April 2007
April 29, 2007
Books for boys
The emphasis here is on books of adventure, courage, and heroism that will encourage boys to grow up to strong men, books that kindle the masculine spirit - and that may not be part of what first come to mothers' minds. Hey hon - See comments on Raising Boys....3:55 PM in Books, Boys | Permalink | Comments (24) | TrackBack
I Can Only Imagine
Turn off anything that's playing, take some deep breaths, relax and spend a few minutes here. Maddy came in as I was watching this and said, "Mom, how do we know heaven is real?" and I said "Because God told us." And she said, "Yeah, but how do we really...2:44 PM in Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 28, 2007
Mealtime for baby
Came across this on YouTube: Now, this is a mom with good instincts. Some of us who grew up without younger siblings or poor parenting have to start from scratch to rethink how to do things with our own. Here is what is great about this lunch scenario: 1) Lincoln...10:35 AM in Babies, Montessori, Mothering, Toddlers | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Montessori at home - A prepared environment
No mother has to experience the Terrible Twos. All it takes is understanding and practicing a few Montessori principles to help your child sail gracefully through what can really be a thoroughly delightful and productive stage. My Montessori training took nine months of 9-5. I've written a book called The...7:32 AM in Homeschooling, Montessori, Mothering, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack
April 26, 2007
Samantha's Guatemala adoption journey
I've been keeping you posted on Kip and Samantha's adoption journey. For those new to MommyLife, Samantha is my oldest daughter. She and her husband Kip have five children and are in the process of adopting a baby girl from Guatemala. They are working with a Christian organization that allows...7:56 PM in Adoption, Family | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Advice for older moms?
From my Inbox: I had an oops baby at 45. Had 4 others at the normal age than when my youngest was 17 1/2 I had my 5th. Didn't show until 7 months and didn't know I was pregnant until 7 months. My daughter found out she was pregnant with...2:27 PM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack
50 States affirm belief in God
Do you know the Preamble for your state? Alabama 1901, Preamble: We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution. . . . Alaska 1956, Preamble: We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to...6:09 AM in Current Affairs, Religion | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 25, 2007
Kids by the Dozen
Tracked down the schedule for repeats of the Kids by the Dozen shows on TLC here....1:55 PM in Big families | Permalink | Comments (55) | TrackBack
Melinda Doolittle sings about God on American Idol
I've said before that Christians who write off American Idol are guilty of contempt prior to investigation. Every season the finalists are stacked with Christians because - you know what? - Christians sing more than most people. We grow up singing in church and so we have more practice and...11:49 AM in Current Affairs, Music | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack
Raising boys - great advice from a reader
A longtime reader and friend, Lady Lovas - who's going through what seems to me to be the longest pregnancy on record :) - left such a great comment at my entry on Raising Boys, that I had to make sure everyone read it: Oh, how I love this...10:31 AM in Boys, Mothering | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack
TLC seeking families with 12 or more children - It's a go!
Regarding the TLC search for families with 12 or more children - and the securtiy issues raised in sending your personal family information in without knowing for sure if it was legit - I wrote the producer and received this response: Hi Barbara Thanks for your email. I am a...7:47 AM in Big families | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 24, 2007
Why the hand that rocks the cradle needs a heart and head for news
Moms, I know I've been commenting more than usual on current events. But you all know how I feel: the most important work in this country goes on in your home every day: Raising Your Children That's why it's important for you to understand the world your children are being...8:25 AM in Current Affairs, Mothering | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Why gun control advocates might want to reconsider
Excerpted from Feeling Safer vs. Being Safer by Jack Kelly, April 19, 2007: A fundamental difference between supporters and opponents of gun control is their attitude toward personal responsibility. Liberals tend to offer excuses for the perpetrators of violent acts (he was poor; his mother drank; his daddy beat him),...7:53 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
How I changed my views on gun control
In light of recent events - which gun control advocates are as usual quick to seize on - I thought you might enjoy this article I wrote in response to the Million Mom March. Remember? This was published in the ultra-liberal Marin Independent Journal and later in shortened form in...7:43 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Raising boys
Valerie mentioned that she was reading the chapter in The Mommy Survival Guide that has to do with raising boys. That chapter comes mostly from an article I wrote for Christian Parenting Today in 2001, which you can access by clicking below: The Truth About Boys (and Girls)...7:32 AM in Boys, Mothering | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Greetings from an Irish SAHM
I love how the Internet brings so close together those who would otherwise be worlds apart (or even locked in our laundry rooms next door): Hi Barbara, I just wanted to take a few minutes to encourage you and thank you for the blessing you have been in my life...7:21 AM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Poll Finds Twice as Many Blame Culture as Guns, But ABC Spikes It
This morning's media bias report: ABC News polling chief Gary Langer, in a posting buried on ABCNews.com, revealed that a poll taken Sunday discovered that when "asked the primary cause of gun violence, far more Americans blamed the effects of popular culture (40 percent) or the way parents raise their...7:17 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
TLC seeking families with 12 or more children
This appears to be the real deal. I have verified the information with the producer of the show - see his response here. [Please note: since I posted this, Angie brought up a question about whether or not it is legitimate - a concern since they are asking for so...6:31 AM in Big families | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 23, 2007
American Sign Language - now you can see it demonstrated online
Here's a neat place to look up signs and see them demonstrated: American Sign Language Browser Sent to me by my friend Ann Stewart, who is also a writer and lives a couple miles away as the crow flies. She said: Look up PEACE It's BECOME and SETTLE put...4:18 PM in Disabilities | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Parent - job description
POSITION : Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop JOB DESCRIPTION : Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends...3:51 PM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Spunky on raising sons of valor
From Spunky, filling in the gaps for me: Barbara, There were other heros. Here are just two This article has one very powerful testimony, "In Elementary German, Room 207, students had heard noise outside, but dismissed it as construction racket. The door was closed. Mr. Cho opened it, and before...3:24 PM in Boys | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Loudoun County moms of kindergartners with DS meeting tomorrow
Yes, the boys went back to school last Monday. I realized that they need the routine and specialized help. But I also realized that the school they have been attending has gotten way too comfortable and is simply not delivering on the promises made for inclusion opportunities. Jonny started his...2:44 PM in Disabilities, Down syndrome, Loudoun County | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
What's going on behind the scenes
Here's a personal update: Last week, my dear grandchildren were here while Kip and Samantha flew to Guatemala for the third time in their adoption journey (The first baby they went to meet died the day after Christmas; the second baby was fortunate to have had her mother change her...7:16 AM in Family | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Boy Scouts of America
Another rerun I promised: A few months ago we had Boy Scouts at our church. Jonny fell in love with the uniform and decided he wanted to join. Now he goes to meetings every Monday with the troop and he's made some new friends (I am so grateful that we...6:32 AM in Boys | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Mothering and personality types
I'm going to a wonderful Bible study by Beth Moore - Breaking Free. And btw, if you ever have a chance to go to a Beth Moore Bible study, all I can say is GO! It's a very small group - only 8 of us - so we've done some...6:18 AM in Mothering | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 22, 2007
To be a Virginian
9:08 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
News from Virginia Tech
I spent some time with Ben's girlfriend Anna Friday. When they shut down classes for the rest of the week at Virginia Tech, she came home to spend time with her family. They are a solid VT family with a couple of graduates before her. And Anna's younger sister will...8:30 PM in Current Affairs, Family | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Building future heroes
One thing that's been on my mind about the Virginia Tech massacre is why the students were so passive. I'm not being disrespectful here, but trying to ask a very real question. What has happened to American heroism? The only hero I've heard of so far is the 77-year-old Holocaust...4:17 PM in Boys, Current Affairs, Mothering | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Google weighs in on Global Warming - what a crock!!!
I have this love/hate relationship with Google: utterly love its usefulness in my daily life - where I can look up everything I need for my writing, plus type in broccoli, bacon, raisins and walnuts to come up with the recipe for the wonderful salad I had at the potluck...12:02 PM in Current Affairs, Media Bias | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack
Grammar rant
I can't believe how unteachable some people can be! I had edited someone's caption which originally read: "This is X and me" to read "This is X and I." (I do edit comments to fix typos and grammatical errors - a good editor always tries to make writers look their...10:49 AM in Writing | Permalink | Comments (29) | TrackBack
April 20, 2007
Elisabeth Elliot on faith
Is Faith Easy? A young man asked me last night if it was easier to trust God here in this country, in this comfortable house, than it was "down where all the disasters were," meaning, I suppose, in the jungle. No, I told him, you live by faith wherever...5:16 AM in Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 19, 2007
Happy Birthday, dear Maddy!
Fourteen years ago I gave birth for the last time - at least I think so :) Maddy was born 54 weeks after her brother Jonny - my #9. When she was three weeks old, Jonny was hospitalized for three weeks in ICU with a bout of pneumonia that...5:30 PM in Family | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack
Media Bias Alert: partial birth abortion
Someone mentioned in a comment the other day how my alerting readers to media bias had helped her begin to see it. That's how it works. It's not as though you need someone to show you every little thing. Once you pick up on how the media play news to...9:25 AM in Media Bias, Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Advice for moms who want to be writers
From my inbox: Dear Barabara, I wanted to write to you because I saw an article in the paper that my mother in law gave to me and feel that you may have some words of advise or suggestions for me on my situation. I am 30 years old,...8:48 AM in Mothering, Writing | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBack
Down syndrome: call for photos of mothers and children
Note: this photo album has been published but the call for photos is permanent - please check it out and send your photos to me too: Our Little Extras: A Mother's Day Down syndrome celebration CALL FOR PHOTOSMothers & Children w/ Down SyndromeBarbara Curtis www.mommylife.net Megamommy12(at)gmail(dot)com...7:12 AM in Down syndrome | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Montessori at home
One of my long time readers - and I mean long time because she read my first book ten years ago - just started her own blog Day by Day. There you'll find pictures of her daughters engaged in a few of the Montessori home activities I began suggesting...6:08 AM in Montessori, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 18, 2007
Foods that Heal
Martha Sears sent me this great chart I've been wanting to share with you for a while. Finally found the link: Foods that Heal Click to see the chart - I recommend printing it out and hanging it as a reference somewhere where you can study it while waiting...10:09 PM in Diet | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
A call for prayer for Virginia Tech
From Campus Crusade for Christ: April 18, 2007 A Call to Prayer National Campus Office :: 10:08 am In times like these we desperately need God - we need God to meet with us, to comfort us, and to give us perspective. We need to look heavenward to the One...6:24 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Elisabeth Elliot on trusting God as He leads
Where God Is Taking Us Bishop Leslie Newbigin, in his South India Diary, tells of the union of churches which took place in South India in 1947. It was the culmination of nearly fifty years of prayer and work on the part of Indians and missionaries. At the second...1:21 PM in Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Heaven for jihadists
I have no idea where this came from, but my husband forwarded it to me:...1:13 PM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Partial birth abotion ban upheld by Supeme Court
This just in: WASHINGTON April 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday upheld the federal ban on "partial-birth abortions" in a major victory for the Bush administration and abortion foes. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the opinion for the majority as the court split 5-4 voting to uphold the 2003...1:10 PM in Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
At Virginia Tech a 77-year-old hero, now fallen: Liviu Librescu
When will people accept that we live in a world marred by evil and that no matter how hard we try we can not completely control or prevent natural or human events? Why do we have barely minutes to process the most horrific news before the blame game starts? As...7:29 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Second thoughts on Imus
I never said Imus should be fired, but that he should resign. I am not one like yesterday's grandstanding Shourds to play the Alice in Wonderland's Queen. My opinion was based on the quaint idea I have that when someone does something blatantly wrong that they should resign. (I know...6:14 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Patrick Henry College receives full accreditation
From my inbox this morning: To Editors, Reporters, Talk Hosts: Patrick Henry College was granted full TRACS accreditation status Tuesday, April 17, in Virginia Beach, Va. TRACS is approved by the United States Department of Education (USDE) as a nationally recognized institutional accrediting agency and appears on the Secretary’s List...6:08 AM in Homeschooling | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Do abstinence programs work? The rest of the story
Last week ABC 7 News offered this report: Study: Abstinence Education Not Working which was picked up internationally and quickly added to the arsenal of anti-abstinence campaigners. Here's the rest of the story (my bold highlights) - which I don't expect to make the splash in the major media which...5:55 AM in Current Affairs, Pro-Life Issues, Teens and Tweens | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 17, 2007
Virginia Tech - The Shourds want heads to roll
From Fox News: Parents Demand Firing of Virginia Tech President, Police Chief Over Poor Handling of Mass Shooting Parents of a Virginia Tech student expressed outrage Monday at what they call an inadequate response by college brass to the worst mass-murder shooting in American history. John and Jennifer Shourds of...7:57 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack
This made me laugh
Forwarded from my hubby this morning: Gotta love little boys.... Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day, picked out a box of Tampax and proceeded to the checkout counter. The man at the counter asked the older boy, "Son, how old are you?" "Eight", the boy replied. The...7:51 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Teaching kids to be careful
In my post on creating a kid-friendly home environment, I mentioned the wisdom of exposing your children to breakable objects. Some of you wanted to know exactly how moms can teach their kids to be more careful. It is not something that comes naturally, believe me. In fact, the only...7:34 AM in Montessori, Mothering, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
What is a MAILER-DAEMON anyway?
Loved this answer to my question about the mailer-daemon who sends email back to us From usr-bin-mom Michelle, our resident keeper of knowledge of all things cybertech: Barbara, you can't ask an obscure computer related question and not expect me to find the answer, I hope you know. :) From...6:19 AM in Blogging | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 16, 2007
Please pray for Virginia Tech
Virginians are in mourning today for the terrible tragedy at Virginia Tech. Ben's girlfriend and our beloved Anna, thank goodness, is safe. But some families still have not heard from their loved ones. Please join me in praying that some good will come from this horrific event....4:53 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Need input from homeschool students
Hi, I am a SHAM of two great children, Kali is 6 and Kaden is 2. I am also a education student. I have been reading your blog for a couple of weeks now and I find it really informative and interesting. I though that you might be willing to...4:24 PM in Homeschooling | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Sophia at Victorian Ball
Here in Virginia history is BIG - and very popular among teens. Each year Loudoun Valley High sponsors a Victorian Ball, which students have to apply to attend, committing to several dance practices - plus period dress and conduct. There are always more applicants than space will allow, so Sophia...1:40 PM in Family, Loudoun County | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Shop at amazon to save time and money - and support this site!
btw, the original Crocs are available through amazon too!! Actually, you can get so much stuff through amazon, it's hard to believe. Please remember to link through MommyLife - that link over on the left that looks like this: Some of my readers have even bookmarked it :) Thank you!...11:34 AM in Blogging | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Walking a few miles in my shoes
The talk about trellos and crocs and remembering how I used to love shoes because of how they looked rather than how they felt - plus the recent Soulforce/Patrick Henry College clash of worldviews last week - reminded me of the opening to my book Reaching the Left from the...8:29 AM in Family, Inspiration | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack
April 15, 2007
What do you think about these?
This arrived in my email last week: New Shoes! Crazy looking, insanely comfortable. Guaranteed. Period. We haven't gotten on the crocs bandwagon yet, but I'm seriously considering these for myself and the kids. Maybe even Tripp. What do you think? Has anyone out there tried them? By the way, did...7:33 PM in Practical Info | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBack
The Washington Post's comment policy
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our...7:28 AM in Blogging | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack
April 14, 2007
Meet the Robinsons
Took the kids to see this last weekend at the Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg - a sweet old-timey movie house which reopened a few years ago after many years of disuse. The owner is a Judy Wilson, a Christian who has made it a practice to show only...3:31 PM in Loudoun County, Movies | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Isabella and her mommy need your prayers!
I received an unusual prayer request this morning from a mom who's involved in a legal battle over her daughter, instigated by the "second mommy" - a woman with whom Lisa Miller was joined under Vermont's civil union law. 1. Please pray for Isabella as she is having visitation with...8:27 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBack
April 13, 2007
Meet my neighborly cardinal
I love cardinals. Actually, I love birds. Tripp - who likes to speak my love language - has surrounded our house with birdfeeders to bring wild birds to me. There are a couple in the tree outside my office window, where yesterday, I enjoyed watching this little guy: Just thought...5:38 PM in Family | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack