How I Use Essential Oils

I have been asked about my Essential Oils and how I use them. Here's a list of ways that I have used the oils since I got them in May:

1.) Tim hardly ever goes to the doctor. He hates going and would rather suck it up and deal with whatever's bothering him than go the doctor. Well, just a couple of weeks ago, he surprised me and went. I had no idea he was going or that he was even sick. Figures. Communication is not his strong point. Anywho....when I got home, he was laid up in the recliner (as usual) but did look terrible. He was miserable. The doctor said he couldn't believe that Tim had lasted that long still going to work and everything. He had a severe sinus infection. He was given a Z-Pack. He had taken the first dose of the Z-Pack when I got home. I came in and told him that I was putting some oils on him. No arguing. You're not telling me no. End of story.

I applied Thieves on the vita flex points on his toes. I also applied Thieves on his throat and Lavender on his face where he said there was sinus pressure (around nose, under eyes, forehead over his eyebrows, etc.).

He took NyQuil not too soon after I applied the oils and went to sleep. He was perfect the next day. I don't know about you...but it typically takes me a few days after being on a Z-Pack to start feeling any better. You do the math on that one. :)

2.) Tim was congested last night, so I applied Thieves around his nose. He said it definitely worked!!      
    (I was doing backflips on the inside when he told me!!)

3.) I always keep a pitcher of water with oils in them in my fridge. This is probably my favorite way to use my oils and is definitely how I use them the most. I put Lemon, Peppermint, and Grapefruit in the water. When I'm not drinking my AdvoCare Spark, I'm drinking this. It's delish, and the combo of the three is supposed to be a detox. When I first started drinking the oils, I could immediately tell that I was not craving sodas anymore...I was craving that water! It was super easy to get down, and I was always wanting to drinking more and more. Peppermint is supposed to help curb appetite and is an energy booster, Lemon is supposed to detox the liver and is also an energy booster, and Grapefruit helps with bloating, digestion, and cravings. win-win-win!

4.) I put a drop of Purification on a cotton ball and put the cotton balls in my tennis shoes after I've been working out and they've gotten a lil stank...any odor is GONE by the next morning. Purification is an odor eliminator. It doesn't cover up smells - it takes them away.

5.) Again with Purification on cotton balls. While we were at the beach a couple of weeks ago, my lovely older brother went golfing with Tim, and they took his truck. Apparently they had some sweaty, straight-up stank..and I mean stank golf shoes and towels that they had left in there. I felt like I couldn't breathe in his truck the smell was so awful. I put the cotton balls with Purification on them in the air vents. Odor was soon gone!

6.) I made a face cream to use at night in place of my moisturizer. I talked about it here and here.

7.) I also made makeup remover cloths the same time I made the face cream. I talked about making these here and here. I absolutely love these and will never, ever, ever buy the Neutrogena ones I used to spend about $6 on for 25 cloths again.

8.) I made face soap this week using just 3 ingredients!! I talked about making it here.

9.) I have used Frankincense, Purification, and Tea Tree at different times on acne. It's amazing how quickly all three of these have worked.

10.) I have used stress away on my shoulders and neck when I have felt tense after a long day of work.

I purchased the Premium Starter Kit which came with a diffuser, 11 oils, and some sample packets. I think it was around $160. You must become a wholesale customer in order to purchase one of the kits which means that you will automatically get 24% off all purchases. There's no commitment or anything else involved when signing up as a wholesale member.

NOTE: Young Living is currently running a promotion and has $10 off of Premium Starter Kits!! I wish that was the case when I bought mine. If you've been on the fence about buying some, now really is the time to do so. The sale is good through August 14!

I would love to help you and your fam get started with using Essential Oils and living a toxic free lifestyle. Let me know if you want more info or have questions!! I am by no means an expert. I am still learning. This has really turned into a hobby. I enjoy making things and finding new uses for my oils.

Things to make or do next with my oils: Room Spray (like air freshener or Febreze), Poo-Pourri Spray, Liquid Laundry Detergent, Detox Bath



Disclaimer: This information is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information represents what I, an Independent Distributor of Young Living Essential Oils, have chosen to do to change my lifestyle and personal health. Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

DIY Face Soap Using Essential Oils

Today I made my own face soap using some of my Young Living Essential Oils. I love that I am living a healthier life with essential oils by replacing products that contain harsh chemicals with ones that contain all natural ingredients. I love knowing exactly what's going in my body and what's in my household.

What I REALLY love about this is that it's simple. If I read about anything DIY, domestic(ish) online that I would like to try but has 10,000 ingredients and/or steps, I'm out. That's a wrap. Close the tab. Next.     This has 3 ingredients and 3 steps. It's liz-friendly. I approve!


Here's what I used:

• Pure Castile Soap (I get mine at Target)
• Foaming Soap Dispenser (I reused one from Bath and Body Works)
• Distilled Water
• Young Living's Frankincense
• Young Living's Tea Tree 

1.) Fill container about 1/3 way full with the Pure Castile Soap.

2.) Add Essential Oils. I put about 8 drops of Tea Tree and 6 drops of Frankincense. Tea Tree is supposed to help fight acne and is a cleanser that is actually in many skin care products. Frankincense also supports your skin health by reducing the appearance of wrinkles, sunspots, scars, etc.

3.) Fill the rest with distilled water.
Shake before each use to ensure the oils are dispersed throughout the bottle.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

My husband used it before I did tonight. I asked him how he thought it was. The only response I got out of him was that it smelled weird.
Typical.

I love that I am taking steps towards having less toxins in our home!! Please let me know if you have any suggestions or other ways that you're using your oils!

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  The information represents what I, an Independent Distributor of Young Living Essential Oils, have chosen to do to take charge of my own personal health.  Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. 

On another note...how about the season finale of The Bachelorette from Monday?!? AHHHHH!! So excited that Shawn got the final rose!

And why am I up writing a blog post at 2:35 am?! Well, duh, it's summer. And I'm a teacher, so I can! 
#sorrynotsorry
#enjoyingitwhileican

School Supplies

I am all about a good deal - especially on school supplies. Office Depot has different school supplies on sale each week starting on Sundays. Last week they had Sharpie singles for $0.25, 4-pack glue sticks for $0.25, and 5-pack highlighters for $0.25. Although I was on vacation at the beach last week, I had to go find a store.

I ended up getting a total of 12 Sharpies, 24 glue sticks, and 60 highlighters for about $8!!!              CRAAAY-ZEEE!!

They have lots more deals this week. After church and lunch, my husband and I stopped by for 100-pack notecards for $0.01 and 10-pack pens for $0.01. While there, I saw that they have plastic folders that I need for $0.60.

I ended up with 8 plastic folders, 6 100-pack index cards, and 9 10-pack of pens for under $6!!

Last year, I had students use glue sticks in their interactive notebooks, and they about drove me insane. Tops to the glue sticks magically disappeared ALL the time (yet I would find them on the floor all over the room once students were gone), the glue sticks would dry out, and students were always needing new ones. I stocked up at the beginning of the year thanks to Office Depot, but it was still a pain to always be handing them out.

So, this year I want to try tape instead. I have a feeling the girls will enjoy using their own colored or patterned tape, but I need to have some for students who do not have any. Please let me know if you see any good deals!!!

Beginnings of Standards Based Grading(ish)

One of my goals for the 2015-2016 school year is to implement some sort of new grading system. Why? Because I hate how now, students can take a test, fail it, and think it's no big deal because we automatically move on to something else.

NO!! IT IS A BIG DEAL! I want to hold my students accountable and have high standards for them. If they don't understand something by the day of the test, it doesn't just go away. They will see that same topic again, so it is important for students to "get it." I really don't care if they "get it" after 10 minutes or 10 weeks - all that matters to me is that they eventually master the topic. Not everybody learns the same way or in the same amount of time. Totally cool with that. And that's why something's gotta change in room 207!

I have read and heard a lot about Standards Based Grading (SBG), and I have been intrigued. I want to change my traditional use of quizzes, tests, and exams so that skills are specifically listed in the grade book instead of a meaningless quiz title such as "Quiz 3.1-3.3". I want to know the exact skill(s) that students do not understand and have not mastered rather than a mere grade of 16/20 on a quiz that covered 4 different skills. So, this year, the score for each skill will be listed in the grade book.

Once I know the exact skill that students are struggling with, I can reteach and provide opportunities for students to practice and re-quiz on that specific skill.

I don't think what I'm going to do is full out SBG, but is definitely more in that direction.
I'm not going to allow students to make anything lower than a "B" or 85% on ANY skill covered on a  quiz. If they do, I will enter that grade in the grade book, but students will be required to re-quiz on that one skill, and then their score will be updated in the grade book.

Although it will most likely change, this is how I'm envisioning this happening in my classroom:
-Teach 1-4 skills
-Students take 1 quiz on those skills. Each skill has it's own section and spot for a score within the quiz. So, if a quiz covers 2 skills, students will actually get 2 scores in the grade book - one for each skill.
-Return graded quizzes. Students fill in their scores for each skill on a grade tracking sheet I will pass out. They will glue these in the front of their Interactive Notebook. (see picture below)
-Students will re-quiz ONLY on the skill that they did not get an "A" or a "B" on.
-I replace the grade in the grade book if the score is higher than before.

Quiz Tracking Form

For re-quizzing, I'm thinking I will have it in class probably once a week or once every other week or whenever time allows. For students that have mastered every single skill, they will have some free time while their peers are working. This will be a great motivator for students to do well on quizzes the FIRST time.

Questions/Thoughts I have as I am working through all this:

•  Should I still give tests? How will that work? Just give a cumulative test after every 2-3 chapters/topics since I will be giving more quizzes than normal? 
• This seems like a lot of grading...how can I manage that? Use Digits, Google Form, Socrative, etc. so that it is automatically graded? 
• I'm teaching 3 preps this year (yikes!) - should I only start this with 1 prep? Or go all in and have all my classes do this? 
• Should I enter all grades as I usually do (numerically)? Or, should I only enter the numerical score if the student passed the skill with an "A" or "B" and enter a "NY" for students that have "not yet" mastered this skill, but enter the actual numerical score in the comments section so that it is still on record?

What are your thoughts? I would love any feedback and/or suggestions you have!!

Math Calendar FREEBIE!

I finished my Masters Degree in November of 2014. Many of the books and articles we were required to read stressed the importance of two key ideas in helping our students learn mathematics - having students experience a "productive struggle" and providing them with opportunities for cumulative review.

Here are two books that I found the most helpful:

In my three l o n g short years of teaching, I have learned so, SO much about what it means to be an effective teacher. I think most teachers can relate to this: you have an AwEsOmE lesson planned. you have spent hours preparing. you have researched (more like pinterest) ideas. you have gathered materials. you've made copies. you've laminated. you have manipulatives and visuals and sometimes even a song! you have hands-on activities, games, and stations. You deliver the lesson. And you NAILED IT! (high five!) Students had fun AND learned. It's a win-win. And you even have assessment data to prove it.

Fast forward 2 months later. You bring up the exact same topic to the class.
*crickets*
*dazed, blank stares*

"Really?!? Y'all don't remember this?!" Teacher bangs head on a concrete wall. 


Students HAVE to have cumulative review. And if not, stop what you're doing. Go ahead and get some band-aids....Cuz you gon' need 'em!

After looking on Pinterest a couple of years ago, I decided that Math Calendars would be a neat way for students to consistently review previously learned material. So, I created a couple and LOVED them, but I never found the time to create more. These are also the most purchased items in my Teacher's Pay Teacher's Store. I really like these because there's so much flexibility in the way that you could potentially use them. You could keep them in the classroom and have students complete one a day, or have them work on a week at a time and check them in class as you go.

I typically pass them out on the first day of the month. Students are responsible for taking them home and keeping up with them. They are due back around the second of the following month. I really stress the importance of students showing work on the back or another sheet of paper in order to receive any credit. I won't accept it until I see where they have shown work.  I often give students "work time" in class. When students tell me they don't have anything to do (yeah, right) because they have finished their classwork and homework and have no missing work, my first question back to them is "have you finished your math calendar for this month?" And that's the end of that conversation. :)  I also sometimes have students work on their calendar as their warm up assignment in class. This helps to keep them on students' mind so that they are not forgotten about until the 30th of the month. Because time management is such a struggle for 7th graders, I give a few extra credit points if they are turned in early.


Here is the 7th Grade Math Calendar I just finished up for October 2015. It will cover everything we have done in August and September. The calendar is editable so you could change the month, days, problems, etc. I will have both my 7th grade general and advanced class use this one. It could also be used for advanced 6th grade classes or for low-level 8th grade classes.

Topics in the calendar (and covered in August and September in my classroom):

• Integers
• Decimals 
• Fractions
• Absolute Value
• Classifying Rational Numbers 

Here is a FREEBIE of an old calendar. Use it to get an idea of what my review calendars look like. 

Enjoy!

AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge Results

I have finished AdvoCare's 24 Day Challenge and am excited to share my results with you!

The Facts:
-Down a total of 10 lbs
-Lost over 5 inches
-Increased energy level
-No bloating
-Improved digestion

I was amazed at the numbers, but I was even more amazed at how much better I felt. And I noticed many of these benefits as little as halfway through the challenge. What's crazy is that I did not follow the recommended diet to a tee (insert blushing emoji), yet I still have great results. Overall, I have completely changed my eating habits - way less fried food, less starches, less sugar, tons of more water, etc. This has taken some serious will power and dedication, but I truly believe that AdvoCare has helped to make the process easier.

I fell in love with the products on the challenge and know that I will continue using them. I have a pretty good feeling that I will be reordering Spark at least once a month when school starts!! Hey - a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! I recently ordered a new flavor of Spark - Watermelon - and it is right up there with the Fruit Punch flavor in my book! They taste just like Kool Aid...but without the sugar!!

Since I love the products and will continue using them, I decided to sign up as a distributor so that I will have 20% off my purchases!! Let me know if you are interested in the challenge, and I will get you hooked up! I was skeptical at first, but trust me, after my own experience I know that you will not regret it!!

Since finishing the challenge, I have purchased AdvoCare's Catalyst. I have heard and read lots of great things about this product, so I'm hoping I'll have great results with this, too. Catalyst is supposed to give you greater benefits if you work out - it preserves lean muscle tissue so that you are burning fat, not muscle, giving you a more toned physique. And who doesn't want that?!