The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Women's Health and the Federal Citizen Information Center have created the "Healthy Moms Advice Kit". It's filled with practical tips on topics such as hay fever, recognizing and conquering depression, keeping food safe, discovering the real differences between name brand and generic drugs—and every mom's dream—learning the secrets of getting a good night's sleep.
Click here to link with Publications.USA.gov where you can download several of the free publications and/or request printed copies.
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
31 Biblical Virtues to Pray For Your Kids
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If you want to pray more for your children, but aren't sure what to pray or how to pray for them, then use this list of virtues as your guide. Next to each virtue is a prayer based upon Scripture that you can pray, with the reference to where in the Bible the prayer was inspires. This makes for a great prayer calendar. Just pick one virtue each day of the month to pray over your child/children.
- Salvation - "Lord, let salvation spring up from within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10
- Growth in grace - "I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18
- Love - "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them." Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 5:2
- Honesty and integrity - "May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection." Psalm 25:21
- Self-control - "Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do." 1 Thessalonians 5:6
- Love for God's Word - "May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb." Psalm 19:10
- Justice - "God, help my children to love justice and You do and act justly in all they do." Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8
- Mercy - "May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful." Luke 6:36
- Respect (for self, others, authority, etc) - "Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as your Word commands." 1 Peter 2:17
- Biblical self-esteem - "Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God's worksmanship, creating in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:10
- Faithfulness - "Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts." Proverbs 3:3
- Courage - "May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their action." Deuteronomy 31:6
- Purity - "Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions." Psalm 51:10
- Kindness - "Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." 1 Thessalonians 5:15
- Generosity - "Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age." 1 Timothy 6:18-19
- Peace-loving - "Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace." Romans 14:19
- Joy - "May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 1:6
- Perseverance - "Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them." Hebrews 12:1
- Humility - "God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all." Titus 3:2
- Compassion - "Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion." Colossians 3:12
- Responsibility - "Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load." Galatians 6:5
- Contentment - "Father teach my children to the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength." Philippians 4:12-13
- Faith - "I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them." Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40
- A servant's heart - "God, please help my children develop servants' hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men." Ephesians 6:7
- Hope - "May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
- Willingness and ability to work - "Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heat, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23
- Passion for God - "Lord, please instill in my children a soul that follows hard after You, one that clings passionately to you." Psalm 63:8
- Self-discipline - "Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair." Proverbs 1:3
- Prayerfulness - "Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." Ephesians 6:18
- Gratitude - "Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20, Colossians 2:7
- A heart for missions - "Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all people." Psalm 96:3
Stay-At-Home Moms Need A Schedule, Too
A common area overlooked by stay-at-home moms is not having a schedule on which to operate. For a preschoolers, not having anything "definite" to look forward to in any given day or week can result in the discipline issues or just sheer-out boredom. Moms suffer from lack of a schedule or routine as well. It's easy to become stressed or unmotivated without some skeleton of what a day or week is going to look like. Having a routine in place helps everything run smoother and more efficiently, and your family will appreciate knowing what to expect.
If you don't have a routine, or are struggling with your current schedule below are some examples of real moms who live by a routine to get your started:
- Routine With Kids (includes 20 practical pointers for having a routine for your kids)
Does something work especially well for your family? Share with us!
Downloadable Resources for Women
Check out this extensive database of resources for women. Topics include:
- abortion
- being a godly woman
- church
- devotions
- forgiveness
- christian living topics (topical)
- God
- gratitude
- holidays
- marriage
- mentoring
- modesty / sexual purity (single or married)
- parenting
- prayer
- priorities
- relationships
- revival
- suffering
- women in ministry
- women of the bible
to view details for each topic, or to download resources visit the Revive Our Hearts website
There Are No Mundane Tasks In Mothering
from "No Mundane Tasks," part of a 31-day series on Revive Our Hearts (a radio program for women), hosted by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
to read the entire transcript or to listen to the broadcast go here
Remember
... as you’re cleaning - as you’re ironing, sewing, picking up, as you’re painting, as you’re beautifying your home, as you’re doing things to make your home attractive, remember that you’re painting a picture for your children—a picture of God. You’re demonstrating to your children in ways that penetrate deep into their hearts, the heart of God, the ways of God, and you’re increasing the likelihood that your children will grow up to love that God and to want to be like Him. You’re demonstrating parables of spiritual life to your children as you work with your hands, as you serve in your home.
... when you prepare food for your family, you’re demonstrating to them that God is a faithful provider.
... when you’re being quality conscious in the things that you purchase, you’re showing your children the excellence of the character of God.
... as you are orderly, you are teaching your children that God is a God of order.
... when you clean things up in your home, when you keep a clean home, you’re showing your children the importance of purity, holiness of heart, of being clean and washed before God.
... when you’re disciplined in your life and habits and schedule and the time you get up and the time you go to bed according to the way that God has directed your family, you’re teaching your children that the Christian life requires discipline. You are teaching them that you can’t just stay in bed and become spiritual. It requires effort and cooperation with God’s Spirit to develop godly habits, patterns, and sanctification in our lives.
... when you reach out your hands…to the poor and the needy and you’re ministering to the needs of others, you’re showing your children the heart of God for those who are poor and needy and oppressed.
There is indeed NO mundane task! Every task assigned to you is spiritual and paints a picture of God to your children.
Gift Ideas for Kids
Do you come to a mental block when it comes to giving kids (yours or other parents') gifts?
Do you feel you either give the same kinds of things to the same kid, or that you resort to just giving a gift card?
Do you ever get overwhelmed at the thought of coming up with something creative to give a child (something that they will actually want to use)?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then you should check out these simple and inexpensive gifts for children.
Teaching Toddlers God's Word
The main principles
- Let your children see God's Word open.
- Less is more.
- Be animated in expression and tone.
- Incorporate movement.
- Create a routine.
- Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
- Keep it short and sweet.
For more detail on each one you can visit the Desiring God blog site or click here to view the article.
Menu Planning Made Easy
What is menu planning?
Planning in advance what you will be cooking in a given period of time (week, 2 weeks, month, etc).
Benefits of menu planning:
- it's efficient: you can create your grocery list from the ingredients lists of your recipes. Gone are the days of staring blankly into the pantry or frantically rummaging through the refrigerator in search of what to eat or what to shop for.
- it's budget-friendly: Less food is wasted because you buy/use only what you need.
- you can have variety: You keep track of how often you eat what, so you can plan in new dishes or family favorites.
- it's healthier: Eating at home is healthier than eating out. You know exactly what goes into your meals, and can even alter the recipes to certain health needs or caloric requirements.
Creative Meal Planning Ideas
- dedicate each night of the week to a different type of food {soup, salads, crockpot, one-dish, ethnic food, seasonal favorite, etc}
- create a theme night once a week {a great resource for ideas can be found here}
Resources for menu planning
A Basic Guide to Meal Planning - simplemom.net - all you need to do to get started
7 Tips to Simplify Meal Planning - workitmom.com - basic guidelines to helping meal-planning run smoothly in your house
Family Nights - whittakerwoman.typepad.com - fun and creative ideas for making family nights special for everyone
Menu Planning Resources & Ideas - simplemom.net
Homeschooling Resources
Books
The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling by Rachel Gathercole
a very thorough answer to any well-meaning friends or relatives who might ask you why you are considering homeschooling and what about the child's socialization
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Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling by Mary Pride
gives you all the information you ever wanted on things like: teaching styles, curriculum suppliers, national contests, homeschool methods, teaching gifted or special-needs children, record-keeping and much much more.
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The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell
covers a broad range of topics related to the beginning homeschooler, similar to Mary Pride's guide to homeschooling
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Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Anderson
introduction to the concept of gentle and child-directed learning, great for those interested in homeschooling without textbooks
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The Way They Learn by Cynthia Tobias
must-read for anyone with children, insightful diagnostic tools to discern your child's learning style and the distinct ways in which we all process information
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So You're Thinking About Homeschooling by Lisa Welch
short book highlighting reasons any parent might want to consider homeschooling
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Websites
Homeschool Legal Defense Association - national legal aid group that deals specifically with all things related to homeschool law - look up laws by state - house of numerous homeschool links and helpful resources
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Pennsylvania Home Education Network - information on PA homeschool law and links to other helpful sites
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Christian Homeschoolers of Pennsylvania - information on homeschooling in PA - host of annual statewide homeschool conference
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If you have anything to add to the list feel free to leave a comment with all the pertinent information.
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a special thanks: to alison agnew and paula jerome for items recommended in this post
Do You Remember?
Kids have an amazing capacity to remember things. Now, while they are young, is the time to harness that ability and help fill their minds with things worth remembering. Below is a list of ideas on how to help your child remember Scripture:
- Books of Bible
- The 10 Commandments: Exodus 20:1-17 (click here to read passage)
- The Beatitudes: Matthew 5:3-12 (click here to read passage)
- Psalm 23 (click here to read)
- The "Love" Chapter: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (click here to read all 13 verses of the chapter)
- ABC Scripture Memory (click here for more detail)
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