3/5/08 God's Creative Design, Moms, Prayer, 12 Kids' Quotes, Potato, Encouragement
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for you with love by Lois Breneman
GOD'S AMAZING AND CREATIVE DESIGN
IMPROVING GROSS MOTOR SKILLS IN CHILDREN
BIBLE MEMORIZATION IDEAS
MORE HELP FOR YOUR DAILY TO-DO LIST
THESE WEARISOME DAYS
TIME TOGETHER BEFORE THE LORD
NOT AN OPTION
A DOZEN KIDS' QUOTES
RED LOBSTER'S PERFECT POTATO
TWO NEW BABY GIRLS IN OHIO!
ENCOURAGEMENT FROM GOD'S WORD
SPRING FORTH!
GOD'S AMAZING AND CREATIVE DESIGN
Author unknown - Thanks to Debbie Klinect in Florida for sending this great information!
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye ... and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female -- they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.
Grapefruits, Oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.
IMPROVING GROSS MOTOR SKILLS IN CHILDREN
Copyright Michelle Caskey - Used with permission from EzineArticles.com - All rights reserved.
Do you need to work on improving the gross motor skills of your children? Have you ever watched your children stumble as they're clearing the table and dump food all over the floor -- or seen them playing with their siblings and thought to yourself, "Oh no, my child is as clumsy as I am!" Don't panic -- there are lots of different ways you can work with your children to help improve their gross motor skills.
We've all seen kids who just aren't as coordinated as some of their peers and thought they were clumsy or a klutz. Many of these children actually have a condition known as
developmental coordination disorder. The good news is that you can work with your children and help them to improve their motor skills.
Gross motor skills are the abilities required in order to control the large muscles of the body for walking, running, sitting, crawling, and other activities.
Gross motor skills include:
1) Balance -- the ability to maintain equilibrium
2) Body awareness -- for improved posture and control crossing of the mid-line
3) Laterality -- awareness of the left and right sides of the body
4) Major muscle co-ordination
5) Spatial orientation -- awareness of the body position in space and in relation to other objects or people
Without reasonable gross motor skills, children often struggle with the fine motor skills that are required for formal school work.
PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES
There are many activities we can do with preschool children when we are improving their gross motor skills:
* Play with a large ball. Encourage your child to kick the ball, using one foot and then the other. Then throw and catch it too. You can let some of the air out of a beach ball to make it easier for children who are really struggling with learning to catch.
* Encourage your child to ride a bike, a push bike or pedal bike with or without training wheels, according to your child's ability.
* Play "Simon Says" with your child.
* Ask him to stand in front of a chair, behind a chair, next to the chair, on top of the chair, and crouch under the chair.
* Tell your child that he must be your shadow and mimic all your actions as your walk about and perform simple actions.
* Learn action songs and perform the actions as you sing them.
* Ask your child to imitate the movement of different animals: creep like a snake, waddle like a duck, hop like a rabbit etc.
* Encourage him to balance first on one leg, then on the other for as long as possible.
* Put a 2x4 on the ground and have your child practice walking across it. Have them use their arms to balance. If they fall off, it won't be a very long drop!
* Ask your child to gallop like a horse.
IDEAS FOR OLDER CHILDREN
Older kids need wide open spaces in which to practice their gross motor skills. As parents, we have the ability to arrange the environment of our kids to help with significantly improving gross motor skills in children:
* Give children jungle gyms to climb and slides to go up and down. You can either provide this equipment in your own yard, or take your children to the park on a regular basis and encourage them to play.
* Give children toys to ride on -- from bikes to scooters to skateboards.
* Play different ball games with your child, games which would require them to throw, kick and catch.
* Provide objects for your children to push, pull, jump off of and jump over.
* Trampolines -- consider purchasing a safety net for this piece of equipment.
Encourage your kids to participate in the above kinds of play situations when improving the gross motor skills of children. You'll be amazed when their clumsiness turns to coordination.
About the Author: Michelle Caskey has been homeschooling her sons for five years. Michelle graduated from the Western Michigan University with a degree in English and Computer Science. Read more of her homeschooling articles at http://www.homeschool-your-boys.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Caskey
BIBLE MEMORIZATION IDEAS
By Betty Robertson in Virginia - http://www.CreativeChristianMinistries.com - Used by permission
http://ChildrensMinistryIdeasUnlimited.blogspot.com/
"Ball Pass"
Ask children to sit in a circle. Boys and girls pass a football or soccer ball around the circle as music starts. When the music stops, the child holding the ball and the person on his/her right and left quote the verse together. Continue to play several times.
"Blast Off"
Children start saying the Bible verse while squatting. With each successive word, they stand higher and higher. When the verse has been said in its entirety, the children jump into the air.
"Pumping Iron"
Students pretend to be lifting weights, one repetition for each word of the verse. When they have said the entire verse with reference, they can pretend to mount the barbell on its stand.
"Sack Puppets"
Ask each child to make a sack puppet. Features may be drawn on the sack with markers or crayons, or cut from construction paper and glued to the sack. A simple puppet stage can be made by standing behind a desk or table covered with cloth, or hanging a curtain from a spring rod in the doorway. Choose 3 children at a time to go behind the puppet stage and quote the verse together in unison through their puppets.
"Spider Web"
Ask children to stand in a circle. Toss a ball of yarn to a child and ask that person to say the first word of the verse. That child wraps the yarn around a finger and tosses the ball to another child, who says the first and second words of the verse. Continue until a web is formed and children are reciting the entire verse.
"Verse-er-cise"
Do exercises while saying Bible verses such as touching toes, jumping jacks, arm circles, standing on tip-toes and reaching for ceiling.
THE VALUE OF A "CAREER" AS A STAY-AT-HOME MOM
http://listen.family.org/daily/A000000928.cfm
That's right! Being a Stay-At-Home Mom is indeed a career! Listen Online as author, Jill Savage, describes how she came to view motherhood as a full-time profession that has more lasting value than a career in the workplace. She tells stories about the five little Savages in her own home (Part 1 of 2). If you cannot listen to the March 4 and 5 broadcasts Online, you may call 800) A FAMILY to order the two part audio or CD of the broadcasts. Or order Online at http://www.family.org, and scan the many family resources there.
Lauren Mills, a stay-at-home Mom, has developed a new Christian Work at Home Resource Center WAHM for Him. http://www.busymommas.com/
KICK THE PROCRASTINATION HABIT
By Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now! Web site - Used by permission
"Ill get to it--when I get a chance."
You know what that means, dont you? Youll never get to it! Here are 8 simple ways to kick the procrastination habit and start getting things done.
BREAK IT DOWN. Seem overwhelming? Dont look at everything as one big project. Break goals, projects or tasks down into small parts. Assign a specific deadline (date and time)
to each part.
MORE HELP FOR YOUR DAILY TO-DO LIST
Check out this form for your *To-Do List* - http://www.pocketmod.com/app/index.html
"It is totally free and you can customize it to meet your needs. Very handy to use. I love using the pocket mod. It is my brain anymore when I leave the house," reports Paula Archer in Ohio! You may want to use this as a supplement to the article in the last Heart to Heart newsletter.
THESE WEARISOME DAYS
By Jodi Wise - Used by permission
Dear Lord, Ive been so weary these days--
So weary of tripping over fourteen little feet,
So weary of trying to evade eager ears
when I need to share a private word with my husband.
So weary of being surrounded by the clamor and clutter
|that accompanies seven children under the age of nine.
So weary of answering to Mo-o-o-mm-mm-y-y!
countless times a day.
So weary of listening to hundreds of questions
and rambling tales that know no end.
So weary of squabbling and tattling,
tantrums and pouts
And so weary of the discipline that should make everything right.
Dear Lord, Ive been so weary these days
So weary of searching for the black holes that captured
the flashlight, the last matching barrette, the hoe,
all the socks without holes and the pancake turner.
So weary of mending and patching clothes
that will need re-mending in a matter of days.
So weary of washing grimy faces and messy diapers,
dot-to-dotted windows and sticky floors,
mountains of laundry and stacks of greasy pans.
So weary of sweeping floors that never stay swept
and arranging bookshelves that never stay arranged.
Dear Lord, Ive been so weary these days
So weary of teaching children who dont seem to care
about the remedies for dirty dishes or a cluttered room.
So weary of teaching sons that proper etiquette doesnt include
talking with stuffed mouths or licking knives
or belching contests at the table.
So weary of teaching children that empty ice cube trays
generally do not produce ice cubes.
So weary of hearing myself repeat, The slower you go, the longer it takes
to children with selective hearing.
So weary of trying to spell out the Golden Rule to children who would prefer it to say,
Demand others to do unto you as they would rather do unto themselves.
Dear Lord, Ive been so weary these days
So weary of struggling to decide what should come first, then second,
then third in my dayand what has to be left go
again.
So weary of feeling a dozen steps behind because of the speed at which
the days melt into weeks, the weeks into months.
So weary of wondering why Im a mother if Im so often irritated by
the childish actions that should melt a mothers heart
a sticky goodnight kiss, a suffocating hug,
or tears that accompany a microscopic ouchie.
So weary of wondering which child needs the most attention
when theres only one of me but theres seven of them.
So weary of needing to ask You for more wisdom and grace,
more patience and strengthand then needing to ask for some more.
So weary of wondering if Im doing it all wrong; if Im failing so miserably
that not one of my children will want to follow You.
But, please, Dear Lord, dont let me become too weary
Not too weary to realize that a good nights sleep or a ten-minute nap
will make everything look brighter
the mother more patient, the workload less daunting,
and the children so much more precious.
Not too weary to realize that in just ten years
I will yearn for these days that Im living now.
These days of baby giggles and dimpled knees,
bouncing curls and childish glee.
These days when youth activities still havent intruded
on our familys evenings and weekends.
These days when we still can govern our childrens choices
of clothes and friends, their books and music.
These days when childish trust still glows in our childrens sparkling eyes.
These days when our childrens most monumental decisions
involve questions like Whose turn to wash dishes?
These days when the whole family is still under one roof
These days
Why, thank You, Dear Lord, for these memorable days
the BEST of our BEST years together!
Amen.
This poem was written by a "Heart to Heart" subscriber. It was published in the inspiring monthly e-mail newsletter, "Treasures from My Heart to Yours" with Donna Kauffman
as the Editor - To subscribe: [email protected]
Website: http://treasuresbooks.bravehost.com
TIME TOGETHER BEFORE THE LORD
By Barbara Lea Campbell, Clinton, Mississippi
(Note from Lois: I highly recommend husbands and wives praying together, and keeping a record of the answers God supplies. If this is new to you, start by praying for your family and gradually add to the list. As your list grows, turn it into several alternating lists. You won't regret investing time praying with your husband every day!)
We all know spending time with the Lord each day is important and it is a wonderful thing for spouses to do together. My husband and I have been married close to 26 years. We have always had our own quiet time separately in the morning and we had family devotion times each night when our children were younger, but we have never been able to carve out a time for the two of us to come before the Lord together. Certainly we have had moments where we prayed together for sick children, financial needs, ailing parents etc. and we have made attempts to have some devotional time together. In the past we have tried to have our time at night, but he is a early bird and I am a night owl and often I would be busy with children and we just never seemed to be able to stick with it. As time moved on, it was easy to just think, "This will never happen" and let it go. But this Christmas God laid it on my heart to try again. So I talked with my husband about it and he was all for it, but in the morning not at night. He leaves our home at 6:30 each morning, so for me this meant rising earlier to be awake and alert.
We picked out a devotional for couples and started our time together on Jan. 1, 2008. Yes, we have missed a day or two, but we pick it right back up. I cannot say at this point that I have seen huge Eph. 3:20 results, but what I have seen is just as vital... a deepened sense of unity... a growing love for each other and for the Lord... a revived prayer life... and a heightened sense of honesty and openness. There is such a sweetness and a comfort is starting our day together before the Lord... and yes, we do still have our own personal time also. And without realizing it, we are blessing not only each other and the Lord, but our children. Certainly the deepening of our relationship benefits our entire family, but also our daughter has commented that she hears us praying each morning. She cannot hear what we are saying, but she can her the tone in our voices and she loves it.
It is NEVER too late to start spending time with the Lord with your spouse. No matter if you are newly married or about to celebrate a 40th anniversary. And every marriage will benefit... whether yours is rocky, strong or somewhere in between. The greatest thing is it doesn't have to be a big deal... grab a devotional book or open your Bible and read a Psalm together and then take a moment to pray. My husband prays first and then I pray. Our prayers are often rather short, mainly praising God and asking Him to watch over our family that day, but wow! - that little bit of time leaves a big impact on your lives.
NOT AN OPTION
A Letter to the Editor shared by "Heart to Heart" subscriber, Linda Isom, in North Carolina
The letter below is something I wanted to share with you all. My aunt wrote this letter to the editor of our local paper after an article was published about a UNC biology professor who had told a class that whenever a woman finds out her fetus is going to be a Down Syndrome child she should abort it immediately. My aunt didn't name the man in her letter, but the paper did include his name in the letter she wrote when it was published. I am very proud of my aunt for writing the letter. And I am so very proud of my cousin and his wife who are the wonderful parents to a very special little girl. God gives His special children to special people!!
My dad, Ralph Warner, of Virginia, has always had a neat sense of humor and has enjoyed kidding others. In fact, when he was young married man, he called up one of his older friends, and, disguising his voice, said, "Hello Mr. _____, This is the Internal Revenue Service. We would like to take a look at your records." After a very stuttering reply from his friend, he informed him of who was really calling. Needless to say, he learned to be more careful with his joking after that!
That experience certainly hasn't kept this grandfather of six from informing his friends and acquaintances how much he is looking forward to his 14th birthday coming up. Or his 18th birthday next week. Yes, you read correctly --- but how could that be? Well, my dad was born on the 29th of February during Leap Year!
This year, he will finally "come of age" as he turns 18, along with his second eldest grandchild, my son, Phillip Benzinger, of Virginia. Both will become "adults" the same year. Phillip told his grandaddy, "Now, you can vote this year along with me!"
DADDY'S TEA PARTY
Author unknown
Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news and my brother was playing nearby in the living room when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!'
My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then says, 'Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet?'
A few weeks ago, Brady, 3, caught the stomach bug going around. He was sleeping in bed when it hit. Brady has never vomited before and it was pretty traumatic for him. Afterwards he was talking to me about the experience and said, "Yeah, I had a dinosaur burp!" ~ Angie Walker
This past Sunday at church, we were chatting with friends and our two children, along with their two were with us. An elderly woman we had never met before stops to chat and goes down the line of the children asking how old each one was. When she got to my six year old, Tristan, she said do you know how old I am? He looked at her honestly and said, "No, but I can count to one hundred." Ahhh! ~ Angie Walker in Pennsylvania
I read a true-to-life story of a little girl who had glow-in-the-dark star stickers on her bedroom ceiling. Asher parents were putting her to bed on evening, she found a couple in the bed that had apparently not been sticky enough, and had fallen off the ceiling and into her bed. She said, "Look, Daddy -- meteorites!"
My 4 year old grandson, while eating his lunch one day said, "Mom, can I multitask? I want to watch a TV show while I eat my lunch." ~ Lois
Recently as my daughter returned home while her husband was watching the children, she found some new story books on the kitchen table, and asked her 4 year old son where they came from. Justin said excitedly, "They're from Grammie!" You may remember I had mentioned in the October, 2007 issue of Heart to Heart, how since our daughter's family lives a distance away, I had wrapped a lot of books individually in brown paper, wrote Justin's name on them, and gave them all to Joy for her to give him every now and then. Joy asked him how he had gotten the packages, knowing she had hidden them pretty high up in a kitchen cabinet above the oven. Justin simply stated the obvious, "I used a chair!" When she asked why he opened them, he simply explained to his mom, "They had my name on them!" ~ Lois
WHAT'S FOR DINNER? HOW ABOUT DINNER WITHOUT A MESS?
____o___
=====(________)= You can even keep your pots and pans clean for this 1st recipe!
^^^^^^^^^^^ We call this meal a "Hobo dinner," becaue it can be used in camping, on your grill, or it can also be baked in the oven, using foil. If you have a large family, it would be more cost effective to bake it in a pan, rather than in foil.
Easy Hobo Dinner
4 oz. of meat (chicken, a lean hamburger, chopped steak or pork chop)
1 medium potato, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 Tbsp. onion soup mix
Lay meat on a greased heavy duty piece of foil, large enough to seal properly. Layer with sliced potato, carrot, onion and peas. Sprinkle with onion soup mix. Seal well. Either bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes (until juices from meat run clear). If you'd rather, place the foil packets on the grill and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Turn once. Great meal for camping as well!
RED LOBSTER'S PERFECT POTATO
I think Red Lobster's baked potatoes are the best, and here's how they make them, according to the Copy Cat Cookbook!
Medium Idaho Russet potatoes
2 bags of cooking rock salt
Bacon grease (You may want to try this with olive oil instead)
Punch small holes in potatoes with a fork. Wipe the potatoes with a thin layer of bacon grease. Cover the bottom of the pan with rock salt. Add potatoes. Cover completely with rock salt. Bake in oven at 350 for at least one hour. Remove, wipe off, save the rock salt until next time. Serve with your favorite condiments. Add some butter, broccoli and cheese, with some fresh fruit on the side and you have a simple meal.
TWO NEW BABY GIRLS IN OHIO!
Jocelynn Christinell Futrell was born on February 18, 2008. She is the third child of Ryan and Beth Futrell in Ohio. Big sister and brother, Ella and Silas Laurin, are so excited and very pleased with their baby sister. Steve and Terrie Futrell in Virginia are the happy grandparents.
Ruby Esther Toczynski was born on February 27, 2008. She is the daughter of Aaron and Jennie Toczynski in Ohio and the granddaughter of David and Linda Bahn in Pennsylvania. Ruby has a big brother, Austin. Please pray for little Ruby regarding a serious heart defect she had at birth - that the Lord would be glorified in healing her.
ENCOURAGEMENT FROM GOD'S WORD
AAmazing Grace Devotional by Pastor Jeff, http://www.homefireshearth.org
"In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: 'Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.'" Zeph. 3:16-17
One thing we must always remember, if we are children of the Almighty God, He is with us no matter what we are going through. He was with Daniel in the lions den. He was with the four Hebrew men when they were cast into the fiery furnace. He was with Elijah in the cave. He was with Jesus in the grave. He was with Steven when he was being stoned. He was with Paul when he was shipwrecked. He was with John on the Isle of Patmos. He was with the Christians in the Coliseum. He has always been with His children and He will be with you.
He says to us today through Zephaniah, "Do not fear. Do not give up. The Lord your God is in the heart of your situation. He effervesces love for you. He rejoices over you with shouts of
great joy. Do not fear for God is with you. Whatever situation you are in, God is no stranger to it. He has seen it all before. Are you unemployed? He is your provider. Are you sick? He
is your healer. Are you weak with fear? He is your peace. Are you downhearted? He is the lifter of your head. Are you sorrowful? He is your comfort. Are you troubled? He is your answer. What more could you ask?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him. And He shall direct your paths. Prov. 3:5-6 (NKJV) Amen
SPRING FORTH!
Before Sunday morning, March 9th, remember to turn your clocks FORWARD. That's right, we lose one hour. Spring is just around the corner! The crocus, periwinkle and daffodills are blooming in our front yard, and today I saw beautiful trees with pink bloosoms in full bloom, and new leaves on some other trees! This is my favorite time of the year!
Please remember to pray for each dear Heart to Heart lady as you receive your newsletter.
Many ladies are going through very tough times and need our prayers!
Pray each day for the protection of our troops, as well as for their families left at home!
The purpose of the Heart to Heart Newsletter is to encourage women and build biblical values into daily living through practical creative ideas for the Christian family regarding marriage, children, homemaking, and much more. Receive this free bimonthly newsletter by listing your name, city, state, e-mail address, and name of your referral person and sending it to Lois at <a title=mailto:jhbreneman@... href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]. New subscribers will receive a Welcome, a "Start-Up Kit," and several recent newsletters.