6/21/06 OMELET, HUSBAND, HOME, READING, SKEETERS, FREE
Posted by: jhbreneman <jhbreneman@...>
ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN
Compiled especially for you with love
~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~
6/21/06 OMELET, HUSBAND, HOME, READING, SKEETERS, FREE ~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~
IN THIS ISSUE:
EASY ZIPLOC OMELET
BUN BUGGIE VEGGIE DIP
TOWARD COMPASSION: UNDERSTANDING THE PRESSURES OF YOUR HUSBAND
DADDY, I HAVE TWO WORDS FOR YOU!
YOU CAN AFFORD TO STAY HOME AND RAISE YOUR CHILDREN!
GO WATCH TELEVISION
READING WITH EASE
REPELLING MOSQUITOES
LET FREEDOM RING
THANKS, APPRECIATION & DAILY PRAYERS FOR OUR TROOPS & THEIR FAMILIES!
EASY ZIPLOC OMELET!
Thanks to Margie DeMonbrun in Missouri for sending this new way and easy to cook omelets!
http://www.athomewithyourkids.com/
This works great! Good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelet!
Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.
Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water. Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.
Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and it's a great conversation piece. Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bags in boiling water while you get ready. And in 13 minutes, you've got a nice omelet for a quick breakfast!
Have your children help put this fun food idea together. See a picture at this link:
http://www.pfaltzgraff.com/connections/conreciparchiv.asp?CODIV=0107&checked=Y
1 lb. loaf Italian or French bread - Scoop out the center top of oval loaf (about 8" long)
4 cucumber slices - Slices of cucumber with radishes on top form wheels - use toothpicks
4 large radish slices to fasten onto the bun.
2 thin carrot sticks - Use one for lips and one for the exhaust pipe.
2 stuffed olives - Fasten with toothpicks for the eyes.
1 cherry tomato - Fasten with toothpick right between the eyes for a nose.
2 containers (8 oz. each) sour cream dip - Or make your own, then fill bun buggie with dip.
Assorted vegetables cut for dipping - Stick vegetables into the dip. Include celery with leaves.
by Susie Cortright - http://www.momscape.com - Copyright 2001 - Used by permission
We hear a lot about the Supermom Syndrome but rarely about our Superdads.
We place higher expectations on fathers in today's society than ever before. Unlike previous generations, dads today are expected to take a proactive role in caring for the children physically as well as financially.
Gone are the days when a man arrives home from work, loosens his tie, slips off his shoes, and reclines in the Lazyboy with his newspaper, which he thumbs through as he waits for his dinner to be served.
Today, many dads don't get that decompression time after a day at work. Some of the dads pick up their children from daycare on their way home. Others are immediately struck with the hassles of the day while they struggle to make the instant transition from professional to father.
As a stay-at-home mom, I used to wonder why my husband would sit in the car for a few moments after he pulled into the driveway. Until, that is, one day when my husband watched our one-year-old and it was my turn to come home exhausted from a busy and hectic day. How I wished I had stayed in the car just long enough to take a few deep breaths.
Today's dads, much like many of today's moms, must juggle the guilt of not spending enough time with the family with the guilt of not giving it their all at work.
But women seem to have more support with their struggle. Magazine articles, support groups, and websites warn moms of the risks of burning out and the importance of taking care of themselves. They dole out advice on balancing life and relationships. Fathers don't often band together like moms do.
Even while men are expected to independently take on a more nurturing role, they are slammed in the media. We watch television shows that too often portray fathers as bumbling idiots, scared stiff of changing their own baby's diaper and incapable of anything other than watching a ball game and slugging beer. We sit through news reports of deadbeat dads and women who have beaten the odds despite, not with the help of, the men in their lives.
As natural nurturers, women have long taken on the social stereotype of being the dominant parent. Sometimes--and I hate to admit that I'm guilty of this, too--we may subconsciously sabotage their parenting efforts to make ourselves feel more important.
It's important for us to recognize that dads interact with children differently than we do. These techniques are neither better nor worse. Just different. Dads may tend to allow the child to reach a higher level of frustration than a mother would, which may be an important lesson in resilience.
The father serves an integral role in a child's life. Spending time with both parents helps children develop an understanding of separation, transition, autonomy, and gender roles.
Here's to all of the great dads out there, and all of the men who strive to be great dads. Here's to my husband, who would make a better stay-at-home parent than I. He is more patient and more experienced with children. He rarely gets bored, even on the afternoon's eighth reading of Green Eggs and Ham. In his downtime, he does a load of laundry and whips up a heaping platter of Beef Stroganoff when all I see in the fridge is pickles and ketchup.
I'm going downstairs to interrupt Dr. Seuss and to tell him how much I appreciate the work he does. Maybe it's time we all spent just a few minutes thinking about the pressures our husbands, and to applaud them for all the things they do.
About the author:
Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape.com ( http://www.momscape.com ), a website devoted to celebrating life with children. Check out her online Scrapbooking magazine: http://www.momscape.com/scrapbooking Visit her site today, and get a subscription to her weekly newsletter free: http://www.momscape.com/subscribe.htm
DADDY, I HAVE TWO WORDS FOR YOU!
Yesterday our 6 year old Morgan said to my husband Sam, "Daddy, I have two words for you - hand some" (said with much exuberance). She obviously has great taste and like her Momma thinks Sam is one handsome man! ~ From Melissa Adams in the Czech Republic
YOU CAN AFFORD TO STAY HOME AND RAISE YOUR CHILDREN!
by: Jennifer Tarzian - Used by permission
From the moment I learned I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. That feeling only strengthened when my beautiful son was born. I took one look at him and wondered how I could ever give up the opportunity to spend each and every day with him, watching him grow and learn, and exploring the world for the first time through his eyes. But there was a problem. We were a two-income family. How could we possibly afford to eliminate one of those incomes? Well, there are a lot of answers to that question and I'd like to share the ones I found with you.
The first thing I looked at when determining "what we can afford" is how much money we made. I was wrong. What I really needed to examine was our expenses. So, the first step I took in my quest to stay home was to list the expenses I would incur in order to work, versus staying home. This is what I came up with: professional clothing (your kids don't mind that you wear sweats!); transportation costs: fuel, tolls, public transit, parking, etc.; those "must-have" coffee and/or donut stops each morning; lunches with coworkers; gifts for coworkers (holidays and special occasions); CHILDCARE - it's in bold print for a reason. If you haven't priced this one out yet, do it now. This will easily be your greatest expense. And, it only goes up with each child.
How many times per week are you dining out at restaurants, getting take out, ordering in, etc? By staying at home, you have the time to go to the grocery store and prepare a wholesome and much more economical meal for your family.
Eliminate (or at least cut back) on your little luxuries. Manicures, pedicures, massages, hair highlights, 300 television channels, 2000 cell phone minutes. You get the picture.
Clip coupons. I actually started buying the Sunday paper each week just for the coupons! You may have never seen the need to do this while you were working, but if you take the time, it will save you money. There are also plenty of online sites that provide coupons.
Examine your bills carefully. When we had 2 fulltime incomes, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I rarely looked at any bill in detail. If there was an amount due, I paid it. I never looked at it, never questioned it. Now I go over every health insurance summary, utility statement, etc. with a magnifying glass. And, I can honestly say in the past 2 years I have caught almost $1000 in billing errors. That's $1000 more for my family.
Make this a team effort. If staying home only appeals to you and not your partner, your chances of success are greatly diminished. Making adjustments to the family budget will affect the lifestyle of all those involved. This transition will be much smoother with the support of your significant other.
And last, but certainly not least, follow your heart! If you feel called to stay home with your children, then do it! All it takes is the determination to succeed and the willingness to reduce expenses. Best of luck to you!
GO WATCH TELEVISION
A small child waits with impatience the arrival home of a parent. She wishes to relate some sandbox experience. She is excited to share the thrill that she has known that day. The time comes; the parent arrives. Beaten down by the stresses of the workplace the parent often replies: 'Not now, honey, I'm busy, go watch television.' The most often spoken words in the American household today are the words: go watch television. If not now, when? Later. But later never comes for many and the parent fails to communicate at the very earliest of ages. We give her designer clothes and computer toys, but we do not give her what she wants the most, which is our time.
Now, she is fifteen and has a glassy look in her eyes. Honey, do we need to sit down and talk? Too late. Love has passed by.
-- Attributed to Robert Keeshan, better known to America as "Captain Kangaroo."
READING WITH EASE
Copyright 2006 Catherine Levison - All rights reserved - Used by permission.
http://charlottemasoneducation.com/
She became concerned about his potential. This successful endeavor caused her to wonder what else he could learn. As she brought her situation to me, she appeared to be worried. There were so many things he could be learning, it overwhelmed her.
I suggested she teach him to read. Her mind appeared to be centered on finding the best preschool to accomplish this. I told her that I'd taught all five of my children to read, myself. I explained that this was really very easy, and they had learned how within minutes. It appeared that I had her full attention so I offered to teach her how to do this -- and then I did.
Because it only took me a few minutes to explain to her how this could be done, I decided to write this article on reading. First, I'll explain how to teach a young child who doesn't yet know how, and then I'll elaborate on reading for the older children and the college-aged child. I recommend that if you and your children are well past the learning to read stage, you skip the next section and rejoin us for the older childrens segment.
Teaching Young Children to Read
You're reading right now. That indicates that you know how to read but can you recall how it was that you learned to read? Many of us can't remember. It's fairly common to find people who taught themselves to read unaided, but many of us learned in a classroom with a teacher writing words on the board. Then we'd be asked to refer to the words in front of us in the form of a worksheet or perhaps a little book. For some, the decoding of symbols on the page came easily and for some, it didn't. I can only imagine the frustration a child could experience if the majority of the group quickly grasped the concept while s/he sat there mystified as to how they were doing it.
My advice is to NOT have a book anywhere near you and the child when you sit down the first time. The exception would be the self-taught, but they would be reading already without your intervention. What you do need to have are some loose letters. Think of those plastic letters with magnets that are used on refrigerators. In fact, those work just fine. Or buy some crepe rubber ones, or cut some letters from paper. You could knit a set from yarn if you have the time. The point is that the letters are moveable and it won't matter much whether you use capital letters or lower case ones. Although, if given the choice, use capital letters.
Choose a time when your child is teachable. If she has missed a nap, is sick, or distracted, wait for another opportunity. Perhaps you could talk it up a bit. In other words, tell him a special time is coming. A time to sit with Mom or Dad and have some fun. Now, simply hold up the letter "a" and tell him it is an "a", that is its name. It makes the sound "aaaa" like in apple. Set it on the floor in front of the two of you. Pick up the letter "t" and tell her this is a "t" and it makes the sound "teh" like in table. Set that on the floor and tell the child the word she is looking at is the word "at". Use "at" in a sentence or two.
If for any reason s/he appears distracted or begins to throw things about the room, stop for the day. However, if s/he is simply looking at the two letters on the floor and accepts the fact that this is indeed the word "at" -- then proceed. Grab a "p" or "c" and place that in front of the "at." You are way ahead of me, aren't you? Tell him the "c" is called a "c" and it makes the sound "ck" as you lay it down. Be very phonetic and over-pronounce your words, but then begin to blend them together until "cat" is coming out of your mouth with ease.
The next steps are the same. Use s, m, p, r, f, and any others to make the first three letter, short vowel sound words your child will read. This first session will probably end in success and last about ten to fifteen minutes. The next day (or skip a day on purpose and proceed on an every-other-day basis) allow about the same amount of time.
Remember, keep the situation as distraction-free as possible. Ask the child to show you what s/he learned the last time and have him make the little words on the floor while you watch. Hopefully, cat, sat, pat, etc. will appear before your eyes. If all is going well and you are favorably impressed that s/he is catching on quickly, then lay out the word "the" and have her memorize it. Yes, memorize. "The" is a sight word and phonics will not help you. An average child will simply believe you when you tell them this is "the."
While we're on the topic of sight words, go ahead and teach the word "said." Again, phonics would tell us that "said" is spelled "sed." Don't go into that with the child. Armed with your "at" words and the memorized "said" and "the" you're now able to bring a book to the process.
Many children are thrilled to sit down and read their first little book. Hopefully you have located an easy reader that confines itself to the "at" words. If a few other words come along don't panic -- just tell them the word and have them keep reading. If you've accidentally chosen a book with too many unknown words, it will probably not be very fun for your child and this isn't the time to cause frustration. So, don't force them to read a book they aren't prepared for.
On your next session, you're now ready to work with loose letters again and it's time for the letter "o." Use the same system, giving its name and its sound. Make words on the floor using "o" and teach new consonants as needed. Because the magnetic plastic letters are so very inexpensive, you'll probably be happier if you have two sets to work with. With two ms and two ds you'll be able to make the word DAD and the word MOM. Children seem to like that.
At some point, you'll get to the day when you proudly hold up the letter "e" and put it at the end of a three letter word. Tell the child "e" is special. It can make the letter "a" say its name. Change "mad" into "made" for instance. Verbally pronounce the word "made" in an overly-exaggerated manner. Draw out the "a" sound as long as you can so that they can hear "a" saying its name. Change "cod" into "code" and "rod" into "rode." Now you folks are ready to read an easy reader together that has four letter words in it that have silent "e."
As these sessions advance and the both of you are enjoying yourself, try four letter words that use two vowels together. The word "bead" is one example of this. Teach the child the saying "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking and usually says its name." The "e" and the "a" are walking together so the "e" is allowed to say its name. If you don't think fast under pressure, then prepare a list of double-vowel words to use before you sit down.
Soon you'll be done using the loose letters as the child finds she can read and decode new words from the books themselves. We only used those to make it more of a game. There are children who will freeze in terror at the sight of a book. If your child is one of those, keep using the letters on the floor for as long as necessary. Our family had a large set of rubber letters, so we were able to write sentences on the floor and I did teach diphthongs and blended consonants and vowel sounds using them, but you don't have to go that far. Double-vowel sounds can be taught by writing them on paper just as easily.
"But Catherine," I hear you saying, "This sounds too easy."
Yes, it is easy and in the same amount of time it took me to explain it, I could've taught one of your children his first reading lesson. Teaching this way is inexpensive and can be accomplished for under ten dollars. It takes some consistency and regularly setting aside time.
Fifteen to twenty minutes, about three times a week, should get results very quickly.
Think of it this way: Little Emily approaches you and speaks of her new desire to learn how to play the piano. You're elated. You find a teacher in your area and the lessons begin. But that isn't what you'd do if you played piano professionally for many years. No, you'd be far more likely to teach little Emily yourself -- at least until you established her dedication to practicing. That would be because you knew how to play the piano proficiently.
Reading is no different. You know how to read and you don't need private lessons with a tutor, you don't need to purchase a $200 reading program, complete with a compact disc. If you already own a program like that, then by all means, put it to use -- especially if it worked for another child. If you don't already have one, save your money. Give the nearly-free system described above a chance and if that doesn't work, then look at other options.
My goal here is to boost your confidence. You may have come to think that learning to read is a very difficult process and you'll need outside help from an expert. You may have been told by a company, with a product to sell, that you're an amateur and success depends upon using their product. Chances are that neither of these is true unless your child has special needs; in other words, a learning disability. If that's the case, then of course, you'll seek outside help at the earliest opportunity.
Types of Reading
There's reading for enjoyment and there's reading for knowledge, and on a very happy day, the two collide. You can't expect to find little Eddie in the living room reading a Physics book all on his own because he likes it. Well, if you do then, congratulations, that is a very good problem to have.
The way to create the love of reading is to have the most-interesting books ever written, and if at first you don't succeed, keep trying. Get away from the easy readers as soon as possible and put one book after another in front of your child. Either s/he will be a reader and like it with very little effort or will be the "other" kind and need more time.
If your child thinks s/he hates to read and you allow that idea to solidify, you'll regret it later. Instead, go ahead, wear yourself out going back and forth to the library, because someday the clouds will part, a beam of light will appear and yes, Johnny will say the words you have been longing to hear, "Mommy, I like this book!"
Quickly ascertain what it is about this book he likes. The content? The writing style? The colors? Whatever it is, go and get more just like that one. We want to develop the habit of reading as well as the enjoyment of reading. We want the child to find out that he won't die from it. No, it's fun. But he has to come to that conclusion on his own.
Another thing that will help greatly is reading aloud to any and every child you have. Forget their ages and disregard who likes to read and who doesn't. Read a lot and from vastly-different kinds of books. Read like your life depends on it. I promise it will come back to you. You will thank yourself later.
The more any child learns to enjoy reading, the better. One of many reasons is someday, somewhere, s/he are going to have to read something she doesn't want to read. It will be boring, it'll be tedious. However, he'll learn to tolerate those moments and view them as temporary. The child who decides he doesn't like to read anything at all, thinks that way all the time. She's always tolerating. If any person, young or old, likes to read, s/he knows that just as soon as she finishes this poorly-written, boring book she can get back to reading something great.
The Purposes of Reading
This topic is similar to types of reading, but differs in a few ways. One purpose is reading prepares people for writing. The more reading you do, the more likely you are to excel at copying what you have seen, written in the style you have read.
For example, let's say you asked me to write a novel and make it as close to a Jane Austen novel as possible. That would be difficult enough but it would be nearly impossible if I'd never read a Jane Austen book. But if I had just read every book she wrote three times in a row, I would be better prepared to copy her writing style.
If your child has read many essays written by brilliant people and has come to understand the layout, the style, the approach, well then, you can expect a better result when he tries to write his own essay.
Another purpose for reading is reading for sheer knowledge. Charlotte Mason -- a British educator from the last century -- called this "Read to Know." It's a skill that comes with practice. It's a matter of buckling down and paying attention. It's training your mind to catch the meaning of a page the very first time you read it. Imagine a textbook and you have an exam early in the morning. You're going to pay attention eventually to the data before you. Either read it over and over again while continually finding yourself not really reading, or make it happen the first time. This skill was developed in Charlotte Mason's methods through the constant use of narration -- but that's another article.
And that brings us to our last purpose for reading that we will be covering here: College. The majority of my children are at college age right now and I am happy that I came across something Dr. Ruth Beechick wrote a long time ago. To paraphrase her words, she said that the better reader a person was, the better chances s/he had to be a good student. In my own words, college-level reading and the massive quantities assigned in most classes is no laughing matter. Not only are the professors not shy about doling out huge reading assignments, they expect you to know what you read. They'll find out whether you do or you don't. Yes, the fill-in-the-bubble, multiple-choice test is frequently used, but so is the essay style of examination. Not having developed the habit of reading will cause sloppy study habits such as misreading and missing the point of the reading and simply not being able to keep up the quantity of reading. People such as this may think they have caught the meaning of the passage in its context but the examination is designed to assure that they have. Then the sad fact that they misunderstood or didn't retain the information becomes known.
I asked one of my college age children exactly how many hours a day she spends reading for school and she found it to be a difficult question. She told me it could be all day, meaning if she had the time, she could spend every waking hour that she wasn't in classes reading -- it could never be too much. I asked her to estimate how much time she actually spent, to which she said, "All of it is, all of the work, its all reading."
Perhaps this is due to the types of classes she attends, but I mentally reviewed what I'd observed in my older children who went before her, and I came up with the same thing. The point? Your children, when or if they go to college will be reading a lot. Perhaps if you prepare them now it will help them later.
I'll end with this encouragement. While asking this particular child about her reading habits, she told me this. Mom, if you want to know what I think helped me to do my best in college I'll tell you. It's easy. It was the reading out loud that you did.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
--Catherine Levison currently resides in Seattle. She's the mother of five and author of several popular books on Charlotte Mason educational methods. Catherines work has been designed to give practical advice, while encouraging parents/educators to think for themselves and develop a style that fosters individuality. Her book titles include, A Charlotte Mason Education, and More Charlotte Mason Education and A Literary Education: An Annotated Book List. Visit Catherine online at: http://www.charlottemasoneducation.com/
REPELLING MOSQUITOES
Author unknown - Thanks to Karen Coughlin in Florida for sending this!
It's about that time folks! Okay mosquitoes ... prepare to be repelled!
Use Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets Best thing ever used in Louisiana ... just wipe on and go ... Great for Babies.
Bob, a fisherman, takes one vitamin B-1 tablet a day April through October . He said it works. He was right. Hasn't had a mosquito bite in 33 years. Try it. Every one he has talked into trying it works on them. Vitamin B-1( Thiamine Hydrochloride 100 mg.)
If you eat bananas, the mosquitoes like you! It's something about the banana oil as your body processes it. Stop eating bananas for the summer and the mosquitoes will be much less interested.
This is going to floor you, but one of the best insect repellents someone found (who is in the woods every day), is Vick's Vaporub.
Plant marigolds around the yard, the flowers give off a smell that bugs do not like, so plant some in that garden also to help ward off bugs without using insecticides.
"Tough guy" Marines who spend a great deal of time "camping out" say that the very best mosquito repellant you can use is Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil mixed about half and half with alcohol.
When all else fails, get a frog!
LET FREEDOM RING
Long may the Flag of Old Glory wave,
Long may we honor the men who gave
their lives and fought so that we may be
the home of the brave and the land of the free.
Written July 4, 2000, Copyright Rachel Greenawalt Keller,
A hearty thank you to the military troops and their families for their sacrificial love for the USA and helping to preserve freedom for Americans and other countries. We pray for you daily!
It makes room for listening.
It gives us freedom to observe.
It allows time to think.
It provides space in which to feel.
It lets us broaden our awareness.
It opens us to the entry of peace.
It invites us to know our limitations and God's vastness.
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self‑centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best youve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
It is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
-- Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
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