25-Mar-2008 - Rosetta Stone giveaway...
Rosetta Stone has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while -- next week they are unleashing a brand new curriculum, and you can WIN the *all new* Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3… FOR FREE!
This is a $219 program (and believe me it's worth every penny!) and the winner gets to pick from any of these 14 languages: Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English (American or British), Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Irish, Hebrew, or Russian.
This will also include a headset with microphone, and students will participate in lifelike conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone still incorporates listening, reading and writing as well, in addition to speaking. Many homeschoolers requested grammar and vocabulary exercises, and with Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3, they're included! For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program and allow parents to easily enroll students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, and view and print reports.
To win this most excellent program -- in the language of your choice -- copy these (blue) paragraphs and post it in (or as) your next blog post -- then to enter the contest, go to the original contest page by following the link at the bottom of this post and leave a comment with the link showing where you blogged about it. And please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post it. Good luck! The winner will be picked randomly on March 26, and will be notified thru the link they left to their blog pg. If you have more than one blog, you can post them and enter those separately for more chances to win. Yay for free stuff!
HERE:http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/501132/
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
21-Mar-2008 - Check out this new giveaway/drawing!
If you are like me and have been just waiting for the opportunity to read this book, then you need to hurry over to Chas' homestead blog and enter for your chance to win!
I would wish you all good luck, but I want the book, too! :) Just kidding!
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
20-Mar-2008 - Seasons of Motherhood...
You know, being a mom is HARD work. If anyone tells you anything different, they're lying! If you're a mom of only preschool or early school age children, you know I'm telling the truth!
The thing is, I see moms with little kids, and the moms are struggling so much! They might have 2 or 3 kids and they are so bogged down and discouraged. They look at me with 8 kids and say, "I don't know how you do it! I only have 2 kids and I'm dyin'!" The secret is--when I had just 2 or 3 tiny ones, *I* was dyin' too! I was always at my dear Mommy's house because I needed her support. It takes time to "grow into" being a mom. I tell all my friends who stop at 2 or 3 children that they've stopped just when they were getting good at it. And I think that is really true. I was always in love with being a momma, but I never truly embraced motherhood until after I'd had several children. I wish I had appreciated sooner what a sacred vocation I'd been called to. But, in the throes of potty training, obedience training, "terrific" twos, bedtime/naptime battles, and sleepless nights, life sometimes doesn't feel so sacred. I know you know what I mean...
Like I said, the infant/preschool season is the season of hardest physical work for moms. You can't go to the bathroom alone. You can't read a sentence of a book without pudgy fingers and questioning minds and mouths interrupting. You can't sit through a sermon at church because your little one is just learning what "quiet" and "still" mean and is having a hard time implementing those concepts into their busy body! You have to do your husbands laundry, your laundry, the children's laundry. If something is picked up, carried, cleaned, changed, washed, dried, moved, put away, or cooked--*YOU* are the one to do it.
Take heart, momma, there IS light at the end of the tunnel. They grow (all too quickly, by the way--I know you hear it all the time, but it's painfully true), and they mature and they get stronger. They learn (*IF* you train them) to be helpers in the laundry room, kitchen, and around the house in general. They even learn to entertain themselves, and what's really cool (and melts my mommy heart) is that they learn to love interacting with and entertaining younger brothers and sisters and to help with them as well. Here's a picture of our oldest with our youngest. Moments like these happen ALL the time here. But, it took a while to get here.
• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
19-Mar-2008 - Cute as can be...
One afternoon as we were schooling, we looked out our kitchen window to see this sweet sight! I couldn't resist snapping a picture of William's dog, Anna, and Cody's cat, Claws.
Unfortunately, Claws met with an untimely demise. We don't know exactly what happened, but it probably had something to do with our dogs... I began worrying when I looked outside one morning to find Anna with Claws' head in her mouth, and Brownie (John Wesley's dog) with Claws' hind-quarters in her mouth and they appeared to be playing tug-of-war! You think they had something to do with it? Yeah, I thought so! :)
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
18-Mar-2008 - Attention World...
Jonas has something to tell you!
So, there! :)
Actually, I took these pictures because I wanted to "preserve" this shirt. I bought it 6 years ago, when I was still working full time, and my kids were in daycare and Christian/private school. Even then, my heart was so burdened by the desire/calling to be at home with my children that I just grieved every morning when I would drop my kiddos off at their classrooms. All I could do was pray and ask the Lord to make me content if this (working) was where I was really supposed to be, or else for Him to speak to my husband's heart if He wanted me at home.
The next year, the Lord placed the same burden on my hubby's heart. He came home one day and announced that we would be moving, and I'd be staying home and homeschooling the children. I don't think I've ever been more shocked in my life! My husband is rock steady. He doesn't do ANYTHING just as a "lark" or just on the spur of the moment. He isn't one to change anything if he doesn't have to. So this was a BIG deal.
Now, 5 years later, I can't imagine our life being any different than it is now. I think I would shrivel up and die if I had to let someone else raise and educate my children. I love being with them, and I feel so blessed to be the person who gets to see the light in their eyes as they learn about the world, and grasp new concepts. I love listening to them read, even when it's those halting first few words that take seeming hours to sound out, because *I* taught them that! :) What a privilege and honor!
So, yes, Jonas' shirt (which was Cody's before him, and William's before him, and John Wesley's before him, and will be Lena's after Jonas if it holds together that long...) is right! I really *DO* have the best job in the world! And I'm so blessed!
• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
17-Mar-2008 - The coolest thing...
My MaKenzie has to wear an eye patch over her right eye every day for several hours. This has been a major problem. Not for her--for me! She's as compliant and sweet about it as can be. I'm not! I don't like the fact that the sticky band-aid-like patch creates redness and irritation around her beautiful little eyes. It breaks down the skin and makes her look awful!
I finally found an answer! FrameHuggers! They are fleecy, velcro-connecting, re-usable covers that I can put on her glasses and then after a few hours, take it off. No skin irritation.
If your child wears glasses and needs to patch intermittently, this could be your answer!
• 3 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
16-Mar-2008 - Next year's curriculum choices...
Curriculum choices are always hard for me, because there are SOOOOO many wonderful options out there, and I just want to do ALL of them! Alas, my kids don’t agree. So, I settle. This past school year, I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t settle for less that what your gut says is the “best” for your kids. I did and we got burned.
A little background, in case you aren’t one of my 4 loyal readers! ;) We have 3 little ones with special needs, as well as the 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12 year olds that I home school. So, this school year, I have tried being more intentional about the therapy needs of my 3 littles. I decided that in order to give their therapy all I should, I needed to go with a curriculum that was more self-directed and “work-book-ish” for the olders. We’ve done that for the past 2 quarters of this school year. The beginning (first quarter) of the schoolyear we did Sonlight
A few weeks ago, I decided to see what the kiddos were retaining, or if they could even tell me what was going on in their workbooks. I was so completely bummed. The ones who could actually tell me what they had learned were very dispassionate about it, and the others just plain couldn’t think of anything interesting to tell me.
So, I’m finishing up my school year with Sonlight. We started it back up last week, and I had forgotten just how much we *all* loved it!! The read-alouds are interesting to all of us, the history even fills in *my* learning gaps, and the Bible portion is a wonderful springboard for all kinds of conversations. It is just so very rich. The independent reading that the kids do is usually interesting to them, and I really like the “I Can Read It” series. Jonas learned to read using these readers, and he is honestly as good a reader as the older boys.
Now, for this coming year, I’ve made my list and checked it twice. Then…today I got an email from the Sonlight company, and I’m probably gonna end up changing my PreSchool order for next year. I’m just glad I found out now, before I actually PLACED the order!
So--here goes…
My main curriculum for history, Bible, geography, civics, and independent reading will be Sonlight Core 3. I’m going to be including some of the reading selections from the Ambleside Online curriculum for this historical period as well.
The spelling we use is a computer “game” called Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Drills. I bought it from Timberdoodle a while back, and while it’s not the MOST fun, the kids enjoy it well enough that they at least don’t dread it.
I LOVE A Reason for Handwriting! I can’t think of anything better for handwriting practice than Bible verses!
We’re going to try Math-U-See for math this year. I’m really going out on a limb here. But I’m finding that a couple of my boys are having issues “getting” even some of the most basic math functions. So, we’re going to make a detour and go back to basics for a little while, using MUS, to see if it sticks this time. The reason I chose it is because of the strong VISUAL and KINESTHETIC properties of the program.
For grammar, I’m going to be ordering each of the boys an Easy Grammar workbook. John Wesley has been doing this for 2 years now. I’m going to start the rest of them this year. I’m not one in the camp of putting a HUGE emphasis on the rules of grammar at this point. If they are speaking correctly, and can write a sentence that I can understand, they have the usage down well enough for now. We’ll get to more refined usage/grammar later. For now, I want them to have a working knowledge that all of this exists. Easy Grammar does that quickly and painlessly.
I’m also having them do a creative writing exercise at least once a week. I like to find story starters online (found here or here), then let them complete them. I require a certain number of sentences from each child based on their ability. I’ve been quite entertained by some of their little essays.
You know, the computer is such a huge part of our culture now, that I think I would be remiss not to include keyboarding instruction. So, for right now, we are using a free one we found online. Touch Typing Program. It isn’t a barrel of fun--there aren’t any games, etc., but it is good, solid, keyboarding practice. I have them do one lesson per week, they work on the same lesson every day for a week, then move on to the next lesson.
For my preschoolers, my 3 little ones, I’m going to be doing something from Sonlight. I had thought to do the Core B Pre-K. But according to their email from earlier this week, I may be changing my mind, since they have this other program available. I’m going to do one or the other, though. Even though MaKenzie, Jared, and Matthew are 5, 5, and 4 years old, they are not neuro-typical, nor are they typical cognitively. So, I’m starting very slowly with them. At this point we are working on colors and counting and very basic shape recognition, along with everyday object recognition and naming. This, along with short speech, occupational, and physical therapy sessions each day keep them plenty busy, and me, too! ;)
• 3 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
14-Mar-2008 - Home Sweet Home...
Here's where we're going to be building our house...someday. :) We actually have 7.5 acres altogether, but this is the sweet spot. Right now, we're living on the property only about 100 yards from here. So close, yet soooooooo far away.
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
12-Mar-2008 - The Prosperity Gospel...
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
12-Mar-2008 - It's awesome when...
It is TOTALLY AWESOME when my children BEG for me to keep reading! We experienced that today after I finished reading our assigned Sonlight selection from the read-aloud for the day. We've been reading a book called, The Apprentice. It takes place during the Renaissance and is about a boy who takes an apprenticeship under an artist.
Honestly, I didn't think it would hold much appeal for my boys, but I was so wrong. As I finished the two chapters, they all said, "Mom, please keep on reading!!! We're almost through it, and we can double up on the rest of school tomorrow to make up for it."
But, I so enjoy the deliciousness of their book-loving that I'm going to keep it going as long as I can. Maybe I'll only read one chapter tomorrow, just to keep them on the edge of their seats a little longer. Nah, I wouldn't be able to do that either. I'm just as big a sucker for a good book as they are!
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
12-Mar-2008 - Take a look at this contest...
Ginger over at ClarkChatter has a lovely blog about Christian motherhood and homeschooling. I've been blessed by reading about her family.
Click on over and take a look at the contest she's having. You could win a $50.00 Vision Forum gift certificate.
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
17-Feb-2008 - Take a look a my sidebar video!
Over in the sidebar, you'll notice I've embedded a video for your viewing pleasure! My oldest son, John Wesley, was playing around with my camera one day and captured the most precious video of his brother singing.
That's my 5 year old son, Jared, who has Shaken Baby Syndrome. The doctors said he would never talk! Forget talking, this sweet boy sings his heart out for Jesus! We are so blessed to be his mom & dad!
Before you watch the video, pause the music in the pink box, so you can hear my boy sing!
• 3 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
22-Jan-2008 - Not much going on here...
Today it occurred to me that there are LOTS of days (probably 3-4 days/week) that I never go outside at all. Truth be told, there are probably even some days that I don't even look out a window for more than a few seconds as I pass from room to room doing stuff.
Is that a problem? I mean it doesn't bother me or anything (usually, anyway). My children (at least the older ones) go outside each day for at least a little while, but I just check up on them every so often from the window--or I stick my head out the door to have a look, but then I go back to what I'm doing.
I suppose since I have more than enough to do to keep me busy inside for 24+ hours each day, it's a good thing it doesn't bother me. I have a slight tendency to reclusiveness anyway. I can imagine that my way of life would drive some people to the psych dr. for some kind of pill to take care of cabin fever, but not me. Now, I DO require a requisite number of trips to Wal-Mart per month (just to get out and browse the book section and pick up the grocery essentials), but really that's about it.
I mean, really, it would be far too much trouble to have to get up early *gasp* and actually get completely dressed to make-up and shoes EVERY DAY to leave the house to go to a "real" job. Honestly, then I might have to deal with PEOPLE. That might get ugly. My kids, I enjoy. Adults with strange opinions and demands, not so much. Don't get me wrong. I love people, I just know my limitations.
I can't think of a single job that I would really, truly enjoy more than what I do here in my home. I LOVE that I can sleep past 7:30 or 8:00 every day and get up and wear my comfy clothes around the house while I spend the day serving and teaching the people I love most. Why would I give that up for any amount of money?
A friend of mine and I were talking about the comment that we both get often. People tell us, "I could never afford to be a stay-at-home mom." This is an interesting comment since, on paper, I can't afford to be either--but I am. It's because we make a concerted effort to keep expenses to an absolute minimum. It's a CHOICE we make daily. It's a choice I make every time I put an item in my shopping cart--or, more accurately, every time I *DON'T* put an item in my shopping cart. It's a choice I make every time I choose to make rice and beans for the second time that week, instead of a roast or pork chops. It's a choice I make every time I pack p,b,&j sandwiches for all of us when we take a trip instead of driving through the drive-thru. It's a choice I make every time I say "no" to my children's requests for little toys, games, or other doo-dads, even though I so often wish I could just say, "Yes!"
Anyway, enough about that, because, if you're reading this, you are probably making the same choices daily. And honestly, it doesn't seem like that much of a sacrifice when I look at my children's faces and know that they are safe at home because of those few choices.
• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
28-Dec-2007 - Quiet, Productive Day...
It's a rainy, dreary day outside. Harold and the boys are gone, so it's just me and the littles here today. They have been so good while I have gotten lots of "detail" stuff done.
Yesterday, Lena and I went by the Goodwill store just to look around. While we were there, they put out this HUGE wooden doll house. By huge, I mean this thing is about 5 feet tall and about 3 1/2 to 4 feet wide. It's bigger than most of our dressers in our house. It also had lots of furniture in it. Lena was so sweet. She admired it and arranged some of the furniture while I looked at some other things. She NEVER asked for it, but I could tell she loved it.
On our way out, she still had never asked for it, I asked for a box and someone to help load the dollhouse. When Lena realized what I was doing, she was ecstatic, yelling, "Thank you Mommy, I love it so much!" over and over. That kind of behavior and response make it a joy to give to her. So she has spent the day playing with it, very sweetly encouraging MaKenzie to play alongside her.
Meanwhile, I have been cleaning out our pantry, making space for the six (6!) cases of assorted baby food, and four (4!) cases of baby cereal that were GIVEN to us yesterday. This will feed Matthew for quite a while. It is all stuff I normally would buy, too, which is an added blessing. Sometimes, when things are given to us, we have to adjust our tastes in order to enjoy the blessings received. But these are things he already eats every day and we would have bought so it is a HUGE savings of money for us!
I don't know if you all remember, but Matthew is our little one who came to us at 3 years old only drinking a bottle. While he still isn't chewing properly, he can do many soft table foods mushed up (like green beans, potatoes, casseroles, pasta, etc.) but we often have meals that aren't necessarily "mushable," so he often eats baby foods. I have been working on making some of his foods, but for now, I'll be happy to use the bounty given to us. God has provided for us once again.
While I cleaned out the pantry, I made a list of available meals and a list of items to buy to complete them.
I also have finished several loads of laundry. I am experimenting with different recipes for homemade natural cleaning solutions. I found one here for homemade fabric softener that I tried today with HILARIOUS results! I'm sure you can imagine what happened when I thoughtlessly added the baking soda to the vinegar! DUH! How many science experiments have I done with my boys over the years that combine those two ingredients and STILL I ended up with quite a mess on my floor! It would've been much more fun if my boys had been home to see me do such a crazy thing!
I also cleaned my bathroom today using my homemade all-purpose cleaner for the first time. I had added drops of Lemongrass essential oil to the mix and it smelled so nice. I think lemongrass is one of my favorites. I added lavender to the volcano fabric softener recipe. While I was cleaning my bathroom, Jared and Lena both came asking what smelled so good. That made me happy!
I'm missing my boys and Harold, but it's also nice having a quiet productive day with few distractions to get things done. I still have quite a few things to get done before tonight.
• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
26-Dec-2007 - What kind of helpmeet am I?
The Lord has been "talking" to me lately about the kind of wife I am. Not that anyone would call me a "bad" wife, but I know in my heart that there are times that I could/should do things better or differently. Times that I should esteem Harold more highly--not that I think badly of him, but there are times I disrespect him in subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) ways.
So, here is one of the things I found online today that I thought was neat and wanted to share here.
“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” ~Genesis 2:18
~The ABC's of Being a Helpmeet~
A-Admit when you are wrong
B-Be positive
C-Cuddle
D-Do it his way
E-Encourage him
F-Fix his breakfast
G-Give back rubs
H-Hug often
I-"I love you" should be said many times daily
J-Joke around in a playful manner
K-Know his needs
L-Listen to him
M-Manage your home well
N-Never hold grudges
O-Open your eyes in the morning and smile
P-Pray for him
Q-Quit nagging him
R-Reminisce about good times
S-Show respect and honor
T-Trust, and earn his trust
U-Understand his need for reverence
V-Vulnerability is a feminine trait; cultivate it
W-Wink at him!
X-X is for private times
Y-Yearn to please him
Z-Zealously guard him with your love
It's funny because when the Lord starts "talking" to me, He usually does it through several avenues and it often seems so coincidental that all of a sudden so many magazines, websites, radio talk shows, sermons, etc. are ALL talking about the same thing. Well, it's NOT coincidence--it's the Lord trying to get through my thick skull!! ;) I was browsing through an old magazine that had just sort of "shown up" on my counter. I had never seen it before, and I know Harold didn't put it there. One of the articles was about treating your husband like the hero he wants to be. And that got me to thinking about how often my husband really does "rescue" me from situations and so many times really comes through for me. He IS a hero. I guess instead of telling you this, I should tell him. I think I will!
• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
3-Dec-2007 - Chore Charts and Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth...
Not really, but they sure weren't very excited. We had a "meeting" today (the kids and me) and I passed out the new chore chart. Now, when I say "new" chore chart, read--haven't had official chores since we moved into this house in October. So, before you go feeling sorry for my poor overworked kids, hang in there! ;)
-
Anyway, as I said, they were less than excited about the assigned jobs. Of course, much of the "un-excitement" was my fault for allowing such a long "vacation." But they are doing them now with no complaining or arguing, so I'm happy, and I think God is, too. Isn't that what He asks of us--to do what He gives us to do without mumbling and complaining? He didn't really say we had to look forward to it, or be overjoyed about doing it, just do it (and do it well) with a good attitude, as unto Him.
-
The issue I struggle with the most isn't my kids' attitudes or misbehavior, it's my own lack of consistency. In other words, I'm often my own worst enemy! When I'm consistent and the kids know what to expect, what comes next, they are much more well-behaved and cooperative. Of course everyone reading this already knows this--I'm the one who needs Consistency 101 classes!
-
So, if I dare to make any New Year's resolutions this year, that will be it--to be consistently consistent. I'll need lots of prayer, but hey, I don't have to start for another month or so, right? ;)
-
In other news, our tree is up and the lights (the second ones) are working fine. We had a fun time decorating it and talking about all the ornaments as we put them on. I love thinking about the precious people who have given them to us over the years, and remembering the kids making certain ones when they were smaller. I wish I could post pictures. There a couple in particular that I'd love to show you.
-
After the tree was put up we spent a couple hours sitting in the dark with just the lights from the tree glowing. Harold told our "family story"--about how everyone became a part of our family, the circumstances surrounding each birth and adoption or foster placement of each child. A couple of the kids didn't know some things that we talked about and it was neat to see them glow as they learned a new piece of their life story.
-
One of the coolest parts of the night was the light bulb moment Jonas had. He said, "So, if Katy hadn't died you wouldn't have been able to take foster parenting classes, right?" We said yes, that was right. He followed that up with, "Well, if you hadn't been foster parents, you couldn't have taken me, right? So it's a good thing you were foster parents!"
-
And who could possibly argue with that? Certainly not me! "...all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." ~Romans 8:28 God took our Katy's life and death, and brought us (and our kids) SOOOOO much good that I could never doubt His love and faithfulness. Someday, when Katy's Place is finally a reality, we'll see even more good coming from a painful situation that God has turned into something beautiful!
• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
1-Dec-2007 - My sweet Jared's birthday...
Jared turned 5 last week. We finally got around to having cake and ice cream tonight. I made the cake this afternoon then had my oldest take it over to my Mom & Dad's so Jared wouldn't see it until we were ready to party. Tonight when I asked Jared if he liked the cake Mommy made him, he said, "No, Gramma made it!" Oh, well. I guess it doesn't matter as long as he liked it. Kudos to Gramma for a great cake! ;)
-
Well, I don't think I'll be making it to church tomorrow. 2 or 3 of the kids have nasty, runny noses and coughs, and I don't think that would be welcome in the nursery. Plus, with the older kids working on the Christmas skits and the monthly fellowship meal afterwards, it's going to be a LONG day. I'm going to stay here and work on getting a few things done, like LAUNDRY! That's a never ending TO-DO here. At least 2 or 3 loads a day or I'm woefully behind.
-
We're also going to be putting up our tree tomorrow, which means we'll be having our Family Christmas Season Kickoff Party. So, I'll go ahead and put on the Christmas music and make up the fruit and veggie trays, the buffalo wings, hot chocolate and spiced tea while everyone is gone to church. We actually got the tree out and mostly assembled today, and that was a good thing, since we found out the lights on it (it's pre-lit) don't work anymore. I was able to pick up a few strands from our old house while we were there today.
-
The kids drew names for Christmas today. Now I have to figure out a time to take each one shopping so they can get their brother's or sister's presents--plus a time for me to go so I can get my shopping done. Looks like I'll be burning up the road between now & Christmas.
-
I'm trying to figure out how to get pictures on here, but I'm a bit delayed in Computer Lit., so bear with me. If you have any pointers for me, let me know. I would love to share a picture of Jared's cake and our tree (once it's up) with everyone.
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
29-Nov-2007 - What a frustrating afternoon!
Well, I've spent much of my afternoon on the phone talking to "the Lady" that works at the durable medical equipment company where my 3 littlest kiddos have been getting their walkers, standers, and wheelchairs recently. To say I'm frustrated would be an understatement.
-
To begin with, a couple of months ago, we ordered a walker for MaKenzie. It was humongous and very heavy. She's tiny and relatively weak (she has CP)--so NOT a good fit. So, I figured, no problem, I'll send it back and order something more appropriate! "The Lady" (same lady I've been on the phone with today) says, "Well, that's okay, there will be a $200.00 restocking fee, though." Do I appear to have $200 floating around to spend on a RESTOCKING FEE???? No. So, I take the item home and it sits in the living room of the old house unused for the past few months.
-
Then a few weeks ago, I needed to order a stander for the littles since they have outgrown the old one. I took several papers in to "the Lady's" office to show her what I've been looking at. She says, "oh, no, no, no, THIS is the one you need, it is the one we use for everyone (??????)" and proceeds to begin filling out the paperwork. Now, I'm not totally opposed to the one she chose, so no biggie--I wasn't attached to any of the ones I brought in either, so while I was mildly put off by her lack of choices offered, I wasn't mad or anything.
-
On this same day, I also brought her pictures of the manual wheelchair I really wanted to get for Jared. She basically laughs (she really did laugh--she even had to apologize for being rude--which surprised me) in my face and says, "His card is NOT going to pay for a $2500.00 chair!!!!--You're going to need to go with a much more basic model, like *THIS* one we use for everyone." Okay, at this point I'm beginning to see the pattern, and I'm getting ticked! The point is she doesn't want to form any new accounts with new suppliers, even if it is in the best interest of the customer/patient. So I tell her to go ahead and order the stander for MaKenzie for now, and I'll do a little more research about Jared's chair.
-
Now, fast forward to today. We are still trying to order a manual wheelchair for Jared. "The Lady" calls to tell me to look online at "x" wheelchair. Basically telling me again that it is my only option. I ask her what other chairs his card would cover so I could do some more research. She can only come up with one. She says, "Honey, this is a $3000.00 wheelchair. It's a wonderful quality chair." At this point I'm about to jump through the phone. I said, "You laughed at me for presenting you with a $2500.00 chair, and you told me his card wouldn't pay, and YOU are trying to order a $3000.00 chair?" She said, "Well, that is the only pediatric company we work with." I told her I'd find another vendor. She said, "No, don't do that, I can ask my boss." HELLO????? Why didn't you ask your boss several weeks ago?
-
Then, I ask her about MaKenzie's walker that won't work for her. I told her I'm frustrated because now that MaKenzie "on paper" has a walker, her card won't cover another one for her. So we're stuck with a borrowed walker for now (and the lender has asked for it back) and no way to get another one without shelling out the $1500 from our pocket, or paying the $200.00 restocking fee for the other one.
-
This time "the Lady" said, "Honey, we have a time limit on restocking items." I reminded her that I had told her the day I picked it up that we'd never be able to use it--and we haven't. She finally decided she could ask her boss about that too. It's amazing, isn't it?
-
What is really frustrating is that I know this happens HUNDREDS of time over the course of the day to children who are faced with disabilities and are in the position of being covered by a medical card. My children have medical cards because of their adoptions--it covers way more than our insurance would, also. However, vendors and providers are VERY snooty and condescending to the families covered by Medicaid. That's not okay, but I could manage to swallow my pride if it meant my kids would get the things they need. But that's NOT what it means. They still are getting the very lowest quality goods from whatever provider the vendor can form the most profitable relationship with. The bottom line is my kids, and the kids facing disabilities everywhere, deserve to have equipment that is not only useful, but easy to use for them and for the caregiver, and provides a maximum benefit to their sense of independence and self-esteem.
-
Okay, I'm stepping down from my soapbox now.
• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
24-Nov-2007 - Thanksgiving Feast...
Because we went to Dh's Mom & Dad's for Thanksgiving, we had our own family Thanksgiving here at home yesterday (Friday). We had my Mom & Dad over, as well as a family we have grown to love this year. So we were 15 for the day. Not a huge crowd, but plenty for me, the "kitchen-challenged" cook!
-
Originally I had planned to go *VERY* simple--turkey, dressing, potatoes, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce. But it kind of ended up having a life of its own. We wound up with:
Turkey
Dressing
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans
Green Bean Casserole
Corn Casserole
Mac&Cheese Salad
Watergate Salad
Cranberry Relish
Deviled Eggs
Shoepeg Salad
7-Layer Salad
2 Pumpkin Pies
1 Chocolate Pie
1 Pecan Pie
Brownies
Cookies (made by my son)
Pumpkin Cheesecake
-
So, who's up for leftovers at our house?
-
This was my first official Thanksgiving hosted at my house. I think it went okay. I made 2 turkeys, we only ended up eating a fraction of one of them. So live and learn, but I'm not sorry to have the leftovers, that's for sure. I'm happy to not cook for oh, a week or so, at least!!!
-
Today is Christmas Tree day! The kids are excited and I suppose I am too, just because they are.:0) I'm going to be searching the web for wassail recipes and pulling out my Christmas music to put the tree up by. That might just be my favorite part of Christmas.
-
The big decision of the day will be where in this little space to put the tree where little hands won't be constantly tempted, but little eyes can still enjoy.
-
I'm choosing to not think about Christmas shopping, at least for today, since that causes much anxiety for me. That is CERTAINLY my *VERY LEAST* favorite part of Christmas.
-
On with the show....
• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link
10-Nov-2007 - Odds & Ends...
I know I'm not being NEARLY as consistent as I hoped to be with blogging, but I think I mentioned before about the revolving door we didn't know was on this house until we moved in...
-
Anyway, we've had at least one person besides our own family here everyday this past week again. For most of the week we had a family from Maryland who is job-hunting in our neck of the woods. They found a job and a house so things are looking good for them. We also had our regular little "borrowed" baby girl most of the week while her momma had various appointments. Then yesterday, dh's mom & dad came for a visit.
-
The visit turned out to be a good one in spite of the stress I invariably allow to immobilize me when I hear they are coming. I think the reason for the more relaxed visit is that I chose to take part of the stress off myself by not cooking. I had intended to make Crystal Miller's Chicken Lasagna (if the link doesn't work, let me know--this is a recipe you'll want! My whole family--even the picky ones--enjoyed this!), but I didn't make it because it is kind of labor intensive when you are trying to corral littles and visit with people. Instead I had my parents pick up 2 party sized frozenStouffer's lasagnas from town. Those are good too, but not nearly like Crystal's chicken version!!!
-
Today is awfully quiet around here. DH and the bigger boys are all outside messing around and working. It's just me and the littles and they are busy playing and watching Veggie Tales--so I've gotten several things done. 3 loads of laundry washed/dried/folded, several projects on the computer, and some planning for the upcoming week.
-
I don't know if you've been reading Katie's blog that I mentioned in my past entry, but things are awfully interesting over there sometimes. If you like to read about large families or if you enjoy learning more about natural cooking/cleaning, etc. you might enjoy checking it out. I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I check her blog several times a day. Now, before you think I have no life, let me explain. The comments she gets are HILARIOUS sometimes. I check to see if there are new comments because often I get some much needed comic relief for myself. Folks seem to enjoy picking apart every decision she makes for her family. It is indeed comical considering that she works harder at loving and providing well for her family than any of her detractors ever dreamed of doing themselves. I can say this because with 8 (and usually plus a few extras here lately) I know how hard I work to make things go, so I can imagine that if you added her 4 more to my load, it would be ...well, it would be four more--you know what I'm getting at!
-
I did some blog hopping the other day and came across Camilla Anderson's blog. Now I haven't read all of her stuff, but a couple of her entries really came across as wise to me. One was about "If your husband isn't on board" or something similar. I'd love to do a similar Bible Study at my church. I think all wives could benefit from hearing this from time to time. Even though I know the things she was saying, it was good to be reminded. Even though my DH IS very on-board with godly child rearing and is very much the spiritual leader in our family, I need to remember to treat him with the respect he is due.
-
I'm going to finish up the laundry and work on the children's assignment lists for next week, then clean out the littles' closet. With 4 of them sharing a one-person closet, I must be very choosy about which clothes earn a place there and right now, things are getting a little "smooshed" and we can't have that!
