Girls To Grow

Nurturing moms in their walk with God

Favorite Five Baby Items

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This Friday Favorite Five is in honor of my sister, who is twenty-two weeks pregnant. Today she has an ultrasound and plans to find out the gender of the baby. Remembering back to those days, here are the five things I used most in those early days of parenthood.

  1. The On Becoming Babywise book by Gary Ezzo. As I’ve mentioned before, since I’m a “schedule” person anyway, this book helped me lay out from the beginning how our typical day might look.
  2. Baby Activity Floor Mat. We actually had two versions of these and it was so much fun to see the girls lie on them and bat at the toys hanging overhead.
  3. Swing. Neither of my girls cared for the bouncy seat, but both enjoyed being in the baby swing.
  4. Exersaucer. Once they got to be about four or five months old, the girls could hold themselves up and be put in the exersaucer. I think they liked it so much because they could look around and see all that was going on.
  5. Pack and Play. We used this in the living room as a play pen and napping spot and it made many trips to motel rooms and to visit grandparents.

Did you have favorite items you used when your children were babies? Let us know in the comments section. To all Moms, a very happy Mother’s Day weekend!

Book Review: The Principle of the Path

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I just finished reading the book The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Bewritten by Andy Stanley, published by Thomas Nelson publishers.

I like reading books that challenge me to think, and this one did so. Andy Stanley takes the idea of a road, which always leads you somewhere, and applies it to our lives.

The main premise of the path principle is that direction, not intentions, is the key to where we end up in life. While we all desire certain outcomes in our relationships, careers and finances, we have to make decisions today that will lead us to those ends. He delves into the emotions that tend to distract us and our tendency to give attention to things that don’t coincide with the path we should be taking. The author also encourages readers to seek wisdom from others who have traveled the path before them.

The book contains many current cultural references and personal stories and is written in an easy-to-read style. I am only slightly familiar with the author and doubt that I would agree with him on all issues, but feel that I can nearly always learn something from others.

There were two thoughts that most resonated with me. The first was the admonition that we never accomplish the will of God by violating the principles of God. Secondly, near the conclusion of the book, he asks what story you would like to tell with your life. What a great reminder, that every day we are adding pages to the volume that we will look back on one day as the story of our life.

When I first began the book, I wondered how Andy Stanley could possibly write an entire book on such a simple principle. I think he did a fine job of explaining and developing the principle of the path.

Making Music

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At our church on Wednesday night, my eight-year-old daughter played the hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross for the offertory.

It is amazing to watch her and see how much she has grown and progressed over the last couple of years. She sits and plays very calmly, while my stomach is churning.

Afterwards, she told me that she thinks about the words of the song while she is playing – and I hope that those words are sinking into her heart. This is why we budget that chunk of money for a piano teacher, drive her to weekly lessons and make sure that she practices her twenty minutes every day – so that she might learn to love and enjoy music and use it as a way to worship and serve God by ministering to and blessing others.

This post is linked to Real Life Blog, Finer Things Friday and Family Friday.

What We’re Reading This Week

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We took a brief break from the library for a couple of weeks, but made a stop there on Tuesday to get some new reading material.

My girls are in an American Girl mood at the moment and got the following books from that series, most of which they have read before and enjoyed:

Addy’s Short Story Collection
A Molly Mystery: The Light in the Cellar
Brave Emily
Meet Felicity
Happy Birthday, Molly
Really Truly Ruthie

They also checked out these books from other series they like to read:
A to Z Mysteries: The X’ed-Out X-Ray
The Cul-de-sac Kids: The Upside-Down Day

We had previously checked out A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. I want my girls to develop an appreciation for good poetry, so was happy when my older daughter requested that we get this book again. I’m hoping to find a used copy of it that I can purchase for ourselves.

A couple that were new to us this time were The Secret Soldier: The Story of Deborah Sampson by Ann McGovern and The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. I skimmed both of these; the latter is a Newbery Honor book and looks quite entertaining and age-appropriate.

As for myself, the bookshelf located by the library exit that contains used books for sale got me again! Here’s what I bought for my own reading:

If Mama Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy by Lindsey O’Connor

The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman. I have actually read this one before, but wanted to re-read it and add it to my own collection.

The Perfect Wife: The Life and Choices of Laura Bush by Ann Gerhart

Ronald Reagan in Private: A Memoir of My Years in the White House by Jim Kuhn. Ronald Reagan is one of my favorite Presidents and I enjoy reading books about him.

I’m also currently reading The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley. Look for a review of that book coming up soon!

See what others’ have in their book basket by visiting The Happy Housewife today.

In Honour of Mom

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What one word do you most closely associate with Mother? As Mothers’ Day approaches and I spend a few extra moments thinking about my own mom, what comes to mind first is sacrifice.

I was privileged to grow up in a home with a Christian mother and can think of several areas in which she made sacrifices for her children.
  1. Her will. My mom willingly submitted to my dad as the leader of our home and set a great example for my brothers, sister and I as to how a good marriage should operate. She taught us to love and respect my dad by the way she talked about him and responded to him.
  2. Her needs and wants. Mom would put our needs ahead of her own. I know there were many times when she could have bought things for herself, but she would rather one of us children have a new outfit or follow some new interest instead. She always made me feel like it truly brought her joy for us to have the best rather than herself.
  3. Her time. She always met our physical needs, making sure our laundry was done and our meals were prepared. No matter what activity we were involved in, we knew my mom (and dad as well) would be there to support us. While I didn’t participate in sports, my brothers and sister did and they could count on mom being at every game and cheering enthusiastically, being there to comfort if they lost or congratulate if they won. I’m sure the hours are countless that she spent praying for each of us and, now that we are grown, our children as well.
  4. Her ambitions. I believe that my mom loved being a stay-at-home mom. She totally dedicated herself to us and laid aside any ambitions she may have had for herself to devote herself to rearing us children.

Proverbs 31:28 says “Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” Today I call my mom blessed and thank God for the mom He gave me.

Book Review: Wisdom and the Millers: Proverbs for Children by Mildred A. Martin

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As I mentioned in a post last week, our family has discovered a new book that we are using for our family devotional time.

I realize that families study the Bible together in different ways. What currently works for us is setting aside a few minutes after we are finished eating supper to have a devotional time.

We have done different things over the years – read from Bible story books, examined Bible characters, read brief biographies on various missionaries, studied character traits, and discussed particular Bible passages.

While researching some books that a friend recommended, I came across a book entitled Wisdom and the Millers. It is written by Mildred A. Martin and published by Green Pastures Press. We are so thoroughly enjoying this book!

The Miller family includes Dad, Mom and their four children. Each of the chapters tells a short story of an event that happens in the family which illustrates a verse from Proverbs.

One of my favorites so far is entitled “The Multitude of Words” and is based on Proverbs 10:19, “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” In the story, Sharon, the oldest daughter, encounters several difficulties throughout her day because of her inconsiderate words and thoughtless speech. At the end of the day, her mom sits down with her and they figure out the root of the problem and its’ solution.

Most nights we do a brief review of one of our previous stories, and the girls remember well the lessons that were taught. I was out on the night my husband did the chapter on having a froward mouth, but the girls were able to fill me in on the whole thing!

I would highly recommend this book either for reading together as a family or for your child to read for themselves. It has been a great find for us!

Here are other books in the Miller Family Series.

We are always looking for books or ideas for our family Bible time. If you have suggestions or resources that you enjoy, please let me know in the comments section.

Thirteen Books We Are Reading

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I write often about reading and the importance that good books play in our lives. Thanks to a challenge from The Happy Housewife to share some books we are currently reading, I made my Thursday Thirteen a list of thirteen books that our family is reading this month.

  1. Hans Brinker by Mary Maples Dodge. It has been years since I read this book and I am enjoying going back through it as I read it aloud to my younger daughter.
  2. Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This is the book I am currently reading aloud to my older daughter at bedtime. We love the fact that while Anne has gotten older, she still manages to have quite a few adventures.
  3. Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight. This is the next book on the list for reading aloud with my oldest. Another one that I haven’t read in years, I only remember that I didn’t read it too often as a child because it always made me cry!
  4. Wisdom and the Millers by Mildred A. Martin. This is a brand new book for us and a great find! We are currently reading it for our family Bible time after supper. It has short chapters that each contain a story illustrating a verse from Proverbs.
  5. Three Cousins Detective Club series by Elspeth Campbell Murphy. Both girls are reading some of these books; we have purchased several and have also found them at our library.
  6. Treasures from Grandma by Arleta Richardson. We have several of the books from the Grandma’s Attic series, but this one is new for us.
  7. The Case of the Sassy Parrot by Milly Howard. My older daughter is into mysteries; she just finished this book and really seemed to enjoy it.
  8. Clara Barton by Mary Catherine Rose. This book is actually for a school book report.
  9. The Middle Moffatt by Eleanor Estes. A book that I enjoyed reading as a child, I was able to purchase this at a used bookstore to add to our personal library.
  10. The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright. My eight-year-old is almost done reading this one.
  11. Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace. We have enjoyed all of the Betsy-Tacy books!
  12. Depend on Katie John by Mary Calhoun. I just pulled this one out of storage and gave it to my older daughter to read.
  13. Those Kids in Proverbsville by Elizabeth Rice Handford. We’ve read this book many times before, but have been revisiting some of the chapters lately.

I’m always looking for resources to help me find good books for my children to read. Please let me know in the comments section if there are books or series that your family enjoys and that you recommend.

This post is linked to

Easter Weekend in Review

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Just a few snapshots from our Easter weekend!

On Saturday the girls and I made one of my favorite recipes – butter cookies which I shared here recently.
 
Here they are just out of the oven……
A work in progress…..
Icing the cookies is a tasty proposition…….
 
Now they’re all ready to eat!
 
 
Easter baskets on Sunday morning……
The girls are all dressed up for the Easter Sunday church service (dresses courtesy of my Mom!)

Easter lunch consisted of baked ham, potato casserole, cranberry sauce (yes, I know that’s a Thanksgiving thing, but my girls love it, so I pulled out a can for the occasion) and lima beans with butter cookies and chocolate bunnies for dessert!

Hope your weekend was special as well!

Our Bedtime Routine

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We started bedtime routines with our daughters when they were infants. Thanks to my reading the book Babywise when I was expecting, I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted our evenings to look. Obviously that has changed somewhat as our girls have grown, but I have kept things in the same general order. So, with girls that are ages eight and six, who get up in the mornings at 6:25 A.M. to get ready for school, here is what our nights look like leading up to bedtime.

7:10 – 7:20 P.M. Pick up toys and straighten rooms.
 
7:20 – 7:30 P.M. Eat a small snack.
 
7:30 – 7:55 P.M. Take a bath or shower, put pajamas on, brush teeth.
 
7:55 – 8:00 P.M. Lay out clothes for the next day.
 
8:00 – 8:30 P.M. Read to each daughter; one chapter or section from a longer book we’re reading together, as well as one page or section from a devotional or Bible story book. Pray with each daughter.
 
8:30 P.M. Lights out (and fan on!)
 
Of course not every night runs like clock work, but this is the general plan from which we work. I have found that, for me, having a schedule to follow allows me to get the kids in bed without as much hassle as it might be. By 8:30 P.M., I am about out of steam for the day and am ready for some peace and quiet!
 
Having a nightly routine for the girls and I to follow works for me! See what works for others at Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are That Family.
 

Preschool Math Skills and Concepts

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Teaching Tuesday last week involved teaching early math skills such as counting, making comparisons and number recognition.

As we continue on with basic math skills, it is important to make sure that our child understands the concept that a numeral represents a number of objects. He/she can memorize counting numbers in order without realizing that a 4 equals an exact amount of something.

You can teach this relatively easily. Use some of the tactile numbers we talked about last week – magnetic, wood or felt ones, even a 3×5 card with a number written on it. Let your child hold the number and then have them count out that many objects (blocks, crayons, goldfish crackers, any manipulatives would work). Help them equate the numeral they are holding with the number of objects they have counted out.

Once they have grasped that principle, you can move on to teaching the idea of more and less. Have your child count out 4 of something and put it into a pile. Then have them count out 7 of the same item and put it into a pile. Compare the two, talking about which pile has more and which pile has less.

From there, when you feel your child is ready, you can begin simple worksheets. Again, you can usually find some printable ones online or purchase an inexpensive workbook. (I have even seen these kind of workbooks at a dollar store from time to time.) The type of papers you would be looking for might have a picture of ten objects and ask the child to circle 6 of them. Alternately, it might show 8 objects and underneath have the numbers 6, 7 and 8 printed and ask your child to circle which numeral shows the correct number of objects.

As I stress all the time – make it as fun and interesting as you can. I’m talking about preschool-age children here and if there is any frustration, put it down and revisit it another day. There will be plenty of time later in life to stress about numbers!!

Hope you’ll join me for more next Tuesday!