Ah....DS's newfound love is playing Uno.  We play and play and play.  It has been incentive for him to get chores completed quickly and get a quick game in before we start school!  *grin*  We have started a challenge that really began when we sat down one rainy day last week to play and I said, "Hey, best two out of three.  Waddaya say?"  It has turned into DS 16 games to my 4.  In the name of all things sane and real how can my son be beating the socks off of me in Uno of all things?!?!? 

So the saga continues.  I am working on coming back from behind in a stealth attack he'll never see coming.....I think.

• a salamander
• about 10 cats at one time or another
• a dog
• raised a baby robin
• all sorts of spiders
• one of those bright red shiny furry ant/wasp things
• turtles
• a frog here and there
• fish
• mice
• and even considered a horse once

Cool and invigorating health for your mind, skin, tummy, and lungs. A plant once native only to the Mediterranean, peppermint is now cultivated all over the world. The oil—distilled from the whole peppermint plant just before flowering—contains many therapeutic chemical components, most notably menthol which contributes its tingling fragrance and distinctive taste.

The restorative powers of peppermint oil have been appreciated for centuries. It has even been discovered in an Egyptian tomb dating from 1000 BC. This minty marvel contributes to complete health in a remarkable variety of ways.

Certain components of peppermint oil, when introduced to your body through scent, trigger your brain’s limbic function to “wake up” your mind. The limbic system—often called the “emotional brain”—regulates emotion, behavior, and long-term memory and is closely connected with the olfactory structures in your nose.

If you are working on a demanding project, a drop of peppermint oil on a tissue or dispersed in a diffuser or vaporizer where you’re working will stimulate mental agility and improve your focus. For even better results, you might want to sip ice water mixed with a drop of peppermint oil at the same time. This treatment also can moderate depression and the accompanying feeling of apathy.

If a traumatic event has put you or a loved one into a mental state of shock or nervous stress, peppermint oil will help them recover.

Dizziness or feeling faint will also be helped by PO. Try both inhaling the vapors from peppermint oil and rubbing the diluted oil on your temples for relief from headaches—even migraines.

Cool Down Irritated, Itchy Skin

Dilute a drop of peppermint oil with a carrier such as olive or coconut oil and rub it onto irritated, itchy, or inflamed skin for healing and relief of dermatitis, acne, ringworm, scabies, and pruritus (a non-specific itchy feeling).

Cool your sunburn and relieve subsequent itchiness with peppermint oil. You can mix a drop in a carrier oil and apply it directly to the skin. Or you can add the mixture to a spray bottle of water to spritz painful, itchy skin (but avoid spraying it in your eyes!).

Another comforting way to use peppermint for skin irritations is to add several drops to your bath. A peppermint oil bath is a good reliever of mental distress, too. And to supercharge your soothing soak, add few drops of Beeyoutiful Lavender Oil.

Ease Digestive Upset

There’s a reason many fill-your-plate restaurants bring a peppermint candy with your dinner check. Peppermint stimulates the gall bladder and bile secretion, helping your digestive system work smoothly.

Don’t pop an antacid when your tummy feels nauseous, gassy, or crampy! Instead, drink a drop or two of peppermint oil in water (or juice, if your digestion and appetite are up for it). It won’t hurt to repeat this process once every hour or two several times if necessary.

If you suffer from spastic colon or irritable bowel syndrome, try drinking peppermint oil in water for relief. Also, dilute a drop in carrier oil and rub it straight onto your tummy. It will provide extra comfort as it soaks through the skin and into your bloodstream.

Sooth Your All-Over Aches

Peppermint oil acts as a pain killer and muscle relaxer that has no undesirable side effects. Put a drop straight on a toothache or on painful gums where wisdom teeth are trying to break through. Massage the diluted oil onto aching feet, arthritic joints, and strained muscles.

Another useful pain relief application is to rub diluted peppermint oil onto the pelvic area for relief from menstrual cramps. The oil is also useful to stabilize irregular periods and to stimulate menstruation in cases of amenorrhea (absence of menstruation).

Breathe Easier

The high menthol content of pure peppermint oil makes it helpful with respiratory disorders as an expectorant and decongestant. Dry coughs, sinus congestion, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and even tuberculosis and cholera are improved when the sufferer inhales the aroma.

The very best way to get peppermint into your respiratory system quickly is through steam inhalation. Add two drops of oil to 6 to 8 cups of boiling water in a bowl placed on a stable surface. Keeping your eyes closed, cover your head and the bowl with a terry towel as you lean over and inhale the fresh vapors. If you get too hot or start feeling like you need some air, take a break. A few minutes of this therapy will jumpstart your lungs.

Keep up the aromatherapy by running your peppermint through an essential oil diffuser, or put a few drops in a vaporizer. In addition, dilute a drop of PO with carrier oil and rub it into your chest, neck (especially the lymph gland area), back, and even the bottoms of your feet. Do this regularly, and you should notice significant improvement in your lungs and sinuses.

Your friends and family will breathe easier, too, if you use Beeyoutiful Peppermint Oil as a mouthwash. Gargle and swish with one drop in a cup of water and swallow. This reduces mouth and gum infections  and zaps bad breath.