Bat in the attic

Went into the attic today and found we had a squatter...A brown bat.  

I screamed like a little girl.  It didn't move.  When I realized it was hibernating and probably not going to fly away, I grabbed the container it was in and ran down stairs.

Matt called a conservator to schedule a drop off, but he (or she) freaked out as Matt tryed to transfer him to a more secure container and flew away.  Matt lost track of him fast. He's probably back in our attic and I'm not willing to go in there and search for him.

Christmas 2012

I'm sitting in my living room after a nice relaxing Christmas day thinking about what a great day we had.  Well, first I should cover Christmas Eve which was kind of stressful for me.  But, the church was kind enough to give me 2 gift certificates!  I hope to use them to buy a Kindle Fire.  Anyway, even though all of our Deaf church members were out of town, I still interpreted so it could be broadcasted on TV.  I may not get paid for that job, but I take it seriously.
Those old Christmas songs are hard to interpret.  Even harder if I can't prepare ahead of time.  This year there was only one song I was not able to prepare for, "The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came."  I really struggled with that one.  The rest of the songs I was able to work out my interpretations and write them down.  Took me about six hours of studying and preparing but, I think I signed them quit smoothly.  I did enjoy interpreting the song, "Joseph's Lullaby."  Beautiful, touching song.  Wish I had a video of it.
Per our tradition, the kids opened one gift before church services on Christmas Eve.  Zach opened his Lego mini figures he got from Sam.  Sam opened the one from her dad, which was season 2 of, "Full House."  That's right, my kids like that cheesy sitcom from my childhood!  .

Christmas Day:
We slept til 8 AM, but we didn't open presents right away.  No.  We played Mario Cart together!  Then, when Matt woke up, we opened presents.  Matt got me a new Foreman Grill.  my old one was kind of a pill to clean and dangerous too.  The cord would over heat.  Thought it was going to start the house on fire one of these days.  I got Matt, a new MP3 player (since his old one is on the brink of death) and the book, "Pathfinder" by Orson Scott Card, one of Matt's favorite authors.  Zach was happy with the other Lego stuff he got from Sam.  From us (Mom and Dad) he got a MP3 player, WII points and a sled.  He even got a Doctor who Lego mini figure in his stocking.  Zach got Sam a Webkinz Froo Froo Fox that he made her go on a scavenger hunt to find!  She is excited to sew her new shoulder bag and coin purse she got from her loving parents.  We also got her a new devotional just for girls.  And what a nice surprise to get a gift in the mail from Grandma Rose, the movie, "Santa & Pete."

After we ate breakfast and opened presents we went to Ice Age Trail and took a family picture.

After lunch we went to John and Jenny's in Evansville to go sledding.  Zach got to try out his new sled.

They had a great time with their cousins!  Ah, now time to sleep.  We got school in the morning!

Last day drinking TSO.

Today was my last day drinking my beloved whip worms.  I feel they gave me back my mobility, strength and clarity.  But the trial is coming to an end.  The only thing left now is a few check ups on how I'm doing without TSO.  Today's appointment was almost an all day event.  The appointment itself was about 5 hours but when you add in driving time it adds up to being a 7 hour day away from home.  The research crew were awesome as always.  Even when I got all woozy getting my blood drawn during labs.  Note to all you out there who have issues getting your blood drawn - WATER! Make sure you are hydrated.  I normally am fine but I almost passed out twice this time.  Granted they did want to take a lot of blood this time and because I was struggling not to pass out, they didn't get all the blood they needed.  I hope the next blood draw goes better.  The MRI on the other hand went great, for the most part.  Got a great nap til they woke me for the contrast.  I woke up to a cramp in my arm that had the IV.  No biggie. I was more embarrassed that they had to come in and check on me to see what was wrong.  At least this time I didn't have to pee half way through the MRI.  I hate that!

Obama Nation - My predictions

Obama was just re-elected.  Here are my predictions for the next 4 years.

• 3 more liberal judges appointed to the supreme court.
• Jobs leave or fail under the weight of taxes and regulations.  
• massive lay offs.
• Unemployment (the real unemployment) over 20%
• Inflation will make the dollar nearly worthless.
• Obamacare
• Insurance skyrockets
• System gets over burdened.
• Doctors quitting.
• People not getting adequate care.
• Abortion and birth-control being paid for by tax payers - oh wait, that's already happening.
• Medical research/advancements will slow or all out stop.
• Obama gets to keep his promise to the Russians now that he has "more flexibility."
• 2nd Amendment gets nixed or extremely restricted.
• The main stream media will still worship, adore, and cover for him.
• Freedom of speech being limited.
• More American in-prison or threatened for exercising their freedom of speech.
• Freedom of Religion restricted...only for Christians.
• Christian persecution and imprisonment.
• Lots more wasteful spending. I'd say about a trillion a year.
• Food and gas prices, "Will necessarily have to rise."
• I predict gas will at one point reach $6.
• Food cost will double possibly triple.
• Food shortage. - I suspect this will happen around the 3rd year.
• Illegal's voting - Oh wait, that's already happening too.
• Over 50% of the population on some form of government assistance. - I predict this by the end of his first year.
• Stock market crash - I think that will happen soon.  It won't happen all at once though.
• Public moral in the toilet, but if asked, most who voted for Obama will still support him.
• Class and racial divide deepens.
• Our defense budget will get slashed.
•  We get attacked again on American soil.
• Iran will war with Israel.  US will not help Israel.
• Energy shortage.
• Lots of Republicans saying "I told you so."

I'm sure I have a lot more I could add, but I'm tired.

Frost and the Hare

It finally happened.  Our fat, lazy, arthritic dog killed a rabbit.  She proudly pranced up to Matt to show it off.  She seemed totally befuddled that he wanted her to drop it.  Oh yes, not only did she successfully kill the thing, she got it's fleas and brought them into our house.  I really hope I was able to kill them all.  I am totally paranoid now about every itch, tickle, and black dot on the floor.  I am sure tomorrow she will vigilantly patrol our yard for any other foul vermin that dare entire her domain.

I'm not lucky to get to homeschool.

I drove my friend to the clinic the other day and while I was waiting I went for a coffee.  I got to chatting with the older woman behind the counter when the topic of homeschooling came up.  She asked the old questions like, "Where do you get a certificate for that?"  "How do you socialize them?"  "What do you do all day?"  Honestly, I haven't been asked those kinds of questions in a really long time.  The perspective of homeschooling has changed over the years to a more positive one.  The woman was nice and we had a good time chatting, but it made me think about the types of comments/questions I've gotten in recent years.  Now it, "Why did you decide to homeschool?"  "I couldn't do that!"  "You are so blessed/lucky to be able to do that!"  "It must be nice to be home all day!"

First off, I actually like the questions.  I like enlightening people.  It's some of the comments that kind of drive me nuts.

The "I couldn't do that!" comment is understandable if you are a single parent and it's financially impossible.  However, I do know 2 people who are single parents that homeschool, so it's not all together impossible.  But lets be honest, that comment actually means, "I would never want to do that."  And that is fine.  Honestly, at first, I didn't want to either.

"You are so blessed/lucky to be able to homeschool!"  I am blessed in many areas, but usually they mean I'm "lucky" to homeschool and luck has nothing to do with it.  I work my ass off!  I gave up a career that would have doubled our income!  We don't live in a nice house, our cars are crappy, and our budget is tight.  There are days I feel like I can't do it anymore.  God always seems to remind me why I do as soon as these thoughts enter my head.  Teachers strikes and school lunch Nazis to name a few that have come up recently.

"Must be nice to be home all day."  Yes, the same 4 walls don't feel like they are closing in on me at all! *Sarcasm*  I'm thankful for homeschool co-ops!  I think I would go insane without them!

So why do it?  Because the benefits outweigh the sacrifices. I can teach from a Christian perspective.  I can adjust curriculum depending on learning style and or challenges. Examples: Sam is dyslexic and ADD, but because I can teach her in the way she learns best she is doing great!  Not lagging behind at all. When Zach was younger and learning how to write he treated ever letter like a piece of art. It took forever for him to write a sentence because each letter had to be perfect.  He's stubborn so no amount of encouragement, punishments, or bribing was going to make him go faster.  I wonder how that would have went over in a public or even private school - LEAD BALLOON!  Fast forward, he has excellent penmanship and writes at a normal speed...finally!  And lastly, he can be a proud geek/nerd without condemnation.

I love and loath homeschooling at times.  As they say in homeschooling circles, "The pay sucks, but the benefits are fantastic."  In the end, it's the right choice for us.  See that people, CHOICE not luck.  Thank God I have that choice and a great homeschooling support group.

Date and no sitter

Matt and I had a date tonight and for the first time we left the kids home alone without a sitter for about 6 hours.  We came home to the dishes done and the living room cleaned up, per Mom and Dad's orders.  Honestly, it felt weird to come home to everything being normal.  I half expected tattling from each of them.  Nope, nothing.  When I called them after the movie to check on them, I was informed that they were done with chores and starting to watch Narnia.  Sweet!  No disasters, no fighting, and chores done.  Can't ask for anything better than that!
Oh, by the way, we went and saw the movie "The Amazing Spider-Man"  It was pretty good.  I wouldn't say it was better or worse than the Toby McGuire Spider-Man movie.  They each have their unique charm.

Praise God for parasites!

Been drinking whip worm [parasite] eggs for a while now and I can say I am noticing a difference.  Still can't "work out" like I used to (packed on a few pounds..grrr) but I can do more physical things.  A month ago I couldn't mow the lawn because my right arm would go out and my legs would feel weak/wobbly.  Yesterday morning and again this morning I've mowed the lawn before it got too hot.  It's been extremely hot for a few weeks and no rain to boot.  The yard has been left to defend itself, and has struggled against the blazing sun to grow.  Much of the back yard is fried since I refuse to spend money watering the lawn.  I'll water my garden; but sorry grass you don't produce anything we can eat.  The front yard gets shade so it is faring better. At least it's still green...ish.  Unfortunately weeds still seem to grow in this heat, but I haven't been able to pick them.  It's getting a little ridiculous.  My front yard flower beds have almost been taken over.  My window of opportunity for yard work seems to be between 6 and 7am.  After that my body is wiped out and the temperature is starting to rise; ie my workout is done.  My right hand and legs are a little tingly but otherwise I physically feel great.  Nothing feels "MS" weak.  Can I get an "AMEN" and "PRAISE THE LORD!"

Lake Emily Camping trip

Had another wonderful camping trip at Lake Emily with John, Jenny, David, Caleb, and Nathan.  We arrived Friday afternoon and set up our tents.  This is the first year we decided to give Zach and Sam their own tents. The both were ecstatic to get their own space.

Unfortunately, Friday night it rained and almost everything in Sam's tent got soaked.  Saturday it started raining in the late morning so we set up the mini computer and DVD player in Jenny's van and the kids watch "Captain America."  Jenny and I managed to cook grilled cheese sandwiches for everyone while the wind and rain battered the screen tent.  one side even fell down on us while we were cooking so Matt and John fixed it while we worked.  I tell you what, being cold and hungry made those grilled cheese sandwiches the best tasting thing in the world! Good times!
After that, we gathered all the wet stuff and went to the laundromat when it started raining again.  Kids entertained themselves with the game "7up." Matt and I joined in too.  At least it was something to do while it was raining.

Nathan was asleep in the van so Jenny and Mattie stayed with him.  Poor Mattie, she looks so desperate to get out.

Saturday morning while Jenny was on a walk with Mattie they came across a big snapping turtle.  Jenny told us that Mattie didn't realize it was alive til after it moved.  She said Mattie freaked out!  So of course the kids wanted to go turtle hunting.  They even wanted to try turtle meat so John made a "spear." 

 We were pretty sure we would never find the turtle -and we didn't.  It was fun trying though.

We knew that the rain was suppose to continue through Saturday night so we took down her tent (which broke in the process) and Sam slept in the van.  She loved it cause it was cold Saturday night and she was snuggly warm.

Sunday was the pay off day.  We got great weather!  Spent most of the day at the beach.  The kids played and I read my book "Magic Street."

David had broken his arm so he couldn't immerse his cast (it was wrapped in plastic to keep it dry) in water but he at least got to play around on the inner tube.

Sam heard somewhere that mud is good for the skin so she had to try it.  Yep, like that girl needs an excuse to get filthy.

Sorry there are not more pictures of Zach, but he literally just sat on his inner tube or the beach most of the time.  That is only after he finally got in the water which didn't happen til after we got back to the beach after lunch.  And then about an hour after that.  Having a relaxing fun day is what it's all about.

We left on Monday afternoon.  We had the van packed up by 9:30am and my mom called me and said they would like to come down and see us.  It was great!  Mom, Dad, Laura, Sydney, and Jacob came to Lake Emily.  We got to show them around.  After that, Dad took us out to lunch at Golden Corral.

Traffic on the drive home was heavy after we got on I90.  It was stop and go all the way to Stoughton.  Then it just was slow going til Janesville.  We did get home and unloaded the van before a storm hit.  I think it's safe to say, I'm sick of rain.

Been awhile...here's the update

I've been on the HINT trail for a month now. It tastes the way feet smell.  I only have to drink it every two weeks.  Better than a shot, right?!
I don't feel any different.  My hands still tingle, mostly my right. I hope to see/feel improvements in a few months.

As for the rest of my life, it's been insanely crazy!  In a matter of a week, our water heater started going, dryer belt started squealing like a pig was being slaughtered, kitchen sink sprung a leak, microwave started on fire, and to top it all off the toaster started on fire.  We were able to salvage the toaster.  It was just butter that was dropped inside and I just had to wash it out.  A new microwave now decorates my counter, but we still have to replace/fix the rest.  Luckily we still have hot water...for now.

Luke have been visiting for little over a week now.  It's been nice having him here.  He is leaving to go back to  CA next week.  They all plan to see a movie tomorrow.  Probably The Hunger Games.  I'm staying home.  Theaters and I don't mesh anymore.
My neighbor Debbie and I have started our plants for our gardens.  Right now they are in our green house.  There was some strong wind yesterday and it caused several trays of plants to fall off the shelves.  It was a mess to clean up and now we have to replant them. Major bummer!