Spoken LIke a True Cullum Boy/ Man

We have potty trained our boys the easiest way for us. In the winter/ spring when the weather is perfect for being outside a lot we allowed them to run around naked. The pros to this method have been less expense on diapers, less wet/ soiled clothes, only a few floor clean ups, and not always needing to ask "do you need to use the bathroom". The cons could possibly be that my boys seem to have an infatuation with their private friend more that most and they have no problem, even when older, pulling their pants down anywhere and relieving themselves in public. Eli took longer to potty train and so he spent a longer time being naked. Possibly as a result he is often asking to remove a piece of clothing, talks about and plays with his private friend more often than Isaac, etc.

Our potty training technique may have had something to do with our boys often shedding their clothes, but it is also a Cullum trait (at least for the Cullum generation before (a.k.a Kyle and Sam). see Amber's Articles for evidence. Kyle is the same.

On July 10th we celebrated with Kyle's cousin Matthew Cullum and the now Jackie Cullum at their wedding. Just after Jackie walked down the aisle, even before the vows,Eli our nudist asked rather loudly "When is she (Jackie) going to take her dress off?" Spoken like a True Cullum Boy/Son!!!!

Prophecy in a Name

I have been working on character training with the kids. A friend introduced me to the resources of Rich and Marilyn Boyer. They have a book Parenting from the Heart and Hands On Character Building . They also have other resources available on their website The Learning Parent

One thing the Boyers talk about in their book is continuing to talk with your children about their special purpose. One way to do this is by teaching your children the meaning of their name. A name can hold a positive prophecy for the future. We were very deliberate in naming our children based on the meaning of their name. Both boys were born during times of deep struggle, so we purposefully chose their names based on our desire to laugh again and be uplifted. We wanted Prema to have an Indian name and liked how it's meaning corresponded to our biggest reason for adopting her; she deserved a family to love her.

Even though we have known the meaning on our children's names, we haven't spent much time teaching them about the meaning of their names. The Boyers encourage you to not only teach your children the meaning of their name, but also a scripture verse that goes along with the name meaning. I found a name meaning Christian company Cross Timber's that does research on your name, finding the positive prophecy and the scripture verse. Here is what they found for our name, which we had put on bookmarks to post on our bedroom doors.

Prema:
From: Sanskrit

Love, Affection: Reflection of God’s Love

Love is patient, and is kind; envieth not; is not puffed up, rejoiceth not in evil, but in the truth; Love bears all things, endures all things, always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Cor 13

Isaac:
From: Hebrew

Laughter, Child of Promise: Surrendered to God

And God said, Sarah they wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt cal his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. Genesis 22

Eli
From: Hebrew

Uplifted: Delivered

And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Malachi 3:17

Kyle
From: Gaelic

From the strait: One with Perspective Insight

The way of the wicked is as darkness, but the path of the just is as the shining light; that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Proverbs 4:19

Michelle
From: Hebrew

Who is like God? One of Exaltation and Praise

Who among the sons of the might cam be likened unto the LORD?...O LORD God of hosts, who is strong LORD like unto thee? Or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Psalm 89:6,8

Eli keeps us laughing

...and wondering what to do. Yesterday we were at Chic-fil-A eating lunch. Eli and Isaac were in the indoor playground playing. Kyle and I were chatting with Kyle's parents at a table in the restaurant area with a good view of the play area. I looked up and saw Eli standing in front of the large window with his pants down, bouncing his right foot on the ground as if to keep a good beat and pretending to strum his guitar which was his penis. AHHHHHH! I quickly got up from my chair (which fell down with a big crash) and ran to pull Eli's pants up. I took him to the bathroom and couldn't stop laughing as I was trying to discuss the importance of keeping our pants up in public areas.

Make Over

My friend Amy wrote an essay about me and submitted it to a local salon for a Mother's Day Makeover. I WON! So today I was able to spend 4 hours at the salon getting my hair cut, shined with a clear coat, a pedicure and manicure, and make up application. It was a real treat. Thank you Amy and thank you Kyle for watching the kids! Now off to a date with Kyle.

Signing Time- Animals

Hi, This is Kyle, posting videos for Michelle while she is off galavanting around helping the adoptive parents of the world. If there are any errors in here, I take no responsibility and Michelle should be consulted directly regarding fixing said errors. Happy signing.

intro, horse, rabbit


fish, whale, dolphin, octopus, jellyfish, stingray


cow, pig


kangaroo, sheep


deer, moose, goat


wolf, fox


mouse, rat


hippo, rhino


zebra, elephant


lion, girraffe


bear, tiger


bird, duck


lizard, frog


dog,cat

Signing Time- Verbs

go, sit, walk


eat, play, run, jump


talk, lay, stand


stand up, sit up, look, wait


leave, get, stay, catch


swim, drive, climb


review 1


review 2

ASL Time- Pronouns

me, you, he, she, it


we, them, these, those, these


my, your, his, her, our, their


setting up people in space


setting up things in space


myself, yourself, ourselves


review pronouns


review pronouns with family words


**You can continue review using pronouns with family members on your own. You could create family word flash cards word on each card and another set of pronoun flashcards Then pick one card from each pile and sign them together. i.e. my sister

Pronouns can become very confusing for people since it requires placing people in space who are not present. This is one of the things about ASL you will begin to love as you learn the art of story telling. It is hard and at times confusing, but very neat simultaneously. If you have additional questions please post them in the comments and I reply for all to see.