Category Archives: Daughters

When Your Friend Bites You

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Our Little One had been asking for a hamster for a long time, so last weekend, we my husband finally said yes. This was going to be the first time we would open our home to a cute rodent, while at the same time providing him with an expensive house, special food, and a colorful playground. She named him Rugby (yes, you guessed it right, her older brother suggested the name, and because she loves him so much she agreed).

Rugby has not been in this home more than a week and he already broke this little girl’s heart.

Two days ago my Little One came running and crying (and this is not common for her to do), her finger bleeding and the words coming out from her heart, “Rugby bit me! It hurts really bad!” I did what a mother is supposed to do. Not panicking (while my son is reassuring me, “Mom, it’s going to be OK. This hamster is not infected with rabies…) I washed her finger like 20 times (maybe 30) and hugged her and put a band-aid around the deep bite.

I hugged her while she was still sobbing. Then she said, “Mom, Rugby was so calm when I reached to pet him. I thought he would never bite me. I thought he was my friend.”

This is one of those hard lessons to learn: When our friends (those that we thought were true friends) bite us, it hurts deeply.

They know where to bite, they know what would hurt us, and without thinking, when we don’t expect it, they bite and we just can’t believe it. And we soon find ourselves crying. It hurts. It really does.

What do we do? Should Our Little One abandon Rugby? Starve him to death? No, we are trying to persuade her not to do so (even though she is not speaking to him anymore).

And what do we do with the friends that bite us? Ignore them? No. Let’s feed them love and forgiveness.

Jesus taught us to do this. To love the unlovable. To love our enemies. To forgive over and over and over again those that bite us.

Peter Leithart in his commentary on Samuel says about David and his response to Saul’s hatred,

“Long before  Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, David had discerned that the Lord required love for enemies.”

Learning about His Perfect Love, under His sun, and by His Grace,

 

Becky

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech -My Review-

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HeartbeatHeartbeat by Sharon Creech

My review -is this really a review? I am not sure-.

I cried
cried,
cried.
The kind of cry
that closes your
throat
and will not let you speak.

My little one
and I
curled together,
we both loved the book.

We are buying an apple,
and choosing a list
of many forbidden words.
We will take out our thesaurus
and we’ll write,
write,
write.

I closed the book
and looked at her
I don’t really want her to run.
But I know she will,
and I will see her running,
and I will cheer her,
and I will be there,
and I will love her
very, very, very much.

View all my reviews

Becky

Blogging when Your Children are Young Adults

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@Shiloh Photography

It has been kind of quiet in this blog lately, and the main reason for that is because being watchful demands time; and one of the things that I have had to set aside for a bit in order to be purposely watchful, is this blog -and at times reading yours-.

The second important reason is that 3 of our four children are young adults (I rather use this term than “teenagers”). When one is mothering young ones, one can easily share stories of the little people at home, their funny sayings and hilarious moments. A mom can easily share about how she is learning to take time to read the Word while cleaning the house and changing diapers; but when our children grow things change, and must definitely change. It would be the absolutely unwise for me to share how we are dealing with certain things going on in our lives here -or even at a coffee table- I cannot share with you the thoughts and struggles of my children to try to encourage you “in the Lord.” God forbid!

Most of the learning and growing in my life at this moment happens around being a mom to three wonderful young adults. Each one of them living his/her own story. Yes, it is their story, not mine and I love to see how God is dealing with each one of them. At this point in life, I am learning that all the things my husband and I have taught them are there to stay; and that our children are now in a stage in which we can not really add more to that building process, but can only help them see clearly through the Light of the Scripture. Of course we must still give them advice and encourage them in the Lord, don’t take me wrong, they are still our responsibility, but our role as parents is changing and we must see that and act accordingly while at the same time keep on praying that they will make the best decisions.

If prayer has always been a vital part in the parenting process, when you come to this stage in life know that prayer is almost the only way to parent effectively. Prayer is the only resource that never ends, that has no limits, that reaches to our Father’ heart. When our children become young adults, it is not about “you and them“, but about “he and God” and “she and God.”

There are those times where you feel like you have a thousand good words to say, but the Spirit urges you not to open your mouth, it is then when words find their way in the prayer closet, in the kitchen, in the quiet. Murmuring prayers as the day goes by while hugging and kissing your children, and showing yourself available for a good conversation at night, are the ways we grow together in the Lord and in our relationship with them.

In this process, as I see my children growing into full maturity, I bow my head in gratitude for each one of them.  I am so grateful to my God because He has granted me life to see them grow in Him. I am grateful because of our many conversations; because love is always present. I am grateful because being their mom is one of the most amazing things that has happened to me. I am grateful because in spite of all my faults and shortcomings, their desire is to live godly lives, and have a family of their own that honors God.

May God grant us to live each stage of our lives with wisdom,

Becky

Grateful for Changes to an Unchangeable God

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“Holy Spirit, influence my heart, and tune my tongue, that I may gratefully give thanks unto the Lord, praising him not only with my lips — but with life. O for grace from God, that I may daily give thanks to God, and speak of his goodness, and celebrate his mercy, in every possible way!” James Smith (1858)

1475. I am filled with gratitude to my Unchangeable God because in the different seasons of our lives, through all the daily changes that happen as our children grow and as we become, in a sense, only spectators of what the Lord is doing in their lives, we can trust that His plans for them are unchanging.

 

1476. I am grateful for those songs that you can sing all day long, over and over again (and children that just smile at you… and by now also know the words for the songs by heart)

1477. Surprises.

1478. Friends over for lunch.

1479. Healthy parents.

1480. Sunlight coming through my window as I read my Bible.

1481. The expectation of doing this.

1482. The best comfort food ever (and always satisfying).

1483. These words spoken by one of my dearest friends, “You become afraid of the future, only when you start trying to look beyond today” So true. Didn’t Jesus said it too: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.“?

1484. A mid-term exam week over.

1485. Long conversations and longer hugs.

1486. Our family devotional book: We Shall See God

1487. That He hears me and hides me under His wings.

1488. My life, how He has changed me and how He has given me the desire to “daily give thanks, and speak of his goodness, and celebrate his mercy, in every possible way!”

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky

Good Books for Girls and Boys (8-11) -And a Giveaway-

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Earlier this week I posted J.R. Miller’s exhortation about how we must be careful on which books we choose to read; and I am pretty sure that this is something we need to teach to our children pretty soon in life. We want them to be readers but wise readers. Readers that grow not only as independent readers but readers that love to read good books, books that challenge them to grow in virtue and character, and having this in mind let us look at these books.

My friend Hollie asked me which books I would recommend for her 9yo girl; so I thought I would share my answer with you all including books for both, boys and girls. But to make this list even richer, I asked some of my friends (most of them Classical educators) to list some their favorite ones, and they did add some good books to the list. Look at it, see what you think and why not, suggest few more in the comments.

The Long List:

Black Ships Before Troy (The Story of the Iliad) is a book that I really enjoyed reading with my girl. We found many good opportunities to talk about love, marriage, and faithfulness in the light of God’s Word. (VP Comprehension Guide)

and also the Iliad retold for children by the same author, In Search of a Homeland.

If you would like to read and enjoy a good book of Shakespeare stories for children, I would really recommend you the series by Leon Garfield (book I and book II). I love the style, and the illustrations. Just wonderful!

Charlotte’s Web (Isabel’s suggestion)

Chronicles of Narnia

The Hobbit (Literature Guide here) Santiago and Isabel read this book together, and it was so much fun to see them enjoying themselves.

From Dark to Dawn. A Tale of Martin Luther and the Reformation

Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History

 

These Books from Ligonier

This book is in our wish list; maybe to celebrate Reformation day…

Ligonier Shop

Or this one as a fun introduction to Church History:

See more here

This is a favorite one here:

Ligonier Shop

How important it is to introduce our children to the great biographies of men in the Church History, and Simonetta Carr has done an excellent job writing an amazing series for our children.

Monergism carries all her books.

Another favorite, a rare jewel is Divine and Moral Songs for Children by Isaac Watts, an excellent book for memorization projects, or just to read aloud and reflect on the words. (I wrote more about it here and here)

Elizabeth @ Finding the Motherlode recommends these:

The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques,
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster,
The Trumpeter Swan by E.B. White,
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry

Elizabeth H. says “I love the historical fiction titles that Christian Focus Publications puts out.”

Brenda likes the American Girl series, and I have to say that Annie enjoyed reading those on her leisure time when she was little.

Amy recommends: The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, and anything on Ambleside Online’s reading list!

Katy says, “In addition to the classics like RL Stevenson, Lewis, and Tolkien, we have enjoyed Donita K Paul, most everything by Edith Nesbit, and even the new Theodore Boone by Grisham.”

Norma likes:

Grandpa’s Box,(by Starr Meade, and I would like to mention here that she is one of my favorite contemporary authors for children, who writes from a solid Reformed Theology background. See more books of her here)
The Building on the Rock series (5 books)
The Squire and the Scroll
And some classics like, Where the Red Fern Grows.

Sue, whose children are now in a Liberal Arts college, says,  “My kids liked the Redwall series…over and over again.”

And Amy Lee said she liked, when she was that age, Grandma’s Attic books by Arleta Richardson and Childhood of Famous Americans books (available used or at many public libraries).

Lastly, I must say that I am decided to read more fiction books to my little one, like the ones N.D. Wilson has written. My oldest have read them and love them, so I am thinking that even though fantasy is not my favorite genre, I really want to feed Isabel’s soul with stories. (plus, I enjoyed reading Wilson’s book Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl, his style is one that captures your attention fully.)

Looking through all these wonderful books, and because in October we celebrate The Reformation and my little girl’s birthday,  I thought I would host a giveaway. This time however, is for your little ones, which means the “rules” will be different.

Your child (8- 11 yo) must choose which book he or she would like to win (yes, call him and show him the options; or call your grandchildren on the phone -or Skype- and ask them which one will they want to read); then leave a comment with your child’s favorite option. If you have more than one child entering the drawing, please leave a separate comment for each one of them.

The options are:

1. The Barber Who Wanted to Pray by R.C. Sproul

2. Boys and Girls Playing by J.C. Ryle

or

3.  Trial and Triumph by Richard M. Hannula

4. The Prince’s Poison Cup by R.C. Sproul

The winner will be announced next Friday, October 21.

Please, feel free to share the goodness with your friends!

May your weekend be full of good books and family time,

Becky

More Than Copy Work

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She is almost seven, and she is learning how to trace cursive letters. Sometimes, she has to go back and trace few more that were not as beautiful as the model, but she compares her last trace with the one she did before.

It is then when I insist, “Look at the model, do not look at the last letter you have traced. Keep looking at the model”

And as I hear my words, I find a gem, an opprtunity to teach an eternal lesson hidden in them, and I keep up saying,

“It is just like our lives, we should always follow the God given model for our lives, the Bible. We should always compare what are we doing, how are we doing things, and why are we doing things (or not doing things) with the Word of God.”

Lord, help me always compare myself against your Word. Help me to keep my eyes focused on you, and on the perfect model you have given me, Jesus.

Happy copy work!