Have I really been doing this a week? This is going to fly by.

I had a hard-boiled egg and a banana this morning along with my coffee with nutmeg. No likey nutmeg in coffee. Back to cinnamon tomorrow.

For lunch I had the left over Argentinian shrimp which were just as yummy as last night, along with some red grapes.

I grabbed a couple strawberries for a snack. Then a midday cup of coffee with cinnamon. Feeling a little sluggish today.

For dinner we had steak and potatoes. (I think! Writing this three days after the fact 😂.)

This morning I had a hard boiled egg and my coffee with cinnamon.

I took the girls to the farmers market, and it was a real struggle to watch Madeline eat her popsicle and watch it drip all over, when I would usually grab it and lick it until it stopped dripping. Instead I coached her as to where she should lick so it would stop dripping!

For lunch we had leftover pan-seared tuna and I had bunch of red grapes, plus some of AC’s.

For dinner we had the most amazing Argentinian shrimp that in my opinion, rival Royal Reds that we get in Florida. Larry made me a bowl of clarified butter to dip it in. We also had broccoli and potatoes as well as grapes, blueberries and navel orange supremes. Best meal I’ve had all week.

Today I had my usual coffee with coconut oil, and a banana and hard-boiled egg with sea salt for breakfast.

I had my leftover salad from dinner last night, some carrot sticks, a pear, and an orange. Oh, I also had an avocado with sea salt.

For dinner, Larry made pan-seared tuna on top of a bed of cucumber noodles and avocado. I squeezed some lemon on top and salted it, but I so miss the soy sauce!

I’m sleeping good, feeling good, energy good.

I tried coffee this morning with a dash of cinnamon and I’m really liking it! I had my usual banana, but added a hard-boiled egg for a little extra energy.

I have always kept almonds and dried berries in my drawer as a snack, so that’s not really posing any issues for me.

At lunch I had leftover steak and some fruit.

For dinner, we were in a time crunch so Larry picked up Subway. They all had sandwiches and I had a salad (lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber) topped with hard boiled egg and vinegar and oil. And salt. Lots of sea salt! I also devoured some grapes and the girls’ leftover fruit. I’m hungry!

Today I once again had my black coffee with coconut oil. My lips are so soft from that! No need for lip balm. Had banana for breakfast.

It was the first full day of school. I had packed pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes and red peppers. I had apple, pear, and a raw carrots too.

For dinner we had steak and salad.

Today I had my same banana and coffee with coconut oil. This is something I can stick with in the mornings for all 30 days.

Lunch today was at the high school and provided by a local church. I love the annual barbecue, but bypassed it for my lunch I packed from home. It was really good though! I had chicken topped with proscuitto, hard boiled eggs, carrots, apple, peach, and pear.

For dinner we had pork tenderloin with baby greens (bok choy, kale, and spinach), roasted pepper, and potatoes.

I am still getting past my red wine craving with my virgin Bloody Mary with tomato juice, jalapeno pepper juice, salt and garlic powder. Feeling good so far.

This Whole 30 diet is not as hard as I thought. It’s very much like how I ate when I was pregnant with the girls (only minus the gluten, dairy, sugar and alcohol 😂).

But seriously, if you already eat a diet free of most fast food and junk food like me, this is not going to be that far of a stretch for you. I really believe the key is focusing on what you can have instead of what you can’t. I’m sure you’ll here me say that multiple times through this challenge because it’s become my mantra. 😉

I was so concerned about coffee. How would I drink coffee without cream and my raw local honey? Well, coconut oil has proven to be a good choice, and FYI: my lips are super soft! No need for lip balm.

Today for breakfast I just had a banana. For lunch, two hard boiled eggs, seafood salad (shrimp, calamari, mussels), a mandarin orange, and a small pink lady apple. For dinner I had salad greens, veggies (including the zucchini AC spotted in our garden this afternoon) and chicken topped with prosciutto (thanks to a hubby who can cook and reads labels for me.)

The hardest part for me today has been the snack cravings I’ve had in the afternoon and watching my girls eat multiple goodies that I can’t have.

And my answer to “no alcohol” during whole30? So simple: bloody mary…tomato juice, a glug (or two) of jalapeño juice, garlic powder, and salt. It was so good, I didn’t even miss my red wine. #whole30 #day1

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Why do we put essential oils on our FEET?

Good question! Well, first of all, did your grandma ever put Vick’s Vaporub ON YOUR FEET? And then it worked? She had good reason! (By the way, we have replaced Vaporub in our home with a natural rub made with coconut oil and EOs.)

One reason applying oils to the feet is effective is because the largest pores on your body are on the feet. So the oils get quickly absorbed into the body. By the way, essential oils get absorbed into your bloodstream within a short 26 seconds. So no real need to slip socks on after application, although I do anyway. 😉

This also means anything else we apply to our body also enters as quickly. So products filled with harmful chemicals are entering just as fast. That is why I quickly started replacing our personal care products and cleaners with natural ones soon after starting my oil journey. I am planning for a chemical free home online class in the next couple months on this specifically, so stay tuned!

Back to the FEET! Why does this work? Largely because of reflexology and acupressure which you are probably already aware of. Different points on the feet correlate to different points on our body. You put that together combined with powerful essential oils and you get results! I am including our infamous Vitaflex foot map in this post.

Please notice the oils mentioned in cursive font in the graphic. They are oils excellent for boosting your family’s immune systems. They are also the same oil blends recommended by YL’s own Dr. Jim Bob for immune system support. He recommends rotating them so the body does not become desensitized to them. So like if you use Thieves night after night after night, over time, Thieves won’t be as effective for you. I alternate with Immupower and have Exodus II on this month’s ER order!

I personally put any oils on my feet that I may not particularly care for the smell of, and also oils that are “hotter” oils like peppermint or thieves, especially for the girls. Like I put the seasonal roller on Anna Claire’s second and third toe so I never have to worry about her getting peppermint on her hands and then possibly in her eyes. 😭 (if you ever get peppermint in YOUR eye, don’t rinse with water! Grab your jar of coconut oil instead! This will dilute and rinse out the EO and soothe your eye.)

I hope this post has helped you understand why we oily gals put oils on our feet. Post any questions you have in the comments!

As a middle school teacher I see so many students who look just like this young lady during our testing week. Struggling to concentrate, tense, can’t focus, frustrated, overwhelmed.

Well, through my journey as a parent, we have found success for all of these using our oils and I wanted to share.

Concentration:  Peppermint and/or lemon! A drop in a diffuser necklace or on a diffuser bracelet will help promote concentration for your student. There is also research to back this.

Test anxiety:  Lavender! Lavender is an oil known for calming, and it is the oil Anna Claire wears in her necklace to school. This also helps with the emotions of frustration and feeling overwhelmed.

Focus:  There is actually a combination of oils proven to help with focus, and unlike with medications, have no side effects. They are lavender, vetiver and cedarwood. Anna Claire has had so much school success since using this roller, I cannot tell you. We have since added a focus blend for kids by Young Living called Geneyus, and it is her “smarty pants” roller. She applies in the morning and keeps one in her lunchbox to apply at lunch as well.

These are my top picks for essential oils to use for kids during testing. I hope that this is able to help others!