Five on Friday

This week has been a busy one. I'll just get right into it.

{one}

If you saw my posts earlier this week, you know that we celebrated Farrah's 1st birthday on Saturday with a rainbow-themed bash.

It was bittersweet, definitely. My baby girl, my last baby, is not going to be a "baby" much longer. She will be toddling before I know it.

{two}

In addition to already being emotional about her big milestone, on Monday I was hit with Breckin's Pre-K graduation {Lord, please take it easy on me, geez!} Breckin was fantastic...he is such a crowd-pleaser and definitely stole the show. The audience was completely tickled by him and his antics on stage. He is such a cute little guy with an awesome personality.

Oh my God...tears in my eyes...I was so glad I was able to snap such an amazing picture of him on his way to the stage. Now onto Kindergarten. {Cue more tears here...of the crocodile variety.}

{three}

So with Farrah having turned one, that also means it marked one year of me working to lose the 57 lbs I gained with her. I'm still sitting at a lb shy of pre-baby weight {and holding, apparently} but I know the body works in interesting ways and I've been putting on muscle mass lately, so it's going to not show a change in the scale so much, but it will show a difference in inches. I'm feeling good in my clothes and I'm back in a bikini. This is where I'm at a year later.

I've got work to do, but I'm proud of what I've accomplished because I knew where I started and it was a big feat in front of me at that time. Third baby and in my thirties...I guess it's true what they say {at least for me}.

{four}

I'm finally going to clear my garage of my pile of  "stuff to sell" and have a yard sale tomorrow. I think I'm going to have mimosas ready to go because it is so buh-oring...to sit out there for five hours. I hope it's a good day and that it ends up being worth it. I am making myself take the leftovers to Goodwill this time...no matter what it is. It all just needs to go...I hate clutter and I know how I feel when it's all gone is worth way more than what I could ever sell it for...so it shall be donated at the very least.

But I swear I take things in as fast as I clean things out. I found this gorgeous antique vanity {I have wanted one to makeover forever}. I am picking it up this weekend and I think I am going to paint it white and give it some updated hardware. It is gorgeous, isn't it?

{five}

Farrah had her one year check up at the doctor yesterday...she's still at the 97th percentile in both height and weight and holding. She was happy and playful all throughout the appointment until it was time for shots {I always hate that part, but I don't know who doesn't.}

This morning was sad for me because I gave her her last bottle of formula...it was sad to look at her so sweet, cradled in my arms and eating...I'm going to miss that. But she's been doing great with the transition to milk...yesterday she had no formula at all and did incredibly well. I am going to be feeding her primarily table foods now, rather than baby food.

Hope y'all have a great weekend! I hope to get some pool or beach time for sure!

Linking Up With: Hello, Happiness! // The Good Life // A. Liz Adventures // Carolina Charm // Lauren Elizabeth // Meet @ The Barre //September Farm // The Farmer’s Wife // All The Joys // Momfessionals

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Farrah's Rainbow 1st Birthday Party

Farrah turned ONE on Saturday and her birthday party went so well. It was rainbow-themed and I had a blast planning the food and decor for it. Here is how it turned out! {Warning: Picture overload, but I did try to narrow it down!}

The birthday girl wore her rainbow lace petti romper I bought off Etsy before she was even born. I was so glad it still fit!

I of course filled the table with foods full of color - i.e. fruits and veggies...I even made some Fruity Pebbles treats {a nice play on the regular Rice Krispy Treats}.

I free-handed a chalkboard sign for her pretty quickly the night before, using Pinterest images as my inspiration.

And I thought it would be a nice touch to add pictures of her for each month up until one year...

The rainbow made from cupcakes was my favorite part though...

My friend also surprised me by making a rainbow cake of her own...

Farrah enjoyed her smash cake...

It really was a great time and I still have a hard time believing my little baby girl is a year old already.

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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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