Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, and that means we will most likely be outside with our families! There’s still time to get what you need to make sure you are covered while outdoors.
Here is a testimony from a member:
“Kunzea is one of our favorite oils, and it’s one we all need especially this time of year!!! Kunzea for ticks: After camping last weekend and Scott coming home with a tick imbedded in him, I’m making up this recipe (after learning how great it’s been for a friend) in repelling ticks for her last summer on her family and pets!
• Here is the link for a 12oz continuous spray bottle off amazon here: https://amzn.to/3WaUE6O
• I tripled the recipe, because you need to shake it before use to incorporate the oil and cleaner together before you spray and I need the space.
• You will need to rub the mixture in after spraying.
• Kunzea is known as the “tick bush” in Australia, because it helps keeps ticks away! “
I hope you enjoy the long weekend, and as always please let me know if you need any help with finding the right product for you and your family.
#ICYMI – This week’s Thursday Thoughts
We are in a season of wrapping up some activities and beginning new ones. For my family and many others, school is winding down and my babies are about to be home all day.
Every year I see two different thought processes when it comes to “the end of the school year”. There are parents who are excited about having their children back home with them all day and then there are parents who feel overwhelmed by it.
I wanted to send a little encouragement, not guilt—let me say that again—NOT GUILT, to the beginning of your summer season with your kids.
Take a breath.
Don’t fill the days with so many things to do that there isn’t enough room to write on the calendar.
Just be with them.
Wrap them up in your arms. Do fun things at home. Eat meals around the table. Make s’mores around a campfire. Set up the backyard for movie nights with big blankets and popcorn. Build forts. Take trips to the library and adventure through all the books. Put the swimsuit on and get in the pool (even if it is a baby pool). Shoot hoops in the driveway. Play tag. Be silly and laugh.
Fill up the memory bank more than the calendar.
This isn’t to say you must be the Pinterest-crazed mom and make everything look perfect. All I’m saying is be with them. It doesn’t have to include specially curated events you create that look perfect on Instagram.
And then when you can’t be with them—let them be, too.
Kids need time to decompress. They need time to be kids. They need fresh air, summer sun, and freedom to find creativity in boredom. As a society, we’ve created a bubble of a schedule that keeps our kids from exploring, building tree forts, making mud cakes, and inventing new games.
Did you know the average American kid spends over 1,200 hours on a screen a year?
Did you know that the average American teenager reports a stress level of 5.8 on a scale from 1-10 where adults report an average of 5.1?
Childhood has become intense in many ways. Stress isn’t good for anyone, but a child’s fast-developing brain is more vulnerable to the cortisol that is secreted during stressful times. Cortisol kills and injures brain cells by the billions and robs the brain of its main fuel source—glucose.
So, how do we help our kids?
We let them play outside and just be kids. The simple act of playing outside is proven to help relieve stress AND boost brain health. Nature sends your body and brain into a “relaxation response”. Have you ever noticed how a walk outside quickly makes your shoulders fall from your ears so you can breathe? This relaxation response is the opposite of a stress response.
The benefits of relaxation response include decrease in blood pressure, decrease in cortisol output, heightened immunity, decrease in muscle tension, increase in alertness, and increase blood flow to the brain by up to 25%.
If this is done often, your body will be much less vulnerable to the stress response—even when you aren’t outside!
Think what this means for your kids!
Playing outside = incredibly valuable time spent improving multiple health aspects!
