a massage, a mammogram, or whatever it is your body needs
• -trying a new food
• -swapping your unhealthy snack for a fresh piece of fruit
• -calling someone special just to say "I love you."
• -asking a friend about her day
• -creating a piece of art
• -learning to read music
• -playing the guitar

Share your own personal challenge in the comments section or see Your Words.

 

Go Ahead and Have a Good Cry!

 

Do you hold back tears or are you an emotional waterfall? 

Despite decades of study, little is known about tears, but there’s no doubt crying is a healthy, natural and important process. 

Did you know that humans are the only animals who shed emotional tears?

For any of you who swear your favorite pet has actually wept, those tears were either lubricating (providing moisture) or irritant (cleansing) tears.  Humans have those types of tears too.  But, only people cry when sad, grieving, frustrated, tired, even happy. 

Biochemist and “tear expert” Dr. William Frey, at the Ramsey Medical Center in Minneapolis, discovered that emotional tears contain a 24 percent higher concentration of protein than reflex tears.  Researchers have yet to determine the full significance of these proteins, but note emotional tears also contain stress hormones including adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).  A predictor of stress, ACTH has been linked to high blood pressure, heart problems, peptic ulcers and other health issues.  Emotional tears also contain chemicals with antidepressant effects, and they stimulate the production of natural endorphins and painkillers.

Dr. Frey believes emotional tears allow us to physically release the chemicals that build up during stress.  “Crying is an excretory process, removing harmful materials or waste products.  Literally, we might be ‘crying it out.’”

Really, it doesn't take a scientist to tell us crying makes us feel better. Most women agree they feel more emotionally balanced after a good cry.  Other women use meditation, exercise or venting to a trusted friend to achieve the same emotional release.   All of these activities have been found to produce hormones, endorphins and other neurochemicals that relieve anxiety and elevate mood.

Poor men!  Studies show women cry four times more than men (on average once a week, compared to 1.4 times a month for men--although, honestly, I think I've seen my husband cry 1.4 times since we've been married!)   Hormones are likely the main reason for this discrepancy.  In adolescence, boys and girls cry about the same amount, until puberty takes over.  Crying is also a social issue.  It’s far more acceptable for a woman to cry, but men are discouraged from showing such emotion.   The protein prolactin may also be a factor.  Women have 60 percent higher levels of prolactin in their blood then men.  Another surprising fact:  men’s tear glands are smaller than women’s.

Don't Let Life Pass You By

One foot in front of the other

Taking the First Step

Never Work A Day In Your Life

You’ve heard the sayings before:

Live to work: don’t work to live.

Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.

Success doesn’t create happiness; happiness creates success.

Chase a dream, not a pay check.

Okay, I made the last one up.

Why?  Because my dream job is to make things up.   (I'm a writer and that includes fiction.  I really do get to make things up.)  I’m a journalist too, so don’t worry.  I’m happy to work with facts when my job requires it.

Whoa--did you see that?   I used happy and job in the same sentence.   Believe it or not, you can too!  I’m not talking about getting rich quick or work-at-home schemes.  I’m talking about honest-to-goodness hard-word, pounding the pavement every day (and sometimes every night), and just plain putting yourself out there for the business world to see.   The difference is you are putting your “true” self out there.  The self that makes you comfortable, makes you smile, makes you shine.  Make no mistake about it, when you shine you become easier to see!

If everyone on this planet had the same interests and capabilities our progress would be very limited.  It is our differences that provide value.  It is our interests that provide that drive.

So, why is work so hard? According to a quote released in an article by Forbes.com, “Some surveys have found that 87 percent of Americans don't like their jobs.”  (Sorry, no sources were cited for these surveys.)  Whether accurate or not, plenty of people can’t stand Monday morning.  Or Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, for that matter.  Friday’s a toss-up.  That's because they've found a job, not a passion.

Well, I’m doing what I love and what I’m good at.  While I’m not a millionaire, nor will I ever be (unless I win this week’s lottery, and you’ll know it if this is my last blog); I hope I never return to the 9 to 5 scene.

How did I get here?  For the record my background includes marketing, public relations, advertising, sales and writing.  I haven’t always liked all of those tasks, but apparently I was good at what I did.   I was willing to work hard and cared about my reputation.   More importantly, I found out what I loved to do.  Even more significant, I figured out how I could make money doing what I love to do.

To find out what you're passionate about check my Passions blog!

It's Little Things

No Excuses

 

 

NOW is the time to make the changes you've always wanted.