Skeptically Optimistic - Why I Chose Young Living - Why I Am Staying With Young Living

You may have read my post about how we got started with Young Living essential oils.  For a brief synopsis, we were looking for alternatives to Ibuprofen for my daughter.  We were very uncomfortable with the side affects of Ibuprofen.  We were introduced to the oils and thought for the minimal investment it was certainly worth the effort to jump in and give them a try.

They sounded too good to be true with all the testimonials I had been reading.  I WAS VERY SKEPTICAL.  Although I have to say my daughter was even more skeptical than me.

What I have found is that they continue to amaze and surprise me when they work on the next thing we try them on!

I am going to go a little different direction than so many of the blogs I see out there.  I want to focus on the positive and tell you why I chose Young Living and more importantly why I stay with Young Living!

When we started looking at essential oils I had NO loyalty to any particular brand.  I am not going to tell you what is bad about other brands.  I am not even going to name them.  Honestly I have no experience with other oils so I can't speak ill of them can I?  You may know who some of them are, but please, this is simply my opinion.

Here is what was important to me.

TIME ON THE MARKET

As of July 2014 Young Living has been in business for 20 years!  That is a long time.  That means a ton of research, knowledge and product information is coming my way.  They have refined their business processes and know what they are doing.  Young Living's largest competitor was founded in 2008.

There are MANY, MANY, MANY smaller oil companies out there.  I don't know about all of them but I know the majority have not been in business for 20 years.   Personally I was very wary of start ups.  I was wary of companies that are offering "free" startup kits.  That, as a business owner, sounds pretty risky to me.

Chart Source

BREADTH OF PRODUCT OFFERINGS

Here are a couple numbers to compare.  All data is based on what is on their websites today.

Young Living

Singles:  85 (that doesn't include some oils that are available only in kits)
Blends:  72

Largest competitor

Singles:  40 (they listed coconut oil - I didn't count that :)
Blends:  20

Common Health Food Store Brand

Singles:  69 (this was hard to verify because they listed many oils twice in their product listings)
Blends:  10

Another Popular Brand Claiming 100% pure essential oils

Singles:  77  (again very misleading.  If you count them all there were 96.  Many oils had 2 listings one for regular oils and one for organic)
Blends:  43

These numbers may not be exact but you get the picture.  Young Living has a number of kits that have oils that are not available individually at this time so they aren't included in my counts.


What this equated to, for me, is that everyone else will always be playing catch up with Young Living.  EVEN if they do produce a good quality oil the depth and breadth of their product line will most likely never compare.

Young Living is not just oils.  It includes things like personal care products, beauty products, supplements, cleaning products and more.  All are CHEMICAL free and good for you!  You can visit my website to learn more about all the products available.

My Young Living Website or Young Living Product Information

PURITY

This is a real hot button in the industry.  Everyone says their oils are the "only" pure oils out there.  I am not even going to make that claim.  I have no way of knowing that.  What I know, is I personally trust Young Living and here is why.

Young Living has a Seed to Seal Promise.  This is not marketing hype, this is not a made up certification.  This is a quality process that they have put into place for every single oil.

You can check out Seed To Seal Promise for more information.

They currently have 7 farms and have just added an 8th in Canada.  They control the entire growth process.  Is this true for every single oil?  No of course not, but a large portion of the oils are grown on Young Living owned farms.  If they are partner farms Young Living is deeply involved in the growth process.

TESTING

Young Living is the only essential oil company that I know that has their own testing facility.  They test every batch of oils themselves internally.  If oils do not meet their rigorous testing standards, they are rejected and not released to their customers and members.

IMITATION

When you compare other company's blends to Young Living you will see the ingredient list is very close.  Usually there is only 1 oil that is different.   For example they might use orange instead of lemon.

If you trust a brand why would you want to buy an imitator?  Especially a cheap imitator?

When it comes to my families' health, I want the original.


RESULTS

The bottom line is every time we have used the oils for something, they have worked.  If that had not been the case, I would have tried something else.  These oils never cease to amaze me!  I trust the quality of the Young Living oils.  I don't trust oils that are really cheap. If there was a way to make the oils that much less expensive don't you think our largest competitor would be priced far under us?

I like to say now, that I continue to be Skeptically Optimistic.  I am always skeptical and hopeful at the same time.  I am a glass half full kind of girl.  But I have not been disappointed yet!

Do your own homework and if I can help, I am here.

Curious about the oils?  Check out my Facebook event next week.  RSVP on Facebook and learn about the oils from your smart phone, tablet or computer.  Can't make it?  RSVP anyway and come back to review the content when you want!  "See" you there.

Facebook Oils Free Workshop - RSVP Here!

If someone has introduced you to Young Living, please reach out to them.  If not, I am happy to help!  Email me at lhanken96@gmail.com

~Blessings, Health & Abundance

Lori

All Natural Pet Urine Odor Removal

HOLY COW - IT WORKS!  IT ACTUALLY WORKS!

Ok - let's just put it out there.  I love animals.  Actually I love almost any animal!  Good thing for my family we live in the city or we would have horses, chickens, goats and more.

Here is one problem that I have.  I am a complete sucker for rescue animals.  As a result we have 3 dogs and 1 cat.  Two of the dogs are rescue dogs and the cat is also a rescue.  We don't go to pet adoptions anymore.  When we got Murphy, my husband dropped me off at the door.  When he walked in I was cuddling this little bundle of fur.  He knew it was all over - that dog was ours!  I just cannot look into those deep brown eyes and leave them there.  Lucy was our latest addition to the zoo.  I held her and just could not leave her behind.

Lucy's Adoption

Murphy - The Old Man

This is Murphy - he is the old man and a rescue dog.  German Shepherd and Norwegian Elkhound mix.
Murphy doesn't like being in his kennel and his legs are starting to get tired.  Sometimes I think he doesn't like to go down the stairs to go to the bathroom.  So, yes, you guessed it, he goes in the house.




There is one spot in the house that seems to be a favorite.  Maybe it isn't him.  Maybe it is one of these 3?

Lucy, Tigger & Zeke

We have tried everything, commercial carpet cleaners, store bought and many other things.  When it got warm this summer the room was unbearable.   We tried many "natural" solutions and NOTHING WORKED.  Until we stumbled on this combination:

RECIPE

I used a spray bottle with a funnel to avoid spilling. I am good at spilling things

Add the following to a spray bottle.  

• 2 tsp baking soda
• 10 oz hydrogen peroxide (I used 3%)
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 4 drops of Orange Essential Oil (Buy The Essential Oils I Use Here)

Tips:

• Shake before using
• Test a small amount of area to be cleaned to be sure it doesn't affect color
• Put the baking soda in the funnel first (while it is dry)
• The liquids will wash down the baking soda
• You could use any citrus oil - lemon, grapefruit, but I prefer orange

Generously spray the area and let it dry. Once dry, vacuum as usual.  You may have to apply multiple times for heavily soiled areas.

Here is the beauty - no harmful chemicals for those 4 legged fur babies!

Read this post to learn more about how I got started in Essential Oils

Now we can get another pet! 

Sheerlumé™—Our Living “Young” Elixir

Sheerlumé™—Our Living “Young” Elixir



This product was recently released at convention and is already getting rave reviews!  I love that it is all natural - no chemicals.  Click the link above to read about it on Young Living's blog!



So many products in our home are loaded with chemicals.  We are slowly removing all chemicals from our home. First was air fresheners.  We have 3 dogs and a cat.  Yes I know, we are crazy, some might even call it stupid.  We love our 4 legged family members.  But with that comes many not so pleasant smells!  Look for a blog post soon on how we eliminated pet odors in our home.  Cleaning supplies were next.  We love the Thieves household cleaner and use it for a ton of different things!  Foaming Hand soaps!  Oh my word - loaded with cancer causing chemicals.  Not the Thieves foaming hand soap.  Out list continues with things like personal care products, body lotions, toothpaste, perfume, chapstick.  The list continues to grow.





I am excited to try this new product as well.



Gary Young is committed to searching the globe for natural products that help us get healthy, stay healthy, look and live better!  I LOVE THIS COMPANY and it's products.



www.lorihanken.vibrantscents.com for more information or to

order!

Carlee's Story2

A short but sweet story about success with oils!



Message me or go to www.lorihanken.vibrantscents.com for more information on how to get started.

Cell Phones - Are You Kidding Me?

True confession:  I have very little tolerance for rude people.

Our society has become increasingly more rude.  There are many areas in our lives where we encounter rudeness.

• Driving
• Walking in Malls
• Parking Lots
• Weddings
• Grocery Stores
• Your Own Car!

I have many examples of these.  Today, though, I want to focus on cell phones or other electronics.  When our children were younger and we would go out for dinner, I admit, I found it easier to have conversation with my husband when the kids had games to play.  Boy do I regret that.  I am now helping them unlearn some bad habits that got significantly worse as they got older.

We have all seen the articles about how we have a generation of people that have their heads in their phones and are missing life.  There are so many things missed.  There was recently a video that was floating around on Facebook about a couple that met and married. The story was they would not have met if they had their heads in their phones!

This isn't the video I was looking for but it makes the point.
I Forgot My Phone

Ok - sorry here is another one.  Cell Phone Impact On Relationships

OH NO!  While I was looking for the original video (which I still cannot find) I came across this "lovely" clip from Rachel Ray.  How to text your ex boyfriend and get him back- Tips and advice
Are you kidding me?  Does this disgust anyone as much as it does me?  I didn't even watch it.

Look at these statistics!  You can click the Source hyperlink for information on more electronic usage.

Source

How many of you went on long road trips with your family?  The car rides seemed horrible right?  Now, looking back, they were amazing.  You saw great things, played games, sang songs and built relationships.

We are raising a generation that will stay connected with far more people than our generation.  But, they also are lacking in communication skills!  

I recently had some kids in the car.  One young person actually was on the phone when they got into the car.  There was no greeting at all.  The phone call was finished and they proceeded to start texting non-stop.  It was about a 35 minute car ride.  Almost NOTHING was said.  All you could hear was the annoying click click click of the texting.  My child that was in the car too had sat in the back seat rather than in front like they normally would.  My child conversed with me the entire trip.  NO INTERACTION with the texter.

We arrived at our location and the passenger said, "thanks for the ride".  I didn't answer.

The bright side?  We have a new rule in our car for everyone.  No texting.  End of story.  

I'll let you know how it goes when I enforce it with my kids' friends.

I challenge you as families to unplug more often.  Put the phones away, interact, learn how to enjoy each other.

I challenge you to UNPLUG!

#areyoukiddingme #bepresent #unplug #wholehealth #becomewhole

Choices - Career - Money - Family - PRIORITIES

All day, everyday we make choices.  I had a job that required quite a bit of travel when the kids were younger.  The demands were terrible, the bosses were worse.  It didn't make any difference what you had going on in your life when you were summoned you said, "how high?".

When my son was younger, here is what the conversations were like.

Day One
 - Hi Mommy how was your day?  (Excited voice)
Day Two
- Hi Mamma how was your day?  (A little deflated)
Day Three
- Hi Mamma when are you coming home?  (Weepy)

Everyday I see posts on people's Facebook pages checking in at airports, travelling here, missing their kid's events, saying things like, "Living the Dream"!  Seriously how can you think this is "Living the Dream"?  I was one of those people.  

Let me tell you a secret:  BUSINESS TRAVEL IS NOT GLAMOROUS.

I remember one year at an event my daughter was playing in a championship softball game and I wasn't there.  Another executive summons required me to have lunch with my husband on our anniversary on our way to the airport.  He wasn't coming with me.  My daughter had a significant female moment and I had to get on a plane for a meeting summons.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.  No paycheck is worth all that.  I won't judge you.  Ok, maybe I will.  Family is one of the most important things. Us old folks all know the Cat Steven's song, Cat's In The Cradle.  For you young people...

Cats in the Cradle
Listen Here
by Harry Chapin
My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talking before I knew it and as he grew
He said, "I’m gonna be like you, Dad, 
You know I’m gonna be like you"

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin home, dad, I don’t know when, 
But we'll get together then, Son,
You know we'll have a good time then.

My son turned ten just the other day
He said "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on lets play 

can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today, 

I got a lot to do" He said "That's okay" 
And then he walked away but his smile never dimmed 
And said "I’m gonna be like him, yeah
You know I’m going to be like him"

Well he came from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say,
"Son, I’m proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head, and he said with a smile

"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"


And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home, Son, I don't know when, 
But we'll get together then, Dad,
You know we'll have a good time then.

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day........
I said "I'd like to see you if you don’t mind"
He said "I'd love to Dad, if I could find the time.
You see my new jobs a hassle, and the kids have the flu.
But It's sure nice talking to you, Dad, 
It's been sure nice talking to you........"
And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me,
My boy was just like me..............


And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home, Son, I dot know when, 
But we'll get together then, Dad
We're gonna have a good time then.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have lived this song.  As a result I had the opportunity to leave big corporate America and help my husband grow his business.  I MADE THE LEAP OF FAITH.  He owned a trade show exhibit company, Total Displays.  

TOTAL DISPLAYS       

We made a choice that our family was more important than a paycheck.  

Has it been easy?  NO.    

We have struggled financially.  Our earnings were cut by more than 50%.  Our expenses were not automatically cut by that.  We had to learn to live together, love together and work together.  We have cut way back on "things" (that is a bonus).  It is sometimes scary.

Was it worth it?  YES

We have been able to be at 90+% of our children's events.  We drive them to school, and pick them up after school.  We learned many valuable lessons about what was important.   We have become closer!

I even started a home based business based on a passion I have for helping people.  It has already helped us financially in less than a year.  Soon that will start being a significant part of our income. 

MY HOME BUSINESS

Don't complain about your job, about travelling for work, about missing kids events, IT IS A CHOICE.  

~Blessings & Abundance

#family #choices #bewhole

Are You Kidding Me?

Welcome to my blog!  So many times throughout my day I feel the need to do a face palm.  So much that you see and hear every day gets an "Are you kidding me?" response.  My Dad used to say to my Mother, "I think you are raising stupid kids!"

Sometimes though that phrase can be something of excitement, wonder, awe.  I am going to look for those type of moments more often!

I want to tell you my personal Young Living Essential Oils story.  I know some of you may be sick of hearing about my passion for oils.  Maybe if you hear how we started, you will understand why I am so passionate about it.  We continue to find new benefits on a daily basis.

Adding Young Living oils to our life was a big part of becoming whole!

Our daughter in 7th grade grew 5 inches in one school year.  The growing pains were horrible.  She also was starting to suffer from female pains!  Let's just say life was pretty miserable for her.  Just to add insult to injury (pun intended) it seems like she was always injured in sports.  We called her Danger Prone Daphne.

We carried Ibuprofen with us everywhere.  Have you all seen the studies and the information about what Ibuprofen does to you?  Our daughter was eating Ibuprofen multiple times per day!

Here is one link with a list.  Web MD Ibuprofen Article

Oh, if those weren't pleasant enough here is an article from Livestrong.com about Ibuprofen in children.  Livestrong Ibuprofen Article

For those of you that don't want to read the articles, here are two highlights.  STOMACH BLEEDING & LIVER PROBLEMS.

So here is how we found a healthy alternative!  We were at a softball tournament in Iowa.  One of Elsie's teammates was hit in the foot with a pitch.  Her foot swelled up, they went to the medic, her parents gave her 5 (count them - 5!) Ibuprofen, they iced and elevated.  She was told that nothing was broken but that she probably wouldn't play the rest of the week.

Our niece was with us and asked if she could put some essential oils on her foot.  We asked her mom and she put on PanAway and Peppermint.  To make a long (and amazing) story short.  She was walking and running that night and played softball the rest of the weekend!

My husband and I talked about it on the way home from Iowa.  David has chronic lower back pain, our son has plantar fasciitis and we could think of many other things that we were currently medicating.  We said, for $150 how could it possibly hurt to give it a try!  We signed up as members and now get 24% off retail on all our oils.
ARE WE GLAD WE DID!  No more Ibuprofen in our house.  As a matter of fact, I have thrown it all away :)

 PanAway does many things but primarily is a pain relieving blend of oils. It smells a lot like Ben Gay or Biofreeze.  

Peppermint is a natural analgesic and is also considered a driver oil so it intensifies any oil that is applied previously.







Here is the "Are You Kidding Me?" part of it.  So many parents continue to give their children Ibuprofen on a regular basis.  How can you afford not to at least try a natural alternative.