Talent & Talented | Teaching Children w/ ADHD How To Focus On Education & Talents

My son's craft table ... He says "that's not mess", so I agree it is not :)

This has been "one of those" weeks ... It was not a bad week; we accomplished a lot, though my husband and I were quite busy with so many family, business and household details. This included the kitchen sink breaking again. Our baby was in a walker splashing in 2 inches of water the last time it happened to us. Fortunately, my hubby got the sink fixed quickly this time and with just a few wet towels to haunt me. All of the "things to do" made me feel like we were a "tag team" ... Hum, saying that must mean that my single mom mindset is finally shifting to a married mindset ... working together being the newer concept here :) Regardless, I'm glad to finally have a moment to write a "real" blog post - opposed to just a few quick lines - to keep in touch with everyone.

OK! NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO GET A DRINK AND USE THE BATHROOM ... THIS IS A LONG BLOG POST THAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO GET THROUGH ALL AT ONCE :)

TALENT & THE TALENTED HAVE BEEN HEAVY ON MY MIND THIS WEEK

Towards the middle of the week, my 12 year old son started getting frustrated with his school work. This is not abnormal for him and is part of the reason why we home school. On the other hand, he is an extremely bright and articulate boy. It is only that the ADHD ... ASD ... ODD gets in the way of progress when he gets in "THAT" mood. He is still doing all right with his grades, though does not have the same enthusiasm for learning as he has had up until now. I feel like he's been worn down by the years of dredging through a traditional educational system. All was well until he went to middle school. I actually moved him from a private school to a middle class public school system because they worked with children that have needs that are similar to his. Unfortunately, we moved to the south and the "rules" changed by Middle School. There were no more small classes, no more personalized lesson plans and classroom aids to assist the teachers, no more caring teachers, more emphasis on passing FCATS then the students learning well, etc.). I decided to home school my son a few years ago, and this is much better for him because our public educational system has no consideration of individuals. The requirements are cut and dry instead of how wonderful school would be if they incorporated better use of technology and the arts for children that are more tactile learners. Not a Waldorf educational system, but with a similar concept. I think THAT would be perfect for kids with ADHD. It upsets me that we have little choice in the matter :(

I am not angry because of what he struggles with daily: focusing, restlessness, hyperactivity and a lot of impulsive Tourette's-Like arguments throughout the day. He is getting better with age despite the teen hormones setting in. What upsets me is that he is capable of doing the school work, though gets caught up in all of his creative projects. I want him to pursue those interests, though not lose sight of the value of education that contributes to the artistic strengths.

The problem is that the ADHD makes it hard to remain focused on academics especially when he is being taught in a way that does not utilize the natural talents. IF TAUGHT THE WAY THEY LEARN (process information), one might think a child w/ ADHD had no problem focusing at all. 

So, when he gets in an educational slump or "too frustrated", as he says, I try to motivate him through different activities. They are unscheduled and not in the home school curriculum, so he gets REALLY excited to hang out with mom this way :) It just so happened that talent and the talented were the motivation this time. It is a subject that is always of interest to him, but has been everywhere that I have been online this week. I can't help but wonder if God is trying to speak to me about it. I know that I need to lift this in prayer, but I am kind of scared to know what it has been about.

Have you ever felt that way? Where you want clarity, though are not sure what "knowing better" will entail? This is where I am at right now ...

Regardless, the point of this blog post is teaching children with ADHD to focus on their education as well as their interests and talents (this applies to kids with related disorders / disabilities, too). In fact, all people need the combination of both in order to see, believe, conceive and achieve their greatness in life. For some reason, my son acts like he does not see that his school work contributes to being the best at his talents / interests, so I am always trying to reach him about it. It is not that huge of an issue at this point because I know that he is being rebellious, but I do not want it to become more of a problem as we are approaching the teen years and school becomes harder ... right now, his viewpoint is similar to his not seeing the importance of cleaning his room. None-the-less, education is obviously important in life.

I turned to YOUTUBE for help with this issue. I do this often with him because YouTube is a site that most pre-teens love to browse. It is filled with talented people that can motivate a youth, though parents still need to supervise at this age because there is a lot of undesirable entertainment there, too. We always come across "raw talent" buried among the millions of videos. We've watched videos that explain his math the way he needs to learn it, as well as children that have taught themselves instruments, clay animation, parkour. There are just tons of tutorials for what he is interested in and this makes education fun for my son with ADHD. I chose what we watched this week, though other times it works out that he takes the lead and shows me his favorites.

We watched this video of a 2 1/2 year old toddler showing that he understood the concepts of physics and chemistry:


We were both impressed and amazed by this toddler's comprehension. This goes above and beyond children who have benefited from Your Baby Can Read and Signing Times; the father obviously works in this field and is training this child to follow in his foot steps. It makes one wonder whether we all have this scientific capability if exposed so young in life.

We also watched the following Jackie Evancho YouTube videos:


Video #1 - Summarizes the first part of her competition.


Video #2 - My favorite of her performances and shares a little about her life.


Video #3 - She returns to sing on America's Got Talent a year after traveling and developing her talent.

Jackie Evancho was the 2010 America's Got Talent 2nd Semi-finals at 10 years old and the top selling classical artist in 2011 at 11 years old. Her Dream With Me album was produced by David Foster and features duets with Barbara Streisand and Susan Boyle. It is beautiful!

What did my son get from watching Jackie Evancho?
The obvious is that she has such a gorgeous voice for such a young girl, but she is also from his hometown. That was cool.

What did I point out?
Well I learned and pointed out a lot by watching this talented child's adventure into stardom, but here are some of the main pointers:

In video #1 she confesses that she practiced a lot for the semi finalists, but in video 2, she explains that she regularly only practices once a day for one hour. This was HUGE for my son. That you can accomplish your goals by just practicing once a day, but I had to explain to him that the reality is that, although she sang for once an hour a day, she had to invest much more time and energy than one hour a day. She had to understand the music she read and sang; she had to learn languages or at least how to pronounce the lyrics correctly in each song; Jackie Evancho also had to learn obedience (to bite her tongue, listen well, follow instructions) and humbleness in order to get that far and accomplish so much towards living her dream. Her home training and academic education was important to her accomplishing her goals.

It is not easy to keep going - be in the spot light - perform on demand, though all of these were necessary for what she wanted to accomplish. I told my son that he has / will have the same requirements in life whether he choose it or not. His education will contribute to more than just the basics (certain subjects permit him to communicate, work and function in life), as well as how to be the best at whatever he does.

Lastly, In explained to my child with ADHD that if he wants to be the best video game player - or - the best skateboarder - or - the best costume designer - or the best props artist - or the best architect OR WHATEVER (these examples are towards my son's interests, but plug anything for your child) ... He better learn to be the best at educating himself in order to accomplish what makes him the best at his interests.

This is much easier said than done ...

It is not as if our educational system teaches our children according to their interests and talents. If they did, more kids would become less bored and detached from their educational process. This is why I like homeschooling so much. It is challenging at times, but there is flexibility even if you use a program that develops the curriculum for you. I think that "the key" for teaching children with ADHD how to focus on their education is to provide them time to focus on their interests and incorporate them into thier individual education plans. Not only does this strengthen their academics, but fosters all developmental areas.

Now, if I could just get the next few years of my son's school subjects into musical composition and the types of video games he likes, I think that would stop the grey hairs from those Tourette's-Like arguments :)

UPDATE - January 16, 2012 - ironically, 60 Minutes featured 13 year old Math prodigy, Jake Barnett, last night. I don't catch this show often, so I was delighted and again, this is another situation of being blatantly exposed to talent as I mentioned above. I am pointing this out because this young man will graduate college by age 14 and enter graduate school thereafter ... he attributes his intellectual talents to autism and is proud to be autistic.


60 Minutes Aired Coverage On Jake Barnett


Behing The Scenes Coverage on Jake Barnett

I suggest that parents of children with Asperger's and ADHD - although different disorders from a similar spectrum - to watch this additional video - ABOVE 2nd VIDEO - and realize that their child's mind is driven by the limbic system which includes memory in cases (yes, even children with ADHD can have this capability, by 2nd son always got As in spelling, so long as he was given the words orally); starts with teaching them how to focus on their education and talents.


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

This prayer fills my mind and heart as I sit here this morning.

I feel like some things are right, though know that there has been a lingering "there's something wrong" for quite some time ... there has been uncertainty and hurt ... there has been understanding and joy. On another note, I always strive for change for the better / improvement, but maybe too much? It is extremely difficult to have that serenity when it feels like something is not right ... that it may not be God's will, but you do not know for sure. I am praying for wisdom because I do trust that God will make all right. I hope that will be "it" when that time comes. If you are reading this, please keep me in your prayers.

Add your prayer requests and / or comments, too!


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Tired | Isaiah 40:29-31

I am so glad that she posted the Five Minute Friday word early because I am up very late and extremely tired, though looking forward to it :) Ironically, the word we're writing about is ... TIRED.

December has crept up on me this year and no wonder. This has been a REALLY busy year. Last December, we moved into our "temporary" house (long story) just days before Christmas and having the baby. My family arrived, from out of town, just in time to open presents, eat an amazing Christmas dinner, clean up and take me to the hospital to have our baby.

We moved again just a few months after I had the baby and it has taken all of these months to settle into our new home and community while nursing baby, homeschooling, unpacking, entertaining, cooking, cleaning and working my behind off (wish it was literally) on client and personal projects. It has been a busy year and I am tired.

Not nearly as tired as before ...

Not as tired as when I moved to Florida and started all over.

Not as tired as when I was as a single mother trying to do it all alone.

Not as tired as when I was of fighting and crying over a rebellious son.

Not as tired as when I was when I worked two jobs as a mother and in school.

Not as tired as when I was pleading for special support classes for my son.

Not as tired as I was when I finally got tired of taking the bus, in the snow, with my son, and begging people to help me get my drivers license at 25.

Not as tired as I was as a new mommy on welfare trying to make ends meet.

Not as tired as when I left home as a teenager.

Not as tired as when I used to lay in bed and wonder about my mom.

Now that I think about it, I am not nearly as tired as I thought that I was ...

How could I not praise the Lord for such a difference?

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." ~ Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV)

In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child


This blog post was inspired by
Five Minute Friday: Grateful

Grateful For The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

"Grateful" is the word for this Five Minute Friday and so appropriate for the day after Thanksgiving :) I am grateful for the good, the bady and the ugly :)

I am a grateful person by nature, but I am feeling even more gratitude for all of the blessings in my life. I am grateful for my beautiful family; this includes the new family members my husband and I have acquired through marriage. It really has extended the value of "family" for all of us; especially for my baby and 12 year old. We are all now related; Moms, Dads, Brothers, Sisters, Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Parents and Grandparents shared where they were missing before in someone's line. This is not uncommon for my husband and me as our families were extended this way during childhood, but this is a special blessing to my tween son that gets all excited when we hear from the Uncle Bob or Cousin Rachel that he did not have a few years ago. Cousin Rachel had a baby a few days after Max was born, so he has a cousin to grow up with and they live close to us. It is so endearing and I am grateful for all of their loving spirits.

I used to be a hard head ... I am grateful for God's grace and lessons.

Although my life has had SO MANY challenges, the Lord has always and continues to provide abundantly; especially in love, compassion and necessities. Difficult times have been drowned out with contentment and understanding that situations ARE how they ARE because of God's will and not mine. My spiritual walk has included knee dropping times where I used to "freak out", though have learned to embrace with a humble spirit. I am grateful to have had those experiences, too, because they have made me the woman, mother, friend, associate ... that I have grown and continue to become to others in my life. Not always easy, but times of learning and change; not to freak out and lose hope, but to pray and be grateful that my Father in heaven loves me enough to take me through and see me through to the end.

Yep ... Grateful!

P.S. On a lighter note, I am grateful that I am not Black Friday shopping today ... LOL. I've been watching the nation go crazy while I sit back and plan how to help another mom make this a successful 2011 holiday season or 2012 business year ... this is exciting to me. I am very grateful that I work from home and can do this while being there for my children.

In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child


This blog post was inspired by
Five Minute Friday: Grateful

Watching Him Grow

The Five Minute Friday word of today is "Grow" and many memories come to mind ...

The most profound is when my oldest son was just a few weeks old. My step-father, mother and I had just finished dinner. My parents got up from the dinner table and headed into the living room where my son was sleeping as sweetly as the newborn baby that he was at the time. I cleared the dishes from the table and was ready to help my mother clean the kitchen, so that I could get back to my baby. My mother never made it back into the kitchen, so I ventured on out to the living room to see what she was doing.

As I walked into the room, I could see that my step-father was watching Jeopardy. I looked towards my mother and she was squashed into the corner of her huge sectional. I walked a bit forward to see that she had my newborn baby in her arms. I said "Mom, what are you doing? Don't you want to clean the kitchen?"

She looked up slowly and said "I AM WATCHING HIM GROW" ...

I was a very immature 21 at the time and really didn't understand what she meant. I thought that she was being smart with me because my mother is on the cynical / sarcastic side at times. I was REALLY upset the whole time that I was cleaning HER kitchen while she was holding MY baby ... LOL :)

5 1/2 years later, I gave birth to my second son. I had matured a bit, though the "watching him grow" experience hit home a little bit when my 2nd son was a newborn. Now that I think back, I was very selfish about the time that anyone spent holding him because I was trying to "watch him grow" as I had seen my mother doing that day. In fact, I tried to carefully watch my first and second sons growing up, but I find that I forget a lot of the stuff my 2nd son asks me about when he was a baby "what time was I born?" ... "what was my favorite baby food" ... etc.

As a single mother of two boys, it is not always easy to watch your children "grow" in the same way that a happy nuclear family or grandparent can see because there are obstacles; many that others overlook and do not understand. They can distract a watching mother at times.

Regardless, as I sit writing this Five Minute Friday blog post (where we write freely for 5 minutes based on one word), I am overwhelmed with the opposite emotions that I felt 18 years ago when my mother said, "I am watching him grow". My 3rd child is almost 11 months old and I am just a few years shy of the age that my mother was when I gave birth to my first son. As I watch this little baby grow, I am flooded with love, joy, sadness, pride, hurt ... a potpourri of emotions that I possess for all 3 of my sons and how it felt watching them grow, but that oldest son is a young man that has moved off on his own.

It is hard to remember that we do not raise our children for ourselves; we raise them for God. Our reward is that we get to "watch them grow" spiritually, emotionally, physically and then they are off on their own with God to continue to watch over them.



In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child


This blog post was inspired by
Five Minute Friday: Grow

Remember Love Your Brother Unconditionally As God Wants You To Do | Five Minute Friday

"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10

I have a lot of pictures of my children (as most moms do), but these are some of the most recent and favorite pictures on my computer. I love looking at them because they make me remember that my children do love one another. This is not so much of a concern between my two younger boys, but my oldest and middle son have had a "bitter-sweet" relationship through the years. It has gotten better, but I still pray that they remember to love one another unconditionally as God has instructed. It is an important change for all of us.

My oldest son will turn 18 this month. He has already graduated High School (I am so proud of him) and is transitioning out on his own (which has been his dream since he was in middle school). We've had some troubles over the past few years, but he has "shaped up" so nicely thus far with help from a program that worked with him. I have "shaped up" from the experience and hurt. Anyways, he was 5 1/2 when I had my second son, and although he was proud to be a big brother, he took it hard and started to resent having a brother. He felt as though he needed to compete for my attention (well both of them did), although he did not need to. They were such different children and still are; like oil and vinegar some would say. My second son loved the oldest son unconditionally. He used to say, "I want to be Nate". Nate would say that he wanted to be "an only child" and do things that would hurt him. Regardless, they had a lot of great times through the years and do love one another. It just took and still takes a lot of reminding.

Things are different now that Baby Max is a part of our family. He makes us remember that there is a 3rd brother that loves everyone unconditionally and that is a beautiful bond from the start. Regardless, as I look through these 4 pictures that make me remember 4 things:

Picture #1
No matter how much you fight and get jealous of one another, REMEMBER that you are brothers. I will always remember the day we took this picture because this was one of the only times that you did not give me a hard time about taking pictures and you got along. You were genuinely happy to participate in this family photo session. Your innocence and happiness shown through this day.

Picture #2

You don't look much older, but years have gone by. Remember how much fun you had together this day (hunting alligators, spending quality time together and sleep deprived because of your new baby brother). Remember that you are not just 2 brothers anymore; you are 3 brothers now (3 amigos) and that if I should meet my maker tomorrow ... remember that you will always have one another.

"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them." ~ 1 John 2:9-11

Picture #3

Now you get to be the big brother. You get to be an example and share the unconditional love that you receive. The same love that you have tried to share with your brother over the years ... it is now yours back and it is beautiful to watch. I will try to remember that - to you - this is all of our baby and that you enjoy having a little responsibility during the process, but you need time to be the tween that you are and the teen that you will become in the next few months.

Picture #4

You cut the umbilical cord when this little brother came into this world. Although you are 17 years apart, there will always be a bond between oldest brother and baby brother; this has strengthened the bond between Jonny and you, but remember that Jonny still needs you and looks up to you. Fortunately, he no longer wants to be you and is happy being himself, but he still looks to you for the unconditional love that he gives Max and will always need from you.

I sit and remember the love, hurt, excitement, disappointment, struggles, blessings ... I remember teaching them to turn the other cheek; that God loves us unconditionally; that God wants us to love our neighbor as he loves us; you must love your brother ... As I sit and I remember that God has blessed me with 3 remarkable little boys at stages in my life where I needed to learn and remember his unconditional love. The same unconditional love that he has for us and had for us when he gave his only son, Jesus, to save us from our sins. Thank you for answering my prayers dear Lord. I now understand and will always remember.

It is really hard to sum this all up in 5 minutes, so I will end with a reminder that I can only pray that my sons will love one another unconditionally as God loves us and instructs us to do.

"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." ~ John 15:12


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child


This blog post was inspired by
Five Minute Friday: Remember

Wang Yue / YueYue Has Died | China Beyond

"Beyond" for Five Minute Friday Blog Post

Beyond the refuge of my little life, is a family that is mourning the loss of their child because of negligence, lack of empathy and honor. 2 year old Wang Yue / YueYue died today. Her poor little body to weak to fight; her brain dead from the traumatic incident of being run over by 2 vehicles and left for dead by 18 people that were afraid to help the child.

Afraid to help a child .. WHY ???

Her body laid there until one compassionate old woman stepped up and did what was right for that child. My heart is so burdened and my thoughts are far beyond my daily activities as all I can think about how devastated her mother and father must feel exactly at those times that I am thinking of this situation.

I watched the video and my heart broke. I hugged my little baby and wondered why the Chinese people live in such fear that they will not help an innocent child ... a toddler ... someone's baby girl abused and left out in the street?

I cried. I prayed. I blogged.

Others cried. Others prayed. Others blogged.

God's wisdom puts me at a loss for words when I understand that this is just one example of how people - all over the world - neglect their social responsibilities - spiritual responsibilities - humanitarian responsibilities - all of the time.

The "lack of morals in modern society" that the Chinese people feel they've lost, because of fear, is not far from where the United States and other countries have been for years as well. The difference is that they were noted for their Chinese honor code where our morale fiber has never meant much to the rest of the world.

Will we all ever get beyond this shame?

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37 (NIV)



In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child


This blog post was inspired by
Five Minute Friday: Beyond

Wang Yue "Yue Yue" | Wordless Wednesday

YUE YUE ... WHY THIS PICTURE?


Are you here for Wordless Wednesday? Great! Please comment here and not on the Prayer & Thoughts page. Thank you so much!

"Why this picture?" Join the discussion started on the Prayers & Thoughts blog post.


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

2 Year Old Chinese Baby Hit By Two Cars & Left To Die | Please Pray For This Little Girl

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS NOT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

Moms, this blog post is dedicated to prayer for the family of Yueyue (Wang Yue). She is the 2 year old baby, that was hit by a van and truck on October 15, 2011 in Guangzhou Foshan China. Both of the drivers and 18 pedestrians left this toddler to die on the street (well, one pulled her out of the street towards the trash). Unfortunately, her mother was doing laundry in the building and did not get to child until well after these horrible incident occurs. Alas, the 19th person was the one to save Yueyue life. It was an elderly trash collector named Chen Yianmei that came to her aid. Ms. Yianmei could only cry as she explained Yueyue's condition when she found her. This 2 year old is in now in a deep coma and on life support in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.

WATCH THIS VIDEO FROM CNC CHINA NEWS

If you are having a hard time understanding the Chinese video, try this YouTube video.

18 people passed this poor little girl on the busy street in Foshan City and did NOTHING to help her. The 3 that stand out the most to me are the following:

1) Man stopped his motorcycle to look at her and drove off without helping.

2) Mother walks past with her child and does not do a thing.

3) Woman from the store pulls the fractured toddler out of the street and leaves her.

It is just heart breaking to watch this poor child brutalized like this, though we need to understand and take note of why these Chinese citizens did not help her. As explained by CNC China video, the Chinese public wanted to know why there was no "empathy from the passersby" and about the "lack of morals in modern society". Many explained that they are due to the many cases where they were accused of hurting elderly people when they were really trying to help them. Some people state that they have “lost their faith in human nature” because of such situations.

What happened to the 2 drivers that hit the little girl?

The truck driver (2nd vehicle) was arrested, but they could not get the license plate number of the van (1st driver) from the surveillance video. The police asked witnesses to help, so this prompted the van driver to call Yueyue’s father and say that he would not turn himself in to the police, but would give the parents money. The driver also explained that his plans were to leave his wife and children, go into hiding for the rest of his life and make less money from jobs out of the city. He was finally arrested yesterday, October 17, 2011.

UPDATE 10/21 - PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS POOR CHILD'S FAMILY. SHE DID NOT SURVIVE AND WE ALL GRIEVE THEIR LOSS.


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day | Candle Lighting | Angel Moms Babies

I have been waiting all week to write this blog, but not my heart is so burdened by the remembrance it will bring that it is a little difficult to share this information on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

What is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day?

It is a day of remembrance for those who have lost a baby to death / SIDS as well as for those who have had a miscarriage or stillbirth (pregnancy loss). It is traditionally observed by an International candle lighting at 7:00 pm tonight (October 15) as part of a remembrance ceremony. Some states / organizations choose to host a walk and / or candle lighting. I am sure that you can imagine the devastation caused by any one of these scenarios whether you have lost a child / pregnancy or not. I personally tear up at any serious though of losing one of my children and have spent hours heart broken at these mother's websites. They are so selfless in wanting to educate other moms based on their experiences with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Diseases and other experiences. This does include women who have lost their dreams of motherhood because of miscarriages and stillbirths.

Please make sure to scroll down the page to see if any moms have commented and visit this PRAYER page to pray for an Angel Mom that is hurting even more today as she lights that candle in remembrance of her Angel Baby.

The following are some websites that I would like to share with you on this day:

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Angel Moms (those who have lost children)

Remembering Our Babies October 15th ***
You can find schedules by locations and by state on the Activities / Walks page.

First Candles

Millions Mom Challenge

I have met for many moms and read so many blogs by mothers who have lost their children (or have terminally ill children) that this has become quite an emotional subject for me. I ask that you read and support these women when blog hopping (don't just pass by there important messages to help others and buttons).

Please make sure to LIGHT YOUR CANDLE at 7:00pm in remembrance of moms that have lost babies / pregnancies. Do not hesitate to add to the PRAYER list posted on this blog or launch a prayer list on your blog. Thank you for reading this blog post & participating!


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Google Friend Connect | Follow Me Blog Hop

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. - 1 Peter 4:10

Welcome to this Mother Baby Child blog :)

My name is Lea. I am the Christian WAHM to 3 incredible boys (infant, tween and teen) and the wife to one too chatty, though loving hubby. I have been developing on the Internet for more than a decade and it has never become a boring / dead end job to me. I have an extremely long testimony of how God changed my life in this direction so many times; for now, I will let you know that I am grateful that He led in this direction and keeps guiding me. I have had a lot of good times and way too many struggles, but here I have the freedom to do what I love to do (most times) and at the side of my children. This is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

OK, this blog hop is about connecting with one another ...

Lets connect and really get to know one another. It doesn't need to be a "daily thing" unless you really like everything that I am doing and vice versa. On the other hand, it would sure be great to have that choice by connecting though our Google Friend Connect widgets and REALLY keeping in touch :)

Click on the FOLLOW button below to connect with me; let me know that you have connected through this GFC and introduce yourself in the COMMENT section of this blog post. This will let me know to go to your blog and do the same.


(If you can't see the button on this blog post, click the one on the right hand side of this page)

I know this is something a little different than we've seen with other Blog Hops / Link Ups, but I noticed that some moms don't know about this feature and others mentioned finding it a challenge to make more friends online / increase Google Friend Connect followers. Lets make this the "blog hop" / "link up" for Mother Baby Child.

SHARE THIS BUTTON


<br><a href="http://motherbabychild.blogspot.com/2011/10/google-friend-connect-follow-me-blog.html"><img alt="Mother Baby Child GFC, Comment, Hop" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNNccgqwCew1yHu449ltmtUSxtOZQGBalLa5frDeFG3zVipKlT5GXaJWkjAvydSKTV69B4jMm3HEipfZjSN7LzujUt1UVo5RXMhxhHQZnc-7T3Iw9d13woCRrfO1WAqVu5XuUcJT2QWE/s400/motherbabychild-Google-Hop-125x125.png" style="border: 8px solid #63ADCB; width:117px; height:117px;"/></a><br>

Don't forget check out this Blog Hops / Link Up page.




In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child

Proverbs 31:10–31 | Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character, The Virtuous Woman, The Virtuous Wife, Mother & Prayer

Proverbs 31:10–31 NIV

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Lord, I thank you for the life, husband and children that you have given to me. I thank you for the changes that you have made in me. I pray that you please help me to become the woman that you want me to be because it is sometimes hard to believe that I can be more like a Proverbs 31 woman in comparison to the woman that I used to be, but I know that I can by your hands. I know that all is possible through you, Father. I pray for the strength, dignity and wisdom that only you can provide. Please help me make this a home of your love and to become the mother and wife that you want me to be. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.


In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child