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Heard it in real life

No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

April 28, 2011 By kimc

You know those amazing stories about women giving birth when they didn’t even know they were pregnant?

Kim Brenneman of Large Family Logistics almost had an experience like that.  If my recollection is correct, she made it to 25 weeks without knowing, then had a preemie just 2 weeks later. You can read about it in the preface of her book, Large Family Logistics.

But almost only counts in horseshoes, as they say, and Kim did have just a bit of notice.  Anyway, I know somebody in real life who has experienced this.  She and her husband are very good friends of my brother and his wife, and we all spent an evening together last weekend.  I heard the whole story from the husband, then couldn’t resist going straight to the wife to get her version.  Of course they matched perfectly except for the varying levels of panic, hilarity and hysteria expressed or implied.

In a nutshell, here’s what happened: Jake came home from work one evening to find Diane suffering from back/stomach pains.  They assumed she was sick, and went to bed hoping she would be better in the morning.

During the night, Jake awoke to the sound of Diane crying out in pain.  He insisted on taking her straight to the emergency room, but hurt his back carrying her across the parking lot.  She felt better for a moment and finished the trek herself, then the pain hit her again.

Inside an examining room, Diane told the nurse, “I’ve never hurt so much except when my daughter was born, but I’m not even pregnant now!”   The nurse put 2 and 2 together and did a quick check, finding that Diane was 9 centimeters dilated!

They called for a doctor who arrived with just 12 minutes to spare.  Jake and Diane left the hospital with a healthy 5 lb, 4 oz. boy who they estimated was 7 weeks early.

Really.  You’ve seen stories like this in the news, and now I’ve met at least one woman who lived it.

Diane said her first pregnancy was very typical, which made it all the more shocking that she never suspected she was pregnant the second time.

She had regular cycles throughout the pregnancy.  She was at the doctor several times in the preceding months for other reasons.

She was overweight, but not dramatically.  She had been dieting, so she actually lost weight during the course of the pregnancy.

Jake confirmed that neither of them ever suspected pregnancy at any point before the nurse said the word dilated and centimeters.

Now she is expecting a third child and having a completely normal pregnancy.  With 7 weeks to her duedate, you could never miss the fact that she is expecting.

What do you think?  Incredible?  Or have you heard or even experienced something like this yourself?

Filed Under: madness, pregnancy/labor 28 Comments

4 Moms Q&A: sleep, exercise, and making do with one bathroom

No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

April 28, 2011 By kimc

Enter our current giveaway for a beautiful FlexiClip

Well, the Headmistress may like to talk about food on the second Thursday of every month, but my favorite is the fourth week of the month, in which we answer questions from you. Lest you think too highly of me, I’ll confess right away that it’s my favorite because I’m lazy.  This is the post where I don’t have to ramble on trying to sound knowledgeable.  I can mumble “I dunno” and move right on to the next question.  I also don’t have to think of what to write about because you all are providing the topics.  That makes it easy, and I like easy.

Of course, sometimes it’s not so easy because some of these questions are hard. If you would ask me how and why an algebraic formula works, I could help, but ask how to keep moody teens from bickering and you’re more likely to get a deer-in-the-headlights look followed by a lot of theoretical hypothesizing about what I should probably be doing differently.

Now that I can cross that question off the list, let’s try some easier ones.

Click below for the audio version with extra material and bonus bunny trails:

Listen to 4 Moms Q&A, #2

Sound quality may be low in certain browsers; if that’s the case, right click and save before you listen.

1. Elizabeth R asked:
I have a question about beans as you mentioned that your family eats a lot of bean. How do you cook dried beans so that they do not become a mushy mess? I do fairly well in soups, but for something like Chili, without the broth to cushion them they become “mashed beans” when I try to add other ingredients. I would love to get away from the high-priced cans if possible.

We like our beans very soft, so we don’t mind if they get a little mashed.  However, if you like firmer beans, you would probably love them cooked in a pressure cooker.  It’s very convenient and economical too, since they cook in just a few minutes rather than all day on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker/canner, I highly recommend you get one. and actually use it. If you do have one, don’t be afraid of the thing.  Make the most of it, and let me know your favorite uses so I can make the most of mine!

2. Michelle Ross wants to know:

Can you post pictures of the bunk beds with the safety rails? How much did it cost to order the rails and did you only get them for the top 2 on each set?

We only allowed the older children to sleep on the top two levels of the bunk beds, but we still ordered rails for them right away for the sake of safety.  We got them directly from the manufacturer.  They’re a little behind the times; we had to order by phone, then send an old-fashioned check by Pony Express, er, snail mail before they shipped the rails.  It didn’t take too long, though.  I think we had them in less than 2 weeks.

Later, we decided to order more rails for the lower levels as well.  They make the unit look a little neater and help keep the bedding from slipping around or threatening to slide out entirely.

Lovely patchwork quilt from Marie Madeline Studio.  Note the pocket knife.

The rails were about $15 each including shipping, which means that overall we would have been slightly better off to simply buy another set of shelves from Costco, cart the 180 lb. box across the parking lot and cram it into our van, haul it up 12 steps onto the deck, keep the 8 rails included, and throw away the excess parts.  For some reason Perry didn’t see it this way and opted to let the FedEx guy bring the rails right to our door.

3. theresa asks the big question on everyone’s mind:

How do you work one bathroom?

The short answer is: barely.  It was pretty easy 6 years ago when most of the kids were little and there were less of them.  Now that nearly everyone in the house wants or needs daily showers, it’s becoming a balancing act.

But keep in mind that just one or two generations ago it was nearly unheard of to have more than one bathroom, and households our size were not really unusual.  This is what we keep telling each other while we stand in line outside the bathroom door.

Oh – and we actually do have more than one restroom.  There’s an additional facility outside for the males in the family.  It’s called The Woods. :D

4. Claire is curious:

I have a question about naptimes with your little ones… I have a 1yr old and one on the way and I feel like my life revolves around her naptimes (2 a day now). How do you handle naptimes with your younger children and do you plan things around their naps, or just expect them to learn to sleep wherever they are? I was wondering how this works in a large family where it may be hard to coordinate those kind of things perfectly.

When everyone was young, naps were a fixed part of the day and we did everything in our power to schedule around them.  The very young ones could sleep in carseats if necessary, but it was hardly convenient and there was still the question of 4 and 5yo’s who did best with naps but might have to do without.

Now I have babysitters everywhere I look.  If we have to go out in the middle of the day and a little one falls asleep in the carseat, I’m nearly guaranteed to have a teen near at hand who will beg to stay in the car with a sleeping toddler and a good book or her iPod.

As our schedule has become more flexible over the years, I have found that my children become more flexible as well.  Back in the days of rigid naptimes, my 2yo would fall apart if she didn’t get her nap on time.  Now that we often fly by the seat of our figurative pants, we find that our little ones can skip a nap now and then without dire or drastic consequences.

I must conclude that children are highly adaptable, and schedules are for the sake and sanity of the parent even more than for the good of the child.

5. Sarah has another sleep-related question:

Do you have any problems with your children sleeping? We have a toddler who wakes in the small hours, often due to itching from a skin problem, but then wakes his sibling in the same room. We are working on treatment for the skin but this causes a fair amount of disruption.

At the risk of sounding harsh or flippant, I’ll ask: Why is it a problem if he wakes his sibling?  Maybe I’m a mean mom, but I expect my children to fall back to sleep with a minimum of fuss if they’re awakened during the night.  I tell them, “Stay in bed.  Be quiet.  Go back to sleep.”  And eventually, they do.  They might fidget or whisper to each other for a bit or get up to use the bathroom, but that’s ok.  They’ll doze off, and if they’re very little they might sleep a little later or take a longer nap the next day.

6. Sandy wants to know:

You’ve said before that you wear clothes more than once if they are still clean enough.  I’m wondering if you have a system or a place for putting the worn-but-not-yet-dirty clothes, or do you just put them back in the cupboard with the clean ones?  It seems that we often end up with piles of clothes that are waiting to be worn again….

We have a variety of methods for handling this in our house.  I like to fold mine neatly and drape them over a chair if I’ll be wearing them again the next day, and if they aren’t perfectly clean that’s the only alternative to the laundry hamper.  If I don’t plan to wear them that soon, I hang them in the closet again.  I don’t think this is a problem with clothes that still look and smell completely clean.
If I think Perry will want to wear a shirt again, I often hang it from a coat hook next to our bedroom door rather than inside the closet.
Most of the children find it simpler to put their clean-but-worn articles of clothing on the floor or under the bed until they’re dirty, then they can put them in the laundry.

7. Liz p flatters me with her assumption that I exercise:

How do you find time to exercise, especially when there are no children old enough to baby sit yet?

Me? Exercise?! Well, laughing is great for the abdominal muscles.

Honestly, remember that time I started walking when I was pregnant with Parker?  And the entire extended family thought I had been kidnapped? Because nobody could entertain the possible that I might be walking for exercise?

OK, I do exercise  a little.  When I had lots of littles I actually exercised much more, and I suspect that’s closer to what you wanted to know anyway.

I really didn’t find it difficult, but maybe that’s because my notion of exercise differs from others:

  • I put a baby in a backpack and 2 or 3 toddlers in a double stroller and hauled everyone to the library, the store, and any other destination within walking distance.  If I wanted a more rigorous workout, I carried a heavier toddler and let the baby ride in the stroller.
  • When Perry and I had a lawn mowing business one summer, I begged to do the mowing in the evenings while he stayed home with the wee ones.
  • I ran up and down the stairs on every excuse that arose rather than waiting and combining trips.
  • I did various floor exercises and body weight exercises with babies and toddlers around, under and on me.  Try a couple of pushups with a monkey on your back.  You’ll get in shape pretty quickly.
  • I carried babies and toddlers on my hip through much of the day.  Great for toning the arms.  Breastfeeding without a special pillow or other support is also helpful.

I think you get the idea.  A mom’s life can be very active, and your physical fitness is far more limited by your activity choices than by the number and age of your children.

8. Lora wonders:

How do you handle sunscreen? It is apparent that your family is outside for many hours a day. Do you all wear sunscreen, do only some of you wear it, how do you afford it, and who is responsible for making sure that you are all slathered up when necessary?

We’re probably not outside in the direct sun as much as you think – we do most of our outdoor stuff early or late in the day.  Because of that, we don’t often wear sunscreen.  We don’t worry about sunscreen unless we’re likely to wind up with sunburns, e.g. swimming  or in direct sun for extended periods while the sun is high.
There are some questions about the safety of sunscreen, and with a few exceptions, we’re not prone to burn easily.  Our children have Indian heritage on both sides of the family, and even our redhead is the darker type, with brown eyes and unfreckled skin that tans more readily than it burns.
If there does seem to be a chance of getting burned, I usually make sure that we have vulnerable areas covered with either cloth or sunblock.  This means the little ones often swim with a t-shirt to protect arms and shoulder, and I sometimes encourage our redhead to swim in capri pants if we’re going to be in direct sun for a long time.

9. Malia had a whole list of questions.  I’ll answer some now and save some for later:

How do you train older siblings to help younger siblings and how do you train younger siblings to be respectful of older siblings?

I think it largely comes to down the behavior we model for our children.  These 2 questions are tightly connected because they touch on the concept of the servant-leader.
A good leader doesn’t just wield power; a good leader serves those he rules.  Christ was the ultimate example of this, and we emulate this in our own relationships by serving those under our authority: the husband serves the family, the wife serves the children, the older children serve the younger ones. Yes, it goes both ways, but if you were worrying about that just now, you’re missing the point. This service can and ought to take many forms, but as a whole it becomes a picture of Christ’s sacrificial love for His people.
At the same time, out of respect for God we must honor those who have authority over us and we teach our children to do the same.  Little ones don’t just learn to obey Dad and Mom as directed in Ephesians 6:1.  They learn to obey Big Sister, because God said to obey your parents and your parents told you to obey Big Sister, or because Mom gave her authority over you, and if you disobey her you are disobeying Mom.  When they get a little older, they begin to understand that all authority flows out of God and we obey those in authority over us out of respect for God, even if we don’t like the way a particular authority is acting.
All this may be more than your 3yo can grasp right away, but if you understand it and begin communicating it to your children they will get it when they’re ready.

10. Malia also wants to know:

How often do you really sweep and mop your floors. Mine always look dusty and have an assortment of things on them. Crumbs, toys, paper, food, etc… What time of day??

We sweep constantly, and mop not nearly often enough.  We have a small house with lots of foot traffic in a very dusty climate.  If that’s not enough, we have 3 dogs and a very large cat in the house.  If that’s not enough, I can probably come up with more excuses.  I’m good at them.
I can also make you feel better about your floors by assuring you that mine are dirtier than yours, even though we just finished sweeping and will sweep again in a few hours or less.

Solution: you need floors that hide dirt better. I recommend tile or linoleum in a print that helps camouflage dirt, pet hair, crumbs, wads of paper, crayons, pillows, socks and underwear, and small children.  Then your floors will look nice.
That’s all for today, folks.  I have a few questions left over for the next session, and if you have a question of your own, you can ask in the comments on this post.

The other moms:

Upcoming topics:

  • er…it’s a surprise. Because we don’t know yet.

Recent topics:

  • April 21 – Large families & church, part 2: keeping them quiet
  • April 14 – Eating inexpensively on the road
  • April 7 - 4 Moms teach history
  • March 24 – Large families & church, part 1: getting there on time
  • March 17 – Bread baking linky
  • March 10 – Spring cleaning
  • March 3 - Books for early readers
  • February 24 - 4 Moms Q&A: my first audio blog on potty training and more
  • February 17 – Individual time with children: scary stuff here.  Just kidding.  Let go of the guilt.
  • February 10 - Cooking with little ones without losing your sanity
  • February 3 -Teaching reading, because it’s so much easier than teaching them to use the toilet.  Do not request a 4 Moms post about potty training, do you hear me?
  • January 27 – Q&A: Must-have baby equipment and other nitty gritty stuff
  • January 20 – Top 10 Books for Preschoolers
  • January 13 – Soups and Stews
  • January 6 – Teaching Bible
    • Filed Under: 4 moms 35 kids, blogging & technology 29 Comments

    Giveaway: Lilla Rose Flexi Clips

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 26, 2011 By kimc

    This giveaway has ended.

    I love, love, love Flexi Clips!  I saw them all over the web last fall and was delighted when I received an invitation from Jennifer to host a giveaway.

    We have 3 Flexi Clips of our own now, and I didn’t shed a single tear when my last big plastic jaw clip broke.

    I wore those plastic jaws nearly every day for the last several years, but I never truly loved them.  They were the best I could find, but they still didn’t hold well unless my hair was damp.  They stuck out behind my head.  They broke regularly under daily use.  And they looked a little utilitarian.  I really wanted something pretty for my hair, but couldn’t find something that would hold enough hair to keep it all up and off my neck on long, hot summer days.

    After watching the sizing and styling videos, I ordered my clips in Small and Medium, even though I have fairly long thick hair.  They turned out to be perfect, and with very little practice I was able to put up my hair in a variety of styles that take less than 30 seconds to create but stay put all day long!  Of course they’re so fun and easy I want to take my hair down just to fiddle with the clips and switch to a new style, but I can hardly fault them for that…

    I love the versatility: Extra Small is perfect for my younger girls with fine hair, and my Medium still works for my older daughters who have thick, luxuriant tresses twice as thick as mine.  Smaller sizes work well for thick hair when you don’t want to pull it all up.

    They are comfortable, too.  No pinching, pulling or pressure spots like I got from The Claw.  My hair feels nearly weightless since it tends to fit much more smoothly my head, if that makes sense.  No big heavy bun waving around behind me, bumping into things.  Maybe you’ve never had that happen?  Bun, I said.  Bun. Forget I said it.

    I was afraid at first that I would have to jealously guard these to keep the children from losing the pin, but guess what?  These must have been designed by a mom.  The pin is attached to the clip.  No separate pieces to lose!  I am in love.

    All that and beautiful too.  What’s not to love?  I want more Flexi Clips!  Don’t you?

    The Giveaway

    We get to choose two very happy winners to receive gift certificates for up to $15 free (free shipping and no sales tax for winners!).  For your first entry, visit the Lilla Rose site and click on Go Shopping at the upper right.  Waste hours gazing at the amazing array of choices.  Then come back here to leave a comment telling which clip you would choose, and why.  You must do this to enter.

    For additional entries, do any or all of the following and leave a separate comment for each.  Each legitimate comment will count as one entry.

    1. Post about this giveaway on facebook…
    2. …twitter…
    3. and/or your blog.
    4. Like Flexi Clips on Facebook.
    5. Follow Flexi Clips on Twitter.
    6. Share a link to your favorite product from Lilla Rose on facebook…
    7. …twitter…
    8. and/or your blog.
    9. Subscribe to Life in a Shoe and leave a comment to let me know.  If you’re already a subscriber, just leave a comment saying so.

    We’ll take entries for one week.  Then I’ll forget and/or procrastinate until a helpful reader emails to ask if I chose the winners yet.  To show my gratitude I’ll give that helpful reader an extra entry, then choose 2 winners.  Isn’t my honesty refreshing?

     

    Filed Under: giveaways & deals 281 Comments

    Teaching a 2yo to read

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 22, 2011 By kimc

    I mentioned in a recent post that Bethany is finally getting potty trained, just a few months shy of her 3rd birthday.  Nearly all of our other children trained several months younger, but I’m a big believer in waiting for plenty of readiness signs and we just weren’t getting the signals from her.  I’m glad to say that the wait paid off and she was trained in a morning, with just one pee accident before we started, and another 4 days later.  She doesn’t wear a diaper for naps, and I think she’s waking up dry in the morning, though we’re not good about getting the diaper off right away.  Not bad stats, eh?  Bowel training is a little different, but we’re moving along nicely.

    She’s also learning to read from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
    .  I had no intention of starting her yet – my phonics philosophy is a lot like my potty training philosophy, and Perry is my first to start reading lessons in earnest before the ripe old age of 6 – but she begged when she learned that 4yo PerryBoy was doing it.  Begging is a sign of readiness in my philosophy, so I was bound by my own words.

    Would you believe she’s actually doing it?  She has the attention span of a 2yo and the mind of a 12yo.  She chatters incessantly about the dust bunny on the ceiling, her sisters’ new clothes, and her own belly button, but in between she says everything she is supposed to say, does everything she is supposed to do, and understands everything she’s supposed to understand.  We’re on lesson 13, and my 2yo is well on her way to sounding out simple words.  I really think she can now if and when she wants to.  I am speechless.

    I may be speechless, but Bethany’s not.  She’s never speechless.

    A few days ago she was putting on a shirt and noticed the letters on it.  ”Is this shirt a reading lesson?” she asked me, eyes wide with wonder.

    With catlike reflexes, I pounced on the learning opportunity presented.  ”Umm…yes?…Yes, it is!  See?  It says b-e-s-t.  Best [Friends]“

    She studied her shirt for a moment then shook her head, sure of herself now.  ”No, Mom.  It’s a shirt.”

    Filed Under: homeschooling 12 Comments

    4 Moms make their 37 children sit still in church

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 21, 2011 By kimc

    Welcome back, compadres.  If you have 37 children and would like them to be still and quiet in church, we understand.  We can help, because some of our 37 children have been known to sit quietly in church some of the time.

    How’s that for street credit?  You expected better?  I’m just pulling your leg.  It may feel this way sometimes but honestly, you can teach and expect your children – even toddlers and older babies – to still in church without being disruptive to the people around you.

    As usual, a certain amount of preparation is very helpful:

    1. Give a pep talk before you arrive.  Remind the children of the standard, and let them know exactly what you expect and require from them.  Of course this only works for children old enough to understand what you’re talking about, but doing this allows you to focus more on keeping the younger ones in line.
    2. Arrive early enough to take care of bathroom trips before the service starts, then make it clear that all but the very youngest are expected to wait until after the service for subsequent bathroom trips.
    3. Decide if you are going to allow scribbling, quiet toys, etc. and have the materials ready for distribution with a minimum of whispers, fuss and fidgeting.  We allow babies to have one quiet toy, and younger ones may have a pen to write on their bulletins.  This is phased into taking notes as they get older.  4yo Perry likes to copy words from the hymnal or bulletin, and this is fine by us if he can do it without asking a lot of questions.

    Choose your seating carefully. We tried several arrangements when all the children were young and hit upon a plan that worked beautifully for us.  Now that we have 4 teens, we do things a little differently but we still use 2 rows whenever possible.  I can’t say enough about placing your challenging children directly in front of Dad.  :)

    Plan for training. Don’t expect to hear every word of the sermon while you have little ones.  If you invest time in training now, you will reap bountiful harvests later.  Our worship is our service to God, and He is pleased when we train little ones to serve Him as well.  He won’t mind if you missed part of the sermon yet again.

    Have high standards and realistic expectations. Even babies and toddlers can learn to behave well in church, but they’re still going to make some noise now and then.  My husband’s standard is higher than mine, and he constantly shows me that they can do better than I expect.  On the other hand, they do occasionally make some noise.  We invariably find that our disruptions passed unnoticed by most of the people around us.

    Don’t sweat it. Do your best, but don’t let the process stress you out.  Most people expect children to make a little noise, and chances are the people in the next row are totally unaware of the fidgeting and quiet battles of will happening in your row.

    It’s a process, remember?  You and your children will have good days and bad ones, and someday you’ll all laugh over the time your 5yo got her legs tangled in a front row folding metal chair and fell in a deafening clatter right in the middle of prayer.

    The other moms:

    Upcoming topics:

    • April 28 – Q and A: leave your question here.

    Recent topics:

  • April 14 – Eating inexpensively on the road.  Just in time for summer!
  • April 7 - 4 Moms teach history
  • March 17 – Bread baking linky
  • March 10 – Spring cleaning
  • March 3 - Books for early readers
  • February 24 - 4 Moms Q&A: my first audio blog on potty training and more
  • February 17 – Individual time with children: scary stuff here.  Just kidding.  Let go of the guilt.
  • February 10 - Cooking with little ones without losing your sanity
  • February 3 -Teaching reading, because it’s so much easier than teaching them to use the toilet.  Do not request a 4 Moms post about potty training, do you hear me?
  • January 27 – Q&A: Must-have baby equipment and other nitty gritty stuff
  • January 20 – Top 10 Books for Preschoolers
  • January 13 – Soups and Stews
  • January 6 – Teaching Bible

    •  

    Filed Under: 4 moms 35 kids 18 Comments

    Potty training

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 20, 2011 By kimc

    Potty training days are finally here, and I couldn’t be happier!

    I usually dread this stage, but it’s going swimmingly with Bethany.  That’s good.  I often tell people that the reason I don’t try to rush it or push my kids to train early is because if you wait until they’re really and truly ready, it goes so much more quickly and easily.

    Bethany will be 3 in June, making her one of our latest to train.  That means she should be the easiest, right?

    Right.  One pee accident since training began. Read it and weep.  No, you can’t have her.  Anyway, we’re still working on #2.

    She’s always been incredibly, hilariously precocious.  Even her accident demonstrated it: she caught herself just as she began and raced for the bathroom.  After finishing her business properly, she returned with a scrap of toilet paper to wipe the floor.  Of course I had already done it, but I appreciated the thought.  Some much older people in my house could take lessons from her.

    But she’s not perfect.  Her manners could use some polishing.  I used the toilet while she was in the bathroom with me yesterday – I commonly do this with potty training toddlers to demonstrate the desired behavior – and her eyes widened with incredulity and admiration as I sat down.

    “Mom, your butt is BIG!”

    Yes, she said it in all caps and all honesty.  I’m pretty sure she wants her butt to be just as big as mine she grows up.  The sentiment was nice, but the manners need work.

     

    Filed Under: potty training 15 Comments

    Want to learn to make money with your blog?

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 19, 2011 By kimc

    That’s the topic of my new series over at Frugal Hacks, thanks to 5 separate inquiries from ambitious friends and acquaintances.  The first post went live today: Monetize Your Blog, part 1.  Go see, and give it a link if you like it!

    Filed Under: frugal 1 Comment

    Ballantyne adventures for half price

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 18, 2011 By kimc

    Vision Forum runs a lot of sales, and I don’t tell you about every single one, but I do want to mention this one because we love these books.

    Save 50% on Any 3 or More Ballantyne Christian Adventure Classics (ends midnight, April 20)

    Ballantyne’s books are filled with shipwrecks, polar bears, Viking expeditions, pirate attacks, Eskimo encounters, the deep jungles of Africa and South America, gold mines, dangerous savages, and many other heart-pounding, page-turning adventures. But though his tales featured earthly adventures and conquests, they were also self-consciously and vigorously Christian.

    Not sure where to start?  I’ve got you covered.  I asked a few of the girls for recommendations.The Coral Island

    The Coral Island – A classic.  Lord of the Flies was written in response to this from an evolutionary view, arguing that children left to themselves would not conduct themselves in such a civilized way.

    The Gorilla Hunters – The sequel to Coral Island, but also very good as a standalone.

    The Lonely Island – Dark, but good.  A favorite of both Lydia and Megan.The Gorilla Hunters

    Martin Rattler – Lydia’s second favorite.

    The Dog Crusoe and His Master - Deanna’s favorite.

    Blue Lights - Megan’s very favorite.

    Red Rooney - Megan’s favorite, second only to Blue lights

    Fighting the Flames - Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned story about firefighters?

    Do you enjoy Ballantynes in your house?  What are some favorite titles?

     

     

    Filed Under: books and poetry, Vision Forum 9 Comments

    4 Moms: Eating inexpensively on the road

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 14, 2011 By kimc

     

    So…funny story here.  I painstakingly squeezed one hour out of a very busy day because I had to do this week’s 4 Moms post.

    I worked on the post, even though there were other things I probably should have been doing.  These weekly posts are important to me, and I feel obligated.  I am obligated, right?  The 4 of us are a team, and our readers depend on us to dispense wisdom.  Wisdom.  hah.

    So I carved out an hour and worked very hard not to get distracted.  These posts usually take more than an hour, but I was diligent.  I was focused.  I knew what I wanted to say, and I was determined to make the most of my time.  When I was almost done, I rewarded myself with some chocolate.  I think better with chocolate.  Don’t you?

    A few minutes later I finished my post and scrolled down to update the info at the bottom.  You know the part where we list upcoming topics and past ones?

    That must be when the chocolate kicked in because I suddenly felt something happening in my brain.  I saw that this week’s topic was not about keeping children still and quiet in church.

    See?  Funny story, huh?  Well, I’m ahead of schedule.  I’ve got next week’s post all ready for ya.

    So now that you’ve heard this week’s excuse for why I’m a disorganized unprepared slacker, I’ll tell you how we eat when we’re on the road.

    First, let me say that the word inexpensive is subject to a wide range of interpretation.  To some, it means not eating steak or seafood.  To others, it means eating somewhere you aren’t expected to tip.  It may mean eating from a grocery store instead of a restaurant.  Some think it applies only to eating food you brought from home in an ice chest.

    To me, it means spending about what we would spend at home for a normal meal.  We all know that the tradeoff is often convenience, and on a road trip we might be willing to spend a little more on food than we do at home.  The idea is not to go broke or spend our gas budget on food.

    We like to pack foods that can easily be served and eaten in a moving vehicle with a minimum of grease and crumbs.  Some of our favorite inexpensive meals on the road:

    • Hard boiled eggs – A cheap source of protein, easy to eat in the car.  Just don’t store them too long, and never hand one to a toddler in a carseat.
    • Roll-ups – My 4yo calls these Robots.  Like sandwiches but with tortillas instead.  No crumbs!  This lends itself well to a variety of fillings – tuna, PB&J, bologne or deli meat & cheese, egg salad.  A tortilla also frees you of the expectation of mayo or other spreads which can be both difficult and messy in a moving vehicle.
    • Snackage – Lunch on the road may very well be more like a snack: items like carrot sticks, apples, almonds, raisins, bananas, animal crackers and PB, pretzel sticks (cheaper than potato chips and no grease), and grapes are easy to pack, easy to serve, and plenty filling.  They’re also easy to dole out in small portions during a long road trip.
    • Dollar burgers – Nobody said this was limited to health food.  After a day or two on the road, everybody is longing for a hot meal and this really isn’t such a bad way to go.  If we’re pinching pennies, we skip the fries (or split a couple of large orders among the 12 of us), drink free ice water, and order a big pile of double cheeseburgers or something similarly substantial from a dollar menu.  It really is a lot of food for the money and doesn’t cost much more than a home-cooked dinner that includes plenty of meat and cheese.
    • Green smoothies – Believe it or not, green smoothies travel well – if you’re into that sort of thing.  Just make them ahead of time and store in quart jars in the ice chest.  Drink directly from the mason jar like country folk.
    • Water – Except for adult drivers who may need a dose of caffeine now and then, we rarely drink anything but water on road trips.  To avoid buying bottles one at a time at the gas station, we like to buy a couple of gallon jugs and use them to refill individual bottles.  Don’t worry about bringing a funnel.  It’s fun trying to pour water from a jug into the tiny mouth of a bottle in a moving vehicle, and on a summer road trip in the south nobody minds if their clothes get wet.  It’s just a free boost for the a/c, right?

    Those are some of our favorite road eats.  What are yours?

    The other moms:

    Upcoming topics:

    • April 21 - Large family & church, part 2: Being still and quiet during worship
    • April 28 – Q and A: leave your question here.

    Recent topics:

  • April 7 - 4 Moms teach history
  • March 17 – Bread baking linky
  • March 10 – Spring cleaning
  • March 3 - Books for early readers
  • February 24 - 4 Moms Q&A: my first audio blog on potty training and more
  • February 17 – Individual time with children: scary stuff here.  Just kidding.  Let go of the guilt.
  • February 10 - Cooking with little ones without losing your sanity
  • February 3 -Teaching reading, because it’s so much easier than teaching them to use the toilet.  Do not request a 4 Moms post about potty training, do you hear me?
  • January 27 – Q&A: Must-have baby equipment and other nitty gritty stuff
  • January 20 – Top 10 Books for Preschoolers
  • January 13 – Soups and Stews
  • January 6 – Teaching Bible

    •  

    Filed Under: 4 moms 35 kids, food 10 Comments

    Save up to 90% at Vision Forum

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 13, 2011 By kimc

    deal of the day header

    Have you noticed the Deal of the Day in the sidebar on the Vision Forum site?  These are 1 day specials, often for very popular products at discounts of 40-90%.

    I try to post these in my sidebar when I see them in time, but don’t wait for me.  I miss a lot of the best ones.  Now you can subscribe by email so you’ll never miss another daily deal!  Now you can tell me when there’s a great deal that I should post in my sidebar.

    One more great deal: Homestead Blessings

    Save 45% on 6 bestselling DVDs, the Homestead Blessings collection.  Use the code FRUGALHOME to bring the price in the shopping cart from $102 down to just $56!

    Filed Under: giveaways & deals, Vision Forum Leave a Comment

    Distraction

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 13, 2011 By kimc

    I’m not going to complain.  Really, I’m not.  I just want to mention that while working on a weekly 4 Moms post, there may be mitigating factors in the life of a mom of 10.

    They might include:

    • 2 big girls who are gone for the day.
    • A 2yo in the very midst of potty training, who has learned to pee in the potty but not to empty her bladder while doing so.  A 2yo can hold an amazing amount of urine, especially when it’s divided into 2 tsp. portions.
    • 2 children who desperately want to start learning to play violin.  Today.  I am the resident violin teacher.
    • A nursing baby who is also teething and has just begun to crawl.
    • Another child who is teaching herself to play the piano, and has the attention span to spend all day on it.  Today.
    • One crazy boy.
    • Some other kids that I should probably be checking on.  I wonder what they’re up to?

    Of course I can tell the musical children to take a break and help out, but my ovarian guilt forbids it.  I don’t want to discourage them, and they are making great progress.  So instead I try to create a 4 Moms post under all the distractions one might imagine.

    I can complain, get angry, get frustrated, or just shake my head in wonder at the number of distractions that can occur.  Really, it’s amazing.  It’s so incredible it’s comical.  So I choose to laugh.

    C’est la vie.

    Filed Under: mom needs sleep 2 Comments

    Baby Anaya

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 12, 2011 By kimc

    Friends,

    I don’t usually publish sad stories from my email inbox, but this is no chain letter.  It was a personal email directly from a friend of the mother.  Baby Anaya and her mom need your help.  Please take a moment to read the story and consider donating milk or colostrum if you live in Canada, or help them via paypal if you’re in the US.  The funds will enable them to ship milk or colostrum from the US.

    I’m writing in hopes that you can help my friend’s baby by writing a post about her on your blog. There is a CBC News story about her here: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Canada/BC/1258521056/ID=1866010799.

    Camara is extremely busy caring for her terminally ill baby, but she has asked me to contact you in hopes that you can help spread the word. She says it best: “I’m looking for colostrum and breast milk donations for my daughter Anaya. She is terminally ill with Krabbe Leukodystrophy. We were told to expect her to die at 13 months. She is now 18 months old thanks to breast milk! She does not tolerate formula. Please, please help me keep my baby alive. We can have milk shipped from any city in Canada, and we are trying to raise money to have it shipped from the US.”

    You can read a bit more about baby Anaya and her heartbreaking story at Camara’s “about” page on her blog, here: http://healinganaya.blogspot.com/p/about-anaya.html. She also has a Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/TheAnayaInitiative where mothers can learn about how to donate milk or money toward a deep freeze to store it.

    Camara and her family are currently living in Nelson, BC. Her email address is maraglow(at)gmail(dot)com.

    Filed Under: from the mailbag 2 Comments

    The best android apps for moms

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 11, 2011 By kimc

    How do you like my title?  It probably sounds pompous, but it’s just my way of saying I’m still enjoying my new toy – er, tool.  Yes, a tool that is helping me manage my time better, as evidenced by the lack of new posts on my blog.  See?  I’m spending much less time on the computer.

    What’s that?  You’re wondering how much time I spend on my phone?  Let’s not cloud the issue with facts.  I was just about to tell you some of my favorite phone apps.  If I do a good job of communicating the utter awesomeness of the smartphone, you’ll wonder how I ever tear myself away.

    THE BEST ANDROID APPS

    Here’s my list of personal favorites so far.  I have far more than this on my phone, but these are the ones I worked hardest to find.  These are the apps I use the most, and in most cases I tried quite a few of the similar ones before settling on what I believe to be the best.  Most are free, sometimes with ads.  Some have a free version and a paid version with no ads or extra features.  Most are also available as iPhone apps.

    For me, customization is crucial.  Few apps do exactly what I want without a little tweaking of the settings.

    1. Our Groceries – I tried nearly every grocery app on the market, and this is the best as far as I’m concerned.  It combines all the features that other programs charge for and it’s free.  I use this several times each day to keep a running grocery list for each place I shop.  I can create and maintain as many individual lists as I want (even to-do lists!); share them instantly with hubby, even editing his list while he’s in the store (and he’ll never know!);  access and edit my lists from a computer as well; easily move items from one list to another; delete with a single touch as I shop; add items by speaking, typing or choosing from a list of items I’ve bought in the past.  The interface is clean, and the program is free unless the unobtrusive ads bother you.  The ad-free version is $5.  I’m tempted to buy just to support the developer because I like it and use it so much.
    2. Weather Bug – My kids drive me nuts asking for constant updates and forecasts when I’m on the computer.  This little app makes the info available much more quickly on my phone than on the computer, including all the details you could ask for.
    3. My Bank – No link here because you don’t need to know what bank I use, but there’s a good chance your own bank has an app to make it easy for you to check your balance and transfer funds between accounts.  It’s secure even if your phone is lost or stolen because the app does not store your username or password.  It may be inconvenient to log in every time but it’s safer that way and it’s still far faster than using the computer.
    4. CadreBible - I mentioned this one before and I still love it.  In fact, it’s one of only three apps I’ve actually paid for so far.  CadreBible itself is free and comes with several versions of the Bible, but I paid to add the ESV.  There are ESV apps available for free, but none with the look, feel and customization of Cadre.  This is a case where I shelled out the bucks because I wanted to support and encourage the developer.
    5. Kaloer Clock – Quite simply the dimmest night clock I could find for free.  Lets me turn the backlight all the way down, lets me turn off the lights for the buttons, and uses dim red numbers for the clock.  Make your look however you want.  This replaced our alarm clock.
    6. AlarmDroid – This is a big part of why I’m making better use of my day.  I have alarms going off all day long to remind me to get busy and stay busy on priorities.  A surprising bonus: after a few days I find that I anticipate the alarm, which is strikingly close toremembering the targeted action on my own.  This makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside while simultaneously raising my self esteem.  ;)
    7. AppBrain App Market – An app that actually lets your sort and filter all the apps on the android market.  I love being able to sort by rating and filter out the paid apps!  It doesn’t look quite as pretty as the “real” app market, but it’s far more functional when you’re searching for the best free app to make your life easier.
    8. Widgetsoid - This is brilliant marketing.  The guy made the best widget app on the market and is giving it away for free.  Create as many widgets as you want for your phone, use them to do anything you want, make them look and act however you want, and do it with ease.  There’s not even an ad in it.  In the description, he offers his paid services as a custom app creator.  If I ever meet someone who needs a custom app, I know who to recommend!
    9. PdaNet - This possibility is part of what motivated us to get smartphones.  Believe it or not, switching to smartphones did not increase our total monthly expenses.  This app let us turn off our internet and use our phones to connect our computers to the internet.  In theory you can do that for free, but this makes it easy enough for anyone.  The free version works just fine but limits secure sites.  We paid the $16 one time fee to remove limitations, and now we can go anywhere we want on our computers – if we actually want to set down the phone and use a computer.
    10. Go Launcher EX – Made my phone look and act more like an iPhone, which is exactly how I wanted it to look and act.  It lets me customize everything I ever wanted to change, and I cycle through themes with touch of a finger.  If it was possible to love my phone more deeply and passionately, I do  now.
    11. Calendar Pad – After trying a million, I found a calendar that I like. It’s not the prettiest one on the market, but it’s free and functional and it does exactly what I want it to do.  A full month widget lets me see what’s on my plate at a glance. I can scroll through months or weeks with the flip of a finger.  Events are easy to add and customize.  I can sync with my google calendar if I want.  This one is a keeper.
    12. Google Sky Map – This one is just on the list for “wow” effect.  I downloaded it at a family gathering and my phone was instantly snatched out of my hands to be passed around a large group of awestruck admirers.  It took me a few minutes to figure this out, but it doesn’t work by actually seeing the stars (i.e. the camera is not involved).  You can aim it through buildings, trees, mountains or use it in broad daylight to learn what constellations, planets and other ethereal objects are around you anytime the urge strikes.  Aim downward to see what’s in the Southern sky.  Use night mode to save your night vision.

    I feel like a kid with a new video game.  My computer is beginning to feel a little neglected, I’m sure.  My phone can do more and can do it faster.  Every time I find myself wondering if my phone can do X, I look it up and 45 seconds later I have already downloaded the app and started doing it.  I wonder if it can make dinner for me tonight?

    The kids and I have been giggling about how we’ll someday look back on the old days, when phones were only for talking and we thought laptop computers were new and cool.  Of course in a few years we’ll probably be looking at this post and giggling about how cool we thought my phone was.

    If you have a smartphone, what are some of your favorite apps?  What do you wish your phone could do?

    Filed Under: blogging & technology 6 Comments

    4 Moms teach history

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 7, 2011 By kimc


    Welcome, friends.  I missed last week’s Q&A edition of the 4 Moms series – my favorite theme for our posts – but I’m back this week to tell you how we teach history.

    You have to promise not to gasp in audible shock, but for the last several years we have had no prefabricated history curriculum.  We do often focus on a particular area or period in history, but we do it with a variety of materials rather than one text or program.

    We used Sonlight in the past and loved the concept but weren’t always thrilled with the titles used.  We used Mystery of History and the kids still talk about the fun they had, but it was just a skeleton and required a lot of extra materials.

    Since then, we have used the principles we learned from those 2 programs to do our own thing.  We have an extensive library in our home including a wide array of history books for both children and adults, historical fiction, philosophy (which is important for interpreting and understanding history), audio and video lectures, and much more.  These materials have taught our children far more than I ever learned from my history textbooks in the highly structured Christian homeschool program from which I graduated.

    While I learned history as a list of names and dates to be memorized and then forgotten, my children really feel as if they know the people whose biographies they have read, and they are beginning to understand how people and events worked together in history as God’s plan for mankind unfolded and continues to unfold.  They have a big picture view that I never grasped when I was younger, and they tend to remember all the details that I so quickly forgot because they understand the significance of those details and they have a context in which to place them.

    I believe that learning this way has many advantages over a textbook, but there is another very important element to the way our children learn history: their dad.  He was a history buff from a very young age, and has confessed to sneakily reading Schaff’s 8 volume History of the Christian Church when he should have been studying other subjects.  He was that kind of a rebel.   If you’re going to be a rebel, there are worse ways to go.  :)

    He has collected these resources for our family, using them himself and demonstrating a genuine, infectious love and interest for history that has been picked up by our children.  Through his own use, he has exposed the rest of us to these materials.  He sometimes has all of us listen to a series of lectures together.  He leads and sparks many discussions on the topic, teaching the children to interpret the events of history through the lens of scripture.

    A few of our favorite resources:

    This is just a starting point.  Thanks to Ebay, Paperback Swap (not just for paperbacks), AddAll (search every major seller at once to find the best price on the internet), Christian Book Distributors (big discounts), Amazon, and Vision Forum, we have many hundreds or even thousands of books covering a variety of times, places, people and events.

    The study of history in our home has largely been voluntary, because this is one area in which we love to learn.  It is so easy to see God’s hand in the larger affairs of men and nations over the millennia, and this is an important reminder to us in how we live our everyday lives: if our God  controls kings and nations, what do we have to fear?

    The other moms:

    Upcoming topics:

    • April 14 – Eating inexpensively on the road.  Just in time for summer!
    • April 21 - Large family & church, part 2: Being still and quiet during worship
    • April 28 – Q and A: leave your question here.

    Recent topics:

  • March 17 – Bread baking linky
  • March 10 – Spring cleaning
  • March 3 - Books for early readers
  • February 24 - 4 Moms Q&A: my first audio blog on potty training and more
  • February 17 – Individual time with children: scary stuff here.  Just kidding.  Let go of the guilt.
  • February 10 - Cooking with little ones without losing your sanity
  • February 3 -Teaching reading, because it’s so much easier than teaching them to use the toilet.  Do not request a 4 Moms post about potty training, do you hear me?
  • January 27 – Q&A: Must-have baby equipment and other nitty gritty stuff
  • January 20 – Top 10 Books for Preschoolers
  • January 13 – Soups and Stews
  • January 6 – Teaching Bible

    •  

    Filed Under: 4 moms 35 kids, homeschooling 4 Comments

    Winner of the Down To Earth Toys giveaway

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    April 6, 2011 By kimc

    When are you going to get fed up with my forgetfulness?  This time it was nearly a month before somebody reminded me to choose a winner for our Down to Earth Toys giveaway!

    Rocky Color Cone - real wood for less than $20!

    I almost feel like I should reward your patience by choosing an extra winner…but I won’t.  I will, however, try to make it up to you all by posting another giveaway very soon.  How does that sound?  I already have a couple lined up as soon as I get my own ducks in a row and write

    the reviews, but what giveaways would you love to see in the future?  Maybe I can pull a string or two…

    Oh, but here I am wandering around chasing little bunny trails while you are waiting to hear who won.

    The winning comment is Amy Walton’s third entry, in which she affirmed that she is subscribed to Life in a Shoe.  Congratulations, Amy!  Drop a comment and let us know what free toy you choose!

     

    Filed Under: giveaways & deals 5 Comments