Deep breath…

… for a new week.

“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’ God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children…”

Romans: 8:15 (The Message)

Share the love!

So this may be the cutest little Valentine’s gift ever!

Check it out over at Color Me Katie!

(And doesn’t that fabric just make you SO happy!?)

Words of Wisdom

I stumbled across a post today on another site that I just had to share because I think it’s SO important to mothers- especially mothers of little ones. Too often our media tells us that we all need to be competing with each other on who has the nicest house, car, clothes, highest education, “coolest” church, and unfortunately now who has the smartest children. It’s such a sad fact and my hope and prayer is that all moms can realize that their children are precious gifts and each is special and talented in the unique ways in which God has gifted them.

Alicia has a site called Magical Childhood and a blog by the same name. They are filled with creative ideas for you to do with your kids as well as uplifting encouragement for us as parents! Check her out!

(Sorry, not sure why it changed to multiple fonts)

“I was on a parenting bulletin board recently and read a post by a mother who was worried that her 4 1/2 year old did not know enough. “What should a 4 year old know?” she asked.

Most of the answers left me not only saddened but pretty soundly annoyed. One mom posted a laundry list of all of the things her son knew. Counting to 100, planets, how to write his first and last name, and on and on. Others chimed in with how much more their children already knew, some who were only 3. A few posted URL’s to lists of what each age should know. The fewest yet said that each child develops at his own pace and not to worry.

It bothered me greatly to see these mothers responding to a worried mom by adding to her concern, with lists of all the things their children could do that hers couldn’t. We are such a competitive culture that even our preschoolers have become trophies and bragging rights. Childhood shouldn’t be a race.

So here, I offer my list of what a 4 year old should know.

She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.

He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn’t feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.

She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.

He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he’ll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.

She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she’s wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvelous. She should know that it’s just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that– way more worthy.

But more important, here’s what parents need to know.

That every child learns to walk, talk, read and do algebra at his own pace and that it will have no bearing on how well he walks, talks, reads or does algebra.

That the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books.

That being the smartest or most accomplished kid in class has never had any bearing on being the happiest. We are so caught up in trying to give our children “advantages” that we’re giving them lives as multi-tasked and stressful as ours. One of the biggest advantages we can give our children is a simple, carefree childhood.

That our children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them. Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children’s toys and they wouldn’t be missed, but some things are important– building toys like legos and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books. (Incidentally, much of this can be picked up quite cheaply at thrift shops.) They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too– to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it’s absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit.

That our children need more of us. We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. Yes, we all need undisturbed baths, time with friends, sanity breaks and an occasional life outside of parenthood. But we live in a time when parenting magazines recommend trying to commit to 10 minutes a day with each child and scheduling one Saturday a month as family day. That’s not okay! Our children don’t need Nintendos, computers, after school activities, ballet lessons, play groups and soccer practice nearly as much as they need US.They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them. They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work. They deserve to know that they’re a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them.

And now back to those 4 year old skills lists…..

I know it’s human nature to want to know how our children compare to others and to want to make sure we’re doing all we can for them. Here is a list of what children are typically taught or should know by the end of each year of school, starting with preschool:
http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?curriculum
Since we homeschool, I occasionally print out the lists and check to see if there’s anything glaringly absent in what my kids know. So far there hasn’t been, but I get ideas sometimes for subjects to think up games about or books to check out from the library. Whether you homeschool or not, the lists can be useful to see what kids typically learn each year and can be reassuring that they really are doing fine.

If there are areas where it seems your child is lacking, realize that it’s not an indication of failure for either you or your child. You just haven’t happened to cover that. Kids will learn whatever they’re exposed to, and the idea that they all need to know these 15 things at this precise age is rather silly. Still, if you want him to have those subjects covered then just work it into life and play with the subject and he’ll naturally pick it up. Count to 60 when you’re mixing a cake and he’ll pick up his numbers. Get fun books from the library about space or the alphabet. Experiment with everything from backyard snow to celery stalks in food coloring. It’ll all happen naturally, with much more fun and much less pressure.

My favorite advice about preschoolers is on this site though:
http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/early.htm

What does a 4 year old need?

Much less than we realize, and much more.”

Ma nouvelle obsession!

Ok I took years of French and I don’t even know if that’s the proper way to translate “My new obsession!”…haha! Oh well- good thing I’m not a French teacher!

Anyway- wanted to share a taste of a new obsession of mine- French music! I’ve always had a thing for music of the past- especially Louis Armstrong, Etta James, Miles Davis, etc. And this music reminds me of that period/truly great jazz. And it just adds a whole new level of romance as well!

Some of my faves that I’m currently listening to:

L-O-V-E (French version)- Nat King Cole

Jardin d’hiver- Keren Ann

La Vie en Rose- Edith Piaf

(also love version by )Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong

C’est ci Bon- Eartha Kitt

La mer- Chantal Chamberland

J’Ai- Duex Amours- Madeleine Peyroux

Oh, and it’s not French but I just love Time After Time by Margaret Whiting because it has the same feel!

*sigh*

This old house…

Ok, most of you know this by now, but I’m just now celebrating the fact that OUR OHIO HOUSE HAS FINALLY SOLD!!! I kind of refused to believe it until it was completely 100% official because we sold it back in August only to have it fall through at the last minute.

We really did love this house- despite the usual “old home” problems like the sewer backing up… multiple times. And despite the fact that we should have rented the first few years of marriage instead of making such a purchase.

But if it was possible to pick it up (and the whole yard for that matter) and move it South, we absolutely would have!

Dan proposed to me there, we spent our wedding night there, we brought two babies home there, we laughed with friends there…

It will always be special to us, but we’re also so blessed to be where we are right now- what God has provided us with here on our NEW adventure!

One thought that has been presented during this time has been the question of, “If this move was truly of God, then why didn’t the house sell the day it was listed?” Well, maybe God had some bigger fish to fry than selling our house? But seriously, just because things don’t go 100% perfectly smooth and according to OUR plans doesn’t mean it’s not of God. He uses different opportunities in our lives to teach us patience, to trust Him wholeheartedly, to cling to what’s important and not material possessions, etc. He has used this whole situation for the good of His plan and that’s all I need to know- we were never promised a smooth ride. Things may not go the way we thought they would but it is not because He isn’t in it.

He’s been in every detail of this move and continues to be a year later and for that we’re so very grateful! Praises to Him!

My NEW year starts now… :)

February 1st is marking my new year this year. The past month has been a busy/rough one with a move across town, setting up the new house, sick kids, sick mama, and so on. SOOO NOW I’m ready to roll with putting my plans into action for the new year.

I’m super excited to share with you all kinds of things that God is teaching me, funny moments from my household, lots of projects I’ve been working on, design ideas, recipes, green living tips, money saving ideas, and more!

I’m back amongst the living and excited to start my NEW year!

Deep breath…

…for a new week.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.”

Philippians 4:8

A note from a casting director…

Got a comment on my blog a week or so ago and thought I’d pass it on to anyone interested:

Hello –
I am a casting for a major cable network and we are currently looking for outgoing and dynamic super moms who can show us how fun, busy, exciting and hectic it is to be an elementary school mom.

We are looking for moms with great personalities that play an active role in their child’s education and school activities. We have been talking with the National PTA and they seem very excited about this opportunity.

Please feel free to contact me anytime and feel free to pass my info along to those you see fit. I have attached a one sheet for you to review and pass along. If you wouldn’t mind posting it on your site it would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

CASTING: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SUPER MOMS!

Are you a super mom to an elementary schooler???

Do you take an active role in your child’s education and extracurricular activities at his/her elementary school?

Is being involved in PTA, PTSA, PTO and/or similar parent groups at the top of your to-do list? Are organizing bake sales, packing lunches, scheduling activities and lobbying for better school facilities part of your hectic day? If so, we may want you for a New Show!

A major cable network is looking for an outgoing and dynamic super mom who can show us how fun, busy, exciting and hectic it is to be an elementary school mom.

If you have a fun, outgoing personality and are immersed in your child’s education and school activities, we want to hear from you!

Please email a family photo, names and ages of you and your kids, location and contact info. Tell us about your involvement with your child’s school and how your responsibilities make a difference.

Send your information to the Casting Director at:
JShaktacasting@yahoo.com

Another move!

Sorry I haven’t been around for a couple of weeks! We’ve moved into a new home and I’ve been really sick so needless to say blogging has been put on the back burner. But I do have a ton of thoughts, lessons I’ve been learning, decor projects, and family pics I’m going to share SOON! So bear with me!

2010- a NEW year!

I can’t even believe I just typed the year 2010.

20…10.

Wow. Shouldn’t we be cruising around in flying cars or living on the moon by now? That sure is the picture I had in mind as a child of this futuristic time.

But here it is, a new year. 2009 seemed to move along pretty quickly this past year. Although a move across the country will do that to a family!

God has had us on an incredible journey this past year. A journey of faith, hope, trust- and in all of that, teaching us FREEdom in Him.

Well this year I feel that He’s got something NEW in store for our family. Here we are on December 31st and we’re packing to move into a NEW home that He’s provided at just the right time, we’re on the brink of selling our house in Ohio (prayers please!) and renting out our current condo (more prayers please!) both of which would give us a NEW financial situation. And even more importantly, I’m finding that now that we’re getting settled into our NEW life in Florida, He’s revealing more and more of His plan as to why we’re here. And I really feel like this year is going to be full of even more NEW revelations, NEW attitudes, reNEWal of our minds from the “normal” ways of doing things, and NEW adventures! I’m so excited to see what God has in store for our family AND yours for this NEW year!

So in case you didn’t guess it, my NEW word for 2010 is…

NEW!

“…we’re FREE to live a NEW life in the FREEdom of God!”

Romans 7:6 (The Message)