just me and my daughter

 I'm experiencing more emotions than I can count as we anticipate the start of a new school year and the boys heading off to public school.  However, almost lost in the shadow of all the details of shopping for school supplies, having my youngest start school the same year the oldest begins high school, registration, and school meetings is one very special fact: I have Rachel all to myself this year!

 

 

We moved her desk upstairs and right in front of the window per her request.  I can see why she would like this spot and may have to steal it from her someday.  Will the desk ever look that clean again in the next 9 months?

 

It was really hard to choose where to place Rachel in the Heart of Dakota curriculum, as studying ancient history intertwined with Biblical history was so tempting.  However, in the end it made the most sense to go with the middle ages because that is a better reflection of where she fits skill-wise. She also jumped at this study since it includes a Shakespeare unit: that means theater!! Since HOD is a 4 day a week program, we have time to read The Mystery of History: Creation to Christ on Fridays.  The best of both worlds, so long as she can keep it straight in her head.  Timelines will help.

 

Josiah is off to Grandma and Grandpa's house for 3 days, so Rachel and I are jumping in with half days this week.  The curriculum is a lot like Sonlight (what we have used the past 2 years) in terms of being literature-rich, but very different with more hands on and writing/narrating/reflecting on what is being read.  Almost everything we are doing this year is new: we are trying Saxon math and a different Spanish program, too. I'm anxious to see how it goes!  But also wondering how summer ended so quickly...

getting ready for school

It's been a wonderfully busy summer.  The kids found their niche in activities they enjoyed, we spent plentiful time with the neighbors (much of it poolside while our kids had swim lessons together), and we had a fun family trip to top things off this past weekend.  It's so hard to believe school starts in less than a week!

To give an update on Josiah, the private school where we had planned to enroll him called me mid-summer and asked to set up a meeting ASAP.  I had a sinking, empty feeling in my stomach about what was about to transpire.  After receiving his evaluation from the psychologist, they recommended switching him to public school as an opportunity to have a strong start and receive more services.  It was a time of learning something of God's wisdom being greater than my own, and humility in having to undergo such a meeting at all, swallowing all my "but you don't even know him yet..." comments.  Yet through it there was a calm assurance that God is sovereign as He leads in this journey, and as always He can be trusted.

Our initial meetings with our local public school have been nothing short of incredible.  The principal was on the phone welcoming me within hours after I emailed her, and she has done everything she can to make us feel at home.  The sensory room at Josiah's school is top notch (wish I had one here!) and he will have access to the help he needs from his first day with adjustments and an IEP meeting as needed once he has a few weeks of school under his belt.  I still have some jitters about how things will go, but have seen so many ways God has been working in preparing both Josiah and his mommy for the days ahead.

Another help this summer has been the start of occupational services through Easter Seals.  Our OT has been wonderful and Josiah has responded well to the Alert program she is using with him.  His "engine" (body speed) tends to run a bit on the fast side most of the time, and together we are implementing strategies to help him become more aware of his body and tools he can use to slow things down. I am learning words like "proprioceptive" (input to muscles) and "vestibular" (having to do with balance), and why swimming and gymnastics seem to be such favorites.  His body craves the input those activities give him!!

It's a humbling experience to parent a child with special needs, and even more humbling when having to work with others regarding his educational plan.  I think back to the days when I worked as a special education teacher and wish I knew then what I do now about how it feels to be on the other side of the table.  In the midst of it all is a child who is precious, made in God's image and just the way He intended him to be this side of heaven.  That of course doesn't mean we aren't going to do everything we can to help him learn to live with and manage some challenges. 

Please pray for us, especially Josiah, on this journey!  We so appreciate it.

banana oatmeal breakfast cookies

There is a whole lot of summer fun happening at the Rhodes' house, which is one reason I seem to find less and less time to spend blogging.  But this recipe is worth keeping in a safe place and sharing with others!

Rachel recently returned from a 6 day youth trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan.  It was so good for her to get away with her peers to serve God and deepen relationships, but it was also a good way for her to learn how to work around her food issues.  With a lot of detective work behind us, we've found that there are several foods that trigger IBS symptoms including table and fruit sugars, and corn.  She also seems to do best for now with a gluten and dairy free diet.  So we packed up a cooler and sent her on her way with foods she could easily grab and warm up.

Breakfast was a puzzle for me until we sampled this breakfast cookie recipe at our annual neighborhood Fourth of July party.  While waiting for a friend to send me the banana version, I made some with pumpkin and blueberries to send on her trip.  As you read this recipe, remember it came to me without any substitutions, so would be fine as is for those who don't need to make any.  We substitute coconut sugar for regular sugar because that seems to be much easier on Rachel's tummy, and of course use coconut milk instead of regular milk.  She enjoyed the pumpkin version, but this banana recipe just can't be beat!  We would have sent these, too, but an experiment with adding dark chocolate did not settle well for my daughter.  We're trying again today without the chocolate, and I'm enjoying the aroma of a freshly baked batch right now!!

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

• 3 cups quick cooking oats (can use gluten free)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1/2 cup milk (or milk substitute)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup mashed banana or about 3 bananas
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, raisins, or dried cranberries - optional (I think adding any fresh berry would be wonderful, too!)

1. Mix all ingredients together and stir well.
2. Drop by the spoonful onto greased sheet or mini muffin tin.
3. Bake at 350 for 10 - 20 minutes depending on size of cookie.
4. Enjoy!

at the extreme risk of sounding like a commercial

Our family is loving Zipzicles!  There are some great recipes on their website.  We've tried pureed frozen cantaloupe (which my kids won't touch but somehow frozen makes it different), and the Spinach Surprise.  So much better than the dye-filled and artificially flavored alternative! 

handwriting tricks

 I've been trying Dianne Craft's handwriting therapy with Josiah, and within four weeks we saw glimpses that it was starting to pay off!  This is pretty fuzzy thanks to the phone pictures, but here's a before and after.  The biggest change for him seems to be that writing his letters is more automatic.  The fluidity seems to be transferring from his brain to his pencil!  There are less reversals happening, too.  Another trick I learned recently for "b" and "d" is to have the child pretend that the "b" starts like a bomb dropping from the sky and then explodes into a circle, and the "d" begins with a dog's face and ends with his tail.  It seems to help!  That's not to say we don't have a long way to go, but it's encouraging to get this far so quickly.

 

Yes, it's summer, and yes, we're doing school, but just a little bit.  The funny thing is that before we can do handwriting, Josiah insists on doing everything else, too.  That means we are reading science, history, Bible, doing a finger play, and read aloud all before we do the one thing I wanted him to do that day: handwriting.  Well, worse things have happened.

 

In spite of the Abeka pages, which I used only to compare now to then, I've continued to find Handwriting Without Tears is an effective curriculum for Josiah.  He really remembers the picture cues they give to form each letter.

 

God is faithful to care for our needs, even looking after small details like a young boy's handwriting.  We are so thankful for His love and help!  He so often sends it in ways I don't expect.

 

looking to God

"Our desire, therefore, is not that we might be without trials of faith, but that the Lord graciously would be pleased to support us in the trial, that we might not dishonor Him by distrust."

George Muller, 1840

wisdom in pictures

 

The most popular person is always the one who brings the food.

 

There is nothing like silence and reflection to refresh the soul.

 

Follow in the path of someone wiser, but don't be afraid to be yourself in the journey.

 

Looking up can give a whole new perspective.

 

There are discoveries if you just dig for them.

 

There is no limit to what you can do with cardboard boxes, stuffed animals, and imagination.

 

 

 Play is always more fun when in the company of others.