Mama’s Tips for A Stress-Free Sunday

Sunday morning we go to church. Church is very important to us for various reasons. It’s important enough to be there weekly, to be on time, and for our kids to learn to behave/sit still so they are learning/participating and not being distracting to others.

 

Currently, my husband is teaching the adult Sunday School class at our church so we have to be leaving the driveway at 8:45 AM (and can’t be late!). Our kids (currently) have just turned 5, 3 and 1. Two years ago we lived down the street from church, so I stayed home with two littles ones while Mike went early to (again) teach Sunday School, and I got myself, a toddler and a baby ready and up to church by myself. So I have figured out a good routine to 1) make Sunday morning (mostly) stress-free and 2) get us to church on time! (I say mostly because as we all know, the unexpected happens with kids and they don't always wake up on the "right" side of the bed!) At the end I’m also going to share some tips for being in church with little ones and how to make that less stressful (and less distracting for others).

 

The #1 tip I’m going to give you for a stress-free Sunday morning is this: Prep Saturday night! I don’t think I can emphasize enough how important this is! It’s so important that I do not make plans Saturday evening if I can help it. You might not think there’s much to prep, but I’ll bet you’re running around Sunday morning before church doing at least most of these things. Doing all this Saturday evening, means (you guessed it) you don’t have to do it Sunday morning (AND you don’t have a messy house to make it feel more stressful). So here's my general Saturday evening routine:

 

1. Clean up: After dinner, the kids play (with Daddy or by themselves) and I clean up after dinner. I do the dishes, wipe counters (etc.), pick up our kitchen/living area (it’s all one room in our very small apartment) and vacuum. Having a clean house reduces stress over all, and means I have less to do late at night/in the morning…. Or later on Sunday for that matter!

 

2. Bathe kids. Around 7:15 is bath time for the kids. I wash their hair and then let them play for a while while I finish cleaning or move on to the next thing.

 

3. Pre-pack diaper bag. Diapers, extra clothes (for the baby at least), snacks, water bottle are the usual things I have to refill/check. Sometimes the diaper bag needs a quick cleaning out so I’ll do that too if needed.

 

4. Prep kids’ room so it’s ready for bed. I basically do this every night if it’s not already picked up… just a quick clean-up so it’s not a mess. Then I close the curtains and get their pj’s out.

 

5. Pick out clothes for Sunday. I will pick out the kid’s clothes and have them either laid out or at least obviously set-apart in case Daddy is the one to dress them. I also decide what I am going to wear as well (because I don’t want to waste time figuring that out in the morning).

 

5. By 8 the kids are out of bath and having a snack and I’m nursing the baby and getting him ready for bed. He goes down at 8:30. Then the kids have Bible Time with Daddy, brush teeth and go to bed at 9.

 

 

Sunday Morning Routine

We have a very simple and quick morning routine (an hour to an hour and 15 minutes is all we get):

 

Younger two kids are usually up around 7:30/7:45, which is when we usually get up as well. I take a shower and get dressed. Then I fix my breakfast and (try and) get kids to eat (3-year-old doesn’t like to eat breakfast usually – which is why I always have extra snacks packed for the car). My 5-year-old (Keller) usually sleeps late so I’ll often just bring him something to eat in the car… it’s wayyyy easier than waking him and trying to get him to eat. I’ll eat breakfast and do my hair, then do my daughter’s hair. I dress the baby while my husband helps Keller. Then we grab the diaper bag and Church activity bag (more on that below) and we’re out the door. The only extra things I grab are my phone and personal water bottle. (I usually do my make-up in the car since I don’t use a lot so that also saves time.)

 

If we got up earlier we could have more time for kids to eat, etc. but kids (and Mom and Dad too!) like to sleep later, and so this works for us. My biggest tip here is to figure out what time you need to leave and work backwards. Also, leave yourself 10 more minutes than you think you’ll need. As you get into a routine it may shorten, but when you’re first working on a routine you need to allow extra time (especially when you have little ones who unexpectedly will have a diaper blow-out or something). It might take some time to figure out your routine (and how much time you need) but you’ll get it! It’s worth it to have less stress and to be able to get to church on time! 

 

2024 Update: Currently, we are 40 minutes from the church my husband now pastors. We have to be heading out the door at 7:30am.  Our kids aren't big breakfast eaters so they get big reusable applesauce pouches in the car. I take my shower the night before now and we all get ready in less than an hour!

 

Tips for a less-stressful church experience with kids:

 

Work on sitting quietly at home: We didn’t start this till fairly recently, but when we have our evening “Bible Time” the two older ones are expected to sit quietly and listen. We will evolve this as time goes on and expand the time and our expectations for them. Kids can sit longer than you think. I remember being surprised when my son first sat through an entire prayer meeting (about 30 minutes) with zero issues (and he’s a very busy child)! I realized he could do a lot more than I thought he could! However, it is not fair to expect your kids to sit quietly at church if you do not practice at home.

 

Church Activity Bag: (or box or whatever!) This a bag that is ONLY for church with quiet toys, fidget toys, sticker books, books, coloring books, etc. Basically, whatever would help your particular child(ren) sit more quietly. This gives your kids something to do during the service if they get bored. We also try not to let them use the Activity Bag right away – ideally not until after the singing so they can participate in that. Kids do not “need” any kind of toys/coloring things during a service (or even during a sermon) because they can learn to sit quietly, but it’s an option, and a nice one especially when they are young.

 

If potty trained, take them to the bathroom BEFORE the service starts. This is easy to forget but it will hopefully eliminate the need for them to go during the service. This is a good general habit for adults as well... Valuing being in church means you think about even simple things like this so you’re not missing part of the service or being a distraction to others.

 

Sit in the Back: Have you ever sat behind a child in church who was fidgeting, moving a lot, and/or misbehaving? If so, you know why it’s respectful to sit near the back with your kids. If your kids are young, are still learning to sit still, and at an age where you need to be prepared to correct (or discipline) them during the service, it’s easiest and less stressful for you (not to mention much less distracting to others) if you sit in the back (or at least on the side/near an exit). I mean, full disclosure: we have on several occasions had to take a kid quickly out of church who was misbehaving…and loudly (anyone else???). So I was pretty glad we weren’t sitting up front! Valuing church means also helping others to not be distracted if you can help it. Sometimes it can’t be helped of course, and it is also important that we understand that kids make noise… and we shouldn’t segregate families or children because they can’t sit quietly like adults can. However, you can still do your part to help others be less distracted by sitting in the back with your little ones until they are at an age/stage where they can sit quietly. This is just generally respectful to others. And this will make church less stressful for you as well!  

 

I’ll add we have a general rule of no snacks in church. We haven’t always done this, but realized it was pretty distracting to others. Now my kids get snacks on the way to church (and right now they can have some during the Sunday School hour since there is no kids class), but once we’re in the sanctuary there’s no more snacks. This eliminates 1) them asking for snacks, 2) snack noises, 3) mess. The only exception to this is the baby who sometimes gets those little dissolvable baby snacks to help him be quiet (but make sure they are not the ones in loud packaging!). (Obviously nursing a baby doesn’t count either.)

 

Reading List: Parenting, The Kennedy's & Discrimination

 

Finished since last post:

 

Grace-Based Discipline by Karis Kimmel Murray

This was an excellent book! On top of having a great gift and style in writing, Karis Murray shares a lot of very practical advice when it comes to dealing with your child’s bad behavior. Many important reminders include: Don’t take your child’s behavior personally, your child is a sinner so “we shouldn’t be surprised if they act that way”, “you must separate your child’s behavior from their heart” and what the book really boils down to: How does God parent/discipline us? This is crucial because “Parents are the primary reflection our kids see of God’s heart and His grace.” How you parent and discipline teaches your child more about God than anything you could possibly say! As parents we ought to seek to parent as God does His children, and for that we need wisdom. “The only way we’ll be able to discern whether to give our children consequences, mercy or anything in between is if we’ve built a close enough relationship with our kids to afford us some perspective. That’s the only way our discipline will truly be for them.” (emphasis hers)

Karis differentiates between grace and mercy, punishment or retaliation and discipline, shame and remorse and gives practical examples. She also helpfully lays out the type of discipline and/or consequences that are most effective for different ages. Throughout the book there are great stories and examples from Karis’ own experience under her parents (who modeled this well) and with her own children.  

 

The Kennedy Curse by Edward Klein

 

This was a very interesting biography of the Kennedy family. Really good read! As in, I had a hard time putting it down! It explores the lives and deaths of various members of the Kennedy family (from JFK’s great-grandparents to JFK Jr.) and gives a lot of very insightful information into their family traits and patterns. Traits of narcissism, perfectionism and a weakness towards alcohol and sex led to destructive patterns and many times early avoidable deaths. Is there a “Kennedy curse”? More accurately we should call this sin’s curse, and the reality is that in some families, these kinds of sinful traits leave patterns of destruction than curse its descendants in more unique ways. A sad book in many ways because of this, but again, a very interesting read.  

 

Discrimination and Disparities by Thomas Sowell

 

This was a really excellent book on understanding economics, discrimination (not just race-based) and disparities among people. Definitely recommend anything by Thomas Sowell, who is a well-known economist. 

 

The chapter “Discrimination: Meanings and Costs” distinguished the different kinds of discrimination and showed how things like minimum wage laws and making it illegal for employers to do criminal background checks were actually hurting the black community – not helping promote equality which was the original intent. Employers who did background checks were actually MORE likely to hire blacks than those who didn’t – because the fact remains that more blacks tend to have criminal records so those who didn’t do checks made assumptions rather than hire based on facts. Another interesting thing was that while some people in America do have some discrimination against blacks, in the end cost/benefit will win. For example, Harlem used to be a very white neighborhood and landlords didn’t want to rent to blacks. However, as things changed and more blacks moved into the general area and at the same time whites were moving out – the landlords shifted as well. The cost to not rent to a black was too high. One point from this is that laws are not as effective in changing things as plain “cost/benefit”. Most people will trade their discrimination for something that benefits them. Another example he gave was in the south when the segregation laws were passed. Many of the trolley companies fought these laws because they realized that not only would it offend many of their customers (who were black) it would cost them more money since they ended up needing more trolley cars to seat everyone in the “appropriate” section. They lost in court but even then, many companies didn’t enforce the law at all until the government started fining them. Again – cost/benefit affected discrimination more than laws did.

 

His chapter on “Sorting and Unsorting of People” was very interesting. People naturally “sort” themselves into like-minded groups. Indeed, where the government has attempted to “unsort” people (move people around to make communities more “diverse”), while it helps a few people, in general it has not helped the majority of people (either those already in the community or those brought in). In fact, it has tended to hurt the community/people already there. While most whites have not complained out of fear of being called “racist”, many blacks who were residents of communities where the government was moving poorer blacks in complained and resisted about “those people” being brought in. They knew that it would not benefit their community – in fact they were very concerned about the likely increase of crime, devaluing of property (because poorer people don’t tend to take care of their property well), etc.

 

“The net result of police backing off [because the don’t want to be called racist] is often a rise in crime, of which law-abiding residents in black communities are the principle victims. Some people think that they are being kind to blacks by going along with unsubstantiated claims of ‘racial profiling’ by the police. But, as distinguished black scholar Sterling A Brown said, long ago: ‘Kindness can kill as well as cruelty, and it can never take the place of genuine respect’.” (p. 85-86)

 

“As obvious as this may seem, it is often forgotten. Nothing that the Germans can do today will in any way mitigate the staggering evils of what Hitler did in the past. Nor can apologies in American today for slavery in the past have any meaning, much less do any good, for either blacks or whites today… The only times over which we have any degree of influence at all are the present and the future – both of which and be made worse by attempts at symbolic restitution among the living for what happened among the dead…Pretending to have powers that we do not have, in fact, have risks creating needless evils in the present while claiming to deal with the evils of the past…. To admit we cab do nothing about what happened among the dead is not to give up the struggle for a better world, but to concentrate our efforts where they have at least some hope of making things better for the living.” (p.127)

 

Up Next: Q and Social Justice.... should be interesting!

Reading List: Parenting, The Sound of Music +more

Some great books in the past few months! Working through some more now too!

Finished since last post:

Grace-Based Discipline by Karis Kimmel Murray

This was an excellent book! On top of having a great gift and style in writing, Karis Murray shares a lot of very practical advice when it comes to dealing with your child’s bad behavior. Many important reminders include: Don’t take your child’s behavior personally, your child is a sinner so “we shouldn’t be surprised if they act that way”, “you must separate your child’s behavior from their heart” and what the book really boils down to: How does God parent/discipline us? This is crucial because “Parents are the primary reflection our kids see of God’s heart and His grace.” How you parent and discipline teaches your child more about God than anything you could possibly say! As parents we ought to seek to parent as God does His children, and for that we need wisdom. “The only way we’ll be able to discern whether to give our children consequences, mercy or anything in between is if we’ve built a close enough relationship with our kids to afford us some perspective. That’s the only way our discipline will truly be for them.” (emphasis hers)

Karis differentiates between grace and mercy, punishment or retaliation and discipline, shame and remorse and gives practical examples. She also helpfully lays out the type of discipline and/or consequences that are most effective for different ages. Throughout the book there are great stories and examples from Karis’ own experience under her parents (who modeled this well) and with her own children.  

Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Hubbard

Another parenting book I would HIHGLY recommend (I’ve had a few other moms recommend it to me). Easy and fun to read with great practical wisdom for moms seeking to raise their kids according to Biblical principles. She talks about how to deal with getting to the heart of your child, handling manipulation, using Scripture in our correction, when you’re feeling angry, how to Biblically reprove and rebuke (NOT scold) and with physical discipline. Really excellent and highly practical.

“Behavior is simply what alerts you to your child’s need for correction. But don’t make the mistake that so many parents make and allow your desire for changed behavior to replace your desire for a changed heart.”

“When we correct our children for wrong behavior but fail to train them in righteous behavior, we will exasperate them because we are not providing them with a way of escape.” - In other words, what they should do instead. Most of the time, righteous behavior needs to be learned by hands-on teaching and practice… it’s not automatic!

“Our desire should be for the child to ponder what he could have done right rather than what he did wrong.”

“…truly beneficial communication is based not only on the ability to talk, but also on the ability to listen. Let me suggest that rather than talking to your child, you talk with your child.”

Memories Before and After The Sound of Music by Agathe Von Trapp

Written by the eldest daughter of Captain Georg Von Trapp, we are given the real and rest of the story of the “The Sound of Music”. Great biography/autobiography of her family’s history, her upbringing and the real Trapp Family Singers.

Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism by Jenny McCarthy

This was just an interesting account of one mom’s fight to find a way to bring her son back after his regression into autism. (She did by the way.) But it was a long, hard journey and she had to fight for so much along the way. It’s a sad story in many ways (losing your son mentally and emotionally is awful, and also because she does not know Christ and thus God’s role in this story), but it’s still very inspiring. A mother’s love and a mother’s instinct should never be ignored.

Reading List: Summer 2019

Oh my goodness it's been so long since I've updated and posted one of these! Toddler and home life keeps me busy and tired so I don't read nearly as much as I used to! But here you are!

Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul Tripp

(Read spring 2018) This was a really great book! It’s so easy to think you know what to do with kids, that you’ll never do such-and-such or yell at your kids… but Paul hones in on the fact that both parents and children are sinners and need God’s grace to change us. A theme is that parents are ambassadors of God and can only be used as they are themselves willing to humbly embrace the difficult task God has set before them. Paul gives practical examples from his own experience as well as others. How should the law be used? What role does identity play? How do we teach our children to submit to authority and rid them of their foolishness? How do we accept our inability and learn to rest in God who alone has the power to change our children’s hearts? So much encouragement for parents who are seeking to faithfully raise their children in the Lord.

“…parents who admit they are inadequate and run to God make the best parents. You see, he doesn’t ask you to be able; he asks you to be willing.” (pg. 36)

“Our job is to help our children to be so blown away by God’s glory that they find joy in submitting to his rule.” (pg. 133)

“Every single thing your child has ever said or done is rooted in worship… change is not so much about behavioral management, but worship realignment.” (pg. 150)

In Defense of Jesus: The New Lawgiver by John Reisinger

(Read summer 2018) I’ve been wanting to read this for quite some time! This book was written in response to Richard Barcellos’ book, In Defense of the Decalogue. In his book Barcellos, a Covenant theologian who’s Baptist, addresses his concerns about New Covenant Theology (NCT) and why he believes it’s not Biblically accurate. Reisinger responds to these concerns and claims with sound historical and Biblical arguments. Barcello clearly does not really understand what NCT really believes, nor does he accurately view history and Reisinger shows this without a doubt. Who is the supreme lawgiver? Is it Moses as Covenant Theology claims? Does Jesus just keep and re-affirm the law and make no changes to it? Or as NCT maintains, does Jesus give new laws and an actual new covenant? Is the Decalogue (the 10 Commandments) the unchanging moral law of God? Or was it given to and for the nation of Israel and thus not the standard for us today? Are those who hold to NCT “without law” as Barcellos and others think? Regardless of their opponents opinions and arguments, New Covenant Theology has strong Biblical support and those curious about it and those who oppose it would be wise to read this book and consider its contents.

“Difficulties [in discussion theology] result when people insist on using theological terms instead of Biblical terms.” For example, the Bible nowhere mentions a covenant with Adam. Covenant Theology argues for several things that are not actually named in Scripture, which is problematic.

Devoted: Great Men and Their Godly Mothers by Tim Challies

(Read fall 2018) This is a great little book for moms of boys! Challies introduces us to the mothers of 11 men throughout history, from as far back as Biblical times to today. It’s inspiring to hear these stories of mothers who simply trusted God and did their best to teach and train their sons to follow Christ. Despite some of them being single parents and/or sick or very busy their prayers and passion for raising their sons was so encouraging. At the end of each chapter there are also reflection questions.  

Set-Apart Motherhood by Leslie Ludy

(Read winter 2019) This book was so encouraging. The book is Ccntered around keeping Christ as the focus of your life and relationship with your children, but gets into some of the practical stuff too. Great tips, good reminders, funny stories…. Very thankful for this book!

“…when I approach motherhood for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God, I find tremendous joy in making personal sacrifices for my children. As I seek to honor Him in my motherhood, it becomes my delight to give my best to my children, without concern for what I’m getting out of it, but only with what He is getting out of it.”

“Training, discipline, routine, and structure are important, but these things are tools that enable me to focus on what matters in motherhood: building healthy relationships with my children and leading them to Jesus Christ.”

Vaccines: A Reappraisal by Richard Moskowitz M.D.

(Read winter/spring 2019) I originally got this book on kindle, but before I’d finished, I went bought a hard copy as well. It’s one of THOSE books…. One that you’re going to go back to, for reminders, information, research, facts…. It’s ALL there. This is incredibly well-researched by a doctor who's been in the field and in research for over 30 years. For anyone and everyone who wants to (or claims to be) educated on this subject, this is a MUST-READ. If you are concerned about vaccines, this is a great resource, if you are solidly pro-vax, there’s facts in it that you HAVE to deal with. So get it and read it.

Currently Reading:

Grace-Based Parenting by Karis Kimmel Murray

Thoughts on Preparing for Motherhood

I’m currently 38 weeks pregnant…. and very ready for this little guy to come! I kind of meant to blog more about this season, but oh well, here we are! I fluctuate at times between being very excited and slightly panicked… I’m going to have a little person to take care of and raise!!!!! It’s scary, humbling, but oh SO amazing! I am so thankful for this blessing, and for my wonderful husband who’s doing this with me!  

 

Preparing for motherhood is much more than scrapbooking your pregnancy (although that was fun). It's also a lot more than putting the car seat in the car or setting up the baby's bed (all very exciting stuff!). In some ways I have been preparing for this my whole life. If you’d asked me when I was 8, 13, 16 what I wanted to be when I got older I would have said “A mommy!” (This involved getting married first of course! My first dream came true in the form of my husband Mike, and the second is coming true very soon!) I spent several years as a teen and young adult working as a mother’s helper, teaching a kindergarten class at church, working with youth group and babysitting a ton. So, I certainly didn’t lack experience with children and babies. I came across this book recently that I’d saved from when I was younger because it’s what I earnestly dreamed for.  

 My mom, having been a great mom to me, has been very instrumental in who I am and how I am approaching motherhood myself. I am blessed to have had a great mom who I want to be like (for the most part anyway) and have learned so much from. Also, having an older sister who has four kids has been immensely helpful as I’ve walked through pregnancy and preparing for motherhood. She is not only one of my best friends but an amazing example as a wife and mother, and I am so grateful! Pictured with me below at a baby shower last month is my mom, my sister and my sister’s two daughters (I was 35 weeks there).

I’ve read a number of books so far in regards to pregnancy, birth and parenting. The main ones (all very helpful) were: Mama Natural Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth (by Genevieve Howland), Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth (by Ida May Gaskin), Baby Wise (by Gary Ezzo – focuses a lot on sleep training, we’re going to try it and we’ll see how it goes!), The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, and Parenting (by Paul Tripp).

I’ll (hopefully) be giving birth at a birth center about 35 minutes from our home. There we were also required to take three classes: Breastfeeding, Childbirth, and First Days At Home. There was a lot of content that I already knew from my personal reading, but good review and questions/answers. I feel very blessed to be so educated about how to take care of myself and my baby… many women don’t have the same support or experiences or don’t take the extra time to learn.

Preparing for motherhood is a journey… one that you can never fully prepare for, you can just do your best. As I’ve read and learned I’ve been remind of how much I need JESUS to be a good mom. I am going to make mistakes, disappoint my children and even sin against them. How thankful I am for God’s grace that will continue to teach and grow me as I seek to be a mom who raises her children well. I pray for the humility, wisdom, patience and the grace that’s going to be needed every single day.

I am looking forward to this new adventure and sharing news of our little one’s arrival with you in the near future! 

                                                       (with my husband at 37 weeks)

Reading List: February 2018

Finished since last post:

Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner by Jaroldeen Edwards

The subtitle for this book is “Personal Discoveries of A Mother of Twelve”. It was a neat read from an experienced mom not just about parenting, but personal and spiritual discoveries as well. Great thoughts and meditations for any mom!

“Home is a living, breathing thing – a laboratory for living. I believe we should create a home that makes people think, ‘I want to be in that home,’ not ‘I wish I owned that home’.” (p. 77) “I realized that any growth that comes from pain and challenge can come only after we have stopped asking why… The firs thing we must do in order to begin to gain the lessons from pain is to accept what is past and let it go. Then we must begin to ask ourselves the what questions: What am I still able to do? What am I learning? What goals should I set?” (p. 101)

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey into Christian Faith by Rosaria Butterfield

This was a super interesting testimony and story from a former lesbian turned pastor’s wife! Just hearing her journey from lesbian feminist professor to Christian was inspiring and convicting… there were people who loved her no matter what and invited her into their home and patiently answered her questions. (There was one short chapter on her view of only singing Psalms in worship which I pretty much skipped - 0 Biblical support as far as I’m concerned – but I digress!). It also goes through her experiences as a pastor’s wife which was also really interesting.

Between Worlds: Essays on Culture and Belonging by Marilyn Gardner

Marilyn (Brown) Gardner grew up the child of missionaries in Pakistan. I knew her parents, one of her brothers married my mother’s sister. This was an interesting account of being a Third-Culture Kid (TCK) – a child who is raised in a different country than it says on their passport and how their sense of “home” is rather… confused, and comes with challenges that others have a hard time understanding. It was an interesting read and I really appreciated her openness and honesty about her experiences and journeys. 

The Shaping of A Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot

This subtitle of this book is “How My Parents Nurtured My Faith”, and it’s about Elisabeth’s parents, their own history and how they nurtured and raised their 6 children. It’s one families’ story, but it is beautiful, inspiring, convicting even. She talks about her parent’s individual walks with God, how they instructed, disciplined, dealt with work and play, how they particularly nurtured and taught each child, learned to trust them to God as they made life decisions (some of which maybe they weren’t thrilled about) and learned to let them go (Elisabeth along with several of her siblings went to the mission field). It gave me some great inspiration about how I want to raise my children in the Lord.

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ida May Gaskin

This was written by a woman who, when she wrote this book, had been a midwife for 30+ years and overseen hundreds of births. This book is a MUST-READ for every pregnant woman! It is a powerful book that has put me in awe of how amazing God created the female body! Birth is not a thing that we need to fear (although it must be taken seriously). It is a natural thing, not something to be treated. Babies were meant to be born and women were made to give birth to them. Yes, there’s pain involved, but it’s not the kind of pain you need to dread…. In fact, the birth experience can be the most amazing of your life! As I get ready to have my child in the next 3 months, I am excited and ready to trust God and my body to do what it was made to do.

The Duties of Parents by J.C. Ryle

I have really appreciated J.C’ Ryle’s books in the past so wanted to read this short work as well. Very simple, but important advice for parents on raising their children in the ways of the Lord.

“Train [your children] with this thought continually before your eyes that the soup of your child is the first thing to be considered.”

Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History by Suzanne Humphries, MD & Roman Rystrianyk

This was a book written by two individuals (one a medical doctor) who have spent years researching and studying health, disease and vaccines. They take a detailed look at the history of disease and how vaccines were created and what their actual impact was. Did vaccines really cause the eradication of smallpox and other diseases? Or is there a lot more to the story? Very interesting and informative book!

“Beginning in the mid-to-late 1800’s and into the 1900’s, the mortality rate for all infections diseases dropped. The deadly threats that were once so commonplace slowly faded into the past. By the end of the 19^th century, it was apparent that sanitation was making a significant impact against the bacterial diseases, typhus and typhoid fever, without any vaccine.”

Currently Reading:

Grace-filled Parenting by Paul Tripp (great so far!)