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An Attack of Wonder

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With Christmas this month, it is a great time to wake to the wonder all around us. A friend wrote an article about learning from the Book of God’s Word (The Bible) and the Book of God’s Work (Creation and all around us). Don’t let this be an ordinary Christmas, take time and quiet enough to have an attack of wonder.

We can be sitting at home in our ordinary, undramatic life, when suddenly we are struck with an attack of wonder. It can begin in a moment as you watch your little one sleeping peacefully or when you stop to watch the pattern of raindrops on your window. A simple thought or the flash of a half-remembered dream may be the spark. Whatever it is, the effects can ripple throughout your lifetime.

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Have a New Kid by Friday Review

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Dr. Kevin Leman wrote a wonderful book to help parents with discipline called, Have a New Kid by Friday. I reviewed some of the major concepts of the book and some specific examples of how it works for Toddlers. You can see the series of articles one at a time here:

Part 1– Acceptance, Belonging, and Competence

Part 2– Attitudes

Part 3– Character

Part 4– Discipline

Part 5– Temper Tantrums and Bedtime Battles

Part 6– Let Reality Be the Teacher and B Doesn’t Happen Until A Is Completed

done

Vaccines and Autism

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Separating Fact from Fiction

I’ve heard that a preservative in some vaccines can cause autism – what’s going on?

This controversy has been raging for some time, with government and mainstream scientists on one side, and several small but vocal advocacy groups on the other. And many parents have been left feeling confused and frightened about their children’s health.

The advocacy groups say that thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines, is toxic to the central nervous system and responsible for an alarming rise in rates of autism among children in the United States and around the world. Most scientists say there’s no credible scientific evidence that vaccines cause autism.

Over the last 15 years, a number of major medical institutions have reviewed the evidence from the United States and abroad, and all have concluded that there’s no link between autism and exposure to thimerosal. What’s more, the preservative has been removed from most childhood vaccines in the United States.

But some health activists continue to challenge the validity of the existing science and assert that the U.S. government has conspired with vaccine manufacturers to cover up the truth about thimerosal and autism.

Read the rest of the article from BabyCenter.com

Dealing with Conflict in Marriage

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This month I’d like to explore some ways to look at areas of marital conflict. We have had several couples talk to us this month about difficult conflicts in their relationships, so I guess that has made this topic stand out.

When we have areas where we constantly clash or are offended, there is usually a deeper root. Since finding that deeper root involves opening up and being vulnerable, many couples never try. It is easier to grouse about the symptoms on one side. Or on the other hand, to bear the nagging of an annoyed mate rather than deal with the deeper issues.

Let’s peak in on one couple and see if we can discover some underlying causes and some possible adjustments that could make this marriage better.

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The Brain-growing Magic of Foreign Languages

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Some of you are already raising your kids in a multi-lingual home. Congratulations! Here’s some proof that it is worth the trouble. Some of you have your children in day care or preschool where a foreign language is spoken as well as English. Good job! If you haven’t considered exposing your children to a foreign language, read on. This article was published by GreatSchools.org

“I’m so atrocious at languages,” my Czech artist friend moans with her characteristic Slavic purr. “It vas always so harrrrd for me in school.”

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