Virtual Antiquing

Royal Daulton Art Nouveau Pitcher and Basin

It's a bit past due, but I have to write a blog entry on my dear mother.  See...she's into antiques.  Not just your run of the mill old stuff.  I mean REAL antiques.  Beautiful, luxurious, expensive antiques.  She's been collecting most of her life and back in 1998 she opened a storefront to share her knowledge, experience, and little luxuries with others.  Because of her expertise (and tenacity), she has done exceedingly well.  And she absolutely loves what she does.  Most recently, she's gotten into photography (all self-taught) as a result of needing quality photos of her wares.  The photography has led to her opening up a virtual storefront and THAT has led to an offer for her to blog on one of the most well-known antique websites around (I do hope she takes them up on the offer!).  Oh, and while this gorgeous sampling is typically for women, she carries some amazing mens items, as well.  Watches and watch fobs, cigar cases and cutters, flasks...

Art Nouveau Sterling Silver Jewelry Box

Guerlain Shalimar Extract Perfume 1.0 oz - Baccarat Bottle Sealed in Vintage Box

DeVilbiss 5-pc Dresser Set

Please visit her website and have a look. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Spring Cleaning

I know this sounds dramatic, but seriously...when your thyroid tanks, so does your life.  Since I started on my hormone replacement, I've been all but leaping tall buildings.  When I was sick, I didn't clean my house at all.  For, like four months.  A husband, two long haired furballs, and two six year old boys...  It was everything I could do to make sure everyone had clean clothes and the cats were fed.  Hell, it was everything I could do to get out of bed and try to sit upright on the couch willing myself to not be lazy, to not be such a horrible wife, horrible mother, etc.  To get up and take care of things.  I thought I was dying.  I'm not kidding, nor am I exaggerating.  On a good day, I would get a shower before completely crashing.

That said (drama over), I have swept, mopped, and vacuumed every square inch of my house today.  I've taken a shower and I am sitting here with energy to spare.  I never thought I would say this, but I LOVE cleaning my house.  Instead of pretending not to see clutter and mess and dust bunnies (with building guilt), I'm happy to do things as I see them and am eager to do more.  I am so thankful.

Now, if I could just learn to love folding laundry...I haven't quite made it that far yet.  LOL

And hey!  Apparently this energy is infectious, 'cause the boys got into deep cleaning their room today, too!

Happy, happy girl.  It may just be cleaning to most people, but this is very symbolic for me.

Bacteria

A couple of days ago, I heard a little one come out of the bathroom without washing his hands.  I called him to me and asked why.  He didn't feel like it/couldn't be bothered/was too busy doing other things...you know, the usual.  This has happened so many times in the past that I'm just absolutely DONE explaining it to them.  I sat both boys down on the couch around me with my laptop and found a YouTube video on bacteria.  I gave them a bit of a talk before I played it and when I played it, "someone else" confirmed that Mom's not completely dumb...  *insert big, fat, rolling eyes*

And I'll admit it...I feigned fear on some of the bacteria in the video...yes, I played it up.  But I also explained about good bacteria afterwards, so chill.

Since then, the boys have been washing their hands  (OMG!) and boy wonder, who couldn't be bothered that day has been washing up every single time.  He's also now been pestering me for more information on bacteria and more videos (he's currently playing with the microscope...yes, as I type this).

On another note...we just watched this video and while I was thoroughly disgusted, the boys found it incredibly interesting.

Edited to add: And now they're playing bacteria, attacking each other.  I swear to God, before I had kids, I never thought I would be doing or witnessing this.

Math Success!

So, today kicked off my "trial" period of homeschooling.  The geek in me needs to put us through a few days of this so I can get my schedule timed right.  Yes, I'm that anal retentive.  But...while I only had 30 minutes scheduled for math, the boys had so much fun with the Math-U-See program that we ended up doing an hour and a half.  OMG, it was so much fun and the only reason we stopped was because it's waaaay past breakfast (got a late start).

Nic did the first 8 lessons last night in his workbook in just under an hour.  That's almost a hundred pages.  He knew all of the stuff already, but it was a great lesson in reading the directions (which prior to a mistake last night, he was blissfully unaware of "directions" - how IS that?!) and it was a wonderful self-esteem boost.  He got hung up on the place values lesson and was DIS.TRAUGHT. by my suggestion that he put the math lesson aside, get some rest, and hit it again in the morning.  OMG, the boy melted into tears because he wanted to do more but was way too tired to even think anymore.  Anyway, as I set up the DVD this morning, he was visibly upset and asked if we could skip that lesson.  He has a tendency to not like stressing his brain.  He's always been way above his peers with vocabulary/speech, and comprehension, and I think he's used to everything coming a little too easily for him.   He really fights against any ideas that don't come instantly, which is sad, because he won't get that wonderful feeling of mental relief that comes with the complete comprehension of a problem.  Anyway, so, he gets upset and I have a little pep talk with him, telling him that if he doesn't think he'll be able to do it, sure enough, he won't be able to.  But, if he lets himself believe that he CAN do it, he WILL figure it out.  He figured it out without any issue and had this big ol' grin of satisfaction on his face.  We did a few more lessons easily and he's asked to do some more after lunch.  We just might...  Jake knows all of this stuff, too, but he's having a good time watching Mr. Steve teach.  At this rate, they'll be done with the Primer before the Alpha set makes it here (good thing I ordered it last night!!!).

Happiness!!!

Where Did Winter Go?!

It's 86 degrees.  We had about six inches of snow here a month ago.  I'm soooo not ready for 105+ degree weather.  Give me rain, snow, sleet, overcast days...I'm not done with winter!  Or spring, for that matter.  Eep!

Bugs. Ugh.

I'm sitting in my sunny little 'sanctuary' when Jake brings in a little closed cardboard box full of "bird food."  Grass, sticks, stuff...  He's so proud of himself and he shakes it up and down a couple of times to hear it all rattle around.  I tell him that's wonderful, ask him to stop shaking it, and please take it back outside for the birds because I really don't want it on the floor.  He stops, looks at it with wide eyes and states very seriously, "Oh no. (pause)  Bugs are coming out. (pause) Lots of tiny little black bugs," as he scoops them up with his free hand and hurries back outside.  Lovely.  (and while I didn't see any bugs, my feet are up on the ottoman right now)

This is the same boy who cried when he was about three because he didn't want to get dirty when I made him go outside and find me 5 earth worms (because he was afraid of getting dirty).

Ambitious Homeschool Schedule? Probably...

I'm getting the homeschooling curriculum knocked out and planned and whatnot, and I'm pretty darn excited about it.  It is ambitious, I realize, but I'm flexible.  I'm eager to see what works and what doesn't, especially in the science arena, as they're very technical and rather advanced for their age in this area.  Grand Dad is sending an adult science program from Learn12.com and we'll see how that goes (I'm hopeful!).  This is the schedule as planned...and I'd LOVE feedback...good or bad as we've never done this before.  Times are flexible, depending on what's happening.  Subjects are flexible, as well, with the exception of penmanship, math, and Latin.

15 minutes: Journaling (goals for the day, dreams from last night, whatever)
15 minutes: Penmanship (Donna Young's printables & plan)
30 minutes: Math (Math-U-See)
30 minutes: Phonics (Hooked on Phonics - we already had a deluxe set)
30 minutes: Grammar (still looking to find or create a program)
15 minutes: Spelling (still looking to find or create a program)
60 minutes: History & Geography with Mapping Skills (still looking for a program)
30 minutes: Science (Supercharged Science??? still looking for a well-rounded program)
30 minutes: Latin (Get Started with Latin)
30 minutes: Art & Music (ARTistic Pursuits with classical music, one composer a month)

So that's that!  Again...if anyone has any feedback or constructive criticism, I'm all ears eyes.

I'm particularly excited about the Math-U-See program.  Mr. Demme's humor had me in stitches when I was watching it.  His demo videos had me wanting to learn or re-learn some of the more advanced subjects.  I'm really excited to see how the boys respond to it.  Anyway, the box is scheduled to arrive today (3 days early, according to the UPS tracker!  Whoohoo!).

Jake's Reading Test Results

I'm so excited.  His grade level equivalency is a full year ahead of his class.  I'm not so excited about the test results as I am about the realization that he's really taken off on his own with reading.  He loves reading.  He loves being read to.  He just loves books!  I'm happy because books meant so much to me when I was young, but I couldn't even read until second grade.  He's in first!

Also very cool is that his love is proving to be a wee bit infectious.  Nic told us woefully just last week how much he DID NOT LIKE reading.  Between a little conversation he and his dad had, as well as Jake talking to him and showing him how much fun HE'S having, he's been reading more and has made a noticeable improvement since the tearful plea to not have to read anymore.  He hasn't said he actually likes it, but he sits down by himself with a book and works it all out by himself (occasionally spelling a confusing word for my help).  His reading comprehension in just a week alone has made a remarkable improvement and he's been discussing his readings with me.  For example...

He was reading a bible stories book and worked his way through Adam and Eve and the apple...but he got hung up on something.  He came to me and asked, "Mom, when a baby is in the tummy, do they eat what their mommy eats?  Like...a little bit of what their mommy eats?"  I said, "Yes, in a way..." (cue me, gathering my thoughts to explain).  He gets all concerned and jumps in and says, "So when Eve ate the apple, the baby ate some of the apple, too?  So that means that the babies (plural, as in ALL babies everywhere) will grow old and die, too?"

(Off topic for a moment...Nic was also the one who after spending quite a bit of time with a family friend who was expecting a baby soon, suddenly with shock, looked at her tummy with his big, soulful, concerned eyes and furrowed brow, and then looks at us and exclaims, "But how will the baby come OUT?!"  Totally upset by the thought of the baby not being able to come out or Mom being in pain or...something! It was hysterical.)

Anyway, it was his first example to me of reading comprehension and critical thinking (of a story) and I was totally beside myself, I was so proud of him.

Meanwhile, Jake was in his room, laughing heartily at some humor in his bug book.  I love that he can read and "get" humor in the written word.

Seriously...these things make me so happy.  And so thankful.

Homeschooling Thoughts

We did it.  We ordered the Math-U-See program.  If you go to their website and click on a program (Primer, Alpha...even the pre-calc one!), you can watch a demo video.  The man who teaches this is hysterical.  I love watching him and I'm going to love "relearning" all of my math with the boys.  The boys have somewhat different learning styles, so it'll either work for both or at least one, I'm sure.  Fantastic stuff.

For reading, we still have Jake's old Hooked on Phonics set.  I'm going to let them run through that to get a better grasp of where they are in their development.  We may not even need it.  I may find myself just urging them to simply read books with more mature vocabulary.  Jake came home with two books from his school library today and blew right through them.  Nic surprised the hell out of me and picked up the harder of the two and proceeded to read it.  Yes, Mister "I don't like reading one bit, nopenoIdon't!"  It wasn't an incredibly easy book, either.  I mean, a kindergartner figuring out the word "assassin" by himself was pretty impressive.  And no, he didn't say "ass-ass-in."  ;)  He's starting to remember what he's reading, too, which is fabulous, because he wasn't before.  As far as grammar studies, I have no idea what I'm going to do there.  It was my favorite subject in school, so I'm sure I could teach it, but I have a hard time relating to children and how they learn.

Jesse and I got into an argument heated debate in the car today about what language(s) the boys should be learning.  At first, it was German and French.  Then, after said debate, it became Latin.  I won't go into the debate except to state that it was 110% politics and American pride and we did (kinda) come to an agreement.  I need to find a good resource for teaching Latin.  'Cause I don't have a clue.

Today, I joined our local homeschooling association and put my membership dues check in the mail.  I won't lie...I have high hopes for the information I'll be able to access after they approve my membership.  I just want to know what more experienced homeschoolers are doing around this town.

I've discovered that Jake writes his letters backwards (technique, not the actual letter).  Because of this, I have him practicing his penmanship already.  His teacher doesn't send any homework home with him (she does loads of classwork, though), so I don't feel bad having him do this for "homework" right now.  Today went very well and he was proud of himself.  His teacher sent home a bunch of graded classwork today and as I was flipping through it, I realized that he's not really learning anything new - he's been doing the same stuff all year.  I feel a bit guilty for not taking notice before, but truly...it is amazing the things you notice when you're assuming the job of the teacher.  I'm picking up on a lot of things I missed before and it's rather frustrating.

We have a lot of plans for art, music, and PE.  Both boys are very artistic (Nic, moreso) and I want to let them go hog wild with it.  Ceramics, painting, drawing, crafts, whatever.  Jake is really into physical stuff and is very competitive, so PE is where he shines.  Though we're taking a break from it, he still loves going to Taekwondo.  Noni and Papa (my inlaws) discovered that Jake is phenomenal at T-ball, and I would be thrilled out of my mind to get him into a baseball or T-ball team or practice.  I need to find something...anything...that will hold Nic's attention in this area.  Maybe Tai Chi or tight rope walking.  *laugh*  He's really good at concentration and focus efforts and his current outlet is going out to the gun range with his dad and shooting his new .22 (he's really, really good!).  Anyway, as far as music goes, they both adore singing, though Nic has a better memory for it, and I fully plan on teaching them piano.  I played my whole childhood and am really wanting to get back into it.  I didn't realize then how much of an emotional outlet it was for me and I'd love to offer that to the boys. We also have a Suzuki Strings here in town and that's an option, as well.  Oh, and I can't forget art and music appreciation.  I need to put a stop to this whole "It's the Baby Einstein music!" when Mozart comes on.  Yes, I'm a little embarrassed by that, and while I've corrected them, I haven't explained it.

Hmmm....not sure what else to cover.  I'm excited though and eager to start!

Homeschooling & Stuff

So, in other news...we're going to start homeschooling the boys.  Nic has been progressively regressing this whole year.  In all areas and it's disturbing on many levels to watch.  And sad.  Jake, on the other hand, has a phenomenal teacher who treats her students like little adults - and expects them to behave that way, as well.  Jake is learning quite a bit in school, so we may leave him in for the remainder of the year and try to catch Nic up.  Nic will be better suited here at home.  We're still trying to figure out what we're going to do with him, but over the past few days, we've gotten a better picture.  Thank God for the Internet and for people who willingly share their tips, tricks, suggestions, and other information.

Nic also has an eye appointment tomorrow.  He, without a doubt, needs glasses.  He's squinting at everything and the teacher has had to move him up in his class.  And no, this doesn't have much to do with his regression (yes, I entertained that thought for a while).  I've sat in his class twice for observations and been thoroughly disturbed by the utter pre-schoolish nature of the classroom.  Yes, I realize it's only kindergarten, but the only reason he was started in Kinder instead of 1st was because of his age (two weeks past the cutoff).  This district allows for NO extenuating circumstances or exceptions.  There isn't even any testing available at this age.  The boy's been in an academic setting his entire life and suddenly, class is like a day care.  Instead of learning, they're watching Disney and Pixar movies.  He's learned how to look to the other kids in his class for the answers on work sheets and has developed a strong dislike for challenging his brain and figuring out his own answers (which is NOT the little boy I met over two years ago).  He has also just announced that he doesn't like reading.  At all.  That is heartbreaking for me, angering for his father.  My initial thought was to give him some challenging, supplemental work when he got home, but that's just not fair to any of us.  They live in a learning environment, anyway.  I'm not sending him to school to play all day and learn how to act like all of the youngest kids in his class (which is what he's doing) AND learn how to AVOID learning just so we can sit at the table and relearn/battle what he's supposed to be learning during the day.  OH!  I almost forgot.  We've also been correcting information that he's been given at school, as well.  Try telling your six year old that their teacher doesn't always know the right answer...yeah right.  Thank God that in his eyes, his incredibly diplomatic father walks on water and trumps all others.  Anyway...we're leaning towards a traditional style, but are going to try to add a little bit of "Unschooling" into the mix (can I just say right here and now how much the word "Unschool" terrifies me?!  It's a horrible word, in my "outsider," conservative opinion).  The boy is deathly afraid of getting the wrong answer and he trusts others, with less experience, more than he trusts himself.  I think that some child-led learning will help that immensely.  He wasn't always like this and I really want to help him rediscover his own self-worth, self-esteem, and self-reliance.

I think that I will have more clarity when I reread Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and go through the exercises he recommends.  This whole "homeschooling thing" is overwhelming for me.  I'm gathering more clarity as I read more personal accounts/blogs/websites/books, but I think that the 7 Habits will be a huge help when read with my child as the precursor, not myself.

I Have a Diagnosis

My last entry was around Hallowe'en last year and it's almost St. Patrick's day.  Why haven't I updated?  Because I crashed.  Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Have you ever had brain fog so bad that you couldn't remember the very words you had just said?  So bad that you stuttered inside your brain while thinking to yourself and couldn't recover the sentence?  So bad that as you're riding in a car, you can't force your eyes to keep up with watching the lamp posts go by?  So bad, you try to paste a permanent smile across your face, even though you have no clue what's going on.  You're confused.  You're stuck "inside your head" and can't get out.  You know there's a reason for living, but you can't quite place your finger on it...

While all of this was going on, my hair was turning white (I just chalked it up to marriage LOL!!!), my hair was visibly thinning on top, my nails were crumbling, and even though I supplement my diet with virgin coconut oil and plenty of water, my skin was so dry it was cracking and I felt like I couldn't move my face.  The lethargy was simply astounding.  The irrational and uncontrollable anger was terrifying.  I compiled a symptom list that is a mile long in an attempt to gather all of the pieces to the puzzle.

Oh, my God...and my poor family.  I did literally NO housework in that whole time.  Most families fight about money.  We fought about laundry and a dirty kitchen and what I did all day long (sat on the couch WILLING myself to get up and be productive).

I still had the frame of mind to know that something was wrong.  Really wrong.  And after a couple of months of research, I discovered that it was my thyroid.  But I also discovered that this is a field in the medical community overrun by ignorance and lack of willingness to change or learn.  Most doctors don't know about optimal thyroid care.  Endocrinologists and Internists are more interested diabetes and in doing the same ol', same ol' than reading some of the newer medical data and texts regarding this proper treatment.

Once I was sure I knew what the problem was, I armed myself with a huge symptom list and lots of knowledge, ready for a fight from my doctor when I asked for certain, specific tests that were "out of the norm."  She was definitely skeptical, but I think the key was saying, "let's just rule this out..."  Got my tests back a week later and sure enough, if I'd let her run the usual tests (TSH and T4 -- which are useless in diagnosing and treating thyroid problems, by the way), I would have received "normal" or "within range" results and I would still be at square one, living with and trying to deal with...well, not living.  Thanks to her willingness to test my TSH, FREE T3, FREE T4, and Thyroid Antibodies, I not only received a clear picture, but a referral to any endocrinologist I wanted to see within our insurance network.  I don't think anybody wants a diagnosis, but this diagnosis answered over 10 years worth of questions and stopped my self-doubt cold.  It was a blessing.  I don't want to have medical problems...but I really don't want to be confused and self-loathing in my lack of understanding.

So what's the deal?  I have Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroid Disease.  This means that my thyroid gland is being attacked by my own body and I go through periods where I feel manic and fantastic and HAVE to run on my treadmill three times a day to control my anxiety to...what I described above when my thyroid is under attack (the other swing of the pendulum).  Eventually, without treatment, the body kills the thyroid gland completely and you're dead.  No hormones, no life.  You keep slowly swinging back from the lows to the highs until this happens.  It's worth stating that there are people who have been misdiagnosed with bipolar and other mental illnesses when in reality, they have Hashi's.  It's the "swing" that does it.

This disease is incredibly common and incredibly UNDER diagnosed. Doctors just don't know how to test for it, nor do they know how to properly treat it.

I knew that I was in for a battle here in Texas to get "natural desiccated thyroid" treatment (Texas is notoriously difficult, so say the thyroid patient advocates).  Most doctors will just prescribe a synthetic medication called Synthroid and shoo you out of the office with a pat on the head.  Synthroid is a part of the essential hormones called "T4."  T4 can, in functioning thyroid glands, be converted into T3 by the body (the T3 is what controls most of your symptoms).  But with thyroid disease, the thyroid gland is typically NOT functioning properly and the little receptors inside this butterfly shaped gland are shutting down, thus unable to convert what is needed.  In my case, 80% dead, according to the specialist I found.  With T4 treatment (SO COMMON!), you're not going to feel any better.  In fact, most people report feeling worse when they're unable to convert the hormones.  Our best option?  The thyroid gland from a pig.  It has all of the hormone components we need in it ready for the uptake.  But there's a problem.  Finding a doctor who will prescribe this.  Synthroid has become the standard for a million and one political reasons that I won't go into here, but if you're interested, the information is out there (see links at the bottom).  Natural desiccated thyroid is the "all in one" option.  I liken it to the "multi-vitamin" for your thyroid because it covers all bases and really, truly helps you get better.

Anyway, mini lesson over.  After calling 56 doctors (yes, literally, I called them all) in my city to see if they were up to date with their endocrine knowledge, I realized that I'd have to leave town for treatment.  In a stroke of luck, I found a doctor 3 hours away who had good reviews online AND was in our military Tricare network.  I set up an appointment (3 weeks out, sadly, the good ones are really busy).  When the time came, we packed up the family, drove out to Odessa, and she started me on hormones that very day.  Since there's a nationwide shortage of natural desiccated thyroid, she wrote me a prescription to have it compounded.  The next morning, with my first dose of hormones, I had more energy than I'd had in months.  Within four days, the brain fog was completely gone.  Within a week...I'm motivated and cleaning out old boxes of photos and school work and dusting the ceilings and fans and vacuuming.  I've also FINALLY lost some more weight.  It's disturbing when you're doing everything right with no "cheating" for two months and the scale starts going back up (the thyroid controls your metabolism, too).  I'm HAPPY.  I feel better than I ever imagined I would now.

It's also worth saying that I've been living with this for the past 13 years, though it's only this past winter that it got really bad.  It all started when I got my first Depo shot.  Knowing that Hashimoto's typically manifests after a hormonal event (childbirth, menopause, etc), it makes sense.  Shortly after I received my first Depo birth control shot, I gained about 60 pounds (in just a few months) and was prescribed anti-depressants.  I've been on and off anti-depressants ever since.  Who knew that it was really my thyroid?!


Do you THINK you MIGHT have a problem with your thyroid?  Go here to see a very Long and Pathetic List of Thyroid Symptoms.  That whole website is a goldmine of information.  It covers everything.  If you have any questions, that is the place to go.  There are loads of Yahoo! Groups for thyroid that are phenomenal, as well.  As far as books go, Stop the Thyroid Madness: A Patient Revolution Against Decades of Inferior Treatment by Janie Bowthorpe (the same woman who runs the website linked above) and Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You... That You Need to Know by Mary Shomon are excellent books.

Please note that I am NOT getting paid for any of this info.  I was utterly FLOORED by my discoveries and simply want to help.  If I can feel better, so can you.