New blog

Dear faithful friends and readers,

Punky Monkey Missions has been slowing down over the past year because we've moved 3 times in the past 9 months and it has been really hard for me to keep up with my mission work since most of our things are in storage.  When we finally buy a new house and move for the final time I want to start back on my mission work helping those in need.

I do have some good news though, I started a new blog called Punky Monkey Mentions because I thought it would help with my creative writing skills and I've been asked to review several products.  I would love it if you would head over to my new blog and follow me there too.

Thanks and I'll keep you updated about mission work opportunities that will be coming up.

Thanks for reading,

Punky Monkey

The 5 Love Languages of Children giveaway

This is a guest post written by my mom Jennifer who blogs at Just Wedeminute and Just Wedeminute Reviews and Giveaways.  She has a very special giveaway going on and we decided to include Punky Monkey Missions readers in the giveaway.

To be their best, children need to feel loved. But if you and your child speak different love languages, your affection might get lost in translation, affecting the child’s attitude, behavior, and development. Dr. Gary Chapman’s groundbreaking Five Love Languages series has helped millions of couples communicate love more clearly, and Dr. Ross Campbell M.D. has applied the innovative system to children as well. The 5 Love Languages of Children gives practical suggestions for learning how your children interpret love and creating a sense of security in which they can thrive.


The 5 Love Languages of Children can be purchased at most book stores and online at Amazon by clicking here.

About The Authors

GARY CHAPMAN, PhD, is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The 5 Love Languages. With over 30 years of counseling experience, he has the uncanny ability to hold a mirror up to human behavior, showing readers not just where they go wrong, but also how to grow and move forward. Dr. Chapman holds BA and MA degrees in anthropology from Wheaton College and Wake Forest University, respectively, MRE and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has completed postgraduate work at the University of North Carolina and Duke University. For more information visit his website at www.5lovelanguages.com.


ROSS CAMPBELL, M.D., is the author of the bestselling book How to Really Love Your Child, which has sold more than one million copies. He has spent over 30 years as a clinical psychiatrist, concentrating on the parent-child relationship. Today he works with the Ministering to Ministers Foundation, serving individual ministers, their families, and church organizations. Dr. Campbell is the co-author of The Five Love Languages of Children and Parenting Your Adult Child and author of How to Really Love Your Teenager. Dr. Campbell resides in Signal Mountain, Tennessee.

My Opinion
Immediately, I realized that I wasn't meeting each of my children's individual love need. I thought my son's main love language was physical touch but it's also words of affirmation. This is so obvious in that he is always touching, always wrestling, and always in your personal space and now that I realize it he's also always asking if everything is ok, did he do this ok, am I all right and he is so happy after receiving positive words of affirmation from myself and my husband. After reading Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell's tips, I began to incorporate more touch into every moment that I was near my son and a lot more words of affirmation. Whenever he is near, my hand can be found on his head, his back, or engaging in learning manners such as shaking hands. I have learned to use touch in all of his learning activities and his acting out has gone down considerably as well as his verbal skills have soared.

My daughter was a little harder to discover but I quickly discovered that her love languages are acts of service and time. She wants to be with you yet she wants to do something with you. Playing games with her, baking with her, doing crafts with her, and even cleaning or doing laundry together are all reaching her needs.  She also loves to work on Punky Monkey Misisons projects together like crocheting, passing out Blessed to Bless bags to the needy and taking food to the homeless.

As a mom, I found that The 5 Love Languages of Children was one of the best books I could have read. I wish I would have had this as a new mom! Gary Champan and Ross Campbell use biblical principles, personal illustrations, and personal application to really open up your eyes to your child's needs. I highly recommend this book to any parent - new or old. It might just be the charge your family needs to go from average to exemplary. If every child had their love languages met just think of what a better place we would live in.


If you would like to win a copy of The 5 Love Languages of Children please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

Wreaths of Maine fundraiser

 We arrived home from a playing at the skate park and found this box just waiting for us!  Don't you love the big red bow and Seasons Greetings on the box? We were very excited to open this package from Wreaths of Maine.

We opened the box and found some cheery red wrapping paper inside BUT that wasn't all, we instantly smelled this aromatic smell like pine trees or Balsam fir.  Don't you wish computers had scratch and sniff?

Packed inside was this beauty!

We LOVE this double faced wreath!  It looks so inviting hanging on our front door.  Would you like to know where you can get a wreath just like this one?  Well, let me tell you about Wreaths of Maine.  Wreaths of Maine is a mail order Christmas wreath company that was started by a home schooling family in the 1990's.  Since we homeschool this is the perfect fundraiser for our family!  My sweet daughter Makenzie started Punky Monkey Missions a couple of years ago to help those in need like missionaries, adoptions, orphans and the homeless.  This is going to be one of her biggest fundraisers for the year.  If you would like to help Punky Monkey Missions make a difference please pop over to the Wreaths of Maine website and purchase a beautiful double faced wreath which will be shipped directly to your front door just in time for Christmas please be sure when you checkout  to enter Just Wedeminute's seller id which is #5061 so Punky Monkey will receive her commission check.

You can also sell these beautiful wreaths.  It's simple by going door to door, selling to friends and family and even online like we are.  Earning commissions from Wreaths of Maine can help with homeschool costs, dance, cheer or sports teams or just extra money for the holidays.  For more info on selling wreaths click here.

Custom made notepads

My mom and I just made a bunch of customized note pads out of cereal boxes, pop boxes and American Girl material.  They are only $1 each!

Kuchie Classic

This design represents the clothing worn by a nomadic ethnic group of Afghanistan known as the Kuchies.  Often seen tending to their sheep, Kuchie girls and women wear brightly colored outfits with dangling beads and bracelets.  The artist for this outfit is Zora and the cost is $25.  The colors look pink and purple in the pictures but they are actually red and blue.

Karzai Stripe

Afghan women and girls, especially in the rural areas, often decorate their clothing and houses with beautiful handiwork.  The inset on the bodice of this dress is done in a variety of Afghan embroidery styles.  The material used in the dress was favored by President Hamid Karzai for ceremonial robes.  These traditional skills are kept alive as girls practice different kinds of embroidery by making coverings for tables and pillows.

The artist for this outfit is Enjelo and the cost is $25.

Night of Henna Guest Dress

Weddings are times of great celebration in Afghanistan.  This outift is one which would be worn by a guest invited to the festivities the night before the wedding.  Women who are close friends and family of the bride join together for a celebration that often includes dancing, eating, and putting henna on their hands and feet, signifying their joy and wishes for a happy marriage.

The purplish/lavender dress was made by the artist Hadeja and is $35

and the Burgundy and Green guest dress was made by the artisit Sakina and is also $35