Homemade Vapor Rub

As I've said before, coconut oil is sort of an obsession with me.  Its great for your hair, skin, and nails.  We use it as an every day lotion, but it really comes in handy when cold season hits.

Growing up, I can remember my mom slathering me in Vick's VapoRub.  It's one of my favorite things when I'm feeling under the weather, but taking a look at the ingredients put a stop to its use.  I no longer like using petroleum based products, which lead me in search of a natural alternative.

And what do you know?  I discovered yet another use for my beloved coconut oil!

The stuff is amazing, I tell you!

 

Homemade Vapor Rub

 

What you'll need:

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

Eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil
small plastic container with a lid

What to do:

1.  Add the coconut oil to your plastic container.

2.  Add 5-7 drops of your essential oil and stir together.  If it isn't strong enough to your liking, add more essential oil in 2 drop increments until you reach the desired strength.

3.  Once it's all mixed up, slather it on your chest* (and feet, if you're like me!) and inhale as you drift into a restful sleep!* When using for babies and children, use half the amount of essential oil, or dilute already made Vapor Rub with more coconut oil before application.

 

To Make Homemade Whipped Vapor Rub, follow the recipe for Whipped Coconut Oil, adding your either eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil into the bowl before whisking.
 

Easy, Mama!

As moms, we all have known life to get a little hectic. 

There’s a house to clean, bills to pay, laundry to do, groceries to buy, and meals to prepare.
Add in organizing lessons and planning family field trips, and you’ve got yourself a full time job.
Make that two full time jobs.  (Sure feels like it sometimes!)

 

With how fast paced our lives have become, there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done.  We feel that we have to get everything done, perfectly.  And we just don’t measure up.  (I know I can’t!)

That’s when we begin to feel discouraged.  I’m constantly scheduling my time for tasks and organizing our days, and more often than not those plans go by the wayside.  For a perfectionist like myself, that’s a tough thing to come to terms with.  The house isn’t as clean and organized as I’d like for it to be, the kids lessons didn’t go as I had planned, and that laundry sitting over there, in the basket Still hasn’t been folded.

But that’s okay.

God’s teaching me to let that go.  Things don’t have to go exactly according to my plans.  They don’t have to be perfect.  And guess what?  My kids aren’t always going to do things the way I do, despite my insistence.

Do those things even really matter?

No.  They don’t.  At the end of the day, as long as my family is safe, fed, and happy, then it is all alright. 

If the dusting doesn’t get done on my schedule?  The house isn't spotless?  That’s okay.  It’s more important that my kids know that I’m here to play and spend time with them.

 

If I don’t teach the lesson plan exactly?  That’s alright, too.  This week we are studying horses at my five year olds insistence, and I have activity pages and coloring sheets that I thought we’d do today.  And neither of my kids want to have any part of that.  Instead, we are playing with a farm set and some horses. 

See, at least I snuck a few horses in the mix!  I'm still sticking to my theme, right?

 

Shania and Kenzie are absorbed in playing with Cole.

 

These moments are the ones that matter.

 

And that basket of laundry was staring at me from the other room.  But I shut the door and walked away.  When my kids are grown, the things that they will remember will how I got down on the floor with them and played the horse and pig while they were the farmer.  They aren't going to remember a spotless house and fully planned out days.

That’s what is truly important.  So take it easy, Mama!  The things that matter the most in life, when it’s all said and done, are the relationships we build. 

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Mathew 11:28-30, NIV

 

 

 

How do you stay focused on the important things?
Have you learned how to let go and enjoy the little moments?
I'm learning, slowly but surely, and would love to hear your story!

God Bless
Rhiannan