So Good
Derek took N14 out for breakfast, and he brought home this Mother’s Day treat for me to have for lunch.
My Favorite Food
My Favorite Food
Mother’s Day Secrets
“Mommy, it’s so hard keeping a secret don’t you think? Wanting to tell somebody… I guess there is one more thing you can open. You’ll like it.”
C6 quickly went and brought me a little rolled up banner that she made with Mother’s Day lovings on it.
Typos Galore
I must get nervous when I comment on other people’s blog posts, because I seem to make a typo in almost every comment lately.
American Idol
My favorite contestants, beginning with their first auditions, have been David Archuleta and Jason Castro. A few weeks into the top twelve, I added David Cook to my short list, because of his ability to own a song. I expect Archuleta to win, based on his consistent quality performances, as well as his age, appearance, and voice.
I was not surprised to see Jason go home as he seemed the most uncomfortable and care-free contestant ever. Forgetting the words definitely means “pack your suitcase” in the finals.
A Little Politics
The media would never let a Republican get away with this “mistake”, especially when he THOUGHT about it before he said, “I’ve now been in 57 states and one left to go?” I heard rumors about the sad state of the US education system. Sounds like they are true.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws&e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7Yd80tXs_4&e
It is interesting to see the blatant media bias in favor of Barack Hussein over Hillary Diane. Usually the discrimination is against conservatives. I guess it just confirms how extremely liberal Obama really is.
The most shocking thing I have noticed in this election campaign is the racism. In particular, people who vote for Barack because he happens to look more like his father than his mother. It is just as annoying for people to vote for Hillary because she is female. What about the issues!? But I guess I’m just a typical bitter person.
On a different topic, what’s with famous female role models having affairs with married men? (Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey, both I suppose from a long time ago - just news to me) So much for the emancipation of women.
Puzzled Silence
The house was unusually quiet this morning, and I peeked in the bedroom and saw this puzzle fest:
I hate to admit it, and contrary to what you might think since the older children have “classical” school checklists, but there is often a relaxed, almost-unschooling streak in our home. Academics are very important, but “play” takes up the vast majority of the day for the younger children.
Edited to add: L3 finished his puzzle and just when I started to say something, he tore it apart and said, “I was done, and then I wrecked it ’cause I wanted to do it a million times!!!”
Shadow at the Beach
My Shadow
Robert Louis StevensonI have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow–
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there’s none of him at all.He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close behind me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
How many times have I heard myself say this?
“That’s it. Meeting now. Everyone on the couch.”
Dave ~ Alvin and the Chipmunks movie
There were lots of giggles all around when we rented that movie last night.
I blog privately about all the “good stuff”.
I have been blogging since 2001. I have gradually gone from being “more open” to being “more private” about my family, yet I continue to express strong opinions in regard to my values and beliefs about parenting.
I understand that when I blog publicly, you have the right to anonymously read everything I write. Even though that is the way of the web, I think it is very discourteous to lurk, particularly when you know me in real life.
Even though I cannot always tell who reads my blog, if I know you in real life, and you visit my blog, I can often gather enough evidence through my stats, your location, your page interests, real life coincidences, etc. to identify you. You may not be as anonymous as you think you are, so I encourage you to come out of hiding. I won’t bite.
Since coming back to the web, I have chosen to blog privately about all the “good stuff”. For the most part, readers must register in order to share my family pictures, the children’s cute sayings, family adventures, etc.
I understand that it is more bother for you to log in, and I know most people won’t even register, but I do feel it is the right thing for me to do at this time. I realize I would get more readers and make more connections if all my posts were open to the public, but choosing to be more private has helped me come back to blogging.
When I give you the privilege of “knowing” me and my family via private posts, then I do expect to receive feedback, even if it is simply showing you care with a “How are you doing today?” When I welcome you into my life, I expect it to be a two-way relationship. I can see myself dumping people who don’t comment for months on end, so watch out! 
If you never have anything to say to me, then reading my blog is probably just a waste of your time.
Actually, I would love to get to know you better. I want to hear about YOU. I also enjoy sharing things about my family with you. If you have the time to log in to read my personal posts, and if you will make a comment now and then, I encourage you to register in my right sidebar.
I am writing this because when I post private pictures like this one from our day at the beach yesterday, I wish I could share one of them with more of you! I think I will! 
Bucket of Monkeys
“New Study Shows Contraceptive Pill Increases Risk of Heart Disease, Stroke
Birth Control Pill Linked to Hardening of the Arteries
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08040807.html
Women Who Breastfeed Are Brighter?
This news article on the same study I mentioned earlier is quite amusing. See the line in bold.
Breast milk goes straight to the head
http://www.smh.com.au/news/health/breast-milk-goes-straight-to-the-head/2008/05/06/1210131045828.html
“At the age of 6½, children who had been exclusively breastfed scored 7.5 points higher in verbal intelligence tests and 5.9 points higher in overall IQ tests. Teachers also rated the breastfed children better at reading, writing and mathematics.”
“Doctors could not rule out the possibility that breastfeeding women were simply brighter, or were likely to interact more with their children.”
“Our study provides the strongest evidence to date that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding makes kids smarter.”
Breastfeeding Cuts Risk of Crib Death by Third
Breastfeeding reduces risk of cot death by third: study
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iE57zlWu3pVtk1bNliRqmkhXT17A
“Breastfeeding a baby can reduce the risk of cot death by a third… This conclusion shows that the more breastfeeding you do, the healthier the baby.”
“Prolonged and Exclusive Breastfeeding Makes Kids Smarter”
Breastfeeding appears to boost kids’ IQ and school performance: study
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gmevM3DMQG78F-YAQcLYU4FdwOrg
“‘Prolonged, exclusive breastfeeding appears to give children a cognitive advantage over formula-fed kids, increasing IQ by three to four points on average and boosting later academic performance.’”
“‘Our study provides the strongest evidence to date that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding makes kids smarter,’”
“By the time children reached an average age of 6 1/2, those in the breastfeeding group scored higher on tests measuring verbal intelligence, non-verbal intelligence and overall intelligence. Breastfed children also performed significantly higher academically than formula-fed children.”
“‘But if you consider for the whole population shifting the mean (IQ score) up three or four points, that means fewer difficulties for kids at the lower end and more Einsteins and Mozarts at the high end.’”
“‘I think this (prolonged, exclusive breastfeeding) is a goal that’s achievable by the vast majority of mothers,’ he said. ‘Those who cannot - and there are some who cannot - and there are some who could but don’t want to, have other ways of stimulating their children and improving their IQ, like reading and playing with their children.’”
“‘And it might even be that the effect that we’re seeing is not something in the (breast) milk but has something to do with the nature of the contact, the physical contact or with what transpires between the mother and the baby verbally or emotionally at the time of the feeding, and that maybe is transposable to other feeding modes.’”
“The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, although a mother can continue to breastfeed along with giving solid foods until the child is two years or more.”
It’s Not a Secret
“The secret of medicine is to distract the patient while nature cures itself.”
Voltaire
Been reading:
http://germannewmedicine.ca/documents/testimonial___marlies_ehninger.html
Too Formal for Morning
I was eating breakfast this morning, and the cat walked by wearing a pink beaded necklace.
Prince Caspian
We are quickly reading Prince Caspian again to be ready for the movie on May 16th.
A Mother’s Calling
“The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.”
Proverbs 23:24
LORD OF LIFE AND KING OF GLORY
Lord of life and King of glory,
Who didst deign a child to be,
Cradled on a mother’s bosom,
Throned upon a mother’s knee:
For the children Thou hast given
We must answer unto Thee!Since the day the blessèd mother
Thee, the world’s Redeemer, bore,
Thou hast crowned us with an honor
Women never knew before;
And that we may bear it meetly
We must seek Thine aid the more.Grant us, then, pure hearts and patient,
That in all we do or say
Little souls our deeds may copy,
And be never led astray;
Little feet our steps may follow
In a safe and narrow way.When our growing sons and daughters
Look on life with eager eyes,
Grant us then a deeper insight
And new powers of sacrifice:
Hope to trust them, faith to guide them,
Love that nothing good denies.May we keep our holy calling
Stainless in its fair renown,
That when all the work is over
And we lay the burdens down,
Then the children Thou hast given
Still may be our joy and crown.
“Fear of fertility is an evil that dehumanizes us”
‘Fear of fertility is an evil that dehumanizes us,’ says Mexican archbishop
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=12532
Samuel Martin Book
I am honored to have Samuel Martin’s complete book, Thy Rod and Thy Staff They Comfort Me: Christians and the Spanking Controversy, at this link on my website:
http://parentingfreedom.com/samuelmartinbook.pdf
His website, http://www.biblechild.com, has the following facts:
Fact: The Bible does not teach that spanking a child will save him from Hell.
Fact: The Bible does not teach that spanking a child should bring tears.
Fact: In Bible times, the texts concerning spanking children found in Proverbs were not applied to young children under the age of about 10 years!
Fact: Many respected Christian theologians including St. Augustine, Dr. Karl Barth and Rev. Dwight Moody rejected spanking children.
Fact: Many Biblically conservative Jewish Rabbis, who have the Old Testament as their Holy Scripture, reject spanking children today.
Fact: The main Christian advocates for spanking children now are not usually trained Christian theologians teaching in universities, but most often are conservative fundamentalist Christian pastors, Christian politicians, Christian psychologists, lay church members and Christian school leaders.
Fact: Well meaning Christian advocates of spanking children have developed doctrines surrounding what they believe the Bible teaches about spanking children which are not found in the Bible at all.
Fact: Well meaning Children’s Rights activists, who are not trained Bible scholars, have entered this debate attacking the Bible with disastrous results.
Spring Fishing
We live along a beautiful salmon-fishing river. My grandfather and his brothers have guided sports fishermen for years. They tend to come from America or Germany to fish in our river. Yesterday, the water was higher and swifter than usual, and it happened that a boat with two men on board capsized. One of the fishermen was an 85-year-old man with a pacemaker. They floated down the river, clinging to their upside-down boat. My 86-year-old great-uncle happened to be guiding and rescued the two men. With great difficulty, Uncle Danny kept the old man above the water, and encouraged the other man who almost gave up. Fortunately other people helped when they floated further down the river.
Freedom’s Home
In days of yore, from Britain’s shore,
Wolfe, the dauntless hero, came
And planted firm Britannia’s flag
On Canada’s fair domain!
Here may it wave, our boast, our pride,
And join in love together,
The Thistle, Shamrock, Rose entwine,
The Maple Leaf forever.The Maple Leaf, our emblem dear,
The Maple Leaf forever!
God save the King and Heaven bless
The Maple Leaf forever!At Queenston Heights and Lundy’s lane
Our brave fathers side by side
For freedom’s right and loved ones dear
Firmly stood and nobly died.
And those dear rights which they maintained
We swear to yield them never
Our watchword evermore shall be
The Maple Leaf forever.Our fair dominion now extends
From Cape Race to Nootka Sound;
May peace forever be our lot
And plenteous store abound;
And may those ties of love be ours
Which discord cannot sever,
And flourish green o’er Freedom’s home
The Maple Leaf forever.On merry England’s far-famed land
May kind Heaven sweetly smile;
God bless old Scotland evermore
And Ireland’s Emerald isle.
Then swell the song both loud and long,
Till rocks and forest quiver;
“God save our King and Heaven bless
The Maple Leaf forever!”
Precious Lord
“For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”
Isaiah 41:13
Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light:Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near,
When my life is almost gone,
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall:When the darkness appears
And the night draws near,
And the day is past and gone,
At the river I stand,
Guide my feet, hold my hand.
“If the HEART relationship is lost, we have lost the entire war.”
I received the following comment in an email from a pastor today:
“I am a father of six and a grandfather of three. I love my children deeply and wanted them to grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. But after seeing the end result of my ‘discipline’ in them and after speaking with them honestly of my concerns, and hearing thier responses, as well as years of dealing with hundreds of others (I am a family counselor and pastor) I see that most of our ‘discipline’ has been legalistic, harsh, and worst of all, energized by an unhealthy fear of God’s judgement. (If I don’t beat the hell out of them they will go to hell). But PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR. THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE. That doesn’t mean there are no times when some degree of strong correction may be needed, but if the HEART relationship is lost in the process we have lost the entire war.”
Clay McLean
Also from Pastor McLean,
“We have totally misunderstood the Scriptures concerning spanking, and I have been in deep grief over the clear evidence I see in my own and in so many others I minister to that spanking as we teach and practice it is wrong… By our arrogant dismissal of Hebrew wisdom for Greco Roman thought we have cut ourselves off from truth that heals and replaced with legalism that wounds. Lord have mercy.”
Spit out your whine
I just thought of something I do that has been a very helpful parenting tool. If I hear a whine or a crank out of a child, I hold out my hand for him or her to “spit it out” in my hand. The child’s voice almost always changes immediately, and I often get a smile. This has worked extremely well, maybe because I have used it regularly and at the first sign of a crank or whine. Then, problem resolution and/or empathy go into play. I try to help the child cope with the cause of the whine, which could be hunger, fatigue, frustration, etc. The empathy might simply include expressing the child’s feelings in words.
Calvin and Edwards did “not endorse physical discipline”
Quotes from a review:
Heart of a Child
http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2178
about this book:
The Child in Christian Thought (Religion, Marriage, and Family)
“The volume includes two additional studies on theologians who, although they hold quite pessimistic views on the nature of children, do not endorse physical discipline: the Reformer John Calvin and the 18th-century American Calvinist Jonathan Edwards. Barbara Pitkin writes that ‘Calvin himself appears not to have advocated the use of physical force in response to sin in children; though he recognized the need for parental discipline, his explicit remedies were baptism and education (albeit strict and structural) into faith and morality.’”
“Both Calvin, the theologian of ‘total depravity,’ and Edwards, who preached to children about the agonies of hell and God’s wrath, appreciated the positive aspects of children. Yes, Calvin refers to children as a ’seed of sin’ hateful to God, but he also claims that ‘infants are gifts of God and examples to adults and can proclaim God’s goodness.’ Pitkin reminds us of ‘Calvin’s claim that even nursing infants glorify God’ and his reference to infants as mature defenders of the faith.’ Pitkin’s most provocative query emerges from Calvin’s image of children as ‘mirrors of God’s grace.’ She writes: ‘How might present attitudes toward children’s bodies (and especially the physical needs of poor children) be transformed and neglect and abuse of children challenged by taking seriously, with Calvin, the conviction that children bear in their very bodies the engraving of the divine covenant — that children’s bodies are, in a sense, sacraments?’”
“Like Calvin, Edwards ‘emphasizes the sinful nature of children, [but] he also believes that they have rich spiritual lives . . . and he claims that Christ loved even the poorest, humblest child.’ Catherine Brekus’s persuasive investigation of Edwards turns up no concrete evidence that he recommended physically disciplining children, contrary to the conclusions of several recent studies. Edwards leaves us with a complex heritage, what Brekus refers to as a ‘double image of children.’ The same man who refers to children as ‘more hateful than vipers’ also ‘used images of them to symbolize ideal piety.’ The same man who terrorized children with hellfire sermons also wrote that ‘even the youngest children were fully human and could be genuinely touched by grace.’ Edwards himself longed to become as a little child in his own relationship with God, to participate in the attributes of humility, innocence and tenderheartedness.”
Example of Grace
“The Reverend Dwight Moody, who became the most famous evangelist of the late nineteenth century, was one of those rare parents who do not discipline their children as they themselves have been disciplined. Although he had been whipped as a boy, he did not choose to inflict similar pains on his own children. As his son William noted:
‘To these whippings Mr. Moody always referred with great approval, but with delightful inconsistency never adopted the same measures in the government of his own family. In his home grace was the ruling principle and not law, and the sorest punishment of a child was the sense that the father’s loving heart had been grieved by waywardness or folly.’
“Dwight Moody’s son, Paul, later confirmed this observation in his autobiography. One of Paul Moody’s most vivid memories was of an incident that occurred when he ‘was quite young.’ He was playing in the kitchen with a friend who had stopped by after his normal bedtime hour. His father observed this, and then returned shortly and commanded him to go to bed. Paul Moody recalled:
‘This time I retreated immediately and in tears, for it was an almost unheard-of thing that he should speak with such directness or give an order unaccompanied by a smile. But I had barely gotten into my little bed before he was kneeling beside it in tears and seeking my forgiveness for having spoken so harshly. He never, he said, intended to speak crossly to one of his children.’
“Paul Moody’s childhood experience remained embedded in his consciousness years later, and he acknowledged the impact that this encounter with his father had upon his religious life thereafter:
‘Half a century must have passed since then and while it is not the earliest of my recollections I think it is the most vivid, and I can still see that room in the twilight and that large bearded figure with the great shoulders bowed above me, and hear the broken voice and the tenderness in it. I like best to think of him that way. Before then and after I saw him holding the attention of thousands of people, but asking the forgiveness of his unconsciously disobedient little boy for having spoken harshly seemed to me then and seems now a finer and a greater thing, and to it I owe more than I owe to any of his sermons. For to this I am indebted for an understanding of the meaning of the Fatherhood of God, and a belief in the love of God had its beginnings that night in my childish mind.’
“Dwight Moody’s experiences with pain and punishment were not transmitted to the generation to come. The Moody family, however, was an exception to the general rule, which has shaped American family life, that we do to our children what was done to ourselves.”
~ Philip Greven, Spare the Child, p.15,16
What a good man. What a good father. If Rev. Moody could choose a new path, free from violent actions and unkind words, then we also, need not repeat the past. We can fight the urge to react in the same way we were treated as children. We can humble ourselves and learn to forgive and ask forgiveness. We can be better parents. Tomorrow is a new day. We will sin again, but we, too, can be forgiven.
This entry was originally posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2007 at my previous website.
Nice Movie
B9, C6, and I enjoyed watching this movie for the first time last night. The book, Love Comes Softly, was part of a series I enjoyed as a teenager.
Babywearing
‘Baby-wearing’ popularity increases
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080427/LIFE/804270307
With babywearing, “you can have a very active life and children can fit into your dreams.”
Sounds like freedom to me!
“Babies cry less. When children fuss less, they expend less energy on crying and more on developing their senses, both mentally and physically.”
“Babies who have been carried are found to have better spatial awareness and better balance and coordination due to the ever-changing perspective of being carried by their parents.”
Declining Birth Rate
Maclean’s Cover Story Warns Canada’s Low Birth Rate Leading to Demographic Crisis
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07052302.html
“Canadian Christians are among the most liberal and dissident in the world.”
In the area where I attended school thirty years ago, the children were divided into two separate, full classes of about 20-25 children. In other words, there were at least forty children per grade. This year, that very same area has only 10 children at the kindergarten level.
Thanks!
I sincerely appreciate your warmth in welcoming me back to the blogosphere. Thank you for writing in the comments, and also for mentioning my site in special blog posts, like these:
http://thatmom.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/some-new-links/
http://www.tulipgirl.com/mt/archives/001470.html
http://conservativeintelligencer.com/parenting-dos-and-donts-thursday-hotlinks/200/
Some of you might be interested in my private posts that can only be seen if you are registered. They include pictures and stories about my family. At this point, there are 24 private posts. Email me and tell me about yourself if you want a username and password.
Also, please let me know if you add me to your blogroll, and I will add you to mine.
