open arms magazine po box 81124, conyers, ga …openarmsmagazine.com/tmh16h.pdfpage 2 open arms...

Open Arms Magazine PO Box 81124, Conyers, GA 30013 #16 May 2000

www.alwrightpublishing.com

www.openarmsmagazine.com


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Statement of Faith: We are Chris-tians, believing the Bible is God'sWord, salvation comes through JesusChrist alone, and that God has a won-derful plan for families as stated inHis Word.

WWWWWho ho ho ho ho WWWWWe e e e e ArArArArAreeeeeWe are the Wright family: Mark (daddy), Kym

(mama), LeShay-’82, Chantelle-’84, Brent-’86,Neal-’89, Kelsey-’91, Kaylor-’93, Morgan-’94, andKaitlyn-’95. There are eight children: 7 biologicalwith 1 adopted.

Mark is an executive at a large corporation. Kymmanages the home: home schooling, baking, gar-dening, sewing, painting, quilting. They used to livea fast life with both parents working. Kym had herown business as a Wardrobe & Image Consultant.She shopped for and with clients, helping them cre-ate the type of image they needed to succeed intheir chosen profession. Following God's lead,she eventually closed the doors on her business,and came home to focus on her family. (Kymshares her story in Volume 1, issue #1.)

ColumnsColumnsColumnsColumnsColumnsWright on the Mark: by Mark Wright, the one who oversees the productionof Open Arms Magazine. He speaks to husbands on relevant issues.Front Porch Swing: by Kym Wright. Sharing lives, loves, encouragement,and insights. Come meet the Wrights and share their lives.Parenting Power: by Dee Brasington teaches us about ROAR! the threevital life principles. Yes, only 3! Respect, Obedience And Responsibility. Takenfrom her seminars, she teaches practical, Biblical, simple parenting.Family Relationships: by Rev. Clay Brasington, III. He shares from theseminars he & Dee teach. Ministering at Coral Ridge Presbyterian as the Con-temporary Service Worship Leader, Clay’s love for the Lord shows ... & it’scontagious!Should You Adopt?: by Chris Field, Esquire, Attorney-turned-Mommy. Chrisshares her heart for raising biological and adopted children.Eating Better: with Rich & Sue Gregg. From their vast knowledge and ex-perimentation, they teach us how to make food healthy, & taste good, too!Fireside Chats: with Craig & Charity Lovelace who live the quiet Christian lifeat home with their two sons. Craig works in the Alaskan oilfields and Charity isa homemaker and writer.Growing in Grace: with Marion Sue Wright, Mark’s mother. She shares thejoys and contentment to be found in rearing a family and the blessings of beinga stay-at-home mom.Herbal Healthcare: with Kim McGeorge, a well-educated Certified NutritionalHerbologist and mom.From Your Heart: letters from you, our friends. Remember, anything you writeto us could turn up in print. Add a note to your correspondence if you prefer itnot being published.

When writing or mak-ing a submission by mail,if you would like notifica-tion that we received it,please include a self-ad-dressed, stamped enve-lope. Or you may send let-ters and articles by e-mailto:

[email protected]

Everything in the maga-zine is copyrighted, eitherby Open Arms Magazine,and/or by the author. Forpermission to copy or pub-lish, please contact us:

Open Arms MagazinePO Box 81124Conyers, GA 30013

God Bless,

Mark & Kym

Open Open Open Open Open ArArArArArms Mams Mams Mams Mams Magggggazineazineazineazineazinebecomesbecomesbecomesbecomesbecomes

TTTTThe Mother’he Mother’he Mother’he Mother’he Mother’s Hears Hears Hears Hears Heart Mat Mat Mat Mat MagggggazineazineazineazineazineAnd as we journey on, we found something veryimportant - the mother's heart, and what shebelives, is very important to the life of the family.If she believes her role is worth, that she is mak-ing a difference, then she will be a joyful wife andmom. So, we have changed the name of ourpublication from Open Arms Magazine, to TheMother's Heart magazine. Come along as wejoin together to find ways to encourage our heartsin this awesome and honored calling we have:

Motherhood.

mailto:[email protected]


DIALOGSFrom Your Heart ............................................. 4Wright on the Mark: Discernment.................. 13Front Porch Swing: Doing It Again ................ 14

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPSThe Family Pow-Wow................................... 18

Dee BrasingtonWho’s In Control? ......................................... 20

Rev. Clay Brasington, IIIHow Do I Get My Husband to Lead?............. 29

Craig & Charity LovelaceHEALTH

Grain Variety for Quick Bread ....................... 22Rich & Sue Gregg

Too Tired to be Exhausted? .......................... 25Kim McGeorge, Certified Nutritional Herbologist

ADOPTION FORUMGetting Started in Adoption .......................... 27

Christine Field, EsquireHOME SWEET HOME

Finally ... Children ......................................... 36Tips on Trips: Moving ................................... 38Titus 2:4-5 What Does It Really Mean? ......... 42Growing in Grace ......................................... 44Doorposts & Foster Parenting...................... 47

EDUCATIONALBuilding up the Dreams in a Child ................ 32Homeschooling with Preschoolers................ 34Why We Homeschool ................................... 45

ADVERTISEMENTS ........................................... 49The Wrights ........................................................ 50BACK ISSUES ................................................... 51SUBSCRIPTION & ORDERING INFO ............... 56

Pizza Bread ........................ 15Oat Bread ........................... 15Pizza Muffins ..................... 17Dill Bread ............................ 17Blender Cornbread ........... 22Gingerbread Muffins ...... 23Buttermilk Biscuits ........... 24Blender Batter Waffles .. 24Kamut-Oatmeal Cookies ... 24Kamut Flake Cookies ........ 24

A publication for mothersA publication for mothersA publication for mothersA publication for mothersA publication for motherswith hearts in their home.with hearts in their home.with hearts in their home.with hearts in their home.with hearts in their home.

RECIPE INDEX

Bird Unit ..................................48Botany Unit .............................43Color! Unit ............................... 41Flower Unit .............................45Health For You ......................50Home’s Cool ............................. 31Learn & Do Units ................... 31Learn & Do Units ...................43Learn & Do Units ...................50Learn & Do Units ................... 51Microscope Adventure! ....... 41Natural Wellness ...................50Photography Unit ..................45Poultry Unit ............................45Quilt Unit ................................ 16Sheep Unit ............................... 11Spiders Unit ........................... 16Sue Gregg Cookbooks ..........50Useful Units ...........................50

AD INDEX



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F romYourHeart

I just wanted to tell you how you havehelped me so much in the area of organiza-tion! I’m looking forward to starting your unitstudies with my children.

I know you bake bread, but I don’t knowwhat kind of mixer you have. My cookbookwas designed for a Bosch, but the recipes canbe easily adapted for any mixer.

Your quilts are beautiful. I will be start-ing your Quilting 101 soon!

In Him, Denise Fiddler, In

Denise is known as The Country Baker. I loveher cookbook on breadbaking. One of my passions.You can order her Wildflour cookbook for $10.95;8751 N 850 E, Syracuse, IN 46567. Or visit herwebsite at:

www.countrybaker.com

YAHOO! I just got my February magazine. I knew with moving it might be a little later and I wasso excited when it arrived yesterday.

Keep us in your prayers. My husband (Navy) will be commissioned as an officer April 1st and then will be reporting forduty in Washington state. As soon as our house sells, we will be joining him. As a Navy family we have moved a lot, but thelast time we moved was 3 years ago. We moved from Maine to Connecticut when I was 7 months pregnant with my 3rd babyand he was born while we were still living in the hotel. We moved into this house when he was 2 weeks old! (Two daysafter Christmas). That was an unusual year. Now I have 4 children... and am moving 5000 miles away. And we will bedriving. Should be a challenge. We have decided to buy a small camp-style refrigerator that plugs into the lighter in thevan so we won’t have to eat out too much, but do you have any other wisdom you can offer on making this move easier?

Love in Christ, ChristineOh, my. We have moved enough for a while. Roots are nice. See the article “Moving” in this issue.

II just finished reading “Family Convictions” byCraig and Charity Lovelace and your article on “Work-ing Women” (#15, February 2000). God is so good inthe timing of these articles. You see, for the lastcouple of years as my husband has been pursuing stud-ies at a seminary, I have been reading and discussingwith other women how to live as a Christian. TheLovelace’s article really described exactly how I havebeen feeling, but I didn’t know why. Now I can seeso clearly how I have been jumping ahead of my hus-band and feeling frustrated that he did not have timeto study all of the issues I was interested in. I feltlike he was not leading the home spiritually. Now Isee that I need to be on guard and deliberately limitmy information. And the Big One is I need to trustGod in guiding my husband for the spiritual directionof our family.

Thank you for your magazine. Enclosed is my or-der for your Women: Living Life on Purpose. I can’twait to read it!

Peace through Christ, A FriendCraig & Charity are back with another wonderful

article on changing our husbands... or not.


www.living-life-on-purpose.com


II was wondering if you could help me with this question. Ihave heard, and you wrote about grinding your own wheat forflour. I know that people do this because after 72 hours, (Ithink), the nutritional value starts to declinein the flour. My question is, if you grind yourown flour and use it right away for bakingbread, then put the bread in the freezer, willthe nutritional value still decline? Does bak-ing it lock in the nutrients, or do they stilldecline in the freezer too? Thanks for yourhelp on this. I’m debating whether it’s worththe time and effort to do grind my own wheat.I do bake my own bread all ready.Belinda

Belinda, thanks for the question, but I’ll turnthis over to the expert! ~ Kym

From Sue GreggDear Belinda,

Kym Wright forwarded your email to me. About ground wheatflour beginning to lose its nutritional value within 72 hours, Ihave no documentation as to the extent of such loss. I haveheard those who market bread kneaders such as the BoschKitchen Machine and the DLX Kitchen Machine (both of whichare not autobake breadmakers) make the statement that “vir-tually all” the nutrients are gone in 72 hours. But I have neverseen scientific documentation on the actual extent of the loss.However, nutrient loss does begin as soon as grain is groundinto flour because of the inevitable oxidation that begins totake place.

In regard to freezing, there are three methods that will “pre-serve” the nutrient value: 1) keeping the flour in the freezeruntil you are ready to use it; 2) freezing prepared bread dough3) freezing the baked loaves of bread. Again, I cannot giveyou any documentation on the speed of nutrient loss underfreezer conditions, but “common sense” tells me that the nu-trient value is lost most rapidly in method #1 (keeping the flourin the freezer) and least in #3 (freezing the baked loaves). I saythis because it does seem that nutrients are locked in by bak-ing and further loss is greatly impeded by freezing temperaturejust as this is true with all foods put in the freezer. The biggestdisadvantage of freezing baked bread is that it tends to dryout after a time and is not near as good as freshly bakedloaves that have not been frozen. I confess that I have neverattempted method #2 (freezing prepared bread dough) as, forme, this just creates unnecessary extra steps. Frozen flourshould be brought to room temperature before using it to get aquality loaf and frozen dough must be unfrozen and allowed torise before baking it. The beauty of owning a bread kneader isthat you can make bread often and avoid all the extra steps offreezing and thawing that just takes up extra freezer room anddoesn’t come out as well. If the bread is consumed within a

week of baking, the freezer isn’t gen-erally necessary to preserve it. Sometimes the freezer doescome in handy for freezing extra bread and I have used it. Butgenerally I am not satisfied with the flavor and texture-qualityof the bread as when eaten fresh.

To answer your concern whether it is worth your time andeffort to grind your own wheat, I would give a definite “Yes!” Myexperience is that bread baked from freshly ground whole grainflour is much tastier and the texture is far better than fromstore-bought whole grain flour (most of which the customerdoes not know when it was ground and how long it has been onthe shelf). In addition, flour that is used immediately after grindingis guaranteed as much of the nutrient value as you can getfrom it.Blessings!

Sue Gregg

WWe are looking at the Charlotte Mason philosophy ofschooling, and to give ourselves a kick-start, I have joineda local group - temporarily - until I know the basics. A ladyI met there is actually from Seattle. She is a dear woman,and has adopted three girls - all Asian. Anyway, the ladieswithin this small CM group bring any type of 'help' they can- albeit homeschool magazines, encouragement, inspiration.I took a couple of copies of Open Arms Magazine. My newfriend from Seattle asked if she could take them home.

The next week she contacted me per email, and we met.She was thrilled to have been given the opportunity to readOpen Arms Magazine. The biggest blessing came in that shesaid that she had been convicted - greatly. Particularly inthe area of not attending all the groups, meetings, etc.!

Much love to you, Kym. Helen, Australia

www.suegregg.com

www.suegregg.com

www.KymWright.com



WWhat an incredible blessing your book,Women: Living Life on Purpose, has been tome and I can’t thank you enough for yourkindness in providing it for me. This paydayis lean indeed, so I’m hoping to get the re-mainder to you by the next one.

So many things are running through myhead that it is difficult to start... It seemsthat God sent me to you at just the right timeconsidering the things that have come upsince I wrote to you last. How far back shouldI go? Let’s see.... age - 22 Met a policeman ata cowboy dance hall, gave him my home num-ber, and went out with him. Second date atthe beach I told him I could never be seriousunless he was a Christian. (I wasn’t strong insome areas, but I knew that much!) We be-came “friends only” and he started attend-ing church with me. Two months later he be-came a Christian and we began “dating.” Ayear later we were engaged and I had sur-gery for endometriosis, during which it wasdiscovered that I was born with only half auterus. The doctor recommended starting tohave children as soon as possible, since hecouldn’t guarantee I would ever conceive....We married and Rebecca was born 9 monthslater, but 5 weeks early after medicationsand bed rest. A miracle pregnancy and baby.Now we have five miracles. Each pregnancyhas been progressively better and has gonelonger. I praise God for this success.

My laziness over the years is glaring mein the face, but I am begging God to changeme and make me consistent and disciplined. Ihave lived my life in rebellion to schedules,when I think it is the one means that Godwould use to free me and give me happy, con-tented children. Pray with me that I will beobedient to His voice and the voice of myhusband, and that God will heal my body andsoul.

Thank you for living your life in such away that I can glean these morsels of truthon how to be a good wife and mother.Thank you for your sacrifice of time towrite these things down of paper. I can’twait to begin the Study Guide and I havebeen fairly successful at reading HisWord. Of course, the more I do it the moreI want to and can’t wait for anotheropportunity!

God bless you.

II just had to write and tell you how nice the new issue is.I’m going to be up late tonight reading. I really enjoyed yoursand Mark’s columns. He has a very balanced view of girls andeducation and I think it needed to be heard. My husbandfeels much the same way. Goodness, I can relate to what youare saying too, with two moves ourselves this past year. I lookback and am amazed that we managed to still accomplish someother things! We are trying to settle in, make friends, find achurch home, yet protect our time at home so we aren’t constantlyrunning. I know there is a balance and we have done pretty wellso far.

I am thrilled with how nice my article looks! You all do a greatjob with layouts. Thanks so much for putting that in. I have manymore ideas for writing, and I am wondering if you might be inter-ested in any of them. I am sure you get lots of submissions! I do alot of ‘scribbling’ on my own, sort of like Jo in Little Women. Waytoo many ideas though—but someday I’ll find the time to writethem all down!

Anyway, God bless you all and I hope you are feeling ‘at home’by now. We so appreciate your ministry.

Blessings, Jennifer McDonald (author of last issue’s“Scrapbooking” article, and this issue’s “Homeschooling withPreschoolers”)

Thank you for the note and the compliments. We enjoy graphicart and making the magazine aesthetically pleasing. At night, Ihave a reoccurring dream that we’re moving again, and I wake uprelieved!

We’re always open to article submissions. Send them e-mail orsnail mail (through the post office). We do appreciate writersletting us know if & when a submission has been published, orsent to friends on the internet, or put on websites. Our policy isnot print pre-published material. Thanks for understanding.

Love, Mark & Kym


www.KymWright.com


EEven though my subscription ends with thenext issue, I want to be sure I don’t miss aword, so I am renewing for two years. WhileI subscribe to many magazines, yours is theonly one I keep and reread. Even as quickly astime passes, your magazine just doesn’t comeoften enough. I am guilty of reading it all tooquickly and therefore left with three monthsto wait for my next issue. I pray that you aregetting settled in Georgia.

I like when you share recipes. I am always lookingfor new ideas. Also, what do you serve for breakfastand lunch on school days? I know you are busy. Thank youfor your ministry. You are such a blessing.

Love, the mother of 7 (20-1)

Thank you for your kind words, and yes we are set-tling in and loving Georgia!

I have it relatively easy for breakfast and lunches,because LeShay makes breakfast during the week, andChantelle fixes lunches! I’ve trained them well, and itpays!

I’m responsible for suppers, so I cook ahead about45-60 meals at a time. I’m reinstating a pretty tablerule. In February, Mark had been working so much - leav-ing early and coming home late. One evening he was com-ing home while it was still light outside, so I set a beau-tiful table - cheerful tablecloth, pretty plates, food pre-sentation was extraordinaire! I received so many com-pliments that evening. The roast seemed to taste ex-tra tender and juicy! The broccoli with lemon butterwas delicious. Mark and the children all complimentedme over and again. I realized that with our moves, thestandard of “grace and beauty” in our lives had slipped.No one complained, but bringing it back sure blessedtheir hearts and brought a different atmosphere to theevening meal. That festive feel was worth repeating,so Chantelle and I cut out several more tablecloths forour long kitchen table.

I’ll share recipes as I can (see this issue), but I’mnot an experimenter. I usually just find a recipe anduse it as written (maybe a little change here and there).How about ya’ll sending in recipes. Shall we do it on atheme basis? Salads for Summer? Soups for Autumn?If you send them, we’ll make room for a few in the nextissue! Love, Kym

I kind of stumbled upon your article about Morgan. In typicalGod fashion, our stories are quite similar. Our little Jordan isalmost six months old now. I too had been praying for manyyears to adopt. I repeatedly asked God to remove this burden.Of course, He would not. I was working at a crisis pregnancycenter when I met a homeless young woman. (I was praying toadopt a little girl from Russia.) She asked me to help her find agood Christian family. Well, in casual conversation with a friend,she mentioned a family wanting to adopt. Great! Everythinglooked like a match when things fell through. I then hooked herup with an agency and she matched with another family. Thistoo fell through. Both families did not believe God was leadingthem to adopt her baby!?

I lost touch with the girl. A few months later, I called to seehow she was doing. I fully expected that she was keeping thebaby now. No. Through our conversations, I began to feel likewe were supposed to adopt her baby. Mind you, my husbandhas been apprehensive to adopt period. Secondly, we had 3boys and desperately wanted a girl. This birthmom was carry-ing a boy! God, what are you thinking?!

Through a series of events, the birthmom and I came to thesame conclusion. Guess what? Hubby didn’t blink an eye at it!I marvel at how God works. We had about four weeks from thatpoint to do a homestudy and everything else. As God wouldhave it, everything just fell into our laps.

I still have a close relationship with the birthmom. She lives2 hours away and we see her once or twice a month. She ismaking small changes in her life, but still has a way to go. Shedoes have a 5-year-old. We have met most of her relatives andcontinue to see [the baby’s] grandma. I was adopted and Iwish that I could have known my birthfamily.

I understand what you mean about boundaries. So far, Idon’t think any have been crossed. I couldn’t for the life of me,stop talking with [the birthmother]. I have such deep feelingsfor her.

Any pearls of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Weare just about ready to finalize the adoption.

In His Hands, Debbie C

Adoption

Kind Words

www.KymWright.com


II have just been looking at your new web site and read-ing your recent “front porch swings.” What a blessing anda great encouragement these were to brighten my daytoday. Thank you for your open heart in sharing. Yourthoughts lift my heart ! One day soon I hope, I shall sendyou a cheque to subscribe. Meanwhile, thank you for yourministry through the web page. I saved the articles by

your hubby to encourage my hubby, so he will be blessed too. Happy nur-turing, gardening, quilting, cooking and serving the Lord Jesus in your hometoday! With blessings, from a fellow nurturer, gardener, quilter, cook andservant of the Lord Jesus in Australia! Barbara S

II hope you don’t mind a handwritten letter - we still live in the darkages (no computer, yet). I want to thank you for the blessing of OpenArms. My dear friend loaned me some back issues, and I was immediatelyengrossed in cover-to-cover reading. A little about me: I’ve been marriedto my darling for ten years. We have had six babies (so far), one of whomended in a 2nd trimester loss. During this time my husband attended fouryears of Medical School, has practiced Emergency Medicine for 3 yearsin residency (that means 100-hour work weeks) and has practiced thepast 3 years as a specialist in that field (only 40-60 hours per week).

I have felt like the “Lone ranger Mom” -- staying home with no extendedfamily nearby (none within 200 miles), minimal to zero church support, home-schooling and raising my treasures alone. I have longed for a “Titus Lady” orfor other friends who are walking this same road. Now I have found you! Andin the past 2-3 years God has granted me at least 2 kindred-spirit friends inmy community, whom you would love. You are doing a great work, throughHim, and I pray that others in my area will “catch-on.”

We attend a church where most of the ladies work outside the home, andthe mothers mostly have a comfortable number of children spaced conve-niently apart. My husband and I are sending Open Arms Magazine to all thechurch families who either homeschool or have had a baby in the past year —many of those are first-time parents. I pray your ministry will cause them toexamine their faith and encourage them as wives/husbands and parents asthey raise their children.

You are truly my oasis after a long, thirsty travel. Thank you and praiseGod!

With love, Teri M, NY

TThanks for thisministry, even in themidst of all yourmoves!Mrs. Tammy D, Wi.






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YYYour magazine is my friend by mail. I enjoy thearticles so much it is what I would talk about with afriend. I do so appreciate that you created thismagazine just for me! I do so often feel like a loneduck.

We have three children and have applied for num-ber four. We have one child by birth and two byadoption and four already with the Lord. My hus-band is gone 3-4 days a week, which is difficult forus, but he makes up for it by being the greatest dadand husband. We homeschool. My oldest has a learn-ing disability, but is makingprogress. We live in the coun-try now, in a mountain commu-nity (one year here). We have awonderful church family. I loveto read and study herbal medi-cine. I would like to sew, gar-den and cook (fancier stuff)again, but can’t find it in mydays so far.

I don’t tell you all this be-cause it is so interesting. Justthat I thought you would liketo know who reads your maga-zine.

You have been such a bless-ing to me. May God bless youwith all that you do in His name.

Your friend, Gail C, NM

Your magazine ministers in so many realms of ourlife as homeschoolers, adoptive parents (we are stillin the process), and folks wanting to live God-hon-oring lives. Each issue just gets better and better,and we are reading and rereading all of our preciousolder issues.

I know this venture is a family sacrifice and min-istry. Please let your family know thatwe are being blessed so richly by thisoutpouring of ministry.

Enclosed is my check for my dearfriend, an adoptive parent. I’ve beenusing the Women: Living Life on Pur-pose and Study Guide for my Sabbathquiet time. It has been wonderful andI will use it and reuse it, I know. Theadoption emphasis ministers deeplyto me and I am so grateful for youheeding the Spirit’s call. May manyparents heed the call and love theseprecious little ones, there is a greatneed for Christians to rise up in thisarea. It is a testimony to our dyingworld of Christ’s love to us in ouradoption through Him.

I’m a grateful Momma, Jean E, NC

I am so inspired by your magazine. I am a mother of three: 4, 2 and 6 months. I come from a big cityand have lived a very worldly life. In the past 5 years since I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior,I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, 3 children and now live in a small community.

I was a brand-new Christian when I got married and was not yet discipled, therefore did not yet knowabout being “unequally yoked.” There are a lot of people praying for my husband’s salvation and I am atpeace with it being in God’s hands. No one told me this and I hadn’t even discovered your magazine yet. Myhusband has made it clear that he does not want anymore children. He talks of getting a vasectomy, buthas not. Please pray for me if you can, as I feel the Lord is not finished with my womb (note that I neverwanted children in the first place, my husband did, and I get very ill for my entire pregnancy. But, I amwilling to do it again and again! That’s got to be the Lord!)

I didn’t intend to write a letter, just order a 1-year subscription and your complete set of Women:Living Life on Purpose.

God has brought a wonderful, godly mother and wife into my life in which I can talk to ... she has lent memost of your back issues.

God bless you and Mark in your wonderful ministry. A Sister in Christ

I am so inspiredby your magazine.














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I very much enjoy Open Arms magazine, especially the ar-ticles on adoption.

I am 39 years old, my husband is 45. We have two daughtersand one son. We so much want more children and adoption isour choice. I, unfortunately, cannot have anymore children bio-logically. We have been foster parents for 2 years and havebeen so blessed to love and care for 3 children in that time,who have since gone home.

Hopefully, prayerfully, an infant will come available, and the Lord will place it in our home! We wouldlike to adopt 2 children, ultimately.

So many people ask us how we can take care of these foster children, love them like our own, thenwatch them go back home, sometimes into a situation that isn’t the greatest. I can only say that the Lordgives you the strength to do anything He wants you to do! (Phill 4:13) We are the blessed ones, my husbandand I, not the precious children the Lord places here for a while.

We trust the Lord and know He gives His children wonderful gifts. My husband has to remind me everyso often, to be patient, and let the Lord do His work, instead of trying to do it for Him!

We believe God wants us to adopt from the Welfare system. There are so many beautiful childrenwaiting for a loving Christian home. Our youngest child is 7½, so younger than 6 or 7 would be best for us.Infants and toddlers don’t come into the system too often, so they are harder to adopt. We’ve beenwaiting 2 years.

We are open to most situations concerning a baby or toddler, race and sex of the child matter zero tous. Health problems of a manageable degree would be prayerfully considered.

Thank you for a wonderful “family” magazine, and for your commitment to the Lord, your husband andprecious children!

Love and prayers, Kim

AdoptionI received a back issue sample

and really enjoyed it. We are ahomeschooling family who loves theLord, and also are foster parents. Iespecially like the adoption articles,as we want to adopt.

Blessings, a friendT To those at Open Arms Magazine:We received a sample copy of your magazine

from Sue Gregg when ordering some cookbooks.It very much interested us since we homeschooland are an adoptive family also. Looking forwardto reading the back issues on transracial adop-tions. At present we are home study ready andwaiting for another infant if that is the Lord’s will.

In Christ’s love,The CooksPS If you know of any infants please pass on

our name and number.

PPlease send me the Book & Work-book for Women: Living Life onPurpose. I love Open Arms Maga-zine! I wish it came out more of-ten!Thank you! Janet K, Ca








www.SueGregg.com



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Rickelle has become a dear friend. By faith, she ordered sevenof our Women: Living Life on Purpose sets, to begin a Biblestudy in her home. Then she ordered a second set of seven. Godis using her to draw women to Him and to turn their hearts to-wards the home.

Here is a note from her (she refers to our being featuredguests at an on-line chat).

Will be praying for you at this time and before and after forGod’s words to be spoken through you and your husband, andfor ears to hear and be blessed and for protection before,throughout and after your chat.

The women’s group is amazing. I had 6 more books to sell af-ter sending you a faith check for the books to be sold, one womancame and bought them all for her group. Then a pastor from asmall church here wants another copy and would like to do itwith her church. My husband says “ Wo! It must be a good book!”after months of our group doing it. He’s funny. Our group hasbeen pruned from 7 to 4, yet the four seem to be growing deeperand stronger. Thanks again for sharing your life purpose on pa-per so that we can be blessed and may the Lord continue tooverflow your family with wisdom and grace and favor and love.

God Bless and Aloha, Rickelle, Hawaii

A friend recently let me borrow hermagazine. I loved it. We have 10 children(2 in college) and homeschool 8. Could Iplease order ... and send a catalog.

Thanks, Denise,

Oh, we’d love to hear more about yourfamily, homeschooling 8 children, gettingyour older ones into college (were theyhomeschooled?), and all. Write again. ~Kym

I run a child care center in Florida. I searched the internet for aneasy-to-read, simple-to-follow plan for incubating chicks. Thank youChantelle! Your article is perfect! It gives detail as well as an explana-tion why it is important to follow all steps. This is a project we will bedoing with our Before and After schoolers. The children range in agefrom 5 to 12. I would hope that we are as successful as you were. But, ifwe aren’t, 4 out of 10 eggs hatching will be plenty.

On another note, I am interested in other projects like this. The chil-dren have had a full day of school (so we don’t need to educate them),but we’d like to provide after school activities that are enriching. (Dur-ing the summer the children are here full days.) Does your catalog oflearning units include uncomplicated activities that may be suitable forour environment? I’d be interested in hearing from you.

Sincerely, G

Here’s my renewal for the next 2years, along with an order for someother material as well. Thanks for high-lighting the expiration date. Between anew baby (Timothy Davie, December 1 -the 4th boy and 5th child - and, ofcourse, he’s precious and very loved!),the holidays, home-shooling, sick children,etc., somehow I managed to overlook thatminor detail and I really don’t want tomiss an issue.

How interesting that you should fea-ture Teri Maxwell’s scheduling/time man-agement last issue. We’ve been using herideas this year (along with a couple ofyours), and it’s really made a differencein the stress level around here!

Sincerely, Diane W.

Sheep UnitSheep UnitSheep UnitSheep UnitSheep UnitSheep UnitSheep UnitSheep UnitSheep UnitSheep Unit

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YI

You continue to be a source of en-couragement to me. Thank you for your lovefor the Lord and your family. You have taughtme so much. My fifth is now four monthsold, and my life begs to be more organized.I am using your Women: Living Life on Pur-pose so much.

I find myself weighed down by the thingsthat must be done and not enjoying just play-ing and being with my kids. I know, sched-ule, schedule, schedule. I need to, especiallyright now with being so drained from nurs-ing.

Thank you for just sharing the basics -cooking, sewing, encouraging our kids andloving our little blessings in a world full ofpeople wondering why we would have any!

Love, N

Dear Friend, and one other word you for-got - release. Letting go of the expectations,the outside pressures and activities. I re-member the days of newborns. You are veryblessed, indeed. Oh, yes, I’d encourage youto schedule ... but also to pat yourself onthe back. Realize how much you actually aredoing. Simplify, slow down, tell yourselfhow wonderful you are. No one is standingin line to do it, so you might as well. Eccl2:24 says, “There is nothing better for aman than to eat and drink and tell himselfthat his labor is good.” Amen! When I have ababy, I toss everything out of my schedulethat isn’t nailed down. No outside responsi-bilities. I don’t do much except baby, chil-dren ... then school, then housecleaning. Ido make it a point to have time with the Lordevery day. It’s a necessity! Just concentrateon home and family. Simplify. Get back tobasics and what’s really important. “Be still.”“Cease striving and know that I am God.” (Ps46:10) These are good words to remember.

First want to apologize for my harsh question I asked in my lastletter. I asked about the farm because it seemed that your familylooked like the perfect picture. Please forgive me. I wanted to makea point to myself and to others that Christians look and live alldifferently, but under His grace. As I have said in a few letters to youthat I struggle with the lies that “nobody else’s child says that or doesthat, “ or “so-and-so’s mom wouldn’t lose her patience and yell,” or“so-and-so must be far more consistent with their children’s training.” Kym,in helping others you put yourself and your ideas in the very public eye andthere is such a chance to be misinterpreted or misunderstood. So, I thankyou for your openness and please accept my apology.

I also wanted to ask you about the transition you might have gone throughas far as being organized with each additional blessing you received. My5th child is 4 months old and as hard as I have tried to not be organized, Irealize that I need to become more organized for purely survival. I wasvery organized before children - had one child and was devastated be-cause I couldn’t get anything done! So I gave up on being real organized. Ifight it I think because I don’t want to become frustrated and yell. (Greatexcuse. The Lord must shake His head on this one.) I school my 4th and 5thgraders.

I also can’t seem to remember things like dates and sometimes what wehad for dinner, etc. I asked a good friend who is a Nurse Practitionerabout early Alzheimer’s symptoms and she said, with a gentle laugh, shedidn’t think I had any. It’s just general stress. Your words about writingthings down once kept coming back to me and now that’s what I do, when Iremember.

Kym, In the past few months I have found myself looking through dif-ferent websites (and links) with an itch. I couldn’t put my finger on it butrecently realized I want to read about large families, cooking at home,spiritual issues, submission to our dear husbands, etc. And today I pickedup your last issue, and Kym, your magazine hit the spot. And as I sit here,my daughter brought in the next issue of Open Arms from the mail. (OhLord, Thank you.)

One last question, did you give your daughter horse lessons? My son isin sports and loves it. My daughter (9) was been offered a wide variety oflessons, but only wanted horse lessons. To make another long story short,we have a stable up the street and it may work out, but it’s so expensive.Can you comment on different children’s love and abilities and how weas parents can go about granting such desires?

My attitude has been very ugly and if you want to publish this to en-courage anyone, please do so. I know, Kym, that we are to only seek toplease Him and it’s so crushing to realize the sin in my life, but I guessthat’s why refinement is not so fun but to His glory.

In His Name, A Friend

No need for an apology. I’ll answer many of the questions as we publishmore issues. See “Building Up the Dreams in a Child,” this issue. ~ Kym

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Mark has a BS inComputer Engineering.He is a director at At-lanta Gas Light Companyin Atlanta, GA. He isalso Kym's husband andthe father of 8 children.

Behind everytruly success-ful mother thatstays home andtends to herfamily, there isa good man.

All of us as adults have big adult perspec-tives and big adult problems with complexi-ties that a child couldn’t possibly compre-hend. We certainly have our work cut out forus in teaching our children to discern God’shand in their lives. It’s quite a challenge to rec-ognize it in our own, isn’t it? But if we’re onguard with our eyes wide open, there will bemany opportunities to teach your children tosee God’s hand at work - either in their ownlives or through examples in yours. We re-cently had such a learning opportunity withour oldest daughter, LeShay.

Let me give you a little background first,and then we’ll get on to the lesson. LeShayfinished high school at 14 and was takingcollege courses through dual enrollment atage 15 while we were still in Florida. She hasa very strong vision for completing her un-dergraduate studies and then getting into vet-erinarian school. So it was only natural thatshe would continue to increase her collegeload when we moved to Connecticut. She fin-ished her freshman year of college and tookher final exams just days before the moverscame to pack us up for our move to Georgia.We got her accepted into a local Georgiacommunity college only by God’s grace andsome tenacious discussions with the admis-sions folks. So she took 15 hours this lastsemester and finished the first half of hersophomore year. She had a pretty roughschedule since she registered so late, but itwas only going to be for a semester. It cametime to register for the next semester (early)when God started weighing in with some prettyclear-cut guidance. Every time she went toselect courses and register, the computer

would be down, the classes she neededweren’t available, the courses had prerequi-sites that she didn’t have. She must havetried to register at least four times. So westarted listening . . . and it seemed that itwas time for her to take the semester offand work for a local vet to get some practi-cal experience (very important for admissionto vet school). But everywhere she applied,there were no positions and the doors werevery tightly closed to that avenue. So weprayed together, we waited together, we lis-tened together . . . we were standing stillbefore the Lord. The college semester be-gan without her.

Lo and behold, he opened the door. Justa crack at first - she was accepted to volun-teer at a small animal practice quite a dis-tance from our home. Then the Lord openedthe door wide to a large animal practice closerto home with a great facility, three vets (twoof which graduated from University of GAwhere she wants to attend for vet school),and more experience than she could everwish for. What a valuable lesson for bothLeShay and her parents to see God’s handso mightily open and close doors to guideher to the perfect situation that He hadplanned for her all along. For many years tocome, she’ll look back and know that herGod can be trusted - even when it looks likeevery door is closed. The children witnessedtrusting God in a big way when we were pre-paring to move to Georgia - supplying thejob, the house, the church - everything weneeded. But there’s nothing like first handexperience to make it last for a lifetime.

MarkMarkMarkMarkMark

Helping your childrenHelping your childrenHelping your childrenHelping your childrenHelping your childrendiscern the hand of Goddiscern the hand of Goddiscern the hand of Goddiscern the hand of Goddiscern the hand of God


Doing It AgainDoing It AgainDoing It AgainDoing It AgainDoing It Again

W

We often find ourselves —Mark, the older children and me— sitting around, just talking.Laughing, joking, sharing, discuss-ing. After a meal, on our bed, out-side in deck chairs. Someone willundoubtedly say, “We’re doing itagain . . .” meaning that there aremany things we could be doing, butwe’re choosing to sit — and enjoyeach other’s company. Savoring.Relishing.

At a conference with Mark,noting how slowly I eat, one of hispeers said, “Kym, you haven’t fin-ished dinner. You seem to savorevery bite.” I agreed that I savorevery moment of life. The table-full chuckled that they usuallyhave twelve minutes to find andeat lunch.

... “Yes, I have eight children,” Iresponded to the lady in the air-port. We were waiting for our carsto be delivered from the parkinglot. She chided me, “But womendon’t have that many children —now that they have choices.”

She knew me not — my heart,my delight. With no malice or un-

kindness intended, I faced her andsaid, “If I had put my energy intobeing the president of a corpora-tion, no one would question mydrive nor my choices. But, since Ihave chosen to have and raise manychildren, people feel free to givetheir opinions.” As with Paul, Ichose to answer my accusers in-telligently — not taking their com-ments to heart, but enlighteningtheir minds with well-thought-outresponses and truth. She smiled,hopped in her car and drove away.

Friends, we have chosen a dif-ferent path. Many will questionour choices, our vision — try tochange or discourage us. But, theyhave no concept of the influencewe can have — are having — in thelives of our families: husband, chil-dren, home-life. We are impactinga whole generation, and the next.We are forming the future.

So we follow the road less trav-eled. We fix sit-down meals andgather the family around to pray,eat, and share. We don’t tell thechildren, “Hurry, hurry. We needto run.” We take time to smile

while later brushing teeth. Andenjoy baths with our littlies,splashing and bubbles.

We take time, we make time.Life is orderly, yes, but not

lived in twelve-minute meals.So, I pot herbs with Chantelle.

Decorate Brent’s room in the col-ors he loves. Help Neal study fora competition. Watch KB tieMorgan’s shoe. Take Miss Kait ona nature hike to learn about flow-ers and trees.

We choose slower becausegrowth, love, and relationshiptake time and more time.

Life is good. Not perfect, butdefinitely good. There is alwayssomething to rejoice over, to bethankful for: Mark’s job, ourhome, friends, living in Georgia,the privilege of teaching my chil-dren at home, planting a gardenand landscaping, the blessings anddisciplines of the Lord, LeShay’sjob, Chantelle’s opportunities tominister in song ... indeed, life isgood.

We purchased a bread-makingmachine. You pop in the ingredi-

Front Porch SwingFront Porch SwingFront Porch SwingFront Porch SwingFront Porch Swing by Kym Wright

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Pizza Bread

Add yeast and honey to half the water (warmed) to proof (letrise). Mix wet ingredients together; set aside. Put flours, DoughEnhancer, basil and gluten in Boshe or large bowl. Add wetingredients and yeast mixture and mix. Add cheese and toma-toes at the end, so there are small “chunks” in the dough.Knead; raise until double in size. Bake 25-30 minutes in 350o

oven.

*If using oil-packed tomatoes, reduce amount of olive oil inrecipe.

c = cup; T=Tablespoon; t=teaspoon Many ovens tend tobake hot, so adjust temperature to suit. I bake at 330o.

1½ lb loaf Ingredients 6 loaves

¾ c water 4¼ c

6 T milk 1¾ c

1-3 T olive oil ½ c

1-3 T honey ½ c

1½ t salt 2½ T

1 T dried basil 5 T

½-1 c grated Parmesan cheese 2-5 c

½ c bread flour 2-2½ c

1½ c whole wheat flour 12½-14 c

¼ c gluten 1¼ c

2 t Dough Enhancer 2 T

¼ c chopped sun-dried tomatoes*

1¼-2 c

1-1½ T yeast 4-6 TOat Bread

Soak Grains in 3 cups hot water for 30 -60 minutes. Add yeastand honey to 1 cup warm water to proof (let rise). Reserve 1cup bread flour. Put rest of flours, Dough Enhancer and glutenin Boshe or large bowl. Add wet ingredients and yeast mixtureand mix. Add enough of reserved flour until dough “cleans thesides” of the bowl (sticks more to itself than to the bowl).Knead; raise until double in size. Bake 25-30 minutes in 350o

oven.

*Oat flour is ground from Old-Fashioned rolled oats.9-Grain cracked cereal ingredients: red wheat, soft white wheat,barley, oats, corn, millet, flax, hulled barley, and rye.6-Grain rolled cereal ingredients: red wheat, rye, oats, barely,sunflower seeds, white wheat.Both grain mixes can be bought from Walton Feed http://waltonfeed.com/, Walton Feed Inc., P.O. Box 307 Montpelier,ID 83254, 800-269-8563

1½ lb loaf Ingredients 6 loaves

¼ c 6 Grain 1½ c

3 T 9 Grain 1 c

1 1/8 c liquid 6 c

1-3 T oil 2/3 c1-3 T honey 2/3 c1½ t salt 2½ T

½ c bread flour 2-2½ c5/8 c oat flour 2 c

1½ c whole wheat flour 10½-12 c

¼ c gluten 1¼ c

2 t Dough Enhancer 2 T

1-1½ T yeast 4-6 T

ents and a kneaded, raised, and cooked loaf is born!Incredible. We bought it to make Morgan’s gluten-free bread .. but it’s inviting us to experiment withour bread, too. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I boughta book on bread-baking with the machine. However,I read the recipe and think, “Now, the bread ma-chine makes only one loaf. Adding more of each in-gredient will yield 6 loaves in the Boshe . . .” and I’moff making a batch of bread, rather than merely oneloaf in the machine. But, I’m learning a lot and enjoy-ing a bunch. And the family is spreading butter onthe proceeds. And smiling.

I love the smell of homemade bread, the processof making it. I miss the kneading by hand ... but notenough to put away my Boshe. I am practical, too.

Pizza Bread is our favorite, followed by OatBread, Dill Bread and Pizza Muffins. So, I sharethese recipes with you. They are born of variationson other recipes. I don’t think of myself as a cre-ative cook, nor as a recipe writer ... but I do greatly“tweak” a recipe to fit our desires and tastebuds.

After years of not using Dough Enhancer, I be-

gan again.And, in-stead ofadding abit ofw h i t eflour tothe wholewheat, Iuse BreadFlour (orBaker’s Flour). Gluten is an elastic protein thatstretches the dough and holds in the gas bubbles - thehigher the gluten content in the bread (and grain), thehigher the bread will rise. So, I’ve been adding extra glu-ten. With just these three changes – you should see the


difference in the bread. It rises al-most double in size. Before, therewere times when I made little bricks,and this was our “eatin’” bread. But,I’ve found solutions!

We are landscaping. This househas needed a lift: new paint job, newroof and air conditioner — now, newplants. The accessories. Gardenias,pansies, a rose trellis and arbor,along with a vegetable and herb gar-den — we are planning and plant-ing. Lots of hands to help, the wholefamily (or whichever part is home)grabs shovel, hose, trowel or bagsof dirt, and furthers the process.

Chantelle and I are looking intothe local Junior and Master Gardenerprograms. I would love to know allabout growing plants here. When,what, where and how to plant. Mark boughtme a rototiller for Valentine’s Day. Well, it isred. Romantic, yes?! I’ve wanted one foryears. There is so much area of soil thatneeds tilling and amending ... so we thoughtthe tiller would be a wonderful addition.

Why do I share with you the day-to-dayliving and not just the high points, the excite-ment? Because, I want you to know that Iam in the same place you are: investing inour homes, husbands, and children. Life is“here” not “out there somewhere.” Be-cause I have turned my heart towards thehome, I can be content and excited aboutthe routine days.

Sometimes we confuse excitement withreality. Mountaintops with daily living. TheBurning Bush with feeding the sheep. If lifeis only the highs, then where do the childrenfit in? If it’s only in the rush of emotion, thendo we just endure the schooling and train-ing? After a year of movers, boxes, flights,and real estate, I’m overjoyed with the mun-dane. Never boredom, I’m just not that type.But routine thrills me. Our lives are finding arhythm and I’m elated. Finally a norm again.

1 Chronicles 9:20-33 talks about thepriests and the small duties they performed.One portion of the priests had responsibilityfor “mixing the spices” another for “thingsbaked in pans.” That speaks to my heart.Doing the little. Just my portion, and not try-ing to do it all or too much.

Written by Kym WrightOrder online today!

For who has despised the day of small things? Zechariah 4:10We are puttering, painting, planting ... enjoying life. I wish for you,

and me, that we will be found “Doing it again . . .” taking the time toenjoy the company of our spouse and offspring. Why not take amoment to thank Him for the good things in life. It will renew youroutlook.

Love from our house to yours, Kym


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Pizza Muffins

Ingredients x1 (24) x2 (48) x3 (72)

flour 2 c 4 c 6 c

baking powder 1T 2 T 3 T

salt ½ t 1 t ½ T

dried basil ½ t 1 t ½ T

dried oregano ¼ t ½ t ¾ t

honey 1 t 2 t 1 T

dried tomatoes ½ c 1 c 1½ c

butter, melted ¼ c ½ c ¾ c

egg 1 large 2 large 3 large

mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ c ½ c ¾ c

Parmesan cheese 2 T ¼ c 6 T

dried tomatoes, reconstituted

2 T ¼ c 6 T

1. 400o. Grease pans. In large bowl combine flour, bak-ing powder, herbs, and salt. 2. Chop tomatoes. In smallbowl, whisk tomatoes, honey, butter, and egg. 3. Stir to-mato mixture into flour mixture til moist (will be lumpy).Fold in cheeses. Spoon into pans. 4. Bake 10-12 min or tilcenters spring back when lightly pressed with fingertip.Serve immediately. Store leftovers in fridge.Makes 1½” muffins. May add pepperonis. Use combina-tion of whole wheat and white flours.x1=1 recipe; x2=doubled; x3=tripled.Number in parentheses=how many muffins a batch makes.

Dill Bread

Mix dry ingredients in bowl (or Boshe). Heat cottagecheese, and butter, enough to warm cottage cheese andmelt the butter (on stovetop or in microwave). Stir toprevent burning. When cooled, add eggs. Proof yeastin water and honey. Add wet ingredients and proofedyeast to dry mixture in bowl. Knead. Let raise 35-45minutes.Cook at 325o for 22-28 minutes.Remove from oven and from pan. Cool on wire rack.While still hot, you may brush top with butter andsprinkle with coarse salt. Cool.If making one loaf, you may cook it in a 1½-2 quartround casserole dish. Use for toast or sandwiches.

1½ qt loaf Ingredients 6 loaves1 c cottage cheese 5 c1 T butter 5T

1 eggs 5¼ c water 1¼ c2 T honey 2/3 c

1 pkt yeast 5-6 T½ c bread flour 2 c

2-2½ c whole wheat flour 11-15 c1 T dried minced onion 2-2½ c2 t dill seed (not weed) 4 T

1¼ t salt 2½ T¼ t baking soda 1¼ t¼ c gluten 1¼ c2 t Dough Enhancer 2 T

MoreBread

RecipesAnd Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life . He who comes to Me shall never hunger John 6:35-36


OOver the past 2 years we have ex-amined the three life principles ofrespect, obedience and responsi-bility (“ROAR”) as they relate toraising and training our children to-ward godliness. “Fleshing out” theseprinciples may be more difficult forsome than others, as we are eachat different places in learning to ap-ply God’s Word to our lives and fami-lies. While some readers may findencouragement to keep on going inthe same direction, others may feelas though they are having to com-pletely transform their thought andaction process in order to instill re-spect, obedience and responsibil-ity in their home. This may seemoverwhelming, so I want to offersome practical assistance for thosewho are struggling to know where tobegin.

Years ago my husband coinedthe phrase “Family Pow-Wow” toalert each member of our family thatwe were about to have an importantgroup discussion. Family Pow-Wows have often had a significantimpact on our entire family … set-ting a new course of practice into

PPPPPooooow-Ww-Ww-Ww-Ww-WooooowwwwwThe Family

By Dee BrasingtonDee Brasington holds a BA in Sociologyand is the wife of a Minister of Music

at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church.Together with her husband, Dee has

taught Marriage & Family LifeSeminars for twenty years. She homeschooled their three children for two

years, and has fostered severalteenagers. Currently, she is a

Copywriter and AdministrativeAssistant to a marketing firm and a

Christian publishing minsitry.

From Kym: "We took their courseseventeen years ago, and it made suchan impact on the methods we have usedin raising our children. Very Biblical

and very practical. Dee is also a much-loved friend. When I need to get away(once every year or two), hers is the

home I run to."

Parenting Power

motion, bringing restoration of fellow-ship that had been broken, makingvital inroads into better communica-tion, etc. The Family Pow-Wow hasa forward look even though it may beinitiated by a past event. It is a plat-form to express future vision andgoals for the family and specific stepsof implementation.

In our Marriage and Family LifeSeminar, Clay and I highly recom-mend that parents implement theFamily Pow-Wow in their home ifthey’re not already doing so. TheFamily Pow-Wow should be re-served only for special occasionswhen an important message mustbe communicated to the entire fam-ily that requires their undivided atten-tion. It somewhat resembles the“business meeting” of a corporateboard … attendance is required, im-portant matters of policy and prac-tice are brought “to the table” andclearly defined, each person is giventhe opportunity to express their opin-ion, and before adjournment, a newpolicy is likely to be in force to whichall family members will be held ac-countable. There is also an excellent

Moms, this information may appeal to your husband’s “businesssense” in the management of your home, so be sure to pass italong to him!


parallel of this in Acts 15 whereJames presided over the meetingand heard various opinions before animportant decision of church policywas made.

If the concept of training your chil-dren to “ROAR” is brand new to you,then the Family Pow-Wow is an ab-solute necessity to introduce new“policy and practice” to your children.Although some adaptation to yourspecific circumstances may be nec-essary, the basic elements of a suc-cessful Family Pow-Wow are as fol-lows:

Opening: The “Chairman of theBoard” (Dad) presides and bringsthe meeting to order¨ Opening prayer – Invoke the

Lord’s presence and blessing,and seek His wisdom for deci-sions to be made.

OLD / NEW BUSINESS: THE ISSUESARE CLEARLY AND CONCISELY STATED♦ Dad sets the course and ex-

ample. See Ephesians 5:23♦ He should speak for himself and

his wife; they are an inseparableteam and should have discussedthe issue privately and come toan agreement prior to the Fam-ily Pow-Wow. However, this doesnot preclude the wife’s input dur-ing the pow-wow.

♦ He should clearly identify the is-sue or principle that needs atten-tion. If it is sin, then it should becalled sin. Ex: “Our family hasslipped into the habit of beinggenerally rude and sarcastic intheir speech toward one another.This is a violation of the principleof mutual respect which isfounded upon Ephesians 4:29fand is therefore sin.”

♦ Dad should be the first to assumeresponsibility … “As leader of thishome, I must take responsibilityfor the sin of my family. This re-curring problem leads me to re-alize that I have apparently failedto be obedient to God by not ad-

equately teaching our family whatGod’s Word has to say aboutthis issue [e.g., mutual respect.]I deeply regret that I have allowedit to go on for this long, and havenot dealt with it before now. I re-pent before you and God for“dropping the ball” of spiritualleadership where this matter isconcerned. I purpose beforeGod that it will not continue anylonger.”

♦ Involve the family at this point. Ex:“Can anyone give me an ex-ample of the problem?” “Haveany of you noticed this problem?”

♦ This is another opportunity totrain your children in righteous-ness. Without “lecturing,” thereshould be clear instruction fromGod’s Word pertaining to the prin-ciple being discussed. For ex-ample, “Let’s see what God hasto say about how we should gov-ern our speech.”

♦ Do your homework in advance;be ready to assign scriptures foreach person to look up and readaloud.

♦ CAUTION: This is not a platformto put offenders on trial or to caststones, but should be an impar-tial statement of the existingproblem. The Family Pow-Wowis not the time to single out griev-ances with an individual familymember. Such matters shouldbe handled one-on-one as thedignity of that family member ispreserved.

DISCUSSION♦ Come let us reason together

(Isaiah 1:18). Again, Mom andDad need to convey a humbleattitude, willingness to hear eachperspective, and a desire tomake decisions that please God.

♦ Give ample opportunity for fam-ily members to express theiropinion and feelings, especiallythose from whom you sense a“closed” spirit (sullen, quiet, ar-

gumentative).♦ Ground Rules for Discussion:♦ Come as a learner – listen first

and speak later.♦ Each person is given the free-

dom to speak their mind withoutbeing interrupted or rebutted.

♦ When you do speak, speak thetruth in love (Ephesians 4:15).We want to know your truthfulfeelings, but the ground rules pre-clude sarcasm, name-calling orarguing.

♦ Allow ample time for honest ex-pressions. It is usually better towait for an unhurried time to talkthan to open a “sore subject” andnot complete the communicationprocess.

RESOLUTION♦ Seek forgiveness and lead oth-

ers to seek and grant forgivenessas wrongs and hurts are broughtto light.

♦ The planned steps of action areclearly defined and committed toGod.

♦ The Family Pow-Wow differsfrom a board meeting in that mostfamily policies are not up for voteby popular opinion. Althoughagreement among family mem-bers is to be diligently pursued,the father establishes the actualplan of action. Dad, God holdsyou accountable as leader of yourhome.

ADJOURNMENT♦ Dad should again take the lead

by praying aloud and askingGod’s blessing and help in real-izing a new goal. Bless each fam-ily member, reaffirming love andacceptance of each one.

Some time may be needed forhealing of rifts or hurts. As often aspossible, the Family Pow-Wowshould be immediately followed bysome “fun family activity” – a boardgame, a trip to the putt-putt course,

continued on page 31


Saturday mywife and I brokefrom our normalroutine and went

to a small sidewalk café on the beach forbreakfast together followed by a walk along thebeach. It was a beautiful day as the crowdsattested. I love settings like this because thereare lots of people to observe. This day was noexception.

While at breakfast we observed a youngchild about four years of age with his parents.Our attention was frequently drawn to theirtable because the child whined and cried loudlyfor everything – or so it seemed. He whinedfor his juice, but didn’t want to drink it. When itwas taken away he threw a tantrum until it wasgiven back to him. He began whining for some-one else’s food, but then rejected it when given.He cried when it was time to go and he criedwhen they caved in and stayed. Over and overagain the child tested who was in control andrepeatedly proved to himself what everyoneelse in the café already knew - he was. Mean-while Proverbs 22:6 kept running through mymind. It says “Train up a child in the way heshould go, even when he is old he will notdepart from it.”

That thirty-minute window into a family’s lifeoffered several lessons. One of the first thingsI noticed was that the parents never really

by Rev. Clay Brasington, III

Reverend Clayton B. BrasingtonIII holds a Master of ChurchMusic degree from the SouthernBaptist Theological Seminary,as well as a Bachelor of MusicEducation degree from theFlorida State University. He hasbeen married for 30 years to hiswife, Dee. They have threechildren, ages: 27, 23, 18 andhave raised several fosterchildren. Clay serves as theWorship Leader for thecontemporary Worship Serviceat Coral Ridge PresbyterianChurch. His ministry has affectedthousands of people through thelocal churches he has served,plus broadcast and cabletelevision programming and asa guest speaker on the subjectof worship at conferences,conventions, and workshops.

WHO’S INCONTROL?

communicated with their son. Hewould whine and they would give himwhatever he wanted. When hespilled, dropped or otherwise mis-used what he had, it was takenaway without explanation (angrylooks notwithstanding). He wouldthen simply protest loudly and theywould mindlessly give it back to him.I never heard the parents use a sen-tence longer than two or threewords, and these could not really beconsidered communication. Andfrustration and anger was clearly evi-dent. You know the type: “Sit down!”“Sit still!” “Give me that!” “Stop it!”These do not qualify as communi-cation. In order to qualify as “com-munication” there must be an impar-tation from one party, and receipt/un-derstanding by the second party.

Good communication might haveincluded:♦ An inquiry as to why he was be-

ing so fussy – helping him learnto identify his feelings and result-ant behavior. I like to identify withtheir feelings by saying, “Bum-mer dude! I felt just like that theother day when … Do you want


to know what I did about it?”♦ Instructions on how to properly

ask for something – training himto make a proper and respectfulappeal.

♦ An explanation as to why hecouldn’t have something – train-ing him in obedience.

Unfortunately, it was as if the par-ents had resigned themselves thatthis was “normal” behavior and thatthey just had to tolerate it. I could al-most hear them saying, “What’s aparent to do?” What an excuse! I’lltell you what to do ... take the author-ity God has given you, be respon-sible and initiate some training in righ-teousness. That’s what to do. Sadly,their frustration grew to the point thatthe mother actually smacked thechild when the suntan lotion fell ontothe floor. She blamed the child, but ifshe had been paying attention, theaccident could have been avoidedaltogether. He moved a plate thatmoved a place mat that nudged thelotion off the edge of the table (wherethe mother had carelessly put it). And,let’s not forget that it was an acci-dent, not a willful act of disobedience.Even if the accident had been theresult of some irresponsible mis-deed, it did not qualify as a spankableoffense. And there is never a justifi-cation for hitting a child like this!

I’m convinced that most of theboy’s misbehavior was a direct re-sult of a failure to apply the principleof mutual respect. The child neededattention, but didn’t know how, orchose not to make a respectful ap-peal. The parents demonstrated alack of respect for the child by failingto take time to clearly communicatewith him in a respectful manner.

You see, the parents were toobusy talking with the other adults attheir table to deal with the child prop-erly. He was simply a nuisance – andhe knew it. They weren’t satisfyinghis real need for attention so he com-plained in order to get it; even nega-

tive attention seemed better than be-ing ignored. After all, what child wantsto sit at a table after he has eatenand listen to adults talk? The fact thatthe beach was in plain view and onlya few steps away gives one a newappreciation of the child’s dilemma.

May I suggest that when your childbegins whining and complaining thatyou take a few minutes to communi-cate with him? Don’t assume thatyou know what’s motivating yourchild. Ask questions. You may needto help young children express them-selves by asking questions that con-tain possible answers, e.g., “Youwould rather be playing on the beachthan sitting here, wouldn’t you?” (Acaution here – don’t make excusesfor your child. Teach them to takeresponsibility for their actions even ifthey are “having a bad day.” We canunderstand how they feel withoutcondoning misbehavior.)

Then identify with the child’s feel-ings:1. If you have ignored him too long

you might say, “You’re right. I’vebeen inconsiderate of you. Willyou forgive me? Let’s go play –dude!” I would not attempt to giveinstructions on how to make aproper appeal at this time. Seebelow.*

2. If you are catching his misbehav-ior early you might say, “I knowthat sitting here listening to ustalk is a bummer, but it is neces-sary at this time. I’m asking youto be patient for just five moreminutes and then we will go play.May I count on you to be respect-ful and patient?”

3. Perhaps a creative alternative orcompromise would meet the im-mediate need. “Why don’t youtake your bucket and start play-ing right there where I can watchyou. We’ll be finished in a fewminutes and I’ll go with you to thewater.” Again, I would not attemptto give instructions on how to

make a proper appeal at thistime.*

At some neutral time (i.e., thereare no current issues or argumentsgoing on) I would go sit with my sonand say, “I’d like to talk with you aboutsomething that’s bothering me. I’vebeen thinking about the situation atbreakfast this morning. Would yousay that you were being respectfulor disrespectful?” Assuming therehas been some training in this prin-ciple and that he owns up to his dis-respectful behavior, I would continue.“I thought so too. Would you like tolearn a better way to deal with yourfeelings than whining and fussing?Okay. This is how to make a properand respectful appeal. Rather thanfussing and whining, you should say,‘Mom, I’m bored. May I play now?’Tell me honestly how you feel, andask me respectfully for permissionto do something about it. Now, youtry it.” Let him say it and then per-haps (depending upon his age andattention span) give him a differentscenario to respond to: “How couldyou apply this when it’s time to gohome this afternoon and you don’twant to go?”

Reinforcement and follow-upare essential to learning. I wouldalso make a very, very big deal whenhe makes a respectful and properappeal. I think there would be a newbeach toy or the promise of an icecream treat after lunch. I would bragon him to my friend and probably puta “certificate” on the fridge when wegot home. Several times that day Iwould marvel aloud at his maturityand respect. When it’s time to go, ifhe responds with an appeal to staylonger, I would be prepared to “re-ward” his proper appeal with anotherthirty minutes and accolades onlearning how to make a proper ap-peal. If his response was less thanproper, use it as a time of reinforce-

continued on page 41


Grain Variety for Quick Breads

Blender CornbreadEven if you do not have a flour mill,you can mix pourable batters withraw whole grain (berries, not flour)in a good blender (at least in the $30-$40 range with blades and motor in good condition).This is our blender cornbread recipe from Meals in Minutes

AMOUNT: 8" Square Baking Pan (12-16 pieces)Bake: 350° - 25 to 35 minutes

1. Place in blender; blend at high speed 3-5 minutes (blender will “grind”most of the grain; there may be still a little grainy texture):

1 cup buttermilk, sour lowfat milk or lowfat yogurt (thin yogurt withwater to consistency of buttermilk)

2 eggs1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey1 1/3 cups whole kernel dry corn

2. Mix in thoroughly, but briefly, using blender and/or rubber spatula, asneeded:

2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon salt

3. Pour batter immediately into greased baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-35 minutes or until knife comes clean out of center.

Per 1 piece of 12 (with 1% fat buttermilk, low sodium baking powder)Exchanges: 0.5 Meat, 0.75 Fat, 1.25 Bread; 149 Calories, 3.5 g protein (9%),

6.5 g fat (38%), 20.5 g carbohydrate (53%; 5 g sugars with maple syrup; 6 g sugars with honey), 3g dietary fiber, 41 mg cholesterol, 203 mg sodium, $.10

tein, grains are lowest in lysine, espe-cially corn. (Complete proteins such asmeat or dairy products contain all eight.)Their protein deficiencies, however,are compensated by including legumes

(dry beans) in meals (not necessarily inthe same meal or on the same day). Ofcourse, in baking, the protein of grainsis complemented as well with egg andmilk protein.

Taste & Tell by Rich & Sue Gregg

. . .the valleys are mantled with grainthey shout for joy and sing. Psalm 65:13

MMMMMMost people think only of wheatwhen they think of whole grains. Inreality there are a wide variety ofwhole grains: oats, corn, rye, buck-wheat, millet, brown rice, kamut, spelt,barley, triticale, teff, hard wheat,soft wheat. Some, not classified asgrains, are used like grains, such asquinoa and amaranth.

Now you can take advantage of thefreedom this variety offers. You don’thave to rely only on hard winter wheatfor yeast breads nor do you have to useonly whole wheat pastry flour for quickbreads. Even if no one in your family isallergic to wheat, you will appreciateand enjoy using a variety of grains.

In this article recipes feature corn,rye, buckwheat, millet, kamut and spelt.Spelt and kamut are especially suitedto both yeast and quick bread recipes.

GRAINY TRUTHSOf all the foods, grains are the most

nutritionally complete food for sus-taining life. That is why bread is called“the staff of life.” If, while beingimprisoned, you were to be given onechoice for a life-sustaining food, choosea grain. You’ll last longer. While wethink of grains mainly as carbohydrateenergy producing foods, they also con-tain small amounts of fats and goodamounts of quality protein.

Of the eight essential amino acids,the building blocks of complete pro-

Unraveling thecomplexities of whole grains

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Gingerbread MuffinsA no-wheat muffin! Since gingerbread is traditionally thoughtof as cake you may want to add the optional butter and oil fora more cake-like texture. These are best when served warm.From our Lunches & Snacks cookbook.

AMOUNT: 10 Large or 12 Medium MuffinsBake: 325° - 20 to 25 minutes

1. Blend together thoroughly:2 tablespoons soft butter, optional2 tablespoons oil, optional (canola or olive oil preferred)1 egg or 2 egg whites1/2 cup molasses (blackstrap molasses preferred; buy at health food

store)1/4 cup honey1 cup water

2. Blend dry ingredients together thoroughly in separate bowl:2-1/2 cups rye flour (buy at health food store)2 teaspoons cinnamon1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt

3. Blend dry ingredients into liquid ingredients just until mixed. Do notovermix!

4. Fill greased muffin pan cups almost full and bake at 325° for 20-25minutes. Cool 2-3 minutes before removing from pan.

Per muffin of 10 with whole egg, butter and oil, low sodium baking powder Exchanges: 1 Fat, 0.25 Meat, 1.25 Bread, 1.5 Fruit; 199 Calories, 4 g protein (11%), 6 g fat(40%), 17 g carbohydrate (50%; 12 g sugars), 3.5 g dietary fiber,27 mg cholesterol, 252 mg sodium, $.20

Per muffin of 10 with egg whites and no butter or oil, low sodium baking powder Exchanges: 1.25 Bread, 1.5 Fruit; 150 Calories, 4 g protein (17%), 1 g fat (6%), 17 g carbohy-drate (77%; 16 g sugars), 3.5 g dietary fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 256 mg sodium, $.20

Per muffin of 12 with egg whites and no butter or oil, low sodium baking powder Exchanges: 1 Bread, 1.25 Fruit; 125 Calories, 3 g protein (17%), 0.5 g fat (6%),14 g carbohydrate (77%; 13 g sugars), 3 g dietary fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 213 mg sodium, $.15

VARIATIONSVARIATIONSVARIATIONSVARIATIONSVARIATIONS1. Whole Wheat: use 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour in place of rye flour;

reduce to 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Bake at 350°.

2. If you want them sweeter: use 1/2 cup honey or 3/4 cup molassesdepending on which flavor you prefer.

.

Earlier articles introduced recipes transitioning from white flourto whole grains in baking. Part 1 (Feb ‘99 #11) introduced a varietyof wheat grains especially suitable to yeast bread baking: hard whitewheat, hard winter red wheat, kamut and spelt. Part 2 (Feb 2000#15) focused on whole wheat pastry grain in baking quick breads suchas cookies, cakes and scones with allergy substitutions--brown rice,oat bran and barley--for wheat in cakes and cookies.

For information on grain mills see Why a Grain Mill? (Nov ‘99#14) and to learn how to purchase and store grains see From Whiteto Whole (Feb ‘99 #11)O

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All grains contain a broad range ofvitamins and minerals, especially B-vi-tamins and vitamin E; other nutrientsinclude vitamin K, calcium, iron, magne-sium, phosphorus and small amounts ofthe essential fatty acids. Grains arealso one of the best sources of dietaryfiber.

Gluten-free grains such as corn andmillet are a welcome alternative for thegluten intolerant. Rye and buckwheatare among the low gluten grains whilekamut and spelt are high in gluten.

Kamut and spelt are most easily adapt-able substitutes for wheat to producesimilar results. Use a bit more spelt thanwheat (about 1-1/4 cups spelt flour inplace of 1 cup wheat flour) and thesame amount of kamut flour. Spelt isespecially easy on the digestion. Kamutis more useful to those highly allergic towheat, but some can handle spelt aswell. The flavor of kamut, while pleas-ing, is distinct from that of other wheats.

Corn, the grain native to the Ameri-cas, is almost universally accepted.Transitioning to whole grain cornbreadis not difficult. But plan on a moreflavorful, heartier result than MarieCalendar’s “fluff” cornbread. Makingcornbread in a blender with whole drycorn is quick and easy.

Rye flour is easier to use in yeastbreads (especially when combined withsome wheat), but can be used in quickbreads. Substituting it in recipes canbe tricky, but it has proven successfulin The Gingerbread Muffins recipe.

Oats are much easier to use than ryeas a single grain in quick bread baking.Oats work more easily in combinationwith other grains.

Buckwheat and millet are especiallyadaptable to pancakes and waffles.Buckwheat is strong in flavor, but deli-cious alone in Blender Waffles/Pan-cakes. Use the black sprouting buck-wheat. It is much less expensive thantoasted buckwheat or kasha.

Millet tends to be very dry, but workswell in combination with other grainsand satisfactorily alone in BlenderWaffles. Few people are allergic tomillet. It is the highest of the grains inprotein value and very easily digest-ible. During WWII it sustained Britishmissionaries under house arrest in Chinaas their only food source for two months

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Buttermilk BiscuitsMost people are disappointed that these don't come out likeold fashioned baking powder biscuits in lightness, butyou'll appreciate the hearty whole grain flavor and thesatisfaction of extra fiber and nutrients. Try these withspelt. From our Main Dishes cookbook.

AMOUNT: 12 Large BiscuitsBake: 400° - 10 to 15 minutes

1. Blend together:3 cups spelt flour

or 2-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flouror kamut flour

2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt

2. Cut into dry ingredients with pastry blender ortwo table knives until crumbly like small peas:

1/4 cup butter3. Blend egg and milk, then stir into dry ingredi-

ents just until blended; do not overwork dough:1 egg3/4 cup buttermilk

4. Drop biscuit dough in large spoonfuls directlyonto lightly greased cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 400° for 10–15 minutes until lightlybrowned.

Per 1 biscuit of 12 (with low sodium baking powder, unsalted butter, 1%fat buttermilk)

Exchanges: 0.75 Fat, 1.5 Bread; 140 Calories, 3.5 g protein (10%),4.5 g fat (30%), 20.5 g carbohydrate; 1 g sugars), 2.5 g dietary fiber,28 mg cholesterol, 129 mg sodium, $.10

From BreakfastsSee From White to Brown(Aug 98 #9) for the de-tailed version of thisrecipe.Serves 4

Blend 4 minutes onhigh speed in electric blender: 1 cup buttermilk, 1egg, 1 tbs olive oil, 3/4 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cupbuckwheat or 1 cup millet, brown rice, rolledoats, corn, or kamut. For health bonus: 1 tbs flaxseed (optional). Add more liquid if blender vortexdisappears. Batter must be thin.

Blend in briefly just before baking: 1/4 tsp soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder. Bake in hot waffleiron about 4 minutes.

Kamut-Oatmeal CookiesSatisfy your sweet tooth with this healthy yummy cookie with a verysatisfying chewy texture! I prefer to use Sucanat for these. From ourDesserts cookbook.

AMOUNT: About 2 1/2 DozenBake: 375° - 12 minutes1. Cover raisins with water to soften; set aside:

1/2 cup raisins2. Whisk together to blend thoroughly:

1/2 cup canola oil or very soft unsaltedbutter1 cup Sucanat

(whole evaporated sugar cane; see health food store)1 egg or 2 egg whites1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3. Blend dry ingredients in separate bowl; mix into liquidingredients:

2/3 cup Kamut flour or whole wheat pastryflour1 cup finely ground rolled oats

(about 1-2/3 cups rolled oats ground inblender)1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt

4. Stir oats into batter; fold in raisins and optional ingredi-ents as desired:

1 cup Old Fashioned Quaker Oats, uncooked1/2 cup softened raisins, drained1/2 cup chocolate or carob chips, optional1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

5. Drop tablespoons of dough or dispense with all-purposescoop onto greased cookie sheet allowing a couple inchesbetween each cookie. Bake in preheated oven at 375° forabout 12 minutes.

6. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cool.Per cookie of 2 1/2 dozen with canola oil, whole egg, low sodium baking powder ;optional ingredients not included

Exchanges: 0.5 Bread, 0.75 Fat, 0.75 Fruit; 97 Calories, 2 g protein (7%), 4 gfat (40%), 13 g carbohydrate (53%; 7 g sugars), 1 g dietary fiber, 7 mg cholesterol,49 mg sodium, $.10

Kamut Flake CookiesThese are quite sweet. Purchase thecereal at a health food store. There areother brands of Kamut flakes but we likeArrowhead Mills brand best.

Replace oats in step #4 with 1-2cups Arrowhead Mills Kamut Whole Grain Cereal (flakes).Omit chips and nuts.

Rich and Sue Gregg publish whole foods cookbooks. For more recipes visitwww.suegregg.com or call 1-800-99-TASTE. Request a free Taste & Tell RecipeSampler.

Blender Batter Waffles

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DDo you feel as if you are moving in slow motion, liv-ing each day through a fog of fatigue? One of the mostpressing health issues of women today is the fatiguethat seems to inevitably come with homemaking andchild rearing. Contrary to popular belief, some of the mostexhausted women are those who stay at home to raisetheir children. Just thinking about what needs to be donein the course of one day is exhausting enough. How-ever, it does not have to be this way.

We can all increase our energy and lower the fatiguelevel in our lives. Our Creator has made us “fearfullyand wonderfully.” Even after years of bearing, nursingand nurturing children, we can have the energy to serveour families and our Lord with strength and vigor. Hereare some practical steps you can take to improve yourenergy level. Keep in mind that becoming healthier is aprocess, not a singular event. As you diligently apply theseprinciples more energy will be only part of the benefits.

WATER, WATER & MORE WATEROur bodies are composed of mostly water. Water is

as crucial to our bodies as fuel is to a car. If you are“running on empty” you won’t go very far. Here’s why.The salt/water ratio in our cells is critical to the flow ofenergy throughout our bodies. When our bodies are notgetting enough water, this balance cannot be maintainedthroughout the entire body. This leads to only our body’scrucial areas being hydrated, and even some of thosewill not be fully hydrated. This state does not allow ourbody’s cells to do their most basic job of producing en-

TTTTTiririririrededededed

Herbs & HealthHerbs & HealthHerbs & HealthHerbs & HealthHerbs & Health by Kim McGeorge

TTTTTooooo ooooo

ergy.Start drinking 8-10 glasses of 10-12 ounces of dis-

tilled water a day and watch your energy levels begin toclimb. Water helps flush out bacteria and toxins andcarries valuable nutrients to your cells. It can cure manyills all by itself! Dehydration is the root cause of manyailments. Many children are dehydrated also. They shouldbe drinking at least half their body weight in water a day.It takes a big commitment to become accustomed todrinking this much water, but after a week or so, it be-comes a habit (and your bladder does adjust!).

SPIRITUAL LIFE“The Word of God is living and active, sharper than a

two edged sword.” Hebrews 4:12Scripture tells us the Word of God is living. We need

to be in the Word and allow the power of scripture totransform our minds and lives. We are spiritual, emo-tional and physical beings. There is no division betweenthe “sacred” and “mundane” areas of our lives. Makesure you are drawing strength and energy each day fromGod’s word. “As a deer pants after water, my soul longsfor you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1) We were created to beviable, healthy, energetic women until the day the Lordcalls us home.

NUTRITION“Let food be your medicine and your medicine your

food.”Hippocrates

EEEEEXHAUSTEDXHAUSTEDXHAUSTEDXHAUSTEDXHAUSTEDto be


Contrary to our wildest fantasies,a doughnut does not provide thebody with the same amount of en-ergy an orange does. White flour,white sugar, dairy products, exces-sive salt, too much meat, eggs andprocessed foods are all mucusforming, interfering with healthy bodyfunction. Stick to a whole food diet;fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds. You shouldtake a whole food supplement, whichprovides you with some of thesefoods in a concentrated, convenientform. I use a product calledVitalherbs. An example of a wholefood would be dried carrot juice,which contains naturally occurring vi-tamin A along with the minerals andenzymes your body needs to as-similate the vitamin. I’m not talkingabout drug store supplements, whichare mostly by-products of the petro-leum industry, and filled with coal tar.

For quick energy boosters thereare Green drinks, which contain “liv-ing nutrition” like alfalfa, wheat grass,barley grass and spirulina. Whensearching for these products makesure they are processed with lowheat so the enzymes remain intact.These are high in B vitamins andamino acids. Often my children willdrink these in juice or disguised intincture form. My children take Kid-e-Mins, which is composed entirelyof herbs and provides a broad spec-trum of nutrition. Remember, if yourbody is not getting the proper nutri-tion from somewhere, you cannotmanufacture energy.

Diet changes alone have healedmany people from chronic diseases.There probably weren’t a lot of bar-becues in the Garden of Eden!

Another whole food product that Ioften recommend is NutritionalYeast. This is high in B vitamins andfolic acid which are crucial for healthynervous system functioning, mentaloutlook and… ENERGY! This isavailable through coöps or at healthfood stores. This does not create

yeast infections (or rise bread)… justenergy. A tablespoon a day is a goodstarting point; you can always in-crease because it is a food!

EXERCISEIt is a bizarre fact of life that if you

can start moving, you will feel moreenergetic! Your lymph system, heart(and thighs!) will benefit. Exercise re-leases wonderful endorphins andother natural mood elevating chemi-cals. Walking for ½ hour, 3 times aweek has been found to increaseboth energy and a positive mentaloutlook! Of course cleaning can burna lot of calories, as can chasing chil-dren around. You don’t have to join ahealth club to get moving!

SLEEPWe are a sleep-deprived people.

Our entire body heals and regener-ates on a cellular level while wesleep. It is best to go to bed before11:00pm and get at least 8-10 hoursof sleep. If you can’t get to sleep, Godhas made available many herbal aidsto help you sleep and rebuild yournervous system at the same time!Some of these are Valerian, Chamo-mile, PassionFlower and Hops, justto name a few. I prefer to use thewhole herb, not a standardized ex-tract. Most of these herbs can beblended into a nice hot cup of tea be-fore bed. Make some for your honey,too! Here is one recipe I use for a“Sleepytime Tea.”

1 Part Chamomile1 Part Valerian1 Part Mint (your choice)

TOXICFor most people today the biggest

obstacle to having more energy is thebuild up of environmental toxinswithin the body. Most of us havenever cleaned our colon, liver, urinarytract, bladder, blood and skin. Thereare many ways to cleanse and re-build these systems with variousherbal formulas. Along this same line

is adrenal exhaustion and thyroiddysfunction. Licorice is a specificherb to feed and rebuild the adrenals.Kelp is great for an underactive thy-roid with the added benefit of detoxi-fying radiation [as from x-rays] fromyour body. Skin brushing with a dryloofah sponge or natural bristle brushcan give you so much energy that Idon’t recommend you do it beforebedtime. This really gets your circu-lation going! Poorly eliminating skincreates a heavier burden on othersystems of the body. While bathing,gently brush in a circular motion to-ward the heart. It only takes a fewdays for skin brushing to become ahabit.

SPECIFIC HERBS & FOODSSiberian Ginseng is a gentle

adaptagen that increases both yourenergy level and your body’s resis-tance to stress. St. John’s Wort andMilk Thistle help by rejuvenating theliver. Vitamin C alleviates anxiety andenergizes. I recommend 500 mg.twice daily. The best sources of natu-ral vitamin C are citrus fruits orrosehips. Essential Fatty Acids orEFA’s are like a spark that get yourcells activated. Evening Primose Oilis a good source of Omega-6 fattyacids, Fish oil for Omega-3.Schisandra is a Chinese herb whichstimulates the central nervous sys-tem and increases energy.Ashwagandha is an herb from Indiathat is used as a rejuvenating tonic.Remember that herbs are great heal-ing tools, but it is important to iden-tify and correct the root issues.

It is possible to have more en-ergy! I challenge you to implement afew of these suggestions in your lifetoday! You and your family will beglad you did!

Blessings, Kim

Natural Wellness offers phone, e-mail orin-person consultations and they carry manyof the products featured in this article.See ad for a catalog or consultation.


T

by Christine Field

The answer to the first questionis a resounding YES. The answer tothe second question is, it depends.

Each year in this country, thereare approximately 130,000 adop-tions. Of course, that includes allkinds of adoptions: stepparent, fos-ter children, private, international. Inaddition to these completed adop-tions, the more striking statistic isthis: At any given time, more than100,000 children await adoption infoster care (AFA Guide to Adoption1997-98). So, to say that there aren’tchildren available to adopt simply isnot true.

The cost of an adoption varies: itcan be expensive, or cost nothing.Private adoptions through an agencyor private attorney are probablyaround $20,000 and higher. Privateagencies generally have a set fee,and they may also have a lengthy

waiting list. The costs for an adop-tion through an attorney or facilitator(a new player in the adoption arenawho assists couples in arrangingprivate adoptions) are more unpre-dictable. In a private adoption, de-pending on the state, the costs mightinclude payment for the birthmother’s living expenses (however,that payment is unlawful in somestates) and medical expenses, aswell as traditional attorney’s fees.The average international adoption isa little less unpredictable. You canexpect fees of $20,000 or under,which may or may not include travelexpenses to the foreign country. In-ternational adoptions typically takefrom one to two years.

At the other end of the financialspectrum, you could probably go toyour local state social service agencyand have many, if not all, of your fees

waived and become a parent in avery short period of time.

With these very broad param-eters in mind, what is the best wayto get started on making the adop-tion decision? It should not be madelightly.

Like most major life decisions, Ibelieve the best way to get started inadoption is to pray for God to revealHis will for your life. Most couples whogo through the process recount in-stance after instance of major andminor miracles in the adoption jour-ney. Finances suddenly appear,small needs for baby items are met,relationships are sealed. In our jour-neys, these small measures ofgrace were wonderful gifts from Godof assurance that our path was welltaken.

I also suggest that couples put atime frame on their decision making.

When I talk to people about adoption, there are usually two primary questions:When I talk to people about adoption, there are usually two primary questions:When I talk to people about adoption, there are usually two primary questions:When I talk to people about adoption, there are usually two primary questions:When I talk to people about adoption, there are usually two primary questions:

“““““Are there any children avAre there any children avAre there any children avAre there any children avAre there any children available?”ailable?”ailable?”ailable?”ailable?”“Does it cost a lot of money?”“Does it cost a lot of money?”“Does it cost a lot of money?”“Does it cost a lot of money?”“Does it cost a lot of money?”

Getting StartedGetting StartedGetting StartedGetting StartedGetting StartedAdoptionAdoptionAdoptionAdoptionAdoption `̀̀̀̀in

Should YShould YShould YShould YShould YouououououAdopt?Adopt?Adopt?Adopt?Adopt?

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http://learn-and-do.com/adoption1.htm


Christine & Mark Field are the joyful parents of four children, three of whom are adopted. They live and home school in Wheaton,IL. Christine maintains a limited law practice. She is also the author of several books, including Coming Home to Raise YourChildren (1995), Should You Adopt? (1997), A Field Guide to Home Schooling (1998) and Life Skills for Kids (2000). Your canvisit their web site at www.homefieldadvantage.org.

The saddest stories I hear are those of couples whothink about adopting, but think for too long and wake upto discover that they are too old to qualify for some adop-tion programs. Put a time limit on your research phase,perhaps six months to a year. By that time, you shouldhave all your information gathered and be in a positionto make a good decision.

Next, read a good, general book about adoption. Youmust have a comfortable understanding of the process,the possibilities, the parties and the law. The more knowl-edgeable you are, the better position you are in to trackyour adoption journey, rather than relying on experts forall your advice.

Each year, a national group called Adoptive Familiesof America (AFA) publishes their Guide to Adoption. Thepublication is $5.00, which includes shipping, and hasthe most up-to-date information on adoption agenciesand the types of adoptions they handle, current supportgroups for pre- and post-adoptive families, and attor-neys who handle adoptions. Their toll-free number isbelow and should be used before any other resourcesare expended. *

Next, I advise couples to join a support group. Thismay sound premature, but the people in an adoptionsupport group can be your best source of information.These are people who have been through the processand they are familiar with the programs, the agencies,and the ins and outs. They can be a great source ofinformation because most people who have success-fully adopted love to talk about the experience.

Many agencies have a free informational night for pro-spective parents. In fact, this informational night is usu-ally required before getting any deeper into the processwith their agency. Granted, they exist to highlight theirparticular program, but the meetings can provide a wealthof information for you.

Be aware that requirements to adopt may change.For the past several years, several states have requiredclasses for prospective adoptive parents. For our fourthchild, we had to attend two full Saturdays of parentingclasses! Rather than complain about a requirement wefelt was silly, we went, enjoyed ourselves, met somenew people and even learned a few things.

This brings me to my final point: your attitude. Somepeople are dissuaded from pursuing adoption becauseof perceived lengthy investigations, interviews, finger-printing and the like. Our attitude was very positive. Wewanted children. The people we were dealing with de-termined, to a large extent, whether or not that wouldhappen. We expressed the attitude, “Show me the hoopto jump through and I’ll cheerfully do it!” Any other atti-tude or lack of cooperation makes social service work-ers question your commitment.

When I wrote my book about adoption, I came upwith a model for a decision making tree for adoptivecouples. It is printed below. My prayer is that is will be ofhelp to you as you consider this wonderful option to buildyour family.

* Adoptive Families of America 1-800-372-3300

My spouse and I agree that adoption if no Continue to pray, think, talk, studyis how we will build our familyOur marriage is stable and secure if no Go for counseling first. A child

deserves a stable, loving homeMy spouse and I are emotionally if no You need emotional health tohealthy and have basically resolved withstand the adoption process andour fertility issues to be an effective parentWe have decided on which type of if no Continue to read, researchadoption to pursue: infant, older, send for information from agenciesspecial needs, domestic, international and groups, attend informational meetingsWe have the financial ability to pay if no Check into liquidation of assets,for an adoption employee benefits, borrowing.BEGIN THE PROCESS

www.homefieldadvantage.org/

http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/


by Craig and Charity Lovelace

ogy, God not only created the hardware, but wrote the softwareas well. The desire to experience her husband’s love and careis programmed into a woman. Proverbs 30:21-23 supports thisas it states “Under three things the earth trembles, under fourit cannot bear up...an unloved woman who is married.”

The problem lies not with the desire. It is perfectly naturalfor a woman to desire that her husband be a godly, loving man.Problems begin, rather, when the woman begins to fear thather desires may go unfulfilled. Her fear causes her to begin asearch for ways to insure that she not be disappointed. Hencethe question, ‘How do I get my husband to be a leader?”

THE STRATEGYWith her strong desire to experience her husband’s love

and care driving her, the wife implements strategies to makethings happen. Since she is a Christian, she may choose waysthat look more acceptable than a worldly woman may, but nonethe less are for the same purpose. Some women try to arrangefriendships for their husbands, with men they wish their hus-band to be more like. Some women leave instructional materi-als lying around the home. Perhaps they take a more directapproach and drag their husband off to family seminars or buyhim books and tapes on godly manhood. They may comparehim to other men. Sometimes in desperation they becomedestructive and employ less gentle means such as manipula-tion, shaming, nagging, pouting, berating or martyrdom. Evendepression can be a way to manipulate the husband to be-come more attentive.

To her frustration and her husband’s resentfulness, sheplunges ahead. At some point she realizes that she is creatingmore problems than she is solving. She is not really gettingwhat she wants, even if it appears so on the surface. Even ifshe is able to bring about her husband’s participation in familylife, she has not truly gained the godly husband she desires.

HusbandHow do I get my

To Lead?

W e’ve discussed and writ-ten much this last year about thehusband’s role as priest, leader, protector, pro-vider and nurturer of his family. While no one has disagreedwith us about the husband’s biblical obligation to be thesethings, one question has resurfaced again and again. Whilewe’ve touched on this in our other articles, it continues to be aconcern. So let’s look at this question in depth.

HOW DO I GET MY HUSBAND TO LEAD?Very simply, you don’t. It’s not your place. Shaping your

husband into who God has ordained him to be is God’s job, notyours. Your job is to simply get out of the way so that God candeal directly with your man. It’s so simple and yet it seems sodifficult for women to take their fingers out of this particular pie.Every time we engage in conversation about the biblical rolesof men and women, this particular question is bound to comeup. Always asked with a sense of urgency. Of expectancy. Asif somewhere out there is the magic solution that will causehusbands to become every woman’s dream.... Why is this so?Why do women clamor for an answer?

THE DESIREWell....perhaps it’s because God made her that way. Gen-

esis 3:16 says, “Your desire will be for your husband.” Fromthe very beginning woman has had an innate desire for rela-tionship with her spouse. This is not a negative thing. Thisdesire fuels a woman’s efforts to be a helpmate, to nurture hermarriage, to create a happy home life. To use a computer anal-


He has taken on the role, not from freewill and love, but because she makes lifeso miserable if he does not. She is indanger of becoming the “other” Proverbswoman. “With her own hands the foolishwoman tears her house down.” (Proverbs14:1)

THE PROBLEMThe very thing that God designed in

her to desire and want, is the very thingthat by all her efforts she cannot makehappen. Her desire cannot be met by herefforts. Between this rock and hard placelies the crux of the Christian life.

THE ANSWERHer faith and hope in God must be

greater than the sum total of her fears.By “faith” we are not referring to a name-it claim-it metaphysical power that canbe manipulated like “The Force” in a StarWars movie. The word “faith” is a rela-tionship word, as in “I believe in you honey.I have faith in you.” It means you believein them as a person, in their character.We not only must believe God is bigenough, we must believe He is goodenough, as well. He is on our side. Hischaracter is such that He will not aban-don us.

If the wife doesn’t have this view ofGod, she must spend enough time withHim and His Word to realize the good,wonderful, gracious God He is. It is nother husband who needs her focus, it isher own relationship with God. When awoman asks, “How do I get my husbandto lead?” she is revealing a lack of faith inGod. She does not believe He is power-ful enough and good enough to bring aboutrighteousness in her husband. Her faithremains invested in her own abilitiesrather than God’s. She needs to knowjust who God is and in doing so will real-ize He alone is worthy of her faith.

GOD’S STRATEGYGod’s plan is revealed in 1 Peter 3:5-

6, “For this is the way the holy women ofthe past who put their hope in God usedto make themselves beautiful. They weresubmissive to their own husbands, likeSarah who obeyed Abraham and calledhim her master.”

Sarah had experienced Abraham’spoor leadership at times. Read Genesischapter 12 and 20. On two different oc-

casions Abraham led Sarah inways that did not take her bestinto account. He wanted her tobe part of a deception that pro-tected him, not her. How didSarah react? She stayed out ofthe way. The battle was aboutAbraham’s lack of faith in God,not Sarah’s desires. By allow-ing God to deal directly in thesituation, she experiencedGod’s intervention and sover-eignty.

Think of how Sarah couldhave intervened. While still look-ing “godly” she could have said,“I am not going to stand for this!You are making a wrong deci-sion, being a bad leader. I willhave to step in.” She could haveeasily told the Pharaoh “My hus-band has deceived you. I amAbraham’s wife!”

Think of the problems thatmay have arisen if she did! Pha-raoh could have killed Abrahamfor his deception and taken Sa-rah anyway. He would not have had therestraint of God’s intervention. Even ifPharaoh had given Sarah back toAbraham, their relationship would havebeen damaged. She may have looked likeshe did the right thing on the outside, butshe would have had to deal withAbraham’s resentfulness and anger ather.

However, because Sarah did not giveway to fear and did not attempt to man-age things herself, but simply stayed outof the way, the crisis became God’s prob-lem to solve. If God is able to change thedirection and intention of ungodly kings,then is He not able to intervene in yoursituation? No wonder Peter instructswomen to turn to Sarah as a role model!Sarah rightly recognized just Who hadthe real power to see that her interestswere protected, and it was not herself.

SO IF CHANGING MY HUSBAND ISGOD’S JOB, WHAT IS MINE?

Your job is to learn to trust God.Take your hands off your husband andplace him in God’s. Charity heard a won-derful song the other day that she felt wasappropriate for women desiring more fromtheir husbands. It was called “Lay YourIssac Down” and exhorted believers to of-

fer up to God that which was most pre-cious to them. Abraham had to lay hisIssac down. He had to give up whatseemed to be the only way the promisecould be fulfilled. When he did so, Godprovided in a different way – through theram in the thicket. You may believe thatthe only way you will see your heart’sdesire is to remain in control. To cling toyour Issac. But you must lay your desiredown. You must be willing to give it overto God. He will provide a way, but youmust let God have full reign in your home.You cannot continue to cling to the dreamof who you wish your husband to be. Youmust free him and offer him up to God.

Be honest. Do you really want yourhusband to lead your home? Are you pre-pared to follow where he leads – even ifit’s a direction you do not believe is cor-rect? We have heard many women claimto earnestly desire this, but then theyresist the leadership their husband doesoffer. What they really want is their hus-band to lead the way they think heshould. They want “line item veto power”or a puppet on a string. Giving up controlmeans just that, you give up your right tocontinue calling the shots – no matterhow passively.

Realize that it may take a while to


regain credibility with your husband. If you have been resistant in the past, he mayhave learned that it was just emotionally safer to avoid risks. He may be unwilling tolead not because of some character flaw within his own self, but because you havemade it difficult for him anytime he did make a decision. He may be justifiablyunwilling to stick his neck out again. You may need to ask his forgiveness and lethim know that you sincerely desire his presence as priest and leader in the home.Even then, it may take awhile to regain your credibility and his trust. Don’t push him.There are consequences to past actions.

Resist the temptation to jump into the vacuum. This may mean that the familyflounders for a while as you no longer provide the direction. At one point Sarah’s faithwavered and she stepped in between God and Abraham. By her own efforts she triedto bring about the fulfillment of the promise. We all know the outcome of her lack offaith! As Craig likes to say, “Ishmaels are bummers.” Do not produce an Ishmael inyour home. Continue to wait on God for as long as it takes.

Pray, pray and then pray some more. Do not make your husband the solefocus of your prayers. Pray that you will come to know God more powerfully thanyou ever thought possible for He is the only one who can grant you your heart’sdesire.

the beach or a picnic, etc. Spending recreational time together as a familyis not only fun, but it is also a vital antidote to the pain of wounded spirits,broken fellowship and tentative communication.

Moms and Dads, we also need to apply the same principles from theFamily Pow-Wow to one-on-one communication when we sense an ongo-ing strain in personal relationships between family members. Open lines ofcommunication become most critical during the teen years, but unfortu-nately, this is the time that many parents shrink from broaching a difficultsubject with their teenagers. We can’t afford to assume we know the causeof our son’s or daughter’s “bad mood” until we’ve had a heart-to-heart talk.And from my own experience, they will often skirt the real issues until theyare absolutely certain that they have an open door to honestly express theirfeelings – especially raw feelings.

Moms, if you do not have the participation or support of a husband, Iwant to encourage you that you can do this yourself! God has gifted youwith the sensitivity of spirit (intuition) to know when one of your children hasa wounded spirit or is struggling in some way, probably more keenly sothan your spouse. Seek God’s wisdom first, and He will give guidance asyou implement honest communication with your children. You would alsobe well advised to seek the perspective and counsel of a respected Chris-tian and successful father. His advice can increase the level of security youfeel in implementing solutions to pow-wow matters.

Finally, our daily life message needs to speak louder than words, andneeds to point our children to Jesus Christ. Can you say this with the ApostlePaul?

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority ofspeech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I deter-mined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And mymessage and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but indemonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest onthe wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

I Corinthians 2:1-5

ROARcontinued from page 19

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DrDrDrDrDreamseamseamseamseams

LeShay is the vet, Chantelle - thesinger, bird-er, and seamstress, ourcomputer whiz is Brent, and Neal willbe the lawyer. Kelsey loves insectsand reptiles. They are all so diverse,yet I cater their schooling and funtime to their interests. Why? andhow?

I am often asked how I build upthe dreams of my children. Of courseit all started with LeShay. When shewas four, she told me in all serious-ness that she wanted to be a doc-tor. When she discovered animals,she decided that she really would liketo doctor them. On my knees, I be-seeched the Lord. My daughter, avet? But, her heart was there, andI fully believe that God gives us thedesires of our hearts - He fulfillsthem, yes, but He also places themthere. Gives them to us beforebirth. There are talents and giftsembedded in our being, from the be-

pertinent questions that lead thechild in a different direction? Wechose “B,” and asked if he enjoyedrunning. “No.” “Well,” we queried,“how do you like practicing ball out-side for hours?” “That’s not my ideaof fun,” he responded. We pro-gressed to questions of what he re-ally enjoyed, which brought us to“speaking, reading, history, earlyAmerican history in particular,people.” A law degree seemed justthe ticket. He jumped in with bothfeet and has already laid out the pro-gressive career steps to becominga politician.

Then we look for opportunitiesto encourage the child’s interestsin the home: we incorporate theirspecial interests in the books theychoose. Whether they be informa-tional, historical, technical, bio-graphical, or fictional, we encouragethem to read in depth on their giftedareas.

We also let them practice athome. When we moved to the farm,we had many domesticated animalson which LeShay could practice.Goats, sheep, cows, horses, cats, andthe requisite dog. Chickens madetheir way on the scene and shelearned to sew them up when their

ginning of time (or atleast at conception!). Ifeel it’s my blessedprivilege to help eachchild find what God hasmade him or her to be.

Thinking about it, I realized thatI spend lots of time observing thechild. We watch for natural talentsand special interests. Their readingmaterial gives a clue, as does thetype of videos they like to watch.We listen to their stories, and readtheir personal compositions. Theirphysical characteristics might hint athidden talents. If they are tall andathletic they might tend towardssports, especially basketball. ThenMark and I discuss our findings andpray for and with the child.

One child had the desire to be aprofessional baseball player. It justdidn’t seem right, because he is notin the least bit athletic, despisesrunning, doesn’t care to break asweat. But, he is naturally endowedwith a near-perfect photographicmemory, adores history, loves totalk and reads voraciously.

We had a choice to make. Do welet the child live in a (perhaps) make-believe world that they can “be any-thing they want to be”? or do we ask

by Kym Wright

Building up the

Childin a


pecking order practices producedcuts.

School subjects are geared to-wards their area of interests. Be-sides the 3 R’s, the sciences and his-tory can be individualized. Biologycovers such a wide range of topics,but the area that delights a childdeserves more study time than therest. Yes, we cover it all, but not inthe depth we do the adored areas.We have a Constitutional Law coursefor Neal to study when he’s a yearor two older. He has already beensneaking in to read through it! Atthirteen, Brent just started theMicrosoft Certified System Engi-neer program which is taught in col-leges and vocational schools. He’s do-ing his work at home. History pro-vides Chantelle with the chance toexplore the clothing and beadworkof the time. Kelsey is going throughour Microscope Adventure! so she canlearn more about the sciences andbugs.

And I choose to encourage themverbally. I believe my words to thatchild could make or break him. Of onechild, I’ve had to explain to the oth-ers, “God has given him the gift ofspeaking, and someday he’ll have abusiness or ministry that includestalking.” I try to never tear down achild’s talents with words such as,“You talk too much!” But rather teachthem that there are times to talk,and times not to talk.

This child got upset every time Isaid that to him - tears in his eyes,sad-eyed-puppy look. I wasn’t sayingit to be unkind, but to teach him ac-ceptable social conduct. It justdidn’t sink in, and he took it as a per-sonal affront. Then one day, he wastrying to talk to me and our 4-year-old was also talking loudly for my at-tention. I held my hand up to the olderone (for him to be quiet), and toldhim to wait a minute. Then I took careof the younger sister. When I fin-ished, I asked him how he had feltwhen she was talking out of turn. Hedidn’t like it. He finally understoodmy point. Nothing personal, just that

there are times to talk, times towork, times to listen.

Lastly, we look for opportunitiesto encourage an interest outsidethe home. One way we accomplishthis is through field trips. Not justgoing where the homeschool supportgroup has listed for the month, butalso planning our own. For LeShay, wewould go to Lion Country Safari, andlet her see the exotic animals.Chantelle’s field trips included vis-iting “The Bird Lady” and seeing herincubators in the kitchen, the bath-room, and on the porch. Brent goesto computer shows with Mark. AndKelsey visits the traveling reptileshow.

Another means is by classes andlessons taught by experts to help thechild go further than we can takethem at home. We look for someonereputable, with whom we feel com-fortable with our children.

We encourage our children to de-velop friendships with other childrenand older people with similar inter-ests. Find those who love talking his-tory, and let Neal enjoy! Clubs andorganizations might encourage thedream. We also look for contests andcompetitions in their areas of inter-est. We search for opportunities forthe child to use their gifts. Chantelleoften sings in our church services.Brent helps friends with their com-puter problems. LeShay assistsneighbors with their animals:birthing, doctoring, training.

And a final task for the older childis to apprentice to someone in hisor her field. LeShay worked witharea vets in Florida, and is doing thesame here. She also worked with

horse trainers to learn their trade.Some of these situations we can

plan for in life, others present them-selves along the way. We need to bein prayer always about our children’sfutures, and evaluate opportunitiesbased on the value versus the risk.Who will be responsible for my childwhile they are absent from me? Isthat person responsible? A good rolemodel? Someone worthy to follow?Is the child mature enough to handlethis situation?

We had one situation that was awonderful opportunity. We followedthrough with it, until I just didn’tfeel comfortable with it anymore. Icouldn’t put my finger on it, but justhad to follow my inner “nudge.”LeShay trusted us, and quit workingwith that person. Later, we found asimilar opportunity for her … andheard that the first situation haddeteriorated, and the morals of thepeople involved were not at all ac-ceptable to us. God had protectedher innocence, while providing an-other situation.

Yes, raising children is a huge re-sponsibility. Producing offspring withdreams and goals is even greater.But, as Moses’ mother wanted bet-ter for him and took risks to pro-vide it … so must we. Observing thechild, thinking ahead, looking for op-portunities, taking some (prayed-over) risks and assessing as we goalong, will help develop our children’sdreams. Goals that are bigger thanthemselves, to help them throughthe rough spots in life, to lead themto and through the future God hasfor them.

M y w o r d st o a c h i l dc a n m a k e

o r b r e a k h i mlove


AAAAAPreschoolers! They are such adelight! They are curious, busy, andfull of chatter. They will also keep ushumble and draw us closer to theLord if we will let them. In Matthew18:3, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth,unless you change and become likelittle children, you will never enter thekingdom of heaven. Therefore, who-ever humbles himself like this childis the greatest in the kingdom ofheaven.” We have much to learnfrom our little children.

It can be a challenge to find timefor preschool and toddler childrenwhile homeschooling school-agedchildren. One day, I realized how of-ten I was saying ‘go play’ to my little3 year-old daughter. I was expectingher to entertain herself and stay outof trouble. I decided we needed abetter plan!

When my first child was small, wespent hours reading, playing games,or spending time outdoors—usuallyinspecting the myriad leaves, rocksand bugs lining our sidewalk. We hadnothing but time! Life is not as re-laxed now that I have four children,

but I also know my other children de-serve as much of my time as myfirstborn had. This can seem impos-sible. Yet I feel with a little planning Ican have time every day with eachchild to make memories. I also wantto help them learn to work and playindependently, and of course, havetime together as a family. We aredefinitely in process, always adapt-ing as our circumstances change.

OUR TYPICAL DAYUsually, I try to spend time with

my youngest ones immediately af-ter breakfast. It seems that if theyhave time with Mommy alone earlyin the day, they are ready to play qui-etly while I get my older two startedwith their lessons.

This time consists of dressing my1 year-old and helping the 3 year-old,brushing teeth and straightening theirroom. Then we spend a leisurely 30-45 minutes looking at picture booksor playing together — usually dolls!(It was trucks and blocks when myboys were this age.) The importantthing is that I let it be their choice. My

by Jennifer McDonald

two school-aged boys are doing theirchores and starting independentschoolwork during this time.

After this, the girls are ready foran “alone play-time” for about 45 min-utes. This idea was suggested to meby my sister-in-law, and has workedwell for us. My 3 year-old welcomesthe chance to play alone with her dollsand other toys, undisturbed by thebaby and her older brothers. Sheplays in one bedroom with a scrip-ture music tape playing, and remainsin there until I come to get her. Thisidea of playing alone took a few daysfor her to get accustomed to, but nowshe is excited about it. The baby (18months) goes into her crib withboard books, soft dolls and toys, alsowith a scripture song tape playing inthe background. I leave her dooropen a few inches so I can check onher periodically. Again, this took somegetting used to, but now she tries toclimb in the crib when she sees thetoys inside! They both seem to rel-ish the quiet time alone in our busyhousehold.

While the little ones play alone, I

HOMESCHOOLINGwith

PRESCHOOLERS


have just enough time to go overBible and math lessons with myolder two. They settle down to work,and I switch loads of laundry or cleana bathroom if I have time. I then getthe girls out of their rooms and ev-eryone has a mid-morning snack.

For the remainder of the morninguntil lunchtime, I divide my time be-tween helping the boys with theirschoolwork and keeping the little girlsbusy. I have a box of preschool ac-tivities that I bring out for my 3 year-old daughter. It contains her crayons,puzzles, lace-up cards, some simpleworkbooks, colored chalk and a smallchalkboard, and manipulatives suchas counters (colored bears, cubes,and red poker chips) and dominoes.I also pull out a box of cars or blocksfor the baby to play with on the floor.

My goal is to keep them busy,happy, and supervised. I desire forthem to know they are an importantpart of our family, and not to feel thatI am too busy working with my olderchildren to pay attention to them.Sometimes they will sit in my lap andhold flashcards for the boys. Often,the 3 year-old will say the Biblememory verse of the week with us.We try to switch the little ones’ ac-tivities every 30 minutes or so, toavoid boredom, which will generallylead to whining or trouble.

There are other activities mypreschooler enjoys that are educa-tional as well as fun. She can domost of these near us, with me ac-cessible to her. She can sort buttonsor counters by color or size into muf-fin tins. She also likes to pull a shortstool up to the sink and play withwater, bubbles, and a few plasticdishes and cups. (Yes, some endsup on the floor, but it usually needscleaning, anyway!) Some days I willlet her go on the porch and blowbubbles, joining her as I can. Bubbleblowing can even be done in thebathtub on a bad weather day,thereby containing the mess! I am

amazed at how simple things canoccupy a child at this age. My daugh-ter loves to play with my metal bowlsand spoons, or ‘clean’ the living roomwith a feather duster.

At other times, she will play acomputer CD-ROM game we havejust for preschoolers. This is a spe-cial treat for her. Other special ac-tivities are making a sticker page (thiscan be educational by giving direc-tions such as “Put the bear stickerat the TOP of the page.”), coloringwith washable markers, or playingwith a felt animal book. Finger paint-ing and watercolors are also favor-ites.

We don’t do all of these activitiesevery day, but it is nice to have manyactivities from which to choose. Atthe beginning of the school year, Iwrote all my preschool ideas in myschool notebook. Now I can look atmy list and know what will work forus on a particular day.

After our morning activities, wehave lunch and then naptime. My littleone waits for me on her bed with astack of books and a smile while Iput the baby down. This is our timealone to snuggle up while I read herfavorite stories. She then is ready forsleep, too. We have had a full, busymorning, yet I know she has felt likea part of our day, and not pushedaside.

I take the time during their napsto finish up any schoolwork with theboys and to read aloud with them.By the time the girls wake up, thehouse is picked up and dinner prepa-rations are underway. We try to havea relaxed time in the late afternoonfor everyone to wind down before din-ner and Daddy’s homecoming.

I know this sounds ideal, and ofcourse some days are bumpier thanothers. I often feel stretched to mylimits physically, spiritually, and men-tally. Yet I know that God will not giveme a task too difficult for me to ac-complish. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says,

“My grace is sufficient for you, mypower is made perfect in weakness.”I have prayed often for the Lord’s helpin getting everything done, and Hehas been faithful to send ideas andsuggestions my way. I want each ofmy children to feel special, loved, andunique. God has convicted me in thepast about not taking enough time forthe little ones. He has reminded methat this short time with them passesall too quickly. I know that these daysof seemingly endless busyness willbe looked back upon with great fond-ness in a few years. I want to haveno regrets.

Preschoolers can seem like achallenge to homeschooling, butwith love and patience we can seethese little ones for the precious trea-sures they are.

My prayer is that these ideaswould inspire you to cherish the timewith your own little ones.Jennifer is married to Steve, who is in theAir Force at MacDill AFB, FL. They havefour children, Matthew, Gabriel, Grace andAnna, and are in their fifth year of home-schooling. Jennifer has a nursing degreeand worked as a registered nurse beforeComing Home at the birth of their firstchild. She says she loves being home!


Colleen Skott

Dear Little Sister,I want to fill you in on some of the events in my life. Nearly 22 years ago now, I was youngand had just finished my junior year at college. I had just married Mike, the man I fell inlove with a few years before. As most young brides...

Finally . . .Children

ured I was patient and would trustGod for the timing. A year passed,then years. Having children becamea sore subject with me. Lots ofpeople prayed that I would have achild. It seemed like everyone hadtheir own theory why I didn’t havechildren. Many thought we didn’twant them and took it upon them-selves to correct my error. Severalsuggested we adopt, as that wouldcause me to get pregnant. Otherstook it upon themselves to ask meembarrassing questions. Mother’s

Days came and went and with thema bitterness developed within mewhenever I saw other women in thecongregation receiving little gifts be-cause they were mothers. I tried notto let it bother me, but it did.

To cover up my hurt, I beganthrowing myself into my work as aphysical therapist and/or my minis-try as an administrative assistant. Bythis time I had really developed twocareers, flip-flopping them from timeto time. Over the years I served asassistant for a trucking ministry, a

I... I had my future planned. I thoughtI would finish my last year at college,work for a year, then have two chil-dren. I assumed I would quit work tocare for them, as Mom felt stronglyabout being home for us, so I guessit rubbed off.

That was my plan. That is notwhat happened, as the Lord’s planwas quite different. Let me share itwith you.

After my year of college and work-ing, we started trying to have chil-dren. Nothing happened. Well, I fig-


pastor of a growing church, a travel-ing singer/evangelist, the director ofa Christian counseling center, andfinally to a national leader in pro-lifeministry. My husband, Mike, and Istarted a church during this time andI was the secretary/treasurer and ad-ministrator of that as well. Intertwinedwere different work positions, even-tually managing a unit for develop-mentally disabled adults in a nursinghome.

I thought I had found my niche inlife. I was a semi-important person,planning national meetings and ban-quets for one of the largest pro-lifedistribution projects in the country. Itried not to think about children, butthere was still a hurt inside me.Something was missing, though Itried to ignore it. It’s hard to be aroundpro-life people without someonequestioning why I didn’t have chil-dren. My husband and my marriagesuffered. At this time he had alsothrown himself into full-time pastoringand pro-life ministry with countlessarrests for blocking doors of clinics.It seemed we saw each other moreat pro-life events and abortion millsthan in our own home. I developed arebellious spirit somewhere alongthe line.

Then in December of 1993Mike’s mother had a dream that I waspregnant. She had never dreamedthis before. Mike got a pregnancytest. I balked like a mule – I didn’twant to even think of being pregnant.I had completely given up hope ofhaving children and I didn’t want totake the chance of being disap-pointed once again. Mike insisted Itake the test – I did and yes, I waspregnant!

Mike started calling everyone weknew around the country. I was furi-ous — upset — at first not knowingwhy. I felt, “What if I had been preg-nant before and had miscarried with-out knowing it. What if I miscarriedagain after telling everyone I wasgoing to have a baby?” I wasn’t ready

for that much more disappointment.I was also concerned about “my min-istry.” Little did I know how much Iwould love that little bundle of joy,Samuel, when he was born 16 yearsafter we were married.

Mike was serving jail time [for pro-life activism] and was on work re-lease at the church. I still had to workbecause of this situation. Mike hadgiven up a wonderful job as a jour-neyman machinist several years ear-lier to go into the ministry. He wasunable to get a decent job in that field,yet we both felt God was calling meto be home with our son. I felt Godhad completed me with this baby. Inever dreamed I’d have more. In fact,I was afraid I wouldn’t have as muchlove for a second child as I had forthis special child I had waited so longfor. I had drawn especially close toSamuel due to the long wait and be-ing alone with him for months whileMike was in jail.

Surprise again – Rebekah Jaelarrived almost 2 years after Samuelwas born. Finding a place in my heartfor this beautiful brown-eyed girl wasnot the problem I had expected it tobe. By this time I was 40 years old. Ithought surely God was finishednow. I had a boy and a girl. AbigailRuth arrived when I was 42. Onceagain I found more love in my heartthan I knew existed. Now, at 43 I’vegiven up trying to outguess God. IfHe wants us to have more children,we will. It’s in His hands.

In the meantime, I’m home nowwith the children. Mike took a lock-smith course a few years ago and isproviding for our financial needsthrough being a pastor and lock-smith. The Lord is restoring and re-newing our marriage day by day. I nolonger miss “my ministry,” becauseI have found my true calling is to bea wife, mother, and keeper of myhome. Right after Abigail was bornwe moved to a 3-acre farm, completewith a 100-year-old farmhouse. NowI have two expectant goats, 18 chick-

ens, a dog, 3 cats and a parakeet.Between the children and animalsand homeschooling I am quite con-tent, not to mention a tad busy.

The Lord does give us the desiresof our heart. I desired children andbeing a homemaker at the time I wasmarried. The Lord took me throughmy own personal wilderness beforeHe saw fit to give the precious gift oflife to me. I don’t know all the rea-sons why I had to wait as long as Idid for this dream to be fulfilled.Maybe I needed time to mature. Mychild-raising methods are quite dif-ferent now than they would havebeen had I had children a year or twointo our marriage. I appreciate mychildren more and I probably havemore patience than I would have had.For whatever reason, my life is back-wards from most women who havetheir children while they are youngand then move on to careers oncethe children are grown. I will be 60by the time Abigail is 18.

And so, Little Sister, to youngmoms I would say,

Enjoy your children and countyourself blessed to have them. Thereis no career or ministry more impor-tant than the one you are currentlyperforming. God has chosen youto be a mother of His preciouslittle one(s). Trust Him to pro-vide you with the patience and skillsyou need to perform the task beforeyou. He will meet your needs andgive you the desires of your heart.Colleen Skott (43) is wife to Michael(52) and mom to Samuel (5),Rebekah (3), and Abigail (11 months).Fulfilling a dream, she resides on asmall Wisconsin farm.


Excited at the thought of mov-ing from the southern tip of theUS to a more northern climate, wehad such fun researching: housingcosts, crime rates, weather (any-thing beyond sunny, hot & humid?),tourist attractions, cost of livingand more. We wanted to know ev-erything about New England. Wealso wanted the move to gosmoothly.

In some ways it did, in others …well, we improved six months laterwhen we moved again, back to thesouth, this time to Georgia.

Raised in a moving-every-two-to-three-years military family, Ithought relocating would be rela-tively easy for me. My mothermade it look almost effortless.Undoubtedly, I never saw her listsof lists: what to do, when to do it,who does what, where to be when,and on it went. However, I did in-herit her list-making abilities, sothat’s where I began.

by Kym Wright & Karen LambrightT i p s o n Tr i p s

First off, we found awebsite that creates an in-dividualized movingtimeline.1 Because of theshort preparation term,many of the items on ourtimeline came up “Should be

completed.” So we fudged.We next found websites on

which to research the new area.2We checked out all the above, plusschools, colleges and anything elsewe could find. This proved helpful.

TO SELL A HOMEFirst of all, go through all your

stuff. Closets, attics, cabinets, ga-rage, sheds, and all. You don’t wantto carry junk to the new home!

To help sell your home, paintthe interior a neutral color. Re-move as much as possible from thehome: pictures off walls, declutter– so the prospective owner canimagine “their” belongings there.Make it “curbside pretty” — at-tractive from the road with prettylandscaping. Vacate the home whenthe Realtor shows it and haveflowers on the counter with alltrashes emptied. We made a list ofthe things we wanted to do everytime a Realtor was to come, andwhen the phone rang, we jumpedto the tasks!

PRE-MOVEOn a visit to the new town, prior

to moving, find a doctor, set up apost office box for mail, and opena local checking account (beginthe check numbers with 2000 orlarger, to give you credibility withnew store owners).

Karen: If your children will begoing to school, take them for atour of the school and to meet theteachers, if possible.

Locate grocery store, depart-ment stores, and hospital. I begana notebook to contain all drivingdirections. There is an on-line mapwebsite that will find a map onhow to get from “here” to “there”(just type in both addresses), andit will give turn-by-turn direc-tions. 3 These instructions alsowent into the notebook.

Change subscription addresses,and have them sent to your newpost office box. Many magazinesand catalogs have on-linewebsites, so you can change youraddress on the internet. Get a“Moving Kit” from the post office,and mail cards to the rest.

Karen: Ask your doctors forrecords, physicians, eye doctors,dentists, etc. and make copies be-fore giving them to the new doc-tor. (I had the new doctor lose the

MoMoMoMoMovingvingvingvingving


records for one child). If they willbe going to school, find out exactlywhat they need in the way offorms. Each school system hastheir own. Find out if your currentdoctor can fill them out, or if ithas to be done in the new area. Dothey just need health certificatesand immunizations, or do they alsoneed eye, dental and hearing ex-ams? Are there any tests or im-munizations required in the newarea that weren’t required in thecurrent school? It’s easier to havethem done before you leave thanto try to get them done beforethey can start school. The formscan still be filled out in the newarea by showing the records ofwhat has been done.If you will be in a hotel for an ex-tended period, find out about spe-cial permission so the children canstart school in the district you willbe living in before you move intothe new house. We had to showthat we had a contract on thehouse to get permission.

MOVERSKym: When we moved in the

first time, we could find nothing.In the new house, all the boxeslooked the same, and the labelsproved worthless in portraying thecontents. It seemed the packersdrifted throughout the house,dropping contents from one roominto the box of another. So, thesecond time around I wised up.

These are the things we did:After the moving assessment

survey, I asked the moving com-pany to bring over all the boxesthey needed for our move, alongwith tape, markers, wrapping pa-per and computer paraphernaliabaggies. We were going to packthe majority ourselves, leaving onlythe large and breakable items tothem, along with chemicals (house-hold and homeschool). Discuss

price, if you are paying and whatthey will and won’t take. Some willmove plants and chemicals (driv-ers take them in the truck’s cab),others won’t touch them. Confirmpacking, loading and unloadingdates. Ask if they will provide apick-up for their boxes and paperat the new house, so you don’t haveto haul the trash away.

Will they move the car for you?Do you leave it at the airport in acommercial (pay) lot? Will theycarry it piggyback on top of themoving van? Or will you drive ityourself or pay someone to driveit?

There are 3 types of boxes:books (smallest size), clothes, andwardrobe for hanging clothes(largest). Book boxes are to befilled to the very top, so they won’tcollapse when other boxes arepacked on top. We hung eachperson’s clothes in a separatewardrobe box (or two), with onebox for seasonal Sunday clothesfor everyone that we would needimmediately.

We packed all the science cur-ricula together and in the orderwe had them on the shelf. Historyin other boxes, and so on. We la-beled boxes sequentially, “School-room, basement, Science #1.”When it came to unpacking, we didso in an orderly sequence, and notin a guessing routine!

For computers, don’t pre-packthem yourself, but do have theoriginal box and packing materialon hand, if possible. The moversneed to be sure the computerworks before they ship it, so it istheir responsibility if it breaks.

All boxes packed by us weremarked PBO (Packed By Owner),and we were responsible for bro-ken items in them. CP means Car-rier Packed, and was their liabil-ity.

Karen: If you do have the mov-ers pack most things, go aroundwith a marker as they are packingand write on the box what is inthere, and where it goes. Do it sev-eral times as the box is being filled.Don’t be afraid to ask them topack certain things together, andnot fill the box with things fromsomewhere else (for example, if abox is almost full from the kitchen,and nothing else will fit, you don’twant them to go to the garage andfind something to fit. That is whatpaper is for).

We followed the adage “Cleanas you go,” and asked the moversto empty one room completely be-fore going onto the next so wecould clean. To clean, wash walls(or paint in neutral), dust, cleanwindows and vacuum. Leave thekitchen and one bathroom for last.For cleaning, keep unpacked: thevacuum, a mop and broom, papertowels, cleansers and closablebaggies. Extra toilet paper ishandy, too. Bag up all the treasuresyou find under the couches, behindthe stereo, in the closets, etc.Check all closet tops, drawers,cabinets and dishwasher one lasttime.

Karen: Make sure all your pre-scriptions are current. If you takeany medication regularly, be surethere are refills left. See if youcan get a two or three month sup-ply so it doesn’t have to be refilledright away.

When packing, I put one cleanset of sheets for each bed in onebox. On the day we moved, I fin-ished filling it (and one or twomore) with all the comforters,blankets and pillows from thebeds. We marked them so the daywe moved in I had sheets and blan-kets available for each bed. You couldalso put pajamas for each person inthe box. The dirty sheets we tookoff the bed went in a box of their


own, with any stray dirty clothes,marked for the laundry room. Ileft an old sheet on each mattressto help protect it. (Make up thebed as soon as possible, so whenthe day ends, you can just sink intoa clean bed.)

I also made sure to pack a fewboxes with the bare necessities ofthe kitchen: silverware, paperplates, napkins, pans, knives, pa-per cups, toaster, lunchboxes forschool, so we could cook as soonas possible without having to un-pack all the boxes to find whatwas needed. (On the first move ittook me 5 days to find the silver-ware). You may want to include atelephone.

Pack a separate box with tools,clearly marked, that you may needwhen you get there-such as screw-drivers, socket wrenches and pli-ers. Things will need to be put to-gether or fixed.

THE TRIPKym: We packed in duffel

bags, with one or two children’sbelongings in each. Each personhad a backpack filled with activi-ties they enjoyed, and a fannypack, with immediate-need itemslike sunglasses, money, gum forears when flying (to aid adjustingto cabin-pressure changes). Forthe trip, we dress alike or have thesame color head coverings — base-ball caps, kerchiefs, or hair ribbon.

We had one person handle allthe tickets (airplane, bus, touristattraction). This aided in not los-ing them.

Think SNACKS! Once the nov-elty wears off, everyone will behungry and thirsty. Prepare withboxed juice and straws, sippycups, pre-made quartered sand-wiches, nuts, crackers — healthyalternatives to the snack machineofferings.

Buddy-up. Have an older childwork with a younger one. Or have

two older ones stay together – foraccountability and safety.

Before packing up, putting oneload’s worth of laundry detergentin baggies allowed us our ownbrand in the hotel Laundromat atless expense. Add dryer sheets ifyou need them. We collected quar-ters for laundry and drink ma-chines, too.

Karen: If you will be in a motelfor awhile, find out how much eachperson is allowed to check on theplane. You can box up the thingsyou need: school supplies, booksand games for the kids, etc. andcheck them. Kym even flew hersewing machine and serger upthere!

ARRIVALIf you must stay in a hotel, find

one with an activity room or pool(indoor or out, depending on theweather). Choose one near thehouse you’re buying. We stayed ½hour away for five weeks, and itwas too far for major trips thereand back. And we didn’t get toknow our local area as well beforemoving in. Extended hotel staysare easier if you have meals pro-vided. Keep a loose schedule so ev-eryone knows what to expect. Forexample: school, outdoor time,reading, lunch, nap, pool time,video, supper, time with dad, bed.You don’t need to lower standardsand expectations, just changethem. Life will not be normal (asyou were used to normal), but willbe a new norm. Give each other lotsof grace.

MOVING INI made floor plans of each

room, along with furniture place-ment. We taped the floorplan foreach room to its door. We had alsolabeled each box with:

1) the room it belonged in2) floor location (main

floor, basement, etc.)

3) and contents

This aided the movers in plac-ing the furniture and boxes withfewer questions and less confu-sion.

We assigned one person to di-rect the movers to the properrooms. After a few trips, theyknew where each room was lo-cated.

CONCLUSIONTo find a good church home

quickly, it might be good to “Di-vide & Conquer.” One parent withhalf the children goes to onechurch, while the other half of thefamily attends another church.When a church seems like a “fit,”then take the whole family therethe next week.

Joining a homeschool groupgives you support and friends uponarrival. This will help the childrenmake friends, too. Meet the neigh-bors by introducing yourself andtelling them that you homeschool.This alleviates any questions theyhave when your children are out-side playing during school hours.

Find the library, recreation cen-ter, playground and fast foodplaces. Ask directions for thenearest Farmer’s Market andwhatever else you need.

When moving, there is so muchchange that having an organizedapproach makes all the difference.And remember to be kind to your-self, your spouse and the children.Everyone needs extra love and at-tention. Having a “Day Off” afterthe movers leave might be good.Plan a special outing to regroup,acquaint with the new area, andchill out.

But, above all, remember to

Be bold, banish fear and doubt.For remember the Lord your Godis with you wherever you go.Joshua 1:9


ment. Go over it again, and give him an op-portunity to get it right. Then you might re-ward him with an additional fifteen minutes,pointing out that you were prepared to givehim thirty had he made a proper appeal atthe outset. Of course, this requires that youplan ahead.

This type of training is very important. Weteach by example. If you were inconsiderateof him, your response should be to acknowl-edge your disrespect and ask his forgive-ness.

Applying the principles of Ephesians 6:1-3, namely, respect, obedience, and re-sponsibility are the best training tools I know.Make them a part of your life and you will beable to teach them to your children.

Remember, “All discipline for the momentseems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet tothose who have been trained by it, afterwardsit yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”(Hebrews 12:11)

*Sometimes it is better to defer instruction untilneither party is emotionally charged. At that time eachwill be more receptive and gracious. This will not al-ways be the case, but in this type of situation it willwork.

Mark & I have been friends with Dan & Karen for17 years, when Dan came to work for the samecorporation Mark worked for. They were transferredto Connecticut at the same time as we were, thenfollowed us down to Atlanta seven months later.Karen added her wisdom to this article. Her ad-vice is in dark brown italics.

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CONTROLcontinued from page 21

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II love what H. A. Ironside comments on this passage: “The word trans-lated ‘teach’ in verse four is really ‘train.’ The young women are to betrained in sobriety. They are to be taught to love their husbands and theirchildren, and to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home.”

A comment by Donald Norbie is equally encouraging to me: “The olderwomen are to teach younger women; their sphere of teaching is more re-stricted than that of men. (I Tim. 2: 11-12) Their work is to ‘admonish theyoung women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet,chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the wordof God may not be blasphemed.’ (Vv. 4-5) The word ‘admonish’ here ismore literally to make sensible. Urge the young women to live sensible,wise lives.”

I’ve had women ask me why I take so much time emphasizing the im-portance of Titus 2. I’ve had loving brothers ask me why I spend so muchtime studying the woman’s role and its importance. I think the above versestell why: because, young women are not naturally prone to loving husbands.Young women are not naturally prone to loving their children. They are notnaturally prone towards being homemakers and keepers at home.

So when I see a deterioration ofthe home, a weakening of male lead-ership, an increasing tendency to-wards worldliness in teens and a tre-mendous increase in disobediencein children, I have to ask myself thequestion, “What are the youngwomen in the church doing and couldtheir lives have an influence on theseproblems?”

After years of praying, of takingtimes of fasting before God as I askHim these questions and of study-ing wise, godly men through theages, I have come to the conclusionthat older women are no longer train-ing, admonishing, and instructingyounger women to go against theirnatural tendencies. On the contrary,many older women are not goingagainst their own natural, fleshly ten-dencies. Because of this, I see all ofthe above symptoms, plus youngwomen who do not know how tocook, keep a house orderly andclean, stay on a budget or any otherimperative skills they should know.This alone puts a zeal in my heart toexhort, encourage, and equip womento know God’s design for them.Hopefully, the next generation of olderwomen may be equipped to train andadmonish and teach the youngerwomen to go against their natural ten-dencies and become the women thatGod would have them to be.

Why all the emphasis on goingagainst our natural tendencies? Be-cause:

For the flesh lusteth against theSpirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:and these are contrary the one to theother: so that ye cannot do the thingsthat ye would. Gal 5:17

I see many godly women surfac-ing today that are genuinely teach-ing and training younger women to

Titus 2: 4-5Titus 2: 4-5Titus 2: 4-5Titus 2: 4-5Titus 2: 4-5Older women ... that they may encourage the young womento love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible,pure, workers at home, kind being subject to their own hus-bands, that the word of God may not be dishonored.

by Sandi Krakowski

What does it Really mean?What does it Really mean?What does it Really mean?What does it Really mean?What does it Really mean?


love their husbands, to love their chil-dren and to be godly homemakers.However,0 I think it is important thatthe younger women not be so dis-couraged when they see that theirnatural tendency is to go contrary tothese concepts. Our natural, wom-anly self is prone towards wanting torule. That is why God commandedthe man to rule over us.

Unto the woman he said, I willgreatly multiply thy sorrow and thyconception; in sorrow thou shalt bringforth children; and thy desire shall beto thy husband, and he shall rule overthee. Gen 3:16

God’s ways are designed, I be-lieve with all my heart, to keep usfrom sin. When God greatly multi-plied our sorrows and our concep-tion and gave us sorrow to accom-pany us in our rearing of children, Hedid not do this to punish or curse usas so many teach. But rather, He didthis to reveal how very sinful andnaturally prone we are, in our un-saved state, to go against His ide-als. We are given God’s ways tokeep us in His will. Apart from Himwe cannot be the women He wouldhave us to be. This is why we findthe real meaning behind Titus 2 isGod’s love toward us. He wants theolder women to teach and to train theyounger women to go against theirnatural tendencies so that they do nothave to have homes like the rest ofthe world. So they can have mar-riages made in heaven and so theycan have children that are a delightto live with and share life with. It isnot His desire to have His peoplemerely struggling along. His desireis life, and life more abundant thanthe unsaved world.

My favorite verse is: But we havethis treasure in earthen vessels, thatthe excellency of the power may beof God, and not of us. 2 Cor 4:7

The excellency, the supreme rea-son we are able to be different thanthe world is not because we are bet-ter women, we are more feminine

women, we are gentler women; butrather, because we are God’swomen. We are regeneratedwomen. We are women that havebeen filled with His Holy Spirit andhave been cleansed from our natu-ral sinful state. We have the treasurewithin us, God’s changing power, tolive lives as we ought. Hallelujah!

So when we study Titus 2, whenwe pray for God to make us Hiswomen, do not be discouraged if yournatural tendency is to sin. Be en-couraged that He sent Christ to res-cue us and that it is His design thatthe older women train us youngerwomen to be what He has designed.His love for us is great, wouldn’t youagree?

In 1983 Sandi Krakowski became aChristian and ten years later came to un-derstand the wonderful calling God hasfor women. Since then it has been herdesire to assist, equip and encouragewomen to abide in their high callings asmothers, wives, and sisters in Christ. Sheis happy to announce that her 4-partteaching tape series, “Walking in GraceThrough Everyday Life” is now available.

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HIf there are any fellows reading this, please go backand reread Mark’s article. This is for ladies only thismonth. In Paul’s letter to Titus, he instructs the olderwomen to “encourage the young women to love theirhusbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure,workers at home, kind, being subject to their own hus-bands, that the word of God may not be dishonored.”What an awesome responsibility this.

It has been on my heart for some time to share someof the things I have learned (often times the hard way)over the past 44½ years about taking care of and honor-ing my husband. At the beginning of our marriage, I ex-pected Bob to be everything for me: my happiness, mycontentment, my lover, a mind reader, a servant, myprovider, and the list went on and on. I really didn’t troublemyself too much about his needs and that was my great-est shortcoming. And then, wonder of wonders, Jesuscame into my life and rearranged my world completely.As I studied His word, I came to understand that happi-ness and contentment are a by-product of one’s living inGod’s will. Time passed and I came to understand thewonder of putting another person’s needs ahead of myown and that is when I came to know real happinessand contentment.

Here are a few of the gems of wisdom I have gleaned:

F Men need time to themselves, to pursue a hobby,

by Marion Sue Wright

raceG rowingin

My HusbandHonoring

be with men friends, to develop other friend-ships outside the family circle. Now this onewas a real troublespot for me. My husband isa model-airplane fanatic - need I say more?He has some wonderful friends with whom he

shares this love of flying and they have marveloustimes together.

F Men need to be admired. Make it a point to tell himdaily how much you love him, how good-looking heis and that he still makes your heart pitter-pat. Whenyou hear his car drive up, drop whatever you are do-ing and run out to meet him with a hug and a kiss.This is the highlight of your day, is it not? Let himknow. Don’t barrage him with the problems of yourday before he can even get in the door. Let him relaxand bask in the homecoming attention before askinghim to slay your dragons. Bob and I make it a point tohave a cup of hot tea and watch the news beforesupper. While I am putting the finishing touches onsupper, he “rests his eyes” (takes a nap).

F Men need a healthy, well-prepared home-cookedmeal. Try not to serve the same old tried-and-truemenus week after week. Be brave and try some newrecipes, but not too exotic or you may be eating alone!Don’t wait until he has a heart attack before you startwatching his fat intake. There are some delicious low-fat dishes that are every bit as good as the ones filledwith saturated fat. Set a pretty table, use candlesfrom time to time, put some music on the CD playerand enjoy this time together. NO TV! Time to con-fess: Bob and I play dominos as we eat our eveningmeal. We have always enjoyed games and this seemsthe perfect time for some friendly competition.

F In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he admonisheswives to “reverence” their husbands. This means tohonor and respect him. What a miraculous changewill take place in your heart when you truly reverence


your husband.

F Develop a grateful heart. Thank him when he doeslittle kindnesses for you, when he takes you out for ameal, when he brings you a cup of coffee. Smile athim. Don’t use all yours smiles up on others, saveyour best ones for him.

F Be affectionate at home and in public. Don’t em-barrass him, but he will strut like a peacock if youshow the world this is your man and you are so proudof him.

F Listen, really listen, when he talks about work, aboutproblems he is facing, about his hobby or his latestinterest. Listening is an art and one that requires con-centration and feedback, not necessarily verbal feed-back, but some indication you are hearing what isbeing said.

F Last, but certainly not least, pray for him. Ask theLord to give him clearness of mind at work, to enablehim to be all He intended him to be, to watch overhim through the day. When he wakens you in thenight with that rafter-shaking snoring, gently lay yourhand on him, thank the Lord for him and entreat Hisrichest blessings on your sleeping hero.

You will find yourself falling in love again with this amaz-ing creature to whom you are married when you takethe time to realize what a treasure you have.

Marion Sue Wright was born and reared in East Tennessee,the oldest of four siblings. She married her high school sweet-

heart, Bob Wright. The newlyweds set out to seethe world as Bob pursued his Air Force career.The Lord gifted them with three precious children:Mark, Kevin and Shawn. They live in Panama City,Florida, where they still reside. She is know as"Granny Sue" to thirteen delightful grandchildrenand is discovering anew the joy of being a wifeand homemaker, a woman truly blessed beyondmeasure. She is also Mark’s mom and Kym’smother-in-love.

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II read with great sadness yournews about your 17-year-olddaughter and the doubts you maybe feeling about homeschooling.Know this, my friend, I have beenthrough the same thing as you, andmy heart goes to you.

It is hard for me to comment,when I am so biased, but I hopeyou will find a little encourage-ment. I must confess that Emma,our oldest, was the hardest to ad-just to homeschooling. Yes, it tooka little time. Yes, I went throughmany doubts about the children’swelfare. I knew that they wouldn’tbe seeing their friends as much asthey were used to. I knew thatthere wouldn’t be all those “ex-tras” that children receive inschool.

For the first six months, Emmawould do her best to avoid bump-ing in to old school acquaintanceswhen we went into town. She

would stick close to me, and notwander off. I asked her why shedid this and she told me she feltembarrassed. “Why?” I asked. Shetold me that it wasn’t us, but thefact that so many of them keptasking her questions about why shewas homeschooled. I wished I hadsomething for her to reply at thattime. Instead, I respected herdesire not to “expose” herself tothem. This, in itself, was a worryfor me. Was I causing her, encour-aging her, to be antisocial?

As the months went by, I no-ticed Emma’s confidence improve,her attitude change. We were to-gether all day, every day, and be-fore long I realized that my daugh-ter actually enjoyed being with me.We became, and are to this day,best buddies. In the meantime, wedid a lot of observing. I talked,talked, talked to her. We watchedthe school kids come into the mall.

This is written to a lady I have never met, but feel for her.She has a teenage daughter of 17:

the last one at home, the first time to homeschool.

by Helen De Bruins

We listened, whenever we could,to their conversations. We wouldsmile to each other, or raise oureyebrows, depending on the topicof conversation going on amongstthem. She told me that the girlsshe considered her “everlasting”buddies were, in fact, “very wishy-washy, with no substance.” Shealso told me that a few of the girlsthat she went to school with, andthat she now played soccer with,were actually being mean to her.On the other hand, some of thegirls she had known actually com-mented how they envied her beingable to stay home and learn andnot go to school.

A girl her age who lives in ourcountry town came to me one dayand told me that she wanted hermomma to have her transferred toanother school. I asked her whyand she told me that it was be-cause she didn’t learn anything in

WWWWWhy WWWWWeHHHHHomeschool


the school she was currently in.She went on to say that the teach-ers would walk into the classroom,ask the children to be quiet andsit down. When they wouldn’t dothis, the teacher would tell themthat they weren’t going to con-tinue until there was silence. Itnever happened and the lessonnever got taught. I asked her howoften this happened. She told meit was a common occurrence.

I think, in all of this, we haveto ask ourselves why we choose tohomeschool. Is it due to:

a) a lack of education in theschool

b) a lack of safety in theschool

c) the negative influences inthe school

d) religious convictionse) the joy of being able to

homeschool

Depending on why we choose tohomeschool, I feel, will determinehow and if we will continue tohomeschool. My personal reasonswere all of the above. Socializa-tion was not even an issue with me.

I have discovered that manyparents are extremely troubled bythe pressure that the word social-ization brings forth. What doesthis mean? Do we send our childrento school:

a) to learn academicsb) to socializec) for convenience because of

us workingd) we desire to have them out

of our haire) there is pressure from fam-

ily/friends to do the “norm”

We, as parents, have to reallyask ourselves these questions.What is important to us? Just re-alizing our answers to these ques-tions is, I feel, the starting point.

I enjoy your magazine and want to respond in a few ways.Our family uses Polished Cornerstones for our girls (ages 7 & 6)

and Plants Grown Up by Doorposts for our boys (ages 9, 6, 6, 3& 2) for Bible Study. It is set up with levels of difficulty dependingon age — up through high school. Doorposts has done an excellent job,in my opinion, in both of these curricula. You can use it however youwish. We, obviously (since our family is so young) do not use it as indepth as we will in a few years, but I would recommend its purchase toanyone interested in a sound biblical curriculum that trains your chil-dren in right thinking and encourages godliness. Permission is grantedby authors for duplicating copy sheets as often as needed within yourown family.

As you have a heart for adoption I thought I would share our family’shistory. We actually were not a family until God began building us in1992 when I married my husband. He is a T-10 paraplegic as a result ofa small plane accident in 1988. We have known one another since I was19. After his accident he went to night school to become a lawyer.Upon graduating (August ‘94) we moved to be closer to his parents ashis father was terminally ill from cancer at the time. We built our homein the Fall 1994. While we were working on the house we also attended

DoorDoorDoorDoorDoorpostspostspostspostsposts&

Foster Parenting

To give up myself was the hardest thing ofall. My personal space had to become verysmall in order to love my children in a waythat communicated.

T

by Karen Hoyle


foster parenting training classes. We had decidedthat we would foster parent since we could not havechildren biologically and possibly build our family byadopting one or two. Upon completion of the classesand the home we became foster parents to a 3 yearold little girl and her half brother who was two atthe time. Thus, God continued to build our family. ByMay of ‘96 we had five children ages 2 months tofive years: 4 boys and our girl. The Department ofSocial Services had warned us that if we hoped toadopt through foster care we would be disappointed!Eighteen months later, the adoption on all five wascomplete! We waited six months and began prayingfor another sister and possibly brother and receivedtwo more foster children whom we are in the pro-cess of adopting. Emily and Robbie are a blessing toour home and all seven (ranging in age today from 2years to 9 years) have made a name for us when wego to the local Walmart! It brings tears to my eyesto hear what a blessing my children are to those theymeet — especially when I consider how hopeless thecases against the older ones were said to be as aresult of the abuses they had experienced. God hastruly redeemed the years the locusts have eaten inthe lives of our children. He has been faithful to this“learn-as-I-go” Mama. It was hard to learn parenting,teaching and counseling while I tried to schedule,train and feed our family. To give up myself was thehardest thing of all. My personal space had to be-come very small in order to love my children in a way

that communicated. I have been blessed by God toadopt all but three of the foster children who havecome into our home. And God has used these chil-dren to teach me so many things about myself thatneeded to be refined and softened. I feel that thingsin my life are finally settling down (my husband andI figure we have not had a normal year of marriageyet!), and I can enjoy the gifts I have been blessedwith. And I want to encourage those who havethought of foster parenting to lay the possibilitybefore the throne. We went into it aware of theheartache involved and we did experience some alongwith painful accusations, but chose to love throughthem and we were blessed as a result. God has givenus a family but unfortunately we have adopted our-selves out of being able to foster parent. I supposeI should be happy, but I am only resting in the com-fort my husband has given me. He said we will lookfor property and hope in a few years to build a big-ger home so that we can adopt more children as Godbrings them into our life.

Thank you so much for your magazine, Kym.It has been a blessing to me. My husband and Ihave begun to get up at 5:00 am and the differenceit makes in this mama (who still needs some quiettime) has been remarkable. I find more enjoymentin giving myself to my children during the day since Ihave time for myself before they rise.

God bless you as you minister to others.Karen Hoyle

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With love,With love,With love,With love,With love,The WThe WThe WThe WThe Wrightsrightsrightsrightsrights

Vol 1 #1: Aug ‘96: Letters From YourHeart; Coming Home (Kym’s journeyfrom business to staying home);Parenting Power: The Foundation;Thinking about Adoption; Passing OnHarvard; Life on Schedule; Becomingthe Family Herbalist; Keeping up withthe Jones’; Miracle of Morgan; WhenDaddy Travels.Vol 1 #2: Nov ‘96: Life Influencers; Re-spect; What Pushes Your Buttons?;Adoption: HomeStudy and Kym’s Ex-perience; Infertility... and God; Literature:Literacy or Legacy?; Rising Early; Natu-ral Pregnancy; Home HairCutting; AMedical Couple Looks at God’s FamilyPlanning; Families ... like Quilts; TheHospitable Home; I Don’t Know HowYou Do It!; Cows; Milk; Cheesemaking.Vol 1 #3: Feb ‘97: A Joyful Mother; Obe-dience; Who’s In Charge Anyway?;Adoption: Consents; Breast Infections;Straight Talk; Finding Extraordinary inOrdinary; Male’s HairCut; Children’sChores; Choosing Contentment;Herbs: Mommy Diagnostics; Ready fora Baby; Million Dollar Family; Loneli-ness; SuperMom!Vol 1 #4: May ‘97: Country Chic!; HerChildren Rise Up and Call Her Blessed;From Your Heart; Responsibility; FirstThings First!; Birth Father’s Rights;Why Adopt?; Pregnant With #10!;Learning To Trust: Mom of 11; Mother-ing on Purpose; Children’s Chores(part 2); Blank Chore Chart; Internet &Heart; Cheap Dec! & Painting Verdé;Herbs: PMS: Pre-Menstral Syndrome:What Is It?

Vol 2 #5: Aug ‘97: Bits ‘N Pieces; Be-hind Every Successful Mother; Dis-cerning Vital Life Principles: Mate Main-tenance; Biracial Adoption; His Way;Infertility: Desire of My Heart; PrivateDecisions; Color Blind; Autumn Gar-den; Our Family of 14 Children; HowCan We Trust God More For FamilyPlanning?; Lavish Living; KitchenShortKuts; Our New Kitchen; Female'sBlunt HairCut; Garlic Bag; PatternNotebooks; Older Siblings; StayingHome While Sick; Library: @ Your Ser-vice, Onsite & Form; Bird Unit Study.Vol 2 #6: Nov ‘97: A Higher Education;Family Life; Spanking; Wiring 101; Dis-cussing Adoption Concerns; GentleSchedules; Blending Natural & ModernMedicine; His Queen; My King; Infertil-ity & God; VP to Play Dough Mom;Scrunchies; Alter a Bathrobe;Children's Measurements & Forms.Vol 2 #7: Feb ‘98: Dealing with Disap-pointment; Family Fun; CapturingTheir Heart; Wiring 102; Open &Closed Adoption; Dominoes!; Mother’sPeace; From Australia; Finding Time;Baking Bread; Orange Raisin Bread;Meal Preparation; Chicken Dishes; In-cubating Eggs; Shutting Down theComplaint Dept.Vol 2 #8: May ‘98: Faith or Denial?; AHome Much-Loved; Capturing TheirHeart; Charting a Life Course; Adop-tion ‘98; Double Blessing; More Chil-dren ~ Adoption?; Herbs; Eating Bet-ter: The Course; Preschool Basket;School Time-Management & Form;Journey to Contentment; DecoratingNotebook; If We Listen.

















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Vol 3 #9: Aug ‘98: A Matter of the Heart;The Harvest; Charting A Life Course;When Baby Dies in Your Womb; RecipeExperimentation; Eating Better ; BeefDishes; Tips & Tricks; Creating Creativ-ity; More Fun Stuff Ideas!; Once Upon ATime: Child Abuse; A Love for our Chil-dren; Trust; “Spoil”; Why are GoodBooks So Important; The Rest Can Wait;Women: Living Life on Purpose

Vol 3 #10: Nov ‘98: Children’s Life Goals;The Power of the Spirit; Charting A LifeCourse, Pt 3; Garden of Health; MakingGood Better; Faith; Growing In Grace;In Sickness or In Health; PreschoolLiterature; Schooling Many; One Man’sTwaddle; School Organization; TheWall; Committed or Obligated? Botany;Joys of Staying Home; Ambassador ofMotherhood

Vol 3 #11: Feb ‘99: Moving & Change;Mighty in Spirit; Adolescence; FromWhite to Whole; Longing for an OpenWomb; Adoption; Homeschooling &Organization; ‘Net Connected;Correspondence College; Blessing &Dressing; Love Letter; A Journal Entry;Counting the Cost; Home & Ministry.

Vol 3 #12: May ‘99: Coming Home ...Again; Quiet Life; Joyful In Spirit; Childrenare a Blessing; Eating Better: Y2K &Beyond; Hyperchilderemia; InterstateAdoption; Raising Biological & AdoptedKids; Gentle Beauty; Preparation &Organization; Homeschooling SpecialNeeds Children; Dean to Mom; TheProfessional Woman I Married; SteppingUp Your Child’s Space; ScriptureMemorization; A Word Kindly Spoken

Vol 4 #13: Aug ‘99: Standing Watch;Progress; Adolescence; Four FoodStorage Plans; Menopause; FamilyFitness Fun; Nausea Remedies;Healthy Granola; International Adoption;Adoption & Others; The Wait; Growingin Grace; Is the Husband Enough?; TheWaltons Revisited; Classified Ads;Press On; Letting Go; A Woman ofVirture; G.E.R.M. Warfare!

Vol 4 #14: Nov ‘99: Maintaining theCover; “I Will”; The Father’s Blessing;Is the Husband Enough? Pt 2; GrainMills; Immuno-Woes; Teenage Birth-mothers; Wrong Reasons to Adopt;Babies Come in Many Ways; Quilting101; Bringing Your Heart Home; SmileyFace; Older Mom; She Rises BeforeDawn... to pray; Submitting; CreationScience; Good Books; Photography Unit

Vol 4 #15: Feb ‘00: Equipping forExcellence, Working Women, Dating/Courtship Parameters, Settling FamilyConvictions, Pastry Grains, HavingHealthier Children, Regaining Pre-Pregnancy Figure, Our Story of Grace(Adoption), Time Management,Homemaker or Housewife?, LearningTakes Humility, Scrapbooking, GoodBooks, Making Units (Studies) Yours;Scripture Memorization... Psalm 91,New Unit: Flower Arranging & Wreaths

Vol 4 #16: May ‘00: Discernment;Dailyness; The Family Pow-Wow; HowDo I Get My Husband to Lead?; GrainVariety for Quick Bread; Too Tired to beExhausted?; Getting Started in Adoption;Honoring My Husband; Finally ...Children; Moving; Titus 2:4-5 — WhatDoes It Really Mean?; Building up Child’sDreams; Homeschooling withPreschoolers; Why We Homeschool

Vol 5 #17: Aug ‘00: Music & OurChildren; Brown Rice; DefeatingDepression Naturally; AdoptionProtection; Foster Parenting; Vaccinateor Not?; Stretch Travel Dollar; UnequallyYoked; LifeGuard Mom; Love Letter;Chemistry; Dissection, Autism, PDD &Celaic Disease; Recipes; Unit StudyAnswers from Authors

Vol 5 #18: Nov ‘00: Shepherding; CountYour Blessings; Basketball, Football &Music; Coaching Tight; ThanksgivingFavorites; Defeating Depression, Pt 2;Candida Yeast; Trusting the Creator;Foster Parenting; Shepherd’s Crook;Adoption Story; Children ... a Gift; Spirit-ual Housecleaning; Wright Photo Gallery





















Anthology #5:A comb-boundedition of issues#17-20 (5thyear). All of the in-spiring articles un-der one cover.

Anthology #2:A comb-boundedition of issues#5-8 (2nd year).All of the wonder-ful articles under one cover.

Anthology #1: Acomb-boundedition of is-

sues #1-4 (1styear). All of the

great articles underone cover.

Anthology #3:A comb-boundedition of issues#9-12 (3rd year).All of the life-changing articles

under one cover.

Anthology #4:A comb-boundedition of issues#13-16 (4th year).All of the life-changing articles under onecover.

TTTTThe Mother’he Mother’he Mother’he Mother’he Mother’s Hears Hears Hears Hears Heartttttformerly Open Arms Magazine

20 Back IsssuesReady to Read

Vol 5 #19: Feb ‘01: Serving Others;Unsaved Husbands; Whole GrainCrepes; ADD / ADHD; Bed-Wetting;Candida Questions; Weigh DownUpdate; Loving Baby Doe; Foster CareResources; Tightwad Resolutions;Rising & Time with Husband: Q&A;Dream House; Special Children &Special Moms; Tag-A-Long Meals;Recipes; Baby Showers

Vol 5 #20: Good-bye; An EngagementStory; Friends! Really?; Pasta SaladItalian; Cancer Prevention Tips; CookBooks; ; Keeping Our Arms Open;Becoming Your Child’s Advocate;Adopting Your Foster Child; SincerelyWondering; Frugal & Organized;Magazines; House & Garden; IEP: easyas PIE










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Open Arms Magazine PO Box 81124, Conyers, GA 30013 #16 May 2000 Page 51

Hands-on Unit Studies from

Learn and DoHands-on Unit Studies from

Learn and DoMicroscope Adventure!

With hints on buying a microscope to howto use it effectively, this unit covers itall! The $1 Rule of Optics, people tostudy, how to make permanent, semiper-manent, well, wet and dry mounts. Withthe lab sheets included, use inexpensiveitems around the house, to study plant &animal cells, microbes, fibers, insects,crystals and more. Draw observations andfill in scientific data on lab sheets. 4th grade & up.

Photography UnitLearn camera parts & types, alongwith up-to-date information on digi-tal cameras. Understand lenses &film, composing pictures, focal point,lighting & angles. Practice photo-graphing people, silhouettes,groups, portraits & children. Land-scape, panorama, action shots, pho-tographing animals, special effects& more. 4th grade & up.

Library UnitLibrary UnitLibrary UnitLibrary UnitLibrary UnitHow to use the library, obtain a card,know the rules, learn etiquette and howthe library is organized. Create per-sonal reading lists, library notebook &library bag - all to save time at thelibrary & improve our skills. Go onlineto look up books, reserve resources, andaccess interlibrary loans. Build a li-brary, start a story hour, memorize theDewey Decimal System, & earn highschool credit for the course. 3rd & up

COLOR! Unitwith an interactive CD!: a terrific hands-on experience for learning color theoryand its applications in fine art. This veryinteresting & entertaining unit willexpose your students to color throughexploration of fine art reproductions, thetheory behind why certain colorcombinations work together and othersdon’t. Full-color examples & hands-onlabs, sure to capture the imagination ofeven the most kinesthetic student.

with a phenomenal CD of an actual dissection!: We alllove turtles - watching & feeding them. Dig deeper andlearn turtle anatomy along with the difference betweenreptiles and amphibians. Can you tell a turtle’s age by itsshell? How long do they live? Dissection included, to seethe fascinating way turtles are created. Learn how toopen the shell and all the external and internal parts.Since there was so much information for the requiredFunSheetsTM, we split it into two age levels: Younger (Pre-K-4th) and Older (4th-adult). While they both include somepages the same (Turtle Report, Plant or Animal, Anatomy,Sea Turtles), the presentation is different.

TurtlesTurtlesTurtlesTurtlesTurtles! ! ! ! ! UnitUnitUnitUnitUnit

Bird Unit StudyDubbed “Unit Studies for theClueless” by Mary Pride’s reviewer, itincludes everything needed for acomprehensive study of birds. Withlots of hands-on activities, it’s a “no-brainer” - for mom/teacher, anyway.Sit back and learn along with thestudents. Identify birds in the field,air, or on water. Research projectshelp you learn bird species, beaks,feet, habitat, and incubating eggs.

Botany UnitOne of the best sellers in our catalog ofstudies. Learn all about plants from theroots up. Life cycles, needs, usage,differences, uniqueness, andcomparisons. Microscopic to hands-onlabs with plenty of Lab Sheets andflashcards provided. Appropriate for 6thgrade through high school ~ this 160+page study provides an exciting and

comprehensive look at the plant world around us.

Younger Turtle FunSheetsTM: a must-haveto go with the Turtles! Unit, for ages pre-K-4th. Includes graphs, mapwork, 3 turtlediet booklets, turtle identification withstickers, turtle vs tortoise worksheets,life cycles, and sea turtles graphs.Older Turtle FunSheetsTM: includes ob-servation graphs, mapwork, chordates re-search, measuring turtles, complete dis-section, turtle vs tortoise research, vari-ous names for turtles, taxonomical clas-sification, dietary preferences chartsand sea turtles research.




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Hands-on Unit Studies from

Learn and DoHands-on Unit Studies from

Learn and DoSpiders Unit

90-pages & gives a solid foundationin spiders, systematically studying:taxonomy, internal and externalanatomy, diet, life cycle, habits,habitats, venomous types, handling,observations, experiments, webs,silk, and more.

Arachnid Unitcovers the study of scorpions, pseudo-scorpions, whip scorpions, mini whipscorpions, mites, ticks, harvestmen andothers. Makes a great companion studyto the Spiders Unit. Study arachnids,their taxonomy, size, habits andhabitats. Activities, labs, questions andinformation help you discover all aboutharvestmen, mites, chiggers, and ticksas well! So, come along on an ArachnidAdventure!

Flower Arrangingand Wreaths

Study the wonderful art of floralarrangement and crafts, along withmaking wreaths, all in a systematicapproach. Colleges teach this typecourse as “Horticulture 352: FlowerArranging.” Enough for a one-semesterhigh school credit. With marketingplans & practice, it becomes a one-yearhigh school credit.

VVVVVolunteer Unitolunteer Unitolunteer Unitolunteer Unitolunteer UnitAs our homeschool children turn intopreteens and teens, we see a need tohelp them learn about the world inpreparation for their upcoming lives asadults: hands-on experiences, to seethe poverty, the need, and take part inbringing hope and healing. Workingwith established groups, creating yourown, or volunteering individually, thereare always opportunities for service.4th grade & up.

Goat Unit70+ pages of fun, learning andhands-on activities. Practice milkingat home without a goat! Anatomy,genetics and practical raisin’requirements are discussed,researched and practiced. Thisstudy is a guide to assist you ingetting to know goat breeds andneeds. A marketing and businessplan is also included. All ages.

Victorian Sewingand Quilting

Learn to quilt, bead, make sachetsand Victorian pillows. Study color,harmonies, and the color wheel’sapplication to fabric. Sew withmodern and antique lace.Especially appropriate for theaspiring homemaker ~appropriate for 6th grade throughadult.

Sheep Unitcovers literature, history, hands-on fun, practical how-to’s, raisin’requirements, anatomy,shearing, washing fleece andcraft ideas. Learn the breeds,needs and feeds of sheep.Learning and fun for the wholefamily. All ages.

Poultry Unitcovers chickens, ducks,turkeys, and geese. Learnabout incubating, raising andbreeding. SupermarketDissection, Lab Sheets, andplenty of Fun SheetsTM areincluded. All ages.

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Qty Description US Canada Foreign Total Info OrderArachnids Unit Study $17.95 $19.95 $21.95 $Bird Unit Study $17.95 $19.95 $21.95 $Botany Unit Study $21.95 $23.95 $25.95 $ Extra Botany Flash Cards $8.00 $9.00 $10.00 $ Extra Botany Lab Sheets $8.00 $9.00 $10.00 $Color Unit Study $17.95 $19.95 $21.95 $Flower Arranging & Wreaths $14.95 $16.95 $18.95 $Goat Unit Study $13.95 $15.95 $17.95 $Library Unit Study $19.95 $21.95 $23.95 $Microscope Adventure! $17.95 $19.95 $21.95 $Extra Microscope Lab Sheets $8.00 $9.00 $10.00 $Photography Unit Study $14.95 $16.95 $18.95 $Poultry Unit Study $15.95 $17.95 $19.95 $Sheep Unit Study $13.95 $15.95 $17.95 $Spider Unit Study $17.95 $19.95 $21.95 $Turtles Unit Study $15.95 $17.95 $19.95 $Turtles Activity Pack - Older $8.00 $9.00 $10.00 $Turtles Activity Pack - Younger $8.00 $9.00 $10.00 $Victorian Sewing $15.95 $17.95 $19.95 $Volunteer Unit Study $19.95 $21.95 $23.95 $

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