More Than Mundane

The Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle Sale is Coming!

April 24, 2013 by Krissa Leave a Comment

I’m so excited to share with you this upcoming opportunity to get A Complete Homemaking Library of 97 eBooks for just $29.97! Mark your calendars for April 29th when this amazing sale begins. This is a one time opportunity that will only be available for 6 days!

Not only will you receive an incredible collection of eBooks, but you will also get over $140 in bonus offers, from companies including Redmond Trading, Plan to Eat, Cultures for Health, and more!

This library of homemaking helps include topics such as mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps, home education, spiritual growth for both moms and kids, home décor and DIY, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, and even work-from-home and financial tools.

So…What’s Included in the Sale?

When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection, you will get instant access to 97 eBooks and 5 eCourses. PLUS over $140 of FREE Bonuses!

Here’s a sampling of some of my favorites included in the collection:

One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh @ Simple Mom ($5.00)
Organizing Life as Mom by Jessica @ Life as Mom ($9.00)
Easy Peasy Chores: An Easy-to-Use Chore System That Brings JOY Back Into Family Chores by Alina Joy @ The Good Old Days Farm ($17.99)
Crock On by Stacy @ Stacy Makes Cents ($5.00)
Real Food, Real Easy by various bloggers @ The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95)
Just Making Ice Cream by Marillyn @ Just Making Noise ($12.00)
Family Camping Handbook by Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship ($6.95)
Truth in the Tinsel by Amanda @ Oh, Amanda! ($7.99)
Mindset for Moms by Jamie @ Steady Days ($4.99)
42 Days to Fit by Brandy, Emma and Stacy @ The Marathon Mom ($4.99)
Healthy Homemaking by Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home ($12.95)
Simple Scrubs to Make and Give by Stacy @ A Delightful Home ($3.99)

Just those eBooks alone are worth over $100!!! And they are well worth it. But I think I’m even more excited about all the FREE bonuses!

You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies…

A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio, where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are tummy safe and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs). ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A $15 store credit to TruKid. With products like their aware-winning sun care, they are dedicated to providing all natural skin and hair care for kids, babies, and now pets. ($15.00 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

Your choice of incredible natural products like sea salt and clay for FREE. Choose from the Redmond Trading Earthpaste Bundle ($24.90 value) or the Facial Mud Bundle ($26.90 value). (Standard shipping applies. Continental US only.)

Your choice of a FREE heirloom sourdough starter or FREE yogurt starter from Cultures for Health, the leading supplier of starter cultures and supplies for making cultured and fermented foods ($12.95 value. US & CAN addresses only. Standard shipping applies.)

Your choice of: a FREE 3-Month Subscription (for new accounts) or 30% off a One Year Subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A FREE Culinary Herbs Assorted Seed Pack Check just in time for spring planting from www.wheatgrasskits.com, a living whole foods company. ($11.95 value. Standard shipping applies to all US states and territories- no international shipping for seeds.)

Get $10 off their original “my husband rocks” tee. Their marriage apparel lets you celebrate your spouse in style. ($10.00 value. Standard shipping rates apply. International shipping available, but free shipping only available within USA.)

A $10 store credit plus 1 FREE lip balm from Bee All Natural. Their whole body products nourish and heal, and are made using only the highest quality, food grade, organic ingredients. ($13.49 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

A FREE 2 oz. bottle of your choice of liquid herbal formula from TriLight Health. They specialize in fast acting, great tasting natural herbal remedies. ($12.95 value or more. Standard shipping applies, within the USA only.)

Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Membership to ListPlanIt, whose mobile lists will help to organize your life. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

You don’t want to miss this! Be sure to check back here, Monday, April 29th when the sale goes LIVE!

Don’t want to miss out? Subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook so you don’t miss a single post!

BundleoftheWeek.com, 5 eBooks for $7.40!

Filed Under: Health and Home

Natural Sources of Folic Acid

April 19, 2013 by Krissa Leave a Comment

read more about positively real media here

Welcome back to the Raising Healthy Families series! Join us each week as we take a look at different ways to keep your family healthy and vibrant in a not-so-healthy world.

Today’s post is brought to you by Justyn Lang of Creative Christian Mama.

When a woman is pregnant or is trying to conceive, she is usually told to start taking a folic acid supplement to prevent birth defects. Did you know that this synthetic form of the vitamin folate has been shown in many studies to cause cancer? Please visit Justyn over at Creative Christian Mama to get the scoop on what folic acid is and how to get plenty of the natural sources of folate in your diet!

Note: This series is designed as a fun and informative compilation to help you and your family thrive. Each post is the opinion of that particular blogger, not necessarily mine or Positively Real Media’s.

Filed Under: Health and Home

A Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Food Choices {Giveaway}

April 17, 2013 by Krissa 9 Comments

Guest Post by Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green

For most of my life, I never thought about what I ate. My parents ensured that I tried a wide variety of foods, but I had typical childhood favorites: spaghetti and frozen garlic bread, hamburgers, boxed macaroni and cheese, pizza, and cookies made with shortening. The majority of what I ate was refined; I hadn’t heard of organic food, and genetically modified organisms weren’t used yet.

Once I graduated from high school and began living on my own, my dietary choices didn’t improve. For one, I didn’t know I was making unhealthy choices. My idea of comfort food after a long, hard day of classes or work was a box of macaroni and cheese and a can of soda pop, with a bag of buttery microwave popcorn for a snack. Breakfasts were processed and refined bagels and chocolate milk. Frozen dinners weren’t a part of my grocery purchases, but fruits and vegetables weren’t, either.

I didn’t learn about nutrition until I was 30 and began working with a personal trainer. And I didn’t know about preventable dangers like bisphenol A in canned foods or too much soy until a few years later when I became a mom and was serious about making healthy choices for myself and my family.

Fortunately my family’s dietary choices have gotten a lot healthier in the past five years. I’ve found that it’s possible to stick to healthy food by making one small change at a time. Here are six easy and frugal changes that have worked for my family:

As much as we enjoy eating out, we’re trying to curb our meals in restaurants. Not only is it healthier, but it also helps our food budget. Our restaurant meals are limited to once or twice a month – and we know they can be an unhealthy splurge.
We try to cook from scratch with real foods as often as possible. The preparation and cooking time takes a little longer, but the health and taste benefits are worth the extra time and effort. We’re more content to eat at home, because our own cooking usually tastes better than most of the foods we could order at many restaurants. (I’ve learned that good recipes make a huge difference.)
You won’t find many processed or canned foods in our cupboards or refrigerator. We mainly stick to fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, brown rice, wheat pasta, eggs, butter, cheeses, yogurts, milk and distilled water. From late spring to late fall, we’re harvesting vegetable and herbs from our garden. Because I try to limit any and all processed foods, I also avoid commercially canned foods whenever possible and opt for fresh or frozen varieties.
I buy as much organic food as I can afford. Sometimes, organic produce costs the same – or it’s even slightly cheaper – than non-organic produce. During those miraculous shopping moments, my organic choice is an absolute no-brainer. I’ve also found a local scratch and dent store that offers some amazing specials on organic foods; since organic options typically are much more expensive, it’s great to find bargains. The good news is that all fresh produce – organic and non-organic alike – provides nutrients. But when I choose organic foods, I do it to avoid genetically modified organisms and pesticides.
I’m trying to avoid as much refined sugar and flour as possible, but this is a work in process. These particular foods act as fertilizers for cancer – and that’s something I want to avoid. I’ve switched to whole wheat flours, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and I’m slowly trying to integrate unrefined sugars into my baking ingredients.
Ever since I noticed a huge behavior issue with my son, I steer clear of artificial colors and flavors. When I avoid processed foods, this is an easy step.

I still have a long way to go. For starters, I need to get serious about food preservation. (For the past several years, my idea of food preservation has been freezing it – that includes any and all garden veggies I’d like to keep.) I want to experiment with drying, pickling, and canning. While the prospect of canning is particularly daunting to me, I have a great mentor who is willing to teach me. My husband and I also are planning to purchase a chest freezer and buy grass-fed meat from local farmers. I would love to serve my family healthy meat that’s free from hormones and antibiotics.

Your turn:

How have you made healthier eating choices? What simple changes have you made? What have been some of the more difficult changes?

Hilary has written about many other simple, affordable, and healthy choices her family has incorporated into their daily lives in her new eBook, Accidentally Green.

And she’s generously offered to give away a copy of Accidentally Green to one of you! Just use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Health and Home Tagged With: Giveaway

Peace on Purpose: Managing Kids and Cooking

April 12, 2013 by Krissa 1 Comment

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Welcome back to the Raising Healthy Families series! Join us each week as we take a look at different ways to keep your family healthy and vibrant in a not-so-healthy world.

Today’s post is brought to you by Stephani Jenkins of The Cheapskate Cook:

kids-and-kitchen

It’s no surprise that when you commit to preparing healthier food for your family, you also commit to spending at least a little more time in the kitchen. And if you’re following this series on Raising Healthy Families, you’re probably doing it with kids.

Stephani from The Cheapskate Cook is no stranger to making dinner with a toddler clinging to her shin. However, over the years she’s learned a few simple but intentional ways to take the fight out of kids versus kitchens, and she tells all in her post, Peace on Purpose: Managing Kids & Cooking.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen

16 Uses for Lavender

April 10, 2013 by Krissa 1 Comment

Photo by Clownfish

Not only do I love using lavender essential oil, but I also love using dried lavender, whether it’s in homemade health and beauty products or in the kitchen.

I buy my lavender from Mountain Rose Herbs, but you can also find it at your local health food store. Or if you have your own lavender plant, you can dry it and use that (even better!)

Lavender is easy to grow and does well in most conditions. It’s a great addition to any garden! If you live in an area with cold Winters, plant your lavender in a pot so you can bring it indoors and place near a sunny window during the colder months.

Lavender is most known for its soothing, calming quality and it’s ability to promote sleep and reduce stress. It is also gentle and healing for skin.

In the kitchen lavender pairs well with cream, honey, vanilla, chicken, lemon, peaches, plums, rosemary, thyme, and walnuts.

Here are 16 ways to use lavender:

Honey Lavender Syrup: I use this to make honey lavender lattes or I add it to sparkling water for a refreshing treat.

Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream or Dairy Free Lavender Ice Cream

Lavender Shortbread (would go great with a honey lavender latte)

Herbs de Provence (secret ingredient for the best popcorn topping ever)

Lavender Lemonade

Lavender Vanilla Cookies

Lavender and Toasted Walnut Scones

Lavender Honey: Use this to sweeten your tea or to wash your face.

Lavender Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub

Lavender Salve (perfect for dry hands and rough patches)

Use to relieve congestion

Soothing Lavender Foot Scrub

Lavender Vinegar (great for cleaning, using as a hair rinse, using for a facial toner, and more!)

Curl Reviving Lavender Spray

Rosemary and Lavender Softening Hair Rinse

Coffee and Lavender Sugar Body Scrub

Read more about the many uses for lavender, and tell me how you like to use lavender in your home!

Shared at Your Green Resource, Jill’s Home Remedies, and Frugally Sustainable.

**This post contains affiliate links which means if you make a purchase through one of my links, I’ll receive a small commission. Thanks for supporting More Than Mundane!

Filed Under: Health and Home, In the Kitchen Tagged With: lavender

Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes

April 8, 2013 by Krissa 2 Comments

Reading one of Shauna’s books always feels to me like having a good conversation with a best friend (which might explain why I think I can call her by her first name when I’m writing a review!) and Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes is no different.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance reading copy of the book and finished it a couple weeks ago. Ever since, I’ve been searching for the words to explain how much I loved. this. book. I’ve been stalling on writing about it, because I knew I just wouldn’t be able to find the words.

I always can relate to so much of what Shauna has to say. Within the first few pages of the book I was texting my best friend quotes from the book and turning down the corners of every other page. In Bread & Wine not only does Shauna share her stories (which will make you laugh, cry, and call your best friend), but she also shares her recipes. And they are some a-ma-zing recipes!

Every couple months I get to escape for a night and spend time with my good friend and old college roommate, Nicole. We always do the same thing: I get there, we spend some time catching up, and then we break out the recipe books. Once we’ve decided what we’re making for dinner that night, we walk next door to the grocery store and pick up what we need. Then we spend time in the kitchen together: cutting, prepping, laughing, sometimes crying, cooking, talking, and sharing our lives. And then…we sit down and enjoy what we’ve made together. It’s one of my favorite things to do and I look forward to it for weeks in advance.

As soon as I started reading Bread & Wine I knew that the next time Nicole and I got together, we needed to try out some of the recipes. When we got our chance, we made Shauna’s Basic Risotto, because it’s the perfect thing to make when you have a friend to chat and stir with, and the Green Well Salad (pictured above), well, because it sounded delicious…and it was! I’ve made it more than a few times since.

Also on the menu for the night was Dark Chocolate Sea Salted Toffee, which we never got to after stuffing ourselves with the risotto and salad, but I made sure to make it later that week, much to the delight of the whole family.

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes is available on Amazon April 9th (tomorrow!), but you should just go ahead and pre-order your copy today. It’s a book for on your night stand, and in the kitchen getting it’s pages covered with splashes of vanilla. It’s a book to pick up and read snippets of while you watch your kids play at the park, or one to get together with your best friends and talk about. It’s a book you’ll come back to again and again.

Shauna Niequist is the author of Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet, and Bread & Wine. Shauna grew up in Barrington, Illinois, and then studied English and French Literature at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. She is married to Aaron, who is a pianist and songwriter. Aaron is a worship leader at Willow Creek and is recording a project called A New Liturgy. Aaron & Shauna live outside Chicago with their sons, Henry and Mac. Shauna writes about the beautiful and broken moments of everyday life–friendship, family, faith, food, marriage, love, babies, books, celebration, heartache, and all the other things that shape us, delight us, and reveal to us the heart of God.

**This post contains affiliate links which means if you make a purchase through one of my links, I’ll receive a small commission. Thanks for supporting More Than Mundane!

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Time to Read Tagged With: Book Reviews

Around Here {Update and Weekend Links}

April 6, 2013 by Krissa Leave a Comment

Last weekend we planted our little garden, so I’ve done one of my two “green” goals for the year. We had lots of help from Isaac, who spent most of the time shoveling the soil out of the box and trying to put it in the trash. I’m so excited to see how it turns out. We planted: 4 different types of tomatoes, zucchini, watermelon, strawberries, peas, carrots, jalapeno, mint, lavender, oregano, basil, thyme, calendula, marigolds, and chamomile.

On Monday, I started Whole30 and I’m so thankful for the Facebook group that’s doing it with me. It’s so nice to have encouragement, support, and accountability. If you’re interested, I’m keeping a Whole30 Food Log.

I’ve been loving Jessica’s Outside in 30 series at Life as Mom where she’s sharing for 30 days different ideas to get outside with the kids and have some fun. And I have a post over there sharing some ideas for having fun with water.

If you’re looking for some fun Springtime reads to enjoy with your kids, check out my three favorite children’s books for Spring.

Enjoyed this article on making Pinterest work for you, and it’s very similar to how I use Pinterest. I rarely browse others pins, but use it more as a place to keep inspiration I find online.

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Filed Under: Time to Read Tagged With: Weekend Links

Detoxing Your Cleaning Supplies

April 5, 2013 by Krissa Leave a Comment

Written by Hilary Kimes Bernstein of Accidentally Green

Welcome back to the Raising Healthy Families series. Today we’ll take another look at how to keep our families healthy in a not-so-healthy world.

Unfortunately, many commercial cleaning products are toxic. But the great news is that you can make your own effective, safe cleaners. Before you start your spring cleaning routine this year, choose your supplies carefully.

Please check out Accidentally Green’s Detoxing Your Cleaning Supplies to learn more about toxic cleaning supplies and non-toxic, homemade options.

Also, be sure to check out Hilary’s newly released ebook, Accidentally Green: How and why one family began making healthy changes that honor God and happen to help the environment.

Filed Under: Health and Home

Simple But Effective Hygiene for the Whole Family

March 29, 2013 by Krissa Leave a Comment

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Welcome back to the Raising Healthy Families series! Join us each week as we take a look at different ways to keep your family healthy and vibrant in a not-so-healthy world.

Today’s post is brought to you by Anne of Authentic Simplicity.

Once I got serious about removing chemicals from my diet, I began to realize that I was ingesting and consuming even more chemicals (and potentially more dangerous ones) via the personal care products I used on a regular basis. After experimenting with a variety of toiletry options in a trial-and-error fashion over the past few years, I’ve settled on a simple but healthy hygiene routine for myself and The Boys.

Simple & Healthy Hygiene

One thing you need to understand about me: I like to keep things simple! I decided after a while that fussing around with concocting my own products made with special-order ingredients was definitely not for me. While I certainly love for all my hygiene items to be healthy and inexpensive, I don’t want to waste a lot of time and effort in mixing them up on a regular basis. So I pretty much only make toiletries if they use one or two ingredients; otherwise I’ve found some affordable brands to purchase that I trust and can recommend. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for anyone who makes their own toiletries for their family, but I’ve decided for myself that I prefer to spend my time on other things.

If you, too, want to provide healthy hygiene products for your family but don’t have a lot of time or desire to mess around with making your own, click here for Anne’s recommendations!

Filed Under: Health and Home

All about Lavender Essential Oil

March 27, 2013 by Krissa Leave a Comment

Lavender is one of my most frequently used essential oils. This week I’m over at Your Thriving Family sharing all about lavender and some of the many uses for it. Stop by and share your favorite use for lavender.

Filed Under: Essential Oils Tagged With: Essential Oils