T' Time {#11}

Introducing my mom...Mrs. Paula.  She's pretty amazing....but what can you expect?  I raised a pretty good mom.

(mom and Eden)

I really couldn't talk enough about how proud I am of my mom.  She is the one I call for any question or advice.  Next to my husband, my mom is my best friend.  I love her so much.  

Mrs. Paula loves fine chocolate, babies (obviously), country life, second-hand (treasure) stores, giraffes and books....books... and more books.  She's passed on her love of books to her children.  Something I {hopefully} am doing in mine.  I'm so excited that she agreed to be my guest on Take the Time To... Challenge #11.

(Yes, they're all my brothers and sisters.  

My parents had 4 daughters then when I was 18

 they had my brother, Levi.  

He was our little prince, 

until mom surprised us with twin brothers, Caleb and Jacob.

This was the last time my family was all together 

before I moved to Jamaica.)

(This is my favorite picture of my parents.  

My dad was returning from serving in Afghanistan.)

Time for the challenge.

Mrs. Paula's Take the Time To... Challenge #11 is...

                   Time Out for “US”

"Ever wonder where the time goes? It sure seems to pass us by. So we had better purpose in our day to make the best use of it. As a mom I have always tried to see that my children learn new things. One of the greatest ways to do this is to read good books. Notice, I said good books. Just because it’s popular isn’t a guide line to follow. Books should always reflect your family values. 

(A side note:  this is even more important when it comes to selecting TV programs that you allow your child to watch! Another day.) 

I really prefer the older books. Some of our favorite children’s books are: The Best Nest, Are You My Mother, Because a Little Bug Went Ka-choo, Guess How Much I Love You, or The Little House on the Prairie series is a great selection to read out loud. A personal favorite from my childhood is the book “My Side of the Mountain”.

A love for books is not a built in trait. It has to be instilled in your child. Be sure to start when your children are young. Even an infant can be soothed by their mommy’s voice reading to them. I believe that children should be taught to take care of their books too. Books should not be thrown into the toy box with the rest of their stuff. 

(Another side note: teach them that the Bible is a very special book, and make a special place in your home for your family Bible. And don’t just look at it, take it out and read it to them. Mark a verse for them to memorize, possibly with a reward when they can quote it for you. Even if they only learn one verse a month, that’s a start.) 

Children that are teenagers are not too old to be read to. I have memories of my mother reading to my siblings and me. What she read I don’t remember but I do remember us 5 kids flaked out on her king size bed “making a memory”. 

So I guess my challenge to you is to take that 3 minutes (30 if you got it) to sit down with, cuddle up with, or even while you're riding down the road to make a memory while you increase your knowledge. I promise, you will never be sorry you did it!"

P.S.  One thing that mom told me to do, when I had my first baby, is to sit board books up in the crib for the baby to look at the pictures.  I think it is such a wonderful idea and have used it for all my princesses.