Wild Orange Essential Oil is fresh, invigorating and creates an uplifting scent. It blends with so many oils beautifully such as peppermint, Douglas Fir and Lavender. The oil of Abundance - it invites us into gratitude - and also - it tastes AMAZING!

The Morning Whispers

My eyes resist the lift but respond to what I think is a soft whisper of “Good Morning” from the hall…

Nope.

Puffy cheeks, pink and warm with sleep, the little guy speaks softly, “Mom, Mom…I don’t know why but my pants are wet.”

The cardinal is already yelling at his friends outside and the breeze is moving the cedars in the morning still orange-pink sun. It’s way too early for this - that gro-clock isn’t working I guess.

My eyes peel open fully now, but already the littlest one, just 18 months and 23 pounds of pure soft red-headed goodness is stirring. Peeps and whimpers as he rolls, eyes closed, mouth ready to find the source of his morning milk. His arms and little fingers are flailing like dousing sticks.

Latched. I’m locked down under him in a moment.

“Mom, I don’t know what to do, my bed got wet too.” Those big eyes. His size 4 pjs sticking to his leg, his nearly white sun-bleaching wild-covid hair curly and stuck to his forehead in places.

Right. I lift my hand up- my arm trapped under the baby who is drinking away - and flick it toward my sleeping partner in parenting and life.

“Hey, L needs your help. I’m under Wild Orange over here.”

My ever-how-does-he-sleep-through-so-much yet will-wake-up-always-and-do-what-needs-to-be-done-when-flicked-with-my-hand-husband rolls out of bed ready to go. He runs into the dresser a bit, cracks a few joints a bit and shakes himself awake as he moves to support the team.

It’s 5:45am.

A trail and a mystery solved

The hardwood floor is wet - somehow there’s a drip-dropped trail from the kids’ bedroom to the bathroom and then to our bedroom door…this is the mystery and magic of having kids isn’t it? Into the tub, a rinse and the laundry is already going. We have a cleaning bottle for clean-ups like these - we keep things simple here. One cleaning bottle does it all (that’s right On Guard Concentrate diluted in water with drops of peppermint and wild orange to keep it interesting), wipe, clean, sweep, peel off the dog hair from the cloth and it all goes into the laundry: bed sheets, socks, pjs, bath mat, towel.

Now everyone’s awake and the house smells like wild orange and peppermint. Warm, inviting, cozy. The coffee is coming…and we’ve figured out why everything’s wet.

It’s 6:30am.

This is what we dreamed of

When we talked about having kids, we dreamed of breakfasts in the kitchen and kids in pjs giggling at the table. I didn’t know I’d be this tired and I thought I’d have more time for reading - there’s so much we didn’t know was coming. I had no idea there would be so much pee, or so many nights up listening when they aren’t feeling well and there are days when I don’t know if I can do this…

I wouldn’t trade this for anything.

The sun shines right into our living room every morning - winter - summer - all year round. Mist on the field sometimes, soft snow falling on the windows others and one Halloween night some teens threw water bottles all over our yard - but the magic is there and I don’t even have the words for what this feels like. The sounds of their voices when they try to let us sleep in a little on Saturdays, the sounds of the wooden train set or blocks tumbling and rebuilding again - in that morning light? This is what we dreamed of and it’s here.

Abundance and asking for help

“No one who is abundant is doing it alone.” If I could find the source and be more precise in my quote, I would.

Now, friends, this has not been all butterflies, rainbows, and puppies frolicking in the meadow…

We’ve had a lot of help. Amazing friends, family and a few excellent therapists are part of the team too - and let’s not forget the wise - golden dog Fil (he is the oracle of not taking much too seriously, back-yard comedy and lessons in impermanence).

We live the truth in that phrase - we didn’t get here alone and I’m so grateful we have allowed ourselves to be supported in this. If you are reading this and you’ve experienced the joy of parenting 4-year-olds…well - you likely understand.

I need to keep inviting, accepting, and allowing support - I know that - and it’s not always easy because for years I did it alone - to prove I could. I could, I did and now life is even richer in this human-life-chapter of asking and allowing now. (psst: Dilute and apply wild orange around your heart to support your accepting the abundance and support around you).

Afternoon naps and some time to think

The littlest one is still in diapers and I’ve never met a baby like him - we call him Wild Orange - and he lives here. His hair is red and curls when he’s hot and running around the yard. He tears at everything. He digs. He finds dirt and moves it from one place to another. He pulls out freshly planted seedlings and throws them in the kiddie pool. He says “guck” a lot. His bare feet are always covered in clay or mud or marker and chalk. His eyes are always smiling and his front tooth has a little notch missing - and we don’t know how it happened.

This afternoon he fell asleep on cue at 12:30 pm - covered lightly in a muslin blanket, head cocked to one side in his stroller. Isn’t it funny how when they are sleeping it seems like their lips get plumper, skin softer and their eye lashes longer? His little hands and fingers move every once and a while as he’s dreaming…the breeze is blowing…

I watch him for a few seconds and yes - so much gratitude and my heart is melting and expanding with the love - but also - I’d like to sit down for a second and recover…and maybe read…and drink some water…

I sit with a sigh in the shade…what was I going to do again? Oh right - Facebook. Or maybe I’ll see about a bed from Ikea…I have this vision of a simple minimalist space for the current sh*t room. Ahh Pinterest…hello…

12:54pm.

His stirring has evolved. I’ll turn away and hope he falls back into a LOOOOONNNNGGGG restful slumber again. Ahh yes, Pinterest, clean white sheets, fluffy pillows and pothos…

12:55pm.

“Guck.”

Wild Orange is awake.

Gratitude and Dessert

I won’t write it all out - because I know you can imagine how the rest of the day went with a toddler who had a short night and then a crap-nap. 5:30 sometimes can’t come fast enough - but in the spaces between the moments of wishing for something else…I’m present.

I do find my breath sometimes and feel his little hands on my skin. I do look over and watch my eight-year-old reading her book in the tree with her rainbow socks pulled up revealing the word “love” on the ankles, finger in her hair, lips mouthing the words as she’s sounding them out in her head. I do stop and breathe in the hugs and check-ins from my four-year-old. Yes, there’s loudness and arguments and frustration and exhaustion - but oh my…those moments when I let myself be in the spaces between?

Magic. Love. Life. Warmth.

So much gratitude.

And with that - I’ll leave you, reader, with some real-life recipes to make the long days a little easier (for a minute) that can soften the rougher edges of a day that starts way too early. A recipe that solves the snack problem, one for a fruity dessert dip and another for dipped bananas or cookies in chocolate sauce - all enhanced with wild orange essential oil.

If you time it right, you may get to have one of these snacks alone, in the shade while reading and drinking water…

Good night - seriously - Go to sleep

Wild orange is incredible for creating a restful sleeping environment! Blend it with lavender or Cedarwood - so so good!