Why Pro-Lifers Should Not Take the Pill

Biblical Womenhood parts 1 through 8

This series is a must!! This is not your typical teaching on Biblical Womanhood. Dr. Bauchen goes much deeper, and hits the heart of our struggles.

In the first clip you will hear him something like, "Not only is Sunday School not Scriptural, but its roots are Darwinian Evolution."

Also, could you be apart of the wife-swapping game and not realize it?

Curious?!? Press play.

Chore Badge

Catherine is practicing her violin,
which she does for 30 minutes each day.
You can see her chore badge dangling from her shirt.

A chore badge is a great idea for helping children stay on track when they are going through a list of chores or even a to do list for school assignments. It is an alternative to a written list that is especially better for younger children.

What is it? It is simply one of those clear plastic clip-on name badges I found at Walmart for a little more than a dollar. I cut note cards to fit inside the badges and wrote each item that would be on her to do list on its own card. When she finishes one task, she puts its card to the back of the rest of the cards and begins on the the next task. When she has finished the tasks in the stack of cards, she brings them to me and I can check her work, prompting me to correct and train where needed. This system keep Mommy on track too.

This has been especially good for my child who really wants to please her parents, but gets lured into la la land very easily. The badge that swings about on her clothes is a constant reminder to stay focused on her list.

Since we started this system she has been able to accomplish more in a shorter time period. Now she has more time to go to imagination land, and she has pleased her parents very well!!

I plan to use this system when our little man is older. It can be incorporated when he is very young by using pictures on the cards. I could have one card that has a picture of clothes and another with a tooth brush. You get the picture? :)

Another idea... I plan to have the girls write Scriptures for meditation and memorization on cards that can be inserted into the badges. They will be prompted to review the verse each time they sift through the cards. You could also include other information for memorization like phonics and grammar rules, vocabulary, Greek and Latin roots... whatever!

You can buy an entire system that incorporates this, they call them chore packs. I hope to invest in this system someday. Here is the link: http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1150?review=1

Blanket Training Baby

In the Duggar's new book, Twenty and Counting, Michelle Duggar has shared several good ideas for child training. A few of them I am putting into practice in my house. (I am thinking that if they help her raise up 18 well-behaved little ones, surely they will be beneficial for my 3 soon to be 4.)

I have started blanket training our 16 month old. This is a method of helping him learn self-control, and it forces him into needed down time through quiet play. I have simply picked one of his favorite blankets, one that is not too bulky so it will travel in my purse. During spontaneous moments throughout the day, I pull out the blanket and make a big deal about how it is time for Blanket Time. I tell Aaron that he is a big boy and can sit on his blanket and play quietly. Then I give him one toy that I know should hold is attention for a little while and I sit them both on the blanket. I use a timer that I set for 5 minutes. I will gradually increase the time as he become more comfortable with blanket time. Michelle Duggars children can sit on the blanket for 30 minutes at a time.

Here he is nosing around in the bathroom,
dangerously close to the potty.
HE NEEDS THIS!!

When he is finished, I give him lots of praise for his accomplishment. His sisters are quick to offer plenty of praise too. He like to help me fold the blanket and put it away, and we put away his toy. Maybe this is also giving me an opportunity to focus on helping him learn to clean up after himself, which is an added benefit.

By the way, Michelle's rule is that if they throw the toy off the blanket they cannot get it back nor can they have a replacement. I think this is a good rule.

Aaron seems excited when I get the blanket out, and he welcomes the experience again and again seeming comforted by its familiarity, but after he has been on the blanket for a minute or two he wants to get off. It seems that Aaron likes to play blanket time on his terms, but this is when we help him understand what mommy expects, and how he can develop self-control to follow through. I can see that this will be very good for him. ;)

It will be a benefit for me because I can pull the blanket out during times when I need to focus my attention on something like a project with the older children or food preparation. Pre-Blanket Time days, during those moments that I need to direct attention elsewhere, he would begin pillaging throughout the house pulling books off shelves and bowls out of cabinets making a mess of everything. Yes, this will be good for Mommy as well. :)