Friday Favorites

Happy Friday friends. This might have been one of the longest weeks ever. Probably because I just had two weeks off during Oklahoma's teacher walkout, which turned out bitterly disappointing, and now we're trying to finish out the school year. And, I'm determined to do it strong, but there are some days where I am just not motivated, and we're in the midst of state testing, and our weekends are about to get cray from here until the first of June. So, my blogging my be pretty sporadic. 

But... in true Friday fashion, I'm sharing my Friday Favorites, which just so happens to be a random round up of my favorite moments from the past week. 

Last Thursday, we met Megan's classmates and her teacher for ice cream. I had spent my day rearranging furniture and cleaning out cabinets, so we were all a hot mess, but the ice cream break was fun. So was seeing all of her classmates, and some of my speech kiddos, and all of Megan's friends. It sure did put us in the mood to get back to school. 

We spent one afternoon playing outside and soaking up the sun. 

And then we took our big and little out for ice cream for dinner! 

Megan was sleeping over at a friends house, so these girls had their very own sister sleepover. We stayed up and watched a movie together, so bedtime was late, but we had fun hanging out as a family. 

Saturday night, we headed to hang with the football families to celebrate the end of spring ball. It's a little break between here, video convention, and summer camps, so we're enjoying having this guy home a bit more. 

And on Sunday, these two girls stole my heart by wearing matching Matilda Jane dresses. I think these were the first MJ dresses that all three girls had, and now they're being passed down, but at least two out of the three can match. 

They're growing up so super fast. 

Sunday naps are the best. 

How cute is this jewelry case! I'm giving it away over in my Oily Tribe on facebook :) 

And this picture from last Easter was fun to look back on. Again, probably the last time I'll get Gretchen in a smocked dress :( 

We had gymnastics this week, and watching the girls do their thing is always a favorite.

As I was cleaning up dinner one evening, I told Megan to get in the shower and asked Adalyn to run her bath water, and when I went in to the bathroom, I found them like this. They had filled up the tub with soap and turned on the jets for lots of foam!

I've said before that being able to work where my girls go to school is a favorite. Megan wasn't feeling well this week, and came down for some oil on her tummy, and then she came down later in the afternoon for an ice pack, and she snuck in for some hugs. 

We came home from school and the girls fixed themselves a snack. Pirates Booty and chocolate chips. I later realized that they had eaten half the bag of chocolate chips. 

And finally, my favorite makeup, Savvy Minerals by Young Living, just released some new colors and I'm so excited! Check them out below! 

My order includes a new lipstick, gloss, and eye shadow, so i'll share when they arrive! 

Have a fun filled weekend friends! 

Wardrobe Wednesday: Dress Edition

Once a month, I like to share what I've been wearing, but the truth is, I've been wearing a lot of yoga pants and workout gear. Since, we had the teacher walk out, and I wasn't at work, my wardrobe was comfortable and super casual. 

So, I thought I'd share some dresses with y'all today! These will transition perfectly in to the summer, and to be honest, i'm way more of a dress girl in the summer time than shorts.

I bought this dress from Lush last summer, and it's a staple in my closet. I can easily throw on a denim jacket and it transitions in to spring, and then again in to fall. Plus, it has a great price tag! 

Shift dresses like this one, are easy to transition too. I can wear this at work, or running errands this summer. Plus, it's super cute with tennis shoes or sandals. 

I'm crushing on this split neck dress from Lush. Plus, it comes in a variety of colors. I'll take one of each please :) 

Every girl needs a LBD (little black dress) and I love the ruffle detail and one shoulder on this one. It would be fun for an upcoming wedding! 

Believe it or not, Target has been killing it with dresses this Spring! This is a super cute one that could be worn to a daytime/garden wedding. 

I'm also crushing on this one, because it would be easy to throw on over a swimsuit when heading for dinner on the beach. 

I wore this dress for Easter. It's super comfy, and I fell in love with the embroidery detail. 

I also recommend grabbing a basic sandal in leopard, like this one, because you can easily wear them with all of the dresses above :) 

Tuesday Talk: Business Boss Babe

Hey, hey Tuesday! I'm linking up with Ashley and Erika for their Tuesday Talk. A day, where we get to just chit chat about anything and everything. 

Today, I wanted to chit chat a little bit about multi-level marketing (MLM)  businesses. If you're like I was a few years ago, you just made the biggest eye roll, and you're tempted to hit that x at the top of the page. I was there. I get it. Believe me. MLM's sqeeve me out. Big time. 

Several years ago, I was approached by several friends who thought I "would be so good at this" and they'd message me about why I should sign up for or buy XYZ. And I was all "do you know me AT ALL?" because I so was not interested.

And, my facebook feed was FILLED with mom friends trying to sell me a product. And, I was annoyed. Facebook wasn't for friends anymore. It was for business. 

Basically, the whole MLM thing felt gross, and sometimes, it still does. Raise your hand if you've blocked your friends because all they do is post about their business. Yup, me too. 

And, then I started watching a friend share about essential oils and how they were helping her children sleep better. Her kids weren't sick often (and mine were sick ALL THE FREAKING TIME), and they were getting off medications, and I was intrigued. For six months, I sat and watched her posts. I used every sick day that I had that year, because my kids were sick, and finally, I told DJ that we had to try something. Anything. That June (2016) I bought a little starter kit of oils, and I swore that I still wouldn't do the business side and sell these things to my friends. 

And then, a few things happened that changed my perspective.

1. They actually worked. That next school year, I had sick days left over! And, the same thing happened the year after that. I took my kids to the doctor less (in fact, Gretchen hasn't been in two years.) 

2. I realized that I didn't have to sell anything to my friends. I learned to share about the oils and how we were using them, and eventually, my friends wanted in.

3. I became passionate about sharing and realized I could run my business differently from all of my friends. 

So, I went for it. Within a few weeks of purchasing that starter kit of oils, I began sharing, and I began researching. 

I think once I really started to research oils and the toxins in our everyday products, that's when I knew that I was with the right company, and I was making a good choice for myself and my family.

I shared my top 10 reasons for getting involved with MLM last year, but I'll 100% say, that if it's something you're thinking about, you have to be passionate about the product. (If you don't use and love your product, your friends will see that you're only trying to make a buck off of them)  I think this is one reason that I was turned off from every friend that approached me. I wasn't passionate about their products. 

I also vowed to do things differently, and praise Jesus for friends along the way that taught me how to approach this little business differently.

Here are a few things I try to do to not be that salesy friend:

~ I will never cold message you and tell you that you need this product, or approach you about the business without you coming to me first. 

~ I won't chat with you on facebook just so we can build a relationship so I can later sell you my product. No. We are facebook friends, or real life friends, for a reason. I love you or I've known you at some point, and I want to keep in touch because I care.

~ My facebook page is still my page. I'm going to keep sharing my life, and not flood you your feed with products you should buy, just so I can make a buck.

~ I won't ask you for lunch just so I can pull out my product and shove it on you.

~ If you do decide to purchase that little starter kit of oils, i'll never pressure you in to joining the business. Sure, I'm going to chat with you about it, because we've been able to find some financial freedom, but if it's not your thing, i'm still going to love you. 

~ And, if you do decide to pursue the business, I'm going to teach you and show you, but you're not going to have homework, or have to sell a certain amount of product, or message X amount of your friends. You're a big girl, and you can choose to be successful, or you can choose for it to be a hobby.  

~ I'm going to be straightforward with you about the cost, hidden fees, monthly programs, etc. It's never my intent to lie or steal or make a buck off of you. 

I know I've had some friends that are sitting on that fence, and they're just not sure. I just want you to know you can be a Business Boss Babe, and be different and still be successful. 

In fact, I've dedicated an entire Pinterest board about being a Business Boss Babe, with fun inspirational quotes and a little motivation. Whether, you're involved with Young Living or another company, I challenge you to be different. Find your inner boss babe, and get to work. 

Lunch Prep

Sunday afternoons, I like to prep lots of meals for school lunches. I find that during the week, our evenings are hectic, and I enjoy being able to save time, by grabbing pre made lunches, rather than spending tons of time in the kitchen cooking dinner, fixing lunches, and then cleaning up. Also, we tend to run late every morning, so I definitely don't have time to fix lunches during the morning rush. 

This week, I decided to make some little "lunchable" type lunches for the girls. 

I used cut up tortillas as "crackers", added lunch meat, cheese cubes, and cucumbers. Everything fit easily in to sandwich boxes, and I use silicon muffin cups as inserts. 

I also made little pizza "lunchables" for the girls. These were super easy to make! I cut used a circular mold, to cut tortillas in to circles, added pepperoni, shredded cheese, and pizza sauce in little containers. 

I usually prep a full lunch for Monday and Tuesdays, and then I'll put together snack containers of veggies or fruit, for us to grab and go later in the week. In these containers, I put a cucumber, bell peppers, and a cherry tomato. The girls all love these fresh veggies, so we buy them each time we go to the grocery store. I wash and precut them, and store them in the fridge. It's super easy to pull out when we have lunches at home, the girls need a snack, or when I'm ready to lunch prep. 

I also put carrots in individual snack bags for me :)

I love hummus, and Gretchen loves cottage cheese. I went ahead and put some of each in individual containers, so I can grab when I put my lunchbox together each morning, or we can grab for when I'm fixing lunchboxes in the evenings. When I make a bunch of little containers like this, I just store them in one dedicated drawer in the fridge. 

We had leftover chicken, so I made two salads to take for my lunches this week. Spinach, parmesan cheese, cubed chicken, and apple chips. And I'm obsessed with Panera's apple dressing. 

I made three pb & j sandwiches. I put these in sandwiches boxes, and they went in the dedicated drawer. These will be eaten for lunch on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Now, when I started making lunches in advanced, I tried to not fix sandwiches or big meal containers too many days in advance. I find if I make lunches for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the girls don't complain that sandwiches are stale or soggy. Maybe, it's because they don't know a difference, but they've never complained. On Wednesday night and Thursday night, I'll throw together a sandwich, and then just grab and go whatever containers I have left in the fridge.

I cut up two sweet potatoes and baked them with cinnamon, so I could have them for breakfasts later in the week. 

I also like to keep easy, healthier, snacks on hand. I know that my girls complain when other kids have candy, sweets, or other "unhealthy" foods, so I like to offer them some healthier alternatives as a treat a few days a week. We finally found these Annies crispy treats, and my girls preferred these over another organic brand we had previously tried. 

To make my mornings easier, I'll pre-make my protein shakes, and store in little containers. That way, I just have to dump them in to our blender, add ice and water, blend, and we're good to go. It saves me at least 5 minutes in the mornings. 

In my protein shakes, I use: Vega Protein Powder, Collagen Peptides, PB2, chia seeds, and then I add two supplements from Young Living- MegaCal and Sulferzyme. Occassionally, I'll add a 1/2 banana or a handful of spinach to my protein shakes.

I promise, they're delicious! 

And finally, I made protein balls. These are super easy to make:

2/3 c. peanut butter

1 c. oats

1/2 c dark chocolate chips

1/2 c. ground flax/chia seed blend

2 tbsp honey

Mix everything together, store in the fridge for about 15 minutes, and then make in to little balls. 

These are a great treat for when my afternoon sweet tooth craving hits. 

Whew! That was a lot of lunch prepping going on at our house! 

What are some of your time saving, lunch prepping tips?

Friday Favorites: Zoo Edition

Hey, hey Friday! 

It's so good to be back here in this little space today :) 

I'm linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci, and sharing a random assortment of my favorites today. 

First up, the Seedlings Bundle from Young Living! Last June, Young Living released an exclusive product line for babies, and it gave me baby fever. Thankfully, lots of football wives are pregnant, so I'm grabbing this bundle and splitting it up a bit for some fun baby gifts. I love being able to gift safe, non toxic products to expecting mama's! The bundle comes with baby wipes, rash cream, baby lotion, baby wash & shampoo, linen spray, and comes with a cute little hooded towel, wash cloth, and fits in a little rattan basket. 

And, if you're a mama to be, you can grab the ultimate mama bundle through the 14th! The Ultimate Mama Bundle, comes with a wholesale membership (giving you 24% off every product on Young Living's website), the Thieves collection, which will overhaul every product in your home (hand soap, cleaner, thieves spray, thieves oil, hand purifier, and toothpaste), then you can grab that Seedlings bundle, and receive a set of Stress Away bath bombs for free! Yes, please! If you're interested, email me here, and include "Ultimate Mama Bundle" in the message line. 

Up next, on my list of favorites, is watching the girls' gymnastics. Megan is starting to work on her back handspring, and I'm so proud of her determination. 

We've been home for 9 days now, for the Oklahoma Teacher Walkout. This week, we decided to pull out some school work and practice, so the girls stay caught up. Gretchen practiced her spelling and speech. Adalyn practiced writing upper and lower case letters, numbers, and counting, and Megan worked on her math facts. 

And, since we've been out of school, sleeping in, and lazy mornings have been our favorites. 

I've had this top since last summer, but it's one of my favorites. I absolutely love the tunic length of it, and how it flows, so it made for a favorite outfit this week. 

The weather here was gorgeous, so the girls and I headed to the zoo for a few hours. 

The carousel was our first stop!

We saw the lions, monkeys, giraffes, and tigers. 

After letting the girls play on the playground for a bit, we stopped at the petting zoo, before leaving to meet DJ for lunch. 

And, this is why I always carry several oils with me. Gretchen scraped her ankle on the gate to the petting zoo, and thankfully, I had some Owie to put on it, until we could find a band aid. 

Addy and Megan insisted on taking their babies to the zoo, and they pushed them around all morning. 

We made it home, and Megan played outside for a bit, while Adalyn napped in the car. 

And, then we went out to "work the corner", which has taken on a whole new meaning for teachers, and I ended up holding one the signs that we made for the girls, and it strangely works for me too. 

Have a great weekend friends! The weather here is suppose to turn scary tonight and then cold again this weekend, so we'll be hunkered down at home.