D - D - D - D - D - D

Daring Do - The boys needed something to do while I read to them on Friday morning. So, they styled my hair. Then they informed me that the hairdo was for the whole day, not just the morning. That means I went to Becky and Brandon's looking beee-yooooo-teee-full that night. Kelly and Hannah were there too. I'm pretty sure that Becky and Hannah were jealous of my hair bling. Or at least of my cool sons.

The boys and their hairstyling client.

And the view from the back.

Debut - Silas loves to take pictures. So, as of tonight, he has his own Webshots page. He came up with the name. He took the pics. He comes up with the captions. I just do the uploading and typing. He payed me in Kettle Korn that he bought with his own money at the Beaverton Farmer's Market on his Saturday date with Tim. I like edible payment.

Discipline - As many of you already know, I'm not a big fan of parenting books. The first reason is I think it's sad when people cash in their brain and use someone else's. Particularly when they treat a particular author or method of parenting as gospel. The second reason is that there are so many different approaches to parenting that you can find on a bookstore shelf and they all have some truth or positive results. Parents just end up confused when they read contradictory information. My approach is to use your brain. God gave it to you for a reason. If you get stuck on a particular aspect of parenting, then seek help in that specific area. I think the best place to seek counsel is from parents of children you enjoy being around and families who you admire. Find out what those people are doing that's working! And if you don't have kids yet, then start paying attention NOW! Don't wait til Junior is a three year old nightmare before you start thinking about how you want to parent.

Now that I've said all that, I want to give you two places for advice on training and disciplining your kiddos, if you are needing some help in those areas. First is Kevin Leman's book Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours. I love Kevin Leman! He's funny and practical, a fantastic combination. His books are always easy reads. I like recommending this book to people who ask about how we deal with the little Ws. He puts into words what our approach to parenting is. I'm a big fan of natural consequences and so is he.

The second place is a website called Raising Godly Tomatoes. There's a ton of info on the site and you may or may not agree with everything you read. Again, that's why God gave you a brain. However, there is one particular portion that talks about "tomato staking". I first heard the term on the Sonlight forums and checked out the site. The way it plays out will vary by family, but the concept is helpful to all parents.