This news blew me away.  Nobody can care for and afford fourteen children.  Especially one that is single, receives assistance, and lives with her parents.  My heart goes out to those children.  They will never receive the love and attention a child deserves.  The doctors who have allowed this woman to become pregnant are to blame.   These doctors should be the ones to pay child support and assist this family.  Unfortunately that is not the case.  We, the taxpayers, will raise and support these children throughout their lives.  What is wrong with our system in California?  This mother did not have any reservations bringing 8 additional children into this world knowing she would not be able to provide for them.  She knew the state would support her and all her 14 children.  That is ridiculous. 

See your marriage through the eyes of God. Focus on Marriage will help you understand the higher purpose of marriage, while providing practical insights to help with everyday issues. 

Focus on The Family presents Focus on Marriage February 28th 2009 at Yosemite Lakes Community Church.

Please view the flyer below for information regarding this wonderful event.

focus_on_marriage_poster2.jpg

It has been reported by numerous sources that teaching a child (as young as 3 months) sign language will increase their vocabulary, reduce tantrums, give them a hands-on second language, and you will be able to communicate sooner with your child.  Is it true?  If it is, why don’t all parents teach their children sign language? 

I would have to say that it is all true.  I have a 2.5 year old son who has learned sign language.  At 1 year old he was alble to communicate his wants and needs with us.  His father and I never had to guess what is was asking for.  He would sign what he wanted and that was that.  He never got frustrated and never had a tantrum.  He was able to communicate with us before he was able to speak and now has a good grasp on a second language.  I also feel signing has helped him in the learning process.  At 1.5 years, he knew all his letters, could spell his name, count to 20, knew all his colors, not to mention a ton of animals.  It has been amazing to watch as he learns and grows using sign-language.  He is currently teaching his 8 month old sister how to sign.  She signs milk and knows the signs for eat and bath. 

 I would recommend to any parent to teach their child sign language.  It is a fun interactive second language.  If you are interested in learning more about teaching sign-language to your child/grandchild or whoever, check out www.signingtime.com

Today I took my children to the Historic Cobb Ranch located just North of Fresno off of Highway 41.  When we arrived I did not realize that it cost $5.00 just to enter.  My first thought was to turn around, go to another pumpkin patch, and save that $5.00.  I paid the measley $5.00 and was glad I did.  It was such a cool experience for the children.  The Cobb Ranch really knows how to entertain its guests.  The grounds are unbelievably tidy, there are animals to see, a corm maze to get lost in, a hayride, a train ride and many others attractions.  My children had such a blast.  I was happy to support such a wonderful place.  I know their Christmas Tree Farm is just as exciting and wonderful. 

These are some great tips that really work.  I have tried many of them and sure enough, they worked!!!

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove,
set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away
Start putting in your plants; work the nutrients in your soil. Wet
newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass
Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken glass pieces of
glass- the fibers catch ones you can’t see!

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gif wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not
have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and - voila - static is gone.

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include
something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s a lot cheaper
than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair…

Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2″
with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it “home,” & can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Take baby powder to the beach
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When your ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off your skin.

A BBQ competition here in Mariposa?  On September 20 the 2^nd Annual “BLAZIN HOG” BBQ Competition will be held at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds.  Not only will there be food, lots of good food (I suspect), drinks and music but there will be other activities for children.  What a great event to take the entire family to and know that all proceeds will benefit the JCF Hospital Foundation.   If you want more information regarding this event log onto www.blazinhog.com. Enjoy the food!

What are the benefits of living in one of Eastern Madera County’s little communities rather than in a city?   I am sure you asked this same question when you were making the decision to relocate.  Having grown up in the mountains and moving to the city for college, I now look back at my childhood and realize its many benefits, some of which I took for granted.  Living in a small town where you saw familiar faces in the grocery store and waved at the passing cars is something special that you don’t always have in the city.  I realize now how lucky the children are to attend one of our small mountain schools.  With the small classes, teachers are able to give the students more individual instruction, they are able to keep a better tab on the progress levels, and can easily differentiate instruction to meet the many diverse needs in the classroom.  Not to mention our high schools competitive athletic programs.  Our small mountain towns offer fresh, clean air and unforgettable sunrises and sunsets.  Living in Oakhurst, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Bass Lake, Fish Camp, Raymond, or any other of our communities there are many outdoor activities to take part in.  You can go hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing, swimming at the lake or a local river, water skiing, wake boarding, jet skiing, snowboarding, snow skiing, or many of the other activities; all this just a short drive away.  These are just a few of the many benefits the small communities of Eastern Madera County have to offer.  Eastern Madera County is a great place to raise a family.

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

Every day we wake up in some type of mood.  Although we would like to wake up happy and rested, we often wake up depressed, anxious, sad, tired or excited.  We go through each day feeling a variety of ways.  In the book, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss, it talks about different moods and pairs them with specific colors.  As I read this book to my children over and over and over again, they are never bored.  We get the chance to talk about colors and feelings.  Feelings/emotions are important to teach children so they can be aware of how they feel and how to read the way people around them feel.  We have to teach our kids that it is o.k. to feel differently on different days.   It is a terrific and entertaining book to read and share with children. 

This is from Sophia’s 17-soon-to-be-almost-18 year old son, Trent, who will be going to CSU Fresno in the Fall. 

Wow!  These past four years have been a wild ride.  From Freshman year to Senior year felt like a blink of an eye.  But now, off to another adventure.  College.  Moving on from having everything given to me to having to work very hard to it.  High school was tough, but there were teachers willing to help when needed.  I now reaalize that some of my upcoming professors won’t be that way.  I will have to do extra studying.  Also, I will not be living at my home.  I will be moving to an apartment near the school.  It will be nice, but very different.  It is a chance to really get to know myself.  And I feel excited about that.  It will be an experience of a lifetime.  And I pray that everything will work out for the good, whether is be easy or just frustrating. 

Happy 4^th of July!!! 

I wish everyone a safe and happy 4^th of July as we spend time with our family and friends.  Here is a great

holiday recipe to make with your children that everyone will enjoy!!!  Ingredients:2 Cups blue Powerade, Gatorade or Kool Aid1 Cup frozen Cool Whip1 Cup Vanilla Yogurt2 Cups Cran-Raspberry Juice12 Craft Sticks12  5-ounce disposable plastic cups  1.      To make the pops, equally divide the blue juice among the plastic cups, then place the cups in the freezer until the juice is partially frozen, about 30 to 45 minutes.

2. Mix together the whipped topping and yogurt and divide this mixture among the cups.

3. Set a craft stick in the center of each pop and return the cups to the freezer for approximately 45 minutes.

4. For the final layer, add the cran-raspberry juice to the cups and place them in the freezer until solid.

5. To remove the pops, run warm water over the outside of each cup.