Jul. 23, 2008 - Documents for Our Bible Study

This is another aspect of our homeschool curriculum that I wanted to share.  It is a study of the Bible, in particular the Gospels.  I intend to use my time at home with my children to raise them to know the Lord and to know the Word of God, inside and out.  That is one of the priveleges of homeschooling, time to teach them what they really need to know.  I just need to make time for it and make it a priority. 

So both boys will be required to read all 4 of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, in the next 4 months.  Then I intend to go back and do an indepth study in early 2009.  I want my kids to know the history of these books of the Bible and the lives of these men.  I am excited about this study and will check off my reading as well so I can learn right alongside the boys. 

I have included the links to the Word Documents in case anyone wants to use these checklists. 

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Also here is a site that has comprehensive information that I plan on studying from.

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Jul. 22, 2008 - 2008-2009 Curriculum Documents

I am sure I am not the only homeschooler finishing up the planning on this upcoming school year.  We have lots of life to experience and many new lessons to learn.  I thought I would share some of the files I am creating to print out and put in my kids' main binder.  (All 3 of the big kids will have a binder with all their important stuff.  I plan on putting their goals, checklists, book lists, and any lesson plans they need.  )

I want to purposefully read 10 Newbery and Caldecott books this year at least.  Here is the Newbery List and this is the Caldecott List.  I plan on having them read parts, listen to us read or to find these books on tape. 

I found this boook called The  Newbery and Caldecott by Claudette Hegel Comfort that lists the Newbery and Caldecott winners for every year from 1922-1995, Newbery, and 1938-1995, Caldecott.  It also has activites and comprehension questions about each book.

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Jul. 22, 2008 - Recycling and Repurposing:A Skirt

Last week I made a new skirt for Katie using fabric that cost about $6/yard, on sale.  Now it is a beautiful skirt but I would love for her to have several more skirts just like it.  She loves them and I love to see her walk through a room.  She moves like a little lady, her skirts swishing side to side and her countenance a bit more feminine. 

So this brings me to the skirt she is wearing here.

This was an adult sized, at the knee length skirt that my Grandma Joyce didn't wear anymore.  I admired the skirt for it's fabric several months ago and Grandma gave it to me.  Isn't she the sweetest Grandma!  She knew I was going to cut up a perfectly useful skirt that probably cost a bit.  Anyway, I got an idea to repurpose this paisely wonder.  :)

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Jul. 22, 2008 - Kindergarten Skill Ring

Katie is my eager and super excited kindergartener.  She has been drawing in her journal every morning  and then I write as she dictates to me.  She loves feeling like a big kid.  It is also so encouraging to me to have a child who doesn't complain or whine about having to write.  The funny thing is that both of the boys have writing gifts, in their own ways.

I am busy creating a kindergarten curriculum for Katie that has her gifts and struggles in mind. 

One idea I found online here and here, just scroll down until you see the skill ring link, is a skill ring.  I'm not sure how other teachers use this idea but we printed out all the skills and then as Katie accomplishes a new skill she dates it and colors it.  Then I laminate it for her, hole punch it, and slip it onto the ring.  We tied several of her favorite ribbons on it just for cuteness. 

I actually like this idea.  It is a simple and yet thorough way to make sure the skills I want her to learn by next Spring have been accomplished.  She likes it because it is a visual way to show off what she has learned. 

This is the package we bought at Walmart.

Here is here skill ring, with today's new skills on it. 

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Jul. 20, 2008 - Entry Number 100 . . .

I can't believe this is my 100th blog entry!  I know that the first entry was officially last summer, 2007, but I didn't begin to write with commitment until March of this year.  I have found that I love to blog.  It keeps my writing skills improving, it keeps friends and family in touch with us, and it also, I hope, helps and inspires other moms to be the best mom they can be. 

I love to share parts of my life, it's almost like it keeps me accountable to doing fun stuff with the kids!  I know no one will call me  on the Thrusday morning and ask why I didn't post a Wednesday Book Pile List.  I just feel that sense of obligation that as a writer I have people who want to know am I consistent and trustworthy.  I was so surprised to see that I also crossed over the 2,000 site visit mark this week.  That is 2,000 people who came to read my words between the months of March and July.  I hope they heard about the Jesus that I live for and how He is my Savior. I hope they left my site encouraged and eager to try something new. 

If nothing else I blog for myself. I am able to work through issues in my life and then move on.  I find a sense of freedom in my spirit after I write.  It is alot like prayer.  Prayer for me is refreshing and a quiet time for a conversation between God and I. 

I hope to have many more blogging anniversaries that I can share with you.  The 5,000 visitor, the 500th entry, who knows.

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Jul. 19, 2008 - What I Have Learned about Autism: Part 2

Here is the 2^nd part of my series on what I have learned about Autism so far.

I am a list person and love to see information displayed for me in a graphic and clear manner.  That’s probably why I love this report from Austin’s doctor. 

Here is a list of Common Characteristics of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders):

·       Lack of empathy

·       Naïve, inappropriate, one sided social interaction, and little ability to form friendships

·       Pedantic and monotonic speech

·       Poor nonverbal communication

·       Intense absorption in specific topics

·       Clumsy and ill- coordinated movements and odd posture

To my knowledge someone who is diagnosed with Autism does not have to display all of these characteristics.  Austin doesn’t. 

The one trait the concerns me the most is the lack of empathy.  Austin shows this trait and I am lost as to how to teach someone empathy.  It seems so inherent as human beings that we would just know that someone was hurting or that when someone was in pain you act a certain way.  When I see Austin struggling to comprehend a situation, I just tell him exactly what he should do or feel.

For example, when he tripped Lily the other day, I immediately asked him to apologize.  He actually said he was sorry and then I told him to look at her and asked if he could see that she was hurting.  I told him she was sad and hurt and that he needed to help her up.  Well, he listened but he didn’t help her up. 

I was glad that he stayed with me while I was talking about Lily and didn’t just walk away. 

On the other hand I don’t know how to get the other kids to really understand that he is different.  I want them to love him for who he is. 

He really is a sweet child who is a little eccentric at times.  I am blessed that Austin does have really good days when he acts so neurotypical that I never think about Autism.

One other item to note in Austin’s report was that it is common for High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s to be diagnosed late or after other diagnoses. 

That one sentence erases any guilt John and I may have been bearing. 

Here are more websites that we were given to look up reliable information.

The National Autistic Society

Social Skills Resources by Carol Gray

Oasis Online Asperger's Syndrome Information and Support

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Jul. 18, 2008 - Dinner Tonight!

Here is the menu for tonight.

Grilled cheese on thick slices of homemade bread with shredded cheddar and colby cheese.

For an appetizer we are having a veggie pizza.  I'm sure several of my kids will turn their noses up at the vibrant raw colors on the pizza, but as for me my mouth is watering!

Here is how you make it:

Unroll a package of refridgerated crescent rolls and lay flat on a jelly roll pan or what ever you have on hand.  I used a spring form round pan.  Press the seams together and then bake at 375* for 11-13 minutes. 

Let it cool. While it is cooling, mix one package cream cheese with 1/2 up mayo and 2 TBS ranch dressing mix (the dry the stuff). Mix it really well. 

Then cut up broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, cucumber, and carrot into little pieces. 

After the crust is cool, spread the mayo mix on the crust thickly, add the veggies and sprinkle cheese on top.

Chill for a few hours and serve. 

These are absolutely amazing!  I devoured these at our Sunday School social instead of trying the strawberry shortcake. :) (thanks Janice for the recipe)

As you can see in the pictures, Lily kept sneaking bites of broccoli and cucumber and I never told her to stop. :)

For dessert I plan on cutting into a cold watermelon and sending the kids outside! :)

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Jul. 18, 2008 - The things a fifth child gets to do . . .

Just to remind everyone, Sam, the base in this picture is almost 8 years old and Rachel, the top kid, is 14 months. 

I'm not sure how Sam figured out that she would like to hang out on his shoulders or even how he got her to stay up there.  She looks like a little bird, perched high up on a branch ready to fly away.  :)

I do know that I would never have allowed my first or even second born child to perch on an 8 year old's shoulders, ever. 

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Jul. 17, 2008 - What I am Learning about Autism: Part 1

I am going to do a series of blog entries on all I have learned about autism and sensory integration disorders.  I am by no means an expert, but I know that I would have coveted information written by a mom, not a scientist/researcher, these last few months.

Today, I am going to list the tests that Austin took these last few months under a clinical psychologist we hired.

• WISC-IV Core/Supplemental
• WIATT-II
• Bender Gestalt-II
• Vineland-II Adaptive Behavior
• Scales Survey Interview Form
• Short Sensory Profile
• The Children's Problems Checklist

I have added links to websites that can shed more light on the content of these tests and questionaires than I can. 

I'll have to say that the IQ test, WISC-IV, gave us the most peace of mind.  We wanted to know what Austin's strengths and weaknesses were.  I teach him every day and intend to continue to teach Austin, so I valued this information.  Obviously, I filtered the information through my rational mind.  I know Austin is not a composite number nor is he less valuable in my eyes because he has weaknesses.  Don't we all have areas of our lives where we flourish and other areas we need support in.

We learned that he learns best in a visual manner. For Austin, that means he will love the Netflix documentaries, the new microscope (it should be here soon!), the trampoline, and the ball of clay he loves.    If he can see it he can own the information. 

On the IQ test there was a subtest of Perceptual Reasoning and Working Memory and Austin did awesome!  His scores were in the gifted range.  On the other hand his Processing Speed was lacking, shall we say.  This one area affects so much of his learning.  Here is an excerpt about what the processing memory affects.

"Processing Speed Index

The PSI is a measure of processing speed. It assesses children's abilities to focus attention and quickly scan, discriminate between, and sequentially order visual information. It requires persistence and planning ability, but is sensitive to motivation, difficulty working under a time pressure, and motor coordination too. Cultural factors seem to have little impact on it. It is related to reading performance and development too. It is related to Working Memory in that increased processing speed can decrease the load placed on working memory, while decreased processing speed can impair the effectiveness of working memory."

My goals for Austin are to learn as much as I can about his processing speed and how I can help him. 

The evaluations were fascinating for me to read through.  I want to learn as much as I can so that I can  help him. 

 Isn't that what any mother would want to do. 

I am mother and this is what I do. :)

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Jul. 16, 2008 - Wednesday Book Pile

Here is our list for Wedesday's book pile:

Several books on the list are counting books, a good introduction to Kindergarten skills for Katie.  I always love a good Stan and Jan Berenstain book.  The rhyme and meter in the books are appealing ot me and to the littlest child. 

In today's reading, Katie stayed snuggled up next to me, Lily was there for the first two until she after Daddy, and Rachel was over me, on top of me, under me, beside me!  She is a wiggle worm these days.  Busy and determined is the best way to describe her.  Ok, focused and opinionated could describe her too. :)

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Jul. 16, 2008 - Art Project for the Week

This week has been a "clean" art week.  :)

The kids got a freebie stained glass art coloring book from their Mimi and all 4 of the big kids helped color.  Austin showed the most passion in his coloring, Sam enjoyed coloring his until the neighbor came over, and the girls loved choosing the princess pictures.  Rachel would have loved to eat color with the crayons too but Mommy just said no. :)

This is also the first time I have seen Lily show some desire to color in the lines and to color with purpose.  You know how toddlers and preschoolers pay no attention to the dark black lines in the coloring books.  Well Lily may be heading over to the other side.  She is showing such maturity these days as well.  She no longer dunks full toilet paper rolls in the toilet, paints the baby in pudding, pees on the floor at will, or gets in our bed in the middle of the night. OK, so she still climbs in our bed so she can snuggle up to her daddy's back  . . . . every night.

Maybe next week we will get the paint back out or maybe a paper maché project.  I do know that we will be exploring a whole new world using the new microscope I bought for our science curriculum.

Here is the one I bought.

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Jul. 14, 2008 - Blue Skies and a Fresh Breeze!

Those two aspects of our morning coerced us out of the house today!  We headed to a new playground and brought along our trusty cooler. 

The kids had a fabulous time climbing all the aparatus and sliding down the slides. 

A wise one once said that I will not regret leaving behind the 6 loads of laundry, sink full of sour dishes, and a dusty floor in order to play spontaneously with my kids.  I was busy making memories this morning. :)

rachel, lily, katie

lily

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Jul. 14, 2008 - Craft Organization Ideas

I have been cleaning and organizing our craft/laundry room again.  I decided to move all of our "office" type supplies in there.  Which meant I had to reorganize the upper cabinets. Check out here for more organization pictures of this room.

I decided to use an art caddy to hold the commonly used messy craft supplies so they were all in one location. I m not so sure where to keep this potential crafting hazard though.

 I also downsized how many bottles of glue that we had.  I rationalized that we would never have 13 kids glueing at the same time so we could probably throw some bottles away. 

I found that glue slides very easily through the hole in a funnel and that up to four bottles of glue can rest in the aformentioned funnel. :)

 I used a mason jar to hold all the extra glue since all the bottles were half full.  It works for me. 

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Jul. 13, 2008 - We have the diagnosis . . .

Austin.

This post was originally about his new glasses but there is a bigger burden on my heart. 

 Austin has been formally diagnosed with High Functioning Autism.  It is something we have suspected for years but we didn't know it had a name.  We have always said that Austin had behaviors that he would outgrow or that he was just a  boy and he would grow up soon enough.  We can see now that Austin's life is like a puzzle and we just got the piece that helps us place a few of the pieces we have had laying off to the side.  It is beginning to make sense.  He is still a work of art and a child of God, fearfully and wonderfully made.

I debated ever talking about it on this blog but we are not ashamed of him nor afraid.  I know that reading other families blogs about their special needs kids has encouraged me and given me new ways to appraoch Austin.

A few months ago, as we began the full evaluation for him, I had my gief moment.  I couldn't explain how I felt.  I felt so many emotions coursing through me all at once and I didn't recognize the feeling.  Then it hit me, it was grief.  I have never experienced such grief or a feeling of loss such as this.  I know he will be fine and he is not going to die and he will likely go on to have an independent produtive life, but it is the knowledge that my child has to suffer. 

I don't mean that to say that people with Autism lead a life of suffering, only that my son has had a difficult time in his 9 years and he deals with the anxiety and depression that comes from that.  I hope that the further we go on this journey with Austin that he can begin to enjoy all that life has to offer and experience joy without trepidation.

Please understand me,  we have now come to terms with Austin's issues and are now trying to find ways to teach him and help him live in this world.  We love him just the way he is.  He is my artist, my deep thinker, my cat lover, my lego designing little boy.  I love him with all my heart and soul. 

Our biggest prayer need right now is teaching him.  If anyone has any suggestions we love to hear them.  Just leave a comment.  He has an incredibly low  processing speed and it is affecting every aspect of his life, including learning. 

(Just in case you were wondering, this picture is one in a million. To have Austin looking at me and not frowning while taking a picture is so much more that I could have hoped. :))

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Jul. 13, 2008 - Our You-Pick Farm Bounty

All kids should go to a you-pick farm.  We have a favorite blueberry farm that is about 20 minutes from our home.  It has a few hundred blueberry bushes, lots of blackberry bushes (vines, brambles?) and other odds and ends. 

Between the sweaty toddler, a whiny preschooler, an eager 5 year old,a thorough almost 8 year old, and the content 9 year old we picked a gallon of mostly black blackberries and 2/3 of a gallon of teeny tiny blueberries.  It takes forever to pick blueberries.  I have a new appreciation for the blueberries I buy at Sam's Club.  :)

I had a delightful time eating still warm, juicy, and sweet blueberries.  Rachel and Lily ate a few tart ones because they aren't as swift when it comes to telling the difference between blue and reddish purple! :)

Austin loved the blackberry picking but enjoyed the farm cat more than blueberry picking.  Sam loved the challenge of seeing how full he could get his bucket. 

Overall is was a sweaty, fun experience!

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Jul. 12, 2008 - Katie's New Skirt!

I have been putting off sewing for many months now for no good reason, ok I can think of five! :)

Despite my busyness in raising my children I know that I have to sew.  It is not a hobby that can fall to the wayside, never to be picked up again. 

 I love to sew.  There is something about creating a useful object out of a simple length of fabric.  Unfortunately, it is becoming a lost art for all of our daughters.  I intend to teach my children how to create items they need.  I want them to become resourceful individuals who don't have to depend on someone else to create what they are dreaming.  My girls believe that I can make them anything.  If they see a beautiful fabric they are confident that I can transform it into a work of art.  This brings me to this skirt.

I told Katie I would make her a long, flowing skirt of her choosing.  So off we headed to the fabric store and she and I browsed through hundreds of fabrics.  I don't know if she loved the fabric first or if her love for me prompted her to choose this one.  This color combination is my absolute favorite.  Lime green and periwinkle blue were designed to go together!

Even at my wedding, almost 11 years ago, I had to choose between the two and chose the periwinkle blue color for my bridesmaids dresses. 

So, back to my story, Katie now has a cute new skirt made by me.

For those who are interested I cut a pattern out of newsprint and made a shape that was about 6 inches across on the top, 25 inches long, and about 12 inches long at the bottom.  I made 6 panels and it has an elastic waist band.  In the future, because I will make a point to keep sewing, I will cut out 8 or 9 panels to make it more full. 

The end result is a content mommy who has rekindled an old love and a daughter who feels very loved. :)

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Jul. 10, 2008 - Netflix

Well, I signed back up. We were a Netflix family a year ago and then took some time off to go TV free.  I have found that Netflix can be a great homeschool resource that is very affordable.  The selection is extraordianary.

Now that we are back,I love being able to choose documentaries and educational type movies.  The little girls can watch cartoons that I approve of too.  I am amazed at how much there is to see.  

I am not personally a TV or movie watcher but I did find myself watching two movies last night that were very thought provoking.  Maxed Out and The Business of Being Born.  I highly recommend both of those to you.  Click on the links to read a thorough review. 

Maxed Out is a documentary on the misuse of credit in our society and the other one is on the state of giving birth today. 

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Jul. 8, 2008 - My 9 year old is awesome!

Tonight, Austin came to me and shared that he has a song in his head that he keeps making up. 

Of course I'm sure he is about to sing a song about how he will pull his sisters' hair and other brotherly meanness or about crawdads and tadpoles.  I was wrong, so wrong in fact that I had had to apologize to God.

I asked him to share the song with me and he told me a few of the lines.

"He died on the cross for me

He cared just for me"

"He cares about you and he cares about me"

He made up a song about God. 

I was dumbfounded!  I know he is musically inclined and that he has been saved but I didn't know he was capable of such things.  Austin has lots of "issues", as we'll call them for now.  This is incredible for him to create a song in order to worship God. He said he has been listening to the music at church and it is like the song "Oh Happy Day" by I don't know who.  When I find out I'll update.  I really didn't think he was connecting with the music at all.  He never participates or even stands when asked to.  He doesn't even really focus on the front of the stage.

 I am so proud of him.  I can't even begin to tell you how this means to me that he is able to do this.  I know this may sound a little over the top but Austin is not my "neurotypical" child.  Never has been.  He is our sensitive, quiet, creative child who struggles with so much of life that most of us take for granted.  I will write more as we learn more details but for today I wanted to say that I am so proud of him.  I know God is smiling down on Austin right now too. 

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Jul. 7, 2008 - It's been quiet around here

I thought I would post a quiet update on our family.  Everyone is content and times have been quiet here. 

Katie has been visiting with her Mimi since last Wednesday and is having a blast being an only child.  :)

Everyone else has been home with a quick visit with Grandma yesterday and today. 

We have been to the playground, playing with good friends, hey Jennifer!

John installed our new laminate flooring in our sunroom and put up ALL the trim.  All the window moulding, baseboards and shoe mouldings have gone up and he has caulked a few gaps.  It looks so much more finished with the trim up.  He still has to paint the trim but that will come this weekend I'm sure.  ( I get  a pass on all painting and anything that stirs up dust because of my allergies.) 

I made another batch of homemade yogurt yesterday and I am loving this yogourmet maker.  I love that I don't have to babysit the yogurt all afternoon. 

Overall we had a great weekend.  I picked up a great stack of books at the library this Saturday and am making my way through them. 

Here are some pictures of the new sunroom floor!

Thanks a million John, :)

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Jul. 6, 2008 - Rachel's One Year Anniversary . . . Still Tumor Free

July 10 is  big day for me so I thought I would open up and share my day with you. 

Here is where I posted about my own emotional healing this past spring.

One year ago today, Rachel, all 9 pounds of her, went into surgery to remove a cystic hygroma from her neck.  

Her newborn weeks were such a blur, beginning at 3 weeks when I took her to the doctor.  I made the appointment even though a call to the doctor earlier that week said the lump was probably fine.  My mother's intuition couldn't just wait and see.  So off we went to the doctor at 3 weeks of age and it was there I was told Rachel had a benign tumor called a cystic hygroma.  The doctor must have been caught up in the uniqueness of the situation  because she forgot to even look at me or even ask me if I had any questions. The only information I was given was a referral to a surgeon because it would need to be removed and one quick look in her doctor's illustrated handbook. I had to memorize the name quickly as she read through the handbook. I remember scribbling down some of the consonants so that later I could google the name.  I left there bewildered and scared.

Do a google image search of cystic hygromas and you'll see why.

I lost my innocence that day.  I truly never expected my family to have to go through something like this.  I have expected broken bones and stomach bugs to afflict us, not a potentially disfiguring disease that could harm my child and cause her pain.  It is only through this experience that I could truly learn to trust Jesus and lean on Him.  I now fully comprehend His sovereignty and His love for us.  As much as I hurt during that time, wondering what was going to happen to Rachel, He hurt too. 

We have been blessed.  Rachel has been blessed.  We were told that if the tumor was to return it was most likely to do so in the next 12 months.  Every day I have looked at Rachel, looking at her neck, all areas where she has lymph nodes and inspected all of her sweet baby fat rolls.  Every day.

It should have come back.  The odds are not in our favor with this disease.  The information I got online and the people I have corresponded with, all share a long story filled with surgery and pain.  She has been spared and for that I am so grateful. I don't know why, but we are so blessed and we know it. 

It has been a great year for Rachel but I am glad to be at the end of this year.  We learned so much about our God and how to trust Him in our times of suffering and turmoil. 

Here is the photo montage I made for her as part of my emotional healing.  Since putting the video on Youtube, Rachel's story of hope and healing by Jesus has been able to touch so many people's lives. 

It is my hope that you too can walk away today, love on your children, and know that even in the midst of a trial God is there for you. Call on Him and He will answer.  Read Jeremiah 33:3.

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