Dan's take on Love and Logic Parenting

Recently I went to a parenting class at church given by one of the best mom's I have ever seen. Her main parenting style was learned from a book called "Love and Logic," which I am currently reading and sharing with Daniel. Tonight, we had some friends over for dinner and then had an FHE lesson and I taught about the principle of teaching children responsibility from a young age by letting them make decisions (things that are age appropriate). The book says that this learning starts the day they are born. Dan enthusiastically responds with the comment,"so what kind of decisions do you offer them as an infant, do you want the left breast or the right breast?" Everyone laughed, needless to say I have a very witty husband who I know will make a great parent.

Another funny incident at this same dinner happened when we got into a discussion about raw food and the health benefits of eating that way. One of our friends commented that he has a relative that eats a purely raw food diet after having some health issues a couple years ago. He said that his relative has so much energy since he changed his diet that he is just bursting with enthusiasm and runs between activities during the day and then turned to Dan and said "he is kinda like you" to which Dan responds " Yeah, just think how I would be on the raw food diet." Anyone who knows Dan would see why this is so funny. As a side note, I am going to start cooking more vegan and raw food meals because I do think diet, exercise, and healthy lifestyle contribute a lot to your quality of life and the amount of good you can accomplish in this world. It is not hard to understand that "live" foods are better then "dead" ones for a body which is living.

More Family Pictures from GA 2008

 

 

 

 

Family Pictures From GA 2008

 

 

 

 

Teens Need to Have Gay Sex to See if They Are Gay

PLEASE READ!

I was directed to this form the State of Maine's Pro Straight Marriage Campaign's email list to which I subscribed.

Click the title above to get the audio tracks of what 14 year olds are being taught in school about acts of gay sex. It will astound you as subjects such as putting your fist up another's rectum "fisting," and dialogue between students and teachers about the details of oral sex and lesbians using sex toys unfolds.

Did I just write that?? Unfortunatley this is the reality.

Maine will vote in 18 days wether or not to legalize gay marriage.

Prop 8 is over, but this will continue and be an issue we will all have to deal with.

Can I find the words to defend marriage?

Can I learn to invoke in people who are complacent, the emotion and concern you are certainly feeling as you have just read above, that in public school in our beloved Nation, that 14 year olds are being instructed on how to put their hands and wrists into each others bowels?

I want to be able to start talking to people and have them "get it!" I am enraged, but as I think about trying to explain it to someone I can't find the words.

I have decided to write on this blog small essays about these issues that I may be able to speak out on this clearly and pursuasively.

I would love feedback from the family or any public visitor here that we may all be powerful and articulate advocates for defending our children, families, freedom, and morality in our nation.

Dan's Recent Work

My latest obsession

My latest obsession is....home organizing!!! I think I have always thought organizing was fun to some degree, I was always a straight A student and would organize my notebooks and folders and studies etc. I also like organizing my makeup, I love having options so I have a lot of makeup (its fun being a girly-girl). Daniel also seems to like to organize,but I think he does it more to have order rather than for the mere fun of it. I have entered a new arena with home organizing, now that I actually have my own home to organize (well sorta, we live in Dan's parents condo).

My love of organizing was awakened this weekend when I went to a stake relief society enrichment activity where we had a class on home organization by a woman who goes into people's homes and organizes it as her profession. She introduced me to all sorts of things I had never thought about before and it was exciting to think of all the time I could save by implementing some of her suggestions. One of my favorite products she uses in her home is called a "cansolidator", see picture above, which keeps your canned items neat and rotates so that the oldest can is always in the front, how cool is that! After the class I immediately went to Big lots and got some Tupperware containers, some space saver bags (you vacuum out the air and it consolidates space), shoe holder, and other organizers including a 3 dollar mini consolidator (it holds 10 cans); thus, I experienced the satisfaction of getting organized AND saving money--that is what I call a good day.

She also had some good tips on ways to teach your kids to be organized from a young age--one idea I really liked is to have them put their toys in different plastic containers and when they are too young to read you put a picture of the item on the front (for example if it holds their barbies you have a picture of a Barbie taped to the front). I don't have kids yet but I figure I need to prepare and learn as much as I can now because once I do have kids the time for preparation is over--in fact from what I have seen time becomes your most valuable commodity as a parent.

Yesterday I organized all my bathroom stuff and our closet, today I created a recycling bin seperate from our trash, which can also earn us a little extra money and help the environment, and organized recipes I like from magazines and off the internet into a nice notebook with sheet protectors. Tomorrow....well, who know what I will do next. If anyone is interested in some other things the professional organizer recommends just let me know because I can not write even half the tips here.

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