The Birthday Blessing Review and GIVEAWAY! {Ended}

***The winner of the giveaway is Sharon Westphal!
Sharon, please respond to the email that we sent to you and we'll make sure you get your package right away!  CONGRATS!


I am beyond excited to write this review!!!

And even more excited that one of my readers will be able to have one of these at home as well!

Several weeks ago,  I was introduced (online) to The Birthday Blessing sisters through a blogger Facebook Group!. These ladies have created something so special for parents and their children.  In this "digital" age, they wanted to be able to put something in the hands of their children that embodied their love for them.

So what is The Birthday Blessing?

Well, it's a journal and a wooden birthday cake that can be purchased together or separately.  They were gracious enough to send me the package so I could do a full review!

 

The concept is that every year, during the 7 days leading up to your child's birthday, you take special time out of your day to sit with the family and have purposeful discussion about the importance of your child in the family's life!  Each day, leading up to their birthday, there are written devotionals to read with the family and thoughtful questions that will prompt you all to think about God's provisions, His promises, and His work in your child's life!  

There are sections that allow your child to write their name, what they want to be when they grow up, and more milestones for mom and dad to fill in.

It even instructs you to request a family member or friend to write a special letter to your child during the week so that you can read it to them 2 days before their birthday! There is a spot in the journal to then paste the letter as a keepsake.

There is room in the journal to share this tradition every year until your child is 18! Then, when they leave home, they have this beautiful journal to keep and read and share with THEIR children someday! It really is precious...I can't wait to fill this up!

The package also comes with a cute shabby chic "birthday cake."
The idea is to use this as a centerpiece in your home so that the whole family is reminded that it's BIRTHDAY WEEK for someone! It's a visual reminder that the week is dedicated to celebrating the child who is turning another year older.

I know in our family, we have tried to do something special with each child on their actual birthday without the other kids....just to take some special time with them alone. And then there's usually a birthday party sometime close to that as well.  

This is much different than that, but a really sweet compliment to any other festivities we might be having.  

More than just a celebration, it's a time of encouraging, affirming our love for, and lifting up our child.  I feel like this concept can easily get lost in today's busy world!  This is intended to be a blessing to our kids as we intentionally plan for this time to show them how special they are to us and how God has created them in a special, unique way to live for His glory.

Sadly, we didn't know about this before our kids' actual birthdays!  I wish we knew when Joy was a baby!  But Jackson just turned 1 in March, so we started this journal for him.  We do intend to purchase 3 more for the girls and Tobi though!

I want to do this for all my kids!

We will cherish this for years to come as our children grow and I can't wait to look back at years prior to see God's faithfulness in the lives of our kids and our entire family.

I HIGHLY recommend this to my fellow moms and dads!!!
Even for those of us who are adoptive parents...imagine how much this will change each year as our kids come home, as they learn new languages, connect and bond with their siblings, etc!  I can't wait to start Tobi's when he gets home!!

Please visit TheBirthdayBlessing.com to see their creative and thoughtful product.  I would consider giving this for a 1st birthday gift (because we know many gifts for 1 year olds are really for the parents;)  It makes a GREAT baby shower gift as well!!!

Now, I DO have the opportunity to help one of my readers take this home!!! 
There are a number of ways that you can enter using the giveaway tool below.  Please share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter to spread awareness about this special product as well as to let your friends know about the chance of winning a FREE one!

The giveaway starts now and will close on August 7th and the winner will be announced at the top of this blog post.  I will share the post on Facebook as soon as we have a winner as well!

I will collect the winner's information and your Birthday Blessing package will be shipped directly from the company!

Frankincense GIVEAWAY! {Ended}

Giveaway has ENDED!

And the winner is......

Amy Adelseck!! 
Amy, contact me with your choice of either Frankincense or Sacred Frankincense!  Congratulations!!! 


So in this post, I mentioned that I'd be doing a giveaway soon!

And thanks to Young Living's November promotion, I have two free 5ml bottles of essential oils!

I have a bottle of Frankincense and
A bottle of Sacred Frankincense.

The winner of the giveaway will get to choose which Frankincense they'd like sent to them!!

Before we get into the giveaway details, let me tell you a little bit about Frankincense and how both of these Frankincense oils can benefit you and your family.

Frankincense
This Frankincense is the Boswellia carteri species and it is actually a resin obtained from the tree.  It has a sweet, warm, balsamic aroma that can be helpful in stimulating our minds and can help with focus.

It obviously has ancient origins as we remember it's what the wise men brought baby Jesus!

Young Living believes that they brought either this species of Frankincense, or the species that they extract their Sacred Frankincense from that was actually presented as the gift to Christ!



Sacred Frankincense

This oil is obtained from the Boswellia sacra tree and is distilled in Oman!  Its aroma is slightly softer and sweeter than that of the other Frankincense oil. 

**If you have sensitive skin, this oil is slightly milder on skin than the other. 

There are current studies that are showing that the Boswellia sacra species is more effective at cancerous tumor fighting than Boswellia carteri! 


So, how can Frankincense benefit you and your family?

 

Fight colds and flu
-Frankincense is super antibacterial, it can be taken in capsules a few times a day and rubbed on your feet to fight off whatever bacteria is causing you to feel unwell.
 

Clean cuts and scrapes
-wonderful for killing germs in wounds and promoting healing


Reduce wrinkles
-rub on your face to help fade wrinkles!
   *Some women (or men) make Frankincense a daily regimen for their face.  It can really improve the look and feel of the skin.


Banish skin warts, spots, stretch marks, and blemishes
!-apply to skin abnormalities daily to reduce spots and marks, and warts will usually just fall off after continuous application


Relieve itchy skin
-Apply to itchy patches of skin.
   I actually used this!  I have a patch of skin under my wedding ring that occasionally gets a rash.  It is itchy, red, and irritated.  I applied Frankincense for a couple days and it healed!


Oral care
-great for rinsing in the mouth to kill bacteria!

Enhance vision
-Ok, this is crazy.  You can apply Frankincense to the cheek and brow bones (NEVER put oils in your eye!) daily.  After a period of doing this for months, many people have eliminated the need for reading glasses!!!

-Also, you can rub a drop of oil in your hands, then cup them over your eye for 3 minutes and repeat that 2-3 times per day.  This can improve peripheral vision!
 Please note that I said "months."  This isn't an instant result!

Improve Concentration
-Rub on your temples to help you concentrate!

Brittle Nails
-Apply to your nails daily to help strengthen them!

Overall Health
-I have started adding a couple drops of Frankincense to my daily capsule for my health.  With all the things it can assist my body with, why wouldn't I???

***Please remember that this is ONLY recommended for use with Young Living Essential Oils!  It is NOT the same as oils from the health food store!


How not to use Frankincense
Anyone interested in essential oils will notice that there is a "spiritual side" that many use them for.  While I DO believe that these have the ability to assist in COUNTLESS areas of our lives, I do not believe that we should look to them for assistance in our spiritual lives.

Christ has overcome all for us.  And I think that if we are looking to something that He created for our ultimate fulfillment, instead of the Creator Himself, then we are looking in the WRONG place.  I don't use or recommend using essential oils for help in prayer, meditation, uplifting your soul, or any other like terms that you might see.  

That is a matter of the heart and bringing in anything else is opening up the door to "new age" spiritualism.

"His divine power has granted us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence."  2Peter 1:3

We don't need to look to an oil for our spiritual well-being, we just need to look to HIM!

Ok.  Now that that's cleared up, let's talk about how you can get a FREE bottle of Young Living Frankincense or Sacred Frankincense!!

How to Enter:

You have four different ways to enter.

1. Share this blog post on Facebook (comment on the blog or on the FB post that you shared it)

2. Share this blog post on Twitter (comment on the blog to let me know you shared it)

3. Follow my blog! (enter your email in the box on the right sidebar that says "Stay up to date and Follow us!"

4. Comment below on the blog and tell me what you'd like my next essential oils post to be about!

Rules:


-ANYONE can enter!  Local, non-local, friends, family, or not-acquainted!


-You can enter by sharing the blog post on Facebook or Twitter once per day! (meaning you have a chance to enter via either of these methods at least 4 times!  Make sure to let me know via the blog or Facebook that you did!)

-You can only enter one time via the 3rd and 4th option.


-I will use a random selector to choose the winner on Saturday, November 16.


-I will announce the winner Saturday at the top of this post and will share it on Facebook

-I will ship the winner their choice of 5ml bottle Frankincense or Sacred Frankincense on Monday November 18 if the winner isn't local.


***Example***
Wednesday: Follow the blog, share it on Facebook AND Twitter, then comment on the blog with this, "I shared your post on Facebook and Twitter, and I'd like to see you post something about how to use PanAway!"  =4 separate entries!

Thursday: Share the post again on Facebook and Twitter and comment again either on the blog or on my Facebook shares with, "Shared your blog post on Facebook and Twitter again!" =2 MORE entries!  

You can do this every day!

So....go ahead!  ENTER!


Remember, I give you the details of how to get your own starter kit in this post.


***A few articles to check out:
Frankincense and breast cancer cells 
Frankincense: Cure for cancer?


Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional.  I simply make decisions on how to care for and improve the health of my own family.  None of the statements on my blog have been evaluated by the FDA and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.