Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - Homeschool Blogger

Are You Still Here??

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 18:21:00 -0600

Haven't you heard? - I've moved!!

Come on over...and don't forget to leave a comment so I know you found me!

~Lindsay

Goodbye!!

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:11:00 -0600

This is probably my last post here! ...and the first post on my new blog. I have been blogging on Homeschoolblogger for 2 years now, and have been wanting to move to Blogger for the last several months. It's just time for a change, and that's all that needs to be said about that. Things on this blog have been quite here as I've tried to personalize my new blog...which I have had very little time to do! So I gave up on that and just decided to post my first entry anyway!

As the new year approached, I had every intention of posting a 'year in review' of sorts, about each member of my precious family, but...well, it just didn't happen. So I will do that now, as part of a 'goodbye' on Homeschoolblogger, and an introduction on Blogger.

Me, myself and I. You already know the basics, so let's skip to 2007. I learned a whole lot about theology this year that I never knew before. I never really learned to read the Bible for myself until this past year. Sounds weird, but I think that's true of most Christians. We mostly read the Bible with a filter in our brain, programmed to interpret the way we've been taught. Most of us are taught with a calvinist worldview. I learned to see the pagan greek influence in much of Christian teaching and it has opened my eyes so much to who God really is. This year I have discovered a lot about myself as well. Good things, and bad. I am much more politically minded than I ever thought I would be. After the partial birth abortion ban that passed in 2007, and discovering what it really said and what a waste of time and money it was on the pro-life front, a true passion for saving the lives of the unborn, and the sick and helpless, was ignited within my soul. I have cemented some good relationships, and lost a few, as well. And the most memorable moment of 2007, was having baby G in September. It truly is euphoric to have a new baby in my arms, there is no better way to describe it!

My darling husband, Brian. He is an amazing man, encompassing all that a godly man should be, and more. Besides tall, dark and handsome, he is funny, intelligent, hard-working and persevering. He is a good listener, so much so that he gets pulled into mini-counseling sessions by perfect strangers. He is really good at communicating with people, he knows how to figure out where someone is coming from to understand what they're trying to say. He isn't afraid to be wrong, and openly admits when he is. He is self-sacrificing, almost to a fault. This past year has been one of many trials in his work, dealing with financial difficulties of the small business he owns; balancing the strain it puts on the many family relationships involved; taking a company that was facing incredible debt when he obtained it, and bringing it out of the red more and more with each passing quarter. It has been hard, and he has done it all with amazing calm. Concerning our family, he has our welfare as his utmost priority, and everything he does, he does for us. He is my hero!

A turned 7 this year, and he amazes me every day. He is a hard worker, just like his daddy. He is funny, and likes to make people laugh. He loves to build things with K'nex! He has an interest in magic, after seeing a magician show at the local children's museum. And he's pretty good - learns tricks very easily by himself. I am most impressed with his knowledge and how he stores the facts that he learns. He has a passion for creation science, stemming, no doubt, from listening to Jonathon Park Adventures. We gave him his first Bible for his 7th birthday, and he reads it daily on his own and really enjoys it.

Miss M... So many different things all wrapped up in one package! She has a fiery spirit, and definitely is our strong-willed child. This year she has really enjoyed all the experiences of having a new baby, from pregnancy on. She was much more interested in all the goings-on of my baby-belly, the movements, how I was feeling. And she was always wanting to hold G and help, and watch diaper changes and baths. It has been fun to see her interest in 'how to be a mommy' grow now that she's a little older and able to understand more of what's going on. Until this year, she has always been A's little shadow, and more interested in keeping up with him than playing 'girl things' with R. But now I see the sisterhood blooming between them at an exponential rate. It's really neat to see!

Miss R has always been a little mommy. She's always been the one to play with the baby dolls, while M never really did (she was too busy keeping up with A). R likes to have N to be in charge of, which she tends to take too far at times, but many times she is very helpful and loving to him, and N usually loves letting her take care of him. It is adorable to watch...until there's a collision!-LOL R loves crafts more than anyone; cutting and pasting is one of her favorite activities. She loves to compliment people, too, and will always find something to compliment for everyone she comes into contact with - their hair, shirt, shoes, whatever! It's adorable!

N, so many things, so little time. He has changed ever-so-much this year. It has been a true joy to live each day without the pain and suffering he formerly endured. Our entire family is much more at peace now that N is feeling better. While he still has many health challenges (frequent eczema flares, asthma, multiple food allergies, being extremely sensitive/reactive to the environment, possibly others we have yet to diagnose), they no longer keep him from doing daily activities and other things a normal 2-year-old boy enjoys (except camping...but maybe in a year or two). He began 2007 at 15 months of age and not even walking or talking yet. Now he's running and jumping all over the place, and is a constant stream of one-liners and preschool songs. He LOVES to help with any and every project or task, and in fact can be quite offended if he is not 'allowed' to help! He is our only lefty (so far), and it's fun to see how that makes him different - more musically and art inclined than the others were at the same age.

G gets 2 pictures because he has changed so very much in the short time he's been a part of our family. From a little peanut to quite a large walnut...actually, a small sapling. :) Now all my kiddos have been 'off the chart' (as in, growth chart) during their first several months, but G has far surpassed them all. But he is still little in many other ways. He is a content, sweet baby. He loves to watch the chaos around him, and you can see the wheels turning as he watches his brothers - storing the images of the jumps, runs, bounces and wrestling - only to be played out when he comes of age. He is very talkative, jibber-jabbering all the time; and he's really always been that way - he was cooing from day one, even in his sleep. He is very snuggly, always wrapping an arm around my shoulder when I pick him up. I love those hugs!!

So that's me and my family, in a 2007 nutshell.

Please come and say hello over at Blogger!!

~Lindsay

Wordless Wednesday - My Girls

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 10:49:00 -0600

~Lindsay

Contest!

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 10:36:00 -0600

I must confess, I am an organization freak! Truly!! (even though my home is currently is in shambles...we still have not fully recovered from life in 2006...)

So, when I saw THIS CONTEST, well, I just *had* to enter!

~Lindsay

Don't fall for Ron Paul!

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 08:10:00 -0600

Interested Paul supporters can read this analysis of the pro-choice nature of Paul's Sanctity of Life and We the People acts, and listen to Bob Enyart debate Ron Paul supporters on the air. Ron Paul is a true Libertarian, and his America could be crawling with sodomite child-killers, and he would say that the federal courts should simply look the other way. That is not principled leadership, but immorality based upon the confused notion that authority flows uphill, and also upon the secular humanist value of tolerance, which is actually, apathy. Ron Paul has long worked with the Libertarian Party, and spoke at it's 2004 national convention, and he has never repudiated that party, even though the Libertarian Party is:
Pro-legalized abortion
Pro-legalized euthanasia (killing of handicapped and sick people, etc.)
Pro-legalized homosexuality
Pro-legalized pornography
Pro-legalizing drugs
Pro-legalizing suicide
Pro-legalizing prostitution
Etc.

Libertarians are immoral, godless quasi-conservatives who therefore have no compass for righteousness in law. The above list is far more of a threat to America than is Al Qaeda, for this platform is a prescription for how to destroy us from within. Yet Ron Paul does not understand these simple matters of right and wrong and governance.

Who should you vote for? Alan Keyes!! Don't let 'Beat Hillary' be your god. We are not expected to predict the future, but we are expected to DO RIGHT, no matter what. Voting for Ron Paul simply is not RIGHT.

~Lindsay

We Need Alan Keyes for President!

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 10:53:00 -0600

He is the only candidate that takes an uncompromised position on the right to life. The ONLY one.

Please read THIS.

~Lindsay

Wordless Wednesday - My Crew

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 07:39:00 -0600

~Lindsay

Why are there two?

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:53:00 -0600

During one of the many times a day I am nursing the baby....

Son, 7 y.o.:

Mommy, how come you have 2 of those...(pointing to my chest area)...nurser things?

(quiet for a moment, me trying to think of a 7-year-old appropriate answer...son also deep in thought)...

Son:

OH, I KNOW! So, if you have twins, you can feed BOTH of them!

~Lindsay

Wordless Wednesday - Snow Days

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 06:33:00 -0600

~Lindsay

10 Things Families with Food Allergies Want You to Know!

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:49:00 -0600

Severe food allergies require a dramatic change in lifestyle, but unless these allergies have affected your immediate family, you have no idea of what goes on behind the scenes to keep these children safe. This holiday season, we'd love to spend time with you, so we need your help. With no rule book or etiquette guide, we don't always know how to ask for that help. If you really want to know what will make our season bright, here are:

10 Things Families with Allergies Would Like You to Know!.

Be careful with your kisses! If you've just eaten anything that our child is allergic to, we'd prefer that you kiss her on the top of her head or give her a hug or an "air kiss". This is what we do! Sound extreme? We know, and that's why we feel so funny about asking you. But trust us when we tell you that the only thing worse than seeing your child suffer an allergic reaction is knowing that you have caused that reaction.
We'd love you to wash your hands. We don't want to ask. But we don't know what you've eaten or touched and we really don't want to risk it. We know it sounds crazy but our child has reacted to "just touching" things he is allergic to.
Use care with your baby's foods and bottles. We love your children and know that they need to eat a variety of foods. However, those foods and the milk or soy formula that they drink can cause allergic reactions in our child. Please don't allow your toddler to walk around with a bag of cookies, goldfish or cereal while we're together. One dropped piece could cause a problem for a child with severe food allergies.
Please, watch your pets and their food. Many pet foods and treats contain allergens including milk, fish and peanut, and an innocent lick can cause a reaction in allergic children.
Please don't feed our child. Raising a child with food allergies is a whole new way of life. Allergy Moms and Dads can't possibly expect others to keep in mind all of the nuances of where and how allergens hide. If you'd like to help, hold the baby so mom can get a bite to eat, build a block tower, read a book, or follow our toddler around for awhile to give his mom a break. There are many ways to show love that do not involve food!
Talk to us first! If you are hosting a child who has food allergies, talk to the parents in advance. If you are setting out foods that may be safe, save all of the wrappers. Better yet, let the allergy mom or dad help you put the safe chips out. (Remember that if you touch the cookies with nuts or the shrimp, and then touch the chips, they are now cross-contaminated.)
Try not to fuss over what our child is eating. If he or she needs to have a different menu of safe foods, please don't call attention to it. Don't make food allergies a big topic of conversation. For example, "Well what can he eat?"
We'd be grateful if you'd confine the food to one or two areas. For example, don't allow food into the family room, or the basement if that is where the children will be playing. That way, all the children will be safe and your house will be cleaner too!
We'd love it if you'd ask your children to wash their hands. We know that your kids are able to eat whatever they like, but children are notoriously messy eaters. You'd be doing us a great favor if you'd encourage them to wash their hands when they're done eating. We know it's not our place to ask this of your children but we worry that our kids are not safe if they share toys or touch each other with food residue.
Ask for suggestions because we want to make this work for everyone. If you want to bring something to a home with a food allergic child, talk to the parents in advance for specific suggestions. Your homemade casserole or brownies may not be suitable but a bottle of wine, some fresh ground coffee, a fun board game, whole fruit, or some beautiful disposable hand towels for the powder room might be appreciated.

WOW, I couldn't have said it better myself!! I would add, though, that this goes for all get togethers, not just at the holidays. MOPS, church functions, parents in church or other public places in general, like libraries, play gyms, etc (trying to keep their own kids quiet with food can risk another child's life). Keeping food in 'food designated areas' is SOOOO considerate to those of us dealing with these issues!! For more great food-allergy-related info, check out the AllergyMoms website!

~Lindsay