Essential Oil Basics: Featuring doTERRA’s Healthy Start Kit

I have had some moms coming to me lately who want to begin using essential oils, but they’re not sure where to start. They want to incorporate the oils in their daily routine to keep their family healthy, and they want to they get the biggest bang for their buck. That was me too! So, I thought I’d create some blog posts that explain the oils in doTERRA’s various Starter Kits. Today, I’ll be focusing on the Healthy Start Kit. Just like the name suggests, it gets you all you need for a quick, healthy start. It comes with 10 (5ml) essential oils, and a diffuser!

LAVENDER: This is called the “Swiss army knife” of essential oils, because it’s such a versatile oil. Use it with Tea Tree oil on your kiddos diaper rash, heat rash during the summer, and bug bites all year round. Combine it with Frankincense in a diffuser to calm your baby before bedtime. Put some on your pulse points in the afternoon to ease your anxious feelings. It’s a MUST for all families.

LEMON: I LOVE me some lemon oil! I like to combine this with Peppermint in the morning to help wake up our house before school and get out all the morning grumpiness. It’s great to drink in a glass of water for a gentle daily detox. Lemon also works to break up any gunk in your little one’s cough.

PEPPERMINT: If you ever need an afternoon pick me up, grab your bottle of Peppermint! Put some drops in your diffuser with Lemon and Frankincense to help you focus. Peppermint is also great for supporting a healthy digestive and respiratory system. Simply dilute and rub on those pain points, and you’re good to go.

TEA TREE (MELALEUCA): Tea Tree oil is all things cleansing. ItYou can clean your home with a few drops of this oil and water in a spray bottle for PENNIES. It’s also great for helping you achieve clear skin, and offers amazing sinus support. Use it in your shampoo to help control your dandruff, too!

OREGANO: What I like to call “the big guns.” This is not an oil that you will use everyday, but you’ll be glad you have it when ya need it! It’s one I like to use when I feel like my kiddos need some extra immune support. Combine it with OnGuard and Frankincense for the ultimate immune supporter. It’s also great to use for cooking! I like adding a drop to our favorite Italian dishes; yum!

FRANKINCENSE: The king of all oils. “When in doubt, get your Frankincense out!” This oil is great for literally everything: immune systems, respiratory systems, emotional support. It’s great to incorporate in your skincare routine, as it has some awesome anti-aging properties. It’s also great combined with Peppermint for head tension. For more info on this oil, check out this blog post.

ONGUARD (Protective Blend): This was my gateway oil. This oil soothed my sore and scratchy throat so well, that I dove all in and got a kit after that. OnGuard can be used as a daily, preventative measure to support your immune system. You can make a hot tea out of a couple of drops with hot water to soothe your throat, diffuse it to cleanse the air in your home, and apply topically on your kiddos spine to keep them healthy.

DIGESTZEN (Digestive Blend): This blend is GOLD. I love having it handy for when one of my kids has tummy troubles. I just rub this right on their bellies (diluted with some Fractionated Coconut Oil) for relief. It also saved me during my pregnancy when I kept having digestive issues. I put a couple drops in a veggie cap before a meal, I was so much more comfortable after having this oil.

BREATHE (Respiratory Blend): I love rubbing this blend on my chest before a run. It helps to promote clear breathing and helps to open my airways. When one of my kids start coughing, I put Breathe, Lemon and Frankincense in a diffuser, and it helps them sleep so much better at night.

DEEP BLUE (Soothing Blend): This is my husband’s favorite blend, for sure! We never run out of this. He rubs Deep Blue on his back after a lot of lifting, and it really helps to soothe his sore muscles. I like to rub some on my legs after a long run to help with post workout soreness.

BREVI STONE DIFFUSER: You literally get everything you need by having this diffuser included in the kit. You can adjust the time limit on this diffuser, and can use the light as a night light for your kids, or turn the light off if you wish.

THE DETAILS: This kit is only $160. It offers a $25 savings on the oils plus a FREE wholesale customer membership. This gives you 25% off doTERRA products for a whole year — no selling or any additional orders required. What a generous deal! Get started today HERE.

BONUS: For the month of July 2020, anyone who starts with the Healthy Starter Kit (or any larger kit) will receive $50 in FREE product of your choice next month. Get started today HERE, and receive a surprise welcome gift from me.

This kit will be such a gift to your family. I know for my family, we have been able to address so many health concerns in a natural and holistic way the past few years. What are you waiting for? Start TODAY.

FDA disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.

doTERRA BOGO: Peace & Motivate

Hey friends! I woke up at 5:30 this morning just so I could see the BOGO deals and spread the word before my kids woke up. Well, turns out Noah was already up and talking to himself, but he knows not to get out of bed yet. Anyway, moving on…

Today only if you purchase a doTERRA Peace Touch, you will get a doTERRA Motivate Touch for free! Now their Touch line is amazing. doTERRA’s Touch line is the same essential oil you love, diluted with Fractionated Coconut Oil in a rollerbottle. So it’s great to use for younger kids or for those who may be sensitive to some essential oils.

Peace Touch (Reassuring Blend): This blend consists of Fractionated Coconut Oil, Vetiver, Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Frankincense, Clary Sage, Marjoram, Labdanum Leaf, and Spearmint. I love this oil. I like to use it as a natural perfume because it has an amazing floral woodsy smell to it that is calming and subtle. It provides just what it claims to: peace and reassurance. If you deal with anxious or fearful emotions, just roll this over your pulse points. If the demands of your work day start to overwhelm you, roll this on your wrists and breathe deeply. If your kids seem to be bouncing off the walls at bedtime, roll this on their cute little feet and diffuse it in their bedroom. This is an oil I use often, and it’s one that I like to have in my purse or diaper bag when I’m out of the house.

Motivate Touch (Encouraging Blend): This blend consists of Fractionated Coconut Oil, Peppermint, Clementine, Coriander, Basil, Yuzu, Melissa, Rosemary, and Vanilla Bean Absolute. Y’all if you can’t tell by this lineup, this blend smells amazing. It has a citrusy mint aroma that’s intoxicating. I love using this in the morning to help wake up and get moving. It can also help promote feelings of confidence and belief, while eliminating feelings of doubt and pessimistic. I like to roll some on before I teach a doTERRA class or step on stage when I’m networking. You’ve got to try it!

Do you want in on this deal? Then head on over to my website today! Simply go to mydoterra.com/amandagerber If you want additional savings, you should get a wholesale account by clicking “Join & Save.” This gives you wholesale pricing for an entire year, and no sales or monthly orders are required! PLUS anyone who enrolls in a wholesale account from me will receive a welcome gift with some additional items to help you start on your natural health journey.

Super Ordinary Wednesday

Some days my Instagram feed looks like I live in a fairytale land where all things run smoothly and life is wonderful. Honestly, some days I feel like I’m in a fairytale land. Some days life does run smoothly, all my to-dos get crossed. I spend some time connecting and reaching out to people in my doTERRA business, my kids eat their veggies, and I rock out a YouTube video like a boss. Some days I truly feel like Super Man… or Super Woman, I guess. You get the picture.

But other days… other days are just… an ordinary day. It’s those freakin’ ordinary days that get you. At least the ordinary days get me. My personality is very much achievement driven, and if I don’t feel like I’ve achieved anything in a day, my mood can easily go from Life is awesome! to I’m the worst human being on the planet. I know, it’s totally irrational, but I’m working on it, and luckily, I don’t have these days very often…But I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that today is one of those days.

My 2 year old, Isaac, learned how to climb out of his crib, so nap time becomes the most unproductive and frustrating 2 hours of my life. My 4 year old, Tim, won’t go to bed so I’m snapping at the whole family, my kitchen never got cleaned because I’m just tired from constantly having at least 1 child on me, and my laundry has taken over my favorite spot on the couch. (I thought if I put it there it would motivate me more to fold it. It didn’t. Now I just regret that decision.) I did absolutely nothing for my doTERRA business, and it’s one of those days when my husband and I pass like ships in the night, so adult conversation was minimal… Unless you count the times I talked back to Gary Vaynerchuk while watching his YouTube videos while nursing baby Sarah. And I feel like a failure in every aspect of my life… I know, so dramatic!

So. Much. Laundry.

That is not the day to scroll your Instagram feed and stalk moms you admire. Not today when your house is a mess, you haven’t blogged in over a week, and you discovered caterpillars are feasting on your arugula. It’s okay to admire people and their talents and abilities, but probably not on days you feel like crap. Because that just feeds the feelings of crappiness (someone help a girl out. How the heck do you spell crappy-ness? My computer doesn’t know what to do with that word.). On days you feel like crap you should turn off your social media and text a friend. Someone who can remind you that you’re not a failure in life… you just had an unproductive day.

I mean, kinda. It wasn’t too unproductive. I fed my kids real food, remembered to pick Noah up from school, and I made a few phone calls. It wasn’t the worst day in the world. Seriously as I’m typing this I’m already starting to feel better about life. New thought: When you feel like you’ve failed at your day, make a list of the positive things you did. I’ll start with mine:

How I Rocked This Ordinary Wednesday

Got up at 5:15am to read Scripture and pray.
Went to yoga at 6:00am.
Did some gardening with the kids this morning.
We ate a healthy breakfast and lunch.
Picked up Noah on time… Well, only 5 minutes late.
We ate a healthy dinner.
Contacted some doTERRA friends.
I kept all 4 kids alive.

I feel better already. My outlook on my day has shifted. Ok, seriously, DO THIS next time you feel like you didn’t accomplish enough. You’ve done more than you realize. Remember, even Superman wasn’t Superman all the time. Sometimes he was just Clark Kent. And that’s okay. And remember, that comparison game is kryptonite.

Come on, share some success you’ve been having during the ordinary days! What have you accomplished today?

FREE doTERRA Oils: Day 1

Do you love the health benefits of essential oils? If you’ve never experienced the positive effects of essential oils before, now is the time to try them. doTERRA is having a BOGO sale all week long. Every day they are featuring a new BOGO deal, and the BOGO will change daily. So, the deal you see featured today, will only be valid through today only, so act quickly. If you are not currently working with a doTERRA Wellness Advocate, I would love to help support you and get oils in your home. Now, let’s see what doTERRA is offering today!

Today’s BOGO is buy a 15mL of OnGuard ($42.67 Retail/$32 Wholesale) and receive a 15mL of Lavender ($28 Retail/$21 Wholesale) for free. I love these two oils, and they are wonderful oils to have in your home, especially if you’re just getting started with essential oils. So, if you have a wholesale account, you’d be getting both of these oils for only $32!

doTERRA OnGuard is a proprietary blend that contains Wild Orange, Clove, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary essential oil. OnGuard is designed to support your immune system. This was actually the first oil I got introduced to, and I’ve been hooked every since. You can use this oil topically, aromatically, and internally. (Side note: doTERRA is the only brand of essential oil I would trust enough to use on my kids, and I advice everyone to do your research when purchasing essential oils.) I personally used this blend when I had a sore and scratchy throat. I rubbed the oil along my throat, massaging my lymph nodes, and I also used 1 drop of OnGuard in hot water with honey and drank it like a tea. I was amazed at the results I had, that I ended up buying an entire enrollment kit that month.

I enjoy using OnGuard daily on my entire family to help support our immune system, especially during the winter months. For my children (5 years old and under) I dilute this oil with doTERRA’s Fractionated Coconut Oil because it is a hot oil, and can be too warm when applied directly on children. We also have it in a spray bottle with water, and we use it as a natural hand cleanser every day. We use it to clean our homes too! I love that I’ve been able to eliminate traditional (and toxic) household cleaners and hand cleansers.

Now, Lavender essential oil is an amazing oil to have in your home. Lavender can be used aromatically, topically, and internally. Many of us are familiar with the traditional use of lavender for sleep and relaxation. While this is true, it also has so many other uses as well. You can use this oil to help reduce skin irritations, and it’s amazing when paired with melaleuca for these purposes. We have an “Owie Spray” in our home that we’ve used for bee stings, ant bites, stinging nettles, and rashes.

Lavender can also be used to soothe sore muscles. I like to pair it with peppermint before and after a workout, and it really helps with the post workout soreness. We love using this oil in our homes, and my kids have been known to ask for “the purple oil” whenever they get a boo-boo.

Are you interested in purchasing today’s BOGO? I would love to help you get started using these oils. I provide my team with additional education once you’ve received the oils, and I make myself available to when you need additional support. I’d be honored to help you on your journey towards natural solutions for your health. Happy Monday!

To get started on my team go to mydoterra.com/amandagerber

Have you used essential oils in your home? What are some of your favorite ways to use oils?

Simplify: Garage Sale

Our garage was full. It was overflowing. Overflowing with the clothes I had gone through, the books that hadn’t been read in years, a jogging stroller that hadn’t held babies in months, and just your typical clutter that piles up when you live somewhere for 5 years with 4 kids.

That’s when I decided it was time. It was time for a good ol’ fashion garage sale. I have to say, it was really successful. I knew I didn’t want to have one of those all weekend garage sales; I wanted to do a one day 4 hour garage sale and be done with it. So that’s exactly what I did. Now, I’m going to give you a few tips to help your garage sale be successful and relatively painless.

1. Get your kids out of the house: My husband and father in law were gracious enough to take the boys to the aquarium while we held the garage sale.

2. Call in reinforcements: We happened to have the garage sale while my in laws were in town, so my mother in law stayed behind to help me with the garage sale, and help out when baby Sarah needed to be fed. Also, my sister Sarah (not to be confused with my baby Sarah) helped to man the garage sale. They were a great help, and we got to get in a little girl time, which is always nice!

3. Pick your day wisely: If there is a big, local event going on in your area, it’s probably not a good idea to have a garage sale at the same time. Try and see if anyone else is having garage/yard/estate sales in your area, because that will generate some more traffic for you. We happened to also have an estate sale going on in my neighborhood, which brought in a lot of traffic.

4. Advertise: You can kind of run with this as much or as little as you want to. I posted on some local Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook pages in my area, I posted on my own social media pages, and I put signs in my neighborhood directing them to the house. To me, that was all a quick and cheap way to advertise. I didn’t post pictures or prices of anything, mainly because I didn’t want to spend my time snapping and uploading pictures.

5. Price it Right: People are going to haggle with you at garage sales. It’s part of the game. You have to know what you’re willing to let something for go. If it was something I knew I’d have multiple people interested in (like my cloth diaper stash) I didn’t really do a lot of discounting there because I knew there were moms coming specifically for that. Other things like books/clothes/shoes I was willing to part with for a cheap price because I just wanted it gone. Also, we slashed a lot of prices the last hour of the garage sale because we just didn’t want to move it again!

Overall, I consider our garage sale a success. We made more than what I was projecting (woo hoo!). We got rid of the majority of our stuff. Mainly the only things we were left with were clothes and books. I loaded the trunk of our Corolla up and went straight to Goodwill with it. And now, we can actually fit that Corolla in the garage! Imagine that, using a garage for a vehicle instead of stuff.

Your turn! Have you had a garage sale before? What are some tips can you to have a successful sale?

Simplify: Books and Toys

As a mom of 4 kids, we have a plethora of books and toys. I decided that would be the next place to start purging. I began with my own book collection. I didn’t attach a number to them, and I probably never will, but I did tell myself this: If I never went back and picked up the book again, don’t keep it. I had 10 books left by the time I was done. And y’all, I’m a reader. I’ve always loved to read. So, previously, I would hang on to books I thought were okay or books by famous authors that I thought maybe I’d appreciate later. Not anymore! I had also been hanging on to books from my psychology program that I’d never gone back to read. I only kept 1 of my psychology books, and again it was one I enjoyed reading. I said goodbye to Freud, Skinner, and behavioral therapy, and I kept Jung. I filled up an entire plastic tub of books. It was pretty liberating.

As far as my kids’ books, I decided to leave room for 2 bookshelves of books. On the top shelf we have books for the “older” boys, and on the bottom we have board books. It still looks like quite a bit, but I know in a couple of years those board books will be gone. I currently have a large box filled with kids books. I’m wondering what the best option would be now. Should I sell them? Or donate them? I’d like to donate them, but I haven’t done much research on that. If anyone has any insights on this, please comment below and share your knowledge!

My boys had so many toys they forgot about half of the toys they did have in their room. My goal was just to keep enough toys where I could see them all. I got all their toys out of boxes, put their favorite ones on the shelf, and got rid of what couldn’t fit. Also, I did put some of the noise making toys in the garage sale, because there’s only so much this mom can take. Bulky items like Halloween costumes that they still play with, we put in clear plastic bins on the floor in their closets. Then they can see them and easily get to them when they decide they want to turn into a dragon, giraffe or Paw Patrol character.

If I’m being honest, my boys still have what seems to be an insane amount of toys. Against their bedroom walls are bins of Legos, Mega Blocks, wooden blocks, alphabet blocks, and squishy cloth blocks. I really don’t think they need that many blocks. I could probably do another sweep in their room and come out with more stuff, but for now I’m done. Mainly because this purge has taken up a lot of my time these past couple of weeks!

We did have a garage sale, which is an adventure in and of itself, but I’ll post more on that later! In the meantime, live simply and contently my friends!

I must know: What tips can you share with parents on how to decide what toys to keep or what toys to toss?

Simplify: My Wardrobe

Our Christmas break was a blur. We moved over the break, and we’re working on getting our house show ready for the market to sell. I learned a few things while moving:

1. Moving with kids is near impossible. I basically kept the kids from getting in the way, while everyone else moved our crap. (Big shout out to all our friends and family that helped! Y’all rock!)

2. We have a LOT of stuff. Clothes, books I haven’t read in years, kitchen gadgets, toys that were lost and forgotten about, just a bunch of stuff.

This first month of the year I am tackling just that: stuff. I know it’s a broad category… But we’re having a garage sale soon, so I might as well document this as I go, right? The first week of January I worked on going through our wardrobes.

I first wanted to tackle the kids’ clothes. They seemed to have so. much. clothes. I had this philosophy: If I don’t love it, get rid of it. So that’s what I did. Y’all, they had boxes of clothes that were too small for them, too big for my oldest, and everything in between. I kept enough in their dresser to get them through a week without having to do laundry, and then headed to a second hand kids’ clothing store in town.

This was so liberating. It was almost like the kids had so much clothes that I didn’t really know what clothes they did have in their closets! And honestly, my boys pick out the same 4 T-shirts to wear on a regular basis anyway, so they aren’t missing a thing.

Next on my list: my closet. I have gotten so used to hanging on to maternity clothes, nursing tanks, jeans that are a size bigger than my normal size for that awkward post-baby time period when nothing fits right… I got rid of it all. The same philosophy went through my mind: If you don’t love it, get rid of it. Why would I want to hang on to a top that I don’t feel confident wearing? It makes no sense cluttering up my closet thinking one day I’ll wear it when I haven’t worn it in 2 years!

Now, my magic number is 5. I decided to keep 5 of everything: 5 short sleeved tops, 5 long sleeved tops, 5 tanks, 5 dresses, and 5 pairs of shoes. As far as jeans go, I currently only have 2 pairs that fit me and 1 pair of shorts so that kinda worked out on its own.

Again, it felt great. I know I’m going to love whatever I put on, because I didn’t bother to let anything else clutter my side of the closet. Even now, when I look back on my newly simplified closet, I still feel like I can empty it a little more, but I’m comfortable with where it’s at for now.

I’d love to hear about some of your journeys to simplify your closets! Share some of your tips on how to you keep your closets free of excess and and full of abundance!

Friday Fun Facts #19

1. Who knew Christmas time brought on show much family cuteness? I am loving watching my kids perform in their little Christmas plays and sing Christmas songs at home. Timothy had his performance last night, and he was a hoot! This guy is normally a bit reserved when he is in the spotlight, but he sang SO well and so loud the whole audience could hear. I found out later he was bribed with a popsicle. Apparently, they were told that if they sang really loud they would all get popsicles! Now I know what my most effective parenting strategy will be: bribery.

2. We finally got our first real cold front here in Corpus Christi, Texas. You know, that first front when you’re forced to turn on the heater and wear fuzzy socks that usually just take up space in your sock drawer. Apparently, it’s also when you discover all your boys’ pants are high watered on them. We know what they will all be getting for Christmas!

3. I am also pretty excited that it is now officially “beanie weather,” AKA: I-don’t-need-to-worry about-my-hair-weather. I’m attempting to grow it out, and it’s at that awkward length where I would normally cut it, but now I’m really trying to grow it out and currently can’t stand it. So hopefully this cold front will keep up for a few weeks, and I can feel better about my life.

4. Today I went on an oil run to a friend in need of OnGuard for a sore throat (Again, thank you, cold front). She told me she was at work at a new establishment called Raw Bar. This is my new favorite place. There’s fresh juices, smoothies, power bowls and homemade pestos. It’s so good and provides space for working and studying too! If you’re in the area, you’ve got to try it out!

5. Thanks for all of you readers who have shared the love this past week, as I’ve been blogging again! Your thoughts and love are appreciated!

Friday Fun Facts #18

1. Well, it’s official. My blog is officially doTERRA Certified. What does this mean for you? It means I can be a little more direct when talking about essential oils, it means I can better serve and direct you when you have questions about essential oils, and it means (hopefully!) you’ll be seeing more blogs on essential oils and how my family uses them.

2. It’s hard, y’all. It’s hard to find time to write and express myself while raising 4 kids and running a business. This blog hasn’t been a priority for me, but I felt a sense of urgency that I need to keep this up… So, alas, I’m making another attempt. (I know, I’m beginning to sound like the boy who cried wolf).

3. On another note, my baby girl is almost 6 months old. How the heck did that happen? I just want to hold her, and squish her, and keep her little, but she’s already wanting to be on her own and rolling around and playing with toys. I’m so not ready for this.

4. Don’t even get me started on my oldest child. He keeps coming home with notes from girls, and a plastic ring, and a book… and a painted rock. He’s already committed to marrying the gal in his ripe old age of 5.

5. Since we’re talking about growing up and getting older, I should mention the fun fact that I turned 30 about a couple weeks ago. I am now as close to 40 years old as I am to 20 years old. I can’t even.

Friday Fun Facts #17

1. My husband and I have officially labeled Fridays as my work days, so hopefully you’ll start hearing more of me! I have from 8:30am-4:30pm to get all the work done that my heart desires at local coffee shops and restaurants. This is every work at home mom’s dream! Of course, our baby girl is still nursing so I come back about every 3 hours to nurse her. So, I guess the day isn’t completely kid-free, and realistically speaking this usually eats up about 2 hours of the day… But, it still gets me out of the house and around other adults, so who cares?

2. My son, Noah, got his first love note from school this week. Only it’s not a note. It’s an entire love BOOK filled with hearts and starts and words in kindergarten handwriting that says things like “You’re my best boy.” and “BFF.” I am so not ready for this. He wrote her a note back to give her today. And so it begins!

3. We got our first “cool” front in South Texas. Our high is in the 80s. This is a big deal, y’all. It’s been blazin’ hot here lately! Now it actually feels like fall. Speaking of fall….

4. Here’s a cute conversation I had with our 3 year old Tim.

Tim: “Mama, it’s down.”

Me: “What’s down, sweetie?”

Tim (looks around for help): “It’s down… When the leaves change colors.”

Me (lightbulb goes off): “Oh, you mean it’s fall!”

Tim (nodding proudly): “Oh yes, it’s fall.”

5. I’ve been consistently working out for a few weeks now, and I’ve adding a little bit of running jogging to the mix. Y’all… let me tell ya, jogging is not as much fun as it used to be. I used to jog for fun, it was my first choice for any sort of physical activity. Now, I just feel like I’m walking with a hop and dragging my body along with me. Ha! But, even if it’s not fun I’m putting my health first. We’ll see how this progresses. Any workout tips for this mom of 4?

Amanda Gerber

Real Life. Real Health. Real Business.

kids