Exposure...

Well, we went to Disney and it was awesome but that's not why I am blogging today.

I read a blog on pinterest about raising grateful children in our generation and is was awesome! I should find the link but it's on my facebook page somewhere so help yourself.

Anyways, she talked about commercials and tv and just different exposures to our kiddos, and I didn't really think much about it until today.

So we are waiting to see the doctor, oh JW has strep, and we are reading a family magazine together. I kid you not, every advertisement JW would say, I want that. Finally, I said, just because you see something doesn't mean you want it, I said you can admire or look or check something out without wanting it and he said no I want it. :) I forget he's only 3!

anyways it got me thinking and how grateful I am to Anita Koeshall for a conversation we had just before JW turned one. We were driving to mission training together and I started talking to her about television and how stevie and I were kind of thinking about cancelling cable before JW gets exposed to it. Of course, Anita's response was, oh we never had cable, we just watched videos! (which of course because they are awesome people who love the Lord and love their children enough to make that hard decision. LOVE THEM!) Anyways, stevie and I went for it! we cancelled our cable and stuck with videos and to this day we still don't have cable. It's not a money thing, it's a conviction.

So I never thought much about it because we don't have cable, JW doesn't know what cable is but once he saw those advertisements today and he's attitude of want overpowered his actual need my eyes were opened!!!

So how many parenting books have you read? articles on parenting.com, babycenter? The list for me is endless but what if the a big factor we are missing is EXPOSURE. Do we expose our kids to too much junk without even realizing it? Is your kid hitting and super aggresive.....what are they watching????? guess what kid show does not mean anything! Is your kid scared and won't sleep at night......what are they watching??? are they always wanting a new toy or a new this.....what are they watching?

My thought is am I exposing Jacob to things of the Lord or am I allowing the world to expose him to things of this world?

Exposure defined as he act or an instance of exposing, as:

a. An act of subjecting or an instance of being subjected to an action or an influence

whose and what is influencing our kids and why?

It makes my heart sick to think of all the sin I don't grieve over because I see it on the shows I watch and I'm okay with it. I've grown much too comfortable seeing adultery, murder, materialism, greed, envy, gluttony and it's all do to my exposure. Well, guess what enemy, I'm done! My heart will grieve over sin instead of be hardened by it! I'M DONE!

I'm grateful that being a parent is hard work because it makes me trust and seek you only Lord.

I apologize for my horrible grammer, ain't nobody got time to write proper :)

Day 6

Jacob has been feeling a little off with a slight fever and since we are going to Disney next week I thought I would keep him home and take a trip to the doc to make sure his ears are clear!

So I only made breakfast

Popcorn - this isn't the chemical popcorn from a bag! Once you go stove top you never go back!!! How to make it... Get a sauce pan, any size. Put 1/4 cup of oil, from experience olive oil, coconut oil and sesame oil all work. Turn stove to medium heat. Then add one kernel and then put the lid on. Wait for that one kernel to pop, once it does then the oil is ready. Pour in enough kernels to cover the bottom of the pan one kernel deep! When the popping starts slowing down remove from heat and pour in a bowl!!! Salt pepper, really anything!!!!
Kiwi - we got a box from a local co-op and the kiwi were in it so I peeled them and diced them. They tasted just a little sour so I sprinkled the tiniest amount of sugar on them, like seriously 5 grains. A Little sugar goes along way
Cranberries - the same ones I got from the bin 1-1/2 ago!

VOILA!

Oh and here's a pic of him eating it at work with me today!