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Book Review: Care for Creation by Christy Baldwin

Posted in Book Reviews, Nowell Kiddos on November 11, 2011| 6 Comments »

I was excited to be given this book to review because of the valuable lesson of recycle-reuse-renew, something I’m already teaching my children who are 7, 9, and 12 years old. We read the book together, marveling at the soft, bright colors the artist chose. We especially liked that the brother and sister were working together to care for their environment. We all appreciated the tips for conservation, and agreed that it is our job to care for the world around us, but all of us struggled with some of the inconsistencies throughout the story.

While talking about chemicals polluting our water supply, there was a picture of the kids swimming in a pool which requires chemicals to keep it clean, and the scripture on that page references a stream in the mountains. It shows the children unplugging their Wii to conserve electricity, and then depicts them watching a TV as old as I am, with dials to change the channel – not Wii compatible or as energy-efficient as newer models. We live in a big city with lots of bright lights, yet the book looks at that as a bad thing (listed along with poisonous smog) because we can’t see the moon and stars, and where we live in Colorado, it is illegal to collect rainwater for your garden, so we talked about other ways we could conserve that are relevant to us.

My oldest son questioned why the author used scriptures that have nothing to do with caring for the planet. Good question. This book is clearly written for Christians and I’m all for using scripture when teaching, but I was as puzzled as my son.

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.

I feel as if I’m starting off on the wrong foot with this as my first book review for Book Divas. I rarely give negative reviews, but as a reviewer and a believer, you’ll always get my honest opinion.

Over all, my children liked the book and it was a good discussion starter. While I appreciated the author’s heart for teaching children valuable lessons about caring for creation, I would not intentionally choose this book as that tool. I will say that this is the first book I’ve read by Christy Baldwin, and I would give her other books a chance.

About Christy Baldwin:
Writing has been a passion of Christy’s since she was very young. As a child, she loved to write stories for her grandfather and poems just for fun. She lives in Mason, Ohio with her family and is active in church, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts and volunteering with various organizations. Christy has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Cedarville University and a master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Scranton. She is a stay at home mom who enjoys spending time with her kids and being involved in their schools. Her previous children’s titles include Nine Things Nathan Noticed at Night and Remembering Wilma.

Book web site:
http://www.CareForCreationBook.com

Christy Baldwin Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001044000739

Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com

Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176

Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

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Pictures of Pete

Posted in Family, Homeschooling, Humor, Just for fun, Nowell Kiddos, October Challenge, Parenting on October 17, 2011| 7 Comments »

Pete is my goofy kid. He is highly entertaining! One of Benny’s favorite hashtags on Twitter is #randomcrappetesays. He loves making people laugh and he’s one of those kids that is just naturally funny. He uses a lot of big words-most of the time in the correct context, but it’s funny to hear those things come out of such a small mouth. Much to the dismay of his siblings, he also loves playing practical jokes on people.

Pete is a builder. He loves to spread things out so he can get a good look at what he’s got to work with, so it was no surprise when he covered our dining room table with Legos last night and spent hours dreaming up variations of speed cruisers, water/land boats, and various flying machines. He makes all the noises that go along with building things and it gives me the giggles. He plays with such abandon. I want to be more like that.

If we were a normal family –and believe me, I know we’re not – Pete would have been labeled already. I’d have teachers wanting him ~~sedated~~ medicated. The boy has loads of energy. A few years ago I was lectured by a woman who told me that at some point he needed to learn how to be quiet and sit still. Duh. He knows how to do that and I believe there is a time and place for it, but I also let him be him. He often stands up to do his schoolwork, or does a problem then spins around in his desk chair, then does another problem. He concentrates better when he can wiggle a bit. If I notice him getting too squirrely, I have him do jumping jacks or bounce up and down for a minute. It helps. I also understand that he can sit for hours at a time if he is engrossed in what he’s doing (like his Lego time), so I’m not going to let him be labeled. I’m going to take my cues from him, then direct him accordingly.

This pic (click on it to enlarge it) is proof to all who are familiar with his energy level that he can in fact sit quietly in a chair. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s possible. He can also sit still in public. This is him playing Chess with one of our street friends on the mall. He LOVES being there with us, and he talks to everybody. He is somewhat fearless in public. For example, he took a blanket and his bongos to the Pearl Street Mall and played for over an hour hoping to make a little cash. I NEVER would have done something like that at his age.

He’s an amazing kid, goofiness, high energy, and all. I love him that way, I just wish he’d share some of that energy with me. 🙂

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Night Owl Nowell Kids

Posted in Family, Nowell Kiddos, October Challenge, thinking things through on October 13, 2011| 3 Comments »

I was one of those moms who assumed that when we had children, they would conform to fit our lifestyle. Babies are not the center of the universe, right? So when Max was born, I was pleased when he followed our cues. We were full-time youth ministers at the time which meant a lot of late nights. After he began sleeping through the night, he kept our hours pretty well, plus a few naps during the day. From an early age, he went to bed late and slept late. It worked for all of us, and still does.

Then Zoe was born, and that girl was on her own schedule! She was not about to conform to anyone’s plans, and had her own ideas about sleep and wake cycles. She demanded an elaborate bedtime routine, but slept pretty well. As a 9-year-old, she fights going to sleep. She’s the kid that thinks she’s going to miss out on something.

Pete has been a sleeper since day one. He’s almost 8 and still randomly crashes on the couch or in the van if he’s tired. BUT, like his Popa, he’s a morning person. Early on we made a rule that he had to wait until 8 a.m. to come into our room. He’s a cuddler and he’d wake us up by 6 every day jumping on the bed and squirming his way under the covers. He still wakes up before me and crawls into bed, but now he has to wait until Benny’s awake and says it’s okay.

3 kids, 3 different sleep patterns.

Thinking through this stuff has made me realize that our kids have some sleep issues too. Max had night terrors when he was 4. It was awful! What a helpless feeling as a parent. Thankfully he outgrew them after a few months. Zoe is a sleep-walker. We had to put a hotel style lock high up on our front door because we caught her trying to leave the house one night. Sometimes she cries and mumbles but we can’t understand what she’s saying. Pete has occasional nightmares.

How much of this is inherited?

Benny was a sleep-walker as a kid, and I have a long history of nightmares. Is it less about traits being passed along from parent to child and more about stress levels, vitamin deficiencies, and learned behaviors? I’m doing a little research and will be back here next time with information from some experts.

I’m finding this topic fascinating, but I’m nearing the end of this unplanned series. Bear with me as I wrap things up.

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Zoe Grace is 9 today!

Posted in Family, Joy in the Journey, Nowell Kiddos, October Challenge on October 4, 2011| 2 Comments »

She wore a pink, sequined tiara everywhere we went today. She has her own style. She is always moving and keeping a beat with her feet, fingers, pencils, and anything else that will double as a drumstick. This girl keeps me dancing. She’s a straight A student, and wants to work with animals when she grows up. We joke that having 2 brothers gives her lots of practice. She loves to draw, bake, and skateboard. There is no stereotyping this girl.

A few weeks ago she helped me host a baby shower for my friend Karen. She worked hard and was a sweet little hostess, but she really enjoyed sitting down for a bit to help with the pieces for the baby quilt we are making for Jude. She’s pretty crafty.