Third Day Naturals Review and $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Third Day Naturals is a family owned business out of New York. Using only natural and simple ingredients they strive to make products your family will love and be comfortable using. Whether you need natural baby care products, lip balm, natural exfoliating soaps, or even all natural sugar scrubs Third Day Naturals is the company for you.

I received a large selection of their products for the purpose of this review and I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed using all of them over the last few weeks. They all smell so good, are easy to use and have provided amazing results. My daughters have loved using the sugar scrubs on their hands and feet when they "play" spa with each other and even with me. And I love the fact that I don't have to worry about the toddler getting into harmful chemicals or anything.

My girls absolutely loved doing the sugar scrub with me. We loved how it made our hands feel so very soft and the smell hung on for quite awhile and it made the whole experience linger in our memories for most of the day.

Third Day Naturals has a great soap sampler package available for those new to homemade soaps. It comes with these great numbered bags and cards that tell about each soap in the package. It is really a neat little set especially if you are giving it as a gift and aren't sure what scent the person might like.

I can honestly say that I have tried many of Third Day's products as you can see from the assortment that they sent me. And I have loved every one of them. I haven't even found a scent that I couldn't stand and that is saying something for sure as I am very picky about my scents!

This soap is one of my favorite products. The smell is amazing and it leaves my whole bathroom smelling so good. And I love the way that my hands feel after I use it. They feel so clean and yet so soft it is great! The lather that I get is also rare in homemade soaps that I have used and there is just something about a soap that lathers well. I love to see lots of bubbles coming from my soap!

I just can't say enough good about these products. After having used them in my home on my hands, face, and lips I have fallen in love with this company. The products are of the highest quality and you won't be disappointed if you purchase them.

You can buy these wonderful, natural Third Day products HERE on their website or you can enter to win a gift certificate from them today! They are offering one Happily Domestic reader a $25 gift certificate to their website.

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Creative Dinner Time Conversation Ideas

This is the second post in this dinner time series and this topic has become so dear to my heart. I can already see the value of it within the lives of my own children and I truly desire to help others achieve this result as well. So, today I want to share with you several ways that we keep the conversation going and keep everyone engaged during dinner time.

My family - fall 2012

1. Have daddy ask each child what they did that day and then let them talk uninterrupted. This is great practice for children of all ages. Children must learn to be able to tell events in a logical order and to put together sentences and stories that others can understand and enjoy. And this gives them a "safe and non-judgmental" place to learn and practice these skills.

2. Start a make-believe story and have everyone add to it. I am sure you have seen those movie clips or even done it when you were spending time with friends. One person starts a story and then each person gets to add to it when their turn comes. It can be a fun way for the creative juices to flow and will also give the smallest guys something to listen to while they eat. And my little guys always eat better and stay at the table longer when they are engaged and have something to focus on.

3. Play a Bible review game. We often use dinner time to review Bible lessons, Bible facts, memory verses or even Godly character lessons with our children. The Bible commands us to train our children and what better time to pour into their lives the Word of God than when they are all seated and "captive" already.

4. Create a basket of questions that can help get the words flowing on those nights that no one seems to have anything to say. Some of the questions we routinely use are -

• What is your favorite color?
• What is your favorite Bible person?
• Who are you praying for right now and why?
• What is the best book you have read lately?
• If you could pick what our family did one day together what would it be? This has led to some great ideas/plans for upcoming family outings.

Sometimes even dinner table conversations can't

keep a sleepy toddler awake!

5. Ask about their schooling. This one is particularly helpful for the homeschooling momma as it gives her a chance to check on retention and mastery but even if your children attend a government school or even a private school the best way to keep the lines of communication open is to start early and talk often. Check to see what they are learning and how much they remember and understand. Conversations can be really fun and educational especially if you can find a topic in science or history to discuss. Children think it is great fun to "wow" their parents with facts that they know. You might even find that they dig a little deeper and pay closer attention to detail in an effort to have something to tell about around the dinner table.

6. Use a printable tool to help.  There are several great printable tools out there that would be a fun change to choosing the dinner time conversation. You can check out my Pinterest Board HERE with lots of great ideas and free printables and seasonal and holiday themed ideas to get you started.

But most of the time we all enjoy our dinner time together.

I hope that this has encouraged you to start making family dinner time a priority in your home. And to make it more than just an obligation for your family, start some fun conversations to get to know your children more and to help keep those lines of communication open for the years to come.

Written by Happily Domestic contributor - Amanda Sikes

Happy Mothers Day!

For several days I have been trying to figure out what I wanted to write about for Mother's Day. After all, I am a young mom still and don't have much wisdom to share yet! It wasn't until I sat down and started typing that I realized what it would be. When I was a little girl Mother's Day was a fun and special day. It was all about celebrating my Mother and making her feel special and loved. It was just as much fun for the rest of the family as it was for her! I remember every single Mothers Day morning my dad would wake me up extra early so we could get to the store before my mom woke up. We would read through lots of cards and me and my sisters would pick out just the right one from each of us. Often we would get more then one because we couldn't decide between a funny card or a serious one. Then we would go pick out some flowers and hurry home. Usually we made her breakfast in bed and while I was younger I remember hovering over her plate wanting to sneak bites and eagerly waiting for her to open my super fantastic card that I had chosen for her. After we were all ready to go we would head out to the plant nursery where my dad let my mom pick out several plants for her garden. Of course, we would get to pick out one or two as well! The evening usually concluded at my mom's restaurant of choice (Olive Garden!) and maybe a movie or some other activity.

Mother's Day for me has always been a great joy. Having a moment to really show my mom how much she means to me. My boys are 2 years old and 9 months and I am looking forward to the beginning of our own Mother's Day traditions. I hope my children are as blessed by Mother's Day as I was growing up. My mom made me feel special on her special day! Despite it being all about her, she was still making sure we felt loved and understood. I hope with all my heart that my children feel the same excitement and love over the years.

Happy Mothers Day!

 Written By Happily Domestic Contributor: Brittney Thompson

Dinner Time Should be Family Time

Does dinner time at your home look like this?

or do you just wish it did? 

There are so many reasons that dinner time should be family time. Here are some of my top reasons for making this a priority in my home.

1. Keeps the lines of communication open -  As your children grow up they will either talk to you or talk to someone else. In our home we are striving to show our children that their feelings and thoughts are important to us. So, we spend time each day talking about our day, things or changes that are coming up and even behavior problems that happened while Daddy was gone to work. The children have come to expect this and in the years to come it will be a great time to check in with our children, to pour into their lives and hearts as they start to make their own choices, and to let them know that home is a safe haven where they can share their thoughts and feelings openly.

2.  It creates healthy eating habits. -  If everyone is sitting down at the table and visiting and sharing about their day it is more likely that everyone will slow down while they are eating which will prevent most over-eating issues. While you are talking and answering questions you take breaks in between bites to talk, you aren't shoveling it in mindlessly while watching television. And, it is much easier to try new foods in a positive way when the whole family is trying them together. Your more picky eaters will see the more adventurous eaters try it and they will be more likely to try it too. And the more relaxed you are the easier it is for your body to digest the food that you are consuming. Overall, it is much healthier for your family to make this change.

3. It will become a tradition. - I was blessed to be raised in a home where the family meal table was very important while I was growing up. I have very fond memories of those meal times and there is still a very strong pull to gather with my family around a table for any occasion. I want that for my children. I want them, no matter where life takes them to feel the pull to come home to my table. And feel free to be themselves and to let their guard down so to speak. And I know from personal experience that this tradition is possible, because I have lived it.

Those are my main reasons for making dinner time family time in our home. Coming up next in this series I will share with you ways to get the conversations started when you decide to implement the family table idea into your home. Ways to keep things fun, exciting, and stress free. But most importantly, focused on the people that give you a reason to have a family meal table.

Written by - Amanda Sikes (Happily Domestic contributor) 

Nautical Styles for Spring from Gymboree and $75 Gift Certificate Giveaway!!!!

    Every since I had my first baby nearly 13 years ago, my favorite place to shop for my children's clothing has been Gymboree!  I love their style of children's clothing and their quality can't be beat. I recently gave a friend of mine a bunch of my daughter's Gymboree baby/toddler clothes that were around 8-10 years old.  They were still in great shape despite their age and my friend was amazed  the styles still seemed up to date as well.  Just one of the many reasons I love Gymboree!

    Gymboree offers fashionable children's clothing from preemie all the way up to size 12.  Each season Gymboree offers an array of unique clothing styles.  You will never grow tired of the selection.  When offered the chance to review some of the new clothing lines I was thrilled! What a hard decision it was, but I ended up choosing from the new spring nautical line of clothing.  The nautical line offered pieces for all the different age categories of my children and I knew I would have fun matching them all up.  Besides this, it is such an adorable line: tug boats, submarines, classic plaids, bold stripes, rich navy blues! I love it!

    My 12 year old son is wearing the Sea Explorer Ship Tee from the Go Nautical boy's line.  I love the "real life" look of the ship on this shirt.  Lots of detail here with embroidered edges, contrasting sleeve inset, and dual colors.

    I paired the tee with a pair of khaki colored Drawstring Canvas Cargo Pants.  These pants are made of sturdy brushed cotton canvas, yet are soft to the touch.  With front, back and cargo pockets there is plenty of room for anything he would want to carry.  One of the best features of these pants is the authentic twill tape drawstring (I can't stand boy's pants with faux drawstrings).  Although, these pants are from the "Baseball Champ" line, they go perfectly with all the boy's tops in the Go Nautical line as well. It's always nice to find an outfit my pre-teen son and I both agree on.

    For my daughter I chose the Colorblock Tiered Skirt with coordinating sailor cut top and poppy flower head band.  These are from the girl's "Blooming Nautical" line.  I love the bright poppy pink colors paired with the rich navy blue and white.  Such a beautiful outfit!  The blouse buttons down the back at the neckline and has a removable ribbon belt. The skirt is below the knee length and has three tiers of colors: light pink, poppy pink, and navy blue.  Lined with a layer of cotton batiste there is no need to wear a slip with this skirt.  Both the top and skirt are made of soft 100% cotton and are machine washable for easy cleaning.  I am thoroughly pleased with this outfit.  It is so pretty, well made and I love all the little details.

    Next, we have the three little guys.  I especially have fun dressing these three.  I love dressing them exactly alike or coordinating.  It's always easy to do this with Gymboree's clothing because so many of their lines mix and match.  Here J Bug is wearing a Tug Boat & Submarine tee with matching navy blue Fleece Shorts.  I love all the embellishments on this set.  The tee has embroidered fish and details throughout and the shorts have contrasting stitching to give them added flair.  Soft cotton combined with cozy fleece make this outfit great for everyday play.

   I can't help but love this plaid duo I picked for my son, Little E.  The Plaid Submarine Tee has embroidered embellishments as well as clear plastic applique portholes to make this t-shirt extra fun!  The Plaid Shorts have the same matching plaid in scuba green and navy blue.  They have an elasticized back waist with front snap closure and front and back pockets.  This outfit comes in sizes from 3-6 months all the way to size 5T.

    Last, we have Baby N looking handsome in his "Captain" one piece romper.  This one-piece is from the same Go Nautical boy's clothing line and has the same matching tugboat as the bigger boy's shirts.  Nice and comfy with snapping leg opening for easy diaper changes.  I have to say, one-piece rompers are my favorite on babies.  No fussing with shirts lifting up or pants falling down.  Gymboree always has a wide selection of one-piece rompers for cold and warm weather styles from teeny sizes all the way up to 3T.

    I have had so much fun with this review!  Ordering the clothing online was a breeze and I was able to take advantage of some really good deals.  Between my 20% off coupon and their 30% off Spring Break Sale I ended up with these 5 outfits, earned free shipping and $50 in Gymbucks!!!  What are Gymbucks you say?  Well, Gymbucks are special reward coupons you get 3-5 times a year when shopping at Gymboree.  For every $50 you spend you earn $25 in Gymbucks.  These reward coupons can be redeemed at a later date for 50% off your purchase. (example spend $50, redeem $25 in Gymbucks, pay only $25 for your purchase). Gymbucks are an awesome way to make your dollars stretch!  And another great thing about Gymbucks is they can be redeemed on top of sale or clearance items.  I ended up using the Gymbucks I earned from this purchase at a Gymboree Outlet Store and got even more clothes the second time around for less!  Let's just say I am one happy Mama with how all this turned out. 

GYMBOREE WANTS TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO WIN SOME FREE CLOTHES!!!!

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win a $75 gift certificate!  

 Disclaimer - Gymboree sent me a gift card for the purchase of clothing in exchange for this review. All opinions are mine, I was not committed to write a favorable review. I received no other compensation. I am disclosing this information in compliance with the FTC Regulations.

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Healing My Postpartum Tummy (Diastasis Recti)

Like most women, I have struggled with accepting my postpartum body. My stomach is forever changed by stretch marks and wrinkly, saggy skin. I am slowly learning to love myself and find beauty in my mommy marks and loose skin, though it is still a struggle. Aside from my physical appearance, one of my biggest challenges has been regaining my core strength. It seemed that no matter how much I worked out and focused on my core I simply wasn't making any improvements. Because it takes time to lose baby weight and tone our bodies, I assumed it would just take a little more work. As time went on I started realizing that not only was I not improving but I was experiencing some other symptoms too. I noticed that my pelvic floor was increasingly weak and a few times I actually collapsed because I threw out my lower back simply picking up my baby. If that weren't enough it seemed no matter how much weight I lost, my tummy was always bigger then the rest of me. This was not normal! Despite the well meaning encouragement to just "give it more time" I knew I needed to find some answers.

Open and honest... This is my tummy. Some days its ok, others it is devastating.

 After much searching I saw an ad on a blog I frequent for family friendly workouts. I clicked on it and saw a tab that said "Diastasis Awarenes". I really believe it was God led that I clicked that tab. After all, I had never heard of diastasis and had no reason to click on it. I am so very glad I did! Bethany Learn of Fit2B has made it her mission to spread the word about this issue so that women (and men) can finally experience healing. As I read each symptom it resonated with what I had been experiencing since my first pregnancy. I finally felt hope that I could feel normal again!

As you can see I am way out there at 39 weeks! It's easy to see why my muscles didn't come back together on their own!

So what is Diastasis Recti? I found this definition online (source):

Diastasis recti (also known as abdominal separation) is a disorder defined as a separation of the rectus abdominis muscle into right and left halves^. Normally, the two sides of the muscle are joined at the linea alba at the body midline. 

Basically it is your "girdle muscle" that normally holds everything in. This is your true core muscle that wraps around your entire middle section. Without this muscle working properly and comping together then you are not only going to have a poochy tummy but potentially a weak pelvic floor, sexual disfunction, weak bladder, back problems and more. I immediately watched Fit2B's "Do You Have Diastasis Recti?" video. Sure enough, I had a 4 finger separation in my transverse abdominal muscle!

I immediately looked at Bethany's Tummy Safe workout plan. I have been following her workout plan for the last 3 weeks and have seen and felt huge changes! Amazingly it only takes me between 9-20 minutes a day 4-5 times a week. I am a busy mom of  two children ages 2 and 8 months so I know how hard it is to make time... but even I couldn't deny that I had at least 9 minutes a day! The initial workouts are very mellow, no big movements. I definitely was surprised at how much I could feel the workouts. Bethany is great to listen too, not at all irritating like some video trainers. I greatly appreciate her attention to proper posture and muscle use. It seems that just when I start to do something improperly she will say something like "Don't be tempted to arch/curl/flair". Most of all I feel nourished physically, mentally and emotionally after I am finished. It feels good taking care of myself! Along with a flatter tummy, I am strengthening my pelvic floor without doing a million kegals a day (which weren't working before this anyway). This has been a huge blessing! I no longer feel the discomfort I was experiencing since having children. I also feel connected to my body again. It isn't  called your core because your main muscles are there!

Notice that its not just a flatter stomach! My posture has also improved after just 3 weeks!

If you think you might be suffering from Diastasis Recti, be sure to watch the Fit2B "How To Check For Diastis Recti" video, click here. It takes less then a minute to check and roughly 6 weeks (depending on your body) to fix it! Also, be sure to sign up for her newsletter! It will grant you access to the Totally Transverse 1 core workout, free of charge! This is the main workout you will need to heal your transverse muscle, I highly recommend giving this a shot!

Are you interested in hearing more about what Fit2B has to offer? Along with the Tummy Safe Pathway (over 25 videos), Bethany also offers pregnancy safe workouts and "regular" workouts for those that don't have a problem with Diastasis. Yoga, pilates, aerobics... You name and she's probably got a great video for it! Use this coupon below to get 3 months for just $20 which is a $10 saving (affiliate coupon)!

Coupon Code: hdfit2b

Written By Happily Domestic Contributor: Brittney Thompson

Homemade Beef Jerky Tutorial

We love beef jerky. Beefy, chewy goodness that I could eat every day. In fact, I'm eating a piece right this minute! Yum. Sadly, what you buy in the store is fairly pricey and if you aren't buying organic (even more expensive) you are sure to be getting all sorts of gunky chemicals and preservatives. Not so appetizing! We happened to have some steaks in the fridge so I decided to attempt making my own beef jerky. I made 2 different flavors and was quite pleased with the turn out! I can't wait to create new flavors and use different cuts of meat. Making beef jerky couldn't be any easier and is the perfect addition to your snack shelf.

First I needed to decide how to flavor the meat. After reading several different arguments discussing dry rub vs wet marinade, I decided to do one batch of each. I settled on a a modified version of my favorite dry rub and our favorite hamburger seasoning.

Here is what you'll need:

2 pkgs Thin Eye Of Round Steaks

Wet Marinade 

(adapted from this recipe)

3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tbs liquid smoke

2 tbs olive oil

just enough water to make it "wet"

Dry Rub

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Begin by cutting up your meat into 1 1/2 inch wide strips. Mix up your wet marinade ingredients in a bowl. Drop in half of your meat and coat your meat with the marinade. Put the rest of your meat in another bowl and sprinkle on the steak seasoning. I didn't measure, I just made sure it was well coated. Set both bowls in the fridge over night or at least for a couple of hours.

Next you are going to get your dehydrator out. Lay your meat on the trays as close together as you need to. On my dehydrator there is a time and temperature scale to let me know how long your meat should "cook" for. According to mine, I needed to cook it for 4-6 hours at 155 degrees.

I cooked mine for about 5 hours when I pulled it out. It was "well done" but still tender enough to chew. We have been snacking on it the last several days. I keep mine in a plastic freezer baggie in the cabinet. It's been great when I need a healthy, protein packed snack but don't have time to make anything. I hope you have found this helpful!

Written By Happily Domestic Contributor: Brittney Thompson