A Nice Surprise

Daddy's a big help, too!

Okay, so, almost since Shelby was born we had been making plans to homeschool her. And even though I knew at some point I would have to make some sort of commitment and stick to it, I put it off. Shelby turns three in November, so I thought it's about time to be serious about this. September 1st was our first official school day.
I had been putting this off, because I was afraid that if she didn't learn something, it would be my fault or that I would never get anything else done or that I would get sidetracked and not be able to stick with it everyday. I know, I know, this is preschool stuff. It shouldn't be so hard, right?
Well, here's the best surprise as of late! It's really not been that hard. I've still managed to get housework done and even incorporated it into our learning. So far we've studied three different colors, two shapes, and the season of fall.

Our kitchen is transforming into a classroom.
(The words are only backwards on my camera)

She seems to be a really quick learner, and I know that a lot of these things she already knew, but I'm still surprised at what she can retain with just a little effort on my part.
My mom is a retired elementary school teacher who taught preschool as well and that's been a huge help. The big thing is to focus only on a couple of things at a time and to stay with those things for about a week with lots of reviewing afterwards. Think of math and reading each day, just like they would in school, only right now (at 2) math is shape recognition and colors are reading.

We're studying yellow right now. Mmmm.

As you go throughout your day, whatever you're doing make everything relate to what you're studying. For example: colors in the laundry, counting dishes for setting the table, pick out clothes with the colors you're studying, and the grocery store is full of shapes, colors, letters, and numbers.

Our orange bag for collecting orange objects and then sorting them by size and/texture. (We have a bag for each color, because they are my reusable shopping bags that I already had in various colors.)

Since we're in fall and studying fall the first three colors we are learning are red, orange, and yellow. Fall decorating is now a structured learning time :)

My goal so far is Monday through Friday we do a morning activity and/or review (preferably both) right after breakfast. Then I try to have something she can do on her own to reinforce what we are learning (this can be as simple as a puzzle or a card matching game or even some of her toys). Preschool kids need play time, so I try to limit the structured learning to a couple things a day. After lunch (if we're not ready to nap, and she's usually not) we do something else to continue the lessons.

These are lacing shapes that I made out of different colored foam sheets. All you need is foam sheets in assorted colors, scissors, a hole punch, and cord for lacing. I didn't use a pattern for cutting them out, but they would probably look better if I had. Shelby loves these and calls it her "sewing".  Learning to thread things through holes is a preschool skill. I would suggest investing in at least one good book that outlines and defines the skills for preschool kids entering kindergarten as well as something that defines their developmental skills. Teacher supply stores are full of these with great ways to incorporate these things. 

A couple key things that have helped us so far is to stay with some sort of schedule (nothing too strict though), for me to constantly be aware and thinking of ways to incorporate what we're doing with the lessons, and to remember that even if she seems to be understanding things well we still need constant reviewing and reinforcement (remember how many times you went over colors and shapes in school).
I know we've not been doing it for long, but I've been very pleasantly surprised with it so far. Hope it continues this well :) So far, we've only hit one snag. As the school bus passes by in the morning, she wants to get her backpack and go on the school but to school with all the others kids she sees getting on it, but I'm sure she'll get past that.

Patriotism Doesn't Mean Godliness and Mormonism Doesn't Mean Christianity

Mormonism is not Christian, no matter how much they want it to be. They became apostate to Biblical Christianity when they said that Jesus was the brother of Lucifer, that god was from an alien planet where he and his many wives had spirit babies to populate earth, that we can become gods ourselves and live on our own planet with many wives and have our own spirit babies. This is what the serpent said in the garden to Adam and Eve, too, "ye shall be as gods" (Genesis 3:5). The worst is that they teach a false gospel of works, saying that we must do our best and all that we can do and Jesus makes up for the rest. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9). They will often quote from James that "faith without works is dead", but they can't explain how the thief on the cross next to Christ was saved only moments before he died without any time for good works or time to make amends (which is their definition of repentance), when Jesus said, "Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). These are just a few of the false heresies that pervade the Morman church of latter day saints. This is a rehash of the ancient heresy of Gnosticism, claiming secret knowledge is the only way to God, and that only by some secret and special revelation (i.e. the Book of Mormon translated and seen only by their founder Joseph Smith) can anyone be reconciled to God. This was declared heresy in the 2nd century. The Mormon bases all their hope for salvation not in Christ, but in the man Joseph Smith, because if his revelations where all Mormon doctrine comes from is false then everything they are hoping in is false. Because Mormonism says that the Bible can't be trusted (especially over the book of Mormon), then when there is something that contradicts Scripture in their beliefs, they go with the teachings of the book of Mormon over it every time. "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God."- church of latter day saints articles of faith. Glenn Beck is a Mormon. He is not Christian, so remember when he says "god" or "Jesus" that he is talking about a false Jesus and a god created by man, not the true God who revealed Himself in the Holy Bible. I love this country and am grateful to God for His mercy and bounty upon us, but I will not align myself with false teaching or heresy in an effort to preserve it. Patriotism doesn't equal godliness. Let us not compromise truth and Scripture in an effort to "save" our country. God is sovereign over the fate of the United States and what He chooses for us will happen to the good of those who are His (Romans 8:28) and for His glory. May God expose this falseness for what it is and may those lost in this cult of Joseph Smith, including Glenn Beck, be brought to the true and saving faith that rests only in Jesus Christ as He has revealed Himself in Scripture. For if God isn't sovereign enough to preserve His Word and accomplish His will, then He is not God, but a fabrication of the vain imaginings of mankind. (Romans 1:18-23) For an unbiased and honest account of what the Church of Latter Day Saints/Mormonism truly teaches and believes through the words of those who were in the church, go to: www.exmormon.org
Scripture is our only source of truth or to know what God requires of man, and that is ONLY found in the Bible which wasn't written by men, but through them by the Holy Spirit of God Himself. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."-2 Timothy 3:16.

Cloth Diapering?

Okay, so my mom used cloth diapers with all four of us, and they survived. But when I had my daughter, I never even thought of using cloth diapers, nor did I think they were even a viable option. You see what I had envisioned was the old fashioned ones that were folded and pinned on. I had visions of constant leaking, accidently stabbing my baby's belly with a safety pin while changing her, and pretty much endless laundry.
What I learned with her as a newborn was that the laundry was always going to be endless from birth through potty training and beyond. So what's another load or two. After about a year and a half in pampers followed by another year of on and off use of pull-ups training pants, I can't stand the thought of wasting that much money again. And am firmly convinced that many of our potty training hardships were a result of disposable diapers and training pants, because why would she use the potty when she was perfectly dry in a diaper or pull-up and knew she would be cleaned and changed immediately? The only way we ever got her to use the potty in any kind of consistency was to let her go without underwear or anything on her bottom (fortunately she likes wearing dresses, so we wore a lot of them through this period :).






I know, I'm not due with this baby until March 2011, but I feel like I need to get this decided early for a couple of reasons.
#1. Cloth diapers are initially expensive (especially the cute covers), though they should pay for themselves within the first 3-4 months.
#2. If we are going to use cloth diapers, which I know very little about, much research as to the best kinds and how to's will have to be done.
#3. I will have to completely sell my husband on the idea of no disposable diapers at all (even though I will be the primary diaper changer).
#4. I will have to make a serious commitment to cloth diapering. I don't want to spend the money and then wimp out and buy a pack of pampers.

I am admittedly quite ignorant of the whole thing, and am in need of guidance from someone who's been there. There's so much info out there and no way to look at it all, so if you are even a remote expert in this area, any input or advice will be greatly appreciated. :)

"Wonders of wonders! Miracle of miracles!"

You may have known from a previous post that we have lost two babies in pregnancy since November 2009, and if you have read on, you may have read my post written immediately after our doctor told us we were losing yet another pregnancy in June.
Well, I don't want anyone to think we were trying to mislead anyone, so here's what happened next after that new was given to us.
If you've ever had a miscarriage, you know that you have to keep going to the doctor and having blood drawn so they can monitor the hormone levels and make sure that they return to normal. We were told after bloodwork on June 29 that we were losing this pregnancy and to come back in a week for follow-up blood tests. My dear husband went with me, and after they drew blood we went out for lunch with our little girl. During that lunch, I got a call from the doctor's office (which they never do, I've always had to call them for the results and they never have them that quickly when I call). The HCG levels had risen really high, and because I had an ectopic pregnancy in March the doctor was afraid that I was having another one, so he wanted to do an ultrasound immediately. We went back to the office and they did an ultrasound. I'll never forget the looks on both the nurse and doctor's faces. There was an egg with a yolk sac! The doctor said in all his years he had never seen anything like this and he's a fertility specialist.
We were just praising God for His sovereignty and mercy and goodness to us! But we decided that we shouldn't publicize the news until the pregnancy was better established.
And so, we went back every two weeks since then, first seeing a hearbeat, then a growing baby, and finally today...

 

This is our baby!!!

I don't know what happened at the beginning of this pregnancy that made our doctor think our baby was dead or dying, but I do know that only God is in charge of life and death and He has made that abundantly clear in the granting of life and sustaining of life to our child! Our prayer is that God will be glorified in not only this pregnancy, but in the life of this child!

There are so many things I have learned in this pregnancy already. Since losing babies, I am extremely skittish and nervous about everything, and I mean everything, but I am learning every day that I have only One Hope and that is Christ. I have learned that I am helpless and hopeless without Him. That God owes me nothing, including a baby. That I either trust Him or I don't. That because He owes me nothing that there can only be one reason why God would be merciful and that's because when He sees me, He doesn't see my wicked filthiness, but the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ!!! ("but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."-Romans 5:8) I learned that for those who are in Christ, that we are all viewed the same by God, and that the most famous saints are regarded by God as equal because we all stand before God in Christ's righteousness and not our own. ("To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:"-2 Peter 1:1) I also learned that that means our prayers are just as effective and just as likely to be answered. This led me to the knowledge revealed in James that when we ask God something in prayer we must believe He can and will do it. ("But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."-James 1:6-8) And it led me to understand what Peter says in 2nd Peter. ("then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,"-2 Peter 2:9a) That God knows how to deliver us and will do it for the righteous, if I possess Christ's righteousness, then I am righteous and He will deliver me from trials! 

I know this may sound weird, but I think it's been for good that God had us lose our babies. For one thing, it makes us appreciate this miracle all the more. And what I have come to know, I mean really know, not just believe about God, I don't think I could've before. 

The fertility specialist whom we have been seeing has released us today to see our regular obstetrician. My first appointment with her is next Tuesday, and I can't wait to share the story of God's sovereignty in the life of this baby and give God all the glory for it! I pray that this will impact both the staff at the fertility center as well as at our regular doctors! May God be glorified in this life! May all who read this and hear this story know that there is only One True God and that He is Sovereign over all of life and death! May you all be blessed to see that God does miracles and He is faithful!!! Love in Christ!

Bread Baking has Been Officially Delayed. . . News at 11

Well, I did try. I really did. I thought I was doing exactly what the directions and my mom had instructed me to do. But apparently yeast starter is made of fragile, finicky, and fallible creatures. I am not sure exactly what happened. I was feeding it every other day, but hadn't yet used any for baking (therein may lie the problem). However it is dead now, completely dead, and I am back to the beginning again. I will be trying again tomorrow with a new starter. Perhaps this one will live longer than it's predecessor. One can hope. It is a sad day, but any tips as to better my starter or if you know of my error, please let me know. For now, it's off to the store to buy yet another loaf of bread. *sigh*
Rest in peace first starter, and the way you smell, I'm a good mind to truly bury you. :)

(Dis)Contentment

If you've never visited here before, you have no idea of what I'm speaking. But if you're a repeat reader, then you'll notice some changes in how the blog looks. I am happy with it for now, but be aware that I am easily distracted and will no doubt change it again, and again, and yet again.
The problem is that I hadn't given this much thought before, but what does my constant dissatisfaction say about me. I know there's nothing inherently wrong with change or making a change, and not even in desiring a change. Unless this leads to coveting. (See Exodus 20:17)
Does this include blog coveting? Perhaps wishing I had more time to devote, as others seem to, or that I had more wisdom to impart, or that I could have more followers (let's be honest, that's a big one in the blogosphere). What does this virtual discontentment say about me really?

Can I be truly trusting completely in God, and yet be discontented? I love this quote, as countless others do no doubt, by John Piper, "God is most glorified, when we are most satisfied in Him."   Am I truly satisfied in Him, when I desire constant change, constant new, something more? I think by definition this cannot be satisfaction. 

Now the question becomes, "Why am I not satisfied in Him?" 

Why isn't God enough for me? I do want to glorify Him. At least that's what I think and say, but what does this continual desire for the new, the different, the more say? If I take Mr. Piper's statement for what it says, then I have to say that I must either not truly wish to glorify God or that I don't desire Him as my satisfaction, and maybe both. 
"Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,"-Psalm 119:2
Doesn't this Scripture point us to seek God for everything?
And when Christ was asked what was the greatest commandment, here's what He said, "And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment."-Matthew 22:37-38
I believe John Piper was right in saying that the greatest thing we could do for the glory of God was to seek complete satisfaction in Him. However seeking complete satisfaction and actually continually possessing it are two separate things, and until we are dead and in the very presence of God we cannot be fully satisfied. So, perhaps C.S. Lewis was right when talking about our desires leading to our dissatisfaction which leads us to God the only One who can satisfy our every longing. (If you haven't read it, I highly recommend C.S. Lewis's autobiography, "Surprised By Joy", where he goes into greater detail about this.) My discontentment with myself and my longing for something better can lead me to God. Of course after I get there, I will be shocked and frightened by His holiness, but nevertheless, I think we all long for Him somehow. 
If I weren't dissatisfied, I wouldn't seek God, but just because I am endeavoring to be satisfied in God, doesn't mean that my flesh won't fail and I will be discontent. 
"My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, "When will you comfort me?""-Psalm 119:81-82. 
There is no hope apart from God, and for that knowledge I am eternally grateful to You, O God!

Trying to Bake Bread

We eat a lot of bread at our house, mostly because sandwiches are an easy lunch when there are no leftovers to be had. And, in case you didn't know, my mom is one of the greatest bakers of bread who ever lived. I learned how to make bread from her, a little, I'm not as good at it, but I thought "Hey, what a great way to save a little money."
I'm not sure that I'll be able to keep it up, but I'm hoping to start baking our bread, all of it, in bulk and freeze it so we don't have to buy a loaf or more a week. I'm also hoping it will be a healthier alternative, as I can make it whole grain wheat.
My first attempt wasn't so great. It didn't raise well and the flavor and texture wasn't so good. I had used a packet of instant yeast, and I'm not sure if it was the yeast, the weather (my mom says humidity levels can greatly affect how it turns out), or the recipe I got online, or just me (I'm leaning towards the latter).
However, my husband has been so kind as to eat some of it without saying he was disgusted. And my mom gave me some advice. She suggested I make my own sourdough starter (it's the leaven). So, I followed, what I hope, is an easy recipe of 1/2 cup starchy water (I used water I drained after boiling potatoes, but you can use water after boiling pasta, or pineapple juice?, that's what the website said), 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and stir well in a jar, covered with a coffee filter attached with a rubber band, and I am waiting. (The site also suggested placing the jar in your oven with the light on to create the right atmosphere.)

This is what my starter looked like last night. (Yes, those are Shelby's paintings that adorn our kitchen wall, and the picture on the calender is of my sweet little nephew, Jackson. His mom so wonderfully and graciously makes everyone in our family a calendar each Christmas with pictures of all the grandkids on them. God has truly blessed me with wonderful sisters-in-law.)
You have to feed your starter about every twelve hours until the yeast starts to make bubbles. Here's what my starter looks like this morning after it's 5:30 feeding (above). And it went back into the oven with the light only on.

Here's what I saw when I opened it a few minutes ago! Are these bubbles?!? Wow, okay I'm going to have to call mom to see what to do now. Sounds like bread will be baking within a week. Mmmm. Let us hope for better results, for now though, I'll have to buy at least one more small loaf at the store :(
Happy Baking, everybody!