Sunday Post: Urban Design and 4th of July Reflections

Posted on July 7, 2013 by viviankirkfield

Jake, over at Time after Time, has a Sunday Post Challenge…the theme this past week was Urban Design.

As I looked at the pictures my daughter sent me from their New England 4^th of July celebration, I thought about how our country started out as just a couple of small settlements.

Photo courtesy of http://www.catawbariverkeeper.org

A child starts out small and, with the love and care a parent gives, grows to be a strong adult.

This country also started out small…and with the love and care given it by the Founding Fathers (and Mothers), it has grown to be a strong nation. But… Continue reading →

Martha Washington: America’s First First Lady

Posted on February 22, 2013 by viviankirkfield

Happy George Washington’s Birthday, Perfect Picture Book Friday (over at Susanna Leonard Hill) and The Beauty of a Woman Blogfest II (over at August McLaughlin)

Luckily, I found a book that applies to ALL THREE.

Martha Washington: America’s First First Lady

Written by Jean Brown Wagoner

Publisher: Aladdin (1986)

Ages: 7 and up

Themes:

Believe in oneself, be yourself, strong girls and women, follow your dreams

Opening Lines:

“The Dandridges had company. There was nothing unusual about that. They often had company, but this was someone special. Mr. Dandridges’ sister, Mary, had come from England. She had sailed across the ocean to visit her brothers in Virginia. In 1738, that was a great adventure.”

Synopsis:

This story gives us a picture of the childhood of Martha Washington, America’s original First Lady. It also gives us a picture of life in the early 18^th Century…Martha’s family were wealthy colonists in the New World.

Why I like this book:

This is a chapter book from the 1980’s. Kids learn about the men who have been president of this country…but not much is taught about their wives. This book gives a wonderful picture of the strong young girl who grew up to be First Lady. Martha Washington was a gracious hostess and, although she objected to the rigid life as wife of the president, she had been raised to fulfill her responsibilities and she stood by his side. She stayed with her husband during the harsh winter at Valley Forge and was credited with keeping up the soldier’s spirits.

The line drawings depict the life of a wealthy family in the colonies…Indian scouts interrupt dinner to relay reports and black slaves keep the plantation running smoothly.

How a parent can use this book:

We need to encourage girls to dream and set goals…whichever ones they wish. These days, girls can set their sights on any job in any sector…they can even think about living in the White House…not as a First Lady, but as the President. The book can also be used to compare life now and then…parent and child can make a list of how things were done then and note how things are different these days.

Related Activities:

MARTHA WASHINGTON COOKIES

What a simple recipe…kids will love to help prepare these yummy cookies!

Recipe and photo from: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Martha-Washington-Cookies-Allrecipes

You will need: 2 eggs whites, 1 cup pecan halves, 1½ tsp vanilla extract, 2/3 cup packed brown sugar, ½ tsp salt, electric mixer, greased cookie sheet.

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
Beat egg whites and salt until foamy; gradually add brown sugar and vanilla.
Continue beating until stiff peaks are formed. Fold in pecan halves.
Drop by teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour.

More Martha Washington recipes: http://www.yummly.com/recipes/martha-washington

Some information about Martha Washington: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Washington

More information about Martha Washington: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/1stladywashing/p/biography.htm

For more quick and easy recipes and other activities that kids love to do, please check out my book. Click this link to purchase a copy

I also wanted to mention that Marilou, over at Spanish Pinay, did a special post, honoring several mommies with the Positive Parental Participation Blogger’s Award:http://spanishpinaynanay.blogspot.com/2013/02/parenting-blog-award-positive-parental.html

Quotable Timeless Tuesdays: Honesty

Posted on February 22, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. –Thomas Jefferson (1762-1826) 3^rd President of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence.

Yesterday was President’s Day. We honored two of our outstanding presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. One of the most famous stories connected with George Washington is the one about the cherry tree.

Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself. – William Shakespeare, English playwright.

When asked by his father what happened, young George supposedly replied, “Father, I cannot tell a lie. It was I who chopped down the cherry tree.” Although researchers are pretty sure that the story of a young George Washington cutting down a cherry tree in his father’s orchard is false, the message behind it remains true, even today.

One of the hardest things in the world is to admit you are wrong. And nothing is more helpful in resolving a situation than its frank admission. – Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) British Prime Minister.

For me, however, it is really important to look at honesty as it relates to young children.

We must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy. – George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish playwright.

As parents, we want our children to be honest. We want them to come to us with their problems and concerns. If we ask them what happened or how they are feeling, we believe they should honestly communicate with us.

Pretty much all the honest truth-telling in the world is done by children. – Oliver Wendell Holmes.

I think children start out being entirely honest…they don’t know about evasiveness and lying. When does it start? How do they learn? Why do they lose that innocent openness they are born with?

We tell lies when we are afraid…afraid of what we don’t know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger. – Tad Williams

We need to be good role models for our children when it comes to honesty. Equally important, we must encourage our children to come to us by being non-judgmental.

Does this mean we can allow our children to do as they please? NO, I don’t think we can!

Should we refrain from disciplining our children when they have misbehaved or acted inappropriately? NO, I don’t believe we should!

1. Children need rules…parents, please be consistent.

2. Children need to have consequences for their actions…parents, please be consistent.

3. Children need to learn responsibility…parents, please be consistent.

Please stop by tomorrow for WHAT’S IN YOUR CHILD’S BOOKCASE WORDY WEDNESDAY. I’ll recommend another picture book from SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING. For the price of a couple of hot dogs and sodas at the ball game, you can own a copy of this unique resource that will help you build your child’s self-esteem and make planning fun craft and cooking activities a snap! Stop by my website and grab a copy at half-price!