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My Favorite Resources
I have a lot of favorite resources (far too many to list all on one page), but if
I had to choose the “best-
Bible Art
Journaling Bible (ESV) – A single column, hardcover Bible with extra wide margins
for note-
The Word in Color – An adult coloring book filled with pages of uplifting scripture art to meditate on as you color.
The Psalms in Color – An adult coloring book featuring the Psalms, lots of beautiful illustrations color as you meditate on the scriptures.
Colorful Blessings: Cards to Color and Share – A beautiful box filled with 4-
Worship Music
Hidden in My Heart (A Lullaby Journey Through Scriptures) – This is the album that gets played the most in our house! We listen to it every day at nap time and every night we have it playing in the background while we sleep! Anytime we wake up during the night, we can hear it still playing, and the beautiful promises of Scripture are there to encourage and revive our hearts even on the hardest of nights! There are actually three albums in this series, and we have them all! They’re just amazing!
The Corner Room – This particular music group has some amazing worship songs! The
music is beautiful and soothing, and the lyrics are word-
Amy Shreve – Beautiful, soothing, and inspiring worship music. Amy Shreve is one of my favorite artists, though she is not so well known. She plays a number of stringed instruments, including the harp. I especially like her earlier albums: Harp & Willow, Haven, and I Am His and He is Mine.
Patch the Pirate Quiet Time Scripture Songs from the Proverbs – This particular album is really beautiful, and full of scripture truths! Perfect for quiet time reflections!
I have way too many favorite artists to be able to list them all . . . but some of my top favorites include: 4Him, Casting Crowns, Chris Rice, Fernando Ortega, Keith & Kristyn Getty, Laura Story, Phillips, Craig & Dean, Rich Mullins, and Steven Curtis Chapman,
Sermons
To save space on this page, I am listing all my top favorite sermons HERE.
Bible Resources for Kids
The Bible App for Kids Storybook Bible – I searched long and hard to find a good Children’s Bible, and after trying several different options (most of which were sad disappointments) I finally came across this gem! This Children’s Bible is very well done! The pages are full color with beautiful illustrations. The animals are especially intriguing for children and very expressive which adds a lot of fun to the storytelling. The stories are detailed enough for the children to get a good idea of what is going on, but short enough that you can flip through the pages pretty quickly to keep the interest of a child who has a short attention span.
Bible App for Kids – You got to love the age of technology! You can download this
FREE Bible App that has several beautiful Bible stories that kids can animate and
interact with. My daughter just loves pushing the different parts of the screen to
animate the stories. Of course, when we read the Bible storybook that was produced
by the same company, my daughter actually tries to push the pictures on the pages
of the book and seems a bit confused about why the pictures in the book don’t move
and make noise when she pushes them :-
Illustrated Children’s Bible – The pictures in this book are absolutely amazing!
And the stories themselves go more in-
G.T. And the Halo Express – I grew up listening to these on cassette and was so excited to find that they have finally been put on CD’s and are available for purchase once again. These are the best! The stories and songs are catchy, fun, and highly entertaining. And the best part – all the songs are direct quotes from scripture, so your kids can memorize Bible verses at the same time!
Hide ‘em in Your Heart (Steve Green) – The music on these CD’s is really great for getting kids familiar and engaged in the scriptures. Each track starts out with a short devotion and a Bible passage, then that same passage of scripture is put to music. The songs are very appealing to children and the lyrics are direct quotes from scripture so as the kids sing along and learn the songs they are memorizing Bible verses at the same time!
For more Bible Resources for Kids, see my article: Does Your Child Know Jesus?
Music For Kids
Bullfrogs & Butterflies (Agapeland) – I listened to these songs when I was a child and I’m eager to get my kids started in listening to them as well. These Agapeland songs will get your kids singing along, praising the Lord and learning valuable lessons for life.
Scripture Lullabies – Beautiful, soft lullaby music for children of all ages. These songs do not quote scripture word for word, but they do expose children to the promises in scripture and lull them to sleep with wholesome and encouraging words.
Joni: Harps and Halos – Very entertaining story and songs all featuring our home in Heaven.
Children’s Movies
This is one of my favorite Bible movies for children. It is very simple, very calm, but also very well done. I especially love all the bright colors and the fun animals. The stories are short and concise, using very simple language that children can understand while still upholding the message and essence of the stories. It skips a lot of detail and really just covers the basics, but for a young child who is just learning the names of the different Bible characters and how they fit into the story as a whole, this is perfect (we can always go into more detail later).
Spot – The Spot videos are based on the children’s books by Eric Hill. They are perfect as a “first video” for infants and toddlers. Our favorites are: “Discover Spot”, “Spot and His Grandparents Go to the Carnival”, and “Spot’s Magical Christmas”.
Hermie and Friends – A really cute DVD series that teaches Biblical principles and Christian character. Fun, entertaining, and instructive. I like these movies even better than veggie tales!
Benny’s Biggest Battle – This is a less commonly known DVD, but it is the sequel
to “The Music Machine” (also a great show!). In this show, kids learn about the fruits
of the spirit – especially self-
Agapeland Character Builders – These short videos are told in a story-
Winnie the Pooh 123’s, Winnie the Pooh Shapes and Sizes, and Winnie the Pooh Wonderful Word Adventure. These are great learning vidoes for kids. The 123’s video teaches kids about numbers and counting to 10. The Wonderful Word Adventure does an amazing job of teaching the concept of opposites. And the Shapes and Sizes is true to the title, teaches children about the shapes and sizes of items. The music in these videos is very catchy, and the storylines entertaining enough to keep the children captivated and not even realize that they are learning.
I should mention that there is another video in this series (the ABC video), but I can’t really recommend that one since we found it to be rather a disappointment. In my opinion it spent too much time trying to teach kids about rhyming words that it failed to teach the alphabet, and the plot was not as fun and engaging as the other videos in the series.
My Favorite Movies
The Young Victoria – Resolved to establish her authority over those who rule in her
stead, a young and inexperienced Queen Victoria draws strength from the love of Albert,
the handsome prince who’s stolen her heart. Based on the courtship and early reign
of England’s longest-
Princess of Thieves – The story of Robin Hood’s daughter, starring Keira Knightley. This is a pretty popular movie, and for good reason, everything about it intriguing and great!
Ever After: A Cinderella Story – This movie tells the Cinderella story so well and in such a way that you might almost be convinced that it were true and not just a made up fairytale. The acting is great, the costume and sets are amazing, the plot is intriguing, and the humor in this movie is fantastic!
The Slipper and the Rose – I was so excited to find this movie back in circulation and finally out on DVD! I’m not usually a fan of musicals, but this one has some of the best songs I have ever heard and the plot has it’s own unique twist to the familiar Cinderella story.
Pride and Prejudice – My favorite version of this old time classic!
The Scarlet Pimpernel – Great actors, great costumes and sets, and a fantastic plot! This version of the Scarlet Pimpernel is an old classic, but still one of the best films ever made!
The Scarlet and the Black – Also known as the “Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican”, this movie is set during WWII and tells the tale of a man who could not turn a blind eye to the needs around him, but rose up to do all he could to help as many as he could. A true story!
My Favorite Books
Intercessory Prayer (by Dutch Sheets) – This book is my all time favorite! It completely changed the way I think about prayer, and has had a lasting impact on my prayer life. I would highly recommend this book!
Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough (by Elmer Towns) – A great, insightful, practical application book for any believer, whether you’re new to fasting or have been doing it for a while, there’s something here for everyone.
The War for Mansoul – a John Bunyan classic retold by Ethel Barrett.
Princess in Calico – Caught in a home situation of hardship, drudgery and ugliness, Katura is unexpectedly given the freedom for which her sensitive spirit longs. She blossoms in her new environment and also meets a friend whose influence changes the entire course of her life. Katura's choice in a difficult situation , and the events that follows her decision, lead the reader through experiences that stir the heart and challenge the personal, unselfish commitment of everyone who calls himself a dedicated child of God.
Your God is Too Safe: Rediscovering the Wonder of a God You Can’t Control (by Mark Buchanan) – I have to admit, the first time I read this book I didn’t want it to end! This book helped to challenge my view of God – to stop trying to make Him fit into my idea of what He should be, and just allow Him to be who He is!
The Lost Prince (Francis Hodgson Burnett) – A real gem of a classic! If you’ve never read it you don’t know what you’re missing!
Seven Daughters and Seven Sons (by Barbara Colins) – A well written, absorbing novel about a middle eastern girl from a family of daughters who disguises herself as a boy and becomes a rich business(wo)man far from home, where she meets and falls for the local prince. But circumstances bring them apart and the rest of the story is about what happens when she goes home. Completely different than anything else I've ever read!
Abundant Simplicity (by Jan Johnson) – This is an incredibly inspiring book! There is so much packed into it that literally every paragraph was presenting me with “ah ha!” moments!
For more listings of favorite books check out the following links:
>> Favorite Inspirational Books
>> Favorite Books on Parenting & Families
Baby Books
Where’s Spot (by Eric Hill) – This is a perfect “first book” for babies and toddlers. The pictures are simple but very bright and colorful. The text is kept to a minimum, and is fairly repetitious (which young kids always like). It also contains flaps to lift up, which is also a big hit for toddlers especially. And unlike most other flap books, these flaps are actually very easy to glue back on when the kids rip them off (which is inevitably going to happen at some point!). There is an entire series of Spot books, and they are all fantastic . . . but I would say the “Where’s Spot” book is the best one to start out with.
Peek-
That’s Not My Kitten (Usborne Touchy Feely) – This book comes in two different options:
hardcover or board book, I recommend the hardcover version. The pages of the hardcover
book are still thick and “board-
Children’s Books
Adam Raccoon; Parables for Kids Series (by Glen Keane) – These are the BEST books ever! Children of all ages enjoy the stories and pictures in this series. They are fun and exciting, while at the same time teaching great Biblical lessons that will impact the lives of your children. You will want to collect them all and will likely find yourself like I did – wishing there were even more of these books than there are!
Love You Forever (by Robert Munsch) – Such a beautiful book! The pictures, the lyrics, the message . . . this is one of the best books I have ever seen. I grew up with my mother reading it to me and I, in turn, read it to my children, and I expect one day in the distant future my children will be reading it to their children. It is a book well worth passing on.
Are You My Mother (by P.D. Eastman) – A fun, engaging story about a baby bird who is looking for his mother. I started reading this book to my toddler and she loves it. It is also an easy enough read that when she’s old enough to start reading on her own it will be a great resource then as well.
Go, Dogs, Go (by P.D. Eastman) – An all-
The Little Lost Sheep (by Marilyn Lindsey) – I was so glad to find this book back in print. It is an old classic tale about a little lamb who strays from the fold and gets lost until the good shepherd comes and finds him and takes him back to his mother. A really cute book with beautiful pictures and a great way to introduce Jesus as being our Good Shepherd.
Toys & Games
Playmobile – Some of the BEST toys ever! There’s something here for every child . . . dollhouse sets, princess & fantasy sets, farm yard, rescue workers, pirates, space, western, race car, dinosaurs, and more! (Note: they’re more affordable if you can find them used on Ebay)
Large Building Blocks – Very similar to Duplos (and completely compatible!), but for a fraction of the price!
Aliris Zoo Animals – These cute zoo animals can provide hours of imaginary play for young children. Completely compatible with Duplos, excellent quality, and an affordable price!
Vintage Polly Pockets – They don’t make these anymore (the new Polly Pockets are
NOT pocket size!) but these are definitely a favorite toy for girls. Lots of little
parts, though, so better for girls around age 7-
Eeboo Preschool Puzzle – Colors – This is an amazing puzzle for kids who are just learning their colors! I was very pleasantly surprised by the design, the pictures, and the durable quality of this puzzle. And I have to admit, I enjoyed doing the puzzle with my kids almost as much as they enjoyed it themselves! It’s also worth noting that the same company also makes an Alphabet and Numbers Puzzle, which is also really excellent, though the colors puzzle is certainly our favorite!
GRACEON Wooden Puzzles – These wodden jigsaw puzzles are a great way to introduce kids to puzzles. I love that they are small and convenient for travel. We’ve also been known to slip them in our church or restaurant bags – perfect for keeping the kids entertained wherever!
Melissa & Doug in a Box Wodden Puzzles – My boys really loved these puzzles! Great durable quality, and fun pictures that excite the imagination!
Melissa & Doug Picnic Set – I really love this picnic basket set. Beautifully designed, and the dishes that come with it are a decent quality and cover all the essentials (plates, cups, spoons, forks, and knives – four of each). The basket is a nice size (approximately 12 x 7 x 9), not too small but not too big. The dishes fit in the basket well with plenty of room left for anything else you want to add (picnic blanket, play food, etc).
Melissa & Doug Bella Butterfly Tea Set – This dish set was a huge hit with my kids, with all of them – even the boys! Hours of fun serving up tea and pretending to be on picnics or waiters/waitresses at fancy restaurants. So much fun!
Elitao Dessert Tray – This pretend food set is very complimentary to the Melissa & Doug tea party and picnic sets. Our kids just love being able to serve up cake, ice cream, and donuts with their tea. And the velcro to hold the cake together and the ice cream on the cones is just brilliant!!
Seckton Kids Selfie Digital Camera – This is, by far, one of the best purchases I ever made! Our kids wanted cameras one Christmas, so I got them these. I had looked at several other cameras and had even bought and returned a few that just didn’t live up to our expectations, but THIS camera was everything we were hoping for! I’ll admit, I was surprised by how small it is. Kind of like a little miniature camera. But with my kids being 4 and 6 years old, it turned out to be the perfect size for them! And all the settings and features on this camera are just mind boggling! I was very surprised at how incredible this little camera was! We’re talking hours and hours of fun for the kids!
Go Fish! – You wouldn’t think that a “Go Fish” game would be hard to find, but I had a terrible time trying to find a version of the game that had bright, bold colors, cute illustrations, and just straight up “Go Fish” without any alterations or additions to the game. So, simple as it may sound, I just have to share this find. The kids love this game, and absolutely love the cards and illustrations. It’s a favorite game in our house!
Baby Supplies
Snappi Cloth Diaper Fasteners – When our first child was born I knew I wanted to use cloth diapers but I really don’t like using diaper pins. A friend of mine introduced me to these Snappi fasteners and I absolutely love them! They are so quick and easy to fasten on or off and actually hold really well. Granted, I have come across some cloth diaper fabrics that they do not work well on, which is why I stick to a particular brand of cloth diapers as well (see below).
OsoCozy Prefold Cloth Diapers – These are the best cloth diapers I have ever used!
Soft, durable, and very absorbent. Comes in two different sizes to fit babies from
7 -
Flip Cloth Diaper Cover – When it comes to diaper covers, these are the best! They are just the simple polyester cover. They have elastic around the waist and legs and fasten with simple snaps. They do not come with any inserts and do not have any “pockets” for inserts. Most diaper covers you get require custom sized inserts to use with the covers, and I always find them very annoying to match up and assemble. These are just a simple cover that you can put over any cloth diaper or use with any diaper inserts of your choosing. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Paladin Diaper Rash Cream – This cream is getting harder to find but it is definitely the best when it comes to diaper rashes. It has powerful soothing properties that take effect immediately upon application. It also heals the skin very quickly. You will notice a difference within the hour! Seriously, there is no better treatment for diaper rash than this!
Burt’s Bees Diaper Rash Ointment – The Paladin cream mentioned above is definitely my favorite, but this rash ointment is not too far behind. The one advantage this product has over the paladin is that you can find it locally in the stores, where as the Paladin usually has to be ordered online. It works really well, but I have noticed more of a delay between the time I apply it and the point in which my baby seems to find relief from the pain of the rash. With Paladin the relief is almost instant, where as this one takes a couple minutes to really start working.
Floaties Swim Seat – This swim floater is great for babies and toddlers. I’ve tried other floaters for infants but this one is definitely the best. I just never felt completely comfortable having my baby supported by other floating devices, there just always seemed to be some aspect of them that scared me as a mother. With some floaters the child is not supported well enough that you think they might fall out. In others, the floater is so tipsy that you expect it to flip over at any moment. And most floaters have very small seams where the pieces connect that the braces have actually been known to break causing the child to fall through.
This floater is different than all the others, and had my complete confidence from the beginning. It is very well made with quality plastic. There are multiple “tubes” to inflate, which means if one were to deflate for whatever reason the child would still be supported by the others. The floater is also a square shape, instead of round, which I love – the square shape gives it added stability to prevent tipping. It also has wide seams that are securely fastened, so you can be sure that it will hold the weight of your child even as your child grows. And, the child sits deep into the tube, which holds them firmly with good support so that even a child who can’t yet sit on their own is still able to sit well in this floater. All in all, it is the best design I have ever seen, and highly recommend it to others!
Happy Baby Organic Puffs – I don’t normally buy special “baby food” products, but someone gave us a pack of these organic puffs as a gift and I absolutely loved them! They are perfect for babies who are just getting started with solid foods. Easy to pick up. Melts in the mouth. No mess. No choking. Very little sugar. I would certainly buy them again and definitely recommend them to others!
Happy Baby Organic Yogis – Freeze dried organic fruit and yogurt drops that melt in your baby’s mouth. A great first snack for babies just learning to feed themselves. A nutritious snack. Easy to pick up. Melts in the mouth. No mess. No choking. Very little sugar. These were definitely a favorite snack for our baby. A great distraction before a meltdown gets out of control. Also great for taking on long trips since they’re not at all messy but help distract a child whose getting antsy in the car.
Toddler Supplies
Kushies Taffeta Waterproof Training Pants – These are a life saver when it comes
time to potty train. These training pants have an absorbent cotton lining on the
inside, giving the child the feel of having “real underwear”. The outside is nylon,
which helps a lot in preventing messes when the child has a minor accident. I say
“minor” because some people complain that these do not hold in enough moisture to
use overnight. They’re not meant to. If you want to use them as an over-
Kid Supplies
Faxpot Swim Vest – I had a hard time finding swim vests that met all our high expectations, but after trying several different ones, we finally landed on these, and our kids are pretty happy with them. I think they’re a little small if your kid happens to be above average for their weight or build, but children in the average weight range or below, it fits real well.
Elecder i36 Kid Headphones – These headphones were a must during our international travels. The kids could watch their movies and be able to hear the audio over the load rumble of the airplane engines, and wherever we went they were free to use their tablets without having to worry about disturbing anyone around us. Again, we tried a lot of different kinds before settling on this one. These headphones fit better than any of the others we tried, and were very comfortable with decent volume. They were exactly what we were needing.
Products for Women
Emerita Progesterone Cream – This is the only brand of Progesterone Cream I would use. It works extremely well (better than all the other progesterone products) and it doesn’t contain all the added chemicals that are often found in other products. Great for preventing miscarriages, or helping to balance out a common condition of estrogen dominance.
One-
Oreganol – Best product ever for treating candida, thrush, and other fungal infections common to women.
Glad Rags – Great products for a woman’s menstrual period. Cloth pads, panty liners, menstrual cups, natural tampons, and more. These products are all reusable which will save you money. Also really great, durable quality!
Saliva Hormone Test Kit – This is a hormone test that you can order online and take at home, then you just mail it in to the laboratory and they send you the results. This particular kit tests 5 different hormones that are critical for women’s health. I have used it twice and have found it to be a most helpful DIY product.
L’Oreal Paris Nail Polish -
F.A.S.T Shampoo & Conditioner for Hair Growth – I had really long hair when I was
younger, but then in my mid-
Jewelry & Accessories
Jiamusi Zerconia Topaz Ring – When my wedding ring got too small after my second pregnancy (and the quote to resize my wedding ring was through the roof) I needed a good, affordable alternative of something I could wear until my ring size could go back to normal. After a good long search, I came across this ring, which has far exceeded my expectations. The quality is amazing! You would never even know it wasn’t white gold and a real diamond – and you certainly can’t beat the price for this kind of quality!!
Lotus Stud Faux Ear Crawler – One of my favorite set of earrings! Very unique! The pearl stud is worn as a normal early, but the metal “flower” connects behind the ear for a very unique, and very stunning flare!
Headband Boho Headwrap – Fitted with elastic in back, this headband is my favorite “go to” option for a very quick, easy to slip on, headcovering. And I love the variety of colors to choose from!
MEMGIFT Cross Pendant Necklace – I mainly got this for the necklace chain, but the pendant is a very nice quality as well. I had a very specific kind of necklace chain I was looking for, and it took a long time to find it, but this chain met all my expectations. A thicker type of chain, and very durable. Something that can hold up well to my babies always pulling on my necklace, but still fashionable enough to look elegant with whatever outfit I’m wearing.
Pregnancy & Childbirth
What to Expect When You're Expecting (by Heidi Murkoff & Sharon Mazel) -
Wondfo Pregnancy Tests (25 count) – These are very basic pregnancy tests but they have always been accurate for me and you just can’t beat the price! For what you would normally be paying for 3 tests, you can get 25 test strips in this bundle, so you can test as early and as often as you want without feeling like you’re wasting precious dollars on shear curiosity.
Prego Maternity Swimsuit – It can be extremely hard to find a nice maternity swimsuit, especially one that will last all the way through the third trimester. When I first purchased this one and tried it on I knew I had discovered a gem. It is comfortable, stylish, and fits very well in every stage of pregnancy.
Papaya & Pineapple Enzymes – Great product if you suffer from acid reflux during pregnancy. Papayas and Pineapples both contain enzymes that help to reduce heartburn and acid reflux. It works best if you take it consistently every day, as it does not provide instant relief but rather requires time to build up in your body. For quick relief take a tablespoon (or capsule full) of baking soda. The baking soda works quickly but doesn’t last, the papaya & pineapple enzymes work slowly but have longer lasting effects.
Gentle Birth Formula – I will not go through a birth without using this product!
It is a natural, herbal tincture that you start taking around 35 weeks. It strengthens
the uterus to prepare for birth, it helps the labor contractions to be more productive
during labor, it helps shorten the amount of time you spend in labor, it helps your
cervix to be able to dilate further before discomfort is felt, and it helps to prevent
hemorrhaging and to speed recovery after the birth. When I used this product for
my last pregnancy, the nurses were amazed at how quickly the labor progressed. I
was only in labor for 11 hours with my first child, and only 4-
Shepherd’s Purse Tincture – If you use the Gentle Birth Formula (above) it’s important to note that it usually causes a lot of bleeding for the first hour or so after delivery. It’s not a problem, and actually helps with speeding up the recovery, but I’ve found that excessive bleeding after delivery really makes the doctors and midwives really nervous, so my remedy to that is to take this tincture immediately after delivery, and again 20 minutes and 40 minutes after delivery. Doing this really helps to get the bleeding under control quickly, and set the doctors and midwives at ease. Even if you aren’t using the Gentle Birth Formula, this would still be a good thing to have on hand just in case you have any issues with hemorrhaging. It really does work really well at helping the body control and slow the bleeding!
After Ease – Contractions and cramps still continue even after the labor, as the uterus works to shrink back down to its normal size. Most of the time these contractions should just be uncomfortable at best, but often times they can be quite painful. After Ease is a natural, herbal tincture that helps to relieve the pain of these cramps and contractions. This is not a pain killer medication and does not kick in right away when you take it. The herbs in this formula take time to build up and work in the body, so it works best if you take it consistently, multiple times a day.
You may not feel the need for this when it’s your first baby, but with child the
after-
Paladin Ointment – This cream is typically used as a diaper rash ointment for babies, but I found it to be very helpful and extremely soothing after childbirth. To apply the ointment, I just put a small amount directly on the maxi pads (since I was reluctant to touch or wipe the skin). The ointment was extremely soothing, worked instantly for giving relief, and helped minimize irritation from the pads.
Oral Vitamin K for Newborns – A great alternative to the Vitamin K injection. You can purchase the product at this website, but it also contains a lot of great information for expecting mothers, which I really appreciate!
Household Products
Torro Ant Killer – There are a lot of ant killer products out there, but in my experience
this one works the best! The unique thing about this product is that it does not
kill the ants too quickly. It attracts ants of every kind with a sweet sugar formula,
but it is slow-
Interlocking Rings Embroidered Bed Sheets – These are my favorite bedsheets! They’re not too expensive, but the color selection is great. I have tried several of their different colors and after the first washing the dye no longer bleeds. This is even true of the deep burgundy colored sheets – typically red bed sheets bleed a lot, but these don’t!
Thieves Toothpaste – This toothpaste is all natural with no fluoride and no synthetic ingredients added. The same product line sells natural Mouthwash as well. Using these products together is a great way to promote oral health.
Remineralization Kit for Tooth Enamel & Mineral – Prevents continued loss of tooth enamel, strengthens teeth, stabilizes cavities from further deterioration, and promotes an alkaline pH in the mouth. Kit includes tooth powder, mouthwash, and remineralization liquid. All natural products!
Health Products
Charcoal (by Source Naturals) – I always keep this product on hand and highly recommend that others do the same. It saved my life once when I had internal poisoning, and it has saved us great discomforts many times since. Charcoal has an amazing ability of adsorbing (attracting and holding to its surface) gases, liquids, chemicals, and dissolved substances. It’s the first thing our family takes whenever we have upset stomach. Most often it is enough in itself to relieve the stomachache, especially ones caused by something you ate. For stomachaches related to an illness (such as the flu) we use it along with tummy rub oil and immune boosters.
You will especially want to keep this product on hand if you have small children in your house, if they ingest any chemicals or get into the medicine cabinet and ingest something they shouldn’t, start giving them lots of charcoal and water . . . it helps adsorb all the dangerous chemicals/poisons and helps them pass right through the digestive system with minimal damage.
Just don’t take charcoal at the same time as taking other medicines, since it will
adsorb the other medicines and cause them to be ineffective. Always wait at least
15-
Odorless Garlic (by Nature’s Bounty) – Garlic has so many healing properties and is an incredible product for boosting the immune system and fighting off infections. The only downside to garlic is the “garlic breath” that lingers long after you take it. That’s where this product is really nice. It really is odorless, so you can have the same benefits of taking garlic without repelling your friends and family with a repulsive odor.
Otisol Ear Cleaner – This product is amazing! It actually helps to dissolve the earwax and help clean out the ears. I always use this product at the same time as using eardrops whenever treating an earache. I put this product in the ear first, wait a minute or so and then add mullein eardrops.
Mullein / Garlic Ear Drops – Natural ear drops, containing mullein, garlic, calendula, st. john’s wort, and olive oil – all of which contain great healing properties for earaches.
Dr. Christopher’s Tissue and Bone Ointment – This stuff really works! It contains
comfrey root (among others), which is an herb that is incredibly useful in healing
bones. You apply the product topically multiple times a day, the products absorb
through the skin and work to speed up the healing of the inner bones and tissues.
Just don’t use this product on a broken bone that has not been x-
TheraFlu Nightime – If you’ve got a sever cold, flu, or congestion, this product is a life saver! I don’t use it a lot, but every once in a while you get one of those nights where you just can’t sleep because of congestion or flu symptoms. This product is pretty powerful. I suggest just taking half of the suggested dose, that is usually enough to relieve symptoms, clear up congestion, make you drowsy/sleepy, without any kind of hangover or groggy/drugged feeling the next morning.
Normally I purchase the cheaper “off-
Health Books
Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants (by DK Publishers) – Great book for beginner herbalists.
Beautiful, full-
Natural Remedies Encyclopedia (by Vance Ferrell) – This book has a lot of natural remedies for a wide assortment of diseases and disorders. Most of the remedies suggested in this book are everyday household items or common (easy to find) herbs and supplements. The book is easy to read and make sense of and the information given in the book is priceless! Every household should have a copy of this book!
Fear Cancer No More (by Mauris Emeka) – This is a book that I have found to be extremely helpful and informative on the whole issue of cancer. It addresses the whole question of what cancer is, and explains it in layman’s terms so that even the average person with no medical training can understand what exactly goes on in the body when cells “become cancerous”.
Feelings Buried Alive Never Die (by Karol Truman) -
A More Excellent Way (by Henry Wright) -
Homeschool Resources
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons – The English language is very confusing to learn to read, there are so many phonetic rules and then so many “exceptions” to those rules. Most early readers do a great job of teaching the kids basic phonics, sounding out words, and rhyming. But this book does a great job of all these things while also bridging a major gap in the educational system and helping the children learn to read any words in spite of whichever confusing rules they follow or which phonetic rules they may break. A unique method for teaching a child to read, but one that gives great results in a short period of time.
What in the World? Audio Series (Diana Waring) – A dynamic look at history and the Bible. Diana Waring is one of my favorite speakers. She is fun, entertaining, and highly informative in her lectures. There is so much information packed into these audio lectures that you could listen to them over and over again and always get something new out of it. I especially like Diana’s approach of looking at history through the lens of scripture, showing how all of history centers around God and His chosen people, the Israelites. When you’ve finished the “What in the World?” series, I’d also encourage you to look into the “That’s Why They Call it Grace” tapes featuring the history of the church.
Electronics
Canon PIXMA MX922 All-
Compatible Ink Cartridges – This ink is compatible with the above Cannon Pixma printer and comes to about $1.20 per cartridge. Yes, you read that correctly – $1.20 per cartridge!! This is a set of of 28 cartridges, including 12 large black cartridges, 4 smaller black cartridges, 4 cyan blue, 4 magenta, and 4 yellow.
ME456 LED Light Box – This light box gets a lot of use in our house! We first used it along with the Free Crayola Printable Tracing Pages, but have done so many different projects with it now. It’s been amazing to see the talent my kids display. They just needed a little inspiration to get them going!
Canon Mobile Document Scanner – I tried several scanners before I came across this one. I needed something that could scan a wide variety of things – documents, photographs, children’s art, etc . . . . and this one did the trick! The quality of the photograph scans is better than any other scanner I’ve used as well, so I was very happy about that! If you’re going to go through all the work of scanning keepsake photos (which I did!!) you want the end results to be a good quality and well worth the time you put into it!
Websites
MeWe – Very similar to Facebook, but a whole lot better, in my opinion! I’ve been using MeWe for several years now and really love that it is a social media platform that is committed to protecting the privacy of its users. It’s similar enough to Facebook that if you’re used to Facebook it’s an easy switch to start using MeWe. But it doesn’t have all the algorithms, advertisements, censorship, and security breeches that have become a real concern with Facebook.
Ebates – If you’re interested in saving money on online purchases, this is a great option. Anyone who buys online needs to know about this site! It works just like normal rebates only with NO hassle. You don’t even have to remember to do anything with it, it just runs in the background of your Chrome browser, and when you’re on a site that qualifies for cash back it will pop up a simple notice and ask if you want to activate the rebate. That’s all. Ebates takes care of all the rest and even automatically deposits the funds into your account. I can personally testify that this is NOT a scam, it works, it’s great, and it’s so easy to use!
Pinterest – I usually avoid social media sites, but this is one that has proven to be a really great resource and one of my favorite sites. I get a LOT of ideas and inspiration from this site for crafts, home improvements, decorations, recipes, and so much more. Whatever your interests are, this site is a great place for brainstorming!