Fun with Learning: What Works for This Mom of Two Under Two

Levi began recognizing some of his colors several months ago.  So, as he showed interest I began having slightly structured learning time. (Think: Sitting down with his colorful blocks and teaching him to recognize one color at a time.) He loved it and, so far, can't get enough of "school." After breakfast he usually beats me to the punch and stands by our "school" cabinets, pointing and saying, "Levi's...School...Shapes...ABCBs!"
Each day Most days we work on:

• Color Recognition: We review colors in a variety of ways. Sometimes using our Peter Rabbit book or Little People farm book. Sometimes we use the colored blocks I mentioned. But doing too much color naming was getting boring (for Levi and me). Some interactive color recognition activities Levi enjoys are his Color Gear Caterpillar, and a clothes pin/flash card match up. For the clothes pin game, I used flash cards I purchased at Wal-Mart, and colored the ends of some clothes pins to match. Levi chose a colored clothes pin, found the matching flash card, and clipped it on. This is a great fine motor activity as well.

He successfully matched up all of the colors!

• Number Recognition/Counting: Levi really enjoys counting the numbers on the calendar. I help him point to each number, up to ten, and he counts as we point. This seems to be working well because he is beginning to recognize the number 3. We also count using his 1-10 nesting boxes and sometimes count items on our flash cards, in our Little People farm book, or our Peter Rabbit book.  And usually at least once a week, we count objects that he can step/jump on...hangers are a favorite! Sometimes we work counting into our day in other practical ways if there are many other things to accomplish throughout the house. For example, today, I gave him some "Gummies" for a snack and before he ate them we counted how many there were.

• Shape Recognition: This is a BIG hit right now! I cut out different shapes, each has a small, medium, and large size, and each group of shapes is the same color. (The small, medium and large circles are all blue, etc.) I chose to laminate mine because of wear and tear. When he masters recognition of a shape I add it to the ones he has already mastered and scatter them all on the floor. I give the following commands (not all at once;) - "Jump on the big circle. Jump on the medium square. Jump on something yellow. Jump on the little star." We also use this as a "practicing obedience" game. He sometimes will stack the shapes from largest to smallest and soon we will begin sorting the shapes by size...all of the big shapes in one stack, all medium shapes in another, and all small shapes in another. The Little People farm book is also useful for shape recognition. The page with shapes is set at a farmers market. He finds a shape-item (for example, the watermelon is an oval) and then lifts the flap to see the shape drawn beneath the item. He enjoys shape puzzles of all sorts and loves to point out shapes we incounter each day (the oven looks like a square).

• ABC's, recognizing one at a time for however many days/weeks it takes, making sure that as we go he still remembers the preceding letters. Nana gave Levi a book called, "A is for Apple," which has grooved letters that are perfect for tracing. We also love the book, "Corduroy's Alphabet Hunt." On each page we are asked to help Corduroy find items and then say what letter each item begins with. In the back there are textured flash cards that we use to practice recognizing the letters we have learned. Sometimes we flip through the rest of our flash cards, naming the letter and sound of each, and some days we just sing alphabet songs.

• Etiquette: Numerous times a day we work on etiquette. After all, love is not rude, but kind, and etiquette is a way to teach children how to consider others before themselves. I keep this posted on my refrigerator.
• Little Man Jobs: Each day, Levi is expected to put his toys where they belong, put napkins on the tables before meals, throw away his diapers (and sometimes Lyla's) in the Diaper Champ, throw away his trash, and put away the dish cloths and towels. We keep this posted as a reminder and he sometimes puts stickers by his jobs to check them off.  He also helps me switch the laundry over and put non-breakable dishes away. When Daddy grills it is Levi's job to hand him what he needs. Sometimes he "helps" sweep the floor, using his little broom.

Little Man Jobs Checklist

• Scripture: This is by far the most important part of our learning because it is only from the Bible that we can gain true knowledge and wisdom. Each time we move on to a new letter, we memorize a verse that begins with that letter. In addition to those scriptures, we daily review Colossians 3:20 and Ephesians 2:8. It is amazing to see how he memorizes the scriptures, as long as Mama is there to fill in the articles :)! We also love to listed to Seeds Family Worship CD's. You can listen online here. You can also find printables to go along with the songs here.

We use this book for A to Z scripture. Each verse accompanies a short story. Levi loves to "retell" the stories!

In addition to these basics, I like to do a fun, creative project at least every two weeks! (I know it doesn't seem like much but with a 20-month-old and a 3-month-old creative projects can take more time!) We also like to learn on the go, making learning a part of life. When we go for a walk, we talk about street safety, fast and slow, stop signs, birds, bunnies, and whatever else we see. I know this post is long, but believe me, nothing on this list is extremely time consuming. Remember I usually pick one activity per section per day. It's just what has been working for us! In September or October we may begin to do some thematic units as Levi nears the age of two, and as we incorporate other foods into Lyla's diet, meaning we'll have a bit more times between feedings.

Lyla enjoying some tummy time while Levi practices with colors!

I'd love to hear how you incorporate learning into your toddler's day! Any tips on fun activities to do with an infant would be welcome as well!!!

Encouragement for Homekeepers

"Home is the grandest of all institutions." ~Charles Hadden Spurgeon

"You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

"Thank God, O women for the quietude of your home, and that you are queen in it. Men come at eventide to the home; but all day long you are there, beautifying it, sanctifying it, adorning it, blessing it. Better be there than wear a queen's coronet. Better be there than carry the purse of a princess. It may be a very humble home. There may be no carpet on the floor. There may be no pictures on the wall. There may be no silks in the wardrobe; but, by your faith in God, and your cheerful demeanor, you may garniture that place with more splendor than the upholsterer's hand ever kindled." ~ T. DeWitt Talmage

 "The career of motherhood and homemaking is beyond value and needs no justification. It's importance is incalculable." - Katherine Short"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."- Psalm 19:14

Building Up My Marriage: Make Him Feel Special

Although Father's Day is long past,I still thought it would be a good time to explore the idea of making our husbands feel special. There are many ways we can do this and each husband may appreciate different ideas. So this is really about knowing your husband and using what you know to make your hubby happy. To get your creative juices flowing, these are a few ideas that I have put into practice:
Meet him at the door with his favorite drink.
Meet him at the door with a sensual kiss.
Set a reminder on his phone that says, "I love you, Babe!"
Wear clothing you know he finds attractive.
Leave him a note with a lipstick kiss.
Let him lead.
Pursue him ;)
Tell him how wonderful he is!
The following pictures capture what I did for my The Man of My Dreams on Father's Day but could easily be done any day of the year! So have fun, ladies... And however you let your husband know what he means to you, do it out of the love God has placed in your heart!

You are the best Dada ever because...

Building Up My Marriage: Submitting to My Husband

Ephesians 5:22-24 "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."

I know I've taken about a month hiatus from posting on Building Up a Marriage, but with things beginning to settle down after the birth of our daughter, I think I'm ready to dig back in. Please feel free to catch up by reading posts 1 and 2 about building up a marriage. Remember in the first post of this series when I mentioned the strange looks we get when people learn of our views on submission? Well, today I'm going to try to tackle that subject.
In our culture, the word submission has become synonymous with the word subservient. But when we look at it biblically, we see that there is nothing about submission that makes us inferior, but instead that it displays imperishable beauty. God chooses women to display, in tangible terms, a key element of the Son's relationship to the Father, and the church's relationship to the Son, and to do this through biblical submission to our husbands.
1 Corinthians 11:3 says, "But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God." Now, nothing about Christ is inferior to the Father; Indeed, we can all agree that they are equal. Yet they have different roles. Time and time again, we see Jesus submit Himself to the Father's will, even to the point of death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:27, John 6:38)
In Ephesians 5:22-24 we see that biblical submission in our marriage is also a picture of the wonderful relationship between Christ and the church. Just as the church submits in everything to Christ, we should submit to our husbands...in everything.
Christ's submission to the Father and the church's submission to Christ don't include lackadaisical attitudes, "door-mat" mentalities, or silent subservient positions. These examples of true biblical submission require radical action, through the attitude of love and servanthood, that makes a radical difference.
Let's get practical...What about those times when we know our husband is not making the best decision (assuming he's not sinning)? For example, I may have great, justifiable reasons for thinking...no, knowing, that our family would benefit much more from investing in a camper rather than pouring money into an old cabin in the middle of nowhere. We could visit different state and national parks, the kids could experience so much history, we could hike trails and go canoeing, we could have family worship around the campfire, pass out tracts in the campground, and the list goes on and on, convincing my heart that I am right and my husband is wrong.
So what do I do? Voice my opinion over and over, doing everything in my power to convince him that my idea is better? Or do I submit to my husband by the power of the love that God has placed in my heart for him, have a positive attitude about the fixer-upper, see it as a way to make memories with our family, an opportunity for glorifying God, try to catch my husband's vision through this? The latter option requires action. It is through this attitude that a wife can have a wonderful, loving impact on her husband and children. Because, whether we want it to or not, our attitude sets the tone for the whole family. A wife's attitude can turn a junky, old hunting cabin into a sweet family cottage, a delightful haven, full of fond memories, peaceful moments, and wondrous adventures.
But many times, I chose the first option: Convince myself of my husband's "faulty judgement," maybe convince myself that his motives are impure, and nag (or should I say "complain" since "nag" sounds sinful) him until I get my way, taking his role as the leader upon myself because "I know better than he does." So who really has the faulty judgement and impure motives: the husband with a vision or the wife who stomps her husband's vision into the dirt?
This may be a seemingly insignificant example, but in my experience it is in the small, daily encounters that I have the most difficulty submitting to my husband in love, while the "big" decisions usually require me to cling to a biblical perspective.
Oh wives, that we would see the joy that results from submitting to our husbands before we start with our constant dripping (Proverbs 27:15). Wifely submission is key to a biblically functioning marriage and becomes extra-crucial as children are added to the family. Submission (along with the other actions we'll discuss in this series) boils down to love and respect, considering our husband's desires before our own. When we have children, especially young children, who require much time and energy, it is this display of love and respect that shows our husbands where they rank in our hearts, even if our attention toward them can no longer be constantly undivided.
My self-challenge this week is to, by God's grace, be submissive to my husband in the little things, whether that's what we have for dinner, how we spend our Saturday, or what shirt he wants me to wear. I pray that I will be aware of my heart attitude and times that I'm not submitting to my husband's headship so I may quickly repent.
Submission really is a beautiful thing. I hope that through biblical submission, the Lord will use my marriage to reveal an aspect of a living Christ to a dieing world.

The Blessing of Birds



We found this bird craft from No Time for Flash Cards and
had a blast making it!

Before my husband leaves each morning, he puts our 18 month old in bed beside me, gives me a sweet kiss, and heads off work (or wuk, as Little Mister says). Then, around 7:00, Little Mister and I awake to Little Lady telling me that she's ready to nurse and the sound of the birds chirping in the trees in front of our house. While Little Mister sits in bed with me for the twenty-ish minutes that I nurse, we spend a lot of time listening to and talking about the birds: how they sound, what they use to build nests, how many eggs they may have, the food they will feed their babies, etc.  Since birds are such a hot topic in our house right now, I thought it might be fun to do some bird crafts! With the help of my sister, Brittney (Auntie Boota), we gathered supplies for a fun afternoon of bird crafting!

These tasty bird nests from Mama Jenn were super easy and fun
for this mama and her little one! (The only thing I would change would
be to use milk chocolate chips instead of simi-sweet chips, but
this is just a personal preference.)

Levi's favorite part was eating the "eggs"
or M&Ms out of the nests... notice the
blue lips...

And just for some added sweetness!

Something Beautiful: Lyla's Birth Story

     Around 1:30 in the morning on April 23rd, I woke up wondering if my water had broken or if my baby girl had strategically kicked me in the bladder, causing me to lose control as I slept. After calling the OB floor of the hospital (and learning from the nurse that there was no good way to distinguish ruptured membranes from bed wetting unless I was evaluated), my hubby and I packed a few last-minute items into our hospital bag, loaded our sleeping 17-month-old into the van, and headed 40 minutes south to our hospital. As we drove, my contractions began, tightening my abdomen every five minutes, then every three, and I was fairly certain that we would be meeting our little lady sometime within the next 24 hours. We met my mom (Nana) in the parking lot, transferred our big boy to her van, and I was wheeled to the delivery room.

Mommy loving on Lyla Rae

     To my relief, the test revealed that my water had, in fact, broken and labor was under way with my cervix dilated to two-and-a-half centimeters. I tried to rest, but the contractions intensified. I figured that this labor would reveal a similar timeline to my first, which lasted ten hours after I was given Pitocen, so I asked for an epidural and received it around 5:00 A.M. Partial relief came, however the pain continued to grip me in the lower right section of my abdomen. Anesthesiologist-number-two came in and administered more medication at 7:30, which caused my pain to cease along with any feeling left in my legs.
     At 8:00 my Obstetrician arrived to check my cervix. I was hoping to be dilated to five centimeters and planned on resting for the next several hours since contractions would no longer keep me awake. My doctor reminded the nurses that when I was fully dilated I had requested to "labor down" or allow the effects of the epidural to diminish before pushing. (I had requested this so I would be able to feel that I was actually pushing. With my first delivery, I was unable to feel if my pushes were effective. I think this was a contributing factor to my son getting slightly stuck in the birth canal, which required the use of a vacuum to assist me in pushing him out.) As he began to check my cervix, my doctor let out a little chuckle and said, "Speaking of which... You're fully dilated! Let's turn off that epidural."

My sweet babies, Levi and Lyla

     It took me some time to actually begin to gain feeling back. Around 9:30 my nurse instructed me to push through a few contractions as my husband helped me lift one of my legs and she lifted the other. These were "practice pushes" to check if my pushing would be effective. We made it through two contractions before I was asked to stop pushing while she called the doctor. The room then buzzed with familiar activity: Preparing the baby station, elevating my bed, my doctor scrubbing up. I felt as though it was just yesterday that I was in this same room, preparing to deliver my son. And here I was again, awaiting the arrival of my sweet baby girl, ready for the rush of excitement and love to flood over me.

Lyla's precious going-home outfit

     Finally, it was time to push. Contraction one: I pushed with all my might and the doctor showed my husband the top of our baby's head. Contraction two: I pushed with all my might and Hubby told me I was doing great and that our daughter was almost here. Contraction three: I pushed with all my might and Lyla Rae was screaming before her shoulders even emerged! I shocked that she had come so quickly (I was expecting another two-hour pushing marathon like I experienced with my son) and I was, of course, overwhelmed with love for this lovely little girl.

     Isn't it amazing that the Lord uses the process of something painful to reveal something so exceedingly beautiful! I am loving life as a mommy to my two, precious babies and a wife to the most wonderful husband and daddy in the world. I feel so undeserving of the blessings the Lord has lavished upon me and all I can do is give Him thanks and praise. What a wonderful Savior we serve, who gives us life, and life abundantly, in so many ways! "Marvelous are His works, and that my soul knows very well!"


Our car ride home

Bath Time!

Our little lady in her lovely room!



Sweet little smiles!

Big brother checking on baby sister!

Sweetness

Lyla Rae

Introducing our precious little lady...

Lyla Rae

 Monday, April 23, 2012

10:00 am

7 lbs. 7 oz.

20 inches

What a beautiful gift from God! His bountiful blessings have overwhelmed us! I'll be back to post Lyla's birth story in a few days.

Building Up a Marriage: Delight Yourself in the Lord

"Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4

I don't know of a married, Christian woman whose heart doesn't desire to build up a godly marriage. So before we go any further, we must begin with this most crucial aspect of our marriage: Delight yourself in the LORD. In order for us to even have the appropriate desires for our marriage, much less the capability to fulfill those desires, we must first delight in the LORD and His word.

When we truly delight in someone, we don't just keep them in the back of our mind, thinking only occasionally about what may be pleasing to that someone. We don't go about our day, planning whatever may strike our fancy without a thought as to what our "someone" may have in mind. And we don't strike up a conversation only to ask for help in a time of need or shout a quick, gracious comment in a time of joy.

No, when we truly delight in someone, we pursue their time and give them ours. We study that someone and all of their ways, learning what brings them pleasure. We search out new ways for our lives to reflect the love we have for our someone. This is how we should delight in the LORD.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that it can be difficult to "find time" to sit down and read the word of God and "take time" to pray when I'm running low on sleep, I only have 20 minutes until my 17-month-old wakes up (maybe less than 20 minutes before my newborn is ready to nurse), and last night's dishes are still in the sink, toddler-sized portions of yesterday's meal scattered on the kitchen floor, last-weekend's laundry waiting to be washed, and tonight's supper ready to be cooked. But, when we realize that the time we have is graciously given to us by the Lord, it makes it much easier to prioritize Him above the mess, and suddenly we aren't merely finding time to be with Him, we're consciously seeking time.

Delighting in God and His word is the beginning of building up our homes and marriages for Him. Knowing that it is the wise woman who builds her house, and the foolish woman who tears it down with her own hands (Proverbs 14:1), and knowing that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7), we clearly see that it is through His instruction that God makes us wise. When we daily seek Him and read His word, the Lord pours wisdom into the pool of our hearts until it overflows, and bubbles out through the brooks in our lives, giving life and beauty and peace. When we don't seek the Lord and His word however, the pool of our heart becomes little more than a stagnant puddle of good intentions.

As we read through the Bible, the Lord uses His word to convict and sanctify us in various aspects of our lives. And the beauty that results from this sanctification flows through the brooks, and into the larger stream that is marriage, all the while seeking the ultimate destination: the ocean that is glorifying God.

It can be assumed that nearly all who read this desire to build up their house for God, therefore must delight in God, and seek to become wise through the word of God. As we work to build a thriving marriage may we always remember this crucial principal: to delight in the LORD and strive to bring glory to His name.

Building Up My Marriage

Yesterday marked my 37th week of pregnancy and the Man of My Dreams and I realized that I have been pregnant for over half of our marriage and either pregnant or breastfeeding for all but 3 months! This got me thinking about all of the warnings we were given about how children (especially infants and toddlers) add so much stress to a marriage.
"Oh just wait...once this baby comes you won't have any time for intimacy."
"Even if you do have time for intimacy, you won't have the energy!"
"Ha! Forget the home-cooked meals when you're wife's chasing after kids!"
"Once you have kids, your freedom is out the window."
"Why are you having kids so soon? Aren't there things you want to do?"
...and this doesn't even include the You're-crazy looks we get when we mention that our view of marriage includes my husband being the leader of the family and me being under submission to him, raising our children to hold these same views.
But the wonderful thing is, by God's grace, I really feel that our marriage is flourishing. I can honestly say that I see something new to love in my husband almost every day, whether it's something he says, or does, or even something he doesn't say. And I think that many times, the Lord uses our children to draw my attention to these details of my husband. While there are definitely tough days when I seem to forget that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, and rough nights when in a sleepless fog patience is scarce, we grow in our love for one another constantly. Amazingly, we do still have time (and usually energy) for consistent intimacy. We still have home-cooked meals most days. Nothing can take away the most important freedom we have: freedom that is rooted in Christ, freedom from the punishment for our sin. We have a whole list of things we want to experience and our children can be included in nearly all of these. And having children has given my husband new opportunities to exercise leadership and me new opportunities to submit myself to him, further reflecting the church's relationship to Christ.
As the delivery of our second child nears, I want to keep record of many biblical practices within my marriage that help me to build up my house as the wise woman of Proverbs 14:1. It is not that I am an expert of any sort, but rather I want to keep record of the the principals the Lord is teaching me through His word, so I may look back on them, even on the most difficult of days, and be reminded of the many ways He has blessed my marriage and sanctified me. I pray that these principals may be an encouragement to your marriage, as well.

I am a: Life-Giver

"Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD." -Psalm 128:1-4

Today, I'm 35 weeks pregnant, so this facet of my role as wife and mother is ever so dear to my heart. As excited as I am to be giving birth to a sweet baby girl, I don't ponder often enough the significance of God using my body as a vessel, a fruitful vine, to bring forth a brand new life into this world. And not only to birth into these surroundings, but a life to shape, train, nurture, and love. A life to raise in the fear and admonition of the LORD. A life that, I pray, will bring glory to God and magnify His holy name.

What a magnificent responsibility we have as mothers to freely allow God the use of our bodies and lives through pregnancy (if He has designed us to be fertile) and motherhood. And, oh, what a gift! Throughout both of my pregnancies I have been amazed at this baby inside of me being grown and sustained by the Lord, knitted together in my womb. In my life, few things have matched the indescribable joy that comes with that positive pregnancy test and the complete love that I feel for someone I've yet to meet. Each day I feel closer and closer to this beautiful life, as my bump emerges, as I hear the reassuring thump, thump of the heartbeat, as I see the reality of what is inside of me moving around like a jumping jelly bean on the ultrasound screen, as I feel those first bubbly movements, and as I feel those not-so-subtle jabs from a little one who is filling me up until I'm nearly sure there's no more room to grow. Yes, that full love grows and grows, filling me up until it matches my belly, which looks like it's about to burst. And you'd think that love would pique in those first overwhelming moments as this life, which has been knit together in secret, makes a grand appearance and is placed on my chest to nurse and coddle and love. But it just continues to grow deeper and stronger day after day after day.

It's a miracle and I am so thankful that I have a front row seat to view the Creator's handiwork! Yes, what a gift indeed, to be used by the King to bring forth life and raise a generation for His kingdom! Let us not forget that each and every life we bring into this world is a blessing, a reward, a reason to praise the LORD!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!" -Psalm 127:3-5a

I Am A...Guardian

Ditching the Dish and Directing TV in Our Home

In Titus 2:5 Paul admonishes women to be "keepers at home." I have found that the word "keeper" in this passage comes from the Greek word "oikouros." "Oikouros" is a compound word derived from the words "oikos" meaning home, household, family, and "ouros" meaning guard, guardian, watcher. This gives me a fuller understanding of all that it means to be a keeper of the home. I am not only to work at home, being a homemaker; I am also to be my family's guardian, standing as a tightly woven sieve, filtering through all that enters my home.

As a mother, I am with my child (soon to be children) nearly every hour of the day. Since I am a mother to little ones, it is quite simple to guard them from most negative outside influences. I choose where they go, who watches them and when, and I am able to screen what comes into the home. However, one way that negative and unbiblical influences can seep in without notice is through television...yes even those "sweet, harmless" children's shows.

In our home, TV is already a minimal part of our day. And I realize that in many homes the TV becomes little more than a humdrum of background noise. But even then, I believe our children pick up on many negatives that shows (and commercials) have to offer. When sassy, disrespectful tones, boisterous women exposing too much skin, and men playing the part of the fool become part of what is poured into our children's minds and hearts throughout the day, how can we expect these thoughts, words, and actions not to spring forth out of them?
For the past two years our family has used satellite TV. And while there are some clean, educational shows the channels have to offer, it is difficult to constantly sift through them, allowing what is edifying and purging what is not. As my husband and I discussed the use of television in our home, we realized that as our children grow older, it would only become more difficult to monitor the shows and content to which they were being exposed.

I also know my weakness to sit down after lunch and enjoy an hour (or more, I hate to admit) of "A Baby Story" and similar shows. This clearly distracts me from being diligent to complete tasks around the house and robs me of time I could have used more wisely. Along with that is the temptation to be drawn into a show that is anything but biblical and uplifting as I scan through the channels.

Because of these and other reasons, my husband and I decided to do something radical...Well, by today's standards, at least! We decided to get rid of our satellite TV service! Shocking, I know! :) And may I say that I am actually excited! The temptation to waste time in front of the television will basically be removed. Staring at a screen will no longer be considered "spending time together" or "family time." I will be kindly forced to creatively set up ways to keep my children involved while I'm busy about the laundry or cooking, which will be much better for them in the long run. Yes, I am very excited indeed!

We may invest in Netflix or Redbox, or something of the like. This will allow us to more closely monitor what is coming into our home, and thus, our minds. This will also give our children opportunities to practice self-control with regards to what they choose to watch as they grow older. (Which is much more easily done while choosing a movie through these methods rather than stumbling across a show which entices the flesh and then having to resist.) Another tool we plan on taking advantage of is Plugged In Online. On this website, we can look up and teach our children (at older ages) to look up a Christian review of many movies before even renting them.

Hopefully this transition will go smoothly. I should probably prepare myself for some withdrawal symptoms from not seeing "A Baby Story" and possibly some balking from my hubby during the World Series and NFL Playoffs! Overall my husband and I are ready to ditch the Dish and really start directing our TV.

How about you? What are methods you use to guard your family from negative television influences?

Jessica

Who Am I?

In the back of my December 2011 issue of Above Rubies, I saw an advertisement for a Nancy Campbell teaching DVD titled "Who Am I?" The answer to the proposed question fascinated me as I thought of the many responsibilities and blessings that encompass my title of "Stay at Home Mom."

"I am a....

Nurturer

Life-giver

Leader

Generation Builder

Manager of my Home

Feeder

Educator

Teacher

Child Trainer

Discipler

Guardian

Flourishing Vine"

...and may I add...

Help Meet

I love this list! It makes me take a step back and realize how important my role truly is. It also makes me question: Am I doing all that I can to fulfill each of these aspects of motherhood?

Over the next several weeks I will try to post about each of these biblical traits.