My Daily Routine With Essential Oils

My current EO stash, in all its' glory.

Ever since I wrote this post a few weeks ago, I've had a number of people ask me how I incorporate essential oils into my daily routine, which oils I've found to be the most beneficial, what's a good starting point if they're just beginning to use EO themselves, etc. Being fairly new to the whole "oily mama" gig myself, I thought I would give everyone a glimpse into my daily routine (and not just my oily routine, but my average day with two little ones, a dog, and life on one of the largest military bases in the States!). I'll talk a little bit about which oils have proven to be the most beneficial for me and my health, which oils have helped Alessandra's sleep issues, and how I balance everyday life as a mother and wife. Rhyming was not intended. So! A few things before I begin:

1. As a general rule, I dilute almost all of my Young Living oils with a teaspoon (or more) of a carrier oil. I do this so that I can prolong the life of my oils, as well as cover more area on the body. Using a carrier oil does not diminish the effectiveness of the oil, but it does take slightly longer for the effects of the oil to kick in. There are a few oils I do not dilute, and I will put a (*) next to those. As far as carrier oils go, I prefer to use sweet almond, avocado or grapeseed. You can find them at any natural food store.

2. When using ANY oils on children younger than six years, make sure you look up safety warnings first. I dilute all oils before using them on my kids.

3. I am not giving out medical advice. I'm not a doctor, and I don't have any medical background whatsoever. The oils I use help me with sleep issues, allergies, muscle tension, warding off the common cold, etc. If you're looking for a way to treat a brain tumor, cancer, pertussis, brown recluse bites, or severe depression with essential oils, you're not going to find that on this page. When in doubt, please see a medical professional!!

So, now that we've got that out of the way, I bring you my daily routine.

6am: Alessandra wakes up for her morning nursing session. This used to be extremely painful, as Little Miss would wake up at least 3 times throughout the night, but since her sleeping habits have drastically improved, so has my willingness to haul my butt out of bed at this early hour. I nurse her, put on her white noise machine, turn on the diffuser and put her back down.

6:20am: I begin my morning oily routine. I put a drop of Valor* on my wrists for grounding, Stress Away on my neck and shoulders (I carry most of my tension there), Panaway on my lower back, to ease the pain that I frequently experience there, and Thieves on my feet. I usually inhale Peppermint to give me a boost as well.

6:30am: One of my favorite times of the day! I make myself a cup of coffee, and spend some time in prayer and meditation. I typically pray the Daily Offering, the Memorare, prayer to St. Michael, and a Hail Mary. I check a few emails, do a quick budget for the day, and lay out a brief schedule (which, most assuredly, will be shot down within a few hours, because that's how my kids roll).

7am-7:30am: Tony, otherwise known as my "walking can of Red Bull" wakes up. We snuggle on the couch for a few minutes, and I make him breakfast. He is allowed to watch one TV show (current favorites include Clifford the Big Red Dog or Veggie Tales) while I finish up a few things on the computer.

8am: Alessandra wakes up in full force! I change her diaper, and give her breakfast while Tony fawns all over his baby sister. Which, really, is the sweetest thing in the world. :)

8:20am-9:30am: Tony requests to have me put "oil on the feetsies!" I put Thieves on his feet, and a drop of R.C on his chest. Kiddies get to have morning playtime, usually in Tony's room or the living room, while I get some chores done around the house and take a quick shower.

9:30am: And we're off! We usually run errands during this time, while everyone is in fine spirits. If we don't have any errands to run, we take a walk to one of the nearby parks. That's one of the nice things about Fort Benning; there are quite a few lovely parks within walking distance, and my kids never tire of them.

11am: Return home, get lunch ready for the kiddos. Tony usually has what Will and I have dubbed the "Tony special": whole wheat goldfish crackers, lunch meat from the grocery store deli, a cheese stick, and a piece of fruit. Alessandra has something similar. I usually just grab what I can. :) The kids then get about 1/2 hour-45 minutes of play time, and then we start to settle down for the nap.

Noon: Nap time! I change the kids into their comfy clothes, and put a little bit of lavender on their feet. I also get the diffuser set up in Alesandra's room (usually with 8 drops of Gentle Baby or Peace and Calming). We read a few books, sing a few songs, and it's lights out.

12:30-2:00pm: Mama's time alone, which is...

I kid, I kid! I love spending time with my little ones, but their nap time is a nice break for me. I grab something to eat if I didn't get a chance to eat lunch before, make sure to hydrate myself (I either add 1 drop of lemon* or 1 drop of grapefruit* EO to a large glass of iced water), catch up on email, straighten up the tornado that blew through my house living room, maybe do a little bit of reading.

2:00-5ishpm: Honestly, I would say this is the most trying time of my day. Who out there is familiar with the mid-afternoon sluggish feeling? I always crash around 2:30/3:00, which unfortunately is when my kids are up from their naps and ready to par-tay. I inhale a little bit of peppermint EO to give me a boost, and if there are any available, I drink a package of NingXia Red (unfortunately, I ran out, and will have to re-order some in the near future). I LOVE this stuff. It gives me a little boost of energy, without a caffeine or sugar crash later on in the day. Anyway, I usually try and get the kids outside at this point. Tony likes to play in our (fenced in) backyard with his trucks and the dog, and baby girl likes to roll around and play in the living room. Sometimes we take an extra trip to the park, and if I'm feeling particularly ambitious, we take the dog for a walk. (Not that the dog doesn't get exercise, but it can be a challenge balancing Tony on his bike, Alessandra in the stroller, and a beagle who pulls so hard it feels like my arm will be yanked out of its' socket).

5pm-ish: Will comes home, and Mama gets a break. :) If I haven't already done so, I get dinner started while Will spends some time with the kids.

6:30pm: Dinner for the fam. Tony and Alessandra usually eat what we eat, unless I've made sometime particularly spicy.

7pm: Bath time! I add a couple drops of Gentle Baby to the bath water, just to settle everyone down after the long day.

7:30pm: Bedtime for Little Miss. I add 5 drops of lavender and 5 drops of Peace and Calming to the diffuser in her room, and some lavender on the soles of her feet. We put on her white noise machine, nurse, and she's down for the night.

8pm: Tony's bedtime. He gets lavender on his feet as well, books and songs, and a few prayers. (Usually the Our Father, Guardian Angel, etc).

8-10:30pm: Finally, time alone with Will! We eat dinner if we didn't get a chance to earlier (I know a lot of people balk at our late dinner times, but what can I say. We lived in Europe for 5 years, and it's been a challenge to break out of the super late dinner time habit). Sometimes we'll watch a show together, or just chat and catch up on our day.

10:30pm-ish: When we typically go to bed on a weekday. My oily routine varies a bit every night. If my allergies are bothering me, I combine a few drops each of lemon, peppermint and lavender and rub the mixture across my chest and throat. I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately, and what I've found works best for me is lavender on my feet, and a few drops of cedarwood* between my brows, and behind my ears. I add about 8-10 drops of Peace and Calming to the diffuser in our room as well. Works like a charm every time, and I never wake up with that out-of-body-experience feeling I have when I take a sleeping pill. I take a few minutes to pray, and usually read a chapter (or five) of a book before drifting off.

These bad boys will knock you out. Guaranteed.

So! There you have it. As always, I'm happy to answer any "oily" questions you may have, and if you're interested in signing up for a starter kit, it's quite easy! Simply visit the Young Living website, and register as a wholesale member to get a reduced price on the oils. For the sponsor/enrollment number, type in 1704017. There's zero obligation to become a distributor, and you can order YL oils as frequently (or infrequently) as you like. YL oils have been a wonderful addition to our family's daily routine, and I could seriously go on for days about how much these oils have pretty much made our baby girl's sleep issues disappear. Wishing you a blessed Good Friday, and a very happy Easter weekend.