Show your love

Show some love to your kids today

• give them a hug
• rub noses together
• go on a nature hike
• check the mail together
• make cookies
• play a game
• share a book
• listen to them
• give your daughters a fancy hairstyle
• make something
• help them clean their room
• write a note for them
• have a scavenger hunt
• post a scripture on their mirror
• take a picture of them
• pray for them
• tell them "I love you"

What is Torah family living?

What is Torah family living? What does it look like?
It will look slightly different in every family, but there are common factors. The main idea is to take the principles found in Torah very seriously and seek to apply them on a daily basis. There is much more in Torah than Sabbath and the Feast Days.

For example, let's start with eating kosher. When I plan a menu, there will obviously be no pork, shellfish, or flamingo in the meal.

But let's take it a step further. What do I do when one of my children yells, "Mommy, she hit me!" I need to investigate further because Torah teaches us to get two witnesses before doling out punishment. What if I can't secure two witnesses? I do not punish, but I take the opportunity to remind my children to behave in a just and honoring way.

The concept of honor is very important in Torah. We are to value people. We should seek to do what is best for them. We are to treat them the way we want to be treated. There is no better place to practice honor than in the home. If we are trying to honor our family members, we will automatically rescue Jimmy's bike if he left it out in the rain. Sure, he should have put it away, but honor helps out anyway.

Once we realize that Torah applies to all of life, then we have entered the realm of Torah family living. Let the blessings begin!

And the winner is....

Doug drew a name for our book giveaway today. I am thrilled to see the excitement building. Only 9 days until the big launch! I am doing the behind the scenes work of setting up shopping carts, etc. It will go live on September 4th, and if you didn't win today, you can purchase a copy for $8.99.  Again, thanks for all your support.

Okay, the winner is....Lusi!

I will email you a PDF copy. How exciting with a baby about to arrive! Congratulations!

Sadie's Stories

I don't normally do a separate preschool curriculum. Normally the little ones sit with me while I teach the bigger ones. They participate where they can, pick info up by osmosis, and stay out of trouble. Everyone's happy!

But this year, I felt the need to do something different with Sadie. She is child #4, not quite big enough but not that small either. I don't want her to get overlooked or forgotten. I first thought of 5 in a row, but financially that just isn't an option. So with the encouragement of my Mom, I'll be coming up with her schoolwork myself. The basic idea is to read good books to her, and do activities as we feel inspired. When I cleaned out the bookcase, I was very pleased with the selections.

"Make Way for Ducklings"
"The Tawny Scrawny Lion"
"James Herriot Treasury"
"Frog and Toad Together"
"Little Bear"

My Mom also found a book that was given to me when I was 3, "The Little Golden Book Treasury."

I had a little impromptu beginning today and was very pleased with the results. I found a book of one page stories with little activities. We read the first story, titled, "The Apple Man." I pulled her up in my lap and began to read. You should have seen her face! She had a huge grin and just came alive while we were reading. Why don't I read out loud more often? I don't know. I guess I just get selfish and busy.

Well, when we were done, the book had a few suggested activities. We sang the song together, and made our own apple man. She picked an apple from one of our trees, and we made a face with cloves and arms out of toothpicks. We even cut an apple open to see the star. The older kiddos had to make their own apple men, too.

I will continue to post Sadie's Stories, and you can peek in on our simple adventures with books. Hey, less is more! See you next time!

A sample

It occurred to me that I didn't give very much info about what is actually in The Children's Ketubbah Project. You can't read my mind, so let me attempt to do that here. Below is one of the ketubbahs found in the book, written for daughters. There is also one for sons. There are other things in the book, too, but this will give you a sample.

We love you.
YHVH formed you in the womb. He made you beautiful and smart.
We want the very best for you and we are so happy you are part of our family.
We are not perfect parents, but we promise to do our very best.
We will pray for you.
We will listen to you.
We will be a living example of how to walk in Torah, teach it to you, and show you how to study it on your own.
We will lovingly discipline you when you do wrong, to keep you on the right track. We will restore you after the discipline.
We will enjoy you and learn about you as a unique special girl, and help you develop the talents your Heavenly Father gave you.
We will be available to help you with decisions, including the choice of your future husband, life work, and ministry.

From Mom:
I will show you how to be a good future wife by being one now.
I will patiently show you how to be a capable young lady.

From Dad:
I will meet your needs, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
I will provide a safe haven for you to grow up in.

We hope you will return our love with your own, demonstrated by honor and obedience. But we will love you no matter what.
When we fail in any of the things listed above, we will apologize and make it right.

I have turned each of these phrases into a mini chapter where I discuss how to implement them. I pray that this book is a blessing to your family. Just writing it has been so helpful to our family. Parenting is now something we do on purpose. We are thinking through how we interact with our children. We want our children's hearts, but now, we are letting them have our heart, too.

Read a book review here.

Get your copy on Sept. 4 by going here. There will also be some giveaways on that day.

Enter to get a free advanced copy here.

Thanks so much for all your excitement! It means a lot to me. :)