Enjoy

"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

-Robert Brault

Loving Your Child

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

Playing With Your Baby

Fisher Price wrote a fun article about different activities you can play with your baby!

From birth to 3 months
*Put on a show.
Since babies love music, your little one will enjoy dancing with you--rocking gently in your arms to different tunes. Stand in front of a mirror (babies delight in seeing their reflection) and move and sing together.

3 to 6 months
*Talk it up.
Stand baby on your lap and gently bounce him up and down while you point out interesting things and say their names: "See the orange kitty? What does a kitty say? Meow!"

6 to 9 months
*Play pat-a-cake.
This silly game teaches your baby to anticipate actions. When playing together, sing cheerfully with exaggerated facial expressions-your baby will coo with delight and mimic your expressions.

9 to 12 months
*Play hide-and-seek.
At around 9 months, babies begin to understand the concept of object permanence (a toy exists even when it's out of sight, for example). Nurture this knowledge by playing a variation of hide-and-seek: Show your baby a toy, hide it under a blanket, and then have him search for it. Imagine his surprise when he locates the hidden object.

Salt Water Gargle,

When you're feeling like you're coming down with something, like a cold with a scratchy throat, you've probably heard of the remedy to gargle warm salt water. However, did you know that the same harmful bacteria in your throat is also in your nose? Try using a Q-tip dipped in warm salt water to swab the inside of your nose and the salt water remedy will be more effective.

Thermometer

Of all the thermometers that we have purchased/tried.. we like this one the best (especially for infants, toddlers and kids that aren't able to keep a thermometer in their mouth yet). I'm sure you can buy a fancier thermometer if you choose to spend more... But this one is quick and accurate and totally recommend it!

VICKS Underarm Thermometer

Mothers

There are few assignments in human experience that require the array of skills and wisdom needed by a mom in fulfilling her everyday duties. She must be a resident psychologist, physician, theologian, educator, nurse, chef, taxi driver, fire marshal, and occasional police officer. And if she succeeds in each of these responsibilities, she gets to do it all over again tomorrow.

-Dr. James Dobson

Are You Prepared?

72hours.org is a great guide for preparing families for natural disasters. For earthquakes, fires or flooding, there is a step by step guide to make a plan, build a kit and get involved. Here is an example from 72hours.org about preparing for a power outtage:

When a disaster occurs, you might not have access to food, water and electricity for days, or even weeks. Store enough emergency food to provide for your family for at least 3 days.

• Store food items that are familiar, rather than buying special emergency food. Consider any dietary restrictions and preferences you may have.
• Ideal foods are: Shelf-stable (no refrigeration required), low in salt, and do not require cooking (e.g. canned fruit, vegetables, peanut butter, jam, low-salt crackers, cookies, cereals, nuts, dried fruit, canned soup or meats, juices and non-fat dry milk).
• Mark a rotation date on any food container that does not already have an expiration date on the package.
• Include baby food and formula or other diet items for infants or seniors.
• Store the food in airtight, pest-resistant containers in a cool, dark place.
• Most canned foods can safely be stored for at least 18 months. Low acid foods like meat products, fruits or vegetables will normally last at least 2 years. Use dry products, like boxed cereal, crackers, cookies, dried milk or dried fruit within six months.
• After a power outage, refrigerated food will stay cold longer if you keep the door closed. Food should generally be consumed within 4 hours. Food in the freezer will normally remain safe for 2 days

Reality Discipline

7 Principles of Reality Discipline

(Excerpts rom Dr. Kevin Leman's, "Making Children MIND without Losing YOURS")

1. Establish a healthy authority over your children.
-Ephesians 6 says, God has placed parents on authority over children.
-If you don't establish your parental authority, no one else will.
-Your authority needs to be a display of love more than power.

2. Hold your children accountable for their actions.
-As parents, we're all home-schoolers. We should be teaching our kids every day that there are consequences for their actions, some positive and some negative.

3. Let reality be the teacher.
-Look for teachable moments when you can use reality to deliver a powerful lesson.
-Don't be afraid to let your kids fail.
-Your home needs to be a place where your kids can fail-and learn from their failure. Surround them with love, show them how important they are to you, but don't try to undo their failures.

4. Use action more than words.
-With reality discipline, you need to state your expectations clearly. Let your children know their responsibilities to the family, to the school, to others. But then you don't need to keep repeating yourself. Let your actions speak for you.

5. Stick to your guns, but don't shoot yourself in the foot.
-You're the boss. You made the decision, so stick with it.
-Your decisions won't always have the wisdom of Solomon, but you need to teach your kids that what you say goes.
-Outlast them, and they'll learn that it's pointless to whine.

6. Relationships come before rules.
-The principles of reality discipline aren ot set in concrete.
-The goal is always the same: teaching your children to love others, to put others first, to be givers and not takers, and to realize that it makes a difference how they conduct themselves.
-As children see that their parents are committed to the family, they will commit themselves too.
-Josh McDowell says, "Rules without relationships lead to rebellion."

7. Live by your values.
-Your children learn from watching you.

Easter Joy

Easter Joy

Jesus came to earth,
To show us how to live,
How to put others first,
How to love and how to give.

Then He set about His work,
That God sent Him to do;
He took our punishment on Himself;
He made us clean and new.

He could have saved Himself,
Calling angels from above,
But He chose to pay our price for sin;
He paid it out of love.

Our Lord died on Good Friday,
But the cross did not destroy
His resurrection on Easter morn
That fills our hearts with joy.

Now we know our earthly death,
Like His, is just a rest.
We'll be forever with Him
In heaven, where life is best.

So we live our lives for Jesus,
Think of Him in all we do.
Thank you Savior; Thank you Lord.
Help us love like you!

By Joanna Fuchs