It was a lovely day of school! I over slept. And the boys woke up so they purposely let me sleep in...how quick they learn. :-)
None the less...we got started and had a successful day. Ben started his third grade studies, Nate first grade and Eli is following along with the boys Science, History, Christian Studies, and Latin...but for him we will still do Montessori activities along with follow the Highlands Latin Schools 2 day a week Jr. Kindergarten. In a short while we will begin learning the memory work for Classical Conversations and attending the Friday school.
Here is a picture of Nate starting his History notebook for Story of the World Vol.One....I am sooooo excited about a history that has hands on projects all along. This is going to be a fun year. I feel a little guilty about getting to learn along and enjoy the experiences with the boys.
Back in early spring I asked someone what they suggested I do about the bugs eating my peaches every year before I got a chance to pick them. {{disclaimer: I knew this person might be able to give me a chemical free solution}} And so they suggested chickens. Easy enough we got some chickens. And let them out of the cage to see what they would do...
I have yet to figure out the getting them back in the coop for the night....but these past three evenings I have managed after chasing them around ....which feels as silly as...
this! Glad no one has videoed the nightly chicken bedtime struggle!!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I don't know why this post seems to be the hardest to write.
Maybe because there just aren't the right words to describe how I feel.
I blogged last week about my visit to my neurologist. It was hopeless. And negative.
Later that week I went in for a MRI that was supposed to be 45 minutes from arrival to departure. Three and a half hours later I left. Feeling scared. The staff were perfect--at least how they are supposed to be. Accommodating. But emotionless. Professional. But un-informative.
Yesterday Bryan and I went to my results. We were early. The doctor was late. My 9am appointment started at 9:45. During those 45 minutes I updated Twitter. Searched patterns for knitting on Ravelry. And tried not to age ten years.
Finally the doctor steps in and says " I will be another moment--but lets clear the air--the report is good!" I could have left at that point. I breathed again.
I wish I could get my MRI to post...I keep trying.
But the big news is:
--no new lesions
--one new lesion found is an old one missed before
--no negative activity showing.
--my Neuro visits are cut from every 3 months to once a year!!
--and he is no longer suggesting that I start the shot therapy
Question of the Day: Did I tell him about the StemCell treatment? no Why? because it changes nothing for him.
What happens now? Everyday...and every time it crosses my mind--which is often...I thank God. for: --helping me through these last 7 months --for all of the big and small prayers answered during that time --for all of my support during that time...my family and friends --for guiding me to treatment and the right doctor --and for allowing the treatment to work --and for each of you that believed along with me...I tried to stay away from anyone who accepted my diagnosis as final.
And mine has a loom. Actually more than one loom. But this one is the one that you probably wont see. It is usually not in the living room...but away from little hands that pass by. Anyway it isn't really a secret but I do get asked questions about it...so I thought I would introduce you to my loom. And if sometime you are at my home and ask to see it...I will show it to you--maybe even let you weave a little :-)
This is a 32" 4 harness Ashford Table Loom with the tredle kit stand. She was made in New Zealand from Silver Beechwood.
The project below is a scarf I am weaving...the warp is Lion Brand 1878 a fine American wool yarn available in yarn shops like Blueball Mountain here in Elizabethtown. The weft is Wollemeise a german hand-dyed yarn. If you are not a yarnie you dont get the importance of the Wollemeise. Wollemeise is so hard to get that you have to be on line logged in at 5am EST on Friday mornings grab the first yarn you see available and put it in your "shopping basket" and by the time you enter your credit card number half of it will be sold and out of stock. CRAZINESS!! And the company owner Claudia...if she catches you selling it on eBay or Ravelry for an inflated price...she will block your Wollemeise account! Lovely yarn indeed..but there are many other lovely yarns too :-)
Maybe I will weave you something...just ask me...I love a reason to create! Want to try to learn to weave? Or just want to give it a try to see if you like it? Come over and after you are addicted...I will take you shopping to find the perfect loom for you.
Wow it is 2012! And I have been gone..well actually here...just not blogging :-)
what happened? Yeah sometimes I wake up at night and I think...is this real? Was it just a nightmare?
No..it is really real...it did happen.
June 2011 I became ill. I found out about a month later that I had MS. I have two holes in the brain blood blanket. I was offered treatment with no hope. I could take shots that MIGHT slow down the episodes by 20%. Twenty percent is not good. It is not enough.
So I searched for an alternative treatment. I chose to have a stemcell treatment. My mother, aunt and I flew to Miami in October where I had the procedure done. 4.5 oz of fat was removed from my tummy. The stemcells were removed from the fat and injected back into my bloodstream. Three months later I feel amazing. I have all feeling back in my face, teethe,and tongue. I have not fallen since that time.
I have not told my neurosurgeon about the procedure yet. Monday I went to see him. I told him how well I am doing. He got to eye level with me and said "You need to understand that you have an incurable disease. The damage to your brain is permanent. The lesions will always be there. And will continue to happen because you are not on a treatment."
So tomorrow I have an MRI to measure the lesions and look for new ones.
The Psalmist David said " I am fearfully and wonderfully made." I believe that when God created our bodies He made them to take care of themselves--with us taking care of them soon.
For me the stemcell therapy was the right choice. It was the only choice with hope.
Here is what happens during the stemcell therapy ( I couldn't find the English version ;-( ...but it is out there!)
Frequently Asked Questions:
How much did it cost?
$13,900
Did insurance pay for it?
no... it is not a FDA approved procedure
Is it legal?
Yes...it has the same exemption as bone marrow transplants stated in CFR 1271.15.b.
What are the follow up meds?
three days of antibiotics and 30 days of mega vitamins to boost the immune system.
Did it hurt?
about as much as anything else when you take Valium :-)
How long is the procedure?
I was at the clinic about six hours total.
Would you do it again?
ABSOLUTELY!!
I found this picture of Eli learning to stand...he was scared. He pulled up and liked it...and was afraid of falling. And he fell. Scary as it was he stood up again. He had to. It was so he could go on. Sometimes he falls but it doesn't scare him anymore. Because he only falls if he is not watching where he is going.
That lesson that I watched in all of my children is a sermon to me now. A few weeks ago I was shooting my best friends wedding. During the wedding my lips started going numb. At the reception I almost choked on cake. A couple of days later the numbness spread in my face and to my right leg. Not really afraid but concerned I went to a doctor...the next several days, weeks became scary. The first doctor thought it was a stroke. The next three doctors said it looked like textbook Multiple Sclerosis. Tests proved them right.
I believe all things happen for a reason...a purpose. I have tried not to ask why me and allow bitterness to live in me.
I dont have a treatment plan as of yet. I do worry. I try not to cry even when others cry while asking me about it. Mainly I cry in my pillow and the shower. My mantra is to proceed Aware not Afraid.
Being afraid will not help anything.
I have practiced in the mirro saying "I have MS," because I have to be able to say it fearless for others. But when I say it I end it with a comma. Because in my heart I finish the statement with "MS does not have me."
Coming up my driveway...this is a lovely spot even with out snow.
Maybe this will be the year we landscape...
I know our neighbors hope so :-) but for now...our yard looks just as nice as theirs.
The snow on their yard is a cold surrender to the chemical warfare which they rage with the insect kingdom all summer long. We love these folks...actually we do! We welcome the bugs and beautiful dandelions to our yard...and our neighbors too :-)
Ahhhhh the only place that I can come and talk on the phone with out the kids!
Somedays I just want to lock everyone in the house and live here.
I would have only bought one piece of furniture...but my girlfriends are welcome for coffee
tea and chatting :-)
The farm next door that we wish we could afford.{sigh}
These are the best mornings...and my heart knows they will soon be gone.
Nothing is sweeter than waking to your child climbing in bed with you. He is just two and I still count his toes, smell his hair, and study his eyes. When he grows up and is on his own I want all of those things etched deeply in my heart.
Okay so this is totally true! It was 47 hours until my Christmas party. And we had an emergency an half hour before---totally another whole story in itself. My dear husband sent me to town total carte blanche to find something to put back up over our mantel. It is really too big of a space to leave empty. So I go to Micheals and find --the LAST -- 60 inch wreath. Next what to do to it? But luckily I meet the sweetest angel whose husband had just got stationed at Ft.Knox and she had studied floral design. {Actually if she had studied tropical fish I would have taken the help} So after she finally realized that I absolutely am not into the stranded cranberry look we moved onto red and burgundy poinsettias with a lovely woodland angel.--Perfect for me since I love simple and elegant. Now you must know that I am 5'4" and this wreath is 5 foot. So I am carrying it and the bags of stuff to go on it through a dark, crowded parking lot to the van. I reach the van, click my key fob, open the back...and start complaining about all of the junk in the back. I start moving around all the junk and I hear a small voice say :
"Daddy, aren't you going to get her?"
I glance up and see a child and a man--neither are mine.
My van is three spaces away.
Totally a true story! Now I am safe at home on this snowy Sunday morning...wishing I was snuggled up to this good-looking guy....
But these dudes have been downstairs playing Xbox since daylight....on a snowy Sunday morn?!
So I am off to bake and finish decorating for the party--hopefully the weather gets better!!
So Bryan calls me last week and tells me to get a sitter for Saturday and we would have date night. I wasn't curious...that was normal. On Saturday he rushes me up to get ready--that is normal. Then I ask where we are going...he says it is a secret. That must mean Chinese and he doesn't want to argue. So we drop off the kids and head out. But not toward town. But west on a country road. So I play along and ask no questions...thinking this is going to be some kind of a joke. Before I knew it we are almost to my brothers house. And now I am dumbfounded....so I am like why are we going to Kennys'? And he ask why not. Well...why not--but why get a sitter?! We get there and it is dark all around his house and only a light shining in the living room. So I walk up to the door...Angie answers it and the house is full of people. Oh great... Bryan forgot to tell me Kenny invited him to their Christmas party and I am not dressed festive. So I walk in determined to have a great time anyway when everyone starts singing "Happy Birthday".
Oh yeah...next week is my birthday! But I totally wasn't even thinking about it!
I was so shocked!
I still am!
And Angie even made me the most beautiful cake (and yummiest too!)
I have decided to give up and join the Flylady. I have been busy organizing cabinets and throwing out partiel bottles that I have no idea why I haven't already done so. I decidedto leave between behind CHAOS...Cant Have Anyone Over Syndrone. Organized and free from clutter...the less stuff I have to put away is less work for me.
I walked out to my porch this morning and found the answer:
There is safety in camouflage. Monday morning I went to the doctor with what I thought was just a re-occurring bladder infection. By noon I had an appointment with an urologist and had had some tests run along with prescriptions for a cocktail of medicines. I left the office feeling like I may pass out at any moment.
But this morning I am reminded that my God is not one of fear. Just as He designed this moth to be protected...He will protect me from fear and whatever is to come. But of course right now I am minding my health and praying for a healing and/or simple diagnosis.
Another scary thing on my porch this morning....
Can someone really love skateboarding enough to get up and skateboard with out even getting dressed?
Life is good and I have so much to be thankful for.
So here we are in our fourth week of homeschooling! We schooled 15 days this month--which is really great seeing that we had a holiday and out of town guests! The deal was that I could home school the month of July as a trial run and if it wasn't working out then the children would attend government school. Things are going great and everyone is learning! Praise God! On Sunday an old college roommate --that works in Taiwan as a missionary called me and was coming on Monday!! So we schooled Monday and cleaned like the President (well maybe not) was visiting.
Jen and I...I tried to find a picture of us from the early 90s but our hair was too big to get in the picture!!
We tried a little bit of "Charlotte Mason" home school technique and took a picnic to a local park....made leaf rubbings and just enjoyed being out in nature...may try this again in the fall when it isn't 96 degrees in the shade.
rubbing from the end of a bleacher set.
Massive leaf...glad that I don't have any of these trees to rake :)
Ever wonder wonder how things look at a child's eye level? {note to self: keep the camera put away!!}
So next week public schools start back. we start @ lesson #16 & study more on our Australia unit study.
So everyone is asking...are you sure you are going to homeschool? Uh yeah...we have bought all of this stuff and joined a co-op....and been schooling everyday :) I haven't got to blog our activities because I have been so busy tying up my last weddings.
Anyway here is my latest Target Dollar Spot find...a pocket chart!!!! Loving it! And getting way more than a dollars worth of use out of it!
Today we began an unit study on Australia. In a few weeks we will be doing a field trip to Kentucky Down Under. So today we learned where Australia is on the world map in relation to where we are. We also talked about boomerangs, dingos, kangaroos, and other animals that are found there.
Monday I found this counting chart at KSS and look it has a kangaroo on it!!
Me and little bud...he is forever trying to do school too! He does the phonic sounds along with us--he may accidentally learn to read!
I have been giving the boys their "Smart Bucks" during class...then after class I punch their cards the number of SBs they earn. A completed card is worth $3. {price of a Happy Meal :)}
So summer is going along great...busy, hot and successful.
I have been so excited about starting to homeschool....things just seemed to start falling in place. We have plans to go to a homeschool convention soon--and for the first time stay in a hotel with out the kids! Last weekend we put laminate flooring in the playroom and were changing it into a playroom/homeschool. Three days later we had a plumbing problem and flooded that end of the basement. So all week I have spent tearing out floor in that room and carpet in another :(
To make matters worse I took some wet towels to my neighbors to hang on their clothesline--and broke it! To try to patch things up I made them some homemade bread.....
after the first raising....it raised so pretty....I kept watch on it for four hours....then when it was time to bake it...I realized that I forgot to put it in the pans!!!!!! So it died when I tried to take it out! Sadly....this is not my first time baking bread!
Somethings always trigger thoughts of my mother. A few weeks ago I was in Barnes and Nobles and ran across a beautiful hard cover edition of Owl At Home. I was so excited. Mother read this book to us many, many nights. No doubt some nights she probably read it more than once. Immediately I grabbed a copy so excited to share it with my boys. As I was leaving the childrens section of the store I saw some note cards with scenes from the Owl At Home book---this would be the perfect Mothers Day gift for mom. On Mothers Day when Mom opened the cards she was so excited...the rest of the family looked on wondering why she was so in love with these cards. But my brother and I knew. They were a reminder of our wonderful childhood that my mother enjoyed too.
I used to feel bewildered trying to create the perfect childhood for my childhood for my children. Finally I just made goals for raising them:
--raise them with the knowledge of God and His saving grace
--a home that might not always be organized ...but pleasant and clean
--encouragement to try again when they dont succeed
--acceptance to mature and develope at their own rate
--opportunities to learn, explore and follow their interest
Finally I needed a measure of success.....then it came....a little friend was visiting and told Ben that he planned to move in. Ben replied "thats great you will love it here!"
I got this picture from a lady over at Two Peas in a Bucket....some day I will have it printed and framed for my family room.
Today is a big day. I made a huge decision--with my husbands approval. I have decided to just be a mom. I am finishing the weddings that I have for this year. And have cancelled out of ones for next year. Lately I have wanted my total focus to be on my family. Making a home that I would want to live in. Educating my children. Taking time to read to the boys at night. Dropping the mop for time to play tag. And cooking whole foods for my children and husband.
I don't want to miss even the tiniest moments....because I have pictures to edit and albums to design.
I want to be available and ready to enjoy every moment. The boys will be little once...and the money that I make will never bring these days back.
I am indeed the luckiest and most blessed woman in the world and I want to enjoy it.
It is big deal...in my world yes but then again ...it is my calling...so here am I Lord. I place my trust in Him to continue to take care of us while we raise our family for His glory.
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