The state of Virginia has passed a bill that it is mandatory for women to have an ultrasound before choosing to have an abortion. The ultrasound is external and there is an exception in cases of rape. The bill has been taken to the governors desk and is awaiting his signature. The women in Richmond, VA have been outraged over this bill. There were several arrests today of protesters on the steps of the capital building, and police were there in full riot gear!
I've heard the complaints of the women that the government has no right to tell them what to do with their own body. I've heard the complaints that making the decision to abort is hard enough without having to see it on an ultra sound, and women think it's cruelty. I get what they are saying, but what about the child who is being killed? Does that child have no rights? Did that child ask to be created? If a woman has the right to decide to kill her unborn child- then the least she can do is have to look at that baby before she does it! This in no way has infringed upon the rights of the woman to make the decision to abort her child, but only offers information that her baby is alive and kicking inside her- something she may not have realized before. If the woman changes her mind because of this there is another life saved! If the woman continues- there will be no more guilt present later then there would have been without it! If a woman does not truly want a child, they would be able to go through the pregnancy, hold that baby in their arms and then give it up for adoption. I believe most women who have abortions would have never done it if they were able to hold that child in their arms first. There is no harm doing an ultrasound to make sure a woman is not making a mistake, before changing her life and the life of her child forever! There are so many families and other women out there who can't have children and would do anything for an opportunity to adopt a child. If you really just don't want to have the baby and raise it on your own, at least give someone else the chance to give that child a better life.

Obedience

Wow so over a year since I've posted on here!! There has been so much that has changed in a year! We had another baby so that makes 5 mini-coopers! I started college this January. It was the scariest thing I've ever done, I have no idea what possessed me to take on another challenge like that while raising and homeschooling five little girls, six and under, but I did. I am now only two weeks away from being finished with my first two classes (Bible & English) and four weeks away from starting my last two of the semester (apologetics & English). I've never been a very academically minded person, nor did I ever think I'd actually go to college. But I did it, I am, and I'm actually doing considerably well! I've managed to keep a 95 in english and a 94 in Bible the entire time! This is such a huge deal for me! School was never my strong point but I am determined to change that! Who knows maybe I'll go on to be a scholar of some type ;) lol.

So we are still plucking away at 1st grade with Pumpkin! She is doing REALLY well! We tested her the other day and she tested at a 3rd grade reading level!! Not bad for a 6 year old who should still be in Kindergarten! Little Bear is still beginning to get interested in school. She is still only 4 so I haven't tried to push her much, we are still working slowly on her name and tracing letters but haven't gotten too in depth yet. She has to want to learn for it to be effective. Sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't, hopefully once she is five, she will be there mentally to really start digging in next year!

We've been having some trouble with discipline recently. Last sunday we allowed the girls to buy one movie (digitally) to watch as a family. When it was over, Pumpkin bought another without asking! We explained to her that mommy and daddy has to pay for the movies and we will only allow her to have one a week as a special treat; she was told to not ever do that again! At nap time that day we all decided to lye down, but she woke up, snuck out to the living room and bought a couple more movies and rented a few others! This time she didn't get off so easy! She was not allowed to watch T.V. the rest of the week, and she had to help me around the house this week to work off the money she spent! And daddy figured out how to put a password on there so we won't have this happen ever again!

So after a few days of praying and talking to Nathan about it, I decided that what the girls really needed in order to really take obedience seriously was an intense lesson on the "fruits of the spirit". So we started it tonight! We are starting week 1 with the lesson on "Obedience". Each day we will learn about different bible characters in the bible and how they were or were not obedient and what happened to them. Then the next week we will go on to the "fruits of the spirit"

Tonight we learned about Adam & Eve and how even though they loved God they didn't listen to Him. So even though they loved God, and even though they were sorry they still had to be punished for what they did! An example is once you eat poison, you can't undo it! Pumpkin looked at me wide eyed and stated, "WOW mommy, I'm GLAD we aren't in that story!" lol I'm excited to see what these lessons do for the girls and their obedience. At the end of each week we will have a special treat if everyone practiced obedience this week! So far so good!

Congratulations to Jessica Duncan winner of Childrens DVD!!!

Congratulations to Jessica Duncan, who is the winner of the Children's DVD Paws and Tales!!! Congrats Jessica your Certificate for a free DVD will be in the mail next week!!

To everyone else, don't be down, I have two more give aways coming next week for two Children's books!! Stay tuned for details!!!

Paws and Tales: God Cares for You DVD, Review & Give Away!

Chuck Swindoll's Paws & Tales: God Cares for You video, was delightfully entertaining and informative. The DVD includes two episodes, with a God centered lesson in each. Episode one, "The Good Shepherd", is the story of a shepherd named Ezra. After falling ill, he was in need of some help to take care of his sheep. C.J. and Ned decided to help! It wasn't long before they both realized how difficult it was to be a shepherd, and keep watch over the flock at all times. When C.J. falls asleep on the job, the sheep are attacked by a couple of wolves! C.J. forms a plan to capture the wolves, and not allow the sheep to be hurt ever again. He also starts to understand how Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and how He watches over us at all times to keep us safe. In Episode two, C.J. and his sister Staci, decided to build a tree house. They were told to find something big and sturdy. Acting quickly and impatiently, C.J. and Staci picked a tree that was not very sturdy! They quickly learned the importance of having a good foundation! After being coached to build the tree house correctly they chose a huge rock to build it on instead of a tree. They learned that God is our rock and our foundation! This dvd also concludes each story, with a music video that reiterates the lesson that was taught.

I found this series to be a great learning tool for my children. I'm always looking for easy, quick videos with good life lessons (especially about God). I love that I don't have to worry about what they are watching because I know they are learning their core beliefs!

Lets see what my girls had to say about it:



So there you have it! Feel free to check out the trailer video by clicking here! as well as the website Here!

Also as a little incentive to my readers, I would like to give away a certificate to receive a FREE Paws & Tales: God Cares for You, video!! Here is how you can enter:
1. Become a follower on my blog
2. Post a link to my blog on your blog or facebook page.
3. Post a comment under this post when you are finished!
The drawing will commence on Friday Feb 25th!

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this video for this review.

Little Star by: Anthony DeStefano

DeStefano tells the story of a Christmas star named Little Star. Little Star is the smallest star in the heavens. He was had no friends and was very lonely. One day he heard that the King was to be born. Little star was so excited that he decided to shine brighter than any of the other stars in the sky. He shone so bright trying to warm baby Jesus, that he ended up burning out and lost his life. The story says that each Christmas we remember the Christmas Star by putting a star at the top of our Christmas trees.

I don't think this will be a story I will want to read to my children. I found it to be biblically incorrect. A story of a star loosing it's life in order for Christ to be born, just did not sit well with me. My small children take things to heart that they read, and at this age they believe everything! So while I understand the creativity of fiction, I think it can be quite messy if it's not an accurate account of the things we've taught them to be true. This may be a good story book for older children who know the difference between fiction and non-fiction, however not good for our age range (0-5).

~I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.~

God Gave Us the World by: Lisa Tawn Bergren art by Laura J. Bryant

So I thought what a better way to review a children's story, than to read it to my children! And that is exactly what I did! My girls were so excited to get a new book first of all no matter what the story is they are always willing to listen, however they do let me know what they think of it!

In the book "God Gave Us the World" by Laura Bryant, I felt it was a really great message wrapped into a cute and entertaining story! At the beginning of the book it introduces a Mama Bear and a Little Cub. They are walking in the snow sticking out their tongues to catch the snow! My girls just laughed and laughed at this, and one of them even stuck out her tongue and began to pretend it was snowing in our living room! When Mama Bear tells Little Cub he has the pinkest tongue she has ever seen, Little Cub wonders if all bears are the same as him.

Mama Bear begins to explain to Little Cub that God created all kinds of different places to live and different types of bears. So they begin taking a journey through a Bear Exhibit in order to see a glimpse of all that God created. They talk about many different types of bears, where they live, what they eat, and how each bear is made unique by our Creator. No bear is quite the same! They talk about how Big God is and how the world reflects God's work. It is God's nature to create, and our purpose here on earth is to worship Him. I felt it went a little green at the end of the story, talking about how we need to be good stewards of our world, take care of the world because it is God's gift to us.

After we were done reading the story my girls looked up at me and said "that was a great story mom, can we read it again?!" I guess that comment can speak for it's self! Even my 5 month old LOVED looking at the pictures! Over all I think the story was great, the message was great and it was easy for the kids to interact with the story.


~I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.~

The Shadowed Mind A Dinah Harris Mystery by Julie Cave

What is human life worth to you. Should people who are alcoholics, homeless, disabled, or mentally disturbed be considered a burden to society? If we got rid of everyone who have these problems will it strengthen society for the greater good? According to "The Movement" group, eugenics is better for everyone, but what if that meant murder?

In this mysterious tale "The Shadowed Mind" by Julie Cave, Dinah Harris is in search of a murderer. With each murder well thought out and planned it gives Dinah and the detective a run for their money with the search for the mysterious man with black eyes. During their investigation they stumble upon a eugenics group called "The Movement", who does not believe that life is precious. With Dinah's recent alcoholic background and her struggling to stay sober, things take a turn when she becomes the killers next target. Will Dinah turn to God and surrender to His will, or will she take things upon herself and go back to her old ways?

Although I'm not much of a Mystery person, I though this book was an amazing picture of God's love and grace. It shows us how no matter who we were in the past, God is able to transform us with His love into who he wants us to be. Highly recommend this book!



~I received this book for free from New Leaf Publishing for this review.~