Freedom of Speech

I have noticed a trend in internet circles. People can say whatever they want, however they want, and no one should be offended. We say things to people over the internet that (hopefully) we would never say face to face.
But is this "If you're offended, that's not my fault" attitude biblical?

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

~ Colossians 4:6

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

~ Ephesians 4:29

I think it's easy in the cyber world to forget that it is real people with real flesh and blood who read our typed words. People who may not know Christ, but who know that we do. It's easy to disregard their sensitivities (or discernment) and hurt feelings. But as Christians, can we really afford to do that? Can we afford to care so little about the testimony and witness we give of the Lord we say we serve?


May our words, spoken or typed, always be seasoned with grace, edifying to those who hear or read. May my own testimony bring God glory, and not cause others to stumble. On my own, I can do nothing well. Praise God that He is willing to speak and minister through me, if only I will let Him.

My Kindergarten Reading List

The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne and Ernest H. Shepard

All Beatrix Potter books
The Little House by Virginia Burton
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Ox-Cart Man by Barbara Cooney
Stone Soup and other folk tale retellings by Marcia Brown
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
The Story of Little Babaji by Helen Bannerman

Brer Rabbit books by Joel Chandler Harris
Poems and Prayers for the Very Young by Martha Alexander
A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
A good collection including classic stories and folktales such as The Little Red Hen, The Gingerbread Man, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Aesop's Fables
Mother Goose collection
Poems for Young Children compiled by Caroline Royds
The Oxford Book of Children's Verse edited by Peter Opie

The Church Mice and others in this series by Graham Oakley.

Hiawatha by Longfellow, illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow, illustrated by Ted Rand

My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Ted Rand

Picture books depicting Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, such as The Elephant's Child

Roxaboxen by Barbara Cooney

The Tale of Three Trees illustrated by Angela Elwell Hunt

Wynken, Blynken and Nod illustrated by either Susan Jeffers or Barbara Cooney

Taken from Ambleside Online.

Patience Equals Money

Well, I did it! I really did it! And you have no idea just how proud I am of myself! I twisted Maya's hair myself! Woo-Hoo! (Normally I pay $60/month to have her hair professionally twisted and it takes 2 hours. It took me 4 hours, but it was free.)

Remember when I said that I cut everyone's hair myself, just so I'll have enough money to have Maya's hair done? Well no longer!! Now I can have Chloe's hair professionally cut if I want to! Or color my hair purple if I feel so inclined! Or purchase my weight in hair clips so we'll never run out of the pink ones! (We never have enough pink hair clips. Never.)

What an exhilerating feeling!

Many Worthy Books

We owe it to every child to put him in communication with great minds that he may get at great thoughts; … and the only vital method of education appears to be that children should read worthy books, many worthy books.

-Charlotte Mason, A Philosophy of Education

This is one of my favorite quotes of Charlotte Mason because it sums up my own philosophy of education, which of course, I stole from her.
At my CM Book Club last week, one of the ladies was asking how you develop vocabulary and grammar, since those subjects are not directly taught in the elementary years of a Charlotte Mason education. They are taught indirectly through great literature. The most effective way to develop excellent vocabulary and grammar is by reading quality books. Many worthy books, Miss Mason would say.
When I am reading to the children, I don't stop to explain what words mean. We don't interrupt a great story to pull out the dictionary. I just keep reading. Think about it: when you talk, talk, talk to your little toddler, you don't stop to explain what a word means. You know that your chubby 1 year old doesn't know the meaning of yesterday or soon or maybe. But they figure it out. You just keep talking and they will start to use those words long before they really understand them fully.
A year ago, Maya was explaining something that happened to her in Liberia and she used the word "vexed". She used it correctly, but it really threw me off and I asked her what that meant. She said: "Um, it's like confused and angry." Um, yes, Maya that's exactly what it means. (She had heard it four or five times in Pilgrim's Progress.)
Isaac, who couldn't speak a lick of proper English at the time of adoption, because Liberian English is much better described as Creole than English, has started correcting his own grammar as he speaks. And not because he's slaving through a huge grammar workbook. He isn't. He just hears excellent grammar all day every day. (Through the literature; I don't claim to have perfect grammar. lol)
This type of thing happens all the time. And all because we simply read many worthy books.

Always Faithful

I had said that God would be my comfort, but I could not have imagined the lengths He would go to to show me this side of Him again. During the miscarriage, my hormones (aka emotions) were all over the place. Up and down. Up and down. I very quickly had to remind myself: I cannot trust my emotions.
The first day that I was down, I received a call from our pastor's wife telling me that she was going to bring us a meal and would lunch or dinner be better? She went on to tell me about a fairly recent miscarriage she had and was very encouraging. She talked to me for a good long while and I felt like my hand was being held through the process.
The next day that my emotions were down and I was irrational and wanting to crawl into a hole for the remainder of the day, I received a card in the mail which basically said: I know sometimes when things are hard, you just want to quit, but God is there. He is faithful and He will comfort you.
Amazing.
And someone brought me lunch that day when I was too melancholy to even realize how late it was and how hungry I was. Shocking how food alone can bring the emotions back into balance. ;)
Two days later, when I was doing much better but it still wasn't over, a friend from church called wanting to bring us dinner.
Thank you for the cards. Thank you for the meals. Thank you for the encouraging words. Always arriving just when I needed them. Even when I didn't realize I needed them.
And to all those friends who looked me in the eyes and asked, "How are you doing? Really."-- Thank you so much for letting God speak through you. You have no idea how much those simple words of caring meant to me.

This song has been my theme song of late. I hope it blesses you.

I Love My Midwife

Robin and newborn Lydia

She just called me today to check on me. This makes the 5th time she has called me over the past week. She just wants to see how I'm doing.
She asked how I was doing physically. Then she asked how I was faring emotionally. Then she asked how I was doing spiritually and told me that she was praying for me, not only to conceive but also to draw closer to the Lord during this time.
Other than pregnancy itself, I am really looking forward to having her come to my house every month again. She is such a blessing.
How many of you know OB/GYNs who make so many personal calls?

I'm so blessed.

The Day Mommy Went Shopping

Last weekend, I went to the thrift store to shop for Lydia and Daniel, who have apparently run out of clothes. How did that happen?
When I came home and showed them their new stash, they were giddy. They tried on each outfit and showed it off (Daniel, because I asked him to; Lydia, because she's a girl). It was so much fun for them to be showered with new stuff.

But like every trip to the thrift store, not everyone gets something. Isaac was particularly disappointed with this sad fact of life. Apparently, he was the only one who didn't take my word for it when I said I was going shopping for Daniel and Lydia only.

So, Kyle sympathized with him. (I didn't get anything for Kyle either, poor thing.) They boo-hooed together as I rolled my eyes.