Raspberry Season

What do kids do better than adults?

When I read these in a Parenting magazine I had a good laugh and just had to share them with you. Which is your favorite?

• Have fun! All grown-ups do is sit around while kids play in the park. (5 year old)
• Get a treat for pooping in the potty. (2 year old)
• Blow bubbles in milk. (3 year old)
• We are much better puddle jumpers. (5 year old)
• Hang upside down. My mommy sometimes wears a dress, and if she hug upside down, you would see her underwear. You do not want to see my mommy's underwear. (5 year old)

Look what I forgot....

How could I forget to show you these photos from a visit we had last week?

And this one... was just too cute! Jonathan was "helping" me sweep the front porch.

A Day of Rest

"Too many of us hold to the myth that fatigue is next to godliness. We act as though we believe that God wants us to work until we drop and that only when we drop can we take a break and recover. After our restoration we're back to the insane performance once again.

"Here's a news flash: GOD HIMSELF RESTED. (Genesis 2:2) If God willingly rested, why do we think we shouldn't?

Give yourself permission to rest." Taken from The Mom's Devotional Bible

Pillow Fights

Who Does He Look Like?

I don't know. Mom has declared he looks just like his daddy.

Granny John is determined to prove he looks like my baby pictures.

(Can you tell we love light?)

Could he look like his cousin?

I found the following in my email this morning from Parental Rights. Sometimes I wonder if the Convention on the Rights of the Child is for real. Unfortunately it is!

"According to a UNESCO statement from some years ago, 'It is often the family that infects the children with extreme nationalism.'
A love for one's country is to be treated like some kind of disease, lest it hinder the goal of 'peace at all costs.'
Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the government is obligated to ensure that children are 'brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations.' "

Visit www.parentalrights.org for more information. And call your Congressmen ad Senators and ask them to cosponsor the Parental Rights Amendment.

Five Months- Already?

Sometimes it feels like Jonathan has always been here. Other times it seems like he's only been with us... five months! Here's some recent photos.

Just Take My Check and No One Gets Hurt!

For years, I have enjoyed reading Mary Hunt's books ad newsletters. This week, the following story appeared in her e-letter. I'm right there with you, Mary!

Call me old fashioned, but I like my humble checkbook. You know, it's that pad
of paper curiously the same size and shape as currency. On this pad are paper
checks, which allow me to pay for things by filling in the blanks and signing my
name.Recently, I stopped into a store in my neighborhood to pick up treats for
my grand-pets. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for a certain mixed-terrier named Gromit
and a burly bulldog named Newkie.I wrote a check for the purchase, and handed it
to the clerk, who proceeded to do all kinds of things with machines and keypads.
Finally, she handed me a pen and a long piece of receipt paper filled with tiny
print that I recognized as Terms and Conditions. She instructed me to "sign
here."What? I wasn't making a credit or debit purchase. This was a check. I
responded to her request by saying no, I wasn't going to sign this paper because
I signed my check. I offered my photo ID, reiterating that one signature would
be all she needed.She responded by calling her manager from some far flung
corner of the store, which made me feel like a problem customer. The boss
disgustedly informed me that this was the new store policy. All checks are now
handled as "electronic checks" on the spot. They are processed by TeleCheck,
which guarantees the transaction (and charges the store a hefty fee for the
service, no doubt). By signing this second document I would, in fact, give
TeleCheck permission to reach into my account and take the purchase amount as I
stood there. The boss went on to say that my check would be paid on the spot,
and they would actually give it back to me as my receipt.I am not totally
foreign to this new procedure. It happened to me once before and was so shocking
that I went along with it. Later, I regretted not saying anything. I wasn't so
keen on the whole idea this time, either. I felt manipulated. Because I did not
produce a debit card to pay for my purchase, this store policy was about to
force me into a debit transaction anyway.I asked for my check back and added
that I would simply go to the really big pet store just a few blocks away.
Apparently, I said the magic words. All of a sudden, my check was just fine; no
additional signature was required. They bagged my items and thanked me for
shopping there.As I walked to the car, the only thing I regretted was that I
didn't pay cash. Good old U.S. currency, as maligned as it is these days, would
have saved all of us a lot of hassle, to say nothing of all the processing fees,
something I will definitely keep in mind the next time I reach for my checkbook.

If you liked this article by Mary Hunt, you'll find lots more in the "Everyday Cheapskate" archives,* or subscribe to receive Everyday Cheapskate in your email inbox every weekday.

Hum... you never know though. When Eddie attempted to pay for one of my maternity visits at a large practice we were using at the time, they would not even accept our "good old U.S. currency." Is a cashless society just around the corner? I think so....

"Warriors of Honor"

What did we ever do without Netflix? A couple of years ago, we took a field trip to the post office. I was so surprised when I saw an entire desk dedicated to those red envelopes. Well, once again we found a treasure ... okay, actually husband found the treasure. Our Sunday night movie was just awesome. I think it turned into a worship service. We were so thankful for the godly men that have served this precious country. If you're looking for something to bless your family (especially those young men) check out "Warriors of Honor." http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2005/warriorsofhonor2004.html I believe it will be time well spent.

In Warriors of Honor: The Faith and Legacy of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, documentary filmmaker Brian Barkley chronicles the role that religion played for the two military leaders, while also presenting an in-depth look at the Civil War. During battles, Lee often asked for God's guidance and used his faith to help him make military decisions. Jackson, a deacon at his church, accepted his death from a war injury as God's will.

T.C. Mitts and Fred

Last year I posted about the math program we were starting ( http://kimiskorner.blogspot.com/2008/06/fred-has-arrived.html). Isaac loves it. When he finished his decimals and percents book last week, he informed me that "a day without math is boring." Well, after a phone call to Mr. Stan, I learned that we are going to have to wait till he finishes the next book. He recommended I locate a book called, "The Education of T.C. Mitts." I hate it :-) Here's why- our first problem went like this:

"Suppose you had the choice of the following two jobs:

Job 1: Starting with an annual salary of $1000 and a $200 increase every year.
Job 2: Starting with a semiannual salary of $500, and an increase of $50 every 6 months.

In all other respects, the two jobs are exactly alike. Which is the better offer (after the first year)? Think carefully... and I'll share the answer with you tomorrow.