August 2006
August 30, 2006
Guerrilla Parenting
It's been a year and a half since I ran this series. There is so much stuff buried in my archives and I have so many new readers - and especially since we're on the subject of big families - I thought I ought to give you these links:...4:49 PM in Big families, Mothering, Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (5)
So long to family planning
It doesn't get much better than this. A comment on our latest discussion on big families from a regular reader: okay, you all have me crying....(pregnancy hormones maybe?) God is so good...just this last year have i come to know this blog, have i bought a few books, have i...4:20 PM in Big families, Fathers, Mothering, Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (3)
Book Sale - last day
Today is the last day of my Book Sale - 1 for 10. / 3 for 25. Details here. thanks to all of you who ordered books. Hope you enjoy them! And any of you who are reading/have read my books, please take a minute to post a review...11:46 AM in Books | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 29, 2006
Diet Update
I've lost 65 pounds. I'm feeling positively svelte - although I'm definitely far from it still. But I am loving how much more free and easy I feel inside my skin - able to move quickly and not feeling like a ponderous mass of flesh. I'm also very aware...7:29 PM in Diet | Permalink | Comments (6)
August 28, 2006
My books in Loudoun County Library
The Loudoun County Public Library has now acquired my books. See their database. And if any of you out there happen to think of it while you're at your library, please check to see if they have my books and if not ask them to get them. Thanks!...9:45 PM in Books | Permalink | Comments (1)
How we're spending the tail end of summer
School starts next Tuesday for these guys, but we're keeping them busy. I found these wooden birdhouses at Michael's for under $3. Big Sis Sophia - or Fee-ya as the boys call her - got them outside painting last week. She follows my philosophy of letting the kids paint them...8:22 PM in Down syndrome, Family | Permalink | Comments (5)
Are kids from big families disadvantaged?
In response to my blog last week concerning liberals making themselves extinct by disdaining procreation, I received this comment from jpe@flashmail.com. Actually, I don't want to have a ton of kids because I'd rather focus my resources on the few I have. Better a well-educated, well-loved one or two than...9:55 AM in Big families, Mothering | Permalink | Comments (33)
August 24, 2006
On a personal note. . . .
(funny picture, huh?) I realize I haven't been talking much about children lately and the thought crossed my mind this morning that maybe I should set out today to write something directly about kids. But then I realized that it makes sense that I haven't written about children here...9:12 AM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (2)
When you doubt your church
Jennifer wrote this as a comment, but I thought I’d move it up where everyone would be sure to read it. I'd love to hear your comments too. Hi Barbara, I've been reading your blog for months now and have never commented. But thank you!! Your posts are often thought-provoking,...8:14 AM in Church Issues | Permalink | Comments (5)
August 22, 2006
I told you so!
I've been saying for years that liberals - with their affinity for abortion and lack of interest in procreating - were making themselves extinct. This is from today's Wall Street Journal The Fertility Gap: Liberal politics will prove fruitless as long as liberals refuse to multiply. by Arthur C. Brooks...10:22 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (5)
Christian materialism and greed - Take 2
Sarah wrote this as a comment, but I think it raises some important questions: Barbara, Thank you for writing about Christian materialism & greed. We moved to a small town about three years ago and started attending a church that we finally figured out was preaching the "prosperity" message....2:23 PM in Church Issues | Permalink | Comments (0)
Fan Mail
Received this encouraging word with a book order: I just want to thank you for the time you devote to your blog. Is is a great encouragment to me. I have two little girls (ages 26 mo and 6mo) and I have to say, with each one we've had the...12:59 PM in Big families, Disabilities, Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (2)
Guess I'm on the right track!
You scored as Journalism. You are an aspiring journalist, and you should major in journalism! Like me, you are passionate about writing and expressing yourself, and you want the world to understand your beliefs through writing.Philosophy100%English100%Mathematics100%Journalism100%Psychology92%Linguistics83%Sociology83%Theater67%Anthropology42%Engineering42%Dance33%Art33%Chemistry0%Biology0%What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3)created with QuizFarm.com I just can't figure...11:28 AM in Fun Stuff | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 21, 2006
My books on sale
Okay, I'm running a little short this month and so I'm offering my books for sale at a better price than Amazon. If you've been wanting to buy a book or two and putting it off, now's your chance! First, you need to know that authors don't get their...8:02 PM in Books | Permalink | Comments (5)
The PTA: now just another politcal tool
For years I have refused to join the PTA. When I give as a reason that the PTA is too political, people look at me like I'm crazy. That's because they're thinking of the good ol' traditional PTA - established as a parents group to support teachers. Nowadays the PTA...3:58 PM in Current Affairs, Public schools | Permalink | Comments (2)
Book meme
TulipGirl tagged me for this meme - which I shouldn't be doing because I'm supposed to be finishing a book. Just couldn't resist because - well, because I love books and people asking me questions about books. 1. One book that changed your life: The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori....2:25 PM in Books | Permalink | Comments (2)
Time to move
We are embarking on another adventure - selling our house and moving. Several reasons: Financial downsizing - Tripp is working too hard to subsidize this house. We'd rather have him than the house. I've been thinking a lot lately about materialism and greed (click here for more) and understanding how...10:17 AM in Family, Loudoun County | Permalink | Comments (8)
August 19, 2006
Camp Easter Seals
Here's the story of our big adventure at Camp Easter Seals. In addition to running camps for kids with all sorts of disabilities, they finish the season with a special Down Syndrome Family Camp each year. There were about 14 families there this year and we met some great people...5:54 PM in Down syndrome, Family | Permalink | Comments (11)
What do you have to do to get off Planned Parenthood's mailing list?
Am I the only person in the world who receives mail from the Planned Parenthood and Focus on the Family? The ACLU and the AFA? [Note: a reader thought I meant that I was against all four of these organizations. I guess I was a little unclear. I meant the...3:22 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (3)
Good touch/bad touch - Teaching kids to be safe
A reader recently asked me about teaching young children about good touch/bad touch - our modern euphemistic approach to sexual abuse. The problem of sexual predators has only gotten worse since the proliferation of obscene material on the Internet. Sadly, the technology which has blessed us in so many ways...11:44 AM in Mothering, Resources | Permalink | Comments (3)
Diet Update
Here is the lowdown on my diet: I started February 2 and lost 55 pounds in four months on the Fat Flush Diet - being very strict: no caffeine, no diet sodas, nothing off the diet. Since June 2 I've been slacking. Still dieting and eating less - no...11:24 AM in Diet | Permalink | Comments (2)
August 18, 2006
I'm home!
Home from a week at Easter Seals Family Camp with Jesse, Daniel and Justin - a day early because Ben and Zach were leaving tonight to go back to school and I wanted to hug them good-bye. Sweet boys - I love them more every day. Doing laundry and answering...11:41 PM in Family | Permalink | Comments (6)
August 13, 2006
Parenting Q&A
Hi Barbara. I was wondering how (and if) you go about encouraging sibling relationships? I have two daughters, ages 4 and 2. They get along pretty well most of the time, but sometimes they are downright mean to each other. I spend time telling them how important sibling relationships are,...8:00 AM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (15)
August 12, 2006
Diet Talk
Been browsing sites of other dieters. It is SO motivating to see before and after pictures, don't you think? I don't have time right now to list a bunch, but start with Good Houskeeping Success Stories Oprah's Incredible Weight Loss Stories (click on Gallery under Amazing Transformations) Hey, that's...3:03 PM in Diet | Permalink | Comments (4)
News flashes on teen behavior
Those who think teens should have the right to abortions - especially without their parents' consent - really ought to think again: From Teens Cope with Unwanted Pregnancies Better than Abortions, Study Shows Bowling Green, OH (LifeNews.com) -- A new study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence refutes...8:54 AM in Teens and Tweens | Permalink | Comments (3)
August 11, 2006
Sweet Baby James Update
Remember James, the little boy with Down syndrome from China who needed a home? Well, a lot of people do. I know because I get email requesting updates. I spoke to a rep at A Helping Hand agency yesterday. She said that since the hundreds of phone calls and...10:03 AM in Adoption | Permalink | Comments (3)
No lions or tigers, but bears - oh my!
Though I live less than half an hour from Dulles Airport, at night I can drive the last 10 minutes to my house without seeing another car. And as I mentioned in the previous post, we have a huge deer population here, so I'm used to dodging them. But bears?...9:55 AM in Loudoun County | Permalink | Comments (4)
Another reason I love Virginia - or How Sophia got her License
I love Virginia. Especially after 30 years of living in California with all the "freedom" that so captivated me in the 70's and 80's - which was really all about freedom from morality and traditional values, not true political freedom at all. While that was originally what drew this hippie...9:51 AM in Family, Loudoun County | Permalink | Comments (5)
August 8, 2006
What every kid needs to know
My last Close to Home column - 500 words every other week on page A2 of the Loudoun Times- Mirror What Every Kid Needs to Know – and Parents Need to Teach Since sitting through yet another community theater performance marred by an out-of-control child and an overly indulgent mom...1:25 PM in Mothering, Toddlers | Permalink | Comments (1)
Teaching kids contrition
I wrote this article a lo-o-o-ong time ago and it has been published in print magazines, but right now it's at Christian Women Today. It deals with helping kids overcome bad habits/sin in their lives and teaching them a pattern for the future. I hope you find it useful. Five...1:01 PM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 7, 2006
Suzanne's laundry question
Suzanne at Just a Bunch of Nothin' today asks the burning question: Is it better to do laundry every day or pile it up and use ONE entire day to do it? The reason it's an issue today is because I am doing laundry yet again.....and Micaela said today that...8:21 PM in Practical Info | Permalink | Comments (10)
August 5, 2006
Question of the day
Why should I have to press "1" for English?????????? So aggravating. My heritage is Irish and Italian, two groups who faced prejudice when they landed here (for the scoop on the Irish, see here; for the scoop on Italians, see here). But the whole point was to live in a...12:45 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (16)
Dallas in October
I'm planning a trip to Dallas October 27-29 and thought before I made my reservations I'd see if anyone down that way would like to have me come speak around that time. If so, I would come earlier or stay later to fit that in. Just let me know...12:27 PM in Family | Permalink | Comments (2)
August 4, 2006
my next book
Just received the cover art for my next book: This is the book that's coming out in December - not the books I am working on right now for summer 2007. If you think you're confused. . . ....9:58 AM in Books | Permalink | Comments (26)
August 3, 2006
How nerdy are you? Plus some book news
HT Cartoon Living Ah, you can tell I'm desperately coming up for air in between writing. For those keeping track, I turned in Mommy, Teach Me! August 1, the actual due date. Is that cool or what? The only thing is that the second book Mommy, Teach Me to...1:54 PM in Fun Stuff | Permalink | Comments (6)
August 2, 2006
Why I know this will be my last diet
I told you all earlier I'm working on a book on dieting - not a specific diet plan, but my thoughts on how to make any diet your last. It will take a long time to go through the process - get a contract, finish and see it in...The Protestant church turned its back on the pro-life position long ago
I mentioned during the editing process of Reaching the Left from the Right that my editors were not comfortable with the portion of my book having to do with the selfishness of birth control and the part which established why I thought the church's acceptance of birth control was the...7:16 PM in Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (12)
August 1, 2006
If you laugh when it's this hot can anyone hear it?
Did you know that the guy who does the Dilbert cartoon has a blog? Not that I read the Dilbert cartoon, but he does have a funny way of putting things in words: Wedding Day Heat Wave Speaking of heat waves, it's supposed to be 99 degrees here but Weather...5:12 PM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (3)
Hypothetical Question - Take 2
Paige, I'm sorry! I didn't know where you were coming from (Hypothetical Question of the Day) - you so often ask the hard questions (in fact, I know there's one I promised to blog about but I want to spend some time on it, so I've been postponing - but...12:13 PM in Church Issues, Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (12)
Need your prayers
I feel a little silly asking for prayer for this, but I just don't know what else to do. My son Jesse is 11 with Down syndrome is visually impaired and really needs glasses to see. Unfortunately, he also has sensory issues - meaning he doesn't like things touching...9:32 AM in | Permalink | Comments (15)
Children's book recommendations
Hi! I have been reading your blog off and on for a few months now. I was wondering if you could recommend some chapter books to read aloud to my children. They are three and five. Although a million picture books come to mind (see Barbara's Picks on the...9:20 AM in Books, Homeschooling, Preschoolers | Permalink | Comments (12)
Hypothetical question of the day
From a reader: From what I have gathered reading your blog you are very much a Republican. Many Republicans reject the idea of full openness to life (that even excludes nfp) because it is considered more of a priority to be fiscally responsible with the government's money. So my...8:43 AM in Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (10)
