We are transitioning to the fall season and craving all the fall aromas, colors, and decorations that are going to make our home feel warm, festive, and cozy!
Back in the day, this mom would make a trip to the mall to stock up on all the fall candles, plug-ins, and hand soaps.
Here we are in 2022, and after a PCOS diagnosis in my late twenties, I know better. I know that what I am bringing into my home matters. I know that the environment I create for my family WILL impact their health. The transition to healthy products has been slow but I have found ways to make these swaps sustainable, budget-friendly, AND event better than my old mall favorites.
This is the time of year that I am trying to ramp up our immune system so the less toxin exposure the better! Luckily, I control this in our home.
I am excited to share my new semi-DIY with you! It combines one of my favorite products, with some essential oils to satisfy my need to constantly smell the scents of the seasons! Today, we will focus on fall aromas.
Pumpkin Spice seems to be the first aroma that comes to mind at the first mention of fall. However, I know some of you are like me and prefer crisp herbal aromas. I will share several combinations below but first, let’s start with a great base!
We love using Thieves Foaming Hand Soap in our home. If you are familiar with Thieves, you know that it already smells like fall with a combination of Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus, Lemon, Rosemary, and Clove essential oils.
Let’s take up a notch….
We are going to use Thieves Foaming Hand Soap as your base. This will ensure a powerful aroma that will have you taking a deep breath in after you wash those hands.
Things you will need:
A foaming hand soap dispenser
Purified Water
Thieves Foaming Hand Soap
25 drops total of your favorite fall essential oils
Vitamin E or Olive Oil
If you like baked goods and sugar and spice, you will like this first combination called “Autumn Spice”.
1/3 cup Thieves Hand Soap Refill
7 drops Cinnamon Bark
5 drops Nutmeg
5 drops Clove
5 drops Ginger (optional)
10 drops Orange
½ teaspoon of olive oil or Vitamin E oil
2/3 cup purified water
Mix in foaming hand soap container and screw pump into it. Add label and twine to dress up the bottle.
If you prefer a crisp, warm, woodsy aroma then “Autumn Air” will be a great start for you!
1/3 cup Thieves Hand Soap Refill
10 drops Cedarwood
5 drops Northern Lights Black Spruce
5 drops Eucalyptus
10 Drops Orange
½ teaspoon olive oil or Vitamin E oil
2/3 cup purified water
Mix in foaming hand soap container and screw pump into it. Add label and twine to dress up the bottle.
You can get 12 bottles of these DIY foaming hand soap recipes from one bottle of Thieves Hand Soap Refill solution. Not to mention, you can diffuse what is left of your fall oil collection.
You can shop the bottles here!
You can shop the essential oils and Thieves solution here!
Purchase the oils and hand soap solution for yourself, and I will mail you the labels for you hand soaps. Simply email me at theessentialdropin@gmail.com to request them!
Enjoy!
A few months ago, I was at the end of my rope when it came to reading with my oldest. He loves his friends and is constantly requesting get togethers with boys in the neighborhood. I put two and two together and started to ponder the idea of a book club for boys! I had developed friendships with several other boy moms in the neighborhood and started to put some feelers out. Everyone was in!
This group takes the effort of all the moms. We guide the kids together and it works wonderfully! If you are looking to start a book club, I recommend having at least three of you willing to take it on.
Now, I should also include that I am not a big reader. (We know where my oldest gets it now.) So, when it came to getting the ball rolling with this book club, I started to browse some resources that were done for us! Two resources that I have been helpful when looking for materials are:
When we started to look at books, we thought that picking a series to start with would be best. Especially, since we were just getting our feet wet. Our younger group picked, The Bad Guys. For the older group, we selected the Fudge Series by Judy Blume. Teachers Pay Teachers had several resources for both series when it came to discussion and activities. If you are stumped on books, a simple search for book recommendations for a certain age group is very helpful!
The day of….
We wanted to keep things fun for the boys! The actual “book club” portion of book club is about 30 minutes. The age groups separate. One set of moms take one group, another takes the other. Pencils, dice, worksheets, and whatever other supplies that are needed are laid on the table.
After the groups wrap up, it is one big play date! We have done everything from sweet treats, pizza, water balloons, water guns, and most recently cookie decorating (thanks to the weather). The kids love the extra play and moms can always go for an afternoon of chatting with friends.
The more meetups you have, the easier it gets. You may also find yourself getting more creative with your activities!
Here are some other ideas for fun activities:
- Decorate a cookie based on a thing or person in the book. Have your table guess what it is.
- Have everyone pick their own book. Bring a pumpkin you have decorated based on the book you read. Place the titles in a word bank and have the kids try to match the titles to the correct pumpkin.
- Holiday Exchange: Have the kids bring a book club related ornament and do a fun exchange.
- Have everyone pick their own book to read. Write a sales pitch for the group, explaining why they should or should not read your book.
- Book Club Pictionary! Grab a dry erase board and marker. Pick several characters/items from the book and write them on small pieces of paper. Place them in a bowl. Divide the group into two teams. Play a game of Pictionary using the item/character papers! First team with ______ correct guesses, wins!
Have fun with it! That is the point of the book club. To make a reading a fun experience and something to look forward to.
Chores...
The word alone elicits and eye roll from my boys! I don't even have to say which chore, they just immediately groan. If I have learned anything from motivating these two in the past, it is that they enjoy games. We have incorporated them into meal time, shower time, homework time...
If there is a struggle with a task, it is not uncommon for a game or fun twist is made up on the spot.
To keep the "chore thing" simple and still fun, my oldest gave me the idea of a BINGO game. We are keeping the word "chores" out of it. It is called " Around the Home" BINGO. The BINGO card is filled with tasks the kids can help with around the house. Parents will need to decide what is earned for a BINGO ( allowance, sweet treat, one on one time, etc.) and the kids will be given the BINGO card. In our house, this card to is be completed over the course of a week. To keep things balanced, they can only complete one square a day. This keeps helpful moments coming throughout the week AND less rushing at the end of the week to squeeze all five into one day.
You will find you free download below! I have included a copy of a card that has already been filled out and a blank one in which you can pencil in your own tasks and change them from week to week.
Enjoy!
Meal planning….
When someone says the words “meal planning” to me, my response is, “UGH”. I am not big on planning ahead for anything, let alone what we will be eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the next five days. However, when I know my kids’ schedules are about to pick up, I KNOW the way to take some stress off my plate is plan out our meals for the week. The more you do it, the easier it gets! I have been off track all summer but I am ready to get back to planning and taking the guess work out of our meals.
When I think of meal planning, I often just think about dinner. As my kids have grown a little bit older, I have found that THEY LIKE to know what their meal options are for breakfast and lunch. When they do, this leads to less meltdowns and arguments over what is being put on their plate.
For breakfast, I like to pick three different items to rotate through for the week. One of those items is always a grab and go that I can easily pair with fruit. I will make a batch of muffins or hard-boiled eggs to reach for when little feet are dragging.
When it comes to lunch, I tell my kids to pick two days they will be purchasing their lunch at school. Once they do that, they know they have a couple of options to choose from when they are bringing their lunch.
For dinner, I ask everyone for one dinner suggestion for the week. This leaves me with only two meal ideas to come up with! Also, if we know we are eating on the go one night, I am sure to write that down as well.
Check out the FREE Meal Planning Printable HERE!
Tips for this print out:
1. Save them! A friend once showed me how she saves her weekly meals so that when we is in a slump, she can simply look back and recreate a previous hit!
2. Let the family participate in their choices. It takes a load off of your plate and gives them a sense of control.
3. The breakfast and lunch boxes are there to lay out the options for the week. This way you aren't short order cooking at the crack of dawn while trying to get everyone out the door.
4. In the lunch section, you can mark whether or not a child/family member is purchasing lunch out that day. This way you have a better idea of the meal prep that will be going into the following day.
5. Be flexible! Things change. Schedules change. Wrenches get thrown into plans. Don't sweat it if you don't follow your plan to the tee.
Enjoy! Remember, the more you do this, the easier it will get.
It’s the little things…
Have you ever thought about the benefits of a warm bath? I am not a bath person. However, when I think about the benefits I feel the need to force some downtime in a warm bath to let my body and mind reset.
There is a reason kids love baths. Water play (sensory) is right up their alley. The warm water brings comfort, and if part of a nightly routine, signals to the brain that bedtime is near.
There is a way to take a bath up a notch and make it more appealing and beneficial for all.
Bath salts!
I am not talking about those salts of various colors that smell of perfume at the store. I am talking about bath salts that serve a purpose without adding more stress to our body with strong perfumes or unwanted chemicals and dyes.
You don’t need a complicated recipe. In fact, mine is quite simple! I like to create a large batch of salts without essential oils. I tend to change the oils in the bath based on the need. For instance, if my husband has a sore back, I am going to be using different oils than the ones I may grab for a sniffly kiddo. I will incorporate the oils into the mixture once it is bath time and I know what we are trying to address.
You can find the base recipe below!
Bath Salt Base:
4 cups Epsom Salts
1 cup baking soda
Mix thoroughly in a decorative container and have it ready by your bathtub.
Magnesium is known for its ability to relax the body, support inflammation, and ease discomfort in sore muscles.
Baking Soda can help balance skin pH, is cleansing, provides immune support, and assist in soothing irritated skin.
When using the salts, I add 5 drops of high quality essential oils (total).
The following combinations are some of our favorites.
Aches: Panaway & Frankincense
Sniffles: Lavender & RC
Sweet Dreams: Gentle Baby &Cedarwood
Skin Soother: Melrose & Lavender
Tension Release: Stress Away & Orange
Sick Day: Thieves, Frankincense, and Lemon
You can shop our favorite combinations HERE!
We love these for simple gifts as well. Grab some decorative jars and cute ribbon and give the gift of relaxation!
