Turmeric Oat Milk Latte.

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I’ve been hearing about the benefits of golden milk beverages for a long time. But they always sounded kind of strange to me. I assumed they tasted like dirt but people were just drinking them anyways, because of the added health benefits. When doTERRA launched the new Turmeric essential oil last month, I thought, “Okay, now it’s time to test out a recipe.” After some tweaking and product testing (aka me and Stevie drinking a LOT of variations), I finally landed on this recipe and I LOVE it. It’s so warm and sweet and herbal - perfect for cozying up at night with a good movie!

Why a turmeric latte? Because turmeric is SO good when taken internally. It bolsters the immune system, reduces inflammation, supports healthy circulation, aids in metabolism and is commonly known as a nervous system booster. AND it adds a powerful flavor when used in the kitchen! So yeah, turmeric, you da best.

And why oat milk? Truthfully, I discovered this was a thing when we were in Santa Barbara this past summer. I couldn’t believe how good it tasted in a latte, and it was a lot easier on my stomach. Since having my babies, milk has bothered me more and more, so I try to avoid it. Don’t feel bad for me - I’ve got my oat milk these days ;)

Ingredients:
- 1 drop doTERRA Turmeric essential oil
- 1 drop doTERRA Ginger essential oil
- 1 drop doTERRA Cinnamon essential oil
- 1 drop doTERRA Clove essential oil
- 1 drop doTERRA Black Pepper essential oil
- 1 cup oat milk (I’ve been using this Pacifica kind)
- 1 tsp. Moon Juice Beauty Dust
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup

Method:
1. Combine all the essential oils in a latte mug.
2. Add maple syrup.
3. Steam oat milk in a milk frother (I use this one that came with my Citiz Nespresso).
4. Add in the steamed milk and Beauty Dust, then stir to combine.

Voila! Look at you, you golden milk drinker!

This is a great late-night drink to enjoy before bedtime. It’s a creamier and frothier and just puts you in the right coziness headspace that you need to fall into a deep, deep sleep. I can’t believe how much I love this drink!

p.s. - Believe it or not, these photos were all shot on my iphone and edited in VSCO because my SLR camera has been acting up. Trying to figure out what I’m going to do about that!

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Sources: Latte Mugs, Appetizer Platter, Serving Tray (similar), Coasters (similar)

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My Top 50 Favorite Songs to Workout to!

I love having really upbeat music on my workout playlist. It helps me stay amped up and high-energy while I am moving! I shared in this post about the workout I’ve been doing the past few months which I am still loving. And even though I was longing for a pair of these Beats By Dre, I found the cheapest knock off ever in the dollar section at Target (they’re gone now, but the brand was Vivitar), and they have been doing the trick for me. So here’s the honest truth… when it comes to working out, I would be nothing without my playlist, ha! These songs keep me moving! I keep adding songs to this list, and oftentimes I will remove songs when they just don’t “do it” for me anymore. I love how on Spotify you can share songs and playlists and even follow others’ playlists!

Please keep in mind that some of these songs have explicit lyrics, so if you are young I would recommend searching for clean & edited versions - most of these versions are clean, because I like to keep things pretty PG here. But not every single song would be considered PG, so just use your discretion and friends, don’t leave this playlist on around your kids!

A playlist featuring The Chainsmokers, Ed Sheeran, Zookeepers, and others

I love hearing about other songs that people like to work out to! Leave a comment with more recommendations if you have them! xx

My Thoughts on the Postpartum Body and my Fave Workout App.

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So I’m not one of those girls who has a baby, sneezes twice, and immediately loses all the baby weight. My body lovvvves the extra lbs it earned in my pregnancies, and always wants to hold on for dear life to those cherished extras (called love handles for a reason, ladies.)

I’ve truly accepted that I'm never going to look the same as I did before having babies. And I don’t want to or need to. I’m proud that I was able to carry these rather giant babies inside of me, and even though I wince a bit when I see the stretch marks on my belly, the extra skin, the cellulite, ALL THE THINGS, I am trying to re-train how I think about it, because those marks are all part of the precious map my body has journeyed in this season of parenthood. I'm not supposed to look like I'm 18 anymore. And I'm good with that.

All that being said, I am doing my best to keep up with my boys (because they are freakishly strong for being so young), and I do care about how I look (sue me, but I do), so I’ve been working working working on losing the baby weight. I still have a few stubborn lbs that are hanging on for dear life and sure, I could probably starve them off but gosh, that's just not interesting to me. Question for the universe- is it called baby weight if it’s been more than a year? DON’T ANSWER THAT.

This summer I have been disciplined without being particularly militant in my consistency (because there were mojitos to drink and pools to be purveyed), but I have prioritized getting myself to the gym at least 2-3x per week and taking care of this body of mine. It’s up to me to take care of this temple - not my husband, not my kids, not my friends. It’s my job to take care of me so I can live long and prosper and hang out with my great great grandkids when I’ve got good, deep wrinkles and quarters to fill their pockets with. I'm going to be such a weirdo fun granny, can't wait.

But I'll be honest. I can't always get to the gym. And exercising with my kids is hard. I still do it, because that just life when you're a mom - you have to figure out ways to make it work. So maybe it's not the best work out of my life when I take them on a jog with me (we have to stop A LOT - because they want to run, pick up pebbles, play with bugs, etc.) but it's better than not trying at all. And that's where I'm at. I try my best. However, I've also been using and loving the Sweat app because it’s reminded me of all the exercises that I should *know* to do, but never seem to remember when I’m at the gym on my own. I've done the BBG program and I am currently re-doing it because I want to get stronger and more consistent with it before I move on to the next program (which is BBG Power and it looks hard!) And by the way, this isn’t sponsored or anything, I’m just letting you know that this program has been one of the main things that has really helped me develop a discipline and see ever so small, but present, results. And no one can take that victory away!

If you’re in a similar life stage as me, with little people gathered round your ankles at any given time of the day, I’m just letting you know that you’re not alone! And what works for me, may not work for you at all, but keep trying things that make you happy, that propels you forward, that makes you proud of what you’re working toward! You are so beautiful, and all your intention and effort matters. Because someone has to dole out the quarters 75 years from now. And with a little luck and a lot of hard work and positivity, that’s gonna be ME.

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Outfit Details:
Look 1: Yandy Sports Bra c/o (similar), Yandy Leggings c/o, Nike Flex Sneakers

Look 2: Yandy Tank c/o, Yandy Leggings c/o, Nike Flex Sneakers

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I'd love to hear from you mamas - what workouts have worked for you in your postpartum journey?

DIY Essential Oil Bug Spray.

It's that time of year - when the mosquitoes love to FEAST in the sunset glow. I love spending time outside with my boys, but we do seem to have some enemies out there with us, especially right around twilight. My poor little Daxton boy seems to be anointed with my blood type and we get especially bitten up in the summer months if we forget to apply bug spray. I really hate conventional bug spray because most are loaded with toxic ingredients and with our skin being like a sponge, I just can't in good conscience put that garbage on my children. But I have a great, easy bug spray DIY that I've been using since last summer which is completely natural, non-toxic and safe for kiddos - and it works! My boys have gotten used to having this sprayed on as soon as we get outside, and I do re-spray if we've been outside for more than an hour. This DIY is based on DoTERRA's pest-repellent oil blend, TerraShield which is so awesome and smells much, much better than regular bug spray. So it's a win-win! So without further adieu, enjoy this essential oil DIY!

Supplies:
- 2 oz. glass bottle (I got my ombre bottle here)
- Quinn's Witch Hazel
- DoTERRA TerraShield oil blend

Method:
1. Measure out 1/3 cup of water and pour it into the 2 oz. bottle.
2. Add 25 drops of Terrashield essential oil to the glass bottle.
3. Top off the bottle with Quinn's unscented witch hazel (this should be between 1/3 - 1/2 cup).
4. Shake bottle to distribute and voila, you're ready to say, "Shoo mosquitoes!"

Notes:
-  I prefer to use unscented Witch Hazel so that the only scent is from the oil itself.
- When making any kind of blend with essential oils, you want to make sure that you are using a glass contained. Plastic or other material can "pull" on the essential oils and release toxins, etc. into the mixture, whereas glass, aluminum and stainless steel don't have that effect with the EO's.
- I like to make several of these bug spray mixtures and keep on in the car, one in the stroller, one at home, and anywhere else you would find yourself reaching for bug spray! Like the Boy Scouts say, always be prepared!

Interested in learning more about DoTERRA essential oils? I would love to share more about why I love them, how I use them, and how you can get some in your home, too! You can shop for them here, or leave a comment and I can invite you to one of my online classes where you can learn more! xx

Make a Difference with Eye Heart World (+ a Giveaway!)

Today I want to talk to you about a tremendously important subject matter. My dear friend Natalie volunteers at Eye Heart World, an organization that works to overcome domestic human trafficking. I want to share about what they are doing and how you can be empowered to make a tangible difference, too. And I want to offer you a giveaway in partnership with Eye Heart World! See more about the giveaway at the bottom of this post. 

I hope you will read this post until the end and take a moment to check out the amazing initiatives put forth by Eye Heart World. So many of you lent your support during our Christmastime City of Refuge hygiene kit campaign and we saw our goal for that drive exceeded! My hope is that we can all join our efforts once again and lend our resources to this incredible initiative.

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Each and every one of us has probably heard the staggering statistics about sex trafficking. It's referred to as "modern day slavery", yet most of us drive to and from Target and Chick-fil-A everyday without seeing people working in the fields along the highway. It's tough to conjure up the reality of how these modern day slaves live and breathe and exist.

But they do exist.

What is it?

The truth is, this form of slavery takes place closer to home than I thought. It's not just happening in the far-stretching regions of Eastern Europe - it's an illegal activity that's been reported in every state in the U.S. If you're unfamiliar with what exactly it is, human trafficking is transaction of buying and selling people for sexual exploitation. Usually these people being sold are children, recruited into a system of forced prostitution between the ages of 12-14. 70% of these underaged victims have been or are still a part of the foster care system. The average price of a transaction is $90 for a service, and the child performing the service is sold up to a dozen times per night.

It's a horror.

Awareness, Prevention, Aftercare.

Eye Heart World is an organization out of Wisconsin and Alabama that is passionate about making a difference. My dear friend Natalie volunteers with the organization and reached out to me about all the work they are doing to make a change. I am so proud of her heart and efforts and I feel honored to share about the initiatives of Awareness, Prevention and Aftercare that Eye Heart World is doing to champion the epidemic of trafficking.

Awareness is provided through targeted training to health care providers, social service providers, and public servants, teaching them what to look for and how to respond when they encounter a victim, while also providing the community with awareness resources.

Prevention is done through The Heart Tour, a one-day event engaging young girls who are at risk for trafficking. Each event provides targeted education, tips for staying safe and focuses on affirming an individual’s worth and value. Through partnerships with youth mentorship programs, each attendee is sponsored to attend the event and receives the guidance necessary to become strong women in their communities.

Aftercare is provided at The Rose Home in Green Bay, Wisconsin and The Rose Center in Mobile, Alabama. These centers provide drop-in and residential aftercare by offering on-going individual and group therapy, life skills courses and workforce preparation. These centers serve as a bridge between the life of trafficking and the long-term care needed to live an empowered life.

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How to Make a Difference?

When people like you and me hear the statistics, it's easy to feel small and unable to do something to actually help the situation. I'm just a mom that works from home everyday - how can I possible help? Eye Heart World has a way for people like you and me to give and shop to make a difference. They offer a small product line that funds a part of the overall operating budget to make the Awareness, Prevention and Aftercare initiatives happen. And each of the products is stamped with the Eye Heart World logo and the "Carry The Cause" slogan leather patch, as well as the signature orange rose medallion.

If you feel so inclined, even a small donation makes an impact. And stocking up on gifts from the shop is a great way to support the cause and continue to spread the word about how others can make an impact, too.

or

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Carrying the Harriet Tote

Eye Heart World sent me this Harriet Tote to photograph and share about. Named after Harriet Tubman, this cream tote bag is made of durable-quality canvas here in the U.S. Perfect for practically any activity, I've used this tote for everything from grocery shopping to hitting the gym to picnicking in the park. It's super versatile and durable enough to withstand a weighty amount of wear and tear. Inside the tote, four lines of printed text serve as a reminder of the impact of the purchase made every time you pick it up. You can learn more about the story of this bag here. The impact of this purchase sponsors aftercare resources for a victim of trafficking on her journey to healing and independent living. I'm giving away one of these incredible Harriet totes over here on my Instagram, hop over for your chance to win one for yourself!
 

Thanks for reading this post and checking out the work of Eye Heart World!

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