Things from My Past

My mother has been cleaning out her closets again, and the other day, she brought over some things of mine that she found. One was this picture. It was taken when I was eighteen and at the pinnacle of my riding ability. My horse was a very green Thoroughbred that I had trained. You cannot quite tell how big that jump was, but it was four feet, seven inches tall. We were riding in a gymkhana (basically, games on horseback), and I won this competition by jumping the highest jump. Boy, was I proud of my horse!

Some other things that my mother found were replies to my wedding invitations. We sent out formal wedding invitations, but we did not include RSVP's. Our church was big so we were not worried about not having enough room, and everyone was invited to the reception. We didn't care how many people were at the reception. We prepared the food we thought we needed, but if we ran out, oh, well. (I don't think we did, though.) Anyway, I can't believe that people responded; it doesn't even cross my mind to RSVP for a wedding unless they include something to mail back. And several people send formal replies. I think it's pretty neat! The funniest one, though, was the pastor who married us. He was not the pastor of our church at that time, but I grew up under his teaching so I wanted him to marry us. His wife sent a very polite and formal reply that they would be there...which I think is funny since we had already had our marriage counseling with him!

It's amazing what kind of things we can find "hidden" in our closets!

Tuesday's Tip: Getting Your Prescription Filled

As I thought about this week's tip, I figured I would write about something I know a little bit about. For those of you who don't know (because I don't write about it very often), I work one weekend a month as a pharmacist. The remaining days, I stay at home and take care of my children and husband and home. I worked this past weekend which is why I'm even thinking about it now.

I have written about this subject before, but it has been quite awhile, and I think (hope!) I have some new readers, so it should be worth revisiting.

How to make your visit to the pharmacy as painless as possible:

• don't go on Monday. For some reason, it's always busier on Monday.
• don't go on the first. For insurance reasons, it's always busiest on the first.
• stay away if the first falls on a Monday. I wish you luck if you absolutely need a prescription filled on these days.
• if it's a refill, call it in ahead of time. Even better, use the automated refill line. (We love it when people use this.)
• visit the pharmacy first. Just in case, there is a problem with your prescription, you don't want to have to wait for it while your ice cream melts. It's much better to shop while you wait.

Things pharmacy staff would like for you to know:

• if you have insurance, it sets the prices. Please don't yell at us; we have nothing to do with how much your medicine costs.
• ditto with prior authorization. We know how frustrating it is; we really do.
• if the pharmacy closes for lunch at 1:30, please don't show up at 1:31 expecting your prescription. We only get half an hour for lunch, and we need it.

It's a stressful job that we have, making sure that the correct person gets the correct medication at the correct dose with the correct instructions, but we try to remember that our patients are people while doing it. We try to be friendly, too.

What do you think we should be aware of?

What's That I Hear?

The other night, as I was watching some television, I heard a strange noise at one of our windows. I just figured it was raining and was thankful for that. (We always seem to need rain here in Georgia.) As I continued to listen, however, I realized that it wasn't rain; it sounded like a bird fluttering his wings against our window. But I caught a quick glimpse and realized it wasn't a bird; rather, it was a bat.

I started to say a quick prayer for the bat, that he would stop beating against my window before he got hurt. Then my conscience pricked me, and I heard that "still, small voice" say, "What about the people of Japan?" Immediately, I thought of Jonah and his sorrow for God having killed "his" vine when he wanted God to destroy the people of Nineveh. Of course, I don't want anything else bad to happen to the Japanese, but I also don't want my heart to become hardened to the disasters that struck them.

As the story of the earthquake and the tsunami that hit Japan dies down, I am afraid that we will forget to pray. The people over there are still hurting, still reeling from what happened. Yes, life goes on...here; in Japan, many people are having to start all over.

Please, please don't forget to pray for the Japanese. Please don't let me forget, either.

Hymn of Praise

Here is another of my favorite hymns. I don't think that we spend enough time on God's holiness which is a shame. Without a proper understanding of God's holiness, we don't see how truly depraved we are. Without seeing how depraved we are, we don't see how desperately we need God's grace. And without God's grace, we are completely and hopelessly lost.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore Thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,

Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,

Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,

Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee

Perfect in pow'r, in love, and purity.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth and sky and sea;

Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

words by Reginald Heber

Not Here Today

I don't really have anything for you today, at least, at this blog. But I do have a couple of funny stories to share over at my other blog, Nikki's Newsworthy Notes, if you're interested.

Fairy Tales vs. Real Life OR Fairy Tales Demonstrating Real Life

Last week, Glenn Beck talked about fairy tales, specifically the Three Little Pigs. In Grimm's Fairy Tales, it's a macabre tale with the wolf eating two of the pigs (the fat, lazy one and his fiddling brother). When he is unable to blow down the house of the last, industrious pig, the wolf comes down the chimney, only to be boiled alive in a pot of water, apparently to be eaten by the third pig. Grisly, isn't it?

In the storybook that we have for our children, the first two pigs, who are lazy and use poor building materials, get away from the wolf and run to their brother's house which is made of bricks. The wolf tries to blow his house down but is thwarted by the sturdy construction of the house. Then the third pig then plays some tricks on the wolf showing how foolish the wolf is.

Beck's point was that we have dumbed down these stories. We are afraid of scaring our children, so we take out the parts that might make them afraid. The thing is, though, doing that leads our children to believe that real life doesn't have anything bad and scary in it. And it does.

At what point do we tell our children the truth: that there is a Big, Bad Wolf, and he wants to eat us? I've visited this idea before with regards to Bible stories, and I wanted to discuss it again. My oldest child is not yet five, and I won't play Disney's Beauty and the Beast for her because of the scene when the townsfolk storm the castle; it would terrify her. But bad things do happen in this world, and children are not protected from them just because they are children. Just at what happened in Japan: a lot of children died, and a lot of children lost their parents. They have experienced things that children shouldn't...but we live in a fallen world.

I think there is a fine line for us parents to walk in this regard. Our children need to know that there are bad people and that bad things happen, but I think we need to be careful how much detail we give them. And I think the information that we share needs to be child-specific. What Sarah Beth cannot handle, maybe Daniel can....when he reaches her age.

What do you think?

The Understanding of a Child

Sunday, as I helped Daniel put his socks on for church, we had this conversation.

Me: It's hard getting these socks on, isn't it?

Daniel: When you walk in water, you have to have pig feet.

Me: (thinking What? What do you mean? Walking in water? Where did that come from?) Pig feet? Do you mean big feet? (Which still doesn't make sense.)

Sarah Beth: When you walk in water, you have to have bare [bear] feet.

Then it all became clear. While John washed his car on Saturday, he let the children play in the puddles he created, but he insisted that they take their shoes off, hence the bare, or bear, feet.

Do your children surprise you and make you scratch your head in confusion like this? It reminds me of a conversation with Sarah Beth that I had years ago about goldfish and cookies....

Tuesday's Tips: Grocery Shopping

I thought I would revisit Tuesday's Tips, although I may not have something for you every week. Maybe you'll learn something new from me, and I hope that I'll learn something from you.

Yesterday, I had to do the grocery shopping with all three children which I don't usually do because I go at night after their bedtime. I wanted the trip to be as quick and efficient as possible so I implemented these tricks:

1. I only bought what we needed. Thanks to stocking up as the sales and our budget permits, we don't need much this week.
2. I wrote my list based on where everything is in the store. I always shop at the same store, so I have learned where everything is. I know exactly what is on aisle one or two or three or..., and I make my list accordingly. Here is my list from yesterday.

As you can see, I was able to completely skip aisles three, four, and eight (among others). Having the list written down in order and according to what aisles everything is on makes the shopping trip so much easier. When John did the grocery shopping for me after Rachel was born (for three months! Isn't he great?!), he really appreciated my doing that for him as well. As you can see, I also write down the sales that I plan to take advantage of in case I forget.

How do you make your grocery list?

Praying for the Japanese

It seems that the only thing in the news these days about Japan is the Fukushima reactor. But there are families who have lost loved ones. There are families who don't know if their loved ones are alive or not. There are families who have simply ceased to exist. Let's not forget about the loss and sorrow the Japanese are experiencing these days as a result of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Let's keep praying that God would use the church in Japan to bring about His will through this devastation, and that He would be glorified through it all.

Hymn of Praise

This hymn is another one of my favorites. In fact, we sung it at our wedding, and it will always be dear to me for that reason.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains high soaring above

Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

Great Father of Glory, pure Father of Light,

Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;

All praise we would render; O help us to see

'Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee!

words by Walter Chalmers Smith

Finished Object Friday

Since yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, I thought we would celebrate by making cupcakes, green ones to be exact. At first I planned just to make plain, ole white ones with either a buttercream or a cream cheese icing, and then dye them green with food coloring. But I wondered why we couldn't make chocolate cupcakes with green icing? Suddenly, I had an inspiration. Do you remember the cake I made for my birthday two years ago? No, I'm sure you don't because you didn't have a piece. Well, in between the two layers of cake is a peppermint filling, and I decided to use that for the icing for my cupcakes, dyed green, of course. I wasn't sure how it would work since the icing was actually pink from the crushed peppermints in it (can you see them in the picture?), but it did! And, boy, do they taste good! Chocolate cupcakes with peppermint frosting. Yum! (I wish I had pictures of Sarah Beth and Daniel licking the beater; they had chocolate and frosting all over their faces!)

In case you're wondering about the recipes, I used the recipe for the red velvet cupcakes out of Anne Byrn's Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor (omitting the red food coloring and using chocolate pudding instead of vanilla) and the peppermint frosting came out of her book The Cake Mix Doctor.

To see more projects, or to add your own to Finished Object Friday, head over to Fresh from the Chari Tree.

What to do with Idle Hands?

I've got a little problem I thought I would ask your opinion about: Daniel's idle hands, specifically at the dinner table. Oftentimes, Daniel finishes eating before John and I do, so we make him sit there until one of us finishes and can wipe his hands off, etc. During that five minutes (or less), he cannot keep from playing with things: his cup (the last few drops fall on the floor), his plate (the crumbs fall on the floor), and/or his fork. If we tell him not to play with those things, then he reaches over and grabs me...which I don't want him to do because his hands are dirty since he uses them to eat.

Do you have any suggestions? I understand that he is a little boy and definitely his father's son, so I don't want to try to change that. But if you have this "problem," too, and have come up with a solution, I would appreciate hearing it. What can I do to occupy those little hands?

What's Rachel up to These Days?

The other day, I heard Rachel fussing in the office/spare bedroom, and this is what I found. Does this picture remind you of anything? Like maybe the wicked witch of the east?

Poor thing! I can't believe her mother left her in this position just so she could take a picture!

This is Rachel's standard pose. It looks like she is about to stand up, but she never has. She sits like this a lot.

Book Review: Curiosities of the Civil War by Webb Garrison

The title of this book by Webb Garrison Curiosities of the Civil War: Strange Stories, Infamous Characters and Bizarre Events says it all. This book is an amalgamation of quick stories and notes relating events that transpired during the War Between the States.

This book was not quite what I expected. I expected each anecdote to be a page or two long, enough to whet my appetite for more, but also making for an interesting read. In fact, each snippet is just a paragraph or two long which makes this book choppy in its reading. The stories are interesting, just a little short. And there is little cohesion between the different ones. However, there is a lot of information in this book that you are unlikely to get anywhere else. I recommend this book to someone who is looking for some little known facts about this war as opposed to someone wanting to read an account of the war.

I want to thank BookSneeze for sending me a copy of this book to review, but my opinions are my own.

This Week's Celebrations!

Did you know that today is Pi Day? Do you even know what I mean? The Greek letter pi? 3.14? I know that I'm a math nerd. *Sigh*

I figure the best way to celebrate Pi Day is with round objects. And the best way to celebrate is always with food, isn't it? So, to commemorate Pi Day, we're having pancakes for breakfast, hot dogs for lunch, and Ham and Spinach Pie for supper. I was going to make a Key Lime Pie (John's favorite) for dessert, but we're having one of his friends from college over Tuesday night, so I thought we'd leave the pie until then.

What are your thoughts about Pi Day? Do you think I'm just a big nerd? Or will you be celebrating, too?

Speaking of holidays, Saint Patrick's Day is coming up. How will you celebrate it? Sarah Beth and I start the day off with a trip to the dentist. She's looking forward to showing off her new teeth (yes, there are two now). Afterwards, we're going to make green cupcakes. I just need an excuse (not even a good one) to make cupcakes. Yum!

What are you celebrating this week? What fun things do you have planned? If you need some suggestions, Jessica at Life as Mom has a few here.

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

"Great is Thy faithfulness," O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; as Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

"Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see: All I have needed Thy hand hath provided - "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

"Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see: All I have needed Thy hand hath provided - "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

"Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!" Morning by morning new mercies I see: All I have needed Thy hand hath provided - "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

words by Thomas O. Chisholm

Links of Interest

Here are some more links you might find interesting:

• Jessica at Life as Mom has a great article about how worrying isn't worth a thing. I'm a worrier by nature, so this really hit home for me.
• Sara at Happy Brown House lists ten ways to encourage a house-bound friend. Since I've got one right now (a house-bound friend), I need to look more closely at these suggestions.
• Dawn at One Faithful Mom wrote about knowing what time it is. "Is it time to rock the baby for just a little while longer? Is it time to read a big stack of books to your little boy or girl, and let the dishes wait for a bit? Is it time to listen to your 8 yr old's long involved dream from last night, and change the laundry over when he's done?"

Have you read anything interesting this week? Please share!

Booking It: March Edition II

I didn't read as much this month as I did in February. Since my goal is only to read two books a month, I was able accomplish that.

• I started Joy Unspeakable: Power and Renewal in the Holy Spirit by Martyn Lloyd-Jones but had theological questions about the main premise of this book. After consulting my theological expert (my father), I decided not to finish this book. The main idea behind this book (as far as I can tell since I only read through page 72) is that baptism with the Holy Spirit occurs at a different time than regeneration. Yes, all Christians have the Holy Spirit inside of them, but not everyone has been baptized with Him. If you have a different conclusion or thought about this book, I would love to hear it. I did enjoy Lloyd-Jones' writing style, and I know that he is a great teacher, so I will probably read more of his works.
• When I read Flight of Shadows last year (not realizing it was a sequel), I knew that I had to read Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer. I was not disappointed. This book takes place in the near future, but our world has been transformed into something almost unrecognizable. Appalachia has seceded from the United States and formed a religious government based loosely on the Bible; but in actuality, this government is a dictatorship, ruling by fear and ignorance. Caitlynn and her father are on the run from a bounty hunter, but Caitlynn doesn't understand why. All she knows is that her father has lied to her for her entire life about where she came from, and she suspects that's why they are being chased. Caitlynn has to learn to deal with the betrayal she feels for her father, and she has to learn to trust others, something she has not done before. I enjoyed this book although the world it portrays is frightening.
• I finished Joy: A Godly Woman's Adornment by Lydia Brownback this month, too. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical because my experience with devotional books like this is that they tend to be shallow. I really expected to read that we should always be joyful, no matter what, and that is the main thought behind the book. However, Brownback takes it deeper and writes more thoroughly about why we should have joy and how to obtain it. If you lack joy, I really recommend this book to you.
• I also read Mansfield Park by Jane Austen as part of the "required" reading. You can read my review here.

Currently, I am reading Hidden in Plain Sight by M.G. Selbrede and The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity by Sally Clarkson which I look forward to reviewing for you next month.

To see what others have been reading, head over to Life as Mom.

Booking It: March Edition I (Mansfield Park)

I decided to join with Jessica at Life as Mom this month as she read Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I love reading Jane Austen, and I forget how much until I read one of her books. I had read this one before, but I knew I would enjoy it again.

For those of you who haven't read this novel, Mansfield Park tells the story of poor Fanny Price who is sent to live with her rich uncle and his family. One of the sons and both daughters are used to doing and getting what they want without regard to others. There is an ill-advised play to be acted out in their home (while the father is away). Both daughters fall for the same man who leads them on without returning their feelings. The older son isn't in the book much because he's off partying and spending money. The second son, the wisest of the bunch, falls in love with a woman whose faults he cannot see. Meanwhile, Fanny quietly does the right thing and tries to advise the others to do the same. When things fall apart in the family, Fanny is there to help pick up the pieces.

I have to admit that Fanny is not my favorite Austen heroine. She comes across as weak and insipid, even though she really doesn't have any other choice. As I think about it, however, none of Austen's heroines are perfect: Lizzy is too strong-willed and independent; Eleanor is too, well, prudent; Emma is a busybody; and Anne allowed herself to be persuaded against a suitable match. Since none of us in the real world are perfect, either, I guess that's not such a bad thing. (I read a book once that had perfect people in it, and it wasn't any fun to read.)

I really enjoyed the humor and sarcasm in this book. Here is an example:

To the education of her daughters, Lady Bertram paid not the smallest attention. She had not time for such cares. She was a woman who spent her days in sitting nicely dressed on a sofa, doing some long piece of needlework.... Had she possessed greater leisure for the service of her girls, she would probably have supposed it unnecessary, for they were under the care of a governess, with proper masters, and could want nothing more.

And the many descriptions of the character's aggravation with others' selfishness while not noticing their own made me laugh. Portraying the hypocrisy of the upper class is one of the best parts of Austen's books.

If you haven't read anything by Jane Austen, I encourage you to pick one of her books up. If you don't care for Austen, well, I think something is wrong with you! (Just kidding! To each his own!)

To see what others have to say about Mansfield Park, head over to Life as Mom.

Being my Children's Friend?

I'm reading The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity by Sally Clarkson right now as part of my reading list for the year. It contains tons of great information, and I'm learning a lot. I just have one problem with the author: she keeps saying how her children are her best friends. When she wrote this book, three of her children were teenagers, and the fourth was younger. Best friends? Every time I read those words, I feel like I do when I hear fingernails on a chalkboard.

To me, best friends are people that you can confide in, good times and bad. They are people whom you consider to be your equals. My children cannot understand what I'm going through because they are children and have little to no life experience, so I cannot confide in them. My children are not my equals because they are children. They are younger and have less experience, and more importantly, they are under my authority.

I do hope one day to be good friends with my children, but that day is a long time from now. I don't expect to be "friends" with them until they no longer live under my roof, under my authority.

What do you think? Do you want to be your children's friend? Now?

What do you Think About Outrageous Kids' Parties?

Last night, I watched about ten minutes of Outrageous Kids' Parties on TLC. I don't usually watch shows like this, but I was trying to finish a row on the blanket I'm crocheting. This little girl who was about to turn eight years old was having a rock star party which was going to cost her parents $10-12,000. Can you believe it? The child was obviously spoiled, and one of the many sad things about her was that she talked like Daniel who is only three. She was excited to be having a "wock staw pawty." (I think the parents should have spent the money on speech therapy.)

While there are obviously a lot of problems in this family, I don't want to try to comment on them especially since I didn't even watch the whole show. But I feel sorry for this little girl. She talks like a preschooler, and that should have been corrected years ago. The poor thing thinks the world revolves around her because her mother orchestrates the family's affairs around her and "her moods." She is learning that she is more important than everyone else because her mother didn't have elaborate parties like this for her brother. She is being taught that money buys happiness...or maybe she's learning that it doesn't.

I don't know the family, and I only know a little about them from the few minutes I saw of this show, but I am certain that my children are happier than this little girl. We don't have elaborate parties for them, usually just my parents come over. But our children know that their parents love them and spend time with them. They are learning that the world does not revolve around them. We're still working on the issue of importance, but I think they will learn that they're not any more important than anyone else. And if Daniel's speech doesn't improve, we'll be doing speech therapy for him.

In short, I feel sorry for this little girl because when she grows up, she will have hard lessons to learn. The world will not revolve around her, and it doesn't matter what Mommy says, she is not any better than anyone else. It will be very hard for her to be a productive member of society which is what we're trying very hard to teach our children. It will blow her little mind when she gets her first job, and her boss doesn't care what she thinks and expects her to be there on time and do her job. It will be a rude awakening, and it will not be her fault.

Have you seen or heard about this show? What do you think?

What Kind of Little Old Lady Will You Be?

I had an interesting conversation with my mother the other day. We have discussed this topic before -- how you seem to become more yourself as you get older. It's almost like you lose some of your inhibitions. Let me see if I can explain this better. You know how sweet little old ladies just seem to get sweeter as they age? Or how crochety old ladies just get, well, more crochety? That's the kind of thing I mean.

While there are all sorts of reasons to be kind and considerate of others (like pleasing my Savior), here is one more: I want to be a sweet little old lady. Since I won't be able to change who I am once I get old (when do you "get old" anyway?), I need to practice now. You don't just decide one day that you're going to be a sweet little old lady; apparently, it takes years of practice. It's time to start!

Have you given this idea thought before? Have you noticed this feature about old people? Do you think my mother and I are on to something, or do you think we're nuts? What really do you think?

I Was a Wand'ring Sheep

This hymn is one of my favorites. While I haven't actually sung it in many years, I still love it. Apparently, it's not a popular and familiar hymn. The pastor that introduced it to my church retired, and we haven't sung it since. One day, I'll sing it again. One day.

I was a wand'ring sheep, I did not love the fold;

I did not love my Shepherd's voice, I would not be controlled.

I was a wayward child, I did not love my home;

I did not love my Father's voice, I loved afar to roam.

The Shepherd sought His sheep, the Father sought His child;

They followed me o'er vale and hill, o'er desserts waste and wild;

They found me nigh to death, Famished and faint and lone;

They found me with the bands of love, They saved the wand'ring one.

Jesus my Shepherd is; 'twas He that loved my soul,

Twas He that washed me in His blood, 'twas He that made me whole;

'Twas He that sought the lost, that found the wand'ring sheep,

'Twas He that brought me to the fold, 'tis He that still doth keep.

I was a wand'ring sheep, I would not be controlled;

But now I love my Shepherd's voice, I love, I love the fold.

I was a wayward child, I once preferred to roam;

But now I love my Father's voice, I love, I love His home.

*words by Horatius Bonar

Do you know this hymn? Do you sing it in your church? If so, let me know when and where so I can come visit!

Giveaway

For those of you who crochet (or knit, I suppose) there is a giveaway at Notes from a Crazy Mothering Chick that you might be interested in. You need to hurry over there because it ends today! I'm sorry about the late notice, but I just found out about it myself!

While you're there, check out some of the neat things she has crocheted.g

Sarah Beth's First Rite of Passage

This morning when I started brushing Sarah Beth's teeth, I had quite a surprise. There was another tooth in her mouth, right behind her baby teeth. Of course, once I realized what it was, I knew it was a permanent tooth coming in. I wondered why John hadn't seen it last night when he brushed her teeth, but I hadn't seen it, either, when I brushed her teeth yesterday morning. It must have popped through during the night. And of course, that's when I discovered that the corresponding baby tooth was loose.

I finished brushing Sarah Beth's teeth, then we sat down to have a talk. While we have talked a little bit about baby teeth coming out and being replaced with adult teeth, I knew there was more that I needed to say. She used to say that she didn't want to turn six because that's when she (and we!) thought her teeth would start falling out. I explained how her baby teeth needed to come out to make room for her adult teeth. Then I told her all about the Tooth Fairy. Since she has been a little fearful about losing her teeth, I tried to make it sound as exciting and fun as I could.

Poor thing! She wasn't ready for this! I wasn't ready for this! But she's doing better than I am. I feel like this is our first "rite of passage," and oh boy! we were not ready for it.

How did you feel when your child lost his first tooth? What did you do to help him through the process? What should I not do?

Now I need to go buy some apples and carrots to help that rascally baby tooth come out!

New Year's Goals: February Review

It's the beginning of March which means that it's time to see how well I did in keeping my goals for this year during February.

• Homeschooling. I'm not doing very well at consistently sitting down with Sarah Beth to work on reading. However, since she is just four, I've decided to cut myself some slack.
• Potty training Daniel. Success!
• Rachel walking. We're taking our time on this one, although she is getting ready.
• Being a better wife. I'm still working on that one.
• Finding a hobby for John and me to do together. I've got an idea, but I need to work things out. I'll keep you informed.
• Memorizing Scripture with the children. They're doing great...when I remember to work with them.
• Reading two books a month. Check!
• Hospitality. We're getting back into the groove with that.
• Baby blankets. I think I've only made one for our church's blanket ministry so far this year, but I've got plenty of time for the other five.
• John's blanket is done!
• With the weather warming up, I guess it's time to start thinking about walking again. *Sigh*
• Cleaning. Still working on it getting some kind of schedule.

How are you doing with your New Year's goals?