I feel so scattered and unorganized today. Why you ask? Because Hubby opened the mail before me twice last week. (Yes, you read that correctly) I'm about to sit down and pay the bills that need to go out next week. I'm a creature of habit and a very visual learner. I've noticed there is something about opening the mail myself-actually tearing open the envelope and peering inside-that ingrains the memory into my mind. If I open it myself I can remember what came when without problem, and the accompanying due date (usually). But if someone else opens the mail...I'm lost. I'm not sure what bills came, if any or when they're due.
So I'm sitting here doubting myself a little. I'm sure I have all the bills together. As soon as they come (no matter who opens them) I stick them into our big ledger-style checkbook so they won't get lost. And it's not like we have that many bills, LOL. But since I didn't physically open everything myself, I get a little pinprick of "did I pay the ___________!" running through my head. :) Obsess much? Yeah, my OCD is showing.
(OCD-Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, I've not been diagnosed, but I have tendencies, haha)
26 February, 2009
23 February, 2009
Manic Monday - 02/23/2009
Wanna join the fun? Just answer this weeks 3 questions and link up at Manic Monday! It's simple and fun!What's one of the simple pleasures in your life?
Afternoon naps cuddling with Littlest. Or snuggling with Biggest during a movie. I treasure those times because they grow up so fast.
What do you like to snack on when you watch a movie?
At the theater-Sour Patch Kids!
At home-Sour Patch Kids and dairy-free popcorn, yum.
If you were a Survivor contestant, what would be your luxury item?
Hmm, good one. I'd say a truckload of bug spray; they're always covered in itchy bites or maybe a truckload of protein bars.
22 February, 2009
Giveaway - Kix Cereal
Mrs. Qtpie herself at Our 7 Qtpies has a great giveaway going! You can win everything you see here: a coupon for a free box of New Honey Kix, a cereal storage box, a set of cereal bowls, a travel container for Kix on the go and the adorable little honey pot. Pop on over and check it out. To enter just leave a comment with an example of what you do to meet your kids' nutritional needs. The giveaway ends 02/28/2009 so hurry!
21 February, 2009
Weekly Wrap Up #4
We had a pretty smooth week, maybe it was because we didn't do much schooling ;)
Monday- No school, Presidents Day! Today consisted of being lazy, watching far too much television and the family going out to eat with my brother and his girlfriend. And of course Biggest had his usual guitar lesson.
Tuesday-Co-Op day. In general science we started two experiments, one consists of growing and viewing bacteria. The other involves yeast and banana slices; they should be interesting. I may actually have some cool pictures for you next week. :) This evening Biggest packed an overnight bag so that he can go to his great-grandparent's house in the morning. He spends a few nights with them once every month-6weeks. They live a little over an hour away, but only a half hour from Hubby's work and Hubby stops by every Wednesday morning to take their trash out. So when Biggest goes to visit he leaves early in the morning with Hubby.
Wednesday-Just me and Littlest; Biggest was at the g-grandparents. We did laundry, paid bills, played with blocks, watched Little Bear and had all kinds of one on one time. It was nice.
Thursday-We only planned for Biggest to stay one night with the g-grandparents so rather than Hubby picking him up on Friday evening, I went down to pick him up this morning. The g-grandparent's only vehicle is broke down so I took the g-grandmother (who we call Gram) shopping. We drove to town, had lunch and fiddle farted around Walmart. I think she really enjoyed spending the day with the boys. It doesn't sound like much but it was an all day adventure. Littlest and I left the house around 10AM and we all didn't get home until 5PM. Then we turned around and left again at 6PM so I could go to a homeschooling moms fellowship night. A friend of mine opens her home to fellow homeschooling moms every Thursday night, without fail, it's so wonderful. I hadn't been in at least 5 months though so it was especially nice to see everyone.
Friday- We took it easy, but did cover the main subjects. Have I mentioned how much I love the online drills available at Math-U-See? Biggest loves to be timed no matter what he's doing so he always enjoys the drills. And he's reading a really great book on economics, Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard J. Maybury. It clearly describes the history of money. Biggest can explain inflation and recessions and lots of other stuff I'm surprised he could wrap his brilliant little mind around.
So all in all an easy but productive week! If you'd like to join in the Weekly Wrap Up visit Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
19 February, 2009
You Know You're a Mom If/When...
1. You're all at once smeared with vomit, snot, poo and pee...and you don't care
2. You'd rather get 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep than the best sex of your life
3. You've ever nursed a toddler, standing between your knees...while you're using the bathroom
4. You judge every tool, utensil, toy and piece of furniture brought into the house not by its usefulness but by its ability to be used as a lethal weapon.
5. 10 minutes alone is your idea of a vacation
6. Any given meal is comprised of whatever the children left on their plates
7. You answer to "Mommy" -- no matter who says it
8. You have amazing selective hearing -Screaming? Nope, I don't hear anyone pitching a fit, do you?
9. You think Satan invented permanent markers
10. Even a king sized bed just isn't big enough
11. You wish Folgers sold an IV drip
12. You know what fear really is
13. You feel as if your heart has sprouted legs and is walking around outside your body
2. You'd rather get 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep than the best sex of your life
3. You've ever nursed a toddler, standing between your knees...while you're using the bathroom
4. You judge every tool, utensil, toy and piece of furniture brought into the house not by its usefulness but by its ability to be used as a lethal weapon.
5. 10 minutes alone is your idea of a vacation
6. Any given meal is comprised of whatever the children left on their plates
7. You answer to "Mommy" -- no matter who says it
8. You have amazing selective hearing -Screaming? Nope, I don't hear anyone pitching a fit, do you?
9. You think Satan invented permanent markers
10. Even a king sized bed just isn't big enough
11. You wish Folgers sold an IV drip
12. You know what fear really is
13. You feel as if your heart has sprouted legs and is walking around outside your body
16 February, 2009
Homeschooling and Backing Off
As homeschooling moms (and dads) we sometimes feel the weight of the world on our shoulders, searing eyes of judgment upon our backs and thoughts of self doubt cycling through our heads. We often feel the need to prove ourselves against all the stereotypes against our choices. We feel our kids not only need to learn, but to excel; that they need to perform above and beyond their public school peers. So we push our kids, pressure and bully them into taking on more than their fair share. We expect too much.
When our children don't perform to our expectations we beat our heads against the wall, unable to understand why they "just don't get it". Cry to God wondering what we're doing wrong. Then, determined not to fail them, we push harder when in most cases what we should be doing is backing off.
I learned the importance of backing off when Biggest was learning to read. He had a bit of trouble. We took on a strenuous curriculum in Kindergarten (yes you read that correctly-Kindergarten). I can laugh at my grandiose plans now, but at the beginning of my homeschooling journey the slightest bump in the road caused me great panic. Biggest wasn't a poor reader, over time he did pretty well, but he had the most perplexing problem. He could sound out words like "preposterous" and "determined" but he would continually stumble over common words such as "like", "how" and "they". I just didn't get it.
Frustrated and panicked that I was ruining my son's education I pushed harder. I piled on the work and more than doubled the time we spent on reading and phonics. I was short tempered and unmerciful. In fact-I am deeply ashamed of this, but it's the truth and I believe the truth will set you free-I remember pressing, shoving even, his sweet little face into his book and shouting "Don't think about it, just read it!!" My stomach turns just thinking of it. Please don't judge me, I share this to help other exasperated mothers. Soon I had a very different student. Biggest went from being carefree and enjoying his schoolwork to dreading it. He fought me tooth and nail on every assignment. It was awful.
Thankfully, one day at our homeschool co-op, I received the best advice for homeschooling in the early years:
Spend a MAXIMUM of 20 minutes a day on the child's weakest subject. The weakest subject is what you should spend THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME ON.
Pushing our children and subjecting them to untold hours of a subject they perform poorly on weakens their spirit, crushes their resolve and demolishes their self esteem. Have you ever had a task set before you that seemed insurmountable? Like no matter how hard you try you'll never muddle through? I have, when our basement flooded. I had to sort through ten years of stuff, sodden and filthy, deciding what to keep and what to pitch. It took me a week to get through it all. I woke up each morning dreading going back down to the basement, already feeling defeated by the task before me.
This is what I was subjecting my son to...not just for a week, but for months, and in one way or another, years. Once I realized the gravity of the situation I decided to whole heartedly follow my friend's advice. I did a complete about face and threw his reading time out completely. I read everything to him, books, math questions, you name it. I threw out writing too, I let him dictate to me anything that needed to be written down. After a few months I had my old son back. He recovered his love of learning. Amen. He now reads prolifically.
Ever so slowly he began requesting to read aloud to me. He wanted to try. He didn't shrink away when he stumbled on a word. And for my part, I no longer blew up when he stumbled. We had found our groove, a whole new dynamic to our schooling. I'm not saying things are now perfect, I'm saying we learned to work together. We learned that failure is inevitable, it's how you deal with it that counts. And we realized that everyone will learn at their own pace, sooner or later we all cross the finish line.
That's why when Biggest began showing problems with creative writing and summaries I didn't freak. He's 12 almost 13 and I say without the least bit of shame that I do not yet require much creative writing from him. Once or twice a month I'll have him write a summary of a book-and by summary I mean one paragraph. That's why I was so surprised and pleased to find in the bathroom trashcan a full page hand written story. I plucked it out, read it and it was GOOD! He's into The Hobbit and fantasy video games so it was a story about gnomes and dwarves and a great expedition. I was impressed. I asked him if I could share the first paragraph but he said no. He now says he's writing a book and has 3 full, typed pages already. Go figure. He still isn't interested in summaries and the like...but he's writing a book, and a pretty good one at that.
By backing off I allowed my son to learn at his own pace, no pressure, no judgement. He was able to spread his wings. Writing and reading are now joys rather than chores. Backing off isn't giving up, it's giving it time...a freedom few public schoolers are afforded. Backing off means trying and if it doesn't work trying again a little later on. All children learn and mature at a different pace and they deserve the freedom and dignity to do so. They will get it, just relax, back off and try again later.
When our children don't perform to our expectations we beat our heads against the wall, unable to understand why they "just don't get it". Cry to God wondering what we're doing wrong. Then, determined not to fail them, we push harder when in most cases what we should be doing is backing off.
I learned the importance of backing off when Biggest was learning to read. He had a bit of trouble. We took on a strenuous curriculum in Kindergarten (yes you read that correctly-Kindergarten). I can laugh at my grandiose plans now, but at the beginning of my homeschooling journey the slightest bump in the road caused me great panic. Biggest wasn't a poor reader, over time he did pretty well, but he had the most perplexing problem. He could sound out words like "preposterous" and "determined" but he would continually stumble over common words such as "like", "how" and "they". I just didn't get it.
Frustrated and panicked that I was ruining my son's education I pushed harder. I piled on the work and more than doubled the time we spent on reading and phonics. I was short tempered and unmerciful. In fact-I am deeply ashamed of this, but it's the truth and I believe the truth will set you free-I remember pressing, shoving even, his sweet little face into his book and shouting "Don't think about it, just read it!!" My stomach turns just thinking of it. Please don't judge me, I share this to help other exasperated mothers. Soon I had a very different student. Biggest went from being carefree and enjoying his schoolwork to dreading it. He fought me tooth and nail on every assignment. It was awful.
Thankfully, one day at our homeschool co-op, I received the best advice for homeschooling in the early years:
Spend a MAXIMUM of 20 minutes a day on the child's weakest subject. The weakest subject is what you should spend THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME ON.
Pushing our children and subjecting them to untold hours of a subject they perform poorly on weakens their spirit, crushes their resolve and demolishes their self esteem. Have you ever had a task set before you that seemed insurmountable? Like no matter how hard you try you'll never muddle through? I have, when our basement flooded. I had to sort through ten years of stuff, sodden and filthy, deciding what to keep and what to pitch. It took me a week to get through it all. I woke up each morning dreading going back down to the basement, already feeling defeated by the task before me.
This is what I was subjecting my son to...not just for a week, but for months, and in one way or another, years. Once I realized the gravity of the situation I decided to whole heartedly follow my friend's advice. I did a complete about face and threw his reading time out completely. I read everything to him, books, math questions, you name it. I threw out writing too, I let him dictate to me anything that needed to be written down. After a few months I had my old son back. He recovered his love of learning. Amen. He now reads prolifically.
Ever so slowly he began requesting to read aloud to me. He wanted to try. He didn't shrink away when he stumbled on a word. And for my part, I no longer blew up when he stumbled. We had found our groove, a whole new dynamic to our schooling. I'm not saying things are now perfect, I'm saying we learned to work together. We learned that failure is inevitable, it's how you deal with it that counts. And we realized that everyone will learn at their own pace, sooner or later we all cross the finish line.
That's why when Biggest began showing problems with creative writing and summaries I didn't freak. He's 12 almost 13 and I say without the least bit of shame that I do not yet require much creative writing from him. Once or twice a month I'll have him write a summary of a book-and by summary I mean one paragraph. That's why I was so surprised and pleased to find in the bathroom trashcan a full page hand written story. I plucked it out, read it and it was GOOD! He's into The Hobbit and fantasy video games so it was a story about gnomes and dwarves and a great expedition. I was impressed. I asked him if I could share the first paragraph but he said no. He now says he's writing a book and has 3 full, typed pages already. Go figure. He still isn't interested in summaries and the like...but he's writing a book, and a pretty good one at that.
By backing off I allowed my son to learn at his own pace, no pressure, no judgement. He was able to spread his wings. Writing and reading are now joys rather than chores. Backing off isn't giving up, it's giving it time...a freedom few public schoolers are afforded. Backing off means trying and if it doesn't work trying again a little later on. All children learn and mature at a different pace and they deserve the freedom and dignity to do so. They will get it, just relax, back off and try again later.
13 February, 2009
Weekly Wrap-up #3
Join the fun! Visit Kris at http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/Monday- Not a good day today. We had to put down one of our cats, Oliver. If you like you can read his story here. No school. We all went to be with Oliver as he passed, then brought him home and buried him in the backyard below a maple tree. Later we had a nice "celebrate Oliver's life" dinner where we got everyone's favorite take-out, gathered around the table and told our favorite Oliver stories.
Tuesday- Our homeschool co-op day. Biggest takes general science, which I teach, and American History & Civics. Littlest spends a couple hours in the nursery. In general science I forgot to start one of the experiments ahead of time so it was kind of a bust, but we'll make it up next week. We were home by 1PM then it was nap time for Littlest, free time for Biggest and chore time for me :)
Wednesday- Biggest's emotions were still a little raw, understandably so we had an easy day. We finally got around to starting school about 10:30. Around 11:30 I let Biggest take a break and took Littlest on his first ever outing to the library. So fun! Back home with Littlest quietly napping, I had Bible study with Biggest and a little reading aloud. That's it. Calm and easy
Thursday-Another easy breezy day. Nothing special or exciting as far as school goes, I've got to get better about incorporating fun activities. I was a little mentally scattered today because my mom, who is only 52, was in the hospital with chest pain. They think it's stress/muscular but wanted to be sure. Her father had a heart attack at 42 so they want to be extra cautious. Thankfully her father lived well into his seventies, but still, better to err on the side of caution. Anyway we did manage to fit in a nature walk today. We didn't find much other than some trash blown into our yard from the crazy 45 mile an hour winds we had the night before :) But it was fun. The wind was still whipping so it made for a giggle filled walk.
Friday- Biggest tricked me and was a day ahead in his studies for this week, don't ask me how that happened. So all he had to do was math and guitar practice. That was over with really quickly so we decided to take Littlest to the library for their infant and toddler story time. We'd never been before. It was a lot of fun, there were 3 other children there. Two books were read then the children got to play with mini bean bags and blow-up beach balls. We stayed for about an hour. Next time I think we'll leave after about 45mins. The last 15mins were spent apologizing to the other parents because Littlest is so rough, he had everyone crying at one point or another =0 He was trying to be sweet, giving hugs and sharing beach balls...but he's so rough and doesn't quite understand when to let go while hugging...oy!
Cloth Diapers-Dealing with Poo
When people discover we use cloth diapers on Littlest I'm inevitably asked "What about the poo?" I have to laugh...what exactly do you want to know about the poo? People are generally very curious about the disposal of the poo given that you can't just wrap it up and toss it in the trash.
First let me say that if you actually read the disposable diaper packaging you're likely to find (in very small print) instructions stating that you are not to simply wrap up a disposable full of poo and chuck it in the trash...you're supposed to flush the poo before disposing of the disposable. By law fecal material is never supposed to go in the trash.
It's the same with cloth, you flush it. Yes it is an "extra" step, but it's not that time consuming and definitely not difficult. There are several different ways to go about it. You can:
First let me say that if you actually read the disposable diaper packaging you're likely to find (in very small print) instructions stating that you are not to simply wrap up a disposable full of poo and chuck it in the trash...you're supposed to flush the poo before disposing of the disposable. By law fecal material is never supposed to go in the trash.
It's the same with cloth, you flush it. Yes it is an "extra" step, but it's not that time consuming and definitely not difficult. There are several different ways to go about it. You can:
- Soak the soiled diaper in the toilet then swish and wring it out
- Simply shake the poo off it's solid enough
- Make or purchase a diaper sprayer and spray the poo into the toilet
- Have a designated scraper, this can be a spatula or putty knife and scrape the poo off into the toilet **If you use a spatula LABEL IT CLEARLY AND NEVER REMOVE IT FROM THE BATHROOM ** :)
The most difficult time to deal with poo is when your child is having "transitional poos" - when they're transitioning from breast (or bottle) to solid foods. At this time the poo is usually sticky and the only way to get it off is to soak, spray or scrape. Before introducing solids the poo is generally small in amount and the consistency of yogurt-this can go straight into the wash. On the other hand, after transitioning to solids the poo is usually more formed and is easily shaken off the diaper. So in actuality, you're only looking at a handful of months where you really have to deal with poo. Not as bad as you may have thought huh? :)
09 February, 2009
Manic Monday #2
What is your favorite candy? Hands down, no hesitation. Sour Patch Kids.
Can we truly love someone who loves another? That's a tough one. I think you can love them the same way you all love all children-basic love of humanity. But I don't think it can be true love. For true love I think both parties need to share all of themselves with each other. If not, you're just in love with your idea of them.
Sadness Today
This post is a little long today, but I'm remembering a member of our family. We had to put down one of our cats, Oliver, today. He was not well. We took him to the vet on Friday, he was there all weekend. They did what they could but he wasn't making progress and short of an expensive operation there was nothing else they could do. He was a loving cat, he will be missed. Here's to Oliver!
Oliver's Story:
Oliver was found 5 years ago by a farmer. He had only just been born, his eyes were not yet open. His mother had urinated on him and left him for dead. That should have given us a hint that there was something wrong, but we humans are suckers for sick, abandoned baby kitties. The farmer rescued him and took him to the veterinarian where my step-mother, Ma, works. Upon finding out that he would need to feed the kitten round the clock for weeks on end the farmer turned Oliver over in hopes someone would take him in.
Someone did, an employee at the vet's office. She had pity on him and took him in even though she had 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 guinea pigs and a rabbit and was in the middle of planning her wedding. She and her children cared for Oliver for a few months, nursing him to health. But as the wedding drew near and the prospect of merging her 9 pets with her fiance's 3, she realized she needed to downsize and couldn't keep Oliver. Plus, he was a little high maintenance. He sometimes had trouble going poo.
Ma called me wanting to know if we wanted another cat or knew anyone else who did. We weren't looking for a pet but decided to take him in until we could find him a home. Big mistake! He was only a few months old and SO ADORABLE. When we didn't find him a home quickly we decided to keep him. Our house wasn't the same after that :)
Oliver was the sweetest most cuddly cat ever-when it came to people. He would love and cuddle you all day if you let him. And so playful too. He HATED other cats however and made life unbearable for the other two cats we have. We tried to find another home for him...no takers. We had to keep him separate from the other cats at all times or he'd try to kill them, we got a big dog crate for him to sleep in at night so the other cats would be safe. After we worked out the logistics of it all he settled down a bit and we really began to enjoy him.
But about a year ago he started having trouble with his bowels. He'd always had sluggish bowels but it seemed to get worse, he'd get plugged up and couldn't go. He'd be terribly uncomfortable. We changed foods and added canned food and fish oil to his diet. It didn't help much. One day he got completely plugged up and we had to take him to the vet. They were able to fix him up with enemas and meds. We were instructed to continue giving him the meds, a stool softener type and monitor him.
He did well for a while. But it was constant monitoring, checking his stool and adjusting his medication levels based on how well (or not) he was going to the bathroom. Because his intestines were never quite right he'd often vomit. We knew he wasn't too comfortable but he seemed happy so we kept on. Then he started losing weight, we upped his food and that seemed to help for a few weeks, then he began dropping again. At the same time the vomiting got out of control and he started dribbling diarrhea around the house. Yuck. I thought we must need to back down his meds since his stool was so loose. A bad decision, I did him in. I feel so guilty, I feel I failed him.
Apparently he was blocked up again. His body created diarrhea in an effort to flush out the blockage. I made the blockage worse, but I didn't know. I believe the correct term is megacolon. The vet spent 3 days giving Oliver enemas, stool softeners and laxatives. He'd passed almost nothing in 3 days. The vet said the only option now is a surgery, removing part of the colon. It usually works, but not always, sometimes it goes the other way and he'd spend the rest of his life battling chronic diarrhea instead of constipation. We decided to put him down. We don't want him to suffer, don't feel comfortable putting him through surgery when there is no guarantee and honestly, with the economy the way it is, can't spend anymore money. So with great sadness we put our Oliver down. We went to the vet and said our goodbyes. We were all there, my hand on his back as he left this world.
Oliver's Story:
Oliver was found 5 years ago by a farmer. He had only just been born, his eyes were not yet open. His mother had urinated on him and left him for dead. That should have given us a hint that there was something wrong, but we humans are suckers for sick, abandoned baby kitties. The farmer rescued him and took him to the veterinarian where my step-mother, Ma, works. Upon finding out that he would need to feed the kitten round the clock for weeks on end the farmer turned Oliver over in hopes someone would take him in.
Someone did, an employee at the vet's office. She had pity on him and took him in even though she had 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 guinea pigs and a rabbit and was in the middle of planning her wedding. She and her children cared for Oliver for a few months, nursing him to health. But as the wedding drew near and the prospect of merging her 9 pets with her fiance's 3, she realized she needed to downsize and couldn't keep Oliver. Plus, he was a little high maintenance. He sometimes had trouble going poo.
Ma called me wanting to know if we wanted another cat or knew anyone else who did. We weren't looking for a pet but decided to take him in until we could find him a home. Big mistake! He was only a few months old and SO ADORABLE. When we didn't find him a home quickly we decided to keep him. Our house wasn't the same after that :)
Oliver was the sweetest most cuddly cat ever-when it came to people. He would love and cuddle you all day if you let him. And so playful too. He HATED other cats however and made life unbearable for the other two cats we have. We tried to find another home for him...no takers. We had to keep him separate from the other cats at all times or he'd try to kill them, we got a big dog crate for him to sleep in at night so the other cats would be safe. After we worked out the logistics of it all he settled down a bit and we really began to enjoy him.
But about a year ago he started having trouble with his bowels. He'd always had sluggish bowels but it seemed to get worse, he'd get plugged up and couldn't go. He'd be terribly uncomfortable. We changed foods and added canned food and fish oil to his diet. It didn't help much. One day he got completely plugged up and we had to take him to the vet. They were able to fix him up with enemas and meds. We were instructed to continue giving him the meds, a stool softener type and monitor him.
He did well for a while. But it was constant monitoring, checking his stool and adjusting his medication levels based on how well (or not) he was going to the bathroom. Because his intestines were never quite right he'd often vomit. We knew he wasn't too comfortable but he seemed happy so we kept on. Then he started losing weight, we upped his food and that seemed to help for a few weeks, then he began dropping again. At the same time the vomiting got out of control and he started dribbling diarrhea around the house. Yuck. I thought we must need to back down his meds since his stool was so loose. A bad decision, I did him in. I feel so guilty, I feel I failed him.
Apparently he was blocked up again. His body created diarrhea in an effort to flush out the blockage. I made the blockage worse, but I didn't know. I believe the correct term is megacolon. The vet spent 3 days giving Oliver enemas, stool softeners and laxatives. He'd passed almost nothing in 3 days. The vet said the only option now is a surgery, removing part of the colon. It usually works, but not always, sometimes it goes the other way and he'd spend the rest of his life battling chronic diarrhea instead of constipation. We decided to put him down. We don't want him to suffer, don't feel comfortable putting him through surgery when there is no guarantee and honestly, with the economy the way it is, can't spend anymore money. So with great sadness we put our Oliver down. We went to the vet and said our goodbyes. We were all there, my hand on his back as he left this world.
06 February, 2009
Weekly Wrap-Up #2
This week has demonstrated to me some of the beauty of homeschooling-the flexibility, the loyalty of the family unit, the Christ-like mercy of our comrades. I usually hit a wall sometime in February; after all the holidays, lost money and weeks on end off school I begin to question my resolve. In a negative light I examine all my shortcomings as well as those of my children and toy with the idea of sending them to public school. No! Ship them off to boarding school, even better, the farther from me and my inadequacies the better right? :) I don't think I'll be going down that mental road this year. A stomach virus was my saving grace.
Monday- An average school day for us. Independent studies in the morning, reading time and "group" activities in the afternoon, guitar lesson in the evening, family dinner around the table. Just your average, smooth-sailing day.
Tuesday-I woke up at 4AM feeling funny. I took two trips to the restroom but still didn't feel quite right. Hubby asked me if I wanted him to stay home-No thanks, probably just something I ate, I'll be fine once it works through my system-famous last words. By 7AM I realized this was more than just something I ate. Our first day of spring co-op was supposed to begin today, I'm on the committee and had all the name tags, room assignments, signs etc. I called another committee member, and panted into the phone, she agreed pick everything up for me-No problem, relax she said. No frustration, no anger, just grace. 8AM Littlest wakes up (while I'm in the restroom) and Biggest takes over, no questions asked-changes diapers, whips up some eggs for their breakfast, I'm just aware enough to be thankful. By 11AM I'm stumbling around my room whispering "Jesus, please help me." over and over, I haven't had this much gastrointestinal pain since I used to have my attacks, before I realized I was allergic to dairy. I call Hubby and cry "come home" into the phone, he tells me not to worry, he's on his way. By 12PM the pain begins to subside and I'm able to drift in and out of sleep. Hubby makes it home by 2PM (I think) and relieves Biggest from baby duty. I continue my fitful rest. Around 4PM I'm able to sit up, though not comfortably. Around 8PM I can finally keep down ice chips, but only just. Sleep that night was fitful to say the least. No school today.
Wednesday- Still weak and nauseous, but I'm able to keep down toast. Our school day consisted of overseeing Biggest's guitar practice and checking his math work. I don't have the energy to read aloud. Lots of cuddling in front of the TV. National Geographic videos rock.
Thursday & Friday- Not 100% but feeling much better we go back to our "regular" schedule. Once again it's smooth sailing. Except for Littlest's 1 1/2 year check up on Thursday and an emergency trip to the vet for our cat today (Friday) it was business as usual.
Wednesday through Friday I had the opportunity to take a step back and see how homeschooling really works. And I'm amazed by the sheer freedom it affords our family. To be able to bring our lives to a screeching halt whenever needed and pick up exactly where we left off is nothing short of amazing. And the relationships! My boys are very close due to the privilege of spending so many hours together. As for Biggest, I don't know many other 12 year old boys who would think nothing of caring for their 1 1/2 year old brother ALL DAY because mom is sick. And friends, the fact that my fellow homeschool ladies were whole heartedly willing to step in and pick up my slack without complaint amazes me. And I've received caring calls checking up on me since then. God's grace truly humbles me. The virus wasn't fun but it saved me from hitting the usual wall; it gave me a gift-perspective. I realize we're doing better than I could hope. Character and, most importantly, a Christ-like existence is more important than any "school".
Monday- An average school day for us. Independent studies in the morning, reading time and "group" activities in the afternoon, guitar lesson in the evening, family dinner around the table. Just your average, smooth-sailing day.
Tuesday-I woke up at 4AM feeling funny. I took two trips to the restroom but still didn't feel quite right. Hubby asked me if I wanted him to stay home-No thanks, probably just something I ate, I'll be fine once it works through my system-famous last words. By 7AM I realized this was more than just something I ate. Our first day of spring co-op was supposed to begin today, I'm on the committee and had all the name tags, room assignments, signs etc. I called another committee member, and panted into the phone, she agreed pick everything up for me-No problem, relax she said. No frustration, no anger, just grace. 8AM Littlest wakes up (while I'm in the restroom) and Biggest takes over, no questions asked-changes diapers, whips up some eggs for their breakfast, I'm just aware enough to be thankful. By 11AM I'm stumbling around my room whispering "Jesus, please help me." over and over, I haven't had this much gastrointestinal pain since I used to have my attacks, before I realized I was allergic to dairy. I call Hubby and cry "come home" into the phone, he tells me not to worry, he's on his way. By 12PM the pain begins to subside and I'm able to drift in and out of sleep. Hubby makes it home by 2PM (I think) and relieves Biggest from baby duty. I continue my fitful rest. Around 4PM I'm able to sit up, though not comfortably. Around 8PM I can finally keep down ice chips, but only just. Sleep that night was fitful to say the least. No school today.
Wednesday- Still weak and nauseous, but I'm able to keep down toast. Our school day consisted of overseeing Biggest's guitar practice and checking his math work. I don't have the energy to read aloud. Lots of cuddling in front of the TV. National Geographic videos rock.
Thursday & Friday- Not 100% but feeling much better we go back to our "regular" schedule. Once again it's smooth sailing. Except for Littlest's 1 1/2 year check up on Thursday and an emergency trip to the vet for our cat today (Friday) it was business as usual.
Wednesday through Friday I had the opportunity to take a step back and see how homeschooling really works. And I'm amazed by the sheer freedom it affords our family. To be able to bring our lives to a screeching halt whenever needed and pick up exactly where we left off is nothing short of amazing. And the relationships! My boys are very close due to the privilege of spending so many hours together. As for Biggest, I don't know many other 12 year old boys who would think nothing of caring for their 1 1/2 year old brother ALL DAY because mom is sick. And friends, the fact that my fellow homeschool ladies were whole heartedly willing to step in and pick up my slack without complaint amazes me. And I've received caring calls checking up on me since then. God's grace truly humbles me. The virus wasn't fun but it saved me from hitting the usual wall; it gave me a gift-perspective. I realize we're doing better than I could hope. Character and, most importantly, a Christ-like existence is more important than any "school".
02 February, 2009
Manic Monday
I'm trying out a new meme today. Manic Monday, hosted by Fleur de Lisa of Manic Monday. Each week she asks 3 random questions for all to answer. Here's this week's questions and my answers:What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod (or music collection)?
Hmm, I don't have ab iPod, but in my song collection I'd have to say Elvis, lots and lots of Elvis. A ridiculous amount of Elvis for a 30 year old.
How much time do you spend each day in your commute? (Or if you don't work outside the house, how much time do you spend in your car or other preferred mode of transportation?)
I don't have a commute, hallelujah! I'm a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom. On average I probably only spend a few hours a week in my vehicle. My poor Hubby however has a 1 1/2 hour commute, each way. Yep, 3 hours minimum on the road each day-yuck!
What's your favorite wardrobe item and why?
That's difficult, it depends on what mood I'm in. For just scrubbing around the house I love my stretchy lounge pants. For going out I love a shawl-specifically the silver and blue one my Hubby bought me in Montpelier. And for everyday nothing can beat a pair of blue jeans.
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