Can It Be Fall?

We closed up the pool this past weekend. It is actually a process that Brian started a couple of weeks ago by draining off 80% of the water but a series of rainy days and working overtime put a hiatus on the project which resulted in about a foot of green water standing in the pool. As we neared the pool this past weekend to ‘get the job done’ we noticed something scamper away to the other side of the pool. Over that two week period the pool had turned into a pond. A Frog Pond. You can kick me now for not taking pictures, but the boys went out there with a bucket and a net and caught all the frogs. They ended up with about 5 or 6 small frogs and released them into the ditch outside our house where they had a chance at survival.

After de-frogging the pool we managed to get it cleaned and hung up to dry out so we can store it for the winter (Should we really call it winter in the South? Maybe Not-Summer is a better name, because it certainly isn’t winter for more than two or three weeks.) At any rate, the spot where the pool sat left a huge sandy hole in the grass. The smell of rotten grass and vegetation overwhelmed the back yard for the first day or two but after the sun dried it out it became a playground. Luci declared it the “beach” and the boys added to her fantasy by using a blue tarp to be the water at her beach.

Ben has been medication free for eleven days. At the risk of jinxing it, I’m going to go ahead and say: He is doing surprisingly well. I am not sure if it is the changes in his diet, a little maturity, or behavior modifications. But whatever it is, it is working. Not perfectly, but things are manageable. In the past month we have cut out nearly all ‘processed food’, sweets, white breads, and other junk food. Even snacks now are limited to fresh fruits, cheese, yogurt, and nuts. No goldfish crackers, no cookies, etc... We didn’t originally make the changes in our diet specifically for Ben, but for the overall health of our family. Noticing the changes in Ben was a bonus that we got once we stopped his medication eleven days ago. My ‘personal’ *not professional* opinion is that these dietary changes are responsible for most of the changes in Ben’s ADHD symptoms. Thanks to all who have kept him (and us) in your prayers. Keep it up!

I added some pictures and titled the page “September Pics”. You’ll see a few more pictures from the ‘beach party’ plus a few from Brian and Luci’s ‘Daddy-Daughter Date’ to the Zoo a couple of weeks ago.

Conversations with Luci

This morning Luci came running to me, out of breath and somewhat disturbed! The following conversation ensued:

Luci: Mom, Ben says we’re not a super hero family, but we are!

Me: We are?

Luci: Yes! But he says we aren’t.

Me: What’s your super hero power?

Luci: Hm, well, I don’t know but I might have to think about it.

Me: Ok. Think about it.

Luci: Well, I did help daddy in the garage with his tools. (she appears to be dismayed) But I can’t fly.

Me: No, I can’t fly either.

Luci: I will have to use my super hero imagination to fly! That’s it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Luci saw Santa at the mall and told him what she wants him to bring, she had a slight change she needed to add. When I asked her what she was going to do about that she raised her arm with her index finger pointed to the sky as if she’d just come up with a brilliant plan and said:

“I have a plan! But I don’t know what the plan is. I’ll have to think about that and tell you in the morning.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While folding laundry I heard Luci getting a little upset in her bedroom. She’d been quietly playing in there by herself for quite some time. When I walked in the room I found her holding the bottom part of her baby doll cradle. I instantly took in the scene and realized she’d apparently broken the cradle while trying to get in with her friends (Ty Beanie Baby Pups that she’s so fond of). The conversation then went like this:

Me: Luci, what happened to your cradle?

Luci: (Pointing her finger to the two tiny beanie babies on the floor) My puppies broke it.

Me: I don’t think they are heavy enough to break your doll cradle. Why don’t you tell me what really happened.

Luci: My brothers did it.

Me: Your brothers are outside. They had nothing to do with this. Remember we talked about telling lies? Is it right or wrong to tell a lie?

Luci: It’s wrong. But I didn’t tell a lie (bottom lip is quivering at this point).

Me: I would like to hear the truth right now or you will be punished for telling me something that is not true.

Luci: But I didn’t do it.

Me: Your the only person in here Luci. You are the only person who could have broken the cradle.

Luci: (Cocking her head to the side with a smirk on her face) DUH Mom, YOU are in here! I’m not the only person!

At this point, it was hard not to either laugh at her desperate attempts to cover her lie or feel sorry for the quivering lip and give her a hug. In the end she was punished for lying and got a big hug after she finally admitted she broke the cradle. Isn’t parenting grand!

The Guy Who Makes it Possible

Ok, so this is my third entry today, an unprecedented event here on my blog. But I wanted to take a few minutes to write about the guy behind the scenes. Almost fourteen years ago (September 19, 1994) I married the love of my life. I could not have known then what our life together would bring us, and I am sure he didn’t have a clue either! I’m almost certain that if we could have written the future it would not have included homeschooling our kids. It was not something that we talked about before we had kids, or while our first was a baby. It didn’t come up until it was time to start thinking about sending Gavin to school. When I mentioned the word “homeschool” to Brian I expected a negative reaction, after all I had just recently graduated college at the time so that we could soon be a two income family. His reaction was not what I expected though, he fully embraced the idea and all that came with it. He actually wanted this as much as I did and he stepped up to the plate to bear alone the financial burden of supporting a family. Since then he has never been anything but my biggest encourager, my number one fan, and my companion in this adventure we call homeschooling.

He praises the kids for their accomplishments and encourages them to do their best. He steps in to help when I need a break, he ‘substitutes’ when I have errands to run. He goes on field trips, joins us for P.E. Class, and is, for all intents and purposes, our “principal”. He does all this and more, all in addition to working so hard every night to keep us fed and clothed. He truly is the one who makes homeschooling possible for our family and I am so thankful that I married him nearly 14 years ago.

Updates and Other Stuff

Every time I mention how good Ben is doing it seems like I have to retract that statement within a week or so. Such is the case this time as well. As I mentioned last week he is taking Vyvanse right now and it seemed to be going well. But we started realizing that the aggression and temper tantrums were worsening--and the blinking is back. Yes, he was paying attention, focusing on his school work, and for the most part staying fairly calm for several hours. On the flip side of that, though, his outbursts were increasing in intensity and frequency. Any negative situation turned into anger and, at times, destructive behavior. I have not made a call to the doctor yet, but we decided on our own to stop the Vyvanse. At our last visit to the psychiatrist the Dr. informed us that if the Vyvanse didn’t work our next strategy was to go back to adderall and increase the risperdal. I am nervous about this one however because of the side effects of risperdal. With increases in dosage comes an increase in the occurrence of diabetes. The last thing we need is to compound one problem with another serious problem. Please, if you pray, keep Ben in your prayers. And as you pray for him, please keep Brian and I in your prayers as well, so that we can make the best decisions for Ben. I would like nothing more than for Ben’s ADHD to become manageable with nothing more than diet, exercise, and behavior modification. The medication merry-go-round is so frustrating for me, I can’t imagine how it must feel to Ben!

In other areas....Things are going great with school. It’s been a challenge to find a balance between all the activities this fall and still manage to do our school work; if we did everything that was available we’d never get to math and science! The kids are enjoying the opportunities though. I think the old argument that homeschooled kids don’t get enough socialization is an outdated argument these days. There are so many things to choose from: co-op classes, physical education classes, field trips, sports, play dates, and church events. All the homeschooled kids I know are getting plenty of interaction!

My Trouble Making angel

Part of Luci’s weekly Bible lessons include reading from a book titled Right Choices by Kenneth Taylor. Today’s reading discussed whether it is right or wrong for a parent to punish a child for disobeying. At the conclusion of the reading the question was asked:

“Do your parents sometimes have to punish you? For what?”

Luci looked thoughtful for a few minutes and then looked at me and shook her head no. The conversation then went something like this: 

Me: Don’t you do things sometimes that get you in trouble?

Luci: Un-uh, not anymore!

Me: Sure you do, what about making a mess with water in the bathroom?

Luci: I don’t do that anymore!

Me: Oh, what about tying knots with the lacing strings?

Luci: Not anymore!

Me: Hmm, how about playing in your glass of milk at the table?

Luci: Not anymore!

Me: Well, it sounds like you must be an angel!

Luci: I am now!

Almost to the End of our First Quarter

As I flipped through the pages of my binder today I realized that we are one week away from finishing our first quarter! It seems like we really just got started.

The kids started P.E. yesterday at Baptist Healthplex. They are going to enjoy this so much! Luci is in a class of about ten 4 and 5 year olds and has two fantastically patient teachers to work with them. They played duck-duck-goose yesterday and this just thrilled her! Ben and Gavin are also in classes according to their age group and will be participating in a variety of physical activities including strength training, aerobic, and even some swimming.

My calendar this month and next is overflowing with activities! Next week we are starting a co-op class within our homeschool group. Our first meeting will be an art class. I think this is going to be a great opportunity for the kids to learn a variety of things along side other kids. In the spring I will be teaching one of the classes--doing a few science experiments with the younger kids. Should be fun--and no doubt full of surprises and laughs with that age group.

Ben is on a different medication now and it is going great right now. He is taking Vyvanse, a medication we tried once before in the spring. We had success with the medication working before, but it caused stomach aches, nausea, and vomiting. Now, however, the drug manufacturer is making it in a lower dose than was available at that time and this seems to be working great with no stomach issues. Additionally, there are no tics present right now either so we are just praying none develop over the next few weeks.

Until next time...