Advent Calendar DIY

This is our first year of doing a 12 Days of Christmas Advent with our kids. I like to stuff the advent the day of so the kids don't peek & so that I can choose something that fits with our schedule/energy for that day. You'll notice that most of these are activity or service based. The mission behind this isn't gift-giving.. It's to recenter our family and keep us grounded to the real reason we're celebrating this Christmas season. We want it to be fun, but remembering that it is not about gifts, or "US" is a big deal as our children have so much worldly influence knocking on the door this time of year.

ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ

Want to make an advent calendar like ours? 

You may need: 
-felt
-thick, funky fabric

-scissors
-stocking patterns

(I drew mine. I didn't want them being matchy or too "perfect."

I was going for whimsical and funky)

-glue or needle/thread

-something to hang them on
(I put some of my favorite finds below. Just click a pic to shop.)

ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ  ᕱᕱᕱ 

Feel free to use these graphics to stuff your own advent calendar. Just click on the one you want to download, save it, and print. (I have a variety so choose whatever fits your needs.)  Sneak peek: 

Full album of graphics here

Ignore the outlet without the plate - we're repainting our house.

 A message from my heart: 
 Please know that my intention with sharing activities I like to do is to spark creativity, to help inspire without reinventing the wheel, and to pass on hacks along the way. Yes, some of the things I love are "extra," but yours don't have to be. If you aren't into DIY advent calendar making, use envelopes. If your budget doesn't allow something on the list this season, swap it for a Christmas music dance party. Lastly, if you're too tired for advent activities this year, have a family snuggle and let your heart rest. Whatever you do, and whatever your have is absolutely enough. 

 love,  B r a d e y

Kiddo Christmas Tree

We got a new "kiddo tree" this year.

I found this Anthro dupe at Target for 50% off and snagged it right away. I love how quirky this tree is with big spaces between the limbs. I got it delivered within 30 minutes for free with my Shipt account. (Did you know that they deliver Target and not just groceries? I had no idea!!)  

We're making more ornaments for it this week. Everything will be whimsical, funky, and free just like my little Wildflowers. 🧡  I love having a tree for the kids to "redecorate" so they stay away from the big family tree. Below the tree, I have Christmas books, writing activities, one of our homeschool workbooks, and a little nativity set they can play with. I've found that working by the tree extends the time/amount of work we're able to get done. (Zero prep was involved, btw. I just got little baskets and plopped homeschool stuff below the tree... yet somehow, they're freaking out about how fun it is. HA!) Do you have a kiddo tree at your house? What is your biggest tip for keeping kids away from your ornaments? Last year, we had quite a few ornament casualties. Eek!
Want to try Shipt out? I have a promo code for $50 off. click here -> http://share.shipt.com/B2Bmc click here -> http://share.shipt.com/B2Bmc click here -> http://share.shipt.com/B2Bmc 
xo, B r a d e y

Bath Salts - Tip!

Grab a cup of plain epsom salt and add 7 drops of your favorite relaxing Young Living essential oil.  These make WONDERFUL, thrifty gifts.  They're so easy to mix up in a jiffy right before you head into the bath.  Add a few spoonfuls of the delicious smelling salt to your water, and get ready to relax the night away. 

Empty Bottles - Tip

Don't throw away your empty bottles! 

Pop them in epsom salt and plan on an epic bath once the kids are in bed. 🙌🏽

Thanks To Young Living

I wanted to highlight all of our “thanks to YL” moments from the here.. Mostly because things are happening so quickly and I want to be able to look back and see the timeline of what has happened.  

Thanks to Young Living….

1. I've formed life long friendships with so many incredible people.

2. I've been able to tithe more.

3. I've won 2 Aria diffusers, a Rose roll-on, a bottle of Abundance essential oil, Diamond dust, an iPad pad folio, an Executive pin, 

4. I’ve been gifted a diffuser charm, a Smash book, a diffuser charm bracelet, 3 EO rollers, EO bottle stickers, 3 books, and even more free oils monthly.

5. We’ve also been able to travel more because of financial freedom. 

6. I've been able to pay toward our family's adoption fund.  

7. We've been to the doctor once since starting our EO journey... The month we started, we went 3 times for sicknesses.  Amazing!! 

8. We've kicked a TON of toxins our of our home and lives. 

9. I'm healthier and happier... I'm more confident as a mother/wife/teacher/leader/business owner. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

Ring Cleaner - Tip

Getting my rings so fresh and so clean clean with my Thieves household cleaner. 🕺🏻 

This is the same stuff that I use on high chairs, toilets, countertops, hardwood floors, sinks, showers.. and the best part (besides ZERO toxins) is that it's concentrated... Making each bottle around 50 cents or so. You can't beat that. 🙌🏽 Have I mentioned that it's now our ONLY bottle of cleaner?! 

Are you intrigued like I was and wanting to try something out?! I have an order going through mid month. Have questions? Comment or email me and let's chat.

Laundry Day

It's Laundry Day in our household. 

I was shocked when I downloaded the Think Dirty App and scanned our dryer sheets and detergent. ::Sigh:: Did you know that dryer sheets can be one of the most toxic things in your house?  

I threw EVERYTHING out that same day and replaced them with wool balls. I just add whatever essential oil floats my boat at the time and stick them in the dryer. (They have even cut down on our drying time. 💃🏻 Woo!) 

Do me a favor and scan your stuff on the Think Dirty app and see what you find. Know what is in your cabinets and soaking into your family's largest organ. (Skin) 💀🙅🏻