Dear Moms Everywhere
Dear Mom on the iPhone: I have no idea why you're on your iPhone. Let's just remember that our children see our love by the attention we give to them. But they also need to know that the world doesn't revolve around them. It's okay to let your kids play by themselves sometimes. Just use your phone wisely.
Dear Mom Not on her iPhone: I'm glad you're giving your kids your undivided attention. I really am. But please don't think less of the moms who use their phones at the playground. It's not our job to make sure everyone else is a perfect parent; we only need to worry about ourselves.
Dear Mom Who Breastfeeds Her Babies: It's a wonderful thing with so many benefits. Perhaps it was easy; perhaps you had to overcome some obstacles. Either way, I'm glad it's working out for you.
Dear Mom Who Doesn't Breastfeed: Maybe you were not able to breastfeed, or maybe you simply chose not to. That's really up to you. I know no one loves your kids more than you and that you're making the decisions you feel are the best fit for your family.
Dear Mom Who Feeds Her Kids Organic Food: I'm so glad you're caring for your children the best you possibly can!
Dear Mom Who Doesn't Feed Her Kids Organic Food: I'm so glad you're caring for your children the best you possibly can too!
Dear Mom Who Had a Natural Birth: Great job! It's hard work!
Dear Mom Who Didn't Birth Naturally: Great job! It's still hard work!
Dear Mom Who Adopted: Awesome job! I've heard it's really hard work!
Dear Moms Everywhere
We're all so different. Our circumstances and philosophies are as varied as the spectrum of colors. But one thing we all have in common.
We will all fail at this motherhood thing without help and wisdom from above.
So whether you're rich, poor, crunchy, modern, supermom or tired mom, I can tell you one thing you need to be doing every day.
You need to be down on your knees, begging God to give you wisdom as you train these little souls. You need to be searching His word for His advice. Then follow it and don't worry about what anyone else has to say.
These little lives are too important for you to be pressured by your peers or even by some blogger you don't even know to parent your children a certain way. You only have one person to Whom you answer, and that is God. Have you thought much about what He thinks?
Perhaps you spend hours scouring the internet to help you make the best decision regarding vaccinations, co-sleeping, or babywearing. Perhaps you follow lots of bloggers who will tell you how to stop a tantrum in its tracks, how to stop yelling at your kids, or how to get your children to stop stalling at bedtime.
How many of those hours have you spent on your knees?
We're talking about eternal souls here. Eternal souls for which we are responsible! What an incredible task!
Your pastor spends hours each week preparing to preach his messages. An evangelist would be foolish to go out evangelizing without adequate preparation. A missionary spends months and even years learning a new language and culture so that he can effectively win the lost to Christ.
But how much preparation do you as a mother put into the days you spend with these little souls?
Dear Moms Everywhere,
You are entrusted with a monumental task. To fulfill it well, you must daily seek wisdom and strength from the One who has entrusted you with that task. There will be many challenges and obstacles to overcome. But no sacrifice will be too great to make on behalf of the precious souls that are in your care. If you are going to err, may it be on the side of thinking more about the eternal and less about the trivial.
God bless you on your journey!
Our Week in Review
What did I do this week?
Well, I put the camera I-have-no-idea-where for one thing.
Otherwise, it was a pretty quiet week with not much going on, other than celebrating Independence Day yesterday.
I did throw together a dress for this little lady to wear on the 4th of July. I had the fabric, but I honestly had no idea what I was going to do with it. I started cutting (no measurements whatsoever), sewed a few seams, and this is what came out!
I was so happy this turned out, and what's really neat is that is has elastic up at the top of the bodice, so when she's older I can cut the straps off and it will fit as a skirt!
Yesterday we did our typical: We went to our town's parade in the morning. It's, um…interesting in our small town. If you own a bike or golf cart, you can be in the parade. So everybody rides down the street and waves at all their neighbors and the kids get lots of candy thrown to them. It's great fun just because it's such a tradition. In the afternoon we went over to my parents' house for lunch. Usually there are cousins galore, but all of my brothers and their families had gone to various other places this year so it was just our family there with my parents. A very quiet, do-absolutely-nothing kind of day. We went to see fireworks last night, and today we're just doing a little housecleaning and some more relaxing.
Hopefully I will figure out what I did with my camera! I know I took it with me yesterday, but after that, who knows? I am way too scatterbrained.
Free Printable Addition Flashcards
There are so many little “extras” that would be helpful for homeschooling, but I don't always have the money to spend on them. So whenever I can I make my own. I am needing arithmetic flashcards this year, and I am creating all of them for me and for you too if you need them!
I have moved all of my homeschooling posts to christianhomeschoolfamily.com.
You can go here to read this post at the new site.
Free Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions!
Tropical Traditions is offering a FREE 32 oz. jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil through July 6.
You must make a minimum purchase of $12.99 and pay shipping, but don't let that scare you.
The 32 oz. jar is normally $40, and this is about the highest quality coconut oil you're going to get. I've put together a couple ideas of how you can get around $65 worth of products for a little over $20 shipped!
I'm definitely getting my order in!
You could order 2 sets of 2 coconut oil bar soaps, which would be $13.90, or you could get 3 bottles of toothpaste for $16.50.
(I'm personally getting the toothpaste as it is my favorite natural toothpaste and lasts a long time!)
To get yours:
- Go here and add the 32 oz. jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil to your cart. (FYI: There are several places to add the 32 oz. jar, but there is one specifically that lists the price as $0. It won't work unless you click that one!)
- Add another $12.99 worth to your cart. (The toothpaste and bar soap are on the right hand side of the page if those are what you want.)
- The price of the virgin coconut oil will automatically be $0 at checkout.
Hurry! This offer is only available through July 6!
(Disclosure: I receive a small gift code from Tropical Traditions when you make a purchase through these links. I greatly appreciate it!)
Free Starter Kit from Simply Aroma
UPDATE: Simply Aroma was around for a few years and then folded. However, my little foray into essential oils was a great learning opportunity.
As of this time, the brand I am most confident recommending is Plant Therapy. The nice thing is that they are also extremely inexpensive, and there is no need to purchase through a consultant.
Okay, I'm going to be upfront with you. I don't necessarily think essential oils are some miracle cure for every ailment. It seems to me like they're quite a fad with some people. People live the most unhealthy lifestyles, then use essential oils to make their aches, pains, and illnesses feel better. I think a better plan is just to eat healthy food, exercise, get enough rest, and do everything possible not to get sick in the first place. But, since no one can be perfectly healthy, I believe it is important to use natural means whenever possible to help when we are ill. Essential oils are only one part of the equation, along with healing foods and herbs.
So with all that said…
I've been wanting to learn more about essential oils, mainly out of curiosity. I found out that Simply Aroma (a fairly new company) is offering $100 off a starter kit, making the smallest kit free (shipping is $20). I went ahead and signed up as a consultant just so I could check it out, because, hey, the price was right!
They are only offering this for a couple more days, (ends July 6, even though it says it's a June special). You need to attend an introductory webinar to get the coupon code. Watch it here. The referring consultant is MaryElen Bream.
(If you decide to sign up for the kit, you'll need my id. It should automatically come up on the order form if you go through this link.)
UPDATE: If you missed the announcement above, Simply Aroma is no longer in business. I wholeheartedly recommend Plant Therapy brand oils now. They are fantastic quality and very inexpensive too.
Cell Phone Safety for Kids
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kajeet. All opinions are 100% mine.
As our kids get older, my husband and I try to think ahead and plan for what they will and will not be allowed to do, and why. I don't want things to catch me by surprise. (Although I'm sure there are plenty of things that will anyway.)
One of the things we have talked about is the issue of cell phones. Call us old-fashioned, but we don't think our children have any business being able to call or text whomever they want whenever they want, play games all the time, or access the internet on their cell phone.
One of us said how it would be nice if there was a way for parents to set which numbers the phone can call and receive calls from, as well as to control how much the phone is able to be used at all.
Shortly after that conversation, I received an offer to post a sponsored post about Kajeet, a wireless service devoted to kids. Since I never post anything sponsored just for the money, but truly try to serve you, my readers, and post only things I would buy and use myself, I did what I always do and scoured the information to make sure it was something I could truly recommend.
After looking at all of the information about Kajeet, I can honestly say it offers everything my husband and I were hoping for and more!
*Note: our oldest child is only 6 years old and the only time he is away from home is when we are with him. We aren't thinking about getting him his own phone — yet. But we are definitely tucking this information away to revisit when is a little older.
Here is what we found out about Kajeet:
1. Free, unlimited, parental controls that are manageable from a computer and allow parents to:
a.) Set time limits on phone use to prevent late night texting (or simple over-use of the phone.)
b.) Block unwanted calls, but always ensure that those from mom and dad get through.
c.) Manage what websites can be accessed (even on Android™ smartphones).
d.) Decide who pays for certain services, like games or ringtones.
e.) Find your child (or his/her phone if it gets lost or stolen) with GPS locating (included in select service plans or as an add-on)
Note about time limits: If your child's phone is not able to be used during a certain time period, you can set the controls to ALWAYS allow calls from mom and dad to come through, no matter what. No other service has this ability.
2. Affordable plans that start at just $4.99/month.
a.) No activation fee.
b.) No termination fee.
c.) No long-term contract.
d.) No hassles if you need to change your plan. Change it whenever you need or want to, with no penalty.
3. Choose a popular Android™ smartphone (including the Samsung Galaxy S III 4G LTE or the LG Viper 4G LTE) or a more basic, “starter” phone (like the Kyocera Domino).
4. 4G LTE coverage is available on Kajeet (on select 4G LTE devices and in regions where 4G LTE coverage is available).
Kajeet has received awards and recognition from PTPA Media, the Mom’s Choice Awards, iParenting and NAPPA (the National Parenting Publication Awards), and it is easy to see why!
You can purchase a phone from Kajeet directly on the Kajeet website. (Be sure to verify whether or not there is coverage in your area.) You can check the Kajeet coverage map here.
I don't think your child's safety is worth messing around with. If they're away from home, be sure you always have a way to contact them and vice versa. At the same time, make sure that same safety device is not endangering them in the sense of their being able to access the internet without permission or call and receive calls from questionable friends.
Do you have any other tips for keeping kids safe when they're away from home? I'd love to hear them!