icky sicky me

I've got some sort of upper respiratory nastiness. Normally, I'm a natural remedy, holistic health kind of a girl, but this time I knew I had an infection. And I knew how I got it. Four days ago, I undertook the job of cleaning black mold from my parents' basement. By day two, I had an irritated throat. Day three brought some heaviness in my chest. Today I woke up feeling like I had pneumonia, so I knew it was time to call the doctor.

I haven't taken antibiotics in four and a half years. I am lucky to be a pretty healthy person, and I am conscious about taking care of myself. I'm also conscious about what I put into my body, so that is why when I called the doctor this morning, my only goal was to get some antibiotics to treat the mold spores that made their way into my bronchioles.

My doctor was not in the office today, and it is the Friday before a holiday. That being the case, I consented to see another doctor in the office. The receptionist asked if that was okay in the kind of voice that should have warned me that this might not be such a good idea. I blithely replied that I didn't need to form a relationship with this doctor, I just needed some antibiotics.

First I saw the nurse, who was a girl that used to make fun of me when I was a child at Vacation Bible School. No kidding. I kept expecting her to start yelling, "Red Rover, Red Rover," while she was taking my blood pressure. Strange.

When the doctor came in, she took copious notes, did a very short (like ten seconds) exam, and then told me I would be having a chest x-ray and an EKG. The chest x-ray, I understand. But an EKG??? I expressed my confusion, and she replied, "You said your chest felt heavy, and you're over 40, so it could be your heart." Again. What. the. hell? I needed antibiotics. I knew how I felt. Sick. Not arrhythmic.

Fine. I went to the x-ray tech. To my surprise, my x-ray tech was a young woman that I've known for the whole of her life. I was her Sunday School teacher and youth group sponsor. She told me to undress, and take off my bra. Yes, ma'am? That was really no problem. We chatted. She took x-rays.

Then onto the EKG - that I didn't need in the first place. I was instructed to lie on the table and relax my body. She wanted my arms down at my sides and relaxed. Finally, something I knew how to do - the corpse asana. I breathed deeply, or as deeply as I could with a raging upper respiratory infection. I apparently almost failed the test. The young woman running that test looked at me as if I had something seriously wrong with me, and for a moment I actually became a little nervous.

When I got back with the doctor, she explained that the EKG tech was worried about my slow heart rate. The doctor chalked it up to my regular yoga practice. I replied that the young woman had told me to relax. Apparently, I'm good at that. At least the doctor knew enough to cast worry aside on that point. Well, apparently, the incredible breathing ability I have is also something of a headscratcher. The doctor mentioned at least three times that I have amazing lung expansion abilities. (Trained singer/ Instrumental musician/ yoga practitioner - yes I know how to breathe.) Hello? Need Antibiotics.

I did finally get a prescription for antibiotics, as well as three other medications. An antihistamine, some sort of mucous inducing thing, and a STEROID filled nasal spray. Fine. Can I go now?

Here's the thing. I remember my former family practitioner. Had he been conducting this appointment, he would have listened to what I had to say, listened to my chest, actually placed his hands on my throat to examine my nodes, and written a script. $50 later, I would have been out of his office, probably with free antibiotic samples in my hand. Today's visit carried a $350 price tag that will be passed onto my insurance provider. And people wonder why the health care industry needs to be reformed. I am shaking my head. And I am not sucking steroids through my nose. I'm just not that sick.

some days.....

I had an appointment about an hour away from home this morning. I said to a complete stranger in the waiting room I was in, "Do you ever have one of those days that makes you feel like your head is just disconnected?" I was in the midst of having one of those days. Obviously, or I probably wouldn't have asked a complete stranger that question.
Of course, I picked the one stranger in the waiting room who was on an evangelical crusade of some sort. "That's just the evil enemy trying to talk to you," she said. Wha? Thankfully, I dropped my keys at that very moment, so I could break eye contact and move away very carefully.
I had several errands to run today, which proved to be nearly laughable. I'm normally very efficient in the way I progress through my errands, making logical logistical stops. Today I whizzed by stores thinking I'd get back to them after the one most important of the day was made. A bridal shower gift.
I remember being a young bride. I do not however remember going to a big box store and creating a FIVE PAGE GIFT REGISTRY that begins with a $250 mixer. I walked around the store fuming at what I felt was an extreme amount of nerve on the part of this lovely young couple. My husband called while I was shopping and immediately sensed my mood. He of course wanted to know what in the world had me in such a snit. "Blah, blah, blah, commercialism, blah, blah, $250 mixer, blah, entitlement, blah, blah, the nerve, blah." Then there was laughter. Not mine. His. My tirade was effectively ended. I purchased an $8 napkin holder and some kitchen towels. Done.
Then I started the hour drive home down the beautiful winding, hilly roads of the Ozarks. I lost my grumpiness, and enjoyed the relative quiet of the childless car. I even listened to NPR.
Things were going so well that I decided to stop in at the Amish store for some milk. This wonderful little gem of a store is about 40 minutes from home, and I stop in whenever I can. Walking into this store always makes my soul smile. It's filled with local produce, area dairy, and an Amish deli counter. It's just a fun place for the senses. And oh! the baked goods.
After I made my purchases, I started to head for home. There is only a short portion of the trip where I have a cell signal, so when I reached that point in the road, I started feeling around the seat of the van for my phone. No phone.
I drove the rest of the way home hoping that it had fallen between my seats.
Just as I put the milk in the fridge, C hopped in and announced, "An Amish lady called here on YOUR cell phone. You left your phone in their parking lot."
I'm not sure who the evil enemy is, but it looks like it really was talking to me today.

17! when did that happen?

My son's 17th birthday is quickly approaching. I'm unprepared as usual for the gift giving. I'm such a ponderer about such things. I need to just buy something already, but I want the somethings I purchase to be meaningful, fun, and totally cool. I'm just that kind of mom.

One gift is in the bag already, and since my son doesn't read my blog, I'll share. I read this online, but the boy is going to need a hard copy. It's the kind of book that shows off his current rebel persona so well.

HT: COD

this week's focus

Regardless of space involved, the environment of the unschooler needs to be structured to encourage learning. All the time.

If the idea of classical unschooling appeals to you. Go read this series from Doc.

We have found that niche we were looking for. It feels great, and WE ARE FLYING! Now to create that environment......All the time.

back to school links

I stumbled across this webpage today. Awesome FREE resources from the US government. Who knew?

Education and Training
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
Library of Congress Learning Page
Teachers' Educational Resources

I've really just scratched the surface of this resource. There is a lot of great stuff to be discovered.

me? brilliant?

My buddy, Wendy, thinks so anyway.




Thanks, Wendy. This is my first award here in this newish little space. Now for the difficult task of passing this lovely little award along. It's not that I don't read a good many fantastic blogs, rather that I am such a lurker. Not many folks know me out there in blogland. I will happily pass this along to some of my favorite people and hope that they are pleased.

Patience at Knitting the Wind has supported me so kindly in my fledgling blogging efforts.

Katherine from Our Report Card. Well, she's Katherine, and she is my hero.

Mommylion at In a Tiny House has a fun and inspiring blog - And she let's me say hotel sex.

And finally, Stephanie from Throwing Marshmallows probably doesn't even know I exist, but she has been the source of incredible information for me.

And now, for the "acceptance speech," or 26 things you never knew you wanted to know about me.

A. attached or single? Attached.

B. best friend? My husband - without a doubt.

C. cake or pie? BOTH! Please, sir, may I have some more?

D. day of choice? Thursday - date day with my husband.

E. essential item? Must. Have. Coffee.

F. favorite color? Green

G. gummy bears or worms? Um. No thanks.

H. hometown? I am sure you couldn't even find it on a map.

I. favorite indulgence? Dark Chocolate paired with Cab Sav.

J. January or July? July. Unless I'm in the South.

K. kids? Three amazing children. 16, 8, and 5.

L. life isn't complete without? My husband. We complete each other.

M. marriage date? The Fourth of July - we are still making fireworks after all these years.

N. number of brothers & sisters? One older sister.

O. oranges or apples? Oranges.

P. phobias? Mice! Ewwww. What exactly is their purpose on this earth?

Q. quotes? And though all is lost, if love remains, we will pay the price but we will not count the cost.

R. reasons to smile? Children who think I am the "Queen of the best mommies."

S. season of choice? Spring.

T. tag seven peeps! I tagged 4. I'm new here.

U. unknown fact about me? I have an FBI file. College was just weird.

V. vegetable? Most anything fresh sans pesticides.

W. worst habits? Caffeine and a lot of it.

X. x-ray or ultrasound? I've had both - but strange question.

Y. your favorite food? I really like so many good foods - a lot. I'm a bit of a food snob.
Z. zodiac sign? Aries

am i a heathen?

I've recently joined a social networking group called Heathen Homeschoolers. I am SO stinking awful at social networking online. I think I suffer from some deep seeded inferiority complex when I can't see the people I'm interacting with. I can't check their facial expressions or hear their voice inflections. I always fear that people are thinking, "WHO does she think SHE is?"

That's just ridiculous really, but it's the sad truth. I've shied away from such things in the past, so now I'm scrambling trying to figure our exactly how to do this thing. Do I make friend requests? Do I spruce up my page? If I do decide to spruce up my page, exactly how is that done? That's just way too much angst for me to go through for something that is "social."

Please feel free to stop over and join me as I muddle through this new little beginning. The link is in my sidebar. I'll be your friend if you'll be mine.

the friday night gang

The last few days have been jam packed, action filled days. I hosted a dinner party last night for my parents and their "Friday Night Gang." They are an amazing group of four couples in their seventies. They have been going out together most every Friday night for the last thirty years, and take their Friday nights seriously. None of their children would ever ask for childcare or any other "grandparent service" on Friday night - oh no - they. must. go. out. to. dinner.

They are a gentile group of retired business owners and professionals. They are the pillars of a small community, and that community has received the benefit of their labors and their love. They have given to the community tirelessly over the years, and they are so very proud of the place they helped to grow and sustain.

They have weathered the years together. They have celebrated with one another, and they have weathered life's storms together. But mostly, they have laughed together and shared one another's lives.

Their personalities are varied like a rich tapestry, but they are woven together with a strong bond. They are now retired. I see them now, aging, and I acknowledge the example they have set for me. Some of them have failing health, but they continue to celebrate each week. They continue to respect one another and take time to play together.

My father is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, but this group of friends stays true. They have done this for him and for each of them who has gone through a health crisis. They continue to celebrate each Friday with love, laughter, and........ happy hour. Now that is friendship!

too soon for a meltdown

We've started our second week of lessons, mostly because Christi was begging for them. Okay, so she was begging last week. This week, not so much. This week Mom is no fun, and after all, learning should be fun. This week has been a trial.

Here is the rub. We know learning is fun. We also know equally that in Christi's opinion, school is most definitely not fun. We discovered not long ago that both girls are gifted, visual-spatial learners. I've done my homework. I understand visual-spatial learning styles (mostly), and I understand gifted (kind of). My difficulty is in putting it all together.

Curriculum is not really a consideration, because it doesn't in most cases fit our needs. I'm okay with that. I so much want to be an incredible unschooler. But I question myself constantly. I wonder if I will ever be able to trust the process completely. I want to, but dang it I'm just so...schooled, and I don't mean that in a positive way.

I worry about following a completely child-led approach. I worry that in letting the girls lead, I will miss something - something they want, something they haven't discovered to be wonderful yet, something they "should" know, pieces of important puzzles. I know that I should trust them to communicate what they need, and I do. The question is, "Will I hear them?" And furthermore, will I have the wherewithal to respond in a way that nurtures their love of learning? Oh, those are big mama shoes to fill.

I know deep down in my gut that unschooling is the greatest gift I can give to my children. Now I just have to reconcile myself to the fact that all of the methods and rubrics of my educational background are truly a disservice to my precocious girls. They love to learn. Now I just need to move myself out of the way. I need to get the pedagogy out of my system and become their learning helper instead of their teacher. What a concept! But - We still have to do some core learning .

cool site for littles - storyline online

This is a fun site for the littles. It features some great read alouds performed by actors and offers some additional enrichment activities. All in all, it looks like a great place for Eme to visit while Christi and I do "big girl stuff."

http://www.storylineonline.net/

head down, full speed ahead

Our first week back to the books has been a whirlwind! We are experiencing a new kind of schooling that has us all (especially mom) going at breakneck speeds. I've composed several blog posts in my head as we have gone through this exciting week of new methods and discoveries, but I've just been WAY too busy to type any of them out. I promise to spend some time next week sharing our new methods, but at this point, I already feel some changes in our new plan.

I have made a discovery, and I'm rather ashamed to admit that it has taken this long for me to have one of those gestalt "aha" moments. BOTH of my girls are GIFTED VISUAL/SPATIAL LEARNERS. One would think with a background in education, I would have picked up on this sooner, but I have fallen into the American education pedagogy trap of thinking that if I just kept teaching in all the "normal" ways, my children would eventually buckle down and achieve at the level I know them to be capable of. Good heavens!

My husband was good enough to share his DNA with his progeny without explaining fully to me the way his brain works. I always knew he had amazing intellectual ability with some cute little "quirks." He has passed these "quirks" onto our girls, and I am scrambling to keep up. We have been homeschooling for three and a half years now, and I'm just now beginning to fully understand the best way to teach these amazing children of ours.

We have an amazing year ahead of us - one that is sure to be full of discovery and learning. Any information on visual/spatial learning and how to best teach to their intellectual capabilities is now being sought out and devoured with an unequaled passion. This is going to be quite a ride!