Father’s Day Crafts & Our Trip to Jesup 2015 July 17, 2015

Hello dear ones! This past Father’s Day we visited our hometown and everyone got to meet the new baby. Leeland and Michael also made homemade crafts for Chris. It was a special Father’s Day. Here’s what we did:

I printed out a Father’s Day poem from here:

Then I put the boys’ foot prints on it. I also printed out a Darth Vader poster.

I helped the boys make Father’s Day books.

I stapled Daddy surveys to the back of the books. Here’s the link:

So we visited our hometown and saw our families. We saw Chris’ dad…

and we visited where my Dad is buried.

We visited my Granny.

My family didn’t want to let Leeland go.

Granny

My Uncle

My Aunt

My other grandparents

I loved playing with this Chess set as a kid.

Chris’ mom playing with Leeland

Chris’ older brother and Michael trying out his 3D plastic making pen.

Well, God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Life With Baby: Cloth Diapers May 18, 2015

In this post: The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2015, homemade baby wipes, and cloth diaper tips from a newbie. Hello dear ones! I know it’s been awhile. Life with a new baby is truly an adjustment especially when you have another child as well. So I’m trying to catch up and find my normal. I have a flood of posts coming your way hopefully. First, I want to start a series called “Life with Baby”. I’m trying new things with my second child. It’s been nine years since my first and there are different trends in the baby world. I want to share my experience as an old newbie ;). And so here I am learning about cloth diapers. It’s like a different universe has opened up to me…things that I didn’t think about with my first born. Like natural child birth… https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/knit-together-leelands-unmedicated-birth-story/ Cloth diapers are awesome. They’re cute and soft, they don’t contain harsh chemicals, and they are a great investment. Instead of paying 20 bucks for disposables every week you can buy a cloth diaper for that (or cheaper if used) and use it for a year. How did I get introduced to cloth diapering? My best friend Hannah (the super breastfeeding-cloth diapering-natural birthing-mom that I always talk about) cloth diapered her youngest two kids. She blessed me with several cloth diapers. I’ve bought a few since then but most of my diapers came from Hannah. Boy was I nervous when I began cloth diapering. It’s not as hard as it sounds though and I’ll share my tips at the end of this post. First, let me tell you about The Great Cloth Diaper Change. Here’s Hannah and I at the GCDC. Hannah had a La Leche League booth at the GCDC and she invited me to it. The Great Cloth Diaper Change is a cloth diapering event that just started in recent years in the city of Columbus, Ga. This year (2015) over a hundred women attended the GCDC and set a record for babies being cloth diapered at the same time. There were booths of all kinds. People selling used diapers, natural products, a La Leche League booth, and even a booth to weigh your baby. Several years back, cloth diapering was rare. Not many people knew about it. Now, the cloth diapering trend is on the rise. Baby thrift stores sell used diapers. There are cloth diapers with every sort of pattern. It’s glorious! Here are some of my favorite diapers. Two of these I bought for a couple of dollars at the GCDC. One is brand new and the others came from Hannah. It’s great when you have cloth diapering friends. Everyone passes the diapers around. The diapers get washed like clothes so it’s completely sanitary. So no worries there.

• When I arrived at the GCDC I had less than a minute to sit down behind the line with the other hundred women and prepare to diaper. I rushed to get Leeland ready to be changed before the timer started. This was our first public outing since Leeland’s birth. He was a couple weeks old I think. Anywho, I was still getting the hang of cloth diapering but I did well. It was fun being a part of the cloth diapering community. You don’t get that with disposables. No one really cares what disposable brand you use. You don’t have Pampers groups.

When the timer went off all of us held up our diapered babies and cheered. It was good clean fun. Thank you Leeland for giving me this new experience. Yeah, Leeland slept the whole time. I did get a certificate saying we participated. It’s in his baby book. So one day we can laugh about how silly his mama was. There was a raffle at the GCDC and I won two very nice all in ones diapers (more on types later). I also took a gift bag home. It felt like a birthday :). Our husbands hanging out. This wasn’t really a guy’s event. My husband agreed to go because Hannah’s husband James was there. My hubby is awesome about changing diapers but he doesn’t get excited about it. He could care less about the patterns and types. Chris is still getting the hang of cloth diapering. Sometimes they frustrate him. I just remind him of all the money we’re saving ;). The bigger kids took advantage of the gym. Michael had a blast playing basketball with his friends. Leeland taking a peep! Too cute! I spiked his hair. Tips and Advice from a Cloth Diapering Newbie We used disposables in the hospitals and frankly I was nervous about leaving my comfort zone and trying cloth diapers. I had made a committment though and we are on a budget. Thankfully I had Hannah come over, that first week home with the baby. She showed me how to put on his cloth diaper. I had tried before Leeland was born. The hubby, Michael, and I cloth diapered a stuffed bear. Still, it’s different with a squirming lil one. Here’s what I know now.

• There are different types of cloth diapers. The ones I’m familiar with are the prefolds and all in ones. Actually there are five major types but I am only fluent in the two I mentioned ;).

http://www.thenaturalbabyco.com/diaper-experts/the-five-major-styles-of-cloth-diapers/ It turns out I’ve been using fitted and pocket diapers more than all in ones. I just called them by the wrong names. I basically knew that the diapers you folded and that required a water proof cover were prefolds and then you had the ones that looked like a disposable diaper. There are some that have snaps and some with velcro. Some require inserts and some have them sewn in already. We mainly use prefolds during the day and the other diapers (pocket, fitted, and all in ones) at night. Prefolds can be bought in packs of six or you can make your own out of burp cloths or cloth napkins. They are basically a piece of cloth that you fold into thirds and secure with either pins (the old fashioned way) or these neat rubber fasteners that have little teeth. Then you put a plastic cover over the top. Prefolds are cheaper because you can buy a large pack for the price of one of the other diapers. Also, you can use the same cover all day. You just have to change the cloth inside. Here’s a picture of Leeland wearing one. Note* Make sure the cover covers every part of the diaper (especially the leg area) or you will have soaked outfits. Just to be cute… Here’s a pocket diaper I believe. You put a cloth insert inside the lil pocket. Then you snap or velcro the diaper together. This kind of cloth diaper including all in ones and fitted are a lil more expensive unless you buy used. I save them for the long stretches at night. They have such cute patterns (like the Dr. Seus ones several pictures up), you don’t need to put pants on the baby (if it’s warm of course).

• Use hot water to wash the diapers and add a touch of vinegar if they get smelly. I use Tide Free and Clear as my detergeant. Some moms swear by special baby detergeant or cloth diaper detergeant. Tide works fine for me. Every baby is different though. Some are sensitive to certain brands. I don’t know much about “stripping” diapers, but I know that vinegar helps with bad stink. I use it for my hubby’s sweaty clothes. I also know that cloth diapers get very stinky and cold water just didn’t do the trick. I wash our diapers with the baby’s clothes, bibs, blankets, and burp cloths. It’s easier and saves water. Stripping diapers is the process you use to get the oils and things out that are left over from diaper balms and fabric softeners but I’ve heard it used for getting the stench out when diapers get that mildewy smell. Sometimes diapers don’t want to dry after they’ve been washed several times.

Here are different methods for stripping. I’ve yet to try them. I just use vinegar and wash my diapers once. I wash them on extra heavy. I’ve only had a few used diapers that got the mildewy smell. http://myclothdiaperstash.com/six-ways-to-strip-your-cloth-diapers/ Here’s a post that says not to strip diapers. Everyone has their opinion. http://www.gro-via.com/blog/enough-stripping-already/

• Instead of fabric softener sheets use a ball of aluminum foil to get up the lint. It works great and you don’t have to spend money on fabric sheets. Also you don’t have to worry about stripping the oils off your diapers.
• Have a wet bag! These are life savers. A wet bag has a water proof inside and cloth on the front. You put the diapers and cloth baby wipes inside the wet bag and zip it up so you won’t smell them. I just got one for the diaper bag. It was a pain using grocery bags all the time and it was smelly. I had a wet bag at home though. Hannah gave me her extra and it really helps. You can buy these at Walmart too.
• Separate the cloth inserts from the covers when you wash them. This makes sure they get clean good.
• Give cloth baby wipes a try! It took me a bit to have the confidence to start using cloth wipes. I guess you can say I took baby steps. Cloth wipes are super easy though. You simply wet them with solution, wipe the baby’s bottom, and throw the wipe in the wet bag with the diapers. At first, I kept the wipes soaking in the solution but it turned the solution colors and went bad quickly. So now I keep the wipes beside the solution and just wet them before use. I ring the wipes out to save on solution. Right now I only put a cup of solution at a time. It’s not hard to make so I don’t mind refilling. I could probably keep two cups in at a time. When I’m out of the house I fill a squirt bottle with solution and take it with me. Here’s the solution recipe I use:

Baby Wipe Solution 1 cup hot water 1 tbsp coconut oil 1 tbsp baby wash First, heat the water in the microwave for a minute and a half. That’s enough for the oil to dissolve when you mix it in next. Then add the baby wash. Let the water cool before you use it of course. *Some people add essential oils.

• What to do with poop: Nothing at first. If you are breastfeeding or have a newborn then it’ll come out in the wash. The poop will become solid when your baby starts eating solids. I’m not at this point yet but Hannah is. She says you just empty the poop in the toilet. If it’s smooshed then you can use a paint scraper to get it off. Much easier than buying a sprayer to attach to your toilet.

Well, I hope I’ve encouraged you to try cloth diapers. It can be scary if you’re new like me. Cloth diapers aren’t as complicated as people make them out to be. Most of the diapers work like disposables. You just have to wash them. And the prefolds are easy once you get the folding part down. You’ll change diapers so much with a newborn, that you’ll get the hang of them in just a few days. I can literally do it in my sleep these days (well, half asleep). So I hope to have more Life with Baby posts soon. When I do I’ll add the links below. Well, God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Life with Baby:

Breastfeeding and Baby Wearing

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/life-with-baby-breastfeeding-baby-wearing/

Life with Baby: Monthly pics

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/life-with-baby-cuteness-overload/

Life with Baby: Baby School

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/life-with-baby-baby-school/

Hacks

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/life-with-baby-hacks/

Sleep

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/life-with-baby-sleep-and-a-birth-shadow-box/

Why We Don’t Spank Anymore~ A Conservative Mother’s Confession May 25, 2014

In this post: #2 in my confessions posts. A personal parenting journey, resources about the “rod” verses in Proverbs, & thoughts to ponder. Please, pull up a chair :). PS: If you don’t read anything, I encourage you to atleast check out the articles that speak on this subject better than I ever could.

 Picture by Donovan Govan. [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Dear ones,

I don’t like controversy. I’d rather hide from it but it seems because I’m a liberal-conservative, bapticostal, organic, all natural, homeschooling, video game playing,  Mcdonalds eating girl (need I go on?) I’m always a a bit controversial. My nickname should be cat-dog.  I don’t like to debate though. I am an analytical and super slow thinker. I’ve never been able to spit out facts in a second.  When I write a blog post of this nature it usually takes an hour or more. Writing is the best way I express myself because it gives me time to gather my thoughts. I don’t want to bring about disunity. I just want to share an issue that is important to me as a parent and how certain extremes are dangerous. I like to share my beliefs and my personal stories on my blog. It just seems natural :).  Let’s begin. Here are a few statements I want to make first then I’ll give my story.

• I don’t believe all spanking is bad. I believe it is possible to spank without being abusive. I know, love, and respect some awesome parents that spank. My parents are among them. When we did spank it was not abusive.
• I know that not all parents use the Bible to say that people MUST spank. People spank for other reasons. And there are parents who use more than one method with their spanking. They take into account the uniqueness of each child they have.
• I know people who will disagree with my new view on spanking and I still love them and think highly of them.
• I know this topic is deeply embedded in my culture and cultural traditions, especially religious ones, are not easily shaken.
• We have not abandoned all discipline. I am a very strict parent. My son has helped with chores since he was little. He’s not allowed to do whatever he wants all the time. We have rules and if he disobeys there are consequences.
• My kid is not a spoiled brat. Most people tell me that my son is respectful and caring. I’ve  yet to hear a bad report. He’s not perfect and no child is.  He’s never hit me or called me a bad name. He wouldn’t be the kid screaming in the grocery store. By the way, many of those kids ARE getting spanked and they’re still that way. Also that does not mean they are evil kids. Even the sweetest of kids will spazz out if they don’t have enough rest, food, or they’ve been made to sit still for hours. Children aren’t robots.

Picture by Nathan Sodré Salvatierra at pt.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

 

• I am not a lukewarm Christian. I am committed and I spend time daily with Jesus. I take the time to do indepth word studies. I’ve been to Bible college. My son and I volunteer in our community. We love Jesus and we love each other.
• I am not lazy and unintentional with my parenting (except on the bad days and every parent has those). I have had to become more creative in my parenting since we abandoned spanking. I have to admit that I was lazy when I spanked because I thought it was the only method to use and frankly it was easy.
• I have not adopted this belief because I’ve become worldly or been influenced by a talk show host or pyschologist (I rarely watch tv programs & don’t keep up with Oprah or Dr. Phil). I’ve put a lot of thought and research into this. It comes from conviction and Bible study.
• I do not hate my son because I’ve decided to quit spanking. If you don’t read another word, please scroll down and check out the articles on the often misquoted verses in Proverbs. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to find the context. There’s plenty of info on the web by Pastors and such.
• There is no one method that works all the time for all children or even all the time with one child. Children change as they grow. Their disciplinary needs change. Their brains are different as they develop. They all have different personalities. Would you tell someone to spank a kid with cerebral palsy? I think not. But some say you hate your child if you don’t spank (again see the articles on Proverbs). I would not treat a child with autism the same as a healthy child. Once I heard someone say that an autistic child just needed to be spanked. I got so mad but I know those people were very uneducated on the subject of Autism.
• Tradition does not equal truth. Though not all tradition is bad.
• Not every part of the Bible is literal. If it were then we’d be eating the actual body of Jesus and we’d be guaging out our eyes everytime we lusted. Not to mention that if we are supposed to follow the old covenant then why aren’t people holding knives to their throat if they are gluttonous? That’s in Proverbs 23:2, the same book spare the rod, hate the child is in. Why pick and choose what proverb you’re going to take literally and obey? Why not follow the whole law then? Theologies should be built on verses in context and both testaments. You may not agree, but I’m under the new covenant through Christ and I do not keep Levitical law.
• The Bible is not one book. It is a collection of books, all the inspired word of God, but they are diverse. Some parts are letters, some poetry, some history, some prophetic, and so on. We don’t choose what a section of the Bible is. God shows us by the context and the gift of common sense. I know when I read a poem by Edgar Allan Poe that it is indeed a poem. I can tell by the wording used. There are certain rules to writing. They establish the type of material we are reading. That doesn’t mean that poetry can’t have truths in it but you would not interpret poetry the same way you’d interpret a history book. PS: I don’t think I’ll be grinding any fools in a mortar either (Proverbs 27:22).

Picture by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Dear world,

We used to spank but now we don’t. We were un-abusive spankers. We never left bruises. I made sure to pray with my son and hug afterwards. We didn’t spank for mistakes but only in instances of defiance. We were raised to believe “spare the rod, hate the child”. Both my husband and I, were spanked as kids. My father was a conservative minister who became a super Dad after he gave up drug dealing. He is now dead and I miss him dearly. My Dad never abused me. He had the three swat rule and he never left a bruise.  He was a loving and Godly father. We were super close and I looked up to him. My mom, who I also love dearly, also spanked but rarely. Her parenting style wasn’t as strict.

I was more compliant with my father and I appeared to be obedient with him. My heart was full of rebellion though and even though I was spanked consistently (seriously, my last spanking was when I was a senior in Highschool!) I kept a rebellious and disrespectful heart towards him until a year or so before he died (hint: I was a wife and mom at this time). I still have issues with authority. I did have some fear with my Dad and I learned how to hide things. I opened up to my Mom more. I can see in both of my parents’ methods, good and bad. I’ve yet to meet a perfect human parent. I am thankful for the love and quality time my parents had with me. I know they did the best they could. I pray I can do as well.

For a long time I believed that my Dad’s methods were better because I was more  compliant. I also believed that spanking was THE way because I turned out okay. I never did drugs. I didn’t have premarital sex. I got voted “Most likely to go to Heaven” at school. As an adult going through physical illness, financial stress, and all the other delights of getting old, I’m  having to deal with all the ugly heart issues that were  never addressed when I was a kid. Yes, I was compliant and I appeared good. I was a Christian and a leader in my community. But there’s pride, anger management issues, codependency, depression, and a whole host of things that I didn’t realize were inside of me. I’m realizing that it’s not enough to be compliant to God’s will on the outside, my heart has to change and want to obey God out of love. Obedience should be love-driven, not a form of legalism.

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

As a new parent, also a very young one, I only knew the way I had been raised. The same with my husband. We love our son very much and we want him to grow up to be Godly and a model citizen. We didn’t want our son to become rebellious, spoiled, and a jail bird. We wanted him to know that authority should be respected. We wanted him to learn that bad behavior has consequences. We still feel this way. But I was wrong in letting fear and tradition guide my parenting. I believed that if I did not spank my son he would grow up to be an awful person. I believed that spanking was the main way to discipline and that it was commanded by God. I took the verses in Proverbs that I had heard all my life way out of context and built a theology on them. My Dad knew the Bible well and he always told me to never build a theology on just one verse. He said that if it’s mean’t to be theology then it’ll be supported by verses in the Old and New Testament and to always take things in context. My Dad taught me this but he didn’t always apply it. Why? Because of tradition, fear, and just plain human fallibilty that we all have. I pick and chose what verses in Proverbs were to be taken literally. Admittedly, I ignored most of them. I didn’t check to see if the New Testament mentioned a literal rod and if the apostles made spanking a huge theology issue, like so many conservatives d0. I just took it on faith because that’s how my Daddy did it and his daddy and so on. Plus, I heard that kids who weren’t spanked were little snots.  Anywho, I did not want to hate and ruin my child by not spanking him. I wanted to be the most loving parent by keeping him from a future in jail. Please note, this is my story and my reasons.

I am in no way saying that all parents who nonabusively spank are doing so for these reasons. I can only speak for myself and why I did it.

Spanking “worked” at first. I hate using the word “worked” because children aren’t machines. But this is the way my thinking went. I thought if you spanked, your kids would become model citizens. It made sense and still does on some level when kids are smaller. It seems better to swat a toddler’s hand when they reach for the stove than to let them burn themselves. You can’t reason with little children. But I believe there are other discipline methods available and you can often remove the child from a situation. Kids at that age are more compliant when you discipline them. Yes, if you don’t discipline your kids then they will end up undisciplined. That’s common sense. But spanking is not the only form of discipline and it’s not often the best method.

By Giorgio Conrad (1827-1889). (scan) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Even pro-spankers like James Dobson state that at about 7 or so spanking becomes uneffective. Children are more dependent on their parents at an early age. When they begin to learn how to be independent they don’t worship every word their parents say. They’ll often test you and ask why something is done. That’s natural as we age. As an adult I don’t accept everything I’m told. I test it. Well, I had to learn to do that as a child and even more so as a teenager. Our job as parents is to teach children how to thrive in adulthood. They’ve got to think for themselves. Naturally as children get older the more they need to know about the “why’s” of things. Do they have to always have an explanation? Of course not. The police don’t have to lecture me on why I should wear a seatbelt. Now, am I more willing to wear one because I’ve been told of the dangers without it? Absolutely. Be honest for a second. Do you always obey the speed limit? Are you more law abiding when cops are around? It’s easy to be compliant when you know you’ll be punished. But if you don’t know why you’re doing something then you are more likely to be sneaky. When our kids leave the house will they follow our teachings just because we “said so”? Or will they rebel? Corporal punishment isn’t the end all.

Michael was super compliant until he hit four. My son developed a strong will. I found that the more I spanked him the more rebellious he got. I was provoking him to wrath. If I tried to break his will then our relationship suffered. By the way, the Bible never says we shouldn’t be our child’s friend. I get the concern behind this statement but it is used for absolute truth when it is only opinion.  True friends tell you the hard truth and love you with tough love. I pray that I am a true friend to my son. I CAN be a parent and a friend. I’m certainly not his enemy! People told my mom that we were too close. My Mom is my best friend. Guess who I talked to when I was suicidal? My mom! I would never be that honest with a dictator that never gave me any say. Also, God the Father, the perfect parent, is my best friend too. Jesus even calls us friends. That’s proof enough right there that someone can have authority and still be friends.

By George Bernard O’Neill [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Anywho, the more I pushed to dominate, the more my son pushed back. How could I teach him about God’s love and ever expect him to respect my authority if he hated me? No discipline is fun. Discipline is a must if you want to be disciplined. Common sense. But we can provoke our kids to wrath. We can harden them towards authority. They can be compliant on the outside but rebellious inside. When we don’t give grace then we set our kids up for failure. When we act like we know it all and never humbly admit our mistakes, our kids suffer. They need to know it’s okay to be imperfect.

I found myself apologizing and repenting constantly. I’d like to say that I never responded in anger…that I never yelled, but the truth is that both of our strong wills met and it was explosive.  I am also very strong willed. We are both super sensitive. What some kids may take as constructive criticism, Michael will take as hatred. I did not need to break his will or his spirit. I cried when I saw that my “discipline” either puffed up rebellion or deflated his very person. I wanted respect. I wanted to do the right and loving thing. But I did not want to see fear in my son’s eyes. When I spanked without anger I found myself getting calloused….numb. I praise God that I didn’t believe in spanking until the will is broken, because a numb person could spank to death. I believed it was bad to give more than three swats to the bottom. I also believed it was wrong to leave marks.  Still, I felt uneasy the older he got.

The more I studied scripture the less I believed that the “rod” of Proverbs mean’t spanking and honestly I never took it literally anyways. It’s not like I used an actual shepard’s rod. I also didn’t believe in stoning kid etc. Even when I wasn’t a New Covenant believer and I believed that parts of the Torah should still be followed I still didn’t take certain verses literally. I’ve yet to meet a pro-spanker who takes the verse completely literally. They use a paddle or their hands.

As my traditional methods failed, I realized that I had been lied to. Spanking wasn’t the only method and it wasn’t the perfect method. I saw sweet children who had never been spanked. I realized that spanking was making my child rebel and act out. He wasn’t getting better. He was getting worse. And then I realized the most eye opening truth on parenting: children are human beings not robots. I did not really want to teach my child compliance. I didn’t want him to obey every authority & tradition without question. I wanted him to be a strong leader and to exercise his will to think. I wanted him to follow truth because he realizes it’s right…not because he was told so and if he doesn’t, boy he’s going to get punished. I didn’t want to train up a pharisee. I wanted to parent with grace just as God the Father does. I did not want a human vending machine. I wanted a human being! I want Michael to obey out of love and a Godly heart. I know that is possible because he is a Christian. The Holy Spirit is Michael’s greatest teacher.

I realized that more and more that my beautiful boy was becoming  legalistic and it was my fault. I put the law above grace.  Me and his daddyhad  to change. It wasn’t just about stopping spanking. It was a whole new way of thinking about children. 

By unknown, authors Ellis Town, Sophie May, and Ella Farman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Do I still struggle with legalism? Yes. Do I still struggle with anger? Yes. Am I a perfect parent now? Nope, never will be. Does my son get away with hell? No way. Grace based and heart focused parenting is actually harder than “the just spanking method”. Michael has to look inward and at why he’s done something. I have to help him realize why something is wrong and how he can change. I have to point him to scripture, not as a manipulative tool, but rather as a way to abide with Jesus so he CAN change. I admit my faults even more than before and I make it clear that Mommy has to abide with Jesus for help too. We use scripture cards in our Repentance corner but Michael knows the scripture can help even when he’s not being disciplined. He can at anytime look at verses that help with any issues he has.  I no longer teach Michael that he can be good on his own or that being good will please God. He knows that only God can help him change and that God loves him even when he makes mistakes. God’s love isn’t conditional.

Has Michael turned into the perfect kid? No, I’d be terrified that he was actually an alien if he did appear perfect. I’d poke him to make sure he was human. Have I seen over night change? No, grace based parenting deals with the heart and that takes time. Yes, I have seen progress in his actions. It’s slow but it is there. Is he still rebellious? Yes, at times. I’m still dealing with my own rebellious heart and I’m 29! Heart change takes a life time. Once we have success in one area of our life then we will always find another area that needs work. Michael will still be imperfect when he’s an adult, whether we spanked or not. Now he has the tools to go to God. He doesn’t have to fear being raw with us or God. Michael still has certain behavior  issues but I’ve seen other behavior problems decline a good bit. Michael’s strong will can be used for the good. He just needs to know how to use it. Had I broken his will then I would’ve lost his amazing personality. Some of the greatest leaders and inventors questioned authority. Corrupt authority should be questioned and good authority can handle scrutiny. God definitely let His people question him. There are tons of examples. I’d say Moses and David talked to God in ways that any person of my upbringing would see as disrespectful. They didn’t even say “Yes, Sir”! 🙂

Picture by Thecatholicguy (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

• I believe the “Pearl” method of spanking IS abusive. The Pearls have a book about how to train a child. They teach that children should be spanked until their will is broken and they suggest using plumber’s supply line and similar objects to do it! They tell parents to never spank when they are angry. That seems wise except with the pearl method of spanking til you break the will, parents have become calloused. They detach from what they are actually doing, abusing their kids! Strong willed children may be beat to death and of course there would be bruising. This method is not Godly. It is a horrible twisting of scripture! What they say about kids that are spanked are better is such bull crap. Spanked kids DO act up too. Compliance does not mean good. Jesus makes it pretty clear that if you do good deeds without love then they are meaningless. Of course abused and terrified kids would be compliant to their abusers! Sadly, a family with several children did beat their adopted children to death. Evidence suggests that this family did not start out cruel. People were shocked. This family literally thought they were following the Bible and a good parenting method. There have been more issues within certain fringe movements that follow the Pearl method.

An examination of the Pearl Method: http://theologica.ning.com/profiles/blogs/to-train-up-a-child-an

More info on the abuse: http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2011/october/when-child-discipline-becomes-abuse.html

• So I want to point out how scripture is twisted in pro-spanking beliefs, not because all spanking is bad, but because I pray that Christian parents won’t fall into this lie of breaking the will that leads to child abuse.
• You should not be leaving bruises. You should not beat your child until they submit. There is nothing Biblical about this.  Here are some wonderful articles with information on the verses in Proverbs. They say it way better than I do. Please please research this. I pray that your parenting choices, whether to non-abusively spank or to not spank are based on educated decisions not twisted scripture and fear…or even just because that’s how it’s always been done. I know good people that were never spanked. I know good people that were spanked. And I know good people that were abused. That does not mean that the end justifies the means.

By Leon Brooks [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

More Christians are speaking out about their decision not to spank. Even pastors are weighing in on the twisting of scripture in Proverbs.

A Pastor talks about the “spanking” verses in Proverbs: context, culture, the Hebrew language, and all.

http://www.thomashaller.com/PAbiblicalperspectivesonspanking.html

Are the rod verses literal or figurative?

http://abandonimage.blogspot.com/2010/03/are-rod-verses-literal-or-figurative.html

A video conversation on spanking ( a good place to converse on this issue. I think I’ve said all I’m going to, on my blog.)

http://deeperstory.com/a-conversation-about-spanking/

Breaking a child’s will

http://www.elizabethesther.com/2011/08/even-god-does-not-break-our-will-and-why-breaking-a-childs-will-is-not-biblical.html

A parent of an Autistic child weighs in

http://www.faithfulmomof9.com/why-i-dont-believe-in-spanking/

How to understand the language of the Bible

http://www.gci.org/bible/literal

Behavior Modification vs. Changed hearts

http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/10/why-i-dont-spank-my-children-anymore/

Disclaimer: I don’t know all of these people’s beliefs on every subject and I may disagree with some. I don’t have to agree with everything a person believes to agree with them in some ways.

Well, I’ve said all I can on this issue. I’m out in the open now. It’s my story. Shoot! It’s been four hours! Wow! Anywho, I don’t spend a lot of time debating, so you won’t get that from me. Other bloggers are more open to that. I think I’ve explained myself plenty and I know enough of the other belief to say that arguing won’t change how I feel. I respect your right to an opinion though and I do like hearing from my readers.  But any questions you have can be answered in the above articles or a google search ;)….most importantly your own research into the Bible. Anywho, this is a fairly new story because it took years for me to change my view. My husband and I just officially agreed not to spank any future children, although we had stopped spanking awhile ago.I like to share official changes in beliefs on my blog that’s about me and my beliefs. It’s comforting to know that there are people who actually care about what I have to say. Thank you for giving me a voice 🙂 (you know what I mean).

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Here are some great books:

Heart Based parenting

http://www.amazon.com/The-Christian-Parenting-Handbook-Heart-Based/dp/1400205190/

Good and Angry: Exchanging Frustration for Character ~ We’re working through this one now. It says anger is a signal but never the solution. Very good so far.

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Angry-Exchanging-Frustration-Character/dp/0877880301/

She’s Gonna Blow: Real Help for Mom’s Dealing with Anger ~I love this book. It’s raw and it’s convicting. It addresses what others cover up. I suggest this book for every parent and would be parent. It can help with any relationship really.

http://www.amazon.com/Shes-Gonna-Blow-Dealing-Anger/dp/0736915524/

 

My first Mommy confessions post: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/mommy-confessions-the-beginning/

Being an Honorary Tooth Fairy March 30, 2014

Hello dear ones! Little man finally lost his top tooth. We do make believe different. Here’s how I became the Tooth Fairy. 🙂

So if you’ve followed this blog for long you know that we don’t teach that Santa or the Easter Bunny are real. We’ve had fun with leprechauns and other creatures of the imagination but I have a strong belief in lil man not putting real faith in the make believe.  So when little man brought up the Tooth Fairy I was surprised. He knows that these things aren’t real. Surely he was pulling one over on me. Michael had a mischievous glimmer in his eye when he said his tooth fairy had to have wings.  So in good fun I donned a pair of wings, grabbed my feather boa & wand, and became an honorary tooth fairy.

Usually I just stick money under Michael’s pillow but this time Michael was excited. We’ve been waiting on this one tooth to come out for awhile. So I found a tooth receipt online and I made a tooth pillow to stick a quarter in (the tooth fairy was broke). I had hoped Michael would wake up and see me so he could get a good laugh. He was sound asleep so I took a picture of myself and shrunk it. Little man still played innocent the next day when he said “I didn’t know you were a tooth fairy”.  Silly rabbit. Anywho, I printed out my own copy of the receipt so I could keep track of the teeth he’s lost. Then I placed it in my hiding place. Michael begged to be told where I keep his teeth but I didn’t divulge. A good tooth fairy keeps her secrets.

Tooth receipt: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/82824080621837094/

 

Ya know, I really enjoy playing with my son and I encourage him to use his imagination. We have a lot of fun, though we do things differently. I know that some people worry that kids will miss out on fun if they don’t actually believe the imaginary is real, but it’s not true. I’m a fantasy writer and my imagination takes me to amazingly fun places. I know it’s not real but it’s still fun. The same goes for my son. I prefer that he has faith in the one who can come through for him in times of need, Jesus Christ.

Santa, the Easter bunny, and the Tooth fairy are great but they’ll let you down if you put your worship and trust in them. They make lousy gods. Fantasy is great. I love it. But it doesn’t do much when you need a prayer answered. I’m not here to judge. I just want to put out there, that it’s possible to do things differently and you don’t have to fear that you’re ruining your kid’s childhood. Stick around my blog a  bit…my son has a blast yet we do things different.  However you parent, God bless you. You’re the parent of your kids not me.  I want to encourage those who are getting slammed because they don’t do make believe the traditional way. It’s okay. Your kiddo will be just fine as long as you love them & point them to God’s love.

I’d also like to say that it is possible to still have fun with make believe yet not put actual faith in it. This past Christmas we learned about Saint Nicholas. Little man pretended that he was Santa while we did random acts of kindness. He doesn’t pray to Santa but Michael could have fun with it. I kind of see it as not throwing the baby out with the bath water. Whatever you choose to do, it’s all about the heart. My main concern is hope, faith, and worship being put in the wrong things. Even real things and people can be idolized. It’s good to have an ongoing talk about who our heroes are. Superman and Batman can become idols just as much as Santa and the Easter Bunny. Mom and Dad can become idols too. It all comes back to pointing our kids to Christ as the main source of life, love, and goodness. He is the only one that won’t fail us. It’s a good idea for Mom and Dad to remember that too. Children weren’t mean’t to be gods either. Believe me, I’m preaching to the choir.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Do you have any Tooth Fairy traditions? Do you leave money or do something completely different? I’d love to hear about it. I’m sure we will have lots of fun with this in the future. I kind of like my wings…

 

My Family Rocks! Sunday:Dates with our Son, Hunting for Leprechauns, & Pet Parade March 25, 2013

In this Post: The importance of one on one time with your kids (our special times with our son), actual St. Patty’s came & we had a fun leprechaun hunt at the park (also Lucky Charms pancakes!), and lastly our pets got a not so professional photo shoot (looks good for an amateur).

Hello dear ones! I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend. It has been chilly here with crazy weather. We had hail last week and that is extremely unusual for March in this area. I’m praying it’ll be sunny and warm on Easter and Michael’s upcoming birthday party. I think everyone is sick of this long winter.

Well, here is a taste of the pet parade pics at the end of this post. Here is Snowball, our guinea pig, in all her glory. She’s enjoying clovers under the trampoline. We have a dog, a cat, a guinea pig, and a mouse. I’d like a chicken but Chris needs convincing. We will see ;). More pics to come but on to the dates with our son.

Sometimes special memories just happen and we may have a camera to capture them. But I find often, that magic takes a bit of planning. Romance may start with a spark and friendships may pop up over night but it takes effort to sustain these things. It seems the longer people live with each other the harder it is to connect.  I blog some amazing memories but our life isn’t always like the pictures. There are days that we all sit in the living room on laptops and other electronics and never look each other in the eye. And that’s okay because we don’t let it become our norm…though it easily could become that.

We have to set a standard in our home to eat together and to cherish each other….to look at more than a TV screen. Chris and I have to put aside our selfishness and put each other first. We have a date and focus only on each other. I am with our son, Michael, every day and since we homeschool I (Lord willing) will be with him many more days.  Chris works and goes to school. Sometimes we struggle to get by financially and sometimes we struggle for our sanity because life is BUSY. My husband is a vet and war changed us both. We live with that daily though Chris is retired. Chris and I both deal with physical disabilities and pain. Homeschooling  takes work and a ton of patience. Some days our heads are barely above water. We live on one income.  I say all this not for a pity party because I believe we truly have a beautiful and blessed life…that’s what I capture with my camera…the silver linings of life. I say this because we could choose to focus on the hard parts of life and maybe we do sometimes. We get lost in our own pain but we don’t stay there.

Our family has survived all our hardship (taking care of parents, losing my Dad, deployments to Iraq, infertility etc…) because Jesus lifts our heads out of the sand. He tells us to love when we’d rather be angry and selfish. One of the ways He does this is by family time and special one on one time. Just as Chris and I set aside the pain of life to “live” in the moment together, so we must do that with our son. Because Michael will only be little once. Like I said, I’m with Michael all the time. So often I just want to be alone. But there is a difference between teacher time and just Mommy and Michael time. So Michael and I have date nights where we don’t focus on school and just treasure having fun together. We do this once a month and then Chris has guy time with Michael once a month. We do many family things together in between and Chris and I have date night twice a month. I believe a good marriage is needed for a healthy child. So after the Lord comes my husband and then my son.

I share these memories with you, in hopes that you will be inspired to create memories with your family. You may have to set some things aside to make this happen. Maybe you need to get rid of a few activities that tear you apart. We all have busy lives but we make time for what’s important to us. I learned early in marriage that love and beautiful moments can happen even when you’re thousands of miles from your loved one. It can also happen late at night in a nursing home when your loved one is confined to a bed. You can make memories as long as that person is alive and there is some way of connecting. So enjoy these pics and make your own memories:)!

My date with Michael began early that day. It extended into the afternoon so Chris could have alone time. We spent the day at a fun place that has laser tag and skating. Here’s a pic of Michael skating with a bit of help. He was scared to try at first and he fell a lot. I was proud that with a bit of encouragement he wiped his tears and kept trying.

Laser tag was great. I had never done it before. Normally you hide behind things and shoot at each other. Well, we were the only people there (benefits of homeschool lol) so Michael just chased me in circles for seven minutes! He kept shooting me in the back. Thankfully he got wore out a few times and we stopped to breathe. We finished the day with a dollar movie and a trip to Nana’s.

A couple of weeks later Chris and Michael had there Father-Son time. Chris decided to camp out which was completely free and just as fun as dates that cost money.

Michael helped Chris set up the tent.

They roasted hot dogs over the fire pit. I “encouraged” them to stay outside to eat so I could have the house to myself. They played “worm” with the sleeping bags and went to sleep.

They were nice enough to share a hot dog with me though I didn’t roast it myself. I decided to camp in the living room and set up a nice pallet. I enjoyed some Mommy time and then some time with the Lord. It was nice. I got woke up super early though and Chris climbed under the covers and froze me to death. I sent both of my freezing guys to the bedroom so I could get some sleep and stay warm lol.

I’ve done several posts gearing up for St. Patty’s. Well, it finally came and we had a lovely day with some humorous memories (to Chris: flying ticks he he he).  Our morning started with green pancakes with lucky charms added to them. I used my Dad’s blue ribbon pancake recipe found here at the end of this post:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/my-family-rocks-sunday-the-beauty-of-sex-within-marriage-family-night-a-secret-family-recipe/

I just added food coloring and the Lucky Charms.

Michael wore his leprechaun beard.

Remember the leprechaun trap in my Crafty Monday post?  Well, it worked! This toilet paper tube leprechaun has been with our family for a year or two. Michael knows it’s all pretend but we have fun with it.

We’ve got into the tradition of watching “Behind the Waterfall” during St. Patty’s. It’s a lovely family film about a “leprechaun” or angel (you decide) and how he helps three troubled children. Michael also made this pot of gold that says “Who is worth more to you than gold?” He drew a pic of his friend Liam :).

Michael made this pic at church as a reminder to store his treasure in heaven. Cute!

We explored a bit and picnicked in a place off the beaten path. That’s where the “flying ticks” came in to play. No worries…no harm done. Then we headed to what’s becoming a favorite spot. You may recognize this park from other posts I’ve done.

We took Tessa, our dog, with us. I printed out St. Patty’s facts and fun sayings and hid them (along with foam shamrocks) so they would make a path to the pot of gold near the waterfall.

We usually do some sort of treasure hunt. You may remember that one year the “gold” was at the end of an obstacle course and Michael had to drive out the “snakes” like St. Patty did out of Ireland. We also had a pretty kewl paper chain rainbow. Post here: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/happy-st-patricks-day/

Michael finding the shamrocks…

Chris wanted me to take this “awesome” picture of his jeep lol :). My guy… *rolling eyes*

This paper was about a fun one about tricky leprechauns.

Tessa says the water is too tempting!

We found the leprechaun and his pot of gold!

And he has cookies! Woot!

The guys had some fun…

Skipping rocks

Now, for the pet parade 🙂. Sometimes our pets need one on one time too and that’s hard when you have so many. Tessa (dog) and Chester (cat) force themselves on us. Snowball (guinea pig) and Cinderella (mouse) have to be taken out or we may forget they are there.

Snowball is fat. She can’t even wear a guinea pig harness. I worry about her obesity so I’m trying to get her outside where she can walk a bit. The trampoline is a great place because it has barely any ants under it, it’s shaded, and I can keep her within the circle. Snowball enjoys being outside but mainly so she can eat clover…sigh.

Snowball giving us her best side.

Cinderella is super timid and you can tell she was bred in a cage. I’m trying to get her to use her brain because mice are smart. She needs a challenging obstacle course. The poor mouse has a terrible anxiety disorder and often shivers, grooms herself like she has ocd, and has an upset tummy when she’s held. I was able to get her to do some climbing but she preferred the safety of my hand.

“What’s this green stuff?” ~Cinderella

“This is WAY too high up! Maybe if I wash my hands I’ll feel better…”

Tessa is spoiled and gets away with everything. She’s super sweet but hiding the cats food is not beneath her. She gets very jealous which we realized when she pooped in Michael’s nursery when we brought him home. She still treats Michael like a pup and groans when she’s annoyed.

Chester is our crazy black cat who acts bipolar since he was fixed. One minute he is overly affectionate and very vocal (he’s part Siamese). The next minute he’s attacking us and destroying things. He seriously needs a psychologist. Now that he’s fixed and an indoor kitty we have to put him on a leash to go outside. He hates the leash but the nearby road is too dangerous.

One day Nana came over (Mom in the swing) and Michael read his book on the trampoline. We took all the animals outside. We hooked the kitty’s leash to the trampoline and he watched the guinea pig romp about.

Zoom in on this pic. You can see both the guinea pig and the mouse. The cat is so wishing he was free to eat the mouse. Chester has broken things trying to get into the mouse’s cage. Interesting note: Chester (cat) will eat a salad if it has Ranch dressing on it. I’m finding he will eat many things…that are on my plate. I set Cinderella on Snowball’s back just to see what would happen. Snowball freaked out a bit. She is just as annoyed with the mouse as Tessa is annoyed with all the other animals and child (she was hear first right? lol).

Will Snowball lose some pounds? Will Cinderella become an Olympic mouse? Will Chester and Tessa ever get over their psychological issues? Tune in to my blog and maybe we will find out.

Well, God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Thanks for reading and the sweet comments and likes. They make my day.

Prepping for St. Patty’s:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/crafty-monday-prepping-for-st-pattys-easter-brazil-country-study/

St. Patty’s Celebration with Homeschool group:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/crafty-monday-st-patricks-day-celebration-with-the-homeschool-group/

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Parenting Tips/Blogs, Homemade Guinea Pig Playground, & Guinea Pig Picnic September 2, 2012

In this post: Parenting tips/blogs, our homemade guinea pig playground, Michael’s picnic party with the Guinea Pig

Hello dear ones! Several weeks ago I introduced you to our new guinea pig Snowball. Snowball came with a small cage and we didn’t have a lot of money to buy her fancy toys. So I did some research online and found that we could entertain her easily with stuff from home.

I put a brown sandwich bag in her cage and she loved it.

I also made her a cardboard house but it didn’t last long because she kept peeing on it. I found paper grocery bags work better and we just throw them away when we’re done with them. Chris bought some PVC pipe for her to play in.

We had a baby pool that we put towels in and that became her playground. Tissue paper is fun for them too. I also stuffed a sock with pine shavings and closed the top. It’s now her sock baby lol. We keep a close eye on her when she’s in the pool since she can jump out.

http://www.momlifetoday.com/2012/07/growing-boys-into-men/

A great post of how a mom learned to let go and let her hubby give her son a hard task. The results were wonderful.

http://getalonghome.com/2012/08/working-life/

Cindy talks about working her life away and how that’s okay. We were never mean’t to have a 60 year vacation after highschool. Whether you are busy working with your children (maybe several children) or working at a grocery store…it’s work. Cindy talks about how raising the next generation is an important task.  Anywho, this is a good read.

Mom’s guide to the five love languages-

http://www.busykidshappymom.org/2012/03/five-love-languages-printable-mom-guide.html

Consequence Planner-

http://www.busykidshappymom.org/2011/08/consequence-planner-danger-of-raising.html

Age 2-18 Life skill list-

http://www.busykidshappymom.org/p/life-skills.html

Lastly, Michael wanted to have a picnic party in his bedroom. He invited the Guinea Pig but not the cat and dog ;P.

So we all had supper on Michael’s floor.

The Guinea Pig ate her veggies on a little plate. Snowball didn’t know how to use her cup though! lol

God bless and remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Love languages, Bourbon Chicken, and Pinterest January 23, 2012

Hello hello friends! Pull up a chair. Today is My Family Rocks! Sunday. Time for all things pertaining to family. Today I want to talk about how love languages affect our whole family. I also have some tasty recipes you can try for dinner this week. Lastly, I’ve tried some fun school tips on Pinterest and I’m sharing them with YOU :).

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

#1 Love Languages

Gary Chapman wrote a phenomenal book that has changed the way couples view love. It is called “The Five Love Languages”. In his book, Mr. Chapman proposes that everyone has their own love language and their are five types. Some people may have several love languages but ultimately most people gravitate towards certain languages more than the others. Since we all have a different love language sometimes others do not understand us. We may be showing love to someone but they just don’t get it because it’s not in a language they understand.

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

The five love languages are as follows: Words of Affirmation, Quality time, Receiving gifts, Acts of Service, and physical touch. Say you are a “Words of Affirmation” type person and your spouse is “Acts of Service”. Your spouse may wash the dishes and take out the trash but they rarely say “I love you” or tell you that you are good looking. Your spouse thinks they are showing you love because afterall  serving is how they show love. But you DON’T feel loved because your love language is “Words of Affirmation”. So how do we bridge this gap? We are all speaking different languages…..plus the fact that men and women are already so different (women are spaghetti and men are waffles and all that jazz).

Well, what do you do when you go to a foreign country? Do you just wander around screaming English in a Spanish speaking country? Do you yell “Hey! Listen to me people! I said I need help! Speak some English!”  No way! That would be ridiculous, right. If you’re going to a foreign country then it’s in your best interest to learn atleast some of the language.

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

We often enter relationships with ridiculous expectations. We think our spouse (or family member or friend) will transform into our likeness. That they will somehow be able to read our mind and understand why we do what we do. It’s not that simple. God made us all unique with our own special personalities. Plus, we all come from different backgrounds. So we need to learn each others love languages.

Let’s go back to the first example. Say you finally realize your spouse’s love language is “Acts of service”; then you begin to understand your spouse IS showing you love. You then know that your spouse would rather you help them out with the chores than write a 10 page love poem. You can also teach your spouse your own language. Be blunt. No one can read your mind! 🙂 Explain to them that although you appreciate them washing the dishes, you are the kind of person who needs to hear “I love you” and often. Even if they don’t want to try….YOU can still choose to show them love in their own language. You’d be surprised how unconditional love will warm a cold heart. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying let someone treat you like dirt.  It’s never good to stay in an abusive relationship. But if you are married to someone that is not absolutely evil….someone who just happens to be different from you then just watch….using the right love language can transform a marriage.

But I want to propose to you that understanding the love languages can also transform many other relationships. I’m switching the focus from marriage to parenting.  Our children also have a love language.  It is just as important for us to know our child’s language. Here’s an example why:

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

           My 5 year old son is a very loving child. He shows love in every language at this point. But I have noticed that he really likes to serve people. He is always willing to help out. He’s the kid who will hold the door for everybody at church….and I mean EVERYBODY. Well, my husband is a very independent person and he prefers to open his own door.  So my son would go to open the door for my hubby and my hubby of course told him not to. My guys have very different (but equally wonderful) personalities.

            Well, I realized that Michael (my son) was getting his feelings hurt because his Dad wouldn’t let him open the door. To me it didn’t seem like such a big deal and obviously not to his dad. But Michael shows love by serving and he felt rejected because he couldn’t open his Dad’s door. So the hubby and I talked about it. Now my hubby let’s Michael open his door. We realize it makes him feel accepted by his Dad when he’s allowed to serve him. We’ve also let him do more chores which has helped us all.  He now knows that we need him and he is contributing to the family. So I challenge you tonight to figure out your family members love languages and then try to show them love in their own language. If you can please leave me a comment with your experience :).

#2  Bourbon chicken, fried rice, and homemade biscuits.

This is a great dinner combo and it’s really easier than you think. This is one of my family’s favorite meals. I’m leaving you the recipes for all three. Note: the ingredients for the chicken and rice may be a bit pricy the first time you buy them but they last awhile. I understand how it is to live on a budget. Now, the biscuits are super easy and you probably already have all the ingredients for them now. I found the biscuits on Pinterest. Yaaa Pinterest!

 

Cut & paste these links into your browser 🙂

http://www.food.com/recipe/bourbon-chicken-45809  ( if you don’t like spicy stuff then you can put less ginger and crushed red pepper)

http://chinese.food.com/recipe/fried-rice-60143

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/easy-drop-biscuits-00000000052401/index.html

If you get a chance to make this meal please leave me a comment with your opinion 🙂 thanks!

#3 Math ideas from Pinterest

I LOVE Pinterest and I think I’m addicted to it….thanks to my bff Julie (it’s all your fault Frodo!).  But who really has time to use all the ideas we pin. I hope though to try atleast a fourth of the things I pin. If you have no clue what I’m talking about then I suggest you check out http://www.pinterest.com for yourself. It’s too much to explain.

Even better…here’s my pinterest: http://pinterest.com/doverette/

I’ve got tons of great recipes and crafts on there already. Enjoy 🙂

Anywho, I found a great idea to teach math by setting up a play store. I had heard of this idea before but seeing how someone really did it helped me to finally try the idea myself. First off I made some fake money out of salt dough. If you look at my previous posts you will find a salt dough recipe. It’s super simple to make. Michael had the paper money but lost or tore up most of it. I decided he needed more durable money :). So far the salt dough money has worked. I traced real coins to get the fake ones close in size (pic above).

So then we set up the store. I wrote small prices on paper ( 1 cent up to 4 dollars…nothing too complicated) and let Michael cut them into squares. I helped him choose which prices (mainly low prices for small things and higher for bigger things). We also made a shelf so he could display items better. We used his toy Mcdonalds cash register to calculate alot of items but most things he wrote down on a receipt and added them together manually. The receipt idea also helped with writing skills.

Until Dad and Nana got home, I was Michael’s main customer (and a few stuffed animals lol). Michael put my purchases in a bag (paper or plastic) then put my receipt in the bag and told me “Thank you! Have a great day and come again!”. See…he learned good manners & work ethics as well. And the whole time HE thought we were just “playing”. I’m a sneaky teacher……Michael loves “playing” store so much that he has set up his own “Walmart” and “Toy R US” (that’s how he spelled it).

I also found a site on Pinterest that has money worksheets that teach how many coins are in a dollar. We loved this game as well. Here is the link: http://www.activity-mom.com/2011/08/how-many-in-dollar.html

Whether you homeschool or not, it is always important to say involved in your child’s education. If you have a young child that can use these ideas with, then please leave me a comment with your experience 🙂

Well, it is Monday now. Sorry 😦 *blush*. I started writing this on Sunday but it took longer than I expected and I’ve had a busy day. Forgive me. Tomorrow……errr ummm I mean later today I’ll have a Crafty Monday post with some great winter crafts….some for children and some adults will enjoy too 🙂

I leave you with this great music video called “Love is not a fight” by Warren Barfield

My favorite lines of this song are:

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it’s something worth fighting for

God bless and remember The High King Lives!

~Amber Dover

(edit: I found this great link that discusses the love languages & kids~

http://www.aophomeschooling.com/blog/homeschool-view/five-love-languages/     )