Christmas Planning

THANK YOU all so much for the birthday wishes! We had a great day together and I kept feeding myself a steady diet of protein to keep the all-day sickness at bay. Now, on to Christmas...

First of all, you need a battle plan. Now is the time to make lists! Open up an Excel document and start a master gift list, even if you don't have any ideas. At least list the names of the recipients and then your brain will be ready to chew on their gift ideas for the next few months.

And have you discovered Organized Christmas yet? You can download all sorts of forms for free. Yippee! Pop on over there and then share with us what you found to be most useful. And speaking of battle plans, they have a Grand Plan organized for you!

Home Organization, Life with Preschoolers, ResourcesKendraJuly 27, 2006Comment

The Beach is the Best Babysitter!

I am a born and bred California girl- I would live on the beach if I could, and I mean ON the beach.

I think there are few other babysitters as wonderful as God's gigantic natural sandbox- the beach. We spent a day there this week, and the five hours of driving time was well worth it.

Can you get to a beach this summer? Even if it's a narrow sandbar on a river or lake, you'll likely find it to be a source of playtime fun for several hours. Even with preschoolers, you might find you'll get to sit back, relax, and sip a frozen Coke. With a bendy straw. Does life get better than that?

Life with PreschoolersKendraJuly 1, 2006Comment

Thirteen Rules for Ladies

1. Graciously allow a male to help you, even when you don't need help.

2. Greet people by name. Look someone in the eye and say “Hello Mr. Kelly” instead of “Hi".

3. Respect other peoples' privacy by not involving yourself in their conversations.

4. Do not interrupt conversations. Wait for a break in the conversation before beginning to speak.

5. Likewise, do not enter a room talking. Take a moment to make certain you are not interrupting a conversation.

6. Always acknowledge gifts. Write a personal note mentioning the gift by name to each donor.

7. Always look around you to see what needs to be done and how you can help. Ask your hostess, "What can I do to help you?"

8. Do not embarass anyone by teasing them in public. 9. Use self-control with your speech. 10. Flee situations that might lead to stumbling into sin. 11. Do not make rude noises or laugh at others who behave inappropriately in public. 12. Dress in such a way that your femininity is not in question. God made you a girl and you want to dress like a girl! Be certain that what you are wearing does not reveal anything inappropriate. 13. God's desire is that you grow into a godly young woman. Meditate upon His Word!

Life with PreschoolersKendraJune 30, 2006Comment

Thirteen Rules for Gentlemen

Here are the much-requested 13 Rules for Gentlemen: 1. Always hold a door open for a young girl or woman and wait for her to go through first. 2. Help ladies with removing or putting on a sweater or coat. 3. Always seat ladies at the table first, then take your seat. 4. Rise from your seat when a woman enters the room and see that she has a comfortable place to sit. 5. The gentleman always walks on the curbside with a lady. 6. Always carry packages for a lady if you are walking together. 7. If a lady drops something, always stop and help her pick it up. 8. Do not embarass a lady by teasing her in public. 9. Use self-control with your speech. 10. Flee situations that might lead to stumbling into sin. 11. Do not make rude noises or laugh at others who behave inappropriately in public. 12. Remove your hat when you go indoors. 13. God's desire is that you grow into a godly young man. Meditate upon His Word! I don't know to whom I should give credit for this list. I copied it years ago so if you know the source, please be sure to share it with us.

Life with PreschoolersKendraJune 29, 2006Comment

Scripture Memory

When our oldest son was four, I set out to teach him as many Bible verses as we could muster. He was a quick study (aren't they amazing?) and soon had put 35 verses to memory.

Recently I realized I hadn't worked nearly as hard with the other children on memorizing Scripture. And as I was reorganizing our memory-work box, I came across the little homemade cards we'd used with our firstborn. Really, nothing special or fancy but they worked. And so I made everyone else their own "Ten Verses" cards and we set to work. Upon completion of each verse, they get a sticker next to the reference. Even the 11-year-old still loves this.

The added benefit, of course, is that I get all of those verses written on my heart as well.

Circle Time, Educating at Home, Life with PreschoolersKendraJune 26, 2006Comment

Tattletales

Dear Mrs. Fletcher, I've really enjoyed reading your site ever since my mom first sent me the link! I love that you're willing to admit you don't have it all together! So many websites, although helpful, seem to be so together that I wonder what's wrong with me! I may have to use your red sticker idea, we've been eating a lot of cereal with soup spoons lately. ;-) I have a question for you that I'm hoping you can help me with. Maybe it's something that other ladies that read your site have had a problem with as well? Our children are 4, 2 1/2 and 1-years-old. We're having a problem with the 4-year-old and tattling. He's always been a talker, but now you'd think he turned into a paid informant! While we definitely want to be made aware of important situations if we haven't yet noticed, such as the baby about to get hurt, the toddler trying to poke him with a thumb tack (sorry, I had to put that in because it occurred as I was typing this email ;-) ) etc. We can't seem to get him to distinguish between the important things and the unimportant (the toddler still hasn't put away his toys, the baby threw her sippy cup etc.). So far he's been disciplined for telling us about the unimportant and told that we are the parents and we will take care of it, but it doesn't seem to be getting through to him. 99% of what he's telling us about his siblings is in the unimportant category. Yes the 2-year-old will be disciplined for not picking up his toys and yes the baby will also be disciplined for throwing her cup, but he doesn't need to come to tell us, we will find it out on our own within a few minutes and take care of it. Do you have any ideas? Thank you in advance! Corin ♥ Dear Corin- Thanks for your kind words about my site. I am always really blessed to hear how the Lord is using it in other people's lives. And soup spoons- that's funny! Tattling (what the Bible calls "tale-bearing") is one of those tricky parenting things, I think. You're right; on the one hand you want to be told about a child in danger or a child sinning, but differentiating between what is necessary info and what is gossip is difficult for a little guy. I have a few ideas that might help him gain a little maturity in this area: 1. Everytime he tattles about something that is just gossip, tell him to put his hand on his mouth. Proverbs 30:32 says, "If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth." Pretty clear! I would look at my 4-year-old and say, "Honey, sit right down and put your hand on your mouth", and then I would briefly explain what he did. If he ran to tell you about the offense so that he could get the sibling in trouble, you can explain his wrong actions. 2. When he gets old enough to write (hopefully you'll have largely conquered this by then) you can have him write down his tattling in a journal you keep just for that purpose. Instead of telling you, he can tell the book. This serves two purposes: you can review what he's written and decide what is info you need, and at the end of the day you can have him read it so he can see clearly his folly. 3. In my short career as a parent, I have been constantly amazed by how LONG it takes some children to clue in to some of the things we're working on. Do not grow weary in well-doing! Keep teaching him precept upon precept and in due season you shall reap! Lastly, would you mind if I post our emails as a blog entry? I think all of us have had a tattler or two along the way. Blessings, Kendra

Life with Preschoolers, Training Little OnesKendraJune 14, 2006Comment

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