Those Martins

The Seven Signposts of Spring

Sun, 23 Mar 2014 21:53:54 CDT

Given Wisconsin's weather, I have my own criteria for when Spring actually begins.

Week 35: August 28-September 3

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 21:30:43 CDT

On Tuesday, the 28th, my car got its first oil change. (Well, the first oil change since I’ve owned it.) Christine and the girls got ready for the day and we all left together, in the van, around 08:45. They dropped me off at work and then went to a nearby park, to play [...]

She Never Looked Back

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 09:30:24 CDT

Today was Esther’s first day of kindergarten. Her feelings: excited! She made her own lunch last night and packed it in her lunchbox. She picked out her outfit for today and laid it out. This morning she was up at 6:05 am because she didn’t want to be late for school. Her sisters’ [...]

Week 34: August 21-27

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:17:50 CDT

It’s been a busy week for the Martins, featuring The Great Dane, produce picking, a pre-birthday party, and more.

We’re Going to Barbados

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:45:50 CST

In about a week, we'll be in Barbados.

»» Why French Parents Are Superior

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:30:20 CST

Last night, I read an article about the French style of parenting. It was adapted from “ Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting .” This is what prompted me to start setting stricter boundaries for our own children. For Bethany: no more nighttime bottles. For Esther and Katya: toys [...]

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mercy teams

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:34:37 CST

I’ve heard a lot from people who say that short-term trips aren’t really beneficial, that the money should just be given to the organization rather than paying for plane tickets when the people on the team aren’t really going to have that much of an impact in two weeks. Yep, that’ [...]

»» Watch Your Conjunctions in Parenting

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:44:17 CST

“I love you, but you need to obey.” … Using but may be communicating something we don’t want to say—-namely, that there is some kind of conceptual opposition between “I love you” and “You need to obey.” I grow concerned when I see well-meaning parents who, in an attempt to practice gospel-centered parenting, [...]

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»» Strategic Shopping: A Month-by-Month Analysis

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:14:33 CST

Have you ever wished you could know ahead of time when things were going to go on sale? Sure, we all know that turkeys go on sale before Thanksgiving and hams go on sale before Christmas, but what about the rest of the year? Well, believe it or not, this information is not that [...]

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»» 15 Tips for an Extraordinary Vacation.

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:41:50 CST

These were all good. In fact, the whole blog looks good and I love the way David writes too. Bonus link-within-a-link: Travel with Kids: Why You Should Do It – And Do It Now . We do plan to travel with kids. We only have one hard and fast rule: no international travel until they’ [...]

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Impatience and Laziness: A Further Defense of Gift Cards

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:30:03 CST

Getting a gift card, allows me to be both impatient and lazy without making either you (as the giver) or me (as the receiver) feel bad. It really is the perfect gift. And I’d love to receive it, with thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation.

Schrödinger’s Gift: A Defense of Gift Cards

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:30:05 CST

It's a great gift because, for a time, it's every book everywhere. And that's wonderful.

Idols?

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:18:28 CDT

Last week in Life Group, based on this sermon , we discussed how we could recognize the idols our hearts manufactured and what could be done to deal with them. Even though it’s a “Sunday School” answer, reading the Bible regularly is one way God has given us to check our hearts. How can [...]

A Trip to Sam’s Club

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:13:23 CDT

I took Katya to Sam’s Club tonight. I wanted to get new formula for Bethany, in the hopes that it would fill her up more and help her to sleep through the night. (Her current formula is the “gentle” mixture and is advertised as being “easy to digest”. We’re hoping that a [...]

»» Is Your Child Ready for First Grade: 1979 Edition

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:27:41 CDT

Check out item #8 on this list. And then keep in mind that this was written when life was more dangerous for kids than it is now. I ran across this very interesting checklist of items to assess whether or not your child is prepared for all-day first grade. This book was first published in 1979, [...]

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»» Homeschool Blindspots

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:43:28 CDT

This article by Reb Bradley is very long, but worth reading. Especially as a parent that has considered home schooling my own children. In the homeschool community I have observed that there can be a great emphasis on outward appearance, whether it is dressing for excellence, modesty, grooming, respectful manners, music style, or an [...]

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Starting a Low-Carb Diet

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:13:51 CDT

Dr. Eades has lots of helpful tips, for starting out with a low-carb diet. Part 1 . Introduction to low-carb adaptation and the importance of eating more fats—lots more fat. Part 2 . Here, he focuses on making sure you’re getting enough of the important electrolytes: sodium, magnesium, potassium. Also make sure that you’re staying [...]

»» Parenting 001

Mon, 16 May 2011 20:55:19 CDT

I know we want to have conversations like this with our children. Me: What’s the matter son? Child: I want that toy and he won’t give it to me! Me: Why do you want the toy? Child: Because it will be fun to play with. Me: Do you think he is having [...]

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»» Vacuum-Bagging Fights Inflation

Tue, 10 May 2011 06:54:03 CDT

Food packagers are trying to hide the inflation in food prices by shrinking the size of packages rather than raising the price of the old-sized package. It’s not working, really. Food prices are still going up, even as the packages get smaller. Still there are some ways to fight back. Lou Dolinar recommends [...]

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»» How to bribe your kids?

Tue, 10 May 2011 06:40:01 CDT

Gareth Cook, at the Boston Globes, offers some good tips on how to effectively bribe your kids. I’m definitely not beneath using these in the near future. Choose a specific, positive behavior. “Have at least three bites of a vegetable every dinner for a week.” (Good.) “Don’t annoy me.” (Not good.) Choose [...]

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