Happy Sleep Routine

I don’t know where you fall in the gauntlet of the “my kids are young enough for a bedtime” years, but we are still somewhere smack in the middle.

We have five kids spanning 8 years between them. Sleep routines are a must around here.

And that starts with what we do to signal that it’s time to start pressing into the unwind.

Here’s what that looks like for all of our kids:

1. After dinner, three of them enjoy their Kidscents Unwind supplement. (All natural – hormone free- powder supplement that tastes like a watermelon pixie stick. It’s full of good ingredients that promote the production of a child’s natural sleep hormones.) –

( Synthetic hormones and even natural melatonin can disrupt the body’s natural production. It can become addicting and eventually not enough. We try to avoid that at all costs with ourselves and our children.)

2. Everyone heads to brush teeth and turn down the lights in the house. We all have low light lamps by our beds, so all overhead lighting goes off and lamps come on. This is the beginning of letting our bodies know through our eyes that the day is almost done.

3. Everyone starts their diffuser, climbs into bed, and picks up a book. This is a simple way to let the mind ease into rest without the overstimulation of an electronic or the damaging effects of the blue light from screens that stops melatonin production.

This sweet girl LOVED her time reading in the rocker.

4. Time with Mom and Dad. We try to be intentional about their first and last moments each day. Getting to bed at a decent hour so that there are a few hours of “before midnight” sleep, gives my children the opportunity to wake up tomorrow ready for the day. A few moments of reading together, praying, or simply listening to their thoughts will help them process and exhale everything swirling around in their minds.

Tip: On the nights that our routine includes a bath, we like to add epsom salts infused with Kidscent’s Sleepyize essential oil blend.

Always add oil to epsom salt, allow it to sit for a few minutes, and then salt to water. A way we love to do this is to prepare a cute jar in advance and then just add a little to each bath. (maybe 1 cup per bath)

So the only question is…. are you ready to transform bedtime?

Grab your Kidscents Unwind HERE.

Welcome Home

I see you eyeing the oils. We all do it. And believe me, I wasn’t “sure” when I grabbed mine. After six years, I’m SURE now! (I was sure when I opened that first box and inhaled!)

But, I did know that we’re never truly “ready” for anything we choose on the front end. We’re never “sure”. When we choose anything, we become ready once we choose; once we start.

Today, Young Living made that start easier than ever with their addition of a diffuser to the already awesome Welcome Home Starter Kit. (Click to grab yours)

From June 24th – June 20th @ 11:59pm the Welcome Home Starter Kit includes the Dew Drop Diffuser AND a 15ml bottle of Citronella! Can we say #byemosquisha ?

Here is what this kit includes:

This Kit is for new members to YL only.

You can grab yours HERE: (I’m ready to grab this deal + join your community)

We never leave you hanging not knowing what to do and our goal is to make learning this amazing wellness hack fun! We have an online community with over 1000 families just like you who are sharing all of the ways they let YL serve them daily.

I’m so excited to walk this way with you.

Remember, a membership with Young Living is a lifetime 24% discount. No rules. No requirements. Just good, quality, health supporting and inspiring products for you.

“We never make a product for a profit. We make products for a purpose.” – Gary Young

Grab your Welcome Home Starter Kit here and watch for a welcome surprise from me in your mailbox! (Virtual AND at your house!)

Courtney

Conquer That Seasonal Cold

Momma, I don’t know about you, but if we even sniffle right now I feel like I need to make a PSA that it’s just a summer cold or allergies or or or, but it’s not “it”. Do you feel me? And it doesn’t help when those memes pop up saying “rona, is that you?”

So I’ve been using all of the natural care I can think of to keep my kiddos well.

Vitamins C and D in abundance. Eating better. Getting outside more.

When I saw that YL was bringing out a 100% plant based, hands free (he no-touch awareness) chest rub, I was thrilled.

Did you know that the leading chest rub is made with petrol? As in the same product that makes motor oil?

I don’t want to rub that on my kids. After all, their skin is their largest organ.

Thieves Chest Rub relieves coughs, stuffiness, congestion of ears, noses, and throats due to minor bronchial and/or throat irritation as they may occur with a cold or allergens.

No DIY needed. Simply open and apply to chest, back, and/or bottoms of feet.

Now, you may be thinking “I’m not a YL member”.

YL memberships call in all shapes and sizes. The most budget friendly is the Basic Starter Kit at $35. All of our membership kits offer the same benefits. 24% off forever. That’s it. It’s clean, simple, and easy.

No rules. No fees. Just healthy products at the best possible pricing.

Grab you Thieves Chest Rub + any starter kit of your choice HERE.

And while you’re at it, if you want vegan vitamin D tablet and a chewable vitamin C for the family, simply add Super D and Super C chewable to your order.

You’ll be getting the natural, plant sourced tools you need along with a community to bounce questions off of as you walk in a new normal of healthy living.

I’m so glad we got to chat for a minute. I hope these tips give you life and open up more room to be in the moment and adventure with your family.

Courtney

Simplify your life, sister

I don’t know if you know this or not, but I wasn’t always all of the things you find on in this blog space. I wasn’t making healthier recipes or DIY things.

But six years ago, my life changed forever and six months after that, I decided to help other people find their way.

I take the tools I have gained, simplify them, and bring them to you.

And isn’t that what this thing is all about? Press into your life hard, take the good, leave the bad, and help other people do the same.

You don’t have to bring anything but your eyes and ears and I’ll bring all of the know how easy breezy in manageable steps. No masters in chemistry or nutrition or motherhood or womanhood required.

Here are two ZOOMs I’m hosting in June:

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jun 10, 2020 08:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
Here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jun 15, 2020 08:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
HERE

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Both ZOOMS are no-pressure, simple tips deliveries designed to build confidence in caring for ourselves and our little people.
No need to be seen on screen or heard.

Simply drop in on this opportunity to learn good things made easy.

Register now.

See you there.

3 tips for night time bladder control

I don’t know about you, but waking up multiple times a night because of my bladder was driving me crazy. I needed my sleep.

After five kids, most people expect that I have bladder issues, but our last child was born in 2015 and I haven’t struggled at all. I can run and jump rope with no issues.

A few months ago though, I began waking up every night as if I were pregnant again. I would literally have a completely full bladder several times a night.

I thought I simply needed to drink less, but that didn’t do the trick.

I was also having some pretty intense discomfort right above my pubic bone that I had assumed was maybe cysts associated with ovulation possibly since I had dealt with those when I was younger. And what’s worse is that I was starting to feel like my bladder wasn’t emptying properly during the day too.

I started doing some digging and came up with 3 simple steps that have helped my bladder understand that we are sleeping during the night.

Step 1: Cut out food and beverages after dinner.

I love to drink my Magic Mushroom “cocoa” from YourSuper each night so I make sure I do that right after we finish dinner. I think of it as my dessert. Not a drop or crumb after that. This gives me a couple hours before sleep to completely empty my bladder.

Step 2: Completely empty your bladder.

This is something that I hadn’t realized I needed to address and, if I’m honest, I think that my cell phone (gross, I know, but I’m a mother and sometimes that’s my only quiet time/space all day long) and my stress level (hello 3 months at home and a world gone mad) had a LOT to do with this part. When you go to the restroom, go alone. Literally. No phones, no books, no magazines. Leave your “to do” list at the door and RELAX your body. Breathe deeply and sit there long enough to fully empty your bladder. I can’t tell you how many times in the last two weeks I’ve sat there a tad longer only to find that there was still a lot more.

Step 3: Bladder care.

My bladder care looks like pelvic floor care and essential oils. Yes, oils. Hear me out. I was doing some reading about how essential oils can support the bladder when I came across a “hanging” bladder section. (Essential Oils Pocket Reference) I realized the pain I was feeling happened a lot when I needed to have a BM and when it was full. Furthermore, when I needed to poop, I couldn’t empty my bladder until after I was done with that part.

I decided to give the oils a try and wouldn’t you know that my nighttime AND daytime issues have significantly decreased in just 2 weeks. (Night one, I was only up once and now i’m sleeping through the night).

Here are the oils I use and where I apply them:
(Scroll to bottom to grab these oils for yourself)

I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me. If it does, I’d LOVE to know about it.

Sweet, uninterrupted dreams, friends!

xoxo
Courtney

P.S. If you don’t have those oils, you can grab them from Young Living Essential Oils HERE. (Even if you’re not a Young Living member)

I use only YL because they are the only company on the planet who owns and co-operates their farms all over the world where each plant is sustainably grown to be the best possible purity and potency. They do this via their Seed To Seal promise.

If you’ve never tired, YL, all three of the oils I mentioned can be found in the Premium Starter Kit (as well as individually when added to the Basic Start Kit) HERE. The Premium Starter Kit makes you a wholesale member of YL forever. You’ll receive 24% off of anything you need forever. No monthly required expenses. I call it the “Costco of Healthy Products”. Order what you want, when you want at the best price.

How I: Keep Talking To My Kids

Hi Friend,

I don’t have any idea where these words find you. I don’t know if you’re a young mommy to be who is getting a jump on this parenting stuff or a seasoned mother in the trenches. The trenches. What a scary phrase on raising children, and yet, so accurate to our feelings and theirs some days.

Maybe you’re aware or maybe this is news, but open lines of communication are often the most needed and least accessible tool between parents and our pre-teen/tween kiddos. As we approach the years when they will start being away from us more with friends, sports, and commitments, I see so many people posting things like “I wish I had known”. I don’t want that to be a sentence you or I ever utter about our children.

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Now, don’t peg me as an expert, because I’ve only been in this gig for 11 years and counting. Compared to some of you, I’m still a baby parent. I’m aware that I don’t even know what I don’t know, but last night around 1am, I had a HUGE moment with my oldest son and I thought more moms could learn what we did.

You see, I was raised with all boys. I know the conversation barrier. Especially when dealing with “feelings” or mistakes or any of the hard stuff. I’m also married to a 40-year-old man-boy so it doesn’t escape me that part of it is likely just how guys are wired.

None of that, however, changes the absolute fact that I’m a mom. It’s my job while my kids are young to communicate with them. I get to hear the hard stuff, the good stuff, the farts. All of it.

So when my kiddos started having troubles that they didn’t know how to navigate, I was so thankful they came to me. We talked late into the evening about friendship, temptation, integrity, and the care and keep of other humans and their hearts. But as I was leaving, I had this divine moment where I blurted out something to my son that I think changed forever the way we communicate.
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While we were talking, he had said “Hang on mom. This will be hard for me to say.” He was so worried that something he could say or do would change the love I have for him. He didn’t want to disappoint me. He told me there is a little voice in the back of his mind that tells him I’ll get really mad at him when I hear he has done something “wrong”. Anything. Lying, being selfish, etc. What a lot of pressure we forget we were once under as children and still have to face as adults.
As I left his room, I thought we were done but I wanted the door to stay open.

“You know buddy, if there is ever anything you need to say to me but don’t think the words will come out, you can write it down and just slip the note under my door.” 

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“Okay, mom” 

At 1am I heard a noise at my door and then little feet running to the other side of the house. 

There was a note on the floor.

“What you said made me think and I wanted to tell you about this issue I’ve been having. I need your help.” 

We stayed up until 2am talking on his bed. He asked questions and I answered them. I reminded him of the truth that the presence of conviction is a sign that none of us are in our battle alone.

Sometimes we just need to remember that words don’t always have sound. Sometimes a note under the door and an open option for communication are all they need to say what they need to say.

If they aren’t talking, offer them the option to write it down, text it, email, whatever. That gives them the freedom to get it all out without interruption or a look of disappointment they can’t stand the weight of, and it gives us parents time to really hear what they want to say before we jump to conclusions or get upset.

My last words to him last night were:
“Son, Daddy said to tell you that it takes a strong man to admit he needs help. That’s who you are. Remember that. You’re strong. I’m proud of you. I’m thankful to be able to help you. Thank you for trusting me.”