Plants Grown Up – Projects for Sons on the Road to Manhood

By on August 31, 2010 in Uncategorized

“May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown…” Psalms 144:12

Interesting concept, no?  In their youth…like plants full grown?  Not thirty is the new twenty, but sixteen is the new thirty-five?  Unthinkable!  That sons at eighteen might actually act like men?  That sons at thirteen might actually be drawn out into responsibility and spiritual leadership?  That sons might at fifteen be responsible and pure and helpful?  Contributing even to their families well-being?

No…

Impossible, right?

According to Pam Forster, mother of three sons and author of Plants Grown Up, “our sons can be as ‘plants grown up’ in their youth. This means that in their teens their lives can be bearing fruit!  Gone is the myth that the teen years must be years of turmoil and rebellion! They can be years of harvest, years when a mature plant begins to bear fruit for its Master!”

The purpose of Plants Grown Up is to “provide specific projects that will encourage the growth of deep godly character in our sons.”  And we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity we’ve been given to get this book in your hands!

Confession:  I am not a crafty person.  The posts on the M.O.B. Society where there’s crafting and scavenger hunting and projecting???  Yea…Erin does those.  She’s the amazing craft-master.  Not me.  Not ever.  Just not in me.  That’s why the very fact that I’m the one writing this post should get your attention.  Plants Grown Up is filled with specific projects based on godly character qualities broken up into applications appropriate for any age boy.  And I absolutely love it!  It’s with my whole-hearted approval that I recommend this wonderful resource to you.  Plants Grown Up deals with such character traits as:

  • Leadership
  • Honesty
  • Courage
  • Bible skills
  • Scriptural manhood
  • Teaching skills
  • Self-control
  • Faithfulness
  • Perseverance
  • Godliness
  • Brotherly kindness (Oh praise the LORD!)
  • Charity
  • And much more!

You must buy this book.  Why?  Because starting in September we’ll be hosting a monthly link-up for Plants Grown Up!  That’s right! Right here on the M.O.B. Society…an opportunity for you to share on your blog or in the comments how God is using this awesome book in the lives of your boys.

It gets even better!  The Forsters have graciously allowed us to offer YOU, our M.O.B. Society readers, a $6 discount on the purchase of Plants Grown Up!  Just enter in the word “MOB” at checkout to receive your discount!  How easy is that?

We’re so excited for you to get your own copy in your hands!  You will not regret investing in this book friends. Even if you don’t/can’t participate in the link-up each month, Plants Grown Up will be a valuable asset to your boy-raising library! (But we hope you WILL join us…here’s how!)

To join us for the Plants Grown Up link-up each week, simply:

  1. Buy your own copy of the book (of course!)  Don’t forget to claim your $6 discount by typing in “MOB” at checkout!
  2. Add the picture to your blog side-bar and title it “Link-up at the M.O.B. Society!”  Use this page as your URL for the picture please.
  3. Watch for us to announce the date of the first link-up sometime in early September…ahem…there might be a giveaway of the book that day too! (But seriously…don’t wait to get your own copy…if you win give it to someone else trying to raise godly men.)
  4. Write a post on the day of the link-up and then come on over that day!  Link-up your Plants Grown Up post and then sit back with some coffee (or hot beverage of your choice) and read what God is doing in other boy-raising families like yours.

Go grab your copy of Plants Grown Up now!  Click here to order and claim your $6 discount at checkout!

What other resource out there has ALL of this is one book?  Really?  It’s just too good…too perfect for moms who hope to raise godly sons, to pass up.

 

 

9 Comments

A Grand Adventure AND a Grand Giveaway!

By on August 30, 2010 in adventure, book review, giveaway, your turn

This might be long but it is TOTALLY worth reading to the end (hint, hint – a chance at free stuff!) 

As moms, I think it is safe to say we are in the biggest adventure of our lives. Maybe even more so as moms of boys, as they are discovering the glory of adventure themselves and taking us along for the ride! 

That’s why we at the MOB Society were thrilled to learn of a brand new, fun, biblically-based AND educational book from Ken Ham (Answers in Genesis) with Karen Hansel that is all about adventure! 

Charlie and Trike's Grand Canyon Adventure 

So what exactly is Charlie and Trike in the Grand Canyon Adventure all about? 

A brief description: 

In this first presentation of the Green Notebook Series, Charlie and his triceratops buddy, Trike, set off with a burly one-eyed tour guide and a passel of mules to hike deep into Grand Canyon. But there’s trouble on the trail when Charlie goes off on his own to dig for fossils. What’s more, Charlie’s convinced the tour guide is a thief, but any plans to catch him are quickly foiled. Once in the Canyon, Trike does his best to explain to his friend the worldwide Flood and why we can trust the Bible. Finally, with the help of the tour guide, Charlie sees and understands the truth in a way that will change his life forever. 

When this book arrived on our doorstep, my boys were intrigued by the large hardcover book with a fun monkey and dinosaur on the cover. The book is geared at children ages 4-8, but even my two-year-old was eager to read it with me. 

And what we found when we opened it was even better than we were expecting! 

Along with gorgeous illustrations and fun characters, the Grand Canyon Adventure is a wonderful history and geology lesson and provides many surprises along the way: fold-out maps, journal entries, informational flaps to discover and a fun poster. My little adventurers kept going back to the maps – they were fascinated! 

We loved so many things about this book, but the most important aspect was the biblical explanation of the formation of the Grand Canyon. We may talk about the Flood with our children, but putting the story with something they can actually see and explore TODAY brings it to life for them. 

And isn’t that is our job as parents? Bringing faith and God off the page and making it alive and tangible for our children. I am so thankful for beautiful, well-done resources like this book to help us along the way! 

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We’re thinking some of you might like to check out this super fun book, so how about a little adventure contest?! 

HERE is how it works: 

It might seem a little complicated, but we want to give EVERYONE a chance to win so stick with us! 

  

We KNOW that boys of any age are drawn to adventure and we want to hear about those explorers, so tell us about your favorite adventure – or failed adventure! – with your boys in one of the following ways: 

*Bloggers:Post your story on your blog, link back to this post and link up here (with your post permalink) no later than 9:00 am CST Friday, Sept. 3rd. 

*Facebook users: Post your story on the MOB Society Wall – Start your post with OUR GRAND ADVENTURE to make it easy to find! 

We will be choosing one winner from each section based on YOUR VOTES! You can vote as many times as you want by: 

*Reading through the blog posts linked on this site and telling us your favorite by NUMBER in the comments for this post. (Example: I vote for post #1!) 

*Browsing the stories posted on our Facebook Wall and “liking” your favorites. Then come back here and tell us you “liked” a post in the comments! 

The blog post and Facebook post with the most votes will each receive a free copy of the Grand Canyon Adventure! 

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What if you don’t want to write a story? 

You can STILL WIN! 

You’ll want to vote often because we will choose two random winners from those who comment on this post to each win a book as well! 

  

In that case, here are a few extra chances to enter: 

*Follow @masterbooks4u on Twitter (2 entries – leave 2 comments!) 

*Tweet about this contest/giveaway, mentioning @TheMobSociety, @masterbooks4u and the link to this post (4 entries – leave 4 comments!) 

*Post about this contest/giveaway on Facebook (4 entries – leave 4 comments!) 

*Buy the book on Amazon (20 entries – leave 20 comments!) 

Comments close Friday, September 3rd at 5:00 p.m. CST. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. 

OK! Did you get all of that? Good! Now share YOUR adventure and get people over here to vote for it! 

  

Thank you to Master Books and New Leaf Publishing for providing the review and giveaway books and for hosting this fun event!

19 Comments

Boy’s Senses (& a giveaway for you!)

By on August 30, 2010 in connection with boys, homeschool, Life Lessons

 As school rolls around (officially) and I begin to plan our homeschool lessons a few things I’ve noticed about my children and our days together you might also enjoy:

Touch - My boys are not happy unless it’s hands on! Most boys are tactile. They love to build, sculpt, paint, and always knock it down! Word of advice – don’t be discouraged when they want to knock something down! Take your pictures fast before destruction mode kicks in. Crafts are definitely not just for girls. We save Huggies boxes, toilet paper rolls, and empty water bottles because you never know when a rainy day will strike and it’s time to build something “cool”! Or pull out blankets and sheets to build forts.

Sight – My 2nd grader wants to see everything. “Will you show me” is asked during every lesson. And not because he’s stalling, but the boy is visual. Most males are visual! I make sure we have a lot of reference books and internet ready images to provide visuals. Kid friendly magazines are great to have handy for “down time” or car rides. Word of advice – prepare your internet stuff before rather than Google images together. Unfortunately, inappropriate images pop up regardless of your search request.

Sound – My youngest son is definitely more auditory. He loves music, sounds, movement, instruments, etc. But everyone benefits from a “dance party”. Right about that time the boys are worked up enough and about to step over the line into the “ugly mommy end zone” – I turn up a favorite song as loud as I can and they boogie. Nothing is funnier than these moments. Easily turning potential time outs into hysterical enjoyment. Especially when daddy is around to bust out the Running Man. Word of advice – keep music easily available just to flip a switch and surprise them. Planning out dance time and hunting to find something can lead to your frustration.

Taste – My boys love snacks, what child doesn’t? (what mom doesn’t) We like to get creative and make snacks together. Put aside the prepackaged goldfish and spend some quality time in the kitchen. Word of advice – your son isn’t a chef so expect a mess and take into consideration time to cook. There are great memories to be had when you allow them in the kitchen and give them a spoon!

Above I underlined and wrote “most” because I have read a great book – Wild Things, the art of nurturing boys and it truly opened my eyes to see how I can relate better to my boys and how to better teach them!

Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made”

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Today’s giveaway is from our new friends, Skinny Kidz Belts.  If your little guy has a tiny rear, like mine you need this belt!

It’s a miracle tool for moms with boys who lose their drawers when running!  No more hunting for pants with adjustable waistlines…just grab your skinny kidz belt and worry no more about those horrible wardrobe malfunctions!

To enter, simply subscribe to the M.O.B. Society.  You can do this three different ways:

  1. By email
  2. In a reader
  3. On Facebook
9 Comments

On raising super heroes

By on August 29, 2010 in adventure, connection with boys, growing godly men

My sons try to rescue me on a daily basis. Sometimes at inconvenient times.

Up to my elbows in soap suds over the sink and they swoop into the kitchen, “Is ‘dere an emergency, mama? You need to be rescued?”

Vacuuming the living room and little bodies leap from sofa to sofa, “Watch us fly mama, look, Look!”

Putting away laundry, and blankets are appropriated and promptly tied around necks, transformed into capes. “We help you, mama! You need help?”

Any chore is automatically transformed into an act of bravery by my two favorite super heroes.

When I watch the eagerness with which they rush to my side; when I see the delight glinting in their eyes; when I sense the commitment in their spirits to rescue the right from the wrong, I see the fingerprints of the only true Hero. I recognize Him underneath their capes, and masks, and spiderweb shooters.

Psalm 146:7-9

7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,

8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

This is the DNA built into our boys. And part of the explanation for why they thrive on stories of web slingers, muscle men, and caped avengers. Let’s revel in the stories together with them; spin beautiful heroic tales. Because these can be the ultimate road map for directing our sons back to what true heroism looks like. Right up to the point of being willing to give up all of who we are to save all of someone else.

Do you have a super hero you’d like to tell us about? Let’s relish in their courageous antics together. Come and link up your own super hero story, share a photo of your little wonder, and let’s celebrate the art of raising super heroes!

Just enter the web address of the post you’d like to share, include a photo of your hero, and a link back to this MOB Society Post, and let’s swap the joy of being mothers to our own personal super heroes!

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Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…

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