Category: Uncategorized

Enjoying Louisville with Kids
Uncategorized

Enjoying Louisville with Kids

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

A friend and I had planned this mom and kids Louisville trip for awhile. She lives in Bowling Green and we live in Clarksville, TN.

We met when our now 10-year-olds were in the same Kindergarten class. At the end of that school year we were sad to see them move but vowed to keep in touch. Now our youngest are about to start kindergarten. We have and we truly loved this 2 day adventure six of us shared.

img_7265
Our view from the Science Center parking lot!

Kentucky Science Center

When we arrived we went straight to the Kentucky Science Center. We stayed for several hours – there are four floors. There was so much to see and do! We had been to the Nashville science center but were pleasantly surprised that this center had different offerings. The little kids especially loved the water area so that was saved for last. They have a Subway in the science center so we could just have lunch there.

img_7283

 

img_7301

Nulu

We left some time to explore downtown Louisville for a bit. Based on some research I knew that Nulu was a fun area, particularly around E Market. We stopped at Louisville Cream for some awesome ice cream – a must. We wanted to find the shop with beautiful umbrellas overhead so we were delighted to find Red Tree. It’s a cool and eclectic furniture and gift shop. There’s a surprise around every corner and a feast for the eyes. Next to Red Tree is a little macaron shop, but our peeps were still sugared up from the ice cream, so we passed.

img_7309
Pistachio honeycomb

 

img_7320
I have read that this is the best ice cream in the city.
img_7330
Red Tree

West Market

We set off on foot and headed to the Louisville Visitor Center. I really wanted a picture of the iconic neon Louisville sign but was disappointed to find it partially covered with some branding for an upcoming event. It was still neat to browse around. They have maps and all kinds of gifts and a few noteworthy Louisville exhibits including a wax Colonel Sanders.

img_7339
Colonel Sanders, is the chicken real?
img_7340
Madeline said she wanted to find a horse with a white diamond on its head on our trip and she found a whole table of them!

 

img_7347
The iconic neon Louisville sign

From there we spotted multiple fountains at 400 West Market. Our kids love fountains! Fun fact: 400 West Market is the tallest building in Kentucky and cost $100 million to build. It’s the one with the dome on top.

img_7344-1
Fountains at 400 W Market

Shortly after we headed to dinner at Mussel and Burger. It was on every top Louisville restaurants blog post that I read, voted 2018 Louisville Best Burger, has been featured on Travel Channel and Food Network, and had a 4.5 star rating on Yelp. We moms and my oldest daughter are all about some mussels and the other kiddos were great with beef so there was something for everyone. The charcuterie was to die for! My curry mussels were so amazing and so were the ones in white wine. We got the appetizer sized order and it was more than enough to fill up on.

img_7349
Mussel and Burger voted best burger 2018
img_7352
Charcuterie

 

It was nice to be close to the water almost everywhere we went in Louisville.

Our crew was ready to go back to the hotel and swim after dinner, but I kind of regret not checking out 21c Museum and Hotel that was right across the street. Everything I read sounded like that was going to be cool to explore, so check it out if you get a chance.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott

Finding a hotel that allowed six to a room and comfortably accommodated our group was a challenge. I think we were all happy with SpringHill Suites by Marriott. We had two queens and a sofa bed. The two older girls were good with the sofa bed which gave them their own area. The hotel had a pool which the kids loved and free breakfast which was delicious and had so much to offer! It was literally just a few blocks away from everything we wanted to do, except for the zoo.

What matters to kids on vacation. Truly.

Our final day we hit the Louisville Zoo so I cover that in a separate post. Too much to tell!

Sharing Essential Oils with Seniors
essential oils · natural lifestyle · Uncategorized

Sharing Essential Oils with Seniors

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

Madeline (age 6), Anna Claire (age 10) and I spent the morning loving on some sweet ladies.

I lost my mom to Alzheimer’s almost six years ago, and in the year leading up to that I spent many a day at assisted living facilities, visiting and caring for my mom. It was there that my passion and interest in a natural lifestyle and my appreciation for assisted living care were born.

My long-time friend Lori works as the activities director at a local assisted living facility. When she asked me to do an essential oils time with the residents there, I was more than happy to oblige.

Our time with them was short, but our hearts were full. I’m so glad I brought the girls!

Madeline who is always animated and full of energy, brought lots of life to the room. She warmed up to the residents quickly and put smiles on many faces.

Madeline wants to hang this pic by her bed ❤️😭

Anna Claire was sweet and well-mannered as always. She stayed tickled that one of my eyes was tearing up for almost the whole class. This happens to me every now and then, and she found it comical that I was dealing with it while speaking to an audience. 😅

Made lavender spray (while crying out of one eye😂)
Made a Panaway mini roller to soothe aches and pains
Hand massage with Lavender Lotion

For our time together I just kept it really simple. I had done this with Lori before and brought too much and it was overwhelming to them and to me.

I started diffusing lavender when we got there. Then several residents mentioned one of their friends struggled with a hurt elbow. So we started by making the mini Panaway rollers and I showed them how to apply it by rubbing it on her elbow. The rollers were just 3 drops of Panaway and the rest grapeseed carrier oil. They really loved how cute the little bottles were.

Next I gave everyone a hand massage with Lavender Lotion. I think we all enjoyed that part the most. I know I love when I get a hand massage when I get my hair done!

The last thing we did was a lavender pillow spray to help them relax and sleep. Just water, lavender essential oil and dash of witch hazel to help it all incorporate.

This was my favorite class I’ve ever done because it was all love. There was no selling, feeling sales-y, buying, or obligation to buy. It’s how I like sharing oils the very best: out of genuine belief in it, love for it and for the people I’m sharing it with – no other expectation.

I will remember this day for a long time and hopefully my girls will too. Madeline is already asking to go back to Dogwood.

kids · Uncategorized

Barbie Pool Party: Granting Madeline’s Wishes

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

I laughed when Madeline asked me to put “fill Barbie pool with water” on her vision board several months ago. It’s the only thing left on her board that hasn’t come to reality so we made that happen today. .

.

The things she asks for are so simple and easy to make happen that we all have fun helping pull them off. This included ordering Barbie swimsuits once the girls realized we only had one doll who had a swimsuit! Adults and ten-year-olds have bigger visions, so ours take more time to come to fruition. ❤️

.

.

What do you do once everything on your vision board comes to pass? You make a new vision board. That will be happening for Madeline soon. Stay tuned! .

.

If you’re curious to see the girls’ vision boards, I share them here. And be sure to watch the short video in this post for a good laugh. The dialogues Madeline makes up for her Barbies are hil-ar-i-ous! 🤣

Summer Cooking Camp at Whole Foods
adventures with kids · foodie · kids · nashville · Uncategorized

Summer Cooking Camp at Whole Foods

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

Our daughter who’s nine has expressed a long-time interest in all things culinary. She’s a little foodie who will eat just about anything and her food knowledge exceeds that of most adults. She is an avid watcher of Cooking Channel, Food Network, and especially loves The Greatest British Baking Show. Her dad is a classically trained chef, and she has taken classes locally, but the kids didn’t get to do very much in our local classes because of the teacher-student ratio. She desperately wanted to do something more hands-on.

One day when we were at Whole Foods in Nashville, we picked up a schedule of cooking classes and enrolled Anna Claire in an Easter treats class. We were so impressed with how much kids were allowed to do during this one lesson, and there was almost an instructor per child. She loved it and learned so much, we signed her up for the weeklong summer camp.

It was a financial sacrifice for our family, but when the interest, effort and passion is really there, and the doors open to meet it, we find great value in that. We always want to support both girls in any way we can to achieve their goals and dreams.

Cooking class day 1: Anna Claire got to grate, zest, use serrated knife for the first time and pan-sear.

Today’s theme was picnic. The kids made a potato salad all by themselves. AC said it was very similar to the one we make but mustard based. They diced the potatoes, grated the carrot, and all that. She raved about the corn on the cob with chili lime butter and she especially loved the tomato and manchego tarte.

Cooking class day 2: Today’s theme was party. Anna Claire was so excited to tell us about the mini meatloafs they made using muffin tins. They layered biscuit dough, ground beef, shredded cheese and ketchup. She is confident she could recreate this solo, and the instructors let her make the meatballs.

Cooking class day 3: AC asked to arrive early because she gets to help set up and with the mis en place. She said they had smoothies for them when they arrived – mango/pineapple/spinach.

Today’s theme was breakfast. They made monkey bread using the same pizza dough recipe they used before- glazed in simple syrup and rolled in cinnamon sugar – she goes to bring some home and they were delish!

She was excited to explain that the kitchen has a special proofing drawer that cuts down the time it takes the dough to proof.

She also said all of the ingredients they used came directly from the Whole Foods store so that automatically raised the quality of the outcome.

They made parfaits, sausage balls, hashbrown nests (with eggs, cheese, bacon, red bell pepper.) Anna Claire said the teachers asked her to demonstrate dicing the red bell peppers because she did such a nice julienne.

Cooking class day 4: AC has been the most excited about this day! They got to make homemade pasta and called in an expert pasta maker to be the kids’ instructor. They made two pastas: pappardelle and tagliatelle. The kids were able to use the pasta machine and AC is begging for one. She does have a birthday coming up…

Cooking class day 5: The theme was luau and also AC’s graduation. They invited parents to come in for an extra half hour at the end of class for a tasting of all they made. The kids prepared kabobs with pineapple and chicken. The teachers said they were a little grossed out handling the raw chicken and putting it on the skewers. They also made a macaroni salad, fruit salad and chocolate coconut pie.

I have been so impressed with this program. The kids literally have done all of it. I even see them cleaning the tables and tending to the dishes when I pick her up each day!

The age range of this camp is 7-9 and she is 9, but will be 10 at the end of this month. There is a camp for ages 10-12 but she wants to wait and do it next summer.

Photo Credit📸: Salud instructors

Uncategorized

Meet unikitten.

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

Meet Unikitten.

Madeline spotted this little friend yesterday in a shop and her Daddy and I both gave her the “you have so many stuffed animals already talk.”

But then…we saw her hide the toy under the other stuffed animals she said “so no other child could find her.” She came home and counted all of her change, $4.07, and presented it to me as an offer for her unikitten. She came up to me several times last night and said she couldn’t stop thinking about the unikitten. Then this morning she said she had a dream about unikitten.

And as you can see, today she is now the proud owner of this “very rare animal.” It is pretty cute. 😊

Uncategorized

Madeline the Safari Girl

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

I took this sassy girl to Rotary Park today for a hike. She said, “Mommy! Is this really the woods? Like the real woods?”

I told her yes, and she said “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe I’m in the actual woods.”

As we were leaving she said, ” Mommy, I know what I want to be when I grow up: a safari girl.”

She brings so much joy.

Uncategorized

McKays Used Books to the rescue!

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

My oldest, Anna Claire, had two of her Harry Potter box set stolen out of her cubby at school. She loves reading HP more than anything right now. I was able to find both at McKays and use a credit I had from where I sold books a few months ago. I also grabbed a Barefoot Contessa cookbook for her. She’s my ten-year-old foodie and chef mini.

My youngest baby, Madeline, loves watching nursery rhyme videos on YouTube with her daddy. The Ugly Duckling and The Gingerbread Man. I found both at McKays plus a collection with Humpty Dumpty, another fave. I found a Barbie and Pinkalicious Collection too. And I remembered her saying she was sad that we can’t find Little Einstein’s on tv anymore so I was excited to find a dvd of one of her favorite episodes there too.

It is truly a treasure trove at McKays. My girls were over the moon. I love finding things to surprise and delight them and I’m overjoyed that books bring them so much happiness.

Uncategorized

Live Life to the Fullest

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

My school was greatly impacted this week by the sudden loss of a well-loved teacher, Kenna Robards.

I have read many touching descriptions of Kenna by her students, close friends and co-workers.

Although I didn’t know her as well as some, her spirit continues to inspire me as the words “live life to the fullest” have echoed in my mind all week long – every time her name is mentioned or I come across one of the many pictures of her shared by those who loved her on social media.

Kenna did live life to the fullest. One friend shared that Kenna “did more in a day than most people do all week.” She showed up for her students in a big way, attending their basketball games, plays and more. She was always willing to step up and volunteer.

I know that as she watches over us, she would want us to live life BIG, just like she did. As I read the synonyms for the word “vibrant,” each one fit her to a T: enthusiastic, spirited, lively, full of life, energetic, sparkling, dynamic, passionate, determined.

Kenna was larger than life. To know her, was to love her. She would light up a room, and not just some days. She was a big personality and in the best possible way.

While I am almost old enough to be her mom, she always made me feel special, just like she did everyone. Her last words to me were that I was a great role model and she always told me I was a good mom. She did that for everyone: made them feel loved, supported, included, special.

Kenna helped me keep up with the times. She taught me how to Snapchat and I did my first Snapchat post with Kenna.

She was a treasure at my school and if I am heartbroken over this young person I adored, I can only imagine the impact this must be having on her family, close friends, her current students and teachers on her hall. My love especially extends to you all.

Uncategorized

Soundwaves at Gaylord Opryland on a Budget

Essentially Better Living1 Comment

Updated June 2024.

We had the best experience at Soundwaves. And it wasn’t just the water park. Everything about our stay was satisfying from customer service when we arrived, to our fancy schmancy hotel room to enjoying walking around the beautiful hotel grounds.

She was hoping there was a Starbucks!

When you book your package, you can request early arrival, which we did, and they will hold your bags and let you go ahead to the water park while they are preparing your room. They text you when your room is ready.

You will need to pay $32 for parking and it is only $8 more for valet.

We thought ahead and packed a pool bag with everything we would need and had our swimsuits on under our clothes. You won’t need beach towels; they provide them for you!

Once your room is ready, you can grab your bags, get your bearings and go back to Soundwaves if you want. We took everything to our room and checked out our digs, then spent another hour on the lazy river at Soundwaves.

Cuteness overload!

In addition to the lazy river and a traditional pool, Soundwaves offers something for everyone in the family, from a gentle toddler area, to a more daring kid area with climbing and an obstacle course, to surfing and super fast water slides.

We recommend locking up valuables in your room. Lockers cost $12 in the Soundwaves area.

As far as food, we didn’t go there, but it was nice that they had Decibels restaurant inside Soundwaves. It looked cool if you wanted to grab a bite without worrying about drying off and changing clothes. You could just eat in your swimwear.

They don’t allow you to bring outside food into Soundwaves. We did bring lots of snacks with us on the trip and made frequent visits to our room to consume them and save money.

If you are on a budget like we were, the pizza place located in the Delta was yummy and a good deal. It was $4 for a big slice, which was enough to fill me up. Pizzas are cooked in wood fired ovens and it was great because pizza is a favorite food of my picky eater who is five.

We did splurge on room service. Our girls begged for desserts from room service. My big girl devoured the tiramisu and my little one turned the creme brûlée over to me after trying one bite. It was amazing.

Booking your stay. You will need to book a hotel room or a party room to do Soundwaves. Check out all deals available. My daughter wanted family time instead of a party, and really wanted to stay at the hotel anyway. I didn’t look into the cost of booking a party room, but it is an option to consider.

When I booked there was a Soundwaves package, and when you go to the website for Soundwaves/Gaylord Opryland, you will most likely end up on Marriott Bonvoy website since that is who you will book through. I was able to find a teacher discount just by doing a google search, and if you live in Nashville/Davidson county they offer a special discount. Be sure to follow Gaylord Opryland on social media. They post offers and discounts there.

Another way we were able to get a better rate was by being flexible with the date we chose. Please do this. There can be a $200 or more variance in cost from one day to the next.

We went for my oldest daughter’s birthday and booked the for the end of our spring break. Her birthday is in June and we just went so that tells you we were extremely flexible. Waiting until June would be a) peak season, and b) have costed three times as much. When I pulled up their rates calendar where you can see prices for each day of the year, that date was the lowest, so we jumped at it. An example of the rate calendar is below.

Get approved for the Marriott Bonvoy credit card for $200 credited back. Be sure and read the fine print: we had to use our debit card initially for the deposit, then they transferred our balance to the Bonvoy card upon arrival at the hotel.

And if you use my referral link, you can earn 3 free nights, if you spend $3000 with your card the first three months. We were able to do this easily just by putting all of our expenses on the Marriott card during that time.

You can join here.

Here are some more pics from our stay!

Water = cold. Soundwaves is a warm 86 degrees!
Bring sunscreen. Both girls got a little sunburned.
They loved exploring the hotel as much as Soundwaves

Human dryer! So cool!

Edited to add (9/20/19):

We just booked our SECOND stay at Opryland Hotel this year, and it was FREE with our Marriott Bonvoy points! We will go this weekend for Madeline’s birthday. She picked to go to Soundwaves instead of having a birthday party! 🙌🏻

I had been wanting a rewards card for awhile, and after doing lots of reading I settled on Bonvoy. Not only did we quickly earn points for two free nights at any Marriott (and Opryland Hotel is owned by Marriott 🤓) they also gave us a $200 rebate from our stay for AC’s birthday.

We earned the $200 rebate by putting our first Soundwaves stay on the Bonvoy card. I was skeptical but sure enough, the $200 was credited back to us on our next statement just as promised.

We earned the two nights by putting all of our monthly purchases on the Bonvoy card then paying it off at the end of the month. Sure enough, an electronic certificate appeared on my Bonvoy app for two free nights. This company is true to their word and I feel like a have made a wise choice choosing this card! Too good not to share!

If you use my referral link below, if you spend $3000 with your card the first three months you will get 3 free nights stay from Bonvoy. I earn points for each of you who get the card using my link. Win win!

We love Soundwaves, Opryland Hotel and Marriott!

– –

Earn a 3 Free Night Award with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card. I can be rewarded too if you apply here and are approved for the card. Learn More.

Uncategorized

Sheerlume

Essentially Better LivingLeave a comment

Sheerlume (aka “Spanx for your face”) is back in stock!

Dark circles? Age spots? Fine lines? Redness? Acne scars?

Just the tiniest amount lightens, tightens and brightens your whole face. I was skeptical when I first bought it but it really has evened out my skin tone and using this along with Frankincense has turned back the clock. My skin is smoother and younger looking for sure. I get nervous when I’m close to running out!

Most skin brighteners have hydroquinone or mercury (warning: heavy metal poisoning)as their active ingredient. Hydroquinone has been referred to as one of the most harmful ingredients used in personal care products.

Sheerlume is free of these. Like all other Young Living products, you can trust it to be plant-based, formulated with a blend of botanicals and pure essential oils including Royal Hawaiian sandalwood, sacred frankincense, vetiver, geranium and jasmine.

I have been rationing the small amount left in my jar and so thankful it is back!

As a Young Living member, you get 24% off this gem and all future YL purchases, and it only costs $45 for a membership. What I love is that with the membership is you will get the YL favorite, Stress Away essential oil. Become a member here, and be sure in the drop down menu to select “Basic Kit.”