Did you know that blog readers can turn bloggers in to Child Protective Services based upon what they read? I looked into this after a friend mentioned that this happened to her. In my search, I found THIS ARTICLE. I have nothing nice to say about this.
Tomorrow, we will celebrate Princess Abbey's 13th birthday with cupcakes and ice cream following twirling practice. My second baby will be an official teenager, and this also marks the start of the path of high school. Yes, it's early for high school, but I want all of the Princesses to graduate high school and get some college under their belts before life starts to happen. We have one graduate and three more to go.
My baton twirling company is having a ribbon cutting ceremony in two weeks. I am so excited!!!! I don't know why I had not thought to turn my love of twirling into a full fledged business, but I'm glad that I jumped in with both feet. Great things are happening!
We now have a homeschool Girl Scout troop. We even have my old troop number. This means that we will get to have our meetings and outings even when school is in session. Love it!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
PreK-1st Butterfly Lapbook
After going over some of the lapbooking stuff yesterday, I decided that Princess Tarja and I would have fun doing a BUTTERFLY LAPBOOK. After all, little princesses usually love butterflies. Before we began, I made a POCKET LAPBOOK, then printed all of the work sheets and activity pages that were suggested on the site with the lapbook instructions. We learned about the letter "B" for "butterfly" and "C" for "caterpillar". We learned about the life cycle of butterflies, and watched THE LIFE CYCLE OF A MONARCH BUTTERFLY on youtube. We actually found several, similar videos as well as a couple of cartoony ones.
Princess Abbey took a test about human population for her Forestry and Wildlife Conservation course.
Later, we rented the movie, "Little Women", because she has been interested in the series, "Little Men". I really want her to read the book, but her book list for this year is a mile long.
Princess Melody had to turn in a paper for her World Civilizations course about the different dynasties in China. I typed it up for her while she got ready for work. It was an interesting paper, so I bet that she got a good grade.
Princess Abbey's birthday is coming up. I don't have a clue of what to get for her or what to do for a celebration. If you have any fun birthday ideas for a thirteen year old girl, please share them in the comments. Thank you!
Love,
Laurel
Princess Abbey took a test about human population for her Forestry and Wildlife Conservation course.
Later, we rented the movie, "Little Women", because she has been interested in the series, "Little Men". I really want her to read the book, but her book list for this year is a mile long.
Princess Melody had to turn in a paper for her World Civilizations course about the different dynasties in China. I typed it up for her while she got ready for work. It was an interesting paper, so I bet that she got a good grade.
Princess Abbey's birthday is coming up. I don't have a clue of what to get for her or what to do for a celebration. If you have any fun birthday ideas for a thirteen year old girl, please share them in the comments. Thank you!
Love,
Laurel
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Getting Ready for Lapbooking
I love lapbooking, but for the past few years, I have not had a printer to be able to print out some of the neat pages and templates that I find online. Day before yesterday, I found a printer on sale and was also able to use a coupon for it. Now, I'm ready to start lapbooking. My favorite site for finding free lapbook units is HERE. If you aren't sure what a lapook is, you can find a few videos on youtube to help clarify things for you. Here is one that simply demonstrates what a lapbook is. HERE is a nice video that shows how to include a pocket with your lapbook, which I wish that I had known about a long time ago. Finally, I stumbled across THIS mom's video about how she puts together a unit study and how lapbooking fits into that. I like this video, because it appears that she approaches unit studies about the same way that I do. Basically, you decide what you want to do, gather your resources, and get after it. If you are a person that likes crafting, especially scrapbooking, then you will probably enjoy lapbooking with your children.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The Way Learning Happens at Home
I post on this topic quite a lot, but it's been awhile, and I believe that I have some new readers who might also be new homeschoolers. I remember how awkward everything felt when we first started homeschooling Melody. It didn't helped that we lived just two blocks from the school and could hear sounds from the school throughout our new homeschooling day. It felt like every finger was being pointed at us, and my confidence had a lot of holes in it.
That was over 12 years ago. WOW! What a difference that time and experience makes. At any rate, I have learned over time that a tremendous amount of learning (for anybody, not just homeschoolers) takes place outside of all of the books and assignments. One example is that Princess Abbey has had a sweet pen pal for about a year. The pen pal is another home schooled girl and they write to each other via "snail mail". How many kids do this anymore? Before Abbey seals up her letter, I check it for errors. She corrects it, and sends off the clean copy, normally saving the graded copy with the rest of her school assignments. Yesterday, she decided that she wanted to also send a postcard from Dinosaur World, which is where we went on vacation last month. She didn't know how to address a postcard, and I was extremely busy fixing dinner, so she looked up the information that she needed online, and did it herself. Doesn't this make more sense than if I had said, "OK, Abbey! Today we are going to practice letter writing and addressing postcards!" We aren't unschoolers, but this act of learning what one needs to learn when they need to learn it is a great deal of what is behind their ways of homeschooling.
Another example is that when Princess Melody determined that she wanted to buy a parrot, she started researching the different types of parrots and their care. At the same time, she began budgeting and saving her money for the effort, because she was learning that not only did she need a large sum of money for this special pet, but that she would also need things like food and supplies that other types of birds don't often need. She actually started doing this research before she ever mentioned parrots to me. What an interesting, unassigned science project that Pitbull, our half moon conure, has tuned out to be!
Then, there are the obvious things that go on around the house such as the care of younger siblings, household management, personal finance, sometimes even the operation of a family business. Even taking care of plants, pets, cooking, learning to drive, watching historical movies, playing physically challenging games on the Wii, all count in the big picture of homeschooling.
Love,
Laurel
That was over 12 years ago. WOW! What a difference that time and experience makes. At any rate, I have learned over time that a tremendous amount of learning (for anybody, not just homeschoolers) takes place outside of all of the books and assignments. One example is that Princess Abbey has had a sweet pen pal for about a year. The pen pal is another home schooled girl and they write to each other via "snail mail". How many kids do this anymore? Before Abbey seals up her letter, I check it for errors. She corrects it, and sends off the clean copy, normally saving the graded copy with the rest of her school assignments. Yesterday, she decided that she wanted to also send a postcard from Dinosaur World, which is where we went on vacation last month. She didn't know how to address a postcard, and I was extremely busy fixing dinner, so she looked up the information that she needed online, and did it herself. Doesn't this make more sense than if I had said, "OK, Abbey! Today we are going to practice letter writing and addressing postcards!" We aren't unschoolers, but this act of learning what one needs to learn when they need to learn it is a great deal of what is behind their ways of homeschooling.
Another example is that when Princess Melody determined that she wanted to buy a parrot, she started researching the different types of parrots and their care. At the same time, she began budgeting and saving her money for the effort, because she was learning that not only did she need a large sum of money for this special pet, but that she would also need things like food and supplies that other types of birds don't often need. She actually started doing this research before she ever mentioned parrots to me. What an interesting, unassigned science project that Pitbull, our half moon conure, has tuned out to be!
Then, there are the obvious things that go on around the house such as the care of younger siblings, household management, personal finance, sometimes even the operation of a family business. Even taking care of plants, pets, cooking, learning to drive, watching historical movies, playing physically challenging games on the Wii, all count in the big picture of homeschooling.
Love,
Laurel
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Music Bullet, Struz, and Homeschool Science
I like to post reviews about things that I try and love, even if I'm not asked to do so. Granted, I have done many requested reviews for books and products, but when I find a new item that I really love, especially if it makes my life easier, I get excited and want to make sure that everybody knows about it.
First of all, I bought myself a pair of Strutz about two months ago. They are fabric cushions that slip onto your feet so that the cushion part goes directly under the arch (or where one should be), on your foot. You wear these under or over socks, and with your shoes or barefoot. The first day that I wore them, I had some relief from my heel pain. They were a little uncomfortable, and I had to take them off after walking around all day. HOWEVER, by the very next day, my heel pain subsided considerably, and I began to wear them all the time. Not only did my heels stop hurting while I was wearing them, but I can now remove them for a day or more, and still do not suffer as much pain as I did before I found this amazing product. To give you some background info about my heel pain, and how impossible it should be for a pair of cushions of any kind to fix them, I was a hard core baton twirler growing up, and suffered multiple injuries to my ankles and feet. As I had children, got older, and fell victim to hypothyroidism, I gained a considerable amount of weight. Couple this with the fact that I have had a few more ankle injuries for various reasons. Add to that a serious case of diabetes, and it would stand to reason that cushions would not be able to help me. For this level of relief, I spent $10.00. I'm here to tell you that Strutz are an answer to prayer.
The next item up for business is the Music Bullet. We have lots of technology in this little house, and lots of people using it. I have tried other little speakers for mp3 players, and was disappointed every time. The Music Bullet was cheaper than others that I have tried, and really does make my phone and laptop sound like a big stereo. Amazing!
The next thing is the Reli On series of diabetes testing supplies at Sams and Walmart. I have been using these cheap supplies for nearly two years, and am very happy. I treated myself to a new glucometer yesterday for less than $10.00. Really, I feel very lucky in this department.
With that said, here is where I get to the homeschooling part. Science and health lessons can be found in a wide variety of ways in the homeschool. A good place to start is to learn about those topics that affect your family. For example, children on ranches need to learn about the animals and plants that they are raising. It is useful and fun to learn everything that can be found about household pets. Little Tarja doesn't just tell people that she has a bird or a dog. She says that she has a blue heeler and a half moon conure. I personally think that is awesome for a four year old child. When I was going through high risk pregnancies, we learned about how the fetus was growing each month, what to expect with a newborn, and what to expect from my pregnancy. My two older girls have fairly extensive knowledge about diabetes, just from being exposed to myself and other diabetics. Incidentally, this is the "school work" that has the potential to save their lives. More science that my children have had in their homeschooling involves things like making colloidal silver and then using it to do things such as retard mold or disinfect baby toys. First aid is always a good topic of study. You children will have an emergency at some point in their lives. Do they understand anything about allergic reactions, drug interactions, or wound care? I anything happens to us, can they summon help, be safe, be clean and eat? In my opinion, household science and health is just as important as the 3 R's.
Love,
Laurel
First of all, I bought myself a pair of Strutz about two months ago. They are fabric cushions that slip onto your feet so that the cushion part goes directly under the arch (or where one should be), on your foot. You wear these under or over socks, and with your shoes or barefoot. The first day that I wore them, I had some relief from my heel pain. They were a little uncomfortable, and I had to take them off after walking around all day. HOWEVER, by the very next day, my heel pain subsided considerably, and I began to wear them all the time. Not only did my heels stop hurting while I was wearing them, but I can now remove them for a day or more, and still do not suffer as much pain as I did before I found this amazing product. To give you some background info about my heel pain, and how impossible it should be for a pair of cushions of any kind to fix them, I was a hard core baton twirler growing up, and suffered multiple injuries to my ankles and feet. As I had children, got older, and fell victim to hypothyroidism, I gained a considerable amount of weight. Couple this with the fact that I have had a few more ankle injuries for various reasons. Add to that a serious case of diabetes, and it would stand to reason that cushions would not be able to help me. For this level of relief, I spent $10.00. I'm here to tell you that Strutz are an answer to prayer.
The next item up for business is the Music Bullet. We have lots of technology in this little house, and lots of people using it. I have tried other little speakers for mp3 players, and was disappointed every time. The Music Bullet was cheaper than others that I have tried, and really does make my phone and laptop sound like a big stereo. Amazing!
The next thing is the Reli On series of diabetes testing supplies at Sams and Walmart. I have been using these cheap supplies for nearly two years, and am very happy. I treated myself to a new glucometer yesterday for less than $10.00. Really, I feel very lucky in this department.
With that said, here is where I get to the homeschooling part. Science and health lessons can be found in a wide variety of ways in the homeschool. A good place to start is to learn about those topics that affect your family. For example, children on ranches need to learn about the animals and plants that they are raising. It is useful and fun to learn everything that can be found about household pets. Little Tarja doesn't just tell people that she has a bird or a dog. She says that she has a blue heeler and a half moon conure. I personally think that is awesome for a four year old child. When I was going through high risk pregnancies, we learned about how the fetus was growing each month, what to expect with a newborn, and what to expect from my pregnancy. My two older girls have fairly extensive knowledge about diabetes, just from being exposed to myself and other diabetics. Incidentally, this is the "school work" that has the potential to save their lives. More science that my children have had in their homeschooling involves things like making colloidal silver and then using it to do things such as retard mold or disinfect baby toys. First aid is always a good topic of study. You children will have an emergency at some point in their lives. Do they understand anything about allergic reactions, drug interactions, or wound care? I anything happens to us, can they summon help, be safe, be clean and eat? In my opinion, household science and health is just as important as the 3 R's.
Love,
Laurel
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Home At Last
Ivana and Tarja are both doing much better. The infections that courses through their little bodies have been brought to a halt, and they act like they feel great. We made it home late yesterday afternoon. Both are on antibiotics for the next 10 days. These antibiotics taste and smell horrible. Even the pharmacist compared the taste to rotten eggs. I discovered that the baby will take hers hidden in her baby formula. I tried ovaltine for Tarja. One dose worked that way, but when I gave her the next glass of miracle milk, she started saying that it tasted funny, and would not drink it. I went to a nearby convenience store, bought her one of her favorite little drinks that comes in a sport bottle, and doctored it up. So far, she has finished most of that drink. I don't know how we're going to get through 8 more days of this. Both girls also have antibiotic skin cream for their wounds, and Ivana has eye drops.
I have some things to look forward to as the girls continue to heal. Remember that amazing job that I applied for a few posts back? While we were waiting for the ambulance the other day, they were calling me to go sign my hiring papers. Other people were leaving messages on my voice mail and email about wanting twirling lessons for their little girls. In addition to those good things, a fellow homeschooler has started a full fledged support group here, AND my paperwork is all set to begin our homeschool Girl Scout troop. To say that I am excited about some things would be a huge understatement.
Love,
Laurel
I have some things to look forward to as the girls continue to heal. Remember that amazing job that I applied for a few posts back? While we were waiting for the ambulance the other day, they were calling me to go sign my hiring papers. Other people were leaving messages on my voice mail and email about wanting twirling lessons for their little girls. In addition to those good things, a fellow homeschooler has started a full fledged support group here, AND my paperwork is all set to begin our homeschool Girl Scout troop. To say that I am excited about some things would be a huge understatement.
Love,
Laurel
Friday, July 13, 2012
Ivana and Tarja's Road to Recovery
Since my last post, we have been at pediatric unit of the Coventry Hospital in Lubbock, Texas. If you read my last post, I mentioned that Princess Ivana was sick. I took her to the doctor Monday morning and was told that she possibly had a staph infection that originated from a little sore on her chin. The doctor gave her a big shot of penicillin, and said that she would be ready by the next morning, and made an appointment to see her again the very next day to be sure of her progress.
By the next morning, she was considerably worse. Two doctors from the clinic checked her over really well, and called a pediatrician in Odessa to see if he could see her right away, but due to short staffing, we were told that we should head to the emergency room at Medical Center in Odessa. I went and got the King from work and we were off to Odessa.
The ER doctor in Odessa was a jerk, and acted like he didn't really want to deal with us. After running a few tests, he came in to say that he couldn't really figure out what was going on, and that he had summoned an ambulance to carry she and I to Lubbock. Even in just the couple of hours of time that had lapsed between our visit to the clinic, and the doctor's decision to send us to Lubbock from the ER, her condition had shockingly worsened.
The ambulance came to get the baby and me. The King went home to organize the other three Princesses, and discovered that Tarja had developed the same condition. He loaded her up in the truck and brought her to Lubbock with him. As soon as he got here, he stayed in the hospital room with the baby, while I took Tarja to the ER of the hospital.
After many tests, and teams of doctors looking into the situation, including an infectious disease specialist, it was determined that both children are infected with staph. We don't have a clue as to how they got it, or how it became this serious. Ivana has been on IV antibiotics for two, going on three days. Tarja is getting the same medication in oral form, and has not been admitted to the hospital. She is in the room with us, however, and doctors and nurses have been checking on her, even though she was only a patient in the ER.
At the time of this writing, both girls are making fast progress. Special thank yous and hugs to all of our family and friends who have been helping, and who have taken the time to pray for us. It really does mean a great deal to me, and even though we can't have visitors, and are so far away from home, I don't feel like I've been in this alone. There is a possibility that we could go home today.
My mommy review of the hospital is a good one. I have never been in a hospital or hospital unit that was specifically set up for children. This one is all about the babies and kids. The staff is very sensitive and friendly, not just to the little patients, but to us, as well. They frequently pop in to ask if we need anything. The only thing that we are lacking is a place to sleep, but all of our other needs have been met, and the girls are getting well a lot more quickly than I expected.
At this point, I have no way of knowing when we will go home or what our orders will be when we get there, but I'm really hoping that we are nearing the end of this. I look forward to reuniting with the rest of our family, and to being able to sleep in my own bed. Tarja has been crying for the other Princesses. She is lost without them. After all, they are the Four Princesses.
Love,
Laurel
By the next morning, she was considerably worse. Two doctors from the clinic checked her over really well, and called a pediatrician in Odessa to see if he could see her right away, but due to short staffing, we were told that we should head to the emergency room at Medical Center in Odessa. I went and got the King from work and we were off to Odessa.
The ER doctor in Odessa was a jerk, and acted like he didn't really want to deal with us. After running a few tests, he came in to say that he couldn't really figure out what was going on, and that he had summoned an ambulance to carry she and I to Lubbock. Even in just the couple of hours of time that had lapsed between our visit to the clinic, and the doctor's decision to send us to Lubbock from the ER, her condition had shockingly worsened.
The ambulance came to get the baby and me. The King went home to organize the other three Princesses, and discovered that Tarja had developed the same condition. He loaded her up in the truck and brought her to Lubbock with him. As soon as he got here, he stayed in the hospital room with the baby, while I took Tarja to the ER of the hospital.
After many tests, and teams of doctors looking into the situation, including an infectious disease specialist, it was determined that both children are infected with staph. We don't have a clue as to how they got it, or how it became this serious. Ivana has been on IV antibiotics for two, going on three days. Tarja is getting the same medication in oral form, and has not been admitted to the hospital. She is in the room with us, however, and doctors and nurses have been checking on her, even though she was only a patient in the ER.
At the time of this writing, both girls are making fast progress. Special thank yous and hugs to all of our family and friends who have been helping, and who have taken the time to pray for us. It really does mean a great deal to me, and even though we can't have visitors, and are so far away from home, I don't feel like I've been in this alone. There is a possibility that we could go home today.
My mommy review of the hospital is a good one. I have never been in a hospital or hospital unit that was specifically set up for children. This one is all about the babies and kids. The staff is very sensitive and friendly, not just to the little patients, but to us, as well. They frequently pop in to ask if we need anything. The only thing that we are lacking is a place to sleep, but all of our other needs have been met, and the girls are getting well a lot more quickly than I expected.
At this point, I have no way of knowing when we will go home or what our orders will be when we get there, but I'm really hoping that we are nearing the end of this. I look forward to reuniting with the rest of our family, and to being able to sleep in my own bed. Tarja has been crying for the other Princesses. She is lost without them. After all, they are the Four Princesses.
Love,
Laurel
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