My Go To Essential Oil Blends

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We all know that essential oils, or EO's, are life. I don't go a day without diffusing or topically applying my EO's and my kids are right along with me. The health benefits are irrefutable and they leave my home smelling heavenly. 

EO's can be used aromatically in a diffuser, topically (sometimes mixed with a carrier oil) and internally. Overall, I use my EO's in a diffuser - four diffusers to be exact. I have them placed in various spots in my home. Can you tell how much I love EO's? 

Anyway - I wanted to share with you my go to essential oil blends. These are the blends that I typically use on a daily basis. I do change things up - especially when someone in my home is sick or another need has to be met. My kids and I took it upon ourselves to name our fav EO blends. I hope you enjoy!

Sleeping Beauty

This EO blend's name is very fitting. When I run it through the diffuser, this is exactly how we all sleep - and we wake up too! Well rested and ready to start our day. My son named this blend and its the perfect way to describe it.

"Sleeping Beauty" consists of:

• 3 Drops Wild Orange

• 5 Drops Lavendar

• 4 Drops Balance

Peaceful Bliss

I instantly feel a sense of peace and calm with this blend. "Peaceful Bliss" is perfect after a long day of working and running around. I like to diffuse this blend at the end of a long day, usually in the evening after dinner. When the day is winding down and everyone is getting ready to settle in for the night, this is one of my favorite blends to fill my home. 

The "Peaceful Bliss" blend consists of:

• 5 Drops Lavender

• 3 Drops Wild Orange

Joyful Exuberance 

I know this name is a little much -but this vibrant blend makes me feel just this way! This blend produces so much energy, excitement and happiness. I usually diffuse this in the morning after breakfast and power through my day. If I feel like I'm slacking before diffusing "Joyful Exuberance", this sluggish feeling quickly diminishes after the aroma fills the room. 

"Joyful Exuberance" consists of:

• 5 Drops Wild Orange

• 5 Drops Grapefruit

• 4 Drops Cedarwood

Wild Orange is known for its mood boosting benefits and has a sweet citrus smell. Grapefruit provides an energizing and uplifting smell. -And while Cedarwood is known to promote relaxation, blending this EO with Grapefruit and Wild Orange allows for the perfect "Get It Done" atmosphere. 

Sound Sleep

If you cant tell by now, I'm really into EO blends that promote a good nights sleep. As a mommy of 3, I like to insure that my sleep is as beneficial as can be. This blend is so calming and grounding, it instantly places me into a state of restfulness once I run the diffuser. 

"Sound Sleep" consists of:

• 4 Drops Lavender

• 3 Drops Frankincense

• 3 Drops Wild Orange

Frankincense is a calming and grounding blend. When paired with Lavender and Wild Orange (which on its own is the ideal blend for calm nerves and relaxation) this blend is the perfect combination for a great nights sleep.

What are your go to EO blends? Are there any EO blends from my list on yours? Comment below.

Tidy House Tidy Mind

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This is such a true phrase.

I find that when my house is a mess, I can't think straight. I'm cranky and unproductive.

Therefore make it a point to straighten up whenever possible.

Before I go to bed at night, I make sure the kitchen is cleaned and the living areas are well put together. This helps me get myself together in the morning quickly and efficiently.

Hope you enjoyed this quick mommy tip!

My Top 3 Goals for 2016-17 School Year

Another school year has begun. And with this new school year, I wanted to start it out with new goals. Goals to make this a great year for the kids and for me as well.

It's not many, but the impact will be powerful. That's what matters.

Here are my goals for this school year.

Stay Organized

This is part of my slogan - and also part of who I am. But for some reason, during the school year, I lose this. I become overwhelmed with the mounds of notices, worksheets and beautiful art work that is sent home everyday.

I made it a point to handle this head on. I went out a bought items to create a "homework station" for the kids. There are space for all of their papers, folders and supplies. Now everything will have a place.

That's the main way to stay organized - create a "home" for every item. This makes cleaning up easy and effortless

Make It A Point To Not Be Stressed Out

Whether this means not getting too overwhelmed with the paperwork (because of my lovely homework station noted above) or just remembering to take a deep breath when dinner is running late or on the way to the kids after school activities - I have to make it a point to keep my stress at bay.

This is NOT easy. But its worth a try. It's healthy for the kids, my husband and myself. I can be a better parent by simply taking a deep breath and getting through a situation with a level head.

Feed Their Creativity

There are so many demands put on kids in school these days. While these demands will help them in the future, it can also hurt them.

It's so easy for a child to loose their creative side because of the stress of having to handle their many tasks throughout the day.

My goal is to keep the creative activities going and to feed their creative sides. Part of growing as a person has a lot to do with expression and creativity.

I'm determined to make this school year a great one!! What are your goals for your kids or for yourself this new school year? Comment below.

Click here to find out about my DIY Homework Station. Enjoy!

10 Tips For Breastfeeding

The breastfeeding journey is unlike an other journey you will experience. It to this day surprises me how wonderful and beautiful the human body works. By providing all that your baby needs to nourish them.

Although the journey is beautiful, at first it is much like a process. At times you may feel the need to just throw in the towel (or nursing pad) and call it quits.

If you do, than that's fine. Its totally your choice and you know what is best for you and baby. But if you are unsure of what you want to do, I say give it another try.

Here are my 10 Tips for Breastfeeding.

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It Gets Easier

I put this as my number one tip because it is so important and true. It does get easier. And you will actually begin to enjoy it.

The first few weeks of breastfeeding are rough. You and baby are learning how to get through this new chapter with ease. Its painful, tiring, discouraging and overall not a good time.

But, please, hang in there. The rewards of getting through this tough phase are astonishingly amazing.

Try Different Positions

This is something I struggled with in the beginning with my first child. I wasn't aware of the fact that baby may not like to nurse in a particular position. Or that one position is way more comfortable than another position.

Between the cradle position, football hold, side-lying and cross-over hold - you and baby are bound to find one position that works best.

Sometimes, A Plain Ol'Pillow Will Do

Get ready to be completely surprised! A regular pillow? How could this be?

I struggled with many breastfeeding pillows with all three of my kids. I thought, maybe they'll like this pillow...or this one...

Nope. For me, none of my kids liked the trendy breastfeeding pillows. I had several different kinds. Nothing worked better than a plain ol' pillow.

My Boppy pillow did come in handy as a comfy seat for the babies, though.

Everyone's Breastfeeding Journey Is Different

I constantly found myself asking others for their advice and using their shared experiences as an expectation of what was to come for me. It was frustrating and tiring.

With my first two kids, I feel like this may be why I stopped breastfeeding so early. I decided not to compare myself or the experiences of breastfeeding when I had my last child. And my journey lasted much longer than the first two.

Remember, everyone is different. Therefore, everyone's experience will not be the same.

You Will Be Hungry

VERY, VERY hungry. Like, you may just eat your husband if he doesn't hurry up with your meal hungry.

I never expected that I would have an even bigger appetite than when I was pregnant. But its true.

And it makes perfect sense. Your body is using its energy and nutrients to create wholesome food for your little one. Therefore its using all of the resources in your body to do so. You need to replenish it. FAST!

Just be sure to take in as wholesome foods as you can.

Drink Lots of Water

Much like your need to eat to replace lost calories and nutrients, you also need to drink lots of water.

I mean lots of water. I would just carry a glass water bottle around with me everywhere to make sure I always had water. At least 64 oz/ day of water is needed to support your milk production. If possible, drink even more than that.

Don't Limit Yourself

Give yourself time to get used to breastfeeding. Setting limits for how long your going to try can make you feel overwhelmed. Which doesn't help at all.

Stock Up On The Essentials

Prepare for a successful start to your breastfeeding process by having the essentials near by. Check out my 5 Favorite Breastfeeding Items below.

Skip The Expensive Extras

If you search, "Breastfeeding Items", you will see an enormous list of "essentials" to successfully breastfeed.

Odds are, you don't need even half of the products that are listed. My advice would be to hold off on purchasing the expensive items to see if you will even have a need for it.

Nothing is more annoying than watching a $300 item collect dust in the corner of your room.

Enjoy The Process

Like I said in the beginning of this post, at first, breastfeeding is a process.

Just take a deep breathe, look at your baby, take everything all in and enjoy this lovely journey of motherhood.

What are your tips for breastfeeding? Comment below.