Heeeellllooo! My name is Nikki Schumaker. I’m a 8 with a 2 wing on Enneagram and a Yellow/Red, which basically means I love giving hugs, followed by a kick in the pants ;)
I’m a Platinum, hustling for Diamond this year and have a fire to lead empowered peeps to find personal development, healthy living, and financial freedom for their families.

My husband Phil and I live in Kansas City and have two kiddos (Nora 12 + Abby 10). This is me, enjoying my 14th fresh coconut at the YL Farm in Ecuador last Fall. Ya'll, this company is amazing if you didn't know that already ;).

Super stoked to chat with you for just a couple minutes on some of my favorite things to have ready this time of year.

*I am not a doctor. I am not here to diagnose, treat, or cure any of your illnesses. I'm a mama who loves to empower people to make the best decisions they can for their families and live their best life. The content I cover is for informational purposes only. You are the gatekeeper of your home and get to choose what comes in and goes out.

So grab yourself a nice hot thieves tea (Yogi Bedtime is my favorite for evenings!) or an iced Ningxia Red Spritzer and let's get started!

 

 

Summer… it’s by far one of my favorite seasons. Long days, bbq’s in backyards with neighbors, family vacations, pools and sprinklers, I could go on and on. With all this greatness, I had many years where we would dive right in, and by mid summer, my routine would become less healthy and more stressed because I hadn’t prepped for kids and food and sleep and self care.

 

I do not have much GREEN (organizational skills) but I have learned to get better at this and it really pays off in weeks ahead. For us, it’s scheduling summer camps and activities early (I mean, most sign ups around here come out in February!), ordering kids items online to save time driving around town (thank you Amazon Prime!), and swapping play dates with other working mamas for some free childcare when needed!

So in this online workshop, we’re going to go through ways to set yourself up for success, whether you have little ones at home, run your own business, or work a traditional 9-5 job. You’ve got this and we’re here to help! Get ready for tips on healthy weight management, pre and post workout regimes, enjoying the outdoors annoyance free, sun health and protection, and ensuring you give yourself some “me-time” and self care every day!

Are you READY!?!?!

Let's go!

 

Healthy eating habits and promoting a healthy body image for myself and my family are priorities to me. I’ve got two tween girls ya’ll. My mantra is healthy and strong are the new “pretty.” Who else feels me?!

Leading up to Summer, I want to set myself (which then of course includes my family) up for success by “marketing” to myself things I want to use around the house everyday. This may include laying out workout clothes the night before, setting epsom salts out by your bath for a nice way to wind down at the end of the day, or setting your yoga mat and a bottle of Stress Away out to remind you to stretch during your lunch break! All these things take me just a few seconds, but help me to get over the hump of actually DOING THEM! ;) Or like on Sundays, I like to prep veggies so they’re easy to grab throughout the week (who doesn’t love a good veggie tray ready to go?)

 

Years ago, when I worked in an office, I brought a small cooler with my NingXia Red, maybe a Nitro or Zyng, and sometimes a sparkling water for a mid-day pick me up instead of drinking that Diet Coke or coffee I use to have. And I would pack a couple Super B, and my oils to apply throughout the day like Energy, Clarity, Endoflex, Frankincense and Peppermint.

Okay, can we talk for a minute about a product many people haven’t tried? I’m talking about the Slique Line ya’ll. I’m obsessed with the Slique Tea and oil blend. They are the best for cutting sugar cravings. And then there’s the Slique CitraSlim capsules which have been shown to actually help you burn fat. I’m not kidding.... you read that correct. These capsules contain a proprietary citrus extract blend which have been shown to burn excess fat as well as provide powerful antioxidants and support the release of free fatty acids, which help to break down fat.

CitraSlim caps contain sweet orange, blood orange, grapefruit, as well as four citral-dense essential oils: Ocotea, Cassia, Peppermint, and Fennel, as well as a blend of enzymes to help break down your food. BOOM!
Here are a few more benefits + features of this awesome bikini worthy product:

• Formulated with ingredients to help burn fat.

• Supports a healthy metabolism.

• Unique formula features plant-based extracts that help support healthy weight management and healthy energy levels.

• Slique CitraSlim is designed to be part of a healthy weight-management system when used in conjunction with other Young Living Slique products.

• Formulated with a proprietary citrus fruit-based blend, which may help support the body in burning excess fat when used in conjunction with a healthy-weight management plan.

• May help support the breakdown of triglycerides that are stored in the body’s fat tissue.

• May support the release of free fatty acids that help break down fat and help to produce additional energy.

• Formulated with citrus extracts and other plantbased ingredients known for their polyphenols and antioxidant activity.

• Reduces oxidative stress.

Consume 2 powder capsules in the morning with 8 ounces of water. Consume 1 powder and 1 liquid capsule with 8 ounces of water in the afternoon, before 3 p.m. If you miss taking your capsules in the morning, you may take all 4 capsules together in the afternoon, before 3 p.m.

So let’s get back to the whole “self-image” concept I mentioned earlier. I have to practice what I preach with my daughters. :) Looking good in that bikini or swimsuit (or shorts for that matter!) is more about self-confidence and how you view yourself than it is worrying about what others think. Feeling good from the inside out helps us all to feel happy in the skin we’re in. I mean, listen to Beyonce here, “The most alluring thing a woman can have is confidence.”

One thing I love about Young Living is that we’re all about taking care of our bodies and our families with products that are good for us- from the inside out. With that being said, toxins are not what we want in our homes, or stuck in our bodies.

 

One of the powerful things about our essential oils is that they are small enough to penetrate the cells of our bodies and actually go in and clean them out! (Google: sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, and d-limonene)

 

So our bodies are smart, and they hide toxins in our fat to keep them away from our vital organs- hence celulite. Oils that are high in d-limonene help to clean out those cells…. Hint hint. This is why we have citrus oils in the entire Slique line, including one of my favorite massage oils I like to rub on my thighs and stomach after the shower, Cel-Lite Magic! This summer worthy blend of oils is designed to help improve the appearance of skin texture, and the Grapefruit oil in it is one of the keys in helping with that (high in limonene!).

One tip to enhance the benefits of Cel-Lite Magic is to add a whole 15ml bottle of Grapefruit to the bottle of Cel-Lite Magic, mix it all up, and apply it where needed!

 

Whether you’re keeping up that fitness routine to get in shape or you’re just gearing up for summer sports and activities with the kids, let talk about having tools on hand to deal with muscle discomfort or pain. And this may just be aches and pains from normal life routines (I mean mowing and weeding are a chore!!!)

 

A few oils we are never without are PanAway, Deep Relief, and Copaiba. I like to add Copaiba (gives it super power strength) to either blend and rub on sore calves, arms, or wherever I may have overdid the workout. I apply again as needed throughout the day.

But things don’t stop with our oils. Ya’ll when I started trying our supplements (infused with our EO’s) is when the game really changed. Here’s a few more products I always have on hand and will give to my girls or Phil when I know they need extra muscle recovery and support.

-Aminowise- reduces lactic acid induced by exercise through antioxidants, essential oils and minerals. Also helps support the production of nitric oxide which can improve vascular blood flow.

 

-Sulfurzyme and Sulfurzyme powder- both have msm and ningxia wolfberry powder which if fantastic for skin and muscle building and antioxidants. Sulfurzyme Powder also has FOS which is a good source of fiber, helping push toxins out of the gut and stuck in inflamed tissue. (google Minke Red Drink for my favorite drink Sulfurzyme Powder)
 

-Cool Azul Gel and Cool Azul Pain Cream- these are two of Phil’s favorite. Always on his night stand ;). Both are designed for the athlete and the everyday sore human, lol. The Pain Cream helps with joint pain, while the Sports Gel absorbs quickly and provides a cooling sensation. Think Bengay as a gel, without the toxins and nicer smell!
 

-Agilease, BLM, and Super Cal Plus are a few others we love along with our trusty Ningxia Red to keep us rolling and feeling good!

Summer brings warmer weather and lots of bugs, lol. BUGS! Isn’t it funny how when we are deprived of something (summer) for nine months of the year, we initially forget all of the trials and tribulations associated with it?

We are plagued by mosquitoes, gnats, and flies when all we want to do is enjoy a bonfire or walk along the beach. It’s tempting to reach for the classic insect repellant, but before you do that, flip over the bottle to see if DEET is an active ingredient.
DEET is a registered pesticide. It is a member of the toluene chemical family. Toluene is an organic solvent used in rubber, plastic cements, and paint removers. DEET is absorbed through the skin and can pass into the blood.

It can cause allergic skin reactions and eye irritation. A 2013 analysis of about 4,000 DEET-related calls to poison control centers found that 450 people needed medical treatment after applying DEET, and two were fatal.

Most cases of seizures, slurred speech, coma, and other serious side effects have occurred in people who ingested DEET or applied it for three or more days in a row or used products with 95 percent DEET or more.

No, thanks. I’ll pass.

*** See this article from the Washington Post ***

Young Living came out with an Insect Repellent that has been tested to repel mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas using 100 percent naturally derived, plant-based ingredients. Formulated without DEET, parabens, fillers, phthalates, animal-derived ingredients, synthetic preservatives, fragrances, or synthetic colorants.

Young Living’s Insect Repellent is made up of Sesame Seed Oil, essential oils, and vitamin E. Citronella is a key essential oil in this product and is a powerhouse for keeping us bug free! It also has the oils, lemongrass, rosemary, geranium, spearmint, thyme and clove!

Here are a couple tricks for easy application:

For on the go- pour YL insect repellent into a roller ball for quick application while on a hike, or just enjoying a backyard bbq!

Another fun idea is to turn your Young Living Bug Repellent and Sunscreen into sprays using these awesome Flairosol bottles from Amazon!

I just poured my bug spray (still had a ton left from last year!) straight into the spray bottle.

For the sunscreen, I had about half a tube left, so I added some coconut oil, 20 drops of carrot seed essential oil and 20 drops of lavender to the spray bottle.

Hopefully this will make it a little easier to apply on the go!

When my MN husband moved south after we got married, he started to experience seasonal allergies a LOT... and all the regular OTC remedies we tried did not cut it. Anyone ever experienced this? He was miserable. I had just been introduced to Young Living, and what we were about to learn was that essential oils can help with seasonal discomforts! Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint were a game-changer for him, as well as my daughter who was 3 at the time. He took drops in a vegetable capsule, applied around sinuses with a q-tip, and we diffused at night and in the office. For my daughter, since our skin is our biggest organ and anything we apply to it is in our bloodstream within minutes, we applied the oils to her skin, mainly her spine and feet, and diffused in her bedroom at night. Other oils that are great for seasonal support are fennel and wintergreen!

Another important thing to remember is by taking away body-burdening toxins in the home, the body can fight allergies easier. Things like plug ins, chemical cleaners (ie: just about everything on the shelves of target and walmart), Febreeze, and body lotions were thrown away as I began to learn more. I had NO IDEA big companies like Johnsons & Johnson’s baby lotion or Meyers hand soap were rated as “DIRTY” in EWG’s Think Dirty App (download this to your phone!). I felt deceived. Green washing is when companies claim to be “all natural” and “organic” when only a fraction of their ingredients are actually clean. We need to be educated consumers because our purchases count! I’m so thankful I can purchase so many products from YL in one order per month and know I am getting safe products for my family!

 

Sunshine is good for the soul, but too much of it while unprotected can be detrimental to your health. We know vitamin D is so important for emotional and physical well being of our bodies and the sun is the best way to get that boost. But even healthy things need to be in healthy quantities. Sun burns can leave our skin weakened and more prone to cancer down the road. Wearing sun protective clothing when we know we will be outside for longer amounts of time and drinking plenty of water is vital for healthy summers.

Did you know most commercial sunscreens are FULL of toxins? For example, do yourselves a favor and look up Oxybenzone. YUCK!  (Recently this made national news, you can read about it here)

Cue Young Living!
Made with ingredients you can feel good about, Young Living’s Mineral Sunscreen Lotion provides protection against UVA and UVB rays without harsh chemical ingredients. With hypoallergenic ingredients and skin-loving essential oils, including Helichrysum, Carrot Seed, and Sacred Frankincense, this gentle sunscreen rubs on smoothly, so you can effortlessly apply it when you're outdoors.

 

Now HOLD ON. We also need to talk about how to love your skin after being kissed by the sun.

When you stay out in the sun too long, refresh and recover with Young Living’s LavaDerm™ After-Sun Spray. This naturally derived after-sun spray offers temporary relief from the pain and itching of minor burns, minor cuts, sunburns, scrapes, insect bites, and minor skin irritations, so your family can keep playing all day.

After that, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Young Living’s Coconut Lime Replenishing Body Butter features Lime essential oil and uses plant-based ingredients to deeply moisturize your skin with a non-greasy formula.

While buying a non-toxic sunscreen is possible, it's also costly! I am so excited to share with you an amazing, safe DIY option! Best of all it's EASY (which at this point in my life I wouldn't do a DIY if it wasn't).

Here's what you do: Put 4 ounces of coconut oil and 4 tablespoons olive oil in a stainless steel bowl, and melt it by putting it over a pan of boiling water. Add 2 tablespoons of zinc oxide powder (I found it on Amazon for pretty cheap and this is where the protection is!). Stir this together, and add it to a glass jar, and begin to let it cool. You can stop there, or before it firms back up, add essential oils like lavender and carrot seed!

**WARNING: DO NOT ADD A CITRUS OIL AS IT MAKES YOUR SKIN VERY SENSITIVE TO THE SUN!!**

My absolute favorite all natural sunscreen is Young Living SPF 50 mineral sunscreen! I stocked up last summer and am so thankful we have some on hand! As soon as it comes back in stock be sure to grab it! It has been amazing for our family and kept us protected all summer long without all the junk that comes in other sunscreens.

Another quick side note, if you find you are VERY sensitive to the sun and burn easily, you may be lacking in minerals. Mineral Essence is a great way to remineralize your body and build up your skin’s natural protection. Mineral Essence on it’s own does not taste great, but I like to mix it with a little splash of juice, or make this Mineral Essence Lemonade!

Stress Free Zone!

Traveling can be stressful, no matter how much time you give yourself for preparation. Travel inevitably brings some degree of occasional stress and you and I both know that things don't always go as planned.

Luckily, Young Living has several essential oils and blends that can help promote feelings of calm and ground you during the occasional stress of travel. They can also give you a boost so that you can get through whatever is thrown at you! I like to keep these oils in my purse or travel bag to apply to myself or in the car during long vacation drives.

Valor essential oil blend is one of our most popular products and a favorite of founder D. Gary Young. Its woodsy, positive scent comes from a blend of Black Spruce, Camphor, Blue Tansy, Frankincense, and Geranium. In fact, it’s so popular that orders are limited to two bottles per month. Get your hands on the Valor Roll-on! It's so convenient and a great way to get MORE VALOR!

 

Peace & Calming essential oil is a gentle, sweet blend of Ylang Ylang, Orange, Tangerine, Patchouli, and Blue Tansy. Peace & Calming oil creates a relaxing environment that’s especially great for homes with children.

Stress Away essential oil blend is the first product to contain the unique combination of Lime essential oil and Vanilla extract. The distinct mix of Vanilla and Lime gives Stress Away essential oil blend its unique and pleasant aroma, among other benefits. With a perfectly balanced aroma of both tropical and citrus notes, it offers you a uniquely relaxing oasis in a fast-paced world.

Stress Away Roll On, as well as dropping Frankincense on the crown of my head and under my tongue in moments of stress, I have found to be extremely helpful as well.

Endoflex! This is a blend of oils that help support our endocrine system! Ya’ll, when our hormones are out of wack, our stress levels can sky rocket. And this includes kids, men, and women. This blend does not have any hormones in it, it just has essential oils that help those endocrine glands work like the are supposed to! I like to put a roller (aroma glide fitments!) on my bottle of endoflex and roll it on our lower back over the adrenals, or on my thyroid (front throat) as needed. It’s like a magic sauce!
 

Lastly, do you know many people are low in magnesium and that this can lead to excess stress? One of my favorite YL supplements is Super Cal Plus. It combines Magnesium with Calcium and I love to take it at nighttime before I go to bed. It doesn’t make you tired, but just helps your body relax! Another great way to get magnesium is to take an epsom salts bath (only use plain epsom salts) and I add in some nice essential oils like any of the ones listed above!

 

 

Sometimes summer days can just take it out of you- for long days like that, you have to make time for self care. Seriously ladies, we can not function on Wonder Woman level for ever! One of my favorite things to do is to take a detox bath. Think detoxing emotion and toxins all in one!

Grab yourself some Stress Away or Lavender Bath Bombs and let the stresses of the day wash away. I like to set up a diffuser while I’m in the bath for added bliss! After the bath, apply Lavender lotion and some Art Intensive Cream to your face, neck and chest.

Pro Tip- Mirah Shave Oil is not only amazing for moisturizing your legs, I also apply a bit to my lashes and then to the ends of my hair for those dry ends. It’s a three in one!

 

Let’s chat about a few more summer essentials I love for travel! Do you dread packing for vacation? What should you take? Do you only realize the night before you leave that you don’t have toiletries small enough for TSA? UGH!

Vacations have been shown to decrease stress levels and make you more present and better focused in different areas of your life, both at work and at home. I would love to help you decrease the stress before you go!

The Framingham Heart Study showed that taking vacations can actually decrease coronary artery disease. So let’s not give yourself a heart attack from all the stress of packing before you have a chance to chill out!

Rest easy, knowing Young Living has your back. Young Living has taken care of packing all your favorite products in one simple travel pack called the Bon Voyage Kit.
Bon Voyage Travel Pack offers ten Young Living personal care products in an attractive bag. All products are TSA-compliant, perfect for wherever you are going.
Bon Voyage includes: Thieves® AromaBright Toothpaste, 60ml Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier, 29.5ml Thieves Dental Floss Thieves Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash, 60ml Young Living Toothbrush Lavender Shampoo, 60ml Lavender Conditioner, 60ml Cinnamint Lip Balm Morning Start™ Bath & Shower Gel, 60ml Genesis™ Hand & Body Lotion, 60ml ART® Light Moisturizer, 10g

👉🏼https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/bon-voyage-travel-pack

A few other items I always pack for travel are veggie capsules (add a few drops of our vitality oils like Digize, as needed for extra support), Immupro (sleep+ immune support all in one), Essentialzyme-4 (I take this after heavy meals while eating out to help with bloating and digestion), and chilled Ningxia Red packets for antioxidant boosts and keeping us all healthy!

Okay ya’ll, here are some of my FAVORITE summertime DIY’s. For lots more make-your-own goodness, check out our YL Blog and click on the DIY tab: https://www.youngliving.com/blog/

Lavender Lemonade - crowd pleaser for kids and adults alike!

Lavender Makeup Remover Pads - my tween daughter loves making these!

DIY Aftershave to make you swimsuit ready!

EO Infused Water!  I love to make a pitcher of this and we all refill our cups throughout the day!

Be ready for any head tension summer schedules may bring with this Peppermint, M-Grain, and Rosemary DIY Roller

Toilet Cleaning Fizzies! Have your kids help you make these easy toilet cleaning fizzies. Then, once a week, they can drop them in the toilet while they help with summer chores!

PS - I love this simple chore chart for summer months

Order With Rewards
WOW!!! Isn’t that info so so incredible?!?!? We are the luckiest to have such amazing quality of oils + such a wide selection that costs us literally pennies per drop!! Do you have a new wish list of oils that would be a perfect fit for you + your family’s wellness needs?!?!  I wanted to remind you that when you are ready to reorder or try new oils we talked about, I want to make sure you know how to order the very best way!

If you're NOT yet a Young Living member, be sure to reach out to the person who sent you this so they can help you get started with a DISCOUNT! No strings attached, I promise. They can help you get these amazing drops of plant juice in your home so you and your family can start benefiting! Plus you'll have an amazing support team around you to help you on your oil journey!

Young Living members - If you aren’t already ordering via Essential Rewards, you are missing out! Check out all the perks from this way of shopping!

•Customizable Wellness Box

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•Earn 10-25% Reward Cash

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•Exclusive Oil Blend at 12 months // no one can order this oil!

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•Start Your Order at $50 each month

•Choose Your Shipping Date

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•Free to Join, Free to cancel

We order our supplements, vitamins, shampoo, toothpaste, laundry soap + normal Target-shopping items in one monthly order. Not only does it save me time + hassle dragging the kids into Target each week, it also saves me lots of money from all the extra I inevitably will pick up + buy when I’m there. Haha So while I’m paying a bit more through Young Living than I do for chemical-infused household products that I can buy for cheaper at the grocery store, I have the peace of mind knowing I am using safe, healthy products in our home. Plus I save 24% off the retail price AND earn tons of money back in reward cash.

This means I can get other things for free, so overall, I’m saving a lot!

If you added 2 of the summer products from this class to each of your orders each month, plus a fun little thing like a lip balm or fruit + veggie spray or vitality oil under $10, you would be building up an AMAZING stash of essential oils for your home apothecary PLUS getting tons of rewards + perks along the way.

We know are you going to fall in love just like we have!! What is the summer prep oil you can’t wait to try?!?!  If you have questions, please get in touch! Thanks for learning!!!