February 2007
February 28, 2007
Review of The Mommy Manual
Mary has a review of The Mommy Manual at Owlhaven. Thanks, Mary! And, btw, we have more than being megamoms in common - I'm guilty of dog ears in books, too!...1:12 PM in Books | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Beginning work on a new book
I woke up this morning at 5:00 am, when I had to turn on the light and start scribbling notes for my next book, which has been hanging out in the back of my mind for four months or so. First, let me explain something - writers get hooked into...1:01 PM in Books, Writing | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Back to basics
From the Life Was Once So Simple Department: Cooking: Terms and What They MeanAdd to My Profile | More Videos Sigh. Maddy always says she was born too late - that this was her era. And though the elites scoff at the "Leave It to Beaver" days, I really think...12:55 PM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Two Christian writers need prayer
Received these two emails yesterday: Hi friends: I just had some very serious news from Cec Murphey. His home burned down to the ground this morning and his son-in-law was killed in the fire. He sounded shaken, but okay. I told him that I would spread the word for prayer...11:50 AM in Writing | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Yes to Carrots - skin care I like!
I often receive offers of stuff for promotional purposes. But, as I've promised you before, I will not tell you about a product unless I like it and would buy it myself. That makes me happy to be able to report something I've "found" that I really, truly like and...11:40 AM in Product Reviews | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 27, 2007
Joy has little to do with outer circumstances
If you have trouble remembering that, visit Nick Vujicic. Be sure to watch his video and read his story, which begins: About Nick Vujicic A Remarkable Story of God's Grace It says in James 1:2 - "Consider it pure joy, my Brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." ....To...2:20 PM in Disabilities, Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 26, 2007
Mommy Survival Guide - review
Ainslee's Mommy has written a review of The Mommy Survival Guide and I am so grateful as it affirmed that I had done what I set out to do! The book manages to explore topics not often found in Christian parenting books: post partum depression; not controlling, but guiding your...1:31 PM in Books | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 25, 2007
Our family as cars
This may be funny only to people who know our family, but I really have to share it. Daniel has a sticker book from Cars - the Disney movie, which the kids and I saw together and loved. He loves the sticker book so much that he has worn out...3:41 PM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Keeping preschoolers peaceful in the pew
Question from a reader: Barbara, My husband and I would love to keep our growing family with us during the entire worship service. Any suggestions for keeping our preschoolers peaceful in the pew--we have four children 5 and under? It is so fun to learn from other moms. I appreciate...2:18 PM in Preschoolers | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Gotta love this girl!
In the Kids Say the Darndest Things Department: Maddy (13) - who once upon a time confessed that she thought when I took things to the Goodwill that I was actually putting things into a "good well" - whose hero is Doris Day - and who has the most consistently...10:55 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Why I'm blogging on Sunday morning
The view from my office window. Can you see how big those flakes are? Some of them look two inches across! And since I took that picture the visibility has decreased to less than a quarter mile - I can't even see those not-so-distant hills anymore. Yesterday we were...10:33 AM in Family | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Chicken Soup for the Adopted Soul - story call-out
From my Inbox: Chicken Soup for the Adopted Soul Share Your Stories Chicken Soup for the Adopted Soul is collecting true stories sharing the love, laughter, longing, and life events of adopted families. We are eager to read stories written by kids, parents, extended families and friends, recounting tales of...9:44 AM in Writing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Elisabeth Elliot on Jerry Falwell
I subscribe to daily devotions by Elisabeth Elliot in my email. (You can too by going here.) Yesterday's was an interesting one on the discrepancy between worldy standards for "getting ahead" and what is required of us as Christians to make spiritual progress. She had these thoughts on Jerry Falwell...8:36 AM in Media Bias | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 24, 2007
Amazing Grace - anyone seen it yet?
Amazing Grace - the story of Wilbur Wilberforce, who ended the slave trade in Britain - opened Friday. I have read nothing but good reviews of it. Like this one from World Magazine. You can see a preview here. We have been busy with kids' activities and so have...8:59 PM in Movies | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Pampers Discount! Luvs too! ends 2/28
Rerunning this as a reminder - this sale ends Wednesday 2/28. Brenda just wrote: Barbara ~ I just bought a bunch of diapers from Amazon through your site because of a special they are running. I thought others might be interested... If you buy $99 worth of Pampers or Luvs,...8:56 PM in Practical Info | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Got 3 under 3? Need some inspiration?
My good friend Amy - a mother of five under eight who shares her wisdom at Amy's Humble Musings - is doing a series right now on Life with Three Under Three. Lots of ideas and good discussion going on there!...8:39 PM in Mothering, Toddlers | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 23, 2007
I love Netflix!
Wow! It's not often I get an unsolicited email informing me I'll be paying less for something! Dear Barbara, We hope you're enjoying the convenience and selection of Netflix. Our goal has always been to offer a great service at a great value. Well, the great value just got better!...2:24 PM in Movies | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Gardasil - HPV vaccine - get the whole scoop
Let's fact it - in this country, you just have to question when anyone says you need a vaccination or a drug. There is just too much money being made by drug companies who profit from things like obesity and promiscuity. Think about it: everyone makes money - from those...1:09 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack
Is your life perfect? Why pretend?
I've been corresponding for a while with a mother going through difficulties with a son who is on the brink of leaving home - and not in the way his parents would wish. Knowing I have a prodigal son, she wrote me a while back and has kept me up...11:44 AM in Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is the Hand That Rules the World Blessings on the hand of women! Angels guard its strength and grace, In the palace, cottage, hovel, Oh, no matter where the place; Would that never storms assailed it, Rainbows ever gently curled; For the hand...10:32 AM in Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Gardasil: HPV vaccine and parental rights
Moms - I know we're busy, but part of our job as The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (I've run this poem before and will run it this morning too) is to keep an eye on our kids' future. There is an ongoing struggle in this country between parents and...9:43 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBack
February 22, 2007
What about Preschool?
I have a question regarding homeschooling. My oldest (4yrs) is to start PreK this August and the closer it gets, the more I am just so unsure on what to do. I have read several of your books (I think all of them except the Dirty Dancing one :-)) We...10:45 AM in Montessori, Mothering, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBack
Women and resentment
Barbara, Really quick, on a serious note...I so enjoyed the book Captivating by John and Stasi Elderedge, especially a chapter entitled "Warrior Princesses"... One section that ministered life to me was concerning how the enemy loves to attack relationships: "Another common enemy that often is at work in women's relationships...9:58 AM in Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 21, 2007
For some, life is sacred when it's somewhere else
I am busy thinking today :) But my friend Mel has an absolutely brilliant thought that will take you only a minute to read. Go here for her insight into the weirdness of our acceptance of abortion....9:27 AM in Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 19, 2007
Time magazine cover story: Pregnancy Resource Centers
I haven't read Time magazine for years - too biased for my taste. But my friend Robin sent me this alert: Pregnancy Resource Centers attract major publicity by appearing on the cover of the February 26th edition of Time Magazine and in the article titled “The Grassroots Abortion War.”...9:54 AM in Current Affairs, Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Feeling Grateful for you all
[Note: I published this yesterday without the pictures. Because of the discussion at Shannon's Rocks in My Dryer, I thought I might be the only mom who felt like I didn't want to restrict my life in that way. But Tara spontaneously wrote me BTW—I’d be happy to have you...8:19 AM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 18, 2007
Devotions for toddlers and preschoolers
Hi Barbara. I love your blog. I read it every day. Since you are a veteran and I admire you, I wanted to ask you something. Can you recommend a book to read with my almost 2 year old and 3 1/2 year old? I'd like to do some of...5:00 PM in Preschoolers | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Mother needs help with out-of-control preschooler
Dear Barbara, I am a 29 year old working mother and wife. I work 4 days a week and 1 to 2 weekends a month. I am fortunate that my Husband works a more flexible schedule and is able to help a lot with our 3.5 year old son. The...4:29 PM in Mothering, Preschoolers | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBack
Creighton Model Fertility System
Received this from a reader and wanted to pass it on for anyone who might be interested or who has tried this method and can share her results: Hi Barbara: I've been chewing through the Mommy Survival Guide and like it very much. I especially appreciate that you made the...8:17 AM in Health | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 16, 2007
Beautiful free illustrations
Thanks again to Kari at Healed Waters for sharing this with us: There are scores of beautiful illustrations from old Bible readers - all old enough to now be in public domain (not subject to copyright laws) at LaVista Church of Christ's website. You might want to bookmark the site...10:54 PM in Art | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Inspirational video for dads (and moms too!)
Forwarded to me by my friend Gloria in California: To a child, love is spelled time...10:44 PM in Fathers, Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Reader Q & A - Talkative preschooler
Also, how do you get/teach a VERY, VERY verbal almost-4 yr. old to stop talking for awhile? Sometimes my husband and/or I just need a piece of quiet, and he just won't stop talking!!! Here's my two cents - but feel free to add your own if you have experience...10:30 PM in Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Tripp's favorite cowboy movies to watch with the kids
Question from Katherine: Can you mention a list of the old westerns that your husband has enjoyed with the kids? :-) From my hubby: Here are a few...there are many more The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance The Cowboys The Man from Laramie Winchester 63 Rio Bravo Shane High Noon...10:24 PM in Movies | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Lenten Blog Carnival
Jessica at Homemaking through the Church Year is hosting a Lenten Blog Carnival The carnival is scheduled to go live on Ash Wednesday (February 21st, this year), and that means that for your post to be included (and for me not to go nuts putting it together), all posts need...3:52 PM in Holidays | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Chesterton on Domesticity
When domesticity, for instance, is called drudgery, all the difficulty arises from a double meaning in the word. If drudgery only means dreadfully hard work, I admit the woman drudges in the home, as a man might drudge at the Cathedral of Amiens or drudge behind a gun at Trafalgar....3:32 PM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Clear the ice from your car before hitting the road!!
A warning from the Loudoun County Sheriff: Loudoun County, Virginia- The Sheriff’s Office is reminding motorists to clear ice and snow from their vehicles before heading out onto area roadways. The agency has worked several incidents over the past several days where ice has flown off a vehicle and crashed...3:29 PM in Practical Info | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
An icy paradise outside, keeping cozy with the kids
We waited a long time for a real snow this year in northern Virginia. It finally happened Wednesday. The kids came home from school two hours early. They've been home ever since. It wasn't that there was a lot of snow - it was only a few inches. But then...3:09 PM in Family | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Black candidates, leftist prejudice and media manipulation
In the comments on the soldier putting the orphan to sleep there were two comments I'd like to address: Tears in my eyes... how tender. :) On a different note - what - you don't think Barack Obama is a good candidate for president? How dare you - he's Oprah's...8:52 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack
February 14, 2007
Kids and sexual safety
Hi Barbara. I am homeschooling mom of 4, my oldest being a specials needs guy. I enjoy reading your blog when I get the chance. I think I remember you recommending a video or two for teaching your children about stranger danger. Am I right? I can't remember what your...6:21 PM in Current Affairs, Mothering | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack
From KSMilkmaid
Working my way through my Inbox in between everything else. This from KSMilkmaid made me smile: Barbara: I stopped in the Chrisitian book store today. Someone recommended that I get inspired by a dead theologian named George Mueller. I searched high and low for a title on Mueller. Went from...5:50 PM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Valentines light displays
This morning I was bemoaning the growing commercialization of holidays - how now Christmas is not the only season for house decorating, but Halloween and even Easter (Spring in PC terms) were vying for decorating dollars. I wondered if Valentines Day would be far behind. Lo and behold, this fresh...5:33 PM in Holidays | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A side of our army the MSM never shows us
MSM = mainstream media - you know, those out-of-touch pretty people who are telling us the next presidential election has only two viable candidates: a completely inexperienced young man whose only qualification seems to be the color of his skin and a power-hungry woman who's leaned socailist all her life...5:22 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack
God is so good to each of us
This just in from my friend Robin, who lives in the political battleground of northern California (only 2% Christian) and who endures undeserved hatred and hostility simply because she runs a Pregnancy Resource Center to help pregnant women who could benefit more from love and encouragement than abortion: The unfailing...2:59 PM in Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Loudoun County Schools closed?
*************February 1, 2008 Update!!!*************** No, this isn't the official site for LCPS school closing - this is just the most frequent blogger in Loudoun County - Megamom Barbara Curtis, mother of 12. But, since you asked, LCPS just released this: Monday, February 13: Loudoun County Public Schools are officially...2:55 PM in Loudoun County | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Busy day - mentally and physically
Lindsey said: "Blessings to you for taking a bold step." Thanks Lindsey - just want you all to understand that I haven't been avoiding political commentary out of fear for what people would think of me - I'm an ENTJ, after all :) I just write as I feel led,...2:42 PM in Current Affairs, Family | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Thanks anyway - but I will not be censored or patronized
Interesting that since I posted that I’d be sharing a little more about my take on political issues/current events, I've started getting "helpful" comments from people who've never had a helpful or encouraging word to say here - comments warning me to stay within certain parameters or telling me flat...11:04 AM in Blogging, Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (24) | TrackBack
Valentine's Day
As usual, Dean Abbott is Inspired by a True Story - Remembering Valentine Thanks, Dean! Here is more (inspired by Dean's research): Valentinus, a priest in Rome and a physician, was beheaded there under Claudius the Goth on February 14 and buried on the Flaminian Way, where a basilica was...9:29 AM in Holidays | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Encouraging a work ethic in children with Down syndrome - or any children, for that matter
Daniel is #11 of our 12. I've told the story before of how we came to adopt him. For those new to this site, we have four boys with Down syndrome - one by birth and three by adoption. The cool thing about having four is that we truly understand...8:21 AM in Adoption, Big families, Down syndrome, Family, Montessori, Mothering, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Writers Conferences
From my Inbox this morning: Delaware Christian Writers Conference April 19 - 21, 2007 University of Delaware Conference Center (40 minutes from Phila. airport) More info here I will be teaching once again at Mount Hermon Writers Conference March 30 - April 3 Santa Cruz Mountains (30 minutes from SFO)...7:50 AM in Writing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Movie Trivia - The Wilhelm Scream
Brought to you courtesy my son Zach, whose Quiz Bowl Team recently won a southern tournament for Liberty University: The Wilhelm Scream, the tale of a 1954 Hollywood scream which now appears with great regularity in films - kind of a running inside joke. You can hear the scream in...7:16 AM in Movies | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 13, 2007
Mommy Blog Revolution
While writing that last post I began hearing the Jefferson Airplane in the background (of my mind) singing "Start a Revolution' ("Volunteers" is the actual title) Some of you may be going, the Jefferson who? Or maybe you remember your parents listening to them. Yeah, well I never thought...8:52 AM in Blogging, Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack
Mommy Blogs replacing morning TV
What cheerful news! From the Los Angeles Times: Wake-up call to a.m. news: moms tuning out Morning broadcast shows, once a staple for women, are seeing audiences shrink as news sources multiply. By Matea Gold, February 9, 2007 NEW YORK — When her children were young, Jenny Lauck used...7:13 AM in Blogging | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack
February 12, 2007
Readers' Forum: Personality Types and Family Size
Hi Barbara, My husband and I have been going back and forth about having a large family for a few years now. I ordered A Full Quiver from you last year, read it, and believed in my head that it made sense to leave things up to God. But,...2:02 PM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (26) | TrackBack
February 10, 2007
24 - when the left hates it, you know it ROCKS!
I became a 24 fan last year. Having never watched the show, I brought home the first season boxed DVDs and was hooked. Now caught up with all five seasons, I'm on real Jack Bauer time for his sixth bad day. I could write a lengthy essay but I'd...11:10 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack
Loudoun County or northern Virginia readers?
Mommy Life is up to 2500 visits a day. Of course, some of those are people stumbling in through googling things like "boys' haircuts" or "children's table and chairs" or "laundry room photos" :) or "potty training." Sitemeter tracks where visits come from and how long they last. Here's an...8:30 AM in Loudoun County | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBack
February 9, 2007
Free Dover coloring pages and activities
Hi Barbara, I just wanted share something with you that I came across today. I have been on the lookout for some Dover coloring books since seeing them in your Barbara's Picks' section. Today I happened to stumble across a website that advertised free Dover coloring pages. You can sign...10:06 PM in Fun Stuff, Practical Info, Preschoolers | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
For parents of kids with learning disabilities
My friend Gloria from California passed this site on to me - it looks like a good resource for parents dealing with IEP's: Schwab Learning : A Parent's Guide to Helping Kids with Learning Difficulties They have hundreds of articles dealing with every aspect of life with a kid with...8:48 PM in Disabilities | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Pictures and words of hope
My dad just sent me a bunch of inspirational photos and I tracked them down to this site Words4Ever where I clicked on wallpapers and came up with this lovely image for my desktop: (when you find an image you want, you just right click on your mouse and then...11:41 AM in Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Help!!
Okay, we're putting the finishing touches on Mommy, Teach Me! and I need to get in touch with those of you who sent me pictures for possible inclusion in this book. However, I can't find my list of who sent me the pictures. Here are the pictures we will be...10:39 AM in Books | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack