Why I Started Using Essential Oils

I began using essential oils when I was pregnant with my daughter last summer (2014). A friend of mine had been using them for a while and had incredible results. Maybe one day I will get to post her story, but to summarize, essential oils have been life changing for her and her children. After seeing how amazing essential oils had been for her, I wanted to give them a try.

I loved the concept of using plants and natural elements to ease aches and pains and create a healthier lifestyle for me and my family. During my pregnancy I became more natural minded. I paid closer attention to the ingredients in my foods and medications. I learned that there are unbelievable benefits to living a more natural lifestyle. I wanted to make some changes in my life and using essential oils was one small thing I could try to begin my journey.

I started out attending a "make and take" party at my friend's home. It was fun and casual. She talked about what the oils were and how the brand she uses is a high quality brand. I had some delicious peppermint brownies, apple slices soaked in a protective blend, and water with a drop of grapefruit essential oil. I made a roller bottle for my killer stuffy nose symptoms and went on my way.

About a month later a attended another "make and take" party at my friend's home. My due date was any day and I was looking for some oils to help labor progress naturally and assist with contractions. My friend helped me figure out what oils would be most beneficial and she sent me home with an awesome goody bag that included a postpartum mama mix and a container of healing salve (what I call the "All Better Balm"). These items were game changers.

I used the postpartum mixture and it was amazing! The oils helped relieve after birth soreness. During her first few weeks of life, my baby developed really dry skin. Her legs were dry and scaly and even my organic baby lotions weren't helping. After about a week of applying healing salve twice per day, her legs were smooth again! My daughter is 9 months old now and I still use the healing salve on her skin once every few weeks. It is the best! I also use it on myself for dry skin, burns, bites, and all other skin issues. My husband has even put it on after he shaves.

So I tried and I enjoyed and I couldn't wait to do more. There is so much to do with essential oils! So many everyday health concerns can be relieved with the use of essential oils. I have used oils to relieve symptoms of headaches, all kinds of stomach issues, achy muscles, allergies, and emotional changes. Not to mention there are endless amounts of DIY products! I talked it over with my husband and we decided to buy an enrollment kit. I thought it was a great value and fit well with the kind of budget we were on.

After purchasing the kit, I learned more and more about what I could use oils for. Now, when I have an everyday health concern, I go to my essential oils group on Facebook, or research suggestions for which oil to use. I used to take Tylenol or ibuprofen almost everyday. Now, I have taken it two days in the past three months. I love reaching for my oils instead of making costly trips to the drug store. I feel good about using oils on my baby and my teenage son. I love that my husband has joined me in being committed to more natural healthcare for all of us.

I would love to answer any questions that I can about essential oils. Feel free to contact me through email, this blog, or social media. I am available to teach classes or one on one sessions. Thanks for taking time to read my story!

Introducing Essential Oil Products

Snail Mommy will begin selling essential oil products at local farmers markets!

Some of the products include: 

Homemade Bug Spray

Foot Powder

Hand Sanitizer 

Salve/Soothing Lotion

Ready to Use Roller Bottles

(Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint)

All products are made with high quality essential oils! 

I am so happy to be sharing practical uses for essential oils with my community!

Baby Led Weaning: Food #1

Baby led weaning is a term used to describe a way to start baby on solid foods by feeding themselves. It is important to note that "weaning" in this context does not mean to end breastfeeding or formula feeding. With baby led weaning, there are no purees or typical "baby foods". Baby starts out on soft solid foods, such as avocado or bananas. One of the benefits of baby led weaning is that is helps to teach babies to chew foods. I am excited to chronicle our journey here!

Here is the baby led weaning website:

Baby Led Weaning

I also found a great group on Facebook:


Baby Led Weaning for Beginners

We started Marlene with baby led weaning just a few days before her 6 month birthday. She was showing signs of readiness, such as sitting up, and displaying an interest in our foods. I had conducted a lot of research and educated myself, my husband, and our teenage son on what to do if she were to choke. I think this is absolutely necessary, even if you aren't doing baby led weaning. 

Her first food was avocado. I chose avocados that were ripe and cut them into long slices. She immediately picked up a slice and put it in her mouth. She sucked on a few slices here and there, but I'm not too sure if she really ate any of it. 

I gave her a slice of avocado at meal times for the next few days. Each day she would play with the avocado and suck on it. Sometimes it would get a little slimey and I would pat it dry. 

What I liked about giving her avocado is that it is soft, easily sliced, and nutritious. What I did not like was that it was hard to store. Since she ate so little at each feeding, some of it went bad, or I ate a lot of avocado that week!

Overall, our first few days of baby led weaning were a great success! 

What was your baby's first food? I'd love to hear any questions or comments! 

There Goes My Nipple on Facebook

I can't resist posting pictures of my milk drunk little baby. After she fills up on breastmilk, she passes out and takes a nap. It's a sweet moment for both of us. It's also one of the best times to take pictures of her to share with friends and family on Facebook and other social media. As I have posted before, I don't mind sharing my breastfeeding photos on the internet. However, I usually make an effort to not show my actual nipple. I will either crop the photo or twist and turn my body to skip the nip shot. Well, the other day I accidentally posted a picture of my milk drunk little baby...nipple and all. I didn't even notice until someone commented on how cute my baby is. When I saw the enlarged photo, I realized there was nipple in the picture. I thought for a moment and then decided "what the hell, it's ok, there goes my nipple on Facebook".

See, nipples are kind of a big part of breastfeeding, and I like to normalize breastfeeding. I like to normalize it in public and on social media. I want the other women in my newsfeed to know that it's ok if your nipple sneaks its way into a breastfeeding photo. You don't need to be afraid of taking those pictures of your snugly milk drunk baby and sharing them with friends. What's a little nipple between friends anyways?

My husband asked me if I realized that my nipple was showing in the picture. I told him I did and asked him if it bothered him. He told me that it didn't bother him at all, he just wanted to make sure I knew. My older sister also wanted to make sure I knew. I am happy that I have people looking out for me and my nipples.

I will leave you with this snugly, milk drunk baby (and nipple)...

Using Essential Oils: Day #1

I am so excited that I have began using essential oils! I received my enrollment kit yesterday and used some oils last night. Here is what happened on day 1 of using my essential oils kit.

My 6 month old daughter has had a bad cold over the past week or so. She has been coughing, congested and her little nose has been running. Since she has been teething (which started about a month ago) she wakes up at 3am or 4am, then again at 7am. Mama has not been getting consistent sleep!

Before bed last night, I put a drop of lavender essential oil on my pillow, which is close to baby. We cosleep, and baby sleeps in her snuggle nest in my bed. I also put about 4 drops of the respiratory essential oil blend on a baby washcloth and put that over the nozzle on our humidifier. Would you like to know the results?

Baby slept 8.5 hours. Straight. I woke up and checked her breathing (like all parents do), and went back to sleep, enjoying that I didn't have to wake up just yet. I didn't hear her cough in her sleep, which is amazing since she has been coughing every night for the past week.

Coincidence? Maybe. But I really doubt it. Some people say that oils have a placebo effect (which I don't buy), but in any case, you can't placebo effect a 6 month old.

What were some of the first essential oils that you tried? Do you have questions about essential oils? Leave them in the comments below!

Stay tuned as I chronicle more of my essential oil experiences.

To check out more oils, please email me!

Why I Encourage My Family to Wear My Baby

I love baby wearing! I also love to encourage my family members to wear my daughter. I do this because my daughter loves to be worn in a carrier and I want her to feel comfortable being worn by other people besides myself. I also feel like it strengthens the bond between her and that family member.

Sure, someone can just hold her or put her in a stroller, but that's not the same thing. She can't hear your heartbeat or feel your breath from a stroller. And I have to say, arms get tired after a while! 

My little brother is 17 and I encouraged him to wear my daughter in her Tula. He is always amazed at how calm and quiet she is when I wear her. He told me that he will have to remember all of the things I'm doing for when he has kids. I just love that he can see the benefits of babywearing and will pass that on. 

My husband and my 14 year old son wear her on a regular basis and they both enjoy it. It warms my heart to be passing on something that is good for both baby and family! 

My 17 year old brother wearing my daughter in the Tula

My husband wearing our daughter in the Tula

My younger sister wearing my daughter in the Moby Wrap

My 14 year old son wearing his sister in the Tula

This is me, wearing my daughter in her Tula

I never thought I would show my boobs on the internet

Since my daughter's birth, I have posted more pictures of my boobs on the internet than I had ever anticipated. Ok, I never really anticipated ANY pictures of my breasts lingering on the internet, but that's beside the point. I was nervous about posting my first breastfeeding selfie, I was scared of what others would say or think. But then I thought, "if I don't post breastfeeding selfies, who will?". 

The truth is that lots of people do, and I'm glad that's the case. See, I always post pictures of things I love and everything my baby does. Breastfeeding is a huge part of our lives now, and I'm happy to share that. 

The truth is, I love breastfeeding. I remember crying through cluster feedings and cracked nipples (yikes). There have been many ups and downs, but overall, it's definitely love. I love the closeness breastfeeding brings to me and my daughter. I love the awesomeness of being the sole provider of her nutrition. I love being able to comfort her at any moment. There are so many things that I love about breastfeeding. And now, I'm sharing them through photos on the internet. 

If you would've told me a year ago that I would be posting weekly photos of my breasts on the Internet, I might have called you crazy. Now I proudly share photos of my little nursling, usually sleeping at the breast. I proudly post these photos and hashtag them (#breastfeeding #boobsrock #nursing #normalizebreastfeeding). I hope that these photos will not only share my love for my daughter and breastfeeding, but also inspire others and help to normalize breastfeeding. 

It's important to me, and it's important to my daughter.