My Raisin Family

Hey guys! This week I thought I would share with you my favourite essential oils and what we use them for! First up: Peppermint. I have always been prone to getting headaches since I was a kid, so keeping Peppermint in my keychain kit (which I do not leave the house without) is essential. This is diluted so it is safe to use at anytime. I simply wipe my finger across the top of the bottle and rub it onto my hairline at my temples. This really helps with the head tension. Whenever I do use the Peppermint oil, I also have a drink of water. Staying hydrated in the heat we are experiencing here at the moment is so important.  Next is On Guard. This a must when sending kiddos to school or anywhere they will come into contact with other kids. Once again, this is one of my keychain oils and goes with me wherever I go. It is diluted as well so it is safe to use on the kiddos. I put this on the kids before they leave for school. Especially after my daughter came hom...

Hey Guys! I have seen and tried quite a few meatloaf recipes and while they were nice, not everyone in the family was impressed. So I made one of my own. To be sure this was the meatloaf recipe for our family, we tried it out a few times and it works! My whole family loves it and sometimes we make mini meatloaves for the lunch boxes as well! So here it is! 1kg beef mince 1 egg 1pk french onion soup mix 3 tbls tomato sauce  1 cup quick oats 1 tbls garlic powder Once you have all of these ingredients, all you have to do is mix them all together! Bake for 40-45 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees. My kids love to make these muffin sized so they get their own little meatloaf on their plate. We serve the meatloaf with plenty of veggies on the side, usually mashed potato (sometimes with some sweet potato mashed with it), peas and carrots. This recipe also freezes really well so it makes for a great freezer meal to have ready to go! ...

Hey Guys! It has been quite a while since I shared our morning routine and it has changed a fair bit recently, so I just thought I would share an updated version! This is what a typical school day looks like in our home. 6am: My alarm goes off... Really? So not ready for today to happen... My motivation blend lives next to my bed for this reason... I get up and get ready for the day and make a move to get the kiddos up. The oldest one is almost always up and ready before I even get out of bed (hope she keeps this up!).  6:20am Breakfast time! The kids get their own breakfast out which is usually cereal of some sort, sometimes I am organised enough to have pancakes in the freezer for them to heat up, but today it is Weetbix Bites. TJ gets her Sustagen out and on her cereal on her own which I am very thankful she is willing to have that.  6:40am The kids have dragged the achor a bit with breakfast. It doesn't usually take them long to eat but they were very ...

Hey everyone! I have been using my essential oils for a couple of months now, so I thought I would share with you kind of like a day in the life essential oils version. I think I underestimated how much I would use these oils and how much of a difference they would make in our lives.  So here is a typical day of our family incorporating our doTerra oils. 6am: my alarm goes off to get everyone up and ready for school. I come out and put my motivation blend on my wrists and go to each room to wake everyone up. One of the kiddos have had a cough over night so I put a drop of Easy Air (Breath for US) with some Fractionated Coconut Oil on their chest. The kids get up and get breakfast while I get coffee happening. Today I also decided to put the diffuser going with a couple of drops of peppermint, lemon and frankinsence. This is a blend to help with getting moving in the morning and smells so good.  7:30am: The kids are ready for school so they line up to get th...

Hey everyone! We have hit the second week of school for the year now and even with a whole heap of stuff happening in the house (broken bones, gymnastics twice a week, etc) we have managed to hit a groove with our routine! So I thought I would share it with you! Usually if I have the car, I will pick something to take to school for the kids to eat when they get out of class. My mum works at the school as well so the kids know to go straight to her office when they get let out of class. I am usually there already waiting for them with their afternoon tea as they are always so hungry after school. On days where my 8 year old has gymnastics (Wednesdays and Fridays) this is where we both leave to take her there as her classes are straight after school. Other days we just hang out and play on the computers at the back of the classroom until around 3.30 when all the after school traffic is gone. I really don't like to be stuck in traffic so I avoid it whenever I can.  Wh...

Hey Guys! It's Back to School time here in Australia! Can I hear a hallelujah from all the parents?!  Today I thought I would share my tips for making school lunches. My oldest is now in Year 9, so I have made A LOT of school lunches. Some days are a lot easier than others, some days you just want to send your kids with some $$$ to buy lunch because you really can't be bothered (usually happens during the last 2 weeks of each term...). However, these tips will make it a lot easier on you every day! First off, before school starts, help your child learn how to make a sandwich. Teaching independence in this area from an early age will make your life easier! Keep spreads, bread, sandwich bags, etc, in a place where they can reach easily to ensure independence and watch them go! I have found that when kids get the choice in what they eat, particularly on a sandwich, they are more likely to eat it. Which is why I get the kids to fill their lunch boxes with things TH...