happy valentine's day

an oily introduction

This has been saved as a draft on my blog for more than a year. I've surprised myself by continuing to use these natural solutions for my family, so I finally hit 'publish'. 

I've seen essential oils (I'm going to go ahead and shorten that to eos) pop up on various social media feeds throughout the past few years. "There's an oil for that!" has intrigued me. My interest in essential oils was like many mothers: seeking natural health and cleaning solutions for my family. I've used homeopathic treatment for various things throughout my life, so this seemed the next logical step. About the same time, L was about a year and a half old, having frequent ear infections. When the nurse practitioner mentioned the possibility of tubes if the antibiotics did not work, I hit the pause button and turned into a mad researcher seeking a natural option for treatment of ear infections. Enter eos.

A few things I was looking for when I sought out eos: 

• Immune Support // L is in daycare, and consistently had a runny nose and congestion; I wanted to be able to support his immune system instead of giving him medication; I did not want him to have another ear infection
• Skin Irritation // L has sensitive skin, and every few months has a flare up of skin irritation. I wanted to be able to offer him something that would soothe and treat his skin without added chemicals.
• Relaxation, Rest // L is a high spirited guy that sometimes had difficulty winding down before naps and bedtime
• Less Chemicals for Cleaning // I've used natural cleaners for years, and have only recently realized that even the 'natural cleaning products' still have a lot of chemicals in them

I started using eos from the other multi-level marketing company, and then switched to my current brand after a bit more research. 

The first thing I noticed was that I liked the branding better. Silly, but true. I found the company name, oil names, and overall presentation simpler and easier to understand. The name of the company means 'of the earth'. The thing that sealed the deal was this their oils grow in indigenous environments around the globe, they work with local folks, and pay fair wages. (As a social worker, social justice advocate and Christian, these are things that resonate very strongly with me.) So I decided to give them a try -- ordered a few oils to see how they compared to the eos that I was already using. Honestly, I didn't notice much of a difference, but I did like the proprietary blends better. After a few weeks of more research and use, I decided to make the switch, so I enrolled with them as a Wellness Advocate.

Since then, I still use them regularly with my family and have been really enjoyed incorporating them into our family's lifestyle.

2 0 1 6

2 0 1 6

2015 was a big year for our family. We lived in the city for nine years, and after I swore up and down that I would *never* leave even after we had a kid, that's just what we did.  Funny how things change. There was a point when I realized that it would be the best thing for our family, and jumped on the homeowner bandwagon. In April, we moved into our very first home.

L continues to grow, learn, and sass nearly every day. He's an individual, and yet — I can see myself or my husband in him a lot. It's so fascinating to see watch his personality develop. He's a kind, energetic, and sensitive soul.

I survived my second Whole 30 challenge and realized how refined carbs, soy, and sugar take a toll on my body. Though I would love to say that I've maintained it — I have not. I would like to try this again in 2016.

2015 also brought with it challenges: my husband and I are on opposite schedules, with no shared days off. Though I know it's just a season in our lives, it is really hard to carve out family time when it's virtually impossible to have a weekend together.



Happy New Year!
P

a new space

{jennifer funnell photography}

a year has passed since i've blogged. i figured, if it's been a year, perhaps i should start in a new space. i named this blog 'OH, LEVI' about a year ago and just let it sit until i was motivated enough to start up again (i figured it would happen...eventually).

we moved into our very first house, C took a job working weekends, L turned two and weaned from nursing in June, and i've been... stuck in the middle of it all? no, not stuck: i've been slightly overwhelmed with all the change. new commute, new daycare, new playground, etc. it sounds a little silly, but it feels as if i moved much further than i actually did. it's been about three and a half months in the new place, we finally painted the living room just last week.

i've written about it before, but motherhood (for me) is all about the art of learning to balance, compromise, and to avoid avoiding comparing myself to other 'perfect mothers'. blogs, instas, and Facebook make this very difficult as it feels the majority of what i see are snippets of a perfect life, child, career, etc. do you ever feel that way? "i'm not (fill-in-the-blank) enough" becomes "i'm not enough" and the spiral begins. here are some things i've been doing to manage some of these internal conflicts (do i sound like a social worker, or what?!):

1) watching all of the brene brown talks i can find on the world wide web. this on vulnerability. this on shame. this is also great. all three of them are worth watching. also, i started reading her newest book and it's really good so far.

2) connecting with a church/community. when we moved, we decided that we needed to find a new church since the commute to our previous one was just too much of a commute. we started going this summer and it has been a really positive thing for our family.

3) spending time alone. although i'm a visual person, words have been my thing for as long as i can remember. reading, journaling, quotes, etc. my goal is to read 1 book / month and so far, i've done that (or more) and it's awesome.

there's a long list of things that i still want to work on: fitness, health, etc. but that's for a later date. i'm excited to start writing and sharing again!

welcome to the new space!
P