Just a real quick one!
I have been using a few drops of Rosemary in a small spray bottle with water and spritzing it on my wet hair every morning before I put product in for shiny hair! I love it!! My hair is super shiny!
Rosemary is good for so many things, like concentration, migraines, and, duh – cooking, but I’ve really been liking it as a beauty product! 
Yesterday was my brother’s funeral. I don’t quite have the energy to talk about how it went or how I felt, but I wanted to share how thankful I was to have my Balance blend in my purse. I had already put Balance on the bottoms of my feet and Elevation on my chest and neck when I was getting ready to leave the house, but I thought I just might need one or both of them during the service, so I threw them in my purse as I walked out the door. Thank God!
I was doing as well as could be expected until the pastor read out the order of who would be speaking to those gathered. My youngest brother would go first, then I. As my brother walked up to the microphone I started to hyperventilate. I unhooked my belt and tried to take some deep breaths, but I just. couldn’t. breathe.
Damian ran out to get me some water, but I knew I needed something else to keep me from blacking out. I looked around to see if my sister or mom had any juice or even soda, but they didn’t. Suddenly, it popped into my head that my Balance was in my purse. I quickly grabbed it, opened it and started inhaling. It took a couple of breaths, but I could feel myself calming down. I could breathe deeper. I could catch my breath. By the time my brother was finished with his speech, I had some water and put the cap back on my bottle of Balance. I could do this. I could say what I needed to say to my brother to get a little bit of closure. I needed to say it in front of my family and friends so that it meant something instead of just whispering it to him in the safety of my home.
I could do it. But I was sure to bring my Balance with me up to that pedestal, just in case.
Love you Dale
This week I received some very bad news. My brother, age 27, overdosed on heroin. He had struggled with heroin and probably many other drugs for many years, so I can’t say this was something unexpected. It was something I’m sure all of us feared. But that doesn’t make things any easier. Through these last few days, I’ve had a mix of emotions and struggles, but I have a business to tend to and a small child to care for. I have to say, I am very thankful for my Elevation and Balance blends. I can’t say I was sure the oils would help with my depression or need to continue through my day since grief is such a difficult thing to go through, but I have been pleasantly surprised. I have been breathing in Balance throughout the day and putting it on the bottoms of my feet. I have been diffusing Elevation in my house and putting it over my heart and on my chest to smell it when I am away. The combination of both have helped me through some difficult moments and I am thankful to for these friends because I don’t think anything else could or would have really helped as they have.
I didn’t have the greatest relationship with my brother. Well, I had a pretty non-existent relationship. He was my step-brother and maybe that had something to do with it, I don’t know. We never got along really. Most of my childhood memories are of him bugging me. He was 9 months younger than I and not very easy to get along with, so we fought a lot. I feel guilty about not being a better older sister to him. I didn’t want him hanging around me or my friends, ever. I wasn’t very nice. And as an adult I tried to be better, but sometimes he just made it so…hard! He was not an easy person to get along with. I could have tried harder. We all could…but I could have actually tried.
I want you to know I love you, Dale. I thought it was silly and embarrassing that you posted my ultrasound picture of Micah as your profile picture on your Facebook page, but I know you were just excited for me and happy to be an uncle (even if you didn’t meet Micah for quite some time after his birth). I don’t know why you choose to come to my house and ask for help with your heroin addiction 3 years ago, but I am glad you did. I am glad you found some sort of path that led you to a cleaner life. I am glad because that path led you to God. I am thankful to be a part of that. I am thankful that I know you are truly in a better place. I am sorry I may not have been your ideal big sister. I am sorry there were times in our childhood that I was mean, and I wish I had known better. I will always remember your stupidly goofy laugh, as all of us will, and your generous heart. I love you Dale and may you be truly at peace.
I think one of the worst things about a cold is what happens to your nose. Our poor noses take such a beating from all that blowing and wiping! They get so raw, red and irritated as well as dry, cracked and ugly!
Micah and I have just gotten over another cold – I swear it is from Mommy and Me classes and I have been in too much of a rush to put On Guard on our feet! I has happened one too many times, so I will no longer neglect to do that (I will of course let you know the outcome). Anyway, he screams and pushes me away whenever I have to use a tissue on him because his nose hurts so bad! He seems to have pretty sensitive skin and even his little cheeks get red and dry when he’s sick. I really only use the tissues when we’re out because I LOVE my Nose Frieda and it works so well, but regardless, he still ends up with a raw nose.
My experience using moisturizer on the raw skin around my nose is that it does nothing to make it heal faster! In fact, it burns! So, I use my fabulous oils instead. I combine a little Sandalwood and a little Lavender with a little fractionated coconut oil and lightly apply it onto my nose. The Sandalwood is very good for dry skin (and also is one of two oils that can pass through the blood brain barrier!) and the Lavender promotes healing. My nose is significantly better by the morning. It usually takes two days of using this protocol for the skin around my nose to heal completely! AMAZING!
What is even better is that when I use this protocol on Micah, his skin completely heals by morning! What a relief! He will still get raw throughout the day from blowing his nose again, but at least we start from the beginning every day and we are not adding to his pain! I also use this combination all over his body for dry skin, especially in the winter months, and then slather doTERRA’s fragrance free lotion all over him to seal it in and keep those oils on his skin! This is the best solution to dry skin that I have found! And it makes for a very happy baby!! Plus, it smells fantastic!
First of all, I wrote this post several hours ago but when I went to post it somehow everything I had written had been erased and a blank spot was posted. All my words…gone. So annoying. Here goes my second try.
Before Jenna and I had a son and a dog we had two rabbits. We still have two rabbits. Linus (white) and Lola (black). Rabbits are really sweet animals, but definitely on the high maintenance side. A common problem that rabbits have is that they carry a harmful bacteria called pasteurella. This leads to respiratory problems and most likely their death sooner or later.
The problem with rabbits is if they get sick and you do not immediately treat them there is a high probability that they will die. They are very fragile by design I believe because they are prey animals. For instance, if a rabbit is captured by a hawk the rabbit will most likely die long before the hawk begins his meal. The rabbit suffers much less.
Linus has pasteurella. When it flares up he sneezes uncontrollably and has a very difficult time breathing. The only way to treat him is to give him antibiotics. I will give him two shots of antibiotics a day for at least a week in order to keep the bacteria at bay and get rid of his symptoms. Neither he nor I enjoy this process which makes the whole thing worse.
Recently, Linus started sneezing and wheezing again and I thought to myself, “Crap. I have to give him shots again. Oh happy day.” Then I remembered that the essential oils are antibacterial. I wonder if they would work instead? For respiratory issues diffusing the oils is usually best so I loaded up our diffuser with some Breathe and set it to work in the room with the rabbits.
I diffused the Breathe respiratory blend for one hour on three separate occasions over a 36-48 hour period. And guess what? Sneezing gone! Wheezing gone! No shots required! AND it worked in a fraction of the time compared to the antibiotics.
I realize that this is a somewhat silly account. Are most people going to diffuse oils for their pets? Probably not. However, if you have ever cared for an animal or a small child for that matter you cannot reason with them. You can’t say to them, “Look, I know it hurts but this is going to make you feel better. Now just try to relax.” Administering a shot to a rabbit is not an easy task. Flipping the switch on our diffuser and walking away…obviously much easier. This is just another way in which the oils continue to amaze me. Not only are they extremely powerful but also very easy to use. Trix may be for kids but essential oils are for all!
Thanks for reading,
Damian
“All achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea!” – Napoleon Hill
I have always approached life with over-optimism. I have practiced the theory of “thinking things into existence,” I just had never recognized it as that. It is my personal opinion that faith is also a large component of this process.
Here are some examples: 1) I wanted to go to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. It was far out of my parent’s budget, but I knew I must be there. My parents told me they couldn’t afford to send me there – I told them they were wrong and that is where I would go to school. I truly believed it was where I was meant to be. I had no doubts that I would attend all 4 years of my undergraduate education there, and I DID. I don’t know how the numbers changed, but I was able to complete my degree there in 3 1/2 years. 2) From when I was in highschool, I decided that I would be married by 25. I was married at 24. 3)When my husband and I were living in a small apartment in West LA in 2006, we would take long walks every morning together before our work day began. We would dream about the house we would one day own, even though our current income could not afford us to own a home for many, many years. We decided that somehow we would own a home within 5 years. We bought our first home in Simi Valley, CA on April 21, 2009.
For all of these examples, I had no idea how they were going to happen, but I fully believed they would. You see, once you plant an idea, your brain begins to take hold of that idea and move you towards it. It is all a bit magical, and again, I attribute much of it to my faith, but it does work!
So now that I am focusing on putting thoughts into my head and on paper for what I want to accomplish with my business and my life, surprising things are happening! In January I had an idea for one place where I wanted to see doTERRA products. I attempted to contact that place and had no luck, as it was as cold of a call that you could get! So on with my life I went. I had decided I would come back to that, but it my desire for it never changed. Last month I made a new friend from a current friend, and she happened to ask me if I ever thought of this same idea that had been percolating in my head for the last couple of months! I told her how excited I was about it and we started a friendship. She has recently revealed how she can help me with this idea, and I had no idea she was even connected! How cool is that?! I would have never been able to secure this place without her. And I have never known her before last month.
So, I really do believe you can think things into existence. Maybe it’s a little bit of divine intervention too, but had I not had that idea, had I not believed it was a possibility and spoke with excitement about it to this new friend, then I really don’t know if I would be in the place I am now. Which is going to be HUGE!
Start thinking! But think with conviction and you will achieve it!
xoxo
This is my ugly right leg, all “varicosed” up! They have been getting progressively worse over the last few years, and of course my pregnancy sped things up a little. When I was 24 I saw a vein specialist and asked him about lasering them closed. He asked, “are you finished having your family?” At 24? I think not. So I was told to come back when I was finished having babies and something could be done about it then.
But what about now?? I HATE them! They are so ugly AND painful. Sometimes they cause cramping in my leg during the daytime, but mostly it’s at night that the uncomfortableness starts to settle in. I imagine it’s a bit like Restless Leg syndrome – I just can’t get comfortable. I am constantly resting my leg on Damian when we’re eating dinner or watching t.v. (which I got rid of our cable, so now it’s only every so often when we plug the iPAD in). Did I mention, they’re UGLY?!
I have found a recipe using doTERRA’s essential oils to help lessen them!!
· 30 drops cypress,
· 20 drops lavender, and
· 10 drops of any of the citrus oils (I used wild orange)
· 10 drops helichrysum
· in 2 oz grapeseed oil (also good for varicose veins)
I am going to put this on twice daily for a while – I imagine it’ll take about a month or so to see good results. Then I’ll take it down to just once daily. I am so excited to get some good results!! This lady did, check it out!
I will of course be keeping you updated via pictures on my progress! 
In an attempt to spend some more time on ME, I have signed up to take one class a week at the local Cardio Barre. I have taken a dance class way back in high school, but have never really used the bar method before. I was excited to try something new and all for ME!!
Last week I took my first class. It was so nice to work out away from home (which is where we do our kettlebell workouts) and in the atmosphere of a class. I thoroughly enjoyed myself! It was the most gratifying hour I have had to myself in a long time! It was challenging, but so much fun! The only downside was that since it was using my body in a new way, I was so sore for the next couple of days! So…yesterday after I took my second class, I was lucky enough to come home, put Micah down for a nap, and soak in a hot tub with doTERRA’s White Fir.
White Fir is used for muscle fatigue, pain and over exercised muscles, among other things. I have to say the rest of the day and today, I am barely sore! There is a dramatic difference from last week’s class when I did not use any White Fir, and I know my body has not gotten into any better shape in one week’s time! Now, it was rare that I have an opportunity to sit in a bath after a workout, but if you have a few extra minutes to soak in your tub with some White Fir after your workout, you should definitely try it!!! The only caveat is that White Fir is also very energizing, so don’t do this in the evening! I loved the extra energy at the beginning of my day though! I’ll be doing this after as many morning workouts as I can! It was my favorite way I have spent my ME time in a long time.
It all started with his birth.
I had already thought that I wanted to have a completely natural birth before I went to any classes on childbirth. I had many reasons
1. I did not feel comfortable having a huge needle inserted in my spine; 2. I had spoken to many physicians and mothers who have had lasting effects from an epidural; 3. I did not want my baby being affected by any drugs; 4. I am very in tune with my body and wanted to experience what birth was; 5. I like to think I’ve got some cajoles, and wanted to just do it!
At the end of the child-birthing class, the instructor asked if any of us who had thought they wanted a natural birth previously had changed their minds. Nope. Now, of course I had no idea what I was in for, but I did have a great support system. Mainly my husband, and a few others who gave me a few helpful hints. Like, “your body will give you breaks.” This is amazingly true!
I also thought that because I had exercised throughout my pregnancy, saw a chiropractor 2x a week for the last month to make sure I was in alignment, and just believed I was going to have a quick labor, that it wasn’t going to be that bad. Oh, was I wrong!
My contractions started around 2am Friday, September 25, 2010. They were a pretty solid cramping that woke me up out of a dead sleep. So of course I was on the internet trying to figure out if I really was in labor. My due date was October 5th, so I wasn’t really expecting it to happen quite yet, although I was more than ready! After a few hours, they were getting stronger so I figured it was probably labor. We wanted to stay away from the hospital as long as possible, so we started walking. It was about 95 degrees out. ugh. We have a sidewalk that runs through our neighborhood hidden from any streets, so we just walked up and down. Damian, myself, and our dog, Cooper.
My gauge to go to the hospital was if I could sit in the car for 20 minutes, through multiple contractions. I was the most comfortable when I was walking, so the idea of sitting was pretty miserable. We ended up getting to the hospital around 2pm. I was dilated to 4cm and almost all the way effaced. Still a ways to go. My OB asked if I wanted her to come break my water – I said no.
So basically, Damian and I puttered up and down the halls for the next 4 1/2 hours or so. I really could barely move. Did I mention that the night before we went to the gym and I did 4 sets of the deepest squats I could stand to try to get Micah to travel down the birth canal? Yeah, pretty bad idea. My contractions radiated down my thighs the entire time to where by the time I was pushing I couldn’t lift or lower my legs myself! So awful!
Anyway, there were multiple times that I told Damian I didn’t know if I could keep going, that it was so hard, and he would just say, “let’s just get to the next check.” So I did. Puttering up and down those halls with my eyes closed, in my zone. I actually kept my eyes closed through most of the time I labored at the hospital. This way I was able to really focus on what I was doing and take myself away from the pain.
Every check, I had dilated a centimeter. So that was enough for me. As long as I kept progressing, I could keep going. Finally just before 7pm, I had dilated to 10cm! It was time to start pushing! My first or second push, I pushed my bag of water out and it exploded all over the poor nurse! Oh well, I suppose they’re used to that sort of thing. I ended up pushing for THREE HOURS! I think partially, I wasn’t pushing hard enough at the beginning. I was kind of afraid of this huge head ripping through my vagina. Seriously.
But my body did give me breaks. In between pushes I actually fell asleep. I had a few minutes between each contraction pretty much to the end. My body knew. When they little boy finally popped out and was laid on my chest, it was the most surreal experience in the world! I was so used to him inside of me – now here he was, breathing, crying, and perfect.
How vulnerable it is those first few moments as new parents. You really have no idea what you’re doing, but somehow it just happens.
It was such hard work bringing Micah Dustin Ichiro Fante into the world. 20 hours of labor. Not at all easy. I was torn up the wazoo and exhausted. But, oh was it worth it. I feel so proud to be able to say, “I did it!” I really did. I was one of 3 women that weekend who gave birth naturally. I was the only one who did it by choice. It was the greatest experience of my life. I by no means would say the process was pleasurable, but I did get great pleasure out of it and will continue to bring my children into the world this way.
So that was the beginning of a new life in all ways you can imagine! My path towards more complete and holistic wellness really started with Micah’s birth. I may not have realized it then, but the person I was meant to be, the way I was meant to live, was birthed that night too. I am not talking only about my health or the health of my family – there are many components to who I want to be for my husband, my children and myself. But this is part of my journey. A journey to being a better, healthier woman, mother and wife, that I may be a good example to my children and those around me.
The other night I thought I’d experiment with my homemade lasagna recipe. It is so yummy, but so laden with cheese that I thought it was worth a try to make it vegan to cut the fat and cholesterol. Plus, tons of cheese just doesn’t do well with my digestive system. I just couldn’t leave out the parmesean…and the goat cheese…and I used an egg. But I’m really just trying to stay vegetarian right now, so it’s all good!
This was also a great way to get a lot of good organic veggies in while still enjoying a rich, homemade comfort food!
Here is my doctored recipe:
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Chop carrots and add them with garlic in food processor. Pulse until desired consistency. I like mine to be pretty fine, so I don’t have chunky sauce (plus my husband doesn’t like carrots in his sauce, so I try to hide it as best as I can ).
Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the carrot/garlic mixture and cook for 1 more minute. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook over medium-low heat, for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, sprinkle salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20-30 minutes. Drain.
In a medium bowl, combine the cashew ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, sprinkle the Daiya mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Layer as much spinach as you want. Add the rest of the pasta, sprinkle the Daiya mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.
I made this for friends with a side salad with my lemon vinaigrette and they loved it!! I was very surprised at how good it was! I will definitely be making this version from now on!
I just forgot to take a picture 
