Book Review - Enjoying Genesis: The Bible in Rhyme Workbook (Volume 2)

~ Posted on Monday, July 20, 2015 at 5:55 AM ~

I have been cutting down on doing product reviews ever since our 3rd kiddo came along in end of Sept 2013. I do still accept review pitches but only when time permits and if it is something that I can see it being useful and beneficial to our family. Also, as busy as I am with 3 kiddos, home cooking, taking care of hubby's administration site of the business and swamped up with managing my FB page and blog, I just can't say no to reviewing good books! Reading is my passion and coupled with books that are of parenting, children, family or religion or educational genre, all the more I gotta say yes!

Enjoying Genesis: The Bible in Rhyme Workbook (Volume 2)

Title: Enjoying Genesis: The Bible in Rhyme Workbook (Volume 2)
Author: Marcia Goldlist
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 13, 2014)
ISBN: 978-1499677607
Paperback: 136 pages

Description from the product page:

"Enjoying Genesis: The Bible in Rhyme Workbook uses the biblical book of Genesis as a starting point for a wide variety of activities to get the mind thinking in various directions and the student writing. This book is meant for homeschooling, youth ministries, religious schools, and anyone who is open to thinking about the Bible in different ways. The book is ideal for ages 11-15."

I'm a full-time mummy

I originally received the 1st volume "Enjoying Genesis: The Bible in Rhyme " for my review but the thick-faced me decided to request for the volume 2 instead. Why you ask? I tried reading some rhymes to our kiddos but they don't seem to be interested - I don't know why? Too young? They are 6 years old, 3.5 years old and 1.5 years old. Too advance for my kiddos to understand?

Now why I requested to review the volume 2 despite the author gently reminding me that it is more appropriate for children of ages 11-15 is because I like the book's concept!

What concept you ask? Well, the author takes some verses from the bible, throws in some questions for discussions and creative thinking and lists some activities that you can try out.

Here is an example page from the book. What I do is I read the paragraphs and then asked the questions listed. I used the opportunity to discuss with our 6 year old boy and then hear what he had to say. It is really interesting to approach topics like blame, responsibilities, need to improve, understanding of weaknesses and strengths and much much more with our kiddos. I did however skip the questions that I feel are too advanced for him but in general, I try to go through the items listed and make it as easy to understand as possible for his age.

Enjoying Genesis: The Bible in Rhyme Workbook (Volume 2)

Here is another sample page from the book:

Enjoying Genesis: The Bible in Rhyme Workbook (Volume 2)

I love that I am able to approach more about our religion with our kiddos while at the same time being able to teach and nurture our kiddos while finding out their point of view.

I'm a full-time mummy

You can get the book from Amazon.

I'm a full-time mummy

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with a PDF copy of the book in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous book reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My Book Reviews"

Product Review - Jordan Toothbrush

~ Posted on Thursday, July 16, 2015 at 6:39 AM ~

I have been cutting down on doing product reviews since 2014 and only accepted those that I feel will definitely fit into our family dynamics (especially books on parenting or homeschooling stuff, family products, something along those genre)

Few months ago, I received an offer to review a range of oral care products from Norway which can cater for our whole family. Wow, I would be crazy to turn down this opportunity for my whole family to try out new products right? Anyway, let's continue with my review below...

I'm a full-time mummy

Jordan Toothbrush

About the product:

"Jordan is an award winning oral care brand since 1927. Having awarded the prestigious global Red Dot award, Jordan is one of the oldest oral and dental hygiene brands in the world. It designs and produces toothbrushes for the whole family, giving them clean, healthy and beautiful teeth. The company also offer a high quality range of products for cleaning between the teeth, from dental floss to different sizes of interdental brushes."

I'm a full-time mummy

I received 2 Viking helmet looking boxes and our older 2 kiddos got all excited seeing it! (They thought it is cakes inside hahaha) But nevertheless, the excitement was still there as I opened up the boxes revealing lots and lots of toothbrushes!

Jordan Toothbrush

These are the children's toothbrushes - bottom center range for 0 to 2 years old flanked by the upper left range for 3 to 5 years old and upper right range for 6 to 9 years old. Perfect for our 1.5 years old girl, 3.5 years old girl and 6 years old boy!  The colors are very refreshing and catchy, I can totally see our kiddos having a hard time choosing one. Our older girl practically went from pink to purple back to pink to purple and finally settling on pink.

Jordan Toothbrush

What are the feedbacks from our kiddos on their toothbrushes?

For our 1.5 years old Carolyn, I can't gather much info since she is not talking properly yet. Her pink and purple colored Step 1 toothbrush which caters to toddlers between 0-2 years has a small head with soft bristles which was specially designed for children's first teeth. The toothbrush has bright stimulating colours that capture her attention as well. The cool thing with this toothbrush is the handle of the toothbrush doubles up as a teething ring! Good for toddlers who are teething at this age right?! As she is still too young to be brushing on her own, I propped her up on my leg and slowly and gently brushes her teeth. She is perfectly fine with the new toothbrush and I guess that's all the feedback I wanted to see! A happy toddler who doesn't fuss at all when her teeth is being brushed!

For our 3.5 years old Alyson, she was so excited to have a new pink colored toothbrush. Her Step 2 toothbrush is specially designed to clean milk teeth in children around her age, which is 3-5 years. I like that the toothbrush has an ergonomic handle, easy for her small hand grip during the few occasions where I let her brush her teeth by herself, while I stood watching next to her. Sometimes I will be the one brushing her teeth so yes, I do feel the handle is ergonomic to the grip for parents' as well. I also appreciate the travel cap that comes along with her toothbrush. It helps to protect and keep her toothbrush clean during our recent family holiday trip in Thailand.

Jordan Toothbrush

For our 6 years old Benjamin, his teeth is the one I'm worrying most. Being a first-time parent, it is my mistake not to be vigilant enough to ensure he keeps his teeth clean. About 2 years back, our boy had to go for a minor dental operation where he had a filling done on his front teeth and a crowning (something metallic) at the inside of his teeth. As for now, he is starting to have dental caries especially his front teeth where the filling has dropped out long ago (dropped out twice since) and we have been advised not to do anymore filling as it will just come out again. Our objective now is to ensure he keeps his teeth brushed twice a day, gargle whenever he takes sweet sugary stuff and hope that will provide a strong base when his milk teeth starts to drop (not yet at the moment).

His orange and black colored Step 3 toothbrush is designed to meet the challenging oral needs of 6 to 9 year old children. The challenge at this age is that, with both milk and permanent teeth, the positioning of the teeth may be uneven. The quality and placement of the bristles and head become even more important - hence you can see there are 2 bristle heads on the toothbrush where the integrated ‘solo brush’ reaches molars and hard-to-reach spaces between the teeth and gums ensuring that no teeth or surfaces need to be forgotten.

When I asked our boy what he liked about his new toothbrush, he told me he likes the color and there is 2 bristle heads on his toothbrush. I asked him whether it is easy to hold the toothbrush and he said a resounding 'Yes!' Yayyyyy!

And like the Step 2 toothbrush, I also appreciate the travel cap that comes along with our boy's toothbrush. It helps to protect and keep his toothbrush clean during our recent family holiday trip in Thailand as well.

Jordan Toothbrush

Yes, I did mention this review is for our whole family so the following toothbrushes range is for hubby and myself. The Target Sensitive Toothbrush is the latest addition to Jordan’s extensive range of dental care which was designed to give your teeth a superior clean feeling. They come in stylish purple and prestige black and each handle is engraved with a beautiful Scandinavian pattern. I settled for the purple colored one (my favorite color ehem!) while I passed a black colored one to hubby for him to try out.

The first time I tried mine, I felt like the toothbrush is hugging my gum, cradling it softly and warmly! I totally fell in love with it! The toothbrush has a small head and ultra-soft with gentle 0.01mm bristles design which ensures a deep and thorough cleaning particularly for hard-to-reach spots in our mouth. I am very happy with my toothbrush, really!

As for my hubby, the feedback I got from him is:
"The new toothbrush is bouncy and very close together so I can feel a good brush. The bristles are more compact so I can feel very nice on the gums and the toothbrush is not too big so I can brush everywhere. Comparing against the xxxxxx charcoal brand toothbrush I'm using currently, this new one feels more spongy and springy compared to the xxxxxx one which is more sharp feel. Well both have their good but I have a feeling the new one is better for my gums as when I brush upwards angle and downwards angle for my gums it seems better and more comfortable"

There you go, even the man of the house approves and likes the new toothbrush!

  Jordan Toothbrush

Overall feedback, I'm very happy we get to review these products!

Definitely worth the long run for our whole family!

I'm a full-time mummy

The new range is available from all leading retail outlets. Similarly, you can also read more info from http://www.jordan.no/en

I'm a full-time mummy

Do note that I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the products in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

 

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost everyday) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.

Product Review - JORD Wood Watch

~ Posted on Monday, June 15, 2015 at 5:08 AM ~

I have been cutting down on doing product reviews since 2014 and only accepted those that I feel will definitely fit into our family dynamics (especially books on parenting or homeschooling stuff, family products, something along those genre)

Few months ago, I received an offer to review a unique product, unique in this sense means to review a watch made from wood. YES, you read that right. A wooden watch! Curiosity kills the cat, I'm hooked at the sight of wooden watch. I must try it out! Anyway, let's continue with my review below...

I'm a full-time mummy

JORD Wood Watch

About the product:

"Jord was derived from our desire for a timepiece that modelled our modern lifestyle. Sustainable, efficient, simple, and influenced by experiential living. Jord owners don't just have somewhere to be, they have somewhere to go. We believe our watches tell more than time.

Our style is guided by a deep appreciation for natural elements and modern design. Wood is not just a component of our watches, it is the main feature. The intricacy and multiplicity of the woods we utilize in our designs insure that each watch is as distinctive as the owner.

Jord is a collective of artists, designers, and seasoned watchsmiths. Every watch series is planned with the expectation of delivering visible craftsmanship and unyielding utility. We choose our materials and movements with forethought. Consideration of best use and added benefit are central to our decision making process. Our methods ensure that our watches are not just worn, they're used.."

I'm a full-time mummy

I received the Maple colored wood watch under the ELY series. The watch came in a nice wooden box, very apt since it is a wood watch. Love the special touch and extra thoughts put into the packaging details (the logo carving on the box, the small little groove at one side of the surface to slide open the box cover)

JORD Wood Watch

The watch came with a warranty card and a small plastic pouch which contains extra few layers of the wooden links in case you need to lengthen the watch, a few extra pins and nuts.

JORD Wood Watch

My first impression when I took out the watch from the box? The watch is superbly light. I thought that being made of wood, it might be a tad heavy but no, I was wrong. The watch is very very light.

I like the metal buckle of the watch, it has this push button which was very easy to operate. Buckling and unbuckling is done with great ease. I love that you can easily wear and take off the watch.

JORD Wood Watch

I immediately tried on the watch and it was a bit snug on my left wrist. I had earlier provided my wrist measurements based on the measurement tools provided by the sponsor's website. FYI, my wrist is 14 cm but I asked for 14.5 cm wrist size for some extra allowance in case the watch is a bit tight.

JORD Wood Watch

I then played around with the crown to adjust the date and time - when I received the watch, the timing was the same as in our time in Malaysia but I had to forward the dates a wee bit. It is easy to adjust the crown - operates the same as my current watch. Nothing complicated at all.

JORD Wood Watch

After wearing the watch for few days, I decided it is quite snug on my wrist and decided to extend the length of the strap. FYI, the wooden links are held together by push pins but they are fairly easy to add and/or remove. What you need is just a tool small enough to push the pin out - I used a paperclip. Pull out one end of the paperclip and start pressing the end in order to push the pin out of the wooden link.

JORD Wood Watch

Now one side of the pin is completely solid and has a flat surface but the other end kind of looks like a circle within a circle (bolt looking). The solid side is the main pin, and the other side is a small nut that locks onto the pin. What I did was to push the inner circle (pin) out of the outer circle (nut). Once this was done, it will detach the two and the pin slides right out of the link. I added a piece of the link and started to assemble the watch again. To reattach the two links, I had to apply a bit more pressure on both sides until there's a little click sound. The clicking sound ensures that both the pin and nut are locked back into place and that the watch strap should not come apart.

This is before and after the adjustment of the watch strap.

JORD Wood Watch

Can't really notice much difference but I personally feel the extra length is more comfortable for me now. Perhaps living in a hot country all year round swells up my wrist hehehe...

JORD Wood Watch

It is stated on the website that each JORD watch is designed to be splash proof but is not intended for complete submergence in water. Because of that, I also purposely tried splashing water a couple of times onto my watch and just continue wearing it as it is. True enough, splash proof and no icky wet feeling at all.

 

In summary, I'm very happy to be given the opportunity to review this unique piece of watch!

JORD Wood Watch

JORD Wood Watch

What an honor to have this watch in my collection!

I'm a full-time mummy

You can browse for more products at http://www.woodwatches.com/shop

I'm a full-time mummy

Do note that I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the product in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

 

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost everyday) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.