Lessons From My Father.

I put together a little series over on my Instagram Stories about advice and stories from fathers, answered by women who I love and admire. Check out the series here!

1. Traits I've Inherited From My Dad:

My Dad and I both relish the opportunity to be goofy and make people laugh. And we love to laugh at each other.

I love to write music and sing, so growing up my Dad and I spent a lot of time doing that together. He plays guitar and sings and led all the music at our church growing up, so he gave me lots of opportunity to join him and explore music with him.

Also, perhaps most importantly(?) - LORD OF THE RINGS. We live and breathe and rhetoric of Tolkien's brilliance and it's fine guys. We're fine. We're not obsessed or anything weird like that.

2. Best Advice I Learned From My Dad:

My Dad has always pointed me to the bible, no matter what situation I am going through. He has encouraged me for my entire life to continue reading the bible and find wisdom its teachings. After his years of exploring and studying so many religions, and after having his own spiritual experience which brought him to Jesus, he always points to the bible - "It's all in there, everything you need."

He also taught me to celebrate big - "Go big or go home!". It's probably the Italian in him, but he loves to eat, drink and be merry and he encouraged us to all live large and enjoy the moments life gives. My Dad knows how to have a good time! Which I just really appreciate.

2. What Dad Taught Me About Marriage:

Be quick to apologize. My Dad told me (and showed me), that if he was wrong about something, he would quickly admit he was wrong and immediately apologize. This is hard for me to do, especially in the heat of a disagreement, but when I am feeling really stubborn about something, I remember that my Dad would apologize if it were him. And that little bit of knowledge helps (sometimes).

3. What Dad Taught Me About Parenting:

Be a firm disciplinarian. My Dad was hard on me when it came to discipline, and he needed to be! I wasn't the best listener! He used to take everything away from me when I got in trouble - not just the usual "You're grounded, no TV!", but everything. No phone calls, no books, no dream journal - I had to sit in my room and stare at the wall. It's kind of funny to think about now but at the time I hateddd being grounded.

But now that I'm a parent, I get why it mattered. And I hold a firm line with my boys and believe strongly that if you discipline your children, you will enjoy being with them. If you don't discipline them, then they will be maniacs and you will never want to take them anywhere.

Also, he taught me that bribing works.

5. How Dad Gave Me A Head Start:

When I was a sophomore in high school I was dealing with frustration and unhappiness at my school. Even though I was a super involved student (cheerleading, chorus, theater), I was feeling overwhelmed in my classes (especially in math) and felt like I was falling through the cracks of my mega-big highschool. My parents didn't know what to do or what I needed, but they knew something had to change.

My Dad (and my Mom!) were always so for me and so they did all the research and ended up getting me into a smaller private school, where I attended my last two years of high school. I needed that change, and the school I graduated from was the perfect place for me. I was so happy there, I felt valued and had so much support and resources (especially with the math and science classes that were challenging for me). My parents didn't just make me "suck it up and wait it out" at my other school - my Dad did everything in his power to help me along and I know it was an expensive choice to make. I am so grateful to him because I can't imagine my life without that wonderful school and the experience I had there.

6. Dad One-Liners That Still Pop Up In My Head:

Oh, there are so many! Probably the one that frequently pops up in my head is, "Think before you speak, Kristen!" Growing up I never stopped talking, and I would say the most ridiculous things a lot - I was basically born with no filter. My parents would constantly be telling me to think about what I was going to say before I said it - not everything that popped into my head needed to be vocalized. And gosh, they were right. This is one that I still hear in my mind all.the.time. And I'm super grateful for it. And now I find myself telling Everett the same exact thing!

7. How Dad Showed Me Value Growing Up:

My Dad worked really hard to provide for me and my sisters. I was a really active kid and involved in every activity under the sun - I went to cheerleading camp every summer, was tutored in math during the school year, was constantly auditioning and performing in plays and chorus and had private gymnastics lessons for years to keep up my skills for the teams I competed with. Looking back now, I can't imagine how incredibly expensive I was! And my Dad had his own business so it was all on him to provide for us. He worked very very hard and never once complained that having three daughters was legit pricey! All that being said, he supported all of my interests and made me feel like all of those things were important and mattered. 

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Happy Fathers Day to you, Dad! I love you with all my heart and I am so grateful for all the life lessons you passed along to me. You're a good man and I have utmost respect for you AND - I like hanging out with you. xx

5 Must-Haves In My Summer Bag (+ 5 kiddo add-ons!)

It's the first day of summer over here, and we are celebrating! We've already had a handful of days over at the pool, but since both of my boys are out of their preschool program for the summer, today makes it feel truly official.

I wanted to share a few essentials that I keep stocked in my summer bag - the contents don't change much whether we head to the pool, the park or the zoo. I even keep a stocked kit of most of these in our golf cart, since we hit the town via the cart paths almost daily in the summertime.

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1. Sunscreen.
This summer I'm trying out Coola for myself and Bare Republic for my kids. I am always on the hunt for non-toxic sunscreen that doesn't turn my skin completely white, so I will make sure to report back if I love these versions.

2. Lip Balm.
Lately I am loving this 3-pack of lip balms from DoTERRA. Obviously I'm a big fan of my stellar essential oil brand, and they have a slew of lifestyle products that I have really gotten on board with. This pack is one of them - one for me, one for Stevie and one for Everett (because he begged for his own and I'm a softie.)

3. Water!
I've been a bad girl lately about drinking water - I need to make a goal for myself and just chug it each day! I go in spurts with doing this well and thennnnn not really. But I do love drinking out of stainless steel - my friend Becca got me this amazing water bottle and I love it so much that I got them for everyone in my family. I am also a water hybrid weirdo - I am obsessed with sparkling water, coconut water, adding essential oils to my water, and Spindrift (sparkling water with real fruit added in - no "natural flavors" garbage!) So even though I have trouble hitting my plain-water quota, I'm still getting there. Technically.

4. Hat. Hat. Hat.
I am in a baseball cap 4 days a week, minimum. Mom life my friends. I found this darling hat over on my friend Sarah's instagram and gosh, aren't they the cutest? Might need to add this one into my summer mix.

5. Sunglasses.
Some day I will graduate to big girl sunglasses. But these days my sunglasses are just a pawn in my children's games and they really can't be trusted with Karen Walker sunnies. So I am always rocking a $12 pair from Target! I absolutely love this pair and this pair, although I admit, over at RAW Bronzing studio they have some incredible looking Quay glasses that I'm feeling temped toward ;)

Things that I add to my bag for my kids (because let's face it, my bag is really dictated by their needs #momwhipped):

1. Diapers and Wipes.
If you're in this phase of life - yeah. You need them everywhere and all the time. And especially when its super inconvenient - that's always when we need diapers! I like to throw diapers and wipes in a large zip-top bag to keep the wipes from "sweating" all over things in the rest of my bag.

2. Non-perishable snacks.
When you're on the go, you've got to be able to pull out some yummy snacks! We love Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, raisin packets & dried cranberry packets, Kale chips, and apple sauce pouches. When I have a mini cooler to take for a day's outing, I will also throw in some string cheese, Cutie clementines peeled and pulled apart,

3. Band-aids.
Because for some reason, we tend to need them more in the summer? Must be all that running to fetch popsicles. These Oh Joy bandaids are beyond cute, but not really for my boys, so Everett loves these Dory ones! In fact he's been known to ask for a band aid even when he doesn't need one...

5. Bug Spray.
In Georgia, the mosquitoes have the power and might of small birds. And we have to protect ourselves accordingly. I have been using this Terrashield oil to make my own bug spray bottle and it's worked beautifully so far! It's a blend of essential oils that repels insects and it's basically become my best friend, because I have the blood type that allllll the bug like a taste of. Gross. PS it also comes in a Bug Spray form, I just haven't tried it yet.

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Bathing Suit c/o Yandy - top here, bottoms here

I'd love to hear what you keep stocked in your bag for summer adventures! Is there anything I should be adding into my mix? Would love to hear from you! Happy "official" summer break to you, friends!

P.S. - I shared more about keeping my skin glowing yet super protected this summer HERE.

6 Kids Books We Are Loving Right Now.

Today I'm sharing a few children's books we've had on rotation lately! I absolutely love reading. You wouldn't know it in my current stage of life, because I feel like I don't have enough time for reading, even though I know it's on me to make more time for it. I've been doing a little better lately - I just finished reading Pride & Prejudice again and man, there's almost nothing better than that story. But I digress.

My mom told me when I was a little girl that she loved reading Nancy Drew books growing up. That really inspired me and I started reading the series, too, and that's what truly made me fall in love with reading. Such classic stories! I know my boys aren't old enough yet for those kinds of books but I truly believe that a love for stories and reading starts at this stage with focus from the parents - taking time to read to them every single night is one of our favorite family routines. I hope that my kids love reading as much as I do - it's helped me form my words and ability to communicate and understand so much of the world. It's helped me fall in love with writing! I hope that they find that same love for literature, as well. Everett is almost 4 years old and Daxton is almost 17 months old, and these are the books we've been reading lately with both of them.

1. Polar Bear Polar Bear, What do You Hear? - sound book
Daxton loves this book! He cracks me up the way he tries to make the sounds of the animals (he basically makes the same sound over and over and it's so funny). He's at the perfect age for all the Eric Carl books and this one is nice because it's a little larger than this one and this one (which are also so great!), and it also has the fun sound buttons for each animal! Also, this is a great price point for a gift!

2. Little Blue Truck's Springtime
Gosh, we are such fans of this Little Blue Truck Series (the original and Christmas version are so great!), and I was amped when I saw this one in stores. It's actually much less expensive to purchase here. I put this in Daxton's Easter basket this year and I have to say, the illustrations are ah-mazing. Like, so so beautiful. This book makes me happy to read, and Dax loves all the lift-flap options on each page. Less words, more colors, which is really perfect for his stage. Although Everett has been swiping this out of Dax's room and asking me to read it to him the past few nights... so it really makes all of us happy over here!

3. Winne the Pooh: Original Edition
We started reading Everett this series of "chapter books" a few months ago as part of his bedtime routine and he absolutely loves it! He feels so grown up, getting to read a big book, and he helps me fold over the pages when we stop for the night (I know - some of you might think that's a terrible habit, but I've been doing it basically my entire life and old habits die hard. And also, it's kind of fun teaching my son how to read books the way I did when I was young...) These sweet stories about the whole Hundred Acre wood gang are so classic and darling and funny, they are seriously still relevant to today! Except for the one part when Christopher Robin carries around a gun and shoots a balloon out of the sky. That probably wouldn't fly in this day and age of children's literature... but still! Such sweet stories. We are actually re-reading the first book again because Everett loves it so much. We still need to rent the movie, now that we've read the books. This is another set that makes such a beautiful gift - even a baby shower gift! These books are really pretty in person and you almost want to display them.

4. Little Excavator
Oh, boy books! We have exhausted our copies of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Mighty, Mighty Construction Site, so this book came along with a fresh take on the construction process and Everett loves it! I don't know what it is about boys and big trucks, but it is such a thing.

5. In New York
I've passed on my love for NYC to my sons, and Everett absolutely loves everything about that city! We have a few books about New York, and this one is his absolute favorite. It's not too detailed, but the illustrations are beautiful and we end up stopping a lot because he has so many questions. I should probably do a better job of having books about our own home town city (someone leave me a comment if you have any Atlanta-specific favorite kids books!), but this one is such a crowd pleaser and most nights he asks to read at least a page or two of this beloved read. And of course, this leads to him asking all the time when we are "going back to New York to stay in a hotel".

6. Dragons Love Tacos
Gosh, is there anyone who doesn't love this book? We usually tell this one in a Boston accent (I have no idea why??) and even though we got it years ago, it's seemed to resurface in popularity over the past few weeks in our house and we've been reading it a lot again. It's seriously so funny and the expressions on the characters faces are just priceless. Great for boys or girls! And taco lovers.

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Our Daily Family Essential Oil Routines.

Essential Oils have become a big part of our family life over here. Almost two years ago I started using them here and there, and progressively discovered different ways I could incorporate them more and more. What began with purchasing a simple starter kit (to have on-hand for my labor and delivery with Daxton!) has grown into a full-blown lifestyle for our family and I am so grateful! I love having so many safe alternatives for allergies, viruses, anxiety, rest management, energy support, immune defense and more!

I've shared about oils here and there but I wanted to give you a specific outline of how and why my family uses essential oils throughout the day to support our health and wellness.

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Morning:

1. Diffuse in the AM!
I diffuse something every morning once I get my kiddos downstairs and begin our breakfast routine. I like to diffuse something bright and cheerful, like an energizing blend of citrus oils (Elevation and Citrus Bliss are some of my favorites!) Because of pollen season, I've been diffusing a equal blend of Peppermint, Lavender and Lemon (this trio is available here!) a lot lately. I have also been loving DoTERRA's Yoga Collection, which is composed of 3 killer good oils called Arise, Align & Anchor and these three are all so grand and make me feel super happy for the day.

2. Drink Up!
I also take this opportunity to add 1-2 drops of a citrus oil to my first glass of water in the morning. Why? Drinking water with citrus helps detoxify the body, ridding it of chemicals and helping to balance the pH levels. Lately I've been on a kick with Grapefruit oil, but I also love Lemon & Tangerine oils. They're all good!

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Afternoon:

3. Work Groove!
Once 2pm rolls around and my kids are down for their naps, I get busy! Haha, not that I wasn't busy with them before hand... ;) Believe me, there are days where I need to take a nap, because motherhood is exhausting  - and when I feel that I need it I take the time to rest! But most of the time, I use this block of time in the afternoon to get work done (like this blog post!), and I usually need a pick-me-up. At this point in the day, I usually brew up a mug of hot tea (lately I've been adding this Beauty Dust into it) and I roll on my go-to "get stuff done!" oil - Motivate! I love rolling this on my pulse points (wherever you would apply perfume), but I also have a diffuser necklace that has this oil in it, as well. That way I can smell it whenever I want! This oil just gives me the amplification I need to get my work groove on before I have to switch gears again into Mom-so-hard ;)

4. Laundry Flip!
Usually right before my boys wake up from their nap, I try to flip a load of laundry. That's gotta get done at some point, right?!I learned a few years ago about how toxic dryer sheets are (I'm talking about the potential cause of migraines, asthma, allergies, rashes - the list goes on and on!) because of the chemicals in them. It's not a myth, simply google "are dryer sheets toxic" to find a slew of research on the subject. Gross! I prefer not to serve my children a chemical cocktail every time I bring their folded laundry into their bedrooms. So I use wool dryer balls instead (found on Amazon!), which are less expensive and a completely toxic-free way to fluff laundry. I like to add a few drops of my Lemon essential oil to my dryer balls so that my laundry has a fresh, clean scent.

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Nighttime:

5. Boys' Bedtime!
I like to use my essential oils to help my kids wind down at night and help get to sleep and stay asleep (can I get an amen, mamas?) I do this first by adding a drop of Lavender essential oil into their nighttime bath. This helps them calm down and get into a restful mode - more cuddly and sleepy and less, you know, about wrestling.

Next I make sure to diffuse Serenity in their bedrooms, which is a beautiful blend that has so many delicious sleepy-restful oils in it! I have little diffusers in all our bedrooms so we can all get the benefit of nighttime diffusion. I got several of these on Amazon and they have held up pretty darn well (plus, this diffuser has a color-changing nightlight, so it's a big hit with the boys!) I have noticed a marked difference when I diffuse this in my boys' rooms - they fall asleep easily and don't wake up. If you're a mom, I'm sure you've experienced your toddler coming out of their bedroom 10+ times a night "needing" water, "needing" to go to the potty, "needing" to snuggle (when they actually just want to see what you're watching on Netflix - or is this only my child??) When I remember to diffuse Serenity, this doesn't happen!

During story time we also roll something on their feet - usually a diluted rollerball of OnGuard or Serenity. OnGuard is an amazing immune-defense blend, so if it's flu season or if they simply have a runny nose, I like to roll this on the bottoms of their feet to prevent any sickness. Why the bottoms of the feet? The pores on the bottom of the feet are larger and allow for easy absorption of the oil into the system. Plus, when I put socks on their feet afterwards, I don't have to worry about them getting oil all over their hands (or bed!) I've made up some custom blends for my boys to address teething, flu and fevers - I shared about that here ;)
 

Beware of ticklish toes! Everett howls with laughter so I usually try to distract Dax with a book while I put on his teething oil :) BTW these pics are blurry because this is real life - lighting in the evenings is not ideal! But I wanted to let you guys have a real-life picture of how this oil routine goes ;)

6. Lights Out!
After the boys are in bed and Stevie and I have had dinner and relaxed a bit, it's time for lights out! I love to get something going in the diffuser while I'm getting ready for bed, so that when I actually settle in, the oil has had a few minutes to diffuse and fill the room with a comforting scent. My absolute favorites are Serenity, Forgive and Breathe. These oils smell SO good and are super relaxing. If I am super sleepy and really need to get some serious rest, I will pop a few of the Serenity supplements, which are a natural rest complex and let me just say - THEY WORK. You wake up feeling super rested and satisfied with your sleep!

P.S. - I've been re-reading Pride & Prejudice as my pre-bedtime book and I miiiiiiiight have made a specific rollerball blend inspired by the book. It may or may not be called "Most Ardently" and it may or may not be so freaking good, you guys. Not to brag or anything but I like to think of it as the essence of Elizabeth Bennett. Okay, bookworm moment over.

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Giveaway!

Let's have a giveaway, shall we? Gosh I love giving away presents to you people.

Since I love you guys and such, I wanted to give you a chance to try out my laundry routine by gifting you a set of 6 wool dryer balls and a 15 ml bottle of DoTERRA Lemon essential oil! Hop on over to my Instagram to enter :)

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Do you have any questions about this daily routine with essential oils? Let me know in the comments how you use your oils or if you are willing to try something you read about here!

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Ready for More?

Don't have any essential oils in your life and you're ready to give them a try? I can hook you up for 25% off the retail price! Send me an email at oykristen(at)gmail(dot)com OR click "Hook me up!" and follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Click the link below.
2. Select "Join & Save" for 25% off anytime with your wholesale membership.
3. Select Your Kit! I recommend the "Home Essentials" or "Family Essentials", because those have a lot of the oils I mentioned in this post ;)

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Easter Weekend!!!

I have such intensely vivid memories of hunting Easter eggs. I close my eyes and I am instantly present again, traipsing through the Winters' back yard with my 700 million cousins, and we are all taking this egg hunt as seriously as 8 years old can. IT'S WAR.

Climbing under generations-old azalea bushes, fingers combing the cool grass, tennis shoes fanning out the pine straw, the adrenaline orchestrating the beat of my heart.

Must. Get. Eggs.

Must. Eat. Treasure.

Must. Trade. Candy.

My favorites were always the Starburst and Twix, and then as I got older, into high school, the Starburst Jellybeans. My mom always got me the Starburst Jellybeans, she was still making me up a little Easter basket until a few years ago and she decided to let me grow up.

I kind of hate that she stopped.

I bought the Easter candy too early this year (two weeks too early, who was I fooling?), and I was a bad girl sneaking it every night after the kids went to bed. Those Starburst Jellybeans. Never made it into any Easter eggs this year.

This weekend my kids got to celebrate with their cousins, traipsing through the freshly-laid mulch and pine straw in search of their eggs. I admit, I filled many of them with fruit snacks and yogurt raisins, because I really try to limit candy - because I eat it! - and also because I don't want my kids to get hooked on it like I was as a kid. But lets be honest, Everett had his fair share on Easter and I let him. YOLO.

I love this holiday and I love Jesus and I love my family and I love Starburst Jellybeans and I love my yard and I love my strange-colored green house and all it's 80's quirks that I refer to as "charm" even though let's be honest, they're quirks and it's kind to even call them that. I love that our family gathered at our little green house and celebrated this wonderful sweet day together and I don't take any of it for granted because I know that KIDS REMEMBER EASTER. And I am so so glad. Best holiday ever.

I hope your weekend was dreamy and filled with so much love! He is risen! xx

P.S. - Wearing a few clothes that I purchased for a summer wardrobe capsule. My shirt here, my shorts here and my shoes here. The boys are wearing this and this and Stevie is wearing this.