Recordable Storybook is Awesome!

So I was able to get my hands on this just last night
and it's a really nice book. Sturdy. Colorful. The
concept is sweet....children will love to hear one of
their favorite Christmas stories read by a familiar voice!

New release from Usborne Books & More Now Available - Order your copy today! Spark a child's imagination, creativity, and love of reading with gifts from Usborne Books & More!

Outside Influences

She wants to play drums "like Cameron."








She wants her ballerina positions to look like "Mrs. Melanie."








She wants to lead worship like "Mrs. Jackie."








Someone is influencing each of our children from the outside. They are always observing those they are around.

Who is influencing your children day to day and week to week?

Finger Match - Pre-K Readiness

Need a little something to occupy them while you get dinner on the table? Is your child weaning himself of that afternoon nap time but you desire for rest time to continue? These finger match games are so unique. They offer your child an opportunity to independently complete each exercise from start to finish and independence is a great quality this age group gains so much confidence from!

This is how it works: (Steps are taken from back of item.) 1. Set the book on a table or your lap.

2. Choose a picture on the left by placing your left hand finger in its hole. (Keep your finger there while finding the match on the right.)

3.Select the correct match on the right by placing your right hand finger in that hole.

4.With fingers in both holes, lift the card to see if a line connects your fingers on the back.

5.If FINGERS MATCH it's correct!!!

6.Repeat until all matches have been completed on the page.

7.Turn the next page and begin matching again.

• 18 separate activities
• durable, board book in style
  
• parent ideas in back of book
• recommended ages 3 - 5
  
• $7.99 on www.encouragemychild.com
  

Extended Family Relationships Are So Important : Part 1

We've been so blessed this week. Our family has been invited to stay at the beach house for a third year in a row. We love it here. Our whole family - including 8 adults, a teenager, 3 children and 1 on the way- spends time together.

We love the ability to head to the beach, taking only 1 minute to get there. We swim together, build sand castles together, and watch surfers catch waves. When we are ready to head back in, it only takes a minute. We rinse off at the shower in the back of the house, the girls run in to change, we eat lunch, and our morning is complete.

Sometimes we chill under the wrap around front porch, watching the waves crash as we rock in the chairs.

We all eat dinner together, dividing the cooking responsibilities among us "married folk." The dinner meals offer sweet moments of conversations as we migrate to the front porch to enjoy the breeze.

We make homemade ice cream, play "Go Fish," and throw the football.

Everyone is engaged with everyone, and we constantly make our conversations with the girls revolve around the activities presented to us throughout the day. It seems to make them understand the importance of family time- extended family time, too. These are the moments that not only bring them closer to mommy and daddy, but that grow their relationships with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, too.

As I write this, one daughter is upstairs reading books with her soon-to-be aunt. The other is on the front porch with one of her aunts and her Nana playing cards.

I believe some events in life can impact you, without anyone speaking a word about them. Then those same events can double in impact when we take the time to talk about those blessings.

I Can Draw Animals....summer fun for your child!

a BOOK REVIEW to help you....

Much like I Can Draw People, this book gives 32 pages of techniques for drawing the following animals: lion, rabbit, fish, turtle, cat, hen, monkey, flamingo, dolphin, teddy bear, frog, reindeer, lizard, tiger, horse, and bee. I especially like the way they expand the animal concept. I think it helps this book reach a variety of art abilities. It gives numbered step-by-step directions that include simple explanations for each step. The explanations add another level of complexity for children who desire it; however, it doesn't complicate the simplicity of each step.

Another nice feature of this drawing book is the additional surroundings it encourages your child to draw, once the steps are complete. For example, the completed flamingo stands in a ripple of water, another page shows 3 different ways to position the bear, using the same lines- and puts him on the branch of a tree!

So, pull up a chair, learn to draw WITH your child and have fun laughing at the silly pictures you create together! Before you know it, they won't really need your help. They'll know exactly how they want to make their own picture....but maybe they'll still want your company ;)

$4.99
Find this along with I Can Draw People on www.encouragemychild.com
Recommended for ages 3 years and up (although my 6 year old likes it....and she shows great signs of her daddy's art ability!)

Will She Need Me?

It's the second day of dance practice for the production. We are all so excited! Really, it is our whole family's "first dance production" so it is new and exciting to us all. I check Kyla in at the front desk, only to lose her within seconds! Don't worry...I find her taking her place in the dressing room. I sit with her a minute, and watch her 6 year old mind taking it all in. She is having absolutely no problem adjusting to her environment, so I kiss her, whisper to her how proud I am of her, and head out of the door.

Wait. She is ONLY 6 years old. Is it supposed to be like this? I know we spent time together "getting ready" before we arrived, but there must be something else I need to do for her- something she needs me to stay for!
So I stop at the door and just watch her. I really do need to leave. I need to go pay for tickets, I need to drop someone off, and I need to pick up something from a friend's home before her practice is over. Instead I pause, and I just take in the hustle and bustle spinning around me...girls getting ready, instructors getting ready, girls finding their friends... it's a whirlwind. I begin praising God for the opportunity He has given Kyla. I wonder how long it will be before she decides to jump in and lead the hustle and bustle, but she doesn't. She just sits, smiles, observes, learns...her mind being influenced by it all.

All of a sudden I hear, "Mommy, come here. I need you!"
Me?!? You need me? My little 6 year old social butterfly needs me? Of course she does! I walk back over....her hair piece is on the wrong side. I told you it was new to ALL of us ;) .... practices are for the mommies, too!

During her observation of it all, she realized her hair bow wasn't like the other little girls and she wanted her mommy to fix it. What you have to understand is that she is a very independent and outgoing little girl. There were plenty of instructors and volunteers that she could have asked to help her, but she didn't.

More than needing her mommy....she wanted her mommy, and I wanted to help her, too. I only stayed a few minutes longer, as she quickly found her place in the hustle and bustle, but I realized that had I not stopped for just a few moments and allowed God to touch my heart, I would have missed the blessing.

As I was leaving, I prayed for protection upon my little girl's heart- that as she grows and finds herself in the middle of many of life's hustle and bustle situations- that she would remember home- the comfort and security of the relationships we are continuously building and the values and morals we choose to believe as a family.

Sometimes They Grow Best By Us Turning Our Heads!

I'm finding that sometimes life happens best when we turn our heads
....LITERALLY!

We couldn't go to the Wilmington Children's Museum because it was storming, so we decided to have our own cooking club last Tuesday. The girls wanted to make brownies for their Community Bible Study teachers, as well as a couple of neighbors. I thought it was a great idea, so while Emma was asleep, Kyla and I began the first batch. Both girls are great at cracking eggs and measuring liquid ingredients, but it's the simplest steps that seem to make the biggest messes. You know, like trying to get the plastic bag open...and it spilling EVERYWHERE!

I remember hearing Paula Dean make the comment one day that she always seemed to be in her mother's way in the kitchen. I never want my children to feel that way. Of course, there are times when I must do it on my own. You know what I mean! That is just a part of life, but the other, equally important part of life, is the fact that sometimes we need to just turn our heads and let them complete that part of the task on their own. Most of the time, it all works out just fine!

Our children don't need to see negative reactions (our eyes getting big, our loud sighs) in the middle of their hard work. They need us to just occupy ourselves doing something else to accompany their efforts...getting the next ingredient out of the fridge or greasing a dish....something that lets them know we believe in them and we want to see them learn and grow. They need to see that we truly believe that we are a team and we are getting the brownies made together. She has her part and I have mine and together we get the job done!

You should see Emma crack an egg. Did it happen perfectly the first time? second? tenth? Absolutely not. Honestly, I was afraid the child would squish the egg before ever getting the chance to "crack" it, but now, at 4 years old (and she was even doing it at 3) she cracks an egg as well as me! Does she ever get shells in the bowl? Absolutely! We just pick them out! I'm 32 and haven't mastered that skill ;) Why should that be the criteria for her involvement?

At least I'm learning with each box of brownie mix and each batch of muffins, to prepare the area for their success, give them instructions and TURN MY HEAD when necessary! It's amazing how much less the "mess" seems after the mixture is stirred "all the way," than watching it as every little crumb flies out of the bowl and smears on the counter!
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Coming soon to assist you...book reviews for various ages!

Unexpected teachable moments... nothing fancy!

"Candy Monday," as we like to call it in our home, turned into so much more this week. The girls and I were sitting at the kitchen bar, and they were chowing down on their snacks. Mondays aren't the only days they are allowed candy, by the way...it has just become a very effective way of allowing the children to enjoy such yummy-ness in moderation. (That IS the key, right?) They look forward to candy for snack every Monday, and enjoy the spontaneous blessings throughout the rest of the week ;)
Anyway, we were sitting at the bar, and each of the girls had her mini bag of candy. As Emma began arranging hers on her Princess place mat, I began asking her to sort them, according to colors. Then I asked her to count how many were in each pile, which pile had the most, the least etc. She had no idea she was "learning," but she DID know she was having a conversation with her mommy and she LOVED the attention!
Of course, what you do with one, you must follow up with the other, so as I looked at Kyla, with her big blue eyes starring at me for the same attention, I asked her to show me a problem from the "7 addition family" using her candy covered chocolate eggs. She thought for a moment, as she accepted my challenge, and I realized that although there are many moments in a day when I'm sure I miss teachable moments, I hadn't missed that one....and for that, I am grateful! I hope God always shows me the simple ways to relate to my children on THEIR personal levels!

I've been persuaded.... so join me!

I love to talk, and I love to write, and I love being a wife and mommy. The one thing I don't always enjoy is being challenged as a mommy! However, that seems to be completely irrelevant to the fact that I am- it's just a part of life. As a mommy, one of the greatest challenges God has placed in my life is positively and constantly strengthening my relationships with my little girls. The one theme He often reminds me of is ENCOURAGEMENT. My desire is to share with you the many daily opportunities I find myself having to offer my children encouragement. Honestly, its amazing, too, how much sweeter the moments become- yes, even the heated ones- when my focus is established (and often re-established). The frustrations, the anxieties, the "interrupted moments of my days" are quickly put into perspective when I ask myself "How can I encourage my little one's soul THIS moment?"...to have better self control, to grow in respect for others, to be happy and content....
Over the years, God has brought so many of you in to my life, with soooo much more parenting experience and wisdom. My prayer is that you will join me often. Comment on my blogs and offer words of encouragement to others who may be reading. Take an idea I write about and run with it!