f/k: a few quick recipes and adorable kiddos.

ahhhhh friday, we meet again.  it's funny how fridays feel like a relief, since the week is over and the weekend is before us.  but in reality, we as parents still basically have the exact same schedule that we do during the week.  it's not like the kids wake up later on saturday mornings...

i dunno why, but fridays still feel nice.

here's a few dishes i've made recently and the links to get your hands on them.

first is rolled chicken breasts with prosciutto and asparagus.  i'm obsessed with prosciutto and jon lovvvvves asparagus so this was a winner for us.  recipe can be found here.

this next one i made last night.  i've made it before and i'll be making it again.  can you tell we bought prosciutto at costco?  recipe found here

what's that you say? you want to see MORE pictures of my kids? oooooooooook. i give the people what they want...

o: all about thieves

today i'm gonna specifically focus on one oil.  one amazingly versatile little oil.  

thieves.

(total sidenote: i cannot for the life of me get the text below to match the rest of my blog's text. ugh)

wondering where the name came from? no? well i'm gonna tell you anyway.  

thieves is an amazing blend of highly powerful germ fighting oils. it was created from research about a group of 15th century thieves who rubbed oils on themselves to avoid contracting the plague while they robbed the bodies of the dead and dying. when apprehended, the thieves were forced to tell what their secret was and disclosed the formula of herbs, spices, and oils they used to protect themselves in exchange for more lenient punishment.

thieves is a blend of 5 essential oils including clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary. studies conducted in 1997 at weber state University demonstrated the killing power of these amazing oils against airborne microorganisms. The analysis showed that after just 10 minutes of thieves diffusion in the air, the amount of airborne bacteria was reduced by over 80%. Another study found thieves killed over 99.96% of bacteria on surfaces. these cleansing abilities make it highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health.

here's a visual on the cleaning powers of this oil.  this was done by someone in the yl oils group i follow on facebook. so cool.

results after 7 days.  L represents items that were cleaned with Lysol and T represents items cleaned with Thieves.

with such obvious cleaning powers, young living turned this oil into a natural household cleaner that can be used on basically anything and everything.  it comes super concentrated and a little goes a VERY long way (as you'll see below). i recently bought this and i will never go back to the chemical-filled cleaners i used before.  

$15 for this bottle and it will last me months.  AND i use it on EVERYTHING. 

here's the dilution chart to show you exactly how little cleaner is used to do even the biggest jobs. 

so i got to work on cleaning my house the other day.  instead of getting out my huge pile of cleaners i simply used these 3 things for my whole house.  bye bye lysol, windex, oven cleaner, scrubbing bubbles, soap scum, etc. 

i started by diffusing these bad boys.  purified the air, gave the house that fresh, clean smell and the lemon gave me the energy i needed to clean.  

i hadn't used the cleaner on windows or glass so i decided to give it a try.  i was curious about streaks because i swear even with windex sometimes i still had streaks.  nope.  my kids have grimy little mits and they leave their fingerprints evvvvverywhere.  it's almost a waste of time for me to clean windows and mirrors lower than 3 feet high but at least i got the satisfaction of them being clean for about 23 seconds. literally.  

taken RIGHT after i finished cleaning it.  seriously, within seconds.

good thing he's so insanely cute.  look how proud he is?

tackled the whole upstairs including tubs, toilets, sinks....even wood tables! i sprayed a little cleaner on a paper towel and wiped tables down as a way to dust.  i headed downstairs to clean the kitchen, which is always a project.

as i mentioned in my "a day in my oily life" post, i add a few drops of lemon oil in my dishwasher to de-grease and reduce water spots and i add a few drops of purification in my laundry to combat nasty stains and to make it all smell fresh.  


alright, on to the kitchen.  i'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  i made the cleaner a little stronger for the stove-top since that's always a tougher clean.  usually i have to let oven cleaner sit for hours and then i use a brillo pad to scrub. nope.  a basic sponge and my trusty thieves cleaner.

pictures don't even do it justice.

i've had this for 5 years and it now looks brand new again!

this next picture won't look all that exciting because there's no before, but let me tell you this high chair needed a serious scrub down.  and the thing i think i love the MOST about this cleaner is that i don't have to worry at all about my kids being exposed to the chemicals, because there are none.  i clean his tray with it too.  thieves is an oil you can use (and it works wonders) diluted on teething baby gums so some residue on the high chair tray isn't gonna hurt at all.  

i even used the spray directly on the upholstery on our kitchen table chairs because both the wood and the fabric on makena's chair were nasty, sticky and stained.  good as new. this stuff is no joke.  

i'll end with a few more graphics on some more thieves cleaner info.  obviously you know by now that if you want to get your hands on some, get in touch with me on facebook or e-mail me at krisgidz@gmail.com.  i just found out while i was creating this post (seriously, total coincidence) that there is a promo coming up from march 26-31 on thieves cleaner.  10% off up to 2 bottles.  i may have to stock up. 

here's a few more uses for thieves oil.  this reminds me, i need to replenish my bottle.  i refuse to be without it.

and that will do it! :)