Energy Shift and Shielding

The last weekend in August,  we had a great time at the Venus Music Festival in Vandalia, Illinois.   There was music and healing in the air and new friendships on the ground.  Even a scared, injured little dog knew he could find sanctuary on Venus Land.

Some amazing singers graced the stage,  among them:  Summer Osborne,  Ginger Doss,  Sara McCracken, Crys Matthews, Carole Walker, Jen Norman, Chasing Nadean and Brooke Sleme as well as some talented and powerful spoken word poet/performers:  ReeCee, Jen Harris and the funny and talented MC, Trish Busch.  The vendor area included Tupperware,  T-shirts,  candied jalapeño -yum, and, of course, we had doTerra essential oils, and offered energy work.

There were also workshops on everything from moving through difficult feelings to ghost hunting.   There was never a dull moment.

Lori Osborne was amazing in her ability to juggle multiple unexpected challenges, organizing volunteers,  housing artists, and still presenting a workshop and finding a bit of fun as well.

The Osbornes host Venus Festival to bring love, healing, peace and music to the world.  They also seek to nurture the next generation of dreamers and doers.  Much of the money (well, really all of the profits this year) goes toward helping kids pursue their dreams of being in the arts.  They may use the money to provide musical instruments to kids in need (as the late Mrs. Osborne did), or to help pay for dance lessons and other expenses.  This year, one girl, Jilly, a dancer, was chosen as THE Love Mrs. Osborne kid.

Many of the  temporary residents of Venus Land attended a healing circle led by Deb and I.  Deb did a guided meditation to help people get grounded and centered, moving up through every chakra and bodily system and organ.  We invited anyone who wanted healing into the center of the circle.  Many people and a few dogs entered the middle.  Deb and some other energy workers also entered the center to work one on one with people.  My part was to hold the outside of the circle with those wanting to provide healing and support as a group.  To raise energy and consciousness,  I led everyone in singing songs of healing.  I started each song by first teaching it by singing it and encouraging everyone to join their voices together.  I then walked clockwise around the circle, singing and sending energy to each person through my breath and eyes.  I did stop and touch Sir Vinny,  the injured dog, each time I passed.

We felt a lot of loving, healing energy all along and within the circle as we moved and sang and listened and watched.  The kids of VenusLand were amazing!  They offered support and unconditional love through holding the circle, passing out tissues, and even individual energy work.  We were very impressed and grateful for their presence.

Quite a few people had emotional releases during the healing circle, and the love kept flowing and growing through the rest of the weekend.  Even Sir Vinny was thriving by Sunday, the final day of this year's Venus Festival.

That morning many of us gathered for a "Soul Circle", a solution - based discussion on events happening in the world.  It was a powerful discussion,  and more emotional releases occurred.   Deb and I brought water and a candle from the last Michigan Womyn's Music Festival  and shared it there, nourishing VenusLand with the water and passing the candle to the Osbornes who are doing a lot to keep women's music and culture alive.

After the festival,  we spent some time privately with the Osbornes and the cows.  (By the way, I discovered that Terra Shield is a great deterrent to vicious horse flies.  Too bad we didn't think to use it until after Venus was over!)  We left our tent there so it can be the start of an artists' tent village for next year.  Having 15 people staying in one house is just too much, unless it is a mansion.

Once we got home and had a chance to talk to each other and a few others that we met at VenusFest, we realized that we should have talked people through how to shield themselves energetically.   It is so hard to return to the mundane world after being someplace like that (Venus Music Festival,  Michigan Womyn's Music Festival,  or any other intense safe gathering of souls).  Part of the difficulty in returning to the outer world is not just that there is a major cultural shift,  but also that while in those safe spaces, we tend to let down our energetic or aural shields.  Then we forget to re-shield in a healthy way when we enter the mainstream again.  This can leave us feeling discombobulated emotionally,  physically, psychologically and/or spiritually.

Shielding helps keep positive,  healing energy flowing, while deflecting or grounding unwanted energy.  There are several different guided imagery exercises that can help someone learn shielding.  Deb and I each learned from various teachers, books and trial and error.   I'd like to share one technique that I find useful.  If you do better with hearing visualizations rather than reading them and trying to remember them, you may want to partner with someone you trust.  You can slowly guide one another through this meditation visualization by reading it to each other.  Or, you can read it to yourself with a voice recorder.  Pace it fairly slow, allowing time for your mind to fully form the images.  Be patient with yourself.  You may get it on the first try, or you may need to practice a bit.  Either way is fine.  Relax and have fun with it.

Here is one meditation visualization for shielding:

Begin by breathing deeply at a relaxed pace.

Ground and center yourself by focusing on your breath.  Focus only on your breath.  Feel the air moving in through your nose,  down through your lungs,  pausing, then back out slowly. 

If other thoughts or concerns enter your mind, acknowledge them, then promise them that you will deal with them later.  Imagine them surrounded with a loving bubble of light, then when you exhale, blow the little bubble away from you, like a child with a bubble wand.

Keep returning your focus to your breath.  Inhale,  short pause, exhale.

Once you have focused only on your breath for several cycles, imagine that you are also drawing in energy from the Earth from the deep, healing well of energy beneath her surface, up through the soles of your feet.

Draw the energy up through the soles of your feet, letting it flow and fill you like a cleansing stream.  Allow it to fill your toes, heels, ankles and calves.  Feel it wash clean your knees, thighs, hips, pelvis.  Your abdomen, organs and chest are refreshed by the flowing energy from the Earth.  Allow the energy to to continue to flow through you, into your shoulders,  arms, hands and fingers.  Feel the tension leave your neck, throat, jaws, cheeks, and sinuses.  Feel your eyes and ears gain clarity from the Earth's energy.

Allow that energy to continue to flow up through your feet, throughout your body, and allow it to gently move out of your body through the crown of your head and the palms of your hands.  Like a fountain of light, healing energy flowing freely.  Let this light cleanse you as it moves through you.  Mother Earth will purify the energy as it flows back to her again.

Now, put your hands out in front of you as if you are holding a basketball sized sphere of light energy.  Envision that sphere growing larger as the energy flows from the Earth through your body and out of the palms of your hands, into the sphere.   Once the sphere is large enough, step harmlessly into your protective bubble of light. 

Once inside your bubble, you can make it as large or as small as you need by controlling the energy flow from your hands and head while you constantly allow the Earth to feed you from her deep healing energy wells.

Your bubble can be whatever color you need, whatever color makes you feel safest at this moment.  It can even be many colors, like a soap bubble refracting the sun's rays into prisms.

Your bubble is soft and permeable, like a soap bubble.  You can expand it to welcome in positive energies, people and animals, while negativity moves off and around without entering your safe space.

You can keep your bubble up as you move through your day, expanding and shrinking as you need it to.

If you feel your bubble begin to weaken or falter, take a moment to breathe deep from the Earth and exhale energy to refill your bubble.

Try practicing this meditation visualization on your own.  After a few times, it will become easier, and eventually you will start to automatically shield without thinking about it, like opening your eyes when you wake up from sleep.

If the bubble image is difficult for you,  choose another.  If you have suggestions for imagery for other readers, feel free to leave them in the comments below.  Let us know how this meditation visualization works for you.

A few other things that we find helps with shielding ourselves or our home include:

Balance Essential Oil Blend-  we use it on our earlobes  (and on our dogs ears) to help dispel anxiety and promote relaxation and balance.  You can also use it in a diffuser to help bring balance to your home.  I sometimes set a shielding intention when I turn on the diffuser.  We even take one with us when we travel.

Rose quartz-  this is one time when wearing a bra really comes in handy.  Placing a rose quartz near your heart chakra, for some, helps them feel protected and shielded from negativity, especially emotional negativity.  During my really difficult days, I used to keep a rose quartz shaped as an egg in my sports bra.  Yes, it got sweaty and smelly.  I cleansed it physically and energetically through cleaning it with running water.  To super cleanse, I would leave it outside in the rain or under the full moon's light.  I have long since given that egg to someone else, but we still sometimes use rose quartz this way.  You can also put it on your windowsill to add boundary shielding on your home or office.

Salt or clear quartz-  some people put clear quartz crystals or small dishes of salt in the corners of their home as an energetic cleanser and shield.

Smudging-  if you don't have issues with asthma or other breathing problems, you could try smudging with smoke from (careful) burning sage, sweetgrass, cedar, or a combination of these.  Some people and traditions prefer incense to smudge with.

We hope this article has helped you find some clarity, not to mention great new ideas for your music collection and yes, ways to spend the last weekend in August of 2016!

Blessings,

Aimée

One Year Healthier

Deb and I just celebrated ONE YEAR as Independent Product Consultants with doTERRA!!!  We get amazing benefits as IPCs, also known as being a Wholesale Member.  I’d like to share some of these benefits with you, and give you an idea of why we are so enamored with these oils and this company.

The first and foremost benefit we get from our membership with doTERRA is that we have access to some of the best essential oils we have ever experienced.  doTERRA checks every bottle of oil with a mass spectrometer.  You may have seen this process on CSI or Bones, or another super high-tech forensics show.  In case you haven’t, the mass spectrometer is a thingy that checks the chemical composition of whatever is being tested.  doTERRA has rigorous standards of specific chemical compounds before they will put their label on it.  When someone asks me if they are organic, I happily tell them that it is BETTER THAN ORGANIC because this process of approving only the best oils assure that there are no contaminates such as GMOs, pesticides, herbicides or weeds.  Plant sources for doTERRA oils only come from the finest plants grown in the most ideal conditions for that particular type of plants.  doTERRA only distills the most potent plant parts in order to ensure that only the purest, strongest essential oils become doTERRA Oils.  Only the very best make it through their process to make sure each bottle of oil is CERTIFIED PURE THERAPEUTIC GRADE (CPTG).

Through these amazing oils as well as doTERRA’s Lifelong Vitality Pack (a daily regimen of vitamin, mineral & herbal supplements along with essential oil capsules that also include omega 3’s and antioxidant oils), our lives have radically improved.  Aimee has been able to better manage the Epstein-Barr virus that she carries, has been able to better manage mood fluctuations and menopause symptoms (including hot flashes).  Despite working with kids, she has not gotten half of the infections and crud that her coworkers and kids at work contract and spread to each other and back to themselves.  Deb has been able to work with her doctors to greatly reduce her prescription drugs and over the counter supplements.  Her pain levels are reduced, her moods are better, she is getting fewer migraines and illnesses even though she has an incurable immune disorder (common variable immune deficiency) and she cannot take the only treatment available through conventional medical means.  Her doctors are amazed and excited to see how well she is doing.  (Before using doTERRA, she was visiting the ER an average of once every 5-6 weeks needing treatment for chest pain, migraines, upper respiratory infections, etc.  We have gone once in the past year). Deb now has a vitality that she hasn’t had in years.  Woohoo!

Although there is absolutely no minimum monthly order (unlike most multi-level marketing programs), we get another series of benefits since we do place an automatic monthly LOYALTY REWARDS ORDER, which we can change at any time just by jumping online.  With each order that we place, we get a certain percentage of “Loyalty Rewards Points”.  These points can add up.  After being consistent with ordering for at least 3 months in a row, we can start using those points to get FREE PRODUCT (we pay $3.00 for $100pv worth of product per 100 points.  It may seem to take a while to accumulate points at first, but as the months go by, the percentage you get in points increases.  Next month, we will be up to the maximum of 30% free pv (personal volume) for every Loyalty Rewards Order (LRP) that we place.  If we place an LRP worth 125 pv before the 15th of the month, we get a free product-automatically!  This month, we got a 5ml bottle of On Guard, a product that we use every single day and order every month anyway.  In the past, we have gotten lemon, oregano, peppermint, Breathe blend, Balance blend, white fir, and other amazing gifts.  Every once in a while, they add other offers as well.  By increasing our December order, we even got a free bottle of Frankincense oil.  (We actually didn’t order more than we expected to for that one, because, being December, we were buying lots of great CPTG oils as gifts for our friends and family.)  We have also gotten fantastic sets of essential oils for cooking.  (see some of our recipes in an earlier blog post or check out these recipes highlighting doTERRA's summer sensations oils.)  

As WHOLESALE MEMBERS (IPC), we get 25% off the retail price of all doTERRA products.    That means that with a typical Loyalty Rewards Order for us, we save about $50 per month.  That’s not bad for paying an initial $35 sign up fee, which includes the $25 annual fee plus $10 for a start up kit.  With our $25 renewal fee, we also got a free bottle of peppermint!  So our membership has already pretty much paid for itself!  (See my earlier blog post about peppermint to learn why this is well worth the price!)  As IPCs, if someone wants to take advantage of these amazing products and signs up under us, we get a percentage of whatever they spend, as long as we maintain our Loyalty Rewards Orders at a minimum of $50 (which are keeping us healthier, happier and even flavors some of our food, so of course we maintain our LRP orders).  With all the products that we use and love from doTERRA, we easily spend at least that much. And, this month (August 2012), for the first time, we are getting a $50 bonus check because 3 people that signed up through us as IPCs placed qualifying LRP orders.  Adding theirs to ours gave us the 600pv our team needed for doTERRA to cut Deb, whose name the account is under, a check.  If we had been pressing it, we probably could have earned this earlier, but we just let the amazing products and company standards sell themselves for the most part. 

I must add here, that even with adding a Lifelong Vitality Pack each month for each of us, along with the oils that We are using to keep Deb healthy despite having a compromised immune system, we are still paying less than we were for all of her prescribed drugs and Dr ordered supplements.  (Do not alter your medications without consulting your doctor and going very slow with this process.  You may not be able to get the same results that Deb has.  She has some great doctors who are open minded about complementary modalities and who open more as they see her improve.)  She feels so much better than she did when dealing with all the negative side affects of multiple medications, and the expense of the supplements she was having to take-Ugh!  

We use doTERRA oils for so much more than massage or air freshener.  We use them as mood stabilizers, pain relief, cleaners, antibiotics, perfumes, cooking and diffusing into the air to clean and refresh the house.  Even the animals use them.  For example, Sky, one of our dogs, had a badly damaged nail, and we treated it with On Guard.  She didn’t get an infection or anything, even though she runs outside in dirt and who knows what germ-ridden stuff, every day.  You can read an earlier post about relieving Sky’s trauma with Balance Oil after we rescued her from being tied up outside in the cold and rain without food or water.  Like me, Balance is her favorite.

doTERRA is committed to using not just the best oils, they are also a company that supports its members with webinars, seminars, essential oil news, conventions and up to date information on the most recent and exciting scientific studies being conducted on essential oils.  They are committed to not just relying on ancient wisdom or anecdotal evidence, they also look for scientific studies to support their work and our education.  I never knew essential oils were so powerful until I started reading their educational materials.

We would love to help you get discounts and earn free products from an amazing company.  We have tried a lot of different essential oil brands, from very expensive, rare ones, to inexpensive off the shelf at the health food store.  By far, doTERRA is the best oil for the best value that we have found.  The superior quality makes us confident to use them in and on our bodies.  Their soaps, body wash, diffusers and educational tools are all exceptional.

There are a lot of links included in the text of this blog entry.  click on any of them to get more information on the subject highlighted.  Most of the links connect to our business website, www.mydoterra.com/livingmindfully

Blessings,

Aimee

Finding Cool Relief with Peppermint Oil

Candy canes.  Toothpaste.  Tea.  Patty.  These are a few of the things I used to think of when I heard the word "peppermint".  Since being introduced to doTERRA essential oils a year ago, I now think of words like:  cooling, pain relief, alertness, chocolate bark, headache and moles. (Moles?  Keep reading).

This summer in particular, we have been using peppermint oil every day. 

When I get too heated while working in the yard on these hot, dry days of 2012, and when I get hot flashes, or when the air conditioning at work isn't quite low enough, I take a cool damp rag or bandana, sprinkle a few drops of doTERRA's CPTG peppermint oil on it and drape the cloth over the back of my neck.  It feels like my own personal cooling system.  (Who'da thought a minty spicy oil would have a cooling effect?)  I am sitting on our deck right now, watching the dogs play in the 79 degree weather at 9:30am, with a damp, pepperminted purple bandana on my neck to cool off as I write this.

If I don't have Deep Blue or Past Tense oil blends with me, I pull out my peppermint to ease aching muscles or headaches.  Since being introduced to doTERRA oils, in the past year, I have only taken a dose anti inflammatory medicine twice.  I used to take them daily, often every 4 hours for chronic pain.  The only times I have taken them since joining doTERRA was this spring, during the first really heavy lifting and grunt work of the yard and garden. 

I must confess that sometimes, if I am getting ready to meet someone after work and I haven't gotten a chance to brush my teeth, or if my mouth tastes off from being too dry when I forget to stay hydrated, I'll put a drop of doTERRA peppermint oil right in my mouth, either on my tongue or under it.  I get an instant, powerful, WHOOSH feeling in my mouth and up through my sinuses.  I love to take a couple of open mouthed breaths to feel the coolness, run my (now minty) tongue around my gums or swish a swig of water around my mouth to spread the sensation throughout my palette.  Yum.

I work midnights, and some nights, no amount of daytime sleep or strong black coffee can clear my head.  At those times, I am so grateful to uncap my doTERRA Peppermint Oil and breathe deep.  It makes me more alert and energized than any amount of caffeine can do. The aroma goes up my nose, through my sinuses and straight into the limbic part of my brain, the seat of emotions.  The peppermint aroma in my brain makes me more alert, uplifts my mood, and sometimes, even transports me back in time to my kindergarden year while making peppermint cookies with my mom (I took them to school to share).

I read in a couple of different organic gardening articles, that moles don't like peppermint oil.  So, I took another reputable brand of peppermint oil outside with me one day, determined to put a couple drops in every mole hole that my dogs had dug up, before refilling them with dirt.  And, as I worked in the 90+ degree heat, even though I was drinking water, my mouth still had that stale taste you get from being dry.  So, I put a drop of that other reputable brand peppermint oil on my tongue, and I gagged and rushed into the house to brush my teeth with doTERRA's On Guard Toothpaste because the taste of that other oil was so horrible!   It had a rank, sour taste with barely a hint of mint flavor.  We had used this brand for years, but never cooked with it or took it internally.  DoTERRA oils were the first essential oils we had ever thought to take orally, they were the first essential oils we ever felt confident enough in to know they were safe and pure.  We had used that other peppermint oil for things like massage (never again because whatever goes on your skin goes into your bloodstream, and I no longer trust that brand), taking the stink out of latex paint when redecorating the house, and things like that.  Since I have been using doTERRA oils for a year now, inside and out, I guess I had a momentary lapse and figured this other oil would bring me at least a measure of relief from my skunky breath.  Although this other company advertises. "Purity tested/quality assured", their quality and purity are nothing like doTERRA's Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils.

I should have had my first clue the very first time I received an Aroma Touch session.  As soon as the peppermint and Wild Orange oils were applied to the bottoms of my feet, I tasted the flavors of both in my mouth and felt the refreshing coolness of the peppermint, as if I had brushed my teeth through my feet.  In all my years with using that other oil for massage and to cool my feet, I have never experienced that cooling sensation/taste when it touched my skin.  The fact that I taste the wonderful minty fruitiness of the oils on my feet are great evidence to me of how putting something on your skin goes directly into the blood and other permeable tissues throughout the body.  The skin is, after all, the largest organ of the body.

I should have had my second clue when the website of the other "pure peppermint oil" said that you can use it for aromatherapy in diffusers but to carefully mix with a carrier oil for any other use.  DoTERRA's CPTG Peppermint Oil can be diluted with Fractionated Coconut Oil, or another carrier oil for sensitive skin, or for children, or just to make it go further when used topically.  And, it can also be ingested as is, right from the bottle!  I have sensitive skin, yet I  use doTERRA Peppermint oil (and any other dTERRA oil or oil blend) directly on my skin without being diluted by a carrier oil, and I have never had an itch, rash, or any negative reaction.  (That is not to say you won't.  Everyone is different and allergies or other sensitivities may come in to play for you.  Click here for some basics on using essential oils safely.)  

Even though that other brand of peppermint oil is less expensive, it is pretty much useless to us now.  Deb and I now understand the wider range of amazing benefits we can get from Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Peppermint Essential Oil, and now that we have experienced the difference, pretty much the only thing we will use that other peppermint oil for is to scare the moles.  I hope it doesn't make them sick if they accidentally ingest it.  I doubt if I could get them to brush their tiny teeth (do moles have teeth?) with doTERRA On Guard Whitening Toothpaste to get the taste out of their mouths either.

Some uses for doTERRA Peppermint Essential oil:
Use in cooking (see our recipes for peppermint bark, and peppermint "tea" that we posted this past winter)
Reduce Nausea
Relieve Diarrhea
Ease Sciatica/nerve pain
Minty fresh breath (I said that already, but I can't help it.  I love the phrase)
Increase alertness
And more

*these statements have not been approved by the FDA and are not intended to treat, diagnose or cure any of the above issues or illnesses (although there has been some research that supports many of these uses)

Mindfull of Sky

About two weeks ago, a dog showed up in the neighbor's backyard.  She was tethered to the picnic table without food or water.  It was cold and rainy and she just looked our way lethargically when Deb or I, or even our dogs tried to get her attention.  She had very fine, white fur with dark spots, although her white fur looked grey with dirt and mud.

Deb went over and talked to the neighbor who said that he was just watching her for a friend.  Deb said that we were going to take the dog to our house if she was not better cared for by the next day.

The next day rolled around, and the night before had been less than 40 degrees and rainy.  The dog was still outside, shaking and curled up as tight as she could get under the picnic table in the one very small almost dry spot.  She had a nearly untouched bowl of food by her side, and another bowl that had been overturned, likely by the tether that was attached to her collar.

Together, we again knocked on the neighbor's door.  When he opened the door, we had our leash in hand and said we were taking the dog to our house, and that his friend can knock on our door when they want her back.  They had lost their house and had no where to keep her until they got a new house.

He said okay, he would call his friend.  He was very polite and completely understanding our position.

We walked around the side of the house to get her.  We tried to coax her as she shivered and looked expressionlessly at us from under the picnic table, but she didn't budge.  I reached my hand under the bench, mindfull that her fear, hunger, thirst and cold may make her a danger just out of panic or desperation.  I gently moved my hand toward her nose so she could smell me, which she did, but halfheartedly, then turned her head away.  Her eyes and snout were a bright pink, showing clearly through her sparse hair.  I took the leash in my hand and attached it to her collar.  She lifted her head brightly for the first time.  She was fully aware that something was about to change.

I unhooked her tether, so only the leash was attached, and with a very gentle tug she came out from under the picnic table.  She lifted her eyes first to one, then to the other of us and fell into step beside us.  Two steps along, and her skinny tail lifted straight toward the cloudy sky.  (We found out later that that is her name, Sky.)

We walked the short distance to our front door, but when we tried to coax her to go through it, she put on the breaks the way only a stocky, muscular, solid dog can do.  Because we didn't yet know how she would react, we decided that I would take her around the side of the house, through the gate into the backyard, where she would meet our dogs on open turf.

About 15 steps into the yard, she plastered herself to my leg and slowed.  Her tail drooped.  Her head drooped.  She began to breathe just off enough to let me know that she was very anxious about being on this side of the fence, where she knew that other dogs live.  I stopped.  She stopped.  I pulled out my belt pouch that I always carry with me, containing eight different small vials of essential oils inside.  I pulled out my favorite one, Balance, and put a drop on each of my index fingers and brought my thumbs to meet my fingers so I'd have Balance on both front and back as I gently massaged the tip of each ear (where I now saw that she had sores from scratching her ears with uncut toenails).  Within about 1 1/2 seconds, she snuffled and humffed as she let out the breath she had been holding.  She took a deep breath and her muscles relaxed.  She sniffed, then gave a quick lick to the fingers that had just given her courage and security and Balance.  Her tail lifted, she met my eyes, and we moved on as the other dogs excitedly tumbled out of the house on to the deck to finally meet up close the sad little dog from next door.

The dog, whose name we still did not know, quietly endured the obligatory sniffing of behinds and circling round by the others.  instead of reciprocating, she plastered her body against my leg, looking up for reassurance.  Even after I removed the leash, she chose to walk with one of the humans instead of running with the pack.

She was hesitant to get on the couch with us, even when invited, and she definitely would not jump on the bed. although once she did get on the couch, she nestled between us, obviously used to being loved by humans.

I brought her into the shower with me to wash off the cold and layers of mud.  She escaped and I ended up soaping her up outside the shower, then bringing her back in wile she sat there looking betrayed as I gently hosed her off, cooing loving words and gentle rubs as I rinsed.  (Deb has since also showered her without any great escape and much less mess on the bathroom tile to mop up.). Then, when she came out of the bathroom, she did what wet dogs do, she shook as much water as she could all over the house and smiled a toothy smile.

That was on a Monday.  On Friday, while I was sleeping off my midnight shift, her family came to pick her up.  The kids were overjoyed to see her and she gave them sloppy kisses, but she had grown comfortable with us.  Deb said that she acted reluctant to go, but did go.  The family had found a house and were in a rent to own situation, so they could have their Sky back.

On Monday, there was a knock on the door, and this big guy in a red shirt was standing there when I answered.  Deb recognized him as the father of Sky, and her beautiful human boys.  He had tears in his eyes as he said that the current house owner knocked on their door that morning and told them that because of her breed, if Sky lived there, they could not stay. He cried as he talked about how hard it was to leave her the first time and he had had her since she was tiny and his kids love her and he wants her to be where she will be loved and cared for and he remembered how happy she was with us.

So, now we are the loving mamas of Sky.  And our friend, Lydia fell in love with her too, but can't have a dog in her apartment and with her very long work hours.  It would be unfair to have a dog cooped up all day while she is working to save lives in the ER.  So, we are all co-parenting her together, and her boys know that they can come and see her anytime.

It takes a village to raise a child.  Apparently, it takes a village to love a dog as well.  And loved well, she is.

From Holiday Stress to Holiday Peace

Stress can adversely affect our health.  It can raise blood pressure and blood sugar, it can make our bodies store up cortisol, causing us to gain extra weight, and, stress can make us crabby.  Stress is not created by just those things that we perceive as negative.  Your body reacts to positive things as stress as well.  Any change can be perceived by the body as stress:  a touchdown by your favorite college team, or a burned souffle. To our bodies stress is stress is stress.  There are varying degrees of stress, but good or bad is not really differentiated by our neutral, nonjudgemental cells and nerves.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Solstice, or the football bowl season, the holidays are “supposed” to be one of joy and love, fun, love, caring and family.  The stressful crabbies can overtake the holidays in a moment and turn a party into a chore.  We want to share some ideas with you that may help to reduce stress and make your holidays more enjoyable. 

*If you are planning on entertaining a houseful of guests:  make as much ahead of time as you can.  In this wonderful modern age of freezers, refrigerators and even coolers, we don’t have to cook everything in one day.  Cook ahead of time, do prep ahead of time.  Slice your cheeses and veggies a day or two in advance, have casseroles put together ahead of time, ready to just pop into the oven or microwave.  Minimize the amount of time that you are tied to the kitchen while everyone else is having fun!

*Speaking of chilling-don’t forget to make time for yourself throughout each day.  Even a minute can help you through the chaos:  pause and breathe at least 3 long, slow, deliberate deep breaths in a row.  This helps to lower blood pressure and oxygenate your brain.  This is a quick, instant stress reducer.  Use it often.

*Diffuse your favorite essential oils as you are preparing for your holidays, and even during your celebrations.  Smell goes directly into the limbic area of your brain, which affects emotions.  I like to use uplifting scents like “On Guard”, “Balance”, and citrusy scents like lemon or wild orange.  

*Another scent-filled stress reducer, is to smell the food you prepare.  The smell of fresh bread or simmering soup does wonders to reduce stress.  Enjoying the smell of food is a great part of enjoying a meal, and meal preparation can be a treat instead of a chore.

*With family or friends, drive or walk around your town, looking at holiday lights.  

*If you are feeling really edgy or stressed, when you shower or do the dishes, envision the water washing you with peace and love.  Allow ally of your stress, anger and frustration flow down the drain, washed away by the water’s love and peace.

*Put a bit of “Balance” or lavender oil on your earlobes, wrists and behind your ears to help you stay calm, balanced and relaxed during those stressful holiday moments.

Whether you are a parent or an adult who knows someone with kids, spending time with kids is a great way to reduce stress.  During the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations, sometimes kids can seem to be a hinderance to getting things done in the way and in the time that the adults want them to be done.  But really, kids are great teachers of how the holidays can be done.  They know that playing is always a priority.  What better time to re-learn the priority of play than the holidays?

*Read them a story (or have them read to you!).  See what kind of outrageous voices and faces you can make for the characters as you read their lines.

*Get a coloring book and crayons and color together.  

*Wrap gifts together.  Kids love to help with this super-secret rite.  Let them put their finger on the ribbon as you tie the bow.  Let them hand you the tape, and teach them how to make neat creases.  You can even let them in on a secret by letting them wrap some of the presents that are not for them!

*Make your own wrapping paper together.  Cut up paper grocery bags and decorate them with rubber stamps, crayons, markers, or apples cut in half and dipped in paint.  Use your imagination.  You can also use the comics section of the newspaper, or, for small gifts, beautiful magazine pages.

*Make snow angels or snowpeople together.  Then go inside and make hot cocoa or “candy cane tea” (see the recipe in an earlier post about recipes).

*Cook together.

*Sing together (maybe even sing while you cook).

*Play video games together.  There are great dance, sports and exercise games to play together on systems such as the wii or xbox kinect that are fun and will get you up and moving, physical activity is a great stress reducer!

*Watch a holiday movie together. 

*Don’t forget that kids (and adults) are not perfect.  They won’t do things the way you do them, or in the time frame that you do them, but teaching them and allowing them the space and time to learn can be a great stress reducer.  Letting go of the expectation of perfection allows space for joy and creativity.

No matter what you celebrate this season, enjoy yourself and be safe.

Happy Holidays.  Merry Christmas.  Blessed Solstice.  Happy Hanukah.

Shalom,

Aimee & Deb