Heritage Essential Oils is by far my favorite resource for essential oils. The gal that runs it, Linda, is a Christian homeschooling mama with a daughter who has Ds. She has graciously posted here what she uses for her daughter, in an effort to help those of us who have children with Down syndrome. Her oils are VERY high quality, the prices are reasonable, and shipping is VERY fast! If I order on Monday, it is in my mailbox in ALASKA on Friday!

I would recommend buying the travel kit first! For $75 you get 16 trial size oils you can try as well as a nice carrying case. I refill the little bottles and keep the kit in the diaper bag! We almost ALWAYS wind up using it. Along with that, I recommend purchasing a big bottle (as big as you can afford) of peppermint AND lavender. We use those the most. I also recommend buying a nice Whisper diffuser when you can fit it into your budget.

An interesting blog post about the use of chemo for cancer.

Here’s an excerpt:

“#1 The oncologists don’t use chemo

Did you know that the Journal of American Medical Association reported that in 2001 the average oncologist made a 75% or 253, 000 dollars profit on chemotherapy drugs administered in his office? It is interesting to note that according to Los Angeles Times and the McGill Cancer Center in Montreal, a survey of oncologists showed that 75% to 91% of the oncologists would not use chemotherapy as a treatment for their families or themselves. They said  chemotherapy is not effective and it is too toxic. At the same time 75% of cancer patients are told to take chemo by their oncologists. (Natural News)

So I’m supposed to use chemo if I’m diagnosed with cancer while most oncologists don’t? Hm, I don’t think so.

Cancer is at least a 100 billion industry and the chemotherapy part of it was 8,5 billion dollars back in 1995. That’s a lot of money to lose if they would confirm a cure for cancer.”

http://www.glutathionemasterofantioxidants.com/

One of newest research projects, since Seth has depleted glutathione since his extra chromosome depletes it in his system.

Helping a child with Down syndrome take their first steps

This is where I’m at with Seth right now. I’m glad to read that I have been doing it right with having him sit on his toy basket and learn to stand! It’s actually one of his favorite tricks!

I am working on getting more organized with our meal planning, and this is one project that is hopefully going to help! I’m really excited about it!

Hopefully it will aid the kids in helping to prepare dinners as well, as they can see at a glance what is for dinner.

It should cut down on the questions I have to answer daily too!

I have started ordering food from Amazon, a little at a time.  I like their “Subscribe and Save” prices and the best part is that the shipping is FREE which is a HUGE deal here in Alaska!  The kid thought it was hilarious that I was picking up Raisin Bran from the Post Office, but at $1.98/box, who can pass that up??!?

They regularly have sales, especially on Kellogs cereal, so it is really fun to add a new product to my subscriptions.  Here are just a couple of our favorites so far:

Raisin Bran
Raisin Bran Crunch

I looked at getting diapers this way too (Huggies Size 4), but it was the same price as Costco, and I was headed there anyway, so I just bought them at Costco.  If I’m not going to Anchorage anyway next though, I’ll just have them mailed to me!

Just thought I would share one way I am saving a little money on “fun” stuff!

The Voyage Of the Dawn Treader is a movie clearly designed more to capture the hearts of new fans than to satisfy the desires of those familiar with Lewis’ classic series. The movie heavily changes the story, more so even than in the previous two films. There were many changes, both good and bad. Combining Deathwater Isle and Dragon Island, for example, makes perfect sense in a cinematographic setting – it reduces elements unnecessary and unwanted in a film without sacrificing any of the cohesiveness or point of those narratives. Other changes were less warranted, such as the desperate grasping towards a love subplot, evident both at the beginning of the movie, where Lucy flirts with Caspian, and at the end, where Edmund and Caspian flirt with the daughter of the star. Other changes are arguable – was it really necessary for the star’s father to be present, or could he be dropped without compromising the story? I would argue for the former, but it is a decision that could be supported either way.

It seemed at times that the screenwriter was afraid of Lewis’ story – changing the emphasis from a very heavy one on redemption to one more focused on avoiding temptation; making up the main element of the story (the green mist), with no precedent in Lewis; removing elements from the story such as the corrupt governor of the Lone Islands whom Caspian confronted; retaining and furthering the plot line, utterly foreign to Lewis, of Caspian’s love for Susan; and other strange changes which broke both continuity and the suspension of disbelief. This may have been because I am familiar with the book, indeed, it is my favorite of Lewis’ works.

In technical terms, the movie was excellent, aside from one major flaw. The acting was extremely poor at times, a break from the first two movies. This was to the point where lines designed to be serious became comedic, breaking the mood of the movie. This was primarily present in the actors for Caspian and Edmund. It was particularly odd considering the first two movies, where there were few moments of bad acting. The special effects, cinematography, and other technical elements were very well done, however.

It was an enjoyable movie. There is no question as to that point. It was not, however, as enjoyable as the second, and much less so than the first. This was primarily due to the freedom the screenwriter took with Lewis’ text, which soured many of my favorite parts of the book. A simple abridgment would have been perfectly acceptable and understandable. Even slight changes would have been fine. My objection is rather to the break in the primary focus and storyline of Lewis’ text. Remedy this, and retain the quality of filming you have attained, and you will have my undivided support.

This DVD was provided to me courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Homeschool.com for the purpose of review. No other compensation was provided. My opinions are my own.