Arbordoun's Calendula Cream and Silky Day Lotion

Silky Day Lotion and Calendula Cream by Arbordoun is a line of handmade all natural skin care products. The Silky Day Lotion comes in an 8 oz plastic bottle. The foundational ingredient in the lotion is shea butter. The other ingredients in the lotion are distilled water, apricot kernel oil, extracts of calendula, burdock root, witch hazel, wild carrot seed; saint john’s wort infused in apricot kernel oil, xanthan gum, rose hip seed oil, vitamin e, lecithin, and lavender oil. The lotion is designed to be used daily over the entire body including the face. The Calendula Cream comes in 1 oz, 4 oz, 9 oz, and 16 oz glass jars. The ingredients are in the cream are olive oil, purified water, herbal extracts of calendula, Oregon grape, comfrey, aloe, vegetable glycerin, beeswax, vitamin e, lecithin, lavender oil. The price for the 8 oz lotion is $29.95. The prices for the creams are 1 oz for $10.74, 4 oz for $20.34, 9 oz for 39.54, 16 oz for $53.40. 
 
Both products can used for skin of all ages. The products, being that they are all natural, are non-toxic and even edible. Arbordoun does not promote eating it! The water-based ingredients are readily absorbed into the skin. I suffer from migraines and strong smells can easily give me a migraine. These products have very subtle scents. The scents are also very pleasing. The Calendula Cream is not thick and doesn’t leave a greasy feel. A small amount of the cream goes a long way. The herbs in the cream have historically been used to promote skin healing and they also have antibacterial properties. I no longer have little ones, but it is said that the cream is great for diaper rash. Those that have used it have said that after only two applications diaper rash has completely disappeared. I sure could have used this with mine years ago. My daughter suffers from eczema, and she has been using it on some of her stubborn spots. The cream has helped soothe and keep her eczema from getting worse. I tend to have very dry skin and this cream has greatly helped to lock in the moisture after showers and keep my skin not as dry and itchy. It works great to apply after washing your hands. With Covid still around I am washing my hands all the time. A pea size amount rubbed into your hands and your hands remain soft. Using this cream after shaving your legs makes them baby soft and smooth. The cream is a bit like a mini spa treatment for your skin. The Silky Day Lotion supports and balances your skin. You need to shake the lotion very well or the oil tends to not mix with the shea butter completely. The lotion is oilier than the cream. Both leave the skin very soft and smooth. I am drawn to both products due to the use of all natural ingredients.
 
I prefer the cream over the lotion. For me the drawback to the lotion is the need to really shake the lotion to get the oil to incorporate. Even after shaking vigorously when squeezing out the lotion the oil and the shea butter was still separated. Being a busy mom, it is nice to just open the jar of cream and swipe the amount out that I need and close the jar back up. No need to shake a bottle or worry if I squirt out too much. I also did not like the oily feel and look that the lotion gave. This is just my personal preference.
 
I would recommend both products to my friends and family. These products would be great gifts. 

 

-Product review by Jennifer Ladewig, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November 2021

Be Thou My Vision

I will have to be honest that I clicked on this book for review via downloadable pdf format before I read the full title. I was drawn to the book by the beautiful cover and the title, be thou my vision. I knew I might disagree with the use of liturgy as well as denominational views held by Jonathan Gibson. Liturgy according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary means - a eucharistic rite, a rite or body of rites prescribed for public worship, a customary repertoire of ideas, phrases, or observances. Many denominations such as Catholics, Lutherans and many others set their services around the use liturgy. I am by no means here to judge denominations. There are many parts of this book that I think are great. I attend a Calvinistic Bible based church. My children from a very young age started learning the Westminster Shorter Catechism. We do start our service with Doxology. Okay, back to the book. 

 To Start, I think that it would be helpful

for you the reader to read through the 

structural formant of the Daily Worship.

This will give you great insight into how this

31 day daily worship devotional works. 

We know that throughout the Bible we are taught how to pray. "Pray continually." I Thessalonians 5:17, "Do not use vain repetition." Matthew 6:7. Now of course there is useful repetition such as when young children are learning their catechism, or when praying we thank God for His grace, mercy, patience, sending His Son so that I many have forgiveness of sin. So to an extent some repetition grows our faith, helps us learn, brings us closer to the Lord. What one needs to be careful about is mindless repetition that can easily happen with liturgy. When one has grown up in the church and has memorized the denominational liturgy and weekly find themselves merely saying the words as if reciting a poem back in your literature class in high school. This is a red flag a warning! In my opinion, a daily devotional would consist of reading a short scripture passage, a very short written devotional that would tie into the scripture, maybe a thought provoking question, possibly a Bible verse to meditate on for the day, followed by personal quiet time in prayer. The set-up laid out in this book is rigid, formal, filled with too much liturgy, and way too long. Of course, these are just my thoughts and opinions. 

I would like to add that Jonathan Gibson wrote this devotional during the Covid-19 Lockdowns. He said, "It inspired me to think about how I might structure my own personal or family devotions more like a mini church service, with elements of a call to wor- ship, adoration, confession, assurance, creed and catechism, Gloria Patri, prayer of illumination, Bible reading, intercessory prayer, and the Lord’s Prayer." I applaud Jonathan for seeing a need within his walk with the Lord, his desire to ensure that his family remain in God's Word, and ultimately reach the world with something tangible in writing and publishing, be thou my vision. Even though this book was not the right fit for me, I am sure that many will be blessed beyond measure by the words found between the pages of this beautiful book. 

 

A Great Christmas Gift For Puzzle and Medical Nerds

 

Dr. Livingston's Anatomy Puzzle would make a perfect Christmas gift for the puzzle or medical NERD. Get your wrapping paper ready because you will need it to wrap all seven of the boxes that will eventually make this 10' human cross section puzzle. 

Here is a link to the review that I did for Dr. Livingston's Anatomy Puzzle.

The Giving Manger

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

The Giving Manger from WorthyKids is a great way for families to focus on giving and keeping the focus of Christmas on Christ's birth. The boxed set includes: The Giving Manger: book written by Allison Hottinger. The book is hardcover. The story lays out the Giving Manger tradition. Wooden Manger: to be placed waiting to be filled with straw. The wood is unfinished. Bundle of Straw: pieces of straw to be placed in the manger after each act of kindness. Baby Jesus: to be placed in the manger on Christmas Day. This set is made to last so that your family can keep the tradition going year after year. 

This is intended to be started on December 1st

and ends on Christmas Day by putting baby Jesus in the manger. 

The cut paper illustrations are simple yet pair perfectly with message. 

A child's attention will be focused but not so engrossed by stimulating 

illustrations that it keep their attention away from what is being read to them. 

 

The book explains what you will be doing and the reason behind it. This will be 

backed up with Biblical truths and scripture. 

The manger is very easy to assemble. You can have one of your 

children assemble the manger. Place the manger in a central location 

in your house that is open for all to see. 

The straw comes neatly tied up. Baby Jesus is simple. 

In the back of the book there is a two page section entitled, Manger Moments. This gives your family service ideas. There is a section for children, for teens, and one for families. There is also a page entitled, Manger Memories. There is a place to write in the year and then what your children or family did that year to serve others. 

I love the verse, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17. In giving to others we need to be sure to that our children understand that while it does make us feel good it ultimately brings God glory. The giving to others symbolizes God's gift to us in giving us His Only Son born as flesh to ultimately take the sins of man upon Himself once for all. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

The Giving Manger Set is a wonderful way to instill the joy of giving to your children. In the process they will bless others and keep their focus on what is truly important which is God's greatest gift to the world - His only Son, Jesus Christ. With each act of kindness the straw in the manger begins to grow. On Christmas Day your child or children are able to place Jesus on a full bed of straw. Please be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about The Giving Manger. 

On the website they also have FREE printable Service Ideas and Lists. 

I did not receive this for my review, a new addition that can be purchased separately is a set of fifty-five Kindness Cards with simple and easy ideas to help inspire the spread of kindness. You and your children can randomly choose a card or look through the cards and spread joy. With examples such as: clean up a mess you didn't make, deliver a treat to a neighbor and ring the doorbell and run, or make and deliver cards to a nursing home or hospital.  

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorthyKidsBooks 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthykidsbooks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegivingmanger/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/worthykids/

Progeny Press

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

The Frankenstein Study Guide from Progeny Press is just one of the many study guides available to accompany some of the greatest classic novels for high school students. Along with the study guides you are also able to purchase the novels on the Progeny Press site as well. There are three options for obtaining the study guide: a physical workbook, a CD, or an E-Guide. For this review I received the E-Guide which was a downloadable PDF file. You get access to the file immediately and have access the download for one year after purchase. You are able to use the guide with multiple students or even a class. Progeny Press offers free technical support if you have problems downloading your E-Guide. The Frankenstein E-Guide and book are recommended for grades 10-12. The study guide is 90 pages in length. Progeny Press offers study guides for all grade levels. 

The genre is British Literature, Science Fiction. 

The setting is Imaginative, Europe, 1800's. 

Frankenstein is a story about a young student of science Victor Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley. Professor Frankenstein creates a very grotesque part human part monster during a science experiment. Shelley came up with the idea for the book after her travels to Gernsheim, Germany near the Frankenstein Castle as well as Genova, Switzerland. While in Switzerland her then lover and future husband, Percy Shelley and several companions had been discussing electricity produced by chemical action and many other topics of supernatural and strange phenomena. They decided to challenge one another to see who could come up with the most repulsive horror story. This is what lead to Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein. 

"A brilliant student, Victor Frankenstein, comes upon the knowledge of creating life. Expecting glory and hoping to benefit humanity, Frankenstein creates a man - only to discover that creation carries more consequences and responsibilities than he foresaw. The resulting tragedy speaks directly to some of the issues facing us in science and medicine today.

Years later, Robert Walton is a young man driven by his desire for knowledge and exploration - he wants to make his mark on the world. But he finds something entirely different. As the sea ice closes in on his ship, he and his crew sight a strange, gigantic being driving a dogsled across the frozen wasteland, finally disappearing into the distance. The next day they find an ill and dying man floating on a fragment of ice and persuade him to come on board for his safety. As his ship lies trapped by the surrounding ice, Walton spends many hours talking with the ill man, a Victor Frankenstein of Geneva. As they talk, Frankenstein slowly reveals his story to Walton." 

By using the study guide students will learn:

• Author Biography
• Background Information
• Before You Read Activities
• Vocabulary Words Used Throughout the Novel Utilizing a Variety of Activities to Stimulate Retention and Growth
• Literary Techniques
• Moral Lessons and Character Values
• Activities and Writing Assignments
• Suggestions for Further Reading

My daughter said,

"The number of questions this curriculum requires its students to answers while reading this book might be seen as going into depth, but this is not the case since some of the questions that are asked are not necessary to comprehend the book. Questions that include literary device definitions helps one understand what he or she is reading because they must go into depth by thinking through their answer and explaining it using examples from the book. There are fun activities to complete at the beginning of each question section that are more than just a break than the classic question. Some of these include crossword puzzles, matching the word with their definition, and various games with synonyms. These activities allow the student to have fun while also using their brain to think about what they're reading and are about to read. Doing as little as finding a synonym or matching a definition can give the student a better grasp of what they are reading."  

My daughter opted to print out the whole 90 page E-Guide and put it

in a three-ring binder. 

Here is some of her work. 

Students also have the option of typing their answers in the PDF. If your student

chooses to use this format their work will be saved as they go. 

The crossword puzzle at the beginning of Chapters 11-16 must be printed out. 

I have used Progeny Press study guides for my children a handful of times and have always impressed with the content. The study guides really help the student understand what they are reading. Students get a brief overview of the book and learn about the author. They also get a feel for the background which includes historically what was going on, politically what was happening during the time the author was writing, literary movements of the time, and science and discoveries happening. All these components come together "To teach our children to think clearly, to understand literature, and to rely on the scripture for truth and values, and enjoy themselves while they do it!" Be sure to check out what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about Progeny Press E-Guides. Crew Members reviewed E-Guides from 1st through the 12th grade. 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/progenypress 
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/progenypress 
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/progenypress 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/progenypress

Greg Landry's Homeschool Science

 

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

Over the past weeks my daughter has been working through a self-paced course from Greg Landry's Homeschool Science entitled, Embryology / Endocrinology. This particular class is a college prep, one semester course. The seven recorded lessons can be watched at your own pace and are around 30 minutes on average. Each lesson has a study guide and a PDF provided with the class. The suggested grade range is 7-12. Some labs are suggested but are not required. Students have email access to Professor Landry in case they have question or need help throughout the course. The course covers the development of a baby from conception through birth. With regards to Endocrinology it covers the pancreas and blood glucose control, diabetes, pineal gland, and hormones. 

Students log-in through Canvas. Under their Dashboard their classes that 

they are signed up for will be displayed. All your student has to do is click 

on the class to begin. Our class is self-paced so my daughter were able to

 get started right away and work at her own pace. I am not quite sure how the 

live classes work and what that set-up is like. 

 

This is the Table of Contents for the Study Guide. 

This is from Lesson One. Professor Landry is explaining how to write up a lab.

Lesson Two begins the study of Reproduction including the female anatomy,

the monthly menstrual cycle...

Professor Landry does a great job at explaining a woman's monthly cycle,

how each month an egg matures and is released from the ovary into the fallopian 

tube. If sperm is waiting for the egg fertilization usually happens close to

the top of the Fallopian tube. He then goes on the explain sperm meeting egg,

conception, implantation, etc...

I love how Professor Landry multiple times brings into this study how

amazing our Creator is! This is one of those times. Only our wonderful

Creator could make THIS HAPPEN...A BABY. 

For some of the diagrams in the lessons students will be asked to study a 

chart or an organ and then label on a blank chart or organ. In this example

students have just been learning about fetal heart circulation and the changes

that take place after birth. Students are asked to study the heart and learn the 

parts of the heart and then use the blank heart and label the parts of the heart. 

Here are some of the lesson questions and charts that my daughter filled out

as she listened to the lessons. 

Overall, I thought that Greg Landry is extremely knowledgeable. I actually listened in on many of the lessons and enjoyed them. He does a wonderful job at explaining the information to the students. I liked the step-up of the course and loved the self-paced option. My daughter also liked that it was self-paced and that she could do it on her own time. I kind of wish that Professor Landry would break up the course into two sections, maybe 7-9 grades and 10-12 grades and make the curriculum a bit more challenging for the upper grades. My daughter is in the 12th grade and both she and I found the curriculum to be a bit elementary. She finished it in two weeks. I have no idea how this would take any student a full semester to complete. In my opinion there is definitely not enough material to make this a semester long course. I also do not see how this could be considered a college prep course. I have six children and several that have taken college prep courses in the sciences and this most definitely is not a college prep course. The term college prep is very deceiving to the person that is signing up for this course. With that said, I would not recommend this course to others looking for a semester long, college prep course. I would maybe recommend this course to parents that want to introduce their child to reproduction. I think that this would be a great course for a 7th grader. With that said, please be sure to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about Greg Landry's Homeschool Science curriculum. Please remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Also, what doesn't work for one family may be the perfect fit for the next family. 

10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity

 

To discern if your teen is ready for the contents in, 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity, McLaughlin says, “If your children aren’t ready for the entire Harry Potter series, they may not be ready for this book either.” So, after answering that question you can know how to proceed. 

 

How can you believe the Bible is true? 

 

Does God care when we hurt?

 

“What happens to babies when they die?”

How can you believe in Heaven and Hell? 

“If Jesus was resurrected, why didn’t he just appear to everyone, why was it such a secret?”

These two questions are from my 3rd-5th grade Sunday School class. The list of questions asked is quite exhaustive. While there is an admirable quality to “childlike faith,” there is no getting around the fact that teens ask hard questions. If they aren’t asking them, there’s a good chance they are hiding them.

Teenagers are deep thinkers. When they ask questions, we need to take these opportunities to talk with them and not just say, “let’s talk later.” As we talk we need to back up what we are saying with scripture. 

Is the Bible reliable? Absolutely! We need to make sure that our teens understand that everything they read from Genesis to Revelation is 100% truth. Can God really send people to Hell? These are serious and relevant questions that Christians of all ages wrestle with. It is okay if you don’t have all the answers that your teen may ask. You may have to seek answers from your paster, Bible teacher, and strong biblical resources. 

 

In 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity, McLaughlin takes arguments and then structures them within the framework of the average teen. Drawing from pop culture references that teenagers would immediately recognize such as Harry Potter, Moana, and Taylor Swift, McLaughlin expertly navigates common objections to Christianity. Sometimes balancing tough topics is hard but McLaughlin does a fantastic job at dealing with the complex topics such as evolution, pornography, and abortion.

I love that McLaughlin uses Jude 22, “have mercy on those who doubt.” She truly wants this book to be a tool and help for teens that are wrestling with what they believe by offering strong arguments from the Bible. 

 

My concerns with the book…

 

1.     Being a married woman and talking about her attraction to women. Not okay with that. 

2.     She says, “Believing the Bible isn’t just for stupid people.”

3.     She addresses evolution but not the creation.

4.     She talks about falling in love with a girl

5.     She says, “…hell is when God fights with us.” What??

 

These are just a few of the concerns that I have with the book and for this reason I am not sure that I would recommend this book to others.