Free Magazine for Families

I subscribed to Thriving Family magazine about a year ago and really enjoy it. It's a FREE, bi-monthly magazine put out by Focus on the Family and has relevant articles to help your marriage and parenting.

According to their website, every issue includes:

Inspiring, encouraging and entertaining articles and stories

Practical advice on marriage and parenting

Helpful tools for teaching faith concepts to your children

Parenting tips for every age and stage

• Trusted insights about marriage and parenting
• Guides to navigating the world of entertainment
• And much more...

Focus on the Family also has a monthly magazine for kids, ages 3-7, called Clubhouse Jr. I bought a subscription to it around Christmas for Jacob and his 2 cousins. It's $19.99/year, but they had a special running around Christmas where you could get it for $15 if you were with MOPS. Jacob likes it, and there is also one for older kids. Check them out!
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Four Years Old and Starting School

Jacob turned four years old this summer, and that meant the start of three new things for him last week--preschool, pee wee soccer, and Rainbows (a class every Wednesday night at church). He loves each one, so I hope it continues!

We decided to send Jacob to the local public preschool. It's free, and I've heard good things about the school. We met the teachers last week, and they seem to really love the kids. He only goes for 2 1/2 hours in the mornings, but on days when I can get Lucas to nap for an hour, I feel like a new woman!  And, he gets to do the fun activities that I don't have time to do.

This week, I started letting him ride the bus, and he loves it. It's only about a 10-minute ride, and the prek kids sit in the front. I took him the first week by car but realized I was the only parent who did that and decided to loosen up. One of my girlfriends asked me, "Aren't you a little sad, though, that he's growing up?" I said, "No, I think I'm really going to like this stage." And, I think I will.

One of my mom friends talked me into letting Jacob play pee wee soccer this fall. I now understand why you have to be five years old for most organized sports, but he has a great time running around and learning the basics. About 30-40 kids (ages 2-4) are there with their parents, and the coach yells out instructions for each drill, with only about half of them actually doing what the coach asks. It's pretty chaotic, but at least it introduces him to the sport and gives him some exercise.

We're also trying to go back to church on Wednesday nights. Nelson and I are going to alternate weeks until Lucas starts going to bed later. They have a class for 3-4 year olds called Rainbows, which is kind of like a Christian scouting program. He'll earn badges for learning Bible verses and doing activities.

Anyway, I feel like we're entering a new stage as a family, and I think we'll enjoy it. What stage of your kids' lives did you like best?

Poem for a Marrying Son

A friend posted this on Facebook a couple days ago. It serves as a reminder to me to enjoy this season while lasts, even the lack of sleep.

Poem for a Marrying Son ~
By Karen Kingsbury… taken from “Rejoice” (2004)
“A daughter’s a daughter for life.  A son’s a son until he takes for him a wife.”

“Long ago you came to me, a miracle of firsts
First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away and leave to me your past,
And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts.

“The last time that I held a bottle to your baby lips…
Last time that I lifted you and held you on my hip…
Last time when you had a binky stuck inside your mouth…
The last time that you crawled across the floor of this old house.

“Last time when you ran to me, still small enough to hold,
Last time when you said you’d marry me when you grew old.
Precious, simple moments and bright flashes from the past,
Would I have held you longer if I’d known they were the last?”

“Your last few hours of kindergarten, last days of first grade…
Last at bat in Little League, last colored paper made.
Last time that I tucked you in for one last midday nap…
Last time when you wore your beat-up Green Bay Packers cap.

“Last time that you caught a frog in that old backyard pond…
Last time when you ran barefoot across our fresh-cut lawn.
Silly scattered images to represent your past.
Would I have taken pictures… if I’d known they were the last?

“The last dark night you slipped in bed and slept between us two,
When last I read to you of God or Horton Hears a Who?
Last time that I smelled your hair and prayed after your shower….
Last time that we held devotions in the evening hours.

“The last time you were M.J. in our games of give-and-go…
Last time that you made an angel in the melting snow.
I never even said good-bye to yesterdays long passed.
Would I have marked the moments… if I’d known they were the last?

“Last piano lesson, and last soccer goal you kicked…
The last few weeks of middle school, last flowers that you picked.
Last time that you needed me forrides from here to there…
The last time that you spent the night with that old tattered bear.

“Last time that I helped you with a math or spelling test,
Last time when I shouted that your room was still a mess.
Time and life moved quicker, taking pieces fo your past.
Would I have stretched the moments… if I’d known they were the last?

“The last time that you needed help with details of a dance…
Last time that you asked me for advice about romance.
Last time that you talked to me about your hopes and dreams.
Last time that you wore a jersey for your high school team.

"I watched you grow and never noticed seasons as they passed.
I wish I could’ve frozen time, to hold on to your lasts.
For come tomorrow morning life will never be the same.
You’ll pledge forever to your girl, and she will take your name.

“And I will watch you, knowing God has blessed you with this day.
I never would have wanted, Luke, to somehow make you stay.
They say a son’s a son until he takes for him a wife.
You’re grown-up now; it’s time to go and start your brand-new life.

“One last hug, one last good-bye, one quick and hurried kiss…
One last time to understand just how much you’ll e missed.
I’ll watch you leave and think how quickly childhood sped past.
Would I have held on longer… if I’d known it was your last?”

Be a Lover, Not a Biter

My charming little 8-month-old, Lucas,  has become a biter since getting his two bottom teeth. Many a lady wants to pinch his chubby, dimpled cheeks, and he likes to give out slobbery smooches. But, lately, the wet kisses lead to a bite. He bit Aunt Sarah's arm a couple weeks ago, leaving a mark. I can't count the number of times he's bit me.

I've tried to follow up with a sharp "NO", and I think that's helping. Also, I usually give him a teether or something else to chew on. I try to warn people ahead of time, and I can usually tell when he's going to bite. So, hopefully we're nearing the end of a phase!

Have you had a biter? What did you do?

Left-Handed Child

We think Jacob is left-handed. He uses his right hand sometimes, or switches between the two, but his left hand is dominant. So, I bought him some kiddie left-handed scissors recently. He loves to use them to "scrapbook" (cut whatever paper I give him to shreds) while I work on Lucas's scrapbook or cook.

August 13 is International Left-Handers Day, and here are a few reasons to celebrate our little left-hander.

• Only about 10 to 15 percent of the world's population are left-handed.
• Many presidents (Obama), inventors (Bill Gates), and celebs (Oprah) are, or have been, left-handed.
• You never have to worry about left-handed scissors or other school supplies selling out.
• The two surviving members of The Beatles are lefties: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

Bringing Out the Paint

Last week at our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting, our guest speaker was the owner of an art shop and talked about ways to introduce our preschoolers to art. Other than a scrapbooked Valentine card we made a few weeks ago that I let Jacob glue together, I don't do much with him. Coloring is about it. Actually, I hated art class in elementary school and probably just received a "Satisfactory" on my report card because of effort.

The speaker said that you could give your children an appreciation for art by exposing them early. I suggested to my twin sister that maybe we were so bad at art because we didn't go to the art museums or "do art" at home, but she disagreed with "No, I just don't think we had the talent." Probably true.

But, I did buy a Crayola easel last summer at a yardsale for $5 and bought three huge bottles of washable paint and art paper at Michaels. Jacob loved painting outside during warmer weather, and he's been pestering me to let him do it again, but it's been so cold. We had a warm day last week and invited a neighbor boy over to play.

I took a roll of old wrapping paper, strung it across the brick courtyard (back side of the paper facing up), and let them go at it. Jacob mostly wanted to paint with his feet and use it as a "paint slip and slide". A good portion of the paint ended up on the brick, but thankfully, washed off with the next rain.

Both boys had a good visit, and I somehow felt like a "good mommy" for trying to inspire the young "artists" and let them make a mess.

Terror at the Top of the Play Area

One day this week, my husband and I took Jacob to a new doctor, only to be told when we got there that they weren't accepting our insurance anymore. I had to make the appointment about 2 months ago, and they apparently called me in August to tell me about the insurance, but they had a wrong number in my phone number, so I never got the message. Anyway...my husband went to work, and since it was almost noon, I took Jacob to Chick-fil-A for lunch. (I now have an appointment with another doctor in yet another month, close to when my baby's due. Hope this one works out.)

I had always heard the local Chick-fil-A had a nice play area, and they do. The workers were super nice, too.We finished eating, and he was eager to play. There weren't any other kids in the entire restaurant, so I thought it would be pretty cool that he had the place to himself.

So, Jacob got in and climbed almost to the top, seemingly fearless, as he usually does. I started to sit down, planning to make my grocery list. Then, I heard a cry and looked up to see Jacob with his face pressed against the clear, plastic wall, practically begging me to come rescue him. Soon, he was crying uncontrollably.

I tried to calm him down and point to his 2 exit options--either to climb down the way he came or go up one level and slide down the slide. I could feel my blood pressure raise and felt completely helpless as he looked at me and cried. I looked around and didn't even see ONE kid I could pay a couple bucks to climb up there and rescue him. And, I considered going up there myself a couple times, but it would have been a really tight squeeze for my almost 8-mths-pregnant body.

Finally, after about 20 minutes, I got him to go through the tunnel that was one level up and slide down the slide to safety. He came down the slide and I said a "Thank you, Lord" and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He came over and put his shoes on and was ready to go. All the way home, and even two days later, he says, "That play area was scaaawy!" I don't know which one of us was more traumatized--him or his mommy.

Lesson learned: I'll never let him climb up in a new play area unless there are other kids around.

MOPS: A Support Group for Moms

The first meeting of the year for my local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group was yesterday, and I was reminded again of how much this group means to me.

Three years ago, I gave birth to our first son. My parents and in-laws lived out of state—a good 13-hour drive away—so I desperately needed to make some friends and build a support group locally. That’s when one of my friends invited me to MOPS.
The first thing I thought was, “Cool…free childcare!”. But, it’s been much more than enjoying a cup of coffee and brunch in peace, along with uninterrupted adult conversation. (Although, that’s huge plus.) This group has become my own support group.

We meet twice a week at a local church and have a lesson or speaker, brunch, share prayer requests, and sometimes have a craft or other fun activity, all while our kids are taken care of by volunteers who always plan something fun and creative especially for them. On weeks that we don’t meet, we’ll have a Mom’s Night Out (dinner out, usually, while the hubbies watch the kids) and a Mommy and Me outing—like at a local park or the McDonalds play area.

A lot of us don’t have family in the area (pretty typical, I’ve found, of the Washington DC area), so we call each other with babysitting needs, provide meals for moms with a new baby, and reach out to those who are having a rough time.
MOPS is an international organization for moms with children up to age 5. You can find out more about them at http://www.mops.org/ and even search for a group in your area.