Well, Joshua had his testing yesterday. After an intial stubborn streak where he didn't want to talk or otherwise cooperate was squelched, it went fine. The hearing test showed ears working just fine. We will have to wait 2 weeks for the official tests numbers. The tester though said she saw a very definite problem with his speech patterns and there would be some help that we can get for him this year. We meet with her on Oct. 11 to find out her recommendations and what programs she recommend for him. One thing that she did point out that I hadn't realized is that some sounds he says fine when it is in the middle of a word but not when the sound is at the beginning of the word. (Example: the f sound in fish or fun comes out more like a p sound but he can say elephant fine.) Some of the testing that tests for understanding she actually skipped because he was testing way above age level which doesn't surprise me at all.
Well, we are starting a second Advance Newspaper route today. This is a one day a week local paper. This route is just 5 more papers than our current one. Hopefully, Joshua and I can have it done by the time the kids get home today since they are forecasting rain for later. This is going around all 4 sides of 8 city blocks. It's rather good exercise. So we have a full day lined up.
Rachel took the clarinet to band yesterday and it worked just fine. Her band leader didn't seem to have any problem with the sound or anything! I thought it would but just felt like it wouldn't be completely done till it passed "professional inspection". Now I can cross that off my list.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
Retreat
I haven't blogged because I haven't been home. At the last minute, arrangements were made for me to join our ladies from church for the retreat at Lake Ann Baptist Camp. I knew for just over a week that it was a possibility but it was literally the day before we left that the final details were worked out for me to be able to go.
It was really a nice retreat. We left on Thursday afternoon and returned Saturday around 4. We had rain on the way up but otherwise the weather was very nice. There wasn't many colors changing yet but the evenings were crisp and just right for enjoying L.A.'s delicious hot cocoa. We had 30 ladies from our church which is the largest group ever.
After I got home, Mark put the new alternator on the Cavilier. It seems to have done the trick. We are back to being a 2 vehicle family!
While I was gone, the supplies that I had been waiting for arrived in the mail. I have been working on getting my old clarinet ready for Rachel to use. I didn't think this was going to be such a big deal. I thought I should be able to get new pads and corks on it easily enough. The local music stores wanted $150-$200 to do the work! and also told me that the instrument wasn't valued at that much. The all wanted me to rent a new or used instrument from them. I also couldn't seem to get any supplies from them to do the work myself. As much on the internet as I am, surprisingly that was the last place I turned. I found a wonderful website, www.shopforband.com out of Mesa, AZ that had all the supplies plus step-by-step instructions to do the work myself. That is exactly what I did! Last week, I took all the keys off, removed the cork, and treated the wood. I was just waiting for the supplies which arrived on Thursday just after I left. I put the pads in the keys Saturday night. I then put the cork on Sunday afternoon and finished it up this morning. By lunch time, it seemed to be working fine! Putting the keys back on was quite a puzzle but I did it!
Now I'm trying to get caught up on cleaning, laundry, and AVON that all fell behind while I was gone.
Joshua will be tested tomorrow morning concerning his speech. It is a 2 hour period with 1/2 hour for hearing and the rest on language/speech. I'll let everyone know the results as soon as I know anything. I don't know if that will be tomorrow or whether we have to wait for results.
It was really a nice retreat. We left on Thursday afternoon and returned Saturday around 4. We had rain on the way up but otherwise the weather was very nice. There wasn't many colors changing yet but the evenings were crisp and just right for enjoying L.A.'s delicious hot cocoa. We had 30 ladies from our church which is the largest group ever.
After I got home, Mark put the new alternator on the Cavilier. It seems to have done the trick. We are back to being a 2 vehicle family!
While I was gone, the supplies that I had been waiting for arrived in the mail. I have been working on getting my old clarinet ready for Rachel to use. I didn't think this was going to be such a big deal. I thought I should be able to get new pads and corks on it easily enough. The local music stores wanted $150-$200 to do the work! and also told me that the instrument wasn't valued at that much. The all wanted me to rent a new or used instrument from them. I also couldn't seem to get any supplies from them to do the work myself. As much on the internet as I am, surprisingly that was the last place I turned. I found a wonderful website, www.shopforband.com out of Mesa, AZ that had all the supplies plus step-by-step instructions to do the work myself. That is exactly what I did! Last week, I took all the keys off, removed the cork, and treated the wood. I was just waiting for the supplies which arrived on Thursday just after I left. I put the pads in the keys Saturday night. I then put the cork on Sunday afternoon and finished it up this morning. By lunch time, it seemed to be working fine! Putting the keys back on was quite a puzzle but I did it!
Now I'm trying to get caught up on cleaning, laundry, and AVON that all fell behind while I was gone.
Joshua will be tested tomorrow morning concerning his speech. It is a 2 hour period with 1/2 hour for hearing and the rest on language/speech. I'll let everyone know the results as soon as I know anything. I don't know if that will be tomorrow or whether we have to wait for results.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Car troubles
Well, it's been almost 6 months since the last problems with the car so I guess we were about due. Rachel and I were out delivering AVON catalogs on Saturday when all of a sudden I noticed the battery warning light on. I pulled into the closest parking lot and shut off the car. It started up again just fine but the light didn't go off. So I brought the car home right away. The serpentine belt looked fine so we called a friend from church for suggestions. He said it would be easiest to have the problem diagnosised by a garage and then do the work ourselves. Since it was almost 8 on Saturday, we could have much done till yesterday.
PepBoys is about the closest garage we have to our house and since we knew they weren't going to do the work anyway, we decided to have them check it out. The news wasn't good. They said it was the alternator and the battery. They also say that the belt tensioner needs replaced. (Of course, they also said that we needed 3 or 4 other things done that have nothing to do with the electrical system for a grand total of $515!) We'll be starting with the alternator but not till at least Friday. Fortunately, this is something that we should be able to do ourselves or with just some help from a friend from church. I have to talk to that friend to see what he thinks about this belt tensioner business.
This means that we are having fun trying to get through this week with only one vehicle. With the type of schedule and the number of kids we have to haul around, this is a bit of a challenge. The only thing that I can say is "Thank you Lord that we have the van running". It would be a lot harder if we only had the car instead of the van.
The other thing we are thankful for is the fact that gas prices are going in a downward direction this week. We were rather excited to fill up yesterday at just $2.54/gallon. Of course, today I saw it at $2.39 which is frustrating but at least maybe it'll be lower still when we need more. But this is still a lot better than if this had been 2 weeks ago when it was over $3/gallon.
I better get busy with other things now. I'll have to fill you in on my instrument fixing later.
PepBoys is about the closest garage we have to our house and since we knew they weren't going to do the work anyway, we decided to have them check it out. The news wasn't good. They said it was the alternator and the battery. They also say that the belt tensioner needs replaced. (Of course, they also said that we needed 3 or 4 other things done that have nothing to do with the electrical system for a grand total of $515!) We'll be starting with the alternator but not till at least Friday. Fortunately, this is something that we should be able to do ourselves or with just some help from a friend from church. I have to talk to that friend to see what he thinks about this belt tensioner business.
This means that we are having fun trying to get through this week with only one vehicle. With the type of schedule and the number of kids we have to haul around, this is a bit of a challenge. The only thing that I can say is "Thank you Lord that we have the van running". It would be a lot harder if we only had the car instead of the van.
The other thing we are thankful for is the fact that gas prices are going in a downward direction this week. We were rather excited to fill up yesterday at just $2.54/gallon. Of course, today I saw it at $2.39 which is frustrating but at least maybe it'll be lower still when we need more. But this is still a lot better than if this had been 2 weeks ago when it was over $3/gallon.
I better get busy with other things now. I'll have to fill you in on my instrument fixing later.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Update
Figured I better get back here and fill everyone in. This is the kids first full week of school since it started 3 weeks ago. They went 2 1/2 days the first week, then 4 days for the next 2 weeks in compliance with state laws about Labor Day holiday. This is actually really nice when the kids are in kindergarten or first grade and just adjusting to the school schedule.
Rachel is in 5th grade this year. She is really happy with the teacher that she has. What's going to be really interesting is that she is in class with Sarah, aka daycare child and neighbor, and with Hannah, who is a friend from church. She's never had Hannah in class before but the last time she was with Sarah, it was not a good experience. Just too much time together for the good of their friendship. She also has chosen band over choir this year. She is going to play the clarinet. Actually, it is MY clarinet. We are waiting for the music store to get replacement pads in so I can fix them and the cork so it is ready to go. I was shocked that they wanted $145 to do the work at the store. Turns out that's almost all labor because I can get the pads and cork for around $35. Somehow, I'll find the time over trying to squeeze out the money. I've actually done the pads before myself. I haven't done the cork but it shouldn't be too hard. I think getting what is left of the old cork off will be the hardest part.
Stephen is in the 3rd grade this year. Things seem to be going rather well. He actually has a substitute till November 1 since his regular teacher adopted a new baby girl over the summer. The occupational therapy that we went through this summer seems to be paying off. With the exception of a small incident at 1 lunch, the only problem seems to be that he still struggles with shouting out the answers without raising his hand. (Not a big deal at all and I wish this would be the only problem all year. I'd be thrilled!) A lot of people were concerned that a charter school might not give us enough support for his Asperger's syndrome but they are. He receives "brushing & compressions" (recommended for his sensory issues) by a paraprofessional once or twice a day. He will also be starting a small social skills group with the social worker in the next week or so. There is also an occupational therapist at the school that we can work with if necessary. We are very pleased because the teachers are using some "Brain Gym" activities that we learned about at therapy with the whole class. They are good for everyone and it doesn't make Stephen feel separated from everyone if he is the only one that does them. They are just short, sensory stretches and activities that help children to focus and listen better. (I think they are so good that I hope to teach them to our Sunday school workers for them to use at church.) We are also pleased that he is not in the same class with some of the kids that seemed to make him an easy target last year. He actually has 3 other kids from our church in his class. We're hoping that this change will help him socially.
Now it is just Joshua and I home during the day. He is rather pleased with that. He gets more time with mom as well as more time on the computer. I have called and requested testing on his speech. There are times that he is difficult for me to understand as well as everyone else. I talked to the speech therapist at the kids' school and she can't do it there. I have to go there G. R. Public for his age. She was glad that I was being proactive about it. If he were to need her help next year, they would probably want to put him in a Young 5's program. I really don't think his other skills would require that so I don't want the speech to hold him back. She also said that speech difficulties can hamper learning to read which we definitely don't want. I'll keep you posted when the testing is scheduled.
Well, I better get on with my day. I have AVON, our budget, and some sewing to work on today. We had to go get pants for Mark & Rachel over Labor day and, of course, they all needed shortened. I have just one pair left to do then I'm done. I also have to make sure dress clothes are set for a family picture to be taken tonight for our new church directory. This is all in addition to the usual cooking and cleaning to be done before picking up kids and supervising homework.
Rachel is in 5th grade this year. She is really happy with the teacher that she has. What's going to be really interesting is that she is in class with Sarah, aka daycare child and neighbor, and with Hannah, who is a friend from church. She's never had Hannah in class before but the last time she was with Sarah, it was not a good experience. Just too much time together for the good of their friendship. She also has chosen band over choir this year. She is going to play the clarinet. Actually, it is MY clarinet. We are waiting for the music store to get replacement pads in so I can fix them and the cork so it is ready to go. I was shocked that they wanted $145 to do the work at the store. Turns out that's almost all labor because I can get the pads and cork for around $35. Somehow, I'll find the time over trying to squeeze out the money. I've actually done the pads before myself. I haven't done the cork but it shouldn't be too hard. I think getting what is left of the old cork off will be the hardest part.
Stephen is in the 3rd grade this year. Things seem to be going rather well. He actually has a substitute till November 1 since his regular teacher adopted a new baby girl over the summer. The occupational therapy that we went through this summer seems to be paying off. With the exception of a small incident at 1 lunch, the only problem seems to be that he still struggles with shouting out the answers without raising his hand. (Not a big deal at all and I wish this would be the only problem all year. I'd be thrilled!) A lot of people were concerned that a charter school might not give us enough support for his Asperger's syndrome but they are. He receives "brushing & compressions" (recommended for his sensory issues) by a paraprofessional once or twice a day. He will also be starting a small social skills group with the social worker in the next week or so. There is also an occupational therapist at the school that we can work with if necessary. We are very pleased because the teachers are using some "Brain Gym" activities that we learned about at therapy with the whole class. They are good for everyone and it doesn't make Stephen feel separated from everyone if he is the only one that does them. They are just short, sensory stretches and activities that help children to focus and listen better. (I think they are so good that I hope to teach them to our Sunday school workers for them to use at church.) We are also pleased that he is not in the same class with some of the kids that seemed to make him an easy target last year. He actually has 3 other kids from our church in his class. We're hoping that this change will help him socially.
Now it is just Joshua and I home during the day. He is rather pleased with that. He gets more time with mom as well as more time on the computer. I have called and requested testing on his speech. There are times that he is difficult for me to understand as well as everyone else. I talked to the speech therapist at the kids' school and she can't do it there. I have to go there G. R. Public for his age. She was glad that I was being proactive about it. If he were to need her help next year, they would probably want to put him in a Young 5's program. I really don't think his other skills would require that so I don't want the speech to hold him back. She also said that speech difficulties can hamper learning to read which we definitely don't want. I'll keep you posted when the testing is scheduled.
Well, I better get on with my day. I have AVON, our budget, and some sewing to work on today. We had to go get pants for Mark & Rachel over Labor day and, of course, they all needed shortened. I have just one pair left to do then I'm done. I also have to make sure dress clothes are set for a family picture to be taken tonight for our new church directory. This is all in addition to the usual cooking and cleaning to be done before picking up kids and supervising homework.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Shepherd's Notes
I'm putting a new link on the sidebar to the new blog we set up for some friends of ours. It is finally operational thanks to my big brother, Nate. It may be a couple of more weeks, however, before much is posted there. They need to unpack and get new internet service before they can get started. Hopefully, they don't lose the information before they get the service.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Blogging
I know...you would think with the kids in school this week that I would have more time to blog....but that's not been the case. The little amount of time I have had for blogging this week, I have spent trying to get another blog up and running for a friend. I am almost there. I'm still having some trouble with the Haloscan comments so I have brought in an expert, my big brother, Nate, who introduced me to blogging.
Our friends, the Shepherd's, moved to Wyoming (the state, not city in MI) this week. He was called as a pastor to a small church outside Cheyenne. That means that Joshua's best friend, Jake, is now a 20 hour car ride away. This family means a lot to our church and I know that there are a lot of people that would like to keep up with what is going on in their lives so that is why I thought I should introduce them to blogging. I showed our blog to Kris and she thought it a great idea. She was so busy packing though that she didn't have time to sit down and set it up with me. So I set it up for them and gave them all the info to get them started. I bet she'll be even better at putting in updates then I am once she gets started.
We have been busy getting into the school routine. The kids seem to be adjusting well. I have established much more of a bedtime routine which seems to be helping our mornings go better.
I have been trying to get back doing more AVON. Mark is still busy at Camp & Cruise 50+ hours a week and then this week he has been busy with Tom Hines again. For those of you that don't know about Tom, he is a gentleman that Mark did work for through a temp agency the last time that he was unemployed. After Mark went to work, Tom asked if Mark would work on accounting for him on the side. Tom hopes to start a business and it may be a new job for Mark, with quite a pay increase over his current job. It seems that Tom has a couple of investment groups are looking into his plans and may be willing to invest. We had all but given up on this opportunity but are hopeful again!
Well, I have to be going. We are spending as much time as possible this weekend trying to get some extra cleaning and organizing done around this house.
Our friends, the Shepherd's, moved to Wyoming (the state, not city in MI) this week. He was called as a pastor to a small church outside Cheyenne. That means that Joshua's best friend, Jake, is now a 20 hour car ride away. This family means a lot to our church and I know that there are a lot of people that would like to keep up with what is going on in their lives so that is why I thought I should introduce them to blogging. I showed our blog to Kris and she thought it a great idea. She was so busy packing though that she didn't have time to sit down and set it up with me. So I set it up for them and gave them all the info to get them started. I bet she'll be even better at putting in updates then I am once she gets started.
We have been busy getting into the school routine. The kids seem to be adjusting well. I have established much more of a bedtime routine which seems to be helping our mornings go better.
I have been trying to get back doing more AVON. Mark is still busy at Camp & Cruise 50+ hours a week and then this week he has been busy with Tom Hines again. For those of you that don't know about Tom, he is a gentleman that Mark did work for through a temp agency the last time that he was unemployed. After Mark went to work, Tom asked if Mark would work on accounting for him on the side. Tom hopes to start a business and it may be a new job for Mark, with quite a pay increase over his current job. It seems that Tom has a couple of investment groups are looking into his plans and may be willing to invest. We had all but given up on this opportunity but are hopeful again!
Well, I have to be going. We are spending as much time as possible this weekend trying to get some extra cleaning and organizing done around this house.
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