Recently I was listening to a parenting seminar and I was struck by John 16:33 where Jesus was talking to his disciples:

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Although this verse was very familiar to me, the truth revealed in this passage brought a new perspective. Jesus was saying that even though you will face trials, persecutions, hardship, don’t worry because He has overcome the world. Whatever difficulty you are facing or will face is not as significant as what He has done for you. Jesus has overcome sin and triumphed over death.

I have dear friends who are currently undergoing the biggest trial of their lives. When I place myself in their shoes, I honestly don’t know what I would do. There doesn’t seem to be a solution and it is very natural to be discouraged and feel hopeless. The truth in John 16:33 offers hope.  Because of what our Lord has said, we should be encouraged and trust that God knows what He is doing, even when we don’t feel a glimpse of hope.

Wise Words for Moms is a five-page booklet by Ginger Plowman. It’s primarily a chart that is designed for addressing each of 22 offenses (i.e. lying, complaining, whining, disobedience) done by the child.   When a child does something wrong, you first identify the problem under “Child’s Behavior” column, then you look under the “Heart Probing” column for questions to ask your child. An example of lying would be “Do you know who the father of lies is? Who do you want as your Father? Do you think lying honors your Father (God) and your family?” After asking such questions, you move on to the “Reproof (”Put Off”)” section where you address the specific sin.

As an example, in the case of lying/deceit, the reproof is “Lying damages your relationship with your family and God hates a lying tongue - so you must ‘put off’ lying. Ephesians 4:25, Proverbs 6:17.” We then move on to the next column of “Encouragement (’Put On’)” where you encourage your child to put on what is acceptable to God. The example is “Truthfulness. The Lord delights in those who are truthful. Proverbs 12:22.” If you wish to look up more verses addressing this specific sin, you can reference in the “Additional Verses” column.

This booklet is especially helpful to remind me that we should work hard at employing God’s Word in our discipline, and not merely correct errant behavior but encourage God-honoring behavior and heart attitudes as well.  I heartily recommend this helpful resource.

I have finally organized my fabrics in a way that is easily accessible. Like most people, I had my fabrics folded in flat sheets and stacked one on top of the other. I quickly discovered that obtaining one piece of fabric required removing all the other fabrics that are on top. Not only that, a lot of fabrics get lost in the stack that I forget what kind of fabrics I have when I need to sew.  Here’s my solution. I rolled all my fabrics and stacked them on top of each other as shown in the picture below. I can easily see what kind of fabrics I have and each one can be easily removed for use. This is a very efficient and usable use of space, especially if you only have limited storage space.

Two years ago my brother-in-law introduced me to the art of stove top popcorn. I say it’s an art because with the advent of microwave popcorn, most people don’t know how to make popcorn the traditional way. I have experimented over time and came up with the following recipe for a delicious caramel popcorn. It is best to use a stockpot that has a thick bottom. I normally don’t like very sweet desserts so I’ve reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup. Feel free to add up to 1/2 cup if you desire. If you want to double the recipe, I suggest that you make two separate batches. I found that when I added more kernels than specified below, a lot of them don’t get popped. You don’t want to wait too long for the kernels to pop because the already popped ones can easily get burned.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of oil

1/2 cup of kernels

1/4 cup of brown sugar

Directions:

1. Add oil to the stockpot and turn the heat to medium high.
2. Drop two kernels in the stockpot. When both of the kernels are popped, the oil is hot enough for making popcorn.
3. Add the brown sugar and the kernels. Use a wooden spoon and stir the mixture until the sugar and the kernels are well mixed. Close the lid, leaving it slightly ajar so the steam can escape. Note: It’s important to use a lid so the popping kernels don’t end up everywhere!
4. Wait until most of the kernels are popped and take the stockpot off the stove top. Carefully pour out the popcorn into a bowl to cool for a moment.
5. Enjoy.

To make kettle corn, use white sugar. To make regular popcorn, don’t add any sugar. Add salt and butter to taste after the kernels are popped.

It was brought to my attention recently that my children are not very polite when others greet them. They respond only when they are in a friendly mood. Otherwise, they either do not say anything at all or look the other way. When that happens, I normally tell them to say “hi” or shake hands, which they do obediently. I find that I need to prompt my children most of time, which I don’t believe is acceptable. In light of this, for the past two days, Evers and I have been talking with the children about being polite and instructing them on how to be respond when someone greets them. We also had several practice sessions with Mommy and Daddy.

My oldest is the sociable one and the lesson on being polite was absorbed quite easily. My next child is more shy and does not respond as readily. Whether my child is outgoing or shy, I believe he should be polite regardless of his personality. When spoken to, my children should look at the person in the eye, stand still, and then respond. When someone extends his/her arm for a handshake, the child needs to reciprocate and give a good firm handshake, not a sloppy, noodle-like hand. We had a practice session this morning addressing this specifically.

I once knew a little girl who was very shy and moody. Whenever I greeted her or tried to play with her, she pouted and turned away. Frankly, I thought her behavior was rather rude. I don’t believe she ever said hello to me even though we saw her family every week for two years. Thinking upon her behavior, if she was my child, would I have her treat others as she had treated me? Given that she is shy, should I let her be “who she is” and just give her a break because she is “only a child?” After much thinking, I believe parents have a responsibility to instruct their children to be courteous, and to teach them that being rude is not acceptable. The child may feel uncomfortable, but I don’t think responding with a “hello” when greeted is too much to ask. Once a child learns that it is necessary to be polite, he/she will feel more comfortable being polite.

“[Love] is not rude…”

- 1 Corinthians 13:5

When the kid wildness barometer in this house rises, my temperature rises too. Typically when this happens, I seep in self-pity and think about any numbers of hip-looking couples I know who have no children. Their lives must be so easy, carefree, cool, adventurous, and fun.  They take vacations to Europe, East Coast, etc.  The grass sure looks greener on their pasture.

But recently, I just found out that several of these childless couples have actually been struggling with infertility.  And then I realized that perhaps they look at my family of four little blessings and think that the grass is greener over here! Then it dawned on me that God gives each one a different and unique circumstance — and none of those are perfect on this side of eternity.  God simply puts different challenges in our different lives, because he knows our specific areas that need sanctifying!

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.  Arguably, it never is (though it seems to often seem so).  What’s more, our goal in life should not be to find “greener pastures,” but to receive gratefully that which God providentially puts in our path.  The trials God has given me are customized, tailored specifically for my sanctification. I may whine and complain, but these trials are for my own good (maybe to help me to learn not to whine and complain!).  Instead of looking for greener pastures, I pray that I might more often acknowledge these trials as the Lord’s kindness, through which He means to make me fit for heaven and Himself.

About two months ago, I started teaching my three-year-old son the letters of the alphabet and their sounds in Letters of the Week. To reinforce the letters he has learned, I made up two games for him to play.

The first game is the Alphabet Fishing game. I was able to find a PDF of the alphabet with a cute fish design online. I printed the document on colored stock paper (you can use regular paper but I find that it’s better to use a thicker paper) and then cut out each letter rectangle. Next I clipped a metal paper clip to each card. These will be the “fish” to catch. To make the fishing pole, I got a paint stick (you can use any long stick or rod or a wooden spoon) and secured a magnet on a string to the stick. To play the game, I spread all the fish cards on the floor and have my child sit on a stool and use his fishing pole to fish each card. As he fishes up a card, I have him tell me the letter name and sound, and if he answers correctly, he can place the card in a bowl. If he can’t tell me the correct answer, he is to throw the fish back into the “river.”

The other game is the Alphabet Bingo game. Again, I was able to find an alphabet PDF document online. I printed all the uppercase and lowercase cards. Each time my son draws a letter, I ask him for the name of the letter and then have him find the letter on the game card. Whoever gets all the letters straight across, down, or diagonal wins. Even though this game was intended for my three-year-old, his five-year-old older brother was just as enthusiastic about it.

I find that when it comes to learning something new, playing a game is vital because it piques the children’s interest which results in actual learning. I am happy to say that my three-year-old knows most of the uppercase and lowercase letters and their sounds. Because of the games and activities we do, he tells me everyday that he wants to do letters, and this makes me very, very happy.