When it comes to replacing the toxic things in your home with safe and healthy alternatives, the Young Living Seed to Seal promise makes this next step simple! There is no need to stress over ingredients and confusing labels. The Seed to Seal promise is priceless – full ingredient disclosure and standards you can trust! The rigorous quality control starts with the seed and continues through every stage of production including cultivation, distillation, and bottling. Young Living owns their own global farms, works jointly with farmers, and extensively tests every oil and product to ensure that it is of the highest quality available. You can rest easy! To read more about science, sourcing, and standards of Young Living, visit www.SeedtoSeal.com.
When we think “chemicals in the home”, our minds immediately go to cleaning agents. These harsh sprays and scrubs may be convenient, familiar, and fresh-smelling, but they are so bad for our bodies! Most of these cleaners have warnings and instruct you to wear gloves and a mask when using. Your safest bet is to never bring them into your home again! Thieves Household Cleaner is an amazing first purchase – this one product replaces dozens of toxic cleaners. This plant based, essential oil-infused concentrate is safe, affordable, and incredibly effective! Depending on the dilution ratio used, prepared Thieves Household Cleaner will cost you around a dollar a bottle! It is the epitome of plant based and green cleaning: it is safe enough for a child to use and has a very pleasant aroma, while being tough enough to tackle greasy messes and stubborn stains. You are going to LOVE this product. Use THC instead of: all purpose cleaning sprays, window cleaners, tile cleaners, upholstery cleaners, bathroom surface sprays, mopping solutions, cleaning pastes, stain removers, carpet shampoo, degreasers, the list goes on!
Here’s a great DIY recipe you can make with your Thieves Cleaner!
Check back tomorrow when I will be talking about “Fragrance” and some great DIY cologne blends and diffusing blends!
Are you ready? It’s time – Out with the old, in with the new!
The old is familiar; the old is convenient, but the health and longevity of your family is of paramount importance. We have identified the problems, and now it’s time to replace household toxins with alternatives that are not only SAFE, but play an active roll in supporting our body systems as we work towards improved wellness and vitality! Young Living essential oils and essential oil infused products are the perfect solution. We call this process “ditch and switch”. Ditch the toxic garbage and switch it out with Young Living products. Revamping your entire home may seem overwhelming, but you will find that you actually enjoy every step of the journey with Young Living alternatives.
Take a look at the list of products that you and your family already use. You will likely identify unsafe products that you spend money on every month. Did you download the APP, “Think Dirty”? I bet you were just as surprised as I was! Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo = 10 on the Toxicity Scale!!
We’re going to show you how to transfer that money to upgraded, healthy alternatives. This is referred to as transfer buying. Provided is a link to a very handy tool called the Transfer Buying Form. This list is a great visual that will help you see the things that you’re currently buying that can be switched out with Young Living alternatives, and it provides a way to track your progress and look back at how many great swaps you’ve made!
If you’re feeling convicted to make some changes right away, here is what you can do to start on your toxin-free home journey TODAY!
If you aren’t already a Young Living wholesale member, let’s get that taken care of right now! Having access to the best essential oils on the planet and all of the benefits that come with a Young Living™ membership is a game changer – best decision ever! If you aren’t familiar with the membership process, I will touch on that later.
Check out the 30-day Home Detox Plan! Eventually, you will look back at the changes you make over the next few weeks and be so proud of how far you come! Little steps + consistency = big impact changes.
Are you a member of the Young Living Essential Rewards program? I will go into more detail later, but the program is a no-brainer for anyone who wants to implement healthy lifestyle changes. The convenient monthly orders are a great way to strategically switch out toxins in your home while being rewarded for your purchases!
Spread the word! This information is important, and your friends and family need to know the truth! Help them implement these changes with you. Everything is easier when you do it with friends. Help them sign up for a Young Living membership, link arms, and Ditch and Switch for good!
Stick around for the rest of the class to gather some great tips and start a wish list to keep track of the items you need to add to your next Essential Rewards order.
I have found that when I am open to Signs from God, I actually find more of them! To be open to finding them, we need to focused on Him and His presence. He is always with us. Though, when we aren’t focused on Him, our thoughts may wander. We may go astray. When you recognize this, turn your thoughts back to God. Look for the signs. They are there. God speaks to us in many different ways. The signs we receive may be different for so many of us.
For me, the signs I receive that leave me feeling like He is present, are crosses, hearts, butterflies, words of affirmation, and when listening to my spiritual music!
The other week when I was feeling down, I took a hike in the woods and the signs were definitely present. I received many that had me feeling so blessed. Being in nature always brings me closer to God and by the time I got back home I felt so blessed and in such a state of peacefulness.
To many, the picture above would have just looked like two trees laying in the woods that had fallen down. To me though, when you zoom in on the picture, there laid a cross. Later on, I stopped by the stream and sat for a while. This is when I found a heart-shaped rock…another sign from God. When I recognize these signs, it’s like I stop in my tracks and I lose my breath for a second. Then I just take a deep breath in and know that God is with me! He cares, and He wants me to know that everything will be ok!
Life can be overwhelming, as I’m sure you know. Stress can be so overbearing and can truly affect your health in so many ways. I’ve learned this the hard way and am still learning how to better take care of myself.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” ~ Phillipians 4:6
After I had a heart attack almost 3 years ago, God has slowly been transforming me into the person He truly created me to be. I’ve found more natural solutions to help ease my anxieties and stress. I’ve learned how to listen to my body, recognize the signs of those trigger points that tend to appear letting me know I need to slow down and just breathe, and I’ve learned to rely so much more on God for everything! He has shown me how to remove the toxins from my life, and that includes all types of toxins. Yes, harsh chemicals, but also toxic relationships that bring me down. Now is the time for me. A time for healing and restoration.
I realize that I’m not alone in this struggle and the struggle is real, so this is why I share. I want everyone to know they aren’t alone and that there is a better way to live a life with less stress. Maybe not less stress, because life happens right, but managed stress and knowing you are not alone. God never promised us a life without trials. It’s these trials that make us stronger. Recognizing my desire to share and help others through these stressful times, God has blessed me with the ability to be vulnerable and transparent, and I have taken this to another level recently.
I’ve started leaving my own signs behind hoping that another believer will recognize this as a sign from God as well. I’m praying that someone walking along the same path may run into the crosses I leave behind and recognize it too as a Sign from God. A cross meant to touch their heart so that they too stop breathing for a second and realize that God is with them in that very moment and that they are not alone.
Blessing another believer gives me such peace and gratitude. Blessing someone who may be struggling with their belief into believing, or even wondering, ‘is this a sign?’, brings me joy and hope for a brighter future for so many more believers sharing their love of God and their story!
It’s encouraging that more and more people are becoming aware of the risks of toxins that they encounter on a daily basis. It’s obvious why “green” cleaners have such an appeal. The household cleaning industry has caught on to this and responded in full force with product lines that claim they are natural. These products are labeled “green” and “all natural” for marketing reasons and often cost 20-30% more. You’re trying to make good decisions, so you buy a cleaning agent that touts “plant based” or “all natural”, but most of the time these products actually contain the same harmful chemicals. This practice is called “greenwashing” – misleading marketing to make products appear safer – and an estimated 95% of products are guilty of this practice. “All natural” and “green” doesn’t necessarily mean non-toxic. Many naturally occurring chemicals, such as arsenic, mercury, and formaldehyde, are poisonous. It can be overwhelming to think about all the toxins to which we are we exposed. While it may not be possible to avoid ALL toxins in our lives, there are plenty of ways to significantly reduce your family’s exposure through simple lifestyle changes.
TIP: There is no regulation of the word “natural”. This can mean that some of a product’s ingredients come from natural sources, but manufacturers aren’t required to disclose how much or little of those ingredients are present. The term “natural” can mislead consumers into thinking a product is safer or more environmentally friendly than it actually is. Learn to read labels and be wary of product claims!
Now that you know that all the talk about toxins isn’t just hogwash, let’s move on to some practical action steps! The first thing you should do is educate yourself! Learn about ingredients to avoid, and train yourself to read labels. Label reading can be tricky business! Did you know that the European Union has banned more than 1,000 harmful chemicals from personal care products, but the United States has banned only 10 of those? Ingredients in cleaning and personal care products are not listed in the order of quantity, unlike food labels. U.S. manufacturers are not required to list ingredients of cleaning supplies unless they are known to be hazardous. Considering how few chemicals are actually banned in the U.S., there is little to no regulation regarding harmful chemicals in our products. Where does one begin to tackle this dilemma? Familiarize yourself with the bad ingredients. Reading labels with long, unpronounceable ingredients might seem daunting at first, but a quick online search can reveal lots of cautions and warnings. You’ll find that many common ingredients are carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, respiratory irritants, etc.
TIP: There is an APP you can download, or get someone who is technical to download it for you, it’s called, “THINK DIRTY”! No, not what you’re thinking… hahaha Anyway, it allows you to scan the bar code on the products you are using in your home today, and it will rate the product with a toxicity level of 1-10 (10 being the most toxic). You will be amazed!!!!
Check back tomorrow because we will be ready to begin the Ditch & Switch Process of removing these toxins from your home!!
So what’s the big deal with toxins? Are they really making us sick? It’s easy to see why so many people are skeptical about the detrimental long-term (and even short-term) effects that toxins have on our health. After all, if these ingredients are truly detrimental to our health, how do they end up in our commonly used products? It’s solid logic until you dig a little deeper. I hope that the information covered in this class is eye opening, but more than anything I hope you’re inspired to take it upon yourself to research what’s in your home and start making informed decisions. It’s a shame the standards for what’s allowed in our products is so low, but in the end we choose what we expose ourselves to in our homes. Put your detective hat on – today is the day you say “NO MORE”!
Dryer Sheets are the #1 toxic product in homes today?
Febreze contains over 80 known toxic chemicals?
Most candles are made with petroleum based wax? Yep, the same petroleum used to make gasoline! Then they add fake fragrance which includes synthetics, which are cancerous!
Bioaccumulation is the process by which our bodies accumulate toxins faster than they can eliminate them. Many chemicals are deemed safe in small quantities or for single uses, but these can be harmful over time and with consistent use.
The majority of products contain not one, but an abundance of toxic chemicals that are absorbed through the skin, inhaled into the lungs, etc. These chemicals can often be found in our bodies within seconds of exposure and are linked to health issues such as asthma, allergies, cancer, reproductive issues, hormone disruption, and neurotoxicity. A 2010 study published in the Journal of Environmental Health found that women who used a combination of cleaning products in their homes are up to 110% more likely to develop breast cancer than those who rarely used them.
Not only have chemicals in cleaning products been linked to serious health issues, but many have not been thoroughly tested for their impact our health, nor are the effects of chemical combinations often considered. Often, the synergistic effects of these combinations are worse than the individual chemicals alone.
Most conventional cleaning products are deceptive because manufacturers aren’t required to specify ingredients. Basically we don’t know all of the toxic chemicals to which we are exposing ourselves, our families, and our pets when we clean our homes, wash our hair, launder our clothes . . . the list goes on.
Many of the toxic chemicals you’ll be learning about are endocrine disruptors – but what does that mean? Endocrine disruptors are chemical compounds that interfere with healthy hormone production. This includes interfering with normal production, imitating and modifying natural hormones, and upsetting hormone signaling and proper binding. Scary stuff! Why do hormones matter? In addition to puberty, mood, and fertility, balanced hormones affect our overall health and regulate our heart rate, metabolism, mental and emotional wellness, and sleep quality. Hormones are the chemical messengers that communicate to our cells throughout our bodies and are a crucial factor for health and vitality. Young Living has many amazing products to support hormone health, but adding GOOD to your routine only goes so far if you continue to expose yourself to the bad things that cause damage. Ditching toxins is one of the most important steps in your wellness journey!
I know this probably has your brain on overload right about now, so I’m going to let this sink in so you can digest this information. Check back tomorrow, when we will talk about GREENWASHING!
Yesterday, I shared with you what this series is about and how I came to find Young Living. Today, I’d like to tell you why I am so passionate about these amazing natural products and why sticking with a company that has such high standards is so important to me.
The average modern day household uses hundreds of toxic chemicals each day – a large percentage of them before you even walk out the door in the morning! These toxic chemicals are hidden away in the ingredients of our all purpose cleaners, laundry products, shampoo, conditioner, air fresheners, body wash, facial cleansers, hand soaps, moisturizers, etc. So many hidden toxic ingredients, and most of them are things we use daily! New evidence that directly connects our daily toxin exposures in common household products to so many health concerns is being gathered all the time. The fact of the matter is that modern families are in the midst of a health crisis, and our toxic concoctions are contributing to the problem – we need to open our eyes! Now that I am aware, I am committed to making better choices for my family and myself. We are worth it! Young Living™ is nearly a one-stop-shop when it comes to the lifestyle changes that we are implementing. Switching to Young Living’s high-quality, long-lasting, safe products has been a wonderful experience! I love that these important swaps are made easy by the fact that I don’t have to sacrifice using great products that we love. This peace of mind is absolutely priceless.
The idea of a total home makeover might seem daunting, but in reality, it’s as simple as learning to identify the things in your home that could be making you sick, replacing those things with safe and healthy alternatives, and making mindset switches to fully embrace the Young Living™ Lifestyle. Follow along today as we outline these 3 steps:
Step 1: Identify – the harmful products being used in your home. Be familiar with common “red flag” ingredients, and learn to read labels.
Step 2: Replace – these toxic products with safe and effective alternatives from a source you trust.
Step 3: Lifestyle – Take full advantage of your Young Living™ membership and implement a lifestyle of wellness, purpose, and abundance!
Be sure to check back tomorrow and follow along as I will explain in great detail the importance of living a Toxic free Lifestyle!
This week I was faced with a very tough decision on the work front that had me tied in knots. I am a firm believer in, ‘if it’s meant to be, it will be’ and ‘everything happens for a reason’ or ‘if it’s God’s Will’. Yet all of these affirmations still had me second guessing myself. I was ready to throw my hands up in the air and just say, “No, it’s not worth it!”
Then, God stepped in. Typically, I can rationalize my decisions and come to terms with making what I believe to be the best decision but this decision was different. You see, I was going against the recommendation of someone else and that made it really hard. I know what I felt was right, but standing up to my beliefs and fighting for what I thought was right, was not that easy.
I decided that I needed help. I turned it over to God. I prayed on it, and then I turned to my inspirational books for His guidance. I was amazed at what I read just flipping through one of my books, Spiritual Remedies, which God led me to. Right there in the chapter talking about Job Trouble, it said, “..we shouldn’t just throw up our hands and walk away, either. We have to work things through; we have to deal with challenges and process the experiences.” “Our growth comes through stress and challenges in one way, shap, or form. What God is allowing in our lives is for our growth and transformation.”
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
~ Proverbs 3: 5-6
At that moment, I knew that God had a hand in all of this too. I knew what decision I had to make and I knew I was making the right decision.
The hardest decisions we have to make, are those that truly challenge us. I think the reason it is so challenging, is because we know the right decision is the hardest decision. So when you are faced with making these decisions, I urge you to turn to God as well and ask for guidance. His guidance will give you the courage, the strength, and the peace you need to feel good about your decision. Know in your heart it is the right thing to do.
God never said life would be easy.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” ~ John 16:33
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” ~ Romans 5: 3-5
Over the next two weeks, I will walk you through 3 simple steps that you can use to practically and affordably make your home a safer and healthier place to live! This class is free, fun, and I promise to share information with you that will blow your mind and inspire you to make some big changes. We’re all in this together, and I am here to guide you every step of the way!
Home is where the heart is… there’s no place like home… home sweet home. Our home is a safe haven – a place for creating great memories, spending time with loved ones, and truly relaxing and being yourself. Everyone wants the best for their family, but have you ever considered the fact that items in your home could be making you sick? The average American home is filled with hidden toxins and familiar products that are actually poisonous and harmful. Whether you’re aware of them or not, these hidden toxins are reeking havoc on the wellness of you and your loved ones. It’s sobering to realize the very real effects these misleading products have on our health, but it’s empowering to use this knowledge and take control! In tonight’s class, we’re going to outline 3 simple steps to upgrading from a toxic home to a total Young Living™ Lifestyle!
Be sure to Follow so you can follow along in this Blog Series as I will introduce to you these 3 Simple Steps!
If you’ve been following me, you already know. If you just stumbled upon my blog this morning, you might be surprised! I was 53 years old, when I had a heart attack all from stress. April 27th will be my third anniversary since the day my life changed. Stress has always been a part of my life and I thought I could manage it pretty well. I was always able to hold things together in the moment, but when things started to settle, that’s when my stress really started to build.
April 27th, 2016 was a prime example of how I handled my stress. Except, on this day, my body had said, or God said, ‘enough is enough’! It took me six long months to recover from Broken Heart Syndrome. I suffered a cardiac arrest, went through an angiogram procedure to check for blockages, and even had a pump inserted to my heart to relieve the pressure on my heart where the pump did the work for my heart. All of this lead to even more stress as you can imagine! I then had to deal with the stress of potentially dying, losing my family, separation anxiety, etc…..
Not long into my recovery is when I was introduced to essential oils. At first, it was some cheap oils and a diffuser from Amazon which I had no clue of how or why to use them. So I simply started diffusing as the instructions said. It wasn’t long after than that a family member came to visit, saw the oils, and told me to throw them away immediately. Why? essential oils are good for you right!? Well, she went on to inform me that all oils are not the same and that quality matters and is very important! She began to tell me about Young Living Essential Oils, and well here I am about to tell you the same thing!
Young Living has changed my life, helped me remove all of the toxins and chemicals that we breathe in everyday not knowing how they are damaging our bodies. I learned how to use essential oils to help me support my anxieties and stress levels. I leared how to support all of my body systems and feel so much better for it! I feel like a new person!
Please join and follow along as I share with you all of the amazingness that Young Living has to offer! Let me help you take the stress out of your life! Let me help you remove the toxins and harsh chemicals from your home! Let me help you make a Lifestyle Change that will thank me for!
How many times have you fought to make your way through life’s challenges, only to be winded and out of breath as if you had no sails at all to pull you along? We all face these challenges and as hard as it is to believe, God does have a reason. He has a lesson to be learned. His plan is to make you a stronger person who is able to handle this same situation a little better the next time.
During my devotional time this morning with God, I was reading along and it reminded me of a situation my son faced when he was a young teenager. Boys will be boys and on this day him and two of his buddies went down to the stream by our house. We had a lot of rain the day before and the stream was raging. I’ll never understand why he thought it would be fun to try and cross the stream in that state of rage, and I’m guessing neither did God.
The moment he fell in, what days before was a quiet trickling stream of peace and wonderment, became a raging stream of uncertainty and fear. He struggled to get his footing but that was impossible as it quickly hurled him downstream. I can only imagine what he was thinking at that time, but I doubt he was screaming for God at that age. Though I am so grateful to God for being there with him in those few moments. He grabbed the only thing he could, a tree laying across the stream. He held on with all his might, but the current was too strong. He couldn’t get his breath as the water was rushing past him. The current pulled off his shorts and he even lost his shoes. He was fighting the current and fighting God’s will at that moment.
He then realized the only chance he had was to let go. Unbeknownst to him at that time, he let go and let God take over. You see, when we fight the Will of God, we are fighting a losing battle. God always wins. We need to learn to let go and let God lead the way, because when we go with the flow of God, we will always come out ahead better than we ever expected.
Once he let go of that tree, he was quickly moved further down stream where the waters calmed enough to enable him to grab ahold of another tree and pull himself to safety. That was one of the scariest days of our lives and I’m so grateful that God took over and brought him to safety. He could have easily hit his head on a tree or rock and been knocked out, or even worse, drowned. When he was able to pull himself from the raging waters, he and his friends were separated. As he stood their in his underwear, with no shoes, he thought to himself how am I going to get home like this? He decided to try and cross the stream again where it was not so rough and he walk home through the woods. I know, you’re probably screaming, “No! What is he thinking!” I know I was when his friends came running to the house asking if he made it home yet and proceeded to tell us the story.
Well, if you are a parent, you know that sinking feeling very well. It was the worst feeling in the world when I saw that raging stream first hand and pictured my son in those waters and started calling his name to hear no reply. Luckily, as we head home our other son was coming to tell us his brother made it home safely!
I know now though that God has big plans for this young man and his love of God has grown greatly. I wonder though if he looks back on this memory and realizes just how loved and protected he was by God on the day he learned to go with the flow!
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” ~ John 7:38
Have you ever felt that you truly belonged somewhere? That it was meant to be! Have you ever met someone that you felt so connected to that you knew without a shadow of a doubt God set up that chance meeting?
Well, I have been feeling this way for a while now having met so many amazing friends through Young Living, but this picture speaks a thousand words to me! If you zoom in on it, you will recognize it is ‘so me’! A woman that just wants to be happy, have fun, and follow God’s path for the rest of her life!
God led me to the woman on the other side of this camera and she made me feel so proud when she said she chose me to be her subject for narrative project she was working on in her photojournalism class! Her instructor said she had to choose someone she didn’t really know, but wanted to get to know. Wow! I was blown away, but she, like alot of you wanted to hear my story! Sharing my story and helping others is all I dream of.
I can honestly say ‘my story’ and transformation started at Lifepoint Church. From the day me and my best friend walked in the doors of this church we both felt at home and truy still feel like we belong here! I know God has big plans for me and this Church will play a role in it and I can’t wait to live out the rest of the story!
Thank you Heidi Marie Bell for your interest in me, and for the friendship we have created. Big things are in store for us!! God did not bring us together just for this project. He has a reason and a plan and together we are going places!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11