21 day fix: 13 days in

before you say, "you don't need to lose weight!".....just listen.  i know i don't need to lose weight, and i decided to do this for many other reasons.  first, i wanted to somewhat detox my body of all the crappy food i eat.  i lovvvvvve food and my mindset was always, "life is too short to only eat super healthy foods".  plus, when i think of healthy, i always imagine plain chicken breast, brown rice and steamed veggies.  i wanted to do this program to force myself to think outside the "healthy" box and come up with delicious recipes that are good for you as well.  also, i've been terrible about exercise since i had kids.  i've kinda let myself go in the toning and working out department.  i was ready to work hard to see some more definition, and simply build up my endurance.  i always joke that i'm an obese person in a normal girl's body.

let me also say, i'm 13 days in and i still crave certain things like sugar and junk.  literally all i want right now is a big handful of gummi bears.  but i'm not the kind of person who would cheat and have some.  when i put my mind to something i stick with it.  and its only 21 days.....right?

i'll spare you the sports bra and short shorts "before" pictures for now.  if the results are impressive enough at the end, i'll do some strategic editing (to hide my awful mummy tummy) and post them.  having DR has made some of the exercises difficult, like pilates, but luckily i have learned enough through MuTu to know which ones i should avoid or alter a bit.

for those of you who don't know what the 21 day fix is, its a diet and exercise program that focuses a lot on portion sizes.  since i'm still nursing (not much, but hey, i get to use it as an excuse!) i got to be bumped up a category, meaning i get a little more food than someone else who is my weight.  so i get 4 proteins, 4 veggies, 3 carbs, 3 fruits, one dairy/fat, one dressing/seeds and 4 tsps (things like olive oil, peanut butter, etc).  i am also supposed to drink half of my body weight in ounces of water daily.
you get little containers that are color coded to signify which type of food is which.  reds=protein, green=veggies, etc.  the program also comes with a dvd that has 7 different workout routines, all only 30 minutes each.  they are awesome! hard enough to make you sweat a ton, but also not ridiculously challenging where you just feel like quitting.

for the first 2 days it was really tough.  i realize i eat SO much food.  but honestly after 3-4 days i learned how to spread my portions out throughout the day so i wasn't hungry afterwards.  i still get moments where i wanna just open the snack pantry and grab something.....but 30 years of eating that way won't change in 2 weeks.  I just decide what i can have to satisfy my hunger in that moment that is actually healthy.

all this to say, i've seen amazing results so far.  i'm feeling great and i'm sleeping soundly. i admit, i'll be happy when its over but i have learned SO much from this experience.  little ways to swap out fatty food for something healthy.  for example, plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream, ground turkey instead of ground beef, or humus and bell pepper as a snack instead of chips.  even something as small as buying whole wheat tortillas instead of white ones. 

this healthy food skeptic is here to say, with some creativity, eating healthy can be done and still be delicious!  i'm excited to do this fix a few times a year! but don't get me wrong, i am looking forward to a cold beer as a reward at the end haha!

here are some of the meals and snacks i've eaten over the last 13 days.

o:my top 20 (part two).

ok, so this is the second part to my top 20 "can't live without" oils post.  i meant to post this sooner but, you know, life.

to recap part one, i went over these ten oils:

-thieves
-joy
-r.c.
-motivation
-white angelica
-cedarwood
-gentle baby
-purification
-orange
-stress away

i'm also going to go over my top 2 "can't live without" yl products that aren't oils, but that will be at the end.

the first oil i'll go over today is digize.  it's basically what i grab whenever i have anything going on tummy-related.  makena has (for lack of a better word) poop-issues and we rub this (or the tummygize, the pre-diluted kids version) on her belly when she's constipated or has "owie tummies".  it usually helps get things moving!  also i grab for it whenever i'm nauseous or i ate too much.  it helps promote healthy digestion.  this one actually comes in the kit now, which is really great!  i mix it with peppermint, put it in a roller bottle and top with carrier oil and keep one in my diaper bag to have on hand.

next on the list is valor. ohhhhhhh valor. if you know me and know anything about my oil obsession, you know valor is my hands-down favorite oil.  for me, it does everything.  i went into complete panic mode when i heard it was going out of stock for at least SIX months!!! i hoarded that crap.  lol! valor is my liquid confidence.  i'm ok at writing things like a blog when i have time to think about my words and i can hide behind a computer screen :) but put me in front of a group of people and i jumble my words, get bright red in the face and make hardly any sense.  a few drops of valor over my heart before i'm presenting at an oil party and my nerves ease soooo much.  this stuff also stops jon's teeth grinding.  it's bad enough having to listen to the grinding, but he used to wake up with nasty headaches because of it.  valor also promotes better sleep AND can help keep your body in better alignment.  i rub it up and down my spine after i get adjusted at the chiropractor.  i'm glad i hoarded the original, but because so many people feel the same way as i do about valor, gary young actually re-formulated the original valor without the blue tansy and came up with an amazing new blend.  it's called valor II and is in stock! smells a tiny bit different but still works wonders!

i guess i'll follow that up with my next favorite oil.  peace and calming.  same thing as the valor, its been out of stock for a few months and will be until sometime this fall so i stocked up.  this blend too, has been re-formulated and there is now a p&c II available to buy, which is also fantastic.  i use this oil every single night in my diffuser.  same with both of my kids.  some people don't care for the smell at first, and i didn't either....but now i'm obsessed with it.  just smelling it calms me because i love it so much!  it has also done wonders for calming down my neurotic dog.  she gets scared during fireworks and is just anxious in general sometimes, so a drop rubbed in my hands and then applied to her ears makes a big difference.  anxiety and sleep.  two of the most common struggles i've seen since talking to people.  this one helps me with both. love love love.

since we're talking about sleep, i'll list dream catcher next.  makena has had night terrors now for probably 2 years.  if your kid deals with these, you know how sad it is.  it's like shes having a bad dream and wakes up crying/whining but no matter how much i try and comfort her, it doesn't help because she's not actually awake.  it's really strange but i guess very common around her age.  they happen more often when she didn't nap that day.  anyways, i heard about dream catcher for night terrors.  the bottle is pricey so i waited a while, but now i wish i hadn't.  i use this with p&c and cedarwood in her diffuser every night and instead of having night terrors every night, it happens maybe once every 2 weeks.  i'll take it! 

idaho balsam fir.  this one smells very...earthy.  it's a great one for the men because it's not "girly" smelling.  one of the primary uses of this oil is with muscle fatigue.  it may also be beneficial for asthma, bronchitis, burns, depression, hemorrhoids.....and the list honestly goes on and on.  to be completely honest i don't usually grab this one when i have sore muscles.  i'll either reach for panaway, deep relief, aroma siez, copaiba, etc. i had to include this on my list because it is one of the 3 oils in what my oil friends and i like to call the "morphine bomb".  its this with frankincense and copaiba in a capsule.  i've swapped out my ibuprofen for this combo and it is VERY comparable!  one more lab-made relief option that i have stopped using.  win.

naturally i'll move into talking about copaiba.  like i said above, this is one of the 3 oils that make up the "morphine bomb".  it's actually so awesome that it now comes in the premium starter kit.  when  someone asks me for a pain oil, this is the first one that rolls off my tongue. it's in my ridiculously amazing pain cream that i swear by.  it's actually known as an enhancer, meaning when you add a few drops of this to any of your homemade roller bottle blends, it kicks it up a notch.  from regular strength to extra strength if you will.  everyone deals with pain at one time or another, so this is why its always on my shelf. 

Frankincense.  We've all heard of this oil.  It goes back to biblical times when it was presented as a gift to baby Jesus.  That's gotta say something right?  In my personal opinion, this oil has more medicinal and healing qualities to it than any other oil.  i've heard some amazing stories about what this stuff has done.  i personally enjoy using it for tons of things.  from mental clarity, to skin issues, to immunity boosting and beyond.  it's pricey, i'll admit.  but a.) it comes in the kit and b.)it's uses are endless!

Next up is a citrus.  Grapefruit.  You can obviously use this one to flavor your water or other food/beverages which i love to do.  Not only does it taste good but it may increase energy, boost your immune system, nourish skin, and (get this...) it may even help diminish cellulite!! score.  which only makes sense that its one of the three oils in the "weight loss trio".  The other two are lemon and peppermint.  a couple drops of the 3 in a capsule taken twice daily can give your body that extra push to shed some pounds.

Oregano.  You've used it in your food. but did you know that it has strong immune-enhancing properties? and antioxidant properties? and it supports the respiratory system? it also has the ability to remove skin tags from your body.  i'm currently in the process of testing this theory.  it's considered a "hot oil" so you don't wanna apply it directly to your skin without a carrier oil (unless you're attempting to remove skin tags of course).  this oil comes into play a lot during cold and flu season for my family.  it's one of the 4 oils in the "flu bomb" that we take religiously when someone is sick.  oh, and its a delicious way to flavor your food too :)

and last but not least, i give you lemongrass.  first two words that pop into my head: inflammation and pez.  haha it honestly smells EXACTLY like lemon-flavored pez.  i loved that candy growing up (ok i still love it) so its kind of nostalgic to me.  reminds me of easter, we always got it in our baskets. anyway....the other word is inflammation because its a great way to reduce it.  my mom has psoriatic arthritis so she uses lemongrass in a lot of her pain and inflammation blends.  i always know when she's applied it because the room smells like pez! it can also promote better sleep and the nice thing is that it is SO cheap. 

alrighty.  so there you have it.  my top 20 oils.  real quick though i'm gonna talk briefly about 2 other young living products i'm obsessed with.  ningxia red and thieves household cleaner. 


i've blogged about thieves cleaner already, and i also have put up multiple fb posts about it. obsessed.  you can read my blog entries here and here.

ok ningxia red.  where do i start.  i'm actually going to take some info straight out of my essential oils desk reference, because my own words aren't good enough for this one. 

"Ningxia wolfberries have long been treasured in the natural health community.  Their phytochemical profile is legendary: amazing polysaccharides, calcium, 18 amino acids, 21 trace minerals, beta-carotene, vitamins b1, b2, b6 and e along with polyphenols.  Thanks to the power of synergy, this new formulation of NingXia Red juice is more powerful than ever with the addition of new and highly efficacious ingredients.  Ningxia Red's new formula promotes free radical scavenging by providing high levels of powerful antioxidants while boosting energy.  It supports brain and cognitive health as well as digestive health.  The nutritive power of ningxia red fortifies the cardiovascular system and supports health blood pressure levels while promoting restful sleep patterns.  It aids the body's natural function.  It also provides nutrients needed for healthy insulin sensitivity and promotes a feeling of satiety if taken prior to meals.  Ningxia Red also supports proper muscle and joint health".

yeah. it's that awesome.  and it helps that its yummy tasting.  everyone in my family has an oz of this per day.  if i grab a packet out of the fridge i have to quickly drink it or makena is next to me going, "mommy can you share? mommy? mommy. share? share with kena?".  it gives me such natural energy.

here's a few pictures that impressed me big time in the eodr that i figured it would share, as well as some of the other benefits of this juice.

and that brings me to the end!  i'm sure this list will continue to grow and maybe even change a little, depending on my phase of life, but for now these are the things that i've been so lucky to find and start using daily.  they have all made such dramatic improvements in mine and my family's lives.  :)

o:happy birthday to.....you????

tomorrow i will be celebrating my last birthday in my 20's.....can we have a moment of silence for this sad news please?


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that being said, i'm offering a gift to YOU.  for anyone who buys a premium starter kit on my birthday tomorrow, july 14th, i will be giving you back $20.  but here's whats even more awesome.  now, until august 12th, any NEW member who buys a premium starter kit in the US will get $10 automatically from young living.  also, current members who want another kit can buy a new one under their membership for 10% off.  so that's $30 off for any new members who order tomorrow.

so there you have it. happy birthday to you :) pm me on facebook if you want some more info

o: my top 20 (part one).

time for an oil post!  i've had more than one person recently ask me to share my top 15 favorite oils with them. so, i sat down to make a list and realized that was not an easy task.  impossible really :) 

instead, i'm going to share with you my top 20 oils and 3 favorite non-oil YL products, but i'm breaking the posts up into two parts (because, well....i'm a mom and don't have 3 hours to sit down and blog at once).  

these are all the oils and products that i refuse to ever run out of at any given time.  i'll go over just a few (definitely not all) of my favorite uses for each one. 

ok first up, thieves.  this is one that i use religiously, every single day.  i put one drop of it on my toothbrush with my (thieves) toothpaste.  mainly because it makes my teeth and mouth feel and taste amazing and clean but also because it is a germ and bacteria killer so it freshens my breath AND keeps my immunity up.  a few drops in a cup of hot water with lemon eo and honey is the best sore throat soother i have ever used.  diluted in olive oil and rubbed on elias' gums it has helped calm his teething pains and discomforts.  a drop pressed to the roof of my mouth in the midst of a nasty headache has brought the severity down from a 10 to a 3.  oh, and its not terrible that it smells like heaven.

next on the list is joy.  as you've read by now, i struggle with anxiety.  and for those of you who experience it, you know that anxiety is a b*&%h.  i have so many oils i reach for when my anxiety levels are high, but lately this one is my instant calm.  the smell is so wonderful (although that was definitely not my opinion when i first smelled it). i like to put it in my diffuser necklace to wear as my perfume while enjoying the uplifting and happy benefits it gives me.  if i'm around the house i'll diffuse it with lemon or another citrus oil.

number 3 (and these aren't in any specific order) is RC.  RC stands for respiratory congestion.  it's a blend that includes lots of eucalyptus as well as peppermint, myrtle, pine and more.  it's one of those oils that you won't wanna head into cold and flu season without.  my favorite way to use it is by mixing it with some carrier oil in my hand and rubbing it all over my chest if i'm battling a cough or runny nose.  it seems to be instant relief for me when i've used it.

motivation! can you tell this one excites me?? i'm actually diffusing it right now and my sparkly clean floors downstairs can thank me for it!  this is the oil i grab when i'm just feeling slow, lazy and.....well, unmotivated.  if i really wanna amp it up i will put a few drops of en-r-gee and orange oil in the diffuser with the motivation and i'm nonstop.  and it's not like what you feel when you've downed a red bull (racing heart, anxious, fake energy).

the next oil that i'd panic without is white angelica.  and it helps me not panic lol!  we in the oil world like to call this one "patience in a bottle".  and having a 3 year old and 1 year old, my patience is tested daily.  i sit down, place a drop or two in the palm of my hand, cup my hands together and slowly inhale the amazing smell.  long, slow breaths are just helpful in general....but adding wa to that regimen is amazing.

cedarwood. this oil is so great because its SO cheap.  less than $12 for 15ml (which is about 250 drops).  i use this oil every single night in mine and jon's diffuser when we go to bed.  Same with Makena. it's also in more than one of my anxiety rollers. AND it can promote hair growth if used with lavender oil in my shampoo.  i hoard this cheapie but goodie!

ok where are we? number 7.  gentle baby.  this one is hard to keep around because it's out of stock a lot.  that being said, if you see it in stock...snatch it up.  even if you don't have a baby.  i use it on myself as often as i use it on my kiddos.  it's in my stretch mark cream that i'm using daily.  it's so gentle on the skin, which is also why i love replacing elias' store bought diaper rash cream with a mixture of coconut and gb oil.

one of my favorite multi-purpose oils is purification.  if you don't know enough about it, you probably just think that it eliminates smells.  which, it does! and it does so amazingly well.   it doesn't just mask a stink, it seriously makes it vanish.  i use a few drops on a cotton ball in my kids' diaper genie, in my laundry for fresher, cleaner smelling clothes AND it rids of lots of stains on our clothes.  also, diffused with thieves during cold and flu season makes me more confident that germs aren't just lingering in the house waiting to attack someone.  further, when i have a sore throat, a drop can be applied to the outer throat to relieve some pain (add a cup of thieves tea and i'm good as new).

orange.  if for nothing else, the smell! who doesn't love the smell of a freshly cut orange in their kitchen or garbage disposal? for me, it's always my go-to when i'm applying or diffusing an oil that doesn't smell all that great.  i also love love love to cook with it! its added to my water almost daily.  yum yum.

and last up for part one of my top 20 oils is stress away.  this one is pretty self-explanatory.  this is another one i like to wear in my diffuser necklace because it's available all day.  in moments of stress, anxiety or panic i just reach down for my necklace and slowly breathe in the amazing smell.  yum this one seriously smells so great.  it has notes of lime and vanilla.  i even add a few drops to my sparkling water with some orange when i need to chill a bit.

and that's it for part one!! will hopefully get to part two within the next few days :)

off topic: i'm not perfect.

i'm really not sure what has compelled me to write this post, but i'm just gonna go for it.  i've gotten away from the actual "journaling" aspect of a blog and so this is going to be a non-oil, no pictures and zero recipe-related post.  it's just words from my heart.

there have been more than a few times that people have commented on my facebook posts or messaged me and casually said something like, "you make parenting look so easy!" or "you're such a great wife!" and let me tell you, those comments are great to hear and make me feel amazing, but i also can't help but feel that i'm somewhat lying about the image i put off. 

sometimes life is hard.  sometimes i wake up and don't want to be awake (at least not for a few more hours).  sometimes i snap at my kids.  sometimes i say things to my husband that i regret later.  sometimes i make unhealthy, microwaveable food for my family.  sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me.  sometimes i use the tv as a babysitter for an hour.  sometimes i forget to do something someone asked me.  sometimes i stay in my pajamas all day (coughcoughTODAYcoughcough).  sometimes i'm just not a good mom and wife. 

but you know what? that's ok.  because guess what, i know that you're not perfect either.  i struggle daily with feelings of guilt when it comes to:
-the cleanliness of my home
-how much learning time and quality interactions i have with my kids
-the amount of meals i spend time making that cover all the food groups each week
-trying to have a servant mentality when it comes to my marriage
-how much time i spend in my relationship with god
-how to continually grow and succeed in my home business (without putting too much time into and therefore neglecting my other responsibilities)
-exercise and the quality of my own personal health
-and a million other things

there's no deep meaning behind this post. there wasn't some big event that caused an epiphany.  i'm just being real and "relate-able".  so the next time you look at my facebook posts and pictures, feel free to call me out for making it look like i'm trying to act like things are always perfect, because they aren't. 

i do want to end by saying that i am happy.  i am so extremely blessed with the things i have.  i actually am so thankful for those things that sometimes i feel undeserving.  my husband is the most patient, loving, selfless man i know and it baffles my mind that i was lucky enough to snatch him.  and my kids? well gosh just look at the pictures.  they are insanely cute and really are good kids.  but regardless of all that, we all have tough days and personality quirks that we don't like.  i'm trying to learn how to be comfortable in my own skin while also changing things i don't like about myself.  i hope you can find that desire too.

xoxo