The Calm Before the Storm

It is November already! It's cooler even here in Florida, at last. I feel the holidays upon us.

We have been busy with Conrad's kidney stone business, going to Atlanta for a wedding, Brandon's birthday, Conrad's retirement party and Brent's violin recital.

We are having a piano recital this afternoon. It was not easy to find a time that most people could make it! I had to cancel our spring recital, because the majority couldn't come. It's a good thing we reserved this day well in advance, because other things have crowded into this day! I am looking forward to it. The kids' nervousness rubs off on me, and I hate getting up front and speaking, but it's worth it to all get together and play a little music for each other.

After the recital is over, we are planning my dad and Brent's birthdays. The party will be at my parent's house as usual, so my mom is anxious to get the details settled.

Conrad is having his kidney stent removed Monday, and hopefully he will bounce back to his normal self. He's been miserable, so we haven't gone out much lately. Thankfully, he's retired now, and is able to recover at home.

Thanksgiving will be upon us soon. I love spending time with all my family! December is a crazy month for everyone. All of Jacob's programs have something special for Christmas. His band is going to play in Washington, D.C. We might go. I have a birthday (even though I don't want to get any older) and am looking forward to the Cracker Christmas festival in Ft. Christmas.

As far as homeschooling, it's been very different since Conrad retired and I've been driving him to the hospital and doctor's offices. We haven't found a routine yet, but I know we will.

13 Years and Counting...

Con and I had our 13th wedding anniversary on July 14. I was nostalgic all day, remembering our wedding. How everything has changed since then, especially the kids! Baby-faced Brent was a small 6 year old, and was our "flower boy", Brandon, 9 years, and our "Bible boy", and Juddy and Josh, 12 and 13, were Conrad's Best Men. My sister was my matron of honor, and she put a huge white bow on the front of Dad's scooter, and he accompanied me up the aisle. All the guys matched in black suits with dark green ties. I wore my mom's wedding dress that my sister Margy had tea stained and embellished all over with tiny, pearl-like beads. Margy also curled and put up my long hair.

We were married in the Titusville church I grew up in. I was so touched that many of my friends drove 2 hours to be at my wedding. My brother-in-law, who is director of Food Services at the hospital, provided food and all the related dishes, so the food was amazing (I was too busy and stressed to actually eat). My sister, who is a brilliant decorator, made my gorgeous cake. I just wanted a help-yourself buffet, but my family wanted to be involved, so they served the guests. It was a nice touch. My mom and Con's mom made potato salad together, and we bought local famous hot wings. The Titusville pastor, James Rodrigues, married us, and his talented wife, Bonnie, played the keyboard...for a long time, since Con forgot his suit and had to run back home to get it! We spent our wedding night at a place Conrad arranged for, The Inn at Cocoa Beach. It was such a beautiful bed-and-breakfast that we went back there for two of our anniversaries.

It was ironic that when I moved over here a few months later from Zephyrhills, the Titusville pastor who married us moved to Zephyrhills to become their new pastor. It's also ironic that Con and I are now members of the church we were married in. Funny how life turns out.

My mind also ran over other notable anniversaries. We had one that still makes me laugh. We spent our anniversary working on the yard, and were so tired, hot and sweaty that at the end of the day that we didn't even feel like driving as far as Merritt Island to find a restaurant for our date. Conrad had eaten at a place in Titusville that he thought I'd love, so we got cleaned up and went up there, but it was closed. I think it was only opened for lunch during the week. So we spent the next hour driving around and around Titusville, and we finally ended up at a Perkins (or something like that). It wasn't the special place with special food that we were looking for, but I remember the food was actually good, and although it wasn't a romantic atmosphere, it was really wonderful just being alone on a date with my husband whom I love so deeply.

What is Charcot-Marie-Tooth?

I was born with a disease. It is not contagious, but it is inherited. It slowly causes your body to become paralyzed, because your muscles die. Two of my favorite things, running and playing the piano, are very hard for me now. It sounds like a muscle condition, doesn't it? It's not. It's actually a nerve condition. The nerves stop working right, and they don't stimulate the muscles to work, so the muscles atrophy. It's pretty hard to take, because you can do everything, then suddenly you can't. I remember trying to show off my awesome dive to my son, and I couldn't jump on the diving board anymore. When things like that happen (which is often), I privately grieve a little.

This disease is called CMT. I inherited it from my dad, who inherited it from his mom, and then the trail goes cold. Dad and I were studied by researchers at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD when we lived in Virginia. We shared a hospital room and I had my 11th birthday there. It was the Christmas season, and NIH had a great children's program. I did crafts, watched plays, and they let me fly up and down the halls in a wheelchair. I had a great time, aside from the slicing, poking and prodding with sharp needles. We were lab rats.

Here's what NIH knows about CMT:
Charcot-Marie-Tooth, or CMT, is the most commonly inherited neurological disorder and is found world-wide in all races and ethnic groups. Discovered in 1886 by three physicians, Jean-Martin-Charcot, Pierre Marie, and Howard Henry Tooth, CMT affects an estimated 2.6 million people.

CMT patients slowly lose normal use of their feet/legs and hands/arms as nerves to the extremities degenerate and the muscles in the extremities become weakened because of the loss of stimulation by the affected nerves. Many patients also have some loss of sensory nerve function.

CMT is one of the 40 diseases covered by the MDA, but unlike muscular dystrophy, in which the defect is in the muscles, CMT is a disorder in which the defect is in the nerves that control the muscles.

CMT usually isn’t life-threatening and almost never affects brain function. It is not contagious, but it is hereditary and can be passed down from one generation to the next.

CMT
* ...is also known as peroneal muscular atrophy (PMA) and hereditary motor sensory neuropathy (HMSN).
* ...is slowly progressive, causing deterioration of peripheral nerves which control sensory information and muscle function of the foot/lower leg and hand/forearm.
* ...causes degeneration of peroneal muscles (located on the front of the leg below the knees).
* ...causes foot-drop walking gait, foot bone abnormalities, high arches and hammertoes, problems with balance, problems with hand function, occasional lower leg and forearm muscle cramping, loss of some normal reflexes, scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and sometimes, breathing difficulties.
* ...does not affect life expectancy, but can, in rare instances, cause severe disability.
* ...has no cure, although physical therapy, occupational therapy and moderate physical activity are beneficial.
* ...is sometimes surgically treated.
* ...is usually inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means if one parent has CMT there is a 50/50 chance of each child inheriting the disorder.
* ...may become worse if certain neurotoxic drugs are taken.
* ...can vary greatly in severity, even within the same family.
* ...can now be diagnosed by a blood test (NOT OUR TYPE) (CMT types: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1X, 2A, 2B, 2E, 2F, 2I, 2J, 2K, 4A, 4C, 4E, 4F, 4J, HNPP, CHN, and DSN).

Ahh, Summer!

Our 19 year old, Brent, got A’s at Brevard Community College this semester! I’m so proud of him, and grateful to his tutors, Laurie Erskin, in calculus and my dad, in chemistry. He still needs a job, but we haven’t found a place that is hiring. Brent is continuing violin. I wish someone would talk him into playing at our church, but so far, he is too shy.

Jacob’s Tuesday school classes ended with a drama program and art exhibition. The band performed a finale concert. Our homeschool group had a yearbook party. Suddenly, our Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays were free!

We are still homeschooling math, trumpet, guitar, piano, math, reading and Bible, but there is a totally different feel than during the school year. There is no clock-watching and rushing out the door. We are finishing the last few chapters of Jacob’s math book so that when school starts in August, we can try algebra. Jacob reads daily from whatever book he chooses. He is working on a kids Bible program that is a lot of fun. He is participating in summer band, so practices his trumpet before a performance. They are performing for children’s groups at libraries and nursing homes. His band teacher is so amazing at engaging the audience, young or old, and makes it fun for the children in band by having a pool party at her house afterwards. I’m able to spend a lot of relaxed time with Jacob and piano, and his playing has improved dramatically. He has been working on his Guild Repertoire lesson book (which is all classics). I’m excited because he just finished learning (and memorizing) an entire sonatina that I played when I was his age. That’s so cool! His fingers are much quicker than mine. He’s also working on some simple jazz and blues, and a religious piece. He played at church recently. Jacob loves to play fast and loud, but he forced himself to slow down and play softly, which was a huge accomplishment and showed a new maturity. I was proud of him! He hasn’t been playing much guitar, because Conrad hasn’t given him any lessons lately. He moves forward quickly when Conrad teaches him.

The beginning of June, Brevard Community College started a variety of kids’ camps. Brent went to a few when he was in middle school, and they were wonderful. Jacob is finally old enough for some of the camps. Thank goodness my friend told me about them! He participated in a week-long Production Camp, probably the best camp he’s ever attended. The kids learned all about “green screens”, writing and filming a commercial, and creating and performing a talk show. They broke into several groups, and they were all funny and unique at the live showing.

This week, Jacob is at Camp Kulaqua. Our older four boys went every summer when they were younger, so ever since Jacob turned 8 and was old enough to go, I’ve been asking Conrad to agree to send him. He was afraid Jacob would be influenced by some trouble-maker and come back a changed child. Finally, this year, he thought we should send him. I’m so happy for Jacob! We’re able to look at photos online and see what they’re doing.

My usual summer activity is to clean out! I have outgrown books, toys and clothes. I’ve made a lot of progress, but there’s still plenty to do. I can’t even think of the stuff on the porch, in the garage or in the attic. I’m concentrating on the house. I’ve been working on Jacob’s room, a little at a time. I’ve been selling and giving away, and still have a huge pile of stuff to deal with.

I’m still teaching piano over the summer. I really love to teach in the summer, because everyone is so relaxed and has more energy for concentrating on piano.

Our church is having VBS this week. I led VBS for 3 years when my kids were little, so I really sympathize with our leader who has two little toddlers. Kudos to her! It’s a big job, but she’s handling it much better than I did. This year I’m doing my usual, taking my group of little ones from area to area. It’s not much, but I love being involved and being with the kids. Conrad is helping with the games. I’m sorry Jacob and the NINE other kids that I counted at camp from Titusville and Cocoa churches had to miss it, but Cocoa is having a Romans VBS next week that they can attend. It will fit right into the ancient history that we’ll be studying in the fall.

I worry about Conrad and his health. His diabetes is not good. He needs to really watch his diet, and that’s hard for him. I am so blessed to have such an interesting, fun and compassionate husband, that I dread anything happening to him. We’ve been together over 15 years, but he still makes my heart skip a beat when I look at him. I love just being with him, talking with him, holding his hand, cuddling with him. I’m glad he’s retiring soon. We have a big transition in our lives in October! We are excited and nervous.

End of School

The end is in sight. We're in a flurry of activity as school is ending in about three weeks. I am wrapping up this school year with finishing Jacob's portfolio and evaluation; last drama and art show; last band concert; and making a yearbook page for our annual Homeschool Exchange yearbook, which will culminate with a party.

I'm wrapping up our home homeschool classes too--reviewing math, to make sure he remembers everything he's learned thus far and tying up American history. We just started Jacob's grammar and writing books, and they will be continued next August when we start 6th grade.

I'm ready for next school year. Conrad is excited about teaching science, which is one of his many passions. I'm excited about delving into ancient civilizations--Chinese, Egyptians, Greek, Roman-- and if we have time, moving into medieval times, and studying King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable. We've hardly been to the library this year, and I plan on depending on it heavily for history next year. I also have found some pretty amazing websites, with terrific pictures, games and projects. I can't wait to get started.

As far as summer plans, we've signed Jacob up for a couple of camps. He's going away to our Adventist camp for the first time. We used to send our older four boys every year, and Brent was the only one who didn't like it. I think Jacob will love it. He's going with a friend, which makes me feel a lot better. I also signed him up for an archaeology camp with a friend, that is hosted by our local college. I'm still looking at other camps (cooking, drama, surf), but that's a start.

Jacob is definitely growing up. Like an echo of his brothers before him, he asked me not to sign him up for camps without talking to him first. There was a time that he was up for everything, and now he's getting pickier.

Birth Day Memories

On my first child's first birthday, memories of his arrival into this world flooded me. My mom never told me that her children's birthdays meant it was a special memory-day for her!

Today, our youngest son is 11 years old. I started remembering the birth journey yesterday, Easter Sunday, because 11 years ago on a Sunday, I was in bed with the flu and having intermittent labor, praying that I wouldn't have him until I was better. My sister stayed with us to help take care of the older four boys, and she cleaned my house from top to bottom. What a blessing!

Conrad came with me to my doctor's appointment on Monday. They did a non-stress test and sent me on my way. I told the doctor that I was in labor and I wanted him to examine me, but he refused. I told him I thought I was in labor. He told me that I was not in labor, but was experiencing Braxton Hicks. I told him that this was my third baby, and I knew the difference between Braxton Hicks and actual labor. He continued to argue with me, and told me that Braxton Hicks with a third baby are painful. But he saw that I refused to leave without an exam, and gave in. When he examined me, his eyes opened wide and he ran out and snapped orders to call the hospital and tell them to expect us. I was dilated to five. I just said, "Thank you," and we left.

My first baby was born in a hospital, so I knew what to expect--immediate IV's, no food or water until after the birth, and no more say in anything. I hated it. My second baby was born in a birthing center, and it was a beautiful, awesome experience, but although my pregnancy started there with Jacob, I had to move to a hospital because he was considered High Risk. Hoping to have Patient's Rights respected, I made a list of what I wanted/didn't want, and previously gave it to the hospital and doctor's office. The doctor that I gave it to laughed and called it my "Wish List". I think he thought it was cute. With this in mind, after we left the doctor's office, I asked Conrad to take me to the grocery store so I could have a last meal, since it was after lunchtime and I didn't know when I would eat again. I got a most luscious fresh mixed fruit bowl. I savored it in the car as we continued to the hospital.

Boy, were they upset when we walked through the door! They yelled at us that they expected us a "long time ago!" I thought, "Here we go, I'm no longer a person." They put in an IV to hydrate me and an antibiotic for the Beta Strep that I needed to receive for four hours before the birth, for the baby's safety.

The doctor who came in and checked me decided to break my water, since I was just "poking along". I said, "I wouldn't do that, because I'm supposed to get the IV antibiotic for four hours before he's born, and if you break my water, he'll be born right away. That's what happened with my previous births." He disagreed with me and said, "This baby won't be born right away!" and broke my water.

Then everyone left us alone. I told Conrad, "I'd better go to the bathroom one last time before he's born," so he helped me there. Sitting on the commode felt so good that I just wanted to stay there, but when I suddenly felt like pushing, I panicked and called Conrad to help me back to bed. The baby was coming.

Conrad ran out to get a nurse, and she was very rude and angry that her pizza lunch was disturbed. She said, "She's not having that baby already!" However, when she checked me, she yelled at someone to call the doctor, who came pretty quickly. He was surprised, but calm. I told Conrad to call my mom, who wanted to be at the birth, but I sadly knew she'd never make it. I glared at some male paramedics-in-training who came to watch, and I was so relieved when they respectfully left.

The baby was born right away. Absolutely the easiest birth of the three. Because I was sick and had a fever, he also had a fever, but they told me that after he was born it was quickly dropping down to normal. He also didn't get the four hours of antibiotic, so they had to take him to the neonatal unit (nicu) to continue antibiotics until they got test results back, which would be three days. I begged them to let me see him before they took him, and when they all left the room for a minute, a sympathetic student nurse brought him to me. I held Jacob for the first time, and instantly bonded. Then the pizza nurse came in and yelled at me for endangering my baby with my flu, and rushed him away. They didn't let me hold him again for 24 hours. I was glad that his brothers, grandparents and father were there to cuddle him as I watched through the glass.

Eventually the hospital did a 180 and let me scrub, put on a gown and mask, and go in to him. For the first time since that brief bonding, I was able to hold him. Initially I wasn't allowed to breastfeed, but another day later when the breastfeeding team came along, they reversed that opinion too, and in fact encouraged it, and were upset with me that I hadn't been breastfeeding him all along.

I was upset when the doctor that came to perform Jacob's circumcision was the same one from my Monday appointment. Conrad and I had read an article about babies and pain, and the article suggested using a simple topical numbing ointment before performing a circumcision. It certainly seemed like a small request on our part. He absolutely refused, and circumcised Jacob as he did all baby boys, without any regard to the pain he inflicted upon him. My poor baby. He had IV's and monitors all over him, and this heartless man could not put a simple ointment on him. Conrad and I are still so disgusted with ourselves for allowing it.

Thankfully, I was an experienced mom, otherwise it all would have been much more overwhelming and upsetting than it was. Instead, I saw that Jacob got plenty of love from others, and I patiently bided my time. I knew he would be mine in a matter of time. All the wonderful IV fluids had helped flush the flu from my system, and I was feeling much better. Jacob was born at 5:00 p.m. Monday, and was discharged by 9:00 Thursday evening. From that moment, I could feel freedom. He was my baby for the first time. I was a free person with choices again. Life with our baby boy has been absolutely wonderful. What a blessing the last 11 years have been!

March

Now that it is March, the sporadic cold days are over, and it's been balmy and beautiful. I've been thinking about school ending soon, which leads me to plan for next year. Jacob will be turning 11 soon and starting 6th grade. It's all going too quickly. He'll be in college before I know it.

I found next year's Saxon 87 math on homeschoolclassifieds.com, am debating what to do for science next year, and am eagerly planning our world history study (castles and knights; Norse mythology; Greek, Roman and Egyptian history). I'm positive it will be a great year. Every year for the past 12 years, I've thought the same thought: "This will be even better than last year!" Some were.

Although the time change was surprisingly hard on me (or maybe on my family, since I'm grumpy when I'm tired), the beautiful weather has more than made up for it. My moods are definitely tied to the weather. Jacob says we're like Superman, because we are energized and recharged in the sun. Most of our week has become pretty routine, but not boring. Monday schooltime is from 9-12, then we eat lunch and he goes to band until 3:30. He's still playing the trumpet, but not enthusiastic about playing with the band anymore, which is disappointing. Karate at the Y is Mon and Wed nights. I drop him off with his daddy, who is already there working out. I teach piano every afternoon except Wed. Love having that day open! I would prefer Fri. to be open, but enjoy my piano students even more, and they can't come on another day. Tuesday mornings, Jacob is in a homeschool co-op and takes musical drama and art. Once a month he does outdoor boys ballistics there too. After we come home and have lunch, he has a little time to practice his trumpet and do some chores before piano students come. Wed. is open, and we usually spend the day doing schoolwork in a relaxed atmosphere. Very nice! I've been spending Wed. sitting with a friend who just got a heart pump, and she's too weak to leave alone. Several women from church are alternating staying with her, so her daughter and husband can go to work. This will be my third Wed. with her, and maybe my last. I hope she'll be strong enough to stay alone soon. Thursday, schoolwork and instruments from 9-12, and after lunch I teach piano all afternoon. There are five boys that come over, and their moms let them stay and play all afternoon. Jacob just has a blast, and I don't have to entertain anyone (not my forte!) since I'm busy teaching in the other room. Every other Friday is our homeschool park day. It's on the water, so is almost always cooler and breezy there. Usually I am watching the time so that I'm home in time to teach piano in the afternoon, but they canceled for March because of all their school activities, so I haven't had to worry about rushing back home.

Yesterday was one of these park days, and we could barely pull ourselves away. It was a very breezy, sunny day---just gorgeous! Jacob had so much fun playing with his friends. This week he was looking for special rocks in the river. We finally got too hungry to stay any longer, and went to our favorite little Thai restaurant--crowded as usual-- and got the most delicious food anywhere. Jacob ordered miso soup and green curry with tofu, and I got salad and pad thai. We were full before we got our entrees, so didn't eat much before we boxed it up and left. Then we went to the organic food store. We always have fun shopping there. I called my parents, and they wanted something too. Next, we were so excited to check out the brand new huge dinosaur store! It was just built across the street from the tiny dinosaur store where Jacob has spent most of his allowance. It did not disappoint. We just drank it in. I didn't buy much because everything was too expensive, and I was hoping they had more on Egypt, but Jacob found something different that rocks and fossils; he spent his chore money on mammoth hair. So his home-museum will have a little variety now! I wonder what it will look like under the microscope? We reluctantly left the dinsaur store and went to the mall. I was looking for some things, but honestly was not interested in looking at clothes, so we didn't stay long and went on to visit my parents. Jacob went swimming in their pool and I got a chance to talk with them in person. It's been awhile. The older boys visit them much more often than I do, and usually spend the night. Dad is still tutoring Brent in chemistry.

My mom told me our grey kitty (Victoria) died. We got her in 1994. After I bought my house in Zephyrhills, I had promised the boys a pet. I worked in Orlando and picked her out from the SPCA there. She was a weird kitty and would alternate between acting desperate for affection and then suddenly bite. She preyed on the boys when they were little, and would pounce on their bare ankles when they walked by. I thought it was funny at first, but they were scared, so I didn't encourage her. When I married Conrad and moved here, a neighborhood cat kept attacking her. We tried to keep her inside, but with four boys, she always got out again. I took her to the vet twice, and finally asked my mom if she would take her, so that's how she ended up over there. I guess my mom was afraid she would get beat up again, so she kept her on the back porch for the rest of her life. She seemed happy there.

It's Bike Week!

Life has flowed around homeschool this week, but that's normal for us. Conrad finally went to the doctor and got meds for pneumonia. He stayed home with Jacob Wednesday, and I went to Tampa General with a group of five other women to learn about how to handle our friend's new heart pump (LVAS). We enjoyed the trip and all felt comfortable with the pump by the end of our training session. Driving around Tampa was nostalgic for me, since I lived in nearby Zephyrhills for three years and spent two years going on dates with Conrad. We had Busch Gardens passes and frequented Ybor City, Hyde Park, Museum of Science and Industry, Aquarium and Lowry Park Zoo, with two or four boys in tow.

I left a stack of books and list of duties for Jacob. I was surprised that he quickly and easily completed everything without me. Maybe Conrad will make a good homeschooling dad when he retires later this year! Conrad took Jacob to the dermatologist to get his stitches out. It was really too early to remove them and was splitting, so they put sticky tape over it to hold it together. I wish they had just left the stitches in a bit longer. We haven't let Jacob get his hair wet and I can't remove the tape without hurting him. It's been a couple of days now, so I think I'll have Jacob get his hair wet to try and soak off the sticky tape so I can put a butterfly on it.

We don't have our new books yet, but Jacob told me he loves the crossword puzzles in Wordly Wise. Last year I put away the Easy Grammar that Jacob struggled with in fourth grade, and decided to give it a try again. Now he thinks it's easy and fun. Teaching is such a breeze when your child thinks it's fun!

Brandon is babysitting Jake today, so I'll need to get out the list of schoolwork from Wednesday. Brandon cleans our church for gas money, so Jacob will be helping him today. Conrad took off Friday to take me to my very first Daytona Bike Week. Thank goodness it has warmed up! I've only ridden on the motorcycle a couple of times, so this is a special event. It's been too long since we've had a date. I love having Conrad to myself every now and then.

Where's the Balance?

I bought the grade 5 achievement test from seton.com, and administered it to Jacob at home. I found it a perfect introduction into "fill in the dot, multiple-choice" type testing. I graded them before mailing them back for official results, and there were no surprises. This has been a very positive experience, and as his teacher, I appreciated affirmation of Jacob's academic strengths and weaknesses. He aced reading comprehension, but struggled with punctuation because I have stressed creative writing over grammar. I dug out my Easy Grammar and bought Editor In Chief, and will use those once or twice a week to improve his skills. His vocabulary is very good, but I bought the next Wordly Wise vocab book, since he enjoys his current book. Jacob has always been at least a year ahead in math, so aced the math concepts portion, but didn't finish the math computation in the allotted time. Instead of quickly figuring out the answers in his head, he was slowly and carefully numbering and showing all his work on his scrap paper. I didn't notice that until the end of his time, or I would have encouraged him to work out as many as possible in his head. THAT was a great learning experience for him! That was exactly why I decided to test him this year, in as relaxed atmosphere as possible--for the experience.

Each homeschool style is unique, and mine has changed over the years. I'm between the unschooler and the schedule-happy mom that re-creates school in the home. We do have a sort of schedule, I do have goals and I love books, but I try to find materials that are as interesting and child-friendly as possible. If teaching a subject is stressful to him or to me, something is wrong and I need to put it away until I can find a different approach.

I was worried that we were spending too little time at home with the books, because we go on so many field trips, he is in time-consuming classes such as band, art, musical drama and karate, and I teach piano three afternoons a week, but I feel much better after testing him, and just need to continue to keep an eye on that "balance". But isn't that what life's all about?

Karate Test

Jacob's karate studio closed down, due to the economy, after being in our neighborhood for over 20 years. Jacob began this Korean-style karate called Soo Bahk Do at East Winds Karate when he was 5 years old, and worked hard to become a midnight blue belt (black-belt equivalent in other styles) in Oct. 2007. It was crushing for all of us when his studio closed. We decided to try the karate classes at the YMCA where we are members, and he likes it. It is Shorin Ryu Japanese style, and is similar to his previous style, but different enough to be fresh, exciting and new for Jacob. He does have to start at the bottom again, which disappointed him for about 5 seconds. He is delighted that a couple of friends are taking the class with him. Jacob was scheduled for his first white-belt test this past Sunday. First of all, I was so relieved that Sabbath testing was not going to be an issue as it had been with Soo Bahk Do. However, Jacob had been sick since Thursday, so I was worried about his energy level and ability to exert himself. He was feeling better on Saturday. For the first time, I didn't have to give him Advil to keep his fever down, and it only peaked at 101 and by evening came down to normal, so I knew he was finally over it, but he had no energy, which worried me. We decided to go ahead and give it a try since it was only a little white belt test. We fully expected this to take about half an hour and not be physically demanding, so headed down to Melbourne at 8:45 a.m. Sunday morning without breakfast, planning to eat out afterwards. Boy, did we get it wrong! We discovered that they were planning on taking 3 hours, and 21 students were participating. I was horrified. I just didn't see how Jacob would survive working out for 3 hours when he had just been sick and without breakfast. We decided that we would try it, and if he couldn't do it, he could leave and test another time. Amazingly, the test lasted from 9:30 to 1:00, with me writhing with guilt the whole time (still am). I kept my eye on Jacob for signs of paleness and passing out, but he did fine with no food or water. I wish I had made him a soy banana strawberry smoothie, but am so proud of him for being so strong and brave, and he passed his test with flying colors.

Tears for Michelle

My sister called me this morning to tell me that her young niece died. She was 26. Michelle was my sister's husband's family, but I lived near them and watched her grow up. When she was a teenager she would babysit my boys, and I was so grateful to have her help, because she was so loving and sweet with them. She had a brilliant mind, a beautiful face, and gentle, serene spirit. But inside she tortured herself and suffered depression, and after many attempts over the years, was finally successful at finding the peace and rest she craved. Oh Michelle, I miss knowing that your bright, beautiful spirit is no longer in the world. I can only find comfort in knowing that you are at peace, at last. I can't wait to see you again in heaven.

I Miss You, Randy

My friend Randy Welch died last night. He was only 45. I wish I had stayed in contact with him when I moved away from Zephyrhills. When I was a single mom, Randy, his wife Tammy and two young sons, Scott and Robbie, helped me with anything I needed. They would never accept a dime from me. When I bought a trampoline for the boys for Christmas, Randy agreed to bring it home in his truck. When I got home from work, his whole family was finishing putting it together! Randy was a true friend to me, and I don't think he knew how much I appreciated him.

Are we learning anything???

I am going to catch up in this one big blog.

We are always busy with birthdays and holidays at the end of the year! It begins in September with Conrad's birthday, followed by Brandon's in October. In November, we had a big birthday bash at the Cocoa church for my dad's 75th. It was a surprise party, and most of the family and friends came. Even his brother, my Uncle Harold, and his daughter flew down from Ohio for it. We had fun! My son Brent's birthday is the same date (he turned 19), so his friends came too. We had a comparatively quiet Thanksgiving with my parents.

December was its usual whirlwind of activities. We went to the outdoor "Cracker Christmas" festival at Ft. Christmas on my birthday. Jacob got sick and we couldn't go to our homeschool party at the park where we decorate gingerbread houses, so we decorated his house at home. Judson graduated with a Bachelor's from the University of Central Florida! Jacob's homeschool band had a Christmas concert. I enjoyed every moment until I hurt my back, and for about a week I could barely move. Conrad was so wonderful and made sure I didn't have to do much, and thank God it improved. We had been collecting items for our homeschool flea market (a homeschooler owns it), but, after two months of piling up things to sell, my back was too miserable to move, and we couldn't go. All that stuff went to Goodwill. Cocoa church had a huge Christmas party. I've never seen the gym decorated so beautifully. They hung long strands from the ceiling, and it looked like it was snowing. They arranged little seating areas so that the huge gym felt more intimate. Sara Cook rented a jumpy house/slide for the kids, which was brilliant, because the kids mostly stayed outside and the adults (especially those without kids) could stay inside and converse in peace. The food was set up all around the perimeter, and it was delicious. The next weekend we had a party at the Titusville church too, and it was great, but on a smaller scale than Cocoa. There was a nice outdoor fire pit, but my back was miserable at that time and I was relieved to go home. I accompanied for our choir's Christmas cantata, which we performed first for Titusville church and then at Cocoa church where my parents are members. It was fun. I really did my Christmas shopping last-minute because of my back. I couldn't order online, because I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted. The only online ordering I did was some stocking stuffers from thinkgeek.com, and I bought my mom some beautiful Phillip Keveren piano music from sheetmusicplus.com. His arrangements are beautiful. Back in November, I ordered some beginner Christmas music for my piano students, so they knew a lot of Christmas music by the time Christmas came. I adore Christmas music. Their hands-down favorites were arrangements from the Nutcracker, so I will keep that in mind for next year. Christmas Day was a perfect day. We opened stockings and gifts at home and then went to my parents' for more gifts and dinner. I love everything about Christmas. It's so much fun, so beautiful. I love giving presents, I love the parties, baking, crafts, music...but it felt really good to put it all away and get the house and our schedules back to normal. In Jan. we celebrated Judson's birthday (son).

A couple of weeks ago my mom asked me to drive her around because her back still hurt from Christmas. That was a Tuesday. The next day she called to tell me that my dad was very sick. My dad has a neurological disorder and cannot walk. He had passed out, kept throwing up, and even though he was drinking water, his urine was very dark and, although he couldn't eat, his blood sugar kept going up. When he didn't get get better by that evening, we decided he needed to go to the emergency room. Fortunately, Brandon was visiting us, so Brandon, Brent and I went to my parents. Brandon lifted Papa into the car, Brent drove, and I followed. We took him to Cape Canaveral Hospital, where they were so good to him. They took him right away, and immediately put in an IV to control the vomiting, and to hydrate him, and ran test after test. Brent and I went home about midnight, and my mom and Brandon left around 2:30. They admitted my dad, and found that his pylorus was swollen shut, which is why his stomach wasn't emptying. They gave him a prescription for a type of antacid, and he's been doing well. We are all so ecstatic!

The weather has been very chilly. Jacob got a terrible cold and wasn't able to go to any activities for a few days. Last week I took him to the dermatologist. He is having a mole removed this week, so even if it does warm up, he won't be swimming until the stitches are out. He had some trouble reading his math, so I took him for an eye exam. He is slightly farsighted, but it's not severe. The doctor gave me exercises and thinks he will outgrow it. We'll see. Conrad and I both needed glasses at around 12 years old, and are nearsighted. Jacob thoroughly enjoyed the exam, and the secretary and doctor were very patient answering all his questions.

This week, Jacob will be rehearsing Monday and Tuesday for his musical drama performance, which is Thurs. night. I am going to Tampa General on Tuesday with some other volunteers to learn how to take care of a woman at church who is either getting a new heart (if one becomes available) or a heart pump. Brandon will be taking Jacob to musical drama and art that day, and babysitting him until I get back. I canceled piano lessons of course. On Wednesday, Jacob and I are going to the dentist in the morning and he's getting his mole removed that afternoon. I hope we get a chance to do a little math on Thurs. morning before I teach piano that afternoon, and we have the musical drama performance that evening. Friday, our homeschool group is having their fun annual outdoor Valentine's party at the park. Each family brings finger food and Valentines for each child. Today we started working on our Mad Libs Valentines, but will have to finish them this week.

I ordered placement tests for Jacob because I wonder if I'm teaching him enough. I feel like we need to stop running around to so many activities, and stay home and crack open the books more often! I am trying so hard to keep balance in our lives, but I find it too easy to overschedule. So many great activities, so little time!