Not All Oils Will Be Good For You…

So an interesting story that happened to me yesterday, a story I knew but have not had happen to me before.

I have a new oil, well I have had it for a few months but haven’t used it yet, it’s Doterra’s Woodland Blend, Northern Escape. Now I love all things forest/bush, the Australian native bush is so wild and beautiful and it’s truly grounding and calming just being in the middle of it, so it was a given that I would buy Doterra’s Woodland Blend. I actually had forgotten about it and then yesterday I saw it and thought this is exactly what I need. So I filled the diffuser in my office with water and put 3 drops in and away she went. It wasn’t long before I started feeling really unwell, dizzy, nauseous and generally sick. Straight away I turned the diffuser off because I knew what was going on. Something in that oil was having a negative effect on my body.

This is a reminder to you all to be very careful when using essential oils. You just do NOT know what sort of effect they are going to have on your bodies. Tisserand Institute is a very good place to learn how to use oils safely and effectively and not be so slap happy when using them. Essential oils are volatile compounds which means they can and will hurt you if you don’t know what you are doing. Some effects will show up straight away like they did with me and others will take longer if not years. Essential oils are a very good tool to have for health and wellness but getting educated is so important. MLM’s are not going to tell you the information you need to be safe, they just aren’t. I have seen wellness advocates feed straight oil to children from a spoon and tell their followers to do the same. This practice is reckless and irresponsible and irreparable if any damage has been done internally.

So please do some research into oils use and please use them with the respect that they warrant. Just because they come from plants doesn’t always mean they are good for you and they can’t harm you. Many weeds are plants but if taken orally will kill you!

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The Farm

A lot of people will never experience the joys of living on a farm and probably most don’t want to, it’s an acquired taste, something you really WANT to do….

When we first took on this job and moved out here it was so amazing, we were smitten with the place having lived in town for most of the kids lives. My husband is from a farming background and I am from the city. When our eldest 2 kids were babies we lived on a farm, and while it was good we weren’t really that great at it. We were just kids making our way and running out of water, dingoes howling all night, snakes everywhere including in the house, septic blocking constantly, bugs everywhere I for one was glad to get back to living in a town. Fast forward that to now and I can’t stand living in town and will never go back.

The farm has been tough, it’s not just an operating cattle property it is also being divided up into smaller blocks to form a housing estate. Such a shame, but this is how the owners make their money as property developers.  The first year was super tough,  we had cattle die, calves die, orphan calves, it was just a nightmare.  We felt so responsible even though none of it was out fault.  The second year was much the same and this year we have just endured the worst drought in history. The cows were so skinny, they were feeding calves and had no food themselves, we weren’t allowed to buy feed for them and I gotta say it nearly did me in. I very nearly left the farm because I cannot stand animal cruelty and to me, having an animal starve to death is bloody cruel especially when the owners are very wealthy people.  This is one of the most fertile farms in the district and it was dirt, we were irrigating 12 hours a day to try and keep the grass alive, it was just enough for the cattle to keep going, but they were starving nonetheless.  Relief came with 400 mls of rain and the farm sprang back to life, the cattle are now all fat again but it’s getting dry again. It’s like this never ending cycle of drought, rain, drought, drought, rain. Once upon a time you could rely on the seasons but not anymore.

Afternoons on the farm are amazing and we have some of the best sunsets you will ever see.  In winter the air is brisk, it smells crisp and clean, its our favorite time of the year.  The creek runs clear and cold and the mist rising from the water early in the morning is proof that life will not be contained.

So while farming is a tough gig, you will always find beauty if you look hard enough.  I wouldn’t give this lifestyle up for the world but I am the lucky one, I get to enjoy all this property has to offer without having to work for it!  Can’t do better than that!

The Grandkids….

Well this is definitely one area I don’t post about on the webs but again, people are interested in what goes on in other parts of the world & in other families.  These are my grandkids, they are our greatest gifts, I often jest with my kids that I love the grandkids more than them hahahahaahaha.  I was at every single birth. I was lucky enough to be in the actually birthing suite with my second youngest grand daughter when she was born via c section, I got the first look at her and I even cut the chord. It was truly the most special gift a mother can be given.  We have 5 of the 7 n the spectrum. They range is ages from 12 to 4 and they are truly unique each in their own way.  There is not a weekend that we don’t have at least one of them.  Nannee’s place is their peace and quiet away from siblings, they can play the ipads without being disturbed, they get to be heard one on one, they get to play outside and just be themselves.  It’s breathing space for them to just be.  Over the years I always thought we were giving the parents a break but I didn’t realise we were giving the kids a break too, a break from routine and stressed parents, a break from having to do shit they don’t want to do, and just relaxing.

As grandparents this is very important, I never realised this until very recently, I just thought having the kids over and babysitting etc is what grandparents are “supposed” to do.  I didn’t realise the intense love you have for your grandchildren is so very important and helps shape their lives.  Children who have relationships with their grandparents will always have someone to talk to when they can’t go to their parents, they will always have a hug and kind word.  Grandparents not only provide love on a different level, but they can provide guidance and perspective that can only be taught in a grandparent kind of way.  So grandparents, you are so crucial to the development of your grandchildren, get more involved if you are able and enjoy every minute!