Jul. 16, 2009 - How to get children to eat veggies.
How to encourage Children to Eat Their Veggies:
1. Whatever types of foods children are introduced to when they are young, they will develop a taste. If they are introduced to raw veggies then they will like raw veggies (except for those things they might have allergies). Of course they might not like it at first, but reintroduce it several times later. Sometimes they make faces at things they have never tasted, but if reintroduced a couple of times, they develop a liking for it, especially if mom likes it.
2. Have you ever noticed that children like to eat whatever is on your plate? Children enjoy the foods you enjoy. When they hear or see you enjoy something you enjoy, they will want to enjoy it with you. If you eat raw carrots or fresh green peppers and say, "mmmmm, this is sooo good", they will learn to enjoy it. Doing this several times really helps them enjoy what you enjoy. I have experienced this with my children. My son's favorite veggie is tomatoes. My daughters is fresh green peppers. They all have their favorites, but they will happily enjoy any fresh veggies.
3. While your children eat, discuss what makes the food so healthy for them. Talk about broccoli with all the calcium it has in it when it is raw. It is loaded with green chlorophyll. That is so good for you. Talk about all the vitamin C in carrots. When you talk about this get excited about what you are sharing. Get really animated and into it-wow, this is sooo exciting because it is so good for you. When they understand that certain foods like avacado or nuts are full of great oils for your brain to develop and be smart, they will feel encouraged to eat it.
4. Plant a garden. Veggies or fruits taste a lot better when they don't have the bitter pesticides on it or when they are rippened by the sun. Children will also enjoy feeling like they are eating from the work of their own hands. It gives them a new perspective on veggies and fruit. By the way, did you ever notice that navy beans from the health food store taste drastically different than from the grocery store? You can't sprout the ones from the grocery store becaus of the chemicals applied to prevent growth. However, you can easily sprout the ones from the health food store. The taste between the two is remarkable. One is bitter and the other is sweet.
5. Encourage your children to cook with you. Use lots of fresh veggies in making a salad together. My children love our fruit salad. Just carmelized some great fresh pecans (taste a lot better from health food store than grocery store) with some brown sugar and butter. Put that aside. Cut up some green or red leaf lettuce. Top with blueberries, strawberries, and pecans on top. My children especially love Balsamic vinegar on this salad. You can top with parmesan cheese. The children and I made this salad up ourselves. I think they especially love it because they created it.
6. Shop together for groceries- I really have fun trying out samples of fresh fruits or veggies at the store. If the children put it in their minicarts and purchase with me, they really feel like it is theirs to eat. I especially love to shop at the local farmer's market, especially the organic ones. It is fun to come home and whip up a great fruit salad together.
7. Use fresh herbs together on your veggies and Fruits- I have the children go out and pick the basil or cilantro. We cut it up together and put it in the mix of things. Fresh Basil is especially good on veggies, and cilantro on fruits (we think). Oh, and don't forget the best olive oil (don't buy the cheap stuff-look for basil olive oil). The better the oil, the better the taste. Vegtable oil gives a yucky greasy taste while a good tasting olive oil will add to the flavor and health benefits (olive oil is great for the brain).
8. Use Sea Salt and fresh Ground Pepper on your veggies or meals- The difference in Sea Salt and grocery table salt is drastic. Study it for the health difference. One is bleached and the other is not. One has all the minerals your body needs and the other is stripped. You can really taste the difference. It really makes a difference on the foods. Also, fresh ground black pepper from your local farmer's market or from the health food store (you can buy in bulk). It is also drastically different. One has additives and is aged from sitting long on the shelves and the other is without the additives. I especially noticed this when I was hosting a Korean student (they use a lot of black pepper in their foods).
9. Use Good sweetners in your meals or cooked veggies-I especially like to use healthy natural maple syrup. Be sure to get the one without fermaldahyde. I also like to use local honey (yummy). I have heard that using local hunny from local bees it helps to fight against allergens in your area. Creams are great swetners. I have not found a local farmer to help me with this, but I like to buy the good stuff. Lastly, Jams (no sugar-love the Amish ones at our stores), andSucanat (natural sugar without the bleaching). All these different sweetners are so much better for your children than bleached white sugar. By eliminating or cutting back on white sugar, your children will much better concentrate on their school work.
10. Check your attitude towards veggies and fruits. Children pick up on our attitudes. If you are strugglign with this from your own negative experiences, try and create some fun with it. Work on some lapbooks together. Here is a link for lapbooking, Stone Soup http://www.homeschoolshare.com/stone_soup.php Here is another great one for cooking http://www.homeschoolshare.com/cooking.php Or, create your own cookbook together, one that is started but added to through your journey of trying foods. Try this great lapbook http:////www.homeschoolshare.com/cookadoodledoo.php You could also venture out and sew your own aprons with your children to be used with your cooking time together. Check out this fun video clip: http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-DIY-Aprons-38347474
Jul. 5, 2009 - Tying Heartstrings with Your Children
I am recently learning a lot about love languages. My husband and I went to A Weekend to Remember together, which I highly recommend for every married couple. I was really surprised to find out the root causes for some of our relationship struggles. We took a love language test. My husband had, for more than fifteen years focused on loving me through Acts of Service. Guess where that was on my list? Last, bottom of the list. So, I guess that is why I never felt my love tank filled by him. I had tried to meet my husband's needs by spending quality time with him. Guess where that was on his list? Very near bottom of his list. So, he didn't feel his love tank filled. We were two trains passing in the night. Once we identified what we were doing wrong, it was like an answer to prayer. My husband could see that my number one love language was words of affirmation. He admitted to almost never doing this because he said it was hard for him to verbalize. I realized that my husband's needs were physical touch. That was something I hated to do because of my past childhood. So, we found out we were meeting each others needs so our love tanks were always empty. This workshop really opened our eyes. It was like one of us speaking Greek and the other Italian. We just were not understanding one another. Since then, we are working to improve meeting each other needs. This lesson has also taught us about how to meet our children's needs.
Discuss, with your husband, what he observes with the children. What do your children like to do in their spare time? What do they ask to do with you? Watch them interact. What do they do with one another? The five love languages are: Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service and Physical Touch. However, my husband and I, noticed that we could go bike riding for an afternoon with our oldest son Sam, but he would be left feeling emotionally empty, even though his love language was quality time. He would tell us that he didn't spend time with him. However, when we spent time building models, walking together, working on projects, his love tank did get filled. So, it seemed that his love language alone was not just spending time, but spending time with his learning style being kinesthetic (doing something with his hands).
I am wondering if there is a connection between love languages and learning styles. I noticed when we made the I love you jar, the children put in the items that pertain to their love language. In doing this activity, watch what they write down as their favorite things to do. It can be really eye opening. For instance, Hannah's favorite things to do are to put puzzles together and having mom read aloud while painting (visual with quality time). Sarah, on the other hand, are: listening to stories and telling stories, jokes to me. She is very auditory. However, with either of my girls, if I just speak their love language, they won't feel their love tanks are filled unless I consider their learning style. Hannah doesn't just visual things alone, puzzles, but quality time. She wants to do puzzles with me or dad to get her love tank filled. Sarah doesn't just want to tell stories, but she wants to hear affirmations from me. It is really important to her to have feed back about her stories, what I like about them, and what I really enjoy about her. Filling her love tank seems to be both Verbal Affirmations with auditory learning considerations.
Thus, I think, or am drawing conclusions, that the love languages tie together with the learning styles. Although, my children aren't all one style or another, they are mixed, I have noticed that they seem to favor, or show a strength in certain learning styles. Learning styles are: Kinesthetic, Visual, and Auditory. I am starting to journal about the children's different love language and learning styles. Here is what I have found in my experiences and observations iwth my children. Perhaps, a few of my reflections on my children, will better demonstrate this connection that I am finding.
(Sam)
Kinesthetic Learner & Physical Touch & Acts of Service.
Favorite things to do:
1. Mom making a special breakfast for him
2. Playing Legos, Lincoln Logs, Soldiers together with mom
3. Model building with mom or dad
4. Rubbing backs, snuggling with reading (just mom and him)
5. Wrestling with dad
(Sarah)
Auditory Learner & Words of Affirmation
Favorite things to do:
1. Read a book together as a family
2. (Hearing encouraging words) cooking together
3. Playing Scrabble
4. Who, What, Where Game (reading and drawing funny sentences- draw cards for a noun, verb, and adverb...A bunny jumping in an elevator)
(Hannah)
Visual Learner, Quality Time & Gifts
Favorite things to do:
1. A special gift from the grocery store (even small pack of gum or new hair bow)
2. A special gift of a favorite book.
3. Love notes left in special spots
4. Putting puzzles together
In conclusion, I am finding that the importance of tying heart strings from my heart to my children's hearts is best connected when I consider my children's love language and learning style. Keeping a journal to write my observations and realizations is helping me to learn how to help them feel like I love them. I think we, as mom's, can easily think that if we love them from our own love language and learning style that they should feel loved. It would be the same mistake my husband and I made with each other. To think that my husband would feel loved by my language and learning style when his language and learning style is different is like expecting him to speak Greek when he speaks Italian. So, tying heart strings to each other hearts means that we respect how God made us and our children differently by selflessly going out of the way to meet each others different love language and learning style (tying heart strings).
Jul. 1, 2009 - Teaching Our Children to Communicate
The bible has the most amazing instruction regarding communication. It helps us to understand how to communicate so that we can glorify the Lord. Let's use it to teach our children to communicate. Provide an empty writing in journal. You can have your children use the following scriptures as: copy work, add personal reflections, memorization, shared practice speech with the family at meal time or family time,etc. You can also set goals for completion with a chart that you create with them. Here are some scriptures to focus on:
1. Speak in a guarded fashion. "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth". Psalm 141:3
Count to ten before you speak; record what you say and review it, particularly those words that brought conflict. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you stop from saying something you should not.
2. Use limited or thoughtful speech. "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19
It is easy to say too much, and like a tube of toothpaste that has squirted out the toothpaste, it is impossible to take it back. You might say something you regret. You might also start talking about something and then shift to gossip or inappropriate topics.
3. Communicate unselfishly. "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Phil 2:4.
Do not talk about yourself all the time. Speak about subjects that relate to and will interest your listener. Also, give others a chance to share their stories and hear felt desires. Sharing our conversation is like sharing a toy. I use to have the children hold the salt shaker at the table to practice this. Each time they took a time to share then they had to pass it to another person. The only person allowed to talk was the one holding the item. You could have a special item on the table to do this.
4. Speak pleasant words. "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones Proverbs." 16:24
Make this a family focus to talk about pleasant comments at home each dat. Then practice outside your home by encouraging other home-school families and your organizational leadership. You can also practice this by having the children write a kind encouragement, exhortation, about each of their siblings. Then have each of the children give the written exhorations to their brothers and sisters. Discuss with them about how those exhortations made them feel. Did it make them feel like the exhortations were like a honeycomb to their soul?
5. Use edifying words. "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification".Eph. 4:29
Avoid words that tear down and crush the listener. Instead, build up and encourage people today. Your words will bring strength.
6. Speak humbly. "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth". Proverbs 27:2
Do not brag on your own accomplishments. Rejoice with someone who is rejoicing instead.
7. Speak appropriately. "We urge you, bretheren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men." l Thess. 5:14
There are three groups of people in this that require a different type of communication.
Also, discuss boundaries. There are different speach for different relationships. Looking at Jesus, he shared some things only with those closest to him (example: transfiguration), and he shared things less intimate with those who were not so close to him (his last meal and what he communicated with the twelve disciples), and he shared even less intimate with those who were at a further distance (the parables with anyone who wanted to sit in his presence). He didn't spend any time talking with those who were mocking, arrogant, and self righteous (the pharasees), only speaking enough for his listerners to learn from the Pharsees verbal tricks. Jesus handled different groups of people differently according to his relationship boundaries.
Use "solution" words. Instead of being critical of those who are leading and trying to learn a new responsiblility within so that you are "patient" with all men. How can that apply to your brothers and sisters? How does that apply to friends and family?
8. Use "fruit of the Spirit" words. "But the fruit fo the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." Gal. 5:22
Have the children come up with words that would represent or demonstrate each of these fruits.
9. Give soft soft answers. "A gentle answer turns away wrath." Proverbs 15:1
Often you will be able to turn away pride or wrath that could create a conflict. Such words demonstrate a humble heart that fears the Lord.
10. Hear a matter before you answer it. "He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him". Proverbs 18:13
Listen to what the speaker means, not just what he says. Listen and wait until you hear the facts before you answer. Don't jump to conclusions. You can reply, "so I hear you saying...(repeat back what you heard)." or "are you saying...(repeat back what you heard).
11. Speak timely words. "A man has joy in an apt answer, and how delightful is a timely word". Prov. 15:23
Ask God to give you discernment about when to speak in private and when it is necessary to speak in public at a hameschool meeting. Inappropriate timing has often been the source of a wounded spirit.
12. Speak the truth. "Speaking the turth in love." Eph. 4:15
Do not exaggerate or give false information. Make sure that your truthful words are also said in love and in the spirit of
13. Speak with grace. "Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted."Gal. 6:1
Don't say, "I told you so..". Don't be haughty in your speech if you see a brother or sister fall into sin. Don't ever say, "I would never do that". You will be sure to undergo some testing in the future with those words with a just God. Stay humble by speaking with grace and love in dealing with a brother or sister that has sinned.
14. Speak gratefully. "In everything give thanks".l Thess. 5:18
How often do you tell others, brother and sisters, how you appreciate kind words or helping hands?
Perhaps, you could have the children come up with way that they can show and tell God that they appreciate what he has done for them. How can they give thanks through their speech or actions.
15. Study how to answer. "The heart of a righterous ponders how to answer" Proverbs 15:28
Know what is fitting. Know scriptures that fit various situations. There is so much that can be gleaned in Proverbs about an apt reply or a man that restrains his tongue as being wise. Have the children find a couple of scriptures that helps them learn how to answer the mocker or the "fool" (should you answer a fool?).
Listening tips: eye contact, affirm you understand, avoid listening in a critical spirit, watch facial and body responses for nonverbal clues, make comment or ask questions to clarify, listen for underlying plea for help, listen for helpful ideas and worthy suggestions, listen for action that is required for the Bible alwys links together listening and hearing with doing, Learn to discern truth from error: know what God's Word says so you can examine the teaching of any speaker.
Commitment: "let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my stength, and my redeemer" Psalm 19:4
(have your children decide to make it their ambition to practice this, making it a commitment to speak in a way that is pleasing to God. My husband is excellent at this as he took the prophet's commitment to heart,not wanting a word to drop to the floor.
* The credit of this article goes to Dennis and Sharon Grimes who shared this in Teaching Home magazine. I changed it around a bit from adult to child to use for homeschooling. I added additional things that I felt would help. I wanted to share this with other moms to help teach our children the truths of God's words, making them stronger arrows for the Lord's hands.
God bless you all,
Missy
Jun. 16, 2009 - Balance Training, Discipline, and Joy
As a past public school teacher, disciplining and training 28 children for six hours a day, and a mom of six children (today under thirteen), I have found it really important to balance training and discipline with joy. I have by no means "gotten it all together" or anything, as I still have to stay on my knees in prayer for daily problems that arise, but I hope to bless someone today with what I have learned from my experiences and God's guidance.
I remember teaching 28 children each day for six hours. The job is enormous and hard in a culture of me-ism, self indulgent children mixed with many neglected and abused children. I knew that no school preparation prepared me for what I would experience (some schools could only keep a substitute teacher for thirty minutes). The system seemed doomed to fail. However, there were a few teachers who did thrive and do well. I knew that I needed to learn from those who I could see were so effective and loved by their students. I spent many, many hours asking permission to watch other teachers in their classrooms before I had my own classroom. I kept notebooks full of all the things I learned from observing. One general thing that seemed to run as a common thread was a balancing of discipline and joy.
I learned that those teacher who were most effective made their rules and expectations clear with the boundaries established from the beginning. They had discipline for those who broke the rules. They were very consistent in the consequences, not allowing the children to whine their way out of them or act out a temper tantrum. They would even put an entire first month aside to do nothing but this. They made sure to focus on the relationship with the children before they tackled the academics, perceiving the academics as less important than the discipline and respect. They also made sure that they had a lot of fun. They made sure to laugh with aloud readings of funny books, fun craft projects, games, act a bit goofy at times (being a kid themselves to play). These teachers often gained the respect of the children, and were often nominated as the favorite teacher in the school, although they were also known as the strictest. I suspected that they were Christians because of their behavior, so I really think their credit goes to God. I also think these teachers learned the basic necessities of of balancing the discipline and training with joy, through God's wisdom. I still appreciate what I learned from these teachers because I apply those same basic principles of discipline and joy with my children. How does what I learned in balancing discipline and joy apply to home?
I have learned that a home is not a happy home when children don't have boundaries. Although there are times when rules have to change and be flexible for different reasons and seasons, in general there should be clear boundaries and expectations for children. There are times when I have done poorly at this (when my health hasn't been good) and times when I have done well. Children need to know what is expected of them. For our home it is that they are to be up with their teeth brushed, clean clothes, and chores done (weekdays this has to be done by 8:30 and weekends by noon) For your home it might be different times and different expectations. The important thing is that the expectation is clear and the consequences are given without lectures and emotional entanglement (speaking from past failures and successes in this). I have, in the past, failed in trying to talk too much after the infraction of breaking the rule, which has hurt their hearts, the best results are to give with a quick consequence. In short, expectations and boundaries are clear and consequences are given quickly and consistently Mom should never wait to deal with it later. Children are happier when they know what to expect.
When do your children get alone time with you, or do they have to demand your attention all day to get it? If children know that they get to look forward to alone time with mom once a day at a scheduled time then they won't be as demanding during the day (especially toddlers). Just as you might do a date night with your husband, make date times with each child. My oldest daughter and I do a teen bible study (Parables co.) and a morning walk before anyone else wakes up. My toddlers do best with me meeting their alone time with mom in the morning when they first wake up (and the older children work on their independent studies). Just sitting on the floor of the room and playing with Mighty World or Polly Pockets fills their love tanks. Find your child's love language and meet it doing something together. Make sure to schedule it in. If each one knows when they get mom time, it is easier for them to hold off with the need for attention at the wrong times. You can do this in many ways, I combine mine with the children having a prayer journal in which they write secret notes to me, and I respond (written encouragements or needed listening time later during our alone time). Joy in the home happens when we put aside our busyness and put our children as a priority in the day. But, don't forget dad.
Do your children have their hearts knitted with dad? Do they have to demand his time after he comes home exhausted from work? If you put aside the time in dad's day then the children won't overwhelm him when he gets home, demanding his time. Ask him if he will put aside an hour before the children's bedtime or an hour after he comes home from work to spend with them. Have a time for him to establish a routine with the children, whatever time he chooses and then ask him if he will commit to it regularly. Joy in a home happens when the relationships with the children and dad are healthy. Dad also needs one on one time with the children. Ask your husband if whenever he goes on an outing to the store, if the children can take turns going with him. Ask your husband to share his home projects with a child (my oldest son loves to help dad with his home projects such as working on the car or something). Let dad decide, with the childrens' input, what to do. Set times and stay consistent. You will be amazed at how this cuts down on any fussies. And, the fussies steal the joy in the home.
Do you have a problem with the fussies? Do you act happy or grouchy during the day? What is the tone of your voice? Being overwhelmed and feeling unsuccessful will kill your joy. If you don't know where to start in examining why you feel grouch, write down your self talk during the day (the conversations that go on inside us). This will help to pin point what makes you feel so unhappy, and without joy. Our attitudes reflect what is going on in the inside. If we are trying to just do too much all the time, our attitudes can get sour. Trying to driver here, do six loads of laundry there, while we are also trying to do the bills and make a meal will overwhelm. So, make a schedule or routine for yourself I know from my experiences that keeping myself on a schedule helps me not feel like a failure. When I finish the time (not the actual job) then I am done until the next scheduled time. This relieves the pressure, and this helps me not feel as much like a failure in the never ending laundry pile. Don't have unrealistic goals to get everything done, but just be sure to do a certain portion in a certain time frame. For instance, take care of the bills on a scheduled afternoon will prevent you from getting edgy or upset with the children for interrupting an important moment on the phone or writing the checks. Try to keep errands on one day (not always possible, but the effort pays off). By making all plans in advance, such as: doctor office visits, music lessons, library visits, you won't wear yourself out with running around in an exhausted state. Exhaustion kills joy. So, make sure you are on some type of schedule. .
Do you get so busy that you forget to just have fun with the children? Discipline without relationship will steal the joy in your home. In order to remind myself, I schedule in a time to use an idea from the "I love you jar" (like pajama day in which I announce that no one is to get dressed-we do school in our pajamas; funny hat day-the kids thought this was a hoot; school at the park, bake cookies in afternoon,desserts for breakfast, swimming or bike riding with mom after school work is done, etc.). A little bit of spice of unexpected puts joy in the home. I have, at other times, done this with my index cards. Regardless of which way you choose to organize, the scheduling helps so that the spice of fun doesn't get put off because of busyness. In addition to scheduled spicy activities, be sure to schedule, or create routine with a family time, including dad (playing tag outside, reading aloud books...). Do you give your children a time of rest from all the fun and activities?
Children can get overspent and exhausted just as much as we moms can. They also need a time of rest individually and as a family? I sometimes give the children unexpected breaks when I see them a bit tired. I also give them scheduled breaks within their school time. (This is easier to do with the homeschool tracker because I can print out their schedules each day with scheduled breaks for reading or playing piano, etc. times. The computer does it for me). What about a family rest time? Do you commit to a routine time of rest? We have recently, as of this year, put this time aside because we kept putting it off, unfinished work ran us exhausted. Exhaustion will kill joy in your home. Now we have a specific day as our sabbath. We don't do any work on this day. We just rest and play with one another. However, when we didn't schedule this into our time, establishing it as a routine, we became too busy and put it off because the labor never seems to end, and those needy things would scream too loud.
What are your interactions with your husband like? Do you get a case of the grouchies with him, or an unpleasant tone with him? It is easy to get so busy with the children that a husband and wife can overlook each other's needs. Schedule in a romantic time together to go to a Family Life conference to learn about each other's love language and communication building. Put time aside when the children go to bed to put a puzzle together, play a game, do a paint by number set, or work on a project together. Keep the tv off. The tv is a relationship killer and joy killer in the home. Go to lovingyou.com and get some ideas to romance him and feel special. Set aside a weekly date night when you go out to a coffee house, bowling, or something.
Do you feel like you can't do this mom thing? Trying to balance it all can be overwhelming. It is a hard job. Give yourself a break, emotionally and physically. Give yourself a break emotionally by understanding that God doesn't expect you to get it all perfect so you shouldn't either. God gives us things that require us to seek Him on our knees. So, be sure to make sure to set aside some time to talk to him, be inspired by His Word, and get answers from Him on how to solve your problems at home. Open your bible and read Nehemiah chapter three. Nehemiah's task to rebuild the wall was so enormous that his enemies laughed and mocked him. Yet, he knew his source of strength in getting it done and done well was relying on God. He completed the impossible because he learned to rely on God. God knows your short comings. It doesn't scare Him. He isn't caught off guard. Perhaps, you have scoffers like Nehemiah. Know that your weaknesses and shortcomings only give room for God to show his glory through you just as he did with wall building. When the scoffers scoff and ridicule you know that God is using you to show Himself big. But, don't forget to give yourself a physical break. If our bodies are worn down, it will be hard to have joy in your home. Schedule several breaks a day several times a day. Read a good book, take a fragrance shower in the middle of the day, drink a cup of tea and read your bible, knit or crochet. This refreshing time will really help to have joy in your home. It will also give you a strength to stand against those scoffers.
Lastly, to keep joy in a home, make sure that you don't allow your children to talk in wrong tones to one another (respect toward one another should be demanded by mom), don't allow bullying of any kind (physical or verbal), and teach the children scriptures which show correctly putting other siblings before themselves (selflessness, kindness...). I have never allowed bullying in my classroom, and my children know I don't tolerate it at home. It is a very serious infraction in our home. This is partly due to my bad memories of other children being bullied in public school when I was a child (I will never forget the girl in fourth grade that was bullied to tears). Because this is so important to me, my children don't fight because it never gets that far. I stop it at the wrong tone or wrong attitude with one another. As Jesus says, address the heart. If you do this it will never get to the aggressive physical actions. Your work in this area will give peace and joy to your home. The fruits are well worth the work, tolerating bullying will steal joy in your home.
A neighbor girl approached my nine year old daughter to ask her if she fights with her brothers. My daughter was horrified. "Why would you fight with a brother?" The girl said she always fought with her brother. My daughter was aghast. She ran home and told me how horrible these words were to her. She wanted me to explain why the girl would ask such a thing. She wanted me to explain why the girl would hurt her brother by fighting. Why would she ever consider fighting with her brother? This really upset my daughter because she didn't see it in our home. Although, my daughter does have experience with a difference of opinions with her siblings, she is expected to respect her other siblings differences (and wrong tones are not permitted-they find ways to work together or do different activities). Grandma and grandpa saw the fruit of the children, and they would brag about the childrens' peaceful interaction so much to my husband's sisters, that we had to confront them, thanking them for the kind words but requesting them to refrain from talking about how peaceful our children worked and played together because it was causing bitterness and anger with my husband's sisters. So, in short, if you work hard in not allowing bullying and correct interactions, the fruits and rewards are really well worth the efforts. If you work on this, you, too, will enjoy the rewards. If you have struggled in this area, just confess to your children that you want to ask their forgiveness - that you have neglected this area and tell them how you want to change it. Put the clear new rules down and don't focus on anything else for a month (push aside all other things to make it a priority). Children respect parents when parents are authentic and honest. I have, so often, and regularly, confessed my sins of selfishness or disobeying God's word to them, asking them to forgive me. Children are more able to imitate what they see.
Here are some additional resources you might find helpful:
*The Joy of Training by Michael Pearl dvd (I don't recommend the book but this dvd is excellent).
*www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com
*www.titus2.com
*Lies Homeschool Moms Believe from www.familymanweb.com).
*bigoven.com is a great way to keep your family meals organized, freeing up your time (mine is on my phone and refrigerator ready for grocery store).
God bless you all,
Missy
Jun. 15, 2009 - MSG is dangerous to your family
The food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides
behind 25 or more names, such as Natural Flavoring." MSG is even in your
favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and Starbucks coffee shops!
I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive
obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research
assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and spent
years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while
going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow
Poisoning of America .
In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating
obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of
rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They
make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are
first born.
The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing
rats(and perhaps humans) to become obese. They even have a name for the
fat rodents they create: "MSG-Treated Rats."
When I heard this, I was shocked. I went into my kitchen and checked
the cupboards and the refrigerator. MSG was in everything -- the Campbell
's soups, Progresso, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Top
Ramen,Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen
prepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the "healthy low-fat"
ones....and so many more.
The items that didn't have MSG marked on the product label had
something called "Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein," which is just another name
for Monosodium Glutamate.
It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our children
everyday are filled with this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different
names in order to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they
don't catch on. (Other names for MSG are "Accent, "Aginomoto," "Natural
Meat Tenderizer," etc.)
But it didn't stop there.
When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurants
what menu items contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore
they didn't use MSG. But when we ask for the ingredient list, which they
grudgingly provided, sure enough, MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were
everywhere.
Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, every restaurant -- even
the sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili's, Applebee's, and Denny's -- use MSG
in abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSG
was in every chicken dish, salad dressing. and gravy. No wonder I loved to
eat that coating on the skin -- their secret spice was MSG!
So why is MSG in so many of the foods we eat?
Is it a preservative, or a vitamin?
Not according to my friend John Erb. In his book The Slow Poisoning
of America , he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it
has on the human body.
Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby
group supporting MSG explains that the reason they add it to food is to make
people eat more.
A study of the elderly showed that older people eat more of the foods
that it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating
more is a benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us?
"Betcha can't eat [just] one," takes on a whole new meaning where MSG
is concerned! And we wonder why the nation is overweight!
MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their
products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes
people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn't added.
Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an
addictive substance. Since its introduction into the American food supply
fifty years ago,MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the
pre-packaged meals,soups, snacks, and fast foods we are tempted to eat
everyday.
The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They
claim it's safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it's safe when
there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like
these:
"The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of
exercise in obesity." Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT , Ribeiro IA. Res
Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002.
"Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin
release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats." Guimaraes RB,
Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002
Aug.
'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneously
hypertensive rats: An animal model of multiple risk factors."
Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima.
Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar.
"Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in
suckling period and subsequent development of obesity." Tanaka K, Shimada
M, Nakao K Kusunoki. Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct.
No, the date of that last study was not a typo; it was published in
1978. Both the "medical research community" and "food manufacturers" have
known about the side effects of MSG for decades.
Many more of the studies mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG to
diabetes, migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even Alzheimer's.
So what can we do to stop the food manufactures from dumping this
fattening and addictive MSG into our food supply and causing the obesity
epidemic we now see?
Several months ago, John Erb took his book and his concerns to one of
the highest government health officials in Canada . While he was sitting in
the government office, the official told him, "Sure, I know how bad MSG is.
I wouldn't touch the stuff." But this top-level government official refuses
to tell the public what he knows.
The big media doesn't want to tell the public either, fearing issues
with their advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food industry
may hurt their profit margin. The food producers and restaurants have been
addicting us to their products for years, and now we are paying the price
for it.
Our children should not be cursed with obesity caused by an addictive food
additive.
But what can I do about it? I'm just one voice!
What can I do to stop the poisoning of our children, while our governments
are insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us?
This message is going out to everyone I know in an attempt to tell you
the truth that the corporate-owned politicians and media won't tell you.
The best way you can help to save yourself and your children from this
drug-induced epidemic is to forward this article to everyone. With any
luck, it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the legislation
protecting those who are poisoning us.
The food industry learned a lot from the tobacco industry. Imagine if
big tobacco had a bill like this in place before someone blew the whistle on
nicotine?
If you are one of the few who can still believe that MSG is good for
us and you don't believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go to
the National Library of Medicine at www.pubmed.com. Type in the words "MSG
Obese" and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear.
We the public do not want to be rats in one giant experiment, and we
do not approve of food that makes us into a nation of obese,
lethargic,addicted sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line while
waiting for the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced amputation,
blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening disorders.
With your help we can put an end to this poison.
Do your part in sending this message out by word of mouth, e-mail, or by
distribution of this printout to your friends all over the world and stop
this "Slow Poisoning of Mankind" by the packaged food industry.
Blowing the whistle on MSG is our responsibility, so get the word out.
Jun. 9, 2009 - Laugh a Little
Jun. 1, 2009 - Dangers in Children's Children's Meals
www.seedsofdeception.com
May. 14, 2009 - Do You Have Passion in Your Homeschooling?
I have homeschooled over the years with a variety of different curriculums. I kept changing with many different curriculums, trying to use what I found as excellent. However, I was a bit worn out and frayed from trying to homeschool. I mean, it wasn't coming as natural or effortlessly as I had heard some homeschoolers explain it had for them. I kept buying different curriculums and materials. Everything just stayed on my shelves. I didn't know why it was that way. I felt a bit ashamed that I had hated to wake up and start another homeschool day. It, honestly, was boring for me (shhh...you're not suppose to say that right?). More honestly, I dreaded each day. I didn't know what was wrong with me. But, all of this changed when I went to a homeschool conference, in which Dr. Guffanti was speaking.
Dr. Guffanti spoke about homeschool moms that don't like the homeschooling experience. He said that we probably had curriculum materials on the shelves that had collected dust over the years. Had he read my mind? He said that it was important for homeschool moms to pursue their passion. He talked about how the body, mind, and emotions were all affected in an ability to handle more stress than they should be able to because of the passion that made it easy to ride the difficult waves of life. He spoke about his knowledge and experiences as a medical doctor regarding this. It was fascinating to listen to his stories and knowledge.
Do you want to know what I found out mine was?
I came out of the conference a bit stunned. Had I neglected my passion? I couldn't even remember what it was. I went up to Dr. Guffanti. I didn't know what my passion was. He asked me questions, such as: What do you enjoy doing? What really intrigues you or interests you? He then pointed out for someone to ask you a number of questions and to carefully watch for facial changes when you speak. When you see someone start to smile about what they are talking about, that is a key. I had thought that some interests were easier to identify: cooking, dancing, drawing, etc. But, I didn't even have a hint what mine was. Then he started asking questions. He asked me what I enjoyed doing when I had extra time. I replied very hesitantly, "I love studying to find out about my Jewish roots. I love to study about the Bible through a Messianic Jewish style." When he started probing about my interests, he said, "You're smiling when you talk about studying your Jewish roots". I was surprised. I didn't realize it (nor did the other women when he was asking them questions). He told me that that was what I should incorporate in my studies. I told him that I would feel selfish. Isn't that focusing just on me and my interests and not the interests of the children? Dr. Guffanti explained that our children love to enjoy what we enjoy. God designed them to enjoy things together with us. So, he gave me the license to do something I never considered was "okay" to do - to study together with the children. Oh, it changed our homeschooling in ways that are so exciting! Wow, I couldn't believe how free I felt! Could I actually do that? I asked him. I had never considered it before. I had told him that I had not realized it, but my favorite time of the school day was Heart of Wisdom studies. My children always begged me not to stop teaching on those studies. We would sometimes start in with it, and three hours later the children were lost with excitement still begging me not to stop. Then we were late in studying all the other studies because we didn't want to stop with what we were studying. He smiled and said, "Do it". We did.
May. 5, 2009 - Host a Russian Orphan this Summer
There is a wonderful program to help Lativa, Ukraine, and Russian orphans. If you have a heart that is burden to help here is a link to check it out. These children are also needing a loving family to adopt them. The scripture that is brought to my heart is that true religion is taking care of orphans and widows.
New Horizons
donate to help a family
testimony
A Story of a Family Called to Help the Orphans
Compelled to Help-a story
Apr. 25, 2009 - Fun Eating Green Beans
