The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

picture from KnickofTime.net

William Ross Wallace (1819-1881)

BLESSINGS on the hand of women!

Angels guard its strength and grace.

In the palace, cottage, hovel,

Oh, no matter where the place;

Would that never storms assailed it,

Rainbows ever gently curled,

For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world.

Infancy's the tender fountain,

Power may with beauty flow,

Mothers first to guide the streamlets,

From them souls unresting grow—

Grow on for the good or evil,

Sunshine streamed or evil hurled,

For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world.

Woman, how divine your mission,

Here upon our natal sod;

Keep—oh, keep the young heart open

Always to the breath of God!

All true trophies of the ages

Are from mother-love impearled,

For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world.

Blessings on the hand of women!

Fathers, sons, and daughters cry,

And the sacred song is mingled

With the worship in the sky—

Mingles where no tempest darkens,

Rainbows evermore are hurled;

For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world.

Northrop, H.D. Beautiful Gems of Thought and Sentiment. Boston, MA: The Colins-Patten Co., 1890.

Found at Poem of The Week: 

http://www.potw.org/archive/potw391.html

Blog Index, page 3

Grateful Living
Home Decor
Picture Groupings
Living Small
Small Room Decorating Tips
Nesting...Book Review: Wabi Sabi Style
Decorating with Vintage Linens
Updated Armoire in Vintage Green
Homemakers: The Homebuilders of the World
Grateful Living: Scaling Down to A Mobile Home
Grateful Living Series: Dress Up M. H. Windows
Grateful Living: Repurposed Trunk
Grateful Living: Repurposed Armoire
Grateful Living: Class Up the Mobile Home Fireplace
Grateful Living: Front Porches
Grateful Living: The !#*! M.H. Walls
Grateful Living: M.H. Spa Retreat
Grateful Living: My Collection on Reflections of Home

Hospitality
Company's Coming: organization, part 1

Christmas Party Games, Christmas Traditions part 4

Cookie Swaps, Ornament Swaps..., Christmas Traditions part 4

Holiday Books and DVDs List, Christmas Traditions part 4
Senior Tea
Luau Party
Relief Society Birthday Party

Mothers and Homemaking
Homemaking Journals
Homemaker's Quotes
Learning Homemaking Skills
Setting Organizational Goals: organization part 2
I Love Erma Bombeck!
Get Off the Dual-Earner Treadmill
10 Things I Learned from My Mom
My Glamorous New Career
What Do Homemakers Really Do?
Builders of Homes
Resurgence of Homemaking
Dian Thomas Rules!
Tips for Toddlers
"En Bonn Ménagère..."
Time Out for Homemakers
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle
Love Affair with Pantries
How to Teach Children Responsible Behavior
Homemakers: The Homebuilders of the World
Cleaning
  Consistently Clean
  Winter Days:  Cleaning Schedules
  Cleaning:  Team-building Time for Families
  Cleaning Clothes
  Cleaning that Prevents Allergies
  Nifty Recycling Bins
  Deep Cleaning Kitchens and Bathrooms
  Eliminating Closet Clutter
  Laundry Rules!
Homeschool

  Mothers as Homeschool Teachers

  Mothers as Homeschool Teachers, cont.

  Chick Lit
  Creative Homeschooling
This is a quick list of all the posts I have done that might be remotely interesting to anyone who teaches (school, homeschool, church...):
Healthy Sack Lunches for Kids
November Traditions
Healthy Choices for Picky Eaters
Christmas Library Story Time
Christmas Crafts
Christmas Legend and Lore
Mothers as (Homeschool) Teachers
Chick Lit
Creative Homeschooling
Art Badge Camp
Teaching Children to Cook
Sample Primary Newsletters (Parent Communication)
Chick Lit for July
Native American Culture Activities for Children
CopyCat Magazine Little House Unit
Achievement Days Country Fair
Achievement Days Book Review: Sarah, Plain and Tall
Children's Pioneer Day Event
Pioneer Chick Lit
Corn Husk Dolls
Activities for Girls
Girl Scout Favorite Things
How to Love Scouts
October Traditions:  Chick Lit, Songs and Activities
Greatest Gifts to Give a Grandchild
Fall Fun
Free Learning Websites
Spiritual
  Where Necessary, Tweak the Ideal
Health -
  Curing Scalp Acne

Measuring Up
In the Eye of the Beholder
The Real McCoy: Authentic People
Measuring Up: Integrity Quotes
Measuring Up: Improvement Quotes
Measuring Up: Time and Preparation
Measuring Up: Testimony Quotes
Measuring Up: Service and Empathy Quotes
Measuring Up: Sabbath Quotes
Joyful Quotes
Homemaker's Quotes

My homemaker's journal includes all things related to homemaking: all of the things special to me, traditions I have instilled, secrets, tips and more...My homemaking experiences include homeschooling my children for ten years, volunteering as a Girl Scout Leader for my girls' troop from Daisies to Juniors and volunteering with Boy Scouts, (when my son was 8-12 yrs.) Recently, I have completed a cookbook for my church.

Old-fashioned Travel Games

This came from a really early Southern Living Magazine--like from the mid-seventies!  I love to read really old Southern Livings.  The early eighties must have been really good issues and not disposed of cause those are the only S.L. I couldn't find.  As you can see in the scanned photos, these kids are not wearing seatbelts!!!  Well heck! neither did we in the mid-seventies.  I would have been about these children's age.  I had an aunt whose nine kids were all geniuses and they always wanted to play car games that were way over my little pea brain.  But I kept this article cause I think the little ipod thingys and other techy toys need to be left at home, and moms actually find their arts and crafts supplies, dust them off, and prepare games that can involve the whole family.

Anagram--Cut some small squares of paper.  Write one letter of the alphabet on one side of each square, making more vowels than consonants.  Turn the lettered side of each square down.  Draw six squares, and try to use the letters in one or more words.  Score one point for each letter used.
Name Pictures--Try to write your name in as many ways as you can.  For example, you can make tall, short, fat, striped, and polka-dot letters.
Pathways--Make up a theme for a game.  For example, you can choose a treasure hunt or animal safari.  Draw a numbered path of squares on a piece of paper.
Use coins for men, and throw the dice to determine the number of moves for each man.  The first one to get to the end wins.
Puzzles--Draw a picture on a piece of paper, and color it.  Cut the picture into pieces; then try to reassemble the picture.
Spot a Word--Write the letters of the alphabet in a column on the left side of a piece of paper.  Opposite each letter, write a word that begins with that letter; use only words that you actually see printed on signs along the road or the names of animals or objects you see.
Squiggles--Draw an oddly shaped line on a piece of paper; then try to turn it into a funny face by adding other lines.
The following verbal games are good to suggest to children who cannot read in a moving car.
Animal Game--Take turns naming kinds of animals.  The last one to name an animal wins.
Color Game--Name a color, and take turns naming objects that are that color.  The winner is the one who is last to name an object.
Name All Your Relatives--Name a relationship, a cousin, for example; then try to name all your cousins.  Or you can name a city or state and try to name all the relatives who live there.
Tapes--Many families take a cassette player along on trips.  Children can record impressions of the trip, or amuse themselves by recording their voices.  They can also play tapes recorded on previous trips.  (YOU CAN STILL BUY TAPE RECORDERS AND TAPES!!!--They're not obsolete!!!)

How to Love Scouts

By the time my daughters were in Young Womens at our church, my son was beginning Scouts.  Before that, I did  Tiger Scouts with him on our own because we couldn't find a troop in our area.  This worked out fine for us because we were starting to homeschool kindergarten and I treated Tiger Scouts like another subject with fun field trips the whole family took together.  I wish I would have thought to take pictures of this but since we were not in a troop it didn't occur to me.  They wore orange shirts with matching caps.

When Bryce began Cub Scouts, I made sure the leader had something Bryce had accomplished at home to record at each meeting.  Next thing I knew, I was called to be the Cub Scout Leader for our church Cub Scouts.  We went on field trips, but mostly I helped the boys get caught up and advance.  At one family meeting there was a fun obstacle course to complete in the gym.  We did a Cake Bake where father and sons (without the help of a female) made and presented a cake and held it out at the church pavilion.  Everyone received an award.


We also had a Court of Awards where I went all out on the decorations!  I made these lanterns as centerpieces and used them at several Court of Awards.  They were made with painted Popsicle sticks and wax paper with fleur de lis (Boy Scout symbol) cut-outs on each side.  This was the second time they were used.  I used battery operated tea candles to light them.  I found all kinds of ideas just by Googling Cub Scout decorations.

When my son was in Cub Scouts, they really encouraged families to be involved.  This is a recipe holder that Bryce made with his dad's help.  I've used it ever since!

When planning a Scout meeting of any kind, I always tried to fill the entire time (60-90 minutes) and even practiced the activities ahead of time.  Because of this, most meetings (involving several short activities) transitioned smoothly and kept the boys from becoming restless.  See MORE of my Boy Scout photo gallery by clicking on Read more...

This layout shows a box car rally and field trip to a local fire house that the recent tornadoes just demolished!  There's also pics from our Blue and Gold Banquet.

Here's the Cake Bake and Relay Race from two separate family events.

This shows the boys at the Stake Raingutter Regatta and the second Blue and Gold Banquet that I did.

My husband took Bryce and Sam to the last Cub Scout event before they turned eleven and became Boy Scouts.

Rickwood Caverns is a great place for a Boy Scout over-nighter (just get permission from the Boy Scout office first!)  There are caverns to tour, a pool, group primitive camping, lots of pavilions, etc.  Here Bryce and Sam are working on many beginning requirements such as lashing, swimming, cooking, etc.  They also went to their first Boy Scout Camp near Mentone, Alabama at Top of the Mountain.  Those are the top three pictures of this two-page layout.

My husband took advantage (with a little help from moi), of all the camping opportunities for new scouts.  The stake had an 11-yr.-old campout that Sam and Bryce went to and were able to sign off quite a few requirements!

Chief Ladiga Trail in Cleburn County, Alabama is such a great place to do Cycling Badge.  They guys loaded up their bikes and headed out on several trips to the trail to finish a total of 50 miles!  They're legs looked awesome (see below pic!).

Winter Camp (right after Christmas) is a good time to get those badges that can be completed at camp (so Mom doesn't have to help you finish them at home!)  I never minded my husband taking the guys to camp (using up rare vacation time) to spend quality time with his boy and helping the other young men from church advance in Scouting.

My husband had volunteered to be the Scout Master because otherwise they weren't planning on doing Scouts--just in time for my son to become a Scout!  Apparently, not too many people at our church do 11 yr. old Scouts, even though the Stake has an event for them.  So with my help (record-keeping), my husband took on not only the new guys like Bryce and Sam but anyone else who wanted to do Scouts.  There were only a handful of us--believe it or not only 3 families!

Spencer's dad volunteered to go to summer camp and ended up writing the skit our troop was to do.  It sounded like they were very successful.  They did pretty much everything you could do at Camp Sequoyah near Mt. Cheaha.  Before they went, we did a preclinic were we got some Camping Badge and other requirements completed (see top three photos, left page).  In fact the Young Women actually ended up attending this as well.

Activities for Girls

We had a fancy Tea Party where the girls dressed up and Elise shared a funny story about Manners.

Each girl was given a chance to share at the meetings if they wanted to.  This actually cut down on a lot of interruptions.  Elise is sharing her photo album I made her.  We must have just finished Girl Scouts because she still has her vest on.  The meetings were usually held at my house which was five minutes from the church.

In the Creative Memories Tradition, Elise's Achievement Days Scrapbook Pages.

In June we had a Daddy/Daughter Activity--Making Stools.  Many dads took off early from work to be at the activity.  We arranged for one girl to have a "proxy dad" since her dad couldn't be there.

 Baking Cookies for a Service Project was a favorite activity for the girls.

A One Day Camp Clinic at a Girl Scout Camp in Elba, AL where we went for a hike, cooked over an open fire, made a craft, etc.

Achievement Days Country Fair Post

Ornament Swap Christmas Party, found at Christmas Traditions, part 4

Favorite Achievement Days Girls Resource:  Achievement Day Activities, by Diane Mangum ISBN 1573451967

http://ldsactivitydayideas.blogspot.com/

Pioneer Day Posts

I think the study of American Pioneers (Mormon or otherwise) can help children become interested in their own family heritage.  Here is a quick reference for all the posts I did in July along the Pioneer Day Theme.  

Pioneer Day Toy

CopyCat Magazine Little House Unit

Pioneer Children

Achievement Days Country Fair

Achievement Days Book Review:  Sarah, Plain and Tall

A New Twist on Pioneer Hay Sticks
Pioneer Day Event

Pioneer Games (Button, Button--pics)

Children's Pioneer Recipes

Pioneer Chick Lit Book List

Handkerchief Dolls and Poem

Yarn Dolls

Corn Husk Dolls

Pioneer Rag Dolls

Star Spangled Shelf Paper

Button String

Clove Studded Fruit

Pioneer Rag Dolls

Christen and Elise's Rag Dolls

"But Laura was the happiest of all.  Laura had a rag doll.  She was a beautiful doll.  She had a face of white cloth with black button eyes.  A black pencil had made her eyebrows, and her cheeks and her mouth were red with the ink made from pokeberries.  Her hair was black yarn that had been knit and raveled, so that it was curly.  She had little red flannel stockings and little black cloth gaiters for shoes, and her dress was pretty pink and blue calico."

When we were studying about pioneers in our homeschool, we checked out so many books from the various local libraries.  I found one book (unfortunately I didn't keep the source), that had crafts for kids.  I remember the cover of the book had the cutest plates made from woven bread dough clay colorfully painted with flowers also made from the bread dough clay.  Inside were the instructions to make these dolls.  The girls were able to make the bowls and they did a great job, but I had to help them make the dolls.

I was in the process of taking pictures of their dolls for this post when Elise fondly reminisced how I had let the girls design their own dolls.  They chose the hair color and eye color.  Christen added a shawl from the scrap bag and fastened it with a pin from her Grandma Rosie.  I designed the little dresses myself keeping them very simple with tiny pin tucks at the neck.

My 15 yr. old son saw these dolls yesterday and rudely proclaimed them ugly :(  I said they were of a "primitive design" and were supposed to look like this!  In fact I followed the picture in the book freehand exactly as shown.  I've always thought they were very sweet and similar to Laura's doll, Charlotte, as described in Little House in the Big Woods, Chapter 4.  (I just remembered that my mom made a bunch of these simple rag dolls for a Relief Society fund raiser when I was a little girl)!

Basically, draw a doll figure on packaging paper or freezer paper, then cut out fabric.  (The pattern includes the head and the body, separately).  You stuff the head through the neck opening of the head, and the body through the neck opening of the body.  Once stuffed, sew head and neck together with a whip stitch.  (I used a 1/2 inch seam).  A knitting needle helped to push the stuffing into the arms and legs, etc. (Becoming Martha has a great rag doll tutorial that would work just as well probably!)

I used yarn in the desired color looping it around about a foot-wide piece of cardboard until it was enough to make a wig.  I carefully slipped the yarn off of the cardboard and used the sewing machine to make a seam down the middle of the yarn.  Fabric glue is applied to the head to keep the hair onto the doll's head. I used fabric paints to carefully paint a face (lightly sketch it out in pencil first).

I made the dress slightly bigger than the doll's pattern and sewed it together basically the same as the doll's but leaving the bottom of the dress and sleeves open and hemming neck, arms, and sleeves.  Even for a novice sewer like me, it was fairly quick and easy and the girls and I were happy with the results since they looked very much like the picture in the book.

Pioneer Chick Lit

Here are my favorite pioneer books:

Little House Series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder ISBN 0590488146
My Little House Crafts Book, ISBN 0439059585
Kirsten, An American Girl: 1854, ISBN 0937295760
Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan ISBN 0618062416
Pioneer Days, by David C. King ISBN 0439259398

This one isn't exactly about pioneers, but describes in an entertaining way what life at the turn-of-the-century was like and has become a favorite of mine.  I especially like the recipes at the end of the book.
Memory of a Large Christmas, Lillian Smith ISBN 0393000389

Book Review: Sarah, Plain and Tall

ISBN 0618062416

At the height of homeschooling where all three were being taught in our home by me, I became very passionate that all of my associations with children, whether homeschool, Girl Scouts or children's church activities be given my best efforts.  In this environment, it was really easy to take each activity and plan it as carefully as I would a homeschool lesson. 

Many would probably feel that doing a book review with 16, 8-11 year old girls as a weekly church activity would be going above and beyond.  However, I was familiar with a really good resource (listed below) that I was using with my older children to study Newbery Award winning books (I'm picky about these because some are just down-right depressing!)  This made planning a series of book-review activities relatively painless.  Not all the girls were on board, however, since reading was involved.  This book could be read in one sitting by an 11 yr. old.  The younger girls and their moms were more receptive!  

We actually did the above pictured chapter review and I think we watched the movie.  The book was covered over 3-4 weeks.  You may not be able to do all the activities in a weekly environment--I chose the ones that would fit our group of girls the best.  But homeschoolers and teachers of this age-group might want to try all of the activities.  I also highly recommend the Kirsten series and teacher's guide.  My younger daughter and I really enjoyed doing these activities together.

Kirsten 1854 Teacher's Guide to Six Books About Pioneer America, Peg Hall 1562472364

Teaching With Favorite Newbery Books, Lori Licciardo-Musso ISBN 0590019759

Achievement Days Country Fair

Blogging has helped me find spelling errors on my scrapbook pages!

This was probably the best event I've ever help to put on.  I found the idea on one of my favorite Mormon websites (don't recall which one).  We used it as a Recognition Night, just as Loralee Kurzius of Goldsboro, NC shared on whatever website this was found.  Everyone was to dress "old-fashioned countryish."  We too had the girls bring a dessert for judging.  They also brought anything they had done or made in Achievement Days so far that year.  We had sixteen girls and two Achievement Day leaders, so we did A LOT!

Loralee said that when the girls arrived, "they were free to wander, play and visit the first 30 minutes or so while

Pioneer Children

by Sandy Halvorson

Sometimes when I must walk to school, it seems a long, long way.

I get to feeling tired and would like to stop and play.

But then I think of pioneers who walked by sun and star;

And suddenly my little walk doesn’t seem so far.

Sometimes on cold, dark winter nights I crawl beneath the sheet

And wish I had a cozy place to warm my chilly feet.

But then I think of pioneers who camped outside all night

And only had a fire’s glow to give them warmth and light.

Sometimes when I am hungry and want something good to eat,

My mother gives me carrots when I’d rather have a sweet.

But then I think of pioneers who thanked God and were glad

For anything at all to eat—my carrots aren’t so bad.

Sometimes when I have chores to do and I would rather play,

I think of pioneers and know they worked most all the day.

And so I guess I can’t complain about things that I must do,

For when I think of pioneers, I’m very blessed—aren’t you?

http://lds.org/friend/1983/07/i-think-of-pioneers?lang=eng

Here is a real story of just one of the thousands of pioneer children who migrated west in the late 1840s and early 1850s.  This is a good one to tell children at a Primary pioneer activity, or a pioneer-themed family home evening.  It would be fun if a dad or granddad could dress up for the part and tell the story as if  he were Albert reminiscing when he was one of the pioneer children.

"Children Pioneers," by Fay McCracken, Friend, July 1995

Origami Earrings

Elise made these for me as a gift.

Here's a fun activity that my daughters enjoyed when they were in their tweens.  One summer I bought the book and materials for them and they did this completely on their own!  The book is, Friendship Origami, by Jill Smolinski (ISBN 0737398590)

Chick Lit for July

I love anything of Jan Brett's, but Comet's Nine Lives (ISBN 0590109723) definitely evokes a summer vacation feel--plus I love cats!
Comet Coloring Page
Nautical Flags
Summer Bookmarks
Sailor's Bracelet

Sending your little critters off to Scout camp this summer?  Prepare them by reading:
Little Critter at Scout Camp (0307126293) by Mercer Mayer, and The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Forest by Stan and Jan Berenstain (0394805658)

For something patriotic, Across America, I Love You (0439235901), by Christine Loomis and beautifully illustrated by Kate Kiesler is a panoramic view of our beautiful country.

Homeschoolers (and other conscientious parents) might include the following books by Jean Fritz for kid-friendly historical accounts of our country's founding fathers:

Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? 0590412000
Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? 0590412027
Where was Patrick Henry On the 29th of May? (my ancestor!) 059041206X
What's the Big Idea Ben Franklin? 0590412051
Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? 0590412035
(Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman)

My favorite Values-Based books are by Stan and Jan Berenstain:
The Berenstain Bears No Girls Allowed (0394873319), Get in a Fight (0394851323), The Golden Rule (0310712475), and my favorite--Forget Their Manners (679860347).


Go to my post, Chick Lit, for more books to read to and with children.