Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Helping Our Children Become Handy


Once I married, had children, began keeping my home, and all that jazz, the more I realized I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Seriously! I know we all think that from time to time - if only children came with a handbook, how do I clean the house and keep the kids happy, when do I find time for my husband between all the other stuff we have to take care of - but this is for real. I had no idea how to take care of my house. At all.

I realized that as a child, I never had to do... well, anything regarding housekeeping, cooking, cleaning, you name it. Sure I might have to pick up my room, but I certainly never had to worry about washing sheets, dusting, flipping a mattress, cleaning walls or baseboards, or anything else.
I am trying to make an effort to teach my own brood in this regard - although I certainly am not perfect and feel quite behind in many aspects! One thing we have started to do recently is add in handicrafts to our homeschool curriculum. My son is only 3, and just barely at that, so he is a little young for any of our real projects that we are starting to do, but he is definitely learning more household chores and responsibiities. Of course my older daughter, who is now 8, has more responsibilities on her in regards to chores, but for handicrafts I wanted to keep it fun and exciting for her, so I let her choose what we would work on together first. She chose crochet, and we have started to do that together. Its wonderful get to learn this alongside each other, and have an activity for us to just sit and do together.

We are using this DVD program from Simply Charlotte Mason. It comes with short lessons to teach you the basics, and it helps you go through several projects. The instructor on the DVD is so clear and is a wonderful teacher - I could only imagine how quickly would be picking up on it if she was showing us in person! There are several other handicrafts in the series that they offer, and if they are all produced like the Crochet DVD then I am sure you would be pleased with any of them. I highly recommend these DVD's if you are looking for an easy way to introduce handicrafts to your children, or if you are wanting to pick up some new things for yourself!

Here is a sample from the Handicrafts series that you can see via Youtube:




P.S. I've got a GIVEAWAY going on in a post below. I'd love for you to check it out and enter!

I Kissed Dating Goodbye - GIVEAWAY!


This book has been around for a while, but I am surprised by how many people haven't heard of it or read it.

While most Christians agree to seek purity and save sex for marriage, few have been given a blueprint for how that should affect their view of dating and love. In I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Joshua Harris exposes the "Seven Habits of Highly Defective Dating" and offers a realistic outline of how to have a biblical vision of marriage. Harris contends that one must begin with a new attitude, viewing love, purity, and singleness from God's perspective rather than thinking that love and romance are to be enjoyed "solely for recreation." In such well-named chapters as "Guarding Your Heart" and "What Matters at Fifty," Harris encourages the reader to look at one's character rather than reveling in infatuation, to regard love as a truly selfless, biblical act rather than a feeling. He refutes the concept that we are victims of "falling in love" (that it is beyond our control), saying that "God wants us to seek guidance from scriptural truth, not feeling. Smart love looks beyond personal desires and the gratification of the moment. It looks at the big picture: serving others and glorifying God." Before you roll your eyes, moaning that this sounds terribly unromantic, know that Harris does a superb job of couching his convictions in the sincere belief that if we are purposeful in our singleness and date with integrity, a fulfilled marriage awaits us--in God's timing. --Jill Heatherly

Whether you are single, married, parenting a future dater, or whatever, there is something for you in this book. Maybe you won't come out of it with a courtship mindset - but you will have been given some great tools and thoughts as a dating Christian, or as a parent looking for ideas and ways to help your child grow and mature and live for Christ as they enter their dating years.


As a mom, I have gleaned so much information from this book on how to talk to my children about how our faith and dating coexist, and how we can do it in a way that is honoring and pleasing to God and doesn't compromise our faith. Since I enjoyed reading this book multiple times already, and have gleaned so much from it, I really wanted to share this book with others, and I thought "what better way than by giving a copy away?" You can keep it for yourself, pass it on to a friend, it's up to you!

To enter the giveaway -
 Leave a comment on this post letting me know you want in!

You can gain extra entries by doing one (or more) of the following, and letting me know in your comment which of the following you did so I know how many entries to give you:
1 - "like" the UpwardCallBlog on facebook (link top left corner)
2 -  Share the UpwardCallBlog with your friends on your facebook wall
3 -  Share the UpwardCallBlog giveaway on your fb wall
4 - Become a follower of UpwardCallBlog on Twitter (look to your right  now)
5 - Let your followers on twitter know about the UpwardCallBlog giveaway
6 - Link to the UpwardCallBlog giveaway on your blog (you can grab the button if you like!)
7 - Become a follower of the UpwardCallBlog (again, to the right)

Winner will be announced 1 week from today - February 29th. So don't miss out! You can enter up until 11:59 PM on the 28th. =o)

 
And just to make the giveaway a little bit more fun - not only will you get the book, but I'll throw in a Starbucks gift card so you can drink a nice cuppa while you read it!


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Training Them Up


What mom hasn't pondered this thought at some point (or at many points!), during our days of child rearing?  Even though this is a biblical concept, I think many non-Christian parents would also agree there is definitely something to this - what we do now, what we set as an example and lay in our children's hearts and minds now, will be stored there forever, and will affect them for the rest of their lives.

As a Christian parent, it is of course very important to me to instill a love of Christ in my children, to teach them in the ways of the Lord, and to pray that they will follow Him for the rest of their days here on earth. How often though, do I speak these things to my children, but not example it? I remind them to pray, to rely on God during difficult moments, to obey His laws and mold themselves to be like Christ in all they do. But am I doing this? They hear me say it - do they see me do it?

When I ask my daughter if she prayed before sleep or upon waking, I am often guilty of having neglected to do that myself. I remember a conversation recently where my 8 year old was struggling with her behavior and attitude - being disrespectful and lazy in her responsibilities. She said God didn't help her, that she was alone in dealing with the problem. I asked her if she had prayed about it. She answered yes, but then I thought to ask - how often have you prayed about it? The answer was met with silence. I then asked, how often do you pray and talk to God? ....the answer was not frequently enough! I asked her how God was going to help her or speak to her heart, if she wasn't talking to Him? If she didn't have an active relationship with Him? All the while my heart is pounding... and I feel hypocritical. Why do I expect the same things from God that my daughter was expecting, when I have not been fully in relationship and leaning on Him myself?

So I would ask you today, what are you modeling to your child? Does your child yell and disrespect people? Could it be because you do this too? Is your child struggling in their prayer life? How often do you model prayer for your children? Are your children irresponsible with their chores or school work? How often do your children see you slacking in your responsibilities? Maybe you have a whiner or complainer... maybe you should count the number of times you have griped about something today. I did not like my answers. While it is very important, that we speak to our children about our faith, our beliefs, why we do what we do, and correct them gently when needed, it is so much more that we show them these things, and when we are wrong, to be open with it, to share with them our own failings and struggles, and to begin the work correcting our own hearts.

Just one more reason I need Jesus.

Should Students Have to Pay Fines for Detention?


There was a story in the news this morning that caught my attention:

"CHICAGO (AP) — A sense of order and decorum prevails at Noble Street College Prep as students move quickly through a hallway adorned with banners from dozens of colleges. Everyone wears a school polo shirt neatly tucked into khaki trousers. There's plenty of chatter but no jostling, no cellphones and no dawdling.

The reason, administrators say, is that students have learned there is a price to pay — literally — for breaking even the smallest rules.
Noble Network of Charter Schools charges students at its 10 Chicago high schools $5 for detentions stemming from infractions that include chewing gum and having untied shoelaces. Last school year it collected almost $190,000 in discipline "fees" from detentions and behavior classes — a policy drawing fire from some parents, advocacy groups and education experts...."

The story goes on to explain how the system works - the students earn demerits for breaking rules (ex. shoelaces untied = 1 demerit, talking on a cell phone = 4 demerits). A student who earns 4 demerits within a 2 weeks period will earn a detention, and receive the fine. It also includes comments from parents, frustrated with the system and tired of having to pay for what they view as frivolous mistakes.

I'd love to know what your thoughts are on this. At first I was upset - just from the title of the story. I couldn't afford to keep paying fines! I would be furious at the school and my child! Especially if was for something like an untied shoe! Then after further reading, I learned it was a Charter school. So the parents and students chose to attend this school - knowing full well the discipline policy in place and the behavior expectations. The school is serving students from a low income area yes, but the students at this school are now outperforming surrounding neighborhood schools on college testing and in the percentage of students who end up attending college. When I read how the demerit system actually worked, that small infractions built up whereas larger infractions held immediate consequences, I thought, well that isn't so bad at all... Especially if you made the choice for your child to go to this school. So, I went from annoyed and in shock at this horrible school, I've now come to believe that this is working, and those who don't like it can certainly leave. Am I missing something? Do you agree? I'd love to hear about it.

For me, it seems like there is so little discipline and accountability for so many students, that this is a great program that is in the long run, helping these kids to better themselves and their future.


Monday, February 20, 2012

Modest Monday - Maternity Skirts, Pt. 1


If you would glance over to your left, you will notice the button that will take you over to the Modest Mom blog - which I am really enjoying reading! They've got a great series I found over there about wearing skirts (how-to and why), and while I am not of the personal opinion that skirts (or dresses) are required/necessary for the female Christian faithful, I do definitely feel pulled to wear skirts more frequently. I have noticed when I do how much better I feel about myself, how much more productive I am, and just how much my personality and actions change my what I am wearing. Maybe that sounds silly to some of you, it kind of sounds silly to me too! But they do say that those who dress for success usually are more successful and productive, so maybe there is something to this whole wearing skirts/femininity thing. Seriously - I feel like that crazy woman in the picture up top when I wear skirts - and I LOVE it! Yes. I wish I was Donna Reed. I'm definitely not though.



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Today I'm linking up with Modest Mom for Modest Monday! And I hope to be chronicling my skirt activities. The first step for me, was figuring out what exactly I want to add in to my wardrobe right now and the best way to get those items. I have searched stores online and in person, and have not been able to find what I am looking for. Skirts can be very modest, sometimes overly modest and leaning towards frumpy, or they can be so scanty and scandalous that the tighest pair of jeans look like a big overcoat in comparison to the skirts. I've been really wanting most of all to add a nice khaki skirt to my wardrobe. I can easily dress it up or down for different looks depending on the need, and since right now I need maternity wear that is easily converted to different styles for different occasions, it really seems like great option for me right now. Problem being - I can only find khaki skirts that are up above my knee (which is not cool for me personally), or I find them going down to the ankle...yah. That doesn't work for me either. I like a skirt that falls just a few inches below the knee. I feel that is a nice modest length, that also goes very well with blending in fairly well out in the world. Its a good compromise length between my faith and not drawing attention to myself - and any kind of extra attention can lead to either pride in appearances, or pride in my faith. It's just one of the struggles I have to try to avoid in my own personal life.

And of course, some of you might just like skirts, or need a maternity one, and that's ok too!

I've decided to make my own, which I will be attempting to do throughtout this week. So hopefully next Monday we can have Pt. 2 of Modest Monday Maternity Skirts! Until then, here is a link to a skirt tutorial that I am going to hopefully be using to aid me in this experiment. I'm not a master seamstress by any means! So this should be quite interesting, and we're bound to get some hilarious pictures and goofs out of it.

Maternity Skirt Tutorial by Sew Mommy Sew

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Be Maternity BeBand Review

As a mom, you most likely know what its like to begin to outgrow your clothes during your pregnancy, and have to go shop for something that will fit you and your growing belly for a few months. If you are at all like me, then you dread it. I have a hard time finding clothes that really fit me well, and since modesty is an issue for me in my spiritual and personal life as well, it can often times add to the difficulty. This time around, it seems like the maternity clothing prices are way higher than I remember them being 3 years ago! So this time around, I thought I would check out these belly things I have heard so much about. And then I thought, I should share my thoughts with you!

I purchased the Be Maternity BeBand in black at my local Target store. I chose this band, because it wasn't very costly, it was in a nearby and easy to get to store, and it frankly was the first belly band type item I happened to stumble across. I'm sure you other moms know that sometimes ease of getting something outweighs other purchasing factors! I have been using this product for over 2 weeks now, so that I could give a little more accurate review than just trying it on. I've used it with several different styles of pants and materials, and with different shirt options, so that hopefully I can give you a fairly good review of the product. As an FYI, I'm 17 weeks along in my 3rd pregnancy, and I've got a belly going on, but its not too big. So its a good mid-stage size review.

So lets get started!


An overview - the Be Maternity BeBand cost $16.99 at my local Target, and is listed online at the same price. It is available it black or nude, and in sizes Sm, Med, and Lg. The packaging listed the size chart recommendations, and I went by that when choosing what size I would purchase. The BeBand is designed to use during pregnancy, to help extend the wear time of your pre pregnancy jeans as they get too tight - so basically you can leave them unbuttoned or unzipped even, and use the BeBand to keep your pants up and to keep your tummy covered. It can also be used after pregnancy in the same way as you get back into your smaller sized jeans, or to help hold up loose maternity pants.

So, what was my experience?

Pros:
  • It works well with my unbuttoned and unzipped jeans, and holds them up and covers really very well.
  • Its not uncomfortable at all - basically just makes the normal pants feel like maternity.
  • Has saved me at least a month-2 months of having to buy maternity pants, maybe even more.
  • The black color and fit of the band basically just looks like an undershirt or cami being worn and gives a nice layered look, vs. that yucky blue and obvious maternity pant line that is typical.
  • Easy on, easy off, very easy to care for.
  • I've been wearing it about everyday for 2 weeks and they are holding up great so far!
Cons:
  • It didn't work as well on pants that weren't a jean material. It was just too slippery.
  • Even on jeans there were a few slips, but not frequent. I usually end up tucking a cami into my jeans before putting the BeBand on top. It just gives it a better feel for me personally, and I feel more confident of coverage in case of an accidental slip.
  • I wish the band was a little less stretchy and a bit thicker and more supportive. If you have ever been in dance, it felt more like a dance tight material rather than a spandex type, and I think I would have preferred something thicker (although, its winter, I might be singing a different tune come summer time)
  • Because of the thinner material, sometimes the zipper and button lines underneath were fairly obvious. Again, layering helped with that, and it depended a lot on the shirt I paired with it.
My verdict is - if you need to buy some time before you maternity shop, or really only gain weight in your stomach and not your bum and legs area while pregnant, then it is really a good investment. I don't regret my purchase. I haven't compared it to the other brands out there, and if I found a thicker and sturdier brand I would probably pay a little more and try that next time, but I'm satisfied and will keep using this product for sure. However, if you know it won't be too long before you are going to need maternity pants, I'd just skip this and get the pants. I know some of you might not like maternity pants - I have friends who love them, and friends who hate them, but I wouldn't spend nearly $20 on something that you aren't going to get a good bit of use out of at least.

As a side note - I did try the BeBand out one day on a pair of pant that I own that are actually too large on me - and I won't be trying that again. So I doubt this will be something I use over a pair of maternity pants following baby's arrival.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Welcome!


I am excited to branch out from personal blogging for friends and family, to creating a blog with a more specific focus in meeting and maybe even occasionally helping other mothers, who are trying to press on in their faith, home, parenting, towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. While my faith is so important to me, and will be shared occasionally on this blog I am sure, I hope that this blog could be there to serve all mothers who are juggling the many roles and responsibilities we all have on this path of motherhood.

It is a humble beginning, but there is much I hope to accomplish in this blog - things like easy sewing projects for maternity, everyday non-frumpy-mom-wear, or children's stuffs; reviews of products relating to our vocation as mothers, homeschool info and ideas, giveaways, links to share, advice to take or throw out, pictures of happiness and mayhem, and funny/horrifying stories of life in the day of a mom that you sure to relate to.

I thank you all for joining me and looking about (when there is something to look about at!) May God bless you all on this wonderful, sacrificial, and amazing road of motherhood!