oculomotor dysfunction

So apparently, this may be how Rachel sees things. 

cooking around the world: Japan

Learning about Japanese food was a fascinating study.  School children are encouraged to try and eat 30 different foods a day and include 100 different foods a week.  The health benefits of a Japanese diet--which is low in calories, rich in fish and has a very different balance of food types than the typical American diet--are fairly well known.  The more we read, the more intrigued we became with trying this food, even though it is so different from what we are accustomed to eating.  There is a wonderful restaurant in town with a reasonably priced lunch buffet, but even though they said they do not add MSG to their food, this Asian cuisine is chock full of naturally-occuring MSG in seaweed along with soy products.  There is an interesting thought that perhaps the Japanese are naturally protected from MSG reactions due to the large amounts of taurine in a diet that relies so heavily on fish.  Still, not knowing how Micah's body will respond, I finally decided that we'll put the restaurant idea on hold for now and try something homemade.  Scouring my two cookbooks, I eventually came up with this recipe to try.

Moon Noodle Soup

1 bouillon cube
2 c. water
I substituted one carton Organic Pacific Chicken Broth, because I have yet to find bouillon without MSG or other additives.
4 oz. cooked Japanese noodles (almost made my own, but found a package at Meijer.  They were delicious!)
2 eggs
bunch of scallions, chopped

Cook Japanese noodles and set aside.  Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan.  Put noodles in frying pan and break eggs over them, taking care to not break the yolks.  Pour boiling broth over mixture and bring to a boil again if necessary to fully cook eggs.  Sprinkle scallions on top and serve immediately.

I wasn't sure what we would think of egg in our soup, but it was a hit!  This recipe gets five thumbs up, one from each member of the Rhodes family.

My pickiest eater didn't even flinch when he found an egg in his soup.  He loved slurping the noodles!

The only thing missing was the chopsticks, which we don't know how to use yet anyway.  It was not easy to eat with a fork or a spoon, but we managed!

vision therapy

There are times as a mom when you see something going on with your kids, sense there is something amiss, but just can't quite put your finger on it.  I had one of those moments this summer as I observed Rachel during a violin lesson.  She was playing out of a book that had several lines of music, and kept losing her place.  Her teacher was very patient, but I could tell even he was perplexed at how often she skipped down a line or two while playing.

I thought about things like trouble with cutting, illegible handwriting, skipping words when reading, and lack of comprehension of things she had read.  After doing some reading and hearing others' stories about vision therapy, I began to suspect these things may have a visual component.  We made an appointment with a developmental optometrist, and waited for 2 months to get in.

Yesterday was that appointment.  It was intriguing to watch the testing.  Some of it was what you would see at any eye appointment, along with other vision tests.  The most telling was when the Dr. did some muscle testing.  She had Rachel follow her finger with her eyes, and I could see them jump rather than stay fluid in their tracking.  Sure enough, her diagnosis involved a tracking problem that can be addressed with a few sessions of vision therapy followed by a home program.

When Rachel reads, she sees one word and then skips to the beginning of another further on or perhaps even a line or two down!  This means that she skips shorter words, and spends so much effort and energy on making sense what she sees, there is little left for remembering and understanding.  The handwriting, cutting, skipping words are all due to this eye muscle difficulty.  I find it amazing that even with this vision problem, she has stayed mostly on grade level with her reading and spelling and still enjoys learning.  Comprehension is my biggest concern for her.  I'm not expecting vision therapy to be the whole solution, but at least it is a place to start.

I wish we had known about this when Rachel was younger!  I post it here hoping to raise awareness that when there is a reading problem, there truly may be more going on than meets the eye.

time for soup!!

It has been the most beautiful fall I can remember, but today there was enough chill in the air to make soup.  This recipe from my aunt is sooo easy and a family favorite!!  There is even enough for leftovers, which are becoming a rarity around this house with growing children.

Taco Soup

1-2 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. cumin
1-2 onions
2 jars Pace Picante Sauce
1 can whole kernel corn (undrained)
1 can red beans (undrained)
1 can black beans (undrained)

Toppings:
Fritos
shredded cheese
sour cream

Cook taco meat and onions.  Add picante sauce; add rest of ingredients and simmer, simmer, simmer.  (You can use a crockpot if desired.)  To serve put Fritos in bottom of bowl; add soup, top with cheese and sour cream.

do you see what I see?

"Your children are very different from each other."  That was a new friend's comment recently when I picked my oldest two children up from her house.  After spending 10 and 12 years in the same home with this son and daughter, I knew exactly what she meant.  One of the joys of parenting is discovering the unique way God has wired each of my children and encouraging them to use their God-design for His glory.  I look at the youngest and wonder what sorts of things we have yet to learn about him as well!

When we rewrote stories for school recently, I had an interesting glimpse into two uniquely crafted personalities.  The story was about a fox, a crow, and some cheese, but each child added his or her own twist.

Rachel's version has a redemptive thread, as has every story she has written since.  This girl desires everyone act righteously and that there be a happy ending.

The fox the crow and the cheese

It was a foggy and early morning. A sly, hungry fox was searching for something to devour. Above him something dark caught his eye. It was a crow and it caught his eye quickly. The crow looked vain and dull but in her mouth was new and fresh Colby Jack cheese. He trotted off towards the crow.


“Good morning” exclaimed the fox trying not to show his desire for the cheese. He flattered the crow because he wanted the cheese. He slyly and dramatically sweet-talked the crow. She was pleased but still didn’t open her mouth. He pleaded, “Crow, please sing for me”.


She opened her mouth, squawked, and hawed. The cheese tumbled; the fox carefully moved himself into position, and the cheese fell right smack dab in the middle of his mouth. He devoured it quickly because he was so hungry. He said to the crow “Next time don’t believe everything you hear”. But when he was walking off he felt guilty and the next day he gave the crow a present, a piece of cheese.

Micah had recently learned that "murder" was an old term for a group of crows.  He put this piece of information to good use in his somewhat darker story.

Glibberglodder by Micah

Freddy the fox was famished. On this stormy morning during the Most Terribly Oppressive Drought in the Land, even the weather seemed to be mocking him. The sky was dark, and there were frequent flashes of lightning, but it was not raining. Wait, what was that he could catch a whiff of? Cheese, in this withered deciduous forest? He could tell it was Swiss cheese, his favorite. What he failed to notice was that the cheese was moldy. Who had the cheese? There, in the blasted oak still smoldering from the lightning strike. It was a crow; she looked sort of dull and very vain.


Exploiting her vanity, Freddy flattered the crow irresistibly. He had no idea that he was speaking to the Crafty and Evil Duchess of the Fourteenth Murder, Augulus. She was very fortunate to find this victim of which to test the new fungus she was growing on her cheese, Glibberglodder. Freddy begged Augulus to cantillate, and, playing her part to perfection, she did, croaking harshly.


The cheese plunged straight towards Freddy’s mouth, and, feeling proud, he basically inhaled the cheese. He wondered, though, why the crow was flying away, cackling. After all, wasn’t she the one who was tricked?


A few days later, Augulus scanned the forest, wanting to record her research. Ah, there he was. Lying flat out, and completely transformed into Swiss cheese, was Freddy the fox. Augulus cackled and called the 14th Murder to a celebrative feast.

phonics, math patterns, and more, oh my!

This has been a fun website to find activities for my preschooler... manipulatives are fun, too, but at this age it's the variety of activities that keep him happy.

incredible change

Today I stumbled across the behavior checklist used to rate Josiah's behavior before we started the Feingold program in July of 2010.  I had 32 symptoms checked.  Even six months ago, I still had about 20 areas listed as improved but still somewhat problematic.  Today, there are only a couple of things I might check: low frustration tolerance and difficulty with writing.  The former is improving daily, and experience has shown me that my children are late bloomers when it comes to writing.  Amazing!  When I think of all the times we were broken and on our knees before the Lord, I am humbled beyond words to think of what He has done in answer to our prayers.

One other thing to celebrate: he can have tomatoes about once a week now!! Pizza, spaghetti, and chili are back on the menu for him.