Presidents of the United States Song

Sadie and Myriam sang in their school talent show today.

They sang the song that my mom made up

to help me memorize the presidents of the United States

when I was in fourth grade.

BABY TRAINING GUIDELINES

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it”

1. MEALS Not SNACKS

- Breast-milk is digested in 2½-3 hours.

(Formula or Breast-milk with Mush digests in 4 hours)

- Substantial naps are created by putting a baby down about halfway between meals. Since they are sleeping during the end of digestion they are lower on energy and therefore take longer naps.

(Feeding a baby to sleep gives them energy which causes shorter naps.)

-Delayed gratification in eating will aid in developing moral character as well.

(“Bridle all of your passions that ye may be filled with love”)

2. INDEPENDENCE Not DEPENDENCE

- Training a baby to be self-reliant in going to sleep is an investment parents will reap rewards for in their own social, emotional and physical health.

(Providing for others in the Lord’s way is helping people to help themselves.)

- A baby can and should also develop self-reliance in other areas like playing and eating (when solids are introduced).

-Being “Quick to Observe” the small cues of tiredness (yawns, small cries) can help you to put them down for a nap before they get over-tired and too fussy to calm themselves.

-Comforting your baby doesn’t have to mean feeding them. Swaddling is so effective. As well as swinging/rocking and/or going outside for fresh air.

3. ORDER Not CHAOS

- Establishing a “house of order” can begin by organizing your time. Routines establish boundaries. This consistency gives us freedom because we know what to expect.

(God governs with order. His planets rotate according to set times and seasons)

- We are agents “to act and not to be acted upon.” Planning for the future can eliminate a lot of conflicts and be a tool for magnifying our responsibilities.

-Being flexible in the present is also a way of maintaining order. When two or more principles come in conflict with each other, adjusting to the highest one is the Lord’s way of “ordering.”

(Listen to the Holy Ghost prompting you to prioritize or eliminate throughout the day)

- Marriage comes first. We are husband and wife before we are parents.

Emotional and physical intimacy should be a high priority in order to maintain balance.

(Don’t put “things that matter most at the mercy of things that matter least”)

Family Night Home Video

OK, So we tried acting out the scriptures in family night.

I need tips on videoing with my little canon camera,

but here's our first attempt:

Outside Play

Isn't there just something satisfying about playing outside?

Here's some pictures I've caught the last few weeks.

Hunter flying a home-made grocery bag kite.

Sadie and Myriam making a flagpole next to the tree house.

Myriam building Tee-Pee's in the backyard

Yes, I love my kids playing in God's creations!

"All I want for dinner is You"

After spending so much time experimenting with all sorts of whole foods,

I realize my kids need my time and focus more than they need perfect nutrition.

I have to simplify and delegate some of the food preparation,

or purposely neglect in order to have more time to spend with them.

Here's some pictures from the last few months' obsession:

We call Hunter the "Healthy Machine"

He loves eating healthy and being a nutrition policeman in our home.

Hunter and Packer help me grind grains in my new grinder.

Hunter even went to a class with me this weekend at Kitchen Kneads.

We had a family night where we borrowed a bunch of blenders

and tested them all to see which one made the best green smoothies.

Our hand-me-down one from the neigbors won.

(Kitchen-Aid)

Benson has been having a grand time matching lids to pots.

Benson likes to be near mom,

so the kitchen has been the place to hang out.

Dressing Up

Apparently, my children don't know which gender they are.

They love to cross dress themselves and the baby!

The Couch

Donny re-finished this green couch a couple of months ago.

It has a sentimental value to me-

It's the couch my parents had when they raised me and my eight siblings.

It's fun to have it in our basement and load it with my children.

We have family scripture study on it every morning (at 5:30am)

and family movie night every friday evening.