Friday Favorites: Gretchen's BirthDAY!

On Tuesday, Gretchen Rose turned 8!!!  We spent the entire day celebrating our 8 year old!!! 

Monday night, before tucking in my 7 year old for the last time!!!

We set up a little surprise breakfast for her before going to bed.

When she was a year old, we ordered her birthday hat, so I brought it out along with her birthday plate. I had ordered her a necklace from Stella & Dot, and was thrilled that I didn't have to wrap it since it came in the cutest little heart box. So, her little present was ready!

We picked up special doughnuts for her breakfast!

A doughnut and 8 candles ready for a wish!

We sang Happy Birthday to her. 

She made her wish, and blew out her candles. 

She opened her card, and posed for a quick picture. 

And then daddy took a selfie with her as she opened her present. 

After Gretchen had her turn of blowing out candles, her sisters wanted in on the action too! We gave Adalyn two candles and sang her "Happy Non-Birthday". 

And then it was Megan's turn!

Thankfully, Gretchen was more than happy to share her candles!

Tuesday morning, DJ took Gretchen for her well-child check up and got her lunch before he brought her back to school, and I ran out on my lunch break to pick up her cookie cake. 

She really wanted a Star Wars cookie cake, but the bakery couldn't do it due to copyright, so we settled for Frozen, and then we bought her Star Wars plates and napkins. 

Her class sang her Happy Birthday while I cut her cookie cake for her friends. 

After school, we went to dance and then out to eat at her favorite restaurant, Olive Garden. 

She chooses Olive Garden every year for her birthday! I think we've been going since she was two years old. 

DJ and Megan. 

Me and Addy. 

And I tried to take a picture with just the birthday girl, but Addy kept wanting in the picture too!

I practically had to beg these girls for a picture!

After dinner, we ordered her ice cream and then we ordered dessert for the table! The waitresses came to sing to her, and she was gone to the bathroom!!! Thankfully, they came back and sang for her and the people at the table beside us sang to her too, which was so sweet!!!

Tomorrow, we'll be celebrating with an ice skating parties and all of her friends!!!!

I'm linking up today with Andrea, Erika, and Narcy for Friday Favorites!

HPA Goes Oily: Bath Time!!!

Today, we're talking about getting these kiddos clean!!!! Once we really began our journey to living healthier and getting rid of toxins, I knew I wanted to take it slow and move in stages. This month, I've been focusing on the girls bathroom products and how to get toxins off my children!

I ordered the Kidscents Shampoo from Young Living for their hair. I didn't expect the shampoo to bubble and foam like our old shampoo (because the bubbles and foam in shampoos are often caused by harmful chemicals.) so I was pleasantly surprised when our new shampoo had a few bubbles! I'm not sure about your kids, but my girls love when they have lots of bubbles in their hair and in the tub! 

We've also added Young Living's Bath Gel to our tub time routine! Just like the shampoo, the bath gel contains all natural ingredients, therapeutic-grade essential oils, and has no mineral oils, no perfumes, no artificial coloring, and no toxic ingredients!!!

Once I learned about the harmful ingredients that I was putting on my kids, I was more than happy to throw it all out and start over!

After bath time, we rub the girls down with our Sleepy Cream! I made it using essential oils that I already had around the house! I whipped a cup of coconut oil, and dropped in my oils! I am a firm believer in our sleepy cream. Megan, has always had a hard time falling asleep and shutting down at night, especially if she's had a long or late nap during the day! I can apply the sleepy cream, tuck her in, and 10 minutes later she'll be out like a light! It's sort of our little miracle, and the girls are totally willing to put on our magic cream each night! 

And since my girls have hair that is crazy thick (except Adalyn) I made a detangling spray to use! This makes their hair super soft and shiny and its so easy to brush through! We use the Wet Brush for brushing and getting tangles out of their hair! I am so thankful for whomever told me about this brush because it's the best!!! 

And finally before bed, they brush their teeth with the KidScents Toothpaste from Young Living! The girls love the monster on the front!

And bam, they're ready for bedtime and sweet dreams!!!!

Seriously, changing out our usual bathroom brands terrified me. Thankfully, Young Living made it super easy to switch, and my DIYs were super easy and the girls even enjoyed helping me make their hair detangler and sleepy cream! I'm slowly working on our bathroom and kicking our old products to the curb, so i'll report back on that in a few weeks!

I'm curious, as to what you're favorite products are! And, how terrified you are at switching out to safer alternatives?! Don't be, just take one thing at a time!!!!

If you have questions or would like to order form Young Living, please send me an email or leave your comments below. 

See how we've switched out other products below:

Laundry

Other Oily DIY

Cleaning

Essential Oils & School

BeYOUtiful with Oils

Why We Chose Young Living

Weekend Wrap Up: The Lazy Weekend

Well friends, I have to admit that this weekend was a bust. I had high hopes of being productive, but I just could not get motivated. I mean, it was nice to just be with the girls and not feel like I had 1,000+ things on my to-do list. And, I do feel like DJ and I were both able to squeeze in some quality time with the girls which we needed. 

Thursday afternoon was frigid! I mean, bone chilling cold. I dropped Gretchen off at dance and Megan and I headed to Panera for cookies and hot chocolate. 

This girl ate up the attention. 

She said, "take my picture, now take my picture like this" and would strike a new pose. I took her picture lots and lots and each time she'd pose a little. 

After our cookies and hot chocolate were finished, Megan headed to gymnastics and Gretchen and I picked up Adalyn from daycare. 

DJ had recruiting Friday night, so after school I rounded up the girls and we headed home to make homemade pancakes for dinner. I desperately needed something quick and easy for the girls! And since DJ was gone, pancakes were the perfect option. 

And, I had a cute little helper!

We took Gretchen to basketball practice and DJ met us there, and then I headed back home with the little girls, because our middle child decided to throw an epic meltdown over gloves. We got home and the little girls went straight to bed and I worked on cleaning the kitchen. I live wild on a Friday night!

Saturday morning the little girls were all smiles and happy! DJ took Gretchen to recruiting with him so they could practice basketball between his meetings. I stayed home and did a little bit of cleaning and laundry. 

But mostly, we spent our morning like this. 

DJ and Gretchen made it home in time for lunch and Megan practiced her basketball skills. 

Around lunch time, Adalyn started to whine and want to be held. She was running a little fever, and her nose was running. I oiled her up and decided that I needed to stay home with her and skip Gretchen's basketball game. I was really sad that I wouldn't be able to go and I hated missing it! But DJ went and took Megan and the video camera!

After the game, they came home and dropped Gretchen off. DJ had promised Megan that he would take her to a movie. Gretchen and I stayed home and ate gummy bears, and she ate blue sprinkles, which left her tongue blue. 

She stole my phone and took my picture of me being completely lazy. Seriously, this was most of Saturday. 

We cuddled and watched High School Musical. 

And then she worked on a project and decorated her hand. 

We ended up ordering pizza for dinner. DJ and Megan didn't make it home until 6. Adalyn slept until 6, but thankfully woke up so much better! After baths, the girls headed to bed and DJ and I watched the Born Identity. 

Sunday morning I woke up not feeling well. Which was the first time in a LONG time! I knew that I'd be spending the day in the bed, and DJ totally rocked daddy duty all day long! 

The girls climbed in to bed with me throughout the day and we cuddled and watched Food Network and Raising Helen. Gretchen asked if it was about Helen Keller! And, for the record, I'm totally caught up with the Kardashians. 

While our weekend was low key, it was probably just what we needed to slow down and enjoy the moment!

Gretchen is 8!!!

Today, Gretchen turns 8. I'm really excited about her turning 8! It sounds like such a big age, and she reminds me often that she'll be a teenager rather soon! I know as our children get older, moms often have a hard time with it, but this year, I'm just not there yet. She really is growing into a remarkable little lady and I'm so proud of her. 

I mean, it really does feel like we just brought her home from the hospital, but along the way, she's lived an incredible life and has had some amazing experiences. I look at her now, and I definitely don't see the little girl that she once was. She had the most round little face, a dimple in her chin, and those features just aren't there like they were when she was tiny. 

She was the chunkiest out of all of the girls, so when I've watched the little girls grow, I try to think back to our chunky little baby and have found memories of her pudgy cheeks and rolly polly thighs. I blogged about her 1st birthday party here. 

And then she turned two, and her little diva personality shined even brighter. I remember fondly our trips to the lake that summer and her dancing around and shaking her booty! She started talking more and loved to play with princesses. I blogged about her 2nd birthday in this post. 

I think when Gretchen turned 3, we hit a turning point. I was pregnant with Megan, it was the year we moved to Tulsa, and she just grew up before my eyes.  Her favorite past times were playing dress up, and singing made up songs while playing on her guitar. We had a Minnie Mouse themed party for her and a few days later, DJ moved to Tulsa while she and I spent the next few months in Indiana waiting on her sister to arrive. I blogged my thoughts about her turning three here, and about her party in several posts: Post 1, Post 2, Post 3,  Post 4, and how it all came together in this post. I will never forget when Gretchen was three and she asked if we could vacuum up her baby sister or send her back where she came from! She definitely had to adjust to being a big sister and moving to a new state. She handled it all so well! 

When Gretchen turned 4 we went all out with a Pirate themed birthday party, because she loved Jake & the Neverland Pirates. I blogged my thoughts on her turning 4 here. 

When she was four, she started gymnastics and still loved her princesses! She and I went to see the Fresh Beat Band in concert and I loved watching her love for learning grow. 

And, then she turned 5, which might have been the hardest age for me! Once she hit 5, I knew our life would change with her starting kindergarten. She also became a big sister again, and moved upstairs to a giant bedroom! Gretchen wanted an art-themed birthday party, and it may be my favorite party to date! I shared her rainbow-art decorations here, and her party photos in this post. My fondest memory of her 5th year is when she started kindergarten! I'm thankful that DJ was there to help me drop her off that first day. 

Her 6th birthday party was almost cancelled because she got sick a few days before! She powered through though and we had a super fun bounce party that was Sofia the First and Spiderman themed! She invited her entire kindergarten class and was certain that she needed to have a Spiderman themed party as well so the boys would be happy. Well, just one little boy- it was when she was turning 6 that I realized this little boy had stolen her heart! I shared my thoughts on her turning 6 here. She enjoyed playing soccer and starting dance again.

Last year, Gretchen turned 7, and we skipped her birthday party with a promise of a family celebration and a trip to Disney World! I shared my thoughts on her turning 7 here, and her celebrations in this post. When she turned 7, she accepted Jesus in her life, and fell in love with ballet. We moved in to our new house and she became obsessed with her American Girl Dolls. She received the doll of the year for her birthday and then started to read through AG books. Her love for Paris began and her love for reading took off. 

And today, Gretchen turns 8. Right now, she loves to read. She's reading on a 4th grade reading level. She is a great eater! She was once picky as could be and now she eats almost anything. She is sensitive. She is sad that she only has a few close friends, but she also gets along well with everyone! She still loves to dance, although wishes that her classes weren't as serious! She's even more obsessed with her American Girl dolls, and is as girly as a girl can be! She loves wearing dresses and skirts. She has started to play basketball because she also will tell you that she's "sporty".  She loves to draw and journal, but most often, you'll find her reading. She soaks up all information that she can, from history, to reading the Bible, and more. I definitely think she's an old soul. She started to read Anne of Green Gables this past October, and we've been watching the movies. She loves to bake, and is becoming more intentional with her chores! She loves to be silly and still loves to be the center of attention!

I thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A with her too:

1. What is your favorite color? Pink

2. What is your favorite subject in school? Reading

3. What is your least favorite subject in school? Spelling

4. What do you want to be when you grow up? A reporter, teacher or scientist

5. What is your favorite toy? American Girl Doll

6. What is your favorite thing to wear? The new outfit that Gee got me because it makes me look grown up. A skirt and long sleeve shirt with my boots. 

7. What is your favorite TV show? Sofia the First and Bumped

8. Who is your best friend? Ardyn, Violet, Teyah

9.What sport do you like best? Basketball 

10. What is your favorite sport team? Tulsa (because I know you're expecting me) and The Thunder

11. What is your favorite book? Almost all of the ones I've read

12. What are you really good at? Reading

13. Where do you wish you could go on vacation? Paris

14. If you could have one wish, what would it be? To make 200 basketball goals in one day. 

15. What is your favorite food? Candy

16. What is your favorite thing to do with your sisters? Play but it depends. 

17. What is your favorite thing to do with your mommy? Cuddle

18. What is your favorite thing to do with your daddy? Play basketball 

19. If you could meet someone famous who would it be? Teddy Rosevelt the 26th president of the United States

20. What is your favorite song? Shake It Off

21. What is your favorite movie? Star Ward The Force Awakens

22. What is your favorite restaurant? Cherry Berry and Olive Garden

Let's Talk.... New Year's

I'm linking up today with Andrea and Erika for Let's Talk! A monthly chit chat, and I can't wait to hear from y'all and read your posts today! 

Today, we're going to chit chat about New Year's. The first of the month, I wrote about my New Year's Resolutions and I want to make sure I'm following up with them monthly, so today's topic is perfect, since I need to re-motivate myself anyway! 

So, let's recap how I've done this month. 

1. Study Scripture- I started off the month strong, but I am definitely not reading and studying every day as I should be. I picked up the devotional Jesus Calling before the year started. I try to take my devotion with me to work and to dance, and some days I'm better about squeezing in time than others. I'm hoping this week, I can play catch up and get back on track. 

2. Kick Toxins to the Curb- This one will be a work in progress all year long! I blogged about how we've switched out our laundry detergent, and I'm working on switching out products we use on the girls during bath time! I've changed my shampoo this month, and my dish soap, and I'll be sharing about those changes soon!

3. Exercise, eat healthy, and say good-bye to Coke and Sugar- If I'm being honest, I have totally failed in this department. I have a goal to walk/run 1,000 miles this year and so far I've only made it to about 20 something.... I didn't work out at all last week, but it was frigid here and my plan to run while Gretchen was at basketball practice this past Friday went south when a certain child threw a major tantrum and I had to take her home for bed time. I'm still committed to saying adios to coke and sugar, but it is so hard! After being a bit too depressed about how i'm failing in this area too, I'm determined to make this week better! And, I went out for lunch last Friday and ordered water so there's a win there!

4. Rock My Biz- Thanks to my amazing team, I'm feeling like I am exactly where I want to be with my Young Living business! I have a 101 event coming up this week and a few make & take events scheduled for February!

5. Serve Others- I want to do one service project each month. Last weekend, I went through clothes that I wasn't able to consign and didn't want to donate to Goodwill. I found a family that was in need of the specific clothing sizes we had, and I gave it all to them. In February, I'm thinking I will include the girls and our service project focus on loving others- so if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them!

6. Take Time for Family and say No- Now that DJ is home more and we are spending more time together as a family. I had to skip Gretchen's basketball practice and her game this weekend thanks to my little girls (one was throwing a fit, and the other one had a little cold) and I hated to miss her game, but I tried not to feel guilty about sending DJ instead. Saturday night, DJ and I watched a movie and it felt great knowing that my mind wasn't focusing on something else I needed to be doing instead. 

7. Be Debt Free- It's just the first month this year, but we are working on getting some bills paid off and I'm being more diligent about putting money toward savings and paying toward our bills. 

8. Finish House Projects- Right now, I'm focusing on finishing up Gretchen's Paris themed bedroom! I also ordered a few totes from Thirty One to organize our upstairs craft closet. I'm hoping to spend the first weekend in February tackling that project!

So, I definitely still have some work to do, but that's okay! I'm not getting discouraged since we are just a few weeks in to the New Year!!! 

And, what I'm looking forward to?????

Well, in February, I'm looking forward to Signing Day and DJ being home for a few days. I'm also looking forward to a make & take event in central Arkansas and our spring break trip to Branson. 

So, let's hear it- how are you doing with your Resolutions???? And, what are you looking forward to this year?!?

And, next month, we'll be chit chatting it up about our Guys!!! Thankfully, I have a pretty good one!