Thoughts for Thursday: Natural Mama & Other Things...

Over the last couple of months, I've made some changes toward the more natural, homeopathic way of life. I got introduced to Young Living essential oils in January and I pretty much dived right in. I now own like 20-something bottles of oil, I've bought roll-on bottles and dropper bottles to mix up regularly-used concoctions...and I'm literally searching Pinterest daily right now for new ways to use them...and any time some sort of ailment comes up for anyone in the family, they are the first thing I turn to. I've actually been witness to them working and it's a bit of relief knowing how much I invested in them! It's good to know that they are the real deal.

I'm turning into a fucking apothecary.

Haha, anyway...I think I may have shared in a post before some of my favorite uses for them so far, but I've gotten a few new oils since then and it's also been a little longer that I've used them, so I wanted to share again some things I am using them for - some may be repeats.

"FOCUS MOM" ROLL-ON (I call it that because I have a separate Focus blend for Tanner):
10 drops Peppermint
10 drops Citrus Fresh (or any citrus oil - lemon, orange, wild orange)
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

I have been bringing this one to work and I really just love the scent. I roll it on the back of my neck (brain stem) and also rub it into my temples. I do feel a bit uplifted with it and possibly more focused. I would say it mostly helps me not feel tired...I definitely get a boost of energy.

"FOCUS BLEND" (for Tanner)
15 drops Vetiver
15 drops Cedarwood
15 drops Lavender
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

Tanner puts this on the bottom of his big toes every night before bed - it aids in calming and helping him sleep better, which I think overall greatly affects his mood/behavior the following day. I also drop some on the back of his neck and rub it in...we do this before school. It is shown in studies to help hyperactive/ADD/autistic spectrum children to improve focus and quieter behavior. So far, I have noticed on the days I use it, he usually gets a good report. On days I've forgotten, I kid you not, those are the "bad" days. If I ended up running out of these oils and could only purchase one for the rest of my life, Vetiver would be it...just purely for what it's done and is doing for Tanner. It was the main reason I looking into EOs in the first place.

"STRESS AWAY" ROLL-ON
This is a pre-blended product from Young Living.

I can't say enough about the glorious scent of Stress Away. I love love love it and I really do feel more calm and peaceful after I put it on and breathe it in. I put it on my wrists and back of neck mostly.

"ALLERGY" ROLL-ON
10 drops Peppermint
10 drops Lemon
10 drops Lavender
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

Y'all, I live in Charleston and right now the pollen is out. I am usually a stuffy-nosed, sneezing mess by now. I have been using this one daily on the back of my neck and I haven't had one hay fever attack yet. Not even one Claritin has been taken.

"SLEEPY TIME" ROLL-ON
10 drops Lavender
10 drops Vetiver
Fill remainder of bottle with carrier oil - I used grapeseed oil

I have been using this every night for a few weeks now and my sleep has been SOLID. I usually toss and turn and wake up to look at the clock a few times a night...I also tend to wake up tired. This stuff knocks me out within 20-30 min of putting it on. I roll it on the bottom of my feet and the back of my neck and it's sweet dreams for me. I also like to diffuse Vetiver and Lavender in the evenings because it calms the entire household down and we all go peacefully to bed.

FRANKINCENSE for the Face

I've been using a very small amount of coconut oil (a carrier oil) with a drop or two of Frankincense rubbed together and put on my face each night as my overnight moisturizer. My skin has never looked or felt so soft. I did find that I have to alternate days and use grapeseed oil instead of coconut because I tend to break out a little when using a lot of the thicker oils...I've found that this rotation resolves that so far. I do have to make sure to wash my hair the next morning or use dry shampoo since often the coconut gets into my hair around the roots by my forehead. The grapeseed doesn't usually do that. But I definitely see a difference in the lovely fine lines that appeared on my forehead like the minute I turned 30. They are definitely fading!

Anyway, those are just a few...I have so many other great uses to try and discover.

I have started getting some things in order for Farrah's 1st birthday party. I ordered the invitations yesterday and I'm super-stoked about them. Aren't they adorable? I am sooooo happy I get to do a rainbow-themed party!

Those black bars aren't really on the actual invites...just can't have all you stalkers all up in my business. ;-)

I ordered them from Delight Paperie on Etsy, should you be interested in some invites for your own event...she has a lot of cute ones.

In further interest of my obsession of rainbows, I have dressed her like this today:

One day she won't let me do what I want with her clothes and her parties...so I'm taking full advantage of my power while I have it.

I've been keeping good with my clean eating and workout plans this week and I feel great. I am starting to already feel less sugar cravings. I actually did my strength training at home every day this week so far instead of the gym, in interest of time specifically those days, but I will be back in the gym for leg/glute day tonight. My thing is, it doesn't matter where I workout as long as I'm able to do what I planned to do, which I have. My home gym is looking better and better, I added some more bars and weight plates.

I will share my clean eating plan with you soon. It's really not leaving me hungry at all, which is awesome.

Linking Up With: Home of Malones // East Coast Chic

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Monday Musings & Baby Cold Remedy Recommendations

Happy Monday, y'all!

I'm starting my 3rd week of work and I'm finally starting to feel like we're getting a schedule down...and my internal clock is now waking me up naturally around 4:30am {even on weekends, but I hit my internal snooze button when that happens}. The first couple weeks were rough, getting the kids on a new schedule as well as myself, and it didn't help that my little Farrah has been sick. She was a lot more needy for me because of it, so it didn't help that it was right at the time she was starting to go to daycare and wouldn't see me all day anymore. She stayed home last Monday and Thursday, so I had to work from home on Thursday {so thankful my job can be done from home when necessary!} This weekend, she finally was showing signs of life again {a.k.a. being back to her cheerful, sweet little self}...even though she's still a little congested, she was much happier and playful.

I hit up Target this weekend for anything and everything that will help her through the last of this cold. I found a few things that I didn't even know they had for infants...they are homeopathic and so far, work pretty great. If you have kids, you might already know about Hyland's Teething Tablets. Farrah LOVES those so much more than the Orajel. So when I found in the cold section that they also make Tiny Cold Tablets, I knew they would be something she would happily take. {She likes to use her good ol' gag reflex when I give her liquid medicine sometimes, and it's caused her to lose her meal more than once :-( }

Another thing I got is Zarbee's Cough Syrup + Mucus Reducer. This actually seemed to dry her up for a while! Her nose had been running non-stop for like two weeks!

And of course, she's been getting her nose wiped so much lately that the poor thing has some irritated skin around her nose and mouth...and she cries every time we go to wipe her. So I went and picked up something I used to use with Breckin that I loved - Boogie Wipes. She actually lets me clean her up now without crying. They are saline wipes, so they aren't as harsh on her skin.

For good measure, I also purchased her a cool mist humidifier a few days ago and I can tell it has made a huge difference for her congestion at night. I got this one at Wal-Mart. I love it because it is quiet and works great. I've had no leakage issues with it.

So if all of this doesn't knock this cold completely out, or at least keep her comfortable while she fights off the rest of it, I don't know what will! I just desperately wanted my baby girl to feel better and be back to her old self again. Now that she's at daycare, I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more illness come home with her, so it's good that I'm stocked up and prepared. I should also be getting my Young Living essential oils kit soon and plan to diffuse some Thieves for her to see if it helps.

Since Sunday was such a beautiful day {high 60's/low 70s!} I decided to take advantage of it by getting a run in...I had mentioned before that I wanted to start adding this back into my routine as more of a regular thing. It was a little rough and definitely nowhere near my best, but I'm glad I pulled through. I've got some 5Ks and a 10K coming up soon, so I've really needed to get back into it.

Other than that, the weekend was full of laundry, grocery shopping and meal prep for the week. Glamorous, I know. Have a great week!

Linking Up With: Life Of Meg // Still Being Molly // Lipgloss & Crayons // B Loved Boston

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