My Homeschool Mother's Journal - June 7

Link-up URL: http://bit.ly/14VJ0MF

In my life this week…yesterday my oldest daughter completely rattled me when I found out from her sister that she doesn't believe in God. I feel like I am still trying to keep my balance, and I am definitely trying to keep my responses calm. We start our homeschool day with God time and prayer, so I picked a different book for her from our shelves. I've begun thinking about why I believe in God and remembering that her questions are similar to ones I had. I am hoping that it's a good thing that her questions are coming at a younger age than mine did. I've been praying a lot that God would guide my words and my tongue. As much as I've always expected my thinking children to question, ODD threw me more than DS. Apparently I thought I was safe with this one, and so I am examining that presumption, too. I will say it is moments like these that I start to wonder if it would be easier parenting less smart kids, you know?

In our homeschool this week…DS FINISHED ALL HIS HIGH SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS!!!!! We're waiting for grades on 2 history assignments before we know that final grade. He passed everything else including Pre-Calc which he was concerned about the most. So we're all pretty excited around here. We're letting DS stay up late and sleep in late, and just generally enjoy a bit of a break since he worked so hard. His graduation ceremony is June 15, and I for one am pretty thrilled about that.

The girls and I have had a good week. It was not routine, but our routine is changing. ODD is sleeping in and so the girls are not schooling quite as together as they have previously. YDD still gets up at a typical time so she's on our typical schedule, but with ODD getting up later, she's taking less breaks and working when YDD isn't. She says it's worth it and she's willing to put in the effort, so it's working for us so far. We finished Life of Fred: Farming and started LoF: Goldfish. ODD commented on how fast we worked through Farming; I was pleased she noticed. We've also continued to work through SOTW vol 2; we're in chapter 3 "Christianity Comes to Britain".  Yesterday YDD wrote her entire narration instead of dictating it to me like usual. My goal is to move her more to writing her own thoughts for these narrations. This is hard because she thinks so much faster than she writes and so gets frustrated easily. I was pleasantly surprised when she asked to learn cursive this week. June is our last month of full time schooling, so she and I decided to start cursive next October when we pick full time back up which means I need to check into how I am going to teach her this before then!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…do not be married to your homeschooling choices. This week, ODD upended my God time study plan and YDD asked for something I hadn't planned on teaching yet. I think the corollary to this tip is be responsive to your children's input for their schooling.

This week's art . . . 

ODD tried a new medium: water color pencils. She liked them and wants some, but intends to try this picture again with actual watercolors because she said it was hard to get the pencils to drip like she wanted.

Favorite resource this week . . .Usborne Books! This link will lead you to the Usborne site for a friend of mine who is raising money to adopt, so if you're thinking about ordering any Usborne books, she would certainly appreciate your business. These are the books we decided to get:

I have checked out the history encyclopedia from the library and loved it, but decided it's really a book that must be owned. I am excited about using it the Medieval World book along with SOTW volume 2. I got the science books because we don't have many and I thought these 2 would be really good to have on our shelves. Of course I am running into the problem of needing more shelves. . .

 Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…we're done with swimming so just softball left on our schedule - YAY!!!!

What we are reading . . .

1 - YDD finished book 3 of the Fablehaven series; she's waiting for book 4 to arrive at the library. She is loving this series. 2 - I read this and liked it enough that I got another book by this author; this was the first I had read by Suzanne Enoch. 3 - I finally finished this book and it's one I wanted to purchase. I highly recommend it. 4 - The newest Mo Willems that we all read - including the 17YO. 5 - ODD is listening to TRhe Lord of the Rings books so she can draw at the same time. She has already started the next book which is The Two Towers.

My favorite thing this week was…celebrating my youngest's 9th birthday last Sunday. Her main celebration was at Great Wolf Lodge

We started birthday on the porch with the gifts and cards that arrived from family.

Her party was a friend over to play Hexbugs and Harry Potter Lego video game for the afternoon.

These were the party decorations she chose. The plan had been for lemon cookies, but Momma could not get her head on straight and mucked them up. Daddy saved the day by going to a local bakery for Red Velvet cupcakes.

What’s working/not working for us...DS getting done with school WAY early is totally working for all of us. The stress in the house went down not instantly because it took us about 24 hours to adjust, but it was quick and we're all appreciative!

Things I’m working on…getting my husband to work WITH his lunch. This is my current plan:

I’m cooking…last Friday was our last Harry Potter Book Club until next October and here's the steak and steak pudding [as opposed to the steak and kidney pudding as the recipe was written:

It's essentially a pot pie that get steamed instead of baked. It was tasty but the steamed pie crust was a bit weird.

I’m thankful for… DS is done with his high school assignments. I am thankful he got a C in pre-calc. I am thankful this has positively impacted the stress in my home. I am thankful he's taking a year off next year. I am so thankful that we've finally arrived at his high school graduation. I knew we'd get here because I have that kind of perseverance, but dang was it hard work getting here and I am so thankful we're done. I am thankful that there are many options open to us for helping my Aspie kid get a Bachelor's Degree and that we're not restricted to only 4 year university for his education. I am thankful for the friends and family who have gone ahead of us and give us hope for the college years ahead. I am thankful I don't need to think about ANY of his educational choices for months.

I’m praying for…a friend of mine and her family. I met Miriam because her oldest, L, was in the same class as YDD when she was in public school. With L, Miriam was facing many of the same challenges we faced with DS and so we often talked about their challenges and living with those. About 3 months after DH's heart transplant, her husband, Chad, got very sick. Since last August, he has struggled so much with pain and medications [some of which are the same as DH takes or has taken]. So again we've talked about the challenges of a sick husband and living with a man on steroids. Nothing like talking to someone who lives what you live. This week, her husband was at work on Monday and in the ICU on Wednesday. It's been a rough week for them all as he has been so sick. Thankfully, the doctors now know what they are dealing with [which they didn't when he was first admitted] and that helps, but he's still in ICU and very sick. So I've been praying for them all this week, and would appreciate it if you would join me in praying for Miriam and Chad and their 2 kids.
A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…The Senate is voting again on a scary UN proposal called The U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Here is a good article laying the concerns out, but please research it yourself. We must be informed.

Click here to send your letter to your Senators.

 

Thankful Thursday - June 6

 

Yesterday on facebook a friend posted that she was sitting in the ICU waiting room while the doctors tried to figure out what was going on with her husband. She was/is up at OHSU which is a hospital I've spent much time at which is today something I am thankful for. OHSU is a massive complex of more than one hospital and it's confusing to navigate and it can be confusing to get onto campus and find parking. Because of my hours up there, it was no big deal for me to hop in my car and head up there even in rush hour. I know the funky back way to go to avoid much traffic. I know where to park. I knew how to get from where we were to the one cafeteria that is open 24 hours. God is faithful to His word when He says He uses ALL things for good. I hadn't expected my time at OHSU to be redeemed in such a way, but it was. I was able to sit with a friend before her family could get there. Because of my husband's heart transplant, I understand doctor speak much better and I knew some questions to ask that she didn't think of. I am so thankful I could help her in those little ways. I am thankful my husband was home from work when I found out what was going on so I could just drop everything and go. I was in the middle of cooking dinner and my husband just picked it up mid-process and got the kids fed. He finished the math lesson they were in the middle of. My son actually finished all his high school coursework the day before so there was nothing to think about on that front. So very many things to be thankful for. I am always amazed to watch how God works out all these seemingly unconnected details. I am thankful I can see His hand at work.

The doctors have spent the last 15 hours trying to stabilize my friend's husband and they have been unable to do that so far. They have not been far from my thoughts and prayers since I left the hospital last night at 8p. As I woke this morning early [a blessing] and started to read my daily section of the Bible, a few other verses kept coming to mind:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:1-2

I am thankful for these verses; they were a huge comfort to me in the months of our heart transplant journey. Now they are comfort I can pass along as I watch in wonder once again as God redeems my experience in a way I never imagined. I am thankful He can and does take our hardest moments and uses them for good, and not just in one way. All those moments I lived molded and shaped me, deepened my faith, strengthened my relationship with my husband, but God wasn't done using those moments and I am thankful for that. Prayers for my friend and her husband would be deeply appreciated. They have a 9YO girl with Asperger's and a Kindergarten boy who are also along for this rough journey.

My Homeschool Mother's Journal - June 1

In my life this week…not a spectacular week due to an ER visit, scheduled MRI for hubby and antibiotics for ODD. But I don't want to focus there. Instead I want to focus on the wonderful arrangements my husband has made for our Disneyland vacation at the end of the summer! Here's a glimpse of the 3 bedroom 3 bathroom place in Anaheim:

Just the picture makes me excited to go!

My husband's done a ton of research for this trip and found some great options. Because of him we get to fly AND we get to fly out of San Diego and spend time with my cousin & his family. We're starting to investigate San Diego for fun things to do as well. We're close to the end of DS's schooling and ODD's activities keep wrapping up. So in my life this week, I am looking forward to summer!

This week's art . . . ODD spent less time this week on art and more on poem writing which she hasn't decided yet if I can share. I will say I am amazed at her writing ability.

In our homeschool this week…I am so excited! Our state requires homeschoolers to take standardized tests for grades 3, 5 ,8 and 10, but they also consider that a first grader is a child who is 7 on September 1. Because of the age definition, we can wait until next year to test both the girls which is very awesome. When we did our practice tests [because I had thought we needed to test this year] the math sections were distressing for both of them. Math was most deeply impacted by the 18 months of Daddy being sick and getting a heart transplant. Both girls are relieved they can study math for a full year before taking the test. I think they could both take it and pass this year, but if it's going to distress them AND we don't have to, then why do it?

We had a good week of schooling. Got back to SOTW this week; we're starting volume 2. We also finished up God, What's Your Name? by Kay Arthur; it's always cool to finish up books. We've even gotten Rosetta Stone Spanish done a few times - or rather the girls have, I have not although I am working on that. Our next God time book is:

you can check it out here

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…always double check our state laws and requirements. You never know when you can make them work for you!

Favorite resource this week . . .Make Plans for Summer Sanity I really appreciated the approach of this article and the ideas for easy stress while still covering the subject.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…we took Monday off and spent it with my parents and a brother. We ended up having a German BBQ and watching raw footage of our 2010 Disneyland trip. Tuesday was the last art class of the year, and today is our last Harry Potter Book Club of the year. After how hectice April and May were for us, I am LOVING having things winding down!

What we are reading . . . I read 80 pages and 120 pages in two books that I added to my "Started and don't need to finish" category. I hate it when that happens because I don't have all that much time for free reading in my days.

My favorite thing this week was…activities wrapping up - swim class is the next to drop!

What’s working/not working for us...getting back to the subject we love, history. We took a break to prepare for our Germany project and then we've been reading Girls Who Rocked the World by McCann & Welden, but what my girls really love is Story of the World. We got back to it this week and they are so happy.

Things I’m working on…next year. I love iCal. I just went to October 1 and started making events that I repeat M-Th and end on 06/30/14. We're leaving Fridays open for other types of learning activities like with our homeschool group or student driven studies. I've put in a period for me to work on Rosetta Stone Spanish; my goal is for all of us to be fluent by the end of their high school. So I'm still working on next year, but I've got the bulk of it done with my iCal. We don't have a number of days to attend requirement and DS won't be in public school, so for the first time we will be in total control of our calendar. [I've had a hard time having the girls school when brother is not, so in a lot of ways, we followed his public school calendar.]

I’m cooking…nothing for Friday dinners. Friday nights are now softball game night, and we started by having dinner after, but we don't get home until after 8:30p. I decided that's not viable for us. This pay period I decided to have deli sandwiches and last night was our first go. It worked awesome. ODD ate at home before we left. [DS ate at the same time because he was going to the local high school's graduation ceremony and not the softball game.] DH, YDD and I all ate at the ball park whicl we watched ODD warm up. MUCH better.

I’m thankful for…quiet mornings [they have been few and far between since DH got sick last year].

I’m praying for…peace and calm and patience to ride it out until the end of DS's school year. Yes he is 91-95% done with his classes, BUT he always makes this portion of the term very very stressful with his decisions. [Like deciding to change the topic on his history paper the day it's due.] He does not listen or follow advice given by DH or me. He's a learn by experience over and over person, so we let him, but it's stressful and painful on the rest of us. My prayer is that he will finish classes by June 12 so we can have a couple days to unwind before his graduation ceremony on June 15.

I rewarded my kids this week by…YDD and I had a jammie day on Thursday just because she wanted to. Some days it's a big deal for her not to get dressed. I haven't figured that out, but generally I let her. I don't see why not.

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Thankfulness - May 30

I am thankful the boy is 91-95% done with his classes and has 3 B's and 1 C. I am thankful we decided to drop the one class he didn't need for graduation. I am thankful his instructor for that class was cool and gave him a C for the course instead of a late withdrawal. I am so very thankful we are almost done with the torture that has been his elementary, middle school and high school education; it has been a horrendous road for all of us and we're almost done. I am thankful our plan for next school year is PEACE and we won't be trying college credit classes.

The boy has Asperger's and ADHD. These have greatly impacted his education. Even finishing up his Senior Year, he is not at all prepared to manage his own life. We have years of more educating ahead of us; in ways that is comforting and in ways it is tiring. Any way you look at it, though, that is our reality. Without this background, some of those things I am thankful for may sound like thinly veiled complaints. I am a firm believer in living in reality, and the reality is it's been a tough road for all of us and it's just healthier to label it as such. I just read an article about Temple Grandin that stated "The employment statistics for people with autism are really dismal: Fewer than one in 10 hold jobs, even among the group considered 'high-functioning.'" This, too, is our reality. The boy's goals are to get a Bachelor's in computer science and to move to Boston. We've got a lot of work ahead of us in order for those goals to come to fruition. For me a huge part of achieving goals against the odds [which I've done before] is to live in reality and to thank God every day.

I am thankful our boy does have goals for himself. I am thankful today he is off on a Senior Trip with his classmates. I am thankful for the quiet day of just girls we get today.

I am thankful we get to go here to celebrate the boy's graduation with my parents. I am thankful for my husband who did the research to find the place. I am thankful my parents are splitting it with us and we get 3 bedrooms for slightly more than a single hotel room. I am thankful we have such a great vacation to look forward to at the end of our summer. I love ending summer with vacation. I am thankful we get to spend some time in San Diego with my cousin's family. I am thankful we get to fly again thanks to my husband's research.

Summer Bucket List 2013

Link up here

I have been debating for days of whether or not to write one of these up. The last 18 months of our lives has been so crazy that I was hesitant to make any commitments for summer at all. I finally decided, though, that making a list of things is not making a commitment AND we're only including things that we'll be sad if we don't do come October. So here goes:

1. a beach trip
2. a trip to LaPine to see grandparents
3. 1-3 hikes
4. a visit to Portland's Saturday Market
5. spend the afternoon reading at the library
6. put the tent up for the girls in the backyard
7. stay up late for star-gazing
8. help ODD plan a family movie night or two
9. art journal day with the girls - maybe a few times
10. Smash Book day with the girls
11. paint rock garden markers [get rocks from Dad]
12. make a fairy garden with the girls [maybe]

My Homeschool Mother's Journal - May 24

In my life this week…Monday I went with DH to see his primary care physician who is also my PCP. In passing I mentioned to him that between the no caloric restriction and cimetedine he prescribed, my porphyria has stabilized. I've been trying to keep my focus there. Truly I would rather be 193lbs and have my porphyria stable, I wouldn't trade the stability for a smaller body.  I think I just need to repeat that to myself 2,000 more times. Or 2,000,000 more times.

My kiddos and my favorite thing this week was… our celebratory trip to Great Wolf Lodge!

Picking out YDD's wand that was a part of her birthday package. DH made the shorts ODD is wearing and the skirt YDD is wearing.

Chilling getting ready for bed

Happy baby face!

YDD LOVES the wave pool and said she could just spend all day in there

DS goofing around

In our homeschool this week…mostly this week was about our Germany project. Our local homeschool group is doing our first Geography Fair, and we chose to present Germany. I picked it because my family is of German descent and my brother spent a year there & my parents visited him. This meant lots of cool stuff to share at the fair.

The girls working on their project. [I have not quite got this collage thing down yet!]

Setting up with ODD

Setting up with ODD

Setting up with ODD

The girls on front of their final project

YDD chose the German companies to list; ODD picked the history page; they both helped pick the words and the prominent Germans to include. I focused on guiding the subject areas but let them make the decisions about what to include. I think they did a pretty good job for the short notice and first time.

The pictures were taken by my father while he was in Germany. The clothes pictured belong to my brother; it was cool to have lederhosen to share!

Some of the German books we own and a teddy bear from the company that made the very first teddy bear.

My mom was able to come down and check out the girls' work which was pretty cool.

This week's art . . . is toothpaste on mirror [much to Momma's irritation]:

ODD is upstairs cleaning it as I type

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…last Saturday we walked in the American Heart Association's Heart and Stroke walk in Portland. It was an incredible experience meeting DH's donor's family and spending time with them. Here's the news clip of the event:


KPTV - FOX 12
What we are reading . . .

L-R: YDD says it's exciting but also a little depressing; ODD just started this one; And I am about halfway through House of Secrets which is very exciting, non-stop adventure

What’s working/not working for us...doing a chapter of Life of Fred each day. A few months ago I was worried about ODD and math and high school and getting all her math in. I had been doing one LoF chapter MWF and 15 minutes of math practice TTh. I switched that to doing 1 LoF and 15 minutes of practice M-F.  This weekend I bought the last of the LoF books in the elementary series and calculated out when we will finish and I am so happy!  We're going to keep our 30 minutes of math up all summer long [everything else we will break from] and we'll be done with the elementary series by the end of the first week of October.

Things I’m working on…I did some more calculating with math. If we can cover the 5 LofF intermediate books October 2012-June 2014, that will give us ODD's 7th & 8th grade years to deal with the 3 pre-algebra books which will put her starting the high school books on time. I didn't think that would be possible a few months ago when I was panicking. I love it when taking 15 minutes to work on something has a HUGE payoff.

I’m thankful … the Geography Fair came together so well. I am thankful my girls are readers. I am thankful DS is 88-91% done with his classes. I am thankful we dropped the class he doesn't need for graduation. I am thankful we're almost through our crazy month of May. I am thankful I've allowed no commitments for summer. I am thankful I can allow my girls to sleep in even on school days. I am thankful we can adjust schooling around life and not have to choose.

 

Thankfulness Great Wolf Lodge Edition - May 23

Last year when we found out DH could not swim in a public pool until he was 1 year post-transplant with good test results, we decided to celebrate reaching that milestone with a trip to Great Wolf Lodge. Last February we went to Great Wolf with my parents, and my husband could barely walk from the room down to the water park. We didn't realize it at the time, but he was in cardiogenic shock and dying slowly. This year? Whole different ball game.

I am thankful for a year of good health for my husband. I am thankful we were able to celebrate that with this trip for the family. 

He's pink! Last year he was gray. You can see the scar down the center of his chest that's from his transplant surgery. It's a badge of accomplishment and blessing. You can also see the small scar up under his left shoulder; that from the internal defibrillator that he lived with for 5 years and is VERY HAPPY it was removed when he got his new heart.

My boy has ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome. He is difficult to involve in family activities; the family is a social unit and he struggles with social cues, activities. For example, he went with us to the Heart Walk last weekend, but spent most of the walk by himself because he walked ahead. So even when he goes with us, he's often not with us, and that has been the case with our past Great Wolf trips. This trip was vastly different.

The Lodge is adding "The Great Forest Challenge" and is working out the bugs. When we stopped to see what it was, the guy just pulled us into the room and to do it! Here we are in the first room trying to figure out what's going on. It was an interesting digital obstacle course that the whole family could do together which I thought was pretty neat.

Still in The Great Forest Challenge: my children are playing together. This really was the first time we have witnessed them playing together. The girls play together all the time, but DS doesn't engage or play with them. He allows them to watch him play video games some times, but that's it. It was a whole new world this trip.

I am thankful my children played well and often and long together. I am thankful I got to witness that. I am thankful for the changes in DS that brought this about. I am thankful the girls continue to pursue him being part of the family; I am thankful they haven't given up. I am thankful the girls do not consider him a half-brother [as he technically is]. I am thankful DH and I are starting to see the fruit of years' worth of hard work with this child. I am thankful we kept fighting and working towards this.

DS and YDD have always gotten along easier. Here he is helping her with a fun video adventure game at the hotel called MagiQuest. ODD went along and took pictures for me. AND NO ONE CAME BACK IN TEARS. That is huge, and I am thankful for it. We often do not leave DS alone with the girls because it so very often ends with one or both girls in tears.

ODD and DS rode The Howling Tornado together! These two struggle the most to get along and the ride ended with all smiles. I am thankful for that, too.

Me and DS getting ready to ride the family raft ride with ODD. I don't think he ever rode one of these rides with family before this trip. I am thankful he did this time. And I am thankful for this picture because he doesn't often allow pictures and when he does, it's hard to get a good one of him.

I am thankful this little monkey is so much more comfortable in the water. She's had 2 sessions of swim lessons and it shows in her confidence. It didn't bother her at all to go under and she didn't want to be within arms' reach of a parent. I am thankful for all of that.

I am thankful my husband and his 3 kids got to play together. DS and ODD took turns shoving each other off the snake. DS and DH rough-housed. YDD cruised around in the middle of it all. I am thankful I got to witness all of it.

I am thankful for 3 happy kids and a healthy husband