Excellent Children's Books!

I received the book Little Star by Anthony DeStefano from WaterBrook Mulnomah Publishing Group to review and it is a sweet little book!  It is an excellent addition to our Christmas collection, sharing the Christmas story with a twist! It focuses on the Christmas Star (the star that showed the way for the shepherds and Wise men) and tells the story of this Little Star, the smallest star in the heavens and how he shined brighter than any other star in the sky for the little King born in the stable when he understands the message He came to share. I loved the connection the author makes between Little Star and the stars on our Christmas trees! The illustrations (by Mark Elliot) are beautiful, excellent representations of the boy and his father, the manger scene, and the heavens and Little Star. My daughter loved this book too, and I’m sure we’ll be reading it over and over throughout the entire year!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

We also received the Precious Moments Story Book Bible by Sam Butcher. I love Bible books for our children, and this one is “Precious!” It almost feels like a “real” Bible, with pages in the front for family tree and special church events like special ceremonies, churches attended, vacation bible schools, etc. The book is separated into 4 main sections, Favorite Bible Classics, Words of Praise and Wisdom, More Stories of the Faith, and Songs and Prayers. The stories are simple but accurate and still include important details. They aren’t too “dumbed down” and I think will allow for the book to be enjoyed by many ages. I can’t wait to work through this book with my daughter! They are the perfect length for a Bible story before bed. And of course, the illustrations are perfect, classic Precious Moments drawings with adorable animals and people. I love that this book includes not only the typical Bible stories of the people in the Bible, but also prayers and praises of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Isaiah. I would most definitely recommend this book as a wonderful First Bible for any young child, those being read to, as well as young readers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A bit of biography

Those of you who know me might know I spent about 4 ½ years in San Pedro Sula, Honduras at the Emanuel Children’s Home. (Honduras is a small country in central America, bordered by El Salvador and Guatemala.) I went for 2 months the summer of 1998 (after my freshman year of college) with 2 dear friends and loved it. My aunt and uncle were involved with the children’s home I went to and made connections for us to be able to go. Four years later (or so) I found out they were going for a three month stay to raise the roof (literally!!) on the orphanage. Low ceilings and no a.c. made that a HOT place for all those precious kids and so a massive remodeling project was planned. I decided to leave my job and go help out for 2 months (“and no more!”) During that time, I had several different jobs… translator, chauffer, grocery shopper,tour guide, big sister… I’m sure those that were along on those trips could add more, but my mind is blanking there.

Here's the after picture!  The entire roof is raised, but especially the courtyard in the center.

The view from the courtyard.  See that crazy guy way up there on the peak? Yep, that's my dad!

I did of course decide to return and continued to coordinate work groups, translate, and help with all their errands and other needs while they were there, as well as helping out with the children as I could, helping to set up a rewards system for behavior, planning and executing monthly “rewards trips”, celebrating birthdays, loving on those awesome kids, chauffering them to church, church activities, and music lessons, working on setting up and translating materials for a transition program for older youth transitioning out of the Home (unfortunately this was never implemented).

I loved so many things about being there; the children were amazing, I loved  the staff, the people at our church were great; I love the country; there are beautiful places to vacation (hmmm, topic for a later post?!), life is very laid-back.



Little peek at one of the most amazing places in Honduras...



Which brings me to the things that were difficult: I did not have a rough time assimilating, though one thing that was difficult was Honduran’s concept of time! I, of course, would be ready at the stated time; only to wait. And wait. And wait. Til everyone got there much later. Public transportation is slightly frightening (those drivers can squeeze through the tiniest opening!) and also the main method of transportation! Driving in Honduras will also get your heart rate going sometimes. And of course, the HEAT! You take a shower, get out and sweat. You leave the breeze of your fan and sweat. Heck, you sit in the breeze of your fan and sweat! I remember coming home to visit during what everyone else said was an awefully hot and humid summer. I thought it was great! When I can sit in the shade and not sweat, it’s not hot! And bill-paying! When I moved into my own place I realized what a crazy mess that is! It takes a ridiculous amount of time to pay bills at each individual office, and the bank. No online bill pay or checks in the mail there!

I did get used to all these things though; and it would not take much to convince me to move back for a time. My Honduran husband, interestingly enough, would have a much harder time moving “home”! He’s grown accustomed to large, nicely paved streets and drivers who actually obey most traffic laws, courteous no-questions-asked (or at least not many) customer service, etc.

I met my husband in Honduras as he worked with the worship team at church, teaching the younger youth to play instruments and forming the current worship team at the church today. He also spent time hanging out with the kids at the orphanage; I found out later, much of this was to meet and spend time with me! We married in Honduras at the children's Home, with more of my family present than I would have every expected, for which I am ever grateful! I’m so blessed to have family members who would travel to the poorest country in central America to share in our day.

My husband's neice and our lovely ladies and gents

My Daddy! and my Maid of Honor, my dear sister!

Our wedding was right around twilight, and our reception area was little with candles on the tables and Christmas lights!

I eventually did leave the Home, and taught elementary school for a time, and later taught English classes. But those children will forever have a special place in my heart. If you’d like to find out more about the home, receiving the monthly newsletter, becoming part of a work group on a trip, financially supporting a child or a staff member each month, or supporting the Home financially or prayerfully, please see their website. They continue to make amazing changes with the support of people like you!

The next post will share the reason for this long rambling biography as I share about my Diaper Drive and the wonderful women who have donated cloth diapers for the Home’s precious new babies!

Mei Tei Baby Wrap!

With baby E taking longer than usual to walk and crawl, we've needed some other "modes of transportation!"

We use a sling (mine's from Hotslings, via Goodwill).

A better carry for a baby of this size is the hip carry (they sit in the sling as if you were carrying him on your hip, but carry baby's weight on your shoulders through the sling instead of your arms! E, unfortunately, still has some trouble keeping his head up, so this isn't so easy yet. Smaller babies can be cradled.

And my homemade Moby wrap was wonderful since it helped calm E when he was having his 4 hour screaming fits. (The link shows a good picture, but I've seen them made with tee-shirt type material, so you don't have to sew anything.)  I have also appreciated the mei tei (Yes, I have a lot of baby carriers!). this is the one I have been using...

Much thanks to my lovely friend who lent it to me, but its not quite appropriate for Eli!  She calls it the "Easter Egg" herself! I'd been eyeing up this tutorial for a loooong time, and since E is also not so great at supporting his head yet, I think the headrest is perfect for him! It can be worn on the front for a smaller baby or in back for a larger baby/toddler. I believe you can do a hip carry too, but I haven't figured that one out yet.

Here's how mine turned out:

With almost-3-year-old L!

See how that headrest helps him out?

I did not read my tutorial closely enough, thus the 10 lines of sewing along the waist belt...

This is the inside; I used soft, yummy Minkee fabric.

Here it is with the headrest/hood loose. It can just hang, or can be tied up over baby's head for a little hood while sleeping.

I'm pretty excited and am looking forward to really trying it out one of these days! It wasn't super difficult, other than sewing through all multiple layers (the waist band has fleece inside to cushion you while wearing). Online, a good mei tei can cost you around $80-90. Mine cost about $15-20 (that's a guess, I haven't looked at my reciepts well enough...).  But a HUGE savings over a purchased one! If you want to try making your own, click HERE. These directions were fabulous; I feel like a have a very sturdy, well constructed carrier. 

E's getting stronger!

We and E's therapists are getting excited about his progress! He's getting much stronger!

 He's holding his cup on his own (sometimes!). He picked up drinking from this cup much more easily than his sister!

And just so L doesn't feel left out...

Don't ask me where she comes up with these things! 

Scentsy! and I LOVE YARD SALES!

Check out the Scentsy Giveaway on Brown Paper Packages!  I am loving this stuff; I have seen it several times and am thinking about having a party... :)  Who doesn't love yummy smelling candle scents! 

And by the way, I LOVE YARD SALES!

This has been keeping L busy for HOURS...

$3!!!  and that's even a teensy bit pricy for me! LOL! She loves it and it's easy enough for her to put together and take apart.  Yes there are trains and tracks all over my living room, but it keeps her entertained!

And a bit of a sneak peek of what I'm working on...

Yes, these are ALL doll diapers! 

Any guesses what this will be??!

E's new bath tub!

Remember, tomorrow is your last chance to enter to win Monkeyshiners merchandise!!! See below for details!





As our E cannot sit up quite yet, we were getting a bit worried about how to bath him. He's almost too big for the baby bath tub.  So thanks to our great  physical therapist...

Yes, that's a laundry basket!  Set right down in the tub, with thiscomfy bath sponge that he sits and leans on! It works great. Our PT suggested putting non-slip shelf liner under the sponge, but I didn't have any; it worked ok without though I may try putting a wet hand towel under next time.

This would work great for any baby who's getting a little too big for their baby tub but can't quite sit up yet. Or if you just need a safe spot for ypu baby to play while big btother or sister shares the tub! It keeps bath toys from floating so far away as well!

Check out my friend Rebecca's blog, The Mommy Saver: Moms saving money, time and sanity. She gives tips for saving time and money in your household as well as yummy freezer cooking recipes. And, she's doing a giveaway right now of my Monkeyshiners items! Check out her blog here and enter to win a pacifier leash, bib clip, OR $5 off your purchase!

Giveaway ends Friday, September 10.

E's Early Intervention Therapy

I thought since its been so long since I posted, I would write up a quick post on E's Early Intervention Therapies.  I haven't taken many pictures, but have a few of him working hard! 

I'm so thankful every day for the 3 wonderful women who come to our house once a week (each).  It's so nice to know that they don't care what it looks like: how many toys are scattered on the floor, if there's a pile of cookie crumbs or L's breakfast bowl in the living room, baskets of folded (or unfolded) laundry sitting around.  They don't care about any of that, just about E and his progress.  I love that you can tell, every time they see him, how much they care about how he's doing and what progress he's making.  I won't show any photos of these three lovely ladies, as I don't  have permission, but we appreciate them so much!

In case you don't know, E has been diagnosed with Complete Agenesis of the Corpus Collosum, meaning that his corpus collosum (the part of your brain that is the main bridge of communication between the two sides) did not develop.  We don't know yet what this will mean with regards to his future, as there is a huge range of development for individuals with ACC.  Some people never know they have ACC, and others are noticably affected in various ways, whether it be in their physical abilities, speech, etc.  Whatever happens, we are believing that God has a plan for our beautiful boy.  In my heart, I want him to be "normal" but we know he will be amazing no matter what his capabilities.

E has been working hard in therapy and is very close to sitting by himself!  We are also working on weight bearing activities, and helping him take steps.  He is still not very interested in toys, so we pray (and ask you to pray with us!) that the opthamologist, who we will see tomorrow, will find some way to help him be able to see those toys better.

So, without further ado, here are some photos of our almost one year old (TOMORROW!!!!) working hard at his therapy.

Daughter L was SO excited when our physical therapist brought this big ball (she's been asking  for one everytime we go to walmart!), and has done a good job of "sharing" it with E! Here he is working on standing- Isn't that ball just the perfect size for him?!  We also have him sit on it and roll it slightly so he has to work at bringing himself back up straight as well as doing tummy time on it which he seems to like a little better than the floor!

And of course, later when L is playing, she does some therapy too...

We do this activity with E also! 

Working on crawling!

One of my favorite therapies with E is water therapy!  We spend time in the pool, and are excited to see his legs start kicking more!  I don't have any pictures of that, but here's a photo of what's been happening every time we go to the pool.

Yup, he's sleeping... I guess he really loves the water too!

As I said E turns 1 tomorrow; seems like this year has gone too fast for that...

We know lots of our family and friends have been praying for him, and we would love if you'd continue to do so!  We are so excited to see what this year brings for him!

Summer Fun in the Pool

We LOVE to swim... especially on these ridiculously hot days we've been having.  And we've been blessed with generous neighbors who have a pool! But since I'm home alone with my 2 1/2 year old L and baby E, we weren't taking advantage of it too much, until we found the best floaty ever!!!  L can float all around the pool by herself!  She can lean forward to practice swimming or float more on her back (or straight for that matter!)

And best of all, mommy has 2 arms to hold baby E who is currently doing some aquatic therapy for his ACC (agenesis of the corpus collosum-more on that in another post). His therapist is excited to see how this helps him and so are we!  It's very simple movement things, and makes you wonder sometimes how its going to help him at all, but he loves the water (when its not too cold!) and it's so relaxing to do the exercises with him! He's even taken a nap or two in the water and definitely sleeps great once he gets out!