New Schedule!!

Hi friends! Just wanted to let you know that we have a new schedule for the spring here at Prayer of Hannah. Check out our Upcoming Topics page to learn more. Our topic for February will be Preparing for Marriage and Marriage Issues. Please take a chance to complete our survey on the right-hand side--it just gives us an idea of where you are, how we can pray, and how we can direct our blog 'conversation' over the next month. As always, we would love to hear suggestions from our readers about topics for discussion!

Link Love from Meg

We are hoping to get a schedule going and get back to having a topic each month, so please let us know if there is a topic you would like us to cover. But for now, I thought I'd share a few links that I've enjoyed over the past few weeks:

Masking Anger as Justice -- Very good article for parents! Showing anger (or frustration, annoyance, etc) will not produce righteousness in your children . . . even if all your anger is directed at sin. The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God

What I Would Feed My Family on a Monthly Budget of $250 (for a family of 5) and her next post on how to improve that even more and tips on doing it gluten free, buying from Farmer's market, using a co-op, etc

The Death of Pretty -- Praying that my girls can understand the difference someday...

9 Ways To Cut Food Waste (and save time)

Don't Carpe Diem -- I love her honesty -- parenting is hard work and there are definitely moments I do not enjoy -- but it is ever so worth it!

10 Dumbest Things To Eat -- Such a great list! If you want to make easy changes in your diet, cutting out these ten things would make a HUGE difference!

What You Should (and shouldn't) Say To Someone Who Has Lost A Baby -- some good tips

BPA-Free Buying Guide -- better sources of tomatoes, coconut milk, fish and other food you might need to buy canned

You Never Marry the Right Person -- ‎"Destructive to marriage is the self-fulfillment ethic that assumes marriage and the family are primarily institutions of personal fulfillment, necessary for us to become "whole" and happy..."

"... even if we first marry the right person, just give it a while and he or she will change. For marriage, being [the enormous thing it is] means we are not the same person after we have entered it. The primary challenge of marriage is learning how to love and care for the stranger to whom you find yourself married."

Michael Pollen's Least Favorite Foods -- I'm a big fan of Michael Pollen so this was interesting to me :)

What Every Dad Should Know About His Daughter -- simple article, but true and good to think about

10 Ways to Ensure Success When Removing Sugar From Your Diet

Godly Character Trait Printables -- I want to shrink these down to make into flashcards to incorporate into our homeschooling. And The Character Journal has a great extensive listing of each character trait with related songs, scripture verses, bible stories, projects and more for each character trait!

Favorite Winter Herbal Remedies -- Colds and Coughs, Stomach Viruses, and Headaches -- some great tips!

Stingy Out Gets Stingy In -- "... an example of this would be the mess in your house (I trust that you have one). When I focus on the mess, I am aggravated by the things that do not matter at the expense of the people who do. When I consciously refuse to be upset by the side product, I am free to enjoy the people who are messing it up. Giving my own work freely does not just make me a martyr."

Chick-Fil-A Daddy Date Night -- I'm not big on fast food, but a special night for Daddy and his girls with a princess cow and dancing is a pretty fun idea!

FLASHBACK: Packing your bag and stocking your cabinet--things to know BEFORE labor and delivery!

**I often send this information to friends having their first baby, so I thought it might be helpful to post it again today. This post originally ran in October 2009.**


Before my first child was born, a dear friend gave me a list of things to pack/not pack in my hospital bag. After my first child, I added my thoughts, and started giving it out to all my friends who were having babies. Hope you find this helpful!

What you DON'T have to pack in your hospital bag:
• diapers
• wipes
• baby clothes other than an outfit to bring the baby home—the hospital will provide tiny little white shirts for your little one
• baby blankets—the hospital will provide receiving blankets
• sanitary pads
• lots of underwear for you—the hospital has disposable underwear that you will, strangely enough, come to love after labor and delivery;-)
• multiple pairs of pants for you
• nursing pillow, unless you just want to have it; the nurses will assist you with helping the baby latch on using hospital pillows, etc
• bottles for the baby, unless you plan to bottle feed and want to use a particular bottle
• jewelry—you may have to take it off, and you don’t want to risk losing it
• long distance calling card—some places in the hospital say no cell phones, but the nurses do not mind you making the occasional call
• pillows—hospital has plenty!

What you DO want to pack in your hospital bag:
• hairband or clips to hold your hair back, if necessary
• anything that helps you relax for delivery and afterward—an IPod with your favorite music, a book, a scented lotion
• change for the snack machines or a bag of snacks (especially for your hubby)
• at least one nursing bra (a sleep bra is a must, and maybe another one to wear coming home)
• nursing pads—during the first few days, I would recommend Lansinoh Brand Ultra Soft Nursing Pads (Babies R Us carries them). They are more expensive, but they are the softest I have found, and when you start nursing, your breasts will appreciate the softness of those pads. You will be able to move to other pads later
• Tums if you are prone to heartburn. I was not prone to it, but had horrible acid reflux during labor. The nurses would not give me anything, but I could have taken the Tums if I had some with me
• camera, extra batteries/charger, film (each hospital has different regulations about videography during labor, so check for their policies)
• cell phones and chargers
• comfortable, loose tops or short nightgowns. Look for something that buttons down or is big enough to pull up for nursing ease. Pants/bottoms are not necessary—you will be bleeding enough after the delivery that you might mess up the bottoms anyway. A light-weight robe is nice—I used a short robe that I pulled on over a tank top, and that worked great
• moisturizing body lotion—if you should have an epidural, your skin may itch as it wears off. Lotion helps!
• flip-flops for the shower
• your favorite toiletries (i.e., scented shower gel from Bath and Body Works if you like that), your makeup, lotions and perfume—anything that will help refresh you and make you feel better
• slippers or socks—the hospital floor can get cold!
• name of the pediatrician you plan to use—they will ask you this in labor and delivery
• book/magazine (something light and fluffy) for you; book/magazine for your husband—you may need this during labor and delivery while you “wait” to dilate, or to help you relax at the end of the day when visitors and family have left
• list of people to call with their phone numbers
• outfit to bring the baby home
• outfit for you to wear when you leave the hospital—look for comfortable, loose fitting separates: you will not be able to fit back into your pre-pregnancy sizes immediately! Though it is no fun to wear them after the baby comes, maternity pants may feel the most comfortable (or something with a drawstring waist)

Coming Home from the Hospital:

Have someone fill your pain prescription as soon as you get home—taking the medication regularly will make a huge difference! The day that you leave the hospital you will feel sore—it will be the first time you have moved around so much since the baby was born, so expect to be tired, sore and emotional.

Make sure your bathroom cabinet is stocked with these items:
• sanitary pads (no tampons)
• moistened, unscented wipes *optional*(this sounds crazy, but Pampers makes a Sensitive Skin baby wipe that works great—you just cannot flush them)
• Tucks Hemorrhoid pads *optional*--Tucks pads are cooling and calming
• Pericolase medication (stool softener and gentle laxative)—helps keep you regular and prevents your bowel movements from being painful
• Spray bottle (from hospital) for cleaning yourself
• Dermaplast (also from hospital), a topical numbing spray that is such a blessing when you are sore

Your first night home from the hospital will be really rough, but you will survive! Expect to cry a lot at first. Know that every woman experiences these emotional ups and downs, and it is normal. The baby blues last through the first couple of weeks and then things stabilize—but they will suddenly pop back up at random times! It’s normal to cry, however, if you feel like your baby blues are unmanageable, or are lasting a very long time, please reach out to friends and family for help.

In your budget, you may need to plan for an additional expenditures in doctor’s co-pays (this varies according to insurance plan depending on if you have a co-pay for well-visits/maintenance visits). Your baby will visit the doctor approximately 4 times in 2 months (though this varies by office): 72 hours after discharge from hospital, 2 weeks, 1 month and 2 months. Each of these visits will cost you an office co-pay, and if you do not plan for those fees, it can catch you off guard.

Above all, relax and enjoy this time. Labor and delivery may be painful, but it is the most rewarding thing you will ever experience. It is exciting! Look forward to it with anticipation and joy, and know that your friends and family are praying for you, supporting you and ‘cheering you on’ during this wonderful time.

Being thankful for the little moments...

I love being a Mom! There are, of course, moments I do not enjoy (such as when Karlie doesn't stop asking the same question for the 100th time or when Abbi wakes me up at night over and over again or when Karis insists on driving her sister crazy with her singing), but I accept those moments as part of my job and usually can manage to laugh at them later. Most days, I also have moments of bliss (I call them Mommy moments) when I manage to step back out of the craziness and my heart swells with joy and thankfulness. I decided that I really wanted to remember those precious moments so beginning with the new year, I started writing down my favorite memory of the day right before bed each night. It is usually not anything spectacular... just something simple that made me smile. I thought I would share a few of my favorite moments from the first week of the year with some pictures we took the same week:

1. Watching Karis help Abbi walk -- Karis loves to hold Abbi's hands and help her walk. She isn't very good at it and often pulls her down, but she is so sweet in her excitement about Abbi walking and Abbi just loves the attention and usually just laughs hysterically when they fall down together.
2. Karlie getting excited about feeding Abbi -- I usually just put all of Abbi's food on her tray and let her feed herself, but Karlie seems to get the biggest kick out of helping Abbi. I cannot tell you how excited she gets when I let her give Abbi food and it is so cute!

3. Karis holding her pencil correctly -- We haven't done a lot of handwriting in our homeschool yet because Karis was stubbornly uninterested. She loved dot-to-dots and mazes, but the minute I tried to teach her how to write letters and help her fix her fingers for handwriting, she would get irritated. I decided to wait until she was more interested and we tried again after Christmas. She is now very proud of herself and allowing me to help her hold her pencil correctly!

4. Doing "alphabet movement" with my girls whenever the weather isn't fit for outside time -- I printed out the fun cards and my girls have to choose the next one in alphabetical order. They think the exercises are hilarious and we laugh the entire time. So much fun!

5. In basketball class on Saturday, I suddenly realized that Karis had her arm around Karlie while they waited in line for their turn to pass the ball to the rhino. It was ever so sweet and also a bit funny to watch them try to move up in line together. I love seeing them be affectionate with each other :)

6. Smores in the backyard with my Mark and my girls. The girls LOVE it when we build a fire and were just ever so excited and happy.

7. Listening to Karis and Karlie make up songs about Mary and baby Jesus in the backseat of the van.

Ask Our Readers: When the Child Doesn't Want To

We have talked a lot about teaching our children here at POH, as all of us are in the throes of teaching our children to read and write.

But what do you do if your child doesn't "want to"? As in, to quote my daughter, "Mommy, I don't want to [work on that]. Reading is HARD!" She is willing to work on our reading lessons for a brief time, but she quickly tires of it and complains that it is too hard. I have explained to her that reading is hard, but there are great rewards that come with learning to read. I am not certain how to proceed. Should I enforce a certain 'reading lesson' time limit? Should I try a different method? Should I take a break?

Just to put this in context, Georgia is five years old. We are currently working through the Hooked on Phonics workbook (given to us and recommended by my sister, an elementary school teacher). She knows her letters and their sounds very well. She can write her letters fairly well. She loves books and stories, but in general she does not like to work hard, even when there are rewards at the end of the work (I hate to use the term lazy, but she is definitely not a 'driven' child). Her lazy tendency comes naturally--I have not been regularly working with her on the reading either, but I am trying to be more diligent about that.

I would love your thoughts!

Another resource for teaching reading

I thought I'd pass along another great book on teaching speech, spelling, writing, and reading. (Please know that I think this is just one of many great resources and I am just going to explain why I have found it helpful for instructing Karis; I definitely do not think that it is the only or best way! But I am excited about it...)

As I've researched homeschooling, I've become more and more convinced that a Classical Education will be the best fit for our family. I am planning to enroll Karis in a Classical Conversations co-op next fall for kindergarten and I am trying to research it as much as possible before then. While reading The Core by CC's founder, Leah Bortins, I stumbled across a recommendation for The Writing Road To Reading by Spalding and immediately knew I wanted to read it! I had already noticed that Karis could spell better than she could read at that point... every school day we played with her magnetic letters and I started asking her to sound out a few words to put on her board and was surprised that she could actually do it! She has since figured out reading a bit better so the gap is not quite as large, but back when we first started school, she could spell most short vowel-sound words I gave her but could not read at all. So I purchased The Writing Road to Reading and read through a lot of it over Christmas break. It really made sense to me. Basically, the book instructs how to teach handwriting by using spoken phonograms, which in turn teaches the child to read. As you introduce a phonogram, you explain exactly how to write it, how many sounds it can make, and any rules that go with it. There are just 70 common phonograms in the English language and after mastering those, the child can figure out how to read almost everything! A key point is that spelling should be taught from the spoken word... children who only copy words do not progress as quickly because they often rely on visual recall alone and do not have to think through the rules of spelling. With the Spalding method, new words are always learned by studying the phonetic sounds of the spoken word.

When we started back with our schoolwork after Christmas, I decided that we would learn these phonograms and their rules before proceeding on our path with The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. Karis can't really do the writing aspect very well yet (she wasn't at all interested in handwriting last fall so we are just now starting handwriting), but she loves to put new phonograms on the board and learn their sounds and rules. We have only done about 6 days of phonograms and I can already tell a great improvement with the words she can read. Because she is learning the rules for each sound a phonogram makes, she can immediately figure out most words containing those phonograms. For example, many reading programs keep children in the short vowel sounds for a while and they are limited in what they can read. After our first day when Karis learned the rules for all 3 sounds that "a" could make, she immediately could read words containing the long "a" sound as well as the "ah" sound. I found so many more words that she could read in our normal books than I did the day before. As she is sounding out words in her books, I ask her questions about the rules for the sounds and she can actually tell me. For example, I asked her why the "a" said its name instead of the short vowel sound and she could tell me that it was because it came at the end of a syllable. A bonus is that I am really learning a lot about English as I teach her! Some of these rules I never learned but they would have really helped me in school.

I still think that The Ordinary Guide to Teaching Reading is a great resource and we will probably go back to it for further reading instruction after learning the 70 phonograms, but I also plan to continue to utilize the Spalding method and its lesson plans to teach Karis handwriting and reinforce the correct rules of spelling.

Raising a Reader

I have been reading Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books by Tony Reinke, and it has been very helpful in guiding me through a structure for reading. One of his last chapters is called "Raising Readers," and gives suggestions to parents for how to encourage your children in reading. I enjoyed the chapter greatly, and wanted to pass along his suggestions to our readers (Note: the main points are his, the additional "thoughts" are mine). I'd love to hear your thoughts!

1. Fill your home with books--seems obvious, but kids will learn to love books if they are around books.
2. Read to your kids :-)
3. Don't stop reading to your kids--read to them even when they are older! See The Read-Aloud Handbook for suggestions on reading aloud to your kids.
4. Read your books in front of your kids--model a habit of book reading in front of your children. Reinke even encourages you to try to read "heavy" books in front of your kids, not just "lite fluffy reading". Again, it is about modelling a love of reading to your kids.
5. Teach young children to read
6. Push entertainment to the background
7. Listen to audio books in the car--check out free classic audiobooks here
8. Hunt for the best books--ask for people to recommend books to you. Consult a literature guide like Honey for a Child's Heart or Books Children Love, and read book reviews on the blog Orange Marmalade.
9. Anticipate new books--attend book signing events, anticipate the day a new book is released, etc.
10. Celebrate the classics--find something fun to reenact or celebrate in a book. Reinke and his family celebrated Hobbit Day in the fall :-)
11. Cultivate your child's moral imagination
12. Help interpret worldviews as you read to your children--walk through tough situations with them, explaining why characters made certain choices, and help them discern the worldview presented
13. Read your favorite excerpts to your children
14. Invite your children to read to the family
15. Challenge your children to improve books--ask them what they would change about the book, or how they would improve it.
16. Most importantly, read the Bible together as a family

What suggestions do you have for cultivating a love of reading in your children? How are you cultivating a love of reading yourself?

New Year's Thoughts

I'm really excited about this year. Last year was absolutely wonderful with the birth of my sweet Abbi Grace, and I am so thankful for her! It was a precious time. But with the birth of a child also comes a season of "just making it through each day." I definitely had a long stretch of never being able to get all the dishes washed, the laundry done, and the floors cleared. I was happy just to have meals made and reading time with my girls before crashing onto the couch, utterly exhausted, after putting them to bed. I don't really know what this year holds, but I am hoping to be a lot more purposeful with my time. Sometimes it seems a little silly to make a lot of New Years Resolutions because hardly anyone keeps them and what is so special about January 1st, anyways? I can make a resolution any day of the year. But I have to admit that I've been kind of excited for all the traveling to cease and for us to get back to a normal routine so that I can focus on some things that I've neglected. I thought I'd share some of my shortcomings from last year and goals for the new year with you.

1. Getting back to our budget -- We listened to the awesome Dave Ramsey CD's about a year and a half ago and made a new budget and did great with it.... for a time. But we stopped being so strict and we really need to start saving more money again. I have to admit, I'm a big fan of a good deal and have several deal blogs that I follow. But it doesn't really save me money if I keep using the money I save (and sometimes more) to snatch up the next good deal! So we are trying to get back to cash and debit-card only purchases to keep us in our budget. And I am really trying to ask myself before every purchase, "Do we really need this?" rather than "Is this a fabulous deal that my family could use?"

2. Planning a-get-away with my husband -- We were not able to do much for our 5th anniversary because I was nursing Karlie and we've been wanting to take a little trip together ever since. We have not had more than one night away from the kids since we had Karis 4.5 years ago! So this year I am determined to get away for at least a long weekend with my love once Abbi gives up nursing.

3. Throwing things away -- I am slowly going through each nook and cranny of my house and trying to throw (or give) away as much as possible. I have found that it is impossible to be organized when I have too much stuff. I have a hard time throwing away things that are given to us (even if we don't need them) and things my children make. (Even though they each make me about 10 pages of artwork a day.) We have too many clothes and too many toys. I am taking pictures of my girls' artwork and tossing most of the originals. I am going through their clothes and only keeping what will easily fit in their closet that they wear the most. Toys that don't have a good spot out of sight will be given away.

4. Going to bed earlier (so I can get up earlier!) -- My big girls are not allowed to come out of their room in the morning until their clock wakes up and my baby consistently sleeps until 8am, so I really have no good reason to not be able to get up and have my devotions and get breakfast all ready before I even see their cheery faces. Unfortunately, Mark and I have gotten into the habit of staying up too late and it makes getting up early much more difficult and I end up dragging all day. It is not worth it! We've started off our first week of the New Year by going to bed earlier and boy does it make a difference! (And it has the added bonus of having enough energy to stay awake and chat and enjoy each other rather than conking out immediately :)

5. Planning out all my meals for the month -- I used to do this regularly before Abbi was born, but I took a break and found myself scrounging for meals in a hurry. It also saves time and money to plan it for the month because I don't have to go to the store as often. So I made my plan for January and it has already made my life so much easier this week!

Links For The New Year

I know that the New Year has already arrived, and I pray that many of you have already had a wonderful start to 2012! Perhaps you have already made your New Year's resolutions, have checked many things off your to-do list, and are diligently applying yourself in multiple areas. Or, perhaps, you are like me, and you are still recovering from visiting family and are just now thinking about plans for the new year. Jump on my boat, and enjoy a few links that might be helpful as we seek to focus on Christ, love our husband, and parent our children well.

Justin Taylor has a blog post outlining multiple Bible Reading Plans for 2012. What plan or method are you using to read God's Word this year?

Crystal at Money Saving Mom shares how she sets yearly goals (I so need to do this!).

When I Rise blog has seven prayers you can pray over your children throughout the day.

The Gospel Coalition is sponsoring a National Women's Conference in Orlando this June, and it will be incredible. I will be there, and want to encourage YOU, our readers, to attend as well. Are you going? Let's meet up! 

What sort of resolutions have you made for the new year? How are you seeking to make the most of Christ and his gospel in 2012? How can we encourage you more?

Evaluating the first half of our school year....

Now that all the Christmas festivities are coming to a close, my mind is once again focused on teaching my pre-schooler. We took a month-long break during December because we traveled a lot and I had so many fun Christmas activities I wanted to do with my girls. We really enjoyed our holiday season and I think the break was really good for us, but I am hoping that the girls have not forgotten a lot. Karis had just started sounding out words well and I am hoping that it will come back to her quickly. Here are my thoughts on the 1st half of our year:

I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by!! We had a great fall and really enjoyed doing school together. I love having my girls home with me! But honestly, we did not do as much "school work" as I would have liked. It is really hard to fit it in with a baby and the day to day things I need to get done and I now realize that I am going to have to work really hard to accomplish what I want to do with Karis in January. (Sorry facebook and Pinterest - nap time is officially planning and housework time!) I wrote out a great schedule for the fall and followed it well at first, but once "real life" took over, I pretty much had to ditch it. It seemed like someone was always sick or fussy from teething or I was behind in my housework or we were getting ready to go out of town or had appointments or recovering from a trip and I just had a really hard time getting into a really good routine. But I'm determined to make it work and I plan to buckle down as the new year starts. We shouldn't be traveling and I am refusing to allow any morning activities outside the house (other than soccer and basketball class with Daddy one day a week) so that we can easily fall into a good routine.

Mid-way through the fall, I had to sit down and prioritize what I thought was most important to get done with the girls. At this early stage, I felt like my focus should be reading as much as possible, outside play, beginning handwriting skills (mazes, dot-to-dot, tracing,etc), and math skills (fun counting/ measuring/ number games). Our eventual schedule was to "do school" during Abbi's morning nap (Hopefully at least 90 minutes) and then all of us would go outside on a walk and play together until lunchtime. We would do more reading before and after naptime. And that was about it. I think that it is very important for kids to have time to play so I just let them do what they wanted in the morning before Abbi's nap and in the afternoons while I tried to straighten up for Mark and get dinner on the table.

In January, I am going to start Karis on some Saxon math and A Reason for Handwriting workbook. We will still focus on doing a lot of reading. We will probably continue to just "do schoolwork" during Abbi's morning nap, but of course, I know that they are learning all day long!

How did the first half of your school year go? Any tips or lessons that you learned? We'd love to hear it!

If you are thinking about homeschooling...

I sat down this evening to start setting some goals for 2012 - both personal and professional (ha, ha - by that I mean things to do with parenting, housework, and homeschooling). Even though we've been "doing school" for almost 5 months, I am still looking for ways to do it better. Namely, to put a little more effort into it.

In my organizing tonight, I kept coming back to the website Homeschool Creations, created by a homeschooling mom of 4 named Jolanthe. She does so many awesome things on her blog. And I got to thinking that her blog really could be the start and finish of a great homeschool curriculum for anyone starting out with homeschooling their preschooler. She has a long list of Printable Packs that she's developed that are centered around a variety of topics - ex. Princesses, Robots, Disney Cars, etc. The idea is to print off the free Printable Pack and use it over the course of a week to cover things like pre-reading, pre-writing, shape sorting, number recognition, etc.

She has also been working on developing Literature-based Printable Packs. These are along the idea of the Five in a Row book. The Printable Pack is centered on a book - ex. Blueberries for Sal, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, etc. It would be so easy, so fun, and SO educational to just do a book a week and use her free Printable Pack.


I realize as I write this that it sounds like one big advertisement for Homeschool Creations, and I guess maybe it is. Except I don't know this lady and I'm not getting paid for it! Really, I was just thinking to share her blog here because I know there are some of you with preschoolers at home that would like to try your hand at homeschooling. So I encourage you to go check it out. Pick a book, print off the pack and see what you think.

Merry Christmas from the Carsons!

Merry Christmas!

From the Carsons

2011

We pray that this Christmas Day is filled with reflection, remembrance and celebration of the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

I hope you are reminded of the GREAT love and GIFT of God,

His Son,

JESUS CHRIST
.

 that came to us as a Baby and grew to be a man,

who died on the cross for mankind and
.

ROSE

conquering death and sin forever,

and giving
.

FORGIVENESS
.

and
.

TRUE LIFE.

Jesus Christ

Emmanuel

God with Us