9 Days of Healthy Giveaway: Day 9

I can't believe we've reached the last day of our FUN giveaway to kick off 2013!

Thank you so much to all who participated and spread the word! 

There's still time left to enter the following days' giveaways, so don't miss out if you haven't entered yet! 

Day 5 - 1 Year's Subscription to Women's Health from Covered in Grace

Day 6 - Redmond Clay, Daily Detox Capsules & First Aid Cream from Big Apple Mami

Day 7 - 1 Dessert Mix from Pamela's Heavenly Treats

Day 8 - Upgraded Coffee from Baxtron{Life}

Today's Giveaway is one that will help anyone looking for a more Real Foods, probiotic rich diet, get started! 

The winner of this giveaway will have the option of choosing one Starter Culture from Cultures for Health!

Cultures for Health has over 300 products to support a more real foods lifestyle including kefir (both dairy and water), kombucha, sourdough (including a gluten-free option), buttermilk, yogurt and soy.

While I didn't use Cultures for Health when I first started my sourdough and kefir fermenting, they were definitely going to be my backup plan if I couldn't get my own cultures going on my own. It's an easy way to incorporate that extra nutrition and health into your diet!

Have you ever fermented anything? If so, what?

Happy Entering and Good luck!

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9 Days of Healthy Giveaways: Day 8

Welcome back! This giveaway is wrapping up tomorrow, but there's still plenty of time to enter most of the day's giveaways still! 

You don't want to miss out, so go HERE to enter Day 4-7! And thanks so much for helping spread the word! :)

Today's giveaway is something near and dear to my heart....

COFFEE!!!

(yes, I'm slightly addicted and have no problem admitting it!) :)

Courtney, from Baxtron{Life} is here today giving away a really fun coffee product I'd never even heard of! 

Upgraded Coffee is actually good for you! 

Here are a few reasons why (from their website):

1. It is carefully produced and tested with our proprietary process to target the lowest toxin content vs. normal coffee, so you get all the benefits of coffee without the negative health effects.
2. The beans are harvested from a family-owned estate in Guatemala at high altitude, where the best coffee grows.
3. The estate is Passive Organic and the family that owns it does not allow chemicals (herbicides, pesticides, etc.) It is not economical for Central American boutique coffee estates to become certified organic.
4. They are hand picked by experienced coffee harvesters – skilled people who know how to pick only perfectly ripe berries.
5. Most coffee beans are processed by either leaving them in the sun and elements to wither and spoil as they dry, or by pressing them and letting them ferment (spoil) to remove the outer layer of the bean.  Both of these techniques are known to produce significant levels of mycotoxins as they enhance flavor. Upgraded Coffee beans are processed right after picking using a process that avoids any chance of fermentation.  This more expensive process is safer because it dramatically reduces harmful molds or bacteria from impacting your health.
6. The beans are roasted in small batches by the #1 ranked roaster in United States under the strictest conditions.  Roasting the beans enhances their antioxidant capacity and flavor to provide you with a healthier, tastier cup of coffee.

Sounds good, right? 1 lucky ready will get to try these coffee beans and I'll admit, I'm a wee bit jealous! :) 

Courtney is also kick-starting a Coffee House Tour next month that you don't want to miss 

"Courtney is a Seattle native on a mission to find the best Coffee in NYC!

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about coffee plus things you may not have known.  Rediscover an unadulterated love of coffee purified by the critique of a true Seattle coffee snob.  Interviews, Giveaways, Coffee of the Month club & More!!" 

I'll definitely be tuning in to hear of all her finds next month! :)

Good luck today and don't forget to enter the other giveaways too!! 

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9 Days of Healthy Giveaways: Day 7

Welcome! It's Day 7 of this very fun giveaway series! Hope you've enjoyed the giveaways so far! 

Today we have the lovely Pamela, from Pamela's Heavenly Treats giving away a mix of your choice from her Esty Shop!

Some of her options include

And those are just a few! Don't they look amazing? 

Pamela is passionate about switching out ingredients to make her treats more healthy without losing the amazing flavor. When I visit her blog, I am almost always drooling when I'm done reading about her newest recipe! 

Good luck on winning one of these mixes! 

And don't forget you can still enter Day 3-9 of the Healthy Giveaway Series HERE

Happy Entering! 

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9 Days of Healthy Giveaways: Day 6

Welcome to DAY 6!! Hope you've had a chance to enter the previous 5 days of giveaways! Days 2-5 are still live and you can enter HERE, if you haven't already! Good luck! :) Today we have another giveaway from Redmond Real Salt Company!

Not only does this company have Salt...they also have Redmond Clay Their clay is natural bentonite clay extracted from the earth in its pure, natural state and has many healing qualities to it! They offer it in clay form, pre-hydrated gel or easy-to-swallow capsules. It works great at detoxing and healing open wounds!  The clay can be used both externally and internally and internally can help with such things as constipation, heartburn, stomachache, acid reflux and more. As you can see, it's pretty versatile and completely natural!  I love having the first aid clay on hand for cuts, scrape, burns and bites. It's amazing how helpful it is in the healing process without all those extra harmful ingredients other products have.

The Daily Detox Capsules help keep your digestive track on track and gathers toxins and other harmful waste as it goes through your digestive system. Also a great thing to have on hand without those other scary ingredients no one is sure how to pronounce or what they mean without a dictionary.

Hear what other people are saying about the Clay and to learn more about how to use the clay, there is a free download of the book "We Eat Clay (and wear it too)" 3, yes THREE lucky readers will win a clay, capusule and first aid combo set  through today's giveaway!! Yay!! :)  And if you can't wait to win, get the clay directly here today  Good luck and Happy Entering!!  a Rafflecopter giveaway

9 Days of Healthy Giveaways: Day 5

Welcome to DAY 5 of our fun giveaway series! 

In case you missed the first 4 days, here's the rundown:

Day 1 - Real Salt Wooden Gift Set (just a few hours left to enter, so hurry hurry!!)

Day 2 - Dish Scrubbies & Swiffer Covers from Singledou[b]t

 Day 3 - Lemon Peppermint Cleaning Scrub from A Modern Hippie

Day 4 - 4 Pack of Pouches from Little Green Pouch

And now....today's giveaway, that comes from the wonderful Brooke, over at Covered in Grace

Brooke explains why she's so excited to give this prize away:

"I've always been a fan of quick reads, lots of photos, and helpful tips, so magazines have been a long-time favorite of mine. I've definitely gone through my fair share of them. But when it comes to health mags, I always find myself picking up Women's Health...over and over. They seem to focus on full-body health and feature stories about women who are living fit and striving for strength. Yah, they have those fun little articles... flat abs fast, better sex tonight, and beauty tips... but overall, I feel like the magazine lives up to its name. I'd love to share this with you all! I hope you enjoy! Xo"

Thanks so much Brooke! What a great giveaway! 

Happy Entering!

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13 in 2013: Adding to My Skill Set & Another Giveaway

Happy Thursday!

I hope you are each having a great week!

I am combining my posts this week with the 9 days of healthy Giveaways.  You'll find that below!  Don't forget to enter Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.

But before I move on, I thought I'd share with you another one of my goals for 2013!

I love to knit!  I have a shop that is primarily my knit creations. But I always wanted to learn how to crochet. I've tried many times but never have the stamina to keep it up. From what people tell me, its easier than knitting but for this knitter I am not finding that to be true.

So one my goals is to try and learn and not give up until I have it down! Even if it means torturing myself.

I've watched a few youtube.com videos and feel like I am on a good path.  Hopefully you'll soon see some products of the process!

Got any good tips, patterns or tricks that i can learn on? I'd love to see them

Ok now onto the DAY 4 giveaway!

Welcome to DAY 4! (content comes from Kristina at Big Apple Mami)
We have a really fun giveaway for you today! One that is toddler and mami approved! :) 
As you might know, if you're a regular at Big Apple Mami, our youngest, Lucas struggles with many food allergies. His allergies include soy, wheat, dairy, eggs and the lethal one - peanuts.
So, as you can imagine,finding food for him to eat when we're on the go is hard and we have to pack almost everything he eats just to be on the safe side.
When I discovered the fruit/veggie pouches that many of the major baby food companies have, I was thrilled. They are organic, he loves them and they are super easy and quick (not to mention a lifesaver in Target when he's grumpy and ready to go home!!)
But, the price not so great. The cheapest we've found them is for $1.50 per pouch which if you buy several, adds up quickly, and while they are organic, I still always prefer to make my own food (for everyone in the home) if I can. I began looking online to see if I could find a company that made reusable pouches but the ones I did find were super expensive and usually just had 1 or 2 in the package. Not convenient or worth the price.
Then, I stumbled upon the Little Green Pouch company. It was exactly what I was looking for, reasonably priced and they sent you 4 to a packet. Hooray!

When I reached out to them to see about reviewing some, they were more than happy to send me a packet for us to try out and generously offered to provide a packet to a lucky reader of the blog as well! 
They are really easy to use with little mess and quick cleanup! And on their site, they provide many yummy recipes if you need inspiration, or you could just pop in some homemade applesauce and you're good to go! 

I love that they are reusable, freezer and dishwasher safe and just as easy as the regular pouches to use!  And what's even better? Toddler approved! :)

Great, right?  So happy we have these and so glad I can share this giveaway with you as well! 
And don't forget, giveaways for Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 are still live! Don't forget to enter to win those amazing prizes as well! 
Good luck! 
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13 in 2013: Moving Forward & A giveaway

Good Morning my sweet friends.... I simply love that i can call many of you real friends! I've loved how the blogging world has been such a rich blessing of beautiful friends...

Anyway, today i just want to talk about a couple of my 13 in 2013 goals that I set last week. After that, I have a fabulous giveaway as a part of 9 days of health giveaways. 

2 of my goals for this year are 1) Work on my spiritual growth and 2)  Finish reading through the bible.  They really work together as one goal but i needed to differentiate as they can be two separate challenges.

I've talked about my faith and my growth several times on my blog.  Its something that is very important to who i am and how i function day to day yet its always the first thing that suffers when life happens.  My faith as a priority is the first thing that gets ignored.  Its been very evident to me this last year just how asleep and dry its gotten.  The motivation just has not been there.  I can easily find 10 other things to fill my time, my mental energy.  I had a spell this summer/fall when things started to turn around a little. I was reading through the New Testament (for the first time really) and was gleaning so much from that time.  But then we switched to the old testament (which i was super excited about) and then I lost all interest.  It also corresponded with my mom getting sick.  Life was happening and in the midst my desire to really seek the lord had all but vanished.  I was too focused on my environment and trying to make it all make sense that I couldn't/wouldn't trust and lean on the Lord for help, guidance, support, freedom.  I was getting uber frustrated that I "thought" i had a grand desire to go deeper but nothing was happening. the motivation just wasn't there.  

Do you watch the Biggest loser?  Jillian is back. She's the simon Cowell of the fitness world. She's super intense and often just MEAN.  THis time around she seems to be on mean steroids she's so harsh.  As she was yelling at one of her team  members who wasn't doing what she thought was enough, she asked her why she was here and she said she wanted to get healthier and Jillian said "no you don't. You don't want it enough"  I think that is similar to where I am spiritually. I cry, I scream for things to change but when it comes down to making the effort, putting in the hard work of getting healthier I don't lift the fingers. So do i really want it? Deep down, probably but I don't want it enough to do something about it... until now.

So since I am a goal person!  I really do get some kind of charge from it. I thought I'd make it a 2013 goal... it should be a life time goal but that mentally wouldn't work for me ;) One year at a time... hec one day at a time.  I don't know how i begin to measure or even task out this goal. I just know that it has to happen.  So here are some ways that I plan to work on my spiritual growth.  

*Side note- If i am being totally honest, until this post I haven't done any of these things... :/

1) Finish reading the covenant history (Genesis - Kings)

(read 20 minutes a day)

2) Journal more (10-15 minutes a day)

3) Read more spiritually focused books.

4) Work fasting in. (this has been on my mind for over a year but fear, pride and procrastination keep getting in my way)

5) Find accountability

These are just some of the tangible goals. I have a few other ideas floating around but those will wait until I can mentally flesh them out.

One way that I will help keep myself accountable is I plan on writing a post every wednesday based on what I am discovering in God's word. I will hopefully join that up with Into the Word Wednesday.  Its the Old testament so we'll see how that goes ;)

Ok so now to the giveaway.  I've joined up with some amazing ladies for the 9 days of healthy giveaways.  If you missed Day 1 and Day 2, its totally not too late.  I am giving away clean green kitchen items.

I hope you're having fun entering these daily giveaways! I know we're having fun sharing them with you! 

What have you been inspired to do this year that will lead to a greener, cleaner and healthier you?

Today we have another awesome gift up for grabs! Andrea over at A Modern Hippie is here today giving away some really nice Lemon Peppermint Cleaning Scrub! I think this stuff looks amazing and am kind of jealous of the person who will win it! :) 

As you can see, this cleaning scrub can be used on almost anything from your sink, to the tub to counters and more...I'm sure the sky is the limit! And how great will your home smell? 

If you haven't "met" Andrea yet, you must get over to her blog and get to know her. She has a very similar view on all things crunchy that I, Kristina, do and I really enjoy her perspective! Please stop by and say hello and thank her for this great giveaway! 

And if you haven't entered the first two days of this fun fun giveaway, here's your chance! And don't forget to spread the word! :)

  

Happy Entering!

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9 Days of Healthy Giveaways: Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of 9 Days of Healthy Giveaways to kick off the New Year!

Today I'm giving away some household items from my shop, City Girl Creations. 

Have you been wanting to cut down on unneeded waste? Tired of those germy sponges that sit in the sink?  City Girl Creations has two great products that will help get rid of unwanted waste and cut down on the germs in the process.

These dish scrubbies and swiffer covers are great additions to any kitchen.

The dish scrubbies are knit with a combo of 100% cotton yarn and tule to make a perfect cleaning cloth to fight any tough stain.  They are easy to wash! Just throw them into your laundry and bam you are ready to use again!

I am also giving away a custom made swifter cover.  Knit with a textured pattern, this cover is great at getting at those tough floor stains but gentle enough not to scratch or harm your floors.  You can use these covers wet or dry and can be easily thrown in the laundry for easy and quick cleaning.  

The winner of this prize will win their choice of 3 dish scrubbies or 1 dish scrubby and 1 swiffer cover.  

Love it when I can keep my home clean and be green at the same time! 

Have you entered to win the wooden gift set from Real Salt from yesterday?
If you haven't, make sure you do!


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