Lessons from Loon Loop - Homeschool Blogger

If I only had a brain...

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 18:24:00 -0600

Or at least a different one. To get you up to speed...In Feb last year I had a stroke. In July of last year I had a very bad seizure, ambulance to one hospital and helicopter to another. Was doing okay until November of this year when I had another seizure. Back to hospital, where they immediately whisked me off to another hospital capable of dealing with me.

Now, I'm on seizure medications, have had some "breakthrough" seizures, and have had to double my medication dosage. Still can't drive. I'm being hauled everywhere by my patient and loving husband. My son now has more incentive than ever to get his license, and is slogging through the driver's ed curriculum. I'd be thrilled to have him driving,both for my sake and for his!

In spite of all this, I'm happy! Either I don't get it, I'm more brain-damaged than I thought, or I'm in total denial. Don't care though. There's an incredible freedom that comes from having stared down the throat of death and disability, and been barfed back up on the shore. Gross visuals, I know, but I do feel a bit Jonah-ish. I didn't go into this kicking and screaming, but I am certainly glad to be in the beach again anyway.

Enough for now. The hand dexterity required for typing takes a lot out of me, and besides, it's time for supper.

More later.

What do YOU know about Minnesota? New GAME!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:55:00 -0500

Test your knowledge of your home state in a fun and educational way with Spotlight on Minnesota, a Bingo-type game that is meant for multiple ages and players. It's created by a Minnesota homeschool mom, for homeschoolers and others. After playing a few rounds, I realized how much I didn't know, and afterwards had a better appreciation for our great state.

Check out the game at the website Spotlight Games, and get your own copy. It would be a great game to play at home, or take it to co-op for a Mn history class.

Here are some details:

For ages 8-80, 2-15 players! Each game includes 15 different bingo-style game boards (individuals, small groups and teams can play) and over 100 information-packed questions color-coded to three levels of knowledge. Each Question Card not only asks a question, but features an interesting fact about the people and places in Minnesota.

Once players answer enough questions correctly to mark 5 squares in-a-row on their board, they win! The unique rules also detail three different styles of play depending on how competitive the players want to be. Three levels of questions with three styles of play always keep the game fresh and interesting

Players
All ages 8 to 80
Ideal for students grades 3-8
2-15 players

Object
Correctly identify answers to the Minnesota History questions. Be the first to cover 5 squares in a row, either across, down or diagonally on the game board and call Spotlight to win!

Each Game Includes
15 Different Game Boards
Over 100 Fact-Filled Questions
Instructions
*Tokens not included

spring flowers

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:31:00 -0500

Bishop's Caps - so tiny!

Moving time

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:42:00 -0500

I am afraid it's time to move my blog. Although I love the "neighborhood" here and the community of homeschoolers, I want a more user-friendly, adjustable blog. Come visit me over at http://loonloop.blogspot.com/

See you there, leave comments for me!

Ramona

Vision Loss-Online test

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0500

I took an online visual field test and it did show that I have a blind spot in my lower left quadrant. I thought so, sonce some things dissappear if I look out of the corner of my eye.

Try it yourself here Vision Loss test. They will email you your results in a graph format. Interesting stuff!

I see my neurologist next week, and will let you know what I discover.

Snowstorm in Spring?

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:23:00 -0500

Life after a stroke

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:09:00 -0500

Is not that much different. I have some physical and neurological deficits, but nothing that keeps me from my daily activities. I have some dsylexia with numbers and letters, I get "lost" visually, that is, I can pick out details but can't always grasp the whole.

My balance is much better than it was, and my manual dexterity is improved.

Why me? I have no idea. Why I was spared the catastrophic damage that could have occured, I don't know. I believe God knew I had work yet to do as a mom and a wife.

Make A Mix cooking

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:41:00 -0500

I've had the book for years and decided to go for it. Here's my weekend's bounty.

My new motto for life

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:08:00 -0600

Since my stroke I have a new motto for life - Carpe Cranium!

Seize the brain, what little is left of it!

Loopier Yet

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:43:00 -0600

Life is never dull on Loon Loop. On Feb 10, Sunday morning, while I was singing in worship team, I suffered a massive stroke. I am doing well, considering what the outcome could have been. I have some motor and balance problems, but am in intensive therapy and getting better.

KNEEL co-op

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:55:00 -0600

I realize that some time ago someone posted a negative comment about the KNEEL co-op. I had considered removing it, but many people wrote in with glowing positives about the co-op. I realized that letting readers express their satisfaction with KNEEL goes a lot further to undo the negativity than the absence of the comment. I hope that all of you that have had great experiences with any co-op will write in and let us know about it. Thanks,
Ramona

A trip down the rabbit hole

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 18:55:00 -0600

My earlier entry about my new migraine medicine was full of hope and optimism. If I'd only known what I was in for.

I had reached the standard daily dosage, and still no headaches, but the side effects were getting stronger. The hardest to deal with was the anxiety. I've never been an anxious sort of person, but suddenly I was perpetually on the verge of panic. I had an ever-present feeling of impending doom. One episodes sticks in my mind. all of the sudden I was certain I couldn't handle life any more. I sat at the kitchen table, hyperventilating, and figured out how to get out of all my jobs. I'd quit teaching, quit coaching, quit church activities, quit everything. Committees, worship team, friendships; they all had to go. I just COULDN'T DO IT!!!!! I could hardly breathe, my lips were tingling from lack of oxygen and the room started going gray.

Then it passed. I looked up, and thought very calmly to myself, "the stereo cabinet needs dusting."

WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!

I called my doctor right then. I have to go off the medicine. She convinced me to cut back to about half, and after a week or so, I felt fairly normal again. Yikes!

That wasn't the end of it, though. Two weeks ago I got hit with the mother of all migraines. I couldn't see the numbers on the phone to call my hubby. I tried to email him, couldn't see the keyboard or the screen. He later showed me the message I sent him; total gobbledygook.
He came home and took me to the emergency room. They gave me a lovely cocktail of demerol and ativan, sending me off into the bliss of pain relief and sleep.

Two days later, the sleeping was over, but not the problems. I couldn't recognize familiar things. My cat jumped into my lap ( you know how animals sense when you are sick and need comforting.) I didn't know this animal that jumped on me; I didn't even know it was a cat. It scared me and I flung it off me. Later, I looked out the window and saw our neighbor outside doing lawn work. He was dressed the way you expect for yard work on a cold day; grubby clothes, stocking cap. Problems was, I didn't know who he was. I called my husband over and told him there was a vagrant in the yard.

The problems persisted for several weeks. Balance - I've run into the wing chair in the living room so many times I have rows of bruises on my ribs. My hips are black and blue from nailing the end tables. I can' t dial the phone- the numbers won't resolve into anything I recognize. I can't drive. I have no idea what to do when I get to an intersection. Do I get to go next? Is that person in the turning lane stopped? What do the brake lights mean? I knew it was too dangerous to drive any more. I decided not to cook unless someone was home to check on me. I've left things on the burner for hours. I've dragged my sleeve through the burner's flame. I can't read, because the words from one part of the page pop up in the white spaces somewhere else. I can't type. Extra letters and spaces appear for no reason, and I can't figure out how to fix them. The worst was trying to teach my co-op class. I looked at the syllabus I had written. It said we were going to cover pages 97-101 in the text. I couldn't comprehend what the dash meant, and I couldn't understand how to find those pages in the book. The sequential ordering of numbers was just beyond me.
I called my doctor. What is wrong with me? I think it's the medicine. she agreed. I was to start tapering off right away.

(to be continued...)

One week on drugs

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 08:58:00 -0500

Today I started my twice-a-day dosage. This morning's dose has made me quite dopey, and typing is really a chore. Oh, I get all the letters in there, but the order is not quite right. I'm sure if you checked each sentence, all the appropriate letters exist, but in nowhere near the right arrangement. Thank goodness for spellcheck!

I am losing weight! In spite of several parties with lots of high calorie snacks. I think I like this. I can be skinny, go to parties, and be dumb. Look! I'm Paris Hilton!

The best thing is, no headaches. I have had a few garden-variety tension headaches, but no migraines. I still have the glare induced afterimages and light sensitivity, but no migraine. Hallelujah. I do have trouble finding words, but I hear that will pass with time.

Onward and upward, or wonrdward and poarnedrard!

R the medicated!

Day One on Drugs

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:58:00 -0500

I'm sure you'll all be fascinated by this saga (yeah, right). I finally had enough of my ever-increasing migraines and went to the doctor. He put me on Topamax, an anti-seizure medication that prevents migraines. There's a huge laundry list of side effects, the best of which is effortless weight loss. I'm looking forward to that!

That having been said, the others are not so fun. Inability to form and find words (yes, I'll be teaching high school writing in co-op), inability to focus (yes, we'll be doing chemistry this year), stupidity - they call it Dopa-Max, and a host of other fun stuff.

So far today, after one dose last night, I am experiencing a burst of energy, some trouble with words, and a bit of dry mouth. I haven't lost one ounce of weight. I truly expected to be down a size by this morning. Sigh. What IS the matter with the pharmaceutical industry these days?

Alas. I soldier on. Stupidity and skinniness, here I come.

Hooray for Nancy!

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:45:00 -0500

My dear friend Nancy Bjorkman has now opened her homeschool resource store. I am so proud of her! (and hubby Brad. You done good too.)

Here's the invitation to the Grand Opening.

Dear Homeschooler:

It is with great pleasure that we announce the opening of our “brick-and-mortar” store on July 23^rd. It is a humble store (we prefer to call it “quaint”) located in the heart of Elk River, MN. Our desire is to provide a place to browse, peruse, sit, and consider your options for homeschool resources. We’ll have the tea pot on and would love to talk with you about your family’s needs. We carry a variety of products for all subject areas, as well as resources to enhance your schooling in creative ways. We take care to only recommend products that we know and trust, and we work hard to do our homework so that you can buy with confidence. As always, if you are looking for something we don’t regularly carry, it is likely that we can get it for you.

We invite you to come and visit us at:

Heppner’s Legacy Homeschool Resources

920 Highway 10

Elk River, MN 55330

If you are familiar with Elk River, we are located between Proctor Avenue & Jackson Avenue on the north side of Highway 10, next door to Elk River Farm Supply, just 1.3 miles west of Hwy 169 / Hwy 101 – Hwy 10 interchange.

Our store hours through early Fall will be:

Monday through Friday, Noon – 5 p.m.
2^nd and 4^th Saturday of each month, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

We will be closed the following dates:

August 29 – September 3, Wednesday – Monday: Labor Day
November 22 – 25, Thursday – Sunday: Thanksgiving

Please join us for our Grand Opening Celebration

Friday & Saturday, August 10^th – 11^th from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

There will be:

· Door prizes, including a Grand Prize of $150 store credit, two $50 store credits (one each day), and more!

· In-store specials

· An opportunity for your children to help decorate our kids’ room in a special way

· Food and fun!

We are looking forward to meeting many of you in person! However, if you’re unable to stop by our new store, please look for our Grand Opening specials online at www.legacyhomeschool.com. For example, in celebration of our store opening we are offering the recently released “The Dangerous Book for Boys” by brothers Conn & Hall Iggulden at 20% off. Please also remember that you can also save 20% everyday on Apologia Science, Saxon Math, Learning Language Arts Through Literature, and Draw Write Now.

Blessings,

Brad and Nancy Bjorkman

Heppner & Heppner Legacy Homeschool Resources

Beware of Marketing!

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 14:02:00 -0500

Funny I should say this, because I do marketing for a luxury kitchen
and bath builder. However.....

Beware of marketing! Companies spend BILLIONS of dollars each year on
advertising. A 30 second spot during the Super Bowl can cost over $1
million. Why do they pay that much? Because it WORKS! Even if you
think you are immune to the effects, you are not. It's very subtle,
and works on your subconscious.

True story: My hubby and I had just eaten a huge turkey dinner with
all the fixin's at someone's house. We had reached that level of full
where it hurts to breathe and you can't bend in the middle.
Seriously, we really over-ate. As we were driving home, a commercial
came on the radio for honey-baked chicken, lavishly described in
full-color detail. We looked at each other and said "Ooh, that sounds
good!" Now, really, neither one of us could have eaten another
mouthful. But we reacted like trained rats at the suggestion that we
should buy some chicken.

Suggestion: Limit your exposure to advertising for awhile. Toss the
ad circulars from the paper in the recycling right away. Don't look at
them. Turn off the TV for awhile. Don't read magazines, especially
the "house and home" type. Catalogues in the mail? Stop at the
dumpster first - don't even bring them in the house. I know what
you're thinking; I can hear you! "What if there's a good sale on
something I need? What if I miss a great coupon?" Do you hear what
you are saying? You have already decided to buy something; you just
don't know what it is yet. Resist! Wear garlic and carry a silver
bullet!

Do this for awhile and monitor your feelings and see if you become
more content with what you already have. You may realize your mind
has not been your own; you have been an unwitting victim of marketing.

Voluntary Simplicity

Sat, 7 Jul 2007 18:48:00 -0500

I've started a new Yahoo Group to discuss and share voluntary simplicity, buying local, and living contendedly. Join me at groups.yahoo.com/group/mnlocal/ to discuss all things Minnesota Local.

A disclaimer

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 10:07:00 -0500

Regarding the previous entry - I am not implying that anyone who sends their kids on a mission trip is selfish, or that all are simply exotic vacations with spiritual-sounding names. I think, however, there are those who abuse the concept of a mission trip. We also have now decided, it seems, that any trip to a foreign country is a mission trip. Not really. If you are preaching and teaching the gospel, then you are doing missions. Building churches and repairing things are good works, to be sure, but I don't think they should be labeled missions. Similarly, I think the tendency to rate activities with a level of spiritual importance is wrong. Mission work is wonderful, if you are called to it. Being a carpenter or bricklayer or seamstress or kindergarten teacher is just as wonderful, if you are called to it. Going on a "Missions Trip" does not get you any more "sainthood points" than if you stayed home and visited your shut-in neighbor.

All I'm saying is that we all need to be listening to the Holy Spirit, and to be doing what He guides us to do.

short term missions or spiritualized tourism?

Fri, 8 Jun 2007 20:10:00 -0500

Missionary Madness

All I can say is "Amen". I thought I was turning into the Grinch for thinking that sending your kid off on a "missions trip" was just a sneaky way of getting others to pay for your kid's summer vacation. It's good to know I'm not alone.

KNOCK IT OFF!

Tue, 5 Jun 2007 08:21:00 -0500

Warning! Rant follows.

I am so sick of those emails that have a threat at the end. "If you are not ashamed of Christ, pass this on." "If you support our troops, don't let this circle prayer end. If you don't care, delete it."

Since when is my love for Christ determined by my response to an email? "They will know we are Christians by our outbox?" What?! Since when is my support and concern for our troops measured by how many prayer wheels (is this even Biblically sound? Seems very hindu to me) I send around the world?

I am all for encouragement and connections in any form that works, and the internet is a great way to create a sense of community. However, if you are going to be a member of this online world, you need to be a good citizen. Threatening and using guilt to manipulate others in no more acceptable in cyberspace than it is in real life.

Philippians 2:1-4 (New International Version)

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Live better. BE better. Love others.