February 2009 Archives
Jodi Skulley-February 26, 2009-
Twins Heston and Bennett like to dress up a lot. They watched
The Prince of Egypt and decided to make Egyptian costumes after that.
Thanks to Mike L. for his great photo!
Photos wanted! Send us your funny, cute, or just plain fun pictures for our Fun Friday
Photos. Each Friday we will post a new "Fun Friday Photo." E-mail your photo and a
suggested caption describing the photo to parentlife@lifeway.com. Visit the blog each
Friday to see if your photo was chosen!
Jodi Skulley-February 25, 2009-
Do you have an egg hunt as part of your family traditions each spring? Try a new twist on a traditional egg hunt with
Techno Source®'s new
Hide 'Em & Find 'Em Eggs. Hide the eggs to start the egg hunt fun. The eggs then begin talking (
"I'm Hiding!" and
"I'm Over Here!"),
laughing, and making noises as you try to find them. Open them up to
see a cute bunny or baby chick say, "You found me!"
The eggs come in six collectable colors: violet, pink, green, yellow, orange, and blue! Each egg is large enough to store candy and the batteries are even included!
Hide 'Em & Find 'Em Eggs will be available in March at Rite Aid, Target, and Wal-Mart as well as other retailers.
William Summey--
Has your child had a big project due at school and needed your help? How much should you step in? Do you find that the majority of school projects reflect Mom's or Dad's work more than the student's?
Ouch! The truth hurts.
Why is it that we sometimes step over the boundary line and do things on our child's behalf? This tendency doesn't happen overnight. Parents often are caught in a pattern of doing things for their kids, rather than stopping to teach or coach them how to do things for themselves. The following are three guidelines for fighting this trend.
Step back. It is OK for kids to make mistakes. We sometimes forget that trial and error can be the best part of learning. We would rather step in and make things right. Or we are living vicariously through our children and take things personally when our children make mistakes.
Build in time for interruptions and teachable moments. Kids learn by asking questions, hands-on experimenting, and connecting new things with what they already know. We are sometimes too busy for our child's questions or to stop and teach a life skill. We have to fight packing our schedules so full that there is no time left for life's interruptions. Unfortunately, all too quickly the question "Dad, will you help me?" turns to "I can't do this! You'll have to do it."
Place the journey together higher than the finished product. Too many times, we focus on the end product. We want our child to make the perfect project or we must have the clothes folded a certain way or we are not happy. Resist the urge to refold those clothes or make the project the way you would have done it. Life is a journey together, so enjoy the time along the way!
Have you ever had trouble with this "doing too much" boundary? How do you discern where to draw the line?
Jodi Skulley-February 24, 2009-
It's hard to believe, but the
ParentLife team is already starting to make plans for 2010 and we need your help! We want to make sure the topics we cover are practical and helpful to your everyday life. So tell us ...
What parenting questions do you have (or hear your friends asking) related to this specific stage of parenting? Leave us a comment and let us know. Or e-mail your ideas to
parentlife@lifeway.com.
(Please include in your comment or e-mail the ages of your child/children.) We want to use this information to plan the topics we will cover in our "Growth Spurts" section in 2010.
Jodi Skulley-February 23, 2009-
On Tuesday, February 24th,
IHOP restaurants nationwide will celebrate
National Pancake Day from
7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and offer each guest a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes. In return IHOP will ask guests to donate what they would have paid for the pancakes or more to
Children's Miracle Network or other local charities.
This year, IHOP restaurants around the country hope to stack up more donations than ever before. IHOP's goal is to raise $1,000,000, which will benefit children's hospitals and other charities throughout the U.S.
To find a local IHOP or to donate online, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.
Fun Facts From National Pancake Day 2008
- IHOP served 1.5 million free pancakes on National Pancake Day 2008.
- All of the free pancakes served on National Pancake Day 2008 would create a stack more than 12 miles high.
- Pancake lovers donated more than $875,000 to children's charities, far exceeding the fundraising goal.
- Since beginning its National Pancake Day celebration in 2006, IHOP has raised nearly two million dollars to support charities in the communities in which it operates.
- National Pancake Day 2008 was IHOP's largest one-day event in the company's 50-year history.
Jodi Skulley-February 20, 2009-
Five-week-old Aiden hanging out in the fall leaves.
Thanks to Lindsey B. for her great photo!
Photos wanted! Send us your funny, cute, or just plain fun pictures for our Fun Friday
Photos. Each Friday we will post a new "Fun Friday Photo." E-mail your photo and a
suggested caption describing the photo to parentlife@lifeway.com. Visit the blog each
Friday to see if your photo was chosen!
William Summey-February 19, 2009-
My baby boy turned 5 on Tuesday! I can't believe it. It seems like it was just yesterday when
Christopher made his entrance into the world. But he was destined not to be a baby for long. Almost from the beginning he wanted to be like his big brother. Christopher walked and talked earlier, liked the shows and games his brother watched, and wanted to play sports with his bro -- no matter that Christopher is five years younger. How quickly this time has passed!
We thought about the reality of these changes as we completed an "All About Me" poster for Christopher's preschool to display on his birthday. We spent a day perusing every photo we had of Christopher to pick out our favorites
(this is one of our favs of the boys). Then came the whittling down process. We chose photos representing every year of his life and included every family member: aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, and first cousins. Sound tiring? It was! But afterwards, we looked with amazement at how blessed we are as a family.
Of course, we celebrated Christopher's birthday in many traditional ways -- delivering cupcakes and treats to his school and opening presents between slices of pizza and video games at
Chuck E. Cheese's. We certainly made several more great family moments! But it is hard to top a poster overflowing with five years of memories. It will become a keepsake for our family, reminding us of how God has been good to us!
What about you? Share with us some of your favorite ways to celebrate birthdays and capture memories of years gone by.
Jodi Skulley-February 17, 2009-
As a parent,
you have the primary responsibility for the spiritual development of your child. But God wants your child to know and love Him even more than you want it. Pray that the Holy Spirit will work through you as you teach biblical truths in all that you say and do.
The
Levels of Biblical Learning is an instrument you can use to reference what children from birth through sixth grade can understand and develop in their spiritual growth. It provides a chart cross-referenced by age groups and spiritual development concepts. There are 10 content areas:
God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Bible, Creation, Family, Self, Church, Salvation, and
Community and World. The changes in concept areas coincide with changes in a child's level of understanding and vocabulary.
The
Levels of Biblical Learning chart is available online for free.
Using the Levels of Biblical Learning- Read the listings in each content area matching the age of your child.
- Note the knowledge and skills your child already has firmly in place.
- Mark the statements you believe your child is in the process of making his own.
- Flag one or two statements in each content area that you feel are important for your child to know.
- Determine ways to encourage your child in the areas where you feel he already is making progress and in the areas you flagged as important.
Be on the lookout for a brand new line of resources based on the Levels of Biblical Learning coming out this summer. Puzzles, bookmarks, stickers, craft packs, and more are categorized by each of the Levels of Biblical Learning concept areas.
What are some ways that you are building your child's spiritual foundation?
Jodi Skulley--
I like to consider myself to be a laidback person, but those closest to me know I'm not. However, I've shocked myself (and many of those around me) by being a more relaxed mom than I thought I could ever be. I'd say my parenting style is fairly relaxed ... except when it comes to one topic in particular --
schedules.
A few months into
Jack's life, I become obsessed with his daily schedule. I wanted everything to be exactly the same every single day. I felt he should eat and sleep at the same times every day. It's not that I wanted to set the schedule and control every minute of his life. I was fine with letting him set the schedule. But I couldn't understand it when he didn't fall into a recognizable pattern every day. I just assumed that I must be doing something wrong.
I've read it a million times, but for some reason, it did not sink in --
Every baby is different. Some babies just don't fall into a perfect pattern like others. After a couple of exhausting months of worrying, I finally gave up. I decided to completely follow Jack's lead on a day-by-day basis. I can't tell you what a difference it made in both Jack and me! After letting go, I felt as if a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. I was able to spend less time worrying and more time enjoying every moment with Jack.
And would you believe, not long after I quit obsessing, Jack fell into a basic pattern. It's not exactly the same every day, but it's close. It would seem that my unnecessary anxiety was affecting his behavior.
What about you? Does your young child follow a schedule every day or is every day different? Are there things you find yourself worrying about unnecessarily?
Jodi Skulley-February 16, 2009-
It's been almost a month since the launch of
ParentLife Online and we want to hear from you! Tell us what you think of our blog so far!
- What do you like about the blog?
- What do you dislike about the blog?
- How do you feel about the design of the blog?
- What kind of content would you like to see appear on the blog?
Don't forget! Anyone who leaves a comment anywhere on the blog will be eligible for this giveaway! A winner will be drawn randomly on February 28, 2009.
Jodi Skulley-February 13, 2009-
Three-month-old Sarah Mae is fresh from the bathtub. She loves being wrapped up like a 'burrito' to dry!
Thanks to Patrick and Sheryl for this great photo!
Photos wanted! Send us your funny, cute, or just plain fun pictures for our Fun Friday
Photos. Each Friday we will post a new "Fun Friday Photo." E-mail your photo and a
suggested caption describing the photo to parentlife@lifeway.com. Visit the blog each
Friday to see if your photo was chosen!
William Summey-February 12, 2009-
One of my favorite parts of
Valentine's Day is helping the boys pick out their Valentine cards for school. They are not that much different than the cards I picked out as a young boy, except for the characters on the front of the cards (although I think
Scooby-Doo® has remained popular across all these years). And this year? My sons both picked out
NASCAR® cards to give to their friends!
Although Valentine's Day is about more than giving chocolate and flowers, these tokens of love still remind us of the source of unconditional love -- God. Perhaps our greatest task in parenting is to show our children unconditional love on a regular basis. If you are like me, when I am tired, frustrated, or angry, I realize that I can only love my children unconditionally with God's help. So as you open your cards and eat candy hearts, remember to give thanks to God for sending Jesus -- His greatest gift of love!
What do you plan to do this year with your kids on Valentine's Day? What are your Valentine's Day traditions?
Jodi Skulley-February 11, 2009-
Looking for a great Christian concert for you and your preteen? Check out
Winter Jam 2009!
Winter Jam 2009's updated roster is headlined by the "GMA Artist Of The Year 2008"
tobyMac, with special guests
Hawk Nelson, "GMA New Artist Of The Year 2008"
Brandon Heath,
Francesca Battistelli, the
Precious Girls Club Pre-Jam Party with
pureNRG, and Gotee Recording artist,
Stephanie Smith. Grammy-nominated and Dove Award-winning
NewSong will host the high-energy event for the 14th consecutive year, with special guest speaker
Tony Nolan. Family Force 5,
The Afters, and
BarlowGirl will also play select dates.
Best of all, it's only $10 at the door! For more information and to see tour dates and locations, visit www.hearitfirst.com/winterjam.
Jodi Skulley-February 10, 2009-
Does your family feel as if they always are rushing from activity to activity? Running should be part of the fun, not the way you get there. Consider these 7 family friendly principles for prioritizing your s
chedule.
- Family Mealtimes. How often do you choose fast food because you have not planned ahead? Plan ahead which evenings will be restaurant or drive-through evenings and which will be cook-at-home nights. Stick to the plan.
- Downtime. Without downtime, you will burn out quickly. God did not create people (including children) to be on the go nonstop. Plan time to be at home without structured activities or responsibilities. Refresh, recharge, and get reacquainted with those you love.
- Church Activities. Stay involved in worship and Sunday School. Pray about which other church activities will best help your family grow in their relationship to Christ.
- School and Community Activities. Consider a reasonable amount of involvement for community and school activities. Many parents of young children find that one extracurricular activity at a time per child is a good limit.
- Family Outings. Plan time for short outings (one or two hours or a whole day).
- Special Occasions. Strive to keep special occasions special. You may have wonderful memories of homemade cakes and elaborate meals. Continue the tradition with your own family.
- Chores. The laundry, dishes, and yard work can be part of a schedule. If there is a planned time to do the laundry, then it is more likely to get done. If not, it becomes an emergency operation in an already-too-packed schedule.
Carol Moore is a teacher and freelance writer. In addition to parenting articles, she writes devotionals, curriculum, and children's fiction. Moore and her family attend the First Baptist Church of O'Fallon, Illinois.
How does your family manage to have fun amidst a busy schedule? Share your tips with other ParentLife readers by leaving a comment.
Jodi Skulley-February 9, 2009-
Reckless use and improper storage of gasoline leads to thousands of young children being burned every year. These dangerous behaviors are being addressed in Shrine
rs Hospitals 2009
Burn Awareness Week campaign. A special Web site has been developed fo
r the campaign. Be sure to check it out!
Kelly Hall's family knows firsthand the danger of burns. Read their amazing story ("My Kids Saved My Life" by Rebecca Ingram Powell) in the February 2009 issue of ParentLife.
Jodi Skulley-February 6, 2009-
Almost 3-year-old Amber dressed as one of her favorite superheroes -- Wonder Woman.
Amber's dad commented, "This is what happens when you mix Wonder Woman with a LOT of sugar!"
Thanks to Jason M. in Murfreesboro, TN, for this great photo!
Photos wanted! Send us your funny, cute, or just plain fun pictures for our Fun Friday
Photos. Each Friday we will post a new "Photo of the Week." E-mail your photo and a
suggested caption describing the photo to parentlife@lifeway.com. Visit the blog each
Friday to see if your photo was chosen!
Jodi Skulley-February 5, 2009-
Who doesn't love a child in footy pajamas? There is just something irresistible about them!
Before my son, Jack, was born, I couldn't wait to put him in cute pajamas. (See Jack to the right, exhausted after playing all day in his footy pajamas!) It didn't take long after he was born, however, to realize just how frustrating footy pajamas can be! I
almost never get footy pajamas snapped correctly the first time. It usually takes me at least two tries to get the snaps together right, especially if Jack is having a wiggly day (which is most days).
Who's with me?After over 6 months of footy-pajama frustration, I have learned a couple of things.
- First of all, I have learned to slow down. As I'm putting Jack in his pajamas, I tell myself, "Just take one snap at a time, and it should come out right." Sometimes I try to do too many things at one time and work myself into an exhausted mess. These are the days I am learning to stop, take a deep breath, and refocus. It may be a silly analogy, but I have to tell myself to take things one "snap" at a time.
- Secondly, I have learned that some everyday tasks just take more tries than others. As a parent, I certainly am not going to do everything right on the first try. It might take me several tries to figure out the best way to bathe a wiggly baby, establish a bedtime routine that works, or discover ways to make reading books a daily event. Thank goodness for second (... and third ... and fourth) chances!
Do you ever have days like this? What everyday things (like footy pajamas) have you found inspiration in?The funny thing is, my frustration does not keep me from putting Jack in footy pajamas. In fact, he spends most of his time in them!
William Summey-February 4, 2009-
A month later, how are you doing on your new year's goals? If you are like me, I am doing better keeping some resolutions more than others! I made it a goal this year to have a
daily quiet time each morning with my oldest son before school. It has been a struggle to find this time in our busy schedule. Although we have not been successful every day, many mornings we are able to read a devotion and pray during breakfast. It has been great time together and with God!
What do we do? Jonathan reads a devotion in
Adventure magazine, a devotional for 3rd and 4th graders. I have been trying to stay on a plan to read through the Bible this year. Sometimes we read slilently and other times read aloud part of our devotion. We talk about what it means and then end in prayer. We usually spend about 10 minutes, and it starts our day off right!
What are some of the ways you spend time as a family with God?
Adventure magazine is one of the LifeWay family of devotional magazines. LifeWay also produces More magazine for children in 1st and 2nd grades, Bible Express for preteens, and ec for teens. These devotionals are all designed to help children spend time with God each day. Each magazine also has a lot of fun learning games inside and focuses on practical application of Bible truths.
William Summey-February 2, 2009-
Wow, what a game! Both teams fought admirably, although a little sloppy at times. I enjoyed watching the first half with friends and then the end of the game with my boys. The boys and I
were pulling for the Cardinals the whole game, so we were disappointed in the outcome. As soon as the game ended, my 4-year-old, Christopher, informed me he was really pulling for the Steelers all along! He certainly loves being a winner!
We are excited to report that
Super Bowl® quarterback
Kurt Warner and his family will be featured in our March issue of
ParentLife. Be sure and check out how he and his wife, Brenda, parent seven children amidst the crazy schedule that professional football brings.
Did you see last night's game? What did you think of the game? What about the commercials?
Jodi Skulley-February 3, 2009-
It's February and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. What better time than Valentine's Day to think about heart health? Do you need to make any lifestyle changes?
Check out this article by Travis Walters, M.D.
Did you know that the number-one killer of American women is not cancer like many women think? It is actually heart disease!
Why Heart Health Is ImportantAs
parents take care of their newborns, most quickly realize that if they
are not healthy themselves, their babies cannot receive the best care.
If mothers are not physically, mentally, and emotionally energized,
care and decision-making for their newborn will suffer. But it does
not
stop there. As children grow, they require guidance to help equip them
for the "real world." This necessitates parents with healthy
lifestyles. Kids learn from parents every day and emulate the actions
they see.
Take StockWhat can you do to improve your influence on your child? You can make some important lifestyle choices.
- Control your blood pressure. Have your blood pressure checked regularly. High blood pressure is considered 140/90 mmHg and above.
- Control blood cholesterol. Have your total cholesterol checked at least once every five years, along with a lipoprotein profile which shows a more specific breakdown of your total cholesterol.
- Stop smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease.
- Control diabetes. Aiming for a hemoglobin A1C less than 7 percent reduces the risks from diabetes.
- Sustain a healthy weight. Target a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 to 24.9.
- Exercise regularly. Strive for at least 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity, four to six days per week.
- Maintain a healthy diet. Keep fat calories to less than 30 percent of your total calories and avoid saturated fats. A diet that contains a healthy balance of fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, poultry, and lean meat is best.
By making these changes, you not only will improve your own health, but you also will become a healthy role model for your child.
Recommended ResourceThe
American Heart Association's Food Certification Program helps you easily and reliably find heart-healthy foods that are certified by the
AHA.
Travis Walters, M.D., is a pediatrician at Green Hills Pediatric Associates in Nashville, Tennessee. Travis and his wife, Rebecca, have two children, Olivia and Caroline, and are expecting their third in June. **This article was originally scheduled to run in our February 2009 issue of
ParentLife. If you would like to see more information, this pdf (
HeartHealth.pdf) provides the article in its entirety.**
