Bonne Nuit Mes Amis

Have you given up on counting sheep to fall asleep? Do you toss, turn or wake up in the middle of the night with your head buzzing? Do you rise before the alarm? If you answered yes to any of these questions, give these easy, natural methods a try.

Write it Down
What might be keeping you up is your buzzing thoughts. So, designate a pad of paper or journal to keep by your bed to list your thoughts, to do's before you settle in or if you rise during the night.

Soak
If it's been forever since you've taken a bath, set time aside in the next week to do that for yourself. Making your own bath gel with calming and relaxing essential oils like Lavender and Roman Chamomile are sure to start you snoozin.

what you will need:

• Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap (Baby Mild)


• suggested Essential Oils: Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Tangerine

how to make it:

1. In a 4 oz glass pump container, add just under 4 oz of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap


2. Then add 15 drops total of essential oils


3. Replace the pump


4. Shake well


5. Add 2 - 4 pumps of your bath gel to a tub of warm water


6. Light a candle


7. Gently enter the tub, soak, relax

Sleeping and Love
Your bedroom is a bedroom, not an office or living room. I dare you: remove the TV, iPod's, laptops, BlackBerries, etc. While you're at it, move the alarm clock to across the room away from your head; your brain will thank you.

Tea
Chamomile tea has been used forever to calm the digestive system; it has the same affect on the nervous system. Purchase some organic Chamomile tea from your local health food store, brew a cup and sip slowly after your dinner meal.

Meditate
Nothing complicated: for 10 minutes, lie down on your back, on top of a warm blanket, focus on just your breath, inhaling for 3 counts and exhaling for 3 counts.

Misc.
During the day, replace caffeinated beverages with lots of purified water; reduce or avoid white sugar, too. Just say no to medications, foods, household cleaners, and personal care products with dyes.

Educate
If you are taking prescription medication, take the time out to read the complete package insert to your meds. It is quite possible that "insomnia" is listed as a side effect. This goes for over-the-counter medications, too.

Om
Yoga takes your mind off everything, improves circulation and immunity, helps you lose weight and makes you feel good. I always sleep better after yoga class; try a gentle or restorative yoga class once.

Essential Oil Spray
Create a spray that you can spritz over the top of your head (crown) and over your pillow before bedtime.

what you will need:

• 2 oz glass spray bottle
• Distilled water
• suggested Essential Oils: Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Tangerine

how to make it:

• In a 2 oz glass spray bottle, add just under 2 oz distilled water
• Then add 10 drops total of essential oils
• Replace the top
• Shake well
• Close eyes and spray over top of head and on pillows

If you have any natural tricks for good night's sleep, please share with us. Thank you,

Bonne nuit,
Amy

Quaker's Best Oatmeal Cookies, Organica Jane's version

Ingredients:

2 sticks organic butter, softened (can use applesauce in place to make Vegan)

3/4 cup local, pure maple syrup

3 free-range, organic egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups all-purpose (blend of unbleached white / whole wheat / organic spelt / brown rice flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

2 T ground flaxseed

3 cups organic quick oats

1 bag of carob or organic semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375°F

1. In large bowl, beat butter and syrup, add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and clove; mix well. Add oats and chips; mix well.

2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 10 – 12 minutes – or till golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Servings: ABOUT 3 DOZEN

All-Natural New Year!

1.  Look under your sink and discard all of your commercial household cleaners, e.g., Windex, AJAX, Mr Clean, Comet, Scrubbing Bubbles, Lysol, etc., and replace them with Thieves Household Cleaner from Young Living, Baking soda and White Distilled Vinegar. Research shows that the synthetic chemicals store themselves in our fat cells, which disrupt our metabolic process, keeping us from losing weight. Watch your overall health and weight improve!

2.  Replace pop, diet soda and coffee with spring or purified water.  Purchase a PUR filter if you don’t already have one.  Clinical Nutritionists recommend drinking ½ your body weight in ounces every day.  So, if you weigh 100 lbs., you would drink 50 ounces of water daily.  Add the juice of ½ organic lemon or lime. Lemon stimulates the liver and helps release digestive enzymes; it’s also alkalinizing.

3.  Switch to natural sweeteners - raw agave (low glycemic), honey or pure maple syrup to sweeten your tea today. Artificial sweeteners like Aspartame, Sweet n Low, Splenda are not natural to the human body and have been shown to cause weight gain and other health issues. Watch your overall health and weight improve!

10 Challenge yourself to no TV today. Paint, read, draw, play cards, do a craft instead.

11 Go dancing tonight! Here are the happenings in Rochester, NY: http://www.rochesterdance.com/

12 Purge your pantry: read the labels and discard any food products that list the words “HYDROGENATED or PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED”, these fats cause plaquing of the arteries.

13 Fill a plastic tub with warm water and 2 cups of Epsom salts, add your feet and soak for 15 minutes.

14 Whenever you get the munchies, snack on organic carrots and celery today.

15 Designate a few hand towels (save a tree) to wipe up messes around the kitchen.

16 Try a yoga class today (many studios offer a free first class). Find a class in your area: http://www.yogafinder.com/

17 Check out your local farmers' market this week. Find one in your area at http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/.

18 Before dinner, take the family out for a quick walk around the block.

19 Pack a picnic and take a hike somewhere you’ve never been. Find a trail near you at http://www.trails.com/

20 Grab the one you love and massage their feet for just 10 or 15 minutes. Add a few drops of Peppermint essential oil for sore feet or Lavender essential oil for the restless sleeper.

21 Eliminate major toxins in your personal care products: ditch anything that contains ALUM/ALUMINUM, FRAGRANCE, DEA, TEA, PHTHALATES, PARABENS, TRICLOSAN and COAL TAR. Watch your overall health and weight improve!

22 Designate your bedroom as a quiet haven for sleeping and love (no tv, laptops, electronics).

23 After dinner, turn up the kid’s favorite music and dance!

24 This morning, make a pot of organic oatmeal and add what you like (chopped walnuts/almonds, dates, ground flax, cinnamon, organic blueberries or apples, sliced banana - and a Teaspoon of agave).

25 Move your lymph nodes: Go Bowling!

26 Clean the air in your home: drop all perfumed candles, artificial sprays and plug ins in the toxic waste bin. I guarantee you will see a change in your overall health and weight when you remove these items!

27 Stock up on quality dark chocolate bars (70% cocoa preferred): store them in your desk drawer or refrigerator.

28 Blend a healthy shake with any organic fruit, yogurt and ground flax seed. This usually holds me over till lunch time.

29 Massage 1 – 3 drops of Tangerine essential oil on the bottom of each foot before going to sleep. Bonne nuit!

30 Incorporate colored (spinach, vegetable) or spelt pasta in your meal tonight.

31 Before showering, slough your body with a natural bristle brush. Sloughing will help circulation, reduce cellulite, remove dead skin cells and support lymph system.

AUGUST

1 Invest in a personal trainer to keep you motivated.

2 Movie night: cook an organic variety of popcorn with coconut oil on the stove and serve with
sea salt, much tastier than microwaving.

3 Replace fatty, processed salad dressings with a combination of any of the following: olive oil, agave/honey/maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, basil, Dijon mustard, Bragg’s apple cider vinegar.

4 Serve local, organic wine or beer at your next party.