The 6 Essential Oils Every New Mom Must Have

I don't use conventional medications for myself on a regular basis, so I knew that once I had children I would try my best to treat their ailments naturally--before resorting to any over-the-counter or prescription meds. What I've discovered for myself is that there is literally an essential oil to treat just about anything! So here's a list of the few essential oils I found most helpful in navigating my first year of motherhood.

Eucalyptus oil

Clears stuffy little noses like nobody’s business. I place a couple of drops on Bean’s Wubba Nub just before I put him to bed and he sleeps like a…baby. You can also place a few drops in a humidifier to help baby breath easier as well.

Tea tree oil

This oil helps heal little boo boos. It’s a great natural antiseptic and antifungal that helps to reduce infection and provide treatment for minor scrapes, burns, rashes, dandruff and a ton of other stuff. I also use several drops mixed with water as a baby-safe all-purpose cleaner. Comes in handy with Pepper too-- as a few drops to her bed helps ward off fleas. (Please note, however, that you should not use this on babies younger than 6 months.)

Coconut oil

 In our house, coconut oil is like the holy grail of oils. Its natural antibacterial and moisturizing properties make it a perfect cloth diaper safe diaper cream, body rub and hair oil. I also used this as a natural treatment for the lovely case of Hand Foot and Mouth disease that Bean contracted from daycare. Coconut oil baths and nightly rubdowns dried that rash up and saved my nugget from scarring.

Basil oil

If you’ve ever endured the nightmare of an ear infection then you will be happy to have Basil oil in your natural healing arsenal. Bean recently experienced one for himself. He was feverish, cranky and in obvious discomfort so I soaked a cotton ball with a few drops of basil oil mixed with a carrier oil and wiped the solution in and around his ear a few times a day (be sure to avoid entering the ear canal). Amazing isn't even a good enough word for the results!

Jojoba or Sweet Almond oil

Makes for great carrier oils when mixed with more potent oils for treating and moisturizing baby's delicate skin.  Just mix a few drops of lavender or chamomile oil with your carrier oil and apply to baby’s skin just after a bath—gently massaging the skin (avoiding the face). Baby will be relaxed and ready for bed in no time.

Lavender or Chamomile oil

These oils are great for relaxing baby before bed or for calming skin irritations when mixed with another oil or butter. Just add a drop or two to baby’s bath water or humidifier to help calm and soothe him to sleep. I mix lavender oil with Shea butter to make a soothing and effective eczema salve for Bean's super sensitive skin.

xo, august & pepper

Pumpkin Muffins with Oil Substitute

My bakeware and I had a falling out a couple of years ago. I used to dream up things to bake before the business of life pushed all my 'likes' to the bottom of a list filled with 'must dos.'So to ease myself back into my baking mitts, I thought a slightly enhanced boxed confection would be a good start.

The ingredients are simple. Only I chose to substitute the vegetable oil for coconut oil.
1 Package Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup [liquified] Coconut Oil
1 Cup Water

Since coconut oil solidifies when it's cold, I used lukewarm water and eggs at room temperature. Aside from warming the coconut oil in a small sauce pot on the stove before mixing it with the water and eggs, I followed the instructions on the box.

 

 

While I enjoyed the outcome, I couldn't help but get excited about how I'll be enhancing it even more the next time around. I guess I should hurry and try out my ideas before this seasonal treat disappears from the shelves.

xo, august & pepper

Mom-ing in Heels...and Managing Your Time

When it comes to being a parent, timing really is everything and organization is essential. It's funny to me when people ask "how do you do it...work full time and care for a baby?" I don't have a choice! Believe me, it's not always easy, but my hat definitely goes off to every woman with more than one child to care for--whether they have support at home or not. While some nights may be very long, and telling my boss for the third time in one week 'I've gotta go...baby's sick...' is not the greatest feeling, I wouldn't trade this time for anything in the world. 

But what about the day-to-day doings of it all: meal planning, laundry, cleaning and the all important quality time? For me, writing everything down has been a life saver. With so much to do in the run of a day, I can't always count of my memory to make sure everything gets accomplished. So here's what my day [typically] looks like:

5:30 a.m.

Rise and Shine! Bean usually wakes up closer to 6, so I take a few moments to wake up on my own, stretch, and meditate. This little nugget of my day has been awesome for allowing me to be quiet and develop a daily practice of gratitude.

6...ish 

Hello Bean! It's funny to me how he often wakes up looking for Pepper--no matter what time it is. But this isn't time for talking. I'm not quite ready for him to wake up 100% so we just cuddle in silence as I warm his milk, get him dressed and lay him back down for a few more minutes of shut-eye.

6:30-7:30 

While baby rests, I prep for the day. Coffee in hand, I let Pepper out to do her bit, take Bean's dinner out of the freezer, and put myself together while listening to NPR--just to get an idea of what's waiting for me out there in the world.

7:30-7:45 

"Good morning, it's time for school" I say as I gently wake up the little person [it might be silly to say just yet, but I'm pretty sure he knows just what that means]. Little face is washed and tiny teeth are brushed and we're out the door!

My commute can be a beast sometimes (coming and going) so I've gotten in the habit of playing books on audio. I'm hoping that all the financial planning and business books will make Bean a good thinker, but for now they just seem to bore him back to sleep.

Fast forward through my work day and Bean and I are back on the road. I usually do my grocery shopping on my lunch break to make it quicker and to spare us both from having to delay dinner time.

Once I get in the door, Pepper goes out, clothes are changed and dinner is prepped (Bean is usually still asleep in the carseat for the 15 minutes it takes for me to do this and get dinner started). 

7 p.m.

Once he's in a fresh diaper and wide awake he gets placed in the high chair to 'help mommy' while I plate his food. This is when he 'talks' to me about his day :). I love this stage because he can handle feeding himself for the most part and I can wash the dishes at the same time. I also manage to get a few bites of dinner in me before he needs my help finishing up his dinner and prepping for bath time. The rest of the night goes by so fast and I'm usually on auto-pilot so as not to disrupt his routine--that could result in a longer night than necessary.

7:30-8:30

Bath time.

Jammies.

Play time with Pepper. (oh how he loves Pepper)

Story time.

Warm bottle...and down for bed.

In that order.

If he's good and full this is the last I hear from him for the night.

*Exhale*

Now this is when I make Bean's meals to freeze, write up to-do's for the next day, clean up, read the mail, fix lunch, set out clothes, wash bottles/sippies, do laundry and pack his backpack for the next day. Oh, and eat. :) The routine has become so second nature at this point that it doesn't feel overwhelming at all until I or the baby is under the weather. Then it's a whole 'nother story.

I end each day [around 10:30] with an entry in my journal--reflecting on the day and my thoughts, but mostly to practice gratitude again. 

Life happens so fast, and I know that without God and a grateful heart I would be lost at sea. So my advice to every first time parent: take advantage of every moment, set reasonable expectations for yourself each day, and remember to make time for you.

xo, august & pepper

Love & the Art of Friendship

 Moving sucks. It’s even harder to do with a little person in tow. There are boxes to unpack and curtains to hang, but never can I deviate from the all-important schedule—the Bean just won’t stand for it. With so much to do and only so many waking hours to do it in, the reality of it all got overwhelming, and quickly. Since I’m usually pretty good at keeping it all together, it takes a good friend and a skilled listener to tell when I’m close to the end of my rope.
[Enter best friend.]
I vented on Thursday. She was here on Friday; and in a matter of 24 hours she saved my sanity.

Bags were unloaded, the excess was purged, and clothes were folded retail style. What may seem like such a simple gesture literally changed my mind and gave my heart permission to heal and move forward. My Yanna (yes she’s mine) showed up and I wasn’t abandoned or defeated anymore.

Friendship is a powerful thing and the world is a better place because of it.

xo, august & pepper

The Proper Care and Feeding of You

I’m human. And, not unlike many others, I sometimes get the blues about my current placement in life. One bad case of the “ifs” and I end up “shoulding” all over my self-esteem. “I should be here” and “ I should be doing this” and “I should have this for my age…” All this nonproductive internal banter can have me worn out in no time and screaming for a vacation. Most recently I encountered a week of this self abuse—comparing my life to everyone else’s and well on my way down the Crymea River—when suddenly, from deep within me, I heard a small voice say “if everyone seems to be passing you…RUN FASTER!” Duh! Why hadn’t I thought of that? It seemed that I was really intent on staying stuck and waiting for someone else to save me from my stagnation—my inner stronger self just got fed up already. Run faster! Plan your strategy, your goal statement and know your vision. If you get derailed—and oftentimes you will—take a moment, collect yourself and get your head back in the game. We only get one chance at life and, as cliché as it sounds, tomorrow really isn’t promised to any of us. So do whatever you have to do in your down time, just don’t stay down too long. Reclaim your life and don’t be afraid to chisel your own path, even if it means you’ve got to cut down your own trees along the way. And most importantly, don’t listen to the naysayers and the haters! Unless they wrote your story, how on earth would they know how it’s going to end? Now go be great!

xo, august & pepper

An Open Letter to My Little Boy

Dear Son, 

Today you are 13 months old! While you only have two little front teeth and haven’t begun to walk just yet, you still do more than enough to amaze me everyday. You have a few words on steady rotation—mama, Pepper, uh-oh, look, wow, thank you, what, and dada—but of course “Pepper” is your favorite one of all (oh I just love your sweet little voice). Your eyes are already so wise that I sometimes forget that there is so much you don’t understand yet. Your love and compassion for me fills my heart with joy, and your consideration of Pepper is evidence that you are destined to have a kind heart—not a meal passes without half of it being shared with your favorite furry friend. You may also be small in stature, but you are so very strong already. My prayer is that I am able to successfully teach you to channel your strength productively as you grow. Your curiosity makes naptimes short and far between, but your smile and laughter is so contagious that I miss you when you sleep. Your existence has brought out the stronger side of me that I was always afraid to show. Thank you for choosing me to be your mom. This has been one heck of a year so far!

xo, august & pepper