Wake up with this body scrub

A simple shower scrub idea that doesn't require sugar, which always makes me feel sticky afterwards. Even better, it reuses those coffee grounds that my husband would typically toss in the trash.

Wake Up Shower Scrub

leftover coffee grounds from one pot of coffee

approx. 2 Tablespoons doTerra Fractionated Coconut Oil 4 Ounces or grapeseed oil (more or less depending on desired consistency)

15 drops grapefruit essential oil

Mix. Makes enough for multiple batches. 

It sounds strange, but trust me on this.

Looking for grapefruit essential oil or fractionated coconut oil? You can buy these online by following my affiliate link.

Easy Brownie Girl Scout Service Project: Plastic Lid Recycling

I'm a firm believer that service projects should be something the girls can do, not something that requires extra work from mom and dad. That's why I was thrilled to find a simple recycling project that ties into both the Brownie Household Elf badge and the Wonders of Water journey.

Last summer, I was reading Beth Terry's book, Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too, and stumbled on a nugget that cried out for girl involvement:

While no organism can digest plastic, there are quite a few animals that are harmed while trying: according to Greenpeace, at least 267 different species are known to have suffered from entanglement or ingestion of ocean plastic debris, including seabirds, turtles, seals, sea lions, whales, and fish.38 Leatherback sea turtles choke on plastic bags they mistake for food; Laysan albatross chicks starve with their bellies full of plastic bottle caps and lighters...

But how can second graders in Indiana make a difference in the world's water? By becoming aware ad learning how recycling can impact our world.

I thought, let's do a plastic project that won't require a lot of space or mess, and will bring to their attention all the plastic that we use.

For a month, the girls were challenged to collect all the plastic lids they could. While we didn't charge them to specifically look for No. 5 plastic, we asked them to look for clean lids from milk jugs, water bottles, soda bottles, prescription bottles, etc. The girls were asked to bring them to the February meeting, with the girl collecting the most winning a water prize (in this case, a "snow" making science kit that we stumbled on at clearance.)

The girls collected more than 300 lids - which, compacted, fits into about a half of a cookie case. The lids will be sent to CapsNCups, based in Evansville, Ind., which collects bottle caps and No. 5 plastic cups to downcycle into an array of secondary products ranging from mud flaps to stadium seats. Even better, since I have family in Evansville, we won't waste the shipping and will just bring the box to them at our next visit.



Need other service project ideas for Daisies or Brownies? Check out previous posts on Christmas shoeboxes and shoe collections for tornado victims through Soles for Souls.

The hardest part is letting go

One of the hardest parts of parenting is letting your children blossom into whom they are meant to be. And that process of letting go is painful.

Those baby steps of watching your child not following through on something or not holding to your ideals can make you crazy. But it's worth the wait.

Case in point: As part of my daughter's Brownie troop's Household Elf badge and Wonders of Water journey (and admittedly inspired by Beth Terry's My Plastic-Free Life), we are bridging the themes into a small community service project: collecting  lids for plastic bottles to recycle at an Evansville company that specializes in it, For the next month, the girls are challenged to collect as many plastic lids as they can; the winner receiving a prize (a small water-related science kit).

But while my daughter is interested on the surface in saving plastic, the reality is it's harder to follow through. While mom dutifully washes lids to milk jugs, orange juice, and (admittedly) Diet Coke 2-liters, the lids rarely if ever make it to her collection. They languish on the kitchen table for days, until mom, frustrated, tosses them in the trash.

Does my daughter care about the environment? Absolutely. She's into gardening and composting, learning about saving electricity. But her heart is less into America's needs as it is in Haiti's, a result of her experiences in school.

The toughest lesson is that while our journeys interconnect, they are not one in the same. And my daughter's green journey, while started earlier in life, will weave the way it wants to.

Cinnamon apple smoothie

Cinnamon apple smoothie

1 cup diced apple
1 cup skim milk

1 scoop DoTERRA vanilla Trim Shake or other vanilla protein shake

1/2 cup ice or more if desired.

Blend all.


Calories according to MyFitness Pal: 365 for the entire thing. It tastes amazing and was so filling!



Disclosure: I do receive a percentage of the sales for the DoTERRA vanilla Trim Shake by following this link, however, I wouldn't use it if I didn't like it!

Fighting fever naturally

The school's number flashes on my phone and I cringe. I know what it means this time of day: Someone is sick.

Yes, my little guy wasn't feeling well, the after-school care staff reported. And after getting him home, we confirmed the worst: a temperature of 100.2.

Interestingly, he wanted nothing to do with taking Tylenol. Instead he asked me for oils: Pizza feet and peppermint oil.

The peppermint essential oil, which is cooling, especially for a fever, went on his neck and belly per his request. The "Pizza Feet" is our adaptation of what's known as a flu protocol. For my kids who are feeling "off" and on their way to the flu, rather than have them take oils internally, I will rub oregano essential oil (hence the "pizza feet") on the soles of their feet, along with doTerra OnGuard Essential Oil Blend and lemon essential oil. The great thing is they can use it as needed, rather than wait for four to six hours for them to be able to take ibuprofen again.

While I'm still working with my husband on raising his comfort level with using the oils on sick days, it just amazes me what the kids know their body needs. My son came to me first and requested what he wanted to help his body feel better.

For other tips on fighting the flu and cold naturally, visit Good Girl Gone Green's recent post.