Boys Rule My Life

Allergy Test Results 2009

2009-12-15T18:22:00.003-06:00

Witt's annual allergy testing was today. Here's the shot of his back 20 minutes after administering the "scratch test".

Top Left: Negative Control

Top Right: Positive Control

Also tested for cow's milk, egg white, egg yolk, peanuts... but wait... I don't see any of those!

THAT'S BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL NEGATIVE!!!!!

Can you believe it? I am beside myself. I really haven't been able to wrap my mind around this yet. I'm totally amazed. God is SO GOOD!!!

The next step is a live trial. First "scratching" with actual milk and then a food challenge. If the scratching with actual milk produces a hive we would not continue to the food challenge. Luckily, someone in the office had milk with them, so we just used a bit of it, scratched him again and waited.

NOTHING!

NOTHING AT ALL!

We're blessed beyond measure!

The plan now is to go back Thursday morning to do the food challenge for milk. (They only do one food challenge at a time so we'll look into the eggs and peanuts later.)

He can't eat for 4 hours before the test and we bring our own whole milk. We will spend most of the morning there and they will administer small amounts orally working up to larger amounts over a period of time.

Even if there is a reaction on Thursday, at least we know that he no longer has the contact allergy like when he was younger. That improvement alone is wonderful!

Thank you all for your support and prayers! Please continue to pray as we're not through yet. I appreciate you all so much!!

Allergy Testing Day!

2009-12-15T06:55:00.000-06:00

I'm heading to Witt's allergy testing this morning. Jeff will be meeting me there after flying in on a red-eye flight from California.

His test is at 9:00 AM.

Please remember him in your prayers.

I hope to post the results as soon as possible, but be patient with me if it doesn't happen. I might be too upset to post or we might be too busy celebrating to post or we might just be going about our daily lives and enjoying the fact that Jeff is finally home for good.

Lots going on. I'll let you know when I can.

Thanks for the encouragement and the prayers! They are greatly appreciated!! And so are YOU! :)

Coupon Winners and Q&A

2009-12-14T18:41:00.003-06:00

Random.org gave the following numbers: 1, 3, 4, and 5. Congrats to Chef Penny, Cara (x2), and Asian Jamaican! Please email your mailing address to missbecky75(at)yahoo(dot)com before Wed @ 7:oo PM CST.

On to the questions! :)

6 comments:

Chef Penny said...: What? No comments yet?? hey, does that count as my question? Just kidding!

How do you manage to turn the tv off all the time?
Honestly, we have such a struggle with this one. There are times when we do so well and other times (like lately) where I have so much going on that I really do use it as a babysitter. Sad, I know. With that said, though, the boys know that when I say turn it off, I mean it and they do it. When we're in our routine well, we don't turn the tv on until after naps (around 3:00 PM).
Chef Penny said...: Is your whole family dairy free or just Witt?
Our whole family is dairy free when Witt is around. Our house is a "safe zone" for him. I would say that 97% of the time there is no dairy in the house. That 3% is the chocolate stash that Jeff and I have hidden in our bedroom every once in a while and the cream cheese for Jeff's bagels that are locked inside a Tupperware container on the back of the top shelf in the fridge. :)

If I'm out with the other two boys, we will stop for ice cream or pizza or something like that. We are very careful to wash hands and sometimes even change clothes if necessary when we have special treats like that.

I cream my coffee with soy or coconut milk creamers. If I have bagels, I use Tofutti cream cheese (Jeff will take his bagel to go, as I stay in the house with my food). Those of us that will eat yogurt enjoy coconut milk yogurt. The only "cheese" in the house is soy cheese.

So for the most part, we are all dairy free, yes. :)

Cara said...: Ooo I could use just one coupon. We are trying tree nuts soon. How does it taste? He drinks soy milk now.
I answered a similar question the last time I gave coupons away. Here is my copy-n-paste answer:

I like it's taste and texture. I like the way it cooks, too. It doesn't have that strong twang soy does. To me, the initial taste (of the original) is somewhat plain (kinda like cow's milk... nothing exciting) which is followed by an aftertaste of almond. If you don't like almonds you probably won't like the almond milk.

Cara said...: Which would be better, Almond Milk or Nutrella for a food trial?

Do you mean Nutella, the nut spread? From what I can find, Nutrella is a soy based something-or-other. If you do mean Nutella, then my next question is, is your child allergic to milk? There is milk in Nutella.

If you don't have a problem with milk and are just testing almonds (which are tree nuts and not related to a peanut allergy as I see your child does have based on your blog title {grin}) then personally I would choose the product that has almonds listed further down in the ingredient list so he's not getting a huge dose of them.

Start with a small skin test by rubbing it on his skin. Then if you don't have a reaction, give him some to eat/drink.

Those are my PERSONAL OPINIONS. I am NOT A DOCTOR. The best suggestion I can give would be to do a supervised test at the doctor's office.

Asian Jamaican said...: I am supposed to ask a question. I haven't seen the gallons of almond milk. Where can you buy these?

I've never seen a gallon of almond milk. The coupons are for half-gallons and that's the largest I've seen. I get mine at Publix or Kroger (About $3.29 - $3.59 a half gallon). I know Whole Foods also carries this brand for the coupons.

kelli said...: i love almond milk! have you tried making your own? i have and its delish!

ps there's an award for you at my blog! check out my latest post. =)
No, I haven't tried making my own, but I would LOVE to!!! My concern is the calcium. The store bought almond milk already has calcium in it. This is almost the only way I can get calcium into my pickiest son. He doesn't eat any dairy (or dairy substitutes) and no green veggies. Calcium is a big concern for me with him and I haven't had time to do the research on a good calcium supplement yet. Any suggestions?

Do you have your almond milk recipe on your blog? If so, I'd love for you to leave the link in my comments, please!!

Thanks so much for the award, too! How very sweet!! Hopefully I'll be able to pass it along soon!

Thanks everyone for the questions!! If you have more, just let me know!

Almond Breeze Coupon GIVEAWAY

2009-12-13T17:31:00.004-06:00

*****CLOSED******

I've got lots of Almond Breeze coupons to give away!! I have more than I will be able to use before the expiration date of 12/31/2009.

I am giving away 4 sets of 5 coupons (total of 20 coupons)! They are for $0.75 off any one half-gallon of Blue Diamond Chilled Almond Breeze Almondmilk.

These are the coupons that come out of the blinkie machines in the grocery store (although I bought mine on ebay...).

Because the expiration date is so close, this will be a 24 hour giveaway.

The "rules":

you must leave a comment on this post with a way for me to contact you if you win
you must be willing to send me your home address so I can mail the coupons to you
you must ASK ME A QUESTION... any question. :)
US mailing addresses only
You can enter up to 5 times by asking 5 different questions in 5 SEPARATE comments
Giveaway closes at 6:00 PM CST Monday, December 14, 2009
The winner(s) will have 48 hours to send their addresses to me or I'll pick another winner
You can win more than once, in fact, the same person *could* win all 20 coupons depending on the number of entries and how random.org chooses. :)

Any questions???? Ask away... you could win some coupons!

November Homeschool Recap

2009-12-10T07:24:00.012-06:00

Back in October and most of September, Jeff was away with work. I got into a bit of a different routine with him gone (ie doing laundry and watching a movie after the boys were in bed). I was staying up really late, too, because I don't like going to sleep without him. I just really don't.
This made for a really tired mommy, who was missing her hubby, and getting really close to finding the end of her rope. Somehow, I pulled myself together enough to make the decision to cut out some school for November.

So November was our *Extras* break. I removed our Moving Beyond the Page comprehensive curriculum (we had just finished working on Community, so it was a good stopping place, too.) I kept Bible, Handwriting, Phonics, and Math. That's it.

(Sorry for the lopsided picture.)

Well, there were a few read-alouds about Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, and Indians, too. :) Oh, and I let the boys grind up some dried corn in the mortal & pestle. We also watched Disney's Squanto.

We talked about Nutrition when we discussed what the Pilgrims ate (not only for Thanksgiving, but also while on the Mayflower). The boys also had fun playing a free online nutrition game (which I liked until I saw that they recommended margarine over butter).

I also taught Will how to use a sharp knife and how to cut up the vegetables for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Then we made and sent cards to a few people we were thankful for.

During the month, we got "School House Rocks" from Netflix.

One of the songs talked about nouns. Which led to "Mama, what's a noun?" So I explained there are different parts of speech and we also briefly covered verbs and adjectives. We took turns making up short sentences and dissecting them. He caught on really well.

Will also sold popcorn for the cub-scouts in November. He and one other little boy raised over $300 in two hours! Buying, selling, money exchange, greeting people, and trust me... lots of socializing! :)

We also did a Think! project (although we never "turned it in").

In the early weeks of November when the weather was nice, we played "Red Light Green Light", "Mother May I?", and "Simon Says".

Of course, we also attended our homeschool co-op sessions. They had a show-n-tell day for Indian articles. Will brought his "headdress" that my mom made for the boys. They also had a *Indian* bracelet making session for the girls while the boys went outside to try their hand at shooting a bow! (The pictures are in my old phone - can you believe I forgot my camera that day?! Ack!)

Now that I think about it, maybe we didn't take that much of a break after all?! :) Don't I feel better? Although I have all this down on paper in my planner, I had it in my mind that we had taken a break. Wow. I love homeschooling! :)

Jeff was home for the entire month of November and we also enjoy some much needed family time together. Thankfully, Jeff's job allows him the luxury of enjoying his mornings with us, leaving around 8 - 8:30 each morning.

During November, Will's headaches got worse and we began seeing a chiropractor. Dr. R is great and has answered all of Will's questions. He is learning (and so am I) how the body works together as a single unit. He might not be able to tell you that, but he could tell you that his bones were out of place which gave him a terrible headaches.

So, here we are in December.

I've been unable to see beyond a day at a time this month. With chiropractor appointments, the Christmas parade, more popcorn sales, snow falling, Christmas dinners at church, and just the dailiness of life with three boys (and the laundry), we truly are on an *Extra's break*... and we're even a little behind. Ugh.

Today will be filled with Bible and Math. And packing. Yes, packing!

I leave for a weekend Ladies Retreat to Gatlinburg tomorrow!! A much needed break, wouldn't you agree?

Jeff returns from his final trip to California just in time to meet me at Witt's allergy testing appointment on Tuesday... please continue to pray that his food allergies will be gone. Thanks so much!

Hope y'all have a great weekend... I sure plan to!

Gotta Talk to Daddy

2009-12-09T20:30:00.000-06:00

Singing Songs

2009-12-08T06:30:00.002-06:00

Just a quick minute to jot this down!

Jeff was listening to Will, age 7, sings Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer:

You know Dasher and Dancer,

Prancer and Vixen,

Comet and Cupid,

and daughter of Blitzen...

**********************

Witt, age 2 1/2, with his interpretation of Jingle Bells:

Yeah Yah Bell, Yeah Yah Bell

Ah way... HEY!

over and over and over again :)

**********************

Believe it not, Nathan, age 4, has been singing, too!

Oh Mac Don-noe had a farm

EIEIEIO

**********************

Call for Food Allergy Cooks

2009-12-03T10:05:00.003-06:00

If you have a desire to share your food allergy recipes, I'd love to include you as an author on my recipe blog, Must Follow Recipes. Head over there for the details.

Thanks!

Wanna Buy Some Popcorn?

2009-12-02T08:40:00.002-06:00

Dem Bones Dem Bones

2009-11-30T20:24:00.005-06:00

(Fair warning: LONG post)

Will's Bones

Ever been to the chiropractor?

Will went two years ago. I took him to see if there was anything that could be done to help him stop walking on his tip-toes, which he has been doing since he was about 2 1/2 years old.

I've had two medical doctors give the opinion that Will should have surgery if he hasn't stopped tip-toeing by the age of 8. This surgery would include snipping the tendons in order to lengthen them so he would physically be able to walk flat-footed. Not something I'm really interested in doing.

So, we went to a chiropractor and he had a few things to say, but after two months of 2 -3 visits a week (!) I didn't see any improvement. Plus, the new year was coming with a new deductible to meet... so we quit going.

Starting mid-summer of this year, Will has been having severe headaches, possibly even migraines, lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of days. After talking with a friend in our homeschool group, I decided to bring him back to a chiropractor... but I chose a different one this time (Dr. R).

Will's first appointment was about four weeks ago. The initial reason for the appointment was the headaches, but I also brought up the tip-toes again. After a couple x-rays, the ultimate source of he headaches was said to be from his misaligned hips which he thinks is a congenital issue. (I was given further information, but not going to share the lengthy diagnosis here.) The doctor also felt as though Will was tiptoeing as a response to the hips to keep from hurting while he walked.

Will has had a total of four treatments this go-round. Dr. R hasn't popped Will's back even once (which I really like); he has solely used a sort of percussion instrument that taps.

Will hasn't had a single headache since then! Four weeks without a single headache is a FANTASTIC improvement for Will. I am so pleased!

Will has also started to walk flat-footed a *little* more. From time to time I notice that he's not on his toes, which is s wonderful improvement as well! It's just going to take time for him to recondition his brain into knowing that it doesn't hurt anymore to walk flat-footed now that his hips are figuring out how they should be properly aligned. It's going to take some work to stretch out those calf muscles of his, too. Whew! He's got some mighty tight muscles from tip-toe walking for 5 years!

So far, I am very pleased with the results Will is having!

My Bones

Shortly after Will's first appointment, I hurt my back somehow so I made an appointment for myself. After an x-ray, it was concluded that most of my problem was muscular. I got a few taps here and there with that percussion instrument (sorry I don't know what it's called) and then I had my first-ever acupuncture treatment. (Yes, he is a licensed acupuncturist, too.) I walked out of there a new woman!

The following week, I told Dr. R that the muscle in my shoulder has been bothering me on and off since Nathan was born (he had colic and I held him A LOT). More acupuncture and a dramatic improvement.

Today, I discussed my plantar fasciitis issues with him. Basically, it feels like someone is jabbing an ice pick in my foot between the heel and the arch. Nice, huh? I went to our family doctor about this earlier this year and received some inflammatory meds as well as some PT. The PT and meds really helped and has dramatically decreased my pain, but it was still there... nagging. Well, today I got a few needles stuck in different places than before plus a tug, pull, and tap here and there... and my foot feels as good as new! It's not tight. It doesn't nag. It doesn't ache. It doesn't hurt. At all! And my back and shoulder are still doing well!

I'm feelin' pretty good these days! LOL!

Nathan's bones

Nathan has had sinus issues since, well... forever. I remember telling Jeff when Nathan was 3 months old, "He's only been here for 12 weeks and for 8 of those weeks he's been on a decongestant." He's always had sinus trouble and I figured I might as well get Dr. R's opinion about Nathan's sinus situation as I've heard of chiropractors working on the sinus area.

Turns out his cranial bones are out of place! Dr. R was surprised that Nathan could even breathe or hear out of the left side of his head. After seeing Nathan's xray, Dr. R was very displeased that no one had caught the obviousness of the problem before. I saw the xray. I saw what he was talking about. And I teared up. My poor little guy.

Now I will admit, I have a bit of hard time with this. Backs and hips are one thing, but the bones around the brain are a different story... and scary one at that.

There were no tools used on Nathan. He laid down and I was right there with him. Dr. R applied some pressure on his head in the appropriate places with his hands then released and gave Nathan's body a few moments to adjust to the adjustment. Nathan was never in any pain and never winced or looked uncomfortable. During the moments of rest, we could actually watch as his facial features changed. It was really strange and cool and again, scary... all at the same time... to see his bones and muscles adjust to a more natural looking forehead and hairline.

Dr. R is also a homeopathic doctor and gave me a solution to take home for anti-fungal use against the current sinus infection. While on the topic of medication, I asked him about Nathan's eczema. It has been really bad this season. I have been rubbing him down with EV coconut oil this last week as I've heard it is a really good moisturizer. Dr. R pointed out the coconut oil has a particular acid in it that might actually irritate the eczema further and recommended shea butter and/or Desitin (zinc oxide) as a better topical remedy. Hey... I've got Desitin here at the house; I can do that! (And the shea butter will be a good excuse to place an order with Mountain Rose Herbs! :) )

Witt's Bones

Well, Witt really doesn't have any bone issues, thankfully. HOWEVER, I did ask if there were any tests regarding food allergies. I was just curious. Apparently there is a test that has something to do with electromagnetic fields. Huh. Who knew? Not me. I'm thinking that since we've met our deductible for the year, I might as well give it a go... even if it is just out of curiosity.

Speaking of curiosity... anybody else have good experience with a chiropractor? bad experiences? Have you been to a homeopath? Undergone acupuncture? I'd love to hear about it!

We Love Chee Bang

2009-11-24T08:30:00.003-06:00

Will, age 7

On the way home from a campus day after waiting for his turn on the swing: "When girls say, 'Wait a minute,' they really mean, 'Wait a long time!'"

How do you spell 'C', as in the letter C?

Nathan, age 4

When asked where his cup is (or any other object for that matter), he throws up his hands with, "'Round here somewhere!" I had no idea where he got that from until I heard myself say that! LOL!

And if it's not 'round here somewhere, it's "in my shop!" (Yes, Daddy has a shop.)

He brought me a broken tractor asking me to fix it. I showed him where a few pieces had come off that were missing and told him it couldn't be fixed. He told me to "buy some more pieces". I asked him where I would get more pieces and he said, "The pieces store!" Jeff and I both think he was talking about a local merchandise store that does in fact have a lot of pieces ( nuts, bolts, screws, light bulbs, switches, etc... by the bucket load!)

Witt, age 2 1/2

The immediate response when told he needed a haircut? NO WAY! (Jeff about spit his coffee out of his nose! LOL!)

Overheard: "Chee Bang Bang... LOVE YOU!"

Allergies and God's Plan

2009-11-17T07:56:00.004-06:00

This morning when I logged in and saw my ticker showing less than 1 month before Witt's allergy testing, my heart just about jumped out of my chest!

No matter how hard I try not to get worked up over this testing, I always do. I'm hopeful and prayerful, but yet realize at the same time that although God could take away these allergies, He may not... ever.

I realize that we've made it through another year without any major issues regarding these allergies and I'm so very thankful for that, but I also realize that we may have to struggle with dietary issues for another year... possibly longer. But I really don't want to.

It's hard having this testing at the end of the year when my thoughts are lead to remembering what 2009 held for us and what direction I want 2010 to go in. I know where I want to go, but I need to follow God's lead. Thankfully, this is an all or nothing situation and I will clearly know God's plan regarding our diet for 2010 once these test results are in.

The past three annual testing times have consisted of going for the skin test and the blood test on the same day. The skin test results are in within 15 minutes, but it takes another 2 - 3 weeks for the blood test results. Then it's just a follow-up call from a nurse telling me what was positive and what wasn't. I really haven't been satisfied with that.

This year I'm doing things differently. Yesterday, I called and requested the doctor's orders for the blood test so we can go ahead and get that done before the skin test. This year I'm going to get his IgE numbers in person from the doctor instead of over the phone from someone that doesn't really have all the answers I want.

I requested testing for

cow's milk
goat's milk
egg white
egg yolk
peanuts

We have never tested Witt for goat's milk. I understand that the proteins are fairly similar between the two milks, but that some people that are allergic to one are not to the other. Might as well give it a shot. We could at least improve our cheese situation if we could include goat's milk! :)

I can't help but wonder if the trials of this allergy were partly to lead me to stop feeding my family the SAD (Standard American Diet). Our diet certainly has improved over the last few years. I know the direction I would like to go in, but again... I just have to wait for God's answer on that one.

*** We interrupt this post with a call from the allergist's office!

Apparently, since Witt's blood test came back negative last year (although he's not at exactly 0.0 with his IgE numbers) they are not going to do the blood test this year. Hmmm.... I'm not really sure what I think about that.

I almost got in an argument over the phone with whomever I was talking to. I almost cried. I've heard of tests results spiking back up after they've gone down. I think I'd really like a second year of "negative" just to be on the safe side. But she wasn't budging on "The doctor's orders were to stop the blood testing once they came back negative."

Looks like I'll be talking with the doctor about all this at the appointment and possibly doing the blood test that day as well... if I can talk her into it... and assuming there are positives with the skin test.

AGH! I hate this! (And I rarely use the word "hate".)

I hate the not knowing.

This is where I have a hard time just submitting to God's will. I have to believe that part of this is not only so that I feed my family better, but that I learn to submit better as well. It's just so hard and emotional for me.

I gotta go before I start rambling... my thoughts are going in a million different directions now with this new information.

Please just pray for Witt. Pray that these allergies will be taken from his body and that he will be 100% allergy free. To enjoy an egg, a glass of milk with a chocolate chip cookie, to sprinkle cheese on whatever he pleases!

Pray for me that I'll submit to God. That I'll be accepting of his answer and thankful for all the many blessings that I have been surrounded with. That I will focus on the positive and be strong for my children.

Just please pray. That's what I'm going to do.

Thanks for listening.

Don't Talk Backwards

2009-11-10T07:29:00.002-06:00

I've been trying to get a Tiny Talk Tuesday post up for awhile. Seems like there have been tons lately where Jeff and I have said, "That needs to go on the blog!" Unfortunately, I just haven't stayed on top of it and I know there are some cute little sayings that will be gone forever. :(

Nathan, almost 4, comes shaking his index at me, "You no talk backwards to me!" (Don't back-talk me)
******

Another day I had a bandage on my finger and he asked, "Mama, you got band-aid?"

Me: Yes, I cut my finger with a knife.

Nathan, paused and then shook that finger at me: "You tell you-self you sorry!"

******

Will (age 7), has had some laugh-out-loud misinterpretations lately, but for the life of me can't think of any! :(

However, I could easily sum up most of his brain activity with, "Can I tell a story?" He asks this at least once every day!

******

Witt, 2 years old, is now talking up a storm and has some cute ways of saying things:

T? for "Can I watch tv?"

He confuses "put it in the trash" and "put it in the sink" - so I've found utensils in my trash and banana peels in my sink! Bleck.

He does not refer to me as mama, mom, mother, or mommy. I am now just "Ma".

"Tanx, Ma." "Help, Ma." "No, Ma." or the really adamant, "No, Ma, No." I hear that last one a lot because:

"Me doo-et" - "I want to do it"

After Halloween, he started adding the "dy" to the end of "Can-dy" and "Dad-dy".

He's also picked up the phrase, "Awwww.... Man!"

The best from him, came a few nights ago while we were praying before bed. He likes to have his turn, too. Jeff will start the prayer and Witt copies him:

Jeff: Dear God,

Witt: God

Jeff: Thank you for the trees

Witt: Trees

Jeff: Thank you for my family

Witt: Fam

Jeff: Thank you for our house

Witt: How

Jeff: Please keep us safe

Witt: Say

Jeff: Please help the boys to be quiet

Witt: -

Jeff repeats: Please help the boys to be quiet

Witt looks at Jeff: -

Jeff looks at Witt and repeats: Quiet

Witt continues to look at Jeff.

Jeff, still looking at Witt and me starting to giggle: Quiet

Witt: No.

Jeff, holding in laughter: In Jesus name, Amen.

Witt: A-meh.

(**I'm still laughing as I type this. I equated it to a bride getting married and not expecting the word "obey" to show up in the wedding vows! LOL!**)

Nathan is FOUR!!!

2009-11-06T08:56:00.000-06:00

As you will see our birthday boy, Nathan, has a fondness for a certain green and yellow tractor. :)

I made the cake and decorated it, too. I'm not bragging, but he loved it. :)

We just had family over, but we all had a great time! Gran, Papaw, Aunt Debbie, Great Grandmother, and Great Grandaddy all came to party with the Birthday Boy!

He looks pretty comfortable here on Papaw's lap, right?

Well, I promise you that expression changed when someone said, "Birthday Spankings!" (He didn't get any, of course!)

Singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

PRESENT TIME!!!!

Tractor 1 and 2:

Daddy made special John De.ere wrapping paper!

Trailer 1:

Trailer 2:

Can you guess what the last gift might be? ;)

He also got money from Aunt Debbie and Aunt Deborah! He has JD pillowcases and a JD flat sheet on the way from Nana and Grampa (my folks in Washington state).

I'd say he had a Deere of a birthday!

Food Allergy Moms: HELP!

2009-11-03T15:42:00.004-06:00

Nathan turns 4 this Friday! He wants a green cake with green frosting. My standard birthday cake is chocolate... which I can't turn green! Thankfully, I can handle the frosting.

I checked our local grocery store today for boxed mixes, but all the white cakes have milk and/or eggs listed as ingredients. None of the local stores sell Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes.

Do you have a DFEF WHITE cake recipe? I'm usually up for just substituting in a regular recipe, but I've heard that doing that with white cake mixes doesn't make for a good cake.

Maybe I should make a yellow cake and add blue?

Suggestions... PLEASE! :)

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T07:48:00.000-06:00

We went to the church building Halloween night for the annual chili supper and candy grab. Basically, the adults sit in a circle in our fellowship room and the kids walk around that circle gathering up their goodies. It's the most efficient Halloween I've ever seen. LOL!

Nathan isn't really opinionated about most things, but when I asked him what he wanted to dress up as, he immediately said a fireman. Will do!

Witt's costume came down to what they had left at the store in his size. I think he makes a pretty cute cowboy! Complete with "Ka-tee" (Canteen).

And yes, those green frog boots were his own personal addition to the outfit. We just went with it. LOL!

Will has been Thomas the Train for the last three years! Oh, but not this year! Let me explain.

He said he wanted to "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" with his old costume. He wanted to cover up the face and add a lantern... creating a locomotive. So, that's what we did. ;)

Grabbing candy:

Eating candy:

We had a great night!

As an allergy note, we had no hives or scratching. I thought for sure we would end up with something having sour cream and cheese on the tables for the chili and all the chocolate going around that room. But there was not one sign of anything on Witt. Maybe that's a good sign?! Keep praying for him, please!

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!

Three Little Ghosts

2009-10-31T09:55:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time, there were three little ghosts. They lived on an island. It was Halloween and it was 7:00 at night. The little ghosts went trick-or-treating with their little ghost friends. Then it was 8:00 at night after they had gone to their friends' houses. Then they wanted to get home; they knew the way. They took the path with nut trees. They found paths. They all had coconut trees. They didn't know which way to go. So they tried to go back, but they only got more lost. It was then 9:00. They forgot which path lead home. Tree after tree after tree they got more lost. They were too lost, but then they found their way home! The End.

~ told by Will, age 7

*added note: I believe this is the first story he's told that didn't contain trains!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Oliver's Labels Discount Code!

2009-10-30T12:19:00.005-05:00

A couple of weeks (ok... months) ago, I was contacted by Oliver's Labels to review their allergy labels (scroll down when you get there) and to also offer my readers a discount to their store.

Although they only show individual allergy designs, they offered to add more as necessary. I requested NO DAIRY, NO EGG, NO PEANUT with Witt's first and last name on it. And that is exactly what they gave me. Quickly. They have a 24 to 48 hour ship time!

The labels are waterproof! I've had one on Witt's plastic sippy cup for about two months now and it's still there... no fading or tearing off.

They also sent me a large bag tag with the same allergy design. I haven't attached this to a bag, but it came in very handy as a "necklace". Let me explain... We were attending a fellowship meal at my in-laws' church congregation and very few people there know about Witt's food allergies, so I strung a long string through the large tag and tied it around his neck. He happily wore it all day long.

The tag was a good conversation starter, but I realized that although people were noticing the tag and his name, they were not noticing the cute little designs indicating his food allergies. For this purpose, I would prefer to have just had "FOOD ALLERGIES!" written in place of his name (or above it). The designs are just too cute and were getting glanced over as decoration only.

I am really happy with their products and they have held up well for the couple of months we have used them. If you would like to purchase some labels of your own, Oliver's Labels is offering you 10% off! When checking out, just enter the coupon code "OLIVERSFRIENDS".

Unplugged Project: Change

2009-10-26T11:38:00.006-05:00

I created some posters to help us get started with our mornings. Although I was the one that made these posters, the boys will be the ones using them and changing out the different options.

The first chart holds our options used to "fill in" the second chart. It has a full calendar with days, date, and months. The seasons are lined on the left side. Daily chores and weather options are below the pink calendar. Below that is a plastic envelope containing pictures for special days, ie Valentines Day, Birthdays, Independence Day, etc. On the bottom left are the different subjects Will is/will be learning about. (click to enlarge pictures)

We will gather each morning to change out the date, weather, and daily responsibility.

All of the options from the first chart are on velcro tabs and have a corresponding place on our second chart, the "Today" chart:

The pink section holds the day, month, date, year, and a spot if it is a special day. This is also where the season and today's weather will go. The blue section is like a vertical "clock". The times are listed down the side with our daily activities out to the side of the time. The flag is a reminder for us to say the Pledge of Allegiance. :) The Responsibilities section is a picture list of what we need to do each morning (get dressed, make bed, put clothes away, stretch, etc.) The extra Daily Chore will be placed over the sunshine on the bottom right hand corner.

As for the vertical clock, my plans are to show Will the subjects that need to be accomplished for the day and allow him to place them next to the times in which he wants to do them.

I am NOT keeping this as a rigid schedule, it's just a way for him to have some control over his school day and add some structure as well. When he completes the subject, he'll remove it from the vertical clock and place it back with the list. Once all of the subjects are back on the list, he will know his school day is complete and will be rewarded with some computer time. (He likes to watch Thomas the Train YouTube videos, play on pbskids.org, and watch shows through Netflix.)

Hopefully these charts will change our days from "extremely-relaxed-might-not-get-it-all-done" into "Hey-we-accomplished-everything-and-learned-a lot!"

For more Unplugged Projects on Change, visit Unplug Your Kids.

Boys in the Bedroom

2009-10-22T08:54:00.004-05:00

I spent Tuesday afternoon rearranging the boys' bedrooms in hopes of quenching Witt's separation anxiety. We now have one bedroom (literally only beds)

and one playroom. Sorry I didn't bother cleaning before I took the pictures... I'm sure you understand. :)

The first night, it took at least an extra 30 minutes to get them all settled for bed. Wittman cried and cried still wanting me to stay in the room with all of them. William continually got in trouble for talking and Nathan just kept a bewildered face, not really understanding what all the commotion was about.

FINALLY, Witt accepted the fact that I was going and his brothers were staying. They all slept through the night!

The next morning, I woke to hear Will and Witt talking (at 5:56 am!). I went in there and they were both on Wittman's bed playing with stuffed animals. I motioned for them to come out so Nathan could continue to sleep. (They are usually up around 6:20 am, so it really wasn't that much earlier than usual.)

The nap time transition was much better than the night before. I usually only require Will to lay on the couch for some quiet time while the other boys nap, but since they were up late AND up early PLUS we had bible study that night, I wanted Will to take a nap, too. So, after a story and about 30 minutes of them settling down (plus a few swats on the hiney for getting out of bed), they finally all took a nap. A full nap, too!

Last night was even better. No crying and only once did I have to go in there to tell Wittman to quiet down. Again, they all slept through the night!

Wittman woke a little after six, with Nathan not far behind. Surprisingly my early bird, Will, stayed in bed until 7:00!

So far, combining bedrooms has worked wonders! I am SO THANKFUL!

Separation Anxiety

2009-10-20T08:05:00.007-05:00

Poor little Witt.

2009 has been a year of change for us all, but he's taking it the hardest. Daddy is gone many days a week (sometimes full weeks) and the family left for a week's vacation in June without him.

When we returned from our vacation, he began crying for me to sleep in his room. I would lay in the spare bed that was in there until he fell asleep and then sneak out to go sleep in my bed. When he woke in the middle of the night, he would cry for me because I wasn't in there. I finally started bunching up the comforter and pillow to make it look like I was still in bed and that worked for a little while.

Then we moved to a new home which landed him a new room. We've started attending a new congregation which means new classmates, new teachers, and a new classroom. He literally falls apart if we leave him alone in the class, so my MIL has started staying with him.

Last month, he decided he wanted a new bed. That wasn't a problem for a couple weeks, but then...

While Nana was here, I made a quick trip to the grocery store while the kids were napping. Little did I know that Witt woke up as I was leaving. He watched me leave and cried the whole time I was gone. He rarely let me out of his site after that.

Then, on Friday, I took both Nathan and Will to school and a field trip. Although Witt loves staying with his Gran, Nathan has always been with him when Will has on-campus days with school. My MIL said that he would look around every so often with a, "Nay? Will?" looking for his brothers.

So now, he's back to BEGGING me to sleep in his room. A few nights ago, I began by laying in bed with him, but then decided to just sit on the floor instead so I could sneak out of his room easier. He did not like me sitting on the floor. He wanted me in that bed next to him, but I wouldn't give in and he finally fell asleep.

The next night I brought in a chair and sat on it. There was a little less argument. The following night, I moved the chair into the doorway. The actual door was between he and I so he couldn't see me, but he sure kept asking, "Ma? Chair?"I reassured him that I was still there and he finally fell asleep.

That night he woke up crying and I made the mistake of letting him come to bed with us (Jeff finally made it home from California!!). That night he wanted to sleep in our bed. Not happening, though! Jeff and I have just never been ones to have a child in bed with us.

So finally, last night, I had the chair out in the hallway next to his door. He went to sleep with little reassurance and slept until 1:30 when we heard a blood-curdling cry. We both hopped out of bed and ran to his room. There stood Witt staring at the empty chair freaking out that I was not in it.

I slept the rest of the night in his bed with him until he woke me up at 6:30 telling me he wanted to get down.

So, where to go from here? Well, I have one last option. Today after naps, I am moving both Will's and Nathan's beds into Witt's room. I am hopeful that the extra company will help him. I know the boys will enjoy being together, too. Plus it will give us a playroom for all the toys.

Jeff is working locally all week this week and I don't want to be spending my nights in Witt's bed.

I want to be sensitive to Witt as I know it is an honest fear for him, and I certainly haven't been intentional about leaving him alone. I suppose a little extra attention during the day is in order. I just really don't know what to do next that would be a good compromise for the both of us. I am a mom to two other little boys and a wife as well. I can't be at Witt's beck-and-call every moment.

So, any suggestions on dealing with separation anxiety in a 2 1/2 year old? After moving the beds, I'm out of ideas.

UPDATE HERE

Nathan Goes to School for the Field Trips

2009-10-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

Our church school planned a field trip for the pumpkin patch this past Friday, so I brought Nathan to campus that day so he could come with us. (Witt stayed the day at my in-laws house. He loves his Gran!)

We had our normal schedule of History, Art, Chapel, Lunch, and PE. Nathan had a hard time sitting still in History, but did fairly well in Art since they sit on the floor and are able to draw. He enjoyed the lunch of chili cheese nachos, while Will ate his sack lunch of the standard PB sandwich.

The kids gathered around the piano during lunch.

Some actually played well, while others just played around. :) Here's the only shot I got of both boys while on campus that day. Nathan is trying to figure out how the piano works and Will is just playing around. :)

Nathan joined in during PE fairly well since I partnered with him. I helped him do all the stretching excercises and he got a real kick out of that. "Me exercising! Me exercising!" :)

We headed for the pumpkin patch after school where the kids played in huge pile of hay (oh joy!), we took a hay ride, and picked out pumpkins. There were also goats, ducks, and geese to feed.

We had a great time, but it was a full day! Nathan snoozed the whole way home and Will fought off a nap, but yawned the entire time. If I wasn't driving, I'd have napped too!

Witt was happy to see us when we got home and I gave him his very own pumpkin, too, that I had picked out during the hayride. Just didn't want you to think I forgot about him. :)

NANA!!!

2009-10-14T09:04:00.000-05:00

My mom, who lives in Washington State, came for a "grandbaby tour". My brother, who lives in Atlanta, had a new addition to his family (Welcome, Dustin!) so mom came down. She visited with them for a while and then went to visit my sister and niece in Augusta. After that, she came here to see us!

Although Nathan and Will saw her and my dad this past summer, Witt doesn't remember Nana. He saw us all give hugs and kisses, though, and joined in fairly easily. (He doesn't warm well to strangers.)

We shopped, played, went to the scout store, did school work, cleaned, and just had a really great time. Mom brought some books for the boys and they really enjoyed them.

This is the only picture I took the whole time mom was here! I can't believe it. At least I have some proof that she was here! :)

Shut Eye

2009-10-14T08:30:00.001-05:00

How Our Homeschool Co-op (Church School) Works

2009-10-10T07:27:00.003-05:00

By request... :)

Homeschool Co-op is not an unfamiliar term for most people that know anything about homeschool, but many don't know exactly what it means. I know I didn't. I had a clue, but didn't know the full extent to what it could mean.

In fact, there really isn't a clear definition because not only do states differ in their requirements, so do the individual co-ops. Some are merely for socialization, some include education, some religion. Some meet twice or more a week, some meet once a month, some meet less frequently. The individual co-ops are about as different as individual homeschooling families. Some have outrageous dues, others have small dues, or possibly none (although I don't know of any in that category). Some require a statement of faith and proof that you are an active member in your home congregation... some don't.

With that said, I am going to focus on Alabama because that's where I live and those are the laws I know. To find out what the homeschooling laws in your state are I suggest visiting HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association). That link will take you to a map where you can choose your state to find out more.

In order to homeschool in Alabama, there are only two choices:

1) Be a certified teacher
2) Join a cover school that is governed by a church... generally referred to as a church school.

So for general conversation purposes in Alabama, co-op, cover school, and church school are all fairly interchangeable.

As for our cover school, we meet twice a month on a Christian university campus. The children are split into two groups K-3rd grade and 4th - high school for two classes (currently history and art). Then there are other classes for the high school kids (currently auto mechanics (with a college professor, I believe) and something for the girls... can't remember right now). There is also a PE class that is separated by age.

The art and PE classes are taught by the same teachers at each meeting (the teachers are HSing moms). The history class changes teachers (more moms) at each meeting. As a first year homeschooling mom, I am not on the teachers list, but am on the assisting list. If the teacher needs something, the 1st year moms help her out during the class.

Our on-campus days also include lunch together (can bring or buy) and a devotional time with the university staff and students. There is also a bit of free time after lunch where the kids play on the campus playground together, too.

It is a very family friendly atmosphere. There are families that bring their non-school aged children for the day as well. Personally, I enjoy the one-on-one time with Will and my MIL enjoys having Nathan and Witt for the day, so I currently only bring Will.

The parents (and other children) are welcome to sit in the back of the classrooms if they like or are to congregate in the lunch room if they want to socialize.

We also have after-school activities: field trips, 4H club, and annual staff. I believe there are two school parties each year and an end of the year awards ceremony/graduation. The mothers can also participate in Secret Sisters. One of the mothers has also organized an organic foods buying club! OH MY! I was SO excited to hear about that!!!

As you can see, our on-campus days are FULL of exciting things! It is an hour drive each way for us (but I really enjoy the drive with just one child! He is a good traveler and an excellent conversationalist!). Some families travel longer distances, some shorter. There are closer church schools, but this one seems to fit all of our needs and beliefs. So far, we are very pleased. Very pleased.

Now, our church school isn't just about meeting twice a month. They also take care of records, transcripts, etc. All the families are required to join HSLDA. Alabama laws are very lax. Let me repeat... VERY LAX. You know those teaching options I mentioned above? Those options coupled with a 180 day school year requirement are it. That's all. There are no required subjects, no standard testing requirements, no meeting with an appointed person to make sure your kid is learning requirements. Nothing. It's actually kinda nice, but I can see where some people might abuse the openness of the laws.

HOWEVER... that does not mean that we won't or don't do any of those things. We keep records of his school work. This blog would also serve as proof if anyone ever takes me to court for not teaching my kids. The church school keeps records of our curriculum and activities. We also assign and keep up with grades (that are assigned by the homeschooling parents). I haven't heard anything about standardized testing, but I'm sure we could get it if I wanted it.

HSLDA is the go-to place about all the laws regarding homeschooling. When our church school was set up, they consulted heavily with the HSLDA folks. We have many more requirements than other church schools in the area, but I like it that way. I like knowing my bases are not only covered, but above and beyond what the law expects. I feel safe that way.

So, I think I've covered everything on how our co-op/cover school process works. I'm happy to answer anything that I might have missed or elaborate more where you'd like me to. What questions do you have?