My father-in-law flew in town yesterday afternoon and will be here through Monday. We’re excited to have him back with us again and know Chase will enjoy spending more time with Grandad! Greg’s visit last month felt a little too short, so we’re happy he can be here again with us to both soak up time with his grandson and celebrate his birthday!
But now it’s time to focus on Friday and dive into your usual Things I’m Loving Friday blog post where we all chat about what we’re loving most this week. Below is a short list of the things that are making me smile right now and I’d love for you to join in the fun in the comments section!
Have a great weekend, my friends!
Things I’m Loving Friday
I bought the Adele album before Christmas but since I was blasting holiday music all day every day through the beginning of the new year, I just started listening to it last week. It took me less than a day to fall madly in love with every song. I’ve been playing it on repeat in our kitchen and find the whole album beautiful, haunting, relaxing and calming all at once. It’s a fantastic album and Adele deserves all the praise that’s coming her way these days. (Also, if Adele could come teach me how to do my eyeliner like hers, that would be grrreat.)
The doTERRA diffuser was on my Christmas list this year and when I received it from my mom, I was way too excited! The childcare at Burn Boot Camp first put the diffuser on my radar because every time I walked in the door, the whole place smelled so darn good! When I learned that the heavenly scent was due to the doTERRA diffuser and On Guard essential oils, I had to learn more. The diffuser emits a relaxing mist and the scent of whatever essential oil you choose to diffuse. I only have the On Guard oil and think it smells fantastic thanks to a combination of wild orange, cloves, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils. The On Guard oil is also supposed to help support a healthy immune function. I haven’t done a ton of reading about essential oils so I can’t speak to their efficacy, but so far I’m a fan based on smell alone! This diffuser creates such a lovely ambiance in our house and I am excited to try out some more oils in the future. (Lavender is on my radar next!)
- Target $1 Note Pads
I know I’m not the only one who is mildly addicted to the $1 Spot at Target, right? I cannot help but peruse it every time I visit Target and inevitably put something from the $1 or $3 bins in my cart… Like these $1 notepads! I use notepads all the time, whether it be fore jotting down blog post ideas, recipe notes, to do lists, etc. And cute note pads make taking notes just a little bit more fun. It’s a fact.
- Martha Stewart “Oil Boom” Article (+ A Shout Out To Rose Hip Oil!)
In the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living, I stumbled upon an article all about the benefits of different types of oil and skincare. If you’ve been reading this blog for the past few months, you probably already know about my minor obsession with Rose Hip Oil, so I was pumped to see rose hip oil included in the chart with notes that it is knows as “nature’s Retin-A.” I swear by this stuff and use it first thing in the morning before the gym, after I shower and before bed at night. It’s THE BEST and while Martha recommends a $62 version, I stock up on 100 percent rose hip seed oil on Amazon for a fraction of the cost. (I am now ordering the 4-ounce Majestic Pure Rose Hip Oil for $13.95 because I was flying through the 1-ounce size.)
- Caramel Apple Dream Tea
Though we had a rather temperate December, January is proving to be much chillier in Charlotte which means I’m back to drinking my fair share of hot tea in the afternoon. Celestial Seasonings’ Caramel Apple Dream tea has been my go-to flavor this week. Brewing a cup to sip on before dinner makes me feel oh so cozy and also a tiny bit more calm on days when I could use a little peace in my day! (FYI, I bought this flavor at Whole Foods!)
- Post Baby Bod Plan
I am so proud of one of my blogging BFFs! Gina (aka The Fitnessista) officially launched her Post Baby Bod website this week. I know how hard she has worked on putting together a safe and effective workout plan for new moms and I am so thrilled for her! The Post Baby Bod plan includes 12 weeks of detailed training in an easy-to-follow format and takes all of the guesswork out of developing a fitness routine post-baby, safely progressing from one 4-week module to the next. While the plan does not officially launch until March this year, Gina is accepting pre-orders right now and anyone who orders before Monday will receive a free 4-week meal plan and recipe e-book as well, so definitely check it out if you’re looking for some workout guidance post-baby!
- Legacybox Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to Katie O., the winner of the Legacybox giveaway. Katie was emailed first thing this morning. Thank you so much to all who entered!
Question of the Day
- What is one thing you are loving this week?
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HAPPY Friday! Just a heads , be careful diffusing oils around Chase. There’s a lot of information online about potential side effects of babies and children breathing in certain oils. I returned mine after doing some research because it seemed too risky.
I wanted to post this too! Not to be a buzz kill, because I LOVE on guard, but it’s not safe to diffuse around babies sadly. Eucalyptus (and thieves/on guard in general) is contraindicated in and around children under 10 years old).
Oh man I had NO idea! Gosh, there is so much to learn! Thank you for letting me know!!!
Julie – I would recommend doing your own research on this. Like so many other things that come with motherhood, this is another hotly debated topic. I definitely advocate for each family doing what they feel is right for them.
That said, with moderation and care, all the research I’ve done says that it is safe to use diluted essential oils with babies. And with Chase’s age, I would say heavily diluted. With my youngest, when she was a baby (less than a year) I wouldn’t apply any oils topically. I would only diffuse in open spaces (living room, kitchen) and if I felt she needed extra support I would diffuse 1 drop in a diffuser in her room. That was what I felt comfortable with so I think you just have to find what works for you!
Also, think about the candles that you burn around the house that Chase breathes in. A lot of candles have synthetic and toxic ingredients. Not judging because I burn candles in my house too. But carefully used EOs are going to be safer than when your kid eats food off the counter that’s been cleaned with Clorox wipes.
I certainly don’t want anyone to feel attacked by my comments as they are just meant to provide my own experience and feelings. Have a great weekend!
yeah, no euclyptus, peppermint, clove, cinnamon, or rosemary before six years of age….Lavender will be awesome:)
**heads up
I’m loving that it’s a three day weekend coming up! I’m also loving these amazing acai berry packets to put in smoothies! So good!
I’m loving that I am headed to NYC in a few hours for a girls weekend! Have a great weekend, Julie!
I love the Adele album! A co-worker shared this video of the Adele/James Corden car karaoke with me yesterday – it’s hysterical and it makes me lover her so much more!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nck6BZga7TQ
That video is HILARIOUS. I’ve watched it three times! Ha.
I’m loving that my best friend is coming cross country to visit me tomorrow!!
Also – I got the Adele album for Christmas too — and I haven’t listened to it yet…oops! With your encouragement, I’m going to pull that out today! 🙂
Have a great weekend!
I’m so happy you found essential oils! And the absolute best quality on the market! I’m a doterra wellness advocate so I’m biased but they are amazing! I have a FB page where I post ideas for using the oils if you want to check it out!
https://www.facebook.com/hhhessentailoils/
And I definitely want to mention that less is more with the oils – so just a few drops (literally 2 or 3) in your diffuser will be plenty. No need for a heavy pour!
Also – have you heard about the touch roller bottles?? They are pre-diluted and safe for children and sensitive skin and are my go-to as a mom to a 1 year old and 3 year old. 🙂
Some other awesome oils for kids – clove (heavily diluted for oral support); breathe for respiratory support, Balance blend (for when they hit the emotional phase of being a 2 year old ;)).
We are also in the process of eleminating a lot of the toxins in our house – so swapping out store bought cleaning products for simple healthy alternatives. Like cleaning with water,vinegar,lemon instead of windex.
And after 12 days of my husband working, I’m loving the four day weekend!! 🙂
Oil are incredible. I used sesame, avocado, olive, coconut, jojoba, argan oils for my skin. I will never go back to products with petrolatum/paraben etc. products that cause damages…
I’m super obsessed with that tea too! I’ve also been buying all the season flavors on sale as well!
Have a fun weekend with family in town! Ahhh Adele’s new album = <3. She pretty much rules the world right now. Also, yay Gina!!
I posted my 7 boxes of Celestial Seasonings tea on Instagram yesterday- heck yes to hot tea in the afternoons 🙂 Happy Friday!
That diffuser looks so amazing! Love the size and shape of it too!
Love the rose hip oil! I bought a bottle after you had mentioned it in a previous post 🙂 do you keep yours in the fridge? happy weekend!
I don’t! I just leave it on the bathroom countertop!
I’ve been using the rose hip oil from Amazon after your recommendation. I feel like I get a few pimples here and there after nights of using it. Maybe I’m applying too much? Have you experienced this problem?
Oh my gosh the $1 section! yesterday I bought three $3 items to decorate for Valentine’s Day. One of them was a little pillow with hearts on it that I mainly bought because my 14 month old pointed at it and wanted it. 😀
I’m so interested in essential oils but haven’t gotten my butt in gear to read more/invest in them. I’m interested to hear more about this1
Where is the post on the rose hip oil? I would love to know what you use it for!
You are telling me about the $1 section at Target, especially now with all of the cute organization items! I popped into Target this morning (to pick up one thing!) and walked away with two notepads/organizers like you have above!
Thank you for giving us the heads up on the post baby bod plan! I checked out the website and will probably jump on board after my baby comes (and I get the go-ahead from my doctor). Thanks again 🙂
So one minor reason I’m excited about going back to work is to get back into my music routine! I haven’t been on Spotify in way too long and I’m craving something other than baby toy music hahaha. I NEED to try Adele’s new album!
Happy Friday!
For one, Target $1 everything kills me! Their cute little cards? Oh my goodness, I buy them all. Now I just need to send them to people. 😉
For two, I want an oil diffuser so badly! I’m student teaching right now (hopefully will have my own classroom this upcoming fall) and cannot wait to get an oil diffuser for my classroom. Calm those kiddos down and support their (and myself’s) immune system! Bam and bam.
For three, I totally remember you talking about the rose hip oil…but what did you do with it again? Just put it straight on your face? Or did you dilute it with lotion? I can’t remember.
Have a great weekend with Grandad! Love these posts!
I’ve been listening to Adele’s album since the day it came out and oh my gosh, I’m SO obsessed! My favorite thing is listening to her music in my car alone while driving and having a mini concert with myself.. I tell myself that we are belting out each song together 🙂 haha
I will have to check out this diffuser because I’m allergic to B&BW wallflowers now and I’d love to use my zillion oils as a natural air freshener! To Amazon I go!
I keep seeing these diffusers they definitely caught my interest!
The Target dollar area is definitely my weakness! They have so many great things, especially for holidays. I can’t resist it 🙂
I diffuse lavender essential oil every night when I’m going to bed and I swear it helps me sleep better. I love it and highly recommend it!!
I love the on guard oil. It is especially great during this time of year!! This week I bought cacao powder to add to my smoothies and I am obsessed with it. It has such a rich chocolate flavor and that I have found a healthy cure for my chocolate tooth!
After some pretty bad, long lasting breakouts I literally decided yesterday that I needed to start doing something different. Cue you (and Martha) posting this today and cue me immediately clicking the link of the oil you use and purchasing it. Cannot wait to try! THANKS 🙂
A great big Happy Friday to you, Julie! I used to buy those Bath & Body plug-ins ALL THE TIME to scent the house and forgot about them. Never tried it with essential oils, but that’s a cool way to spread around the good stuff. (P.S. Reading all the comments — amazing how you can post something and everyone can chime in to tell you more hahah!! The beauty of blogging and great readers!)
Even with a little one getting up early, I still LOVE how restful the weekends are! I get to sleep in until he wakes up, instead of having to get up hours earlier to fit in a workout and be ready for work before I get him ready. And when he gets up, I get to just relax and play with him, not run around like crazy trying to get us out the door! When he was little and nursing at night, the weekend nights still seemed much more relaxing to me because I wasn’t stressed about getting enough sleep to perform my job the next day. Can you tell I”m excited for a 3 day weekend?
I love my diffuser too. Has helped my husband with allergies tremendously. But I’m really loving the Rose Hip Oil. I had never heard of it. You mentioned it awhile back on your blog. It was cheap enough and if it works that good, I thought I’d try it. After a few months of using it morning and night, I am in love! I’ve used Jojoba and Coconut oils before. But this Rose Hip soaks in so well, and leaves no greasiness behind at all. I’m hooked. Thanks !
Isn’t it the BEST!? I swear I talk about it way too much but I LOVE it. Definitely the best thing I’ve done for my skin in a while. 🙂 Glad you are a fan, too!!
Do you just apply it straight to your skin?
Yep, apply straight to skin. I do it after I wash my face in the morning and at night. I only use 3-4 drops for my face and neck.
I’m loving the nice weather this week and long walks with my pups!! Looking forward to having my brother-in-law in town this weekend!
You have to check out Adele’s performance on James Cordon’s show. It’s amazing!
I’m a huge doterra fan! Have you tried their peppermint beadlits? You’ll never want another mint again 🙂
I love celestial cinnamon apple spice tea in the afternoon! It adds all the spice and coziness of fall when I’m pushing through the last couple hours at my desk.
Love the Rose Hip oil!! I’ve been using it since you first posted, and it’s really helping with the dry winter skin, and it just feels good :). Hope you have a great weekend with family!
I love my diffuser. You have to get lavender! I had some late nights this week and it was jard for me to get to bed but I would start some lavender and crawl into bed and it would help me settle down and sleep. I will have to try the On Guard one. I have peppermint, lavender, lemon and Balance. Lavender is definitely my favorite right now. I also got Adele’s album for Christmas and love it.
I love notepads full stop!!! I go through so many of them!
http://doterrascienceblog.com/essential-oils-and-kids/
I found this website helpful because I also use the Doterra oils in my house and I have two babies! 🙂 also everything says you can just email Doterra support people directly with any questions!
Julie, what is your email? I have a lot of great sources for researching these essential oils and babies!
omg I love Adele’s new album (and eyeliner!) too! My favorite track is Remedy. Whats yours??
This week I’m loving a Tuesday night date night. It made getting through the beginning of the week not so bad!
I love Adele! Her voice is just so amazing!
If you love Adele PLEASE check out her “carpool” with James Corden:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nck6BZga7TQ
I attended a DoTerra party recently and bought an essential oil to hopefully help with some acne probs– we shall see!
Enjoy your weekend Julie! 🙂
That tea sounds delicious! I’m still adoring my marathon training + piyo combination 😀
I just spend way too long on Amazon now and ordered some rose hip and lavender oils!
Did you use rose hip oil while pregnant? I am pregnant with my second, but would love to try. I have done some research and it seems safe to use! Obviously you are using while nursing with no issues 🙂
Way to go Gina! So exciting for her <3
I love that diffuser & On Guard oils (& products!) I clean with the On Guard cleaner, use the laundry detergent, the toothpaste, & the hand wash. I'm trying my best to change from toxic chemical junk to doterra oils/products because it's so much better & doesn't have any crap in 'em.
And just to add my two cents here…..your kids/babies are much safer with diffusing some essential oils that are non toxic at all than most of the foods we eat & stuff we breathe & use on our skins (which our kids/babies breathe in). Just saying' 😉 I have two kids (& a baby just a few weeks younger than Chase), and I use oils on them all the time & diffuse them in their room & in our home constantly. Of course diluting them is important, but other than that it's not a big deal. I also love Deep Blue Rub for my sore muscles, lime in my water, & lavender mixed with the doterra hydrating skin cream (THE BEST cream I've ever used & I've used a lot since I had a bout with acne & tried all the products out there).
Yikes, sorry for the long comment! I've just been using doterra for over 6 years and I'm so impressed by my own results (skin, hair, et.c) my kids' mood/behavior/sleep, & my overall health since using them. LMK if you want more info!
I love Adele's HELLO & have it on repeat often in my car, haha!
I’m a huge doterra fan! We have three diffusers in our house and I’m constantly diffusing different oils based on what I feel my family needs.
I use one at school with my students when we are writing exams to help them focus, I rub the deep blue on my muscles after a tough workout.
I have many friends with young babies who dilute and diffuse, it works like magic for sleep!
I’m glad you found doterra, legit life changing!
I feel you on Adele’s eyeliner, I mean, she has eyeliner game down pat. I watched the video this week with her singing in the car with James Corden (if you haven’t seen that yet, it’s a must!!) It’s 14 minutes long and highly entertaining (as are all of his celebrity car sing-alongs.) She’s wearing amazeballs eyeliner in that too. Is she ever NOT? (Have you ever done dramatic make-up before? I wonder if people would think I looked strange because I’m not an Adele-eyeliner-every-day type of person.)
I’m excited about the diffuser – a famous pizza place up here has a restroom that smells AMAZING at all times, and a diffuser was the reason! But I hadn’t found one that could replicate that heavenly smell. I’m going to check this one out!
Great post as always! It’s my birthday today (Jan 15), so I’m not sure if I share it with your father-in-law, but happy birthday to him! It’s a great month to be born (it’s like you get your very own New Year’s day.) Have a good weekend!
Ooh! I sure do love Adele! I’m sure my boyfriend would say I sound just like her when I’m belting out her tunes on the radio. 😉
That diffuser is rather intriguing! And, yeah the dollar spot at Target gets me every time.
I just started listening to the new Adele CD too, despite buying it over Thanksgiving break! I love it!
I just got this diffuser too! I’ve been diffusing the Breathe blend and love the smell and freshness! I’m like you where I was first attracted by the smell and just learning about everything else☺️
Do you want a sample of the lavender oil?