You have just wrapped up taking care of things around the house and sit down to play with your child. However, you find your child having a difficult time attending to the activity you are bring to their attention. They look, but then they get up and move onto the next toy/activity. As a parent, when we have a specific activity in mind, and our child doesn’t appear interested, it can be a tad frustrating and sometimes discouraging.
It is important to remember that children can be easily distracted and do not have a large attention span to begin with. Make sure you expectations are in the right place and minimize distractions.
When looking to engage your child, think about the senses. What can you present them with that will engage multiple senses?
Think of auditory stimulation. This can include music, sounds with simple objects, singing together, or simply raising and lowering the intonation of your voice. Pairing the sounds and/or music with movement is also fun and engaging for the child. Picture them stomping their feet on the ground while producing a “Boom!” with each step.
When it comes to visual stimulation, this can include bright, yet simple pictures. Also, simple objects that move or that the child can move themselves. Pairing auditory stimulation with a visual is a great way to promote speech production.
Tactile stimulation is a GREAT way to increase engagement and attention in your little one. This could be exploring different textures. Fill bins with beans, sand, sugar, pom-pom balls, and let them explore. Play-dough is always a huge hit. Children often find the soft and manipulative texture calming. For the kiddo who has a tough time attending to pictures, find books that present the child with various textured pictures.
The next one, may not have been on your radar, but smell is another way to engage your child and stimulate their senses in play. Have you ever seen how excited your child gets around Mr. Sketch markers? Not only due they get to color with those bright colors, but there is a sweet aroma that goes along with it. Add some essential oils or a spice such as cinnamon to their playdough or sensory bins. Attention and focus will be elevated!
When multiple senses are engaged at one time, your child is likely to attend better to task as well as engage and participate in the activity you present them with! Don’t be afraid to be silly with your voice or movements when it comes to play either. Get creative with various textures and smells. This could include playing with various foods or helping you in the kitchen.
Next time you go to sit down with your child, think about how you can elevate your activity by incorporating the senses.
I do not know about you, but the changes and events of the past year have left me feeling slightly lost and what I assumed was lack of motivation. I am still trying to shake the effects of being put through the spin cycle of 2020. All the shifts in focus, changes in routine, and navigating different roles we were presented with, left some of us saying “Okay. Now what? What was I doing before all of this chaos?”
The lack of direction has left me feeling like I am in a “slump”. Feeling overwhelmed by possibilities and not knowing where to start, often feels like I have lost motivation to move forward with previous goals. I recently listened to a podcast called the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast. The episode that stuck out to me was the fifth part to a leadership series he was covering. It was called “Think Inspiration Not Motivation”. My wheels started turning as I shook my head through the entire podcast. I highly recommend the listen!
I quickly learned, if I expected to be motivated, or better yet, motivate others, I needed to lean into inspiration. Inspiration comes from within while motivation has an external force driving it. How can I motivate others if I am struggling to be inspired? Here are a few ways that I have started to find inspiration and move forward with my goals:
- Read/listen to book or podcast that relates to a subject you are interested in. It is nice to be reminded of what you love and are passionate about.
- Do something you love! I LOVE working in my yard. Since the weather has been nice, I have been getting out more. Clearing my head, doing something I love, has created space in my mind for new ideas and movement forward.
- Communicate with others! It is so refreshing to be having more in person conversations. When I can talk with friends that I share common interests with, I am left feeling happy and lighthearted. Even if it is just a phone call, make time for communication!!!
Three ways to inspire others:
- Compliment and encourage others. Modeling positivity will encourage them to do the same. When something makes someone feel good, they will want to do the same!
- Let them see you working hard. Be proud of what you do! When I see someone thriving, I start to look harder at that person’s actions and feel inspired to do the same.
- Speak and act on your passion! Communicate your “why” to others. How did you get to this place where the drive for your passion became so strong? Share it!
After listening to the above podcast, I knew I could not motivate or inspire without fulfilling those same needs for myself. Lean into your passion, your community, and healthy outlets!
There are five essential oils that I reach for on days that I need an extra boost to keep my mindset balanced. Taking 10 seconds of my day to apply and inhale makes a BIG difference when consistently worked into a routine. My go-tos are:
- “Magnify Your Purpose” when trying to center my mind.
- “Into The Future” to promote positive, uplifting vibes through discouraging moments.
- “Valor” to give me courage to step out of my comfort zone.
- “Harmony” to provide a balanced state going into my day.
- “Release” to assist in releasing any limiting beliefs that I put upon myself and my goals.
What are you favorites to reach for? What are some actions of others that leave you feeling inspired?
Fall is almost here and our diffusers are about be worked overtime! Lucky for you, all those favorite fall oils, are amazing for immune support and keeping the air in your home fresh! That isn't something you can say for the fall candles that people gravitate to.
Why diffusing is better than candles:
- Variety! I love being able to change the aroma going through our home. When I used to purchase candles, I was stuck with the same fragrance day after day.
- A clean, toxin-free aroma for the home. The mist benefits your family! Fragrance from candles, negatively impacts your immune system.
- Control! You can decide how strong or how mild you want to aroma going through your home.
- Customize! You can still have a fall aroma but oils allow you to create aromas that uplift, assist in relaxation, or simply help with fresh air throughout your house.
How to create some amazing blends:
- Consider what kind of aromas you prefer in the fall. We are not all pumpkin spice lovers ( I can hear some of you gasping right now :) )
- Pick 1-2 blends to keep in rotation. You will also want 3-4 singles to pair with your blends.
- Keep in mind the reasons you typically diffuse. Do you need calm oils? uplifting? focus?
- Start with 2-3 drops of your blend and layer with your singles. Start with a total of 8-10 drops. If you are sensitive to smells, start lower. Fall blends can be quite strong. Start on the lower end of drops and you can always add more.
If you like woodsy and herbal:
- Blends to look at: Sacred Mountain, Thieves, Abundance, Believe, Gratitude, Magnify Your Purpose, GeneYus
- Singles to look at: Lavender, Peppermint , Rosemary, Thyme, Eucalyptus, Pine, Northern Lights Black Spruce, Black Pepper, Orange, Cedarwood, Bergamot, Cardamom, Frankincense, Clove, Idaho Blue Spruce, Juniper, Cypress, Idaho Grand Fir, Vetiver, Copaiba
If you like sugar and spice:
- Blends to look at: Stress Away, Abundance, Citrus Fresh, Thieves, Exodus II, Transformation
- Singles to look at: Orange, Lemon, Nutmeg, Clove, Cinnamon Bark, Cardamom, Bergamot, Cedarwood, Copaiba
What do you all have your eye on? I am partial to woodsy and herbal BUT I do like some sugar and spice on a Sunday morning! Happy diffusing!
With all of the information and testimonies that have been thrown our way when it pertains to CBD oil, I thought I would share my personal testimony to help others better understand the effects it may have on them. I think when a lot of people first hear " CBD" their mind immediately asks the questions, " How is it going to make me feel?" I know mine did! "Will I get high?" or "Are the effects immediate?"
Since the release of Young Living's CBD brand, Nature's Ultra, I quickly fell in love with the Calm Roll-On and the Joint and Muscle Rub. Those were the two products that provided me with a quick, noticeable difference in regards to what I was trying to achieve with each. The dropper bottle of CBD oil is something I dabbled in, off and on since July. I would take .5 mL sublingually when my mind was racing and I needed help falling asleep ( in addition to Vetiver on my feet). As I recommended it, I have heard " I don't feel anything." as if the expectation is an overwhelming feeling of sudden relief. Many times, that is not the case.
Over the past several weeks, as my family has struggled through some family stress and the passing of my mother, I have found myself reaching for my dropper bottle of CBD. Initially, I would use half a dropper ( .5 mL), sublingually, in the morning and as stress started to increase, I increased my frequency of application. I can tell you with consistent use, I did notice a difference in regards to feeling BALANCED. I am easily stressed, become tense easily, and a huge worrier. This causes me to have intense feelings of being overwhelmed and makes it hard to focus. I have tried so many times to put into words how CBD has helped me over the last month and it finally came to me today. It makes me feel balanced. CBD is something that works with our endocannabinoid system to help our body achieve/maintain homeostasis. Through the stress of everything we have been going through, I can tell you, applying sublingually has helped me to achieve balance. I noticed such a difference, that when it was time to travel and be with my mom, I had a bottle delivered to my parents' home so I could remain consistent with my routine through this difficult time.
If you are someone who suffers from anxiety/stress, any type of inflammation, focus, or imbalances, consistent use of CBD is worth trying. Nature's Ultra CBD is not full-spectrum. It is an isolate formula that is combine with Young LIving's essential oils. The terpenes from the essential oils activate the CBD isolate and together create a powerful combination in helping your body achieve balance. Their Smart Spectrum formula also assures that their is 0% THC in this product. With Young Living's reputation of transparency and their Seed to Seal guarantee with their essential oils and CBD oil, you can rest assure you are getting a pure, clean, and powerful product with Nature's Ultra. If CBD oil is something you have been considering, check out the Nature's Ultra website. Young Living member's receive a 24% discount on all Nature's Ultra products through their Virtual Office. A phenomenal CBD Starter Kit was also recently released for those wishing to become a wholesale member! ( Insane value in the starter kit ) Explore the Starter Kit tab on the website to check out your options!
