Starting Soon!

On Monday we will be going to the School Board to turn in our Declaration of Intent to Homeschool and Friday will be my son’s last day of public school!   We are very excited, and can’t believe it s already time!  We’ve got all of our curriculum ready to go and we can’t wait!

I did have a meeting with the SLO on base, and while I know she has great intentions I don’t think she really understands where we are coming from.  We really need a secular group in this area, but she insisted that the local christian homeschooling group was great!  I’m sure they are, but I’m not sure how accepting they will be of us. lol  So once we get into the groove of things I will ask again for her assistance in starting a secular group for the base. 

Well that is my mini-update.  I’m sure I’ll have tons to talk about once we start!!

Homeschooling here we come…

Yes you read that right, we are on our way to start homeschooling.  It has taken us a while to get to this point, but here we are!  

I’m very excited to start our homeschooling year!  We will be starting here in the next two weeks and we will be on our way to our new, free of the chains of public school, Life!  Yay!   Home schooling is not for everyone and while we stumble down our newly chosen path I’m sure we will have some ups and downs, but we are going to try hard and just push on through!  I’m sure in the end we will all be happy with our decision. 

In a few weeks we will be pulling Nathaniel out of school and we will begin on our journey.  What has lead up to this decision is a combination from our experience with public school last year and the start of this year.  Here in the hot state of GA, public school starts on the 1st of August.  So my son is well in to his 3rd month of  first grade in public school.  We received his first report card home and have had two notes home on behaviour and a phone call from the VP of the school (did I mention that call wasn’t made to us but to my son’s afterschool program, oh that burns me up!). 

So with that, instead of dealing with the school we’ve decided to take it into our own hands and teach our son at hom. And in the words of my mom (I love you mom!), We can’t do any worse than public school… so it is a Win-Win!  lol  So stay tuned and I’ll try to keep this page updated with our new way of life!

Long Time Gone

It has been a while since I’ve posted, I know.  Not that any of you are really worried about it. LOL  But While a few things have changed, much hasn’t. 

One major thing I’m looking at possibly doing is homeschooling my six year old this year.  Last year started out really rocky, but it did end well.; And I’m just afraid that we will have another year like it. 

Nathaniel is very hyperactive…  Diagnosed ADHD with a real emphasis on the H!  Last year his first public school teacher, really made our first year dealing with public school not so great.  She would send notes home saying he was Out of Control and just didn’t care.  She didn’t like him and it was really easy to see that, even though she swore up and down that she loved him.  I remember the first time I met her, at open house before school started.  I told her, that Nathaniel was hyperactive and the look on her face was just…. wonderful…  You could tell that at that moment her mind was made up about him. 

Anyways, so around Oct. (the school year started Aug. 1st) I think.  I had a meeting with the teacher and she flat out said he was out of control, and she talked about the things he was doing.  When I told her that the actions she explained sounded to me like he was uncomfortable in class (since I have known my child for 6 years), she argued saying uncomfortable children don’t do the things he was doing.  So the conversation continued and I told her I could understand the way he felt in class because how she was talking to me made me feel belittled.  She laughed it off, and I requested a new teacher. 

We had meeting after meeting and finally, fighting tooth and nail we got a new teacher…. and a home visit from CPS!  I swear not even 10 days after we switched teachers, CPS was at our house about a bruise that Nathaniel had on his head.  They asked if the school had called us about the issue, and when I said the school had not the lady from CPS was surprised.  And when they did their investigation, they concluded that the school should have never called and opened a case about the bruise because Nathaniel even said before they ever came to the house that he got it while playing.

So on to the new teacher.  There were some ups and downs, but we really enjoyed her as his teacher.  But we can’t be sure that his next teacher is going to be as good as her, or won’t be like his first teacher.  SO in an attempt to keep his love for learning, and avoid the headaches of public school we’ve been entertaining the idea of homeschooling.

I’ve got all the curriculum planned out, but still deciding what we are going to do.  I would enjoy the challenge and I think Nathaniel would enjoy the form of education. 

I’ve changed the name of the blog, to help explain where we are at in our life. and I’ll try to update as much as possible.

enjoy!

Snips, Snails, and puppy dog tails….. Chasing Chickens

What?

Thats what I said when my mom and I were picking cucumbers out of her garden while visiting her on the farm.

Hubby and the kids and I were getting prepared to leave the farm and one of my last things to do was to rid my mom’s garden of some free food!  So we were out there going in and out of the many rows of veggies when all of a sudden we hear the dogs barking and the chickens clucking and it all getting faster and louder.  My mom and I look at each other and start running and yelling…  The house dogs (IE: my dogs which are not farm dogs by any means) were let out of the yard by my lovely 5 year old son, and they took off towards the chickens that have been teasing them all weekend.

So my mom and I come running out of the garden yelling at the dogs, trying to get them to come back but they were in chase mode.  So we started running.  Back and forth, around tables under the tent, (that we had set up from the party we had the night before), and in and out of the many out-buildings.  I swear I’ve never seen my dogs run so fast and act so crazy.. They had it in for the chickens.   I was running after my 6 month old APBT (Pit bull), who is actually the sweetest dog I know and who just happened to follow suit and got carried away. It was like chasing a pigglet, every time I’d reach for him he’d get away.  But after what seemed like 5 min. of chasing, we were in the barn and he pounced on the roster (one of two out of the group of chickens) and I grabbed his tail and yanked him off his feet.   40lbs hanging from a tail fell limp… and the roster just laid there.  No, he didn’t kill the roster; he just plucked about every feather from his behind.   While I’m doing this, my brother; who ran out of the fence after the dogs,  cornered my 2 year old  Engilsh Mastiff in the chicken coop and got the leash on him before he could do much harm.  I think he got a mouth full of feathers but that was about it. 

Needless to say we were all out of breath dragging the dogs back to the yard.  My poor son,  got yelled at during the chaos, but seemed to recover quickly.  We arn’t really sure what happened but I don’t think he let the dogs out on purpose;

 he lives for being at the farm and knows that animals don’t go through the gates there.  So I bet they were playing (Nathaniel and the dogs), and Nathaniel had enough and went to leave the yard but the dogs were not finished playing, and in that moment I wouldn’t doubt they barged through the gate. 

So after that work out, we finished up in the garden and the kids, dogs, and Hubby and I piled in the truck to leave…  What a way to say good bye. huh?  LOL

The facts of life…

 

 

I’ve come to the conclusion that there are just some facts of my life that I will end up having to deal with day in and out no matter what..   Some are fixable and some are just funny to think about, and others … well are just facts of life.

 

It’s a fact of life that a pair of jumper cables will be a permanent fixture in the front seat of my car. 

 

It’s a fact of life that before each payday I will have no more than $4 in my check book.

 

It’s a fact of life that the crush button on my Ice maker will only work when it wants to, apparently it has an attitude.

 

… I will always be surprised by what my kids do next.

 

… when I think things are ready to slow down and even out something else will always come up

 

… the antique VW sitting in my driveway will probably continue sitting there only to be driven one or two days a year.  And even though we have discussed selling it… it will probably stay a permanent fixture in our life.  

 

… I will be sweeping and mopping my dining room and kitchen floors until the end of time.  Due to two rowdy dogs and 3 kids.

 

… I will always need to run to the store for something even though we just went grocery shopping.

 

… when hubby is away I become obsessive about checking my door and window locks and I look behind my shower curtain before I go to bed. 

 

… gas prices will never hit 89cent a gallon again.

 

 

While there are a hundred more things I could list, that I’ve just learned to live with… I’d like to hear of some things that you’ve learned to just… live with.

I’ve got a new tattoo

Its on the back of my neck… I’m a Scorpio thru and thru and I thought I’d just show it off. lol  

I got this tattoo at a tattoo party that my husband’s mother’s friend held at her house.  We left for the weekend over memorial day and headed to hubbie’s parents just to go to their tattoo party.  It was alot of fun, even though we were planning on not getting any tattoos that weekend.  Hubby also got a tattoo…. well two tattoos.   His are on the back of his upper arms. 

 

 

The way his arms are it makes the stars look a bit crooked but they acutally look alot better in person. 

This tatoo party made me think about my first tattoo, I got it in 2000 when I moved out to Witchita, KS.  I got a horse on my leg by a guy who was just teaching himself to tattoo on a home made gun.   It was an interesting experiance … LOL  … to say the least.  I guess you could call it a tattoo party, we were drinking and I got a tattoo in some one’s home. 

Oh how I miss the days where I didn’t have a care in the world… ok not that much, but what fun memories!

I wonder when the next tattoo party will be?

 

 

 

 

About Time

OK, So a good friend of mine told me that I should start writing about my past and all the things that have happened to me, all the things I’ve done and seen. 

Apparently there is something there that she thinks would be interesting to see put down on ‘paper’; or was it that she thought I would find it interesting years from now. lol  who knows. 

But my question is how should I go about this.  Not every memory is one that just pops in and out of my head.. When I try to recall my past I can get into great detail for maybe one and a half memories … but then…  I wander off and just start making a list .  So I’d like to try to stay away from doing that.  How about using a trigger… movies , or maybe music… lol we will see how this goes.

So today on my way home from school (massage therapy )  I was thinking about this very thing and a song came on the radio.  And like many things… smells, songs, and even just a simple word a memory came to mind.  

It brought me back to age 17 riding the metro up to DC with my friends.  We would get off at the airport and walk around inside just for fun… then we’d make our way to the very end of the airport and walk along the highway to the end of the runway where we’d spend hours upon hours laying in the grass counting the airplanes flying overhead.   Oh the conversations we had.  It really makes me think about how little time I have now days to just ….  watch the planes fly overhead. lol  

OK so I know it wasn’t much… but that’s a start.  I’ve gotta run so I can wake up hubby … I know its midnight, but we are actually getting on the road to go to the in laws for a day and a-half. LOL  I’m sure I’ll have a story to share.  See ya then!

Sick and Tired of being…. Sick and Tired

First I would like to apologize for being absent and non-existent on this board.  It’s been an uphill trek the past few months.

For the past year my daughter has been 22lbs…  really no give or take.  She is now almost 2 1/2 years old, and since she was 1 year 2 months she has been the same weight.  So naturally we’ve been concerned.   We went to the base clinic at-least once a month about her weight and the only answer we got was that she was just petite (her eating habits were very odd, she would only take a few bites of food each meal).  This concerned me, but when she got sick and was put on Amoxicillin and had an allergic reaction…. a severe allergic reaction and the base clinic brushed us off and gave her Benadryl, and we ended up in the ER two times.  I said enough was enough and decided to switch to a civilian doctor.  

When we went out to the civilian doctor, I told her of my concerns and she too said Savannah was just petite until….. we ended up in the ER after a few days of her being lethargic.  From the ER we were transported to the children’s hospital and we spent a week there doing testing on why she wasn’t gaining weight or eating.  Exactly one week later and multiple tests coming up negative we were sent home with a prescription of 3 Pedi sure a day to make sure she at least gets the calories she needed.  And they were sure she’d start gaining weight since she was now getting more calories.  However it now being May and she hasn’t even gained a few ounces.  We’ve got a few more tests coming up but I hope that we can get some answers soon.  We’ve ruled out CF, Intestinal blockage, and a few other things.  Our next test is an Endoscopy with biopsy. 

The day we came home from the hospital with Savannah, my youngest son Roscoe had a horrible cough and wheezing.  So the next day I took him to the doctor; she sent us for x-rays and labs to see what it was.  But everything came back negative.  So he was put on a nebulizer 3 times a day.  About a week later we were able to slowly stop using the nebulizer.  And then a week and a half after that it came back full force but now also included a severe ear infection on both sides with one ruptured ear drum….   So he was put back on the nebulizer with a decongestant, Tylenol, and Amoxicillin. 

Between the two times my son was sick.  I got a severe strep throat, to the point that I couldn’t even swallow.   So off to the doctor I went to get some meds.

To make matters worse last weekend my husband poured my son’s medicine and put it on the table while he went out to give the dogs some fresh water.  When he came back in my daughter was holding an empty medicine cup……  And if you remember from above she is allergic to Amoxicillin and guess what was in the medicine cup…  You’ve got it….. Amoxicillin.  So off we went to the ER (I think they know us by name), 

She hasn’t had any problems yet, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

But…  now that I was sure everything was done and we couldn’t possibly have anymore problems, I got a call this morning from PreK saying my oldest son, Nathaniel, practically threw up from one side of the class room to the other..  WONDERFUL!   

Is there light at the end of the tunnel, will we ever get to the end of this?

At least for once, hubby is actually home to be a part of this wonderful experience. lol

COMPASS

Compass:N. 1. navigational instrument for finding directions

 Have you ever sat in the back of a deployment meeting looking around to see if you were the only one that didn’t understand some or even most of what was being said? Or have you gone to a Family Support Group Meeting with questions but came home with them unanswered… or better yet you didn’t even go to your Family Support Group Meeting because you have heard all kinds of negative things about those kind of groups?

If the above sounds like you, or if you have been a seasoned military spouse and still have questions or feel like you might have answers to share, come out and Join a 3 day COMPASS class.

COMPASS is a course that is put on by Naval Services FamilyLine.  It is a a Spouses mentoring Spouses program, and like the definition above, this program is an instrument for finding directions in this crazy military life.

When you attend COMPASS you will not be known by what your husband does or by who he is.  This course is truly about you and information you need to not just survive but to thrive as a military spouse!

COMPASS is a 12 hour program that is held over 3 days.  You will learn about everything from Naval history, to Money Management and Military Pay, and even Deployuments and Moving plus much more.  Childcare is either provided or compensated for and refreshments are always plentiful. 

If you decided that you like the program after you attend the 3 day class you can volunteer to become a mentor yourself.  Then you can pay it forward by sharing your knowledge with spouses who need your help!

If you have anymore questions about COMPASS or if you would like to find your location and sign up for the next class please visit http://gocompass.org/index.htm .

This is a Course for the Navy Spouse, but some locations do offer the USMC L.I.N.K.S program (similiar to COMPASS) at the COMPASS locations.  I don’t know if other branches offer similar programs, if they do could you please post a link to info on the program in a comment, Thanks!

Long Time No See!

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, I’ve got a ton going on.  Just a few things on my list of things that I’ve been doing are:

-Surgery Recovery (Going great by the way)

-Looking to buy a house (what a headache at times, but I’m sure it will be worth it in the end.)

-Volunteering for COMPASS (The most wonderful program Navy Spouses have to offer to other spouses!)

-Volunteering for Crafts and Conversation at Kings Bay Sub base Chapel.  (A fantastic program running on Thursday Mornings for military spouses, with free child care offered at the CDC!!)

-Going back to night school (I had to stop going for a few months prior to and after my surgery)

-I lost my Grandmother the day after my surgery. (She had Cancer but past away because of a heart attack) I had to go up to South Dakota shortly after my surgery.

-We lost a cat that I’ve had since I was 14.  He had a lot of health complications, so it was probably for the best.

- We got a new puppy and before that adopted another cat (I know we are crazy!)

-We’ve had family visiting almost non-stop for multiple reasons

-Oh and I also started doing an at home study diploma program. 

-And I’ve been working for my Dad from home to make a little extra cash 

Hubby, luckily has been home since his short TAD in December and hopefully will not go anywhere for a while. 

While my plate is full, since my surgery I have been feeling really good.  It’s still amazing to me that Tricare paid in full for my surgery!   That has to be the best thing I’ve ever gotten out of Tricare.   There is no way I would have been able to afford it any other way. 

Speaking of my surgery, recovery has been going well.  I have almost no open wounds, just a few spots still healing.  Besides that it seems that all is going great!  My only problems are stretching and lifting, those two things still are a little sore to do.  I haven’t been very active since the surgery and that has become a bit of a problem…. I’ve gained some weight.  So now the goal is to start working out! 

Luckily the base gym has just started a mommy and me class!!  I think I’m going to check that out when things settle down a bit!  

OK well I am going to try to stay up to date and be active on here again!  I’m sorry that I’ve been out of the loop; I look forward to catching up on everything I’ve missed.