Little Green Books Review and Giveaway

This winter my son and I have gotten really really familiar with all of his books. With the freezing temps outside and a new baby in the house, we spend a lot of time in the warm house doing his favorite activity - reading. 

One of my passions is living a natural and eco-friendly lifestyle, and that is why I was thrilled to find  Little Green Books, so I can teach my son these concepts through his favorite activity, reading! This new series of books will get little ones excited about going green. From recycling and replanting to creating an awareness of endangered animals and much more, Little Green Books plant the seeds for earth-friendly living at an early age. Each book in this environmentally friendly line is made from recycled materials - proving their commitment to this worthy cause.

I really like how Little Green Books set themselves apart from other book companies and live their own mission statement. The way they manufacture their books is also environmentally friendly. Their books are printed on recycled materials with vegetable or soy inks. Love that!

I received three of their wonderful books: My First Garden, What Do You See, and Little Panda.  

My First Garden is a fun little board book about a mom and daughter planting and working on their garden. Together they watch the colorful vegetables grow, grow, grow! This book teaches a first concept of colors as well. My two year old son loved helping us in the garden last summer, so he absolutely loved this book! It got him all excited again to grow our own food. I think every child should understand where food really comes from! I also really liked that the book has a handle die-cut through on every page so kids can take the book with them wherever they go!

What Do You See? is a fun interactive book about endangered animals.  From a panda bear to a butterfly, each page features text and die cuts which hint at the animal's identity, until finally it is revealed by lifting the flap!  I remember as a kid loving these kind of books, and it is fun to see how much my son loves this one too!

Little Panda is a cloth book about a little panda and his monkey friend. It is made from 50% recycled material. The covers are Polartec® fleece made from recycled material. The fabric is machine-washable and the covers are embroidered. This book is perfect for my little baby girl, since she is starting to love to explore touch and loves to be read to.

Little Green Books also has a section of downloadable activities on their site related to the books, which provide great additional resources for moms interested in sharing more lessons with their children.  Also, check out their Little Green Blog! 

I love books that teach valuable lessons while they entertain our children, and that is why I am just so excited about Little Green Books and their products! The books are very affordable, and would be great gifts too!

We are giving away (3) books: What Do You See?, My First Garden and Little Monkey to (3) lucky winners!! Yahoo!

Here's how to enter this awesome giveaway:

Mandatory Entry:
1. Become a public follower of Your World: Healthy and Natural on my right sidebar and tell me you did so in a comment.

For more entries:

Head on over to Little Green Books and tell me what book you like the best. (1 entry)

Tell me what you do to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. (1 entry)

Subscribe to Your World: Healthy and Natural and comment about it. (1 entry)

Vote for Your World: Healthy and Natural on Top Mommy Blogs or We're on the Fence. (1 entry per vote)

Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.(2 entries)
Like Your World: Healthy and Natural on Facebook.(2 entries)

Follow @carathenatural on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway.(1 entry)

Comment on any of my posts about healthy and natural living that you have not commented on before. I love to hear your thoughts!! (1 entry)

The deadline for this giveaway is March 14th at 11:59 pm EST, at which time a winner will be randomely chosen. The giveaway is only open to US and Canadian residents. Make sure that you include your email in your comments because if I can't get a hold of you, you can't win!

* Little Green Books provided me with products to review, and I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.*

Foods To Incorporate Into Your Diet Today!

Fill your plate and your mouth with color and foods that grow from the earth, not products that come out of a box! Try these today!

1. Avocadoes – Creamy avocadoes not only contain the best kind of fat (monounsaturated oleic acid) but also help your body block the absorption of bad fats. They’re high in lutein, which aids eyesight, and high in potassium and folate, which may reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.


2. Sweet Potatoes – These contain phytonutrients that promote heart and eye health and boost immunity. They’re rich in beta-carotene and vitamin A, two wonderful nutrients.


3. Cruciferous Veggies – Examples of these power veggies are cabbages, cauliflower, and broccoli. They help rid your body of toxins and contain a powerful range of disease fighters. They may increase enzymes that lower the incidence of colon and lung cancers.


4. Blueberries – Fresh or frozen, these berries have high levels of antioxidants, which fight inflammation. Anthocyanins, the natural plant compounds that give blueberries their beautiful color, may have anti-diabetic effects.


5. Dark, Leafy Greens – Spinach, Kale, and Swiss Chard are all excellent sources of iron, vitamin A and lutein for eye health. Plus, they contain omega-3s, which is a major bonus!!


6. Alliums – What is an allium? It is the botanical family that includes: leeks, onions, and garlic. They are so awesome! They can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They also inhibit the growth of prostate, stomach, and colon cancer cells. And they have antibiotic properties – which is why you should pile them on when you are feeling sick. Don’t mind the smell. The benefits far outweigh their odor


Let me know how you like to eat these healthy foods!

The Place of Belonging Book Review

I don't know about you, but we are gearing up for more snow here in Michigan. It would be a perfect time to snuggle up and read a new, good book. I have a good one to share with you today - The Place of Belonging.
This book is written by Jayne Pearson Faulkner, and I think she did a wonderful job.

A warm and endearing, yet heart-wrenching memoir, The Place of Belonging, is about a child of a single mother in Big Sky Montana that is beautifully and simply told. It is an unforgettable step back in time, a fresh understanding of loss and belonging. Reading like prose, this elegantly written and emotionally satisfying story is told from the eyes of a child of the 1940’s.

I thought this book was a nice escape back into a time when life was more about the basics - getting food on the dinner table, hard work, and family.  Since it is told through the eyes of a young girl, it had some really humorous moments and some enduring moments.  When you see the world through a child's eyes, ordinary things you may normally take for granted become really special.

The author did a great job of describing things so that you could actually see them happening as you were reading.  This book also has a way of inviting you into the characters' lives and story.  I found myself hurting when they hurt and rejoicing when they rejoiced.

I also appreciated that this book was a shorter read. Sometimes when you get a book that has 479 pages in it, you give up before it is over or even before you start. The Place of Belonging was only 190 pages, and it is small and lightweight, so when I wanted to snuggle in bed with it, I could hold it easily. I know it may sound silly, but I appreciated it.

I hope you enjoy this book as I did. You can find it here or on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.
Thank you to Bring It On! Communications for this book for review.

Happy Friday!!

Yay! We all made it to another weekend!

And I have some good news for three of my lovely readers. The winners of the $25 Restaurant.com GC are...

#13 - Monica Andrew

#42 - Jennica and Preston

#55 - A Brain

Congratulations to you!!

For the rest of you, I also have some good news. You know I am a huge fan of Omega-3s in fish oil for all its work in helping your heart, brain, and giving you shiny hair and soft skin.  Now, I have even more good news!  A new study by researchers at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania found that 4 grams of concentrated fish oil daily may increase muscle mass while reducing body fat. The lead author and assistant professor of health sciences, Eric Noreen, Ph.D., explains why: "The fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids in fish reduce inflammation and levels of the stress hormone cortisol, both of which can cuase your body to hang onto fat."

That just gives me another reason to keep taking my fish-oil supplement - OmegaGuard. I recommend this supplement because it is ultra-pure and pharmaceutical grade fish oil, meeting the utmost standards for quality and purity!

On that positive note, I wish you all a wonderful weekend!
Cara

Mummy Honey Shirt Review

I am a busy, active woman, wife and mom of a toddler. I am also a breastfeeding mom of a 2 month old, and sometimes those things don't all mix well.  It is not the easiest thing to breastfeed in public.  That is why I want to share a great product with all of you that can be so helpful for breastfeeding moms everywhere - Mummy Honey shirts!

Jennifer Spreckley, the creator of Mummy Honey, can relate to many of us breastfeeding moms. She tells how she came up with the idea for Mummy Honey shirts. "I felt the need to design this breastfeeding shirt after feeling uncomfortable at a dinner party with my first child at six weeks old, when she needed to be breastfed. At the dinner party were a number of childless couples and other parents not knowing where to look as I breastfed, at the time she was also covered by a wrap. After that evening I looked at available nursingwear trying to find the perfect top for me, one that did not look like a breastfeeding or maternity top so it could still be worn long after I had finished breastfeeding and having babies, but still meeting my need to breastfeed discreetly."

Boy, was I happy that a mom going through the same things as me took the initiative to create this awesome shirt idea! The Mummy Honey breastfeeding shirt is designed to give moms a chance to look stylish while still giving their baby the best nutrition they possibly can.

These shirts are just genius! There is a zipper hidden in the middle of each pocket placed on both sides of this shirt. When you need to feed your little darling, you just zip it down. The zipper goes down far enough for you to have plenty of room to feed, but it doesn't expose more than you need to. I think it is just the perfect size! Here is a wonderful step by step demonstration of how this shirt works.

I love my long sleeve white Mummy Honey shirt! They also come in other colors and in short sleeves. I love that the shirts are made out of environmentally friendly bamboo and cotton. This makes the shirt nice and soft, which I appreciate, because my daughter's skin is sensitive to rough fabrics. I first wore this shirt to church, and it was easy to zip down and use, but I had a hard time zipping it back up discreetly with one hand. That would be my only criticism.

I love that I can wear this shirt long after I am done breastfeeding. It is such an all-purpose shirt. It is fitting for a night out with your hubby or friends, shopping at the mall, or your child's playgroup.

Check out the whole Mummy Honey collection here. Make your time breastfeeding just that much easier with one of these shirts or recommend it it a friend, because every mom could use a shirt like this to make her breastfeeding experience that much more enjoyable.

* Mummy Honey provided me with product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.*

One Hot Mamma! Book Review

Today, I want to welcome Cathy Schafer as my guest blogger. She is definitely the hottest mama I know, so I asked her to write a guest review of this awesome book.  Enjoy her review, because I know I did! Thank you very much, Cathy!



Guest blog? Are you serious? When in the world would I have time to read a book and write something about it? Then I saw the title: One Hot Mamma! A mom’s guide to sex, love, and romance. Ok, I get it, you need the opinion of someone who has been married for a while, and who is a mamma! That would be me!



After meeting on a blind date (I know, how romantic!) my husband and I have been happily married for 15 years. We live our life in a quiet little town, where the only entertainment is whatever sport the High School team is playing. In our marriage we have been through the birth of our 3 sons in 4 years, (bed rest for two of them), the purchase of a home, the decision to be a stay home mom, T-ball, Little League, Cub Scouts, and the constant need to purchase new shoes for growth spurts.


Just like the paragraph above, our life together started with the romantic “US” and is now at money for shoes. THAT is exactly what Ann Kluth and Marie Aumann want you to be aware of in their book. We all start as a couple, then life happens, and all of the “US” stuff gets lost. Kluth and Aumann want to guide you back.


The book is a guide written in three sections, Love, Romance, and Sex. Each section is further broken down into easy to read, two-page chapters. Each chapter outlines an idea to inspire you to get back to the “US”. From gift giving to work skipping, each chapter gives examples of what other couples the authors know do to try to put the “hot” back in mamma. At the end of each chapter there is a box of things to try, and talk about. The book was not so much about WHY we need to make more time for each other. Any mamma knows why! It is the HOW that usually feels like “just one more thing I have to do”. This book actually answers the HOW.


So, last night, I fessed up. I told my husband I was going to guest blog about a book. “One Hot Mamma, a mom’s guide to sex, love and romance” The title alone was enough to divert his attention from ESPN for a second. That sums up this book pretty well. Simply, quickly, flirtatiously, stop watching TV, stop thinking about our work, stop wondering about shoes, and just be US.

You can find this great book on Amazon.com in hardcover or paperback. Get yours today, and show your hubby "US" matters, because it does!

Flowerzinherhair.com Review and Giveaway

I have been having so much fun dressing and taking care of my new little sweet daughter. It is fun to have a son, but it is really fun to have a daughter and dress her up in cute girl clothes and accessories. I was so excited to find Flowerzinherhair.com, because they have a huge assortment of beautiful hair accessories.

From headbands to bows to flower clips to beanies, they carry it all! I received one of their Super Stretch Nylon Headbands and a few of their Natural Flower Clips.

I love the headband! It is stretchy, so it can fit my daughter as her head size grows. The flower and bow clips snap right into these headbands, so you can mix and match bows, flowers and headbands to match whatever outfit you have your daughter in.  And they look so cute!!! The picture below is my daughter with the light brown headband and a medium sized natural white flower. 

I know that some accessories are too much of a pain in the butt for what they are worth as they fall off, make your baby uncomfortable or get lost. But, I have had a really easy time with Flowerzinherhair.  The flower or bow clips have never fallen out of the headband. They have never scratched my baby or seemed to bother her. I just love them!

One other thing I really appreciate about Flowerzinherhair.com is that it is all very affordable and you get FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $10. You can find the accessories in a huge range of sizes and colors, and you can spend a lot of time browsing and picking out your favorite pieces.

We are giving away (1) $15 gift card to one lucky reader of mine! How fun!

Here is how to enter this giveaway:

Mandatory Entry:

1. Become a public follower of Your World: Healthy and Natural on my right sidebar and tell me you did so in a comment.

For more entries:

Subscribe to Your World: Healthy and Natural and comment about it. (1 entry)


Vote for Your World: Healthy and Natural on Top Mommy Blogs or We're on the Fence. (1 entry per vote)

Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.(2 entries)

Like Flowerzinherhair on Facebook. (1 entry)


Like Your World: Healthy and Natural on Facebook.(2 entries)


Follow @Amysflowerz on Twitter.(1 entry)


Follow @carathenatural on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway.(1 entry)

Comment on any of my posts about healthy and natural living that you have not commented on before. I love to hear your thoughts!! (1 entry)

The deadline for this giveaway is March 7th at 11:59 pm EST, at which time a winner will be randomely chosen. Make sure that you include your email in your comments because if I can't get a hold of you, you can't win!


* Flowerzinherhair.com provided me with products to review, and I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.*

Happy Saturday!

I hope everyone is starting their weekend off with a great start! I am excited to bring you more great giveaways coming up next week including Flowerz In Her Hair and Green Books. Yay!

Here is our winner for the Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil giveaway - #79 - Amanda T.
Congratulations, Amanda!!
If you haven't checked out my post on Tropical Traditons, you definitely should! They are a gem of a company, and I will be bringing you more reviews and giveaways from them in the future!

Happy Saturday! Enjoy the beautiful day and some much needed rest, I am sure.

Cara

Heart Health Tips!

I already mentioned that February is American Heart Health Month. I am so glad that we can use this month to remind us that heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , someone has a heart attack every 25 seconds in America, and someone will die from a heart attack every minute! Pretty frightening statistics, since many risk factors for heart disease can be significantly reduced with modest lifestyle changes.



Although some risk factors—such as age and family history—can’t be controlled, most risk factors can! Making healthy food choices, being physically active, losing weight if overweight, and supplementing your diet with key nutrients that promote heart health are strategies you can use to improve and protect the health of the most important organ in your body—your heart.



Here is where I would start - Improve your food choices!
-Try to eliminate fast foods, which, in general, deliver unhealthy amounts of saturated and trans fats, along with excessive sugar and calories.
-Eat more fiber-rich whole grains and legumes.
-Include more fresh fruits and vegetables.
-Don't forget to have a couple of servings per week of omega-3-rich fish such as Alaskan salmon.
-Limit your intake of sweets.
-Watch for higher sodium content of many processed foods and foods that you will eat in restaurants.

Of course, I also think that being more active is a huge part of having a healthy heart! Physical activity not only helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol, it helps control your weight, reduces stress and anxiety, and improves blood circulation. Don't get intimidated by exercise either. Start out slow with walking or doing exercises during commercials. Then, set goals for yourself that will push you to work harder and get in better shape.

If you’re among the two-thirds of Americans who are overweight, then there are even more benefits to improving your diet and boosting your physical activity. Not only will you be helping your heart, you will probably lose some extra pounds. Who doesn't love that?

I also think that supplements can play a role in helping you have a healthier heart. I like Shaklee OmegaGuard as a great place to start. It provides a full spectrum of seven naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, including concentrated levels of DHA and EPA, the most beneficial omega-3s. OmegaGuard is not only taken for a healthy heart and cardiovascular system, but also for healthy brain, vision, and joint function.


For additional heart-health support, check out Cholesterol Reduction Complex and CoQHeart. Cholesterol Reduction Complex features a blend of plant sterols and stanols that help naturally lower cholesterol levels. CoQHeart features coenzyme Q10, a key nutrient for cellular energy production, antioxidant protection, and healthy heart-muscle function.

Treat your heart right. so it can continue to power your body!

Earth's Best New Project and Giveaway

I have some really exciting news to share from one of my favorite natural and organic companies - Earth's Best! Since their mission is to 'provide "better for baby" products with the freshest, purest ingredients, so parents can nurture their baby's health with the utmost confidence', they are now sharing a great new resource with all of us - the Generation Pure Baby Book.

The Generation Pure Baby Book is a searchable and shareable resource for parents with a range of advice for providing a pure and wholesome environment at every stage of baby’s life.  I think the coolest thing about this book is that it is filled with tips from parents like me and you who are trying to raise our children in the purest, most natural way we can!

Now get this, if you submit a tip for the book, you will get a $5 coupon for Earth's Best Organic and you will entered into the giveaway for five lucky people to win $500 in Earth's Best products. Sounds awesome, right? And there is one more thing I really love.  For the first 10,000 tips submitted, Earth’s Best will donate $1 per tip to Vitamin Angels, a charitable organization that delivers essential micronutrients, especially vitamin A,  to children in need. It just doesn't get much better or easier than that to help make a special book, save money, and help others!

If you want to be part of this special book and help other parents, head on over to Generation Pure Baby Book, join the Earth's Best family and post your tip. Then, enjoy your coupon! I already entered my tip and became part of the book. If you want to see my tip, look under the chapter Nurturing While Nursing.

I have more good news for you today! Earth's Best is generously giving away a box of Organic Letter of the Day Cookies in Very Vanilla and a box of Sunny Days Snack Bars in Strawberry.  They are both a healthy snack alternative made with organic ingredients, no artificial ingedients, and a good source of some key nutrients.  You don't have to only buy them for your child either. My husband is loving both of these snacks and chowing them down!

So, one of my lovely readers is going to win a box of each of these snacks from Earth's Best!

Here is how to enter this giveaway:

Mandatory Entry:

1. Become a public follower of Your World: Healthy and Natural on my right sidebar and tell me you did so in a comment.
For more entries:

Share with us a tip that you would like to leave in the Generation Pure Baby Book.(1 entry)

Subscribe to Your World: Healthy and Natural and comment about it. (1 entry)


Vote for Your World: Healthy and Natural on Top Mommy Blogs or We're on the Fence. (1 entry per vote)


Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.(2 entries)

Like Your World: Healthy and Natural on Facebook.(2 entries)

Follow @carathenatural on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway.(1 entry)


Comment on any of my posts about healthy and natural living that you have not commented on before. I love to hear your thoughts!! (1 entry)


The deadline for this giveaway is March 1st at 11:59 pm EST, at which time a winner will be randomely chosen. Make sure that you include your email in your comments because if I can't get a hold of you, you can't win!


* Earth's Best provided me with a free product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.*

Head on over to Earth's Best Organic and leave a tip for their new Generation Pure Baby Book. (1 entry)

Snuzzle Me Winners!!!

A big Congratulations goes to....

#118 - Traciet for winning the Complete Set from Snuzzle Me

and

#140 - Love Katydid for winning the Small Set from Snuzzle Me

Enjoy these great products, ladies!

I hope everyone has a lovely Wednesday!

Cara

Chicks-N-Chickens Lullaby Exercises DVD Review

Have you ever been holding your little darling baby or someone else's darling baby, and they are screaming right into your ear? You know they are tired, but nothing seems to calm them and get them sleepy. Or maybe you are up at 1 am with your little sweety. They are bright eyed, even though you are droopy eyed. All you want is some sleep, but you don't know how to get your little one asleep. You think you are on the brink of losing your sanity...

I think all parents or caretakers have gone through similar situations, and they are hard moments. Thankfully, another mother went through it too, and she came up with a genius idea to help little ones sleep through dance - Chicks-n-Chickens Lullaby Exercises. 

"With no time for the gym and a restless baby at hand, Darcy started dancing around the house to get him to sleep...and the idea for chicks-n-chickens Lullaby Exercises was hatched. Her second little chicken, Nolan, arrived a couple of years later and, as a result, the workout was perfected. In Lullaby Exercises, Darcy uses her decades of fitness experience to creatively give moms what they and their babies need most—toning, soothing, bonding, and sleep." 

Lullaby Exercises is a series of fun, easy-to-learn movements—dancing, swaying, stretching & relaxing—that are performed while holding a baby in your arms or in a baby carrier. It’s designed for new moms to share moments with their baby, put a little one to sleep, and to feel good emotionally and physically.

There are two discs included in this set - one for you to stick in your CD player if you just feel like dancing and exercising to the music, and one to stick into your DVD player if you want to dance and exercise along with other mama "chicks" and their baby "chickens." The DVD is about 35 minutes long, and it has two parts: the "groove" and the "sleep" sections.

The first time I tried this DVD with my daughter, I put her in her carrier, and started the "sleep" section. I would say within 5 minutes, my daughter was fast asleep. It was so relaxing for me to finish this soothing section and watch her beautiful face at the same time.

The next day I decided to try both sections starting with the "groove" section. This section includes more exercises for mom that can be done while still holding your baby.  I think this is genius, because I am always wanting to workout, and sometimes my baby's napping time doesn't allow for me to exercise. Now I can hold and soothe my baby at the same time as exercising - perfect!! It isn't that strenuous of a workout, although I will say that the squat segment gave me a pretty good workout for my lower body.

I also tried doing this DVD while just holding my baby in my arms, and that didn't work out for me as well as having her in a front carrier did. I think my daughter likes being very close to me and feeling nice and snug.

The music on each part of this DVD was really relaxing, fun, and soothing. The moves were super easy for a tired brain, and it was really enjoyable for me and my baby. I give this DVD two big thumbs up!

You can buy your own copy of Chicks-n-chickens for $29.95 on their website or find a retailer near you.

Heart Health Month

Did you know that February is heart health month?

Seeing hearts everywhere today reminded me that this month is Heart Health Month, and I want to give you some information throughout this month about how to keep your heart strong and healthy. The information I am sharing with you today is sourced from UbiCare.com. Enjoy!

If you, or a loved one, were having a heart attack, would you know it? The top 5 symptoms of a heart attack are:
(1) Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint.
(2) Chest pain or discomfort.
(3) Pain or discomfort in arms, shoulder, back, neck, jaw or stomach.
(4) Shortness of breath.
(5) Cold sweat, nausea.



No one has a crystal ball when it comes to health, but researchers are gaining a better understanding of predictors of future health. Check out this tool for estimating your chances of having a heart attack in the next 10 years:  (You’ll need to know your cholesterol levels and blood pressure.)

Are the results what you expected?

Look for future posts from me for tips on keeping your heart healthy!
Happy Valentine's Day!
 
Cara

Winner!

The winner of our Eden's Fantasy Gift Card is...

#93 - Tiffany!

Congatulations, and enjoy your Valentine's Day with this GC!!

Social Deal Map and Restaurant.com Giveaway

I have an awesome website to tell you about today! Have you ever heard of Social Deal Map? It is a website that enables people to find local deals in their area. These deals are usually 50%-90% off the original price. They have taken deals from several sources such as: Restaurant.com, Groupon, and Living Social and given us an easy way to access all of these deals in one place! How awesome is that?

I am definitely a frugal woman, and I just love this site! You just type in your city, state or zip code to find deals near you! You can also find online deals and coupons for specific stores. I learned about some restaurants and stores near me that I didn't even know were there. 

You are going to love this site if you love to save money!

Guess what? I am hoping to make your day because we are giving away $25 Restaurant.com Gift Cards to 3 Lucky Winners!!

Here's how to enter this fantastic giveaway:

Mandatory Entry:

1. Become a public follower of Your World: Healthy and Natural on my right sidebar and tell me you did so in a comment.For more entries:


Tell me your favorite way to save money. (1 entry)

Subscribe to Your World: Healthy and Natural and comment about it. (1 entry)

Vote for Your World: Healthy and Natural on Top Mommy Blogs or We're on the Fence. (1 entry per vote)

Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.(2 entries)

Follow Social Deal Map on Twitter and retweet one of their deals.(1 entry)

Follow @carathenatural on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway.(1 entry)

Like Social Deal Map on Facebook and comment on one of their deals. (1 entry)

Like Your World: Healthy and Natural on Facebook.(2 entries)


Comment on any of my posts about healthy and natural living that you have not commented on before. I love to hear your thoughts!! (1 entry)

The deadline for this giveaway is February 24th at 11:59 pm EST, at which time a winner will be randomely chosen. Make sure that you include your email in your comments because if I can't get a hold of you, you can't win!

 

Winner!

Our winner of the Brown Butter Beauty giveaway is....

#12 - Jessica
Congratulations Jessica! I think you are really going to love Brown Butter Beauty's products!

Happy Friday Everyone!!

Motherlove Review - Help For Struggling Breastfeeding Moms

I had a really hard time breastfeeding my first child, and I ended up having to supplement with some formula, which I was very sad and disappointed about.  Ask any mother who tries to breastfeed and can't, and you will find out many of them feel like failures at first.  It was a hard time for me, but I kept breastfeeding until my son was 16 months old! I am not sure how much he actually got from me, but I know he got some, and that was a victory for me.

This time around with my second child, I was scared it would happen again, but I really wanted to exclusively breastfeed. I was a bit worried, because my chest size didn't grow that much during this pregnancy, just like last time.

Thankfully, I knew about Motherlove products! They have become my favorite company when it comes to pregnancy and new mother products. They have a whole line of supplements to help you breastfeed successfully!

Creating the purest products of the finest quality, Motherlove Herbal Company is dedicated to using certified organic ingredients for a holistic way to soothe, pamper and enrich the pregnant or breastfeeding body. Certified cruelty free and without the use of preservatives, artificial fragrances and petroleum-based additives (such as mineral oil) found in most body care products, Motherlove products instill confidence and peace of mind as you nurture yourself and the life within.  Motherlove products have been proven so effective they have earned the trust and continued support of lactation consultants, midwives, healthcare practitioners and mothers everywhere.

I tried out their More Milk Special Blend capsules. These capsules can stimulate mammary tissue and increase breast milk for women who did not increase in breast size during pregnancy, have had previous breast surgeries and adoptive mothers.  I asked my midwife about them to see what her opinion was. She thought that since I had been taking Shaklee vitamins and had been living a healthier lifestyle than my last pregnancy, I would be able to breastfeed successfully. She looked at the label of the More Milk Special Blend, and she agreed it certainly wouldn't hurt to try them once I had the baby. The ingredients were the very things she recommends to moms struggling with breastfeeding: goat's rue, fenugreek seed, blessed thistle, nettles, and fennel seed.

So, the very same day I gave birth, I started taking these capsules. I also starting drinking lots of nettles tea and kept taking my Shaklee vitamins. I was able to breastfeed right away, felt my milk come in, and have been breastfeeding exclusively ever since!!! It is so wonderful and amazing! Not too often are women excited about leaking milk, but I am! It means I have plenty for my little baby. I feel so blessed!

I know I wouldn't have been so successful with breastfeeding this time around if it weren't for my Shaklee Vitalizer, Motherlove More Milk Special Blend, and my overall healthy and natural lifestyle. It really makes a difference!

Just like my Shaklee vitamins are the best quality in the business, I feel that Motherlove products are the best breastfeeding products in their business. They are made with certified organic herbs and are regularly tested for bacteria and heavy metals to ensure their purity and quality. 

They also offer other great organic products to help with breastfeeding and new baby like diaper cream, nipple cream, and their green salve, which I especially love, since you can use it on most skin irritations. Their skin care products are made from the highest quality purest ingredients, and are 100% organic! I love them!

Head on over to Motherlove and see why I love them so much. If you know anyone who is struggling with breastfeeding, please tell them about Motherlove. It could make a world of a difference in their breastfeeding experience.

* Thank you to Motherlove for this product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Birthing a Better Way Book Review

As some of you may remember, two months ago, I gave birth to my second child in a natural homebirth. It was absolutely amazing, and I just loved giving birth in my home in a completely natural way! If you want to read more about it, here is the post I wrote.

Afterwards, I was introduced to the book, Birthing a Better Way, by Kalena Cook and Margaret Christensen, M.D.  Birthing a Better Way presents a fresh, proactive, and positive approach to why you may want to consider the safest and most satisfying kind of birth—natural childbirth—especially in these times of overused medical interventions. Kalena Cook, a mother who experienced natural childbirth, and Margaret Christensen, M.D., a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist, have written this much-needed book for expectant mothers and their caregivers, imparting proven safe or “evidence-based” information with compelling narratives. Think of What to Expect in Natural Childbirth meets Chicken Soup for the Natural Birthing Soul!

I really like that the book is separated into 12 Secrets such as: Read Positive Stories, Turn Scared into Sacred, Prepare for Baby's Arrival, and Transform Life's Challenges. Arranging the book this way keeps it organized and helps you easily find information in a quick way. In each secret, (similar to a chapter) the authors share tips and information that help you feel confident in your decisions and help inspire you in birthing your baby naturally.

This book was also full of great information to help educate you on issues such as: circumcision, ultrasounds, birthing centers and pain management. I know pain management was my major worry with my first home birth. This book really addresses all the concerns you may have if you want to give birth naturally. If you want a taste of what it would be like, there are fabulous stories from other women included in this book that really inspire!

One of my favorite parts of this book was the Appendix, where they talked about nutrition and gave some great tips! I was so excited to see that Dr. Christensen recommends Shaklee's Vitalizer + Iron as her prenatal vitamins of choice. Those are the vitamins I also recommend and used during pregnancy and just for women in general. They also use the appendix to address exercise a bit and some great information on epidurals and their effects on mother and baby.

My own midwife always told me, "This is what your body is designed to do. There is no  need for interventions unless a major problem occurs. Unless that happens, let your body do what it knows how to do."  The authors of this book share that same philosophy, and I really appreciate this book encouraging women to go the natural route in these days of overused medical interventions.

I would highly recommend this book to every women who wants to be a mother or is already a mother. It is fabulous! You can buy it here.

* Thank you to the authors for this product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Links to Share...

I have a couple of cool links that I wanted to share with you. Check them out and let me know your thoughts!


The first is a link to a really cute Valentine's song that your family, especially your little kiddos, are going to love. It is the song of the month by Jeremy Plays Guitar. Enjoy!

The second is the link to an article I wrote about children's health for Shannah Godfrey's blog. It includes tips to help your child learn healthy habits and what the benefits are. I think you will find several tips that you can incorporate into your family's life that are easy and really beneficial for everyone!

The third link is to Chunky Bling, which is a really cool company with beautiful beaded jewelry that is affordable! They have this beautiful mothers bracelet where you can pick out the beads to be the birthstones of your child(ren). How cool is that? And it is only $15. Love it! Check out all their cute jewelry just by clicking on the button below.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!!

Cara

Let This Mom Inspire!

You may remember a review I did a month ago about teaching phonics through the Godfrey method. Well, I was really inspired by the author, Shannah Godfrey. She is a mother of 14 children, former rocket scientist, writer, speaker and parenting coach.

I love highlighting mothers who are inspirational, and I was interested in hearing her story. After reading it, I had to share it with you all. Shannah shares her story below and her tips for surviving being a busy mother. Trust me, you are going to want to read this. It is amazing! I hope this inspires you as much as it inspires me!


How did I get so many children and become a rocket scientist?

For my first 8 years as a parent, I was an at-home mom with my first 5 children. During this time, I was also a foster parent for 19 other children and adopted 3 of them – 3 little sisters. Not long after, I found myself going through separation and divorce, so I started college and work for the first time at age 27 with all these children to support. It took me 9 years to finish a 4-year Bachelors degree, with working and family, but I did it.

In the middle of my education, I remarried a wonderful man who lovingly accepted my 8 children and gave me 3 precious step-children, too. After a couple of years, we decided to have a child together, so I was pregnant with her when I graduated from the university.

About this same time, a friend’s daughter was also pregnant and offered us her baby boy for private adoption. What a precious gift. Of course we said yes. I thought, what a funny way to get twins!

I started my career, as a chemist working on solid rocket motor fuel, with 13 children and the youngest 2 only being about 3 months old. Talk about an early-morning, childcare nightmare! We figured it out, though. A few years later, we were blessed with our final and 14th child, a precious daughter.

I worked in the aerospace division in northern Utah for over 8 years, then went back to school, earned my Masters degree and changed my career to project management in the defense division of the same company in Missouri. All this time, I wrote for my own children to get them reading before kindergarten.


What are some tips for surviving busy motherhood?

1. Prioritize your values and put those most important first in your schedule.

- For me, that meant coming home from work or college and nursing/holding the baby, holding and reading to the preschoolers, helping the older children with their homework (while I did mine), and spending time with my husband.
- The housework and cooking were shared by all, and we only worried about survival-mode stuff. Dishes and laundry were important, as was vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms weekly. Everything else took a back seat unless absolutely necessary.

2. Always read to your young children.

- Bedtime can be a great time for a five- or ten-minute book.

3. Enjoying motherhood depends a lot on what you tell yourself.

- If you view your children as blessings, even the hard parts, you feel happier about the sacrifices that we moms all make.
- Each day, find something to be thankful for in “daily living.” Life’s not a constant party and scrubbing the tub over-and-over gets boring. But life is also a matter of attitude. Notice the beautiful rose growing outside your window. Be thankful for simple hugs and smiles.

4. Simplify your life.

- Remove the fluff and focus on your priorities with family first. We women are notorious for fluffing everything up and going over the top. Tone it back a little.

- "We women are also known for comparing ourselves unfavorably to others. Knock it off. You are perfect in your sphere. Quit worrying about how other women do things."

5. Read Erma Bombeck’s, Motherhood: the World’s Second Oldest Profession.

- It humorously puts everything into perspective!

- Remember that you had your childhood, whether good or bad. It’s your children’s turn now.

- They should still help with chores, but we must put their needs before our own, most of the time.

- Sure, we need alone-time to recharge our souls, but at the minimum.

- I am not saying to indulge children’s every whim. There needs to be balance.

6. Have fun with life!

- It’s better to laugh than to cry.

- See the humor in every situation and read the book, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (It’s all small stuff).”

- Perspective and attitude are the main keys to surviving motherhood.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful story and fabulous tips, Shannah! Check out more about Shannah and the Godfrey method of teaching children how to read at her website.

Skin MD Winner!

Happy Saturday!!

Getting excited for the Superbowl? I know I am. My favorite team, the Packers, are in it, and we are taking a road trip to Wisconsin to watch it with my family. Pray for me, because with two little kiddos in the car for 6 hours on Sunday and 6 hours again on Monday, I am going to need it!

Our winner of the Skin MD Naturals giveaway is....

#36 - Pinklady 705

Congratulations to you!!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Review and Giveaway

Yesterday, I wrote an article about the benefits of coconut oil. I think it is quite amazing what this oil can do for your health. If you didn't get a chance to read my article, please do. I think you will learn at least one new thing that you can use to benefit your own health.

Coconut oil is a new staple in our house. I don't just use any coconut oil, though. I like to use the best quality that I can find to get the best results. The best quality I have found is from Tropical Traditions. They are committed to time-honored traditional practices that have produced healthy coconut oil for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Watch this short 3 minute video clip about what sets Tropical Traditions apart from other companies!

I received their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, which is their absolute best of the best coconut oil. It meets their strictest standards to earn this designation. It is still made by hand and benefiting families in the rural areas of the Philippines where the coconuts grow. Isn't that impressive?

This oil has many uses! It is one of the best cooking oils you can use. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. That is so important, because many other oils turn into hydrogenated oils when they are heated up, which is just terrible for our bodies. Just make sure you don't heat up coconut oil until it is smoking. Check out hundreds of recipes where you can use coconut oil. My favorites are the granola and Zucchini frittata.

You can also use it right on your skin. I have been lathering up everyone from my newborn daughter to myself with this healthy oil. Yes, it is a little greasy at first, but it is so moisturizing and smells so good! I love kissing my baby after I have put coconut oil on her. I also use it as a massage oil on my children when I give them their massages. They love it, and it works really well!

Check out all their products and if you purchase the 32 oz. Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil before February 10th, you can get it for 47% off!! That is such an awesome deal!

All of you can get your own complimentary copy of their Virgin Coconut Oil book by taking part in their Referral Program. When you make your first order, please choose “Referred by a Friend” and enter my User ID: 6904404 on your first online order. The book will then be automatically added to your order. Here is a link to their customer service page so you can email them if you need some help placing your first web order to capture the free book.

Plus, we are giving away 1 Quart of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil to 1 Lucky Winner!!

Here is how to enter this great giveaway:

Mandatory Entry:

1. Become a public follower of Your World: Healthy and Natural on my right sidebar and tell me you did so in a comment.

For more entries:

Subscribe to Tropical Traditions Newsletter. (1 entry)

Check out some of their recipes and tell me which one is your favorite. (1 entry)

Subscribe to Your World: Healthy and Natural and comment about it. (1 entry)

Vote for Your World: Healthy and Natural on Top Mommy Blogs or We're on the Fence. (1 entry per vote)

Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.(2 entries)

Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter.(1 entry)

Follow @carathenatural on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway.(1 entry)

Like Your World: Healthy and Natural on Facebook.(2 entries)

Comment on any of my posts about healthy and natural living that you have not commented on before. I love to hear your thoughts!! (1 entry)

The deadline for this giveaway is February 18th at 11:59 pm EST, at which time a winner will be randomely chosen. Make sure that you include your email in your comments because if I can't get a hold of you, you can't win!

* Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.*

Top Five Reasons to Love Coconut Oil

I have known about coconut oil for awhile, but I never really researched it or used it. I had heard it was good for you, and I was intrigued, so I decided to do some digging and find out what all the fuss is about.

Turns out, coconut oil is awesome!! There are tons of benefits you may not know of, and so I have created a list of the top five reasons to love coconut oil!

1. You can use it to fight infections and disease. Because it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, it may help strengthen your immune system. It is an antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antifungal.

2. Try it for weight loss. Coconut oil accelerates the body's metabolism by relieving stress on the pancreas. Coconut oil contains healthy saturated fats that prevent foods from becoming incompletely digested, which in turn aids enzyme and thyroid function. Naturopathic doctor Bruce Fife states that by substituting coconut oil for other oils in recipes, individuals end up eating less because the beneficial fats in coconut oil naturally make people feel fuller sooner than if they had ingested other dietary oils.

3. Use it right on your skin. While coconut oil has been recognized as a soothing skin massage oil, it can also be an efficient dry skin treatment that helps get rid of skin flaking. Coconut oil is very rich in vitamin E, which clears skin blockages and diminishes various skin infections such as psoriasis, acne, eczema and dermatitis.

4. Use it on your hair. Coconut oil is like nutrition for your hair! It has been used for centuries as a hair conditioner in many countries. It is a natural hair softener that also moisturizes the scalp. Try massaging it directly on your scalp to help with dandruff and other scalp conditions.

5. Coconut oil improves calcium and magnesium absorption in the body, which in turn is greatly beneficial to dental and bone health. The combined increased calcium and magnesium absorption may be of great benefit to women who may become afflicted with osteoporosis.

Coconut oil is pretty suprising, isn't it? If I have peaked your interest, look forward to my Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil review and giveaway post tomorrow!

Virgin Coconut Oil, Gold Label - 1 pint

 If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

The Happy Couple Handbook Review

I have found that with the addition of our second child, my marriage has taken another hit. It is extremely hard to find any moments of alone time with my husband, and the lack of sleep really takes it toll on both of us. I am very blessed to have a wonderful husband, who is incredibly supportive, helpful and patient. We both have very busy lives, which just adds to the chaos, but we are still making it work.

On days when our relationship is weak or we are not happy with each other, we both suffer. There are so many things that we are working on to help create a stronger marriage, and this book, The Happy Couple Handbook has been so helpful for us.

The Happy Couple Handbook is a guide to help couples make a smooth transition from partnership to parenthood while preserving intimacy. The author, Dr. Carol Lindquist, provides ingenious ways for couples to grow closer, savor their sex lives, cultivate a loving village, and even how to argue so they can build warmer, more loving marriages.

We started reading this book together in any few moments of quiet we could find. It became a pretty special time for us, as we focused on our relationship, instead of work or the children. That may sound like the most boring way to spend a few quiet moments together, but it was quite fun! Each chapter has good tips, checklists and how-to's, and it generated a lot of good discussion between us. There were also several funny cartoons tucked in the chapters to lighten things up.

I personally learned a lot from this book that I had never thought of before. For instance, she talks about the Five Stages that couples go through including: Bliss, Discovery of Differences, Separate Identities, Friends Again, and Bonded. Don't think that you are just stuck in a rough marriage or that you are not meant to be together because your marriage is tough. A little work every day can go a long way!

I would absolutely recommend this book to all parents, especially if you just had a baby. No matter how many years you have been married, I think this book would be very helpful to all! You can buy it online for $17.99. That is a lot cheaper than going to a therapist, right?

Winner!

The winner of the Alo Dolman Tee is......

#86 - Cathy Schafer!!



Congratulations, Cathy! I know you are going to love this shirt! It is super cute!



Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Winner!

Our winner today for the Planet Wise Hanging Wet/Dry Bag is......

#109 - Bukaeyes

Congratulations!!

Just a note to everyone - please put your email address in at least one of your comments, or I can't pick you as a winner because I have no way to get a hold of you. Also, make sure you are a public follower by clicking on the follow button on the right side of this blog. Sadly, I have had to pick new winners because of this.

Also, check out some of the other giveaways going on! Tomorrow is the end of the Alo Dolman Tee giveaway. It is such a cute shirt, and it has really low entries right now!

What is coming up on Your World: Healthy and Natural?

• More awesome giveaways for the Life After Baby Event such as: Crane humidifier, coconut oil, Flowerz in Her Hair
• Some sweet healthy Valentine's Day treat reviews and giveaways
• As always, more health and nutrition articles to give you tips on living your best life!

Have a wonderful day!

Cara

Best Supplements To Aid Weight Loss

As you know, it is hard to shed pounds. I am trying to get rid of the last few from having my baby daughter a couple months ago. I am a huge advocate for exercising and eating healthfully to lose weight, but I also believe that supplementation plays a big role.

Recent studies are supporting the role that supplementation plays in weight loss. The great part is - there are no side-effects, only benefits! You can have stronger bones, beautiful skin and a healthier heart as a bonus to helping you shed the pounds.

Here are a few supplements that I take that have been shown helpful:

• Vitamin D - Up to 80% of Americans are not getting enough Vitamin D. At the same time, research is finding more and more health problems that can be caused because of the lack of Vitamin D. Get this, researchers from the U of Minnesota found that the higher the level of Vitamin D that overweight men and women had in their blood before starting a low-cal eating plan, the MORE WEIGHT AND BELLY FAT THEY LOST! How much should you take? Start with 400IU daily, but you may want to bump it up to 1,000 IU, which is the new recommended amount by many leading scientists and organizations. I get mine in my daily vitamin strip, Vitalizer, from Shaklee. You can also get it separately in their Vita-D3 tablets.
• Vitamin C - Many of us know that Vitamin C helps keep your immune system strong all year long, which is why I started taking it. But, researchers from Arizona State University found that exercisers burned more fat when they were given 500 mg of C in pill form every day for a month than those who didn't up their intake. How much should you take? Start with 500 mg each day. It is a water soluble vitamin, so you want to choose a sustained-release system like Shaklee's Vita-C, which delivers the equivalent of one-and-a-half oranges every hour for five hours. I get mine in my Vitalizer also.
• Calcium - If you feel full, hopefully you won't overeat, right? Well, the British Journal of Nutrition did a study that found that overweight women who took 1,200 mg of calcium a day lost 13 pounds more in 15 weeks than those who got a placebo. The researchers speculate that calcium makes you feel full. What an added bonus to taking calcium! How much should you take? Try 1,000 mg split into two doses, since your body can't absorb more than 500 mg at a time. I take Shaklee's Osteomatrix, because it also has Magnesium, which you need to incorporate calcium into bones and strengthen them.

There is nothing but good, helpful advice in this article - more ways to get healthy and lose weight! Yay! If you have any questions, please ask away!