Siesta Key Florida Vacation

Ah….vacation.  Last year we went to Marathon in the Florida Keys for a long weekend.  It was beautiful and we did have some fun. But Bryce got a sinus infection while we were there, and then my mom passed away the day after we got back. It was not relaxing and there was definitely no sleeping in going on with a sick baby to take care of.

So this year I was determined to redeem our family vacation.  Make it memorable for happy reasons.  I picked Siesta Key, Florida for a few reasons:

• Huge beach with the softest sand this side of the equator.  Seriously.  The travel channel has named it the “The Best Sand Beach in America” because of its 99% Quartz Sand that is the consistency of powdered sugar and stays cool under your feet.
• No flying required.  I have no desire to fly with my active 2 year old yet.
• Good friends of ours were also staying there that week
• We could rent a condo on the beach that would be affordable and make it convenient to answer to the changing whims of said 2 year old.
• Family friendly vibe and cute downtown
• Close to the restaurants and shopping in Sarasota.
• Less than a two hour drive from our house

So last month we went for a week, toddler in tow.  It was awesome.  If you are looking for a nice laid back beach vacation with a beautiful gulf side beach, Siesta Key is your destination.  Here are some pictures from our trip.  I am already wishing we could go back.

 

 

Acupuncture and Life Balance

Two days ago I got acupuncture again. I had gone 3 years ago to see if it would help my infertility and crazy hormone issues.  After 8 weeks of treatment I stopped going but got pregnant soon after.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  But I had never felt so “balanced” emotionally and physically and I am sure that helped get me pregnant.  And after 5 years of never getting that magic pregnancy line I sure wasn’t going to complain!

So when I developed Carpal Tunnel type pain during pregnancy and it still didn’t go away after birth and after trying wrist braces, exercises, rest, etc. I went to my acupuncture lady.   One treatment and the pain went away and never came back.  I so wish I would have seen her sooner instead of wasting so many months dealing with the pain.

Lately I feel like my hormones are all over the place again. My cycles are spacing apart.  My skin is crazy.  Ever since I gave birth I feel like I am one hormone away from losing it.  That or it is the lack of sleep and the fact that the bottom of my purse is now a garbage dump of half eaten goldfish crackers.  Either way I feel unsettled. Unbalanced.

So this week as I laid on a table with needles poking from every limb while trying to not think about that fact, I tried to meditate on why I am feeling so crazy lately. I remember feeling free and unstoppable.  Youth does that to you.  When you are 20 the responsibilities of adulthood feel so far away.  I didn’t think past that weekend.  That summer.  And what summers they were…..  But now? At 37 with all the responsibilities of job and home and never ending bills…..it is enough to just give in and say “this is it.”

And as a mom to a young toddler I feel like there are a lot of expectations that you are now supposed to be just a mom. Your dreams and ambitions go on the backburner.  Your life is their life.  Maybe it is my mom guilt that makes me perceive this but I am just trying to balance everything the best I can.  Being a mom is harder than I thought it would be.  You constantly feel like you are not doing enough yet feel pulled in every direction.  And as much as part of me would love to stay home all day with him the reality is I also like having a “life” outside of being a mom.  Of interacting with adults and knowing TV shows other than Bubble Guppies. I didn’t get a college degree just for the hell of it.  But since I graduated – 15 years ago! – I have yet to find my way, my calling.  These are the thoughts bouncing around my mind while I laid there.

I love this quote as it pretty much sums up what I need to do right now.

“Be Addicted to the Feeling of Having your Shit Together.”

Now if I could only figure out how. Maybe next week’s session will uncover that…..

Mother’s Day Highs and Lows

Prior to having Bryce this was one of the most depressing days of the year for me. I so badly wanted a child and it just wasn’t happening. I feel for all the women out there that hate Mother’s Day because I once was one of them.  But now I am a mom.  And I embrace Mother’s Day.  Last year, for my first Mother’s Day, I was so tired from lack of sleep that I don’t really remember anything.  Hopefully I showered? Maybe ate a hot meal? So this year Bryce made up for it by not only sleeping through the night, but sleeping for 14 hours straight, which is unheard of for him!  So that was my Mother’s Day gift.  It was wonderful and I have told him he can repeat that gift anytime he wants.  Lol.

The day was not without grief though. It was my first Mother’s Day without a mom. It will be a year in July since she died.  I miss her. Her death has been more complicated for me to handle this past year since we had such a strained relationship at the end.  Her addiction and health issues made it that I did not have a healthy relationship with her.  We would go weeks without talking.  We lived states away from each other.  So yesterday I mourned.  I thought of mom and tried to remember the good times, before disease and addiction took over.  I thought about what I would have said to her yesterday on the phone and how I would have told her how Bryce can now say thank you and I would have told her that he loves to jump in puddles and play with water hoses and sprinklers.  That having him has turned on a light inside me that is helping to heal the darkness.

She loved him. When I told her I was pregnant she was so so happy for me.  When he was born and she couldn’t come to visit me she broke down in tears on the phone.  We both knew she would never be able to visit.  That she would never be able to do the “mom” things one does for their daughter who has just given birth.  I told her it was OK, that we would visit that fall or Christmas.  It was the last time I had a real heart to heart conversation with her.  We did go up at Christmas, which ended up being the last time I saw her before she died.  I am so thankful she got to meet Bryce.  She died 6 months later.

As I embark on this motherhood journey I hope to be the best mom I can for Bryce. That he will know how much I love him and how very much I want him to live his dreams.  Even with all the issues I had with my mom, she equipped me with what I need to make it in this life which is grit and determination.   It is because of her that I plow on and believe that I can actually do anything I want to.

Thank you mom. I miss you so very much.

The mom I remember. She was so beautiful and the life of every party.

 

 

Meeting Bryce at Christmas

All things in moderation…..

So last year I got in on the essential oil bandwagon. I love them.  I really do.  I now have things in my home like all natural laundry detergent and natural hand soap that have essential oils in it.  I have roller balls of essential oil blends that I wear as perfume or for help with everyday aches and pains. I have an awesome homemade muscle rub cream that I swear melts away my neck tension every night.  But I am also living modern life.  I am a working mom who eats things like Orange Chicken (so delicious) from Panda Express for lunch.  I let my son do things like drink water from the garden hose or eat day old cheerios off the floor.  I also still have a medicine cabinet filled with things like Tylenol and Claritin because you just never know when you will need them.

When I decided to start this website last summer it was to be an outlet for me to write about my new role as a mom and explore this new world of essential oils I was excited about. It was also a creative outlet for me as I grieved the sudden loss of my mom last summer.  And over the past year I have been feeling more comfortable in everything. My son is going to be two in a few weeks and I still love my essential oils.  I also can think about my mom now without dissolving into a pile of grief.  It has been a good year.

But….

There are so many fanatics out there on both the essential oil AND motherhood front.   Sometimes I want to shout, “REALLY?  You really did power yoga, cooked an organic breakfast AND magically healed your sick child from one application of essential oils all before 9 AM?”

The reality of life is that sometimes you feel like super mom and other days you just survive till the kids go to bed. Essential oils have supported my family in an amazing way this year and I love them.  But I also will still take my child to the doctor if he gets really sick.

It is called moderation people. In the end, we are all just trying to make the best decisions for our family while trying to fulfill our dreams and ambitions at the same time.

Now excuse me as I get my 3rd cup of coffee for the day.  It is Friday after all and I am running on fumes at this point.  Moderation in the caffeine department can start tomorrow…

The Language of Parents

Here are examples of things I say to other parents and then what I actually mean. The best part is that most people understand that I am talking about the long version without me actually saying it.  Anyone relate out there?

What I say: I’m trying to potty train my kid but we are not there yet.

What I mean: My son pooped in the shower the other week and recently peed on my freshly cleaned carpet.  He thinks an actual toilet should be where his toys are stored and has completely disassembled his “practice” potty. I am fine with using diapers.  What size do they go up to again?

What I say:  I am sorry I can’t go there today, my kid might fall asleep in the car on the way back.

What I mean: If my kid falls asleep for even 5 blocks on the way back, we will get home and I will be exhausted from whatever outing we just had but he will want to run around the neighborhood, and I will turn into crazy mommy.

What I say:  I’m sorry I can’t go out tonight. It’s been a long day with the kid. He got up at 5AM

What I mean: At 5AM I was woken up in a way that is inhuman. My son was screaming for us in his crib and wanted up. I then proceeded to attempt to make breakfast while son is running circles around me and the cat is going nuts because I haven’t given her food.  Breakfast ends up taking 30 minutes of rushing around grabbing food and drinks and cleaning up the ones that spilled and I didn’t get to even drink a cup of coffee. When I head out the door for work, I will have felt as if I worked a full 8 hour day and feel relieved that I get to go to my job which, to me, seems like a break since I can use the restroom at some point with no one screaming at me. After I get home, make dinner, do something that looks like a cross between eating and waiting tables, clean the house, bath the kid, brush his teeth, put PJ’s on him, read stories and wrangle him into bed, I then start the laundry and see it is already 9PM.  I’m now so tired my eye balls are stuck looking at the wall so I technically I cannot make it to my car and safely drive.  Have fun without me.

What I say: I have decided to “free range parent” with sleep training

What I mean:  I am too exhausted at night to deal with his screaming so I do whatever  it takes to get him to sleep.  You want to sleep with mommy and daddy tonight? Fine.  Just try to keep your feet out of my face.  You need driven around the block because you decide you just don’t want to fall asleep any other way tonight? I’ll get the keys.  Rock you to sleep while you hoard all 10 of your blankets around you because you suddenly decide one blanket is just not good enough? Fine.  I am learning that as a parent getting them to sleep is more important then how it happens. Because once they are asleep for the night you finally can sleep!

What I Say: We are getting a date night this Saturday.  I’m so excited

What I mean: Besides a “to do” list and talk about the kid, my husband and I haven’t had a real conversation in weeks.  Nor have we been able to sit at the same table and eat a hot meal without getting up 10 times each.  We haven’t seen a movie in over a year and we most likely will stay out too late and have to pay the babysitter overtime. When we come home we will feel like we took a vacation since we actually got to leave the house and relax while doing it.

This Old House

When we lived in Indiana we owned this house.  A 1913 farmhouse that the previous owners had bought for a $1.00 and moved to this location. A 2.5 acre plot of land that butted up against a creek and row of beautiful mature trees. It needed TLC but we loved it as soon as we saw it and placed an offer right away.   It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and in the winter had such bad drafts/insulation that we had to install a space heater with a auto on timer in the bathroom so when we woke up in the morning we could pee without freezing. lol. Ah, old houses….pretty on the outside, full of mischief on the inside…..

In the seven years we lived there we did A LOT of renovations. Basement, bathrooms, gardens, and my favorite renovation, the kitchen.  I am very lucky my husband is DIY and knows a lot of trades. We were able to do all the renovations ourselves over the years and the kitchen was no exception. We didn’t have the money to spend on a complete kitchen remodel and I didn’t want to take away from the history of the kitchen.  So what to do?  The cabinets were solid hardwood and didn’t need torn down, just updated and made more functional. So we decided to replace the cabinet doors. We measured all our cabinets and I found a great place online to order them.  We shaved the top cabinets up to give us more counter space height.  On the drawers, we put in rollers so the drawers were easier to open and close. We installed a microwave over the stove. These little changes gave the kitchen more function and space.

The BEFORE photo. Quaint, but not my style.

Here is another angle of the old kitchen

Notice the lack of counter space?

 

 

When the cabinet doors came we painted them a cream white and installed new door handles that we found at Lowes.  We splurged on black granite for the countertops and installed a beautiful tin like backsplash that gave the kitchen an updated historical look. We also installed trim on the top and bottom of the cabinets and gave everything a fresh coat of paint.  A new sink and faucet completed the fresh look. The whole renovation cost less than $4000.

This was the result:

Fresh Looking

 

I loved the cabinet handles and backsplash – gave it the historical touches it needed

 

And this pot rack – I miss it. Our current home does not have one and now that I see it again I am thinking how can I install one in our current kitchen? lol.

Finally got the microwave OFF the counter and above the stove!

 

When we moved to Florida I wanted NEW. No projects, no drafty cold bathrooms.  So we built a new house.  I love it, and of course love that we don’t have fix or rehab something every other week. But this old house will forever hold a special place in my heart. Old houses just have SOUL to them. And it was our first house we owned together.

What has been your favorite home remodel?

Toddler Life

I vaguely remember my life pre-child.  Sleeping in, drinking hot cups of coffee, eating hot food while watching a TV channel other than Disney Jr.  Heck I think I even have memories of being able to read more than two pages of a book before passing out in exhaustion! Or talking to my husband about something other than our child, bills or our ever growing to do list around the house.

Parenthood is wonderful. It is also exhausting. We have entered the tantrum stage and I swear he knows to throw one just when they are least welcome.  Middle of aisle five at the grocery store because I wouldn’t let him climb the store shelves? Of course.  Out at the park because we need to leave? A given. Before or after his bath because he hates transitions? Why not.  And trying to put a diaper on him lately is like wrangling a snake.  He hates it and won’t sit still. He won’t use a potty either so wrangling him it is. I have taken to whatever distraction necessary to change his diaper.  Want to play with mommy’s phone? No, OK, how about this Ipad? No? OK, here are a pair of scissors…..ugh of course those would peak your interest….

 

Because wrapping paper apparently makes the best cape EVER

 

 

We have had to remove EVERY bar stool from our kitchen because he has become fixated with climbing them and then onto the kitchen counters. Which that alone is bad but then he proceeds to throw everything off the counters onto the floor, which in turn makes me a hysterical mess….it has not been a pretty sight at times in the Thomas household lately.

He is already fascinated with how things work and wants to fix everything.

 

 

But when the going is good it is amazingly beautiful.  He loves to cuddle up on our laps now with his blankets and will just turn around randomly to give us a hug.  I melt every time he does that.  His mental capacity to figure things out is growing leaps and bounds everyday. He is talking more.  Understanding more.  He understands what we say so much now that we have started spelling out words we don’t want him to hear. The problem with that is mom is NOT a great speller, apparently….

He has a slight blanket hoarding problem

 

He will be 22 months in a few days. Almost two years old.  I am continually grateful that he has come into my life and even though we have a lot of the these crazy days in our house currently, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  If you are in the thick of toddler life like me, remember you are not alone.  And people tell me there is this thing coming up in a few years  where the kid goes to this place for the whole day and you get the house to yourself. It is free and they are taken care of by a whole team of people. I hear it is called school…..

A Day in My Oily Life

Good morning! I thought it would be fun to invite you into my home and show you my typical oil routine. First up -Coffee!! And as I wait for my cup to brew I roll on my wrists some highest potential.

It is a blend of oils that sets my intention for the day. It combines the uplifting and inspirational qualities of Australian Blue with the power of Gathering to help bring greater unity of purpose. Jasmine is added to enhance self-confidence, while ylang ylang calms, soothes, and harmonizes.

Throughout the day it is my reminder to reach higher and think positive. I put a roller filament on the bottle so I just roll on my wrists and neck. I swear I have an extra spring in my step when I use this oil.

Who else out there has a love/hate relationship with the diaper pail? Lol. To cut down on the smell (and kill germs) when changing out liners I always spray down with the thieves spray. Awesome smell and I love that is all natural and don’t have to worry if Bryces hands go all over this diaper pail later in the day when he decides he wants to throw out his own diaper.  This spray is also great for shopping carts, toilet seats, airplane trays, TV remotes….anywhere there are germs!

Hands down my favorite diffuser combo. Peppermint and Lime. Reminds me of mojitos and summer. Try it next time and see for yourself!  I love diffusing my essential oils to make the whole house smell yummy while also benefiting from the aromatherapy.

Coming in from outside and washing our hands. I LOVE the thieves foaming hand soap. All natural, smells great and isn’t Bryce adorable? Lol. I am lucky that he likes to wash his hands. Even if it means him playing with the faucet for the next 5 minutes. The best part of this hand soap is it is all plant based ingredients and you can purchase a large refill jug that makes it cost effective and is environmentally friendly.

Bryce fell when he was outside so I used this great rollerball combo on him cleanse and protect the scrap he got on his knee.  This rollerball is so easy to make. Take a glass roller bottle and put 10 drops each lavender and purification or tea tree. Then Just put a little carrier oil in like grape seed to help oils spread when applied. Voila! Diy boo boo stick great for kids but I use all the time too. So convenient!

I have been trying to keep my New Years Resolution to move more and eat less.  I bought the Active and Fit Kit Young Living sells and LOVE both these products. The Cool Azul Sports Gel has 10% essential oils in it and the first ingredient in it is Aloe, making this product moisturizing as well as super cooling to your aching muscles and joints. And the Deep Relief oil works great as an “Icy Hot” type product.  One of my good friends just ran a half marathon and the next day she had no soreness! She swears these products helped her immensely recover from the run.

Need I say more? A great combo.  Also try adding a few drops of Lime Essential Oil into your fajita’s or Key Lime Pie recipes next time you make them.

My new anti-aging combo.  Frankincense essential oil has helped keep my complexion clear, reducing my age spots and overall giving me a natural “glow.” I mix it with Maracuja Oil, which I love for its lightweight moisturizing properties. Living in Florida my skin doesn’t handle well heavy moisturizers. I find this combo to be working great for me currently.

Ahhh….Bedtime. I love to put two drops of Valor on my feet before bed. It really helps my mind “shut” down and go to sleep. Thank you for following along with my day and I would love to hear what essential oils you must have in your “oily” day.

If you have not purchased essential oils and are interested in doing so, I recommend the starter kit. It comes with 11 essential oils PLUS a diffuser of your choice. Click here to learn more and purchase!

Omi Saves the Day

Back in December my son got kicked out of daycare for biting. He is 1 years old. Someday I will laugh at this but at the time I thought the world was ending with the amount of stress it gave me.  What to do, on top of the holidays, made me a mess. And people don’t have much sympathy when they hear it is a behavior issue.  The judging I felt I got from others plus the unsolicited advice from them was too much at times.  I am not in a situation where I can just quit my job and stay home.  But I also knew daycare was not a good fit for him.  He needed more attention and less of a schedule.  More time to explore and just be a kid.  Nanny?  More money than we could afford.  So what to do?

We are very lucky that my mother-n-law offered to watch him for us. So currently my mother-n-law lives with us during the week and watches him.  And in just one month he has made so much progress.  He rarely bites anymore and has calmed down.  He actually can concentrate on the task in front of him instead of bouncing around from one thing to another.  He smiles more. He sits on my lap and gives me hugs when I get home instead of the tears I was getting before. It is like he is a different child.  And of course I love the pictures she sends me during the day of him.  Their relationship is special and you can tell he adores her.

Upon reflecting on this arrangement of course I have mom guilt that I am not there. Every mom –working or not – has mom guilt. But I realize these days of him being with his “Omi” are precious. You see, she is his only grandparent. My parents are both deceased as well as Brian’s dad. “Omi” is it.  I was so close to my “Omi” growing up and am SO grateful that he is getting to know at least one of his.

Life has a way of pushing us where we need to go whether we are ready or not. Lesson learned.

New Vitality Line of Essential Oils from Young Living

Young Living has just released a NEW line of essential oils, their Vitality line!  This is so exciting.

Vitality is a dietary essential oil line, a line of oils specifically labeled for internal use.  From a consumer standpoint, these oils are the same exact therapeutic-grade oils we are used to, but the labeling makes it easier for new members to know which oils to use topically/aromatically and which oils are for dietary use.  Everything in the Vitality line is for dietary use.

The Vitality line has 4 distinct categories: Herb, Spice, Citrus, and Supplement.

At the launch of this new line, here are the 27 Vitality oils broken into categories:

Herb

Basil Vitality
Lemongrass Vitality
Oregano Vitality
Rosemary Vitality
Thyme Vitality
Lavender Vitality
Peppermint Vitality
Spearmint Vitality

Spice

Black Pepper Vitality
Cinnamon Bark Vitality
Clove Vitality
Ginger Vitality
Carrot Seed Vitality
Celery Seed Vitality
Dill Vitality

Citrus

Bergamot Vitality
Citrus Fresh™ Vitality
Grapefruit Vitality
Jade Lemon™ Vitality
Lemon Vitality
Lime Vitality
Orange Vitality
Tangerine Vitality

Supplement

DiGize™ Vitality
EndoFlex™ Vitality
Frankincense Vitality
Thieves® Vitality

 

If you want to purchase these oils at wholesale prices, you can read more Here about getting a wholesale account.