Tree of Life Mothering

I am so thankful for Thanksgiving picture books! They help me embrace this time of year instead of rushing through it.  November is the month of my birthday and my daughter’s, four days apart. Sometimes I have wished that I was born in a splashy, colorful fun month, like April, July, or October. By the time our birthdays roll around the weather is drab and gray and the night comes early. But I love the spirit of Thanksgiving and family coziness this time of year so those two things make up for it. Reading picture books this time of year adds to the coziness I love to feel as the weather turns cold.

In our family school that meets every Thursday I shared the following two picture books when I was in charge of the “Bring Your Own Genius” class. Basically it’s a time when the teacher can do whatever he/or she wants. I did picture books! Big surprise, I know! I love picture books because they can have beautiful illustrations, tell a great story, and require no lesson prep time other than finding the book at the library. So here is a helping of my favorite Thanksgiving picture books! Enjoy!

The book pictured above tells the story of how Thanksgiving became a national holiday, thanks to the lady who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

This is probably my absolute fave! I love that it has maps that show the details of the Pilgrims’ voyage. I love that the maps are so colorful and have lots of interesting tidbits on them. I adore the vibrant watercolor illustrations. I enjoy the author’s telling of the Pilgrim’s faith in God, hard work, family love, loss, and renewed hope when springtime comes. I love that it talks of the Indians and Squanto and shows a map of their land. the fun picture at the end of the Thanksgiving feast makes me so happy! This is a gem of a book! I recently found out that the Allerton family, featured as the “three young pilgrims” are on my family tree. Their aunt, who was still back in England at the time this story took place, is my many-greats-grandmother. So now this book is all the more meaningful to me. Thank you Cheryl Harness for sharing your talent to share the story of the Pilgrims! Now I know it’s part of my family history and this book helps make that come alive to me.

I love hearing the story of Squanto. Did you know he lived with monks for a time in Spain? Did you know that he could speak at least three languages? I feel God guided his life to be in Massachusetts when the Pilgrims landed so he could teach them how to plant food and save their lives. Thank you Squanto!

OK, this is probably my second favorite Thanksgiving story. It’s such a sweet story of hospitality and the serendipity of finding new friends when you have an open door in your heart. I also love that the matriarch of the family is behind it all. It’s not just a lesson in generosity, it’s a lesson of grandmotherly leadership.

This story touches your heart with a reminder that “people are more important than things.”

I’m a huge fan of Louisa May, so of course I love this book. It’s probably my third favorite. It’s a charming tale of siblings who pitch in when mom and dad have to leave because they hear that Grandma got sick and can’t fix Thanksgiving dinner. I love this happy story! It’s full of resourcefulness, initiative, and merry-making, with two surprises on top of all that. In the end the family sits down to read the Bible for their evening devotional so I always point that out to my kids when we read it. 

This one is not a picture book but it might hold the attention of younger kids because it is a short chapter book. The ladies in my book club in Provo gave it to me for my birthday one year. It’s a refreshing story of friendship at Thanksgiving time.

I can’t forget this one! The illustrations remind me of a cartoon or another book from my 70s childhood, by the same illustrator. It’s such a fun story of not being deceived by appearances, Thanksgiving dinner, guests, friendship, and comeuppance! As a bonus, you get a recipe for cranberry bread! Too bad i am gluten free right now or I would fix it.

This one is based on a true story of a Thanksgiving Dinner that happened in Browns Hole Utah, in 1896. I won’t give away the surprise ending. You have to read it!

This book features the famous song we all know of the same title. It’s fun to think about traveling in a sleigh and I am delighted that it helps perpetuate the tradition of going to Grandmother’s home for a holiday.

Here are some more titles.

Happy eating, giving thanks, and reading!

Today is Virtue’s birthday! I can’t believe that 18 years ago I was rejoicing that I had my first baby girl! It was my first natural birth, following my oldest child’s birth, two years earlier. I feel so grateful that she has healed from her anxiety and depression and debilitating pain that she had almost two years ago. Now she is going to college on scholarship in January. I am so grateful that my friend Aneladee lovingly reached out to me with a fateful phone call in May of 2012. She invited my daughter and me to take her class called Eternal Warriors. We took it and loved it and it has made all the difference in our lives! I loved it so much I asked to take Aneladee’s training and now I teach the class as Mothers Who Know.

I remember a few months before she called me. It was a Saturday night in the early spring. I finally had the little kids to bed and I was about to go to bed myself, knowing that my 14 year old was at a youth church dance and would be calling us to get a ride soon. I figured I would send his dad to go pick him up. 🙂

Suddenly I heard a voice, not just a voice, but a hearty, jolly laugh floating up from my downstairs and I thought, “That sounds like Aneladee! What is Aneladee doing in my living room?” It seemed like a dream come true! I love chatting with her whenever I can! I grabbed my robe, hurriedly put it over my pajamas, and went downstairs. So I wasn’t delusionally dreaming, she really was there! She had come to pick up her son who had gone to the dance with my son. We got to talking, and talked so much, that my husband graciously offered to go get the boys so we could keep joyfully talking. I remember Aneladee talking about her boss, Maurice Harker. Maurice is the owner of Life Changing Services. Aneladee told me this story Maurice had told her, about Grandma and making cookies. The point was that God is like Grandma helping a little girl make cookies. We all know that when Grandma and a little girl make cookies, Grandma does all the work, but she gives the little girl all the credit, right? Guess what? We are like that little girl and Grandma is like God. God enjoys working through us to make delicious creations. You can go here to read the whole story. It’s not very long, just a simple little story, a parable. I recommend you get the audio as well, for $1.99. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and use the paypal button.

Today for Sunday School here on the Tree of Life Mothering Network I am posting a video from the Agency-based Conference that I attended two Saturdays ago. The video features Audrey Rindlisbacher, a friend of mine who owns and operates the The Ten Boom Institute.

She explains what a principle is, how important it is to operate your life on principles, and how to identify a principle. A principle is the same thing as a natural law. Doctrine and Covenants 132:20-21    tells us that every blessing is based on following a law or principle that goes with it. Principles really do matter!  Audrey gives some examples of false principles that influenced the world, those of Aristotle, who believed that slavery was needed to have a free class of people, and Hitler, who believed in the false principle of a superior race.

Do any of you experience the holiday blues? Do you feel prone to depression or moodiness at this “most wonderful time of year”? Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it’s also a time when the adversary attacks us with painful memories of past disappointments or loss, gray weather, upset schedules to the point of zero healthful routines, increased sugary offerings, financial pressure, and “guilty” feelings for not doing more or being more for our families! Don’t let that rascally Grinch take your Christmas away! Come take the Mothers Who Know Class and learn how to have peace this holiday season!

In honor of Christmas time, I am offering not just one, but two giveaways of registrations to December’s Mothers Who Know! The registration normally costs $147, and $97 if you register by the early bird deadline of Friday November 29. If you win the drawing, your tuition is free. (You will still have to pay for the materials kit that goes with the class. It’s $50.) Go here to get all the details of the class. The basic schedule is below.

Please comment below to get entered in the giveaway! Winners will be announced around 8 PM MT on Wednesday Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Eve!

Mothers Who Know

A Book of Mormon-based Addiction Prevention Mentoring Course for LDS Moms

over the phone

Friday afternoons, with the exception of Friday Jan. 3

(we will skip that week)

December 6 to January 24 2013

1 to 3 PM MT

12 noon to 2 PM PT

2 to 4 PM CT

3 to 5 PM ET

I feel inspired this year to use our homeschooling time to play games with my 7 and 9 year olds after we study a principle in the scriptures and discuss it. I am sooo wanting to inspire in these rascally cuties a love of learning. Now that I see that my two oldest children (oldest child, a boy, age 20, and my oldest girl, almost 18) have been accepted into more than one university without me following a set curriculum that requires grammar and spelling workbooks, I feel relief!

I feel a lot more confident to do FUN games during our homeschooling time with the younger ones. I never had the organizational skills or discipline to have a rotating curriculum where we studied biology in year 1, chemistry in year 2, earth science in year 3, etc. Nor did we ever use spelling or grammar worksheets. They picked that up along the way as they read great books, did LEMI Scholar Projects, and then prepared for the ACT with Ann Meeks’ boot camp. They both have an intense love of learning that they have built their scholar years upon. When your children have a love of learning, they feel confident enough to learn anything they need to to do well on a test. (But I don’t recommend letting them wait on learning math. That is a lot of concepts and skills to cram before a test.)

So, with my younger set of a boy and girl who are close in age (the 7 and 9 year olds) I am looking forward to getting some games to use with them once we’re done cleaning up the breakfast dishes and I’ve shared a scripture and helped them mark it, according to my Celestial ABCs. Oh, and done our math for the day. My older kids are self-governing and beautifully get right on their homeschooling tasks for the day way before breakfast. That’s the wonder of scholar phase. These impish younger kids are still mastering being self-governing in their housework jobs and doing math on their own. Hopefully, the games will motivate them to get the breakfast chores done much sooner.

Here is my wishlist! Does anybody want to vouch for these games or provide criticism?

Language Arts

Last Friday and Saturday my 15 year old son and 17 year old daughter attended the Royal Simulation sponsored by the Royal Academy of Zion. This picture above was one I took last year, with my son (curly hair poking up around his crown). He is now on a mission, so he obviously didn’t get to go. I didn’t get to go either at the end to pick them up, as this year my daughter “Virtue” drove them there and back, along with three other youth. I was kind of sad not to be there to take pictures of the Royal Ball but it was great to be in bed before 11 that night. (In past years when I pick them up I get home after midnight.) This simulation has become a tradition in our family, as it was my daughter’s fourth year. The simulation got some attention from Galen Crew this year, because they sang his song at the simulation last year. The young men serenaded the young women with his song. It was really sweet. He did a special music video just for the youth at the simulation. If I can find it I will put it up. The simulation teaches the youth to treat each other as future kings, and queens. They are taught etiquette and proper behavior in treating the opposite gender.

So I have been thinking about boy/girl relationships in this day and age. With use of texting and emails parents face the challenge of youth becoming emotionally intimate right under the parents’ noses without them even knowing! I handle this by occasionally inspecting my kids’ email correspondence. (They don’t have cell phones until they turn 18 and leave for college.) I felt one young woman was getting too flirty with my 15 year old son so I nicely told her that I look at his emails one in a while and that I want her to keep the emails friendly but not flirtatious. One of my girlfriends has a son who at 14 was attracting attention of a 16 year old girl in his ballroom dance class. After much flirtation and forwardness from this girl through emails and attention at parties, my friend, the mom, had had enough. She told the young woman to stop emailing him and decided he couldn’t go to any  more parties or the ballroom class. Sounds harsh I know but I don’t blame her. I would have done the same thing.

I have been thinking about the Duggars’ and the Bates’ ways of monitoring the boy/girl relationships in their homes. They don’t do casual dating. The young men have to get permission to court the young women by asking the young women’s father to court. By entering into a courtship relationship the young people understand that they are deciding if they want to get married to each other. I like that this happens through the father. Texting and phone calls are eavesdropped on by parents. Erin Bates just got married and Jessa Duggar and Alyssa Bates are now courting. I think it’s really sweet that just to just to ask permission to court Alyssa Bates, the young man gave her roses and had a special date. I love this formality!

I wrote this little story quoted below the picture a few months ago, and now I am thinking how interesting it would be if the dad of young women questioned any potential suitors about the “Mr. M. and Mr. P.” issues.

Recently I heard the following inspiring story from a young lady. She had been set up on a blind date
with a young man. The young man asked her what she was looking for in a guy. The young lady

asked the young man if he wanted the truth and he said he did.

“OK, here’s the truth. I want to marry a guy who has no addictions to porn or other problems. I will

only hold hands with a boy who has been sober from pornography or masturbation for at least 84 days.”

The young man froze in his tracks! He had to sorrowfully admit that he had pornography and

masturbation addictions. Fortunately he asked for help and the young lady pointed him to the Sons

of Helaman organization. They did not see each other on a date again but the young man started

going to Sons of Helaman and has been able to get help and become sober from these sexual

misbehaviors.

Don’t we want all 18 year old girls (and other teen girls) to say this…”I won’t hold hands with any boy

who has a pornography (or masturbation) addiction.” A lot fewer young men would be holding hands!

But then young men would change and rise to these expectations! Young women are the banner and

beacon that set the standards for young men. They need support to increase and expand their vision

of what they can have for suitors and husbands.

If you are like me, you want your daughters and sons to marry and live happily ever after. But the

challenges of youth today marrying someone who is free of addiction and emotional problems are far

higher than in times past.

 

I think it’s a great way to show young men that these young women they are eying are the fathers’ princesses (daughters of father kings) and are not casual eye-candy or playthings, but real princesses who must be courted by young men who are worthy of them. It’s not about shame, it’s about getting help for the young men so they can be spiritually healthy/real men and start a relationship with full spiritual health as guardians of virtue.

I never thought I would get to this point. I’ve felt like it was something I needed to do for a while. This is drastic people. I knew it was coming.

When I watched Underground Wellness’ Real Food Con a few weeks ago some truth bullets fired by some of the presenters shattered my illusions. One of them in particular talked about how grains can be very inflammatory and cause a host of health symptoms.

So because I felt that maybe I have a slight insulin resistance, I went off grains! Yes, no bread, no oatmeal (my breakfast staple for years, even decades, dare I say), no more grilled cheese sandwiches.

Yes, even my breadmachine sourdough bread that I absolutely love fresh from the (breadmachine) oven, smothered with butter and honey, is now verboten.

This is part of the ketogenic diet that I am on. It’s now Day 13! (I did cheat on Day 2 because it was my son’s birthday party with mainstream pizza and I did not want to get up at 5 AM to make my own cauliflower crust pizza, the recipe of which is in the keto diet ebook mentioned in the link). I have never felt so satisfied by my food, on such little amount of food (1 serving for each meal). I have more mental clarity and don’t ever feel the “gluteomorphic effect” that I have sometimes felt after consuming bread.

I always thought that wheat and I agreed. My own grandfather was a wheat farmer! It felt weird to attend a conference today and request a gluten free option for the boxed lunch.

How many of us have symptoms that could be alleviated by lightening the load of grains, especially the hybridized wheat that most people consume?

Would you like to learn more about gluten intolerance? Come to the The Gluten Summit. It’s free, it’s online, and it will be fascinating. It starts Monday Nov. 11 and goes through Sunday Nov. 17th. It’s full of the top experts on gluten intolerance, including Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. I can’t wait to learn more!

Do you…

• want your kids to feel brilliant and that they can learn anything they set their mind to?

• lie awake at night dreading the next homeschooling day, because you don’t know what to do for your homeschooling?

•  experience stress the night before a homeschooling day, gathering up supplies for a lesson that takes 4 hours to prepare and then only lasts 15 minutes?

• want a guide to your morning devotionals of scripture study with your children?

• want to engage in picture books and classic read alouds with your kids, and then discuss principles for every child to learn?

• want to have a gospel-based “preschool” program in your home for your children under 5?

• want a stress-free, noncomplicated guide to learning with all of your children based on LDS gospel principles?

• struggle with the TJED “structure time not content” key for core and love of learning phases?

• do you want to give your children an education based on the classics of the English language for children as well as LDS gospel principles?

• do you want to experience FUN and INSPIRATION along the way?

Look no further!

Come to this webinar! You will get a companion ebook of the same title! It’s the…

“The Celestial ABCs: A Guide for Morning Devotionals, Preschool, or Homeschooling Ages 2 to 12

Without Losing Your Mind or Your Life!”

Saturday December 14

3 PM MT
4 PM CT

5 PM ET

2 PM PT

This ebook will answer the “how” for doing all of the above.

Register for the webinar/ebook by Saturday November 30th to get the early bird price of $30.

If your register December 1 or later the cost is $40.

To order, paypal the money to info at treeoflifemothering dot com. (put the @ and . in the right places). The ebook will be sent by email after December 1.

Happy Learning!

I have some news to make you happy! The Fall Into Health Bundle has been extended to Saturday November 9th!

For only $39, you get

If you have thought about getting the Kick the Weight with Keto ebook that I blogged about over here, you can pay about 20 more bucks and get the Keto diet ebook plus over 40 more ebooks all in this bundle.

I have been doing Kim’s Keto Diet since Sunday October 27 and I am loving it! I am on Day 13 of being grain free and sugar free, even with Halloween in there. I have never felt more satisfied and nourished and full of mental clarity. This luscious-looking recipe is in the Keto diet ebook. Yum!

It’s a bundle of electronic products, full of gorgeous photos and tantalizing recipes from some of my favorite real food bloggers, inspired by the Weston A. Price/Nourishing Traditions principles. You will also get podcasts from people like Joel Salatin and Julia Ross, meal plans, and more!

And it all involves real food! No having to translate your recipes into real food! It’s already done! Did you know that people have experienced dramatic results from eating real food, such as healing from fibromyalgia, brain fog, cancer, infertility, adult-onset diabetes, IBS, eczema, acne, candida, food allergies, hyperactivity, ADD, mental problems, autism, Crohn’s, chronic pain, depressions, anxiety, and being overweight, among other conditions?

Click here to see all the details and buy! The sale ends Saturday November9! Like I said, this is a $2000 value for only $39! Yes, Christmas has come early!

You can get a taste of what the podcasts are like with these sample podcasts. The folks at Village Green Network are giving away 5 free podcasts every day! Go here to get the free podcasts!

The biggest way you can change your health is to consistently eat real food and get more sleep! Learn how to do that with these ebooks!

You can read all these ebooks on your Kindle or on your computer, if you don’t have a Kindle. If you actually use the recipes, they will help you heal, lose weight, have more energy, and feel nourished so you can have the patience and mental clarity to be a better mom. (If you don’t have a Kindle I highly recommend one! I love having so many recipes in one place that fits neatly on my kitchen countertop!)

There’s more! The VGN people are giving away fun prizes like iPad minis ever day! Go here to enter the giveaways!

The sale ends on Saturday, November 9, so act now! I know you are going to love these recipes and ideas!

Click here to see all the details and buy!

Have you ever felt like you would eat better if you had some delicious recipes that don’t taste like cardboard or dried mushrooms? Or take up hours of your time in the kitchen? Have you felt an inkling that maybe your health would improve if you would change your diet, but you want more motivation? Does your family make jokes about your healthy food being “rabbit food?” Do you dread the holidays coming up with all of the junky food available? Are you at a loss when you sit down to plan your menus as to what to fix your family for dinner that is made out of real food? Have you ever wanted to do batch/freezer cooking but haven’t found a plan with recipes out of real food? Have you started being grain-free but need more ideas of what to eat?

Click here to see all the details and buy! The sale ends Thursday November 7! This is a $2000 value for only $39!

Look no further…this Fall Into Health Bundle from VGN will inspire you to make and eat homemade real food that looks and tastes yummy! You will amaze your family and friends with these gourmet dishes! There is something in these recipes for every real foodie, whatever their bent: Paleo, vegetarian, pregnant moms, gluten-free, grain-free, kids, salad lovers, bread lovers, dessert lovers, and more! You even get some ebooks on sleep, clearing clutter, and having more eco-friendly holidays. 

It’s a bundle of electronic products, full of gorgeous photos and tantalizing recipes from some of my favorite real food bloggers, inspired by the Weston A. Price/Nourishing Traditions principles. You will also get podcasts from people like Joel Salatin and Julia Ross, meal plans, and more!

For only $39, you get

And it all involves real food! No having to translate your recipes into real food! It’s already done! Did you know that people have experienced dramatic results from eating real food, such as healing from fibromyalgia, brain fog, cancer, infertility, adult-onset diabetes, IBS, eczema, acne, candida, food allergies, hyperactivity, ADD, mental problems, autism, Crohn’s, chronic pain, depressions, anxiety, and being overweight, among other conditions?

Click here to see all the details and buy! The sale ends Thursday November 7! Like I said, this is a $2000 value for only $39! Yes, Christmas has come early!

You can get a taste of what the podcasts are like with these sample podcasts. The folks at Village Green Network are giving away 5 free podcasts every day! Go here to get the free podcasts!

The biggest way you can change your health is to consistently eat real food and get more sleep! Learn how to do that with these ebooks!

You can read all these ebooks on your Kindle or on your computer, if you don’t have a Kindle. If you actually use the recipes, they will help you heal, lose weight, have more energy, and feel nourished so you can have the patience and mental clarity to be a better mom. (If you don’t have a Kindle I highly recommend one! I love having so many recipes in one place that fits neatly on my kitchen countertop!)

There’s more! The VGN people are giving away fun prizes like iPad minis ever day! Go here to enter the giveaways!

The sale ends on Thursday, November 7, so act now! I know you are going to love these recipes and ideas!

Click here to see all the details and buy!