My Motherhood Struggles - Thoughtful Stuff for Moms

T****his post has been Edited...please scroll to the bottom of the post to read the additional comment.***

This week in Thoughtful Stuff for Moms, I'm going to reveal to you a few of my most difficult struggles with my children. 

Do you know how shaming it is to be one of the homeschoolers whose child isn't leaps and bounds ahead of his public school counterparts?  You have no idea how much I struggle with wondering if I've totally messed up my kid by choosing to homeschool.  I wonder if he'd be a better reader if he went to an institutional school.  Its a daily battle.  Then God proves himself faithful and reassures me that homeschooling is our calling, and that he has put the trials and struggles in our life to both strengthen us, and humble us. Can you imagine what a stinkin snob and know-it-all I'd be if my kid was scoring grades ahead on some standarized test?  You would not want to know me. 

 Reading has always been a battle.  Yesterday, after some revealing work with 9yo son, I knew we needed something more.  I prayed and then found this great book, Reading Pathways: Simple Exercises to Improve Reading Fluency.  We used Phonics Pathways and we loved it, but I had never heard of Reading Pathways by the same author.  We ordered it yesterday

My other humbling experience in life is my second child.  Our first son was very compliant and obediant.  We were heavily involved in the parental material from the Ezzos, and we had our son IN LINE!  I used to see moms with bratty kids and think about what great parents we were.  Then our second son came along, and he was so different.  He was stubborn and wild. The other two babies followed so closely that I was always too tired or stressed to properly train and parent him.  

Even with more consistent training, I've been wondering if there aren't some underlying problems.  So, I'm looking into food allergies.  I've ordered the book, Is This Your Child  from www.paperbackswap.com and I'm hoping it will come today.  Here's the amazon description of the book.

In this breakthrough book, Dr. Doris Rapp offers a simple yet effective approach to handling "problem" children. Is This Your Child? shows parents how to identify the common foods, chemicals, or common allergic substances that could be the culprits that cause some children or adults to feel unwell or act inappropriately. If your child is always sick, hyperactive, a slow learner, or cranky, the first question you should ask is not "What drug should be prescribed?" or "What have I done wrong as a parent?" Instead, find out the cause.

Well, there you have it.  I've revealed what's been on my heart.  I hope it will help you in being more thoughtful moms to your children.

***My mother reads my blog, and she called me in response to my description of my 3yo.  She would just like to tell all of you in blog world that her grandson is wonderfully behaved and just a "real sweet kid".  That's a grandma for ya!  Hi mom!

9:49 AM - Aug. 30, 2007 - comments {1} - post comment

This Week's Thoughtful Stuff for Moms

Due to last week's hustle and bustle, I didn't update the "Thoughtful Stuff for Moms" section of my sidebar.  I've been searching for products that would help moms in all aspects of their lives, and I think I found some really neat products to showcase this week.

1. Organizing Your Craft Space This is the book that I used to get inspiration for creating a beautiful and organized schoolroom.  Since its really difficult to find books titled "Organizing Your Homeschool School Room", I thought that this book would serve as a great guide.  Most of the things that need to be stored and displayed in a schoolroom are very similar to what would be in a craft room.  The book has many gorgeous pictures and a few quizes that help you identify your decorating style.

2. Frownies Frownies are facial pads made from natural, skin-friendly materials. Frownies are applied to the forehead and corners of the eyes and mouth to gently re-educate the underlying muscles to assume their correct, relaxed and natural appearance.  Frownies, in fact, allow the deep expression lines to heal leaving younger, relaxed-looking skin.  I haven't tried these yet, but I plan on ordering some soon.  I've had some serious issues with a nightmarish forehead wrinkle since I was 13.  It developed after a year of squinting because I didn't want to wear my glasses. 

3. Natural Progesterone Cream  Natural Progesterone Cream (NPC) is a great way for women who are estrogen-dominant to regulate their progesterone levels.  Infertility is often seriously affected by low progesterone.  NPC has been at work in my last two pregnancies.  We suffered from secondary infertility betwen our first and second sons.  After the second one was born, the Lord began showing me that my body needed some help regulating this very important hormone.  Research the effects of low progesterone, and see if you have any of the symptoms.

4. Over the Cabinet Door Towel Bar   My kitchen doesn't have any place to hang pretty dishclothes, so this is the perfect thing for me!  It slips over the door, and even has rubber grippers to prevent scratching. 

1:18 PM - Aug. 16, 2007 - comments {1} - post comment

Thoughtful Stuff for Moms

We all know that being a Thoughtful Mother is hard work.  Thoughtful Motherhood takes planning, and it takes some tools.  Each week, I'll be listing a few tools in my sidebar that will aid the Thoughtful Mother in her duties, making life more simple and enjoyable.

This week's products are:

Kids Daily Activity Organizer - This is great for clothes or school activities.  As a mom to four boys, I really try to limit our clothing.  Limiting clothing keeps the laundry pile small, and aids in my sanity.  You can read more about my kids' wardrobes here.  This product is a great way to limit clothing and teach your children basic organization.  Purchase one for each child and as part of your Saturday chores, fill it up with clothes for the following week.  Keep a few extra pair of playclothes, and your child's wardrobe is all set.  Read about how Camilla uses her's here.

C.R. Gibson Simplicity Recipe Organizer -  C.R. Gibson has been creating beautiful journals, notecards, and paper items since 1870.  This adorable recipe organizer would inspire any mother to finally organize all those recipes that are stuck in the nooks and crannies of the kitchen.  Being a Thoughtful Mother means making simple meal plans and using tasty recipes that your family loves.  What better way to make dinner inspirational then to store your recipes in a pretty binder.

KidCo Food Mill -  Homemade baby food is so easy and so fun.  When you don't have to time to make large batches of baby food, this awesome hand-mill can turn your family's dinner into your baby's dinner.  Put a few spoonfuls of whatever your eating in the mill. Cranks the handle a couple of times, and your baby has healthy homemade babyfood.  How simple and how thoughtful!

Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks - You've seen this book featured in TOS.  What's stopping you from buying it?  Its a great resource for every homeschool mom (or dad).

Practical Homeschooling - This magazine is another great resource for homeschool families.  Its such a treat to go to mailbox and find a magazine filled with encouragment and advice for families like ours. 

1:16 PM - Jul. 31, 2007 - comments {0} - post comment