Maestro Classics Peter and the Wolf CD Review

My family had the privilege of listening to the Peter and the Wolf CD by Maestro Classics for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Maestro Classics is a company that specializes in a classical music series called Stories in Music. This series has 12 titles to choose from of classical music CDs or MP3s with narration. Each title is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and has a story and musical explanation to go with the music. These Classics for Children are both educational and fun for young and old alike.

Peter and the Wolf is a real classic. It is truly a creative folk story with both classical music and narration. The Maestro Classics version is a physical musical CD (also comes in MP3 digital download) with a activity booklet and curriculum guide. It also includes a biography of the composer, Sergei Prokofiev, an extra track of music without the narration, a performance by a folk trio, Trio Voronezh, who play selections from Peter and the Wolf with traditional Russian instruments, and a 24-page activity booklet. The Maestro Classics Peter and the Wolf is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Grammy-nominated conductor Stephen Simon and and narrator Yadu. The gorgeous illustrations on the cover and inside the activity booklet are by award-winning children's book illustrator Salley Mavor of Wee Folk Studio.

Maestro Classics Peter and the Wolf Tracklisting:

1. Introduction (3:57)
2. Peter and the Wolf performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Narration by Yadu (25:10)
3. About the Composer: Sergei Prokofiev (6:14)
4. A Russian Peter performed by Trio Voronezh (2:21)
5. About the Music (6:18)
6. Peter and the Wolf performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Instrumental) (21:03)
7. Invitation to Grandfather's Party (0:26)
8. Kalinka performed by Trio Voronezh (2:45)

Total Playing Time: 68:16

The CD insert has a lot of fun activities in it to do too:

• Match the Instruments
• Prokofiev the Composer (a little about him with an activity to write in Russian)
• Identify the Mouthpiece (fill in blanks and write what instrument the picture goes with)
• Dot-to-Dot
• Trio Voronezh (a little about the Russian band with a fun fact that they now live in Eugene, Oregon!)
• Peter's Tune (the written music for the character, Peter)
• The Balalaika (introduction to this traditional Russian instrument)
• The Bayan (introduction to this traditional Russian instrument)
• The Domra (introduction to this traditional Russian instrument)
• Crack the Code! (write the letter under the picture it represents)
• Word Search
• Musical Question (read the notes and put the letters they represent in the blanks)
• Crossword Fun!
• Our Players (a bit about the conductor, narrator, and creative director and producer of Maestro Classics)

You can also find a free homeschool curriculum guide on the Maestro Classics website for all twelve of their Stories in Music. Each one has links for  lesson plans in History, Science, Geography, Language Arts, Art, Music, and Math. You can download all the subjects in one unit study on PDF from their website.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I believe that teaching classical music to children is important because it enhances: intellect, concentration, memory, self-discipline, attention span, listening skills, social skills, language skills, math skills, spatial-temporal reasoning, etc. It also gives a greater appreciation of a wider spectrum of music, relieves stress, improves mood and emotion skills, and stimulates the brain while advancing children's development. This "Mozart Effect" has been documented in many studies around the world. The benefits of classical music and musical education are substantial.

My husband and I grew up in the 80's with Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies by Warner Bros. & Silly Symphonies by Disney on TV and Disney's Fantasia full length movie featuring Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Peter and the Wolf mini classic film. When I was a kid I really didn't think anything of it when I was watching them. They were just silly cartoons to me, but now that I am older I realize that these musical animated films were filled with great classical music. These were a huge musical influence on my husband and I. When I was asked to review The Nutcracker or Peter and the Wolf from Maestro Classics I chose Peter and the Wolf because my fond memories of the 1946 animated Disney version as a child.

The Maestro Classics version is wonderful. Track 1 and 2 are very similar with the Disney version, but without the animation so you can picture everything that happens in your head and be more imaginative about it. With this story you can follow along with the instruments easily, but it still makes you think and this is great for little minds. My daughters, Zari and Teela, who had not heard Peter and the Wolf before, were captivated with the story and music. My girls loved how each character was represented by an instrument and had its own theme. I am so happy that the director of the Children's Theater in Moscow asked Prokofiev to compose a work to introduce children to the symphony orchestra because if she hadn't we wouldn't have had Peter and the Wolf. We love the Russian Folk Medley that the Trio Voronezh played. It was really fun to hear some of Peter and the Wolf played with traditional Russian instruments. Kalinka was also fun and my girls liked to dance to this piece because it slowed down and then sped up. I am going to delve deeper into the homeschool curriculum guide with my boys in the coming weeks. I know all of my kids will enjoy doing the science, art, and music projects and learning about the history, etc. behind the music.

We had a wonderful time listening to the Maestro Classics Peter and the Wolf. We learned a lot about the composer and some traditional Russian instruments along with some other interesting information. I highly recommend this CD, activity booklet, and curriculum guide to anyone that wants to have and teach a better appreciation for classical music.

BUY IT
Purchase Peter and the Wolf on CD for $16.98 + free shipping, mp3 for $9.98, and on iTunes for $9.99.

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Seven Spoons: My Favorite Recipes for Any and Every Day Cookbook Review

I received this book, Seven Spoons: My Favorite Recipes for Any and Every Day by Tara O'Brady, free to facilitate this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

You may know Tara O'Brady from her extremely popular foodie blog, Seven Spoons, which focuses on crowd-pleasing recipes that she want to share with the world. She was one of the first food bloggers to enter the foodie realm in May of 2005. Her readers love her warmth and love of cooking that emanates from her writing.

In her newly released and very first cookbook she takes inspiration from her blog by creating brand new recipes. Just like her blog she shares her stories, recipes, and traditions which fill the pages of this cookbook. This cookbook is a wonderful extension of her blog.

The Seven Spoons cookbook is a gorgeous hardback published by Ten Speed Press and Appetite by Random House in April 2015. It has 296 pages of delicious looking recipes that span from American to Mexican to Middle Eastern to East Asian cuisine. This is a fabulous treasury of recipes with a wide range of culinary and global influences.

The contents of this book are well laid out and easy to navigate. It starts with an introduction that goes into a little history of the author and her experience, about the cookbook, how to use the cookbook, and stocking the pantry. Then there are chapters pertaining to different parts of the meal which has an introductory page for each in Tara's warm tone. Each recipe also has an introduction to it after its name. Then it tells how much it makes or serves along with the ingredients, directions, and variations. It also has notes along the side to help you more with each recipe.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Breads & Breakfasts
• Chapter 2 Lunches
• Chapter 3 Soups, Starters & Snacks
• Chapter 4 Suppers
• Chapter 5 Vegetables & Sides
• Chapter 6 Sweets, Treats & Sips
• Chapter 7 Staples
• Acknowledgments
• Index

I love the Seven Spoons cookbook. It has a wonderful selection of delicious sounding recipes that I am very excited to try out. I am very visual, so the recipes that have pictures appeal to me more. I love the Stocking The Pantry section in the Introduction because it is very informative and a great reference. I know I will be going back to this section a lot. My favorite recipes from this cookbook are: Savory Steel-Cut Oats With Cheese and Spinach, Fig and Ginger Cluster Granola, Chia Pudding With Fruit and Golden Honey Elixer, Chaat Tostadas, Mushrooms and Greens With Toast, Avocado Toast, Pickled Strawberry Preserves, Hummus With White Miso, Halloumi in Chermoula, Trail Mix Snack Bars, Everyday Yellow Dal, Slow-Baked Salmon and Butter Beans, Moussaka, Turmeric Fried Okra, Baked Irish Mash, Rhubarb Raspberry Rye Crumble, Coconut Kheer With Bronzed Pineapple, and Fig Toasts With Buttered Honey. I will be trying to find alternatives to the alcoholic beverages to make them virgin so that I can partake in them. I will also be trying my hand at some of her Staples because I have always wanted to make my own cheese, butter, yogurt, ghee and pie crust.

I love this cookbook and am glad I picked it for review. The wonderful recipes are inspiring and I am so excited to try them. I recommend this to anyone that loves variety with their cooking.

BUY IT


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Blogging For Books for sending me this book for free to review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

DC Super Friends $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

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For even more fun, there is an extended online experience on the website http://www.dckids.com/ where kids can play games, download free printable activities, read comic books, and more.

DC Kids is giving away a $100 for Amazon, which makes it a great time to check it all out.

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WIN IT
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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: This is a sponsored post. This giveaway is done by DCKids and WBKids, not by me. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post and hosting this giveaway.

Institute for Excellence in Writing Resource Package Review

I had the privilege of trying the Institute for Excellence in Writing Resource Package: Timeline of Classics, Teaching with Games Set, and A Word Write Now for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Institute for Excellence in Writing is a company that helps homeschooling parents and teachers to teach language arts, mainly: reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and communication through speaking and listening effectively. They have many products to help with this. I got to try out physical copies of the Resource Package: Timeline of Classics, Teaching with Games Set, and A Word Write Now for this review.

Timeline of Classics: Historical Context for the Good and Great Books is a chronological index of classic world literature that shows a extensive view of World History. This book by Gail Ledbetter is a sturdy spiral-bound paperback containing 192 pages. This teacher and student reference has many books, audio books, movies, etc. to choose from that correspond to a time period in chronological order. These (about 15-25 references) are listed on each page by description or time period, title, author, and ability level (Elementary, Middle, and High School). The timeline is divided into sections of world history: Ancients, The Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, & The Modern World.

Teaching with Games Set included: a book by Lori Verstegen that teaches you how to create games for learning in the classroom and a 2 DVD/1 CD set. The book is a sturdy spiral-bound paperback containing 118 pages. This teachers resource is broken up into five groups: "No-Prep" Games, Matching Card Games, Question Games, Math Facts Games, and "Make As You Teach" Games. The CD has 25 ready-to-play game templates to print out and make and the two DVD set is a workshop that teaches you how to implement those games and adapt them to any subject, any grade level, and almost any number of players. This is ideal for homeschool, team teaching groups, traditional classrooms, and Sunday schools.

• DVD Disc 1: 70 minutes long, "No-Prep" Games and Matching Card Games
• DVD Disc 2: 60 minutes long, Question Games, Math Facts Games, and "Make As You Teach" Games
• CD-ROM Disc 3: Teaching With Games PDF e-Book and Bonus Material from the book, Dress-Ups, Decorations, and Delightful Diversions to help teach stylistic techniques in writing

A Word Write Now: A Thematic Thesaurus for Stylized Writing is a book by Loranna Schwacofer that helps writers find and replace words that are overly used with ones that are better. The book is a sturdy spiral-bound paperback containing 112 pages. In it are lists of words for each character quality or behavior trait. The pages are broken down by parts of speech like: nouns, nouns characters, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, descriptive words. On the pages it also has a definition at the top for the main word, some thoughts about the main word, a place to write additional words, and at the bottom a final quote with the word in it. The book is organized into an Introduction, Overview, Simple Definitions of Parts of Speech and four more sections:

1. Section A: Character Traits (words like: Anger, Courage, Laziness, etc.)
2. Section B: Descriptive Words (words that describe: Appearance, Temperature, Shape, etc.)
3. Section C: Words for Movement and the Senses (words for: Feet, Seeing, Speaking, etc.)
4. Section D: Appendix (other helps)

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

As a homeschooler I love resources that make my life easier. The Institute for Excellence in Writing Resource Package gives me so much information right at my fingertips without having to look things up and go on an extensive search. I love having these amazing resources for use with my homeschooling curriculum.

Timeline of Classics: Historical Context for the Good and Great Books is an excellent reference that we have been using in conjunction with our eclectic style of homeschooling. It is wonderful for classical style homeschooling and we love how easy it is to look up a time period that we are studying to find media to read, watch, or listen to that goes along with our studies. History is so much fun to learn about and this reference gives us more to study and learn without having to dig through whole libraries. It is very flexible as well, letting you pick and choose what you want to use from the lists.

Teaching with Games Set is a great resource that gives you templates for games and teaches you how to make them best structured for your use. My family loves games! I love games that teach the best. All the games within the pages of Teaching with Games are fun, but not only that, they teach the student and player skills like: retention of knowledge, critical thinking, etc.  I also love how easy it is to change the games to fit our specific needs and even get ideas and inspiration to make up our own games. The CD makes it so much easier to print everything all out because it is in PDF format and the DVDs are helpful to get even more insight on what to do and how to use these games. My girls recently learned about the three main different kinds of rock. So from this book we played Rock Lotto with our whole family. It was fun to help them get the types of rock cemented into their brains even more because of playing this game.

A Word Write Now is great to use to enhance ones writing skills. I use a Thesaurus all the time with my writing and A Word Write Now is a fun and different way to go about looking up synonyms, antonyms, etc. This reference, when used, makes a world of difference in improving the student's writing. We love how it is organized and have it sitting on our shelf in reach of everyone in our family to use.

BUY IT
Timeline of Classics is $29 for the spiral-bound book and the PDF is $19. Teaching with Games Set is $19 for just the spiral-bound book and $29 for just the CD/DVD Set. A Word Write Now is $35 for the spiral-bound book.

Follow Them on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excellenceinwriting
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/iewriting
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Koru Naturals Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Koru Naturals products: Skin Clear Cream, Manuka Honey Propolis Soap, Manuka Honey and Manuka Oil Facial Cleanser & Manuka Honey, Tamarind and Manuka Oil Facial Toner for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Koru Naturals is a company that brings natural bath and beauty products from New Zealand to the United States. These natural beauty products have ingredients like: Argan Oil, Emu Oil, Blue Tansy Oil, Manuka Oil, Manuka Honey, lanolin, Rotorua Mud, Rosehip Oil, Australian Sandalwood, Sheep Placenta, Bee Venom, French Clays, Shea Butter, Tea Tree Oil, and New Zealand Flowers. They have bath, beauty, candles, diffusers, and honey products.

I got to try four of their products: Skin Clear Cream, Manuka Honey Propolis Soap, Manuka Honey and Manuka Oil Facial Cleanser & Manuka Honey, Tamarind and Manuka Oil Facial Toner. The NZ Fusion Botanicals product line of Koru Naturals contains no parabens, artificial colorants or fragrances. All these products use natural ingredients to protect the face and skin. They help solve skin problems and keep it looking healthy.

Skin Clear Cream is part of the NZ Fusion Botanicals product line of Koru Naturals. This skin cream is great for acne prone skin and blemishes. It's main ingredients are raw, unpasteurized Manuka Honey (rated at 20+) and pure steam-distilled East Cape Manuka Oil. For the 20th Anniversary of this product they have made a more advanced formula with some other ingredients added to those that have been present since the beginning. These include: Kawakawa and Harakeke, Burdock Root, Thyme, Canadian Aspen Bark, etc. A full list of ingredients is listed on their website. This skin cream has natural moisturizers and promotes skin elasticity as well.

Manuka Honey Propolis Soap is a 4.93 oz boxed bar of soap made with Manuka Honey and Propolis from the hives of bees. This beautiful golden colored bar has a bee shape stamped in it and is honey comb shaped. It is gentle on the skin, a natural moisturizer, and a skin protectant.

Manuka Honey and Manuka Oil Facial Cleanser Gel is part of the NZ Fusion Botanicals product line of Koru Naturals. This facial cleanser comes in a 4 fl.oz/120ml silver bottle with squirt pump. It has Aloe Vera Juice, Lavender, Manuka Honey, Manuka Oil, Pro-Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, and other ingredients that are all listed on their website. The combination of ingredients in this deep cleanser is gentle on acneic, oily, combination and sensitive skin. Use this before the toner and moisturizer.

Manuka Honey, Tamarind and Manuka Oil Facial Toner is is part of the NZ Fusion Botanicals product line of Koru Naturals. This facial toner comes in 4 fl.oz/118ml silver bottle with squirt pump (shown in the picture is the spray pump). This product has been improved with the addition of Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) and Beta Carotene (Pro Vitamin A) for even more skin protection. A list of all ingredients is on their website. This works for people with acneic, oily, combination and sensitive skin. Perfect for conditioning skin after cleansing and before moisturizing.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I love all of the products that I received from Koru Naturals. They all smell divine and do their job really well. I started using them from the time I received them and am still using these products on myself. The four products I received from Koru Naturals were majorly for my face, all except for the soap bar that I used all over to clean and moisturize my body. I also love that these four products all go very well together in a beauty routine.

I used the facial cleanser, facial toner, and cream products in my morning beauty routine. The first product you are supposed to use on your face is the Manuka Honey and Manuka Oil Facial Cleanser. It comes out of the pump as a gel and you are supposed to shake the bottle well before dispensing. Then you massage a small amount in an upwards circular motion with clean fingers or a cotton pad all over your face especially where problematic areas are, wait 2 minutes, and give your face a good rinse. This made my face tingle a little and I could feel it working. I only needed about two pumps of it to get my whole face covered. Next you put the Manuka Honey, Tamarind and Manuka Oil Facial Toner on by applying it all over the face and allowing it to dry completely. This product has a cooling sensation and also feels like it is tightening the skin slightly. This refreshes my skin and tones, or shrinks the pores; making it look younger, smoother, and fresher. Lastly I moisturized my face with the Skin Clear Cream. It comes in a handy container with a screw off lid, a plastic covering (to separate the spoon from the cream, and a small plastic spoon so that you can scoop it out without using your fingers. It needed stirred before use too because some of the honey had separated from the cream and it was so much easier to do this with the little spoon as well. The cream went on smoothly and didn't leave my face overly oily. It absorbed into my skin well and left my face feeling really smooth and soft. The Manuka Honey Propolis Soap is a wonderful honey glycerin bar with propolis from bees. The benefits of Manuka honey are great. Honey is anti-bacterial, antibiotic, and is said to repair tissue damage. My husband and I have used honey to treat burns and it works miraculously to heal the skin. Propolis is natures richest source of bioflavanoids which defend your skin against the damaging effects of stress, pollution, and even age itself. I love the cute packaging and appearance of this bar of soap. It suds well and leaves a wonderful fragrance behind, cleaning the skin and leaving it moisturized and silky smooth. These products are amazing and I will be getting them again once I am all out. I am also excited to try more Koru Naturals products in the upcoming years.

BUY IT
You can buy the Skin Clear Cream for $19.20, Manuka Honey and Manuka Oil Facial Cleanser for $13.60, Manuka Honey, Tamarind and Manuka Oil Facial Toner for $13.20, & Manuka Honey Propolis Soap for $7.90 on the Koru Naturals website.

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/korunaturals
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/korunaturals/

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Andrea Bocelli Cinema Album Review #Cinema #O2O

We received this product free to facilitate this review. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

You may know Andrea Bocelli as the famous Italian tenor that sang with Sarah Brightman on the song "Time To Say Goodbye". When ever I visit my sister in Las Vegas I absolutely have to see the gorgeous Bellagio Fountains that dance to this classical pop duet. I have always loved that song and many more from him. My mother and I have always been fans of Andrea Bocelli and we have enjoyed many albums of his because of his swoon worthy tenor voice. He has such awesome talent that his albums have sold over 80 million copies and he has recorded songs in five different languages: Italian, French, Spanish, English and Sicilian!

Cinema is Andrea Bocelli's newest album that is recently releasing under the Verve Records label on Oct. 23rd. It features a collection of songs from classic movies like West Side Story, Doctor Zhivago, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Evita, The Postman, The Godfather, Gladiator, and more. I recently received a download of the album to review and this album is a definite keeper. Even though I have heard most of these songs sung by others it is refreshing to hear them from Andrea Bocelli. His powerful, but soothing voice with the new arrangements are perfect together.



My absolute favorites from this album are E più ti penso from ‘Once Upon a Time in America /Malèna’ (duet with Ariana Grande), The Music of The Night from ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, Brucia la Terra from ‘The Godfather’, and Nelle tue mani (Now We Are Free) from ‘Gladiator’. E più ti penso is a gorgeous duet and arrangement with Ariana Grande. They just glide together so well and the power behind their voices gives me goose bumps. The Music of The Night from ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ is so lovely and I love the way he performs this dramatic piece. Brucia la Terra from ‘The Godfather’ is such a remarkable and emotional piece and it is heart wrenching when Andrea Bocelli sings it. Nelle tue mani (Now We Are Free) from ‘Gladiator’ is a very commanding song with a striking music video to go with it (see above). This was filmed in the Mojave desert and has a cameo appearance by two-time Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner John Travolta. I also love that Bocelli adds a horse to the mix as well. This is such an epic song.

Tracklisting:

1. Maria from ‘West Side Story’
2. La chanson de Lara from ‘Doctor Zhivago’
3. Moon River from ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’
4. E più ti penso (duet with Ariana Grande) from ‘Once Upon a Time in America /Malèna’
5. Be My Love from ‘The Toast of New Orleans’
6. The Music of The Night from ‘The Phantom of the Opera’
7. Brucia la Terra from ‘The Godfather’
8. Por una cabeza from ‘Scent of a Woman’
9. No llores por mì Argentina (duet with Nicole Scherzinger) from ‘Evita’
10. L amore è una cosa meravigliosa from ‘Love Is A Many Splendored Thing’
11. Mi mancherai from ‘Il Postino’
12.  Cheek to Cheek (duet with Veronica Berti) from ‘Top Hat’
13. Sorridi amore vai from ‘La vita è bella’
14. História de amor from ‘Love Story’
15. Ol Man River from ‘Show Boat’
16. Nelle tue mani (Now We Are Free) from ‘Gladiator’

This album is well worth the purchase. It is a wonderful compilation of some of the greatest songs in cinema performed by a legendary artist. I highly recommend it.

Follow Andrea Bocelli:
Official Andrea Bocelli website: http://www.andreabocelli.com

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/andreabocelli

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

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/andreabocelli

Instagram: https://instagram.com/andreabocelliofficial

BUY IT


 Purchase it on Amazon.com or iTunes.


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I participated in the Andrea Bocelli “Cinema” album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an free full album download to review but all opinions are my own. My post is also eligible for a gift card via random drawing by One2One Network. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Disney Villains Hairstyles & Looks Book Review

We received this product free to facilitate this review. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Disney Villains Hairstyles & Looks is a great book to get for the aspiring Disney Villain wannabe for the Halloween howliday or a costume bash. This book takes the experience of dressing up one step further and helps you have the wicked hair too. It has 33 sinfully creative hairstyles to create. *insert evil cackle here*

Excerpted with permission of the publisher, Edda USA, from Disney Villains Hairstyles & Looks. Copyright (c) 2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. This book is available at bookstores and online booksellers.

You can get the look for famous Disney Villains like: Maleficent, Queen Grimhilde (Evil Queen), Ursula, Captain Hook, Cruella De Vil, Mother Gothel, Madam Mim, Lady Tremaine, and the Queen of Hearts with the book, Disney Villains Hairstyles & Looks. In the beginning of the book each villain they feature are summed up with a synopsis about their back story with suggested: color palate, what to wear, makeup, and accessories to help you with getting the look perfect. The book is then broken up by the villain with 3-4 hairstyles for each one. These Hairstyles show step by step in color photographs on a real girl what to do along with the printed instructions and end result photo. This is so helpful as I am very visual and love seeing what I am doing every step of the way.

Excerpted with permission of the publisher, Edda USA, from Disney Villains Hairstyles & Looks. Copyright (c) 2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. This book is available at bookstores and online booksellers.

My daughter Zari had the perfect dress for dressing up like Cruella De Vil. It has Cruella's favorite colors: black, white, and red. Her dress has a black velvet bodice, a red bow and a dalmatian looking polka-dotted skirt. We did her hair up with the "Glamorous Buns" hairstyle, took some flour and dusted one side of the hair-do. She looked just divine and so the part.

Zari with Cruella De Vil "Glamorous Buns".

These hairstyles are so much fun and very creative. My daughters love it when I do their hair in a new way. They also love to dress up as different characters, so this book is wonderful. This book is perfect for costume parties, cosplay, Halloween, themed birthdays, or when you just want to change up your everyday look to something different and unique.

Get this Disney Villains inspired hairstyle and look book now...

BUY IT


DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received products for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Costume SuperCenter Renaissance Court Lady Costume Review

I received this costume for free to facilitate this review.

I have always loved dressing up. Even as I get older I love cosplay (costume play). It is still fun to role-play. I always loved acting and was in a number of school plays (some musicals) as a child. I love the theater and used to go see plays all the time when I was in college. I miss it, but with small kids It is difficult to go see them. The next best thing to going to the theater and seeing others acting is dressing up and going to fairs or conventions where others are also dressed up too.

I love Renaissance fairs and it is so much fun to partake in the festivities while dressing up. Through Costume SuperCenter I got to pick out a costume for free to facilitate this review. I decided upon the Blue Velvet Court Lady / Renaissance Maiden Costume they had. I chose the size small/medium 2-8 (the smallest they had in women's sizes) because I am very petite.

This costume comes with a dress and headpiece. The gown is long and velvety. The bodice part of the gown has gold metallic printed swirls on blue velvet with a scalloped edged gold metallic cord trim. This same gold metallic printed swirl pattern accents the long bell sleeves at the wrist and just below the elbow. The sleeves are also puffed above the elbow. The waistline is embellished with the same scalloped edged gold metallic cord trim that you can tie around the back. The circlet headpiece is made of the same blue velvet fabric and gold trim as the gown with a sheer black veil on the back of it.

This costume is modeled after clothing ladies of the Royal Court wore. A person of the Royal Court was a personal assistant who tended to the needs of kings, princes, queens, princesses or high ranking noble-person. The Ladies of the Court would attend to the needs of a queen, princess, or high ranking noblewoman.

This costume is very comfortable to wear and easy to get on. I love the soft velvety material. The bodice is not scratchy like most costumes I have tried. The sleeves do hang down and sometimes get in the way of things. Since I am short in stature the skirt of the dress is very long and for me it hits the ground with a little fabric to spare, so while walking I will have to hike my skirt up so it won't drag on the ground. I don't want to trip over it or get it dirty, so maybe I will hem it instead. For washing this costume has to be hand washed separately in cold water. It also says to use only non-chlorine bleach when needed, line dry, and do not iron. Some if the seams of this weren't properly sewn so there are places where this costume has the fabric poking through the seam where it shouldn't be. I had to also clip strings that were hanging so they wouldn't snag. If you look closely at the third picture of me on this post you can see this under my arm on the bodice seam. I am not sure how comfortable this will be to wear in heat as it is 100% polyester and the fabric might not breathe well, but I am willing to try it out during summer months as well. I love that the bodice is very modest and isn't too showy. I love the embellishments and gold swirls. The circlet is cute and fits nicely on the top of my head.

All in all this Renaissance Costume is great if you need something for Renaissance fairs, Halloween, or a theatrical performance.

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

FishFlix.com Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth DVD Review

My family and I had the privilege of watching the FishFlix.com Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth DVD for this review to use in conjunction with my own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

FishFlix.com is a Christian based company that develops family-friendly movies. They have children's Christian movies, apologetics, educational, Christian history, biblical movies, dramas, romance, action and other feature films. They focus on bringing these wonderful wholesome films to their viewers.

Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth is the third DVD from The Design of Life series by Illustra Media. Earlier this year I reviewed Flight AND Metamorphosis from them. This documentary series explores creation and helps make a scientific case for Intelligent Design. This is a step in a different direction than that of the usual Darwinian evolutionary science or scientific materialism documentaries that we have seen in the past. The Living Waters DVD goes into specific life in the waters of the Earth and tells us about the incredible complexity of their biological systems. First it talks about dolphins and their sophisticated use of echolocation, a type of sonar that can calculate the precise distance, shape, location, size, speed, direction, and internal structure of an object. Next it looks at sea turtles and the impressive navigation of the oceans with a natural magnetic compass inside these long distance travelers. Then it follows the Pacific salmon and their amazing sense of smell that aids them on their migration from the ocean back to their birth place in the stream beds. Lastly it mentions the Humpback Whales with their magnificent songs and ability to stay fertile underwater and in extreme conditions. This film is 68 minutes long and has a narrator and speakers in different scientific fields of expertise that talk throughout the films about each subject.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

My family are all fans of documentaries that teach about science and nature. Since my family is Christian we don't subscribe to the belief that humans came from monkeys. We follow the biblical approach of Intelligent Design. We love documentaries about science and nature that follow the same teachings.

Ocean life has always had a special place in my heart. My husband and I love cetaceans: dolphins, porpoises, and whales. When I was younger I wanted to be a cetologist and studied everything I could about them. I lived in Alaska some of the time of my youth and collected a scrapbook of newspaper clippings every time something would surface about them. I went to a touring museum exhibit in Anchorage that was featuring life size mechanical versions and a lot of neat information called, "Whales: Giants of the Deep". We used to live in Orlando, Florida and as soon as we moved there bought season passes to Sea World so that we could visit every chance we got with our three kids we had at the time. We have been whale watching here in Oregon, spent some of my time scuba diving and snorkeling in the ocean off of Curacao (a Dutch Island in the Caribbean), and my husband has swam with dolphins in Hawaii as well. They are such magnificent and intelligent creatures. I believe that there is so much that these creatures can teach us.

The Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth DVD from FishFlix.com is a wonderful documentary that explores rivers and oceans and the complex living things that reside there. As in the other DVDs of The Design of Life series this too has spectacular cinematography footage, wonderful computer animation, and great musical scores. These can be compared to something from National Geographic or the Discovery Channel. I love this type of high quality, family-friendly films and I cannot wait to see more of what FishFlix.com produces.

This DVD is great for Christian based homeschooling. I would highly recommend this for any Christian homeschool that is teaching about oceanography, marine biology, zoology, biology, or science in general, to their students. It has some very in depth information and computer graphics that show anatomy and physiology of the inner-workings of these animals. This is geared towards older children as younger ones might not grasp the meanings fully. My younger girls who are 4 and 7 were a little bored with the various intellects talking about natural selection, evolution, and intelligent design, but loved when they showed the footage of the animals. My boys who are 13 and 15 seemed to be fascinated with it all and learned a whole lot about the animals featured.

We did notice that there was no mention of God in this film other than the words Intelligent agent/designer. Even though this DVD goes into evolution and tells about it in depth, the scientists featured on this film make a strong case for intelligent design because of the complexity of everything and how things cannot just happen by chance. This film has further cemented our belief in Intelligent Design. God's creations are so intricate and incredible!

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Reading Kingdom Online Review

My daughters had the privilege of trying Reading Kingdom Online from Reading Kingdom for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Reading Kingdom Online is a program that teaches early readers, accelerated readers, and struggling readers (ages 4-10) how to read to a third grade level by teaching them the six areas of reading: Phonics/Phonology (Sounds), Sequencing (Order), Writing, Semantics (Meaning), Syntax (Grammar), and Comprehension. This successful, research based program is more complete than just teaching phonics for learning to read and write. This educational reading program will feel like a game to the student because of the fun graphics and sounds. It works online with any device (preferably with a mouse) that has an internet connection. Reading Kingdom adapts to every child as they "play the game" so that they will actually learn the content as they progress through the program.

Reading Kingdom Seeing Sequences

Reading Kingdom Online is made up of different parts to teach the six areas of reading:

• Seeing Sequences - an area of Reading Kingdom that teaches sequencing or letter order in words. The program shows the student a word and has them go from left to right on the screen (as they would if they were reading) to pick out letters out of a group of more letters by clicking on them with the mouse in the order seen in the word on the screen. Once the child gets more proficient in this the word will only stay for a few seconds on the screen and then disappear to challenge the child to memorize the letters in the proper order. The placement test will see if your child is ready to skip this section totally.
• Letter Land - an area of Reading Kingdom that teaches the student how to recognize and select letters (upper & lowercase letters and some punctuation) they are told to find and produce to enhance spelling and writing. This also effectively teaches them the layout of keys on the keyboard so they can have better typing/keyboarding skills later.
• Bit Blends - an area of Reading Kingdom that teaches the student phonology or sounds by providing a portion of the sound blend and requiring the student to finish the rest of the word.
• Orthographic Phonemics - an area of Reading Kingdom that teaches the student the system of our written language in which written symbols (graphemes: in this case letters) of words correspond to the phonology or sounds of letters. This is done by providing a portion of the letters in the words of whole sentences for the student to complete so that students learn sound patterns for words that might be difficult.
• Semantics - Semantics or meaning is taught in Reading Kingdom to emphasize that words are linked together on the basis of meaning, not sound and to show that context makes how you read and write the word, clear. This is taught by having the student look at the context of a sentence with missing words and pick the correct word for the ones missing out of a group of words to show the correct placement and meaning.
• Intensive High frequency Syntax System - Syntax or grammar is taught in Reading Kingdom by teaching non-content words which are 100 commonly used words and make up the majority of our written language. In Reading Kingdom the student will not only memorize these words, but gain the meaning of them because they are paired with graphics that illustrate the meaning. Students will be given: a non-content word, a sentence with context to type either the word into or all of the words with proper punctuation, and finally a graphic that illustrates the meaning of the word. This helps them be able read these words and understand the relationship between all the words they are reading.
• Intensive Word Teaching Method - Reading Kingdom uses this method to teach students words before reading books with four formats: spelling, pronunciation, meaning, and usage in context. After a student masters these they can successfully read and comprehend the program's 30 custom books.
• Comprehension Modeling Method - Reading Kingdom uses this method to teach comprehension by teaching the student how to create "main idea" summaries after they have read a story book from Reading Kingdom. They will be able to do this on their own when they master this skill.

Reading Kingdom Letter Land

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

We got to use Reading Kingdom for a full year with 2 students. I used it about 3-4 times a week with my 4 year old daughter, Zari, and her 7 year old sister, Teela. Zari is not reading yet and doesn't know her letters very well. Teela is reading chapter books.

When we started the program with both girls it had them take an evaluation to see where they should be placed. Reading Kingdom is totally hands off except for the initial log in for the student. The program tells you to let them do it on their own and not to help them. This makes the assessment and adaption of the program more accurate. Teela was able to skip seeing sequences totally after the initial placement test and Zari was not, as I was expecting. The evaluation was spot on with assessing their skills.

In the beginning, I did notice some small things that my girls got frustrated with while they were doing the program. Early out there was a section where they were typing a string of letters and symbols on the keyboard that the program told them to type and when they had trouble finding some of them quick enough it would pop up a keyboard to show them where the keys were. When it popped up, it erased previous letters or symbols they had typed so they had to retype them. I was told that, "Unlike other reading programs, Reading Kingdom requires a more advanced degree of diligence." I know that both my daughters needed more keyboard practice so that they could understand where each key was. With more practice both of my daughters got better at this. In Letter Land there is a symbol, some kind of dash, that we didn't know which key it was supposed to be. They pressed the key above the p with the dash and the minus key by the numbers, but it didn't register as the correct key. We asked about this and were told the correct key to hit for this symbol was the space bar and that apparently my girls had missed the part before where the section talks about which keys would be used before the session. So, now you know if you get as confused as we were. My youngest daughter, Zari, had trouble with Reading Kingdom where it has her type lowercase letters and our keyboard only shows uppercase. She is just learning the correlation between uppercase and lowercase letters and doesn't have it down yet. I know this is a weak area for her and that I need to work with her more on this. Reading Kingdom does have an option before you start where you can choose to have the keyboard show on the screen for touch screens, so possibly that would help this problem. All in all, each of these, I believe, can be fixed by more practice or slight adjustment.

Reading Kingdom - Other Areas

Keeping track of progress in Reading Kingdom is easy. After log in I can view my daughters' progress. Reading Kingdom also sends me progress reports by email as well for each of my daughters. I love that it shows me exactly where they are in the program and how they are doing.

I am very pleased with how Reading Kingdom presents itself to my daughters. The fun graphics and sounds along with the learning makes it even more enjoyable. At first we hit a few bumps in the beginning when my daughters were first learning their way around the keyboard, but now they seem to have gotten past that. They love learning with this program and ask me every morning if they can "play" on Reading Kingdom.

Reading Kingdom Online is an excellent program to help children to learn to read. It is a more well rounded program than just teaching your child phonics. Both of my daughters seem to be learning a lot and advancing in reading and keyboarding skills. I highly recommend Reading Kingdom Online!

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post. Affiliate links are in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.