So what have we been up to?

Well, in the past several months and in the last couple in particular, I have come to realize that dd8 has Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD.  No hyperactivity, she's just highly distractable, forgetful, disorganized, doesn't retain math facts  or grammar/spelling rules, etc.

No, that's not an official diagnosis, it's just a mom's diagnosis.  I really don't care to take her to the doctor to receive an "official" diagnosis, I want to know how I can help her.

I've read and read about ADD.....on the Internet and in books.   Some helpful folks have been Dianne Craft, Melinda Boring, Carol Barnier, Dr. Bob, and many more.  What I've read has really changed how I look at ADD.

In the past, I just thought....if ONLY she'd just try harder, or concentrate more, just buckle down and get 'er done.  Now, I'm understanding that it's truly a brain connection thing but diet, mental and physical exercises, and retraining can help.

Well, I'm up to the challenge......I hope.     God is my  strength and I may crawl before it's through, but we'll get there together. 

You know, when God leads you to homeschooling, it really isn't necessarily all about teaching the student.  I think God is teaching the parents just as much along the way.....if not teaching them even more. 

I've come a long way in patience since first starting to homeschool, but still have a long way to go.  This ADD thing is challenging me more.  And not only in the patience department, but it re-thinking how I can set up a learning environment that is helpful to her.  I'll talk more about some of the changes I'll be making another time. 

He's finally a doctor!!!!!!!!

My dh's dream has been to earn a Ph.D.  Now, finally, after 20 years as a college student, he is a doctor!!   He recently graduated with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering.

We are all so proud of him!  He's the first of his family to go to college and what a high bar he has set for the rest!! 

Views from our windows....

Well, winter has come a bit early here.  Here are some things I've seen when looking out our window lately.


Snow!  We've had a couple of snows so far....only a couple inches each time though.





But enough for the wee folk (or is she a gnome?!) to play in.



And to build a snowman!  Meet George, our snowboarding snowman.  (Do you think our minister minds that a snowman shares his name???  )




Good thing we started feeding the birds before the snow came!



Bluebonnet was quite happy we had food available!




So what do you see out your window? 

A chapter of our life almost finished......

Has it really been two months since I blogged????  Wow!

So what have we been doing all that time???  Well, I'm not sure about the WHOLE time, but the last month or so has been consumed mostly with a DISSERTATION!   DH has been working so hard to get done (his last extension was labeled as a "final extension") so that he could graduate next month!

It's done!!!   It's about 250 pages and was turned in two days ago.  I'm not sure how many reams of paper we went through writing and re-writing it!!  At least 10 in the past month. (That number does include the 7 copies we had to make for the dissertation committee.)  I know we went through over half of the toner cartridge for each of 4 colors. 

He defended it last week, made the recommended changes, and turned it for signatures this past Monday.  As of yesterday, only the final dean was needed to sign it, so I think we're in the clear!  \o/

Just a few more weeks until a long-awaited graduation........

A new place for unit study and lapbook fans!

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Have you heard?

Homeschool Share has launched
message boards!!! 



Now all you unit study fans can talk
UNIT STUDIES!!!!!
Does matter which unit study you use,
come talk about it!

There's even a special forum
for LAPBOOK fans as well!
('Cause if you're like many
of us unit study fans,
ya also like lapbooking!)

And if you've never visited Homeschool Share,
you don't know what you're missing!


Hundreds of free
literature-based unit studies
and lapooks!

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Hurricane Ike comes to Ohio!

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9/19 ETA: 
We've since learned that Hurricane Ike hit Ohio as a Level 1 hurricane.     There are still some without power.


Wow!  Sunday afternoon, evening, and night were unreal!  Ohio got a small taste of Hurricane Ike, and I simply cannot imagine the power that must have been behind the real thing!  I have never seen sustained winds like that that lasted for hours.  Small branches and leaves were flying everywhere...or rolling like tumbleweeds.  I saw one bird trying to fly.....he was losing the battle. 

I went back home to get our dog, as I knew her box was right under a willow that we've been waiting to fall....most of the limbs had already come down in other storms.  I felt sure it would come down in this one!  Driving home to get her was like driving on an obstacle course...limbs down everywhere on the roads.  I've never seen her so happy to see us....even when we have returned from being been gone several days.

When it was all over, we had no trees come down.  \o/   My in-laws lost three, but did not fall on anything that could not be replaced.   Half of one tree fell while we were there.  We were out on the patio and it fell toward us onto the upper patio.  It took out an old grill, but the smoker and the picnic table survived it.  The other half came down after we left, but fell into the field.    Another tree fell into the same field, but much further from the house.   The third tree that fell was in the horses' area.  It landed on the brand new round bale hay feeder, but we are thankful none of the horses were hurt.

We were without power for more than 50 hours.....which is awesome, as we were told it would 4 to 10 days before we had electric.   We were one of the lucky ones.....we dusted off the generator and hooked up the freezer and fridge and two lamps.   We had borrowed the generator from my in-laws for the summer, to ensure dh's doctorate project was never without power for any great length of time. 

My in-laws were worried about their basement flooding (but the rains never came!), so they told us to keep the generator since we had recently purchased 325 lbs. of beef!!!    They were able to locate and purchase a generator for themselves Monday afternoon......only after calling all around trying to find one.  They were required to secure the purchase with their credit card.  Then they had to drive about an hour and half to get it. 

Lines at the gas stations were unbelievable...everyone filling up their containers so they could run generators.   Fire stations were giving away water.  Local stores had Red Cross and fire stations come in and take the foods from the coolers and freezers and give it away to those in need......I cannot imagine the amount of money they lost.  Everywhere you looked Monday and yesterday, folks were cleaning up trees and debris; pick-up trucks were filled with branches.    Restaurants that had electric had lines and waiting lists.  Restaurants that were normally closed during breakfast hours, opened to serve.   Ice and water at the stores went fast.

Many are still without power....please keep them in  your prayers.  We are so thankful that this took place in September and not January!


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Invisible Illness Week, September 8-14, 2008

This will stay at the top until  Invisible Illness Week is over on September 14.
Scroll down to view other posts,
including my post on my Invisible Illness.

Statistics show that nearly 1 in 2 people in the USA have a chronic condition and that 96% of it is invisible.

So what is an invisible illness?  All kinds of conditions! Multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, autism, migraines, chronic back pain, cancer, endometriosis, eating disorders, and yes... mental illness and depression.  There is no sign of the illness existing, nor  (at least not until the debilitating stages) the use of an assistive device like a cane or a wheelchair.


National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, September 8-14, 2008, is an outreach to increase awareness that living with an invisible illness can be emotional challenge—as well as physical—and that more people than we would imagine are suffering silently.

Respondents answered the survey at www.invisibleillness.com and reported the following other annoying comments people tend to make:

• “Your illness is caused by stress.” (14.22%)


• “If you stopped thinking about it and went back to work…” (12.42%)


• “You can’t be in that much pain. Maybe you just want attention.” (10.95%)


• “Just pray harder.” (9.15%)

Believe me, we wish it were that easy.

Join me in prayer for the 133 million sufferers of invisible illness in America and the countless others worldwide.  Our strength, our hope is Jesus Christ the son of the living One True God.

Are you a sufferer of an invisible illness?  So am I.  I have dermatomyositis, interstitial lung disease, and Raynaud's Phenomenon.   Leave me a comment and let me know how I can pray for you!

If you homeschool with an invisible illness and are looking for others who truly "get it" try the "Doing it Anyway" forum at the Homeschool Lounge  or the Beyond Surviving Homeschooling forum at Rest Ministries' Sun Room.