My Daily Routine with Oils

I thought it would be fun to do a post about my daily routine using essential oils.  I am fairly new to the oil community but have been enjoying every minute of it.  My favorite thing about essential oils is that 1 oil can be used in so many different ways.  You can never choose a wrong oil.  You don't have to be worried about overdosing, and you don't have to worry about side effects. (Keep in mind, other brands could be very different depending on how they are made, so everything here is using doTerra)

For this post I am just going to briefly lay out what I do each and every day on day that I am working and days that I am home with the kids. 

My Everyday Routine:

• After breakfast, I take my doTerra vitamins, Zyrtec + TriEase for my allergies (Most people would be able to just take TriEase for their allergies... this is the worst time of year for me, and I have to take Zyrtec and then now I can take TriEase as a added relief.
•  FYI: I actually got all these vitamins for free! Being a member gets you significant discounts and lots and lots of free products )

• I also put 1 drop of Balance on my wrist and then rub them together. 

• As I am getting ready for the day, I always put 1 drop of Frankincense into my regular lotion (Cetaphil) and apply it to my face.  - Because of my skin issues, I am not able to use any fancy face lotions, so by applying Frank with my regular lotion it helps fight wrinkles, and gives my skin a glow, and helps me feel more awake and alert without adding more chemicals that irritate my skin. 

• Throughout the day I diffuse oils.  The type of oil will vary and day to day and sometimes will change in the evening as well.  Usually if my kids are sick or have been sick I tend to diffuse OnGuard alot.  OnGuard cleans the air.  Gets rid of germs and also help our immunities.  I also like to diffuse Serenity.  I usually do this in the evenings when I need my kiddos to be calm and start to wind down before bed.  
• The serenity roller ball is 1/3 Serenity + Carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil).  This is another easy way to apply it to your kids! I put on the back of their neck or on there wrists. 

•  During the day I carry around my glass water bottle.  I put 2-3 drops of Lemon and then fill the rest with water.  Lemon helps detox your body and really it just tastes better and really is more tempting than plain water.  - If were honest here, I am usually double fist'ing with water in one hand, and coffee in another.  

On Working days: 

• I add InTune oil to both sides of my temples when I am feeling tird or bored of work.  My job is pretty intense and I have to be on point every second!  There is no room for mistakes in Radiation Therapy.  This oils helps so much!  I put a little on the sides of my temples throughout my day and I truly feel more focused on what I am doing.  Great for school or really anything that is needing your full attention!  Love it!

• At night I have a diffuser right next to me on my bed stand and I like to diffuse Breathe to help keep my airways open.  See post here.

• I also LOVE using Cedarwood.  I put a drop on my big toes, and sometimes a drop on the back of my ears.  This oil is one of my FAVORITES.  It is so addicting because it helps not only get me to sleep, but also puts me in a deep sleep where I actually have dreams.  As a mom, I can't tell you how valuable sleep is.  However, I think I can speak for most moms out there, that once you have kids, even if your normally a deep sleeper, you tend to be on edge or waiting for your child to wake up. My husband has no idea what this means haha... which is why he never hears our kids wake up in the middle of the night! :)  This oil just helps speed up the process of going from a light sleep to a deep sleep faster!  So you can finally enjoy some of that REM sleep your significant other gets every night.
• The roller ball is 1/3 Cedarwood + a carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil).  I use this for my kids.  Not every night, but when they wont go to sleep or when I know they are cranky and are in need of some great sleep.

I can't tell you how much oils have changed my life.  Most significantly with my kids and how I treat their hurts, moods, sickness, and even infections!  For myself, my life has consisted of constant reading labels and not being able to use normal products that most people use in their daily routines.  The oil smells alone are such a uplifting treat for me each day.  One of my biggest goals this year is to learn more and also to transition my life into more healthy eating for my family.  I am curious about using these oils for cooking and for helping our family with detoxing.  Does anyone have experience with this?   Another goal is to figure out these darn allergies and eczema of mine before I decide to move again! I hope this was helpful for anyone out there that is curious about essential oils and how they can benefit.  I plan on posting every so often with how I use my favorites so stay tuned!  

Also, how do you guys like my new blog look?  I think it's pretty fabulous!  Loving watercolor everything and my amazingly talented sister created my beautiful header!  Thanks Dre, your the best 

xoxo

Our Christmas 2014

So it's January 4th and yes I am just now getting around to our Christmas post!  Time has just been flying by around here, and this little space of mine was rightfully neglected.  I am known to always have a camera attached to me to catch the moments I want to freeze in time, but I seem to lack the time to actually post them... remember that 52 week project I committed too? Ya I looked back and the last one was in July.  But I mean really, it's not like I'm lacking in pictures of my kiddos on this blog am I right? :)

KC and I have been working a lot lately and so we struggled a little this year with getting everything done in time for Christmas.  We forgot to ship I think 4 peoples packages, I just barely got our holiday cards out on time, and I think we crammed 6 different events like seeing lights, and parties all into the last 3 days before the big day.  Christmas is by far my favorite holiday and I think about it most of the year.  So needless to say I have high expectations and try to make a big deal about it.  Working long hours was not part of my plan for sure, so I had to kind of let go of the expectations just go one day at a time.  I have to say what really saved us was doing an advent calendar this year.  Have any of you done this?  It was our first year, and we all LOVED it.  I had 25 little bags that each had a little card with a activity on it.  Rhone and Lachlyn would take turns each night after dinner and open the bag.  We did things like watch your favorite movie, drink hot chocolate, and then a lot of service cards such as: do something nice for someone else, make a card for a friend, give a present to a stranger, and gave our neighbors special presents.  It really was a great way to force us to take time as a family each night and helped us get into the Christmas spirit.  We've already decided that this is new tradition for our family along with a birthday cake for Jesus, which was again a huge hit. 

So this year and really last year as well Christmas day was a pretty quiet one for us. My parents came down on Christmas eve and were there with us for most of Christmas day before flying out to California.  We opened presents, ate a big waffle feast, and then played all day.  Rhone and Lachlyn's big presents were new scooters.  Rhone graduated from 3 wheels to 2 wheels and picked it up pretty quick. I have to say he is pretty darn good at that thing!  Lachlyn finally got one, and although she has a lot of practicing to do, at least she likes it and will try now while we go on our walks. Of course I had to make purple tassels and put a fancy shiny bell for her to really like it but what ever works right!

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas filled with joy, hope, and love.  I am so thankful for all of you who take the time to read this little blog about our family, and can't thank you enough.  xoxo