Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, and Ouch

Every pregnancy is indeed different!  This is my tenth and the very first time ever that I have failed the glucose test.  So I had to go back in for the three hour, four blood draw test.  That was not fun!  I went without anything to eat for almost 18 hours.  All I had was that shot of a sugar drink they gave me.  Then it took seven sticks to get those for blood draws all out of the one good vein that I have.  Not fun at all.

So I went back in for my appointment yesterday for the disturbing news. They now say I failed that one and have gestational diabetes.  I have never had this problem before.  I was barely over the limit by just a point or two and I took the test later than usual which can skew the results so I am not completely sure that I am buying the diagnosis.  But the doc says they still have to treat me as if I do have it because of those numbers from the lab.

So I now have to be very careful about what I eat and I have a meter now where I have to check and record my blood sugar four times a day!  That means some very sore fingers will soon be an unwanted companion.  Ouch, ouch, ouch, and ouch again!  Did I mention, I don’t like needles in any form??

If I can go a couple of weeks with really good readings then the four times a day could be reduced.  I am hoping.  I was definitely NOT encouraged by my first reading this morning.  It was an overnight fast but maybe my high reading had to do with that bowl of icecream with chocolate syrup I had last night.  hmmmm.   Hey now, don’t judge me…..LOL.  My doc said I could have one last BIG bowl before I cut out the sugar!  But I still think that meter they gave me lies!!!

So, needless to say, the arrival of this baby could not come soon enough for me!  No, I don’t want a preemie, been there and done that, not  fun at all.  I just want the next eight weeks to fly by!

At least I get another ultrasound out of this and my OB was kind enough to say I could wait about three weeks to do it.  Hubby should be home and able to go with me!  That way he hasn’t missed out on all the pregnancy stuff!  But is the four times a day finger stick worth another ultrasound?  Still debating that one.  Ask me later. )

Please pray for me and this little guy that I can keep that blood sugar level under control.  And that my fingers will hold up!

Have any of  you had to deal with gestational diabetes?  Share your story with me.

S.P.I.R.E. for Learning Disabilities

Homeschooling can be a challenge and a lot of work but it is filled with rewards for the children, the parents, and society.  It becomes even more challenging when learning disabilities are thrown into the mix.  I have two children (so far) who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities.  We are dealing with a whole array of learning disabilities.  A few of them have a lot of support and suggestions on how to deal with them.  Some do not.

It seems there is always trial and error involved in trying to find out what works best to help these children with extra challenges.  There are also differing schools of thought on how to approach things.  What one school of thought says works another will say is worthless.  The real test, however, is really what works, what brings results.  I am one who believes that the Orton-Gillingham approach seems to have the best results.  S.P.I.R.E. is based on that approach.

One thing that one must take into consideration when dealing with learning disabilities is that there will be what seem like set backs.  One day your child will seem to finally get it and then another day seem as if they haven’t picked up a thing.  Perseverance is the key.  Keep plugging away and do not let yourself grow weary.

Whenever I begin to find myself getting frustrated with my children I put myself in their place and realize how much they are struggling.  Being aware of how difficult the task is for them helps me to keep my frustration in check.

I have recently found a curriculum that seems to be helping my daughter.  It is rather pricey.  But I think it is well worth the price.  It does tend to get on my nerves a little bit only because of the amount of time and repetition involved but that is exactly what my daughter needs.  It takes more time than I would like but then again my daughter takes more time to “get it” than I would like.  It does take about 45 to an hour per lesson.  The lessons may seem redundant but again the repetition is what she needs.  It isn’t simply repetition though.  The program tackles reading from several different angles.  This helps to attack all different areas of possible mis-connects and cement the concepts for the child. Even though there is more involved with the program it is amazingly easy to implement. The teachers guides are very easy to understand and give step by step instruction which is easy to follow.

What program am I referring to?  It is called S.P.I.R.E. and can be purchased from EPS.  S.P.I.R.E. takes a ten step approach to teaching.  Each lesson contains ten steps.

S.P.I.R.E. is a comprehensive and multisensory reading intervention program. It is designed to prevent reading failure and to build reading success through an intensive, structured, and spiraling curriculum. It integrates phonological awareness, phonics, handwriting, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension in a 10-Step lesson plan that is specifically designed for the way struggling readers learn. via website

S.P.I.R.E. has eight levels and each level follows the ten step lesson plan. With each concept taught there is an introductory lesson with one or more reinforcement lesson. With my daughter I have found that she needs each and every reinforcement lesson but that may not be so for your child. The ten step lesson plan is as follows. I share this to give you an idea of how they attack each new concept from several angles.

1. Phonograms Cards
2. Phonological Awareness
3. Word Building
4. Decoding & Sentence Reading
5. Prereading
6. Reading
7. Sound Dictation
8. Prespelling (orally)
9. Spelling
10. Sentence Dictation

There is also independent work and additional readers to reinforce what has been taught.  For more on the ten step program, GO HERE.

If you have a struggling reader I would highly recommend the S.P.I.R.E. program.  It is a bit time consuming (about an hour a day) and it is a bit pricey. I think I spent about $2200 for all eight levels and the preschool program for one child.  If you purchase it one level at a time though it isn’t so hard on the budget.

The thing that I love the most is the fact that it tackles the same concepts from all different angles and helps you see where your child is struggling the most enabling the parent to better address the issue.

You can learn more on their website.  They even have a sample video lesson demonstrating the ten step program.  You can also look at the scope and sequence for each level.

Do you have children who struggle with learning disabilities?  Have you found something that seems to work?  Have you ever tried or even heard of S.P.I.R.E.?  After looking it over, is this a program that you think you might try? Please leave me a comment and share your thoughts with me.

Birth Anxiety is Rising

I think my anxiety over the upcoming arrival of our little one is beginning to rise.  With every pregnancy I tend to have dreams about having the baby and making it to the hospital on time.  This is for good reason considering my shortest labor was one hour and fifteen minutes.  My longest was only seven and half hours.  I have had about half of my children in two hours or less.  This dream I understand and expect.  I have it with almost all of my children but not usually this early. I understand it even more living here in Alaska. There is only one road to the hospital, I am due when there will be snow, and if the highway is shut down we are stuck in traffic for at least an hour (maybe more) on the highway.

BUT ,last night’s dream was a doozy!  I have been having dreams about delivering early, very early and without my husband home from Afghanistan.  Last night,  well, let me just say, I hope I do not have another dream like that one!  I won’t go into details (say thank you )

Now, I will be the first to tell you that this child will probably be closer to the due date than any of my other births.  Knowing this I wonder why such anxiety over it.  My hubby should be home a month before my due date so even if I were to go two weeks early like I usually do he should be here.

I do not feel anxious about it but apparently I am or I would not be having dreams like this.  It is rather unsettling to wake from a stressful dream.  I never feel really rested when that happens.

Do any of you have anxiety dreams about your pending delivery?  If so, how do you destress from that?  Any suggestions???

A Not So Little Preemie

I remember my little preemie girl. She was born 33 weeks gestational age and weighed in at 4 pounds and 8 ounces and 17 1/2 inches long. Her little head would fit in my hubby’s hand with his fingers wrapping around her head. She seemed so small especially compared to her older brother who weighed in over 9 pounds when he was born.

Today, she is far from that tiny little one she once was. She turns 18 years old today. She has been such a blessing to us and God has grown her into a godly young woman and I am so very proud of her!

Happy birthday! We love you!!

Mountains Close to Home

View of the mountains in Chugiak…one of these is Bear Mountain…taken close to the post office.

Mountains at Mirror Lake…notice the reflection of the mountains in the water.

Pioneer Peak in Palmer…taken from the parking lot at the Alaska State Fair.

To Many Rules

This is a claim that has been made against my family many times.  Often by children of other families.

“You have too many rules.”

“You don’t have to ask.”

“Why do you have so many rules.”

“You have to ask about that, that is just dumb.  We don’t have to ask.  Just come on and lets do it.”

Several other comments very similar have come our way as well.  My children were discussing this fact with me yesterday.  Apparently the comments were made again.  One child simply told their sibling to just respect the rules and quit trying to cause trouble.  I appreciated the maturity of that girl.  Needless to say, my children and I once again had our “why rules are important” discussion.

I will admit that we do tend to have more rules than most families these days, even other Christian families.  I see the families that often make the comments about us having too many rules and even my children will say that they think their friends would benefit from having a few more rules of their own.

My children do not go anywhere or really do anything without permission.  They do not get any food without permission.  We have rules for the trampoline.  We have rules on how to treat others, being fair, respecting others, sticking up for their siblings, and more.  Of course, these are not always perfectly followed but my children do know what is expected of them.

So, why so many rules?

First off there are a lot of us and rules help us to maintain some semblance of order and organization as well as safety.

More importantly it trains children to respect authority, respect boundaries, and to develop self-discipline.  How can a child be expected to honor, respect, and obey their Heavenly Father if they cannot even do so with their earthly father?

If a child never has boundaries to respect and an understanding of why they are important how can we expect them to have boundaries and be self-disciplined to adhere to them when they are older?  How can we expect children to respect authority if we have not trained them to do so?

Respecting authority, adhering to boundaries, and having good self-discipline are things that not only do not come naturally but are things that we most tend to fight against. Children must be taught these things from an early age.  It is something that adults need continual practice in as well.  As a child grows older parents can relax a bit on maintaining the standard or rules because children will begin to exercise that self-discipline more and more.  The struggle however is not something that is ever fully overcome.

I still struggle as an adult to respect authority sometimes.  I still struggle sometimes with boundary issues.  I still struggle at times with self-discipline.  If it is something that an adult struggles with on a daily basis imagine a child developing these strengths without any guidance or rules to practice with.

Children also learn through example.  Even as we ourselves struggle through these issues children will learn by our example.  They will learn as they see us doing what is right even when it is difficult.  Even us adults have rules we must obey.  Our children will learn most by us practicing what we teach.  But we must also be teaching them and providing them the opportunities to exercise that teaching.  They are not just going to pick it up by watching us.  If we were perfectly honest with ourselves we would admit that we are not always the best example.  That is why teaching along side our example is so very important.

So at our house we may have many rules.  There is a reason for that.  Even amidst the many rules my children thrive.  Children need direction, guidance, and opportunities to exercise what we are teaching them.  Even other children can learn from that as they struggle with the rules of our house and our children share with them the importance.

So, how about you?  Are you a house of many rules or few rules?  How do you teach your children to respect authority, adhere to boundaries, develop self-discipline, and to obey willingly and without reservation their Heavenly Father?