Girls To Grow

Nurturing moms in their walk with God

Let’s Love Letters

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This edition of Teaching Tuesday is about letters. I would encourage you to introduce letters to your child at an early age, but NOT in a formal sense. There are many ways to incorporate the ABC’s into your day and have them become part of your play. Here are a few ideas that I used with our girls when they were very young.

  • Read books that are centered around letters. One of my older daughter’s favorite books when she was around two years old was Dr. Seuss’ ABC book. Let’s just say I had it memorized! I have seen many cute books for young children that use letters as a basis for a story. Check these out at the library and read them during your reading time with your child.
  • Play with blocks that have letters on them. For her second Christmas, my daughter received a set of very nice wooden blocks from my grandmother. They had letters in color on the sides. While these were great for building, they were also useful in playing other games such as finding letters that were the same and teaching letter names.
  • I was able to find foam letter shapes that could be used in the bathtub. Both girls played with these, getting them wet and then sticking them up on the side of the tub. Again, we could name the letters or try to find the letter that started their name.
  • One of the neatest things I found was a large rug that had the alphabet printed on it. It was actually decorative and very pretty; we bought it for our older daughter when she was about eighteen months old. In her room, she would play with her toys on it; however, she would also notice the letters and as we were playing on it, we would talk about what the names of the letters were. For some reason, she developed an affinity for the letter Z! It was one of the first letters she learned and she loved to find it in books and point it out.
  • Using sidewalk chalk, write some letters on your sidewalk or driveway and see if your child can find a certain letter and jump on it.
  • At snack time, form the shape of a letter on a plate with cheerios or another small snack food and see if they can name the letter.

These are just a few fun things we did together in an informal way to introduce the girls to letters. I’d love to hear ideas you may have used in this area with your children!

Mannerly Monday – Shopping Edition

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Shopping with children. Does the very idea make you break out in a cold sweat? No matter their age, each stage our children pass through seems to present its own challenges.

You begin with the infant who starts screaming as you cross the first item off your twenty-item list. From there you progress to the toddler who wants nothing to do with being restrained in a cart, to the potty-training one who needs to make two mad dashes to the bathroom in a twenty minute span when you’re in the store with the dirtiest restrooms in town.

None of this even covers the small revolution you encounter when you refuse to buy them something they feel they must have, the sibling knock-down, drag outs in the middle of the store, or the unexpected loud comments about the person standing directly behind you in the checkout line.

What worked for me when shopping with two little ones? Grocery shopping late at night or very early in the morning when my husband was at home with the kids, or, at a little later stage, a special treat of a blowpop or tootsie roll pop which could buy me about fifteen minutes of peace (albeit with a sticky ending).

So this mannerly Monday, let’s consider the manners we can teach our children to help them have self-control while out shopping. Prior to leaving the house on errands, I would usually try to discuss and practice the rules I wanted the girls to remember.

1) Look with your eyes, not with your hands. We have yet to conquer this one completely, but it’s an important one.

2) Stay close by your parent at all times. Try to stand still and wait patiently and quietly.

3) Never run in a store. If you should knock something over, put it back where it goes. If something breaks, let a store employee know right away.

4) Watch out for others whether walking or pushing a cart. Be sure to say “excuse me” if you reach or walk in front of someone to get an item.

5) After shopping, return your cart to the front of the store or to the appropriate parking lot stall.

I am sure some mothers have great ideas for making shopping with children a pleasurable experience. I’ve heard of moms who involve their small children with choosing items off of the shelf and finding ways for them to “help” throughout the trip. With plenty of time and only one little one, I think that might have been fun; however, I tended to have more of the mindset of dashing through the store as quickly as possible.

I do have to say that it has become easier as the girls have gotten older. They are now able to push the cart if the aisles aren’t too crowded and get familiar items off the shelf. If I’m shopping for something for them or someone they know, they’re interested in what I’m purchasing. If I’m shopping for myself, they’re a little more easily entertained by things like letting them play with the calculator on my cell phone while I try on clothes in the dressing room.

If you have special rules you use with your children when shopping, or ideas for passing shopping time pleasantly, please share in the comments section.

photo courtesy publicdomainpictures.net

Mom Goals

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When it comes to being a Mom, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the daily struggles and forget to focus on the big picture. God has given us the precious gift of children and we have only a certain amount of time to prepare them for life. I was recently reminded by a post at Life as Mom how important it is to set goals for myself as a Mom and then find practical ways to work toward reaching those goals. Here are my initial thoughts as I considered the kind of Mom I want to be.

I want to be a Godly mom who is supportive of her daughters through

  • prayer;
  • time spent together doing fun and serious activities, realizing how quickly time goes by;
  • providing every opportunity for them to reach their God-given potential; and
  • open, positive communication about what’s going on in their lives.

I started with prayer because I have come to realize (what I have known all along) that only God can work in a person’s heart and spirit and help them to become all that He would have them to be. There are so many areas in which I can pray for my girls: health, friendships, right attitudes, finding God’s will for their lives, future spouse. I also need to pray for myself that I will continually give them over to God and allow Him to work and lead in their lives.

As for time spent together, I believe that takes planning and preparation. I want to find activities that we can do together as a family. For example, I have scheduled us to attend a free kids’ cooking class next month. A few weeks ago, we attended a Charlotte’s Web play, then went out for dessert afterwards. However, not everything has to be a “big event.” It could be something as simple as a family game night or a picnic in the backyard. Another area I am exploring now that the girls are a little bit older is finding a volunteer opportunity that we can all participate in – a way to help others by working together. I want to keep in mind that they won’t be this age for long and I want to make the most of it.

With each girl, I am trying to keep my eyes open to potential gifts and talents they may have. One of them is currently going through a writing phase – “journaling” and writing little stories. Whether it’s musical or athletic ability, drama or art, I want to allow them to explore areas of interest to them and support them in it, even if it’s not something in which I’m particularly interested. The goal is to help them develop talents that can be used to serve the Lord and others throughout their lives.

Finally, I strongly desire to keep the lines of communication open. I think a large part of this is just being available – in the car, at meals, at bedtime. I’m hoping that being able to listen now to whatever they have to say and being interested in what’s going on in their lives will bode well for those coming teenage years. As the weeks go by, I hope to keep these thoughts in the forefront of my mind that I might seek to meet the goals I have set and accomplish the purpose God has for me as a mother.

You Can’t Talk Too Much

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Okay, if last week’s Teaching Tuesday topic seemed like a no-brainer, today’s tip may seem even simpler. Talk to your child. Begin at birth, or before. I’ve heard “experts” say that you shouldn’t talk “babytalk” to your infant, but I don’t see how you can help it. It just seemed so natural to me.

However, along with the babytalk, speak about everything else. Explain to him what you’re doing while you’re changing his clothes; tell him the names of his body parts as you touch them. Talk about the colors of his clothes and how they feel.
As you move throughout the day, just continue to talk about your activities and surroundings. Obviously heading outside will open up a whole new arena of things to describe.
When your child gets a little older, communicate with him about the places you go and the people you see. Once he begins to talk, he will provide you with plenty of opportunities for descriptions and explanations. Once the “why?” stage hits, it may get difficult to keep up!
I believe that talking to your child through those baby and toddler stages gives him a head start in language development and exposes him to speech patterns and tones that will increase his ability to communicate and learn at an early age.

Manners in Public Places

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In our second installment of Mannerly Monday, let’s discuss what manners we could be teaching our children to use when they are in public places. Keeping in mind that we are approaching this topic from the perspective of being considerate of others, here are a few ideas we have tried to work on with our girls.

1) At a play, concert or other performance, sit quietly and still in your seat until the intermission so that others are not disturbed. If you arrive late to an event, enter as quietly as possibly and sit in the back rows. [Just a side note: parents should take into consideration the nature and length of the performance and the age and temperament of their child to ensure that it is a good fit. A typical three-year-old, for example, will probably have difficulty remaining still through a performance of Handel’s Messiah.]

2) While in a library, be respectful of others who are trying to read or study. Walk instead of run and talk in soft tones.

3) While in a waiting room, be thoughtful of others by reading or playing quietly. Refrain from running around or making loud noises.
4) At a ballgame or any other occasion where the National Anthem is played, stand at attention and sing along softly or listen silently as the occasion dictates.
5) When you are in an outside location, such as a park or playground, show respect for God’s creation. Always clean up your trash and be careful not to damage the trees, flowers or other landscaping.

Please do not think that we have mastered these things with our children! However, they are goals we are working toward to ensure that they know how to act in various situations and are a pleasure for us and others to be around.

Next Monday, I’ll be writing about manners for children when you are shopping. Although shopping is done in a public place, I believe that shopping with children is a whole different public “event” and needs its own day!

Table Manners – Perspective from a Mom of Boys

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On Monday I posted here about how we’re working on table manners with our girls. I had a wonderful e-mail response from a friend of mine who is rearing three great boys. I’m passing along just a few of their table rules – things that may not even have crossed my mind. These may highlight some of the differences between boys and girls!!

1. We do not want to hear eating or drinking at the table. NO moaning or humming or loud chewing.

2. We do not want to hear anything else at the table. With boys, NO NOISES out of anywhere!
3. At our table, you must always have a shirt on; hats, however, are not allowed at the table.

Another idea she shared which I loved was that her husband has each of the boys go to her and thank her for making the meal (whether they liked it or not). This is to train them to one day thank their wife for the food she prepares for them. What a nice way to truly be rearing your children with the future in mind!

photo courtesy geekphilosopher.com

Teaching Tuesday

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I’ll be up front with you here….I promise not to have a theme for every day of the week. I’m a relatively scheduled, organized person, but that makes even me a little crazy. However, with my background in education, Teaching Tuesday was just too good to pass up. So, every Tuesday I’ll do a post on a teaching idea or tip that I’ve used or heard about.

Since I’m just beginning my blog, I have to start with the most basic concept of all. Read to your child. Start as early as possible and don’t stop. This one came naturally for me because I love to read. I know my Mom read stacks and stacks of books to us as children. I read to both of my girls while they were in the womb.

Once they were born, we established a habit of reading two books (or stories) before naptime each day and another book, along with a story from a Bible storybook, at bedtime. Many days we read more than that, but at least I knew we had those times scheduled for reading even if the rest of our day was too hectic to fit it in.

We’ve moved past naptime now (except for me some days!), but we continue our bedtime reading every night. The neat thing is that I’m getting to re-read some of my childhood favorites. What a joy to see my girls as enthralled with them as I was! I read a great article yesterday from Amy at Literacy Launchpad regarding treating books as family heirlooms. Go here to read her post.

In later posts, I’ll talk about some of our favorite books at different age levels and give you a glimpse into what we’re reading now. Do you have a special reading time with your child/ren? Please share in the comments section.

Table Manners

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Someone has said, “Manners aren’t for you; they’re to make everyone else more comfortable.” What a great thought to keep in mind as we train our children in gracious living.

As I kick off our first Mannerly Monday, I thought I would begin with what my husband and I are currently working on with our girls – mealtime manners. Obviously, the list of table manners could be quite long, so I chose three rules to concentrate on for now.

– Stay in your seat at the table. Not much makes me crazier during mealtime than someone (or two!) hopping up from the table every couple of minutes.

– Sit properly in your chair. No legs folded underneath you, knees up to your chin, etc.

– Hold your fork/spoon correctly. No shoveling action here!

As the weeks go by, we will add a few additional items to work on, such as keeping elbows off the table and showing them how to serve themselves. (Yes, I still fix everyone’s plate and dish out second helpings.) Taken in the context of our initial quote, this will hopefully start the process toward my daughters feeling confident in different situations, and, more importantly, will show consideration for those around them.

Do you have any fun ideas for helping children remember their table manners? I know not all families have sit-down meals every night, but in the comments section I’d like to hear what you may have done in positively reinforcing table manners in your home.

(Photo courtesy PDPhoto.org)

More About Me

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Just a little more about me………I am in my late thirties (for a little bit longer!) and am married to a wonderful, supportive husband named John. We have two daughters, ages eight and six. I grew up in a truly Christian home; my dad has been a pastor for over thirty years and I have two brothers and a sister, all of whom I love dearly. I was saved at a young age and am so thankful for the privilege of having many years of seeking to know and serve God more.

I have a college degree in early childhood education and taught in an elementary school for six years. I have also worked as an executive secretary in a hospital system and briefly as an office manager for a design firm. The last eight years of my life have been primarily spent being a stay-at-home wife and mother.

One of the greatest desires of my heart is to have our girls grow up loving and serving God. Through this blog, I hope to find others with the same goal so that we might share ideas and inspirations, trials and triumphs through the coming years. I hope you’ll join me!

My Very First Post

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Welcome to my little piece of the World Wide Web! I’m excited to begin blogging about subjects that are near and dear to my heart. I hope you’ll join me on this journey of learning and growing as a mom of two young girls. I hope to share things I’ve learned (and am learning!) and also be exposed to new ideas from you!

Having been saved at an early age, I approach blogging from a Christian perspective, seeking to glorify God by rearing daughters who can fulfill their God-given potential. Let’s talk about lots of topics: big ones, like educating our children, sibling rivalry and putting faith into practice; and other topics that are just for fun – favorite books, toys and foods!

I’ll share stories from our family and hope to get to know more about yours. It all begins on Monday with a series I hope to share for several weeks – Mannerly Monday! Join me then!