I'm past my due date!  Because I've had two prior c-sections and now have gestational diabetes the docs had originally said they would NOT let me go past due.  But the diabetes is so well controlled with diet, baby is moving great, and my doc is very supportive of my desire to VBAC again (for the sixth time).  He "knows I can do it" so will let me go EIGHT days past due before doing a section.  (Inducing is not an option due to the previous sections.)

So I am waddling along, growing ever larger and more uncomfy.  Please pray for strength, patience, rest, and safety! 

Thank you!!

Amy (Moms4Psalms)

Do you take the month of December off from homeschooling?  It seems nearly impossible not to.  So much to bake, wrap, clean, and decorate!  We scale way back on the sit-down lessons during December, but the kids are able to keep up with several things on their own each day.

Some things the 8 and 9 year old do each day on their own: 

1.  Typing program on the computer

2.  Cursive for the 8 year old (9 year old has mastered it already)

3.  Reading literature books (they do a chapter or two a day)

4.  Spelling (Excellence in Spelling is done with headphones/cd player)

5.  History/Bible with the Veritas Press Self-Paced online course (which the little ones love to watch as the older ones complete the lesson).

I had heard that homeschooling would get easier as the children got older and were able to complete more on their own.  It really does!  They often complete these subjects by 10am without any prompting!  We also take 2-3 months off with the birth of a new baby, so I am thrilled that they can keep up with some subjects while I am unable to teach others.  They are also able to do Math-U-See with just a little supervision, so we'll be keeping that up as well.  Shirley English and Excellence in Writing still require my sit-down instruction with them each day, so I am hoping to not get too behind in those. 

The younger children do Phonics Museum (Veritas Press) for reading and writing.  They have a college girl teaching them Math-U-See and art this year, which has been a great blessing!   Hubby also reads to the children each night, sometimes a Bible lesson and sometimes a work of literature.  He is currently using "The Child's Story Bible" by Vos and "The Chronicles of Narnia".

So even though we scale back for holidays and new babies, I have to remind myself that some schooling is getting done.  :o)

I hope you have very Happy Holidays!

We are less than eight weeks from delivery and could still use help naming this eighth baby--a girl.  Please post a comment or email me (see right sidebar link) with your suggestions or personal favorites.  We are currently looking at names that start with "M" or "E", and prefer they be biblical and/or very feminine (nothing that could be gender-neutral).

If your entry makes me say "Hmmmmmm" you could win my new favorite little booklet called "Bitterness:  the Root that Pollutes" by Lou Priolo.   This booklet provides great helps to biblically deal with the enemies, offenders, and others in your life who are difficult to love.  It may just change your holidays for the better!  :o)

As of three days ago, I have officially potty-trained SIX children.  Can that go on my resume someday?  :o)

With each child I have used the 1970s book "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day" with success.  Each child has been different and responded differently, but the longest it ever took was a day and half (and that because I switched with hubby after the first half of the first day and I think not having consistency made it confusing).

My sixth child watched as I taught "Dolly" to use the potty and got hysterical.  "That's funny!" he kept saying.  Then within 45 minutes from the start of training he had independently toileted three times, which the book calls "trained."  Wow.  45 minutes.  That beat his brother's record of 1 hour.  What a blessing, especially as I am 32 weeks pregnant! 

I had determined to NEVER toilet train in my third trimester as the practice trials after each accident totally wear me out (physically and emotionally) but nausea prevented me from training him at the ideal age of 2 1/2 years old, so now at 2 years and 10 months-- DONE.  Just in time for the newest little one to arrive.  We're down to just one in diapers for a few more weeks!  :o)

With the last two children I have given balloons and party-favors after the first success and that has been a great motivator.  The '70s book is very detailed and a lot of work, and it works.  But going forward I would recommend Dr. Phil's Toilet Training in a Day method which is a stripped-down model and works the same way.  You can google and find his official site with an article about it.  Basically, you train a doll to use the potty and then throw a "potty party".  Then throw a "potty party" once the child goes to the potty.  After that, with each accident you do 9 or 10 practice drills of running to the potty and practicing from different parts of the house.  He says it builds "memory muscle" to do the drills.   You never go back to diapers after training day, but we use pull-ups at naps and nighttime until they stay dry.  Two of our children were dry from day one at naps and at night, but a few others needed a pull-up at night until they were four years old.  We don't stress over that part--they'll stay dry when they're ready during sleep.

Training Day and practice drills are definitely NOT FUN, but it totally works -quickly- and that makes it worth it to us!

The 2010 Cow Calendars are in at Chick-fil-A and they are the best calendar deals to date.  NO PURCHASE is necessary for any coupon.  It's 12 months of FREE food for just $6 per calendar.  Right now, several CFAs are offering a free calendar with a $20 gift card purchase.  Tremendous savings!

BTW... According to a book we have that breaks down nutritionally each fast food place, CFA is THE healthiest option out there.  It even beats Subway, if you can believe that.  As I'm watching my blood sugar daily now, I was pleased to see that eating the regular CFA sandwich (even with mayo) did not raise my blood sugar beyond a low-normal range.  Woo-hoo!  (Moo-hoo?!)

We've had a lot going on lately with a diagnosis of gestational diabetes and possibly an outbreak of swine flu, too.

I have never had gestational diabetes before.  The docs are requiring me to finger-stick and test my blood sugar four times per day.  I also have to follow a detailed diet plan (so many carbs per meal) and am required to have three snacks per day.  I hate needles, but aside from that it's been very interesting to record what I eat (content and amount).  And boy, that 1/2 cup of REQUIRED ice cream each night at 8p is tough to swallow.  :o)

On another note, we believe the kids have come down with the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu).   They have the exact same symptoms as several kids from church (one of whom was diagnosed).  It has been an extremely mild case.  They have had sore throats, 103 fever for a day or two (along with the accompanying fatigue and lack of appetite), then the fever goes down and they've been fine.  Six kids have had it thus far, still waiting on the seventh.  Hubby and I have not gotten it yet and hope not to as it can be dangerous in pregnancy!

So we are now playing catch-up on school lessons.  We are also baking and freezing goodies in preparation for the upcoming family Christmas parties.  I won't be eating nearly as many holiday treats as I would have before the diagnosis.  And honestly, that's a good thing, too.

Nancy Wilson has a great new post on infertility, adoption, and discontent here:

Fruitfulness

or just go to:  www.femina.reformedblogs.com and read all the latest posts.  This is one of the few blogs I MAKE time to read regularly as it encourages and challenges me in my Christian walk.

In a biblical preparation for marriage class I took in college, my wise Bible professor told us that "in marriage you get what you deserve."

I've been pondering these words lately and I believe them to be true.  There are a few women who believe they are not worthy of their amazing husbands.  And while this may seem noble, it could be due to an unbiblical self-image.  "You get what you deserve."   If he truly is as amazing as she believes, she may be forgetting that he saw great worth in her to have married her in the first place.  Such women should take care not to boast about their husbands as they could be indirectly praising themselves. They deserve such a man and should be both thankful and humble.

Sadly, I often hear Christian women criticizing their husbands and complaining about the many faults they see in their spouses.   But "you get what you deserve."  This should make women take a step back and carefully examine themselves and their own sins.  For all his gifts and strengths, you have gifts and strengths.  And for all his weaknesses and faults, you have weaknesses and faults.  (Now, lest anyone is being abused in a relationship, please take note:  abuse is biblical grounds to LEAVE a relationship and you should seek godly counsel from your church leadership immediately.  You do not deserve to be abused!)

But as a general rule for most people,  I say "amen" to these words.  Thank you, Professor, for the warning and reminder that in marriage, we get what we deserve.

We attended the second (ever) overnight camp for children with severe food allergies this past weekend at the Center for Courageous Kids in Scottsville, KY.   www.courageouskids.org

The kids had "the most fun they ever had in their whole lives" and we parents got to relax and be encouraged while talking to other parents who understand what life is like with children who have serious medical conditions. 

If you know anyone with a child with a serious medical condition including diabetes, arthritis, spine problems, heart conditions, Down's Syndrome, autism, food allergy, or other (see website schedule for the full list), please tell them about this camp.  It is staffed 24/7 with medical personnel and is 100% FREE for families to attend.  This is a truly amazing place!  www.courageouskids.org