what i'm loving this weekend.

i'm loving.... 

family walks  (in their pjs) and baking in the kitchen (see their little oatmeal cranberry muffins in their hands? and on lu's face?)

post nap kisses and long afternoon naps. ( both boys napped 3plus hours yesterday afternoon! sweetness)

early morning running (first time doing 5miles in a couple months and it felt pretty darn good! especially adding in a couple hills! slowly getting back on track with my runs)

discovering different ways of using my essential oils (lavender for sleep) diffusing peace and calming before naps lemon for fresh air and thieves to kill off germs

via image and more about essential oils here if you're interested @ simply essential mom  

 (*i'm trying something new for our family. I'm so sick of sickness and over the counter meds as well as prescribed medicine such as antibiotics (which don't get me started on antiobiotics! We have a love/hate relationship) and steroid breathing treatments...while this is something new I am trying for my family I am in no way advertising! I am simply sharing something that we are embarking on right now. I'll keep ya'll updated as our EO journey continues. I'm hopeful that it may have helpful solutions for our family. EO's have many different uses and we are starting out slowly and don't worry, we are researching and being safe about how we use them. But-if you have questions feel free to ask)

                                                          all purpose natural cleaner recipe

and lastly, green cleaning discoveries. I wish I had discovered this simple and easy environmental friendly cleaning solution years ago!!! Does it get any easier? Baking soda. Vinegar. and putting in a couple drops of my essential oils (lemon and thieves and lavender) and wallaaaa! SAFE and CHEAP (i had all the ingredients already in the house!) No longer am I worried about toxic cleaning solutions in our house plus I'm saving money by using things we already have. How great it feels to know that I'm no longer exposing the boys to toxic chemicals! I must admit I'm pretty gosh darn excited about this latest cleaning discovery of mine-and for all those who know me-you know how much I adore cleaning!! Let's just say dave has heard not much else this weekend ;)

So it has been a restful weekend. I'm officially out of last week's sickness funk and feeling hopeful. Caleb's cough is gone and lucas' nose is drying up-I don't want to speak too soon but after some much needed rest this weekend they seem to be on the mend (as for D, he caught their cold) but thankfully I'm still standing and just tending to my boys this weekend!

** Do you have any natural cleaning remedies or otherwise that work for your family? If so-please share! I'm interested to know :)

And please do excuse my rave about natural cleaning and EO's, sometimes my excitement just bubbles right on over and out everywhere!

Have I mentioned how much I love weekends? Family Time is my favorite. And so is Sunday morning church with two little boys. (most of the time!)My favorite moment today, was when C and L, both sat side by side on the church bench, quietly reading their bible story books (I found some great ones to add to our collection at the dollar store awhile back-go figure!) Lucas watches Caleb and then tries so hard to follow suit and it is just the sweetest. It was a heart melt moment for sure, especially since not every week is a good week. Most the time it feels like Lucas is squirmy the worm and Caleb is crabby the crab! bahaha. But when a friend who has five handsome little boys who are so well behaved tells me after church how well behaved our boys are and asks how we get Lucas to sit so good? Well, it kinda makes a mama's heart feel proud! Especially since I am constantly in awe of their family and how well behaved her boys are!! I love raising our little Catholic boys and pray over them daily as they grow that they may Love the Lord with all their heart! One last sweet moment I want to always remember; before church Caleb was signing the alleluia with his guitar. And then we heard him singing along at church (which he normally never does at church, only at home) Lucas was singing along too and kept holding his hands together every time we would say 'Amen'. Well, I just love it and I love their sweet childlike faith. They are so teachable at this age and I love how they soak up everything like a sponge! I pray we always fill them up with His Goodness! 

Hope you're having a good weekend as well!!

oldie but a goodie ;)