My Son+Dinosaur Train=Valuable lesson in Team Spirit

It's no shock that kids love cartoons, but have you ever paid attention to what they are learning. I'm against "stupid cartoons" like Spongebob and such that have NO educational value and NO social benefits. Shows like Dinosaur Train, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Special Agent Oso, Imagination Movers, Veggie Tales, Gigi, etc. have an educational value and show kids how to interact with others. YES THIS IS THE PARENTS JOB! No, I don't believe the TV should be a baby sitter. But let's be honest, if you have to balance the checkbook, pay bills, or make an important phone call it's a benefit to have their full attention engaged for 30 minutes.

The kids have found the show "Dinosaur Train" while visiting Nana and Papa. This show is awesome because the kids learn about Dinosaurs, they learn more phonics skills by learn multiple syllable words like "Daspletosaurus" "Tyrannosaur" "Stygimolchs" "Brontosaurus" "Corythosaurus". Plus they learn about the science of dinosaurs and what a palaeontologist does.

"TEAM PTERANODON" photo from www.poptower.com full credit is given to them for the photo.

From the "storyline" of the show, Matthias has learn something that I never paid attention to: "Team Pteranodon" (see Pteranodon for the pronunciation).  The mom and dad Pteranodon will say to their kids "let's go team Pteranodon" and "way to go team Pteranodon".

Matthias has said  "This is cool. I like the idea of brothers and sisters and mom and dad are a team. Mom are we a team? Can we be a team... like team matthias, halle, malachi, mom, dad? Oh wait.... we are Spurlock right? So we can be "TEAM SPURLOCK". Does that sound cool mom?"

 He didn't give me a chance to answer any question. He thought his questions out loud and solved them all  without help. So now we are "Team Spurlock". He really likes the idea of creating a team spirit in the family.

In businesses, they create a "team spirit" to accomplish goals and better the business as a whole. (Here's an article from the UK about Developing Team Spirit)  Motivational speakers encourage creating positive environments (Here's a blog by one of the nations' newest but most motivational speaker's I've heard: Matt Maddix). Tangent time: Use these "5 Things our kids NEED" to help you create that "team spirit".  Sports and other organizations will tell you that "Team Spirit" is a vital part of their achievements (See Importance of Team Spirit). I'm not a sports person but I'm sure my husband (Matthew Spurlock) can educate me on team building in sports and in the Army.

EVEN THE BIBLE SAYS:  Matthew 12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. (NLT) and Mark 3:25 And if a household is divided against itself, that household will not last. (God's Word Translation).

So by just the evidence the Bible presents: CREATE A TEAM SPIRIT=CREATE A FAMILY THAT WILL LAST. Create an environment that will bind everyone together in a loving spirit and keep the family strong.

Well, leave it to God to have a child and a dinosaur teach a mom a valuable lesson in creating a positive attitude in the home. Thank God for kids... a Pteranodons. Now introducing "Team Spurlock"

Acting Out and Wisdom About Parenting

Matthias is starting to act out more, but he's learning quickly that mom isn't giving in and will NOT tolerate bad behavior. We do a lot of talks with discipline if needed. Direct defiance is the only action that requires a spanking (according to Dr. James Dobson). I personally believe that a corporal punishment should be the last resort, but I believe it is necessary. Too much will not make it effective. Children will determine "why try I'm just going to get in trouble".


Parenting is not all about behavior control. It's about giving them training them and teaching them in a way that what they believe is deeply rooted in them so that their behavior reflects their values. If you teach your children core values they will respect them.

I want my children to be respectful and loving. We must model for them who we expect them to be. If we want 2-faced Christians in the church, then we live a double life. If we want to raise little gossips, we gossip so our children will learn how.

Motherhood is NOT "Identity Loss", It's Identity CHANGE AND GAIN!

To Misty on Mamapedia:

"........For weeks I’ve been milk maker, soother, diaper changer and occasionally ‘lady who showers and smells nice’… I stress “occasionally” here.


I was already a mother when this one came along. So prior to a few weeks ago, part of my consumer friendly label read: lunch maker, wound kisser, soother, protector, clothes washer, and occasionally ‘lady who brings cupcakes to my class’. But as my new role emerges, all other things become cloudy and less integrated and I begin to wonder which of them still constitute ‘shades of Me’.


The thing about this that sucks so much is that it is a very lonely place. This happens to you and only you, while the people around you go about their usual lives without question as to how and if anything has changed for them. While I’m concreted to the couch or the rocking chair for 45 minutes at a time to feed a new baby, everyone else in my world cruises by. Off to play or live or reconnect with old friends or simply enjoy the Independence that comes with not being affected by a life altering event.


So I try to remember who and what the ingredients are for a well made ‘Me’. I scan the pages of things I’ve done, stuff I’ve written and people I’ve loved. Somewhere, is the combination of things that light the center of me. Somewhere is a complete list of nutritional value, warnings and tips for best consumption."  Quoted from: Does Motherhood Equal Identity Loss?  http://www.mamapedia.com/voices/does-motherhood-equal-identity-loss

OK here I'm going to really make someone mad! Here are the 3 words that every woman needs to hear often: GET OVER IT or some say GET OVER YOURSELF!  In this I only hear the whining and complain that most women do 90% of the time. (I do it too)

Have I ever been there where I feel like I'm just a milk nurse, maid, and other not-so-glamorous things? YES I HAVE. We all have those moments BUT it is in those moments that our true identity, intergrity, esteem, and honor show forth.  It is our reactions that define us.

In June/July 2009, I was in the middle of my own personal pity-party. I had two children at home 23 months part (ages 3 and 17 months) and I was pregnant AGAIN (about 7-8 months along). I had been bitter about this pregnancy but knowing Abortion is a SIN (just because the gov't and women's lib says it's a "right" doesn't make it right), I wouldn't abort. I had pure hell with all three pregnancies...hospitalizations for dehydration, extreme hyper-emesis that shocked doctors, more IV's than you can imagine, to prevent my vains from blowing they put a "Pic-Line" in my harm and had me on IV fluid at home with a home health nurse coming to assist once a week. While in the hospital, I would blow vains and have to have new IV's inserted in my arms or hands every few hours.  This happened with all 3 children, except the pic-line was only with the last child.

I took my bitterness out on my family, then "put on face" in front of everyone else. It was in June or July, that while I was trying to get MY well deserved sleep, that my oldest kept coming to me wanting me to hold him at 0200 and saying his belly hurt. I kept putting him back into bed. Finally, I gave up and made a pallete in the floor near me, just so he could be near me and I could get MY sleep. As I watched him doze off, I closed my eyes and I heard him start to cry in his sleep. "Dear God WHAT NOW?" I prayed allowed. Then I looked at my son, his legs were curling up to his belly and he was grabbing his stomach. "Oh God! Help!" I cried quietly as I tried to assess him. Being the daughter of an RN, I knew enough medical info to be 'Dr. Mom'. As I checked him over, he showed all signs of appendicitis.

My need for sleep suddenly vanished! I quickly told my husband that I needed to take our son to the ER. He decided to stay home with our daughter who was sleeping and I would take our son. During the course of hours at the ER and ultrasounds, visit it was decided it was appendicitis. The military hospital we were at did not have a pediatric surgeon so we had to go by ambulance to the nearest hospital that could do the surgery. I tried to call my husband, his phone was on silent I tried for almost an hour to reach him. Finally I had to call a friend to go over and knock on the door to wake him and drive him down, since I had our only vehicle. When my husband arrived I was in tears and we started praying for a miracle.  I went in the ambulance with our son to the hospital while my husband and daughter followed in my van.

We got to the hospital and they decided to do a reassesment and CT-SCAN before the surgery. We were all praying and asking for a miracle. I remember one of my prayers in the ambulance "Ok God if you were trying to get my attention and humble me it has worked. Please don't let my baby go into a surgery that could harm him more." (My son has a lot of allergies, I was afraid of what could happen in the surgery room.)

During the time at the other hospital, God healed him. He started talking more, smiling, fever left, and the pain subsided. (Call it what you want but I give God the credit). The CT-SCAN showed no signs of anything wrong. My son was safe to come home.

That day I realized I HAD BEEN THE ONE WHO WAS CHILDISH. I kept focusing on me-me-me. I was pregnant and didn't want to be at time. (I'm so glad I had my baby now). It was all about how I felt and my needs, not my families needs. My husband had been faithly quiet and attentive to me like feminist say he should be...he performed like they wanted him to. Sometimes I wished he would have recorded one of my rants to give me a reality check!

Now I still have my "It's all about me moments" I think that is human nature.  But I realize that when it's all about me, it could take a life or damage someone else worse. What if I had just baby gated my son and ignored him? He appendix could have burst or he could have been worse or he could have died.

As for my feelings of just milk nurse, diaper changer, cook, maid: well IT'S ALL IMPORTANT. Every nose I wipe, every diaper I change, every boo-boo I kiss, every meal I cook, it ALL matters!

Each action is like the images below: 

 Each one seems like nothing, but they are each a cropped segment of the pictures below. Without each piece the following images would be incomplete:

Lilly Pond-Money, Sistine Chapel 3 images, and The Stroll-Monet.  All of these are beautiful images worth fortunes, but if you take part of the painting away it's worthless. Just a damaged piece of nothing.

It is the same with our children...each piece, each brush stroke-so to speak...is an investment in them.  The Bible tells us to die to ourself. In other words, don't focus on yourself all the time. Yes you must take care of yourself, but life shouldn't be all about you. If you are showering/bathing at mid-night, so what! Instead of thinking "oh poor me" think "oh yes, time in the still of the night". CHANGE YOUR THINKING. When you change your thinking habits you will be happier.

Sure it gets lonely at times, but when you are lonely. Encourage yourself some how. Call up a friend, husband or you mom and say "I've feeling down. I could use some encouragement. Do I really matter? Does all these diapers, dishes, snotty noses mean anytihng?" Get someone who will tell you the truth, not a friend who tells you what you want to hear. Keep books around your house that ENCOURAGES mothering...NOT FEMINISM. Get the magazines out of your house that tell you "You can have it all" because while you are getting it all, your husband and children are getting leftovers.

You call it Identity Loss... I call motherhood "A HUMBLING OF SELF AND A CHANGE IN IDENTITY"  Until you have a child (by birth or adoption) YOU ARE NOT A MOTHER! You cannot be IDENTIFIED as a mother until you ARE one. Sure it is a difficult change at times, but it's a change you have to make, unless you want to hurt your child's emotional well being or put it up for adoption.

(Yes you can hurt your child emotionally if you are always putting them off to the side like they are baggage. I will even go as far as to say that a child is better off in a poor family with love and attention than with a rich family that shoves them off to a nanny or fills their days with activities and things to substitute for parenting. These are the "real housewives" or the "desperate housewives" that the media falsifies to make the 'lowly housewife' feel worse... I say lowly housewife with ALL sarcasim. I don't have the things they have but I promise you this I'm happier and have more joy than all of them combined.)

If you are finding yourself in the middle of the struggle of motherhood vs self. GET ALL MEDIA OUT of your house...tv, magazines, website etc that promote having it all. Then listen to your maternal instincts...not your mind. Ask your husband what he thinks...listen to him without being offended.

(I'm not bashing those who must use daycare or a sitter to work. I understand 100% that circumstances can prevent women from being at home with their children. I am specifically talking about women who CHOOSE to have a career when they could scale down on spending and living, live in a smaller home, etc. I'm talking about those who CHOOSE me first. If a mother is working because withour the income, the family would starve or lose the house/car, then that is NEEDED. These are the women who can also work towards coming home. It can take years to be able to do but it can be done, with a lot of finacially planning and work.)

You can't be a Christian woman and a feminist too

Makes me wonder how "Christian" Women can be so liberal

THE FEMINIST AGENDA -- In their leaders’ own words:


1. "The simple fact is that every woman must be willing to be identified as a lesbian to be fully feminist." (National NOW Times, Jan.1988).

2. "Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women's movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage." (radial
feminist leader Sheila Cronan).

3. "Being a housewife is an illegitimate profession... The choice to serve and be protected and plan towards being a family-maker is a choice that shouldn't be. The heart of radical feminism is to change that."
(Vivian Gornick, feminist author, University of Illinois, "The Daily Illini," April 25, 1981.

4. The most merciful thing a large family can do to one of its infant members is to kill it." (Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, in "Women and the New Rage," p.67.

5. "In order to raise children with equality, we must take them away from families and communally raise them." (Dr. Mary Jo Bane, feminist and assistant professor of education at Wellesley College and associate
director of the school's Center for Research on Woman).

6. "Marriage has existed for the benefit of men; and has been a legally sanctioned method of control over women... We must work to destroy it. The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the
liberation of women. Therefore it is important for us to encourage women to leave their husbands and not to live individually with men... All of history must be re-written in terms of oppression of women. We must go
back to ancient female religions like witchcraft." (from "The Declaration of Feminism," November 1971).

7. "Overthrowing capitalism is too small for us. We must overthrow the whole... patriarch!" (Gloria Steinhem, radical feminist leader, editor of 'MS' magazine).

8. In response to a question concerning China's policy of compulsory abortion after the first child, Molly Yard responded, "I consider the Chinese government's policy among the most intelligent in the world."
(Gary Bauer, "Abetting Coercion in China," The Washington Times", October 10, 1989).

9. "Let's forget about the mythical Jesus and look for encouragement, solace and inspiration from real women... Two thousand years of patriarchal rule under the shadow of the cross ought to be enough to turn
women toward the feminist 'salvation' of this world." (Annie Laurie Gaylor, "Feminist Salvation," "The Humanist", July/August 1988, p.37.

10. "By the year 2000 we will, I hope, raise our children to believe in human potential, not God." (Gloria Steinhem, editor of 'MS' magazine.)

Source: Center for Children's Justice in Denver, CO (Robert Muchnick - http://www.childrensjustice.org/ )

This is posted here since the feminist agenda has empowered women to be abusive to men. The Violence Against WOMEN Act does not have a dime in it to help men and we ALL need write to congress and tell them we want a DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT that is indeed gender neutral.

I would not want a violence against MEN act to take the place of this since women ARE being battered and if we do not address BOTH SIDES we will not help any.

God's Message To Women

God's Message to Women


taken from "Desired By the King" by Ruth Rieder (Harvey)

When I created the heavens and the earth, I spoke them into being.When I created man, I formed him and breathed life into his nostrils.But you , woman, I fashioned. After I breathed the breath of life into man because your nostrils are to delicate. I allowed a deep sleep to come over him so I could patiently and perfectly fashion you.

Man was put to sleep so that he could not interfere with the creativity.

From one bone I fashioned you, and I chose the bone that protects man's life. I chose the rib, which protects his heart and lungs and supports him, as you were meant to do. Around this one bone I shaped you, I modeled you.

I created you perfectly and beautifully.Your characteristics are as the rib, strong yet delicate and fragile. You provide protection for the most delicate organ in man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being; his lungs hold the breath of life. The rib cage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage to the heart. Support man as the rib cage supports the body. You were not taken from his feet, to be under him, nor were you taken from his head, to be above him. You were taken from his side to stand beside him and be held close to his side as you stand beside him.

I have caressed your face in your deepest sleep. I have held your heart close to Mine. Adam walked with me in the cool of the day, and yet he was lonely. He could not see me or touch me but could only feel me. My presence. So I fashioned in you everything I wanted Adam to share and experience with Me: My holiness, My strength, My purity, My love, My protection and support.

You are special because you are the extension of me. Man represents my image - Woman, my emotions. Together, you represent the totality of God.

So man, treat woman well. Love her, respect her, for she is fragile. In hurting her, you hurt me. What you do to her, you do to me. In crushing her, you only damage your own heart. Woman, support man. In humility, show him the power of emotion I have given you. In gentle quietness show your strength. In love, show him that you are the rib that protects his inner self.

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Did you know that woman was so special in God's eyes?

~Author Unknown~