We normally begin school the first Monday in August, pretty much as soon as softball season is over. This year, though, we are just NOW getting back into full time schoolwork. My health has just been crazy this year, with tons of doctor appointments, tons of lab appointments, tons of pills, which I hate taking. It has really put huge delays into everything, from school, to simply doing chores and paying bills. My first doctor, and first and second set of labs back in the spring said I had Lupus. I was sent to a rheumatologist, who said my blood levels were not "high enough" to call Lupus, and I had to go back in August to get more labs. Again, he said while I tested positive, it wasn't high enough to be considered Lupus. They did note, however, that I am extremely low in Folic Acid and Vitamin B, so I started taking supplements. I have had ulcerative colitis since I was a child, and they attribute my deficiencies to the fact that my colon does not absorb Folic Acid like normal people, and the B vitamins can not be properly processed without Folic Acid. I can definitely say that I noticed a HUGE increase in my energy levels within a week of beginning to take the supplements, although they do nothing for all my other symptoms.
Then, about a month ago, I began suffering pretty severe lower, left abdominal pain. It was in the exact same spot where I always have pain with my ulcerative colitis, but other than the pain, I was having no other symptoms. Finally, I went (was forced) to the doctor, who felt it was my colitis, and prescribed me Flagyl and Cipro for 10 days. Which during the time I took them, actually made me WORSE, but once I was off them, I slowly improved to the point that this week I was finally back in school mode for the first time. I was pretty out of it for a month or so. I didn't even pay my bills...not because I couldn't afford to, but because I was so exhausted, in so much pain, that I simply didn't care, and I simply couldn't find the energy to write checks or pay by phone. School-wise, all I could manage to force myself to get done was math for each daughter.
Finally, last week, I decided that ANY school accomplished is better than NO school getting done. (Yes, I've been so out of it lately, that it took me this long to figure that seemingly obvious fact out.) So, instead of my usual, teacher-intensive curriculum, I went with what I consider the "easy way out" this year, and do a major portion on each girls' school with what I like to refer to as: "read and regurgitate" type workbooks. Colleen began last year, and is finishing this year, ACE's 9th grade Geography, and she just this week began PAC's Integrated Physics and Chemistry. These basically require nothing of me, other than handing her the score keys after she completes each days' assignment. Honestly, I never liked this kind of curriculum, but, as I said, SOMETHING is better than NOTHING, and she actually does very well with those 2 subjects. She is CONSTANTLY reading aloud from both these courses, sharing what she finds interesting, and does very well on all her tests, seeming to remember more from the "read and regurgitate" format, than from typical textbook formats. Colleen is also doing Writing Strands Level 5, which is WAY too easy for her, especially after having completed Windows to the World Writing/Lit last year. But, it constitutes a "writing intensive" semester course, which our state requires 2 full credits of in high school, and she adds to it by....GASP!.....writing short stories on her own. Yes, Colleen, my writing-loathing daughter, has been writing short stories on her own at night.
Colleen is also almost done with Chapter 10 (out of 17) of Jacob's Algebra. She has had a horrible week with it this week. She and I literally spend a MINIMUM of 2 hours per day, and usually more like 3, every day. I love Algebra. I loved it when I did it in school 25 years ago, and I love it now. Colleen, on the other hand, truly thinks I make her do it because I am "mean". Together, we use the white board a lot, and truly work one problem at a time, one lesson at a time, and as a reward for finishing a chapter, she takes a week off from Algebra after every chapter. Next week is her birthday, and thankfully, she has a whole week off. I'm not sure who is happier about that....Colleen? Or me?
Emily is on chapter 7 of BJU Math 5, and as always, flies along in anything math-related. I went the easy way out on some of her curriculum also. She is doing ACE paces for both English and Word Building, which is a fancy name ACE has for Spelling, to fool kids into thinking they aren't doing spelling. And happily, she is doing all 5th grade work this year, right at grade level. The past 2 years she has been working a grade behind in both spelling and English. They require a lot more writing than she is used to having to do, but she is doing well with both courses. She's only in the first pace of each, though, so I'll reserve judgment till she gets farther into the year.
Emily is also doing Writing Strands this year, level 3. It is EXACTLY where she needs to be for her abilities, and she brought tears to my eyes this week when she turned in an assignment that has NO spelling errors, and NO missed punctuation or capitalization errors. Granted, there were no words longer than 5 letters in any of her sentences, but as the one or two readers of this blog may recall, Emily is mildly dyslexic/dysgraphic, and for her to turn in a perfect writing assignment is amazing to me.
Emily has not started science or social studies this year. She is partway through each of the 5th grade Abeka books in each of those subjects, so I'm in no hurry. I'm doing much better than I was a month, or even a week, ago, but I'm not up to doing Abeka with her yet....THAT is way too teacher intensive, and I'm just thankful we are now at least getting the basic core subjects done daily. I also still have to order Spanish for Colleen. We plan to do it together, as a family, but it's not happening yet, due to my health, and also because I can not seem to find a Spanish program I'm completely happy enough with to spend money on.
So, while I am more behind this, my 6th year of homeschooling, than any other year, and while I am NOT keeping up with this blog as I should, and as I began 2013 out intending to do....we ARE still here, and we ARE muddling through school and life. I am so thankful for each day I make it through, and I thank God many times a day for the people who are here to support, love, and help me. It is very difficult for me to ask for help of any kind, so I appreciate all those who SEE what I need without me asking, and help me! Simple things, such as carrying the laundry for me, or taking out the garbage, save me hours of pain and exhaustion. Simple e-mails and phone calls show me who is there for me, and who cares. Thank you to all of those who are there for me. I TRULY could not make it without them! And while most of the time I just don't have the energy to promptly return emails and phone calls anymore, I do truly appreciate each and every gesture of love and concern.
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