Hey y’all! I’m Cait! I’m a Texas girl living in Ft. Worth and a pilot’s wife– Ryan flies for a legacy airline. My most important role is as a Catholic boymom to Matthew (7), Mason (4), and Maddox (1), as well as 7 babies in Heaven. We also have our furry boy, Chewie. I’m usually seen with a cup of coffee or glass of wine in one hand and a plane, train, or automobile in the other!
Growing up in a family that’s been in Texas for over 150 years, I’m as Texan as they come. We have a ranch in a very small town in the Hill Country, where I got to know my grandparents in a way few grandchildren get to. In fact, they and it were such huge parts of my life that we named our middlest in their honor. It’s also where I learned to fish, hunt, and do generally tomboy-ish things.
Whoops!
As an accidentally crunchy mama, I love cloth diapers and essential oils, but sometimes you just need an Oreo. I’m pretty convinced that our best parenting decision was to do baby-led weaning. That’s not because of all the great benefits (which ARE perks, don’t get me wrong). Instead, it’s because it means I don’t have to make all those purees or plan ahead when it comes to leaving the house. We cloth diapered Matthew until he potty trained, cloth diapered Mason until we moved (2+ years, about a year prior to potty training), and are planning to do the same thing with Maddox. Again, they have some great benefits for the environment, but mostly, they’re adorable and I’m cheap.
The Exception to the Rule
Essential oils are the one exception: I consciously chose to use them in our home and on our kiddos because they’re safer, more effective, and less expensive. Our boys are completely up-to-date on their vaccines and we go to the doctor when they need to. That said, I prefer to try something natural first whenever possible. We use them to help their immune systems, safely clean our home, and take care of whatever ailments may come up in our family. doTERRA essential oils were the answer!
When I grow up…
Adding “chef” to my resume would be a dream come true. I doubt it’ll ever happen for real (and that’s okay), but I do enjoy cooking and baking for our friends and family like any good Southern belle.I’ve become extremely passionate about our health. Most moms start trying to eat healthier or work out more when they find out they’re pregnant. I did that, but once we found out my kids are allergic to dairy and peanuts, I put more energy into making all of our food myself, limiting the number of processed foods or other items in the home that get used on or around them. Being allergic to dairy means that I’ve had to learn how to substitute SO many things they can have for all of MY favorite foods (ice cream, milk, and cheese). Thankfully, I’m all for a new challenge in the kitchen! We make 90% of our food completely from scratch, but it’s not nearly as hard as it sounds. In fact, I probably spend less time in the kitchen than many moms spend in the pickup line at a fast food restaurant.
Building Our Dream House
After 9 moves in 7 years, we’re finally getting to settle down– permanently! We built our very own dream home, complete with a coffee bar, and I’m sharing every step and misstep with y’all in my series titled Built with Love. I’m hoping that some of what we’ve learned can help y’all get through building your own dream home successfully. I would love to hear about it, so give me a shout and let me know how it’s going!
