Essential Oil Kit Giveaway!

Today we have a giveaway for a Beginners Trio Set from 

doTerra's essential oils!

This set includes one bottle each of lemon, lavender and peppermint.

Essential oils are so very useful for many things.  I use mine on a regular basis.

Here are some of the uses of the oils in this set:

Lemon

• Cleaning 
• Disinfecting
• De-greaser
• Removes tarnish on metals
• Neutralize odors
• Remove gum from hair
• Natural pesticide for plants
• Fights fungus
• Cooking

Lavender

• Good for stings and bites
• Promotes restful sleep
• Has antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral, & antiseptic properties
• Good for wood floors
• De-stressing
• Fights acne
• Use on cuts
• Relieves burns

Peppermint

• Stomach aches and digestive problems
• Freshens breath
• Provides relief for colds, coughs, asthma, etc.
• Has a cooling effect
• Relieve headaches
• Helps allergies
• Improves alertness and concentration
• Cooking
• Anti-fungal and antibacterial
• Relieves toothache
• Natural spider repellent

doTerra essential oils are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade, making them safe, pure and effective.

Be sure to check out doTerra's high-quality essential oils and oil blends here!

Enter below for your chance to win a Beginner's Essential Oil Trio Set!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linked to:

The Better Mom    A Mama's Story    What Joy Is Mine 
Growing Home    Time-Warp Wife    Far Above Rubies

Healthier Frozen Treats for the Whole Family!

Welcome Back to the Raising Healthy Family Series! 

In this final installment, Kelly at The Nourishing Home is sharing a healthy way to beat the heat of summer without compromising good nutrition. 

 Making your own homemade ice pops and frozen treats is so easy and it’s fun too! And best of all, you’ll feel good knowing that your family is enjoying a healthy boost of wholesome nutrients in each and every yummy bite! 

 So be sure to join Kelly at The Nourishing Home as she helps us celebrate summer with some delicious and nutritious real food frozen treats certain to bring a smile to your kids faces, while keeping the ice cream man at bay! 

Click here for her recipes!

Natural Living Link-Up #74

 Jill's Home Remedies is a place to help you find a natural alternative to your health needs.  While I am not in any way a doctor, I desire to help others improve their health without the side effects of medication.

It's also great to learn from others too!

That's why I invite you to share your healthy living posts and find wisdom from other bloggers each Thursday at Natural Living Link-Up!

Not only are your posts shared here, but also at my good friend and co-hosts' 

Little Natural Cottage!

We welcome posts on:

• Herbs
• Natural Remedies
• DIY
• Recipes
• Giveaways
• Homemaking
• Anything Natural!

Link up below!

Natural Mothering Bundle Sale {35+ Books & Free Products!}

 Have you ever wished motherhood came with a manual? 

 Whether motherhood makes you feel overwhelmed or whether you feel like you've found your stride as a mother, we are here to help you be the best mother to your children that you can be. 

We can also help you deal with infertility and prepare you for giving birth confidently and joyfully. We've got the resources you need to help your kids be healthier, to raise your children to be polite, caring people, to live more eco-friendly, and to make your home non-toxic. 

 For 1 week only, get a downloadable package of 35+ e-books specifically designed to encourage and equip mothers to nurture their families (and themselves!) naturally for just $29.97. 

Since these books together are worth more than $525, this is nearly a 95% discount! 

 There are also more than a dozen coupon codes and FREE products worth nearly $200 included to help you on your natural living journey! 

 These e-books reflect the work of 32 well-known Ph.D.'s, fertility specialists, lactation consultants, natural health professionals, authors, and bloggers who are passionate about motherhood and caring for mothers. 

This is an intelligent, joy-filled collection that will inspire any mother to feed her beautiful babe well, feel confident in making difficult mothering decisions, and celebrate motherhood (even when it seems overwhelming).

 

The eBooks

Want to meet the authors? Click here to read each author's bio. 

Natural Fertility and Pregnancy 
Unbound Birth by Jennifer Yarbrough of Unbound Birth ($2.99) 
Fearless Birth by Kristen Burgess of Natural Birth and Baby Care ($17) 
Nourishing Foods for Labor and Childbirth (article reprint) by Kresha Faber of Nourishing Joy ($2.99)
My Pregnancy Journey by Mindy of Simply Designs ($9.99) 
Fertilise Yourself by Natalie Kringoudis of Melbourne Natural Fertility ($19.95) 
Eat Your Way to Parenthood by Gabriela Rosa, MScM, BHSc, ND of Natural Fertility Breakthrough ($35) 
Protecting Your Fertility: The Dangers of Conventional Pest Control and Natural Safe Alternatives by Gabriela Rosa, MScM, BHSc, ND of Natural Fertility Breakthrough ($35) The Awful Truth About Cleaning Products and Fertility Revealed by Gabriela Rosa, MScM, BHSc, ND of Natural Fertility Breakthrough ($35) 

Natural Baby and Toddler Care 
Breastfeeding Simply by Pinky McKay, ICBLC of PinkyMcKay.com ($25) 
First Bites by Hilary Bernstein of Accidentally Green ($9.99) 
Breast to Bib by Kate Tietje of Modern Alternative Mama ($8.95) 
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin Odom of The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95) Creative Ways to Calm Your Baby by Justyn Lang of Creative Christian Mama ($6.99) 
EC Simplified: Infant Potty Training Made Easy by Andrea Olson of Go Diaper Free ($30) oh, crap. potty training by Jamie Glowacki of oh crap. potty training ($15) 

Natural Health and Healing 
Therapeutic Parenting for Children Who Are Healing from Trauma by Tova Krause Grindlay, CPC of Parent and Family Coaching ($4.99) 
Herbal Nurturing by Michele Augur of Frugal Granola ($8.95) 
Herbal Remedies for Children During the Cold and Flu Season by Rosalee de la Forêt of Herbal Remedies Advice ($20) 
Mother's Little Herbal Helper and Home Remedies by Natalie Vickery of The Family Herbalist ($12.50) 
Questions to Ask Your Dentist by Will and Susan Revak of OraWellness ($29) 
Tips and Tricks to Remineralize and Repair Your Teeth by Ramiel Nagel of CureToothDecay.com ($12.95) 
The Thinking Parent's Guide to Vaccines by Kresha Faber of Nourishing Joy ($2.99) 
Finding Balance with Attachment Parenting by Andrea Olson of AndreaOlson.com ($17) 
Pain Redeemed by Natasha Metzler of NatashaMetzler.com ($4.99) 
The Curative Kitchen (updated version) by Susan Smith Jones, Ph.D. of SusanSmithJones.com ($19.95) 
Rebuild From Depression: A Nutrient Guide, The Digital Abridged Version by Amanda Rose, Ph.D. of Traditional Foods ($12.95) 

Teaching Our Children 
Real Food Kids: In the Kitchen plus 1 month access to select Real Food Kids eCourse videos by Wardeh Harmon of GNOWFGLINS & Jami Delgado of Eat Nourishing ($30) 
Kids in Training: Life lessons that will help lead to productive, responsible and grateful kids! by Rebecca Dulgarian of Blue Cricket Designs ($7.95) 
Life According to Me by Stephanie Dulgarian of Somewhat Simple ($5.95) 
The Family Dinner Project by Rebecca Dulgarian & Stephanie Dulgarian ($9.95)
Easy Peasy Chores by Alina Joy Dubois of The Good Old Days Farm ($17.99) 
Teaching Kids to Clean by Dana White of A Slob Comes Clean ($5) 

Help for Busy Moms 
Real {Fast} Food by Trina Holden of TrinaHolden.com ($6) 
Crock On by Stacy Myers of Stacy Makes Cents ($5) 
Creative Ways to Make Family Holiday Memories by Kit Singleton of Raising Small Souls ($25) 

Non-Toxic and Natural Living 
Natural Beauty Recipes by Katie of WellnessMama ($10) 
Healthy Homemaking by Stephanie Langford of Keeper of the Home ($12.95) 
Restocking the Pantry by Kresha Faber of Nourishing Joy Accidentally Green by Hilary Bernstein of Accidentally Green ($2.99) 
Clean, Naturally! by Kresha Faber of Nourishing Joy ($4.99)

The Bonus Resources

Once you have completed payment for the e-book bundle, you will get access not only to the books, but to FREE products and coupon codes for mothering products that will support you in your natural, non-toxic lifestyle. These special bonus offers include:

Get a FREE luxuriously soft pantyliner from Lunapads and a $5 coupon for your next visit. Lunapads are smart, sustainable alternatives to disposable menstrual pads and pantyliners. Join the LunaRevolution and discover why thousands worldwide feel better about their periods! ($17 value. Standard shipping applies. US addresses only.)

Get 10% off any order from Granola Babies, THE go-to shop for everything babywearing and natural-living related. Granola Babies supports mothers around the globe in their mothering journey by providing sustainable hand-selected products, natural and holistic resources, and creating a village of community. (Standard shipping applies.)

Get "2 Months for $2" ! Enjoy a two-month Membership to Fit2B Studio for only two dollars, where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are "tummy safe" and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs), which affects many women postpartum. ($19.98 value.)

Download a $6 coupon for 7 Sources Oil from Flora Health to use the next time you shop! Flora's newest product, 7 Sources, is a non-GMO, sustainably-sourced fatty-acid product with EPA and DHA, which are essential during pregnancy and nursing and support cognitive function at any time of life! (Value: $6. Good in-store only. US stores only.)

Get $30 off the very popular Online Childbirth Education Program from Birth Boot Camp. You CAN have an amazing birth! The 10-class Birth Boot Camp online video childbirth education program will prepare you for a life-changing birth experience and specializes in educating couples together. You may also choose to receive the FREE Pregnancy Nutrition Report. (Good online or with participating live-class instructors.)

Get THREE bonuses from Professional Parenting Canada and Attachment Parenting Canada: 1. Get the 440-page international bestseller, "Discipline Without Distress: 135 Tools for Raising Caring, Responsible Children without time-out, spanking, punishment, or bribery" (an actual paper book!) by Judy Arnall for only $10! Offered by (Value $24.99. Standard shipping applies.) 2. Get a FREE 1-hour webinar on "The Parenting Information Maze: How to Choose the Right Advice for YOUR Family." (Value: $25) 3. Get a FREE download of the first 4 chapters of the e-book that should be in every parent's library: "The Parenting Information Maze: How to Choose the Right Advice for YOUR Family." (Value: $9.95)

Get the audiobook of Pinky McKay's "Breastfeeding Simply" read by Pinky McKay for FREE! This way you can read the e-book OR listen to the audiobook - whatever is convenient for you. The audiobook is in mp3 format. Available for immediate download. (Value: $25)

Receive 10% off any order from OraWellness. OraWellness offers tools and educational products to help you take control of your oral health using organic ingredients and inexpensive natural solutions. (Standard shipping applies.)

Get a FREE Comfrey Salve with any purchase from the Creative Christian Mama Store. ($7 value. Standard shipping applies.)

Get 2 FREE sets of Baby's First Year Month-by-Month Printables (1 set with butterflies for girls and 1 set with ties for boys) from The Humbled Homemaker. Each set contains 12 printables to mark each month of Baby's first year. ($16 value.)

 

A Few FREE eBooks and eCourses - no purchase required!

Because we are SO absolutely passionate about getting excellent natural living resources into the hands of every mother (and want-to-be moms and soon-to-be moms!) we've compiled a number of e-books that are FREE just for signing up for updates.

There is no purchase required - just click here to get your freebies!

(And as a gesture of paying-it-forward, please tell your friends about this amazing sale!) Tell your friends on Pinterest: Tell your friends on Facebook:

   

The Fine Print

This Bundle contains digital downloads in ZIP and PDF formats, so there is no shipping involved. You will receive your unique download link immediately after download. Please note that this Bundle is provided as is: no refunds, no exchanges, and no late sales will be provided.

While you must purchase the Bundle by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 17, you have until June 30, 2013 to download the books and redeem the bonuses. It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase by June 30, 2013. After that date, the books will no longer be available for download.

With proof of purchase, we can renew download links until June 30. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.

Please read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, deadlines to redeem your bonuses, and reading the books on your eReader device.

Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase. You may purchase multiple bundles in order to redeem a bonus offer more than once.

For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.

All bonus offers are the sole responsibility of the bonus sponsors to provide and are subject to availability.

  

How To Get Your Kids To Eat More Vegetables

Welcome back to the Raising Healthy Families Series!

We hope you've enjoyed joining us each Friday as we've shared different ways to keep your family healthy and vibrant in a not-so-healthy world!

Be sure to join us next Friday for our final post in this series from Kelly at The Nourishing Home, as she shares delicious, real food frozen treats that your family can enjoy all summer long.

 

This week it is my turn to share in this series on how to get your kids to eat more vegetables!

Getting a child to eat vegetables can be a monumental task that most moms hope to accomplish in their lifetime.  

We all know that many kids balk at vegetables.

Moms therefore try to find ways to "hide" vegetables in meals and casseroles, hoping their children do not notice the "green and orange stuff" hidden within their food. They whisper to their older children that they "better not say the word 'vegetable' or their younger siblings won't eat supper!"

My girls eat vegetables every day.  I'm not talking about vegetables hidden in food; I'm talking about fresh, raw, healthy vegetables!  My girls cheer when they see I'm chopping up a plate of celery, carrots and green pepper!

Here are some suggestions for getting your kids to eat more vegetables:

Make eating vegetables fun!

Kids tend to get a bad impression of vegetables from the beginning of their childhood.  They see adults turn their nose up at vegetable dishes, and eat from everything on the table but skip on the salad.  From an early age, make eating vegetables fun!  My girls really enjoy arranging vegetable faces on their plates.  Teach your children to associate vegetables with fun and give them a good impression of eating them!

Be an example

In my opinion, being an example is the most important thing.  Your children will find vegetables much more appealing if they see mom eat them with delight often.  I repeat, your children must see you eating and enjoying vegetables.  

When my oldest daughter was just 2, she would watch my mom snack on vegetables and eat delicious salads every day.  My mother really made her vegetables and salads look inviting.  My daughter began asking my mom for bites of her food - she figured that if grandma was enjoying her vegetables so much, then she should too!  It wasn't long before my daughter wanted her own plates of vegetables every day to munch on.  I realized through my mom's example that the best way to get my children to eat vegetables was to be their example!

Start young

Begin introducing raw vegetables to your children as young as possible.  If kids are pumped full of sweets and unhealthy foods from the start, they will not have an appetite for healthier foods. As soon as your child is old enough, offer plates of cut up vegetables, but don't be discouraged if they don't enjoy them right away; it may take quite a while for young ones to want raw vegetables, but keep offering them and eat them yourself with a smile. :-)

Picky eaters

I don't force my girls to eat every vegetable there is.  They don't have to eat vegetables that they just do not have a taste for.  One of my daughters does not like cucumbers, and another one gags at tomatoes.  I do not force my girls to eat a vegetable that they just don't like.  They do, however, have to find vegetables that they do like, and eat them daily.  If you start your children young in eating vegetables, and they see mom enjoying them, most children will like the basic vegetables.

If your children are older and you did not start them young in eating vegetables, you could offer a special treat to them if they eat a certain amount of raw vegetables, like dark chocolate chips, or a homemade treat of some kind.  Over time, you want to work toward them enjoying vegetables daily without the reward incentive.

Here are a few dressing recipes to help make vegetables more yummy!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

This recipe and photo is used with permission from Angela at Hidden Treasures

Image by Hidden Treasures

Many children like the taste of ranch dressing, and it can be a smart, yummy means of getting them to eat their vegetables.  The ranch dressings at the store contain MSG, which is a dangerous excitotoxin and contributes to neurodegenerative diseases.  If you're going to use ranch dressing, homemade is the best, healthiest, and least expensive option!

Recipe:

5 Tablespoons dried minced onions

7 teaspoons parsley flakes

4 teaspoons of sea salt

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Mix these seasonings together and store in an air-tight container.  To make ranch dressing, mix 2 tablespoons of the dry mix with 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 cup of buttermilk.  Let the flavors blend a few hours before serving.

Basic Vinaigrette Dressing

This is the dressing that we use the most for vegetables and on salads.  It is so healthy with all the benefits from the raw apple cider vinegar.  My girls really enjoy this vinegar dressing!

Recipe:

2/3 cups olive oil

1/3 cup raw apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

{Can add onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian herbs but we normally just use salt and pepper}

Mix all the ingredients together and serve.

What ways do you get your kids to eat more vegetables?