No Greater Joy

This is the link to the company that sells the book “To Train Up a Child” I mentioned yesterday. The authors are ministers and parents of five grown children (I have lost count of how many grandchildren, LOL). Mrs. Pearl has written an excellent book on a woman’s role in the world, especially marriage. It has saved many marriages. I recommend their products so much our church now sells them in our store (www.breadoflife.com/store/store.html).

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/

Stake those tomatoes

Today I am posting one of my two favorite resources about child rearing. My other favorite is Michael Pearl’s To Train up a Child.

This is called Raising Godly Tomatoes. How can one tomato be more godly than another? Actually, the team refers to the author’s child rearing method of “tomato staking” her children. When you grow tomatoes you tie them close to a stake so they will grow up right. The stake keeps them from getting wild. So to “tomato stake a child you “tie” (not literally) them to your hip, keep them with you at all times, so you can catch any misbehavior immediately and correct it. The method does work.

Unfortunately, many parents, even when home with there children all day, have no idea what those children are up to. If you are with them constantly (tomato stacked) you can see bad attitudes and habits begin and stop them before they become ingrained. It really is the best way to insure you have likable children when they are grown.

This woman has a great deal of other advise that is very good and worth the time to read.

http://www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com/index.html

Midwives and books

Midwife says I am definitely diabetic, though most likely gestational. I have already changed my eating and seen a difference in baby’s behavior and how I feel. We are confident that we are still early enough to reverse and potential damage. Little one is active and his heart rate is now normal.

Children have gotten out all the costumes and dress-up clothes. It makes the house a mess, but is keeping them entertained while I get some writing done.

Speaking of writing, my Proverbs 31 book, “Rubies, Silk and Chocolate Covered Peanuts” is done except for the cover picture. I hope to get it printed before Christmas. I write much faster and better while prego, especially this last month. I am hoping to have the health book done by baby time or soon after. Than I can concentrate on the relations book (still unnamed).

Broken arms

Well let’s see…my four year old broke her arm two weeks ago Thursday. She cried very little and has asked for very little pain medicine. She didn’t even flinch when they put the needle in for the anesthetic. She cried a little after they reset it (she was almost “under” but not quite. It is safer to keep the patient just barely awake, though disoriented.) They just put a splint on for the first week to make sure all the swelling was gone. She got her real cast Friday. It is bright yellow, her favorite color. It is the first yellow one the doctor has ever put on. The x-ray showed very little crack.

How did I know it was broke? Arms aren’t supposed to bend there!
God is so good! Not only has He kept my baby from hurting much, He told the one due in October to turn breech the night before it all happened. Why is this a good thing? When you have had seven babies, they settle pretty low in the pelvis and it hurts. If I had spent four hours in the hospital with a head down baby standing and sitting in uncomfortable chairs, they would have needed a wheelchair to get me out the door. Because he was breech I not only was not in pain and was walking, I could still take care of her when we got home. Baby turned back vertex Monday (and the pain returned).

All about me

Hmmm, I have realized that I have never really told you about myself, so here goes…
I was raised by my parents who pastored our church in a very populated/big city state for twenty-four years. I met the love of my life in high school and we married shortly after graduation. That was twenty-one years ago. We now have eight children: 15yo girl, 12yo boy, 9yo boy, 8yo boy, 6yo girl, 4yo girl, 3yo girl and one due in October (no, we don’t know what we are having.) The first four were born in a hospital in that big city and the last three were born at home with a midwife.
My parents are now pastoring a new work here in this small town/rural area. My hubby is the assistant pastor. He also works full time in the construction industry.
We have homeschooled from the start. I found out about it when my oldest was a baby and spent a lot of time studying it before she was school age. I am totally convinced it is the only way to go.
Our school is an eclectic, one-room school house type. We do the “content” subjects together. These are the subjects that it doesn’t really matter what order you do them in. for example; you can learn American history before ancient history if you want and no bad things will happen. These subjects are Bible, history, science, and some small special studies we have done.
“skill subjects” are ones that have to be learned in order. For example, you have to know how to add before you can multiply. You have to know your ABC’s before you can read Shakespeare. These I assign to each child independently. They do their work alone and I check it later.
This gives us time together and teaches independence at the same time. It works for usJ
Personally, I feel what I am doing now is the most important thing I will ever do with my life. But God put a time limit on a woman’s child bearing years and gives us a time afterward to do other things.
I will probably be starting herbalist school in the spring and in a couple of years when I am not needed at home so much I will train to be a midwife.
The herb school I will enroll in is run by Shonda Parker, a Christian herbalist. It is a correspondence school, so it will not interfere with my family. I am really looking forward to it.
I am now officially on maternity leave from Worship leader in our church. Hubby wants this to be a long one; possibly permanent. I will still do the children’s lesson in the morning service until baby is born. Then I think I will have my two older children do it. They need the skill of public speaking and I can’t think of a better way to get it for them.

the page for the herb school I am considering. http://www.naturallyhealthy.org/courseFAQ.htm

Here is a good article on modern birth inductions. Like, God forgot to tell a woman's body how to go into labor by itself! http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_preparation/inducing.html