Traveling to the Bear Country

Are you familiar with the Berenstain Bears? I grew up reading the collection. The books are dedicated to teaching great life values to kids through fun stories and illustrations. Did you know that Mike Berenstain became a Christian in his adult years and now dedicated to write new Berenstain Bears collections to teach Bible stories and Christian values? You can find his new books at Zonderkids (zondervan.com).

Sink or Swim?

Yesterday my baby girl (okay she turns three in a couple weeks) went to her first swim lesson!! Like any parent, I was a bit nervous about how she would do. We know she LOVES the water, at least in our kiddie pool she is fearless, but wondered what she would do in a large pool with a swim instructor she had never met and......without mommy. Yes you heard me, I sent my baby off to her first swimming lesson and did not accompany her.

All of my colleagues in motherhood can probably understand how this feels; sending your baby off into the big world without you. The fact that it was only a few minutes away and she was going with my trusted neighbor and friend, who also happens to be the mother of one of her best friends, did not matter. We share a yard so the girls love each other and are very used to listening to each others' mothers, but I was still worried. She was going to experience such a big, 'first' without me.

I prepared her as much as I could. Told her what to expect, each step that would occur in the class and of course reminded her several times to listen to the teacher. I reassured her that she would have fun, would do well and would be fine. But in reality I was reassuring myself. My true fear was that she would get scared or something would happen and I would not be there. That she would need me and I would be absent. Parents are not allowed into the pool area anyway...but I wanted it to be me sitting with the other parents, straining to look through the window and follow her progress.

The time for the lesson approached and my daughter was so excited that she went outside to wait for her friend to walk across the yard. She had her bathing suit on and her towel in her hand. When my neighbor came out to drop her younger son off with me, my sweet girl did not even pause to say good bye to me. She ran off with her pal towards their car saying, "Wait for me!" Without even a glance over her shoulder or a wave to mom, she was off!

She returned safe, happy, wet and with one swim lesson under her belt. She had a good time, was able to follow instructions fairly well and cannot wait to go back tomorrow! My baby not only survived without me, but thrived. And I am not sure how that makes me feel. I am glad, but am also mourning the true end of her 'baby' days! Remembering that God has given her to me as a precious gift just for a time, I smile, then hang her towel and suit to dry so that they will be ready when she ventures out again tomorrow!

Create Summer Fun Shirts - by Wendy T.

Early in the summer, before your guests arrive for a visit or you start traveling, create bright shirts for all of the children (and adults too) to wear. You can either have a great time tie dying or buy brightly colored shirts and permanent markers to draw on them. Wear them to parks, beaches, and anywhere else you travel. The shirts make it very easy to find each other. Another idea is to have everyone sign each shirt, or list the places you go during the on the back of the shirts.

Fun way to remember the great things you did!

Parenting Survival Guide- Time Out

For most of us mothers at one point, find the need to address the disciplinary issues with our children. For me personally, it's more like many times a day (increased number of kids = increased number of actions). If we love our kids, we must discipline them out of love and not out of anger (although some situations can be quite tempting). Do you ever feel like you're not executing the disciplinary actions (teaching; not punishment) right?

According to the Parenting Survival Guide written by Dr. Todd Cartmell, one of the parenting tools we can use is called the Time Out. When used correctly, it's an effective discipline tool for children between the ages of two to twelve. Its effectiveness depends on coupling the negative behavior with the immediate removal of all sources of positive reinforcement for a set period of time. Here's how to effectively perform a time out:

1. Start out with a warning: Give only one warning saying " If you do _____ again, you will get a time out." The key is to stick with one warning and not breaking your own promise.

2. Pick a consistent Time Out location that's safe, boring, and easy for you to monitor. This means, their bedroom is a big no no. Administer the Time Out in a calm and matter-of-fact manner and not out of anger.

3. The length of Time Out should be by how old they are: If you have a two year old, then it'll be for two minutes, etc. But for older kids, in case of the inappropriate time out behavior (such as tantrums, arguing, talking back, etc), you may add one minute to the given time out minutes.

4. Do not talk to them during the time out.

5. When the time out is done, you go to them and explain calmly why you have put them in a time out. " I put you in time out because _____."

6. Ask them to apologize to you for the negative behavior.

7. When this is done, you shower them with hug, kiss, and say "I love you".

I was surprised to see how this worked like magic on my almost three year old. It seemed like nothing seemed to get through during her 'terrible two' years, but from the beginning, this Time Out format worked very well. The key is to be consistent with the order. It creates stability for them.

**If you're out and need to administer Time Out but can't find a place, give them a Time Out ticket, and execute it the moment you get home.

Thought for the Day - from 'Nana'

Dear Ones,

"The [woman] of integrity walks securely, but [she] who takes crooked paths will be found out." Proverbs 10:9

And "An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips." Proverbs 24:26.

The pretty straightforward conclusion is that honesty is the way to go! Think about this especially when speaking to your children, and remember that our children learn from our example. Let them see you walking in integrity, and choosing to be honest even in the small things!

'Book' Some Family Time - by Wendy T

Summer is in full swing and we hope you are all making the most of it with your families! Here is our tip for this week:

Sometimes in the busyness of the summer season, you don’t have a set time to read together. Go to the library and pick out some great, fun books on tape. Always keep one in the car, so as you travel around you are all enjoying a book together. It also gives you something new and exciting to talk about with your kids. For long trips, you can listen to the entire book.

Enjoy your summer!

Thought for the Day - from 'Nana'

Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." ~John 10: 27 -29~

Just like we know our children, the Lord knows us, better than any earthly parent. As we walk with our Lord, we are safer than being anywhere else; safer than being with anyone else. Walk with Him.....today and everyday!

Looking Up

Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed. Our family is in major transition. There are so many things that I need to do, but for some reason I am not motivated to do them. Decisions to make and challenges to face daily, yet I feel like just hiding away and not facing anything. It is as if I let the weight of the world bury me before even trying to fight back.

Today I was reminded of 1 John 4:4 which says, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world!" What an amazing thing it is to know, even while we are in the battle, that it has already been won for us. We all need to remember this, and I know I will be reading this passage over again soon.

Right now I am feeding the kids lunch and trying to clean the bathrooms too (ok, and blog) while they eat. But I also need to clean many other rooms in my house as well as sort toys, clothes and just general 'stuff' into boxes to giveaway, throw away, store away or pack away. Lots of pre-work before we get to the actually job of packing up the house to move. I also have several calls to make, friends I should connect with, details to review for a wedding I am coordinating, reading and prayer time that is overdue, dinner to plan....and as you know the list goes on and on.

As moms, we always have things to do; the list can be never ending. But my challenge is to remember to keep my eyes focused on Him, and on the big picture that He is in control of. Sometimes I get bogged down in the many details I need to attend to at the moment, and lose sight of the fact that I am looking at just a tiny, immediate glimpse of what God is unfolding in my life. And the view from my perspective can be confusing and even scary. If I rely on my own sight and try to conquer all the obstacles in my world I feel lost, defeated and attacked. But if I look up, to Him, I will find help. I will find strength, peace, rest and wisdom.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber
~Psalm 121: 1-3~

Playground Jumping Day - by Wendy T

Need something to occupy your active children for the day. Well try a 'Playground Jumping Day!' It's a fun day that doesn’t cost any money.

Make a list of the playgrounds in your town or area. You can just include the school playgrounds or the town playgrounds, or both. Bring a timer. Tell the children that they have a certain amount of time to play at each playground (10, 20, 30 minutes, you decide). Go to each one on the list.

Then end with a picnic lunch or go for Italian ices or ice cream and talk about which playgrounds were best and why. If you have older children, make a sheet that they can rate each playground. Then discuss the results at the end. (Ex: only a few still have see saws, not many have swings, which has the best monkey bars, which had shade, which one had the highest slide, which was the best overall, etc.)

So head to the playgrounds and have fun!!

Summer Tips: Beach Safety by Wendy T

Follow these important tips to keep your kids safe at the beach:

• Have children wear bright color bathing suits, rash guards and shirts so that you can see them easily. Have all you children wear the same color if possible. Make sure that their bathing suit is not the color or the pool or bay or ocean. Bright colors can save their life if they are drowning or being tossed in the waves. (stay away from light blue or teal in the pool, or Navy or black or dark colors in the ocean or bay)
• Discuss a meeting place or procedure if they get lost or separated.
  
• Have a whistle or specific signal that your children know they need to respond to.
  

Thought for the Day - from 'Nana'

"Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." ~ Ephesians 4:32


Remember that we are forgiven, when we ask, for anything and everything! So it is very important that we forgive others for their transgressions against us.