Why is it that on Sunday afternoons all I want to do is take a nap? Since I am not taking a nap, I am here, at my computer which is kind of like zoning out, but I have one ear open for the kids.

I have decided to blog about my 3rd child. He's a boy, my 2nd boy.
When he was born( was induced because he was two weeks late, but it was a vary hard, fast labour), the Dr laid him on my stomach and I looked down at him(my new son, not the Dr) and I have the distinct memory of saying "Who are you?". 
Well, now, 6yrs later, I know who he is.  As a baby he was very demanding, he was climbing before he could walk.  When he was 2 he tried his hand at driving and drove our van through a fence(thankfully no one was hurt).  He has no fear and he's the family comedian.  If you tell him that 'such and such' will happen if he does 'that', then he will do it anyway, just to see if what you said is true. 
If he was in public school, I'm sure they would want me to get him tested for some type of attention disorder.  This year will be his Grade 1 year(although I do not put much emphasis on grades) and I've realized that I'm going to need a whole new approach to teaching him.  So last night I began to read this book:

Already I know this is going to be a good book and a great help. The author has a son diagnosed with ADHD, but the suggestions so far can work with any child. My oldest dd is very easily distracted and already I've discovered things that would help her, like putting a cardboard or corrugated plastic cubicle around her workspace. We do a lot of reading aloud and I've never minded the kids doing quiet things while I read. Some of the author's suggestions are letting them walk in circles around the table or screwing screws into a board with a screwdriver.  I think that this year we're going to be doing a lot of learning games as well.
So far this is a great book and I think it will continue to be one.
I will keep you posted on how my things are going with my son.

"As a young man prepares for marriage, he needs to be confident that he has the necessary strength.   Women are created by God to be led by a strong man, but marriage is disastrous when a man is not strong enough, or his strength is not biblically informed.
Part of the curse in Genesis is seen in how the woman desires to have mastery over her husband.  When God tells Eve that her desire will be for her husband(Gen.3:16), this was not referring to romantic getaways.  The phrase is virtually identical to the one found in the next chapter, when God warns Cain that sin wants to have mastery over him(Gen.4:7).  On one level, women want to rule their husbands (as a result of the fall), but on another level entirely (because of created order), they have a deep desire to be protected and led by a man who is strong enough.  A young man is not ready for marriage unless he knows this, and knows that he has sufficient horsepower to pull that load.

So an essential part of the preparation for a young man as he considers the cultural mandate is his training for marriage.  Future men are future husbands.  The foundation of respect here is a foundation of love.  When we look  at what God requires of men and women in marriage, we are looking at what fathers and mothers should be preparing their sons and daughters to do when they are grown.  A boy should not grow up-however he manages that-and then when he gets engaged start worrying about how to be a good husband.  Knowledge of what a godly husband is should surround him from the time he is a small boy. ..."

"...Fathers are therefore to discipline their sons on the path to manhood.  They are to delight in their boys as they pass by certain milestones on the way to manhood, and they are to teach them as they walk along the way together.  This is not easy."

These are not my words.  They are written by Douglas Wilson, the author of the book I've been reading called Future Men.  It's an excellent, excellent book.  I recommend it if you have sons or even if you don't, it's still a good read.  It's been giving me alot to chew on lately, especially the chapter on mothers and sons.   He covers  many topics and explains when and how a boy should 'fight', very insightful.
The book is available here.

Blessings!

Well, I've just finished a book that I actually didn't like.  We read "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman as a read aloud.  I was so glad to finish it.  I didn't enjoy reading it.  There were too many awkward sentances and I didn't like how they talked to each other.  I should've stopped reading it, but I kept hoping it would get better. 

It did win a Newberry Medal and I can see why; the Prince does have a change of heart and the two boys becme friends, BUT I've read much better lituature.

Which leads me to my next book, "Little Britches" by Ralph Moody.  I am absolutely loving this book!!  I'm pre-reading it to see if it's appropriate for my kids.  I've borrowed it from our homeschool support group library and I've decided it's a book I'd like to own.  It's already made me cry and I look forward to reading the whole series.

What I do like about this book is it's taken from real life.  It's a man telling his life story from a boy's point of view.  I really like how the author eludes to things that happened or were said through his eight year old eyes.  As the reader you know what might have took place, but he doesn't have to explain it.  For example; the conversations that may have happened between his parents, you know what they talked about by the events that happened afterward, but as a boy, he(Ralph) didn't know what they had said.  It's just very well worded and very well written.

Another thing I like about this book is the time it took place in.  It seems that 100 years ago there was a common moral decency that has been lost.  There was right and wrong and everybody knew what it was.  Even parenting was done with good ol' common sense.  Nowadays, it's not so 'common'-even in Christian circles.  It makes me yearn for the old fashioned way of life.  I know there were scoundrels and outlaws back then, bad guys have been around forever, BUT there was an innocence that we(as a society) don't have today.

Well, I could go on about that topic, but that's not really part of my book review.  So anyway, I highly recommend this book.  It's a great read.  I'll let you know what I think of the series as I read them.

I'm just stopping in to brag on my daughter.  She has read 4 books in the last week.  I'm not even sure it was in 7 days even, more like 5or 6.  She's 9 and a vivacious reader.  I'm so glad she has a love of reading.  I feel like one of my homeschool goals has been accomplished. 

Anyway, the books she read are:
 

• A Little Princess   by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Ilove this story)

• Mr McBroom's Wonderful One Acre Farm(at least I think that's the title, I cant find the book at the moment and so I don't even remember the author)

• A Llama in the Family  by Johanna Hurwitz (Albeit, this book and the one above are rather skinny compared to the other two.)

• Treasures of the Snow  by Patricia M St.John  (This is such a precious story, I read it as a girl.)

We have just finished reading the story of George Muller by Janet and Geoff Benge, part of the Heroes: Then and Now series, published by YWAM.  What an inspiring story!  This man had an incredible faith and lived it.  God blessed his work and provided for thousands of orphans.  The key is that George Muller was doing what God had called him to do, he never asked anyone for money and instead he prayed over every need.  A testimony, indeed!

And to think he even met Charles Dickens and many other influential people of his time.  If I'm ever in England again I want to go and see the buildings that he built for his orphanage-even though the book does point out that it wasn't the buildings, but the faith of George Muller, that was amazing.  He wanted to show people that God answers prayer and he did.

Wow, I am just amazed by this book.  I have just finished reading "Indian Captive" by Lois Lenski.  I had never read it before, but decided to preread it to see if it is suitable for my dd(I have since decided to wait a couple years before I let her read it.  She's quite sensitive.).  It intrigued me because it is a true story and I'm always interested in those.

The book opened my eyes to a whole new world that I never gave much thought to before.  Imagine being taken from your family and being 'adopted' into another culture, not knowing the language, not even knowing that you're being adopted.  How terrifying for a young girl, but what an amazing story. 

I also gained tremendous insight into Native life.  I guess that's why it is a Newberry Honor book; it makes one think.  I'm now interested to track down other books about Mary Jemison(the book only deals with a couple years of her life).

Read on, booklovers!

I'm just testing my 'Books I Love' category.
Real books that I have read will appear here if this works.