Children Bedtime Rituals

Children bedtime rituals

Children bedtime ritualsChildren Bedtime Rituals

 

You’ve heard it time and again, but it’s true…!  The children don’t stay little long and before you know it, their off on their own.  Embrace the time you have with your little ones.  That’s easy to say and much harder to do as you deal with 2 and 3 year old antics. Yet, continue to tell yourself, it IS worth it. Consider some bedtime rituals. My older children have told me that they especially loved the nights after the lights were out, when I would go in, lie on their bed and just talk with them.  Actually, I mostly listened and let them pour out their hearts to me.  There is something about that time of night, lights out, alone with mom, that really gets them talking. I found that the children wanted this ritual even as they got older. They really enjoyed when I would take turns asking each of them (if more than one child was in the room) the same question such as “What made you laugh today?”  “What would you love to have for dinner if you could have anything?” “Do you know my mom and dad’s name?” “Tell me the name of two continents.” “Would you rather me scratch your back, play with your hair, or rub your feet?” But mostly they just wanted to talk about their day.

Cran-Raspberry Mint Lemonade

cran-raspberry lemonade

 

This is SO GOOD! cran-raspberry lemonade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a version of my fabulous sister-in-law’s recipe.  Grow some mint and try this. Mint is very easy to grow but be selective where you put it because it is invasive. This is a great container plant.

 

Mint Syrup

1 ½ C sugar

1 C water

6-8 sprigs of fresh mint

Combine water and sugar. Bring to boil to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add mint. Let sit for several minutes. Strain leave

Fresh pureed fruit (raspberry or strawberry is wonderful) you can use frozen

1 Can of lemonade or fresh lemon juice, water and sugar to taste

1/4 Can of cranberry juice (adding water to taste)

Mix and serve chilled

Cran-Raspberry Lemonade – This is so good!

cran-raspberry lemonade

Cran-Raspberry Lemonade – This is so good!

cran-raspberry lemonade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a version of my fabulous sister-in-law’s recipe.  Grow some mint and try this. Mint is very easy to grow but be selective where you put it because it is invasive. This is a great container plant.

 

Mint Syrup

1 ½ C sugar

1 C water

6-8 sprigs of fresh mint

Combine water and sugar. Bring to boil to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add mint. Let sit for several minutes. Strain leaves.

 

Fruit & Mint Lemonade

½ C mint syrup (or to taste)  You can serve this without the mint syrup–but you will be missing out!!

Fresh pureed fruit (raspberry or strawberry is wonderful) you can use frozen

1 Can of lemonade or fresh lemon juice, water and sugar to taste

1/4 Can of cranberry juice (adding water to taste)

Mix and serve chilled

Glorious Sun

Sunshine

Sunshine

Sunshine is good for you in many ways. Obviously, we need to be cautious with the danger of skin cancer. Here are some wonderful benefits of partaking of the gift of sunshine:

 

1. We get a large portion of our Vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D is essential for absorbing calcium; in essence it helps keep bone and teeth healthy.

2. Sun can boost our level of serotonin, which is a happy hormone.  Mayo Clinic explains serotonin here.

3. The higher serotonin levels due to sun exposure help suppress appetite.

3. Being outside in sunshine warms your muscles which can reduce pain and stiffness.

4. A small amount of sun exposure (5 -15 minutes) unprotected can aid in later protection from sun rays.

5. Sun rays can aid in treating jaundice.

6. Sun helps the kidneys through the elimination of waste with sweating.

7. Studies have shown that lowered levels of Vitamin D can cause a rise in Cholesterol levels.

These are some pretty wonderful reasons to get outside! I have only listed a few of the many great health benefits of the sun. Remember to be cautious of the damaging effects of the sun.

My husband and I feel so proud of ourselves when we get our 15 or so minutes of sunshine!

 

GETTING TO THE HEART OF SAME-SEX PARENTING

NOTE: My son wrote this for an english project and im posting at his request.

 According to a recent poll, support for Gay Marriage has reached an all-time high. 59% of Americans now support it compared to a 30% approval that was reported in 2004 (US support). It is incredible how much public opinion has changed on this topic in a mere 11 years! The Argument addressing the pros and cons of gay marriage is about as complicated as it gets. There are many facets to the debate but I will only attempt to address one here. What is the effect of gay marriage on children? There are few things that are more important to society than the health and safety of the rising generation, and so the question must be asked, is it possible that same-sex parenting harms children? As the son of two wonderful parents and as a member of an incredibly supportive and loving family it is important to me, and I’m sure it is important to you, that all children have every opportunity to be raised in the best possible environment.

 

THE GREAT CONTROVERSY

 

Because legalizing same-sex marriage is such a recent development (the world’s first legal gay marriage ceremony took place only 14 years ago) It has been difficult for researchers to gather sufficient data to gauge the effect that same-sex parenting has on children. Some of the studies that have been conducted are contradictory. Let’s take for our first example an article endorsed by the AAP. Between 1986 and 1992, 154 prospective lesbian mothers volunteered for a study that was designed to follow planned lesbian families from the children’s conception until they reached adulthood. Data was then gathered using surveys and interviews with the mothers. Using the data the study then asserted that teenage children of lesbian mothers were rated higher in social, academic and total competence than their counterparts taken from Achenbach’s normative sample of American youth (Gartrell and Bos).

 

In contrast a more recent study, published on Feb 27, 2015 by Donald Sullins, asserts the opposite. For this study results from 207,007 children (512 with same-sex parents) were taken from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey in which emotional and developmental problems were gauged with study controls regarding age, sex, race, and parent income and education. The evaluation found that children of same-sex parents were over two times as likely to suffer from emotional problems and that “Joint biological parents are associated with the lowest rate of child emotional problems by a factor of 4 relative to same-sex parents.”

 

CLEARING THE FOG

 

If you search this topic on the internet you will find literature for and against same-sex parenting with similar contradictory results. What are we to make of this? Well first of all, not all studies are created equal. There are many nuances in the way that a study is designed that can create bias. The scientific method requires a blind, unbiased sampling of random participants in order to produce legitimate results. You will notice that in the first study mentioned 154 lesbian mothers volunteered for the study. Is it fair to compare the parenting results of 154 eager volunteers to the remainder of the entire American population? An additional bias was created in this study by allowing the mothers of these children to transmit the data to the researchers. A proper study, such as the second one mentioned, would have no selection bias and would gather data from the children themselves not from the parents. This example unfortunately illustrates a major current trend in which researchers bias results in regards to such emotionally and politically charged debates such as this.

 

Loren Marks of Louisiana State University has written much on this problem. According to him, and common sense, only a study conducted with a large random sampling of children from same-sex parents and a large random sampling of children from opposite-sex parents will be able to adequately model the differences between the two groups. If you limit your research to these studies you will find that same-sex parenting doesn’t measure up. It turns out that you can’t fight biology. Kids need female mothers and male fathers.

 

Some additional statistics from a separate study conducted by Mark Regnerus further illustrate this. His study, which is backed by the NFSS, took special care to avoid selection bias which has been so prevalent in earlier studies. According to his study adult children of same-sex parents were 38% less likely to describe their family of origin as being secure. These children were also over 3 times as likely to have been forced to have sex against their will and were over 10 times more likely to have been sexually touched by an adult.

 


gay-pride

Much of the increased risk for these children is likely due to the political pressure that surrounds our culture in connection with this topic. Is it ethical to use children as political statements?

Source: Children of gay couple pride parade. Digital image. Reuters. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://www.crisismagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Reuters-children-of-gay-couple-pride-parade-photog-Jonathan-Alcorn-618×320.jpg>.

 

TAKE-AWAYS

 

Be sure to understand what is being said. We are not taking into account divorce/separation rates. Unfortunately family stability for both same-sex and traditional marriage is rare, but that is another argument entirely. Here we are comparing two very specific groups, both of which involve two parents that have been present for much of the child’s rearing years. One group involving same-sex parents and the other consisting of a male father and a female mother. The evidence presented does not suggest that gay parents are incapable of loving their children and it does not mean that marriages between a man and a women always provide a loving, positive environment for children. It means that children of same-sex parents suffer greater odds of emotional struggle in general when compared to children raised in traditional households.

 

In the words of Katy Faust, a daughter of same-sex parents and an opponent to same sex marriage, “Now we are normalizing a family structure where a child will always be deprived daily of one gender influence and the relationship with at least one natural parent. Our cultural narrative becomes one that, in essence, tells children that they have no right to the natural family structure or their biological parents, but that children simply exist for the satisfaction of adult desires. . . The label of bigot or hater has become very powerful and effective tools to silence those of us who choose not to endorse the marriage platform of many gay lobbyists,” Faust continued. “For much of my adult life I was content to keep my opinions on the subject of marriage to myself. I was (and still am) sickened by the accusation that I was bigoted and anti-gay for my belief in natural marriage. For many years those devices kept me quiet. I didn’t seek a venue where I could share my views. But I have come to realize that my silence, and the silence of others, has allowed for the conversation to be dominated by those who claim that only animus, ignorance, or indoctrination could lead one to oppose ‘marriage equality.’”

 

Let us cease to be silent.

 

Some say that same-sex couples have the right to adopt children. They say it is better for a child to have two loving same-sex parents than it is for the child to have one or none. While it is true that same-sex couples have the capacity to love and care for children the most trustworthy research shows that children are generally better off with their biological parents. We live in an imperfect world. Unfortunately it is impossible for us to guarantee a perfect environment for every child. But shouldn’t that be our goal? Isn’t it our responsibility to arrange our laws so that in general children will be protected? If there is any unalienable right that every child deserves, it is the right to grow up in the care of a loving mother and father.

 


Parents-helping-baby-walk

Source: Parents helping baby walk. Digital image. SheKnows. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2014/04/Parents-helping-baby-walk.jpg>.

 

 

Sources

 

Andersen, Kirsten. “‘Quartet of Truth’: Adult Children of Gay Parents Testify against Same-sex ‘marriage’ at 5th Circuit.” Life Site. 13 Jan. 2015. Web.

 

Gartrell, Nanette, and Henny Bos. “US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Psychological Adjustment of 17-Year-Old Adolescents.” Pediatrics. The American Academy of Pediatrics, 23 Mar. 2010. Web.

 

Regnerus, Mark. “Parental Same-sex Relationships, Family Instability, and Subsequent Life Outcomes for Adult Children: Answering Critics of the New Family Structures Study with Additional Analyses.” ScienceDirect. Elsevier, 15 Nov. 2012. Web.

 

Sprigg, Peter. “New Study On Homosexual Parents Tops All Previous Research.” Family Research Council. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.

 

Sullins, Donald Paul. “Emotional Problems among Children with Same-Sex Parents: Difference by Definition.” Social Science Research Network. British Journal of Education, 25 Jan. 2015. Web.

 

“US Support for Gay Marriage at Highest Ever.” 10 Mar. 2015. Web. <http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/us-support-gay-marriage-highest-ever100315>.

 

 

 

Valentine

valentine

Valentine

I am re-posting this for the very reason I talk about in the post!

valentineAhhh, Valentine’s Day..That’s my day, right? Having a last name of “Valentine” certainly has pressures and expectations every year on Feb 14th. I always have intentions of making the “big day” the BEST of the year. Certainly a ‘Valentine’ child should bring valentine cards filled with all the bells and whistles to put in all of the little classmates elaborately decorated boxes…Um, how about 10 year old cards found in a drawer with a lame piece of candy taped to the card. Thankfully, my children know the drill year after year and are happy as can be about it. The problem is this– the day sneaks up on me and before I know it, I’m too late! (It doesn’t help that tax season is starting to heat up about then). Put it this way, your Valentine’s Day is probably a lot more spectacular than mine. The kids didn’t even have milk for their cereal. I tried to hide my “fault” by approaching my husband saying, “let’s not give anything to each other this Valentine’s.” He confessed to me later that our youngest son, Luke, had confided in him that I was feeling guilty because I didn’t get anything for his dad…

Functional Family Elements

family

familyFamilyFunctional Family Elements

At one point in my life I had the following 12 ideas taped to the wall in my bedroom. I had each one printed on a tacky colored paper. It was definitely an eyesore…but I read them frequently. There is so much value in each thought below.

1. There is an inviting, comfortable, loving atmosphere in the home and in the company of the family. HAVE A HOME THAT FEELS GOOD.  You know those homes the kids friends want to be in.

2. Parents offer their children all of their love and support without worrying about the outcomes of their parenting.

3.Parents in a functional family, parent consciously and intentionally.

4.Parents are very aware of the impact they have on their children.

5. Parents understand that the family is the best place to address basic human needs.

6. In functional families, relationships are of supreme importance.

7. In functional families parents are teachers.

8. Functional parents have clearly defines rules and responsibilities that they mutually agree upon.

9. Functional parents exhibit strong and confident leadership and are passionate about their responsibilities as parents.

10. Functional families realize that they do not need to be perfect.

11. Functional families like to play and have fun together.

12. Functional families make their home a gospel school.

(The ideas listed above came from a family life course I took from BYU.)

 

 

 

 

Amazing Brain Dendrites

Dendrites

Amazing Brain Dendrites

Dendrites

Amazing Dendrites can help the body’s ability to remember and perform.

One of the coolest things about these dendrites is that you can build them so easily. By doing something new, or out of the ordinary for yourself, you strengthen and help build them. Things as simple as crossing your legs opposite of what you are used to, stretching your brain by learning a new subject, trying a new skill, taking up a sport you haven’t ventured to do, learning in a new way (such as learning visually or hands-on, for instance), all promote dendrite growth.

Try painting, skiing, yoga, writing, singing, basketball, card tricks….the list is endless!!

Dendrites

Dendrites

Below is a link to some great information on dendrites.

In lab animals of all ages, environmental enrichment has been related to dendritic branching, spine density, and overall number of synapses.[11] In addition, skill training has been shown to lead to the formation and stabilization of new spines while destabilizing old spines,[15][16] suggesting that the learning of a new skill involves a rewiring process of neural circuits. Since the extent of spine remodeling correlates with success of learning, this suggests a crucial role of synaptic structural plasticity in memory formation.[15] In addition, changes in spine stability and strengthening occur rapidly and have been observed within hours after training.[14][16]

 

Note: As with most things, there is debate on this topic.

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