Getting Busy with Essential Oils.

This is a mature blog post so if you are young go ahead and skip over this one - I am not responsible for apologizing to your parents. And if you’re my parents, mayyyyybe don’t read this either.

There’s no need to be shy about it. It’s Valentines Day tomorrow and I feel like I would be doing a disservice by NOT sharing a few playful DIYs with you. You have an arsenal of essential oils at your fingertips, so why not incorporate them in a new way? Ain’t nothing wrong with it, people! Let’s put these plant powers to work for us!

For those of you who don’t know, EOs have been used throughout history to support libido, balance hormones and increase passion and desire. These oils can help create ambiance, relieve stress and promote whole-body relaxation (yes please, YES.) I have been on a journey over the past several years, getting educated on the maaany ways to incorporate essential oils in different parts of my life. From mom brain to allergies, boosting the immune system to alleviating stress, I have found so much solace in these precious oils. So naturally, using them to create an atmosphere of intimacy was kind of inevitable. And no one over here is mad about it soooo. Let’s talk about how you can do that, too, shall we?

Actually let’s not talk (because one of us is blushing here and I actually don’t think it’s me), let’s just get down to business (that’s what she said! I know I know - I’m awful.) Here are some DIYs for helping you create an aphrodisiac atmosphere of love, acceptance and passion. Just consider this the crunchy granola version of “that” scene from Friends (“7, 7… 7!” anyone??) ;)

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“Get Busy” Bedroom Mist:
Combine the following essential oils in a 2-ounce glass spray bottle:

- 15 drops Sandalwood
- 15 drops Bergamot
- 7 drops Ginger
- 7 drops Lime
- 5 drops Ylang Ylang
- 3 drops Frankincense

Fill up the rest of the bottle with distilled water. Add dried florals if you’re feeling like it. Shake bottle and spray throughout bedroom and onto sheets to freshen aroma. This smells SO good and sets the tone for a romantic environment.

*Shop these oils here, glass bottles here

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“Baby, Lemme Light Your Fire” Massage Blend:
Combine the following essential oils in 1/4 cup fractionated coconut oil or unscented lotion and massage onto skin:

- 1 drop Rose
- 1 drop Jasmine
- 1 drop Neroli
- 3 drops Sandalwood
- 2 drops Ylang Ylang

*Shop these oils here
**My fave Fractionated Coconut Oil and Unscented Lotion here.

Note 1: Fractionated Coconut Oil is simply coconut oil that stays in liquid form and doesn’t have that coconut-y scent. It’s a great carrier oil to use with essential oils to dilute them for sensitive skin, but you can also use sweet almond oil or even olive oil.

Note 2: When making essential oil DIYs, it’s important to always use glass or stainless steel containers. The essential oils will cause anything plastic to break down and leach.

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“Crash Into You” Diffuser Blend:
Combine the following oils in an ultrasonic diffuser and diffuse in the bedroom:

- 2 Siberian Fir
- 2 Patchouli
- 2 Sandalwood
- 2 Clary Sage
- 2 Wild Orange

”You’re My Fantasy” Diffuser Blend:
Combine the following oils in an ultrasonic diffuser and diffuse in the bedroom:

- 2 drops Ylang Ylang
- 2 drops Sandalwood
- 2 drops Tangerine

Bonus Tips:

• For fresh breath, apply 1-2 drops of Peppermint essential oil on the tongue before your inevitable makeout sesh. Fresh breath goes a long way, people!
  

• For a personal fragrance for her, I highly recommend DoTERRA’s Whisper blend - it’s full of incredibly romantic essential oils and creates a unique aroma on each person because of the way it interacts with your personal body chemistry. The scent ranges from sweet & spicy to powdery & sexy.
  

• Dry Brush using 1 drop Black Pepper + 1 drop Grapefruit before taking a shower or bath. Brush the skin lightly in the direction of your heart - this will cleanse the lymphatic system and stimulate blood flow.
  

• Add 1-2 drops of 1 of these oils to a romantic bath (do this while the water is running in the stream coming from the faucet to ensure even dilution): Frankincense, Rose, Sandalwood or Ylang Ylang
  

• Other oils blends that do the right job accompanying sexy time: Motivate, Clary Calm and Passion. Apply to pulse points and if you’re feeling like a QUEEN, to the inner thighs.
  

• Apply Ylang Ylang to your belly about 10 minutes before business time.
  

• For “His & Hers” (libido-boosting) rollerball blends, check out my friend Savannah’s post here.

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Okay now you have a head full of ideas. Let me know if you have any questions! The most important part of this is for you to be completely comfortable and have fun trying something a little new! Wishing you a memorable Valentines Day, friends!

Want to chat with me about how to get these oils in your life for 25% off? Girl, send a message at oykristen@gmail.com and we can get you set UP.

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P.S. - Coming from a Christian background, the topic of intimacy isn’t often addressed in an effort to promote purity. However, I believe sex is a gift from God, and we Christians shouldn’t be on the boring side of the narrative - we should really enjoy it and be the ones having euphoric, ah-mazing sex. So this post is my way of talking about it in a way that I hope is received as tasteful and helpful! xx

Healthy Cobb Salad.

For those of you looking for a cleaner version of your good ol’ fashioned Cobb Salad, I’m here for you! Since January 1 I’ve been eating mostly Whole30 during the week and letting myself take a break from all the cooking and prep on the weekends (hello Friday night glass of vino) Needless to say I’ve been exploring different lunch options that are delicious and easy to make, and even though I’ve been at odds with salad for the past years of my life, I came up with this Healthy Cobb Salad recipe because I needed a salad that tasted a little bit more indulgent - and this does! The things that make this not-Whole30 are the dressing and the use of maple syrup in the bacon prep. But seriously, those two things make this taste so good! And it’s still using really clean ingredients so I feel verrrrry wonderful about it. Enjoy friends!

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Ingredients:
- handful of spinach
- 4-5 grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 avocado, sliced lengthwise
- 2 hard boiled eggs, quartered (my favorite is Neli’s 7 minute method for hard boiled eggs)
- Honey maple turkey bacon (see mini prep steps for this below)
- Cucumber (I forgot to add it for these photos but it would have added a nice crunch)
- Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing
- a bit of pepper

for the turkey bacon:
1. I simply mix up 2 tbsp. yellow mustard and 2 tbsp. maple syrup.
2. Lay 8-10 strips of turkey bacon on a baking sheet (with aluminum foil covering the sheet).
3. “Paint” the strips of bacon with the honey-maple mixture.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes, and flip the strips of bacon.
5. Repeat on the other side, painting the bacon with the honey-maple mixture.
6. Cook for another 6-8 minutes (this varies oven-to-oven - you should be able to tell when the bacon is “done”).
7. I use a few strips of the bacon for this salad (chopped into 1/2 inch pieces) and store the rest in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
*This is the only way I will eat turkey bacon now because it is magnificent.

Salad Method:
1. Very simple. Combine everything and drizzle with dressing!

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I hope you love and enjoy this one! Bon Appetit!

My Nighttime Skincare Routine.

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you click through some of the links in this post.

I have always been really really ridiculously bad at sticking to a skincare routine. I am totally the girl that goes to sleep with her makeup on, because in the back of my mind I think, “Well, it’s non-toxic makeup so how bad can it be if I just lay down for a minute…?” And that used to happen 3+ times per week. I know - BAD GIRL. But I have been on a skincare journey and last summer I started getting serious about my skincare routine. This routine has really become something that I look forward to at the end of the day, and feels like so much more than just washing my face. These 5 minutes that I spend helps me unwind, feels like a bit of self-care (ha because IT IS), and I genuinely know that my skin has drastically improved. So here’s the routine!

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1. Cleanse.
I squeeze a dime-sized amount of DoTERRA Facial Cleanser to my Clarisonic Mia 1 and do a 60-second scrub in a circular motion. It feels like a face massage and it’s so unbelievably relaxing.

2. Remove eye makeup.
I apply a few drops of Plant Apothecary Reset Organic Makeup Remover on a cotton pad and gently remove my eye makeup. It’s hard to find a clean eye makeup remover and this one performs! I love it.

3. Tone.
I do a quick swipe of this DoTERRA Pore-Reducing Toner with a cotton ball and then let my skin dry.

4. Serum + Face Massage.
This is the step that feels the most indulgent. I apply about 2-3 drops of this Yarrow/Pom blend and rub it in. Then I use this Rose Quartz Facial Roller and spend about 60 seconds massaging the serum into my skin. I use upward strokes and it feels SO. GOOD. I honestly credit my skin’s completely changed texture to this oil blend - it is so good it’s almost scary. I am OBSESSED. This blend of yarrow essential oil with cold-pressed pomegranate oil activates protective skin proteins that enable collagen production. AKA my secret skin weapon. Seriously.

5. Moisturize.
After the serum is roller in, I apply a dollop of DoTERRA Anti-Aging Moisturizer to seal in the moisture and give my skin a final drink of goodness. This moisturizer smells reeeeally good too.

5. Eye Cream, too.
Finally, I apply a tiny bit of DoTERRA Anti-Aging Eye Cream around my eyes. I use 1/2 of a pump of this stuff for both eyes because seriously - a little goes so far!

There you have it! The routine that I’ve been rocking lately and I am loving it. There is something truly therapeutic about taking these few minutes for myself at the end of the day. All of these products are all SO clean and good for my skin, which matters so much to me. Our skin is the largest organ in the body, and it soaks up everything we put on it. These products are free of phthalates, fragrances and chemicals that are loaded into so many other skincare products. So I feel good about them and they feel good about me, too! Also, you can shop all the DoTERRA products for 25% off here!

I posted an IGTV episode sharing this routine, you can see it here.

Do yourself a favor and put together a little nighttime routine for you skin - you will feel so relaxed and love the results, too! xx

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Tips and Tricks for Disney World!

We went to Disney World right before Christmas and it was SO much fun! I wanted to share a few planning tips that helped us have such a fun and happy time together. When it comes to Disney World, planning and being prepared really does make all the difference when it comes to NOT stressing, so I wanted to compile all of my thoughts here for any of you who are planning to take your family to the happiest place on Earth, too!

Planning:

• We used a travel agent when planning our trip and it’s probably my BIGGEST recommendation for a Disney trip - if you take no other advice from me, please please please have someone help you plan your Disney trip. Alyson Pitzer of Magical Moments Vacations helped us tailor our trip perfectly to our family and I would highly recommend her to anyone! We didn’t have to pay her either - she is compensated by Disney so when you purchase your tickets through her or reserve hotels, she is compensated by Disney. But she does SO much more than book things - she truly helped us tailor the trip perfectly for my kids’ ages, character preferences, height requirements, EVERYTHING - she helped us schedule our fast passes, make dining reservations for character meals, and explained how to actually execute a Disney trip - everything from transportation to meal planning to where the best hidden places are in the parks to grab a bite to eat, change a diaper, etc. She is a wealth of information and I hope everyone uses her because gosh, we certainly will be using her services again! #disneycruiseupnext

• Park Hopper! This is so helpful to have along with your ticket if you want to move around a little bit. It’s really fun to spend a morning at Magic Kingdom and then head over to Epcot to eat in the afternoon. I didn’t utilize our Park Hopper much this time, but my extended family did and they really liked being able to move around! I feel like this is helpful if you have multiple park days and older children who are a little more mobile).

• Rider Swap - It’s hard for me to explain how this works but it is SO helpful. Since Daxton is still too little to ride roller coasters, Stevie and I could utilize the rider swap to switch off taking Everett on rides and not have to wait in line each time. Like I said, hard to actually explain but it is so worth utilizing!

• We used the My Disney Experience app to organize all of our fast passes (you’re allowed to plan up to 3 per day and continue to add more as you use them up), and our dining plans (reservations are required for sit-down meals, and booking 6 months in advance for some restaurants is a must!) Again, our travel agent was absolutely amazing in helping us get all of this set up, so we just had to show up on our trip and our app told us what was happening. It was literally amazing.

Eating:

• If you can swing it, the Disney Meal Plan is evvvverything. You pay ahead of time for the dining plan and then your Magic Band is automatically loaded with daily credits for meals and snacks at the parks and hotels. It is a total gift to all the mamas! A true vacation for me is one where I do not have to cook. Can I get an amen?

• All that being said, I wish I had packed my kids some pb & j sandwiches (and a few healthy snacks) as an extra during the days. They love something simple like that and they didn’t always eat the chicken nuggets or whatever it was that we got for them that was on the dining plan. However, Stevie and I always used their dining credits, so I still think the plan is totally worth it!

• Just so you know, you can get Starbucks coffee on the dining plan - it counts as a snack credit and it is the BEST to grab one in the early morning when you get into the park. It gave me a little extra motivation to get to the park right when it opened! Which is also the time when the park is least crowded.

• Fave restaurants:

  • Magic Kingdom- Be Our Guest (I like breakfast here best), Sleepy Hollow (get the waffles!), Casey’s (get the corn dog nuggets and don’t think about the calories), Aloha Isle (get the Dole Whipped Treat!!!!), and Starbucks on Main Street (I personally like to grab an early coffee here and walk very slowly down Main Street - it’s perhaps the cheeriest place I’ve ever been and I always want to soak it up!)

  • Animal Kingdom - Tusker House (my favorite character meal!)

  • Epcot - Oh gosh, I ate everything here! This is the best place to walk and munch literally all day long. Christmas Tea in England, tacos in Mexico, kettle corn in Canada, crepes in France, mac’n’cheese in Germany, orange chicken in China and mulled wine in Germany!

  • Hollywood Studios - 50’s Prime Time Cafe

Attire:

• You have to wear Mickey ears at The Magic Kingdom! I got this 12-pack on Amazon, which had both Mickey & Minnie ears, and we wore these the last time. This time my sis Lauren also snagged a pair for me from Claires (that look similar to this) and I loved having a fancy glitter pair!

• We wore Mickey and Disney gear the entire trip because its fun to be so festive! I shopped at Target for a few months before hand and just picked up things here and there that would coordinate well for the days we were at the parks.

• Wear comfy shoes. Do NOT wear flip flops. Just trust me on this one, friends. I’m on your side!

• Pack an extra layer for yourself and your kiddos if you are going to stay for the whole day into the evening - the temperatures definitely drop at night!

Getting Around:

• I personally loved renting a van and driving to the parks everyday. Even though the monorail and bus system is super efficient, our hotel didn’t have a monorail option and sometimes the buses can take a while to arrive. With little kids (and nap times and the need for urgent potty breaks!), I just really liked having the control of leaving when we needed to. However, this is totally a personal preference thing and I have lots of family that really liked using the bus system!

• I will also highly recommend arriving at the parks 15-30 minutes before they open. I know, that sounds crazy, but just hear me out here. Many of the parks actually open their doors 30 minutes prior to actually opening and beginning the rides, so if you are able to get into the park, grab a coffee, and have a leisure walk to your first ride, then when the park officially opens you are already standing in front of your first ride. It can be hectic trying to get to the park that early, but it is much less crowded in the mornings and it’s easier to jump on rides. Trust me on this one - the park is the most crowded at 11am because that’s when most people manage to get there after eating breakfast, etc. Just trust me here! Get to the park early and enjoy the peace and quiet! You will ride 3x as many rides this way!

• If you have a child that naps, you can either stay in the park and hope that they nap in your stroller, or you can head back to the hotel in the early in the afternoon and give them a proper nap. We have done it both ways, and we really make the decision the day of, depending on how late the park will be open that day. For example, if Magic Kingdom closes at 5pm, then we will probably try to stay at the park for the day. But if it closes at 10pm, we would try to get to the park at 7:30/7:45am, ride rides and have fun until about noon, eat lunch and then head back to the hotel for rest time and naps until about 5pm. Then we would grab dinner and enjoy the park in the evening - making certain to catch the fire works!

Gear:

• We brought our Double Bob Stroller and we LOVED having it. They boys could ride around in it when they got tired, we could keep them contained (which is a big deal, because otherwise we were holding their hands while we walked with them in the crowds). It was also helpful for letting Daxton nap in the afternoons. Overall, it was just SO convenient to have it and Disney has tons of stroller parking everywhere (with people keeping an eye on the strollers!) when you couldn’t take the stroller directly to the rides. It was so helpful to have a hub for all our STUFF. Because man, we brought a lot of stuff.

• Speaking of stuff, I packed my diaper bag each day with the following: an extra pair of clothes for each boy, a full refillable water bottle for each person, lots of snacks, diapers and wipes, hand sanitizer, sun glasses, chapstick, tissues, a little toy for each boy (to play with while we were in line, but honestly, we didn’t need these), and when its really hot, I would also recommend a mister fan, a hat and some sunscreen.

• I would also recommend packing a portable phone charger (you use your phone SO much at DIsney, between taking photos and using the My Disney app to keep up with your Fast Passes - this is helpful if your phone battery isn’t great!)

I think that’s all! Goodness, it looks like a lot of info, but this was our second time taking the boys to Disney and it was an even better trip! I truly think having a travel agent help us make an amazing plan made all the difference - we have never used a travel agent for any other trip, including international travel with the kids, but I feel like at Disney is it completely necessary! We absolutely LOVED our time there this year and I even made a little Travel Diary on IGTV, which you can see here.

I hope this was helpful for you! Please leave your fave Disney tips and tricks in the comments section so we can all learn from them! xx

The Boys Right Now.

Everett. Four and a half going on seventeen. Right now you are so much fun I can hardly stand it. I keep telling you to stop growing up and you keep telling me you’re going to keep doing it.

You love playing Candyland, we play it at least 3 times a day. Your favorite card is the ice cream floats, because you love ice cream AND because it bumps you so close to the finish line. Which you remind me of, every time.

Lately you have been telling me, “I’ll love you forever mommy and I’ll never stop loving you”. And you are also saying, “I love you 100”. There are really no words to describe how it feels when you tell me these things. I LOVE YOU FOREVER 100 TOO!!!

You are continuously working on your worksheets from school, even when we are at home and not talking about school work. You’re getting so good at your name that now you are practicing writing Daxton’s name and it makes me so happy when you are so proud of your work.

You are eating so good these days, my love, and GOSH is it a relief after the journey we’ve had. I am so proud of you for eating your broccoli, even if we do douse it with an extreme dose of parmesan cheese.

And you are so helpful with your brother, letting him know when his behavior warrants a discipline. I’m sure he appreciates it, but not as much as I do. You are going to make a great daddy with all this practice you’re getting these days!

You are so thoughtful, asking the best questions. Questions that make me ask myself questions! Like, “Mom, what is prison? How do you get there?” Omg.

You run so fast, Everett. I cannot wait to see where those legs take you.

We are reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe right now before bedtime, and you keep saying you want the witch to win, which makes me giggle. I can’t wait for you to figure out that she’s really the bad guy.

You refuse to nap, so we are in that stage where you are having “rest time” and somehow finding ways to get out of it. You are quite the negotiator! But seriously - I miss the days when you napped.

Daxton.

My two-year old. You big, beautiful burly babe. You have gotten so snuggly with me lately, which is really making my life. I don’t care what else is happening in the world when I’m snuggling with you - it’s just that good!

You are speaking so well, repeating everything you hear your brother say. It makes my heart soar to hear you say, “I wuv you, Ev-wett” when we put you boys to bed at night. And you say “Thank you, mama” about 10 times a day which makes all of my insides smile. You make me SO happy.

And watching you and Everett play together is exactly what I dreamed and hoped it would be all those months when I was pregnant with you and imagining the brotherhood you two would share.

Your hair is so, so soft. I hope it stays that way forever.

You are experiencing a good dose of the 2’s right now, so discipline is happening around the clock. I hope you will understand in the future that it’s all for your good and because we love you.

You also have decided to follow in your brother’s footsteps when it comes to his repulsion of most foods. Thankfully he has grown out of that, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed (and trying to stress less) that you will soon grow out of it, too.

Speaking of, you still call snacks “Thuhhhhh” and as much as I want you to start saying it the right way, a bigger part of me DOESN’T. Because when you ask for a “thuhhh” I can’t help but laugh.

You are easy going, fun to be with, and you make everyone around you smile because of your smile. Even your teachers want to keep you! You bless me every single day. Although I’m pretty certain I’m going to have to stop carrying you around places because, BOY, you are growing like a weed.

Both of you boys, stop growing! And at the same time, keep doing it, because with each incremental bit of growth comes an unexpected amount of fun and I feel like we are all just in a really good groove these days. You two have made my life full, so full. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I love you both forever!