My Favorite Parenting Book

Finally, I thought I would write another blog entry. I have so many ideas for writing floating the back of my head but alas, I am not the best at executing them. This one I have wanted to write about for a very long time. I am just not good at writing about why I like a book. But I will give it a shot.

I have read countless parenting books - probably 20, or more. Yes, really, that many! I will list some of the other ones I like at the end of this post. However, my all time favorite parenting book, the one I go back to more than any other to glean from its time-tested wisdom, spiritual motivation and general encouragement is...

The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot

As I may have mentioned before in a previous blog, there is a distinct reason why gave David the middle name Elliot. The life of Jim Elliot, the martyr missionary to the Auca Indians in Ecuador and his wife before his death, Elisabeth have had more influence on my spiritual life as a whole than any other even more than John Piper and David Platt!  I have read more of her books than any other author. Her words are encouraging, challenging, exhorting, frank and yet true, obedient and helpful. So, I was so excited to learn that she had written a book about Christian parenting! I found out about this book and read it probably in 2008, 2 years before I became a parent and have since given away numerous copies, loaned mine out often and had to by new ones for myself. The current copy I have has tons of underlining, stars and about 20 dog-eared pages.

So why do I like the book over all other parenting books? Well, this is an autobiography of Elisabeth's childhood as well as the childhood of her mother and father. I love learning from biographies and autobiographies. So I think she wrote the book as a means to show a model for others what a Christian family looks like. You see a mother and father who were devoted to Lord and lived it out and you see parents and children who were not perfect but whose home was one of peace, laughter, tenderness, encouragement and love, just what I want for my family. She covers all kinds of topics and gives examples of how those things were lived out in her family - everything from family devotions, mealtime behavior, common courtesies, discipline, the role of husband and wife, mother and father, work and play, the Sabbath, schedules and routines, good habits, the training of infants and young children, preparing for new babies, leisure/vacation time, etc, etc, etc at a time when there was no tv, her mother had no dishwasher or washing machine, no tupperware, squeezies (the greatest modern invention getting children to eat their vegetables!), etc. Furthermore, it is full of beautiful, quotable gems that Elisabeth Elliot is so good at writing. And, because it is all written in the context of her family (her and 5 siblings) it makes it so much easier to comprehend how to implement her ideas into my family. It is rich with spiritual encouragement and old-fashioned parenting wisdom that our country has all but forgotten.

I have read this book so many times I've lost count. I just picked it up again over the weekend after not reading it for a while. I just can't get enough of it! Read it for yourself and find out.

So here are some other good parenting books that I like too although they don't quite measure up to The Shaping of a Christian Family. Most are probably ones that you might not have heard of. I always like to go off the beaten path! :) The first three are recommended by Elisabeth Elliot in the back of her book.  That is how I came across those.

Hints on Child Training - Henry Clay Trumbull (Elisabeth's grandfather, first published 1891)

My First 300 Babies - Gladys West Hendrick

The Mother at Home - John S.C. Abbott (Free on the Kindle, first published 1833)

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Ted Tripp

For the Family's Sake - Susan Schaeffer Macauley (daughter of Francis Schaeffer)

The Mission of Motherhood - Sally Clarkson

Parenting By the Book - John Rosemond


All of the above are Christian in nature and subject however, I have two that I love that are secular and about the... French parenting methods! They are fun to read and revealing about our American culture of consumerism, instant gratification and over-indulgence.

French Kids Eat Everything - Karen Le Billon

French Twist: An American Mom's Experiment in Parisian Parenting - Catherine Crawford (this one is hilarious but is occasionally crass).

The next parenting book waiting in the quay is Duties of Parents by J.C. Ryle quoted often by Elliot, and another oldie. :)

Wesley's Three!!!

Wesley enjoying the snow!

Finally, I'm writing about our dear Wesley! I've been meaning for months to write but the time just gets away! Wes is at such a fun age! He's really talking well and he loves to talk! He comes out with the funniest things! One of the funniest lately was "pankytoes" - this is how he says pantyhose. I laughed so hard when he said this! It was so cute. He asks about everything and he never forgets what you tell him. He doesn't miss anything! 

Lately Wes is really into several fun things. He loves to pretend that he's a cat, pretending to lick and meow and curl up like a cat. He's also into owls. He is fascinated by them but I think he is kind of afraid of them too. We've read lots of books about owls. His favorites are Owls by Gail Gibbons and Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. During the day Wes often says we need to be quiet because the owls are sleeping. He can even recognize several different kinds of owls in pictures like the Great Horned Owl and the Snowy Owl. He really likes the owls with the heart-shaped faces like the Barn Owl. (By the way, he calls all heart-shaped things "happy tarts." This comes from us trying to teach him to have a happy heart and us praying together to Jesus for each of us to have a happy heart when we are having a hard day.

His birth mom recently had a baby girl named Annie. We've been able to visit her a couple of times and now he loves babies and calls most of them we meet "baby Annie." He has a set of nesting dolls that I pulled down for him from one of my trips to Belarus years ago. It has seven nesting dolls and he loves to put all the pieces together. It also has a tiny baby in the very middle that he loves and gets quite upset when it is misplaced, which, given its size, has been quite often. Miraculously we've been able to find it every time, even after several days!

Wes with Baby Annie

Wes also likes to serve us pretend food, especially cookies and ice cream. He makes cookies out of his blocks and the other day he asked me if I'd like a lick of ice cream from the top of the bedpost! Quite an imagination! Often in the afternoons after nap time we have "tea time" and drink from a real cup and saucer and have fun little snacks. While we are snacking we read, sing songs or say tongue twisters. He loves this! Drinking the tea helps him practice with being more careful with drinking and eating. It is NOT a means to make him less manly!!! 

Another thing Wes has started to do a lot lately is sing. He just suddenly started singing different recognizable songs with the some right words and some made up words. He sings Jesus Loves Me, Hickory Dickory Dock, the ABC song, the theme song to the Cat in The Hat cartoon and others. He also likes to do finger plays. 

Some other things he likes to do are build towers with blocks and boxes, play with all of his trains and cars, play with play do, play games, kick balls, throw balls, run and run and run, ride his tricycle, wrestle with papa, help mamma cook and play with friends. He also loves to play with stickers. He once covered his papa with at least 50 stickers. 

He's learning new responsibilities. He puts his dishes in the dish washer and puts his clothes in the dirty clothes. He also starting to dress himself and is beginning to have an opinion about what he wants to wear. Potty training is going at a snails pace! We've been working on it for 6 months!!!! 

Wes really loves books. Some of his favorites right now are Owl Moon, The Little Engine That Could,  and Caps For Sale. These have been read over and over and over and over again and he can quote them. He loves to walk around with things on his head like the peddler in Caps For Sale. 

So that is all for now. Below are lots of pictures. Because he's been potty training so much, it was difficult to find many pictures of him fully dressed! He usually just wear his undies and a shirt when we are in the house. 

Wes's Birthday cake. This was my first attempt at making such a cake and I had a blast! I wouldn't want to do it everyday though!

Wes enjoying his cake. 

Wes learning how to bowl.

Monkeying around with his Uncle Nathan

Sporting some major nap hair

Wes playing with his Oklahoma friend Lilia

Wes and David playing with the trains. Well, really Wes is playing and trying to keep David from playing. David does have a tendency to destroy Wes's hard work. Those track pieces and trains are just so darn tasty to David. He can't help himself!!! Wes doesn't like that though and makes it quite clear!

Hanging out with Papa and David. 

Uncle Nathan and Aunt April gave Wes a trapeze swing for his birthday. He loves it! This is in our new improved basement play space for really cold, snowy days like this weekend!

One of Wes's favorite birthday gifts, a flat bed truck with an excavator on back. 

Wes riding our friend's 4-wheeler. Yes, it is pink but it belongs to two girls! He had a blast riding this!

Wes with Uncle Joey on top of Stone Mountain in Georgia.

One of Wesley's creations with his cars. He loves to line them up, move them around, have them talk to each other, etc. He was very proud of this!

Our Dear "Little Squeenker" is One!

I just can't believe our David is one year old! Time goes by so fast. It is so hard to believe that this time last year, he was only 6 lbs 11 oz and surprisingly short, given his Papa's genes. However, he grew 2 inches in 2 weeks and has kept up the pace ever since! When he was first born we called him "Grasshopper" from time to time because his legs were so long and skinny. He still has long legs but they are anything but skinny! He has a couple of nicknames in regard to his size like "Gentle Giant" and "Moose". He is already wearing only 18 months clothes and some of those are becoming too small! How is this possible??? His little thighs are so chunky I can hardly get him in some of his pants! So if you wonder why we dress him in rompers in overalls so much, this is why. Rompers and overalls are much roomier in the rump and thigh than a pair of pants!

We call him gentle giant because he really is of the gentle sort. He doesn't get very loud, he moves rather slow, he doesn't pull hair or bite or really make much of a fuss at all unless some other spirited fellow of small stature in our home finds it amusing to take away his toys, bop him on the head or push him over. He smiles a lot and loves doing just about anything. I can leave him playing in his room (to get some time away from brother) for a very long time and I don't hear a peep out of him. He likes to be sung to and likes to cuddle some too.

David loves to get you to imitate him. He makes all kinds of sounds and it is obvious he wants you to copy him. It is so fun. His first word was "hi" and he also says "uh-oh." I think he can also say "mama" and "bear" which sounds like "baa." He also loves to play peak a boo. Some of his other favorite things to do are to empty any kind of container filled with anything. This will keep him busy for a long, long time. And now, he's started to empty things out of one container and put them in another. Today he was simply fascinated with an empty diaper box! He just chattered away at it and crawled in and out of it and put things in it and then took them out. So funny! Lately, the "toys" I see him with the most are some plastic clips that I got for Christmas (that you would use to close up potato chip bags), some wooden stacking rings that he takes with him everywhere, and metal measuring cups.

David is extremely laid back still. He is fine with not holding his bottle and would be just fine with you putting finger food in his mouth so he doesn't have to. He is finally crawling now (he started just 2 days after Christmas at 10 1/2 months) and actually just started pulling up a few days ago. He is just so content with the way things are that it takes him a while to realize he could be doing something else like trying to stand or walk, etc. Of course, I'm not pushing him on this though. When Wes learned how to crawl, he was in to EVERYTHING. I expected as much with David but he really doesn't venture off much and if he does, he's usually slow enough to catch before he gets into something he shouldn't which right now would be the dog water.

Wes really loves his little brother. He calls him "Little Squeenker." I don't know where this came from but I think it is so cute. These two guys really love to laugh together and often it is David who instigates whatever it is they are laughing about by either making funny faces (on purpose), kicking his legs on the floor or crib (Wes likes to climb in with David when I say it is time to get him up), or splashing in the tub (this is one place where David is not quiet and gentle!).

He still loves to sleep. He takes two good naps and sleeps 12 hours at night. He loves his blankie. He has an almost reflex reaction when he sees it and can grab it (usually just in his crib or when reading bedtime stories) - his thumb goes right in his mouth and he nuzzles the blanket with his nose and puts his fingers in the holes. It is really very sweet.

Reading the Bible in a Year

Well, this year I am going to try it again. I have tried numerous times to read the Bible through in a year. Sometimes I start in the middle of a year, sometimes at the beginning, sometimes in the middle of a plan and try to finish (which I actually did better at than starting at the beginning of one and going all the way through). All that said, I don't really know that I've actually made it all the way through the Bible in a whole year. I have read all parts of the Bible, some part much more than others, but doing it in a year has always been a struggle. I get bogged down usually in Job or in the prophets.

So again, all that said, I am trying something new this year. Usually, I pick a plan that takes the reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, or while reading the OT and NT together. However, I came across a plan that has no order to it. You read one book in the OT and one in the NT together but it is really random. Also, I read an article by Noel Piper who explained how she had read through the Bible in that year. She too, of all people!, had trouble getting through the way most plans propose. She picked what she wanted to read next and read it and made it through in a year.

I didn't really want to do the plan that I found. I think I like to make things hard for myself. So, I figured out how many chapters there are in the OT and NT and then decided how to divide those up during the year. Here is what I came up with.

I read one New Testament chapter 5 days a week. I think with this you have time left over at the end of the year to catch up if needed, plus you have 2 days each week to catch up.

I also read 2 or 3 Old Testament chapters 6 days a week, excluding Psalms and Proverbs. Again, I think you finish before the end of year. During the week at breakfast or lunch I try to read a Psalm or a few verses from Proverbs with the boys out of a Reader's Version Bible.

I started out with Hebrews in the New Testament and am now in Revelation. I think I will do a gospel next, maybe John, since he also wrote Revelation. I started the Old Testament with Hosea and have continued on through the minor prophets because these are the ones I've read the least. I've missed a few days but I've been able to catch up for the most part. I haven't yet decided what to read next in the OT. I may read Job.

How do I keep up with it? I write out what I want to read next in my pocket calendar. That way, I just open the calendar and it tells me what to read that day and if I get behind I also have it recorded and know where I should be and what I need to read to catch up. I didn't write it down this way at the beginning and I got a little lost so I came up with this idea. So far it has worked great.

So I just wanted to share this with you in case you are like me and find it difficult to do a plan the conventional way but still desire to really read through the Bible in a year. However, wouldn't necessarily recommend this if you are not familiar with the layout, flow and history through the Bible. Hope it is helpful!

My Dearest Friend!

Today marks 8 years that Eric and I have been married! Time flies so fast! We've had some really great times together - lots of cross country trips, some crazy adventures overseas, many new friends, hiking, biking, reading, and two lovely, precious boys. It has been so fun and challenging at the same time (not because of him, just the things we've been through together).

I was telling someone our "story" the other day and I was reminded again of God's grace poured out in our lives in bringing us together and in working out so many things in our lives. I am so undeserving of this dear fellow and was greatly reminded of that as I was telling my story. God generously saved me from lots of other bad choices and brought Eric to me. I don't even know if Lebanon was where I was supposed to go that year I met him, but God brought much good and happiness from it.

Eric has been my faithful companion and lover all these years and has put up with a lot from this feisty, highly-opinionated, stubborn gal. Isn't it terrible how the worst traits come out when you are with the people you love the most?

Thank you my dearest friend for loving me in spite of all my faults and for all the wonderful times we've had together. I can't wait to see what God will bring next!

101 Posts! Plus Some Funny Stuff

This is my 101st post! I didn't know I had written the 100th post or I would have announced it then instead of at 101! I really love having a blog even though I don't write nearly as much as I used to or would like to. Just so you know, I write about 4 times as many blogs in my head as actually get written! Maybe more. Then I forget about them or when I actually have a minute to write, I don't really want to use the brain capacity to do so. I'd rather read or snooze. Babies and toddlers seem to zap all creative writing ability and wherewithal.

So, now I'm posting something new but it isn't even mine! I've read a lot of other people's blogs lately so I thought I would share them with you in a few blogs. They are all about being moms.

These two are from a blog a friend told me about - she gets a lot of recipes from her blog, and now I do too. This blogger mom of 4 boys is really funny and down to earth. I would love to be able to love cooking like she does. Not that I hate it, but she LOVES it and does is ALL the time. I was just perusing her blog trying to find out more about her than just her recipes. I came upon these two entries. The first one is about being a real mom and what that means. SO encouraging! The second is just hilarious. I laughed so hard I cried! Maybe you won't think it is that funny. I've just done stuff like she describes, very recently - a brain lapse. In fact, the other day one of my friends said thanks to me for an email I had sent (only 2 days before!) and I couldn't for the life of me remember what I had emailed her about. She is the one who had been sick for 1 1/2 weeks, is 20 something weeks pregnant and with 3 girls under 5 who have also been sick! Not me! But I had totally forgotten and had to ask her! How ridiculous and embarrassing!

Hope you enjoy these!

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/will-all-of-the-real-moms-please-stand-up

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/the-story-of-my-sleeves

Book List: 4-5+

Here is a book list for kids 4-5+. You can introduce these before the age of 5 but some of the content might be too mature for them. Use discretion.

+ Indicates that the book is either a Caldecott Honor or Medal Book

The Ugly Duckling; Emperor’s New Clothes (illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton) - Hans Christian Anderson

A House For a Hermit Crab - Eric Carle

Jack’s Garden - Henry Cole

Mrs. Rumphius - Barbara Cooney

+ St. George and the Dragon - Margaret Hodges

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - William Joyce

I Want My Hat Back - Jon Klassen

The Giant Jam Sandwich - John Vernon Lord

Through Grandpa’s Eyes - Patricia MacLachlan

Blueberries for Sal; One Morning in Maine; Lentil - Robert McCloskey

Paperboy - Dav Pilkey

Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak

Amos and Boris; Shreck - William Steig

Morris the Moose - Bernard Wiseman

+ Rapunzel; + Rumpelstiltsken; + Hansel and Gretel - Paul Zelinsky

Through Grandpa’s Eyes - Patricia MacLachlan