Carlyn

my stair steps!! luther and pearl are still telling me happy mother's day everyday :) luther knows how much i love pictures so they sat still and smiled(with lots of help from aunt catherine) while i tooks these pictures of them at the botanical gardends today. luther told me it was for mother's day. man, i love these kids!! they bring me as much joy as they bring me work and that is a whole lot!!

I get lots of questions about how we do family worship at our house.  So, I thought I would just describe what we do.  We do family worship mostly every evening, unless the kids are up way past their bedtime(7pm) for some good reason (like prayer group on Wednesday nights).   We have tried different locations and times, but what we have found that works best is right before bed in Luther and Pearl’s room. We(typically James) reads the kids a Bible story, discussing it and asking them questions along the way to make sure they understand the main principles. They must sit and listen to the story.  They are not allowed to have any toys or get up and play.  Calvin sits in my lap and the kids sit on either side of James so they can see the book.   We ask them more questions and answer any questions they have at the end of the story.   Then we pray.  James first and then kids usually pray too.  We don’t make them pray if they don’t ...

Breastfeeding has been a huge part of my life for almost 5 years(14 months with Luther, 15 months with Pearl and I am on the 10th month with Calvin and still counting).  With Luther, I had a lot of problems in the beginning and that caused me to do a ton research on breastfeeding.  I read lots of books and info on the web, talked with many of other mommies about their experiences (including my own mommy), and worked with several different lactation consultants. Armed with knowledge, I was actually able to see what info was helpful using trial and error.  With Pearl and then Calvin, I was able to prevent all of the problems I had had with Luther and resolve new challenges my own. I have friends come to me with questions on the subject often and I have realized that I have a lot of help to offer.  So, I have sorted through all of the info and come up with what I think you really need to know in the beginning.  The first few days and weeks really make or break...