I really wanted tonight’s post to be another make up tutorial/video using my new Jaclyn Hill The Vault Eyeshadow Palettes (I’m obsessed), but due to some sleep regression issues on Leo’s part, we’ve had a rough past few days with no nap time or even a lot of evening free time for me, so that will have to hopefully be next week’s post! **Also, more on the sleep regression fiasco coming soon...when I figure out a solution that works for us!**
 
So, that being said tonight is going to be an informational post on My Go-To Make Up Tools! I’ve had a lot of questions lately about things that beginners in make up need to get, so I thought this might be a good starting point for those interested! It may seem like a lot, but I honestly use each one of these make up tools when I do a full face of make up! Most are for eye shadows, but each has its own purpose, so if you’d like to learn where to start, keep reading!
 
**All of these brushes are by Sigma Beauty, and I love them and highly recommend this brand! Other good brands that you can find similar items in are Morphe, Real Techniques & EcoTools!**

For The Eyes...
 
Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush
This is the first brush I use when applying my eye shadow. This is a fluffier, less-dense brush that gives a light wash of color. This is perfect to apply the transition shade on your eye in and above the crease. I also go back to this brush multiple times throughout eye shadow application to blend everything out.
 
Sigma E25 Blending Brush
I have at least four of this particular brush! The reason for having multiple is really due to laziness and not wanting to wash my brushes before every single use, but this is the brush that I use to apply the darker eye shadow color that I am using into the crease of my eyelid. This brush is super soft, and denser than the E40, and makes applying eye shadow very easy. I go back and for the when applying my shadows between this and the E40 to give a really smooth, blended look! I’d say if you had to get one eye shadow brush to start, this should be it!
 
Sigma E54 Medium Sweeper Brush & E57 Firm Shader Brush
I paired these two brushes because they are essentially the same, just different length bristles and shapes. I use this type of brush to apply the lid color which is usually a shimmery color, but sometimes just a lighter matte color, depending on the look. I use the E57 for shimmer or glitter eye shadows and it is perfect for packing on the color. I pack on the shadow and then spray the brush with MAC Fix Plus or a setting spray to give the shadow a more metallic look. I use the E54 for my matte shadows because it isn’t as dense and doesn’t need to be for a matte shadow application. Just one of these would be perfectly fine, but again, if you don’t want to have to wash each use, best to get multiple options!

Sigma E30 Pencil Brush
This brush is dual-purpose: outer corner and lower lash line shadow application. A pencil brush is essentially to smudge out an eye pencil (get it?) so I use this most to help blend my eyeliner on my lower lash line with some eye shadow for a less-harsh look. I also use this to put a darker color in just the outer V (outer corner) of my eyes when I am doing a more dramatic look. It keeps the dark color from getting to crazy and more focused in the area that I want it.

For The Face...
 
Sigma F40 Large Angled Contour Brush
As the name implies, this is the brush that I use to apply by bronzer as a contour. It is angled and makes applying your bronzer very easy! I use this in the hollows of my cheeks, around my forehead and under my jawline. I will go in with a smaller brush to do my nose contour, but will blend the nose contour out with the larger brush. You could also use this to apply your blush!
 
F30 Large Powder Brush
Everyone needs just a giant fluffy face brush to help blend everything out! This brush I use after I apply any types of powder product just to keep everything blended each step of the way. It also helps to apply your translucent loose powder in larger areas of the face.
 
F25 Tapered Face Brush
I use this brush to apply my banana color powder or translucent powder under my eyes, on my forehead, down the nose, upper lip and chin to set my concealer. I like that it is tapered because it really helps get into the inner corners of the eyes and just is easy to use to cover smaller areas of the face that I want to focus on.
 
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
Last, but certainly not least, is the make up sponge! I have fallen in love with this Real Techniques one because it is half the price for TWO of them compared to the Beauty Blender. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Beauty Blender, but I found myself using them so often and going through them, that I needed a more affordable option. The key to using these sponges is wetting them and squeezing them until they get larger and softer. I also like that these have a pointed end, but also a flat side to use to blend out foundation and concealer using different sides. You could also use this to apply a cream contour. Lastly, I use it when I “bake” using translucent powder. With the dampened sponge, you dip it into your loose powder and apply under the eyes to really set that concealer and beneath the cheek contour to clean things up.
 
So that’s it! I hope you find this helpful or at least find a few tools that you can use to help you get started or continued in your make up adventures! Stay tuned for another make up tutorial next week using those new Jaclyn Hill palettes!! I’m excited!

This whole staying at home thing...it definitely has its ups and downs. On one hand, I love being able to share the little heartwarming moments with the boys throughout the day. On the other hand, I also get the moments with tantrums, boredom and scrounging to entertain all day too! On a daily basis I think I experience every emotion possible.  It is exhausting, but I’ve discovered a few things that help me out in various ways! Here’s a few of the things that I use everyday in my stay at home life:
 
Diffuser with Grounding Blend
I love my essential oils diffuser! It gives a subtle scent to freshen up a room, and can also help with different situations: allergies, stressful environment, etc. The blend that has been my “go-to” lately is a grounding blend. (Grounding and being grounded is a term in aromatherapy used to mean connecting with the present, being in the now and physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and energetically rooted.) When the kids (or myself) are a little high-strung and feeling like a little too much, this blend is a nice calming one to give a little balance for the day.

Grounding Blend Recipe:
3 drops Lavender
3 drops Cedarwood
1 drop Frankincense
​1 drop Vetiver
 
Reusable Paper Towels
I have to give credit to my mom for making these! I realized after a few weeks at home just how many paper towels I was using in a day and it made me feel pretty guilty as a somewhat environmentally conscious citizen. I found a tutorial on how to make these reusable paper towels (really just normal hand towels with fabric and snaps sewn on) and showed it to my mom. She made me a few that snap together and that I can roll up and have on the counter. I use them to wipe counters, high chair tray, the kids’ faces-- you name it! (Of course I use separate ones for kids hands/faces and counter tops.) When they’re sufficiently used, I throw them in the wash, and they’re good as new!
 
Life Planner by Erin Condren
Most people use the calendar on their phone these days, and I do that too, but I really like having appointments and events written down somewhere that I can have staring me in the face everyday. I have been buying the Erin Condren teacher planners for the past few years and since I would’ve definitely missed that part of starting a new school year, I bought myself an Erin Condren Life Planner! It is perfect for looking at the week and writing down things I have planned, Todd’s work schedule/events, etc. I also have a giant dry-erase calendar in the kitchen. While it might seem confusing or overkill to have so many places to write things down,  it’s the best way for me to make sure I am where I’m supposed to be! I feel like it will only be more helpful as the kids get older and we get busier!

Stick Vacuum
This. Is. Life-changing. I hate having messy floors and carpets and it is impossible to avoid with kids leaving crumbs of food and Play doh everywhere! It might seem lazy, but it is sort of a hassle to get out the big vacuum, plug it in, worry about kids tripping over the cord and all of that. A cordless stick vacuum with attachments makes it so much easier to vacuum everyday, (sometimes multiple times) and keep the place looking a bit more presentable! It also helps me avoid having to wonder what Xander has in his mouth since he insists on picking everything up and trying it!
 
Mom’s One Line A Day
A big thank you to my friend and “uncousin” Ashley telling me about this! This One Line a Day makes writing down memories for each of the kids so much more accessible and manageable than digging out the baby books every night! These are like tiny journals that help you to write down one or a few things from the day for 5 years! I have one for each of the boys and I write down what we did that day or something cute that happened or something cute that they said or did! I love these things and I really have been keeping up with them! It will be something I will be so glad to look back on and even for the kids to read once they’re older! Thanks again, Ashley!
 
Yeti 30 oz Rambler
Ok I’m not sure how I made it without this thing. I’m kidding of course, but this giant cup has helped me drink more water than I ever thought I could! It keeps it cold ALL day, and what is best, fits in every cup holder so I can take it in the car, in the stroller for walks and even in the side pocket of the diaper bag! Now, I’m sure other brands that do similar things are just fine too, but I decided to splurge on this and I literally use it everyday, so it was well worth the money! I also purchased some reusable straws to, once again, satisfy the environmentally conscious voice in my head. Plus straws make drinking water easier for me for some reason.

Well guys, I attempted to make a Youtube video tutorial and I sort of failed! For some reason I can't get the video to upload to my YouTube channel...I guess that's what I get for trying to do this all on upload day! What I ended up doing was uploading the video into four smaller sections...I apologize for this rough start to my YouTube life, but I didn't want all of this time to just go to waste!

We'll try again for one put-together video next week, but I think I did an OK job of capturing each step for this eye look! I also included my steps written out here on this post and step-by-step pictures! Make sure you click on the pictures to get a larger look at each step and I have captioned each one this time too!

So for this kind of look, I use three eyeshadows and three brushes. The first brush is a fluffy blending brush. This is for your lightest eyeshadow, or the transition shade. Use windshield-wiper motions and small circles to blend this color into the crease and just above it. It is ok to be messy! This is really just to help blend all shadows together!

For the final steps on the eyes, I added my winged liner (you can totally skip this or do just a thin liner), curled my lashes, added mascara, and finished the bottom lash line after I did my foundation, concealer and contouring! I also filled in my eyebrows as usual!

I apologize for the four separate videos this time around and the not-so-great quality! I'll hopefully get better for the next one and get a little fancier and edit the clips! I hope you enjoyed and found this tutorial helpful! Let me know what you want to see next!

Even though this is technically the shorter part of our day time-wise, it sure can feel like the longest part. And I mostly mean from 5:00-6:00 until Todd gets home, because, of course, the last hour that it's just me and the kids is when the tantrums and meltdowns usually occur the most! Here’s what a typical afternoon & evening looks like for us!
 
Nap time
Like I said in the last "day in the life" post, this is typically where I would enjoy some “me-time” and today, that is exactly what I did. It was a rough morning full of tantrums, tears, falls and minor injuries. I ended up counting the minutes until nap time. I was physically and mentally drained by 1pm, so I spend the two hours until Xander woke up just watching tv and enjoying my lunch. That was it for today!
 
3:00 Xander Wakes Up
Typically, Xander wakes up by 3:00 or 3:30, definitely before Leo because he falls asleep right away at 1, while Leo usually goofs around for a good 40 minutes before actually napping. I get Xander up and changed, and then we get a little bit of one-on-one time before big bro wakes up! I try to read some books and just play with him until Leo bellows and we go up to get him up.

3:30-4:00ish Leo Wakes Up
Leo is one of those that will either wake up in the best mood ever, or the worst. There is really no in between with him, and no reason for it that I’ve figured out yet. On those days where he is just a mess, I have usually reserved some of his favorite activities to try to distract him from any meltdowns: Legos, Play-Doh, coloring with markers, etc. These usually keep him busy and happy for at least an hour or so, or at least until his bad mood wears off!
 
5:00 Kids Dinnertime
This part is always an adventure! Like I said, this is usually the time where I am just hoping and praying that Todd walks through the door to save my sanity. Xander is ready to eat at this point, and Leo, well, IF he decides to eat dinner that day, we’re lucky! He eats a huge breakfast and decent lunch, so typically, he opts out of dinner, though we always offer him whatever we are having. Xander on the other hand will eat pretty much anything at anytime, so I usually cater the meal to his interests – some sort of meat and  veggie and sometimes a fruit or yogurt.
 
After Dinner until 7:00
At this point, my wonderful husband is home and has stopped at the grocery store and is thinking about what he and I will be eating. I’m super lucky that he is a great cook and in turn, does the grocery shopping on his way home from work or on the weekends. We just try to spend some quality time as a family in whatever way we can. On bath night, we both give the kids a bath if possible because it can get a little crazy sometimes. We usually put on one of our staple movies (Frozen, Moana, Brave) and it is just sort of on in the background for Leo. Neither him or Xander actually sit through a movie which is totally fine. But since they don’t have much screen time throughout the day, I don’t feel too bad having it on to let them (and ourselves) unwind until bedtime. We brush teeth and then Xander goes to bed first at 7:00, which is a super quick process just like naptime. Leo gets an extra hour with just us downstairs.

​8:00 Leo Bedtime
Either one of us or both of us brings Leo up at 8:00 for bedtime. He gets one story before bed, no exceptions. He used to be quite a challenge to get to sleep (mostly my fault for creating bad habits when he was a baby, but hey – it was my first time and I definitely learned my lesson since then!) He usually falls asleep pretty quickly at night and will stay in his bed until waking up for the morning!
 
Done for the day!
After getting the kids in bed, Todd and I finally get to eat dinner and relax. Sometimes I use this time to catch up on laundry or dishes if I haven’t done them yet that day, pick up all of the toys (I hate waking up to them out everywhere) and then just relax! Obviously there are days where I have plans, or Todd has plans and there are slight variations to our routine, but as with our mornings, the key is consistency to allow the kids to know what to expect!
 
Do you have any go-to’s for avoiding the meltdown time of the day?? Share the wealth & let me know in the comments!

Have you jumped on this bandwagon yet? Dude—if not, you are missing out! When I first discovered the magic of contouring and highlighting my face, it became a game-changer! As someone who has always been a bit self-conscious about my nose, the fact that I now have some tools to make it look smaller, slimmer & just more of the shape that I wanted is so exciting to me!
 
Check out these first pictures before and after contour & highlight --- you see the difference right? It isn’t necessarily hiding anything, but it is drawing your best features forward, and sending some areas back into the “shadows”!
 
It really isn’t hard once you get the basics down so keep reading and try it out the next time you do your make up!

Cream Highlight: Urban Decay Naked Concealer
I start off with having my eye shadow and foundation on. I use my concealer (in a pretty light shade compared to my skin) to draw triangle shapes under my eyes, and whatever shapes/design you want on the forehead, down the center of the nose, upper lip and chin. These are all of the areas that we want to brighten up to “send forward”.
 
Cream Contour: Tarte The Sculptor
You could totally skip this and just use a bronzer/contour powder, but I had to be extra for this and do both. I put my contour or dark color in areas that I want to “send back” in space. This includes: hollows of cheeks (suck in your cheeks like a fish-face to see where this is), sides and top of forehead, sides and tip of my nose (this is KEY), and jawline. This contouring step really can change the shape of your face! The more dramatic you are with it, the more you can tell a difference, so play around with it!

Blending: Real Techniques Beauty Sponge, Sigma Angled Kabuki brush
Then, blend everything in. I start with blending the highlighted areas with my sponge, and I prefer this dense kabuki brush to blend in the cream contour areas. You could use the same tool for blending both, but definitely start with blending the highlight in first. I also used a smaller angled kabuki brush for my nose, just because it is more precise.

Powder Highlight & Contour: Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit
Please excuse the poor condition of this palette but it is seriously a few years old! (I’ve gone through some of the pans, but you can buy refills for this one!) I use the banana shade in the center to go over all of the highlighted areas. This sets everything in place and adds a slight color. I then go in with a bronzer brush and the contour shade in the middle and go over the areas that we put the cream contour. Again, sets everything in place and gives a bit of a deeper shadow. For contour, it is better to go with a “gray” toned bronzer rather than an orange one because we are trying to create shadows in those areas, not necessarily make it “tan”. You can also go in over the contour areas with a brown-orange bronzer if you want more color! I also “bake” using a loose-translucent powder under my cheek contour. Basically, you dip your wet sponge into the powder and cake it onto your face and let it sit for a little bit. Then, brush the powder away. This gives you a really clean line and defines the contour.

Eyebrows: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz – Ebony
I thought I’d include how I do my eyebrows because filling in your brows also makes a HUGE difference in your make up! I use the spooli side of this pencil to comb the hairs upwards and draw (with a light hand) a line underneath the brow and create the shape I want. Then lightly fill in areas where there aren’t as many brow-hairs. I do the same on the top. I brush through the brows to blend it together and I then set my brows with Anastasia tinted brow gel. I also use a small concealer brush to clean up any lines above and below the brows and then highlight the brow bone with the banana highlight color from my contour kit.

Powder Highlighter: CoverFX shade #4
I go in with one more highlight but this highlight has a bit of a shimmer and glow to it, so this type of highlighter you want to place where light naturally first hits: cheekbones, center and tip of nose, cupids bow (upper lip) and chin. I also added some to my inner eyes to brighten them up.

After finishing up with mascara and bottom eyeliner, this look is complete! I hope you try out this technique and let me know if you do and how you like it!!

- eyeshadows from Lorac Mega3 pallette (post coming soon)
- lipcolor: MAC Soar lipliner with Tarte “Tartist” glossy lip paint in Obvi

I feel like after two months at home everyday with my two boys that I can give some good insight into what a typical day is like with two toddlers. I always like watching morning routine, night time routine videos of my favorite YouTubers, so I figured I’d try out a post of my own!

Establishing a routine for kids is so important for you and for them! As a teacher, I am used to keeping things structured, so it wasn’t so much of a stretch for me to adjust, but I know it isn’t always easy! Keep in mind that there are days where we veer off-schedule! Outings, parties, vacations, etc. all can throw a wrench into our times of lunch and naps, but for the most part, I am pretty obsessed with keeping my boys on a schedule. It isn’t for everybody, but I firmly believe it has helped in their nap/sleep quality, their ability to transition from one activity to the next, and just feeling comfortable about what to expect each day!

With a 2.5 year old and 15 month old, we keep pretty busy around here, so I decided to split this into two posts – morning until nap and then nap until nighttime! Here is what a typical day has looked like for us this summer!

5:45 – Mama’s alarm
Typically, I set an alarm on weekdays. This gives me the opportunity to shower (sometimes) and get myself ready for the day without my two sidekicks running around me as I attempt to brush my teeth! I also use this time to get breakfast going for the boys because they typically wake up by 6:30am and are super whiny if I don’t have food out quickly for them.

6:30-7:30am – Wake Up, Get Dressed & Breakfast
The boys typically wake up around 6:30am, but usually not at exactly the same time. I get whoever is up first, change them into their clothes for the day, and get them started on breakfast. Usually it is oatmeal with jelly swirled in, pancakes (we just tried out an awesome egg & banana pancake recipe to get some protein and without using any flour! Thanks, Auntie Angie!), French toast or sometimes, its cereal. Call me crazy, but sometimes mama is a little too tired to cook in the morning, and so cereal finds its way in here and there. They will also usually eat fruit (blueberries, strawberries or banana) or a yogurt.

7:30- 8:30ish – Free Play & Tidying Up
After breakfast, we brush teeth and then I give the boys some time to play with their toys in an unstructured way. Sometimes I will put an episode of Sesame Street on in the background if someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but typically I try to keep the TV off. (Trust me though, there are days where we need some Daniel Tiger on for an hour to calm down a tantrum or give Mama some sanity!) I use this time to try to get the dishwasher loaded, wipe down the counters and use my amazing new stick vacuum to just run through the kitchen. If you haven’t invested in one of these, I highly recommend it! It is so much easier than lugging around the real vacuum and worrying about the kids tripping over or playing with the cord.

8:30 - Outside or Outing
If it is a nice day, I have tried to get outside early and go on a walk or go to the park to be outdoors before it reaches 100 degrees and 80% humidity! This summer has been a little rough on me since I’m currently 35 weeks pregnant, but we’ve done pretty well overall I think! If we have an outing planned, I usually try to get out the door by 9:00, depending on what the activity is. We’ve done playdates with friends, days at the zoo, parks, pools, beaches, etc. Really, anything to get us out of the house is usually what happens at this point during the day!
 
12:00 – Lunchtime
Whether we are at home by this time, or out, I try to keep lunchtime consistent. My boys are easy and will eat a PB&J everyday (which they mostly do) and some sort of fruit or veggie on the side. On occasion we will try other foods for lunch, but Leo has been a pretty “picky” eater lately, so out of convenience and request, PB&J is fine with me!
 
After Eating until 1:00 – Free Play
After they boys finish their lunch, I give them a little more time to play with whatever they want. Sometimes I will put the “Toddler Tunes” or “Get the Wiggles Out” playlist on our Amazon Echo (or as Leo calls her “Aleka!”) so that we get the last bit of energy out before it is time for naps. This would be our dance party time which I have grown quite fond of! I will also try to get in reading a book or two during this time if I didn’t get to one in the morning.

1:00 – Nap time
By this time, Xander is exhausted, so I put him down for a nap first. He practically jumps out of my arms to get in his crib, so bedtime for him is super quick! He will typically nap until 3:00 or 3:30. Leo is and always has been more of a process to get to sleep. He is usually still a bit wound up, so I give him a little more time to play while I get Xander down. Then, I bring Leo to his room, read a story and let him sit in bed until he falls asleep. We also have a monitor that lets us talk to the kids so if he is still sitting up 40 minutes later, I will tell him that it is time to lay down and he is usually down until 3 or sometimes 4:00!
 
While the kids sleep, I get some me-time. Some days this means laundry and cleaning up the toys, while other days it means sitting on the couch watching tv! And on days where I ignored my alarm, this is when I shower and get ready, especially if I have plans for the evening! It really depends on how I feel. I’ve learned since staying home that I can’t expect to do housework every single day without feeling a bit burnt out. I do the everyday tidying up for sure, but big projects like cleaning bathrooms or organizing tend to rotate days, as they should! (Unless you find joy in cleaning, which sometimes I actually do!) So like I said, its me-time, so whatever I need that day, this is the time for it!

By now, I’m sure you are either well versed in or have at least heard about using essential oils! (And if you haven't, welcome to a world that I have fallen in love with!) The use of essential oils has really gained popularity over the past few years, and I for one am fully on board! Whether it is just to freshen up the scent of a room or to use for help in relaxation, I’m going to give you the run down of the oils that I use most often and might be a good starting place for you if you are new or are interested in dabbling in oils!
 
Lavender
I would say this is my most-used oil by far! Lavender is so versatile and our family has found it to be helpful to diffuse as a relaxing scent, or in a roller ball to help with skin irritations such as burns or itchiness. I also use it diluted with fractionated (liquefied) coconut oil in a rollerball to put on the bottoms of the kids’ feet to help with sleep! (Make sure to always test and dilute the oils, especially for kids or for sensitive skin!) Another use that I am obsessed with is putting a few drops onto wool dryer balls (I found mine on Amazon) to throw in the laundry! So much better than dryer sheets!!

Lemon
Lemon is another oil that I go through quite often! I often combine a few drops of it with lavender in my diffuser to give my kitchen a fresh, clean scent! I have also used it in combination with lavender, peppermint and fractionated coconut oil in a rollerball to help with allergy relief! I’ve found that it really helps with my symptoms, especially when I’ve been pregnant or breastfeeding during allergy season and can’t take really anything medication-wise! ​

Peppermint 
I love the smell of peppermint! I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, I could smell this oil all day and be fine! I most often use peppermint as I stated in the last paragraph with a combination of other oils to help with congestion, or even in a blend that I use as more of a “perfume”, but the main use I get from peppermint is for headaches/fever! As with any minty item, it has a cooling effect on the skin, and I’ve found that putting a drop on the back of my neck can help with a headache or really any muscle aches!

Thieves from Young Living
This blend is going to be super helpful to you coming up in the back to school, changing of the weather seasons! Thieves is a blend of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata and Rosemary from Young Living that is actually used in their soaps and cleaning line! I use the oil itself to diffuse, especially when there is a cold traveling through our family! I also use it to make my own surface cleaner that doesn’t have any harsh chemicals and can still get the job done while making everything smell great! I am obsessed with the Thieves foaming hand soap too and have a bottle at every one of my sinks! I’d say that diffusing this one is the number one way that I use it, though!

Eucalyptus Globulus 
It took me awhile to purchase Eucalyptus, but I am so glad that I did! If you want your house to smell like a spa, this is the oil that you need! I use just one drop of Eucalyptus with lavender and it is as if I am transported! I have also used Eucalyptus to make shower melts with baking soda! You put these on the floor of your shower and they dissolve while giving off that scent that can clear out your sinuses just like any sauna you’ve ever been in!

Serenity from doTerra
While I am a distributor for Young Living because I was very drawn to that brand and what they stand for, I had to include the Serenity blend from doTerra because I use this one on a daily basis! It is a blend of Lavender Flower, Cedarwood, Ho Wood Leaf, Ylang Ylang Flower, Marjoram Leaf, Roman Chamomile Flower, Vetiver Root, Vanilla Bean Absolute, Hawaiian Sandalwood Wood. I diffuse this oil in my room at night before bed or while I am meditating (yes, I meditate when I can). I just am drawn to this combination and love the scent, so had to give it a shout out!
 
I hope that this post has been helpful if you were on the fence about trying essential oils for yourself or in your home! I will be doing a post with some of the recipes that I mentioned along with others that have been successful for myself and for my family! If you are interested in trying out Young Living, let me know! I’d be happy to help you out!
 
[Disclaimer: The information contained on this website is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using these products.]

I joined my book club just about 4 years ago and it has truly been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! As I’ve previously mentioned, I am a book lover, however, this was not the case during or right after college. My life was taken over by books that I was required to read, books that didn’t really interest me, and I lost that desire to just sit and read a good book as I had done for so many years.

When my friend, (and cousin-by-marriage or “un-cousin” as we call ourselves) Holly, asked me and a few other uncousins, cousins and friends to join, I was pumped! Not necessarily for the books, but the getting together, drinking and eating once a month sounded  awesome! And so began one of my favorite activities that I’ve ever participated in. We have read close to 50 books by now, and these are my absolute favorites so far:

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
This book is hands down the BEST book we have read so far, and you know what? It was the very first book that our club ever picked! No book has really come close as far as plot twist and getting a discussion going! It is a story about cousins that are from a very well-off family and the time they spend at their family compound on the East Coast. Just trust me when I say that you NEED to read this one!

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
I have found one of my favorite authors through book club, and as you may have guessed, it is Liane Moriarty. We have read a few books by Liane and they are all similar in style, but always a book that you don't want to put down! Big Little Lies is the story about a group of moms, their kids and husbands and their community. It is sort of a "mystery" type of book, but not scary or a thriller. It is just one of those books that you can bring on a trip with you and finish before the trip is over! This one has been made into a mini-series on HBO (also with Reese Witherspoon) and I am excited for the second season to come out soon!

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
This story is such a sweet one! It is about a cranky old man who finds some unexpected (and unwanted friendships) in his neighbors. It sort of reminds me of that movie Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood, but with a different vibe to it. I really love when the book flashes back to Ove's childhood because this really develops his character! And by the way, the name is pronounced Oo-va, not Ove!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
This book is the first in a trilogy (and yes, we read the other two books as well!) It is the story of a quirky girl named Louisa and how she finds a job being the caretaker of Will Traynor is was paralyzed in an accident a few years prior. The relationship that forms between the two is more than just your typical "love story" and it is a truly moving book! Of course, then you also need to read the next two books "After You" and "Still Me"!

I really hope that you try reading at least one of these books and maybe even find a book club, or START one, of your own! I look forward to our meetings every month and while some books that we've chosen haven't been my favorite, I am so thankful for finding my love for reading once again!