Ester have you read a Pearl book? When i did, I absolutely could see how someone can take it & beat their child to the point of death. The author needs to take some responsibility for saying if your child doesn't yield to your will, keep whipping him, b/c he surely will not die from it. The fact of the matter is, children have died from it.

The Pearls describe 1 yr old babies having a "spirit of rebellion" & "their flesh needs self-discipline" - so if the baby wants her toy or just simply wants to play on the floor instead of sitting on your lap - then you must "teach them how to deny the flesh" -(No Greater Joy II Pages 2-5). On page 8 of "TTUAC" Pearl talks about switching his 5 month old baby on the legs for going up the stairs Page 36: "If God's love is expressed in the whippings he give us [all believers] then can we not love our children enough to chasten them unto holiness?" I am so sickened by the theology of the Pearls & the way they twist scripture to substantiate their need to whip children...you cannot whip someone into holiness...and NO, God does NOT spank us.

Grimm!!!!!

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and you know what?- just let him have those emotions. There is nothing wrong with a 3yr old having a huge reaction to a boundary or rule. What's wrong is if he's allowed to continue to do what he wants b/c your're too afraid of it. I had to learn this b/c my son is very intense with his emotions. Don't be afraid of your 3yr old's HUGE EMOTIONS. And you are doing the right thing by holding him, even a gentle restraint if need be while he has his meltdown. 3 yrs old was a very hard year for us - but it will get better! Also, mine was a runner & as much as I hated to admit it, I needed one of those monkey leash thingy's for him. And it taught him to stay close to mama. Sometimes it's about prevention until they are ready to comprehend "don't run into the street"

getting off your butt does not always mean "physically make them do it" . Getting off your butt means asking yourself if what you are expecting is age appropriate & if not - handle it in a different way that IS age appropriate. GOYB means figuring out a way that your child WILL respond to. GOYB means actively getting to know your child & using phrases or actions that he will follow. If I told my 3 year old to "pick up your toys" - he'd probably say "I can't!!" & GOYB does not mean that I then get up & physically make him pick each toy up...no GOYB means I get up, use some playful parenting ("let me see how you put the red truck up on that shelf...or let's play drive the trains into the basket") etc. Or actually help him put all the toys away together b/c , depending on the amount of toys out - it can be too overwhelming for a 3 year old to pick it up all by himself. And GOYB parenting for the next play session is to limit the amount of toys he's allowed to get out.

I don't know if this has already been said. But I put kosher salt, pepper, and olive oil on mine. Then I thinly slice fresh garlic & mix it all together & roast it in an oven , 400 degrees, for like 30 min depending on how much you have. It's totally awesome!

I have not read all 6 pages. I do have a husband who is a believer & will not currently attend church. I used to nag him, then I joined him in not going - but my heart kept longing to be with other believers. So I started going again & started getting back into the Word & joined a bible study. I can say that when I start to grow closer to the Lord, I become increasingly lonely as it relates to my marriage. I'm on this journey & I want my husband to join me. I feel a great sense of loss. However, I've learned that I cannot nag him into going. I don't discuss it with him. For special occasions & services that I'm involved in or our son is in, he will go to them. But other than that, I don't discuss going with him at all. Besides, I want him to go b/c he is making the decision for himself - not b/c i'm guilting him into it. My son goes with me & there have been times when he says he wants to stay home with daddy...occasionally I'll let him - but other times I've told him no, that he is going with me. All I can do is pray for God to draw his heart back to Him.

the reality is expository also leaves room for a pastor to interpret according to his opinion. I don't think one is better then the other - I just found going from a topic style to expository a nice change. I do agree though, that bible study groups (the right ones) are more important to me. I'm actually becomming increasingly annoyed with our modern sunday service format....

expository is all our pastor does & I've been there for 2 years now. Most all my life, I've only heard topic sermons. It was quite refreshing to hear straight text from the bible.

I always scratch my head when I hear a wife say she doesn't know how she's going to cope with her husband gone - & then find out he was gone for a weekend!! I just live in a different world. Where my dh is gone a lot & I can't come with him. I am glad when he tells me he'll be back in 2 weeks b/c that's a short trip.

agree to the 1000th %. :)

we started it in Sept. Know that the Language arts stuff starts out pretty s.l.o.w. We actually don't do all the days of phonics. When your child already knows the letter names, it gets a little old to do the beginning stuff. We mainly stick to the vowel ladder chart & my son has done really well learning how to blend cvc combinations. So we're at a good place with it now. But I'm also thinking of adding in another phonics program. We also do Explode the Code books for handwriting, b/c the handwriting in MFW is lacking IMO. I have no idea if we're keeping with MFW for 1st grade or not...I'll let you know. Oh - also, don't think you're alone if you get totally baffled at the layout in the teacher's manual. Yes, once you start doing it , it's easy to understand...but I was sooo confused when I was trying to plan out the first few weeks.

I would teach my daughter about "how" to be a stay at home mom - just incase she becomes one. I would also encourage her to either go to college or have some sort of trade before she gets married.

ds 6 told me the other day he wants to be a dairy farmer.

It's not about being a "better Christian". It's about continually growing in the knowledge & grace of Jesus. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord & Savior, then His blood has perfected you. From there, it's about growth - which I see is what you're asking about. Commentaries can be helpful. But, really, you can be at home reading all you can, however you cannot fully grow until you are part of a body of believers. If you read the entire new testament, I don't think you could come away with that NOT understand that Jesus calls us to assemble together with other believers. So keep looking for a church.

Someone had given me this book "Homeschooling Only One" by Donna Conner. I was needing some assurance that everything was going to be okay & that i could homeschool an only. This woman shares her personal story of homeschooling her only son. She also talks a lot about her homeschool co-op she & her son were involved in. It helped give both of them a social outlet. Anyway, there are challenges of just having an only. And when you homeschool an only, people do have this attitude that "oh , he must be sooo lonely" (b/c he has no brothers or sister to play with either). My son is 6. So I've always felt it's my job to get out there & build relationships not only for my sanity , but for my son's social needs. I've been very blessed to find a few solid friends & we get together almost weekly for playdates. We also are in 2 co-ops. We also go to church 2x a week.

I put other. I generally do have him put shoes on...however, if he's in a certain part of the yard, he is allowed to take them off.

yes!! I do, & everyone knows to leave me alone! :D

I understand! I lived on base for 2 years & that was it. I don't like the scrutiny either. I LOVE living as far from base as possible! :lol:

It doesn't bother me to see kids do it. Mine will still do it & I just have him wash his hands after. I do give him a tissue & have him blow - but I don't make it a big deal. I do instruct him not to do it in public. I also read a similar article about booger eating & boosting the immune system & it makes sense to me - so I dont' worry about the habit too much.

I agree with the other poster about processing the death of his friend. I've seen my own son , who is 6yrs, process death. It comes in waves - calm, then the storm & back & forth. Also, he is in a half age - so he is experiencing disequalibrium. He's out of sorts. Half ages are the hardest time for children.

I dont think it's a big deal. To me, it shows that a good teacher doesn't mean they need a bunch of credentials or high test scores. I don't, & I think I'm a fine teacher!:)

I use xylitol or agave syrup. I don't use any artificial sweeteners (like Splenda). That's it. I don't eat sweets anymore - it's just easier to get it all out of my life.

I'm sorry for what you all are going through. I don't think I'd want my sister watching my mom though - she sounds mean & I don't know that she'd take good care of her.