AUBREY KINCH

In June we spent 8 days away from our babies, 7 of which were cruising through Alaska and Canada on a vacation we were gifted from Young Living. Yep, a whole week gifted to us from a company we work for and have a business with and I'm still in shock sharing that's our reality right now.

I became a member with YL in 2017 but never thought I'd pursue the business but January 2018 I said "why not share something we love and use everyday?" and BOOM, our baby was born. Something that's given us crazy freedom both financially and with our time and it's quite literally a pinch me experience everyday when I think back about our journey through it all. In just 7 months we had the income for the opportunity having Andrew not working. In 11 months, we hit the rank of Platinum which has brought us such fire for things we're passionate about through giving back and how we're tangibly able to do that now with our income there.

We aren't stopping and will be pursuing this for a lifetime now. We're blessed, empowered, supported and making big changes with our household alongside so many other people who choose us to be their leaders and point person every single day.

We've now been doing the business 18 months but in our first 11 months in, we've won 4 all expenses paid vacations for both myself and Andrew and are on track for a 5th happening in January 2020. We are grateful. Like words can't even describe our gratitude for Young Living and what's it's done for our home.

Seattle is where our ship docked from so we flew in Thursday evening, was put up in the Sheraton by our dear friend along with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us and we were able to head out for dinner, explore downtown a bit and seriously loved how beautiful our view was from the hotel alongside the accommodations we had while there. I haven't been to Seattle since I was really young so seeing it with a new lens was so beautiful and refreshing. I loved all the peonies and the market, I ate seafood (which I normally don't like) and had some yummy coffee right by the OG Starbucks.

Young Living went all out and made tons of custom touches throughout the ship with logos, branding, celebrating 25 years in business and all restaurants and bars were stocked with NingXia Red and Vitality oils! It was honestly the coolest thing seeing how intentional the company was to make this cruise and trip memorable and special for all the people in attendance.

I'll be honest and say I've not really been one to have friends who are girls so when I chose to do this business I didn't think I would mesh a ton with everyone else and just do it on my own terms. The one thing I didn't expect was actually meeting some of my dearest friends doing this. I went on the cruise with a business builder of mine, one who started at the same time I did, Dani, and we connected immediately! Among many others I was able to meet IG friends in real life on the ship and I've talked to them over and over since. The sisterhood and community I've been blessed by will never be lost on me. It's one of the best parts and having said YES to this business!

Not to mention, we were invited to an exclusive dinner with Young Living co-founder Mary Young. Blown away is what comes to mind, just to start. Hearing her heart and passion behind the company, why they started, how oils have helped their family and others - the testimonies are unreal! I left a 4 hour meal with tears being so impressed and honored to be working for a company like Young Living.

marissa | emily | dani

I can't fully put into words how my heart has been impacted by this company and this trip. At the most needed time to reset, get away, breathe a little deeper and find peace and the presence of Jesus, we were blessed to have this opportunity. It's a vacation Andrew and I both will never forget and it's all because we said yes to an opportunity. I cry happy tears often thinking through the depth of that and what it means for our family.

I opened up a little Q&A box on Instagram about the cruise so I wanted to make sure to have a hub all about it for reference - here you go, friends!

Must see spots of the trip?

Juneau, AK there is an excursion to do a helicopter ride to the top of a glacier and while we didn't do that, I wish we had! It was a pretty penny and because we were unsure if we'd be seasick, we didn't want to spend it and then not use it. If we could go back, I'd add that! Dawes Glacier was also the most gorgeous day cruising through. I was seriously shocked and so impressed by it's magnitude and because we won this trip, we were invited to a private viewing party of the glacier at the front of the boat and had the best seats to enjoy it.

Will you do an Alaskan cruise again?

I don't think a cruise would be our ideal vacation in the future so I would say no. Why? Cruises are for active vacationers - in my opinion. There is always something to do on the ship, games, events, shows.. etc and while that's a lot of fun, Andrew and I are relaxing vacationer so a beach is more our pick.

Cruise line?

Royal Caribbean, ship Ovation of the Seas

Did you do specific excursions or just visit the ports on your own?

We didn't do any excursions! In Skagway there was a train ride people raved about and was on the more inexpensive side of the budget and I would've loved to do the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC but I woke up with really intense menstrual cramps that day and didn't want do to anything. TMI - but truly.

Are the waters generally more rocky in Alaska?

We talked to a couple of the crew members about this because one night on the ship we felt it was rocky and they laughed at us saying it was nothing. Ha! Apparently the European cruises have insanely rocky waters and they shared some stories they felt they were going to die sooo they all confirmed, Alaska is not a rocky cruise. You also stay really close to the shoreline so you typically are always seeing land around you with the exception of a couple days cruise at sea.

What excursions did you do?

Nothing - see above! We're lazy vacationers but if we could go back, I'd do the helicopter to the glacier.

What was your favorite part?

No kids. Just kidding! We really enjoyed the wildlife and seeing how incredible the waters are in Alaska! I couldn't believe how green and lush the land was and bright blue the water was. We saw whales, sea lions, Dawes Glacier - so much beauty in what God created and I'm so grateful we experienced that first hand. We also had a balcony off our room so I would grab a blanket and bury on the balcony just watching and soaking in the cool air - hands down, favorite.

Good idea bringing the kids or opt for just you and your spouse?

I air on the side of a vacation with kids is not vacation, it's a trip so with that mindset (I may be alone here) Andrew and I always opt for no kids when we have the ability. Since this was a gift from Young Living for him and I, we would've had to pay for the kids and for that, it would've been out of our price range for a typical family vacation.

What amenities are on the ship?

There is so much and this all depends on the cruise line and specific ship you are on. Ours included 3 pools, a gym, spa, all the shows, games, casino, meals (we did a drink package, too!), plus you could do shopping they had on one of the decks with designers watches, purses, jackets - the works. Every time we left the room we would come back to it nice and tidy, swag from Young Living to enjoy and a plate of fruit for snacking on. Our guy was named Joel and was seriously so kind!

A couple months ago I was having a day that was all sorts of overwhelming, I felt like I was barely treading water and was struggling how to put into action what was piling up on my to-do list. That in turn made me stressed out and snappy and was seeping into every area of life.

My husband gently said I am really good at creating my action items but not great at the follow through. Wow. He was right and I was so appreciative him speaking that truth to me. I always welcome his input and feedback because I get short sighted easily and let things get to me so when he tends to be a voice of reason, it calms my storm. Anyone else this way?

Anyway, I've since then been trying to schedule in every detail of my day on our Google calendar so when I have things piling over, it's all mapped out through the calendar with time and Trello with actionable steps. I've also hired some help to implement a few things and it's been huge for myself and my business.

All that said, I always give myself grace. I think that's my word for life. My life word - is that a thing? Grace knowing life happens, kids happen, events and busyness happen and through all of that I can give myself grace and take a deep breath to just watch and soak in all that's going on around me. That's hard to do sometimes with tasks bouncing around in my head but also so good for me and my marriage specifically to know I'm not allowing the excess of work load to build a wall between my husband and I.

Last week I shared this post on my wellness instagram and it was a huge hit. Some people don't always think about adding in a room or bathroom spray with their essential oils and while soft Springy ones that air on the side of floral are always nice, I'm a vanilla girl at heart. Somewhere around Christmas I made this and it's been a tried and true love in our home and all the bathrooms now.

You know, to rid the stank. ;)

Bath bombs! I made these and totally thought of my mama because she loves bath bombs and she loves Rose! I used Release, Rose and Grapefruit for these and they smell so so so good. Drake smelt them last night and asked to take a bath over a shower and when he got out he couldn't stop raving about how good they were and how his skin was soft and smooth like lotion but without lotion.

Here's your recipe to make these on your own at home:

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Mix dry ingredients together thoroughly, add melted coconut oil, water and EO mix together. I used my hands at this steps because the consistency is crumbly. Pack mixture into molds tightly, transfer to a baking sheet and let sit 6-8 hours! I added dried flowers in the molds before putting in the mixture so when we popped them out they had something extra special!

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Can you say perfect Mother’s Day gift?! We’re doing another batch this week for the girls using food coloring and edible glitter. We’re calling them our unicorn bombs and using lavender and stress away in them!

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Who’s DIY-ing this fun recipe?!

GRAB YOUR STARTER KIT

http://bit.ly/JoinSomethingEssential

Aubrey Kinch ID: 11517995

Okay sister. Let's talk skincare. We are always changing and evolving and in different seasons of life so depending on the amount of busyness happening, the foods we're eating, the activities we're doing - that can all help or hinder our skin and how it reacts to our products we're using every day. While I've kind of been a product junkie the last 6-ish years blogging and having the opportunity to try new things, it started showing on my face and body and I regret everything. Dramatic much?

Of all the things we invest in, our skin should be the biggest priority because - hi - we live with it for our whole life! Better take care of it well. Ya hear me?!

So let's talk about essential oils and how they can support your skin. After 18 months of only using oil on my face (gasp!) it's better than ever before. I thought that would be counter intuitive already having oily/combination skin and then adding oil to it...? I had no idea how that would even help but I gave it a try. Guess what? It worked. Better than anything I've ever used before - says the girl who used Acutane years before from cystic acne and horrible scarring. Yikes. so now all I put on my skin daily are a few oils and a cleanser along with clean, mineral makeup.

Here's the deal, we have oils that are much more budget friendly and we have oils that are what I like to call splurge oils but overall, these bottles make serums you can use for months at a time whereas buying high end products from Sephora or Ulta or Nordstrom, you're getting wayyyy less bang for your buck.

Another thing I should mention is how frugal and intentional about money I've become over the past hand full of months. I had an eye opening experience that changed so much of how I see things when it comes to finances and knowing I could do better topically and financially by DIY-ing my skincare routine was a no brainer for me.

That's where this body polish comes in. Blue Tansy is a high dollar oil coming in at $125 retail, $97 wholesale for a 5ml bottle. But hear me - that bottle will make me 12 months supply of the facial serum I use (here, but double the recipe) or 24 months supply of this body polish or lip scrub. BOOM. You listening yet? What's so great about Blue Tansy? Let me tell you!

Antioxidant + Anti-Inflammatory Properties

This is like gold when it comes to skincare. Helps reduce redness and irritation, can diminish the look of blemishes, calms the skin, reduces heat and supports skin ailments like eczema or acne (I have eczema, too!).

Emotional Support

It's harvested with tiny yellow flowers in the chamomile family and one of the key ingredients in Valor, Peace & Calming and JuvaFlex. All oils that are similar with their grounding, mood boosting properties that help support your emotional well being.

But what does it smells like?

Okay, it's actually one of the best smelling oils out there - truly! It has a sweet floral scent but I even feel like it has a hint of blueberry. It's so soothing and light but potent to do the job when used. My favorite was to diffuse this oil is with Stress Away or Dream Catcher.

Now let's get down to the recipe! This body polish is one I had to make because when season's change my skin flares up and the irritations I deal with are so extreme, I scratch and bleed often. I opted for a little vanilla extract in my recipe because it just ups the ante on the smell and I love it even more!!

1 cup white sugar

1 cup carrier oil (I like Vitamin E or Jojoba as they don't clog pores)

10 drops Blue Tansy

1 tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)

Directions: Mix everything together in a large bowl, can and store in a mason jar.

Who's going to make this dreamy polish? If you're not already a Young Living member and want to snag this oil at wholesale cost, grab your starter kit, here, and add Blue Tansy to your order. I'll send you some happy mail to welcome you to our team and you'll be able to DIY all the beauty recipes we're sharing in our online oily community this month in April!

Last Blue Tansy tip for you blondes out there, add 2-3 drops to your entire shampoo bottle and create your own "purple shampoo" without the chemicals! I like this Vanilla Copaiba shampoo and conditioner.

Happy DIY-ing!! Check out my favorite items to use for all our essential oil DIYs, here.

blanket, saranoni | ella the unicorn, cuddle & kind

Happy Thursday! Ever get in those funks you literally are drowning with all the things you have to get done? I am really good about consistency with lists and our calendar and how to add all the things to my plate but executing them on a timely basis and following through is where I always drop the ball. I have the highest hopes for myself and getting things in order and structured and systematized and then BOOM. Doesn't happen... it's totally my fault but I'm working on it!

We moved my work space from our master bedroom into the playroom last week and some may think that's actually insane but it's working super well for us right now. I say right now lightly because that could change tomorrow. Reason being, we're homeschooling the girls I ordered Emery's curriculum so having our oversized table my dad built all set up for myself and Emery with school keeps everyone happy and in the same space so we can be productive.

Which leads me into - I actually did meal planning this week - what?! I can't believe I actually did it, shopped and prepped so we're golden for at least a solid 6 days from now. Here's the print I made and print out to fill in with our meals and then post it up by the family calendar and the kid's chore charts so all can see. I really don't like the continued questions of "what's for dinner mom?" so having it where everyone knows is doing me a big favor.

CLICK HERE FOR MEAL PLAN PRINTABLE

I'll share some more on homeschool with our processes, curriculum, system and why we chose it for the girls next week. Also working on a post with some info about my current gym routine / life of how it's working for me and maintaining the lifestyle we have been the last 7 weeks.

Okay, talk soon!!

We're about 2 months out from this little vacation we took but it was a good one that deserves a little photo dump on the blog. We spent 6 days in Mexico with my parents, brother, sister-in-law and their son, Carter. We drive down from Arizona and it's about 4 hours from our place which makes it so easy to get access to a beach close to home without trucking to California.

One beach house right on the ocean was so peaceful and beautiful - just what we needed to end 2018 and start 2019! We've been going down to Rocky Point since I was Hollyn's age so it's a favorite place to visit and relax. Ironically, this was Drake's first time ever going with us (and Hollyn) but Emery has been 3 times now.