How We Began Our Homeschool Journey

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Homeschool Blogging Carnival hosted by Lisa at The Squishable Baby and Keisha at Unschooling Momma. This month our participants are introducing their homeschools and styles.

                                                                

(this was taken several years ago, where does the time go?)

My name is Joy from Who's learning? Who's teaching? and we have been homeschooling for the last 7 years. Before we became parents I had always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to homeschool when we had children. It took us many years to become parents and once we did we were blessed with A~man who was 4.5 months old, as a foster baby. He has Prader-willi Syndrome, autism and ADHD. After becoming mama to a child with special needs though I didn't think I would be able to homeschool. Wrong. He went to a wonderful public school preschool that provided occupational, physical and speech therapy. Once he entered kindergarten things went downhill. Halfway through his kindergarten year we were told he had to go to a different school. Before this we were never told there was a problem. The next school/classroom was a nightmare. He was being treated as a child that was a behavior problem instead of a child whos behaviors were caused by his syndrome. Continually I was being called to come pick him up as they could not control him yet they wouldn't let me in the classroom during school hours to see what was triggering his issues. Finally, I was called and I told them to gather up his belongings as I was taking him home...and home is where he stayed.

Our daughter Z~girl is just 22 months younger and was another wonderful blessing as we were told that I could not conceive without IVF. A year after A~man came to live with us I found out I was pregnant. When I removed A~man from public school mid year our daughter Z was going to a preschool at our church. I continued her finishing up the year there while I started our homeschool journey with A~man. His journey started with a couple of weeks off because he had become so beaten down emotionally from school and he needed to learn that learning could be fun again.

Our learning style is completely ecclectic! In the mornings we use an online curriculum which leaves our afternoons free for the kids to pursue their own interests. In a perfect world I would have picked a Classical Education but I have learned you cannot pick your homeschool style. It will pick you, haha. We read lots and lots of books, spend a lot of time in nature, my daughter plays the violin and fiddle, and my son loves to play his drums and guitar. Both kids love to use Lego to learn. All of us also love art and entering it in our local state fair. Right now the job that my husband has allows him to sometimes take one of the kids with him. Not only does this give me a break but because he is currently a handyman the kids also are becoming quite handy! If anything needs fixed and my husband is not there my 11 year old daughter can now fix about anything! 

We will be taking a month or so off from our online curriculum but we pretty much homeschool year round so we will just be taking our learning more outside and hopefully we will have many fun and educational adventures this summer. 

                                                                

 Visit The Squishable Baby to see how you can participate in the next Homeschool Blogging Carnival.

   

 Please take the time to read the submissions by other Carnival participants:  

• Lisa at The Squishable Baby Introduces her Homeschool.

• Jody @ Mud Hut Mama shares how she Tailors Education to Fit Our Family, Our Experiences and Our Values.

• Cecy Fencer Shares Who She is and Why She Homeschools.

• Joy @ Who's Learning? Who's Teaching Shares Our Homeschool Beginnings.

• Cordelia @ Multilingual Mama shares Why I Swim Against The Tide - Why I Homeschool.

Simplified Pantry: A Molly Crew Review

I must admit. (this is hard to do) We go to the grocery store almost every day. Not only is it more expensive not to meal plan but it also wastes a whole lot of time that could be spent doing something else. I tend to be a fly by the seat of my pants type of person with meal planning. We do eat very healthy meals most of the time, but with some simple planning our life could be so much smoother and a whole lot more economical with how we eat. So when given the opportunity to do a review for Mystie Winckler's Simplified Pantry ebook, Simplified Dinners I couldn't wait, and admit I read the whole thing the day I got it.

This is a description from her website-

Simplified Pantry is all about encouraging homestyle cooking with basic ingredients. It is possible to cook good, healthy food without a pantry full of specialized ingredients, and it is possible to make easy dinners without shortcut, preprepared products.

The concept is that if you have the basic ingredients there is no need to go to the store daily, which by the way I am starting to realize is a major time and money waster for us. Also, at times when we go to the store on a daily basis we tend to get more fast and processed food...to ironically, save time.

I will say the first recipe I made was not well liked by my family. (porch chops with a sweet and sour sauce)  The reason? I was missing an ingredient and substituted an ingredient that *ahem* made the recipe fail. Note- you can not substitute Worcestershire sauce in the same quantity as soy sauce, yes I should know this. Which proves the whole point of the cook book because if I would have had my pantry completely stocked this wouldn't have happened. THANKFULLY I have a very polite family that didn't say a word about my mess up. Which is how I knew they didn't like it!

The cookbook starts with a Master Pantry List that includes a comprehensive list of: produce, seasonings, dry goods, bottled goods, canned goods, dairy, meat, and frozen foods. It follows with recipes for the slow cooker, soups, salads, side dishes, and pasta dishes. (just to name a handful of examples...there is much more) My favorites were the Taco Bar and Frittata, which was a totally new recipe for us to try. Some of the recipes like the homemade pizza were things we already did but often did not have all the ingredients on hand. 

I highly recommend this book especially for non planners like myself as Mystie Winckler really simplifies it in terms even this typically unorganized meal planning mama can understand. It's also simple enough that I plan to include my 11 year old daughter, who loves to cook, in helping prepare some of the recipes.

Some of the other members of TOS Review Crew also reviewed these ebooks by Mystie- Simplified Gluten Free/Dairy Free & Paperless Home Organization so make sure to check out their reviews too!

 The books are available as a PDF download for 12.99, but through June 3rd you can get 30% off when you enter TOS2013 at checkout.

Memorial Day Weekend

Day 15, Wednesday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day - this could be "a photo an hour" if you'd like)

Gonna skip this one as I haven't had time to do it yet. Definitely soon though.


Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it


This is one I have been thinking a lot about. I'm not sure what to put as I have not really thought in those terms. I guess at one point I probably thought of infertility in those terms. I wanted LOTS of kids! But...looking back I can see God's hand through it all. We would not have gotten our son if we would have had children already. He was so medically fragile that he was only allowed in a foster family's home that did not already have children. That was US. Then 10 or so months later to discover I was pregnant after being told I couldn't physically conceive. That was totally God's hand and I do not think I would be the parent I am today if parenthood would have come easily.

Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why

 

 I have to admit. This isn't a favorite photo of myself as I really need to organize the photos on my computer. BUT it is the first photo I came across that includes me in it that made me say "awwww!" It must be 2 or 3 years old. A and Z look so different here than they do now! It's also a good reminder to myself to get more pictures taken with me in them as they are scarce. 

*****

Tomorrow will be pretty low key and A~man and I will be working on his reading fluency a bit but I will definitely be talking to the kids about Memorial Day and what it represents. My hubby was in the military for 13 years but didn't ever go overseas as he was always in special training during the times others were getting deployed. We both have many friends though that served many terms and we are so thankful for their sacrifice and the sacrifice their wives and children also endured for our freedom.

There is also a music festival tomorrow that we may go to...it all depending on the A~man. His anxiety is still high after the incident in the gas station resulting in an unusual increase in behaviors. Admittedly mine is at a crazy all time high too but I'm not going to let it keep us from having fun. Hopefully we can attend for a bit as both kids love to watch people perform music. Beside that we will probably just play some printable games and plant some more in our every growing garden. 

Ten things that make me really happy

Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happy

1. My husband. Tomorrow is our 22nd wedding anniversary but we have been best friends since I was 16 (almost 17), so it has actually been over 25 years.

2. My entertaining children. I love that even at 11 and 13 they still give me tons of hugs and kisses and still like to hold my hand. 

3. Our dog Buster Slick. He may decide to go AWOL on occasion but the dog is so patient with A~man, affectionate, he hasn't eaten a chicken yet...oh and he loves to take naps with me.

4. Naps. Yes one of my survival techniques for homeschooling a child with special needs is that I get to take a nap several times a week. 

5. Coffee. Anyone that knows me at all knows I LOVE coffee...not just like it LOVE it. However, I am coming to terms with the fact I may need to start to love decaf. :(

6. BOOKS...but that is no secret.

 7.Chocolate. Enuf said.

8. Crablegs...mmmmm

9. Taking a walk everyday makes this mama VERY happy.

10. Long baths and it has been way too long since I have taken a long bath.

An apology...

Day 13, Monday: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.


I technically started working with children who had special needs when I was 20 years old. I worked in a state run mental hospital on a floor that had some of the youngest and the most profound/severely disabled. Change came after I left that hospital but before that it was not uncommon for parents to give their children to the state. Back then no one wanted to take on the responsibility of caring for them so they were institutionalized. Or in the case of severe child abuse have their children taken away. I will remember every child/adult on that floor for as long as I live. The things I saw on the floor forever shaped my being. There were a few there that were shaken as infants. One in particular I remember as being completely "normal" but she had been hurt many ways before she was born and after. Others were born with severe disabilities that were not caused by anything or anyone such as severe hydrocephalus. Back then I wondered WHY God would allow this to happen to these individuals. Little did I know but they had an affect on me like no other non disabled person could ever have.

Where am I going with this? After I was married I worked with several families doing ABA (applied behavior analysis) with their children who had autism. I also did respite for other families of children with disabilities. Somehow during this time I became an expert on parenting. But wait, I wasn't a parent and they were not my children. Only once did I openly criticize a mom about how their family life was messing up their son but I often did to my husband though as he also worked with some of these children.

I have eaten back every single word of criticism against these parents. It has been a gradual process. My journey has been different as we were chosen to parent our son (by DSS) but none the less I now know the walk. I have walked the walk. My walk has also been different but I sincerely apologize to any special needs parent that I outwardly or inwardly criticized before becoming a mom myself. You just do not know what it is like to parent a special needs child until you do it yourself. I now know.

Matthew 7:1- "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Now I know...

that committing to blog every day for a month is just not a doable thing for this mama. That's okay as I am still enjoying the daily's as a nice writing prompt. I also know this now...taking care of yourself is imperative while caring for your children, especially when a child has extra needs. Wednesday I went to urgent care with increasing chest pains...thankfully only to find I had asthmatic bronchitis and was also having a lovely panic attack. 6 years ago I had something similar but it included an ambulance ride. Both hubby and I are making it a priority to catch back up on some things that have been put on the back burner with our own health. As the saying goes, Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.

 

Day 11, Saturday: Sell yourself in 10 words or less

Creative, funny, quiet, homeschool resources (hopefully), caring, artistic, empathetic, silly at times, and a good listener when given the chance. 

Day 12, Sunday: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)

Hmmmm. This is a hard one as I try not to live in the past but I do miss my grandma V. This was my father's mother. If I ever had a kindred spirit..looking back, she was it. When I was little I spent many weekends at her house either with a niece/nephew, with my cousins, or just her and I. I have never met anyone as kind and loving with a child as she was. She had to have been at least 60 when I was born but that dear woman played hide and seek with me, made handmade picture books for her grandchildren, kept clothes just my size at her house (somehow this amazed me as a child), she continually sewed my baby dolls back together (I carried baby dolls with me everywhere and wore them out in the process), made pineapple cookies, and the best scrambled eggs ever. (well my Z~girl is a close second) She had one of those old time sewing machines that you had to pump to make it go. Thus started my sewing machine obsession early in life. Also, I credit her with my joy of walking daily. We would walk all over her neighborhood and often end up at Dairy Queen when we were done. Here she is when she was a little girl in the early 1900's ( I am fascinated by this period in time btw) She is the young girl with dark hair on the right.

*****

I had originally planned to continue on with our formal school work until the middle of June. I also came to the realization that my daughter technically would be entering 7th grade if she were in regular school. Of course anyone that homeschools knows the benefit of not depending on "grade levels". I have been wanting certain things finished up before we took a short summer break. Then I came to my senses and remembered that our homeschool doesn't operate the way the public school does. It isn't a race. Yes, we have testing in June but that is completely (at least for us) for state requirements only. So...this homeschool mama is going to make our break start at the end of the month. (instead of the mid of next month) Thankfully the principal of our school is very supportive of my decision. June will welcome in a whole lot of outside fun. Let the unschooling begin!!!

Most embarrassing moments

Day 10, Friday: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill. 

This is on a lighter note obviously than my previous post. Honestly there have been so many embarrassing moments for me over the last 42+ years that I have probably blocked the worst ones. Here are just a few I remember.

~Off and on I have had problems with TMJ. (temporomadibular joint aka my jaw) This was caused by the fact that I used to grind my teeth horribly. Well when I was younger a couple of times we would be eating at a restaurant and my mouth would get stuck open while I was eating. Nice huh? Thankfully that doesn't happen anymore.

~When I was middle school age I signed up to sing with my best friend in a talent show and we practiced for weeks. When it was time for the show I couldn't sing a peep. I was frozen and terrified. She sang a solo with me standing there silently in a stupor. I can't tell you the backlash I got for that for a long time. Not from my friend...but pretty much everyone that witnessed it. Ever since then the only one to ever hear me sing is my dog and my kids.

~Early on in high school I had a situation where a "pad" disappeared while I was wearing it at school. I never did find it. 

~When I was nursing with Z~girl I .....hmmm how do I say it? I had an OVERABUNDANCE. I could have fed a couple other children the first few months. Well at this time I had to weekly take my son (he was our foster son at the time) to visitation with his birth mom. Due to some issues with his extended family I had my own personal social worker (who hubby and I referred to as my second husband....long story...he just had to be with me wherever we went if there was potential of b-family being there) One time I was in DSS standing in the hallway with this man...I look down and my shirt in the chest area is soaked with milk...despite the constant pads I kept in my bra. Oh and the strange thing about breast feeding...once I saw it...there was not a thing I could do to keep it from getting worse.

Oh what a day....

Special needs parenting is not for the weak of heart. Today my hubby took A~man to a doctors appointment and then took him along as he ran some errands for work. (The joys of working for another homeschool family! Very family friendly) My husband came back home and told me about an incident at the gas station. Instantly I thought maybe A~man had stolen something although he has only done that a few times at a store and it has been years since it has happened. But no.

He was lagging behind hubby a bit and ended up asking a random man if the moped outside was his, if those were keys to his moped, and if those were keys to his house. These are things he asks people because he loves mopeds and he loves keys. Normally someone will nicely just chat with him for a few minutes or at worst just ignore him or look at him oddly. But no. This man had been drinking and I think must have been mentally ill. He said "What? Are you giving me the third degree?" Then started swearing obscenities at my son and left. He waited for my husband and son outside and continued to scream at them. Thankfully A~man promptly listened to his daddy and ran and got in the truck. My husband tried to explain to the man that A~man had special needs but he continued and actually verbally threatened to kill them. Long story short but my husband called the police and they showed up right away but the man promptly left before they pulled up.

Honestly it has just made me feel so sick inside. I am so thankful my husband didn't physically hit the man...I know he wanted to. Oh, and no we do not live in a large city. Where is the plastic bubble I can put around A~man? Thankfully this was just a freak occurrence. Now what my son said was a little quirky but it wasn't offensive. Thank goodness he didn't say something REALLY bad....I can't imagine. Needless to say both hubby and especially sonny are very shaken up. I think I want my family to become hermits...well maybe just for a few days...haha.

Happy Mother's Day!

It was an overly emotional day for me...lol..as I have PMS. There, I admit it. But overall it was awesome. Last night my sweet son bought me a coffee at Starbucks and a Reese's candy bar. The boy knows I love chocolate and coffee. (although I do not eat chocolate very often) It was a nice treat. Z~girl was at camp all weekend and if I (and she...although she had fun) had it to do over I would not have had her gone for most of Mother's day. Do you know what my sweet girl did though? Out of her own bank account she payed for half of my Mother's day gift. (she wanted to pay all but daddy wouldn't let her) What? I wanted a picnic table. My girl has a heart of gold. My sweet hubby gave me roses which I really love.

Onto the daily post that I am behind in. I will eventually catch up.

Day 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.

I am going to make this Prader-Willi specific even though it applies to all children. When your child is very young, make exercise a part of your daily routine. Since before our son could walk we have went for walks many times a week. This is something we have always done. Now at 13, when the weather is pleasant we all walk 3-4 miles a day 4-5 times a week. If the weather is not good we take the kids swimming. They love the physical activity and on their own ask on the rare occasion we do not exercise for awhile...they both suggest it. 

Does this mean I am in perfect shape? haha. No. Which brings me to the other part of advice that I myself am working on. Be a good example physically. Before children I was underweight. I am sure, due to stress, I am an awful night time snacker and need to lose some weight. How can I be controlling my son's food intake (when he by the way is very slim) when I need to lose 20 pounds? I feel like a hypocrite and this is something I am working on. I have discovered that after 35 years my metabolism changed. Not only do I need to keep exercising but I also need to watch my own intake. I am 5 pounds down with 20 to go.

Day 9, Thursday: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)

My favorite photo ever. This was taken 12 (I think?) years ago. It was taken by my father in law who passed away when A was 5 and Z was 3. I'm thinking it was taken around or on Mother's Day. I was so happy. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to be a mama. That was my all time wish. That wish was not a simple one though as 9 years into our marriage and after at least one miscarriage it just wasn't happening and I was told I could not conceive without IVF. So we pursued foster care. We were placed with a very medically fragile 4.5 month old that they were not sure was going to live. (He is probably 18 months in the photo...they are 22 months apart) Due to his high needs and his birth mom's own challenges she was not able to care for him. (although she loved him dearly) Both hubby and I had training in caring for individuals with disabilities so he was placed with us. This picture? It shows my beautiful miracle son on my lap and behind him is my beautiful miracle girl in my tummy. Mommyhood ACHIEVED!

Who says Mother's day has to be one day? haha I think we will have a light homeschool day tomorrow and A~man will do his reading program and work on ABC order. Z is working at the barn tomorrow and I may do some fun art games with her. Other than that...I'm going to make it a happy day spent with my children that I feel so blessed to have!

Playing catch up...

 Day 7, Tuesday: The thing(s) you're most afraid of

Locally the only family we have nearby is the 4 of us although my mother in law and step father in law are moving here soon. I am most afraid of losing my hubby and kids...and being alone. To the point of when he takes the kids, as he does often so I can have some quiet and work...that if I hear an ambulance/firetruck...I text to make sure they have made it to their destination safely.

In the middle of the night? Ever since A~man ran away if I hear any type of emergency vehicle I jump up to check on him. Despite the fact we have alarms on the window and in the hallway to alert us. Needless to say I do not sleep well. I haven't really slept well since becoming a parent. 

I am just a wee bit behind.

It's been a week. A~man has been especially difficult, A & Z are fighting like cats and dogs (not a norm for them) AND this week my recently turned 84 year old mother fell down concrete steps and landed on her face. I should add that she is 3,000 miles away and I feel helpless. Thankfully, she did not break ANYTHING! (thank you God) but one of my brothers sent me a picture and it was so bad I wouldn't let the children see. So hard to know your mom is hurting...she can't take pain medicine either. Breaks my heart. So I haven't felt like writing but have just kept it going with schoolin'.

Also I feel like God has led me to step way (I mean WAY) outside my comfort zone with something that I might share later but...well...it has been hard. Trying to just trust that God knows what he is doing as I do not.

So let me do a brief catch up on my 30 day challenge.

Day 5, Sunday: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member

There are many but I choose Jeannot at LIFE AFTER ALZHEIMER CAREGIVING. Not my typical read but she is a dear lady with a fascinating life story. Plus when the kids were wee she did respite for us and took care of both kids...so that the hubby and I could have the rare date. Our paths do not cross locally anymore but when we do both kids know and lover her. We were around her husband too briefly back then and it was an honor to have met such a talented artist.

Day 6, Monday: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?

Homeschoolin', work from home mama, trying her best to stay sane despite the challenges I face daily.

More later.......

A blink of the eye

I swear (actually I don't ;) this last week went by so fast that I can hardly recall what happened. It seems like some weeks are like that and I do not like for time to seem to go by so fast! I have lettuce and spinach coming up nicely and the tops of the carrots I planted are barely showing. There are many more flower and vegetable seeds I want to plant but it has been so rainy that it's hard for me to go outside and get drenched in the process even though I am sure the seeds would love all of the rain we are getting. Me? I am ready for a little sunshine.

Both A and Z are having a blast with special needs baseball and soccer even though the last couple of weekends have been cold and wet for playing ball. Z is also having a blast observing all of the baby goats that are at the barn she volunteers at. She is hoping to be able to see an actual birth but it hasn't worked out yet. 

I am still trying to decide what summer school type activities we will use on occasion during our break to keep up on skills. Z~girl really doesn't need direction during a break as she will entertain herself with sewing, art, reading or taking care of the critters. A~man does best all around to keep a few things going during the summer, even if it is just an occasional word search puzzle. I plan on coming up with a summer book reading list for both kids and I will share it when I'm done. I also have an ongoing pinterest summer list that I love adding to. 

As far as going anywhere we are planning on going to PA in the fall (the joys of homeschooling and choosing when you go!) as one of our nieces is working there so we will be meeting up with her and my brother. (hoping my sister in law will make it too!) Oh and I cannot forget about camping! Weather permitting we will be going for the first time this season with Z's Girl Scout group. 

What plans do you have with your children this summer? I plan to try and keep a schedule for A~man but will also try and slow things down a bit and just enjoy being outside with my family.

I Am Only One

Day 4 of blog every day in May. I saw this one for the first on a wall of the bathroom in one of our favorite sandwich shops. It completely spoke to me.

Things that make ME uncomfortable...

Here it is day 3 of the May challenge and I have to write about some things that make me uncomfortable. Which in itself seriously makes me uncomfortable. I have anxiety issues so I could choose from a handful but I will spare you all, and myself and only pick 3. 

The first one goes back to when I was a toddler in church Christmas programs. I am VERY uncomfortable in front of a group or even just being in the middle of a large group of people. I do not like having a bunch of eyes on me at once. When I was little it would make me physically sick. Actually, I remember being in a speech class in college and it made me physically ill. My hubby still teases me (not in a mean way) about the time we were at a local street festival and all of a sudden he saw me taking off like a flash to get out of the crowd. So now if we are at that same yearly street festival he will ask me "You aren't going to take off running are you?" LOL 

My next one is an absolute phobia of the dentist stemming from having a horrendous dentist when I was really young. I would much prefer to go to the OBGYN doctor than get my teeth cleaned.

Lastly, I hate to talk on the phone. It seems like this has gotten worse since becoming a parent but talking on the phone while my son is around is impossible which causes me to avoid it unless absolutely necessary. This has unfortunately really affected my relationships with friends/family. A friend of mine Cris, that I grew up with is also participating in the 30 day challenge and when I read her issues with the phone I thought..."THAT IS SO ME!" Most people now know they should text me, Facebook me, or email me. Does this mean I do not like people? No, I love my family and friends. I really enjoy spending one on one time with people or in small groups of people. It is torture for me to talk on the phone. I break out in a sweat. Most people do not understand this though and take it personally. Thankfully my husband does understand and handles most phone calls.

Phew!!  Enough of all that. 

What am I good at?

Day 2 of the Blog Every Day in May Challenge and this is tough for me. Is it because I do not do anything well? No. I just do not take the time to do what I do the best very often. What is it? I like to make stuff! As a busy homeschool mom, special needs mom, mom who works from home...some weeks I am just happy to get all THAT done and remain relatively sane, let alone set some time aside to do what invigorates me ...and that is to be creative. Should I add that I need complete quiet and aloness I guess with my love of photography I am able to work that around all of that other stuff but what I really like to do is- draw pictures, sew (specifically without a pattern), make jam, and make other stuff. In fact when the kids were babies I used to sew custom infant/toddler clothes on Ebay and to friends.

Here's a photo of some naturally flavored (and sugar free) apple sauce that I made this fall that Z~girl in particular LOVES. 

My problem is that I am a perfectionist. Now, if you looked in the window of my home or even my yard (my yard is much better this week though thank you very much) you would never guess that I was a perfectionist. I start so much "stuff" and never finish it.  I often get discouraged and throw my hands up. (oh the joys of having ADD) Sometimes I wish I could just do what I like to do best, and if it isn't the "best" that I have perceived in my head...."oh well". The times that I have done this I have been very pleased with the results of finishing a project. 

I guess I haven't educated anyone on how to do what I do best. The point that I want to get across to anyone reading this is to take that thing that inspires you, drives you, and gives you energy...and JUST DO IT! Ignoring perfection. 

Note to self- It doesn't have to be perfect.

250 WORDS ABOUT ME (ok maybe a few more than that)

I am shaking things up a bit in my blog this month. Doing something different. I have accepted the challenge posted by blogger story of my life in doing her BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY: A CHALLENGE. Like it states I am going to do a blog each day this month using the list of items from her blog. I was very excited to see the challenge as this is something I will definitely have fun with. Also, May is Prader-Willi awareness month so maybe I can throw that in here and there.

The first topic?  

The story of my life in 250 words or less  

I grew up in a quaint little town in South Dakota, population 500+. (which may have included some cows and stray dogs) I was the youngest of 5 children and I always tease my mom that I was the oops baby. (which she hates because I was very much wanted and loved) My mother was 41, my father 42, and my next nearest sibling is 8 or so years older than I am.  My father was the banker which equated in me being treated like I was rich and I do not mean this in a good way. (we weren't) Yet in a little country town where people depended on crops and their livestock to make ends meet I guess we were. The town was also so small other people knew your business before even you knew your business. (or so they thought) The picture above is of me and one of my nephews. I have always adored my nieces and nephews and in fact grew up with many of them.

What I loved about this town was the fact that I spent most of my free time outside. I would ride bikes with friends for hours, go to the creek (or rather "crick") looking for crawdads with little worry from my mom on where I was. I lived near a rodeo grounds which fed my love for horses. This is the place I would go to be alone and to think. I still crave that occasional time that I am able to be alone and think. I would also go there with my neighbor friends to play and I admit on more than one occasion I would go ride the horses there bareback without permission. (shhh do not tarnish my angelic image and tell on me Cris) I love memories of craft bazaars, softball, drill team, VBS, rodeos (and riding friends horses normally with their consent), stock shows, snow and sledding, pancake dinners, and potlucks. I loved doing art, music, reading and writing in my diary. (go figure) Ironically I would LOVE to live out in the country instead of the city now.

What did I not like? Gossip. I am sure this is something in every city but in a town this small I think people get bored and like poking in everyone's business.  Bullies were a problem too but I am not getting into that. Ultimately my family instilled in me a deep sense of God and His unfailing love. Was my family perfect? No. Perfect is God. Not man.

(Here is a photo of me and my sweetheart before my legs shrank ;)

I resided in this small town (cue in John Mellencamp's Small Town song followed by Kenny Loggins Footloose) until I was 18 and then moved to a nearby city for a short while and then followed my hubby who ended up being in the Tennessee National Guard to...well college in TN. We met in SD when I was 16 so we have been together a long time. I moved back to SD for a year and then we were married in Custer state park in the cutest little church. 

Yep that is the one in the photo. It was a sweet wedding. (there were even buffalo nearby) Directly after that we moved to NC where we have lived for 22 years. I think I am about out of words but to wrap this up (I think my blog covers most events in NC) the last 22 years have involved infertility, loss, foster care, parenthood, special needs, a whole lot of outdoor fun, homeschooling and much love and happiness!