Koru Naturals Schoolhouse Crew Review

 

I am always looking for good quality products for my family. Koru Naturals offers many amazing products. It was extremely difficult to choose which one for my family. Literally, every product my family could use. All the Schoolhouse Crew received a 2 oz bottle of Emu Oil for $9.95 and then the hard part was choosing. I decided to try the 8 oz Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner for $14.95.

Are you wondering what is Emu Oil and how is it used?

Emu is a flightless bird much like the ostrich. The Emu is native to Australia. The oil is basically the fat that is taken from this bird. Koru Naturals Emu Oil is fully refined and is an all-natural ingredient. All the vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids of Omega 3 and 6 are not deleted during the clarification process on Koru Naturals Emu Oil.

Emu oil doesn’t have a strong smell just a fragrance that is very vague. The texture is very soft and when applied to the skin it feels a bit oily at first touch but, it penetrates into the skin quickly and doesn’t leave an oily feel on the skin. The nice thing is that Emu Oil is hypoallergenic and will not clog your pores. It’s great for sensitive skin also. The color is a clear slightly milky white color.

Emu oil is used externally and is most often used for a moisturizer. As a moisturizer it can be used on both the skin and in the hair. You need very little Emu oil for effective use. When I say very little a few drops or a teaspoon is recommended. Some have used Emu Oil in the hair for dandruff on the scalp and as a hair moisturizer. It is also been used as a burn treatment, and to reduce inflammation.

The inflammation factor is what has made me interested in Emu Oil.  A few years ago I did some research on Emu Oil. You see my 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with arthritis several years ago. The medication that is used for arthritis is just horrible on the body. Not to go into many details but, I wanted to treat my daughter with a non-steroid medication at first knowing that down the road we would need to go up to the next class of medication. I wanted to hold off as long as possible. With her being so young she has a life time of using medication and her body will adapt to them and we run into the medication not being so effective. My goal was to find an alternative to help with what she is taking. I never got around to trying Emu Oil as I couldn’t find it locally.

Her fingers are so swollen that you can never see her knuckles. 

I used Koru Naturals Emu Oil on my daughter hands and her joints. I put it on daily during this review period. Due to my daughter’s other disability she doesn’t express pain openly. It’s more of a drop and flop with behavioral issues. I usually notice her pain issues with how she is moving and acting.

We had a rough start with the Emu Oil due to her having a hospitalization, extremely cold weather, and a severe case of the flu. I have seen her more willing to write without having severe pain. Her walking doesn’t look so stiff. At this point I feel comfortable to keep using Emu Oil for her arthritis.

I also used Koru Natural Emu Oil as a moisturizer on every member of my family. My beloved and son have pretty nasty eczema. I actually tested my son’s hands with using the Emu Oil on one side and another product on the other side. I was pretty impressed with the side I used the Emu Oil on his hand. I noticed that the side I used the Emu Oil worked quicker than the other product. I truly loved using Emu Oil for myself also. I used in on my hands, elbows, knees, and face. I have been pretty pleased with the results for my whole family.

 

Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner

As a beekeeper I am familiar with Manuka plant as I have tasted the honey from the Manuka plant. I was excited to use Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner. Manuka is a very versatile plant that is used in varies health conditions. One of those benefits is for the skin.

The Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner have an impressive list of ingredients. Some of the ingredients are manuka oil, manuka honey, lavender, peppermint, and rose hips. That is just the short list of what caught my attention. The smell is a nice peppermint smell that is so refreshing. The consistency is thicker than hair care products I have used in the pass.

Everyone in my family used Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner with my daughter using it not as much as the others.

The hard part is getting them to use a small amount. The nice thing about a quality hair product is that not much is needed for the full benefits. I noticed that you don’t get the full lather as other products that I have previously used. I have learned that it isn’t a bad thing due to the fact that it doesn’t use any chemicals that give it a full lather. I was thinking that we would go through the product quickly with a family of four. I am surprised that after 6 weeks I have over a half of a bottle left on both products. I am impressed.

What are my thoughts on the Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner?

I have extremely dry hair due to the fact that I have colored my hair for more years than I would like to admit. I am not ready to show my age with a head of gray hair. Needles, to say my hair is pretty damaged. On top of the hair color I use gel and hairspray. 

My hair feels soft and healthy after 6 weeks of feeling pampered. I enjoyed the smell and the tingly feeling after every wash. I didn’t have to use the shampoo baking soda mixture on my hair once a week to strip the junk I use in my hair. It removed the residue on my hair with only one wash every day.

My husband has dandruff. He has been using name brand dandruff shampoo for years. He still scratches his head often after all the years using a product that was supposed to stop it. After a few days I noticed that he stopped scratching his head. He was pleased with the results.

My 9 year old son surprising doesn’t have a dry scalp despite his extreme dry skin. His hair was so soft and looked healthy. When I asked him what he thought he told me that, "he wasn’t fond of the smell". I didn’t expect he would be as a boy.

My daughter had a hard time with the smell. With her extreme sensory issues it caused her to have a meltdown. The smell isn’t strong but, for a child that is overly sensitive to smell it overwhelmed her. I was able to talk her into using it a dozen or more times. My daughter has extremely thin hair with beautiful curls. I loved how her curls just came out when I used the shampoo and conditioner with her.

I also found out that using the Manuka Oil and Honey Shampoo and Conditioner after having an EKG to remove the gel was amazing and I only had to use it one time. I was really impressed! It stripped the gel right out of her hair in one wash! I didn’t get any pictures as it was a long sleep deprived night and the last thing on my mind was taking pictures.

Usually, I have to shampoo and wash several times. Comb through her with olive oil. Then I wash her hair with adding baking soda in the shampoo. Next, I let the conditioner set in her hair for 30 minutes. After that I shampoo again. It takes a massive amount of time when we are sleep deprived and just want to lay down and take a nap. For just one wash I was completely astonished at the results.

Koru Naturals has many other products that I plan on exploring in the near future. Others in the Schoolhouse Crew review tried different products so make sure you stop by their blogs and find out more.

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Unbound (Book One of the Omega Trilogy) by J.B. Simmons

He must be released for a little while.

But the one who sees doesn't believe.

Elijah Goldsmith has nightmares he needs to ignore. Why would a rich kid from Manhattan dream three straight nights about a dragon and the destruction of St. Peter's Basilica? He's never even been to Rome.

It's bad timing, too. He's graduating soon and applying to be a spy in the International Security Agency. That's where he meets Naomi. She's the kind of girl who makes boys like Elijah want to share their secrets. Were they brought together to learn what his secrets mean? There's more to their sparks than they think.

This is 2066. The year the world ends.

About J.B. Simmons:

I live outside Washington, DC, with my wife, two toddlers, and an intriguing day job. In a few months, I’ll join the 3-kids-under-5 club. I write before dawn and run all day. My secret fuel: coffee and leftover juice boxes. 

Several years ago, late one night, I was sitting in a windowless office and toiling over a legal brief. It was a season of questions: why am I here, what am I doing? An answer struck like lightning: you are a writer. Ever since, I have felt peace when filling a page with words. 

The journey has led me to study the craft from the masters, write my first novel, and publish it. Years of practice in the legal world honed my skills – because in law and in fiction, every word must have a purpose, chosen with care. My latest book, Unbound, tells the story of a rich kid from Manhattan with nightmares of a dragon and the world ending in 2066. It's a page-turner full of big ideas about religion and technology and the future.

My Thoughts:

I have always liked Science Fiction. I find as a believer it is hard to find good quality Christian fiction so, for that reason I don’t usually read it much anymore. Most of the time when I do I’m disappointed and feel like I wasn’t my time.  This book happened to catch my attention and it was refreshing reading another genre in my reading time. 

With all that being said I was delighted to find a fast paced page turner. It has a bit of everything in it from science fiction, religion, political, spies, and end time events.

The end time events where put in a creative way that was unique yet, still kept the theme of what is found in scriptures. Yet realize that the book of Revelation can be interpreted in many ways. So if you are not a person who is opened minded with the many ways that Revelation can be interpreted than this is not a book for you to read. For me I look at it has only God knows and understands Revelation. As long as a fictional story on end time events isn’t not too strange or doesn’t resemble scripture or keep the main theme of the book then who I’m to judge. I was surprised at the unique presentation from Unbound.

Another thing that I look at is the characters. I want them to be realistic and someone I could say is my next door neighbor. J.B. Simmons does a good job getting you familiar with the characters quickly that you can relate with them.

One character is Elijah Goldsmith. He is a young man from Manhattan that comes from a wealthy family. Elijah grew up in a typical non-practicing Jewish family. Jesus and the book of Revelation have not been easy for him to grasp and something he knew about. Elijah is a very realistic and likable character that I enjoyed.

This story isn’t narrated as much as other stories. It’s more like a living journal from Elijah’s life as you entwined into his dreams, thoughts, and day to day activities. It was presented in a very unique way that I have never read in a fictional story. 

Another main character is Naomi. Naomi is a Believer. She is pretty intrigued by Elijah’s dreams.

There are many other characters that you will meet in this story.

I have to say that I thought of this story several times when I wasn’t reading it and when I finished with the story. Not too many books do that to me. I have one compliant. The ending was truly a cliff hanger that you have to read the next book in the series quickly!

A well done story that was a refreshing read. It was a fasted paced story that I didn’t know what would happen next. I look forward to the next book in this series, “Clothed with the Sun”.

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This book has been provided to me my by Glass Road free of charge and in no way was I asked to give a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Herodium Israel

 Picture from Wikipedia

Slowly I am getting around to sharing some of the places we visited while we were in Israel in the spring of 2013.

Herod the Great had a palace within the fortress of the Herodium. The Herodium is south of Jerusalem. It’s an amazing and truly an impressive mound that has a palace, several towers, courtyards, Roman theater, and living quarters for Herod and others.

After the death of Herod and when the Great Revolt started the Jews built a synagogue and other ritual items that are still standing today.

It’s amazing to me that the hill on top had to be reshaped to build on it. Springs of nearby water sources had to be channeled in to the aqueduct system.

It’s also beautiful on top of the mound as you can look out and see a breathtaking view of Bethlehem, Jerusalem and the Judean Desert.

It is still an active archaeological site and we could see digs going on while we were visiting the Herodium.

 Models of parts of the Herodium.

 Catapults

 It just amazes me after 2,000 years that so much is still standing. I couldn't imagine any of our modern day construction enduring that long.

 How they built the tunnel system is incredible.

 Miqveh

The lizards intrigued me as I was thinking of a scripture that mentions lizards in the kings palace. However, for the life of me I can't locate it. So if you find it let me know or tell me that I am wrong and that there is no scriptures about lizards in the walls of the kings palace. Maybe, I am wrong about it being a lizard!

Blessings and have a wonderful day.