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November 23, 2005
Vegan Thanksgiving
by flowermama
I know this is probably too little, too late 
, but I wanted to put in a quick word about vegan thanksgivings. I became vegan four years ago in November 2001, and this is my fourth thanksgiving as a vegan. Yes, that means I don't eat turkey. 
My kids don't eat turkey either, and we have a very, very yummy thanksgiving. 
There is a lot of stuff we can eat at our family's thanksgiving dinner. My mom is going to make a delicious tofu-turkey with stuffing. It really is good! She's also going to make mashed potatoes, baked yams, salad... and, knowing her, she'll probably bring more food than that.
My mother-in-law makes a great bean salad and a plate of cut veggies. I'm going to make macaroni salad and coleslaw and at least one pie, probably more.
I'll try and get my mom's tofu-turkey recipe to share here, and maybe share a recipe or two of my own, so keep your eye out for those if that type of thing interests you. Meanwhile, here are some recipes to check out:
http://vegweb.com/recipes/events/index-thanksgiving.shtml
I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving. 
BTW, someone on the GCM board posted a link to this email card, and I think it's pretty funny. The kids and I sure got a kick out it. 
http://www.msn.americangreetings.com/display.pd?bfrom=1&prodnum=3081495&path=25203
Posted by flowermama at 10:45 PM | Comments (3)
November 21, 2005
Face (and Pregnant Mama Tummy) Paint!
by flowermama
If you are pregnant, when your tummy is nice and big it can be a great bonding experience to let your older kids paint the outside of their wee sibling's home (your tummy ;)).
I had heard this idea before, and it sounded like fun, so when I was pregnant last year I decided to ask my kids if they'd like to paint my tummy. They said yes they would, and that they'd also like to be painted, too (on their faces!), so I looked on the internet to find a safe, inexpensive recipe for face or body paint. Here is the one I found that seemed like it would best meet our needs. I've also included the ways in which I changed it.
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Basic Recipe for Body Paint
1 Tbsp. cold cream -- we used cocoa butter face cream because it was really inexpensive!
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. water
food coloring
1. Mix cream, cornstarch (or arrowroot powder), and water until smooth.
2. Add food colouring, one drop at a time desired color is achieved.
We mixed our's in a plastic ice cube tray. Each little section was just the right size to hold each color neatly.
To remove the paint from your skin, wash off with warm water. After washing off the paint with water, we found that using extra cream helps take off paint left on the skin.
Please note: Some of the paint might color your skin slightly, especially perhaps if left on a long time, so test first if that is a concern to you, but I think the cream should get it off pretty well. Also, I recommend wearing clothes that you don't mind accidentally getting paint on. Also, a painting smock (we bought one for a $1 at Michael's) can help protect your children's clothing. It might wash off, but I didn't try it to see, so please use appropriate cautions.
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Whether painting tummy or face, relax and let your imaginations flow and have FUN! Be sure to have a camera and take some pictures!
Here are some pictures of a pregnant tummy and three kids' face painted with the paint recipe I posted above.
 | My tummy in Sept. 04 after being painted by my children!
{baby was born in October 04) |
 DD (age 8) as a butterfy |
 DD (painted another day!) with flowers on her face |
 DS (age 5) as a tiger |
 DS as a tiger again. Grrrrrr! |
 2nd DD (age 3) as a clown |
 2nd DD with a flower on her face |
If you'd like to buy already made (water-based) paint along with a book of instructions about face painting, check out Face Painting by Klutz. Klutz also offers a book with non-toxic, washable body crayons and instructions on body art called The Body Crayon Book. Another book with instructions and helpful pictures about face painting is The Usborne Book of Face Painting.
Posted by flowermama at 10:34 AM | Comments (2)
November 20, 2005
Join the Jesse Tree Bible Study!
by
GCM will be hosting an Advent Bible study, based on the Jesse Tree. The Bible study will begin the first Sunday of Advent, November 27th. It will be hosted in the Drawing Closer/Bible Study forum, which is accessible to all registered GCM members. (And we invite new mamas to join!)
As Hannah Jo, one of the Bible study leaders explains, "A Jesse Tree displays the family tree of Jesus. All the pivitol events in the Old Testament are drawn together to trace God's faithfulness throughout the generations and the working out of His plan for the salvation of mankind through the coming messiah."
The GCM Jesse Tree Bible study will follow these symbols and scriptures.
Many families are building the Jesse Tree into part of their family Christmas tradition. Here are some daily family devotions based on the Jesse Tree.
Our family has a felt Jesse Tree made by a dear friend over a decade ago for her family. Her children are grown now, and she's shared it with us. It's one of my boys favorite parts of the holiday, building anticipation to the celebration of the coming of the Christ Child.
Curious about what a Jesse Tree looks like?
Jesse Tree 1
Jesse Tree 2
Jesse Tree 3
"Children love helping to make the ornaments," says Hannah Jo, "and the Jesse Tree can be a teaching tool to help pass on the faith to yet another generation. We're looking forward to enjoying this tradition together with you!"
Posted by at 04:08 PM | Comments (1)
November 17, 2005
Your children do WHAT?! (family worship)
by
“Your children do WHAT?!”
or in other words…Family Worship in Church
written by QuietSpirit
I have had many mamas on the message board ask me about my family’s convictions to family worship. What does it look like? How do we do it? How can our children do it? I thought I’d take some time to try to answer some of those questions.
Firstly, our family believes strongly in family worship. That means our children do not attend nursery….ever. Our children, except for the eldest, have never attended nursery. We feel that children should be involved in worshipping with their families. Jesus asked that the little ones be led unto Him. For our family, that means that our children snuggle next to us on the pews and attend the same worship service that we attend. We didn’t come to this conviction immediately. My eldest son attended nursery from age 1 to about age 2 ½. Then we had our second child and we began to feel that both children should be with us. My husband and I prayed about it and felt the Lord calling us to do this. We reacted with a bit of ….. “yikes!” We weren’t sure how to make church worship a pleasant not forced experience for our young children. So we gave it some time and prayer. Here is what we came up with!
In order for children to be successful at things, they must have opportunity for consistent practice. I think much of the struggles a family faces when they decide to do family worship is that they expect their young children to so something at church that they have never done in any other area of their lives. So, we decided to practice church at home. I made this fun and enjoyable, and SHORT! We used our family devotion time to practice. I would set up a little row of chairs and we would play some music. Each child (under age 8) had a small quiet toy and a crayon/paper kit. The older children don’t need the toy but often bring a small notebook and pencil. We would sit in the chairs, sing a praise song, listen to a Bible verse, and be done. The time requirement was about 2 minutes. When they could do 2 mins successfully and consistently, I increased the time to 4 mins. And so on …. Until we reached about 20 mins. We would clap hands, raise hands, etc. Worship for our family is an active experience.
That brings me to my next thought. When we decided to incorporate family worship into our church experience, we looked for two things in a church. Active worship and family friendly. We left our old church because it was not family friendly. It was active, but children were expected to be placed in nursery or Children’s Church. We did not want that for our family. So, in our new church, there is no Sunday School during worship. There is no Children’s Church. There is a Children’s Time just before the sermon where children are encouraged to come forward and hear the sermon message in a manner geared towards them. It is fun and active. Our pastors say many adults listen intently as well. ;) There are also “Children’s bags” for every child who wishes to borrow one. These contain Christian books, coloring books, and crayons. In addition, the church prints out a children’s bulletin geared towards ages 3-6 and ages 7-10. These cover the sermon topic for that day with activities, etc on the topic. Families are encouraged to worship together. There is a nursery but only about 8 children are ever there at a time. And our church is large…about 2500 members. There is a “cry room” at the back of the contemporary worship area, which has been helpful at times with our toddler. We tend to go to the contemporary service with our children. There are more active praise songs, words up on the screen, etc for the children. It makes it easier for them to participate.
When one of my children is not meeting expectations (quiet voice, sitting in pew), we remind them of the expectation and tell them to comply. If they choose not to (or cannot), we then address the situation by age. My older children (ages 8 and 10) honestly have no problems meeting expectations. But that is because they were helped to meet them when they were younger. My 6 year old? He’s a different story! *lol* At times, he gets wiggly and loud. He is then gently reminded of the worship expectations. If he cannot or will not comply, he is then taken out to the gathering space. We will then have him sit quietly on the chair out there. The difference is there are no small toy and coloring kit out there. He quickly realizes how BORING this is and asks to go back into church. Off we go, cheerfully! With toddlers and babies, we simply take them out for a bit. Or nurse ;)
I think perhaps the most important thing we have learned is that this is a process. We cannot expect our children to sit totally still all the time. Our children whisper to us in service. They fidget at times. The toddler laid on the floor last Sunday and began trying to crawl up to the Pastor! Our attitude when our children do these things can be one of two things: 1) embarrassment and discouragement or 2) an attitude of “this is a process and my chidren are still learning”. How much better for my toddler to be picked up and held instead of shamed into being quiet. Now, this last Sunday, he protested loudly about being picked up! So, we went out to the gathering space and he looked at a few books on my lap. We then went back in after the sermon.
Many people have said to me that they simply cannot do this with their child. Their child is too active, too loud, has special needs, cannot cope with the environment in church, they will hate church, etc. That may be the case with your child but I would challenge you to rethink that. I have 4 active boys, one with an autism spectrum disorder. They are bouncy, wiggly, happy, exuberant, and sometimes hyper. But we are able to worship together and my children enjoy church. They sing praise songs, ask questions, raise their hands, and for the most part, enjoy being in the service. One of the things I love is my child whispering in my ear, “What did Pastor mean when he said _________?”. What a heartwarming thing! Often I think they are just reading or coloring and they aren’t experiencing the sermon. But many times, they ask questions or make comments later that show me that they are actively listening. They are like little sponges in there!
This brings me to my most important realization in all of this. Family worship is a commitment and a lifestyle. I do not attend church with the expectation of “This is my quiet worship time with the Lord…just Him and I” I do that at other times, in Bible Study, in quiet time, but NOT in worship. Our expectation when we attend worship service is that we are worshipping as a family. I expect to be actively parenting in the pew. I expect to miss some of the sermon at time. I expect my children to whisper questions to me or my toddler to need to nurse. I expect that this is a process, a journey that will take time. I expect that my parenting cannot stop in the pew. When I have that expectation, I can joyfully minister to my family in the most intimate environment of all….worship!
Posted by at 11:24 AM | Comments (10)
November 16, 2005
Mama Musings
by
"Children are the only test of character that you cannot get rid of when you are tired or stressed and go do your own thing. You can take a break from a "ministry" but not from a whole slew of little kids. You are up to bat all the time. You never see the dugout, much less the locker room. But it is way down in the nitty-gritty, knee deep in the nuts and bolts of everyday life, that God makes spiritual giants. Laundry and phonics and recipes are the stuff of greatness."-- Jill Barrett
Posted by at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2005
What Every New Mama Needs
by
Written by a fourth-time mama. . .
BERYL'S POSTPARTUM GUIDE
FOR FOURTH-TIME MOMMIESEssential Equipment:
One crib-for baby not to sleep in because he'd rather sleep with you, he doesn't want to take a nap right now, etc.
One car seat-for all those places you wanted to go after the baby was born, only now you'd rather stay home and take a nap.
Two arms and a lap-for cuddling baby.Toys:
One father and several siblings will keep a baby entertained practically forever.Clothes:
For a summer baby: five dozen diapers and six undershirts.Housework:
Delegate and ignore.Privacy:
Stand in the baby's room and say, "It's a poopie diaper-who wants to help me change it?" You'll have instant privacy as every family member disappears.Sex:
Set your alarm for 2 am and make it a quickie.Diapering:
Put one half of the baby's diaper in front, and the other half in back. Fasten it at the waist with something. It it falls off, you did it wrong.Feeding:
Put the breast and the baby in close proximity to each other. They'll make contact.Meal Preparation:
Serve only meals that can be prepared with one hand.Marriage Counseling:
With the ratio of children to parents at four-to-two, you have to get along, or the kids will win!
I read this years ago in Mary Pride's All the Way Home, and singing mom helped me find it again.
Posted by at 11:54 PM | Comments (1)
November 13, 2005
A Christian Definition of AP
by
Basically, I believe that my job as a mom is to be a suffering servant for my little one and always wash her (adorable little)feet before I take any glory myself, because she is the "least of these" in our family. It's a pain in the butt sometimes, and I do resent it sometimes, but that's because I'm sinful. I don't think that Jesus resented us, and He suffered all the way to the cross for us. And I am called to do the same for my babies. I just do it sinfully.
That's what I think AP is, putting your kids' needs first, and not giving them any reason to think that they are lesser than their parents, or that they cannot count on them, or that their needs are unimportant. But not that they can get away with whatever they want to.
Posted by at 05:36 PM | Comments (0)
Updating the way the website looks
by flowermama
I'm working on updating the way the website looks. I'm not done yet, so please excuse the dust. *blush*
Posted by flowermama at 02:06 AM | Comments (1)
November 12, 2005
Mommies, Babies and Chemistry
by
Awhile back I came across this facinating article about The Chemistry of Attachment, by Linda F. Palmer. My mother was asking me more about Reactive Attachment Disorder, and this article touches on the oxcytocin/cortisol impact on infant brain development. The wonderful way God has designed mothers and babies continually amazes me.
Here are some quotes from the article, of the creative chemicals that connect us.
Oxcytocin
Under the early influence of oxytocin, nerve junctions in certain areas of mother's brain actually undergo reorganization, thereby making her maternal behaviors "hard-wired."
Persistent regular body contact and other nurturing acts by parents produce a constant, elevated level of oxytocin in the infant, which in turn provides a valuable reduction in the infant's stress-hormone responses. . . the resulting high or low level of oxytocin will control the permanent organization of the stress-handling portion of the baby's brain-promoting lasting "securely attached" or "insecure" characteristics in the adolescent and adult.
When an infant does not receive regular oxytocin-producing responsive care, the resultant stress responses cause elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Chronic cortisol elevations in infants . . .are shown in biochemical studies to be associated with permanent brain changes that lead to elevated responses to stress throughout life,
Vasopressin
Released in response to nearness and touch, vasopressin promotes bonding between the father and the mother, helps the father recognize and bond to his baby. . . It has gained a reputation as the "monogamy hormone."
Prolactin
. . .prolactin is released in response to suckling, promoting milk production as well as maternal behaviors. Prolactin relaxes mother. . . so she has no strong desire to hop up and do other things.
Opioids
Babies need milk, and opioids are nature's reward to them for obtaining it. . . The first few episodes of sucking organize nerve pathways in the newborn's brain, conditioning her to continue this activity.
Prolonged elevation of prolactin in the attached parent stimulates the opioid system, heightening the rewards for intimate, loving family relationships. . .
Once a strong opioid bonding has occurred, separation can become emotionally upsetting, and in the infant possibly even physically uncomfortable when opioid levels decrease in the brain, much like the withdrawal symptoms from cocaine or heroin. When opioid levels become low, one might feel like going home to hold the baby or like crying for a parent's warm embrace. . .
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine helps organize the infant's stress control system
Pheromones
Newborns are much more sensitive to pheromones than adults. . . . Through these, baby most likely learns how to perceive the level of stress in the caretakers around her, such as when mother is experiencing fear or joy. . . .body odors and pheromones can only be sensed when people are physically very near each other.
Posted by at 07:25 AM | Comments (1)
