What Curriculum Do You Use?

Since my recent post about Autism awareness, I’ve been asked about some of my curriculum choices  for my son, as I homeschool him.

So, I’ll share the journey of how we started with him, and the curriculum that didn’t work and what seems to be working now.

Fortunately, I have a VERY verbal son.  I have encountered parents with children on the spectrum, who have told me that their autistic teenager still doesn’t speak or has a vocabulary of very few words.  A cashier at Walmart once told me that she had yet to hear her 15 year old call her “Mom”.  I still tear up when I think about that.  I love hearing my kids call me “Mom”!    A lot of kids on the spectrum don’t connect with other people (unless those people are invading their space, then you have a connection that you don’t want, meaning possible meltdown).

When I started homeschooling my daughter (she’s fine and not on the spectrum at all), she was ready to read at age 4.   I figured that out after weeks of answering the question “What does that sign say?” while in the car running errands.   So I used “Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons”.   This program was actually the one used in my class when I was in the 1st grade.   It’s completely phonics-based.   So in a short time, our daughter was reading her books to herself (which gave us a little break from reading “Go Dog Go” repeatedly.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved to read to her, but I was hoping for some variety.   To this day, I can recite some of her books almost verbatim).    My son, was never interested in sitting down and having books read to him.  He was still in “examination” mode.   If you gave him a book to look at, he would examine it from every angle and then eventually toss it and move on to something else.  If I read a story, he wanted to be doing something.   Also, he didn’t start talking until he was nearly 3, so his vocabulary was limited and it only expanded about every 6 months.    So when it was time for him to learn to read, he wasn’t really ready until he was about 9.  I used the same program that I did with my daughter, and he caught on a lot quicker than he would have if I tried to force it at age 6 or 7.

For Math, I started with Saxon.   From level K through Grade 3, we did really well.  It was easy to teach and learn.  After that, the curriculum switches  to a text book and the teachers manual didn’t help me explain certain principals.  It just gave the answers.  Since then, I’ve checked out other math products and finally, found MATH-U-SEE, and now my daughter no longer dreads Math, and neither do I.   With our son, he grasped the concepts of adding and subtracting single digits, but multiple digits throw him off.   As far as multiplication and division go, he is totally thrown off.  He knows the answers to a few multiplication problems (anything multiplied by 0,1,2, 10, and some of the 5’s).

For History and Science, consumable workbooks and textbooks  don’t seem to work for my son.  So what I have been doing is checking out books and DVD’s from the library.   I’ve read to him (yes, NOW he’ll sit still and listen while I read) about various historical figures (when I told him that I was going to read about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, he asked, “They took the subway?”).  “Bill Nye The Science Guy” DVDs cover all sorts of scientific topics.   We’ve checked out DVD’s covering presidents, families in other countries, the United States, etc.  He grasps that information better in that medium.

Now as far as helping him overcome his learning obstacles, a friend had told me about a learning service in the next town who had helped her son.  So, I went there and had my son tested for what is called SOI (Structure of Intellect).  This basically told us where his strengths and weaknesses were as far as how his brain functions.   From that information, the company put together a workbook specifically for my son, full of worksheets to help his thinking and problem solving skills.  Some pages are easier than others for him, and I always need to make sure that he read the directions and didn’t just look at the page and “figure” out what was being asked of him (and he doesn’t like to go back and correct things, but then again, who really does?).    The SOI Systems website is here at http://www.soisystems.com/

Another great resource is  Dr. Daniel G. Amen MD (yes, that is really his last name) who heads up the Amen Clinics.   He has spent years studying the brain and how nutrition and whatever else we put into our bodies affect brain function.   Occasionally, his seminars are featured on PBS and are really fascinating.   His website is WWW.AMENCLINICS.COM

My son is also taking part in a health study for a supplement called Juice Plus.  These are capsules that he takes every day and each capsule consists of whole fruits and vegetables.  Feeding the brain basically.   Their website is https://www.juiceplus.com

I have also been advised to take my son to see an optometric doctor who specializes in therapies for developmentally delayed children.   A few years ago, I did have my son wearing Irlen lenses (www.irlen.com) .   However, we’re holding off in putting him back into those until he’s seen the new eye doctor.

There are also daily exercises that he needs to do in order to help some things connect in his brain that will help him grasp what he learns.

Some other websites that have been recommended to me:

Future Horizons       http://www.FHautism.com and http://www.FHsensory.com

http://www.nordicnaturals.com

http://www.balametrics.com

http://www.callirobics.com    (for writing)

http://www.interactivemetronome.com            (helps with motor planning and sequencing related to poor rhythm and timing)

http://www.acereader.com

http://www.literacyunlimited.com

http://www.linguisystems.com

http://www.sensoryedge.com

http://www.MINDWAREonline.com  (Brainy toys for kids of all ages).

And, at least to me, one of the best programs in character building (and I’m not biased because my friend owns the company.  This is an excellent program)  http://www.wechoosevirtues.com

Also the book, “Reflexes, Learning, and Behavior” by Sally Goddard has been recommended.

So that’s where we’re at now.    This year, progress with the SOI program and schooling has been slow as the last two years have been a bit chaotic for our family (a move last year followed by a political campaign this year.)

Elizabeth

Do I work?

This week, news was made when Hilary Rosen made a statement indicating that Ann Romney, who was a stay-at-home mom, had never worked a day in her life.  The fuss over that comment was heard all over Facebook (and other sites as well).  I imagine that there were hundreds of SAHM bloggers sitting down at their computers and typing out how much work they supposedly are not doing.

So I thought I’d join in.

The comment was made in reference to Mrs. Romney’s knowledge of the economic issues that women face.  So, I guess I’ll start there.  Well, one can argue that she lacks this knowledge due to having a larger income.  Maybe so, however, did she balance a monthly budget, pay bills, dole out allowances to her children with that paycheck?  Probably so.

What else does a stay at home mother do?

Well, I’ll just share what I do.  I plan and prepare meals (dietician/chef), do the grocery shopping (hunter/gatherer) listen to disagreements between the kids (moderator or referee), oversee their education because I homeschool (teacher), take care of and cleaning up after my family when they are sick (nurse), cleaning the house and training the kids to do the same (housekeeper that teaches home maintenance), guiding the youth of the house when they need correction (juvenile guidance counselor) and take care of discipline (some might say warden or parole officer).  I listen to their ideas, their stories, problems.   And most of all, I’m the secretary in that I keep track of schedules, and when my family needs new socks. I’m also a chauffeur, in that I drive my kids to the mall or to a homeschool co-op class or in my daughter’s case, a church event.   Throw in a political campaign, and suddenly almost every night has an event to be at, or I’m out shopping for what article of clothing might be needed for an upcoming event.

Then after all that going on in the day, we finally settle into bed, with that new magazine that came in the mail 3 days ago or that book you checked out from the library last week, and it’s 11PM, and your husband, who is ready to snooze looks over at you and asks, “You’re going to read now?”

Elizabeth

(Just for the record, my husband no longer has an issue with me having my light on to read at night.  It wasn’t always that way, but he’s fine with it now)

Phasing Out The Egg Hunt.

  Easter came quickly this year.  It arrived on the tail end of a very busy two weeks.   When one’s spouse is running for office, invitations to candidate forums, political groups, and neighborhood associations tend to increase as election day approaches.

This isn’t a political blog to be sure, but I’m just saying that I didn’t have as much time for Easter basket shopping.  I try to get my holiday shopping finished before the weekend of that holiday, when the majority are doing their Easter shopping.  I’m not a fan or crowds or chaotic shopping.

For many years, we dyed eggs with the kids on the day before Easter.  On Easter morning (or sometimes afternoon) my husband would hide those eggs in the most clever places (my daughter could always find them, however for our son, if he couldn’t see it outright, he didn’t want to hunt for it).   The kids are nearly 14 and 16 now, so this year I asked them if they still wanted to hunt eggs.   They pretty much informed us that they weren’t really interested anymore and for the past two years or so, they were hunting eggs to appease us, so they wouldn’t have to see us being sad that they’re growing up.   I think that my husband was sadder than I was, because he enjoyed finding odd, hard to find places for those eggs.

I asked the kids if the were too old for Easter baskets.  They both exclaimed “NO!”  Apparently, gifts and chocolate, one never outgrows.  So, I went out to find the container with their Easter baskets.  Unfortunately, moisture had made its way into the container, so their baskets and the Easter grass was useless.  So we figured that since we’re in a new phase with the kids and they wouldn’t be hunting eggs, I bought gift bags.  The kids still had their candy, and gifts and they were happy.

While they were enjoying their sugar high, their father and I went to see “Titanic” in 3D in the IMAX theater.

Not exactly like the Easter Sunday’s I remember from childhood, but, we are in a new phase in life, slightly changing some traditions and making new ones.

Ep.

I’m Very Aware!

April is Autism Awareness month.  As one mother of an autistic daughter wrote in our local paper, “Every month” is that month

Those of us who have been blessed with these unique children are aware every day, every hour, every minute and every second that Autism is a reality.

The mother mentioned above also wrote of instances where she would be out in public with her child and others around them would think that her child was undisciplined.   Those folks have no idea, that it could be worse.  Instead of a child who may not be patiently waiting in line and running around at a store or restaurant, they could be witnessing a child having a meltdown which could be viewed by others at a tantrum.   One day, I was in a grocery store and saw a mother with two preteen daughters walking with her while her preteen son was sitting in the shopping cart, wailing loudly.  I’m sure that this mother was getting some critical looks from others for how her son was acting.  When I passed her, I tried to give an understanding smile, because I was pretty sure I knew what she was dealing with.

Having a child on the spectrum has been an interesting journey.  We’ve had to change some of our thinking in how we parent him.

For example: There was a 3 year period where our son would not eat anything except peanut butter sandwiches.  Anytime we went to a restaurant, I had a baggie with a PB sandwich in my purse (sometimes a little squished, and he didn’t like squished) for him.  I always felt that I was being viewed as playing favorites with my kids because we would order from the menu for our daughter and then pull out this squished sandwich for out son.

Another example is when we would go to a store or restaurant that, for some reason, he didn’t like.   When our son was little, there was a particular grocery store that he didn’t like (but I needed to shop there, in order to save money).  Every time, I would turn onto the freeway to go to that store, he’d let out a loud scream in the car.   It happened every time, for months.   Then one day, he stopped doing that.

 

When he was a toddler, he was suddenly freaked out about taking a bath.   For 6 months, I bathed a screaming kid, and then as suddenly as it started, he was back to being fine and happy with bathes.

He was also prone to suddenly scream.  Just a shriek.   He did that in front of a friend once and she immediately said, “Um, I wouldn’t let him do that”.   I really wanted to say, “Well gee, I’m sorry, he didn’t give me an itinerary as to when the screams were scheduled!”.  All I could really say was that I don’t “let” it happen, but I do handle them when they do happen.  For as much as he loves a predictable life, he himself can be unpredictable.  Finally one day, I decided that I was no longer going to accept embarrassment or criticism for his behaviour or how we handled him because those critics were not dealing with what we were dealing with and in some cases, refused to educate themselves about autism.

He’s a teenager now.  He can handle his meltdowns much better and we can tell when one is coming.  Usually, if we can catch it early enough, a long hug from one of us, and talking him through it helps to keep it from escalating to something more difficult to handle.

He may be taller than me now, but he still loves Disney cartoons and seeing “Mater” from “Cars” is like seeing a real celebrity.

 

When you ask him to smile, and it’s not in his nature to smile for a camera so the one he gives is more intense

When he draws detailed maps, hand-copied from our local phone book.

He has a different view on how things should be, such as “It should be illegal to drive when you’re a zombie” (or when you’re asleep).

He reminds us of “Sheldon Cooper” from “The Big Bang Theory” tv show in that he feels a need to have things a certain way (such as a particular spot on the couch when where are plenty of other places to sit).

 

We can remind him to do the dishes or sort his laundry and we receive the same line of questioning: “Will I have to do this for the rest of my life?”, “Is this a daily chore or a once a week chore?”, “Are you mad or just sounding firm?”

The kid entertains us and fascinates us daily, even when he looks at his older sister and randomly asks, “Are you glad that I’m not a boat?”.

 

Elizabeth

Busy Days

I’m sorry that I don’t have a picture or two to accompany this post (I’m a picture gal).   I just haven’t had much time to take many (other than the ones that I took of my husband speaking to a group).

I mentioned a few months ago that my husband is running for a local political office.   When he first decided to do this, we knew that life would get busy as election day was approaching.   Now for me, someone who likes to have a plan ahead of time, and some sort of essence of a schedule (considering that I keep track of the schedules of everyone else in the house—we only have one car, so we do need some organization in that department), this has been a stretch, taking me out of my comfort zone, having to be willing to give up some evenings to join Kevin when he goes to speaking engagements or neighbourhood association meetings that he’s been invited to.   This has definitely pushed the kids and I into learning to be more flexible.

I’m also trying to maintain some sort of normalcy for the kids while the hectic schedule tries to dominate our lives.

-Normal meals (as opposed to fast food type meals .  I’m thankful for my The Pioneer Woman’s cookbook and having an extra refrigerator and freezer for make-ahead meals)

-Social gatherings like church, and product parties (about 3 weeks ago, I took Heather with me to the first Pampered Chef party that I’ve been to in about 4 years! I forgot how much fun those were………and the food is always so tasty!).

-Keeping up with regular holidays (campaigning for an office can take up a lot of time and really, the kids don’t want to hear that their mother forgot to make them Easter Baskets because she was so absorbed in the campaign meetings…………..that just wouldn’t fly at this house).

-Date nights (can’t forget those!  Even if it’s just having 30 minutes of having a cup of coffee on your front porch (though I strongly recommend a coffeehouse).

In just over a month from now, we’ll find out if his/our (because a campaign affects EVERYONE in the family) efforts paid off.

However, for today, since it is my day to have the car, I’m driving various family members to doctor’s appointments, and running a couple of errands myself, and because Spring Break is over, we’re having school as well.

This is the kind of schedule that keeps life from getting boring 🙂

 

Elizabeth

Spring = Snow

Its been about a month since I last posted.

I managed to download pictures from my new camera……..finally!

Spring has finally arrived, and if you’re in the Pacific Northwest, then you know that the weather has rarely been Spring-like.

Especially, on the day after the first day of Spring.  I woke up early to make the coffee and when I went downstairs, I happened to glance out of the window and that is when I noticed that the world outside was completely white.   I ran back upstairs and told Kevin “It snowed!”, to which he woke up rather quickly and looked out the window and then cheered!  If it snows enough that even the buses aren’t running, then he can stay home.   There were very few cars trying to drive down the street (and they were large trucks with 4 wheel drive).    Then, I tried to coax my kids out of bed with the news of snow.  Well, they weren’t that excited, and wanted to sleep in (That’s my gene pool kicking in there.  When I was a young adult living at home, on snow days, my mother would burst into my room and wake me up singing, “It’s snowing!!!” and open my curtains.  I was not ready to wake up at that time).  My kids used to love to go out and play in the snow.  Now, they’d rather stay indoors and be warm and dry, hoping that their mother would give them a day off of school (which I did).

So since it was an off day, I made pancakes!  The kind with chocolate chips in them!  My husband was very glad to have a snow day and stay home!

After breakfast, I figured that if my family is getting a day off, then I should be able to relax (within reason as some household chores still needed to be done).  I like to put together puzzles.   I had bought a puzzle a few weeks ago and now seemed like a good time to put it together.   Then for lunch, the  “wet-weather-cozy-food” menu called for tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches!

The snow lasted for another two days (usually it’s melted by noon, so this was rare)  and by then, the roads were clear. The puzzle is finished, and we’re waiting for the real, hopefully sunny, Spring weather to arrive.

Elizabeth

Happy Leap Day!

Since my last post, the following took place………

-My computer decided to not work.  So, the kids and I are now sharing a computer with my husband Kevin.  So far, we’ve all adjusted to the sharing with no major issues.  The downside is that it won’t allow me to download pictures from my new camera.  So, if I want pictures for blogging, I’ll need to find another way.

-Something that I don’t think that I’ve mentioned is that my husband is running for Mayor of our town.   So our schedule has stretched to include invitations to political groups and neighbourhood association groups.  It also opens him up for all sorts of slander from those who obviously aren’t planning to vote for him.   That last part doesn’t bother us as much because from what we’ve seen, these folks obviously don’t know him.   All I have to say is, if you aren’t voting for him, be civil and just say, “I’m not voting for him”.  There is no need to be vulgar.

-Kevin had a birthday earlier this week.  I gave him a remote-control helicopter.  Unfortunately,  the battery inside won’t recharge, so we need to take it back (something I really don’t like to do.  I’m not a “return” person).   It’s a really cool toy though!  It’ll be even better once he gets it in the air!

-Last, but not least, we had a dusting of snow.  Not enough to close most of the schools (except maybe the ones in rural areas), but we saw large flakes this morning. Many kids and adults were looking outside, hoping that the snow/rain shower would turn into a blizzard that would keep them home.  This was not that kind of snow (sorry folks!).  Very rarely do we have enough snow to keep one housebound and unable to get to work (not like the snow we had back in 1969, which had my dad practically living at his job, and my mother housebound with a new baby…….another story for another time perhaps).

It’s time for me to wake up and move on in the day, and get as much done around the house and with the kids’ schooling (and yes, sometimes we school in our pajamas…..but not all day), before heading off to the Library.

Enjoy your Leap Day!

 

 

 

My Girl’s Weekend Away (from us)

Last weekend, the Jr. High, High School, and College groups went up to Portland for the Generation Unleashed conference at City Bible Church.  This is the second year that our daughter went.    She was very excited!  She had her bags packed at least a week in advance (Mama’s DNA at work there I think, lol).

 

 

 

 

This is also the first time, that her brother hasn’t had an issue with her leaving.  Usually, starting the week his sister is about to leave, the boy will start talking about hoping the bus isn’t working or that everyone gets sick or something really drastic, because if she goes, he’ll miss her and his secure, ordered world will be changed.    This time, he seemed to be ok with his sister leaving.  She put him in charge of taking care of her “Perry the Platypus” stuffed toy.  He took his assignment very seriously 🙂

Before this trip, we felt that it was time to get the girl some new sneakers.  She was going to a conference with 4,000 other people and we didn’t want her to lose her shoes if she was squished in the crowd.  We found these cute Converse sneakers (or “kicks” as they are now called) at Ross for a good deal, and they were in her favorite color (as can probably be guessed by the pictures in this post- she’s a fan of hot pink).

 

 

 

 

We were one of the first ones to arrive at the church to meet the bus, so she was able to choose where she wanted to sit.

 

 

 

 

 

After the youth pastor prayed over the group, and told the boys to sit with boys, and the girls to sit with girls, and that this was not the weekend to fall in love with someone, everyone boarded the bus, and headed up to Portland.  According to my girl, she had a great time, and is looking forward to going again next year.

While she was gone, we made sure that the boy and a good time too, and visited several thrift stores looking for “Happy Meal” toys from his favorite movies.

When she came back, she had gifts for all of us, as the group visited the mall.  She gave me a CD of the music from the conference.  Her dad was given a See’s Candy Heart, and her brother’s gift was a plush toy from the movie “Cars 2” from the Disney store.

Such a lovely  girl!

Sick Days

We finally caught it, my husband and I.

The bug that’s been going around.

Kevin caught it first.  He was miserable.

I made him some Cream of Wheat.

When I was growing up, my mom only made it if I was sick (I didn’t realize until much later that most people ate it for breakfast)

I bought him Ginger Ale.

We avoided kissing each other so that I wouldn’t get “the bug”.

We’ve avoided kissing the kids so that they wouldn’t catch it and my daughter could go to her youth conference, and my son wouldn’t catch “the disease”.

However, for as hard as I tried to avoid it, I caught it anyway.

Fortunately, my kids are old enough to prepare their own meals.

Fortunately, my husband has no problem baking or ordering pizza for two…….three nights in a row.

Unfortunately, if I want some Cream of Wheat, I’ll need to make it myself.

I Have A New Toy!

Just before my birthday last month, and after some research and questioning my photographer friends, I finally bought a new camera!  It’s a Canon 60D with a 24-70mm, 2.8 lens.

It’s things like this, that make me love the UPS man (and I say “man” because so far, I’ve never seen a UPS “woman” deliver anything to me)!

It arrived just as the Christmas season was getting hectic, so I didn’t have much of a chance to read the manual or even really play with the camera.

So, today, I finally started using my new toy, and I’ll figure out all of it’s bells and whistles on a need to know basis……..until I’m actually able to sit down for dedicated time with the manual.  Does anyone really do that?

Ec