When you make up your mind to start eating healthier it can be as overwhelming as it is exciting. If you’re not careful, your enthusiasm to improve your health through healthy eating will get derailed by the planning and extra work involved.

Before you jump in determined to eat healthy 100% of the time, set aside a little time to think about what healthy eating looks like to you and develop a strategy to make the transition.

The key to successfully developing healthy eating habits is to keep it simple.

Start with one meal. 

As you begin to eat healthier drop the all or nothing mentality. Focus on eating healthy just one meal a day. For example, plan some easy and healthy breakfasts for the week.  Spend that week focused on eating a healthy breakfast every day.

After a week or two, incorporate another meal. Choose whichever you would find easiest to plan and stick to. Focus on two healthy meals a day for a week or two before adding in your third meal or snack. Continue to do this until you build the habit of healthy eating. This strategy will help you gradually change the way you think about eating without being overwhelmed by it.

Make healthy swaps.

Think about the foods you already enjoy and how you can make them healthier. Instead of eating a burger and fries, have a burger salad. Instead of making yourself some instant oatmeal or eating a bowl of sugary cereal, make yourself some regular oatmeal sweetened with fruit and a little honey. Eat raw veggies instead of chips and crackers to satisfy your desire for a crunchy side. Eat a square of super dark chocolate instead of a regular chocolate bar.

Keep meals simple.

Don’t go crazy trying out lots of new healthy recipes. It will just overwhelm you. Keep your meals very simple.

Breakfast could be oatmeal with fruit and honey or scrambled eggs with sautéed veggies on the side. Lunch could be a hearty salad, a smoothie, or a wrap filled with meat and vegetables. Dinner could be baked chicken with steamed veggies and rice, a quick and easy stir fry, or a big pot of soup made with healthy ingredients.

Allow yourself to try no more than one or two new recipes a week. Over time you will find lot of new, healthy recipes that you and your family enjoy.

Plan and prep.

Knowing what you’re going to eat and doing a little prep work will go a long way in helping you stay on track with your healthy eating.

Take a few minutes at the beginning of the week to plan out your meals. This shouldn’t take long. Remember to keep it simple.

Then, set aside a little time to do some prep work. You can easily do this while you’re already in the kitchen preparing a meal. Chopping veggies for a meal? Chop extra to use as snacks or in other recipes later in the week. Baking chicken? Bake extra to use in wraps, salads, and soups during the week.

Prep work doesn’t have to be complicated and it will make a big difference in how the rest of your week goes.

Give yourself grace.

Remember when I said to drop the all or nothing mentality? That is so important. If you get off track for one meal, or two meals, or even a few days of meals, it will be okay. Take a moment to think about why you’re off track, give yourself some grace, and start over with your very next meal.

You cannot change poor eating habits overnight. This is a process and you’ll enjoy it a whole lot more if you’re not constantly beating yourself up when you don’t make the best choices.

Healthy eating is a crucial factor in improving overall health. While it’s not always easy to change your eating habits, it doesn’t have to be complicated.  A few simple strategies will get you on the road to healthy eating.

Have you changed your eating habits? What are your best healthy eating tips?

The post Simple Steps To Healthy Eating Habits appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Spring is still a few weeks away but spring fever has already hit at my house. I am ready for blue skies, green grass, colorful flowers, lots of sunshine, and time outdoors.

Here in Florida, we’ve already enjoyed some really nice spring-like days that have me itching to get on with it. I’ve taken long walks in the neighborhood and strolled around my yard making plans.

Whether you’re already getting a taste of spring or it still feels like the dead of winter where you live, here are 3 things to do when spring fever hits.

Freshen Up You Décor

Get ready for spring by freshening up your décor.  If you have some early blooming flowers or flowering plants, cut some and bring them inside for a nice bouquet. If not, head to the store and pick up an inexpensive bouquet of daisies, tulips, or mixed flowers. They’ll add a fun, fresh burst of color to a table, mantel, or window sill.

Shop your house and see if you can swap out pillows, throws, or other décor for those with a more spring-like color scheme. Don’t have anything around the house you can use? Give these No Sew Napkin Pillow Covers a try and freshen up your existing throw pillows.

You can also add a new printable like this free spring printable featuring Psalm 100:1 to a side table or mantel.

Plan and Prep Your Garden

This is a great time to begin planning your vegetable and/or flower garden and starting the prep work. If you don’t have an existing garden choose your spot.

Grab a notebook and decide what you’ll be planting this year and make a list of what you’ll need. Get rid of any weeds and start preparing the soil.

Declutter

Get a head start on spring cleaning and begin decluttering now. Grab a box or tub and as you go through your week toss in any items you come across that you know you no longer need or want. Set aside some time each day or each week to go through drawers, closets, cabinets, and the pantry to see what you can toss.

Getting the clutter out of the way will make your spring cleaning tasks go much easier.

If spring fever hits, take advantage of the motivation and get a head start on spring.

Do you have Spring Fever? What are you doing to welcome spring?

The post 3 Things To Do When Spring Fever Hits appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

I’m not a cold weather person. If possible, I would hibernate all winter long. That’s not very realistic though so I’ve learned that you have to make the most of it.

If you have kids, especially little ones, things can get a bit hairy and cabin fever can set in if you limit activities due to the cold weather. You may have to get a bit more creative than you do in the summer but there are plenty of fun family activities to enjoy this winter.

Keep cabin fever at bay with these fun family activities.

Get Outside

If you have an aversion to cold weather like I do, sometimes you just need to push through it, bundle up, get outside, and have some fun. If you have snow you can build a snowman, go sledding, gather up fresh snow for snow cream, or stage an epic snowball fight. No snow? Then take a hike or go geocaching. The activity will warm you up and you can soak up some much needed vitamin D in the process.

Go For A Drive

If it’s just too cold to safely enjoy some outside time, consider taking a drive. Now if you have little ones who really do not like the carseat, then this activity may not be for you. However, if that’s not a problem, just getting out of the house and taking in the scenery is a great way to enjoy some family time.

Sometimes it’s best to just embrace staying indoors when it’s cold and blustery outside. There are plenty of ways to enjoy a winter day indoors.

Enjoy Hot Cocoa And A Movie

Make some hot cocoa, grab some blankets, and snuggle up on the couch for family movie time. Let the kids pick the movie even if you’ve seen the movie twenty-five times already.

Play Board Games

Board games are a great way to connect with each other and pass the time on a cold winter day. Some of our kids’ favorite games over the years have included Hi Ho Cherry-O, Candy Land, HeadBanz, Monopoly, Life, Clue, Scrabble, and Apples to Apples.

Get Crafty

I know crafts with kids strikes fear in the hearts of some moms but not all crafts are super messy. Your tolerance for messy crafts will impact exactly what you create but don’t let it stop you from having fun. Besides, messes can be cleaned up and little ones can help with that. You could make snowflakes out of coffee filters, or have fun with glue with a Cotton Ball Penguin, or make a Paper Plate Snowman.

Bake Cookies

I’ve never met a person that didn’t like cookies. Spending time with your kids in the kitchen is a fun way to connect with them and help them learn important life skills. Keep tasks age appropriate but even young kids can help measure, mix, and scoop.

Still not super excited about the winter? Check out this tip to enjoy a better attitude this winter.

The post Avoid Cabin Fever This Winter With These Fun Family Activities appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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When your kids are really little, they happily go to bed at their regular bedtimes on New Year’s Eve. Umm, okay, maybe not happily but they’re still oblivious to the idea of staying up until midnight to welcome in the New Year.

At some point though, they will want to stay up. In fact, they might even beg to stay up until midnight. Perhaps you are like me and are at the point where you’d prefer to let the new year arrive while you sleep. However, saying yes to staying up with your kids to celebrate New Year’s Eve can actually be a fun way to spend time together as a family.

I remember the first time my kids both wanted to stay up and celebrate the new year. They were eight and five at the time. My oldest daughter had attempted to stay up the year before but in the end sleep won out. This particular year they had teamed up and were determined to make it.

They campaigned for us to let them stay up and we ultimately said yes. We decided to turn it into a fun family night. We made our favorite appetizers, had a family bowling tournament with the Wii, and just before midnight we turned on the television to watch the ball drop.

Apparently, welcoming the New Year wasn’t quite what our girls were expecting. We got a “That’s it?” once it turned midnight. And then our very tired and somewhat disappointed youngest daughter proceeded to put her head down and cry. 

The disappointment wasn’t enough to deter our girls from wanting to stay up and celebrate the New Year in the years that have followed.  We have continued to try and  make it a fun night for the family and we have a lot of great memories of our little celebrations, even the one that involved tears.

Fun Ways To Celebrate New Year’s Eve With Your Kids

Serve Family Favorite Party Food

Depending on the size of your family, let everyone pick a favorite party food or agree to a few different party foods for that night’s menu. There are lots of fun and healthy options out there like these Fun & Easy Fruit Rockets or these Zucchini Pizza Bites

Play Games

Gather up a few of your family’s favorite games and enjoy a family game night. Games are a great way to pass the hours and usually bring about a lot of laughter.

Reminisce About The Good Times

Spend some time discussing your favorite moments of the year. You could even start a memories journal and write them down each year and then read back through them each year on New Year’s Eve.  Take a moment to give thanks as a family for those good memories.

Set A Family Goal

Take a little time to talk about something you would like to do together as a family in the new year. Perhaps it’s a one time event like running a 5k together or taking a family hike once a month. It could be finding a place to serve together in your community or setting a goal to double the number of Operation Christmas Child boxes you donate. Setting a family goal is a great way to encourage unity in your family.

Make Some Noise At Midnight

Gather some leftover party horns, streamers, confetti, and party hats. At the stroke of midnight, dance around the living room, blow your party horns, and see how much noise your family can make. You’re guaranteed to start the new year with laughter and smiles.

Celebrating New Year’s Eve with your kids can become a treasured family tradition that will provide lasting memories.

Do you celebrate New Year’s Eve with your kids?

The post Fun Ways To Celebrate New Year’s Eve With Your Kids appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Review by Janet @ Frugal & Focused, *NEW* Contributing Writer 

On the 10th day of Christmas, day2day joys gave to me…

A warm and woody essential oil blend from dōTERRA that promotes a sense of relaxation just in time for the busy holiday season.  This airy, fresh blend evokes feelings of tranquility and balance.

 dōTERRA  produces and sells therapeutic grade essential oils as well as oil blends and other healthy living products.   The company is revolutionizing the way families manage their health by harnessing nature’s most powerful elements. 
 dōTERRA essential oils are high quality CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade^®. They are sold through individual Wellness Advocates who introduce, educate, and sell the products in their local market. 

They provide educational opportunities for all people interested in learning how therapeutic-grade essential oils can be used as a self-care wellness alternative. More and more people are using essential oils to manage everyday health concerns naturally.

Features of dōTERRA Balance Grounding Blend

• a blend of five different essential oils
• promotes a whole body sense of relaxation
• may help anxious feelings
• evokes feelings of tranquility and balance
• smells great
• can be applied topically or used aromatically

Now for my review:

I was given a bottle of dōTERRA Balance essential oil blend by Holly, a Wellness Advocate. I have used other brands of essential oils but this was my first time to try dōTERRA. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the quality of their products and was excited to give it a try.

The timing was perfect to receive this oil as I had just returned home from a five day trip two days before Thanksgiving. I certainly needed a little balance in my life at that point. I began applying it topically.

My first application was to my wrists and neck in hopes it would help me relax a bit as I made the transition from the trip to preparing for Thanksgiving. After that, I began applying it twice a day on the bottom of my feet. I even diffused it on a particularly busy day.

Since I began using this oil, I feel noticeably calmer. Even after a poor night’s sleep, when I usually feel frazzled and unfocused, I found I was focused and able to stay on task. The Balance Grounding Blend is quickly moving to the top of my list of favorite oils!

What I Liked:

1. It smells great.
2. It’s a natural way to manage feelings of stress and anxiety.
3. It’s safe for my whole family to use.
4. It can be use topically or aromatically.
5. You notice results almost immediately.
6. It’s a high quality product.

What I didn’t Like:

1. Nothing!

You can Buy It!

Go to Holly’s dōTERRA site and learn more about the Balance Grounding Blend,see all the products available, and try them for yourself! You can also connect with Holly on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.

I will add the rest and make the question at the end fit to the product, if you have a suggestion, go ahead and add it. 

You can Win it!

Enter this giveaway! If you win, you will get a bottle of Balance Grounding Blend($26.67 value).

Use the rafflecopter below!

If you don’t see widget, click below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: I, Janet, was given the product to review with my fair and honest opinions. If you would like more info or to have a product reviewed, please contact Rachel.

The post 12 Days of Christmas {Day 10: dōTERRA Essential Oil} appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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