October 2011 Archives
Jessie Weaver-
October 31, 2011-
Congratulations to the winners of our October giveaway! These five blessed commenters will receive a copy of Holy Curiosity by Amy Hollingsworth. The winners are:
Once again, congratulations, and stay tuned for some more great giveaways in November!
Jessie Weaver-
October 28, 2011-
Seven-month-old Asa likes making noise with his mouth AND with pots and pans!
Thanks Ashley S. for submitting this sweet picture.
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!
Jessie Weaver-
October 27, 2011-
We are so excited to introduce Becky Suggs, who will be journaling her pregnancy here at ParentLife Online! I am thrilled to follow her journey to baby. Becky is currently 16 weeks pregnant with her first child, and she's going to chronicle the ups and downs, joys and fears, and reality of expecting.
My husband and I were overjoyed when we found out we were pregnant with our first child. Having no idea what to do next, I turned to everything on the Internet I could find. Not the wisest thing I’ve ever done, but since we were keeping it a secret for a while, it was really the only source I knew to turn to.
After lots of surfing and reading, I realized the only thing reassuring me I was pregnant were the two lines on multiple pregnancy tests (I had to be sure, of course!) and a doctor’s visit that consisted of a nurse coming in and saying, “Congratulations, you’re pregnant.” No emotional highs or lows. No sickness. No moodiness. Nothing was different. I remember telling my husband one evening, “I really don’t feel pregnant. I mean, I wish I would get sick or something just to have something to ‘reassure’ me.” Oh, be careful what you wish for.
My sweet growing baby first helped me understand I was pregnant on a four-hour whale-watching trip in San Diego. While everyone oohed and aahed over the majestic whales in the ocean, I became good friends with the side of the boat.
This precious new life inside of me didn’t stop there. Multiple times a day, he (or she) reminded me things were progressing on the right track. Tears and questions of “why me” plagued me as I spent much of my time hovered over the toilet. When I felt at my very bottom, I remember crying out, “God, please make it stop.” I was quickly reminded, “This too shall pass. I am growing new life inside of you.”
Ask, My dear child, and you shall receive!
Becky Suggs and her husband, Robert, live in the mountains of Glorieta, New Mexico, with their pug, Sadie. They are expecting their first child in April. In her spare time, you can find Becky reading, enjoying the great outdoors, filling in squares to the latest crossword puzzle, and spending time with family. She has a passion for both kids and camping ministries.
Jessie Weaver-
October 26, 2011-
Every month we have a long list of products we want to share with you, but only a few can fit in the printed magazine. That's why it's so great we have this online space! Here are a few things we couldn't squeeze into the November 2011 issue. 
Keep Me Comfy Neckrest
Take this Cheeky Charlie neckrest along with you when you travel for the holidays. The little giraffe is adorable and makes for comfy naps in the carseat! $13 from Aurora Gifts.
Peaceable Kingdom Cooperative Games
These games focus on team effort rather than winning and losing. Each game may be played in 10-20 minutes. Hoot Hoot Owl is Family Fun's Toy of the Year for 2011! These games teach cooperation, social skills, and taking turns. Games retail for $14.99 each.
Sprout Change from the Willow Store
Chili pepper. StringBean. BlueBerry, Coconut. Lemon Ice. No, no, don’t start salivating! This intriguing list describes color schemes for the Sprout Change line of reusable diaper shells and organic inserts. Hidden adjustments make them fit 4 to 40 pounds. Find them at www.theWillowStore.com. $16.95 for shells, diaper inserts $6.95 each.
Do you have products you recommend to everyone you know?
Jessie Weaver-
October 24, 2011-
Have you ever tried to entertain a toddler in a doctor's office waiting room while juggling a diaper bag, purse, baby, and toys? It's nearly impossible. Not to mention, many toddler toys are insanely loud, drawing rude stares from all around.
My daughter (3 this week) adores playing on her Nana's iPad. There is something about the touchscreen that is so much easier for her than learning to use a mouse. She rarely gets computer time outside of Nana visits, which makes it all that more special.
Luckily enough, my mom (aka Nana) was here last week when Griffin Technology e-mailed us about their new Crayola Paint and Create App for the iPad. They sent me a free download so we could test it out.
With more than 40 activities, Libbie could color with a vast array of virtual crayons, paintbrushes, markers, and colored pencils. This is no five-color-choice computer program; there were more shades of green than I had seen since my days in front of the 64-crayon box. Your finger mimics an actual coloring stroke and the program lets you pick the thickness of the stroke as well as a color-fill option.For older kids, there are also dot-to-dots, mazes, puzzles, and color-by-numbers. All coloring "pages" can be saved, e-mailed, or posted onto Facebook.
While I definitely still encourage actual coloring/painting/drawing at home, the iPad app is sure less messy and easier for on-the-go time. The app is available for $2.99 in the app store on iTunes.
What apps for kids do your little ones love?
Jessie Weaver-
October 20, 2011-
Elle, 5, always lets little brother Jacob, 1, be the prince when they play!
Thanks Shanda L. for this royally cute pic!
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!
Jessie Weaver-
October 19, 2011-
Perhaps the hardest time to juggle a blended family is during the holidays. How should time be split? How do you even begin to decide? Here, our Blended Life author gives some tips on planning ahead for an excellent holiday season.
Never underestimate the power of traditions. Traditions play a crucial role in determining family identity. It is critical to make these changes of tradition as smooth as possible. Planning well can avoid the painful lack of security and loss of identity within blended families.
Sitting down with your co-parent and any stepparents well ahead of time is a must. Your motivation has to be the well-being of your children and the overall health of your families. Flexibility and sacrifice are central to creating an effective plan. Do what you can and accept what you can’t. Don’t be afraid to re-evaluate and make changes in the best interest of the kids.
Discussion Points
- Define your holidays. What do you consider to be a holiday? The big ones are usually obvious (Thanksgiving, Christmas), but sometimes smaller ones can carry great significance, such as having a family reunion scheduled around a certain holiday.
- Reconsider holiday visitation schedules. Just because there is legal documentation establishing a plan does not mean it can’t be revised or altered if it is in the best interest of all parties. When parents remarry, that brings additional grandparents and potential traveling into the picture; be thoughtful of what all parties need and be flexible.
- Kids are first. As you strive for consensus, remember to put the welfare of the children at the forefront of the process.
How do you decide on holiday plans with your blended family?
Jessie Weaver-
October 18, 2011-
Do you remember The Magic School Bus? Miss Frizzle, the wild elementary-school teacher, took her class on countless field trips: to the moon, inside a flower, anywhere her students could even imagine! Since the television show premiered in 1994, it's never been off the air. The books have been around even longer, celebrating 25 years of field trips this year.
To bring in the anniversary with style, Miss Frizzle is currently touring New York City: she went to ComicCon, is visiting the Scholastic bookstore, and even closed the day by ringing the NASDAQ bell.
A new video game featuring the Magic School Bus releases next week as well: Magic School Bus Oceans is $19.99 and available for the Nintendo DS.
Scholastic sent me a couple DVDs of Magic School Bus episodes, and I was instantly transported back to my childhood. Who didn't love exploring space with Miss Frizzle and her class? [The Pluto references are slightly dated now, sadly!] My sister, an elementary-school teacher, says her third-grade class LOVED watching these videos and that the science information really does sink in when delivered by Miss Frizzle.
Do you remember The Magic School Bus? What was your favorite field trip they took?
You can stay caught up with the Magic School Bus festivities on their Facebook page, or play some fun games at Scholastic.com.
Jessie Weaver-
October 17, 2011-
When it comes to making friends, boys and girls look for different qualities. While boys tend to look for friends to share activities with, such as athletics, science, chess, or karate, girls look for friends to talk with, whether they’re sharing activities or not, says Natalie Robinson-Garfield, a psychotherapist and author of The Sense Connection.
“On the surface, [girls’ friendships and boys' friendships] might appear quite different,” says Richard Horowitz, a parenting coach and author of Family Centered Parenting. “Boys tend to be more hierarchical and will be more competitive with friends, including verbal put downs. Girls will be a bit more aware of their friends’ well-being and will be checking to make sure their friends are OK. However, both boys and girls can create an emotionally intimate relationship with a close friend and share vulnerabilities. Since it is more difficult for boys to get to this place, having a close male friend is really important in the life of a boy and young man.”
Studies show that the differences between girls’ friendships and boys’ friendships begin to narrow as children reach the preteen years. Regardless of what your child and his friend are doing together, the important thing is that they are learning to interact with and care about another person. “Even though both sexes go about doing it little differently, the need to relate and emotionally connect is the center theme,” says Simon Casey, Ph.D., a psychiatrist and author of Secrets to Emotional Wealth.
Have you noticed your children interacting differently as they make friends? Mine are still in the stage where they don't really even play with others. I'm interested to watch them grow up, as I have one of either sex! - Jessie
Jessie Weaver-
October 12, 2011-
It came to our attention recently that our "submit your funnies" link had not been working for awhile. With all of the changes on LifeWay.com, there are a lot of dead links floating around, and we certainly apologize for that.
The link is now working, so we'd love to hear your funny stories for potential publication in ParentLife magazine!
And as always, we love to get your Fun Friday Photos by e-mail so we can publish them here each Friday.
Thanks from the ParentLife team!
Jessie Weaver-
October 11, 2011-
Each month ParentLife pulls together a one-page document for preschool and children's leaders and teachers that highlights articles that might help families they work with. But this also is a great tool for parents!
The articles below are in our current October 2011 issue of ParentLife. Read the articles that minister to your family and pass along a copy to those who might benefit from it!
Little Sponges: Preschoolers soak everything in just like a sponge! But what are the most important things they shoudl learn? Check out these five important life skills (p. 24).
Are You a Pushover? Are there families in your church who struggle with an imbalance of family power? Does the child hold more power than the parents? Provide these families with seven practical strategies for restoring order (pp. 40-41).
Guide Toward Godliness: Raising a preteen girl is more challenging than it has ever been given today's culture. What can parents do to help guide their daughters toward godliness? Provide parents with Nancy Rue's four effective suggestions for making the most of their daughters' formative years (pp. 38-39).
A Special Need: Finding a church home can be difficult for families of children with special needs. Be sure your ministry is a welcoming, safe place for all families in all walks of life (p. 48).
Developmental Milestones: Being familiar with the developmental milestones of preschoolers helps parents set realistic goals at home and allows teachers and volunteers to teach more effectively. Provide parents with this list of milestones as their kids grow (pp. 14-15).
Learning for Life: Don't forget the school-age children in your ministry. What important life skills can parents and teachers in your ministry teach? Don't miss these five important life skills (p. 28).
Absorbing Autumn: Fall abounds with teachable moments and many of those moments can be used to help build on a child's spiritual foundation. Help parents seize these opportunities and have fun with their children at the same time with these creative ideas (pp. 34-37).
5 million: The number of kids in the United States who reported being bullied in 2010. Is your church a bully-free zone (p. 42)?
You might also enjoy printing out and sharing our blog articles directly relating to ones in the October issue: When Parents Yield Too Much Power, 5 Tips for Parenting the Two-Child Family, and Autumn Investigations.
To download a PDF of the colorful ParentLife Everyday flyer for this month, click on the link below.
ParentLifeEveryday_Oct11.pdf
Jessie Weaver-
October 10, 2011-
When I published the article "Baby Movers" by Joy Fisher this past May, I had no idea how soon I would need the ideas within its text!
Our situation was a little different, because we moved from a rental house to an apartment; therefore, there were no showings or closings, thankfully. But I did have a whole mess of stuff to pack up, clean up, and clean out before we moved. We downsized from a four-bedroom house with a yard to a two-bedroom, one-bath apartment. Many, many items were trashed, given away, hauled away by a thrift store, and sold.
My baby, at 9 months, hasn't been at all disturbed by the move. He doesn't really care where he is as long as we keep feeding him! But my daughter, at almost 3, has all but gone bananas since we moved. It didn't help that the three weeks before moving, the kids and I went to North Carolina, their dad and I left them with grandparents and went to Boston, we went to Ohio, and THEN we went to Pennsylvania!
We found out we were moving on-campus at the school where my husband teaches while we were in North Carolina - about a week and a half before the move. So there was very little time to prepare my toddler for moving. In fact, we flew home from Pennsylvania and unceremoniously got back to the new apartment at 1 a.m. "Here's your room!" we said cheerfully. That, apparently, is NOT the way to introduce a toddler to her new space.
I could write a whole other post about the acting out, terrorizing, and not sleeping she's done since then, but I'm sure you can imagine it if you've ever had a two-year-old. We've seen some improvement ... but not a lot.
So I'm here asking for your advice: what should I be doing when almost everything in her life has changes in the past two months? Any suggestions?
When Jessie Weaver is not busy being the resident ParentLife Blogger, she writes at Vanderbilt Wife and also for magazines like HomeLife and ParentLife. She lives in Chattanooga with her husband, where they run after two little ones: Libbie (2) and David (9 months).
Jessie Weaver-
October 14, 2011-
Two-year-old Abbie applying her marker make-up just right. At least she didn't color her teeth!
Thank you Beth B. for this sweet picture. I hope it was a washable marker!
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!
Jessie Weaver-
October 7, 2011-
Abigail gladly shows off her Rubber Ducky Collection. She's trying to give Ernie a run for his money!
Thank you Kelly M. for this adorable picture!
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!
Jessie Weaver-
October 6, 2011-
Parenting is a stirring journey. From the moment your child takes his first breath, your heart alternates between states of great unrest, slight movement, and fully ablaze. Children change and families change, but one truth as a parent remains a constant: You will be stirred. That is a promise.
Whether your child stirs you to joy or frustration, or maybe even fear, the truth that God has specifically called you to be the parent of your son or daughter should dwell in your heart and comfort you throughout your parenting journey. Still, there are times when being a parent feels more like being in a vacuum than being in a community. It can be a lonely, draining experience as you try to navigate the phases your child goes through and understand the differences between raising boys and raising girls.
But the truth that we were never meant to live life alone extends directly into parenting, and a new resource releasing this month underscores that. Raising Boys and Girls: The Art of Understanding Their Differences, a book and DVD resource written by counselors Melissa Trevathan, Sissy Goff, and David Thomas, provides a six-week group journey through parenting, walking parents through every stage of child development.
By focusing on the differences in boys and girls and how they mature at different paces, Raising Boys and Girls offers a comprehensive look at parenting, whether you’re shuttling to and from a preschool or a high school. And though the content is divided among four different age groups, the book offers several universal takeaways, regardless of the stage of parenting you’re in.
1. God chose you as a parent. Parenting out of fear is common. There is so much to know and do, and your children are constantly changing as the world around them expands.
But parenting should come with a sense of hope: God has specifically called you to be the parent of your child. What matters most, in the midst of all the things your kids need and experience and mess up and explore is not that you cross the items off a list, but that you offer a quality relationship to your son or daughter.
2. Parenting stirs us to love. Parenting recalls every emotion and fear that is a part of you. But being afraid of who you’re not as a parent can often prevent you from being who you can be as a parent. As God has demonstrated His love for us, so too should that love stir us to love as well—especially in our children.
3. Boys and girls grow differently as they grow older. Girls and boys are different. As they each mature from the “explorer” and “discovery” years (ages birth-5), into the “adventurous” and “lover” years (ages 5-10) and into the “narcissistic” and “individual” years (ages 9-14), their differences become accelerated.
While boys seek to understand themselves and engage in the world around them, they want and trust you to help guide them in the process. Girls take this adventurousness and run with it—often, it feels like, running as far away as possible from you and from who they were just a few short years ago.
They learn differently, they relate differently, and they develop differently. But it’s all part of God’s design and His plan to make your son or daughter into who He has uniquely called them to be.
4. God redeems. You’re not going to get it right all the time. You will fail.
But we serve a God who redeems. He redeems every failure you’ve had or will have as a parent. His love takes the place of fear, and that is enough to hang your hope on. You can raise your boys and girls out of love, not fear, through and because of Jesus.
For information on ordering Raising Boys and Girls, visit LifeWay.com. Scott Latta is a writer and editor living in Nashville, Tennessee, and the production editor of Living with Teenagers magazine.
Jessie Weaver-
October 5, 2011-
We are proud to have Dr. Linda Mintle in ParentLife each month answering questions submitted from readers. To submit a question for Dr. Mintle, e-mail it to parentlife@lifeway.com and include "? for Dr. Mintle" on the subject line. This month we have an extra Q&A from Dr. Mintle we wanted to share.
Q: I want to breastfeed my infant but there is no place for me to pump at my workplace. Is it worth the effort because it is a hassle? I have to go in the bathroom that is not really equipped to handle pumping. I want to talk to my employer but wonder if he will be sympathetic or look at this as a problem. Any suggestions?
A: Pediatricians recommend breastfeeding infants for at least the first year of life. The benefits to your child are worth the effort — lowered risk of infections, illness, and obesity. The benefits to you include a faster recovery from pregnancy and a lowered risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, and obesity.
There are several programs around the country now designed to educate businesses about the value of supporting breastfeeding moms in the workplace. Businesses may need to make a few changes to support women and often need education on how to do this. However, the changes are usually low in terms of cost and the benefits to the employer include lower health-care costs, absenteeism, and turnover rates as well as higher employee productivity and morale.
Breastfeeding an infant is a win for all parties. When talking to an employer, focus on the bottom line of cost effectiveness; don’t be defensive or demanding. Educate the employer on how this can help the business save money. Begin by talking to other moms at work and see if there is support for introducing such an initiative to your employer. As a group, you may want to present the benefits and ask about private areas where you can express milk. If you have a wellness program or human resources officer, ask him about this issue. If there is interest, a free kit can be ordered from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA). The kit includes a brochure explaining why businesses should support moms, some easy steps to implement, and an employee’s guide.
Given the cost of health care, breastfeeding is one of the free initiatives a business can support that lowers health risks for the baby and mom. So yes, it is worth the effort.
Jessie Weaver-
October 4, 2011-
Amy Hollingsworth and I have many things in common, as far as I can tell from the first chapter of her book. We both loved Mr. Rogers (only he was her mentor and I only knew him from my stool in front of the television). We both have connections to Mary Washington University (she as a professor; my sister graduated from there). We each have a daughter and a son. We both have an intense love for the foreign film Babette's Feast. And we both see ourselves as creative souls.
Only Amy wrote a book about it.
Holy Curiosity is Hollingsworth's third work of nonfiction, and one that's been highly acclaimed. The subtitle says it all: Cultivating the Creative Spirit in Everyday Life.
On the verge of her first teaching on creativity, Hollingsworth is given a dream that speaks to her. She believed she was missing something, a key to creativity. And she found it in a short Bible passage. This book explores her lessons.
With an introduction and first chapter that include Babette's Feast, a high-school English class, Steinbeck, and how her children ignite poetry, I want to get my hands on the rest of this tome and dig in.
"You know that best afternoon ever, with the rain outside, and the comfy chair inside, and the good book --a glorious, quiet revelation of a book--and the family dog sleeping at your feet? This is that book. You'll have to bring your own dog." --Sean Herriott, host of national radio program 'Morning Air' on Relevant Radio
If you're as eager as I am to read Amy's book, you're in luck! We have five copies to give away in October. To enter, just answer the following question in the comments:
What's your creative outlet?
Winners will be selected by random October 31, 2011. USA only. LifeWay employees are not eligible to win.
Jessie Weaver-
October 3, 2011-
The two winners of I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp are:
Amr Taher and Chris Spradlin
Congratulations! We'll be in touch for your mailing information. And thank you for commenting.
