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WHY? Our Journey Into Homeschooling
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Crazy Day: Friday, October 5, 2007
It began at 4 a.m. for me and about 4:40 a.m. for the kids. We had to drive about 70 miles to take our cat Bronte in to a special referral center for possible surgery for suspected cancer.
The kids were good in the car, although I think Lily was a little freaked out by driving in the dark without me in the back with her. Having A.J. there helped, as always.
We arrived at the vet at 7 a.m., as scheduled, talked to the doc and left Bronte in their hands until Saturday. We stopped by a local Bob Evans for breakfast before heading back to our hometown. Eating out is always an adventure with such a little one. Lily fell asleep in the car again on the way home, which was a blessing to me in the sense that we could make it home in one trip without stopping.
A.J. and I played a little virtual "Pet Vet" game in the car--no surprise there, given what was on his mind, and throughout the day, we talked a lot about cancer (what it is, how it works, and why it's so bad), what was going on with Bronte, what her chances were, and how we could treat it. We also talked about why the treatments can be good and bad. Now, maybe this sounds like a lot of detail, but A.J. asks a lot of questions, and I always take his hints when he abruptly changes the subject that we've talked enough about it for now.
We found out later in the day that she definitely has cancer, gastric lymphoma. She didn't have surgery, but she did have her tumor aspirated, and then she started chemotherapy last night. A.J. is upset, like his parents are, that we might lose her. She's the one who sleeps in his bed almost every night. They fight over who gets the pillows.
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We also had some field trips planned with our homeschool co-op yesterday, fortunately very close to home. I decided to go ahead with them because A.J. was so looking forward to them, and I figured a little normalcy in the day would be good for him.
It started with a trip to the Garden Maze, where we got to run around and try to find our way through 8 foot (?) high hedges. We've done this twice before when A.J. was a bit younger, and it was still fun, although it was unseasonably warm (high 80s).
Later, we went to the small zoo here, where we saw a show about snakes and wandered around some. A.J.'s favorite parts were the petting zoo, where A.J. got to feed and brush the animals, and the sign showing how admission and donations help (for example, $500 will feed the alligators for a year and $10 will feed the tiger for a day). A.J. has vowed to save up all or most of his allowance for two years if he has to so that he can make that donation to feed the gators for a year! He's even started up a savings "bag" already. What a goal!
Lily liked the animals too. This is the first time I've seen her noticing them. My favorite was this adorable serval kitten, Kenya. OMG. I just wanted to cuddle with it (silly of me, I know), but it acted just like a domestic kitten, running around and playing, chasing leaves and insects.
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By the end of the day, I was exhausted physically and emotionally, but it definitely wasn't all bad. I'm definitely trying to teach A.J. one day at a time right now with all that's going on. It's all we can do.
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About Me
Learning to homeschool and homeschooling to learn.
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Interesting Homeschool Links
Kids Do Ecology
Enchanted Learning
Minimus Latin Web Site
Kinetic City science games and activities
iknowthat.com
Good Books We've Used
Math
G Is for Googol by David Schwartz
Science
Usborne First Nature: Fishes by Alwyne Wheeler
Usborne Discovery: Sharks by Jonathan Sheikh-Miller
Usborne Discovery: Whales and Dolphins by Susanna Davidson
The Nature Company EcoXplorer Series: Under the Sea by Priscilla Wrubel et al.
Questions and Answers: Mighty Machines by Stephen Angel
Cooking
Emeril's There's a Chef in My World by Emeril Lagasse
Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup by Emeril Lagasse
Languages
Minimus Pupil's Book: Starting Out in Latin by Barbara Bell and Helen Forte
Sign With Your Baby by Joseph Garcia
Sign Language for Kids by Lora Heller
Good Magazines We've Read
Moo Cow Fan Club
NG Kids
My Big Backyard
Which Way USA?
Zoobooks
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Posted by
Anonymous 
Saturday, October 6, 2007 - Awww ... I just love A.J.'s passion ...
Sorry I forgot the books. I was about halfway between Luray and Timberville when I remembered they were in the back of L's stroller. *LOL*