A Pocket Full of Oils: Essential Oils for the Weary Mom

Essential oils have become part of our family's everyday routine.
We diffuse Lavender in the boys' room at bedtime
for a good night's sleep.

It's been a few months since we first began our journey into the world of essential oils by Young Living. Although I haven't had the time to blog much about the oils, they've pretty much become part of our family's life since then, and our go-to remedy for almost every ailment our family encounters.

I'm actually very happy with the way it's turned out, as it's much more appealing a thought to be applying some therapeutic-grade Lavender or Thieves to counter a headache or soothe a sore back than to be popping a Panadol or some other pain-relief medication.

And, believe me, as a tired mother of two extremely active and precocious boys, I have been needing all the help I can get!

Yes, our two boys who keep us on our toes from dawn to dusk, 24/7!

It was of great interest to me that essential oils were featured in the papers today as being used by parents to help with various health conditions in their children, ranging from sleep challenges to the common cold.

Ms Faith Teo, 38, an independent distributor for Young Living Singapore and a mother of two, sees the trend as part of a bigger movement among parents towards feeding their children organic food and using chemical-free products at home.

She says the oils can be used on babies for conditions such as colic and gas. She adds that they also help them sleep better, regulate their bowel movements, relieve discomfort during teething and calm them.

For older children, the oils can reportedly be used to support their immune, respiratory, musculo- skeletal and other body functions and systems.

The oils can be applied on the skin or diffused into the air. For children under two, the oil is best diluted before use.

Some parents apparently use these oils to relieve symptoms of common ailments such as cough and cold and to bring down the temperature in a feverish child and for chronic conditions such as asthma and eczema.

- "Feeling Poorly? Dab Some Essential Oil" in The Straits Times, 8 November 2015

The oils have indeed been of benefit to the health of our children, and we have been grateful for these natural remedies which complement the traditional methods of dealing with coughs, colds and tummy aches. However, my husband and I have also found them to be helpful for us both as we face packed schedules and long days at work and at home.

Oils for the Weary Mum: Some of my favourites!

It was a challenging period for me during the recent haze period, as the pollutants in the air triggered asthmatic attacks which I had not had for several years. One by one, each family member came down with a nasty phlegmy cough and a sore throat which seemed to take ages to subside. I was exhausted caring for my sick kids while operating at less than ideal breathing conditions. How we take for granted each breath that we breathe!

Anyway, I have decided to do a short rundown on the Young Living oils that have helped us as a family, both in the period when we battled the haze, as well as on a daily basis. These are some of my favourite choices for busy and tired moms!

1) Lavender

Lavender is also known as the "swiss army knife" of oils. It can be used for all sorts of things, and because of its mild nature, it's safe for use with children as well, though be sure to dilute it 1:1 with V6 oil (or an alternative vegetable oil) when used for the first time. We diffuse it in the boys' room every night for a calm and restful sleep. I also tend to use it for mosquito bites, or any minor grazes and cuts. It also helps ease tired muscles and tension headaches.

2) Peppermint

Peppermint is my favourite oil. It is refreshing and the only oil which worked during the haze when I was congested and needed some immediate relief. I also inhale a drop of it on the days when I have work and am feeling fatigued. I love the scent, and so does everyone else whom I have offered it to! I offer a drop to Mark when he is feeling fatigued while driving. It helps him to stay alert on the road, which is of utmost importance to our safety as a family.

3) Thieves

Thieves is a natural antiseptic. Legend has it that it was a remedy which grave robbers came up with for protection against the nasty bacteria they would have encountered as an occupational hazard. It is potent! My hubby ingests a drop of it under his tongue when nursing a sore throat. The effect, shall we say, is immediate, though be warned that the long term benefits require some short-term endurance as the Thieves oil does it sterilising work in one's throat. I am more cowardly and prefer to rub a drop or two on my hands and inhale it. Studies have shown that a drop of Thieves kills more bacteria than some hand sanitisers.

4) DiGize

DiGize stands for "Digestive Energizer". It is the replacement for the Chinese medicated oil I used to use when having a tummy upset or suffering from food poisoning. Interestingly, it also kind of smells the same! I find that just rubbing a drop on my stomach brings instant relief. It eases the pain, aids digestion and helps with nausea. It also has been helping my kids with their tummy aches and constipation.

5) R.C.

R.C. is milder than Thieves. When I ran out of Thieves during the haze, I tried R.C. instead. Because of its mild nature, it was suitable for application on my kids as well, and tided us through the period when they had nasty coughs. I applied a drop on our N95 masks before putting them on, which made the wearing of the masks much more pleasant for all of us. It clears sinuses effectively.

We are now under the Essential Rewards Program for Young Living Oils. It seems as if they have become a part of our family's wellness regime. They are certainly not cheap, but we have decided to continue with the oils for now as they have been of benefit not just to the boys, but have helped Mark and myself cope with the fatigue and tiredness which can come with being parents to two active boys and dealing with the demands of work.

If you would like to find out more about the Young Living Oils, do drop an email at marklim.suetan@gmail.com, or leave a comment on our blog. This post explains very clearly what the various options for purchasing the oils are.

We are offering a promotion for the month of November - the first 2 blog readers to sign up with us* for the Essential Rewards Program will receive a free special Relax & Rejuvenation Package (total value of $101)!

The package comprises a 15 ml bottle of Lemon Essential Oil, a "Brain Break" Kit from our sister store, Sensational Play, and a Basic Starter Kit from Young Living Oils.**

*Do quote our Young Living Membership #2948003 should you decide to sign up directly with Young Living :)

**You will receive the Basic Starter Kit when you sign up as an Essential Rewards Member with Young Living Oils.

(The Basic Starter Kit has a retail value of $63 and comes with 1 5ml Stress Away oil, 10 sampler packets of the popular oils and blends, 10 1 ml sample bottles, 4 Slique Tea sachets, a Slique bar, and a roller fitment to transform a Young Living bottle into a convenient roll-on. We remember fondly our first Basic Starter Kit and how much we enjoyed using the oils!)

Young Living Basic Starter Kit

Comments

Malacca with the Kids: March 2015

Malacca has always been our go-to place for a short getaway. Most of the time, it's been without the kids. We love soaking in the ambience of Jonker Street and strolling by the river. Of course, the food never fails to draw us back to this laidback town with its sleepy atmosphere. The facade of Malacca has, however, changed over the years. Imposing mega malls loom over two-storey shophouses. I would probably have not brought the boys along as the streets are narrow and traffic seemingly never ebbing, but when I googled "Malacca for Kids" this time round, there were quite a few options for the kids to enjoy. Of course, the main reason why we decided to go was because we were attending my dearest cousin's wedding dinner. This brings back memories of how my cousins and I used to hang around at Chinese restaurants. We would be so thrilled to be on an actual stage... And our choice of accommodation was largely influenced by the water play area wh...

Setting Up a Finnish School in the Home

The issue of private tuition has again come to the forefront after a senior education official pronounced in parliament that the Singapore education system is "run on the basis that tuition is not necessary". Ms Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State for Education, added that schools provide "comprehensive levelling-up programmes" as well as remedial and supplementary classes to support weaker students. In the days that followed, mainstream and social media agencies were abuzz with reports from parents and students alike, many of whom disagreed with Ms Indranee's assessment of the education scene. They argued that private tuition is already a multi-million dollar industry, and that its very existence disputes notions that tuition is unnecessary. From the perspective of an educator in Singapore, I can understand the comments made by the Senior Minister of State, especially since it is the responsibility of the Education Ministry to teach our school childre...

"Monkeying Around": A Review of My Gym Singapore

Our 2/1/2-year old son E has always been an active child. When he was an infant, E would crawl around and get into all sorts of mischief, until one day when he discovered that he could climb on his poor Daddy, in an inspired moment of pretend play - Daddy was his mountain and he was Sir Edmund Hilary - the first person to scale Mt Everest! It was therefore with great excitement that we we heard that Parenting on Purpose had been invited by My Gym Singapore to participate in a series of four classes. We agreed at once; knowing that our little boy would thoroughly enjoy gym class - this was also a chance for our exuberant toddler to work off his energy and hopefully fall fast asleep after getting home. Our little son having a swing of a time at gym class. My Gym has an interesting educational philosophy that emphasises building self esteem in children. This is an excerpt from the company's website: The philosophy that guides My Gym’s programming and bre...

Schooling for Gold: a Parent Reflects on Singapore's First Olympic Gold Medallist

50.39 seconds. The (less than) one minute of time that made history for the small island nation of Singapore. Millions in Singapore and around the world watched as 21-year-old Joseph Schooling defeated his long-time idol and heavily-decorated Olympian Michael Phelps, the man described as "the most-decorated Olympian of all time". Indeed most of the international news footage had been previously focussed on Phelps, given that the American is expected to retire at this year's Rio Olympics. The New York Times even ran an article with the headline: " Somebody (His Name’s Joseph Schooling) Finally Beats Michael Phelps"! For Joseph Schooling, it could not have been a prouder moment, as he not only bagged Singapore's first and only Olympic Gold, it was also a race that proved he had not only matched, but also beaten his childhood idol. Indeed a 2008 photograph of 13-year-old Schooling standing side by side with Michael Phelps has been spreading like wildfire o...

Hong Kong for Kids: Our Dorsett Wanchai Experience

It was only a few months back when we had our lovely holiday experience in Hong Kong. We had then stayed in the Cosmopolitan Hotel, a lovely place located at the northern tip of Hong Kong island, near the world-famous Ocean Park. Most people have asked us why we chose Hong Kong as a destination for our kids given the island's reputation as more of a food and shopping paradise. We shared with them that there is actually more than meets the eye to this territory known affectionately as the "Pearl of the Orient". The view from Stanley, one of our favourite spots in the beautiful city of Hong Kong. Rooms in Hong Kong are small, and we had a hard time looking for a place to stay that could meet the needs of our two very energetic children. We settled for the Cosmopolitan Hotel, given that it was one of the few hotels that had affordable prices for its Family Quad Room, a large room that could accommodate all four of us comfortably. We were pleasantly surprised when we r...

A Safe Space: Adventures in Fostering

Fostering challenges traditional notions of what a family is and what a family should be. At the end of the day, what is your idea of "family"? The younger child seemed a little troubled during bedtime. "Mummy..." he said. "Yes Darling," replied Mummy. "It will be very sad when R has to go home to the tummy mummy and daddy one day." "Yes, Darling. It will be very sad." "But it's all up to God, right?" "Yes it is. You know that R's tummy mummy and daddy can't take care of any child right now? That's why R is with us." "Yes I know. R is with us just for awhile. Not like Kor Kor and I. The four of us are a forever family." "Yes we are. So how will you feel when R goes back to the tummy mummy and daddy?" "It will be sad, but it will be all right." The older child, who was a silent participant in the conversation, decided to speak at th...

The Father I Will Never Be

We recently went on a holiday to Fraser's Hill, one of the less-visited places in Malaysia. For Sue and I, this is a place that is filled with memories. It was, for her, a childhood oasis, a place where her family would visit year after year, and build many precious memories together. It was, for me, a special place where I visited with a band of dear brothers during our university days, and where we set a stake in the ground, to declare that we wanted to surrender all of our days to the glory of God. It was, for Sue and I, the location of our honeymoon, the place where we enjoyed our first few days of marital bliss; the place where we chiselled our marriage covenant and planned for our future as one. This is how I remember Fraser's Hill. Shrouded in mist and somewhat mysterious; a grand legacy of days gone by. I remember my first visit there as a single young man, not yet a quarter of a century old, but yet imbued with the desire to be the best father I could be sho...

The Insecurities of a Homeschooling Dad

Social media can be very deceiving. We scroll through the news feeds of people we know (or of celebrity bloggers and content experts), and assume that they are living perfect lives. With every holiday photo they post, every food picture presented, or every insightful article they write, we slip into social media envy and assume that our friends are enjoying the time of their lives. And many people assume that of me as well. They seem to think that I am living the dream life with a wonderful job and wonderful kids. And when I meet people at my various engagements, I seem to get the nod that I am the model citizen of social media society. A recent holiday in Disneyland. After long queues under the hot sun, we were quite the "model" family! There is some truth to this. At this moment, I can say that there is no other job I would rather do; to be my own boss and to conduct training workshops for others, sometimes with my wife; what more could a man ask for? And my kids? T...

Parenting Your Child for Marriage

It's not often that the Father of the Bride gets to speak at a wedding. Oftentimes, the only words are in response to the question, "Who presents this woman to be married to this man?" In that instance, it is normally a mild-mannered man, one who shuns the attention of the moment, who barely manages to whisper out the refrain, "I do." A precious photo of a very special couple. This was completely not what happened at a wedding I was at almost three weeks ago. In response to that question, the Father of the Bride seemed to have an entire speech prepared for the Groom, "I present to you the key to my daughter's heart, " he declared. "I have protected her heart all her life until this point, and now I am handing over this responsibility to you." And with a firm voice, he presented this solemn reminder: "Remember that you will not be able to do this on your own, but only with God's help, and by spending time with Him daily....

Of Yellow Ribbons & Fathers for Life - the Legacy of Jason Wong

Tie a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree It's been three long years Do ya still want me If I don't see a ribbon 'round the ole oak tree I'll stay on the bus Forget about us Put the blame on me If I don't see a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree The old folk song Tie A Yellow Ribbon is based on a delightful American story that tells of an ex-convict who returns home to his loved one after serving time in prison. Prior to his release, he had requested for her to tie a yellow ribbon around a tree outside of the town where she lived. And if there was no ribbon there, he would simply go on his way, understanding that she might never forgive him. However, when he passed by the tree, there were 100 yellow ribbons, symbolising that his sweetheart had forgiven him, and that he would be welcomed home. Learning to love and accept one another. The popular Yellow Ribbon Project is based on this premise. Founded in 2004 by Senior Prisons Of...

Parenting on Purpose

Search This Blog