Yeti tumbler. The perfect price point for a gift anyone will love!
Like I said in the Valentine’s Gift Ideas for Women post, even if you don’t have a significant other in your life right now, make sure you still treat yourself! Get a little bath bomb, pamper yourself, or do a Galentine’s Zoom night! I love focusing on love in general! No matter if you’re in love or not ☺️
I think kids gift for Valentine’s Day are soo cute! I also love the age our daughter is at because I feel like I can finally start traditions we can start doing every year and something she will now look forward to!
This year we are actually going to be out of town on Valentine’s Day so I might celebrate the week before at home… she won’t know the difference. Right?!
I am getting her THIS CAMERA to take on her trip and then I want to start a Valentine’s breakfast tradition and make this Strawberry Milk and some heart-shaped pancakes! Do you have any traditions that you love?
(clicking on any image above will take you directly to the retailers site)
Ah, Valentine’s Day… the most lovely (or dreaded) holiday of the year! I know it can be a hard holiday for so many so whether you have a date or lover or not… I hope you still treat yourself (treat yo’ self!) to something special!
Here are some of my favorite picks below:
(clicking on any image above will take you directly to the retailers site!)
Fun story: In Junior High, I had to make a video for a project on recycling and used THIS SONG and now it’s all I can think about when I talk about topics like this. It. just goes through my head over and over again.
On a not so much fun note: I really do think we need to be taking MUCH better care of the earth and I want to do a much better job! It’s one of my 2021 resolutions 👏🏼 Obviously hoping they will become habits for the rest of my life.
After asking for suggestions on my Instagram, here are the top things people said. There are SO many great ideas in here so I hope this can help some of you too!
Reusable straws. I am going to buy THESE ONES because you can fold them up to put in your purse, etc.
Obviously, a big one is to stop using plastic water bottles. This is the #1 thing I struggle the most with. I haaaate the taste of tap water and love my Kirkland water so much 🙃 Buy a Stanely(linked my personal favorite size), Swell, or Hydroflask(linked the one my daughter uses) reusable water bottles.
Stasher bags instead of plastic bags for treats, sandwiches, etc. LOVE these!
Reusable grocery bags (I LOVE our Baggu ones! I just need to remember to bring them with me everywhere)
Sad fact: a grocery bag is used on average for only 12 minutes 😓 12!
Dryer balls. We have THESE ONES and I love them. You can even add essential oils to them for scent if you want to. Dryer sheets are so bad for you and have so many chemicals!
Use Beeswax wrap for covering food, etc. Instead of tin foil and saran wrap! I am going to support this small business for these. Hers look awesome!
Compost! I have soo much to learn about composting. Does anyone have some good resources for me to get started? Books etc.?
Use reusable face masks! Reusable masks are the new plastic soda can holders 😥 They are going to fill our oceans and lands so much these next couple of years!
Combine your Amazon orders/choose the slowest shipping option! I am 100% going to do this.
Menstrual cups… I still need to be converted on these! 😑 Help me! Which ones do you guys use exactly? Lots said Diva Cup and Saalt?
Less paper towels, more microfiber cloths & Swedish dishcloths. I could be better at this.
Glass bottles for cleaning mixtures, etc. I bought THIS ONE at The Container Store and love it.
Unplug unused appliances more.
Be mindful of where your clothes come from and how many have. Try to do the “30+ wears” rule. Will I wear this item 30+ times?
Buy more clothes secondhand! Like on Poshmark or a local secondhand store.
One of you recommended Package Free Shop and I’m obsessed! It has everything we need.
Use solar when you can. Whether it’s on your roof or to charge things in your home. I actually bought THIS CHARGER for “emergencies” a couple of months ago but might just use it more often!
Don’t put your produce 🥑 in those individual bags at the grocery store. Just put them in your reusable grocery bags and wash them at home 🙂
Eat less meat. My friend also messaged me and said THIS BOOK is really insightful on this topic so I obviously have a lot of research to do on this. Maybe making sure the meat you eat is more locally sourced can be good?
Cloth diapers. This is a level of COMMITMENT I can only strive for… Lots of great recommendations for Esembly.
Research what is actually “recyclable” so you don’t put things in your bin that aren’t recyclable. I might pay for an additional green bin this year 🌿
Glass Tupperware. I bought the glass Pyrex set at Costco last week!
Metal razors instead of plastic.
Bamboo toothbrushes. I use a Quip that just ships a refillable brush automatically.. is that bad?
Don’t let your water run when you aren’t actively needing it.
When you order food to go, tell them not to give you the utensils, salt + pepper, soy sauce, etc. Just use yours at home.
Sign up for Arcadia.com. They offset all of your carbon output from your home utility bill.
Those were the most common suggestions submitted and I appreciated them all so much!
One of you said to just make small changes each month and over time they’ll amount to so much! As long as we’re all striving to be a little better, we can make a huge difference.
I CANNOT CANNOT CANNOT recommend the podcast Kindred Conversations enough! It is my new favorite and I just need them to release a podcast every day.
I am guilty of listening to THIS SONG nonstop… oops.
THIS SERUM came in the mail last weekend and it has made my skin SO soft! I am in love.
You know my love for MixHers… Using OLIVIA20 for 20% each time you order!
Speaking of discount codes, guess what… I checked my Cozy Earth 50% off code and it STILL WORKS!!! If you want the comfiest, softest, best sheets and pajamas in the world, use OLIVIABETH50!
Okay speaking of ANOTHER discount code… OLIVIABETH still works on Phone Soap! They’ll probably turn it off super soon so if you’ve been wanting something… 🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️
The HERA CHAIN is still in stock! I’m 100% snagging one. I think it’s so beautiful! And Hailey Bieber wears a lookalike version… so it’s a done deal for me.
I am currently listening toTHIS BOOK again! I might listen to it every year at the beginning of the year… It’s such a good one! Be sure to check your local bookstore first 🙂
Do you want to know what has changed my life? INSTACART! I’m not kidding… tonight we went on a walk around 4 pm and it hit us both that we didn’t have enough formula for George’s bottle for bedtime, so I hurried and placed an order and our Costco was on our door in ONE HOUR. I aam constantly amazed and LOVE not having to venture down to Costco anymore.
I am currently watching THIS SHOW on Netflix and secretly love it? Is this embarrassing?
I have a warm trip coming up and am on the HUNT for cute swimsuits. How to die for is THIS ONE?! And yes, I totally bought THIS ONE since it’s 30% off right now!
I’ve had so many requests to show you how I organized our family files! It is simple and not too much work but makes all the difference!!
First, I bought these awesome FOLDERS on Amazon. I originally started out with just two folders, one for important documents and one for taxes, but they quickly became so too big and full so I switched it up and made one file for each family member. It was the best decision and I am obsessed with the system – I know where everything is at all times.
I started by putting the family member’s name on the outside using my best friend, THIS LABEL MAKER(on major sale today too!). The Amazon folder comes with a set of labels that you can write on to slide into each tab, but I printed my labels out on the label maker before sticking them on a tab and putting them into the folder – not necessary but wanted them all to look uniform. (I’m a little crazy! Hahaa)
You can organize and make tabs for whatever best suits you and your needs but I’ll list which tabs I put in ours for a reference point.
For example, mine has a BIRTH tab for my birth certificate, SSN, PASSPORT, W NOTES for notes that Will has written me, K NOTES for notes from the kids, PHOTOS for special pictures that I love, SCHOOL holds my diploma and old ID card – anything that I’ve kept from college and wanted to hold on to, CHURCH, HEALTH, etc.
My kid’s are similar, BIRTH, SSN, PASSPORT, etc.
(Side note, it may seem silly to have just one thing in each of those pockets but I have tried it other ways and found this to be the best for me. It’s so easy to open the pocket and pull out the only thing that’s in there when I need it!)
Now for the important docs folder, these are things that pertain mostly to us as a family, or our cars, medical, etc. Again, you can organize and make tabs for what make the most sense for you and your family.
These are the tabs I’ve put in our folder, AUTO which holds our car certificate, MEDICAL, INVESTMENTS, HOME all of the legal paperwork we have for that, LEGAL, CHURCH, POSTCARDS I’ve saved that make me happy, WEDDING invitations I have saved over the years that I’ve loved, and NICE NOTES more notes that I want to keep but ran out of space for in my personal folder. That’s it!
I would suggest taking out all of your files first to help get a better feel for the categories/sections you will need.
All of this information will also be in my ORGANIZING HIGHLIGHT on Instagram, there you can see some of the other fun projects I have done! I am passionate about being organized! Having my home in order and knowing where everything is – BEST FEELING EVER and gives me such peace of mind. I heard about this french phrase from the happier podcast that I love, “mise en place“, which means that everything has a place. I love walking around my house and thinking of that phrase, everything has a place. However, I do allow myself one junk drawer that I use for a couple of miscellaneous items but besides those items…everything else in my house has a place.
My advice is to keep that phrase in mind as you go about your organizing and HAVE FUN, wish I could be there doing it with you because few things make me happier!
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Question: For a new beginning into vitamins, where should I start?
Answer: So it doesn’t even have to be our brand of vitamins, we have the liquid morning, liquid nighttime, and liquid probiotic but you want to have something that is considered full-spectrum, which is a little bit of everything that someone might need. The liquid morning raspberry is considered full-spectrum, as well as the liquid probiotic and the nighttime multimineral. It’s also great to add in omegas, if your budget allows.
Question: Vitamins most kids need to be taking?
Answer: Same thing, you want to get something that is full-spectrum, which means it has a little bit of everything that someone might need. Our children’s multivitamin sugar-free gummy (2 years and up) is good, also the liquid morning raspberryfor ages 2 years old and up. It also depends on their age, but you want your child to be taking a multivitamin as well as omegas. Omegas are really important for brain health. If the budget allows, a probiotic is great too.
Question: How do I know what vitamins I am deficient in?
Answer: You know what you are deficient in by getting your blood work done at least once a year with your doctor. That includes children, children can also get their blood work done.
Question: What is ok/not ok to take during pregnancy?
Answer: As always, check with your doctor but we have a liquid morningpre and post natal that is considered full-spectrum. Do not forget about the omegas as well. You are starting to see a common theme here – omegas and probiotics are really important. You can take the nighttime multimineral, you also need calcium and magnesium when you are pregnant (check with your doctor). Also liquid vitamin K2 is a great one for pregnancy.
Question: What can I do about postpartum hair loss?
Question: Should I take a prenatal during all of my child bearing years or just while pregnant?
Answer: Yes, great question (ask your doctor), people take prenatals when they are trying to conceive, when they are breastfeeding, and if they are spacing children close together.
Question: Is there a specific vitamin that helps with energy levels?
Answer: B12, B complex, it really just depends on what you are deficient in. Energy can have a lot to do with what you are missing/deficient in and when you add those things back in, you’ll potentially have a surge of energy.
Question: Are vitamins safe while breastfeeding?
Answer: Yes, vitamins are recommended while breastfeeding (check with your doctor) because when you take vitamins they go into the breastmilk and then the baby gets them.
Question: Can you take too much of a vitamin, how do you know it is too much?
Answer: Through your blood work, yes you can take too much of a vitamin and you’ll know through your blood work that you can get once a year through your doctor. That’s why it’s important to take the recommended daily doses by the FDA.
Question: Should you not take anything else with a general multivitamin?
Answer: No, you definitely need more multiminerals, omegas, and probiotics. Obviously it has a lot to do with your budget.
Question: If I only take three products, what should I take?
Question: Do you guys have some sort of dosage chart by age and type of vitamin?
Answer: Yes we do, absolutely. We have infant vitamins, baby vitamins, toddler vitamins, child vitamins (considered ages 4 and up), etc. Each product comes with the recommended dosages.
Question: What kinds of vitamins can be taken together, which cannot?
Answer: For the most part everything can be taken together. Yes, some people say that magnesium absorbs better in the body at night – that’s why there is a nighttime multimineral. Other people say that you should take your iron separate from other vitamins, sure, that’s why we make a separate iron vitamin but really for the most part you can take them all together, check with your doctor as always.
Question: Any vitamins better for sleep?
Answer: Yes, the nighttime multimineral, magnesium, and calcium. We also make a hemp oil, with no THC, it’s made from organic hemp seeds and that also helps people sleep. It really depends on the person and whether they are deficient in, for example, magnesium – then the nighttime multimineral will help them potentially sleep, or if their nervous system really needs something like hemp oil, it depends on what the issues are for the specific person.
Question: What vitamins do women lack the most?
Answer: Again, it has to do with what that person is personally going through, that’s why blood work is so important!
Thank you again to Mary Ruth’s Organics for your help on this! I learned so much!
Hi you guys! I hope you’ve all had the best winter break! It has been the best winter break of my entire life and I truly have cherished every second with my family. Here are some links that I am loving this week!
I was given this SUNSCREEN from my sister for Christmas and I am absolutely loving it! I wear it every single day. Very similar to the EltaMD one! Also posted it on my LIKEtoKNOW.it.
I CANNOT STOP LISTENING to THIS SONG! It’s been on repeat big time the last two days.
I also can’t stop listening to THIS BOOK! I now love Matthew Mcconaughey even more than before (warning: some language 🙂
I found THESE BOOTS last week and think they are so cute! They come in so many cute colors too. Don’t you love them?!
We’ve been binging THIS SHOW all day today. So many gorgeous (and huge??!) homes!
I have a new love in my life: MixHers! I use the HerGreen every morning and love it. I’ll share more about it this week on IG!
I am FULLY aware it is only January 3rd but I am already plotting out my favorite suits for Spring Break! THIS ONE is taking the lead so far for me!
Looking for some new, gently used clothes? I posted lots to MY POSHMARK this week! Go take a look!
That’s all for this week. I hope you all have the BEST week! I am sort of feeling the “Sunday scaries” right now but I know it will feel good to get a little more structure back this week as we dive head first in a busy, busy schedule starting tomorrow morning! Here we go, 2021!
There is no doubt in my mind that 2020 was difficult for everyone in some way, shape, or form. I know we all had times this year that we couldn’t see our friends and family, but on top of that, so many of us have had jobs impacted, mental and physical health negatively affected, natural disasters (hi I’ll never recover from that earthquake), a tense presidential election, postponed trips and/or weddings, and so much more.
However, I will always look back on 2020 with fondness. Through all the tough times, I learned to be more resilient than ever, and tonight, I’m choosing to focus on the good rather than the bad.
So here are some things I loved and learned in 2020!
You can also see an article wrote for Deseret News on this similar topic here.
Our baby boy was born! Easily the highlight of 2020! How could I ever hate 2020 when it brought me him? Our daughter became a big sister and having a healthy family is the biggest blessing in my life.
Will has yet to return back to his work office from his paternity leave in March and having him work from home is the BEST THING EVER. I selfishly hope he never goes back!
I had 12 weeks of maternity leave from work and loved focusing on my family and not having to worry about work. It was AMAZING.
I learned to never take for granted seeing my family or friends again. Visitors in our home make me so happy and I now enjoy every single one we get.
After the earthquake, I focused on making my family more prepared in case any more natural disasters happen. More on this later!
I potty trained our daughter and loved watching her soar into a kid. She took on the responsibility so well and I am so proud of her.
I learned to not just believe what the media (and people around me) said about politics. I now take the time to research both viewpoints to become better educated and form my own opinions.
We were still able to travel to Jackson Lake, Bear Lake, and Newport Beach! I look forward to these trips every year and am so glad we were able to still do them.
I was made more aware of systemic racism and the problems it is still causing in the U.S. today. I made a vow to be better and do better.
After my Pilates studio closed from COVID, I found a new pilates gig at a gym that I love and I’m so grateful to be there.
I started an Expert Series on my Instagram where I learn so much from each Expert and am so grateful they’ve taken the time to teach us.
I bought a new car I’ve been wanting for so long and am so pumped about it. Bucket seats are life!
I learned that less was more. I pretty much donated or sold about half of our belongings. Best feeling ever!
I developed a love for landscaping and gardening and loved spending so much time in our yard… especially during the Tiger King phase of quarantine.
I started and finished the Book of Mormon and am grateful for the lessons I learn while reading it.
I got promoted at work.
Our daughter water skiied! Go ahead and laugh, but this was hands down one of my biggest highlights of 2020! I will NEVER forget her getting pulled behind that boat and not letting go! I laugh every single time I watch the video.
Will and I celebrated 7 years and did an anniversary staycation at a place I’ve always wanted to stay.
I learned to never take for granted seeing someone’s smile! When you can’t see their smile, try harder to make them smile! That’s my new philosophy.
And for number 20, I am grateful that this year taught me more life lessons than any other year before! I learned more and grew more this year than I ever could have imagined.
So let’s give a warm welcome to 2021! Just please be nice and don’t shake the earth anymore.
I am so excited because today I am finally showing you one of my favorite rooms in our house, my son’s nursery! I love this room so much and have loved adding little things these past couple of months.
I loved framing his birth announcement!
So many beautiful, cherished memories take place in his little room. I don’t ever want to forget how it feels to cuddle him while he falls asleep, the way his face lights up with the biggest smile when we come to get him after a nap, or the touch of his soft hand as he reaches for my face while I sing him a lullaby.
Stay little forever!
I loved using so many of the same things I used in my daughter’s nursery but added things like this dinosaur and Kore baseball.
Don’t forget to check out my Baby Must-Haves list HERE! I have listed out all of my tried and true favorites that we use almost daily!
Loved hanging this Gathre map on the wall in here too.
I spy with my little eye one sheep who was skinned by my daughter when she was a baby… haha!
Since my son isn’t the greatest sleeper, we loved trying out a weighted sleep sack! He also sleeps on his stomach so we actually zip it on him backwards…
Speaking of sleeping on his stomach, yes, he has slept on his stomach since he was a tiny baby (we talked to our pediatrician, don’t worry) and we had so much more peace of mind knowing he was sleeping on this Newton mattress! You can get $30 off your mattress if you use that link too! It is the mattress lowest in suffocation risk and is soo breathable!
And lastly, is my favorite part of his room, which is this picture of Christ that I actually found on eBay! I’ve loved having this in both of my kids nurseries. It is the perfect reminder of how pure children are how pure the love of Christ is.
Let me know if you have any questions or if I missed a link to anything!
I absolutely love supporting small businesses. I think they are the heart and soul of every community and especially this year, (with all the big retailers thriving), I think it’s more important than EVER to shop from them!
Here is a little list I compiled of some of my favorite small shops… I feel like I am compiling an Oscar’s speech and KNOW I am going to space and forget someone so I will definitely be adding to this list as soon as someone else comes to mind! This was harder than I thought haha!
These are products I genuinely love and use (almost) daily! I love all of these brands so much.
Utah local
JeniBee Market! I obviously want to give a BIG, giant shoutout to JeniBee Market! She is amazing at gathering artists from all over and hosts in-person markets in SLC but also has an online presence now too!
Foundation Goods. My new favorite home goods store. Everything is amazing! I’ll do some Stories next week of some things I’ve found for the holidays from there.
Gathre. Ah, I love Gathre will my whole heart. I worked with my friend Jess at Google Fiber and she is one of the founders at Gathre! From tablecloths to tree skirts, to padded mats for our kids to plan on… I love it all so much.
Ivy City Co. My friend I worked with at Albion Fit started Ivy City Co. and they make the most incredible matching mommy & me dresses!
The Stockplace. My other friends from college started The Stockplace and curate such a darling selection of clothes.
Babe Lash – 30% off sitewide right now! I love their serum and their plumping lip jelly. Add my discount code for an ADDITIONAL 20% off!! (OliviaBeth)
Phonesoap! Use OLIVIA20 for 20% off the next 5 days!
Cozy Earth Clothing/Bedding. The BEST SHEETS YOU’LL FIND. Use OLIVIABETH50 for 50% off! And I love their loungewear so so much. Wearing it now currently, actually.
My friend Sarah gave me this recipe a couple of years ago and it’s been a staple in my fall/winter rotation ever since! It is SO so easy to put together and tastes so good every time the weather is cooler.
Homemade Chili ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can corn (drained)
2 cans diced (or whole) tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 tablespoon of cumin
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1/4 ketchup to taste
hot sauce to taste (optional)
Directions:
Brown the turkey in a skillet, drain + place in crockpot
Drain both beans, put in crockpot
Drain corn, put in crockpot
Pour tomatoes in crockpot (don’t drain)
Pour tomato sauce in crockpot
Add cumin, chili powder, ketchup + hot sauce
Cook in crockpot on low for 6 hours
Serve with shredded cheese, frito chips, sour cream, and/or cornbread!
