Elon's Sweet Reminder...

that it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Today Was The Big Day...

After weeks of anticipation, today was the day for Elon's preschool prescreening. His pediatrician suggested the screening because Elon has not yet learned to answer questions. Honestly, I am more *concerned* with his energy level than whether or not he says "yes." That kid is a bundle of energy!

I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. On the one hand, I would love for him to be able to attend preschool, but on the other, I would worry about him and miss him so much! I would also like to know if there is anything going on developmentally that I should be aware of, but on the other hand, I am reluctant to have him "diagnosed" at the age of three. His church/Bible Study/MOPS teachers are having a bit of a hard time with his behavior and sometimes this makes me wish that I did have a "diagnosis" to be able to excuse him with, but that very thing is also my biggest fear. If there is something going on then I don't want to use the diagnosis as an excuse for bad behavior; I can already foresee that a "diagnosis" would make it very confusing to determine what behaviors actually merit a true consequence. Or maybe this is all just a way of taking the blame for his behaviors off of my parenting and placing them on a condition?

To sum it up, they basically said that he needed to go for further tests in the area of speech. In every other area he was just fine. As far as his energy level, they said that they would know more about that after his second series of tests.

Before I get any crazy comments, let me just say that I realize 3 years old is too young to be diagnosing a child with a behavior/conduct disorder. I also want to say that I will not be putting Elon on medication even if it were suggested-- but his pediatrician would never suggest that. Nor am I worried that Elon doesn't answer questions, I do believe that this will come in time. However, his pediatrician recommended the screening based on her own observations and if there is anything going on, I'd like to find out so that I can start focusing on those areas immediately. And if Elon can gain anything by preschool, I hope that he will be accepted into the program. If not, I am happy to have my baby with me all day!

Elon's Learning Corner...

The bookshelf pictured in the previous post is one I discovered in my neighbor's trash. While digging through the 6 x 8ft pile of trash I am so thankful for the cloak of darkness surrounding me! How unfortunate that the owner of said trash comes out of his house at just the right moment to find me dumpster-diving! Oh well, items on the sidewalk are open game, right, and hey, at this point in my life, their is really no room for pride! I snagged two little kids that were walking the neighborhood to help me load it the shelf into my car. At first I thought one was an adult, but after she came up and I saw the scared expression on her face, I realized my mistake. As she struggles to help me heave the shelf into my already overloaded trunk, I hypocritically think to myself, "her parents really need to teach her not to go up to stranger's cars!"


The bookshelf serves its purpose well and after a good scrub and a few nails, I found it to be in really great condition. The shelf holds Elon's alphabet, number, color and animal books, flashcards, manipulatives and puzzles. It also holds his children's bibles and memory verse cards and any bible story books we have. Each day, Elon and I go over a Bible story, memory verse, our colors, numbers and alphabet. At first I thought none of it was sticking, but when he busted out in song the other day, "abcdefg," I realized that it's working! He has also been talking about Jesus and God lately, something he had never before mentioned-- so it looks like this little bit of schooling is well worth the effort!

I'll try to post the other learning corner tomorrow.

My Concerns:

I am very concerned about the upcoming election. Particularly because our next president will probably have the ability to nominate 2-4 supreme court justices. Of course we have seen the power these judges have on America, even to the point of creating legislature! It is imperative that justices are chosen who hold high moral standards that conform to the parameters of the constitution! If Obama is voted in as president, we know with almost absolute certainty that he will vote in liberals whose views reflect his own. Some of Obama's recent decisions:

As a state senator in Illinois, Obama voted four times in three years against legislation that would have saved the lives of babies that managed to survive the abortion process. The U.S. Senate subsequently passed similar legislation called The Born Alive Infant Protection Act by unanimous consent. (Obama was not a U.S. Senator at the time.)

State Senator Obama was chairman of the committee that opposed this protection of babies, and in 2001 and 2002 was the only legislator who rose to argue against the Illinois Born Alive Act.

He has promised that "the first thing I'd do as president" would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. The FOCA is a devastating piece of legislation that would overturn nearly every local, state, and federal anti-abortion law passed in the last 40 years. In fact, it's so broadly written that legal analysts suggest the bill may prevent institutions and physicians from refusing to provide abortion services by invoking the conscience clause.

Earlier this year, while talking about sex education and abortion, the Senator said the following: "I've got two daughters, 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby." In other words, a pre-born baby is viewed as a form of punishment, and can therefore be murdered in the name of convenience.

While the National Journal ranked Obama the most liberal Senator last year, Senator Biden was ranked 3rd on their list--just ahead of Vermont's Bernie Sanders, a self-avowed socialist. While the Senator of 36 years from Delaware stands in blatant opposition to the pro-family movement, many of you will remember him from his vociferous opposition to several of our finer Supreme Court justices, namely, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Alito and Thomas.

While in the Illinois Senate, Senator Obama voted for a bill authorizing "comprehensive" sex education beginning in kindergarten. Defenders have attempted to downplay its significance, citing the fact that it called for the content to be "age appropriate" and "medically accurate"--dubious and subjective qualifiers given the sensitive nature of the topic and innocence of the audience!

Congressional Democrats will also seek to pass the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, meaning businesses will be forced to accept and condone homosexuality--and possibly transgenderism--in making employment decisions. Further, business owners, including religious businesses, will not be able to make hiring and firing decisions based on their religious convictions. Earlier this year, Senator Barack Obama said, "I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepherd Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Nondiscrimination Act."

Italicized info taken from Dr. Dobson's Focus Action Newsletter. To read the newsletter in its entirety, and to see a bibliography, click here. Please vote with a conscience. Will Christians overlook our own moral standards to vote in a president who we think might have a better financial plan or better military tactics? Remember, the Lord blesses the nation whose people honor Him with lives of worship.

Which Came First, The Chicken or The Egg?

Here's an article that'll make you think twice about purchasing the regular ol' eggs and the cheapest priced chicken... HealthMatters. I don't support everything on the site, but at least this article had the sources to back it up.