Don’t you just love that sound? I mean, the sound of a dishwasher running, cleaning and sanitizing your dishes. That sound is the sound of a task completed! After writing about kitchen housework in my last article, I started thinking about some of our habits that probably help me be able to empty and fill my dishwasher so quickly. Here’s what we do:
Everybody Carries. The smallest of children are trained to carry their own dishes from the table to the counter, every meal. Truly, we only had to train our oldest children. The younger two....
Dec. 3, 2008 - My Amazing Discovery about Kitchen Cleaning
One of my housework nemeses is the kitchen. My husband and I cook for 6 people; so you can imagine that we keep our kitchen in constant use. I despise emptying and filling the dishwasher, can’t stand to wash dishes, and hate cleaning the stove. My husband, on the other hand, despises walking in from work and finding stacks of dishes on the counter from lunch. In an effort to honor my husband, I have been working diligently to improve my kitchen cleaning habits and skills.
In our home, we have a rule about cleaning the main floor before my husband comes home. I have always tried to give us about 30 minutes to get this done, and that is plenty of time. I don’t always do the kitchen, but I do try! The other day, instead of calling me before he got on the bus, my husband called me when he got to his car at the bus stop 12 minutes from home. Yikes!
I found this recipe online for Blue Cheese dip; and I keep losing it. So, I decided to put it on my blog. My men eat it with Buffalo Wings. Us girls don't eat it at all .
Blue cheese dip
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar or white vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
I'm pretty sure everyone knows what Buffalo wings are these days; and if you are wondering how to make them I will tell you what we do. First, we buy the sauce that Frank's Original Red Hot sauce. Then, we buy sauces for the rest of us, usually teriyaki for the children, and a sweet sauce like Stubb's Original Mild Sauce for me. Plus, we buy chicken wings. Usually, the wings have to be cut in half and recently we have also had to remove some feathers... Then, we boil some of the wings in each type of sauce. For a few minutes. Then, we finish cooking the wings on the grill; while we keep the sauces boiling on the stove. Finally, we dip the wings in the sauce one last time and serve them hot; with celery and Blue Cheese dip. We also usually have grapes and carrot sticks.
May. 15, 2008 - Making Gluten Free Mixes Better: Bob's Red Mill GF Brownies
Making Gluten Free Mixes Better: Bob's Red Mill GF Chocolate Brownies
If you have anyone in your house struggling to stay gluten free; you know that many of the pre-made mixes which make life so much easier are pretty lousy in the taste department. I happened on the idea of perking up the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie mix on my own; and it was so good I decided to share it with you. The main problem with the mix seems to be a lack of chocolate flavor. To solve this problem; I simply added 1/4 C of Hershey's Baking Chocolate Powder and 1/2 C of chocolate chips. The taste improvement was huge; and I enjoyed the brownies as much as my little gluten free girl did! Now, I won't mind so much shelling out $5.50 per mix; because I know she will be enjoying brownies that taste wonderful.
I think these were even better then the "regular" brownie mixes we use!
May. 13, 2008 - What Did You Eat Today? On Going Almost Vegetarian.
As I have discovered that meat and protein seems to aggrevate my trachia considerably; I have decided to go on an "almost vegetarian" diet for a while. Here is my plan. For breakfast and lunch, I will eat fruit or vegetable centric meals, and limit bread and dairy as much as possible. For supper, I will graciously eat whatever my husband serves or whatever he wishes me to fix. However, when we do have meat, I will limit myself to 1 or 2 ounces of meat. I will also buy more whole grain pastas and rice so that I always have this alternative even when the rest of the family wants Minute Rice. So, I am not giving up meat entirely and I will not be reading labels to prevent "accidental" meat or dairy consumption. But, I am going to focus on improving my vegetable and fruit intake! I am also focusing on more homemade juice and more water intake, and less soda.
Today for lunch, I mixed up a fantastic meal and decided I wanted to share it with you.
Amy's Mixed Up Vegetables
1/2 Onion
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Squash
10 mushroom slices
1 Heaping Teaspoon of Minced Garlic from the jar (about two cloves)
1 Tablespoon Dried Crushed Basil
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Sliced Tomato
1/2 C Cooked Pasta
First, I chopped all of my vegetables and assembled my other ingredients. Then, I heated our India Wok over high heat for several minutes. Next, I added the Olive Oil, followed immediately by the onion, zucchini, squash and mushrooms. After stir-frying this for a couple minutes, I added the garlic, salt, pepper, and basil. I confess, I intended only to add a teaspoon or so of basil, but I messed up the lid on my basil and it was a happy accident because the full tablespoon added lots of flavor! I stir fried this for a few more minutes, (I like my veggies crunchy, you cook them to your desired tenderness but the crunchier they are the more healthy!) and then put about half of the mixture on a small (1/2 C serving) plate of pasta. I topped this with half of the sliced tomato, and more salt to taste. Yummm....
After eating this, I finished off the veggies without adding more pasta. The pasta added a nice texture, but was not necessary for the dish. I enjoyed the second plate just as much; with no guilt because it was all veggies! (except for the fungus of course...)
You can mix this up by including your favorite veggies! It's pretty forgiving I think; and next time I do not intend to add mushrooms. I love the zucchini this way, give it a try!!!
After my Tightwad Tuesday post on packing a picnic, my dear friend Cristi asked what I bought for the picnic at Whole Foods. That got me thinking. What exactly makes a good picnic? Before Anna had to be dairy free and gluten free, we had an old formula. Cheese, fruit, sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks. Now, that makes a great picnic! We almost never take cheese now, for that would be unfair unless I have a substitute. The formula stands alone without cheese though! However, I am now branching out a little. Whenever we pack a picnic from our home; we choose any variety of things based on what is in the cupboard. We do enjoy taking those little Jif-To-Go packs which I occasionally get mostly free with coupons. We pack those, with celery and carrots for dipping, and maybe apples to dip too. We almost always pack the makings of a meat sandwich and chips. I try to pack some special treat thing; which might include whatever snacks I have gotten recently with my coupons. This might include cookies, rice krispie treats, fruit roll-ups, anything sweet. This last picnic was completely off the beaten track. Three children had blueberry muffins. Everyone shared tortilla chips and guacamole. Anna had salami on gluten free bread. The two boys had salami with no bread. Everyone finished very full and happy with our little picnic! I certainly would have added fruit except that they were filming a television show in Whole Foods and I DID NOT want to go back past the cameras to the produce section once I realized we were in need of a picnic! I confess, I have even made a picnic with Lunchables in the past! The key thing here is the atmosphere... Eating outside is fun, refreshing, and interesting. Certainly, eating outside to facilitate a trip to the playground is always welcome by the children... However, we have even been known to have a "picnic" in the car with a good audiobook after the unwelcome onset of rain.
Ironically, my friend Cristi and I met for the first time (in real life) at a park where we were both supposed to be bringing our own picnics. She was good and brought a picnic, and I was bad and stopped at Wendy's on the way. I remember panicking because we had not the single making of a picnic in our cupboards that day! I was so embaressed then, but now it is too funny to me that she is asking for picnic advice in the comments of my blog! What a fun memory of that day! I'm pretty sure you've got it covered my friend.
My Mom always fixed a huge breakfast on the weekends, and we have been moderately following suit. We don't make "everything", but we often make a few things such as omelets and sausage, or waffles and scrambled eggs and bacon. Today we had waffles, scrambled eggs and sausage. I've been searching for a great waffle recipe since we got our wafflemaker on freecycle a few weeks ago; and the last couple times we made waffles we agree this is the one.
For a great gluten free/ dairy free waffle for Anna, we use the Bob's Red Mill mix, and freeze the leftovers for next time. I add chocolate chips for those who want them, and Anna always does! For dairy free chocolate chips I use either the Whole Foods brand, or Ghiradelli Chocolate chips. I have been having my Mother-In-Law or Father-In-Law bring four or five bags when they come for a visit, because the Ghiradelli brand are so much cheaper in Minnesota (and taste better then the Whole Foods brand...)
I hope you are having a fantastic weekend! Clara performed in a Ballet recital last weekend, and Jonathan planted a tree in Cub Scouts yesterday. I am hoping to have pictures of both events up very soon.
I never thought I would be a Smoothie Makin Mommy. Recently, however, I have been reading more and more about the health benefits of Kefir, and fruit smoothies in general. Plus, I read the book The Sneaky Chef; and wanted to try some of the ideas even though I tell my children what I am putting in everything. I have started making smoothies...
My kids love them!!! Here is what we made tonight with 1/2 C Kefir, 1/2 C Sorbet (about 3 scoops with my pampered chef scoop), 1/2 C Blueberries, 1/2 C Ice, 1tbsp Spinach. I use Probiotic Soymilk for my dairy free girl. I don't ever measure, and they always taste great.
Mar. 25, 2008 - Gluten Free Recipe -- Apple Butter Pork
Gluten Free/Dairy Free Recipe -- Apple Butter Pork
I haven't posted a gluten free recipe for a while; so I guess I should stop calling this gf recipe of the week! I have made this pork recipe a few times now; and my entire family enjoys it. We bought two very large pork loins when they were on sale for $1.99 per pound, and cooked them in the crockpot with Emeril's Essence rub, which we make ourselves to avoid additives. Then, we sliced them in serving sizes and froze them flat in freezer bags so that we could choose the number to cook. Once frozen, we folded the bags over for tighter storage. You don't need to use Emeril's Essence, but you do need to start with pre-cooked pork for this recipe. If you freeze the pork (or any other meat you pre-cook), you can microwave it on high for 3-4 minutes until thawed; but not necessarily hot and then finish heating it in the skillet after you coat it. Then, it won't be extra tough from the microwave. Pre-cooking meat is a great time-saver!
4-6 Boneless Pork servings
1 C Apple Butter
1 C Almond Meal
1/2 C Mesa Harina, or other finally ground corn flour or gluten free flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Corn Oil
Mix the almond meal, the mesa, and the salt together. Heat skillet with oil. Dip pork into apple butter gently, coating each side. Slip into the flour mixture and sprinkle the flour mixture generously on the top rather then flipping. Place into hot oil, and cook until gently browned and hot, turning only once. The delicate flaky crust seals in the moist apple butter, for a subtly sweet flavor. The apple butter creates a very dark crust, which looks "almost" burned. Serve with brown rice and greens!
I was very pleased to see this article by George Millman in the Washington Post. Here is my favorite quote from the article.
The results? Studies have shown that home-schooled children outperform the conventionally schooled not only on standardized academic tests but also on tests of social skills. This, I believe, isn't because home-schoolers do things better than schools do them but because we do better things than schools do.
I was blessed today to read this article by Harvey Bluedorn, and thought perhaps you would also be blessed in the reading of it. Sometimes it helps to read articles such as these to renew our sense of purpose and energize our efforts as homeschooling parents. The homeschool journey can be incredibly discouraging, can it not? Our days are filled with busy management moments, and never enough time it seems to get every little thing accomplished. It is good to take a moment and remember why we are doing what we do.
Do you read out loud to your children? I heard recently that pediatrician’s recommend reading out loud to your children for 15 minutes per day. That’s not a whole lot to ask, and it is a good place to start, a good minimum. In Jim Trelease’s book, “The Read Aloud Handbook”, he states that being read aloud to is the most telling predictor of academic success for children. I don’t know about you, but I am not aiming for the minimum here!
Do Great Books Transcend Gender?
Are there really such things as Boy Books and Girl Books?
As my husband and I were pondering this subject, we came up with the following set of responses.
Classic books usually transcend gender. We all have our own list of what will be required reading. My girls will have to read The Hobbit; for instance. Some people would say it is a “boy” book. I never, ever thought of King Arthur as a “boy” book until someone else brought it up. Oftentimes books that are considered “girlie” are being stereotyped by someone who has not even read the books. The Little Princess is an example of a book that is not overwhelmingly girlie, (two very strong male charaters...) but the title implies that it is a “girlie” book.
Your interaction with your child after the book might be tailored on gender. For instance, when you read your boys Little House on the Prairie series, you would focus on the themes of obedience, participation in family chores, and also emphasize identifying with the male characters, and the underlying theme of Pa’s commitment to providing for his family. With a girl, you might emphasize some of the same themes; but also identifying with Laura (temper, self control) and Ma (gentleness and submission) and some of the themes of those characters. Another example: my husband said one of the good things about having to read Little Women was that it really helped him define the character qualities/personalities he most appreciated in a woman because he was reading about four distinct “women” with distinct personalities. It was not his favorite book, but he does not begrudge having to read it.
Children should have to read at least one classic book from every genre before they graduate. (mystery, poetry, autobiography, historical fiction, science fiction, Shakespeare, adventure etc.) O.K. I am not really sure Shakespeare is in his own genre; but you get the idea.
In elementary school; the goal is making sure your children want to read! If they really “hate” what they are reading, then find something else to substitute and stick it on the shelf. If they do become voracious readers, they will read everything they can get there hands on as they grow. That is when you make sure trash novels and fluff are not the things you have readily available.
Personality/Maturity might play a bigger role then gender. I am a voracious reader and love literature from all centuries (even Homer) and genres, and I never have made it through all of Pilgrim’s Progress (gasp). If my girls do not like The Hobbit, it will probably be because of personality or maturity, not gender. So, I won’t make them finish the series.
Some books on “great books” lists available should not have to be read by anyone. Lord of the Flies comes immediately to mind for us. I found it to be pagan, secular and humanist and not the kind of thing I want my teenagers to be filling their minds with. If my teens want to read it, I will recognize the need to pick my battles, but it is certainly not going to be on our required reading list. Another book my husband mentioned is Great Expectations. I do not intend to make my children read that book. I am not trying to flame anyone who would put these on a required reading list per #1 either; just stating our personal opinions about those two books.
Some books (a very few) I really, really want my girls to read and I just don’t think my sons will need to read them. (or vice versa) Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss is my example. I will probably give this book to my girls as a gift after they have their first child. I am not certain about the right timing; but the book is a powerful classic that women everywhere can identify deeply with. It would be a stretch for me to make my son read any of the Barbara Bush memoirs I have loved; yet I will definitely want my girls to read a good biography about Lincoln.
Several years ago, before my children could even truly read, I trained the oldest two in this regime: "Go get four books, find a spot on a couch or chair, and read until I tell you otherwise! The key to this training was practice and firm convictions. If I say go get four books, you are not in compliance until you have four books. If I say separate couches, you can't all be on the same couch. If I say read until I tell you otherwise, and you get up after you finish 1 book; you are not in compliance. Since my children actually like to look through books; this was not a difficult training period frought with lots of strife. It took only a few weeks, and involved only one or two instances of punishment. The rewards have been immense!
First, the subsequent children have been trained by observation. When Momma says go get a book; we get to sit on the couch and read! It looks so fun; and pretty soon the two year old is joining right in. Whenever possible, one or both parents join in as well!
Second, when Mom and Dad need a few uninterrupted moments while they fix supper; the children have a controlled activity which they actually enjoy to keep them occupied. Since they are well trained in this activity, there is very little conflict. What typically happens in our home is this. Daddy has just arrived home from work and is helping Mommy get supper. While they work, Mom and Dad are also debriefing each other about the day. The children, who are super excited to have Daddy home and also anxious for supper, are all gathered at the kitchen table, talking to each other excitedly as they wait for attention and food. In response to Daddy's naturally loud voice, they start getting louder and louder. Which causes Mom and Dad to get louder and louder. Finally, Mom or Dad says, "All right, we aren't ready to have you at the table yet, why don't you all go get some books and find a couch." Since we have a fairly open floor plan, this works really well. If your couches are in Timbuctoo, you might have the children bring their books back to the table! Without interruption, supper is on the table within a few minutes, and children have time to share with Dad about their day -- getting both the food and the attention they need and desire!
Third, it is a discipline (doing what you need to do whether you want to or not) which can come in response to rowdy children, bickering, or other aggravation -- yet it is not a punishment. It is an enjoyable moment of down-time.
A few days ago I sent the children for their books and couches (no specifications), and upon making sure they were in compliance, found this:
What a joy to find them all together on one couch with no bickering!
I modified this recipe from one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes, called "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever." The next time I try this recipe, I am going to decrease the flour a tiny amount. I used a Gluten Free Flour Blend from Mary Francis' Gluten Free Cooking School-- we love her flour blend. It is unlike any other we have used. Actually, we love every recipe on her site we have tried; so you should check it out :). Anyway, my chocolate chip cookies passed the taste test -- all four of my children eat them with relish, and only one of those children is gluten restricted. The others tend to thumb their noses at GF stuff; but not these cookies!
Here is my recipe:
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 Cup Shortening
1 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Milk or Milk Substitute (I used Rice Milk)
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 Egg
1 1/2 C Gluten Free Flour Blend
1/2 C Almond Meal (without this add another 1/2 C Flour)
3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Xanthum Gum
1 Tsp baking Soda
1 Bag Chocolate Chips
Cream Shortening and Brown Sugar, add remaining wet ingredients and blend. In a second bowl, blend the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, blending well each time. Add Chocolate Chips last. Bake at 375* for 9 minutes. Enjoy!
Yet Another Recall! This one is big... Here is the Associated Press Article:
Toy containing date-rape drug pulled
- The Associated Press
Published 7:15 pm PST Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Millions of Chinese-made toys have been pulled from shelves in North
America and Australia after scientists found they contain a chemical
that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested. Two
children in the U.S. and three in Australia were hospitalized after
swallowing the beads.
With only seven weeks until Christmas, the recall is yet another blow
to the toy industry - already bruised by a slew of recalls last
summer.
In the United States, the toy goes by the name Aqua Dots, a highly
popular holiday toy distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys. It
is called Bindeez in Australia, where it was named toy of the year at
an industry function earlier this year.
Moose Enterprises said Bindeez and Aqua Dots are made at the same
factory, which is located in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong
province. Last week the Chinese government announced an export ban on
more than 700 toy factories in the region because of shoddy products.
The company said that the product is distributed in 40 countries but
that it was up to the individual countries and distributors to
determine whether the product would be pulled.
The toy beads are sold in general merchandise stores and over the
Internet for use in arts and crafts projects. They can be arranged
into designs and fused when sprayed with water.
Scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested,
metabolizes into the so-called date rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate.
When eaten, the compound - made from common and easily available
ingredients - can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma
and death.
Naren Gunja from Australia's Poisons Information Center said the
drug's effect on children was "quite serious ... and potentially life-
threatening."
The recall was announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on
Wednesday several hours after published reports about the recall in
Australia.
The two U.S. children who swallowed Aqua Dot beads went into
nonresponsive comas, commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said
Wednesday. A 20-month-old has recovered completely while the other
child, whose age was not known, has been released from a hospital
after five days and is recovering, he said.
"To prevent any other child from being hurt, we are calling upon
parents to take the product away immediately," Wolfson said.
In Australia, the toys were ordered off store shelves on Tuesday when
officials learned that a 2-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were
hospitalized after swallowing the beads. A 19-month-old toddler also
was being treated.
The news jolted the toy industry because Aqua Dots has been one of
the few bright stars of the toy selling season, which, along with
overall retailing, has gotten off to a sluggish start. The item,
which had been heavily advertised, had appeared on many toy experts'
list of must-have holiday toys, and toy sellers are now in the midst
of canceling advertising and scrambling to figure out how to replace
it.
Chris Byrne, a New York-based toy consultant, noted that the
incidents could have been isolated, and Spin Master may be erring on
the side of caution.
"This is something that they could not have foreseen. This is an
extremely hot toy. ... It's a little scary," Byrne said.
In a statement, Toys "R" Us Inc., said that it issued on Tuesday
a "stop sale" on the entire Spin Master Aqua Dots product line in its
North American stores and on its Web site after it learned of the
news. "We understand that Spin Master and U.S. regulatory authorities
are investigating this product and we have asked Spin Master to fully
explain what it believes happened," said the toy seller in a
statement.
Meanwhile, a separate recall was announced for 405,000 children's
products made in China, most of them toy cars, because of dangerous
levels of lead.
The recall includes about 380,000 Pull-Back Action Toy Cars imported
by Dollar General Merchandising Inc. of Goodlettsville, Tenn., and
7,500 Dragster and Funny Car toys imported by International Sourcing
Ltd. of Springfield, Mo.
Four of the recalled products were imported by Schylling Associates
Inc. of Rowley, Mass., including the items Duck Family Collectable
Wind-Up Toy, Dizzy Ducks Music Box, "Robot 2000" collectable tin
robot and Winnie-the-Pooh Spinning Top. The company recalled another
66,000 spinning tops Aug. 22.
Representatives from Schylling Associates Inc. were not immediately
available for comment.
Wednesday's recalls include about 7,200 "Big Red" Wagons imported by
Northern Tool & Equipment Co. of Burnsville, Minn. Totaling about
405,700, the recalled children's products all had excessive levels of
lead in their surface paint.
Although no illnesses connected to the toy car recall have been
reported, lead is toxic if ingested by young children. Children's
products found to have more than 0.06 percent lead accessible to
users are subject to a recall.
A spate of recalls of Chinese-manufactured toys this year was
highlighted by U.S.-based Mattel Inc.'s recall of more than 21
million toys worldwide last summer.
I just found out about this from my friend Debra; and it is so cool! A Grammar expert e-mails Daily Grammar lessons to your inbox. I am using it for review myself, as my grammar has been failing. I can see using it with older elementary children, junior high ages as their main grammar lesson. Have them read the e-mail; or read it together and then work on writing or diagramming some sentences to review the concepts. Some of the vocabulary is too advanced for my 8 year old. However, my children love to send and receive e-mail; so I can see this working really well.
Aug. 28, 2007 - 100 Things I Love About Mothering My Children
100 Things I Love About Mothering My Children
Sunday, the children asked for fajitas for lunch, and my little four year old said, "Yes, and then we can have a fajita party, right Daddy?" So we did! It just doesn't get any better then that. What is a fajita party you might ask? Well, for us it involved putting all the fixings on the table so that even the little ones could "make their own" while we all listened to Mexican guitar music, and talked in our limited Spanish phrases. Oh, and we made some homemade Guacamole too. Seeing as how this is my 100th post; I wanted to do something really special. So I decided to write a list of 100 things I love about mothering my children. Being a mom can be really hard! I started this list after a rather frustrating evening, it is very encouraging to remember all the wonderful parts of motherhood after a long day! I hope it will encourage you as well... If you are going to join the fun, please leave a comment here and link back to me so that we can read each other's posts.
1. I love Baby singing! The first time they try to join in on a song -- that is so precious!
2. I love baking cookies with my little girl because she *loves* baking cookies. It is so fun to see her joy.
3. I love watching their eyes light up when they figure out something new!
4. I love hearing Opera music coming from the mouth of an eight year old girl.
5. I love hugs.
6. I love baby's first kisses.
7. I love chubby hands pressing my cheek for a kiss or rubbing noses. 8. I love listening to made up stories about robots and dinosaur wars. 9. I love cuddling on the couch with a good book.
10. I love answering questions about God.
11. I love treating my children with special moments like hikes, picnics, last minute get togethers with friends or fajita parties.
12. I love painting toenails on six feet.
13. I love answering questions about life.
14. I love getting e-mails from my kids.
15. I love real conversations with my children.
16. I love dressing dolls in fancy clothes.
17. I love long walks in the woods with children because they are in awe of every new thing they see.
18. I love that clean baby smell.
19. I love that moment when potty training is finally over.
20. I love making rice crispy treats and letting the helper lick the spoon. 21. I love watching my children sleep.
22. I love teaching new things, like how to cut your own meat with a dinner knife.
23. I love watching them exceed my expectations time and again! Did you know that a six year old can design a web page when left alone with the software? I sure didn't!
24. I love listening to memory verses and knowing its in there for good.
25. I love seeing a three year old pretend to nurse a teddy bear.
26. I love seeing a child choose a book or playtime over television. 27. I love listening to castle stories evolve while they play with lego castles.
28. I love watching someone gently help a younger sibling. 29. I love singing together.
30. I love it when my child sings his own song, just because he is happy.
31. I love willing helpers.
32. I love beautiful artwork and silly rhymes.
33. I love hearing my children pray.
34. I love seeing my children exhausted but happy after a long day of swimming or playing on a playground.
35. I love reading the Bible to my children.
36. I love hearing my children read the Bible on their own.
37. I love sitting next to my children in church and sharing in worship. 38. I love watching my son happily taking notes during a sermon.
39. I love hearing the sometimes amazing answers to the question: "What did you learn at church today?"
40. I love seeing a little girl give her last dollar to missions.
41. I love the rattle of change in a piggy bank.
42. I love family teamwork. (Let's all clean the house and then we can have a movie night...)
43. I love siblings playing happily together for hours. (Hey, it can happen!)
44. I love baby giggles.
45. I love tickle moments.
46. I love Peek A Boo games.
47. I love grocery shopping with just one child along for the bonding. 48. I love talking one on one with whoever's turn it is to stay up late. 49. I love Six Year Old joke tellers.
50. I love writing poetry together with a child. (You write one line, and I'll write the next...)
51. I love seeing my children succeed.
52. I love pre-reading books for my preteen and then talking about the books together as she reads.
53. I love knowing that God is in control even when I fail.
54. I love that children forgive so easily.
55. I love those happy morning grins.
56. I love the phrase: "I would love to do that for you Mommy."
57. I love trying to learn a foreign language with my children. What fun!
58. I love introducing new wonders, like the insides of a Japanese beetle, or the compound eyes of a fly.
59. I love sharing God's grace in my parenting after a child makes a mistake.
60. I love telling grandparents what amazing thing my child has just done. (They are probably the only people who actually want to hear it!)
61. I love hearing the words: "I found it! I found my shoe Mommy."
62. I love water gun fights on hot summer days.
63. I love realizing my child has grown more then an inch in six months. Well, it makes me sad too; but still... we get to go buy new clothes together!
64. I love when my children see me crying during a good book and want to know why.
65. I love experiencing the wonder of Christmas with my children over again each year.
66. I love celebrating all holidays with my children to remind me about what matters.
67. I love allowing new independence when it is truly earned.
68. I love Well Child visits at the Doctors.
69. I love milk and brownies.
70. I love buying clothes! (Hey, that is part of motherhood!)
71. I love watching my children clamor to tell Daddy what they did in our homeschool.
72. I love giving a child 25 cents on yard sale day and seeing what they can find.
73. I love handwriting that grows more legible every week.
74. I love quiet time every afternoon.
75. I love watching my children "protect" each other in that brotherly protective way when strangers talk to us at the grocery store.
76. I love the unfettered generosity of a child.
77. I love learning important life lessons from a three year old.
78. I love watching my children wrestle with Daddy.
79. I love bargain shopping with children who love bargains almost as much as I do.
80. I love observing a child have fun with his chores. I remember that it can be fun!
81. I love watching an older child read to a younger child.
82. I love knowing I still have time to improve.
83. I love helping a child solve a learning crisis.
84. I love hearing a little girl get so excited to share that she cannot talk fast enough.
85. I love pushing toddlers on a swing.
86. I love seeing a child experience empathy.
87. I love laughing in front of my children. Good healthy laughter. Like when I listen to Jim Weiss tell the story of Archimedes and the Golden Crown.
88. I love making homemade ice cream with my children.
89. I love watching a child determined to "Do it myself."
90. I love picking apples in the fall with four excited children.
91. I love baking. (Notice, I did not say that I love to cook!)
92. I love big dreams. (Like my little girl who wants to own her own store where people can come and get Bibles for free all the time and never pay for anything ever.)
93. I love holding the trusting hand of a child.
94. I love gazing at the stars with a child.
95. I love weeding flowerbeds with children who think it is fun. ("Of course you can help. Really? You like this?")
96. I love Clara.
97. I love Jonathan.
98. I love Anna.
99. I love Caleb.
100. I love my life as a mother.
{To insert the graphic seen above, and share the joys of motherhood on your blog, please take the 100 Things challenge by following these steps. 1. Copy this code into your blog entry (by clicking source, and then copying the code where ever you want the graphic to appear.) and 2. List 100 Things You Love About Mothering Your Children, 3. Leave me a comment linking to your blog entry so that I can read your list and be encouraged as a mother!
a href="http://homeschoolblogger.com/bowofbronze/380935/"
You will need to add a < at the beginning of this code and > at the end of the each line of this code. Then add a < a / > without spaces to the very end of the total code. Please do not use the graphic without using this code. Blessings.}
This is me on my 2nd Birthday; August 13, 1975. The doll cake was made by Grandma (Mimmie) and is one of my earliest memories. I believe she made each of her grandaughters a doll cake. She had six grandaughters in all (did I count right?). Mimmie went to be with the Lord when my firstborn was still a baby. I made my oldest a doll cake when she was 4; (not remembering the correct date for when I had mine) and continued the tradition recently for my second daughter on her 4th birthday.
This is Anna on her 4th birthday; August 14, 2007.
Lots of people ask me about decorating cakes. I always tell them -- it's not how great it looks like that they will remember, its that you took the time to make it special for them. My cakes don't look that great (trust me, I could never sell them!) but they are special because my children are special. I just took the classes at Michael's in anticipation of motherhood... You can do it too!
Copyright Infringement: When is it O.K. to Share? By Katie Kubesh
(reprinted with permission)
“Okay, ladies…here come the Hands of a Child lapbooks. Some of them have guides and some have add-ins. I am making sure to be very careful not to repeat any, so that you can get them all and the extras. And since I am a member of Hands of a Child I get what they call unit extenders. As soon as I find them I will add them in too. Enjoy!”
(Recent post by April to a Yahoo File Sharing Group)
Technology has made life so easy for people. We are able to communicate with people on different continents simply by tapping the keys on our keyboards, with the help of Instant Messaging, we can instantly communicate with our friends and relatives and even see them on the computer screen. There are thousands of groups we can join, products we can buy, and information we can find. With the help of technology, three stay-at-home moms living in two different states are able to run a growing business called In the Hands of a Child, provide a quality product, and earn an income for their families. Unfortunately, with the help of technology other people have found they are able to take that quality product and income away from those three stay-at-home moms just as easily and with just the touch of a button on their keyboards.
One homeschooling mom purchases a Project Pack from In the Hands of a Child. She has four children, but only one Project Pack so she makes copies for each child. A teacher purchases a Project Pack from In the Hands of a Child and each child in class creates a lapbook with it. Is this type of sharing O.K. to do? Of course it is! In the Hands of a Child even grants permission for homeschooling co-ops or workshops to reproduce one copy of a Project Pack for up to 10 students per unit. Why do we do that? Because we know that educational materials can be expensive and we know that many households and classrooms need enough materials for every student.
Unfortunately, some people take that permission a step (or many steps) further and decide to provide our copyrighted materials to many other people. The person quoted at the beginning of this article actually shared over 75 different units with hundreds, thousands, or even more people. She took it upon herself to “share” our copyrighted material with people all over the world whom she does not even know. That is why we are continually amazed at the lack of respect, lack of judgment, and lack of morality that some people demonstrate when they STEAL copyrighted materials from In the Hands of a Child and other companies like it. Wow! STEALING is such a strong word when we are talking about a person like the one quoted above who has simply downloaded some Project Packs to “share” with fellow homeschoolers and teachers like herself. But would that same person walk into one of our homes and take the food off our table or steal our paycheck as we cash it at the bank? Probably not, but by offering our products to such a huge amount of people, it is just like taking the food off our tables or stealing our paychecks.
Thanks to technology, the person quoted above probably did not even think twice about what she did.
• Did she think about the three people who worked long hours researching, writing, and designing the graphics for those materials? Probably not.
• Did she stop to think that the money those three people earn from their business helps to support their own children and families? Probably not.
• Did she stop to think of the fact that each unit she provided for free to thousands of people is worth $6.00 to $25.00 each? Probably not.
• Did she realize that if just 10 people downloaded all of the units she provided for free it would total a loss of $4,500 to $18,750 to the people who worked so hard to write and design those units? That if 100 people downloaded each unit it would result in a loss of $450,000 to $187,500? Probably not.
• Did she realize that what she did is called copyright infringement and that it is against the law? Maybe.
What she probably did not think about or know is this: Unauthorized use or distribution of copyrighted material may not be reprinted, sold, or made freely available to others without the sole permission of the owners of the copyrighted material. It is against the law to do this.
What she probably did not think about or know is this: In the Hands of a Child files reports to Yahoo Groups and to the FBI each time we have documented proof (like the quote above) that someone is distributing our products without our permission. She might not have thought we would catch her, but we did. She might not have thought we would pursue her actions. But we did.
Please do not assume that materials you purchase in Printed, Ebook, or on a CD are available for you to share with others. Think twice before you share copyrighted materials with others. Think about the people who work long hard hours to write and design those materials. Think about the people who earn their living writing and designing those materials. Think about how it would feel if someone took away your food or paycheck just by simply pushing a button on his or her keyboard.
Kimm, Niki, and I appreciate all of our customers. We appreciate the fact that many of our customers like our products so much they want to share them with others. That is why we offer so many free promotional products and we offer discounts and incentives to people who represent us at a workshop or co-op. In the past month, we have given away over 500 FREE copies of our Moon Project Pack and over 60 2-month FREE Super Memberships. The next time someone asks you for a free Project Pack from In the Hands of a Child, please don’t steal to give it to them…have them go to www.handsofachild.com and click on Freebie to download their very own copy of a FREE Project Pack!
The theft of someone else's work is a big deal in the homeschool community. Too many people think that copying something "for educational" use is okay. It's not! Without express written consent from the author or publisher, we have no right to copy or share any copyrighted book or article. Even those in electronic format! Even those that are freely given away on the author's web-site. It is stealing... Like stealing food right off the table of the one who wrote it.
The bottom line is; We try not to insist on parent-led learning or gravitate toward child-led learning. We try instead to focus on God-led learning and ask for His input and perspective on every aspect of our home school. That way, when others fuss about what Dan and I are doing and make me second guess our decisions -- I can go back to our decision process and find God's fingerprints, reminding me that this is His way.
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