Category Archives: Reviews

Lotion in a Bar? {Giveaway!}

The winner of the giveaway is Traci! Congratulations!

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned in my Restless Legs post about keeping my skin hydrated as a way to combat the shakes and itchy-scratchies. I also mentioned I couldn’t use anything that wasn’t natural without dire consequences.  Until recently, I had a hard time finding natural lotions that helped and weren’t greasy.

That’s when MadeOn Hard Lotion saved the day! In fact, Renee (also a mom of many–I sure do LOVE being able to promote products offered by other large families!) got her products to me at a crucial time–smack dab in the middle of our mountain vacation!  This was such perfect timing because the mountains can really dry your skin out.  My lips were chapped, my legs were chapped, my belly was chapped! One of the other bloggers at the Savvy Blogging Summit had chapstick she was handing out from MadeOn.  The stuff was WONDERFUL and I took that tube EVERYWHERE I went!

I was also given the opportunity to try Renee’s Beesilk Lotion Bar.  I had never used a lotion bar.  I had heard of them, but honestly, the concept confused me.  Seeing that the ingredients in the bar were very simple and all natural, I decided to give it a try on my chapped (and very restless) vacation legs and belly.

One night, I sat in a chair in the cabin while the rest of the household slept and rubbed that lotion bar onto my legs.  There was no mess, no grease…just relief.

Back at home, I continue to use it on my legs and belly, as well as my elbows (which seem to be taking a toll in this heat).  I also used it on a very bad chapped spot on my 4 year old son’s face. It worked overnight!  And I wasn’t the least bit worried about putting it on his face since the ingredients were all natural and the lotion bar didn’t create a mess (because, let’s face it, 4 year old boys are messy enough!).

All this is why I am so pleased to be able to offer you a giveaway of MadeOn Hard Lotion products!

Here’s what you’ll win:

3 Pack Beesilk Dry Skin Care:

1 Family-size lotion bar (2 oz)

1 Pocket-size lotion bar (.75 oz)

1 lip balm

(valued at $15.75)

***********************

How to enter to win:
(each worth 1 entry, leave each entry in separate comment)

Leave a comment telling me why you’d be interested in using an all-natural skin product.

Blog this giveaway

Facebook this giveaway

Tweet this giveaway

“Like” Hard Lotions’ Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/HardLotion

“Like” Raising Arrows Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/RaisingArrows

*Buy something from Hard Lotion with coupon code: raisingarrows (this code is good through Friday!)

*Sign up for Raising Arrows updates via Feed Reader or Email

Giveaway will run until Thursday, August 12th at MIDNIGHT CST! Winner will be announced on Friday, August 13! Good luck!

{Also, Renee has a diaper rash cream in the works!   So, be watching her website!}

My Favorite Travel Diaper & a Giveaway!

The winner of the Giveaway is Dawn Phelps! Congratulations, Dawn!

I started cloth diapering in 2005, shortly before the birth of my 4th child.  I started with used Motherease One-Size diapers and Motherease AirFlow covers.  I adored them, but quickly found traveling with cloth diapers AND covers would require a diaper bag the size of a suitcase.  Four kids and a suitcase just wasn’t feasible, so I began looking for good diapering system for travel.

That’s when I ran across FuzziBunz pocket diapers.

The outside of the FuzziBunz are PUL (PolyUrethane Laminate), which is a waterproof layer, with snaps for fastening.  The inner layer is a microfiber to keep wet away from baby’s skin.

All I had to do to be ready for traveling was to stuff the diapers with absorbant layers, fold them over and throw them in the diaper bag.  They were nice and compact and there was no need to fish for diapers AND covers in the diaper bag.  And as long as I had the right size for baby’s thighs, the diapers NEVER leaked.

FuzziBunz recently improved upon their design to create a One-Size pocket diaper!  That means my dilemma with getting the right fit in the waist and thighs is solved!  This diaper fits ‘em all with just a simple adjustment of button elastic.

Plus, I don’t have to buy an all new stash for each size!  Baby and toddler can both wear the same diaper with a little adjustment!

And guess what?!

You can WIN your very own One-Size FuzziBunz from

Sweet Little Blessings

to use with your little one!

Before I give you details about the giveaway, I want to quickly introduce you to Coleen of Sweet Little Blessings:

Coleen started using cloth diapers 11 years ago with her 4th baby in order to save money.  She is now the mother of 11 children, with number 12 on the way!  Starting an online cloth diapering business in July of 2008 was a natural fit since she has so much experience cloth diapering babies.  Coleen is also a fellow homeschooling mom, who scrapbooks, sews, reads, and bakes in her “spare” time.

I was thrilled to be able to partner with another homeschooling mom of many for the SavvyBlogging Summit, and I am so excited to be able to offer this giveaway from her as well!

In addition to the giveaway, Coleen is also offering a COUPON CODE for my readers to receive 10% off their order at Sweet Little Blessings!

The coupon code is:
Raising Arrows
and is good only until Friday, July 30, so don’t delay!

So, how can you enter to win?
(each of the following is worth 1 entry-if you’ve already done any of these let me know in separate comments)

*Leave a comment telling me if you’ve ever traveled with cloth diapers. (mandatory entry)

*Blog this giveaway

*Tweet this giveaway

*Facebook this giveaway

*”Like” Sweet Little Blessings Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/SweetLittleBlessings

*”Like” Raising Arrows Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/RaisingArrows

*Join Sweet Little Blessings YahooGroup:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sweetlittleblessings/

*Buy something from Sweet Little Blessings store with coupon code Raising Arrows

*Sign up for Raising Arrows updates via Feed Reader or Email

Giveaway will run until Thursday, July 29th at MIDNIGHT CST!  Winner will be announced on Friday, July 30!  Good luck!

Left Foot, Right Foot, Dry Foot

I have dry feet.  It’s all this running around barefoot and pregnant.  Really, it is.

My oh-so-wonderful children regularly give me foot massages, but the only thing I had ever found to really and truly help with my dry feet was petroleum jelly.

Yeah, I know.  Petroleum does not belong on my feet.  But, when you are desperate, petroleum jelly and a pair of socks are what you reach for.

That is, until now!

A couple of weeks ago, I was sent a container of Modern Alternative Mama’s Soothing Skin Cream.

When I opened the container, I must admit, I was taken straight to the Sweet Grass Farm’s Furniture Wax I use on my table, but that was a happy place…a lavender kind of place.  I immediately rubbed some of the yummy cream onto my hands and found it to be moisturizing without being greasy.  A few days later I thought I’d give it a go on my feet.

It was AWESOME!

I am so excited about having something that allows me to pitch the petroleum jelly once and for all!

The cream has about a million uses and smells wonderful, so why not head over to Kate’s (you might remember her from her guest post here a few months back) and order yourself some!  Right now, she has a $10 special with free shipping!

I Seriously LOVE This Spelling Curriculum!


OK, I toyed with the idea of calling this post

“Phonetic Zoo – A Review”

because it rhymes, but that title does not do justice to how much I love this program!  “Review” always sounds so stale to me, so I thought I would just title this precisely the way I feel!

You heard me mention it back when I did the SpellQuizzer giveaway; however, I didn’t really tell you much about it except that SpellQuizzer meshes well with it.  So, let me explain a bit about Phonetic Zoo itself, and hopefully, you’ll see why I LOVE this spelling curriculum!

Quick Background:
Last year, my almost 10 year old son was struggling at spelling.  Voracious reader.  Horrible speller.

I happen to believe that spelling is important.  I’d be one of those people who says poor spelling makes you look ignorant no matter how intelligent you are.  I know there are people who struggle terribly with it and I am forever grateful for spellcheckers; however, you honestly have to have some basis of correct spelling or even the best spellchecker in the world won’t figure you out.

So, this child who speaks well, writes well, reads well, needed help.

Yet traditional spelling programs weren’t working.  Sure, he could get the test right (eventually), but he wasn’t retaining a thing!

I’d all but given up when I got my Veritas Press catalog for the year.  In it, they recommended Phonetic Zoo from Institute for Excellence in Writing.  Now, I had heard Andrew Pudewa speak at a homeschool conference years ago, and I loved what he had to say about spelling, but I somehow missed the fact that he had actually created a spelling program.

Anyway, the review in Veritas Press convinced me this was worth a try even with the $100 price tag.  I ordered the product, watched their Spelling & The Brain DVD that explained why this method works, and set my son loose with the curriculum.  I immediately started seeing steady results and it has continued into this year!  He is retaining the information.  He is more confident in his ability to spell correctly.  All this done with very little effort on my part.  Spelling well without cramming it down his throat is worth $100 to me!

So, let me give you a quick run down of my favorite aspects of this curriculum:

*Independent learning – Very little is required of me.  In fact, I no longer go over his words at all with him.  He is entirely in charge of his learning.

*Auditory – My son uses the CD player and headphones.  The CDs follow a pattern similar to spelling bees.  My son hears the word, sees it in his mind, then writes it.  The words are even checked orally, which solidifies that concept of letters being put into the correct order to form the word.

*Simple & Non-consumable – No workbooks.  Let me just say that again…NO WORKBOOKS!  As you see in the picture at the top of the post, there are some cards that introduce the child to the words and cards you can hand them as they finish each lesson, but these are non-consumable.  The simplicity of it means I’m not storing and finding places on my school shelves for a monstrosity of a curriculum.

*Repetition of all words – The child must master the entire spelling list twice in a row before moving on.  So often a curriculum lets them off the hook if they ever once get a word right.  Speaking from past experience, that does nothing to cement the word into the child’s brain.

*No need to rush – Spelling levels are not age graded.  You start at A no matter who you are.  Each level can easily last longer than a school year.  When A is complete, you move to B.  No one thinks you are behind.  It is truly a go-at-your-own-pace curriculum.

I’ll be honest. This was the first time I purchased something for school and immediately sighed with relief.  It was perfect and I am so glad I went ahead and bought it!  I love it and it Works For Me!)

OK, your turn!  What  piece of curriculum have you purchased that was a sigh of relief to your homeschool?

Six Weeks of Sonlight – Every Curriculum Has Its Cons


Note: Our family is no longer using Sonlight, but I am keeping these posts available for those who are interested.  For more information on why we have changed course, READ HERE.

Part 4 – Every Curriculum Has It’s Cons

Originally, I had entitled this post, “Not a No-Brainer” because frankly, that sums up the majority of my “concerns” surrounding Sonlight.  However, that title could be a bit misleading as Sonlight doesn’t require extensive hours of preparation.  What it does require is a homeschooling parent willing to think.

Several years ago, I was not willing to think.  I hoped someday I’d find a curriculum that did all the thinking for me.  Told me what to think would be more like it.  Year after year I searched for the perfect curriculum that either believed precisely what I believed or told me what to believe when I wasn’t sure of a subject.  Imagine my dismay at NEVER finding such an animal.

I know it seems like I bring nearly everything back to this, but losing a child changes everything…even homeschooling.  I realized I could no longer take other people’s opinions/theology/identities and make them my own without doing my own homework first.  I used to listen to one homeschool speaker and Amen him all the way to the next homeschool speaker where I would find myself Amen-ing that speaker even when his or her theology or ideas were in direct contradiction to the previous speaker!  I was wishy-washy (and I still am at times because God isn’t finished with me yet!), but being forced, by the death of a child, to face what I believed head on, I came to the understanding that I could not check my brains at the door and ask a curriculum to do the hard work for me.

Do I agree with everything I encounter in Sonlight?  No.

(Sonlight handles some tough topics.  I would love it if Sonlight would include Scripture references in their discussions because the difficult subjects brought up in their books require further discussion, and I am not always able to find the Scripture references I need to fully discuss the subject matter.  I don’t need Sonlight to tell me what to think, but I could use the time saver of having the references readily available.)

Do I keep a running commentary with my children on every single book they read?  Yes.

(Until they can see false doctrine and systems for themselves, I have to “Salt” them myself.)

Do I read the materials and give my own opinions, encouraging them all the while to formulate their own opinions?  Yes.

(Steep them in the Word, folks!)

Are there little things I wish Sonlight would do that would make my life a whole lot easier?  Yes.

(the Instructor’s Guide tells you when there is map work to be done, but not when there is timeline work, and tabs on each section of discussion questions would be rather handy–I’ll be adding these myself, by the way.  And once again, great discussion questions, but I would love for Scripture references to be given.  All of these are little things that would save me time and energy.)

Is it ridiculous to think I should only use a curriculum that is “perfect” and one that I 100% agree with?  Yes!

(I don’t even expect that from my closest friends!)

It is also ridiculous to think I should use a curriculum that does all the thinking for me.  I might as well send the children to public school if I’m looking for that.  I don’t care what curriculum you use (or even if you’re children ARE in public school!), you CANNOT detach yourself from what is being taught and allow the curriculum to have the final say.

Sonlight forces me to have deep theological (even in the 3rd grade!) conversations with my children.  It forces me to talk WITH them and not AT them.  It teaches me that there are many sides to an issue and we cannot ignore those sides just because we would rather they didn’t exist.

I have learned a ton in six weeks.  I have grown in my homeschooling in six weeks.  I am excited to see what the next six weeks and the next six weeks after that bring.

So, now it’s your turn…
Got more questions about our experiences with Sonlight?  Want to share your own experiences–good and bad?  Head over to my Blog Frog Discussion.  Like I said in Part 1, I’m not an expert, but I am a real homeschooling mom who cherishes honesty and openness.  If I don’t know the answers, I’ll try to send you to someone who does.

Sonlight Series:
Part 1 – Why We Bought Sonlight
Part 2 – How We Chose a Core
Part 3 – Making the Curriculum Work for You
This is Part 4 – Every Curriculum Has Its Cons

Six Weeks of Sonlight – Making the Currirculum Work for You


Note: Our family is no longer using Sonlight, but I am keeping these posts available for those who are interested.  For more information on why we have changed course, READ HERE.

Part 3 – Making the Curriculum Work for You (and not the other way around)

If you have more than one child and you’ve homeschooled for more than a couple of years, you’ve more than likely heard the term “multi-level teaching”…and it struck fear in your little bitty homeschooling mama’s heart.

I always knew there would come a day when my oldest was not the only child I was teaching.  I clearly remember the panic I felt when I added Child #2.  However, she was such an enigma (and continues to be…remember the sponge analogy from this post?) and homeschooling her has just now, at age 9, taken on something resembling “normal” schooling. (why is it I cringe when I type the word normal?)

This year saw the addition of Child #3.  However, her schooling was more about giving her a love for learning than it was about formal schooling.  With this in mind, I knew our Sonlight purchase would be for my older children.  That was where I needed to put my energy when choosing a Core.

I explained why we chose Core 3+4, but I did not explain how we’ve made one Core work for 2 very different children.

Core 3+4 is right at Meg’s level as a 3rd grader.  She is a voracious reader, but easily overwhelmed by extra busy work.  She prefers to do her work orally when possible, and despises competition.

Blake is a 6th grader, so Core 3+4 is technically “beneath” him.  He is also a voracious reader and loves a good discussion.  He works well independently AND corporately.  He’s an easy-keeper when it comes to academics, but is easily bored if there’s not enough substance to what he’s doing.

I stressed over choosing a Core that was “beneath” my oldest son, yet the books included were good books I wanted him to read.  Come to find out my stressing was all for naught.  The history lessons have been relevant and solid and I’ve easily been able to supplement both the kiddos reading lessons with extra books I gathered from lists found in a wonderful book entitled All Through The Ages. (Please go check out this book!)

I’ve also learned I don’t HAVE to do all the things suggested in the Instructor’s Guide, especially on the days when Megan feels overwhelmed.  I do all the questions from the history and reading selections orally in more of a discussion-like atmosphere so no one feels bogged down by more writing assignments.  And I use the chapter assignments listed in the IG as guidelines rather than set-in-stone requirements.  Some days we read more…some days less.

There is very little extra fuss to Sonlight.  No extra projects cluttering my lesson plans, no extensive books lists making me think I HAVE to force my children to read every single book or they will somehow have missed out.  All of it is there, in an easy-to-read format with extra space for me to write in MY projects or extra book suggestions.

Honestly, much of my ability to make Sonlight work for me rather than the other way around has to do with maturity as a homeschool mom.  There truly are no perfect curricula out there (my next and last post will deal with some of the cons I see in Sonlight and my thoughts on those), but when you gain a certain level of maturity as a homeschooler (which has nothing to do with age and everything to do with finding your niche), you realize just about any curriculum will work IF it is designed with your particular personality in mind.  When mama finds a good fit, she can make it fit the entire family.  But you HAVE TO give yourself permission to be the master of the curriculum and not the other way around!

Sonlight Series:
Part 1 – Why We Bought Sonlight
Part 2 – How We Chose a Core
This is Part 3 – Making the Curriculum Work for You
Part 4 – Every Curriculum Has Its Cons