Life on the Road

Guess where I was last Saturday?

Yeah, really.

After I suffered through a round of fierce chills and fever Friday, Wolf took my to the ER on Saturday morning.  They measured my temperature at 102.7. 

So I got IV fluids and antibiotics while they ran the labs. 

They even let me take my IV pole out into the lobby to nurse R.T. in the middle.  Maybe my last fiasco there actually had an impact on policy…

The test came back showing an acute kidney infection.  Suriprise!  Er, not.

So I got a prescription for antibiotics and came home.  (And had to put together a bog carnival for Tuesday! LOL)

This alsao meant that the Lithotripsy (for kidney stone breaking up) that was scheduled for Monday had to be cancelled, since they don’t want to do it when you’re sick.  Which is frustratingly circular, since we’re doing it to correct the reason I keep getting sick…

Well, hopefully at least this course of medication means that I eill be able to have the Cystoscopy done on the 30th.  I haven’t heard yet when we can try the Lithotripsy again - the machine is only there once a month!

Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be well…

Welcome to the 134th Carnival of Homeschooling!  I am honored to be hosting the carnival a second time, and I want to extend my hearfelt thanks to the dozens of bloggers who submitted these incredibly interesting, challenging, and diverse posts for your reading pleasure.  So without further ado, let’s get on with the show!

Most people (and especially most homeschooling families) have at least a passing knowledge of the 12 labors that Hercules had to complete for Eurystheus.  I would propose that, as homeschoolers, we face a no less daunting set of tasks.

Hercules’ First Task:  Slay the Nemean lion, which no weapon can harm.

Wow, surely, that’s impossible!  Not to Hercules, who simply used the strengths he knew he possessed.  Often, being the best teacher requires us to do some hard work on ourselves first, to gain that perspective.

christinemoers suggests that homeschooling - indeed, parenting in general - requires this kind of tough introspection. Be sure to read What are you afraid of? posted at welcome to my brain . net.

Karen M Gibson suggests that we need to look at our deepest beliefs and motivations for our choices in Your Child Wants to Attend School – Now What? at Leaping From the Box.

Rachel Davis advises that we think about what “schooling” itself really mean - or should mean! - with Why Homeschooling isn’t Lacking in Education! posted at Holy Hillbilly Creations Blog-Where Fashion meets Modesty!.

Evie Maddox takes a look at our scheduling choices in Why Homeschool in Summer? posted at Stay At Home Child.

Dianne M. Buxton discusses How To Find Emotional Intelligence and Positive Thinking In the Ballet World [Ed. note: or anywhere!] at Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes.

Cristina encourages us to learn to let go, in Pushing Buttons posted at Home Spun Juggling.

ChristineMM challenges us to take a hard look at our standards, in Controversial Article About Homeschooler’s Abilities On My Mind posted at The Thinking Mother.

Hercules’ Second Task:  Slay the hydra.

The trouble with a hydra?  You cut off a head, and it just grows right back!  It’s more than one person can do!  Even Hercules called upon his nephew to help out with this task, cauterizing after each of his chops.  Sometimes we do need to reach out, and make use of other resources available to us, and other people’s strengths.

Carol Topp, CPA suggests that we band together to find stength as a coop, in The Homeschool Socialization Problem Solved posted at HomeschoolCPA - Homeschool Blogger.

Alasandra wants to help recognize and validate fellow homeschoolers! Check out The Graphics Winner posted at Alasandra’s Homeschool Blog Awards.

Need a pat on the back for your thrifty schooling choice?  Check out Back to School Shopping: The Homeschool Way from Penelope at The Cafe at the END of the Universe.

Kim Hutmacher talk about using the author to add a dimension to literature, in Making the Author Connection posted at Works in Progress.

David Cassell warns about the current problem with a GED Scam, at selectcoursesblog.com.

A couple of little math boosters from denise at Let’s Play Math!: Free Multiplication Bingo Game and the Crazy 4 Math Contest.

Need a unit study, Matey? Well then ye best hurry along to Little Blue School so’z Lydia can give ye a Treasure Island Homeschool Seminar: Literary Lesson Plans and Nautical Worksheets.

Want to know more about the brain? WAY more? Alvaro Fernandez presents Learning & the Brain: Resources for Educators posted at Sharp Brains.

Hercules’ Third Task:  Capture alive the stag with the horns of gold, sacred to Artemis.

As homeschoolers we learn that the most precious gifts are worth whatever time and effort they cost.  Hercules could have killed the deer easily, and soon - instead he had to follow it around for an entire year waiting for the moment to make the capture.

Thomas J. West advises musicians to “BE PATIENT!” in Music Practice Tips #2: Don’t Exceed Your Brain’s Speed Limit posted at Thomas J. West Music.

Silvia describes her 8 year old learning patience in Flying Success! posted at Po Moyemu–In My Opinion.

Hercules’ Fourth Task:  Capture an enormous boar.

Hey, this is number four in this vein already.  Hercules is an old hand, and the task is no big deal, right?  It’s the same with homeschooling, really.  At some point we’re all new at each thing we attempt - from homeschooling at all, to different curriculums, to teaching a new subject or age group.  But after a while you earn your stripes, and being to feel like you know what you’re doing.  (At least sometimes!)  And the veterans can share their wisdom with those who come after…

Lessa Scherrer aka Princess Mom presents Advice for Newbie Gifted Homeschoolers posted at Help! My Kids Are Smarter than Me!. 

Lori shares her experiences with newbies in What I Wish I Had Known at The Simple Life at Home.

14 year veteran Jena offers us Advice for First Year Homeschoolers, from Yarns of the Heart.

Katherine gives her review of a great resource for the preschool set: Kumon Workbooks, at No fighting, no biting!

Susan Gaissert advises letting young readers graze! Check out No Syllabus, No Problem posted at The Expanding Life.

Two terrific posts about kids learning to read from The Life Without School Blog: Laureen describes writing Upside Down and Backwards, and Jena offers her advice in Teaching a Child How to Read.

Hercules’ Fifth Task:  Clean the Augean stables.

What can I say, everyone knows that there’s always lots of, um, manure to deal with.

Military homeschoolers? Think layers and layers of it! Why Homeschool points to a great resource on the topic in Are you a military homeschooler.

Not so military? How about Government’s latest? Beverly’s Homeschooling Blog (About.com) wonders if the latest goings on there will have California Homeschool ISPs changing names?.

And a little dose of politics from Susan Ryan with Continuation of The Nerve and Isn’t there a law?? posted at Corn and Oil.

Indiana Jane’s Notebook and SpunkyHomeschool both discuss some of the religious controversies that are boiling within the homeschooling community in Ruminating on homeschooling, and Conventional Wisdom, respectively.

Hercules’ Sixth Task:  Drive away the multitude of Stymphalian birds.

One bird is nice, three birds can be lovely and musical.  A swarm of anything, though, is a problem.  And sometimes it really is the little things that make or break a situation.

NerdMom beautifully address an issue near and dear to my heart in The First Key to Homeschooling and Not Losing It over at Nerd Family.

Hercules’ Seventh Task:  Capture the “beautiful and savage” bull that Poseidon gave to Minos, King of Crete.

The tale concludes that Hercules “mastered” the bull, and took it back in a boat.  One of the things homeschoolers often celebrate is our freedom to master things “beautiful and savage” which are spurned by the public school system.

Teresa Wymore talks about the value of great literature (and don’t miss her insightful expose on public school teaching!) in harry potter and homeschool posted at Flesh & Spirit.

Erica Burgan presents Field Trip to the San Diego Zoo! [Ed. note: Need I say more, here?] posted at The Sojourner.

And speaking of the public school system, enjoy Kathy’s review of the book Schooled posted at Homeschoolbuzz.com Reviews.

Hercules’ Eighth Task:  Get the man-eating mares from from Diomedes, King of Thrace.

Let’s take a lesson from the idea that good ol’ Herc might have done this one differently.  Maybe sometimes you can do the most good by working with the system…

Barbara Frank tells us There is Hope with the story of an amazing High School student.

Hercules’ Ninth Task:  Get the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.

Hercules teaches us an important lesson here.  Sometimes, all it takes to get what you want is to ask for it.  (Yes, I know his task doesn’t end that simply)

Hercules’ Tenth Task:  Get the cattle of Geryoh, a monster with three bodies.

Sometimes even the most arduous tasks have wonderful and unlooked-for benefits.  During this task, Hercules set the Pillars of Hercules in place.

Miss Amanda has some fabulous gifts posted in The Perfect Gifts for the Graduated SuperAngel at The Daily Planet. 

Studying Ancient History? Bored? Not likely if you listen to Mrs. C on Trojan Horse Craft posted at Homeschool and Etc..

Hercules’ Eleveth Task:  Bring back the golden apples of Hesperides.

How you feel about this task depends somewhat on a moral judgement - Hercules succeeded by tricking Atlas.  Ethics, morality, values…  It’s a big part of why many of us keep our kids home!

Living By Learning shares some insight about A Game Ethics Lesson from The Karate Kid at On Living By Learning.

Hercules’ Twelfth Task:  Capture Cerebrus alive.  And take him back!

When Hercules successfully brought Cerebrus back, Eurystheus wisely decided that he didn’t want it and ordered Hercules to take it back.  Clearly, the moral of this story is, “Be careful what you ask for - you just might get it.”

Such was my request to allow me to host the carnival this week.  Arrangements were made six months ago, when I hosted the Leaving a Legacy edition back in January.  Who could know that this week I would be layed low by medical problems, and even spend a day in the ER?  But in true heroic fashion… er, with the baby in one arm and the three-year-old climbing up my back…  We’re done! 

Thank you for reading…  Of course, please let me know if you find any errors or broken links!

Please take a moment to post a link to the carnival on your blog, as well as adding it to any social bookmarking sites you use (the “Share This” link, below, will make it easy for most of them!) — help spread the word about homeschooling, and the carnival, and send some traffic to all these terrific bloggers who took the time to share their lives with us.

Don’t forget to send in your post for next week’s carnival, as well, hosted at Consent Of The Governed!  Just click on over to the easy submision form at Blog Carnival anytime before Monday at 6pm Pacific.

Since this is already all put together, I’m just going to give it to you, as something important to be aware of: 

AMA Supports Proposed Legislation to Make Home Births Illegal

ABC News reported on July 11. 2008 that the “American Medical Association has agreed to support proposed legislation that, some physicians say, could make make having a planned birth in one’s home difficult, to virtually impossible.”  Presently their is no legislation but the AMA is backing what is called “Resolution 205″ which is a request to support the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (ACOG) position that home births are not safe.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) spokesperson Gregory Phillips, stated clearly, the ACOG position, “We are against home births, period.”  He continued in the ABC story by stating, “Women who give birth outside of a clinical setting risk putting themselves and their newborns at risk.”

In opposition to this stand the American College of Nurse-Midwives has come out with a strong statement in support of planned home births. Jennifer Block, author of “Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care, who also writes a column for the LA Times stated in her columns that in Britain they routinely ask expecting mothers if they would like to have their babies at home instead of in the hospital.  In her column Block noted that a hand-out is given to expecting mothers from Britain’s National Health Service that says, “There is no evidence to support the common assertion that home birth is a less safe option for women experiencing uncomplicated pregnancies.”

Block also noted in her column that last year a joint statement was issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Midwives that said, “There is no reason why home birth should not be offered to women at low risk of complications, and it may confer considerable benefits for them and their families.”

Ms. Block concludes her article by noting that she believes this entire issue is nothing more than a turf war by physicians not wanting to give up control. “The AMA’s statement calls for legislation that could be used against women who choose home birth, possibly resulting in criminal child-abuse or neglect charges. The group says this is about safety, but with no credible research to back up its claim, this argument falls flat.”

The various articles noted that the reaction by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (ACOG) and the AMA came about due to a documentary film called “The Business of Being Born” by talk show host Ricki Lake, where she exposed the American system of birth as a business. Abby Epstein, the film’s director stated in the ABC story, “What the film has done is to cause a lot of women to choose midwives over OBs — especially younger women who’ve never heard of midwives,” said Epstein. “We’ve received calls from midwives saying that their practices have doubled since our film was released. There’s a lot of ego in this — that one would want to choose a midwife over an MD. It’s really a turf war going back 100 years between the medical establishment and midwives.  The trailer for the film can be seen on YouTube at the following address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DgLf8hHMgo

Our family is featured on the home page of the Yahoo Group Teens and Tots!

Click over just to see a cute picture of me with Nick and Jewel (last summer at “The Home Place” at the Land Between the Lakes preserve in Tennessee), but if you find yourself with two distinct ages of kids you might want to check the group out, as well…  

Nick turned 14, and we haven’t really had a party, but…

We spread out the fun by allowing him to open one present each hour.

We took him to Cici’s for an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, which is pretty much his idea of nirvana.

And Papa got up to his cake decorating tricks again.  I baked a cake using the same Wonder Woman cake pan we’d used for Jewel’s birthday cake, but he decorated it up as Nick’s bud, Wolverine!

Pretty clever guy, eh? 

It’s hard to believe Nick is 14 and starting High School…  Where does the time go?

One thing I’ve been persuing in my quest to be thrifty is changing our laundry soap.

The first thing I tried was a make-your-own-detergent kit from Soaps Gone Buy, to make this recipe:

Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 cup grated Fels Naptha Soap

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 cup 20 mule team borax

Mix and store in airtight container or bag. For light loads, use 2 tablespoon. For heavy loads, use 3 tablespoons.

Obviously the pre-grated soap and all is more expensive than buying everything totally from scratch, but it seemed like the best compromise for trying it out - and it’s still cheaper than the brand name stuff.

I liked it, especially at first…  But I had the feeling it was just not doing all it could be. 

Did I mention that the water here is disgusting?  It’s very hard, and it’s also nasty well-water with all kinds of yuck in it…

Miss J was still in diapers during the early parts of this quest, and we were having trouble with an amonia smell whenever she wet, as well as varying degrees of diaper rash that looked almost burn-like. 

The consensus of opinion was that this could all be attributed to detergent residue.  Too much detergent, or a “bad” one (for the siutation, at least), so it wasn’t getting rinsed out completely - in spite of a complete extra wash/rinse cycle to re-re-RE-rinse the diapers.

Home-made detergent, as I’d made, is one of the common “good” choices.  Rats.

So I tried ordering some Charlie’s Soap online.  Again, I liked it; again, especially at first.  Over time it seemed to still build up.  And by “over time” here I’m talking about two to four washings, not months or years…

Then I tried Purex, another popular cloth diapering choice.  Same result.

By now I was very frustrated.  I guess that’s not bad, since probably nothing but that level of frustration would have gotten me to shell out for Allen’s Naturally (although it is still supposedly a good value, since you use so little).  And…

It works!

Jewel is out of diapers, so R.T. may just have different chemistry.  But we’ve been using this for over a month now, and I’m still happy.

I also just found another option, though.  Someone from a cloth diapering online community discussed diaper laundry wuth a friend who is a chemist.  She (the chemist) looked at what was out there, then created this recipe:

1 55 oz. box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Mule Team Borax
2 Cups Oxygen Cleaner-She recommends Sun ($5 @ Dollar General)
1/2 cup Simple Green
1/2 cup Calgon Water Softening Powder

Empty all into a bucket and mix together with your hands. Use 1 heaping scoop (1/8 cup) for diapers, 2 scoops for regular laundry. After we’ve used this for a while some have had to increase to 2 scoops for diapers, 3-4 for regular laundry….you will probably have to experiment a bit to see what works best with your water.

I chuckled when in her comments she said “this should work comparably to Allen’s.”  Made me wonder if I shouldn’t just stick with Allen’s…  But someone sent be a baggie full to try, so what the heck. 

I just finished reading a book about tandem nursing (Adventures in Tandem Nursing: Breastfeeding During Pregnancy and Beyond), and although I would highly recommend it, after four months it didn’t really have a lot to say on the subject that was news to me.

I was fascinated to learn, however, that a mama kangaroo makes different milk in each teat!  She makes baby milk on one side for the tiny joey finishing his development in her pouch, and “toddler” milk on the other side for baby’s older sibling who will still stick his head in and nurse.  What a great trick!  Doesn’t God think up cool stuff?

And kangaroos have it down pat for carrying the kids around, of course.  We even name a parenting philosophy/practice after them: Kangaroo Care.

If you’d like to see some lovely photos of mamas in other cultures “wearing” their babies, check out this babywearing slideshow.

Sorry, but that’s all for today.  We’re all sick, so I’m even more behind than usual… 

I am so very, very tired of being sick…

And I NEED to SEW, since Mr. Grow-Like-a-Weed no longer fits well in Medium diapers and I have barely anything to put on his booty.

 Okay, I’m done whining.  Thanks for listening.  It’s tough being in a new town with no friends and family to whine to…

Hard to believe, isn’t it?  And I’m still just trying to catch up!

I went to the ER Thursday, April 24th when I woke up with chlls and fever (over 102) and an inflamed and swolen breast.  Yowch!  (This on top of the ongoing kidney/UTI situation).

I ended up being admitted to the hosptial, and stayed until Monday evening (who knew they would discharge someone after 7pm!). 

The whole thing was a nightmare of conflicting opinions, fighting for the right to nurse my baby, and uncommunicative doctors.  I think “An Open Letter to Homestead Hospital” will be appearing here soon…  It was really so frustrating that I’ve sort of tried not to think about about it.  But on the other hand, it’s just not going away.

I called my PCP for a follow-up appointment, and was told that I couldn’t get an appointment for months, but that I could come in as a walk-in.  She suggested coming on a Wed or Thurs, and coming early in the morning.  Great.

So I went in that Thursday, and was standing outside at 8:45 am (they open at 9).  That made me #4 in the walk-in line.  Which meant I got to see the doctor…  at 1 pm!  (Not, of course, that they told us that right away so we could go do something in the meantime.)

I got a referral to a Urologist, but just got the run-around from them regarding a referral for a lactation consultant, as well as getting the insurance to cover my medications. 

When I got hold of the Urologist they gave me, it turned out that they were pediatric only.  So I called the PCP back and got another name (after a big hassle).  When I got hold of that office, they said that they no longer take my insurance.  I called th PCP back (grrr!), and they said they would call the insurance for a current provider list and call me back.  Excuse me if I don’t hold my breath.

Frustrated (happens a lot lately, doesn’t it?), I called my insurance company.  They said that I could self-refer to a Urologist, and didn’t need a referral at all! 

So I started calling down the list of Urologists from the insurance company’s website, which they said was the most current list.  Pediatric only.  Doesn’t take that insurance any more.  We can see you at the end of June (that’s 2 months away at the time!).  Doesn’t take that insurance.  We can see you next year(!).  Phone disconnected.  And on and on…

After calling a dozen doctors (I kid you not), I found someone who could see me in two weeks, who was an hour’s drive from my house.  Not ideal, but sounded pretty good after I’d been worn down by all the others!

The insurance has a transportation benefit, so I figured I’d let them pay the gas to drive all the way up there.  Well, it turns out that they will drive the patient and one “escort” person.  If I bring the baby (which I obviously have to, for a trip that will easily be three hours), I then have to bring Nick or Wolf to hold R.T. while I’m with the doctor.  But they won’t allow 2 people to come… 

So we ended up driving after all.

At least we all really liked Dr. J.  He’s built like a football player, shaved bald head, and wore motorcycle boots under his scrubs!  And he was very nice and seemed very competent.

It seems that although the kidney stones aren’t causing any of ther own kinds of problems, they probably are responsible for the recurring UTIs.  As foreign bodies, they make a place where things can hide and grow in there…  Eeew!

So we scheduled an outpatient surgery for Lithotripsy - the ultrasound breaking up of kidney stones.  They can only do so much at a time (since it’s also hard on your surrounding healthy tissue), so he said we might need as many as three sessions to get the three stones taken care of.

We also scheduled another in-office procedure for further diagnosis, as well as treatment, of the recurring UTIs and the constant, but perhaps at this point self-perpetuating, symptoms.

Whew!

Obviously, there’s pelnty more to tell…  

During the Knaus Berry Farm season, I’m making dough for cinnamon rolls, cookies, brownies and bread all day long. Then I smell the fresh baked goodness fill the air as they are baking … Yes, I break down and eat some almost every day. Especially when we try a new item.

We spent several weeks working on a new recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies.

We would make some and I would bring them home for the whole family to critique.  We reworked the recipe twice, so we had three different varieties of the cookie, and, of course, I had to bring some home every time.

As we were tasting the product everyone would comment on the cookies having this taste or that taste. It came to our attention that we don’t usually sit and make comments and comparisons about everything else we eat. That’s when we decided we should compare and critique other foods.

I decided to start with chocolate chip cookies.

We went to the grocery store and picked three name brand cookies (Famous Amos, Keebler, and Nabisco) and the store generic. I reminded everyone what flavor we were trying to pick out: a little vanilla, chocolate chips, and lots of sugar.

The family was pretty well in agreement, so I’m just going to share my ratings on a scale of 1 to 5:

Store generic - (0)  Cookie was floury and not very sweet, not many chips and not really good chocolate flavor. Oh, yea, and the cookie was a little over done.  Jewel wouldn’t eat these after a taste.

Famous Amos - (.5)  Not a very sweet cookie, the chips were better, but not enough.  Jewel wouldn’t eat these either.

Keebler - (1)  A little better cookie and good chips.  Jewel ate these, although she clearly preferred…

Nabisco (”Chips Ahoy”) - (4.5)  You could smell the difference when you opened the bag. Very good cookie and chocolatey chocolate chips.  Jewel really enjoyed these.

I really didn’t expect that big of a difference in the name brand products.

…And I have to add that the Knaus Berry Farm cookies have them all beat hands down - even if I do say so myself! 

God bless you all …

Wolf