“For you that are parents, or to whom the education of children is comitted, I beseech you mind the duty which lies on you. … For to what purpose do we desire them before we have them, rejoice in them when we have them, value them so highly, sympathize with them so tenderly, grieve for their death so excessively, if in the meantime no care be taken what shall become of them to eternity? … If you neglect to instruct them in the way of holiness, will the devil neglect to instruct them in the way of wickedness? No, no, if you will not teach them to pray, he will teach them to curse, swear and lie. If ground be uncultivated, weeds will spring up.”

~ John Flavel

I am still not completely sold on the whole cloth diapering idea.  I love the idea and it isn’t really that much more to do but I am still not sure I want the bulk or if I am ready to give up the convenience of disposable. I do think however that if I were to jump in and go all cloth I would prefer the sample that was sent to me over the ones I am borrowing.  The ones I am borrowing are indeed easier than what I grew up with but the sample product I received seems a better fit for us.

The company that sent me the sample is The Willow Store.  You will find the diapering system listed under Sprout Change.  Here is a little background on the Sprout Change system taken from their website.

After years of research, and cloth diapering her children, Catherine Bolden, founder of The Willow Store began with a mission. Dedicated to promoting a more reusable future, she created natural, common sense products that were easy to use, and complimented a more natural lifestyle. In 2005, WillowSprouts was born, and offered organic hemp diapering products to the cloth diapering world. Catherine spent years trying different cloth diapers to find the perfect fit for her son, who has special needs. Each diaper worked well for some things, but nothing gave the perfect combination of fit, absorbency and ease of use, so she created Sprout Change.

Sprout Change came from this need for a better diaper. There’s plenty of cloth diapers out there, and they all pretty much work. Sprout Change is a compilation of all the great things cloth diapers can be. Our system is a hybrid unlike any other that combines pocket diapers, prefolds and all-in-ones to make the least confusing, most economical diaper available…. That anyone can afford.

The shell of the diaper (to replace the traditional plastic pants) are really cute.  They come in several colors and are reversible so you get two colors in one.  This is the one I have.

They are a one size fits all.  The website says that they will fit from 5-40 pounds.  I agree with this assessment.  My newborn can wear them and so can my two year old.  There are snaps on each side. You simply unsnap and adjust the elastic.  It is simple enough that you can resize it in seconds while your baby is wearing it.  They even have a little video on their website if you need help.

The shells can also be reused until soiled.  I didn’t have any problem with leakage.  The shells are also breathable to help fight against diaper rash.

They have different insert options or you could even use the diapers you have on hand.  The insert they sent to me was a super saver insert.  I LOVE the insert!  It is so soft!!  Even after several washes it maintained that ultra soft feel!  These will also fit from baby to toddler.  You simply fold down the extra in the front or back.  They are a one piece retangular shaped insert. I also liked them because there was no trying to stuff the diaper in the shell.

It helped cut down on the bulkiness which is one of my major dislikes concerning cloth diapers. These diapers are much trimmer than others I have tried.  This insert is also their most cost effective option.  Here is a look at the shell with the super saver insert.

Washing is easy too.  Machine wash warm, extra rinse, and tumble dry.  It doesn’t get any easier than that!

If I were to decide (still undecided as of now) to go cloth for diapering I think I would use the Sprout Change system.  As I was looking through their website they also carry training pants.  They say that their training pants can also be used as an all in one diaper.  There are for children who weigh a little more so it would not work for me right now but I do like the idea of an all in one diaper.  That just seems more convenient to me.  I may have to order one and try it out.  Maybe I will use them for my two year as she will be ready to train soon.

Now as far as affordability goes.  I have not really looked around much so I do not know how it compares in regard to other cloth diapering systems but it seems to me to be an affordable investment.  The Willow Store offers diaper packages and starter kits to make things even more affordable.  Of course, your savings would depend on what exactly you purchased.  If you were to purchase the system I have shown here your cost would be  a couple of hundred dollars verses a couple of thousand dollars for disposable.  Not bad at all!

I am not sure yet if I will ever make a complete change away from disposable but I could see myself making a partial change.  Maybe while we are around the house and only use disposable while we are out.  I will have to continue to try them out and who knows maybe as I do it will become a more permanent part of our life.  I love the idea of cloth diapering and the evolution of cloth diapers over the years are making it a more appealing choice. Sprout Change will be the store I order from if we do indeed decide to move more and more toward cloth.

What do you get when you have an Alaskan child who is deprived of secular Christmas stories?  You get to overhear the following  conversation.

My four year old was looking at a piano book earlier this morning and was on the page with the song Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  She noticed a drawing of Rudolf.  She pointed to his red nose and then with a bit of urgency and concern she asks,

“What happened to the caribou?!?!?!”

.

.

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After a short pause she answered her own question.

“Oh, he is blowing a bubble out his nose.”

Image via Wikipedia

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Do you think it is time for me to tell her the story??  LOL  Nah, overhearing these conversations is priceless!

About a year or so ago a dear friend shared a CD with me.  She said that a friend of hers put these CDs together and thought that we would enjoy them.  The children LOVED it so we decided to purchase the rest of the catechism cds and have been enjoying them ever since.

The other day a very well known blogger posted about these very cds.  Challies posted about Songs for Saplings along with other music for children.  Challies wrote:

Songs for Saplings is James and Dana Dirksen from Porland, Oregon. They have recorded four albums, one of which follows an A,B,C format while the other three are questions and answers, much like a catechism. I suppose these albums will largely appeal to younger children. They are quiet and acoustic.

He is correct in his assessment of the cds. They are geared toward younger children. But they are beneficial for the entire family.  The catechism cds do appeal to older children more and more in the second and third cds.  There is a great variety in the style of music on each cd. You can even listen to excerpts on their website.

What I love about them is that the children (and us parents) learn the great truths presented in the Westminster Catechism which is derived directly from scripture. Each question and answer also contains the scripture that teaches the truth. This way your children are not only learning the doctrinal truth but the scriptures that proclaim that truth.

Songs for Saplings is a ministry of the Dirksen family and this is what they state on their website.

We create lively, fun songs that attempt to deliver the deepest of Biblical truth in a format that your children will love to listen to. We want them to understand who God is and what He has done, as well as what He wants your children to do and to be. We hope that you will benefit from these CDs and use them to help teach your children about our God and his great love for us.

With Christmas time approaching, what better gift could you give than the gift of music which teaches and proclaims the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ?!

I am pleased to announce that I can offer you a 20% discount off of your order when you buy CDs from their website. This includes the “12-pack bulk pack” which a lot of people order for gift-giving. This does however exclude the 24 and 48 CD bulk packs, which are already heavily discounted.

All you need to do is enter the following code as you go through the checkout: mamaarcher
It’s really simple.

Hopefully you will find this really helpful as you order CDs this Christmas!

As you seek to grow your little saplings……

into strong oaks of righteousness…

Songs for Saplings can be a musical and fun tool for you and your family to use and enjoy!

that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
(Isaiah 61:3b)

Visit SONGS FOR SAPLINGS and order your CDs today! Order some for your friends and family too! Don’t forget to enter the discount code for your 20% off!

Please leave a comment and let me know if you plan on making a purchase and what you think of their music and ministry!

Regardless of whether you order, please tweet, email, and share on Facebook so that others can take advantage of the discount offer!

It has been a busy few days around here.  I had my 38 week appointment on Wednesday and our son was born on Thursday afternoon.  All went well and both baby and I are doing great.  I am glad that he was NOT born this past Saturday.  Our last baby turned two years old on Saturday and I wanted so much for each of the children to have their very own birthday.  Thank the Lord for granting that request.

So, the baby was born on Thursday the 11th at 3:14 pm.  He weighed in at a tiny little 7 pounds and 8 ounces and was 19 inches long.  He is beautiful and just perfect.  He is so laid back and is just as sweet as can be.

We came home from the hospital on the 13th ( my 2 year olds birthday) at about 4:30pm.  She is sick and was running a fever and had been waiting so patiently for her birthday party.  It was just a short family birthday and she felt pretty miserable.  A few hours later my hubby ended up taking her to the ER.  She has pneumonia AGAIN and an ear infection.  What a way to celebrate your birthday, huh?  She is starting to feel better.  A lady at church this morning gave her a big batch of helium balloons for her birthday.  I think that was wonderful.  It extended her birthday a bit and she was feeling better and able to enjoy it more.

As you can see it has been a bit crazy around here.

So here are a couple of photos to share with you………………….

First, here is our new son, Nathan Asher.  He’s a handsome one if I do say so myself!!!

Here is one of the birthday girl!

And a shot of them together………

I am abundantly blessed!!

I am soooo ready to have this little bundle!  I am used to delivering early by a week or two and I am hoping that will be the case this time.  I am more than ready to pop!  I wonder if after reading the list below you will agree with me.

You know it is time to have your baby when:

• You notice that people no longer look at you but at your belly.
• You have practically outgrown every maternity outfit you own.
• It takes either help or five full minutes to roll over in bed.
• You notice 80 year olds walking better and at a faster pace than yourself.
• People have been asking for two months if the baby is due any day.
• People comment about HOW big you are and that you definitely LOOK ready.
• Walking up the stairs makes you as winded as running a marathon normally would.
• After only being home  for 12 days (from a seven month deployment) your hubby says it is time for you have that baby because it seems like you have been pregnant forever!
• You use your belly not only as a table but it is a very stable table.
• You begin to believe that getting out of the bathtub should be considered an Olympic event!
• When you step on the scale you wonder why your husband’s weight is registering!
• You have at least one moment a day when you cry because you just don’t think you can carry this heavy weight even two steps longer.
• You start having the recurrent pregnancy nightmare of delivering in the car and ruining the interior of the nice vehicle.
• You begin to think you could breath fire because the heartburn is winning out over that bottle of Tums you carry everywhere with you.

MOST OF ALL:

• Because it would be so much better to hold that sweet baby in your arms, see what he looks like, caress the soft baby skin, and be able to breath once again!

Well, today has not been a very fun day.  In fact, it has not been a very fun weekend.  I have sick children once again.  Over the weekend I had my youngest running 103-104 temperature.  The next child up has also been really fussy and irritable.  I decided to wait it out until Monday hoping to get a doctor’s appointment and avoid the ER.  Little did I realize that this Monday was a holiday and the clinic was closed.  After going round and round on the phone again I was finally just told to head to the ER.  So this morning that is what I did.  I figured I would take in both children so I would only have to make one trip even though the older one didn’t seem really sick.

There was no one in the waiting room and we went through triage and were placed directly in a room where we sat for two hours without anyone even sticking their head in the door.  I was about to just leave and pay the $150 plus visit to an urgent care place just so they would be seen when someone finally came by to take us to radiology.

X-rays, doctor visit finally, and another hour later we were finally leaving.  The waiting room was almost overflowing and I was thankful we came in as early as we did that morning.  I felt sorry for the people in the waiting room.  They would be there all day.

I am home with two children who have pneumonia and four bottles of antibiotic! I am praying that they heal quickly.  BUT, I now have my six year old coughing and looking a little pale and I am coughing and running a low grade temperature.  I am praying that the two of us recover without another trip to the ER.

Maybe heading to skating lessons this afternoon after this mornings ER run was not the smartest thing but we did it anyway and now we are waiting on dinner to be delivered.  I am not feeling the least bit well enough to cook!

SOOOO,

Now to the title of this post.  Not knowing what to think.  I received to conflicting comments today.

On the way to radiology this morning the lady asked me if there was any way that I could be pregnant.  I chuckled, looked at my belly, and said, “Um, yeah, I’m due in 6 weeks.”

Now the other statement today was from a lady at the skating rink.  She looked at me and said, “Your baby has really grown since last week.”  and another lady there said, “Yep, she is right, maybe it is just a change in baby’s position but you look bigger.”

I have decided that the first individual was simply trying to be nice and save herself from a possible bad situation.  The other ladies know me and were probably being honest.  But I find it rather strange to receive these comments the same day!!  Sooo, it is kind of funny and I’m still not sure what to think!

I remember my little preemie girl. She was born 33 weeks gestational age and weighed in at 4 pounds and 8 ounces and 17 1/2 inches long. Her little head would fit in my hubby’s hand with his fingers wrapping around her head. She seemed so small especially compared to her older brother who weighed in over 9 pounds when he was born.

Today, she is far from that tiny little one she once was. She turns 18 years old today. She has been such a blessing to us and God has grown her into a godly young woman and I am so very proud of her!

Happy birthday! We love you!!

This is a claim that has been made against my family many times.  Often by children of other families.

“You have too many rules.”

“You don’t have to ask.”

“Why do you have so many rules.”

“You have to ask about that, that is just dumb.  We don’t have to ask.  Just come on and lets do it.”

Several other comments very similar have come our way as well.  My children were discussing this fact with me yesterday.  Apparently the comments were made again.  One child simply told their sibling to just respect the rules and quit trying to cause trouble.  I appreciated the maturity of that girl.  Needless to say, my children and I once again had our “why rules are important” discussion.

I will admit that we do tend to have more rules than most families these days, even other Christian families.  I see the families that often make the comments about us having too many rules and even my children will say that they think their friends would benefit from having a few more rules of their own.

My children do not go anywhere or really do anything without permission.  They do not get any food without permission.  We have rules for the trampoline.  We have rules on how to treat others, being fair, respecting others, sticking up for their siblings, and more.  Of course, these are not always perfectly followed but my children do know what is expected of them.

So, why so many rules?

First off there are a lot of us and rules help us to maintain some semblance of order and organization as well as safety.

More importantly it trains children to respect authority, respect boundaries, and to develop self-discipline.  How can a child be expected to honor, respect, and obey their Heavenly Father if they cannot even do so with their earthly father?

If a child never has boundaries to respect and an understanding of why they are important how can we expect them to have boundaries and be self-disciplined to adhere to them when they are older?  How can we expect children to respect authority if we have not trained them to do so?

Respecting authority, adhering to boundaries, and having good self-discipline are things that not only do not come naturally but are things that we most tend to fight against. Children must be taught these things from an early age.  It is something that adults need continual practice in as well.  As a child grows older parents can relax a bit on maintaining the standard or rules because children will begin to exercise that self-discipline more and more.  The struggle however is not something that is ever fully overcome.

I still struggle as an adult to respect authority sometimes.  I still struggle sometimes with boundary issues.  I still struggle at times with self-discipline.  If it is something that an adult struggles with on a daily basis imagine a child developing these strengths without any guidance or rules to practice with.

Children also learn through example.  Even as we ourselves struggle through these issues children will learn by our example.  They will learn as they see us doing what is right even when it is difficult.  Even us adults have rules we must obey.  Our children will learn most by us practicing what we teach.  But we must also be teaching them and providing them the opportunities to exercise that teaching.  They are not just going to pick it up by watching us.  If we were perfectly honest with ourselves we would admit that we are not always the best example.  That is why teaching along side our example is so very important.

So at our house we may have many rules.  There is a reason for that.  Even amidst the many rules my children thrive.  Children need direction, guidance, and opportunities to exercise what we are teaching them.  Even other children can learn from that as they struggle with the rules of our house and our children share with them the importance.

So, how about you?  Are you a house of many rules or few rules?  How do you teach your children to respect authority, adhere to boundaries, develop self-discipline, and to obey willingly and without reservation their Heavenly Father?

She is finally four! She has been counting down and the day has arrived at last!  We celebrated with friends and siblings at Chucky Cheese.  She was thrilled with her gifts!  She especially likes her big doll.  Happy birthday to our sweet, spunky, curly headed little BIG girl!  We love you!!