EMM: Adopt a Pet

All of our pets except the dog were rescue animals. We didn't get them from a shelter, but we prevented them from having to go to a shelter. The mother of our first 2 cats was a stray our friend had found. The next three were found by a co-worker and had to be bottled-fed. Even the bird came from someone else who could no longer keep it. Now Wrangler is an AKC dog that we paid for but he was in our church's auction to raise money for charity. So although we paid for him the money went to a good cause.

Our city had just opened a brand-new animal shelter when we moved here and I wanted to do some volunteering. I was a Cat Care-Taker at the shelter for about a year. It was fun to go in and just get to play with kittens and cats. And it helped to socialize the animals so that they would be better pets once they got adopted. In addition, Paul and I have been fosters for both puppies and a mama cat and her kittens. Both of those experiences were so wonderful for us. I hope we have those opportunities again once the children are older. We have also contacted the shelter several times to see what kind of supplies they needed. One of our Advent Activities is to take donations to the shelter in honor of our pets.

So if adopting a pet really isn't something you want or should do, just support your local shelter so that others can adopt.

EMM: Identity Theft

Actions:
1. Shred important documents.
2. Use the mail drop boxes inside the post office.
3. Empty your home mailbox promptly.
4. Don't carry you social security card.
5. Keep personal information in a safe place at home.
6. Don't give out personal information over the phone or internet unless it is secure.
7. Create random passwords.
8. Check your credit report annually.
9. Check your bank statements regularly.

Thankfully, we do most of these without much thought. I do need to be better about shredding our documents.

EMM: Show Your Smile

Some Facts About Smiling:

• Happy people generally don't get sick as often (which would explain why Sophie's rarely sick)


• People are born with the ability to smile


• Children laugh about 400 times a day

The actions for today:

1. Smile at EVERYONE you see


2. Keep track of how many times you smile and laugh


3. Do things to get yourself to smile


4. Note if you feel differently after a day of smiling

I've always known that even if you are just faking it, smiling will make you fell better so...

Fake It 'til You Make It!

Continuing Ed.

"Adult education is something that will continue as long as kids have homework."

My kids aren't yet school-age, bringing home homework each night, but I've heard stories. And I don't look forward to those days. I worked as a tutor for a non-profit organization and also on my own. I see the benefit in getting a middleman to help with your own children. I remember trying to get help from my Dad and being more frustrated than anything else. I hope that Paul and I will be able to help some but that we will also know when to get a tutor if necessary.

God will yet fill your mouth with laughter...and your lips with joyful shouting. Job 8:21

The Secret of Contentment

"An infallible way to make your child miserable is to satisfy all his demands." Henry Home

Today's devotion took an excerpt from Little Women, focusing on counting your blessings whenever you feel unhappy. Fortunately, our lives are very blessed even if we don't always notice and remember those blessings. It is important for me to count my blessings as well as helping my children learn to see the blessings in their lives. Being thankful for those blessings goes along with this. We have a special bedtime prayer blessing our family, friends, animals and "children, everywhere", but I would like to incorporate a thanksgiving prayer during the day as well.

Wise discipline imparts wisdom; spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents. Proverbs 29:15

The Lighter Side

Women should not have children after 35--35 children are enough.

Today's reading was a break to just let us have a bit of a laugh. It is good to not take ourselves too seriously. But we also need to remember that we all need some down time, some to ourselves without the immediate pressures of parenting.

"Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." Psalm 127:5

Just the Facts, Ma'am

"You know children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers." John J. Plomb

That quote made me laugh. The questions the kids at the preschool ask are sometimes those questions that have no answer. As parents (and adults) we have to be careful about the answers we give children. We don't want to give them information they aren't ready for, and we don't want to ignore their questions either. Every child deserves our attention and conversation, even if it somewhat one-sided or involves the same word over and over again. You know the dialogue...child asks "why", we answer, the child asks "why" again, we answer, and so on. Right now for me it goes like this:

Sophie: Momma!
Me: Yes, Sophie?
Sophie: Momma!
Me: What, Sophie?
Sophie: Momma!
Me: Sophie!
Sophie: Momma!
Me: Sophie!
Sophie: Momma!
Me: Sophie!

You get the picture. I think she just likes hearing the back and forth exchange!

"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways." 1 Corinthians 13:11