New Blog

Guess what??? I started a new blog: Nettie's Notes.

Find it here: nettiefrancis.blogspot.com

TRAINING THE TOT

Training the Tot - Without traumatizing the parent  

Successful potty-training tips

Published on FamilyShare.com March 22, 2014

• Much of motherhood is glorious, uplifting and fun. However, there is one chore which looms over even the most cheerful and talented mothers: Potty training. When my first son was 1-year-old, I delved with excitement into the mission at hand. Unfortunately, the process (which spanned a year and a half) left me older and wiser, and vowing that I would never again train another breathing thing.
  

CHURCH MICE IN THE CHAPEL

My first article for FamilyShare.com was published Sunday, March 16th.  Within the first day it had over 6,000 hits, and is now approaching 9,000.  Hooray!  

Here's the link and the article below:

Teaching Children To Be Church Mice in the Chapel

Taking small children to church can be a daunting task for any parent. Here are a few tips for teaching your children to sit quietly during the service.

Church. For a parent with young children, the word may bring to my mind visions of temper tantrums, Cheerios thrown into the adjacent pew, and, “I have to go potty,” screamed at the wrong moment. Yet, those of us who want our children to be honest, upright citizens often make a weekly pilgrimage to a religious service.

JANE IRONIC: MUSINGS ON 'MISS EYRE'

I love Jane Eyre. Her story is the perfect mixture of love, tragedy, self-victory, passion, and eventually, "happily ever after" ... the ideal Valentine romance. A few years ago a new film of Jane Eyre was released, and my girlfriends flocked to the theater to see this latest chick-flick.

Afterwards, we discussed all of the heart-wrenching details. "Mr. Rochester was so handsome." "Jane was so right." "True love always prevails." Any girl longs to be smart, modest, serene, quietly beautiful, and completely adored by someone who needs her desperately.

Wisdom from a Witch

I’m a witch. I just need to admit it, and then I’ll feel better about myself. I didn’t mean to be a witch. When I was a little girl, I was kind and gentle, meek and happy. Then I went to college. I was kind and gentle, meek and happy. Then I got married. I was kind and gentle, meek and happy. Then, I had children, and a witch was born. (Not the baby, it was me.)