Debi Pearl

BESTOWING FROM YOUR BOUNTY

24 HOURS IN A DAY
Time is limited for all of us, making it a precious gift. Great wealth is not necessary for you to let someone know they are special. One of my boys still remembers a week from his childhood that he fell asleep hearing my used sewing machine grinding. By the end of the week, he had his own super hero outfit and cape. This past November, I was cleaning out a closet when I discovered he had saved that old mask and a shirt I had made for him long ago.

TALENTS
Several weeks each year were used by my grandmother to crochet special gifts

USE YOUR IMAGINATION
Children would thrill to have a chair

SHARING YOUR DELIGHT
who will get the homemade cookies

THE ART OF LIVING
To touch the cup with eager lips and taste, not drain it;
To woo and tempt and count a bliss, and not attain it;
To fondle and caress a joy, yet hold it lightly;
To watch the sunset in the west without regretting;
To hail its advent in the east, the night forgetting;
To smother care in happiness, and grief in laughter;
To hold the present close, not questioning the hereafter;
To have enough to share, to know the joy of giving;
To thrill with all the sweets of life -- that's living.

PARENTS PREPARING FOR UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES

PLAN NOT TO PANIC
see RULE OF 3'S TO SURVIVE)

ROUTINES ARE IMPORTANT
Look for ways to create a routine for children in the upheaval of the unexpected. This will give them a sense of stability and show that you are still able to function as parent and protector.

ENTERTAINMENT


PREPARE FOR GOOD HEALTH
While you have access to treatments, make sure you are maintaining your health and dental care. By taking preventive measures now, you can meet the unexpected without neglected physical ailments. If you require certain medicines, be sure that you have a supply in stock. Observe closely the eating, sleeping and toilet patterns of your loved ones in order to catch and treat illness early and decisively. Train yourself to take note of the impact of circumstances on those around you. It is easy to become consumed with your own difficulties and overlook warning signals that others may need help.

EAT REAL FOODS


BABIES AND INFANTS

Infants need help regulating body temperature and should be protected from extremes of heat and cold. In summer, protect babies from direct sun. An umbrella is a good tool for this. In the winter, dressing little ones in layers protects them from the cold. Long-sleeved thermal underwear can be worn beneath zippered fleece sleepers for nighttime warmth. Sharing a bed with 2 or 3 others helps everyone stay warm at night. During the day, wool socks and a hat help little ones keep warm along with a zippered fleece jacket.

HYGIENE
luxury of a daily bath. Find the warmest spot in your living quarters and teach your children that they should wash their faces, hands, feet and privates every day. Before meals, have them wash their hands. This is important for healthy hygiene in rustic conditions. Explain to older children the importance of a well positioned latrine and show them how to dispose of waste well away from living areas.

SKILLS
Children become more confident as they gain life skills. Give your children the gift of learning how to do such things as shop wisely, stock a pantry, pitch a tent, build a camp fire, cook, sew, garden, repair small engines, perform first aid, CPR, and swim. Knowing self defense, what to do in a fire drill and practicing other scenarios builds confidence. A prepared child is also less likely to panic.

Making preparedness a part of your life will help your children avoid panic when moments are crucial. Rather than face the unknown with desperation, you will have a plan and your little ones will know what to expect. These measures help families face uncertainty with strength.

FLOWER CHAIN SCHOOLING

How would you like to enjoy a project with your child that offers variety and repetition of needed skills? What if that same activity provided your children with precious memories of time spent knitting their hearts to your own?

 

Making chains and garlands of flowers can accomplish this and more. A son can be taught this skill so that he might one day present treasured keepsakes to his wife or daughters. Your daughter will feel much like a princess with a wreath of flowers on her head.

 

This project requires sturdy stemmed flowers. Some of the flowers that work well for this include: asters, black-eyed Susan, daisies, globe amaranth, red clover, zinnias, bachelor buttons, chrysanthemums, dandelions, marigolds, and tithonia.

 

 

Plant identification is another practical skill to be learned. Note which ones are edible. Do the plants have other uses? Learn to identify the parts of the flower. Show your child where the stamen and pistil (the name for the style, ovary and stigma) are located. What are the functions of these parts? The ideas are endless.

 

Plucking a flower firmly but gently exercises fine motor skills. By reaching for the swaying flower blooms, a child develops hand eye coordination.

 

 

 

 

Adorn your child with the finished project in .

 

To your child, you just spent time with them, showed them how to make floral decorations and had a great time. You will know that you just used one outing to cover several subjects

 

 

Page 224, THE VISION by Debi Pearl

"We lay there together, our heads close and our fingers intertwining. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she handed me a long-stemmed clover and ask me to teach her how to weave a crown for her head. . . . .
"

NEWBORN CARE

It can be difficult for a new parent to know when a baby is sick. Medical professionals field so many questions from mothers of newborns that they often treat concerns as nothing more than just new-mama nerves. Mothers can begin to doubt whether or not to trust their instincts.

 

The good news is that there are tangible and objective measures of a baby's health.

 

THE FIRST WEEK

During the first week of life a baby should nurse at least 8 times a day for more than 15 minutes at each feeding. You should be able to hear the baby swallowing milk. Baby's first sticky-black stool -- called meconium  -- should pass. You should see it progress from greenish-black to a brown soft play-dough consistency. By the fourth or fifth day, this will appear yellow. During the first two days of life, a child should begin to have wet diapers. At first this will be 2 or 3 per day and increase in number by the week's end.

 

That first week will also give you clues if a baby isn't doing well. If a baby has no desire to nurse, has a weak suck, feeds less than 8 times per day and can't manage to feed for at least 15 minutes, these are reasons for concern. If a baby falls asleep before nursing for 15 minutes, makes a clicking sound when nursing, and has dimpled cheeks when sucking, these are also indications that there is some difficulty. When the baby's diapers don't show stools progressing as they should and you don't see wet diapers within 48 hours after birth, there is something out of the ordinary. More than 2 days of these symptoms indicate that you should seek medical help.

 

THE FIRST MONTH

The signs that your baby is healthy will be pretty much the same throughout the next month. For weeks 2 through 4, the baby will continue to nurse at least eight times a day and have 2 to 4 yellow bowel movements per day. Wet diapers will likely occur between six to eight times per day with clear, not yellow, urine. The suck will strengthen and you should see milk and continue to hear swallowing during feedings. The baby should increase in weight and alertness.

 

However, in this 2nd to 4th week, you should make a note of anything that is out of the ordinary such as a baby not eating at least 8 times per day, infrequent or small stools, too few wet diapers, or if the urine becomes bright yellow. Measure your baby's length and weight; these should increase. Should the baby have a weak or tired sucking reflex, if you can't hear swallowing, if the baby becomes sluggish, slow to respond or refuses to sleep between feedings, these are all indications that something is not right. Should you observe these behaviors for a couple of days in a row, seek out a health care provider.

 

WEEKS 5 TO 10

In the second month of life, a baby might reduce the number of feedings to seven times per day. This is because he is growing and can take in more milk. Again, you will notice a change in bowel movements to either several small stools per day or a large one as infrequently as every couple of days. This is normal for a breastfed baby as the body is able to assimilate much of mama's milk with little waste. Six to eight wet diapers will continue daily, but check to be sure there isn't a concentrated yellow color. Along with increasing alertness, you should continue to see a strong suck, milk dribbles, and hear an audible swallowing at feeding time.

 

During the 5 to 10 week mark a baby that doesn't nurse at least seven times a day and produce the right amount of wet diapers (without dark yellow color) should be watched carefully. Make a note if your child stops gaining weight or doesn't grow in length. Weak, tired sucking without an audible swallow indicates the baby is not getting proper nourishment. Should the baby become sluggish, slow to respond and be unable to sleep between feedings, seek medical assistance in rectifying this problem. Two consecutive days of these behaviors indicate something is wrong.

 

KEEPING TRACK

 

This way, should anything seem out of the ordinary, you can refer to your notes and present them to a doctor if needed. This is also a good way for a new mama to bond with her baby. You may be too tired to figure out why your baby is crying, but a quick check of your notes will tell you if it's been too long since he ate (hunger) or if he hasn't had a bowel movement that day (constipation). In turn, you begin to interpret your baby's cries and what they mean. This goes a LONG ways towards helping a new mama learn to trust her instincts when it comes to her baby.

 

The BEST advice for new mamas, however, comes from not-so-new mamas. Enjoy these first few weeks to their fullest. Don't worry about filling your day with anything more than getting to know this new little one. Too soon, they are no longer little.

Schooling Davy Crockett

Mooooom! Can we do school yet? I wanna learn more about Jonah!"

I looked up from checking my email to see two little boys in coonskin caps, plastic rifles, homemade tomahawk, and fringed shirts. "Puhleeeeeeease? Can we start NOW?"

Sure, Davy!" I replied.

I met him at the kitchen table with colored pencils and a printout of the text of the book of Jonah. We've been going through the short story (only 4 chapters) and marking key words. We went through the first chapter of Jonah. Every mention of Jonah was marked with a fish, mariners were marked with a boat, etc. This slowed us down and required that we looked at every word carefully.

Hidden in our 'learning how to study like Daddy' exercise were some grammar lessons: capitalization and pronouns. *wink* I've also thrown in some map reading activities. All of the questions are answered from the text, which can be a challenge when we think we already know the whole story. Davy comes by this trait honestly, unfortunately *blush.*

Davy doesn't realize that he's learning parts of speech, creative writing, study skills, etc. He thinks we are just ferreting out interesting facts that he can dazzle Daddy with when he gets home.

Each day, he writes out things he learned from the text.

His list for the first chapter included:
1. He learned a new word -- mariners -- and what it meant.
2. He learned that the mariners went from calling on several gods, to making a sacrifice to God after surviving the storm.
3. He learned that Jonah was a prophet. (Apparently, Davy Crockett didn't think God would use a rebel for that purpose. *smile*)

So, we recorded our findings sitting there at the kitchen table. Davy wore his best fringed shirt and jeans (with a hole in the knee) for the occasion. We sat there with a Bible, a map, extra paper and colored pencils, determined that every word be given careful consideration. Learning SO much -- especially ME.

I learned that if it is framed as an adventure, my never-wants-to-fail son is a happy learner. He's not afraid of a struggle. He thrives on the feeling of accomplishment that comes from seeing his own progress. He isn't a BIT interested in seeing a good grade on a test. Grammar or writing exercises for the sake of practice would just tempt him to rebel. He needs to see it all as a means to an end -- learning with a purpose.

One day, he will have a family of his own to teach. He realizes that he NEEDS to know how to study these words and KNOW their meaning for himself. He's learning how to be a teacher, to bear the weight of man-things. . . Such a HUGE task for a skinny kid . . .

Yet, when we were done, he flopped his coonskin cap back onto his head, shouldered his haversack, picked up the plastic rifle and with shining eyes said, "You think I'm doing good, mom?"

"Yes, son, you're doing GREAT!" I replied.
He stood a bit taller on his bare feet and said, "I'm going outside, okay?"

Sure, Davy -- king-of-the-wild-frontier -- go play!