I'm Liking the Homeschool Scene

O.K. So I got a little frustrated yesterday, but overall we had a good day. We slept in so we didn't start school til 12:00 and still got it all done. He had to have a nap and a couple of rest periods but overall he did o.k. Today we started earlier because we have quite a bit to do. He has a hard time answering the questions from the story in his reading book. They are asking him to form his own opinion and that is hard at this age. He also had to play a game with me that took a good half hour. We have done his daily work but are still working on finishing his reading. They word things very strangely in his work. On one page, it has to be answered directly from the text, on the next page, it has to be thought out and read into to get the answer. Ahhhh!

My house is not as clean as I want it to be. There is no time to be lazy and then hurry up and clean. I don't mind, but I can tell it is going to take some adjusting.

Our last foster baby was put into an adoptive home a year ago. Now the judge has decided that he must be returned to his bio mother. They are devistated and he is not doing well. He is 3 1/2 now and acts out. He is so clingy! The visits went from 3 hours a week to open ended on the week-ends and week nights. My dear friend, his mother, wasn't sure what to do. They had a family planning meeting and the supervisor stopped that. The visits are now set up for Tuesday and Thursday night at her house for 2 hours and then on Saturday from 3:00 to 8:00. The bio mom can take him wherever. On Sunday the bio mom can take him to their church and then take him back home to their house and put him down for a nap. That is so much better on our baby boy and on my friend. They were throwing too much at him to soon. I am still praying she will walk away and they get to keep him. This is a two parent family and the stability is great for our boy. It is very emotional for all of us. Our little Roo and him are siblings and they are very close and connected.

We are going swimming with them on Friday night. What fun. He told me he can swim under water with his eyes open! Mom informes me it is with his goggles on! He is so adorable and deserves the best. The laws are not set up for these little guys.

Little Roo is struggling in school and at home. She can't keep track of her stuff to save her life. She barely got her book report done in time this month, but we DID!

Off to lunch now.

Monday's Commin' And I Want To Go Home.....

Home is where the heart is, so I hear. I know, I am home. I just want to curl up with a good book, look out at the stars, and enjoy the fire in the fireplace. I want to think of peaceful times to come. Of journeys to be taken. I want to think of dreams we have and vacations we plan to take. I want to think of happy times.

Reality........I still have one sick boy who can't stop coughing. He is still having a hard time keeping food down. One son has a chip on his shoulder the size of Mt. Rushmoore. The wood pile was low, so we had to get wood. The hot water heater broke and we had to fix that this week-end. The medical bills are going to start rolling in and the short break I had planned I can't do now. Money is tight. I wanted to go to the Ladies Conference our church is going to. Usually, it's not a problem, but it is this year. I haven't gone for the past couple of years and was looking forward to it this year. There will be more to come, so I shouldn't worry so.

We started framing and sheet-rocking our basement this week-end too. It helps to keep busy or I just worry about Eyore. Oh the work though. It's dusty, dirty, and plain old cold down there. We are putting in a large walk-in closet and an even bigger storage closet and a closet for our daughters room. It is coming along nicely. We have the sheet-rock up and ready to tape. I can see my closet now. Up til now we have had our clothes hanging along one wall and several boxes in a corner. It will be wonderful to have a spot for all our stuff.

School time. Talk to you later

We're Back From The Hospital

Wednesday afternnon we headed to the hospital with Eyore. He was still throwing up everything and getting dehydrated. My pediatrician and the specialist were working together well and we decided to make sure he was hydrated before they did any surgery. This noon they took him off to surgery to look in his throat and lungs. There was not a blockage anymore but his lungs and tubes were red and irritated. The radiologist finally read the xray and said there was a blockage on Tuesday. The lates is that it became swollen, possibly from the massive reflux he was having. Steroids and Z-pack can cause reflux and he already has it pretty bad. So they put him back on prevecid and are going to watch him this week. We got home at 5:30 this evening and are happy to be here. He threw up before we drove off and he threw up what he ate here at home. The question is is it from the meds from surgery or the other elusive problem. He is still coughing to. When they put him out for the surgery they ended up having to give him more medicine because he was still coughing and couldn't do the proceedure. That tells me something. The anestesiologist came to talk to me twice. The waiting game begins. He was a real trooper and had a great attitude the whole time.

Oh So Unsure!

Oh, I found out some more information about my school and the head hancho there. Apparently there are some problems in the district with her. The hancho is not thought of so highly said my source. Maybe it's true, maybe not. My source says to have a meeting and then talk to the district boss. Apparently she is good at listening and backing up the parents. Did I mention earlier that they put Christopher on the bus again when it was supposed to be parent pick up. Thankfully I could get to the bus stop in time. They said it was Christophers fault. They told him about an hour before school was out. No paper or anything. They expected him to remember this. I don't think that's right. I think they should wait until the end of the day and then tell him where he is supposed to go. He was doing school work at the time, concentrating on his school work. He is very one minded. I think the teacher needs to tell them at the end and pay attention where they go. What do you think? I had to cancell my meeting with the principal because Eyore is sick.

I had a few more thoughts about Eyore. I talked to the doctor about him this morning. She still wants to wait it out until tomorrow if we can. He is still throwing up when he eats and is more dizzy. I think we should take him to the hospital so he is hydrated tomorrow. He waited 15 hours to go to the bathroom and then went twice in that hour. I am not sure whether to push it or not. So, we wait.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It;s off to the hospital we go.....

I left off with Eyore throwing up and me not knowing what was wrong. He continued to throw up if he put anything in his mouth. He could swallow it but it would come back within a few seconds. I took him back to the doctors yesterday and they did a throat xray. It showed a large restriction. They sent him to a specialist and he didn't feel in a hurry to do anything about it. He said he wasn't sure there was anything there. He did feel we needed to look though. Maybe Monday he says. He's throwing up everything he puts in his mouth! So, we give him a drink of water. Does he throw it up? No! After we walk out of the office, you guessed it, he throws up. The specialist said he thought it was due to the steroids he was on. It can upset the stomach. Not so. I got him some ice ream and he threw up 3 times on the way home. Every time we fed him last night, he threw up. He ate this morning, he threw up. He thinks he can eat again so we are going to water down the oatmeal so it can come up easily. You can't convince him not to eat because he is hungry! He is begining to get dehydrated now. I am waiting to talk to the doctor this morning to make a decision as to wether he needs to go to the hospital today to get the IV's.

So, for my friends who think I should get a job now that my kids are in school. No Way! My kids need me. I am available and am happy I can be there for my kids.

I am going to homeschool Kevin for now with the school materials. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? The work seems ok to me. He has missed 2 weeks of school now and who knows how much more.

We have my neice today and she is such a bright spot. She is almost 6 and has a genetic disorder. She is a happy child with affection. Her mother dressers her impecably so it's quite fun to have her over. She is "helping" me type this.

On to the day. Pray for us please.
Eyore is on the right, Wise Old Owl in the middle, and my Neice on the left.

One Fine Day, One Not So Fine Night

One fine day was spent up on the mountain. It was a glorious day with the beauty of white everywhere and a feeling of flying down the slope. I forget each year how much I like to skii. The wind in your face, the rush you get from the back and forth motion, the excitement of passing everyone who is falling, and knowing you aren't among them. It was wonderful. When I am up there it feels just a little like Heaven to me. God's beauty is at it's best to me up there looking out at creation. I just love it. Dick Bob and Christopher had a ball up there. They are very good at snowboarding. They love every minute up there and are on the last run every time. Of course, we only make it up there about twice a year. We have fun each time. We decided to take Eyore too as it appeared he was ont he up Sunday night. It appeared the steroids were doing their job and it was going to be a short day up there. He got up so excited Monday morning. We did not get on the slope until 11:00 and he has snowboarded before. He was a trooper and by 1:00 was snowboarding down well. At 2:00 he was winding down fast. We put his skiis away and sat in the lodge. He wanted to GO HOME! I knew he had probably overdone it, but darn it, he needs to have some fun once in awhile. For him, this fun is so far and few between. All in all, it was a great day. I'll post pictures later.

Last night Eyore started throwing up. At first, I assumed it was just tiredness. He was doing is ongoing coughing and I thought maybe his coughing was causing him to throw up. Nope! Evertime he took a drink it came right back up before it even hit the stomach. This went on all evening. The doc said to not let him have anything at all and see if he calms down. Sure enough, he calmed down. The question for me is is he going to start throwing up this morning if he drinks water. I don't think it was even making down his throat before it came back up. It appeared to me to be some sort of blockage. Not sure, but will test my theory this morning. Of to get my kids to school. Will post later on Eyore.

Tis' a cold and windy day!

I let Dick Bob go skiing on Saturday. Should I have, you ask. I'm not sure but the break was wonderful. The problem is he still has back homework to work on and we are all going to the mountain tomorrow. He sits as we speak doing his work but I wonder if he will get it done. I have made the bold statement of "if you don't get it done, you can't go". Will I follow through? I'm not sure, but I hope I will. He crashed and burned up there yesterday and has a huge scrape on his face and jaw. Ouch! He is ready to go again though.

Eyore continues to have health problems. I was so hoping he could go tomorrow and I don't think he can make it. He is so upset. I am not sure how to help him through this time. If I stay behind then nobody can go. If I go, then the other kids can go but Eyore has to stay with Grandpa. That's not so bad in my book because I spend a lot of time with him when he is sick. However, he is very needy right now and doesn't want to be away from me. What to do?

After much bragging to another teacher at school about my wonderful Christopher I found out he was lying to me about some of his homework. It was disheartening! He is not doing well in Social Studies or Math. Missing assignments are his problem in Math and poor work answers in SS. I had been asking him everyday if he had homework and the answer was always NO! So, all the last couple of days we have been working on his past work. He can do it and be an A student if he wants to. We'll see.

I woke up the past 2 morinings with migranes. I took some new medicine called Maxalt and it worked wonders. I didn't have an after effect with this one. It was great. My migranes are completely gone in about an hour. Completely! Can you beleive it. I love modern medicine.

Please continue to pray for Eyore. They are testing him for Whooping Cough. He shouldn't have it because he had it last year, but anything is possible. He hasn't been coughing as much today but is lathargic and just doesn't feel well. It is frustrating.

Christopher has been coughing rather loudly today too. I hope it is nothing to serious. I put him on the nebulizer today too instead of his inhaler and he does seem to be doing a bit better.

Hubby seems a bit down today too. He is currently taking a nap, but it is Sunday and he loves to nap on Sunday. I am cleaning the kitchen, watching over the homework, and wanting to scrapbook. Got to go now, my homework is calling to me.

Do I Seem Stressed? Take this test!

.So take this test and see if you are stressed. I know I was!
Here's the link http://webpages.charter.net/hkirtley/stress/
Let me know if you all are stressed out or not. I got this from my son's health class.

So My LIfe Goes Like This.......

I get up exhausted and go through the days exhausted and go to bed exhausted. If one child hasn't been sick then another one has. Since my last post Eyore was off the crutches because he does not have another fracture. Yes! My little Roo was another story. One of the reasons it takes me so long to get back here is because she has been so sick. She was coughing non stop most of 3 days. Tears were streaming down her red cheeks along with her beautiful eyes being puffy and a new shade of red. Her frail frame would shake so hard that she could hardly stand upright. Then the steroids made her so crazy with energy that she was acting out and doing things no 7 year old should do. She took a rock and was wondering around the house with it (she loves rocks) and then scratched my flat screen monitor with it "to see what would happen". She was up til 2:00 in the morning leaping up and down the flight of stairs more times than I care to count. She would cough for long periods. I finally told her to watch a movie in our room and STAY in the recliner and don't MOVE! She finally fell into an exhausted sleep around 2:00 a.m.

So, this brings me to my next obsticle in life. I decide to take my Roo to school yesterday around 1:00 because she is finally doing so much better. Her steroids help alot. The problem is that they are doing swimming in the afternoon. I had called the school office on Monday and asked what I needed to do if she could make it to school on Monday later on (she didn't). They told me to take her to swimming and that would be fine. I said "I don't need to sign her in at scholl?" They said "No, just take her over there." Now, I ask you, do you think I should ask again? I didn't. I called and talked to the teacher the next morning and told her I was bringing her but she still wasn't feeling better. On the way to school she started into a coughing spell so I kept her. I called the office and told them the teacher was expecting her but I wasn't going to leave her after all. I said if she started feeling better that I would bring her later. I got a call from the secretary a little later saying don't bring her. She can't just come for the "party". I wasn't sure what they were getting at but I said o.k. Now I have had two conversations on two seperate days about her coming to school late. I do not analyize them. The third day the steroids kick in but not until the wee hours of the morning. By noon she is able to go to school. Swimming is what comes right after lunch. I proceed to the swimming pool (I live 2 blocks from there). The teacher takes one look at her and says NOOOOO, she can't come. School policy says she can't come if she didn't come to the academic part. I told her that the secretary said she could. What? She wouldn't say that. Long story short, she let her stay because she couldn't get a hold of anyone at the school. I decided to call the school a little later and make sure everything was cleared up. The first thing the secretary says is "What are you telling people I said?" It was a very defensive statement. I was only telling what I was told or what I understood. Then the secretary tells me the Principal wants to talk to me. Oh great. How does one small thing turn into something so big. The principal and I begin to talk and she is adament that it is a district wide policy. I told her I wasn't trying to cause any problems. One of the things she told me was that my child needs to "buck up" and come to school all day." I told her I didn't agree but it makes me so mad that she would say that. What right does she have to tell me or my child wether they are well enough to go to school? The Nerve! I have 2 very sick children. They seem to think they can decide wether my children can make it to school better than I can. I talked to Mrs. Darling about it and decided that having a meeting with the principal was the way to go. I went to the doctor with Eyore today (he's really sick) and got "notes" from the doctor that both kids had been seen and were sick. I'm going to take the "notes" into the principal and talk to her aobut the fact that they "know" when my kids are sick. Pray that the meeting goes well. I set it up for Tuesday at 3:30. I thik it's rediculous when the schools seem to have so much say and boldness when it comes to our kids. If they decide we didn't do what they want us to do, they can call up CSD and tell them. They don't need to stick their noses in other peoples lives so much. Now, I am a mom who is constantly checking in with the teachers about my kids. Getting make up work if they need it, checking to make sure that homework was turned in, letting the teacher know if the kids are having problems, ect. Yet, I still have a teacher irritated with me. She claimes she gave the work to Eyore but he doesn't have it. Why is it a problem for her to give it to him again? This is not a normal thing that he does. He is a responsible 4th grader. Get off our backs people! That's my statement for the day.

I took Eyore to the doctor today because he has been coughing every 5 seconds or so and it is a weird cough. I wasn't sure if it was ashtma or not. The doctor is very concerned something is wrong with his throat. They did lung xrays and think he has the beginings of Pnemonia. We caught it right away but it still amazes me that he can get something so fast. He is going on steroids, Zithromax, and his nebulizers. I think I will continue to be tired for the next few months. The doctors were telling me that the allergies are bad right now. Eyore is resting on the couch this afternoon and looks so weak and pitiful!

Onward Christian Soldiars Marching Off To War! Oh, that's me!

Did the Good Fairy Leave Us?

I'm just wondering because we have so many things happen in the last couple of days. My son, Eyore, was finally off his crutches and he fell down the stairs Saturday and can't walk on the same foot again. He appears to have hurt the other side this time. I am going to take him in for an xray and see what's up. I just want to bury my head in the sand. I so wish the doctors had an idea what might be wrong with his bone structure. His foot is also starting to turn in and go sideways. My daughter is also having a lot of problems with her asthma and allergies. She coughed for several hours in the night before finally being able to sleep and when we woke up this morning at 7:30 she is back to coughing. She looks so pitiful! I keep giving her the allergy medicine and her inhaler but I don't know if it helps or not. Oh well, the rain where I live sure fits my mood. I am exhaused. Last night we also had a run in with Dick Bob. He has been doing so well but he went to a friends house and came back in a foul mood. Saying he hates me and was so angry if we said anything to him. He was sitting in a kitchen chair because he did not want to do what he was supposed to do. He has been flunking out of all 5 of his classes because he wasn't turning in his work. We have been working with the school counselor and teachers to get him up. He did ok working with me for the first 2 days and now has a major attitude and trying to say he is a screw up. It is so annoying. He is a great kid and has so many skills. If he could get over the self pity stuff. We tried and tried to talk about his attitude and he was just a plain PAIN. Spouting off how he can't stand us, is a failure, and stop talking to me. All we asked is that he change his attitude and tone of voice. He called me F#$# You and through his book on the table. I'm not sure about other households but you don't do that in this house. After saying that he still thought we were being unfair to him. I told him that that can NOT happen again. There has to be some punishment for that kind of behaivor. NO ONE calls me that and gets away with it. So, with very little sleep I'm off to a new day. I am hoping my teen was having a bad day yesterday and is ready to take a new turn today, that my Eyore did not fracture his foot, and that my daughter gets miraculously better today. I would certainly appreciate the prayer.

Where Have I Been

A long time ago. It feels that way anyway. I have had so many different things come up that my life has been full. I finally feel I have the energy and time to get back on here. Thanks to everyone who are still looking and I appreciate the comments.

Life works in mysterious ways and we have had those such ways lately. When we bought our fixer upper house we had hoped to get a few more things dome than we have done. We ran out of money all to soon. So, I have been looking on Craig's list for items and was blessed with some lights this week. I don't know what the previous owners did with the lights but they were just bulbs hanging from the sockets on the ceiling. I responded to an add for some free lights. He called me back and I got all of them. 6 bedroom lights that were just like I was looking at at the store and a chandelier for the dining room. I was so blessed. God has a way of blessing us even when we don't deserve it. I had bulbs but now I have lights that lood good too. They guy decided to hand deliver them too. I love it. One thing at a time but it sure is fun to watch what the Lord can do. I am continually amazed at His blessings on our family. We are committed to getting out of debt so although we have some money, it all goes to get the debt payed off. I am amazed at how fast it is going when we work at it. We are going to get a decent amount back on the taxes and we will apply that to the debt too.

I am having lots of problems with my asthma right now so I shall say Bye!

A DAY GONE BY

like this one and I am sure to be in a wheelchair! I hurt so much after walking today. I love that I am walking, but the pain is awful. My friends assure me that it will go away in another week or so. I am not so confident. After sitting here awhile, I will hardly be able to walk. I have to hobble everywhere. When I get out to walk though, I stretch it out and I'm off. I hope to see some results in another couple of weeks. I'll let you all know.

Eyore is doing much better and made it to school yesterday and today. He is now walking without his crutches and doing just fine. I think I saw him skip tonight. He is still battling the headaches but is looking much better. Christopher is finally on the up too. His terrible cough is almost gone. He is exhausted tonight, but I think it is just because of a long school week.

We all played a game tonight as a family. I enjoyed it but I am not sure how much some of the other members. We got CRANIUM, family fun for Christmas and had yet to play it. It can be a bit slow but I think it is mainly due to the large span in ages of our kids. The oldest is 16 and then 12, 10, and 7. The grandparents were playing too. I find it hard to get all the kids to like one game. At 16, Dick Bob could play a pretty sophisticated game but our 7 year old can barely think on her own. All in all the game night was fun. I have to say though that we were going to go to Home Depot earlier and they were more excited about that than the game. When we didn't go, they were disapointed. So, I guess Home Depot is a great family outing.

Well, I beleive my hubby and I are going to go to Applebees for appetisers soon. They are half price after 9:00 p.m. I love appetizers and it keeps us in our budget.

Will you all pray for my dad. He lost his job this afternoon. He has been working for an upscale retirement home, doing the driving for the elderly. However, he is getting up there in age himself. He is 62 but you can't get social security until you are 65 1/2 now. They do not have any medical right now and they really need to make some money to pay their bills. They do live with us but they pay us some rent to help us on the morgtage. We can take that down to half for them but they still have plenty of other bills. It is tuff to find jobs if you are that old. He does paint exceptionally well and has recently made some money from that. I am not sure how to market his paintings though. He painted a long saw blade with the four seasons of Mount Hood and the persons house in the middle and sold it for 350.00. Can he continue to do this? I'm not sure. If anyone has any ideas how he can market them, I would love the advice. I am wondering if a web site might work. What do you think?

He is discouraged and could use your prayers.

I saw some shoots comming up today and buds on some of the bushes have color. Yes!

Eyore and more

Well, I am back now. Took a couple of days off because I have been exhausted. Eyore and Christopher have been so sick but I see the sunshine today, meaning there must be hope at the end of the rope. Christopher has made it almost all day at school today. Yesterday he made it about 2 hours. His cough is so icky but he is a trooper. Eyore, on the other hand, is still at home. He has had one thing after another. I took him back to the doctor and he has costochondritis. Now, I have been googling with Mrs. Darling to find out ourselves what we thought he had. We came up with this a couple of days ago and sure enough, we were right. He will be in pain for a couple of weeks but it should go away. It usually occurs when children are growing. The ribs and breastbone are growing, causing pain. The doctor said this could also be happening because he has been on crutches too. There is a possibility it is a fractured rib, but we are choosing not to xray unless we really need to. It wouldn't change what we do, so we don't want to expose him. They are also thinking he may have mono. He is so tired and he has been sleeping during the day or laying down. He very seldom sits up. He says it is hard to sit up and complains of being very tired. So, if this doesn't dissappear by Friday, they will do the blood test. Please pray for him. He has missed so much school that he is getting behind.

Did anyone see the sunshine today. God must have known we needed to see it to survive. I have felt so depressed lately and this makes me smile! I even walked around our new back yard to see what plants were comming up and we have several. I was excited to see the first bits of flowers comming. I am absolutely nuts about flowers and keep many planted during the spring and summer.

Must be off now. Laundry and housecleaning beckon me.