The beauty of homeschooling when you are recovering from surgery

 

 

I love this meme. I've seen it from time to time on Facebook. The hilarious thing is that the photo in the upper left corner belongs to a homeschool mom I met once... Tish, over at FreeplayLife. I believe that the photo is of Naturalist and Golfer, taken several years ago.

 

I think that all of the pictures really do the whole societal opinion of the homeschool 'thing' justice. And, as painful as it is to admit, the "What I really do" is soooo true! I am a curriculum junkie!

 

SEE?

 

This is our work area as of this morning. A lot of these books, workbooks and so forth, have remained untouched these past three weeks. We've done just a bit, here and there. I went on a curriculum binge just before the surgery, and feel incredibly guilty that those new items sit with just the first couple of pages worked through... :( But. Then again, boredom has a way of getting the kids to explore in here just the same. Puzzles have been worked, tangrams played with, unifix cubes counted, art created (see Rylan's Day of the Dead 'skeleton'?), and words spelled. We haven't done much, but the kids continue to learn just the same. Colin explored new stuff I put on the iPad, and is playing with a geoboard app constantly.

 

This surgery has knocked me on my ass... I knew it was going to be intense, but you never really know how your body will respond until you live through it. My plastic surgeon is a miracle worker - and his handiwork has made this recovery just a little more difficult than average. With my blessing, he made things high and tight - with the emphasis on tight. There is a lot of stress on my incisions right now because of this, and each episode of swelling is gut-wrenchingly painful. Each day during these past three weeks has felt different... levels of pain, discomfort, energy, ability to move... I'm healing pretty well, but the swelling and massive discomfort continues. I am constantly holding myself in a guarded manner (so yeah, no freedom from back or shoulder pain as of yet...) as I have been fending off assaults from the kids - errant elbows or shoulders, hard hugs that I have no warning are coming... I can't begin to explain how bad it hurts to be nudged in the chest right now. I literally want to puke on the spot when it happens.

 

I went clothes shopping with my mom a couple nights ago, and got some long-sleeved running shirts and then a couple of normal shirts. Shopping is a lot more enjoyable, now that things fit a little more properly. Yet my spirits are down since I can not fathom I will ever make it past this stage of discomfort and pain. Running seems absolutely impossible at the moment. Walking fast does too. As does jumping, stair climbing, wall push ups, chest presses, reaching above my head, walking the dog, carrying a child... carrying anything... I feel pretty much useless right now.

 

But my boobs look great!

 

I can see my feet! I can zip my jacket! I can wrap a towel around me. And it STAYS!

 

I don't know how these wonders play into the fact that I've been blowing off schoolwork - other than I need to get better about giving myself the mental gift of grace, give myself the time to heal, and come back better and stronger than ever.

 

Then I can tackle Algebra, phonemes, Mesopotamia, derivatives of density, Fern & Wilbur, letter recognition and Rudyard Kipling like nobody's business. BTW... where are those safety goggles??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Being a part of something bigger

 

 

An interesting mental worm hole happened this past week, and I'm not sure where it has left me...

 

 

It all started with watching the video that the students of Lakewood High School put together for the lip dub video contest for Katy Perry's Roar.  I've been going on and on about this video to anyone who will listen to me.  I am just blown away by this video.  First of all, this school has a huge...HUGE student population - 2,000 - and 98% of the students and staff participated in the production/execution of the video.  That is just astounding to me.  It was the coming together of all of the different student groups that really touches me... over 80 different clubs are represented, and it wasn't just the 'cool kids' that got to be in it - at the expense of the tech-savvy kids that usually put these types of things together.

 

One of the lasting scars of my public school experience was the rampant exclusionary culture of my junior high and high school.  I may have been comfortably ensconced in the band program, made some terrific life-long friends and felt at home there, but there was no crossing the lines.  Not that I wanted to run with the cool kids...but there was always the feeling deep within me that somehow things had gone askew.  Some of the most popular girls in my graduating class had been my playmates in the early days of elementary school.  It was strange to me that as the years went by, and the differing tastes, talents and looks dictated the paths we followed, that not even a smile could be exchanged in the hallways by our senior year.  We had grown up together.. lived in the same neighborhood.. swam on the same swim team.. the play dates, birthday sleepovers..  I of course no longer feel that way now, but back then, in my teenage years, the feeling of being 'less than' was always present.

 

I think that it is this negative personal experience (not to mention high-stakes testing) that has turned me so against sending my own kids into that public arena of endless posturing and competition.  But that video did call back a feeling that had sustained me during that time in my life.  The feeling that I was a part of something bigger.  When I marched on the field, volunteered at the hospital, shelved books in the library, ran notes for the front office... I was a part of a bigger entity.  I wore my crimson and gold with pride, cheered on the football team and tried to impress the teachers...at least in the classes that I was interested in.  It meant something to be a part.. you were, or course, one of many, but you belonged, none the less.

 

Later this past week, on Saturday night, I had the pleasure of watching my nephew Connor march with his high school band in the state marching band competition.  He is a senior this year (so hard to believe...), and this was the FIRST time I had seen him march.  (I'm such a pathetic aunt...)  The competition was for 4A and 5A schools that had made the finals in the competition.  Connor is a part of a band that places somewhere in the top 3 every year - they are that good.  There were 8 bands in the finals for each division, so we got to watch 16 different bands perform.  Each school put on such an impressive show.  Each was unique, but what remained the same was the fierce dedication you could see in each young person's face as they marched about the field with their instruments or flags.  They were all a part of something bigger... much bigger.  They executed flawless routines with incredible artistic expression and skill - and all as one entity.  They are all so young, yet so talented!!  It did bring back some good memories for me, and sort or washed away some of the icky feelings that surfaced earlier in the week.

 

It also brought about that ridiculous circular argument I have in my head when I all of a sudden question whether homeschooling will continue to be the right thing for us.  I don't want to rob our kids of that wonderful feeling of being part of something bigger - that experience of being part of a team - whether it be sports, music or science Olympiad.  Dean and I both enjoyed that in our respective high school experiences.  I guess it all comes down to whether or not we can cultivate an interest in the first place, and then see about making it a reality.  For now, Jordan is satisfied in his first-ever team competition experience is with his homeschool Lego NXT team that is preparing to compete next month.  I don't quite see the level of passion or team spirit that I had hoped for, but it is early days.  The interest is there.. and we may pursue getting him a berth on a high school robotics team next year.  In Rylan's case, her current element is dance, and being a part of a dance performance is being a part of something bigger.

 

I don't know if writing this all out makes me feel any better... it isn't often that a day goes by where I don't question our decisions and think, "Am I being selfish and ruining them?", followed by a strong urge to count my lucky stars that we have our wonderful homeschooling life.  Some days it takes tremendous fortitude to walk this path...and stay there.

 

 

Blessed

I've spent this past week feeling a bit like a spectator in life around here, rather than a participant... It was a good week to be out of commission as not much out of the ordinary was going on, otherwise. My surgery last Thursday came and went. I've had episodes of energy, followed by periods of dazed confusion and grumpiness because of pain and then the intense need to take a nap. I often forget what has happened to my body, and then I get a jolt when I look in the mirror. It's hard to put into words...I'm feeling relief that the surgery is over, but there is still several more weeks of intense discomfort ahead, so the joy in the change of my body is tempered with that bit of reality. It's also knowing that it will take a full six months (maybe even a year!), before the dust settles, so to speak.

As I've been laying about this week, it's been Dean running the show...which has been amusing and annoying at times. I'm thoroughly annoyed at how the kids respond to him by doing what he asks them to do, about 90% of the time. If it were me doing the asking, they ignore me the first 4-5 times. Dean says I am pushover, so that is why they don't take me seriously. Whatever. He got the kitchen cleaned up, worked through the perpetual wash-by-hand pile that is always by the sink, and got the kids to do some of it as well. He also got them loading/ unloading the dishwasher several days in a row. I am blessed with a husband that knows what needs to be done and gets it done. I am also embarrassed that he can get it done and I can't.

But. He also stated more than once this week that he doesn't know how I manage day in and day out with the kids and all that we do. He understands my frustration at how it feels like I can never get anything done. It's not that he didn't before - it just drives home the point when you actually live 'it', several days in a row. He is more than ready to escape get back to work, just as I am ready to get back into the routine again a although it has been so nice to have been able to 'check out' this past week...

I am blessed that the kids were so helpful and relatively well-behaved...poor Colin is having a tough time understanding that I can't rock him right now. :(. They have been very good about lifting and carrying things, helping with laundry, dishes, groceries and so forth.

As I was brushing my teeth a little bit ago, in preparation for bed, I noticed that a newly-revamped part of my anatomy did not jiggle around as I moved my arm back and forth. Such a small thing, but it led to a fervent prayer of Thanksgiving...again, it's hard to put into words. There have been many instances this week where things felt different, moved different (or not at all), and a wide spectrum of emotions wash over me...it's all good - no remorse here - it's just still hard to believe that I'm finally on the other side of the hurdle!

Posted with Blogsy

Simple Woman's Daybook Entry

 

Outside my window... It is a cool crisp morning on what promises to be a sunny day.  Our ash tree is absolutely gorgeous right now with red, orange, yellow and green leaves, all at the same time.  I love, love, love this time of year.

I am thinking... About my surgery tomorrow morning.  This time tomorrow my PS will be taking his marking pen and drawing his surgical road map all over my chest.  I've got to remember to remind him that I don't want my nipples looking off in different directions..

I am thankful... For good friends.  Thanks for the support, advice, meals and so forth!!!

From the Learning Rooms... I've found that elusive reading piece of the puzzle for Jordan!!  On a whim I checked Satori Smiles (see my blog roll) to see if she has updated.  It has been almost a year..  And lo' and behold she had!  I have had 100% success with the different curriculum that she has recommended.  It was how I learned about All About Spelling, Growing with Grammar and a host of others.  This time it was a reading series that she had ordered for Satori from Mosdos Press.  I was instantly smitten.  I have such a weakness for curriculum.  This is absolutely what I was looking for.  It is rich with a variety of genres, vocabulary, comprehension...  Happy Sigh.  I ordered 'Jade' for Jordan, as that seems like a good fit for where he is at right now.  Check out the table of contents - what a reading list!!!  I also took the bait and looked at Sadlier, aaaand came away with five more workbooks for Owen and Rylan.  I am such a sucker...

In the kitchen...  I am prepping a couple of meals with what we have here, but a shopping trip needs to be made before tomorrow.  I honestly don't know if I can fit it in, but I don't want to leave Dean in a lurch either.

I am wearing... Standard blogging attire (robe and pjs).  The rumor that homeschoolers hang all day in their pjs is so not true.  We usually get dressed by noon.  ;)

I am creating... Not much at the moment...

I am going... on a Brownie/Daisy field trip just after lunch.  We are riding the city bus today and then playing relay games in a park so that the Brownies can wrap up their Fair Play badge work.  Rylan has ballet later this afternoon, and Jordan meets with his Lego Robotics team.  Somewhere in there I need to get some groceries and a couple last-minute things to prepare for tomorrow.


I am wondering... Oh jeez... I just want to keep my mind from going into overdrive thinking about tomorrow and all the days beyond.  The time is finally here and I am just trying to keep from freaking out about all that could go wrong.

I am reading... I have my bedside table all loaded up with good reading material for the next several days.  Upon the recommendation by a friend, I have One Thousand White Women: The Journal of May Dodd, by Jim Fergus, and about three others that are halfway done... I am looking forward to the chance to rest and read!


In the garden...  Turnips that need to be picked.  I just purchased some sweet basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme to have some herbs indoors for the winter.  I also dug up a small patch of chives to bring indoors as well.  They are all at home on the kitchen table.  So far Colin has been sort of brutal with the chives, but I think they will make it.  There is a ton more outside...


I am hoping... That all goes well tomorrow and beyond.  I am pretty nervous, but doing my best to think only positive thoughts.

I am looking forward to... recovery.  I just want this over with.

I am learning...  hmm.  I've been reading about how to train for a 5K.  There is a lot of information out there!  Who knew it was such a science!?

I am hearing... Some silly show on Disney Junior... :(

Around the house... Finishing the laundry today and getting new pjs washed.  I need button-up clothes for the next several days.  I only have ONE actual shirt that buttons, but it is not ideal for surgery recovery.  I have avoided anything with buttons like the plague for years...  Then it dawned on me that I have a couple of pjs  - loose and baggy flannel ones that will be perfect.  I went to Kohl's last night to get one more pair.  I'll wear pajamas home from surgery tomorrow.  I also need to do some other cleaning and get the kids to help out too.

I am pondering... the quiet peacefulness of a sleeping dog.  Abby (husky) is curled up tight, her nose buried in her fluffy tail.  I feel a great sense of calm when I watch her.

One of my favorite things...  the Veggie Chili at McAlister's.  Yum. E.  And their new Peach Sweet Tea???  mmmmm.

A few plans for the rest of the week... surgery tomorrow.  Dean now takes over as chauffer for the next several days.  I'm afraid it will break him.  (lol).  Our schedule just keeps marching on...and on...and on...

Here is a picture for thought I am sharing...

Last month, after lunch out in downtown, we stopped by this plaza and the kids played in the fountains.  Jordan was trying to see how many times he could whip his hand back and forth through the water stream before it stopped.  Now if he would only concentrate on his schoolwork with this same amount of intensity...



To read more entries and visit a variety of other blogs, go here...



Walking wi' de kitteh

 

 

 

After passing the tennis courts on my walk yesterday morning, I continued on the walking path that circles the lake.  An older lady pushing a baby stroller was approaching.  Abby (my dog) seemed unusually interested in the stroller, even though it was still maybe 100 ft. away.  As we got closer, her interest only grew.  The lady seemed very wary of Abby.  As we passed each other, I thought to myself, "Geez, lady, my dog is not going to mess with your ba - by?  kitty?  Seriously?  You're WALKING with your kitty?"

 

 

Here.  Let me introduce you to some very nice ladies who like to play tennis...




The R-rated Family Camping Trip...

Ahhh... Family camping.  You have visions of hot dogs and S'mores, cozy campfires, filthy kids, the smell of pine trees and warm sleeping bags. 

Meanwhile your campsite neighbors have visions of 2 a.m. expletive-laced drinking games, loud sex, breakfast at noon, beer runs and more. loud. sex. 

Awesome.

Let me back up...

Fall 2010
 

To me, Dowdy Lake, near Red Feather, CO. is the equivalent of Heaven on Earth.  It is my favorite place to camp.  There are gorgeous views all around the lake, you can camp just feet from the water, there are rocks to climb, fish to catch, trails to stroll and so on and so on.  I have made it up here just about every year for the past 15 years or so.  It is only an hour away from home, and there is a small mercantile close by in case you forget anything.

 

This proximity and undoubted popularity is also it's downfall.  Seniors in motorhomes as well as families flock here.  But so does another element of society.  College kids.  Or at least - 20 somethings.  Many of them, that I have observed in too-close-for-comfort-camping-proximity, I believe, have never camped before.  The call of the wild, where these kids can let it all hang out, is just too enticing for some.  So, without any regard for their neighbors or Leave No Trace, they come to the mountains and thoroughly enjoy themselves.

 

I have, with maybe two exceptions, the unfortunate luck of an unpleasant experience with such individuals on every visit to this beautiful place.  Some memories are striking - as a nanny, I brought up three young children for a campout three years in a row.  Each time I had a run-in.  Young guys drinking and swearing until 2 am, just FEET away from our tent.  The last visit we had, I met the campground host when we arrived and informed him I would come knocking if there was a problem.  And, yes, at 1:30 in the morning I came knocking, and true to his word, he kicked the offenders OUT.  It is a long story, but a good one!

 

But this most recent visit, last weekend, blows any previous negative experience out of the water.  We had blocked out the weekend of the 20th for camping.  I don't know why I chose the weekend.  The two GOOD experiences were on weekdays, and that is what makes the difference.  I guess I forgot that bit, because I set aside this particular September weekend back in July.  As per usual, we arrived late... like set up camp in the dark late.  We wound up in the RV section, and our site was a $50/night DOUBLE FEE electrical site.  Whoops.  But it was night, hard to see, and we couldn't find any other open sites.  A neighbor down the way was out playing his mandolin and it was so beautiful to listen to, so it wasn't all bad.  And everybody in that area went to bed at 10pm.  Perfect!  But the next day, as I went down to pay for our second night (we had decided to stay put, rather than move everything) I spied another open site, right on the lake, in our favorite loop.  So we moved.  Now I know why that site had vacated....

 

So here we are, at gorgeous site #20.

 

 

 

See what I mean?  It is right on the water.  You can sit by the campfire (behind the table), watch the kids play by the water, or climb rocks (just to the right of the picture).  The bathroom is 100 ft. away, as well as the parking area.  Totally ideal.  This is my favorite loop.  There are five sites around the perimeter, and then two interior sites.

 

Let me back up again....

 

When we arrived the previous night, we set up our tent in the dark, had a quick campfire and roasted marshmallows and then went to bed.  As we went about our business, a few late stragglers were arriving and looking for sites as well.  Two cars in particular were practically racing around the different loops, looking.  You could see them and hear them as they circled and circled.  At about this time I had the little kids relatively settled, and Dean and Jordan went to go fill out a payment envelope for our site.  When they got back, Dean reported to me that the two cars had showed up at the payment area, and seemed totally confused as to what to do.  They asked him, "So how does this work?  Do we just pick one?  Do you know of any *secluded* sites?"  It was one guy from one car, and one girl from the other car.  I joked it must be a late-night tryst sort of thing...

 

So, come to find out, these same two cars arrived and parked in our area after we had set up in our second site, site #20.  I didn't see them when I had staked it out earlier.  If I had, I would have never moved.   It's not like I was totally focused on these people, but there were things you had no choice but to be exposed to.  When I had initially arrived, a bedraggled guy and girl were in their pjs, looking forlorn, stirring a smoking campfire at that site.  Then the others showed up.  Throughout the afternoon things just got weirder.  They all took a nap.  Then they got up.  They discussed their various drug escapades and juvenile delinquency for all to hear for the next few hours.  Two wandered over by the bathrooms and started madly making out.  What a romantic spot... just a couple feet away from stinky bathrooms.  It went on, and on, and on...  Later, Dean remarked that maybe they were high on Ecstasy.  A friend had told him (years ago) that the drug made you lose all inhibition like that..  Then they started a new campfire by using an entire roll of paper towels.  One guy made a big display of pulling off huge armfuls of towel and throwing it in the fire.  Idiots.

 

So - back to our family experience...

 

The kids fished and fished and fished.  Rylan caught her first fish ever, and so did Colin.  Jordan caught 10 in all.  I got to take a walk around the lake by myself AND read.  We had hot dogs, S'mores, cocoa and a nice fire to round out the evening.  How ever horrible this night was, I need to remember that we really did have a fantastic day.

 

 



 

So... nightfall comes, Colin falls asleep in his chair and the kids get cranky and tired.  Colin wakes up when Jordan pokes him, and fussed very loudly for a long, long time.  We struggle to get the kids in bed, clean up for the night, put the food in the car and tamp down the fire.  It is late, like 10:30 pm.  Another ridiculous display of paper towel flinging has begun as a spark-filled campfire grows 20 ft. away - it is time for more beer pong!!  Joy.  We crawl into bed, and the party is now revving up.  My head is on my pillow for barely 30 seconds before Colin wakes and begins to cry.  The neighbors are banging pots, digging through the coolers, shouting, laughing and carrying on.  Colin keeps crying.  Dean pulls him out of his bed and puts him between us, and he finally settles down.  The loud mayhem continues, but I drift off.  At 1 a.m., somebody hurts himself.. maybe a stubbed toe or something.  Every other word for the next half-hour is the F-word.  It is loud.  Beyond loud.  Now he's pissed about anything and everything.  He goes on and on...  I drift off again.  It is now 4 a.m.  I hear unmistakable grunting.  You've got to be kidding me.  Seriously?  It goes on for an HOUR.  Dean and I are awake the whole time, trying to decide what to do.  That's not all... as one pair is in the tent, grunting away.. the other pair and what I am sure is a third voice is still around the campfire, banging pots, digging in the cooler, and talking loudly.  I just can't wrap my head around this one.  Who in their right mind would do that?  Either party in this case?  I would be mortified!?!?  Then I smell the unmistakable smell of pot smoke.  I am itching for confrontation soooo bad at this point.  But these individuals are in a whole other class than previous parties I have delt with.  They are beyond approach.  Jordan stirs in his sleep with all the noise going on, and Rylan is talking in her sleep.  Dean has his iPhone on, and eventually gets a white noise app downloaded.  That really helped to drown out everything else.  But once you hear it, you can't not hear it.  At 6:25 the crows start up, I wake up and I immediately hear more grunting.  AGAIN??  wtf??

 

So - what is the best revenge for lost sleep?  Noise.  And lots of it!  I made about 10 trips back and forth to the water tap between 7:00 and 7:30.  That big boulder that was 10 feet away from their tents?  yeah, I may have accidently hit it with my pan, each and every time I walked past.   Dean and I had loud conversations.  Right by their tent.  We sent the kids to climb the rocks right by their camp site.  Our kids are not the quiet types.  Now don't worry about the other campers in the area - they were already up, so no - we weren't bothering anybody else.  They all looked as bleary-eyed as we did.  A lot of these campers are there to fish too, and early in the morning is the best time for that, so they are up anyway.

 

When these fine neighbors finally got up, the girls did the work of packing up and they left.  They never once acknowledged the entire time that anybody else was in earshot.  No eye contact, nothing...

 

We enjoyed our last hour of peace and quiet.  Almost every site had vacated.  That was when I had realized our sad mistake.  The other camping trips when it did go well?  Always in late September/Early October, and ALWAYS during weekdays.  We're homeschoolers, for goodness sake!!  We have the freedom to be flexible with our schedule!!





I have four kids..I have four kids..I have four kids..











 

I am a mathematical genius.  I routinely forget how to count.  This morning I took Jordan in for a quick appointment at the dermatologist.  They were upgrading their patient records system to a portable - laptop based system, (so five years ago) and needed to scan Jordan's medical insurance card again.  I dug through my wallet, only to discover that it is missing.  ??  That is weird since I almost never have to show our cards (save mine) to anybody.  The thing is, it took counting through the medical cards (I have mine and all the kids) repeatedly to figure it was missing in the first place.

And when I finally figured out it was missing, the thought "I have FOUR kids?" kept repeating in my mind.  I have had FOUR kids for the past three years and 235 days, and it only just creeps into my conscious thought now?  Not really, but the gravity of the situation has...

I am officially losing my mind.