A Mile Wide … An Inch Deep
Written by Christine Field
Have you ever heard someone say, “He runs a mile wide, but only an inch deep”? I’ve heard it used in a few contexts, but the basic reference is to shallowness. A shallow person intellectually, or a shallow person spiritually. We want to be neither.
We want our children to run deep as well. Is it too much to ask to be a mile wide and a mile deep?
You can do neither if you are too scattered. We were often guilty of spreading ourselves too thin. You can’t go deep into God’s Word or anything else if your time and energy are stretched too thin. Are you reviewing the school year or planning ahead for the new? Trying to jam too much in will guarantee a light coating. Focusing on fewer, more meaningful studies and activities will allow greater depth.
How are you streamlining for greater depth?
Christine Field is moderator of the LifeWay Homeschool Community, and the author of several books, including Homeschooling the Challenging Child and Homeschooling 101..
Can Your Children Explain Why They Homeschool?
My children grew up with television cameras in the living room and school room. We began homeschooling in 1984, and it was a controversial decision to say the least. As we marched through the process as a family of lobbying for homeschooling legislation, my children were asked a thousand questions:
I will never forget the first time the camera crew came to our home. The boys were seven and five. They were well-prepared to meet the crew, socially. They interacted well and were not intimidated, even at such a young age. And then the official interview began. I had not prepped them for it, because I wanted their answers to be sincere, spontaneous, and genuine. The reporter asked my totally endearing five-year-old, “So, tell me, son, why do you like homeschooling?” He looked the reporter straight in the eye and said, “Because I can get a snack and go to the bathroom anytime I want to.”
I cringed. From my son’s perspective his answer was absolutely true and important to him. He had been in preschool before we started homeschooling where he couldn’t do those things when he wanted to. But that’s not what I wanted being discussed on the nightly news.
It was my fault. I failed to realize that lawyers prepare their witnesses to be interrogated. It doesn’t mean the answers aren’t sincere and genuine, but they are thought-through as opposed to spontaneous. Sometimes spontaneity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be! Adults prepare for job interviews, so they are able to put their best-foot forward for the potential employer.
If adults need to prepare for interviews and interrogations in the real world, how much more does a child need to prepare and rehearse? I set to work and from that point on my children gave thought-out answers to the list of questions I thought they might be asked in an interview situation. And no age is too young for preparation!
All of life is an interview.
Every child is asked a thousand questions in his growing-up years. If that child happens to be homeschooled the tally rises to a million fairly quickly! You know how it is--you can't go through the check-out line in the grocery store without you and your children being riddled with questions. Homeschooled children are questioned by friends, by relatives, by people at church, by strangers, and occasionally by a TV reporter or a legislator. And sometimes well-meaning friends and relatives can't wait to get your children alone so they can find out what they really think and feel.
You will be doing your children and yourself a great service if you teach them how to handle questions in a graceful, confident, knowledgeable way.
The process of preparing children for interviews-
1. Brainstorming. We had a white board at the time. I began by drawing a line down the middle. I then asked questions like the ones at the beginning of the article. Each child would give his response. If the response was appropriate for the interview, I wrote it down on the right side of the board. If it were appropriate for private conversation but not necessarily an interview situation, I put it on the left side of the board.
2. Tweaking and polishing. At the end of that exercise, we then looked at the answers on the right side of the board and we began to tweak and polish them a bit.
3. Role playing. Then we role played. I would be the reporter, and I would ask the boys questions. Then we would switch roles and they would ask the questions and I would answer. It gave them a chance to hear my responses. We would continue until they were too tired to be productive, or we had an answer relatively down pat.
4. Practicing. Once we had gone through the role playing, we would practice—sometimes formally, sometimes informally. If we were in the car, I would throw out one question and have them answer it. Sometimes we would go back to the white board and have a more formal training session. If a new question arose, we would go through the process again of brainstorming, tweaking and polishing, and role playing again.
A great resource
The Little Book of Big Reasons to Homeschool is a 70-page little book written by my friends David and Kim d’Escoto. Because it is a quick and easy read (and is only $7.99), it makes a great book to keep on hand to give those who are interested in homeschooling.
But I have also discovered another great use for this book. Have your children read it—or read it out loud together as a family. (And count it as part of your school day.) This book gives a little history on homeschooling and then has sections on the benefits of homeschooling to the mind, to the body, and to the soul.
This is a perfect forum for beginning to teach your children how to answer the countless questions they will encounter about homeschooling. Go back to your white board at home. Divide it into three sections—mind, body, and soul—and list the benefits of homeschooling provided in this book. It will be a great springboard for discussion. You will have reasons to add in addition to those listed by the author. Some reasons will be more important to you than others—or more important to your children.
The point is this: begin the discussion. Prepare your children well to answer the questions that will arise almost daily in their lives concerning homeschooling. They are truly some of the greatest ambassadors homeschooling has.
You can transfer this process to other areas.
I got hooked up with this website recently and it is not hokey or some scam. You get free coupons for your groceries or whatever (and even for free stuff) from a community of people just like us. The people are soooo nice and helpful! I am so impressed with it all.
My husband lost his job over three months ago and I need the help. Even if he still worked, a single income family needs to do what it can to save money.
Anyway, take a second to go check it out, you will be glad you did!
Click here: A FULL CUP
We did MFW Adventures a couple years ago. I even had my then 6th grader do it with my son (then 7yrs old). Consequently, she was doing two separate history 'classes', but she loved it.
We did not do any baking, but some of the recipes were pretty cool and we have plans to make those ones.
The state coloring we did was fun. Instead of using the Dover book they use (with special copying allowance given by Dover) we used United States Coloring Book by Rod & Staff. We did have the Dover book in our currculum kit, however, I liked the idea of both my children having their own book to color in and not photocopies. This ended up being cheaper for us than copying that many pages... at only $3 for each book, too. (http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/item/2932/)
I felt the science was a little "young". Maybe my children were just more advanced in science-y things. (Not trying to sound like my kids are geniuses! They just read a LOT of science books on the free time.) Because I felt that MFW science was light, we kind of winged science for the year. I would pick a subject like space and then we would learn about it by checking out library books and such.
We had a great time. There is a yahoogroup for mfw, MFWfamilies. Even one specifically for Adventures! I recommend you sign up there. Also there is a forum that is the best curriculum specific one I ever saw at the mfwbooks.com site. (http://board.mfwbooks.com/)
It is a great program. We did not do any years after that as I did not like the emphasis on greek philosophies that were in Creation To The Greeks.
But, I do like ECC (Exploring Countries & Cultures) and bought it to use this last year- however, with potty training and a newborn... the thought of doing most any mom-involved-education was not realistic for me and I still have ECC sitting here unused. Sigh...
One of the best things I learned from My Father's World?
The book basket!
Wow! Every book written for the "new homeschooler" & every website catering to new homeschoolers, should tell people about this concept. I had not heard about it the whole time I had been homeschooling, although I did do a version of it myself before. MFW has a homerun here!
I do not agree with the statement that "MFW Adventures is full of busywork" that I heard someone make some time ago. Personally, I hate busywork and do not assign it.
If you do go with My Father's World, any "year" unit study, make sure you make the student copies all at the beginning of the year like they say to do in the teacher instructions at the beginning of your manual.
Our year with MFW Adventures was our most fun year homeschooling so far. But highly educational at the same time. How cool can it get?
HSLDA article
"Homeschoolers Get Blamed, Again"
On January 22, a committee of the Rapid City School Board implied that homeschoolers were to blame for the school system losing thousands of dollars in funding. Just six days later, the Clear Lake Courier blamed homeschoolers for the loss of $41,000 in school funding.
When homeschoolers are wrongly accused of creating financial problems for public school systems, it’s time to respond. HSLDA attorney Scott A. Woodruff sent the following letter to the editor to the Clear Lake Courier:
Dear Editor:
By leaving the blame for the school system losing $41,981 at the door of area homeschoolers, your recent article, “Students and aid lost from open enrollment,” encourages your readership to think that homeschoolers are the problem.
But it’s perfectly logical to reduce a school’s funding when it serves fewer students. If there are fewer students, the school needs less money.
The question that then remains is: “Since the opportunity to serve someone is a privilege, not an entitlement, what does the school plan to change to reduce the erosion of confidence among area families?” That’s the $41,000 question that went unasked and therefore unanswered in your article.
Next time the Clear Lake Courier talks about schools “losing” money because of homeschoolers, please mention how much homeschoolers save the taxpayer by educating their children at their own expense—not the taxpayers’. Homeschoolers are some of the best friends the taxpayer has.Sincerely,
Scott A. Woodruff, Esq.
A friend of mine was thinking the other day that maybe for those kids who are not "math minded" maybe the program should not be over explained. Maybe they do best with straight forward ..with a lot of review. The program she switched over to explains much more the why.. almost to the point of making it too abstract, in her opinion. She was thinking maybe not all people need to know the inner workings...just how to do it and get there.
In a lot of ways, I agree.
Have you ever felt you were on the outside looking in? Wishing you could have an All Access pass and see what’s going on behind the scenes? Wondering what others ‘get’ that you’re missing?
When it comes to a relationship with God, you have All Access. And at the Revolve All Access event, you’re welcome to just come as you are and be ready for an experience you will never forget. You’ll get a glimpse of what it’s like to have All Access to the love of God.
All Access is a Friday night – Saturday event designed for 6th through 12th grade girls. (But girls who are a little younger or older come, too . . . and we hear they enjoy it!)
All Access uses music, drama, personal stories, videos and other creative avenues to address issues relevant to teenage girls today, including relationships with friends and family, body image and self esteem, relationships with guys, and faith in God.
"Did you hear from God?" or "I need a sign to confirm this."
I think this can be a crutch we lean on.
Waiting and waiting to hear from God. Or all the other things we use as some form of a "fleece". It is often our flesh trying to find a back door out of something. Kind of an escape clause.
I hate to use the term "err on the side of caution" because we should not be operating in fear, but that is what comes to mind when I think about this sort of thing. If God says to do something we often just stand there and wait for more confirmation. We should be moving instead.
Often I hear from people "I don't want to go if God isn't going, just like Moses said!" It can be good to do this, but often it is a cop out.
Like if you always wanted to heal people and are praying for the gift, you should be praying healing over people at every opportunity- not waiting for some bolt of glory to come out of the sky and the Lord's loud voice saying "My child go and heal My people and I will give you favor wherever you go!" Or the Lord may be waiting to open up that job wherever or put you in that ministry thing you desire, but He is waiting for –you- to start the thing in some way. It often takes our step of faith first. Are we ashamed to be loopy for Jesus?
Why don't we just do it?
I am guilty, too. I find myself waiting for God sometimes when I already know.
Fact is, He has usually already given the green light and the ways & means.
We've been looking at adopting again. We keep being drawn to it. What is the Lord up to with that? The strange thing is, because we now have four children, many countries exclude us. And, if you want to adopt here, most birth mamas want to give to childless couples. I can understand that, I suppose, but we are really dedicated to our children and love them to pieces. We love children so much, we want more! The notion tht you only have a measure of love to give is a complete myth- this is a truth that a teen mother cannot understand. Anyway, I keep looking. One option is african-american babies. Less red tape, faster turn around time, younger children. I will keep you all updated on this journey.
After yesterday's confession of my day working with my son and his "training", my good friend emailed me this story and I was so encouraged. I hope you will be too.
A Tale of Two Women by Kevin Swanson
I must tell you the tale of two women. There was the first woman who was very neatly put together. She had inherited three generations of faith. Her great grandmother, her grandmother, and her mother were Christians.
She had a very neat life. The furniture was covered. And she hardly ever sinned. The children were placed in boarding schools and she never yelled at them, even once. The pastor never had to deal with her problems. In fact, once or twice he commended her from the pulpit.
But let me tell you about another woman -- she had no godly mother or grandmother. Her father was an alcoholic, and, to tell you the truth, she was not so neatly put together.
One day, she brought her children home from school and engaged in a real relationship with them, and let me tell you, it was messy. She yelled at her children, too much. She was afraid they would be permanently damaged by her yelling. At times, she thought maybe they were a little too close to observe her ways.
Her house was often disorganized but the stacks were neat. But she engaged in hospitality anyway. She had never done it before, but her husband thought it would be a good idea. Loving strangers? It was hard enough loving her own children! But she did anyway, and she did it badly.
Her children gave her their hearts and they did observe her ways. They observed her yelling, her tears of repentance. Yes. They observed her fears that they might pick up her sinful habits. They observed her struggles to overcome her anger, the time she ran into the [bedroom because she was afraid she might say something ugly. They saw it all. They saw it all. And, trust me folks, it was a big mess.
The pastor was not very happy with this woman and her family. They seemed to require more prayer and counsel than anybody else in the church. "VDP's" he called them. "Very Demanding People."
She would bring the big mess to church with her and fall on her face and say, "God have mercy on me, a sinner." But, let me tell you, that woman went home justified!
The moral of the story is simple. God is good. He does really well with big messes, but he doesn't do as much with those who are so neatly put together.
As Jesus taught us in his parable, it is not how many talents you start with that matters. It is what you do with the 0.2 talents you had at the beginning. What really matters is the risk you take, the sacrifice, the heart molding, and the willingness to uncover the mess and to remove the layers of plastic, sterile, institutionalized, white-coated plaster. If you would try risking your furniture, your relationships, and your otherwise neat life for Jesus, and bring the whole mess to the cross, you will find great blessing indeed.
Yes, it has been one of those days.
A day of character training full of preaching, lecturing , repentance, crying.
My son's question, "can I do my school now?"
Me, "This IS school today."
.
FREE Toys, stickers & puzzles for the winter crazies, just for fun or incorporate it into your children's art class! There are probably hundreds of wonderful things to check here!
What on earth?
I don't see a dishwasher here. Looks like Mrs. Jones should insist on using paper and plastic at the next party or, at least, send for take-out.
It seems that everyone loves this time of year. The songs, the decorations, the food, the fellowship. I always imagine a family around a fireplace next to a decorated tree when I think of Christmas time. In our household, the whole time from Thanksgiving to the end of December is a wonderful period of celebration of Jesus and focus on family. A joyful time, where we enjoy the company of each other a bit more and our family traditions. Traditions, in moderation, can be a joy to look forward to each year and treasured for years to come as we look back at days gone by. A tradition can be as simple as decorating your tree the second Saturday of every December or as elaborate as an entire succession of events. Whatever you decide is right for your family will be perfect.
Every year, I try to do some baking with my children. I will make one or two of my husband’s childhood favorites and then some others. These recipes are the same ones I use every year. It has become a tradition and my children associate these treats with Christmas. When they grow and leave home some day, these treats will be etched in their memories. Here is a recipe that I bake every year for my family.
Christmas Streusel Bars
Crumb Mixture:
2 c Flour
1 c Sugar
¾ c Pecans (coarsely chopped)
1 c (two sticks) butter or margarine softened
1 egg
Filling:
1 jar (10 oz) apricot or currant preserves
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. For crumb mixture, in large bowl combine all crumb mixture ingredients. Beat at low speed scraping bowl often, 2-3 minutes or until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 c of crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture into bottom of greased 9 in square baking pan. For filling, spread preserves to within half inch of edge. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over preserves. Bake 42-50 min or until lightly browned. Cool Completely. Cut into bars.
Supplies for each jar-
Measuring cups and spoons
Quart canning jar with lid/ring set
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Scissors, sharp
Small piece of fabric to cover lid
Ribbon to tie around jar neck
Pretty paper or cardstock for recipe
Something to write with
Optional: pattern scissors for edges of recipe card, pinking shears for fabric edges
You can copy the entire set of instructions at my other blog: homeschoolblogger.com/LIGHTkeepers
Hold onto your socks!
Now Spam fans can get their fix in single serve 3oz packets in Classic or Lite versions! (LOL!)
The package of Spam Single Classic reads along the tear-to-open-here line: "This dotted line is like a freeway, the freeway to a delicious explosion in your mouth."
Spam Lite Single packet: "It's time to enjoy. Take another bite and throw your head back and think wonderful thoughts of faraway places while you chew. Like a magical Spam Lite castle in the sky ..."
What more do we need? Toss away those Twinkies and Easy Cheeses. Now your world is complete. Order has been restored to the universe!
David Burn answers the questions that are first and foremost on everyone's mind that is giddy with delight and quivering with excitement...
Q. Where can I keep my SPAM Singles when I'm not eating them?
A. There is no right answer here. SPAM Singles are like snowflakes, and each will have it's own special place in our hearts. Try a bookshelf, or in your pocket, or behind the TV, or even under your pillow. If you are not sure, stare intently at your SPAM Single. Eventually, through positive mind actualization properties, you will know where to put it.
Q. I didn't know that SPAM came in single slices. What should I do now?
A. Remain calm. That's the most important thing. Secondly, use the power of your brain and imagine how your life will be changed. Go easy at first, because this is a delicate matter that could easily blow your mind. If you need to relax, make a sandwich. A SPAM sandwich!
My day begins at exactly 5am each day.
I wake already wearing a smile and ready to face my day! My hair is perfect with no gray stragglers in sight and I barely need to run a brush through it before I splash a little water on my wrinkle free face. No make up needed, of course.
After I iron a blouse and skirt to wear, I put on nylons and heels and make my way to my Bible and read uninterrupted for at least 30 minutes.
I go downstairs at 6am to find my joyful children up, dressed and reading the Bibles or praying. We exchange good morning kisses and I go to get the little ones up and change diapers. I throw a load of laundry in and starch my husband's shirt before packing his lunch.
My cheerful husband enters the kitchen as I am just finishing cooking him a heart healthy and tasty breakfast. He sits at the table with the children discussing today's Proverb and asking about yesterday's history lessons. After breakfast, everyone waits at the door with Daddy's coat and briefcase to kiss him before he leaves for work.
The rest of us gather our school books promptly and sit at the table to pray before beginning our homeschool portion of the day, which is sure to be peaceful, godly, interesting, motivating and memorable.
Yeah right. :)
We are far from anything like that!
I still have not started up homeschooling this fall. I usually start us up on the last week of August.
I am not beating myself up about starting school late, just having some guilt that comes up here and there. I *do* know that enjoying the baby (3 weeks old) and the season we are in is so important. But on the other hand I know we slacked a LOT last year with all the horrible things that kept stacking up for our family.
I see my daughter starting highschool next year as possibly being not prepared as well as I had hoped- but in the end, I also know that God is truly in control and will prepare her for everything she will be doing in her education and in her future life. What peace that brings to me!
From HomeschoolInformation.com
Should Christian's leave their children in public school to be a light to non-believers?
This is a tough question and one you may have to face while home schooling. We (HomeschoolInformation.com) asked some home educators to respond.
Their answers follow:
I do not think a young child should be sent to public school as a witness. I do think that public school has an anti-Christian agenda that can damage a young child's faith. I have known a number of children that believe evolution over creation because "the teacher said it is true." In our home we discuss quite a bit about evolution and by the time we are done, I expect my children will understand evolution and why it is wrong as well as good, scientific reasons to believe creation That is just one example.
I think that being a witness is something that needs to be modeled for children. Ministry is something for a family to share and for the children to participate with the parents. When people tell me that young children should be in public school so they can be a 'witness' and a 'light', I ask them where they want their children to attend Sunday School.
Everyone wants their children at their own, local church.
I ask why don't you send them to the Mormon church instead of your Baptist church?
Or the Hindu church school instead of the Presbyterian?
It is easy to see that a young child would have no voice to be a 'light' in those circumstances. But it can be hard to get parents to understand that it is just as difficult to be a 'light' against some of the public school teachings.
There may be room for a child to 'be a witness' during out of class time (recess, lunch, etc.) but there is just as great a chance, if not greater, that the child will be influenced negatively by the other children. Let's be real, children are more often pulled down to the lowest common denominator behavior wise than influenced for good.
(Marci in Suisun, CA)
For more on this: HomeschoolInformation.com
Sept 19th, my fourth baby was born at home. He was 2 lbs heavier than we expected at 10lb 14oz. Seriously. He is a sweet quiet and cuddly boy. What a joy and blessing!
Whilst (I like that word!)... Ummm okay- Whilst walking through the living room I came upon a book lying on the floor that one of my darling sweet dilligent children had "misplaced". When I picked it up this is what I found...
Where would I be without the glorious Post-It?
What words could adequately pay honor to such a humble, yet worthy hero?
A fresh pad represents an infinite stack of possibilties.
Clever scribbles, informative notations, don't-forgets, gee-there's-that-page and other endless multitasking.
Quick in a pinch.
My cup overfloweth.
Where would you, the SuperHomeschoolMom, be without the Post-It?
Lost.
Just lost. 
I don't think it is greatly important to have a school name, although it has helped us in different small ways.
BUT-- having a mission statement has been foundational. We are committed to homeschool all of our children, without government help, to the end. A mission statement reminds us of our goal.
We chose a mission statement AND a bible verse. From there we decided on a name. We also took into consideration our strong beliefs and any family or area characteristics. We live in Oregon, so it is very green, rainy, flowery, mountainous and has a lot of creeks and rivers. We are also "spirit-filled".
Here is what we have posted on our door:
Our mission in homeschooling is...
to raise our children to desire a deep relationship with the Lord, to be spiritually wise, knowledgeable and well skilled in areas that will contribute to their personal life mission, and develop vision, godly character and compassion for the lost- in the comfort and protection of their own home.
"...like a tree that is planted near water.
It sends out it's roots beside a river.
It is not afraid when heat comes. It's leaves are always green
It does not worry when there is no rain.
It always bears fruit."
Jer 17:8
Our homeschool name is Riverside Bible Academy and we feel that this name reflects the mission and scripture we are using.
Cool resource to have on hand!
http://www.educationalpress.org/
Create free educational worksheets such as flashcards, game boards, and quizzes to print directly from your browser. Simply:
New! PDF worksheets! Edit words and answers directly on main page! Online Flash game to learn your lists! List wizard!
Homemade Pedialite
A Doctor who is a missionary in El Salvador created this recipe.
1 quart water
8 tsp. sugar (or use honey instead)
1/2 tsp. salt
Fresh juice of 1/2 orange or 1 banana blended. Apple may be better if the child is "raw".
Mix all together.
I use diaper wraps and pocket diaper wraps. Diapers for these are called "inserts".
I went to a local fabric outlet type place and bought some unbleached hemp fleece. You need to wash it before you sew because it will shrink a great deal.
I simply used a diaper insert as a pattern. I made a cardboard pattern from that insert and I also made a pattern of the doubler that I use sometimes.
These cardboard patterns were traced around all over the fabric. I carefully cut them out and zigzagged the edges together (no turning of fabric) and I also put a stripe or two through the middle of the diaper to sort of "quilt" it and keep the layers in place. I believe I made them 3 and 4 layers thick.
The hemp fleece I bought was a huge tube (sort of two-ply if layed down) so I am not sure how you would compare costs. It also was bought at an outlet type store. Seems like I paid $6 a yard, but it was almost 3 years ago when I did that. Also, it depends on how many layers of hemp you are using for the inserts to consider costs. I doubled mine so that would mean 4 layers.
They work great! They dry well and are really soft.
I also bought some polarfleece in beige and cut long rectangles to use as liners on the inserts occasionally. These liners were cut in such a way to fit nicely on my inserts. This cost me about $1.50 - $2. A great idea- wish I remember where I heard about it.
You just lay it over the diaper and it stays in place. The potty goes through and keeps baby dry. The "solids" stay on top and makes dumping in toilet very easy and now washing the diaper is easy too. VERY handy when you have blueberry season like right now and diapers are getting stained! LOL! Also really nice for rashes.
I have also made my own wraps using FOE, PUL and Aplix. They turned out real cute.
For wraps/covers--
I have no real ideas on prices for overall on each wrap. I DO KNOW that I shopped around a lot for best buys and DiaperCuts seemed to be the best for PUL and FOE. Especially when considering shipping into it. Buy lots more extra than you think you'll need, especially of the FOE and Aplix. (FOE is fold-over-elastic and used folded over edges of fabric like bias tape. Aplix is akin to velcro but much softer and better to use and work with.)
If you were trying to figure overall costs to make a wrap, a realistic number would be $3-$5. PUL can get spendy if your heart is set on patterns or colors and that will affect the costs.
For making wraps/covers--
I bought FOE, Aplix and PUL online from DiaperCuts.
FOE can be tricky to get right when working with it and getting good gathers on gussetts or around the tummy or behind. You need to not stretch when clearing the tab area and such. It does take practice. I recommend you practice with cheaper PUL (like white) when making your first couple wraps.
Another thing I did that I was really happy with- see if I can explain this... (photos above) I took the soft Aplix and ran about 4 inches across tummy area and zigzagged edges. I did a straight line through middle of it for security. Then for the tabs- I sewed a square of rough-side aplix on inside of tab, really well. This will end up meeting on the tummy. The cool trick is that I cut a soft-side Aplix square to match it and sewed it to the soft square but only on one side of the square. This way the rough part can be separated from the soft square to attach to the tummy during baby use and then re-attached to the soft square tab for washing purposes. Make sense?
Any all-in-one diaper pattern or fitted diaper pattern should work for making a diaper wrap. I like wraps as you can re-use the wrap several times without needing to wash it. Using this method I only use 2-3 wraps a day. You just remove the insert and put a fresh one in there at each change!
Diaper cover pattern (free):
http://www.ottobredesign.com/en/print/pdf/vaippa_en.pdf (I used this one)
http://www.geocities.com/rew4birth/Diapers.html
http://mayna.livejournal.com/198548.html
http://www.geocities.com/gabrielbaby1/fuzzibunz.html (like FuzziBuns)
Diaper making supplies:
http://www.diapercuts.com/store/Default.asp
http://verybaby.com/
http://www.cheeptrims.com/store/subcategory.asp?SubCategoryID=18 (FOE with print designs)
http://www.wazoodle.com/cgi-bin/catstore.cgi (FOE colors)
NOTE: I do not necessarily agree with this article in it's entirety. There is some harsh language and the author does not seem to account for the different types of personalities the Lord has created. Men should be raised to be men, not children in men's bodies, but not every man will be a Samson. I also realize that training is a touchy issue for many. It is simply an article to consider points of, so take the good and spit out the seeds.
...
In our family, we are still trying to work out what our sons will be told/trained regarding courtship, although we have started to a degree- we do not know what the final picture will look like.
Training Suitors
Douglas Wilson
The Bible teaches a son leaves his parents in order to take a wife, and daughters are given in marriage. Wise parents do not wait until the time arrives for their children to marry to begin thinking about this. The differences in their children, according to sex, should be evident to parents from birth, and consequently their preparation of their children should differ accordingly. Genesis teaches, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Gen. 3:24). When Paul applies this passage, his treatment of it shows that it is a paradigm for all marriages (Eph. 5:17-33). When a son leaves to court a woman, he is fulfilling God's creation design for the formation of marriages. He is not abandoning his parents; he is leaving them, with honor, according to God's Word. His parents do not resent it if they have been submissive to the Word and have been preparing him to do so.
If sons leave, and daughters are given, then each must be trained and equipped accordingly. Daughters should be prepared for courtship and marriage through long-established trust in their parents' selflessness, wisdom, and good will. Sons should of course trust their parents too, but the preparation they undergo is considerably different from that experienced by their sisters.
A son must be trained to leave. Obviously, when he has left, he must stand alone, and when he has taken a wife, he must be equipped to stand as a source of strength for his wife. Preparation for this does not begin when a young man first notices a young woman. His training for courtship begins when he is little.
Strength is necessary because he is not approaching a young girl willing to be impressed by him. He is approaching her sceptical father.
So he must be strong for the process of courtship, but a godly masculine strength cannot be instilled at the last moment. When he is knocked down when he is little, a kindly father must show him how to get up again without tears. Moreover, godly parents will allow him to get into situations where he will probably get knocked down. If a boy is mollycoddled, his search for a wife will tend to be a search for a maternal substitute someone to assume the important duties of pampering him and running his life. One of the more frequent causes of such mollycoddling occurs when a mother is bringing up her son without adequate direction from the son's father. Good intentions do not prevent this problem from happening. If he falls out of the tree, he might break his leg. But if he, banned from trees, must spend all his time reading edifying literature, he will be a pantywaist. And it would have been better for his future marital happiness if he had broken his leg in two places.
A suitor must also be self-controlled. This quality does not arrive by Federal Express at the last minute. Parents inculcate character over years. When they look at a two-year-old running around their living room, they must be able to see twenty-years down the road and discipline in line with that vision. When a healthy young man considers a woman he believes to be attractive, he must restrain himself. But the way parents teach a grown son to control his sexual and romantic impulses is by shaping before he has any. His adult impulses are disciplined through a godly handling of his infantile impulses.
A son who is to court a woman must have a deep respect for familial authority not just his own family, but all familiesand he must proceed with this understanding of household government clearly in mind. The position held by the father of the woman who interests him must not chafe him. He should rejoice in the fact that he currently has no authority over the woman he wants.
Such a respect originates with a respect for the teaching of Scripture. Household governments are to be respected because God requires it, not because all household governments are managed well. Not all fathers of eligible Christian women are godly and respectable men. This means a son must be taught what it means to salute the uniform, and he is to do it with a whole heart.
If a son has a high view of family authority when he is thinking about his authority in his upcoming marriage, but a low view of it when he considers any other household authority that gets in his way, then he is simply a tyrant looking for subjects. Authority is understood by sons who delight to exercise godly authority and who delight equally in submitting to godly authority.
And this, like so much else, begins in the cradle.
http://www.credenda .org/issues/ 7-5childer. php
