...that a "baby belly" is getting rather...big:
- A person could stain two shirts in a matter of hours as food dropped onto the swelling surface.
- Women ask about due dates and when they learn that a person has 2 1/2 months left, they look stunned.
- When a 3-year old stands at one's feet, he could hide beneath the "baby bump" and disappear completely from sight.
Not that I would have personal experience with these things...
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
"Oh, I Could Never Do That!"
-This is the response I get when I tell other moms that I am homeschooling the boys. I can honestly say that I understand where they are coming from. Some days, I feel similarly. =)
Currently, I am devouring a book by Barbara Curtis titled Mommy, Teach Me! In it, she works to convince mothers that keeping their preschooler at home is the best option. She notes that a great teacher needs love and understanding in order to best educate a child. Ultimately, who will love and understand a young child better than their mother?
In addition, she had an excellent quote that has really put into words how I feel about homeschooling: "God doesn't call the equipped: He equips the called."
Shortly after Kolbe's birth I knew God was calling me to homeschool my children. As He gently pulled at my heart, He also put the drive in me to begin educating myself so that I could indeed be a great teacher. For the last 5 years, He's been guiding me to different websites and books that have enabled me to become confident as a new homeschooler.
Certainly I still have doubts. But, I realize that if God is calling me to do this, as long as I keep Him at the center of it, He will equip me to be the best teacher my children could possibly have.
Each time we make a major life change (college, career, married life, parenthood, moving across the country to Nebraska =) , etc.), if we listen, God will be there to reassure us and equip us to handle that situation.
If you would have told me 5 years ago that we'd be expecting baby #4, I would have been shocked and overwhelmed. However, God (in His brilliant design) gives us 9- months to prepare (mentally, physically, materially, etc) to welcome a new baby. And, with each baby He's given me a bigger dose of patience, calmness, and confidence that He has a plan for our family.
Currently, I am devouring a book by Barbara Curtis titled Mommy, Teach Me! In it, she works to convince mothers that keeping their preschooler at home is the best option. She notes that a great teacher needs love and understanding in order to best educate a child. Ultimately, who will love and understand a young child better than their mother?
In addition, she had an excellent quote that has really put into words how I feel about homeschooling: "God doesn't call the equipped: He equips the called."
Shortly after Kolbe's birth I knew God was calling me to homeschool my children. As He gently pulled at my heart, He also put the drive in me to begin educating myself so that I could indeed be a great teacher. For the last 5 years, He's been guiding me to different websites and books that have enabled me to become confident as a new homeschooler.
Certainly I still have doubts. But, I realize that if God is calling me to do this, as long as I keep Him at the center of it, He will equip me to be the best teacher my children could possibly have.
Each time we make a major life change (college, career, married life, parenthood, moving across the country to Nebraska =) , etc.), if we listen, God will be there to reassure us and equip us to handle that situation.
If you would have told me 5 years ago that we'd be expecting baby #4, I would have been shocked and overwhelmed. However, God (in His brilliant design) gives us 9- months to prepare (mentally, physically, materially, etc) to welcome a new baby. And, with each baby He's given me a bigger dose of patience, calmness, and confidence that He has a plan for our family.
Monday, July 28, 2008
It's Time Again
This weekend we're heading to the Midwest Catholic Family Conference in Wichita, Kansas. Last year we attended on the spur of the moment but this year, Nate and I are truly looking forward to spending some time focusing on our faith lives.
Why do we go?
- It's one weekend each year when Nate and I each take account of our prayer lives.
- We become re-energized to be better examples of Christ in the society in which we live.
- We want to teach our boys the importance of taking time out of our schedules to focus on faith.
I hope you're able to attend anything similar where you are. =)
Why do we go?
- It's one weekend each year when Nate and I each take account of our prayer lives.
- We become re-energized to be better examples of Christ in the society in which we live.
- We want to teach our boys the importance of taking time out of our schedules to focus on faith.
I hope you're able to attend anything similar where you are. =)
Our Children's Defenders
This weekend, the priest at the parish we attended had a nice homily regarding Humanae Vitae (Latin-On Human Life) as well as some other contemporary encyclicals. He pointed out how our pontiffs continually challenge families to live Christ-centered lives. In one of the encyclicals, the family is called "domestic" church.
As a married couple, it is our responsibility to be open to life as well as discern our family size (in prayer and together) concerning the children we currently have. As parents, we are to defend our children's innocence and focus educating them with regard to faith as well as living out a Christian life.
Unfortunately, the yearning of the media is to influence our children for us. Nate and I take a serious position here--as I would assume all parents would. We constantly monitor the books our boys read, TV shows they watch (while we don't have any channels on our TV, we do rent them movies from Netflix), and movies we attend. As well, I am diligent about the music I listen to in the car and on iTunes. It is amazing how quickly a song can become a "favorite" for them. It's important that they lyrics they're singing are not sexually oriented. I love Country music, but I've learned that I simply can't listen to the country station when I have a car full of little ears.
"Is this book/movie/song appropriate for my son's age?"
"Is it going to expose him to something that he may not be ready to fully understand?"
Modesty in dress is another issue. In some ways, I'm thankful that I have a houseful of boys, as clothing options for them is almost always modest. However, there are a number of T-shirts that have inappropriate sayings on them or expressions that don't foster a Christian attitude (i.e. "My Sister Ate My Homework") Why is it that our girls need to dress like they're 25 when they are under 10 and our boys need to wear T-shirts that claim they are unintelligent? These stereotypes are not something we want to foster in our household or in society in general.
"As the family goes, so goes the World."
Soon enough, our children will learn about sex, foul language, abortion, alcohol, and on and on. It is our concern to maintain their innocence as long as possible and to educate them when the time is right.
Let's begin today, if we haven't already, to really question everything our children are exposed to. What would Jesus do?
As a married couple, it is our responsibility to be open to life as well as discern our family size (in prayer and together) concerning the children we currently have. As parents, we are to defend our children's innocence and focus educating them with regard to faith as well as living out a Christian life.
Unfortunately, the yearning of the media is to influence our children for us. Nate and I take a serious position here--as I would assume all parents would. We constantly monitor the books our boys read, TV shows they watch (while we don't have any channels on our TV, we do rent them movies from Netflix), and movies we attend. As well, I am diligent about the music I listen to in the car and on iTunes. It is amazing how quickly a song can become a "favorite" for them. It's important that they lyrics they're singing are not sexually oriented. I love Country music, but I've learned that I simply can't listen to the country station when I have a car full of little ears.
"Is this book/movie/song appropriate for my son's age?"
"Is it going to expose him to something that he may not be ready to fully understand?"
Modesty in dress is another issue. In some ways, I'm thankful that I have a houseful of boys, as clothing options for them is almost always modest. However, there are a number of T-shirts that have inappropriate sayings on them or expressions that don't foster a Christian attitude (i.e. "My Sister Ate My Homework") Why is it that our girls need to dress like they're 25 when they are under 10 and our boys need to wear T-shirts that claim they are unintelligent? These stereotypes are not something we want to foster in our household or in society in general.
"As the family goes, so goes the World."
Soon enough, our children will learn about sex, foul language, abortion, alcohol, and on and on. It is our concern to maintain their innocence as long as possible and to educate them when the time is right.
Let's begin today, if we haven't already, to really question everything our children are exposed to. What would Jesus do?
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Homeschooling-Beginning Steps
Last week we began homeschooling. Kolbe and Jozef were underware-clad (which Nate tells me is one of the greatest things about homeschooling) and busy working on their activities for the day.
I'm finding there are two main obstacles to making this an easy process:
1) The boys' unending excitement for "what's next". They gobble every activity and just as I'm finishing instructing Jozef, Kolbe is asking what he can do next. Whew! Talk about multi-tasking.
2) Marcel. He's just 18 months and wants to be a part of each activity the boys engage in. Whether it's dumping the beads that Jozef is stringing or pulling all of the contents off of Kolbe's table, Marcel is here to "help". Yesterday, I tried to entice him with some activities of his own. They all hit the floor (from the captivity of his high-chair) with record speed. Today, we simply began school later and I proceeded to give Marcel a number of snacks. I feel pretty good that they were healthy snacks anyway--strawberries, milk and graham crackers.
At this rate, I'd better stock up on healthy snacks.
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