Fighting For Meagan

"Please pray for Meagan and her family. She has just been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma". This was the text I received from my friend in answer to the question we had all been asking ourselves. Did Meagan really have cancer?

My heart sank. I just couldn't believe it.  Not Meagan. I felt physically sick to my stomach.

I first found out something was wrong with Meagan during a softball game. Hubs and my two older daughters were on a co-ed softball team with her parents. Meagan's Mom and I were talking, and she mentioned that Meagan had a lump on her neck that the doctors were concerned about because it was growing.

At that point, there wasn't a whole lot of concern, because while cancer was a possibility, it was almost surely NOT that. Maybe it was just a swollen lymph node? I have had one of those under my arm, and while it was painful and scary, I just took some antibiotics and it went away. Yes, perhaps it was just that.

The one doctor wanted to do a surgery to remove it, but why jump to conclusions? Why not just do some blood work first? See if there was anything to be concerned about. A second opinion was definitely in order. So, a second opinion was sought.

Blood work was done. A biopsy at a well-known hospital was scheduled. Many prayers were said. We all hoped for the best. I was not expecting to get the text I did saying that yes.....Meagan has cancer.

 Meagan is a fourteen year old girl. She is my middle daughter's age. She is going into high school this year. She is on the track team. She is a fearless pole vaulter. I didn't want to believe that she could have cancer. Cancer doesn't happen to people I actually know.

 Especially, not to people who are MY daughter's age.

And yet.....it had happened. The worst case scenario we were all hoping and praying wouldn't come true.....did.

Her parents are shell-shocked. They knew that a cancer diagnosis might be on the horizon, but how do you properly prepare yourself to hear that one of your children has CANCER? You can't.

Her sisters are scared. Who wouldn't be? They just want her to be okay.

Since Meagan's diagnosis just a short while ago, she has already had three different surgeries in three weeks. She had one for the biopsy, one to test her bone marrow to see if the cancer had spread, and one to install a main line port for chemotherapy.

In one day, she went from being a teenage girl who might have cancer, to a teenage girl who does have cancer.

So, what exactly is Hodgkin's Lymphoma? Prior to Meagan's diagnosis, the only thing I knew about it was that it was a cancer that was in the lymph system, and that it wasn't Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

That night, I started researching. That is what I do. I research. It helps me to cope with things better. I typed in Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and I started learning about it.

Here is some information I found on mayoclinic.com:

Hodgkin's Lymphoma— formerly known as Hodgkin's disease — is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of your immune system.
In Hodgkin's lymphoma, cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally and may spread beyond the lymphatic system. As Hodgkin's lymphoma progresses, it compromises your body's ability to fight infection.
Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of two common types of cancers of the lymphatic system. The other type, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is far more common.

The only symptom that Meagan had was the swollen lymph node that was growing.  However, other symptoms of this disease could be: persistent fatigue, fever and chills, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, coughing, trouble breathing or chest pain, loss of appetite, or itching.

After her diagnosis, the first thing they needed to determine was what "stage" the cancer was in. There are four different stages. After all of the testing was done, they found out that she is in stage 2, which means that more than one lymph node is affected, but nothing below the abdomen.

She went in on Friday to have her main line port installed, and she begins chemotherapy on Tuesday. Her Mom posted on Facebook that it was crazy how normal the abnormal becomes. They went from planning a fun family vacation....to planning surgeries, blood work, and tests. From planning school shopping for her freshman year of high school....to planning chemotherapy sessions.

My heart is just breaking for this sweet family. They have already been through so much. You see, this is not their first child that has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Their middle daughter has Cystic Fibrosis. She has been through multiple hospitalizations herself. It took a long time for the doctors to figure out that she had this disease. She spent way too many years being misdiagnosed while she got sicker and sicker. Now, just as they were finally beginning to turn a corner with her illness, and she was starting to improve.....Meagan's diagnosis occurred.

We live in a small town, with a small hospital, that is not equipped to deal with serious illnesses. So, whenever they have to have a surgery, testing, or chemotherapy, they have to drive almost four hours round trip.

I know what that is like, because this is the same drive that I took with Hubs while he was going through his surgery to remove the basal cell cancer by his eye, and the subsequent visits.

It is long.
It is tiring.
It is expensive.

Time must be taken off of work. Child care must be arranged. Too many meals have to be eaten away from home. Too much money has to be spent to fill the vehicle with gas to get to and from appointments.

And then, the medical bills start pouring in. Hubs' surgery alone cost $15,000. That does not count all of the prior visits before his diagnosis. We have great insurance, but we still had quite a chunk we had to pay out of our own pockets.

Meagan's medical bills are just beginning. I can't even imagine how high they will go. The family is already dealing with bills due to their middle daughter's illness, and now, they have been hit with this.

A fundraiser link has been set up to try and help this family out financially, as they begin Meagan's fight. Every little bit helps! I know the family would be beyond grateful for every dollar. If you go to this link, you can also learn more about Meagan and her family.

Most of all, could you please keep Meagan and her family in your prayers? They are going through a lot right now, and could really use them. Pray for strength and courage, for their spirits to be high, that the chemotherapy would do it's job, and that Meagan can go back to just being a regular teenage girl.

Where her only worries are trivial things like what outfit to wear on the first day of school, if a boy in her class will ask her to the dance, or whether she will beat the school record for the highest pole vault...

No fourteen year old girl should have to worry about losing her hair, missing too much school, or being sick from chemotherapy....

Please....help us fight....for Meagan.....

Here is the fundraiser link:

https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/18v2/meagan-s-fight-fund?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fb_share_stream.share&utm_campaign=dashboard_overview_T1&fb_ref=1236895

How To Make The Most Of Your Public Library This Summer

"I'm BORED!"

We aren't even to the middle of July yet, but have you already heard these words uttered out of the mouths of your precious babes?

My own children know better than to speak these words to me, because if they do, I will always have an idea of something *super fun* that they can do. Can you hear the sarcasm?

However, I do try to keep the kiddos relatively entertained in the summer months. As I mentioned in my last blog post, this year, I decided to ask them what inexpensive things they would like to do this summer.

One of the things on our Summer Bucket List was to visit the library.

I am always amazed when I talk to people who don't take advantage of their public library. There are people who *gasp* NEVER EVER go to the library! Can we please have a moment of silence for these poor souls?

Some of my girls' favorite childhood memories have been made at the library. We used to go there all the time, but since the whole crazy busyness of moving, we have kind of gotten out of it. We are changing that this summer!

But, what exactly can you do at the library? Isn't it just a place to.....you know.....check out books?

No, my dear reader. It is so much more than that. Of course, one of the major perks is being able to check out books, but there is a whole other dimension to the library that you may not even be aware of.

Here is a Top Ten List of things your local library probably offers:

1. Free Air Conditioning

Is your house so hot that it feels like a sauna? Why not spend the afternoon at the library? Take advantage of their nice, cool air! Ahhh.....


2. Books

Duh. We already know that, Amiee. You ARE talking about the library. However, did you know that you can check out books that don't exist at *your* library? Let's say you want a particular book. In fact, you have been dreaming of reading it forever, but your small town library doesn't have it, and you don't want to purchase it yourself. If your library is anything like mine, they will most likely be able to get it for you through their inter-library loan program. All you need to do is ask the librarian to see if it is available, or order it through their online ordering system. They will call you when it comes in. It's as simple as that! I have been able to get many hard to find books this way.

Another thing that I was not aware of is that the library will even deliver books to people who are not able to leave their house for one reason or another. You do need to sign up for this special program, but what an awesome thing to do for people who would otherwise not be able to have access to books.

 3. Movies

We are not a family that goes to the movie theatre very often. It is very expensive to do that on a regular basis, so we usually just wait until the movie comes out on DVD.  You can rent a movie through Redbox for $1 and some change, but you know what price is even better? FREE! At our library, you are able to borrow five movies at a time, for a whole week. They have a lot of good titles, and though they are most likely not going to be new releases, they sure do make for a cheap movie night at home! They also have some really good documentaries, and I have used several of these for my girls for school and for classes I have taught at our homeschool co-op.

 4. Magazines

Maybe you're like me, and you are a bit of a magazine freak. Magazines seem to speak to me. I can hear them whispering....."read me". The problem? There are so many that I would love to read, but I don't want to pay a fortune for that privilege. I do subscribe to a few good ones, but there are so many others out there that I would be interested in reading if I was given the opportunity! Enter.....the library. The library subscribes to many, many different magazines. Their subscription is my gain! I can read and read to my heart's content! I can even check out some to take home, if I can't read all that I want to during my time at the library.

Do you know what else? Our library has a magazine exchange program. People who subscribe to magazines read them, and then they bring them in so other people can take them home and read them. You take some.....you leave some. It's a win/win situation. I encourage you, if you have a stack of magazines just lying around your house, take them to the library! Someone like me will thank you.

5. Computers/Printers/Copiers

Most libraries have computers that are available for people to use for free for a set number of time. Since we have internet access at home, I don't often take advantage of this, but during a time when we didn't, it was a lifesaver! You can also take your own laptop or phone into the library and access free Wi-Fi.

For a small fee, you can also print things off the computer. Maybe something like this? I plan on doing this with my girls on some rainy afternoon.

Want to make a copy or two, but don't own your own copier? The library is your answer!


 6. Coupons

I can just hear you now. "Coupons?! At the library? What are you talking about?" Yes, you did read that correctly. Coupons!

While your little cherubs are happily entertaining themselves, you can go through the coupons that are available. People will bring in their unwanted coupons (at our library, they are even all cut and sorted out in categories) so other people can use them. Score!

7. Classes, Crafts, and Activities

Are your little kids starting to drive you bonkers? Take them to story time! A friendly librarian will read them a story, and then do a craft pertaining to that story.

There will usually be a craft table set up at all times in the kid section, where kids can do a designated craft on their own, or even just draw and color.

Our library also offers fun activities for children of all ages. Here are some of the fun things they have planned this summer:

*Summer Reading Program

Your children will be rewarded for reading books. It's sort of like bribery, but hey.....whatever works to get those kids reading!

*Magic show

*Different amphibians and reptiles being brought in

*Rock Club (show-and-tell session about rocks, precious gems, etc.)

*Class on Origami

*Gardening (kids learn new things every week but also practice gardening themselves)

*Designing T-shirts

The list goes on and on. The library is definitely not just for reading books!

There are even classes for adults. Are you an adult who needs to learn how to use the computer? Your library may have just the class you need. Many libraries offer at least beginning computer lessons, among various other programs.

8. Games

Need to kill a bit of time between appointments? Go to the library and play a game! Most libraries usually have at least checkers, among other games. Teach your child how to play. I taught my one daughter how to play checkers at the library while her sister was at a violin lesson. You can also access many educational games on their child-friendly computers.

9. Research Genealogy

Are you interested in finding out more about your family history? Then the library is the place for you! Our library has a heritage room, where many different resources are available for you to begin your research. There is also a helpful librarian skilled in genealogy research who is available to assist you.

10. Volunteer Opportunities

Need something for your bored teenager to do this summer besides sitting around playing video games? Have them volunteer at the library. I talked to one of our local librarians, and she mentioned that they are always looking for good volunteers! Volunteering doesn't just mean re-shelving books and movies, although that is certainly one way they could help out. They also need volunteers to help run all of these incredible programs the library puts on. They could help out during story time or craft hour, or at one of the libraries many other activities.

One thing that I need to mention. Don't be one of those people who just drops their small children off at the library for the afternoon, so the library can watch them. If your child is not old enough to stay home by themselves, they are NOT old enough to be dropped off at the library! Little children need adult supervision, even in the library. This is not the job of the librarian. The library is not a day care center. The librarians are not babysitters.You would be amazed at how many people think that this is okay. It isn't.

If you don't have one already, it is time to get a library card! Make sure to get your kids one too, if they are old enough. There is a certain joy that comes over a child when they realize that they get to have their very own library card. With that magical little card, they are able to take home any number of books and movies that they themselves have picked out.

The next time you need an inexpensive way to spend a scorching summer afternoon, why not go to your public library?

You'll be very glad you did....

Summer Bucket List

School is out, and summer is upon us!

This year, I decided to ask all of my family members to make a summer "bucket list". When I mentioned this to Hubs, he said something along the lines of, "Isn't a bucket list supposed to be things you want to do before you.....DIE?"

Meh. Details.

Regardless,  I told him just to roll with it, and make one already!

I promised that I would not reveal which family members said what, and these are in no particular order of importance. I tried to focus on things we could do as an entire family, but also, for things the girls and I could do during the day while Hubs is at work.

I told them to try to keep their ideas inexpensive, but I did notice that some of them are a just a tad bit over my $10 or under limit. Some will definitely NOT be happening, but I was told that I had to put them on here anyway.

So.....without further ado.......here they are!

*Buy straws (Gee.... I wish they were all this easy!)

*Go to the zoo

*Visit the animal sanctuary (we will probably wait to do this until the end of summer when my in-laws are here)

*Swim as a family

*Look at pictures of when the girls were babies

*Go to the mall

*Family fishing

*Tent outside in yard/woods or at a park

*Learn origami

*Buy a hula hoop

*Work on projects for the fair (to see previous projects, you can go here)

*Make crafts from Pinterest

*Go to pawn shop

*Make paper mache

*Get a giant bottle of bubbles

*Have a nature scavenger hunt

*Visit particular friends who live far away

*Get a kitten (this will not be happening, but a girl can dream!)

*Have a spa day

*Make DIY beauty products

*Nail painting party

*Go to the beach

*Make different kinds of popsicles (especially these)

*Buy a canoe or paddle boat

*Family canoe/paddle boat excursion

*Family bike ride

*Try new hairstyles

*Buy things for the lake (inner tubes, etc.)

*Go to the library

*Take family picture on the beach, then print and hang it

*Go to family camp

*Go to a local park, take pictures, and feed the ducks

*Go to a water park

*Camping with friends

Since I have three girls, some of these ideas wouldn't work well with boys, but perhaps there are things listed here that you could do with your own family. I was surprised by how simple some of their requests were! Most of these do not cost a lot of money......just time.

This summer, why not ask your own family members what would be on their summer bucket list?

Their answers just may surprise you....

Filet-O-Leg

Since we are moving, our house has been in chaos. There are boxes, and totes, and objects strewn ALL over!

Last week, Hubs and I were reclining in the family room, after a long day of work/school/packing, when all of the sudden we heard the oldest call out:

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Come quick! Come quick!"

I really didn't think much of it when I heard this. I knew that she had been playing with Henry, the hamster, and was putting him back in his cage. He tends to get all freaked out and crazy when you are trying to put him away, and he has been known to practically jump to his death on occasion. He has NO fear!

Here he is, the dare-devil himself. Isn't he cute?! He is holding on to the bars, peeking out, oh so innocently. If he could talk, I'm sure he would be saying, "Let me out!"

I heard my middle daughter run in there, since it is her hamster, and figured  she would be able to take care of it.

Then, I heard her say:

"The oldest (replace this with her actual name) sliced her leg open!"

I told Hubs that something was going on, and he'd better go in and see what was wrong. I still didn't think it was going to be anything real serious.

We live in a house with three girls, and they tend to be....well....a little dramatic at times. I was sure that it was probably just a little cut, and we could just put a band-aid on it, and call it good.

I heard Hubs call my name, and I ran in there. He told me that we were going to have to go to the hospital......NOW. The oldest had sliced her leg open, and it was deep. It was so bad, that he needed me to go and grab some towels, and he was going to tie a tourniquet on her leg.

She looked at me, crying, and said, "Mom....I saw it! It's deep, it's SO deep!"

Hubs told me to hold her leg together with the towel, and apply pressure. I told him that I needed to go and sit down while I did it, or I was possibly going to faint. I don't do so well with blood! I hadn't even seen it, but I knew that if my usual laid-back-it-will-all-be-okay husband sounded a little panicky, then it had to be BAD!

We called our doctor, who is also a dear friend, and he told us to meet him at his office. Hubs carried her out, with me holding her leg the entire time.

I kept praying over her, telling her that it will all be okay. Her teeth were starting to chatter, and she kept saying how deep it was. She told me that I hadn't seen it, but SHE had.

This is my daughter who can't even stand to talk about blood! I told her not to think about it, that she was going to need stitches, but it would be fine.

When we got in there, I really thought that when we untied the towels that blood would start spurting out like a fountain. We had no idea if she had hit an artery. We had prepared for the worst, and tied her leg up nice and tight.

When they undid the towels, that was the first time I had allowed myself to look at her leg. It had bled, but not as bad as we thought. When I looked at the cut though, it made me go weak in the knees. I had NO idea that it looked like this.....

*WARNING! IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH, LOOK AWAY! VERY GRAPHIC PICTURES ARE POSTED HERE!*

All right....if you are still looking.....consider yourselves warned.

Here is a far away shot, that shows where on her leg it is located.

Here is a close up

Now that I have posted these pictures, I am starting to feel sick, remembering that awful night all over again. I did not realize that skin would "split" open like this when it is cut. It's a good thing I'm sitting down!

During this time, I was up at her head, and she had her hands over her eyes, refusing to look. Hubs was the one taking the pictures. I told him that he had to be the one to take them, because I couldn't!

She had to have stitches on the inside first, because it was so deep.

After this picture was taken, Hubs' phone decided to die. I didn't have time to grab my purse, where my phone was, so I didn't have mine.  I barely even had time to put on my shoes!

While she was getting all stitched up, I was trying to distract her from what was going on. I am so proud of how brave she was! She didn't even cry. She was able to talk and even joke around. She said that the worst part of it all was the numbing shots she had to have before the stitching began. 

When the inside stitches were done, it looked very neat and tidy, and it was completely closed up. The doctor said that he could just leave it like that, because it was very solidly stitched up, but he was going to put stitches on the top also, so it would leave a smaller scar.

Altogether, she had about 25 stitches put in her leg. OUCH!

Here it is, after she was all stitched up.

She thought that it would really hurt the next day, but said that it just ached a little. Nothing that some extra strength Tylenol and Motrin couldn't handle.

Today, she went and got the outer stitches removed. The inner stitches will take around three months to dissolve. She is relieved that the stitches are finally out, but other than the absence of the blue wire, it still kind of LOOKS like the stitches are in!

This was our first experience with stitches, as none of us, including Hubs and myself, have ever had to have them. Well....I take that back. I have had them, but the stitches you get from having a baby are in a whole other category...

We are very blessed that we have a wonderful doctor who is exceptionally skilled at stitching, and that she did not cut her leg any worse than she did.

I am now being that over-protective, annoying mother who is trying to eradicate any and all sharp objects from our home (like that is even possible!), and over-using the phrase, "Be careful!"

But, HOW did she cut her leg open in the first place? And, on what?

She said she was standing up on a chair, putting the hamster back in his cage. She jumped off the chair, like she always does, and felt a scratch. She said that is all it felt like.....a scratch! She didn't know that it was worse than that until she looked down and saw the damage. What happened was that there just so happened to be an 8x10 piece of glass from a picture frame on the desk (left over from a fair project), and the point of it was hanging ever so slightly over the edge. When she jumped down, it cut her, just as if she had used a fillet knife to slice open her leg.

When we came back home, I expected to see blood all over the place in the bedroom where it happened. But, there wasn't. There wasn't even very much blood on the glass itself. And the strange part? The glass did not even fall off the desk!

It was still perched there, just waiting for it's next victim....

Moving Sale

The time has come to face the reality that we just have way TOO MUCH STUFF! I had intended for several years now to have a garage sale, but it just never seemed to work out for one reason or another.

I'm going to let y'all in on a little secret.....garage sales are a lot of work!

Now, if you call your garage sale a "moving sale", then they are even MORE work! All of those neatly stacked totes sitting in your basement must be gone through, because you don't want to move, or store, anything that you don't want or need.

Hubs has been after me to get rid of my bread maker. He told me that the moving sale would be the perfect time to do so. He rationalized that since I never use it, I certainly was not going to miss it, and therefore, it should be sold.

While I may be rational in many ways, the way I feel about some of my things is NOT one of them.

Never is a strong word. While I have only made a few loaves of bread in it (in the....mumble mumble....years I have had it), I do have good intentions of making more! It's just that I forget I even own such a thing, as it is tucked away in the cupboard, and not out in plain view. Out of sight....out of mind.

I told him that I was willing to get rid of a lot of things, but the bread maker would NOT be one of them. End of story. The bread maker will be boxed up and moved along with some of my other irrational things I plan on saving....of which there are quite a few. Sigh.

So, the girls and I slaved and toiled for days, pondering over each and every item that we own. I had the girls go through all of their things, and unless there was a specific reason why they wanted to save it, they agreed to either sell it, give it away, or throw it away.

There they sat, remembering how they got such and such, and who gave it to them. As my oldest daughter hauled out all of her memories, she said it made her long for the time when all that mattered were Barbies and stuffed animals. Life was so much simpler back then.

We had fun reading over the stories my oldest used to write, and the music she composed when she played the violin.

We all said "Awe!" when we saw the pictures that contained my middle daughter's name, back when she couldn't make the letter "S", so she wrote it like a 2.

When we came across my youngest daughter's stuffed lamb that she always slept with as a baby, we stroked the still silky fur, and remembered when our special neighbors gave it to her as a present when she was born.

Memories are hard. We decided that if things did not have any memories attached to them, then into the sale they would go! But, if they did....

After several days of working almost non-stop, it was finally time to have the sale.

We priced things to sell, and then re-priced....and re-priced again. We did end up selling, and even giving away, a lot of our things. What is left is either going to go to Goodwill, or to a man who sends clothes, shoes, books, and stuffed animals to a missionary in Africa, who then passes them out to children there. It will be nice to know that our stuff is going to a good cause.

We had a lady that was smoking in our garage, while she was busy looking through things. I contemplated asking her NOT to smoke in MY garage, but since she was busy buying things, I didn't want to upset her. I am highly sensitive to smoke, but sometimes, you just have to deal with it, I suppose. If she wanted to smoke inside my house, or my car? That would have been a whole different story.

Can I give you a piece of advice, though? If you are a smoker, that is your right to do so. Smoke away!  But....could you please be considerate of those of us who don't smoke? In my case, I already do not have the best set of lungs, and smoke just exacerbates my breathing problems. Thank you :)

A guy walked off with one of our items without paying for it. His wife had purchased a few things, and he either forgot, or just didn't feel like, paying for it. One of my daughter's mentioned that he had NOT paid for it, but I wasn't about to run after him over a $3.00 item.

Garage sales are the perfect opportunity to teach your kids about money in many ways. They can add up the prices, keep track of the money, and give the customer the correct change. I made sure to tell my girls to NEVER place the money the customer gives you in the box before giving them their change. If you do this, the customer can cheat you out of money by saying they are owed more change than they actually are. It has happened to me in the past. It could have happened this time, except for we had the money that he had given us in plain sight, so we could prove that what we said he gave us....he actually did.

We had several people who came to our sale who did not speak very good English. That makes things a little more.... interesting, as it is very hard to communicate. With one man, I made the mistake of talking louder, wrongly assuming that by doing so, I would somehow be able to get him to understand me better. I'm sorry, random stranger. Please forgive me. I'm sure I looked foolish.

We met a sweet couple who shared with us the touching story of how they ended up getting married. The lady told us that after a disastrous first marriage, she vowed to never get married again. That is, until she became reacquainted with an old friend. They started talking, and just hanging out together, until they realized that they wanted to share their lives with each other. She said that she hesitated, because she is quite a bit older than he is, but then realized that age is just a number, and when she was with him, she was the happiest that she had ever been. They looked like two teenagers in love. It was so cute!

We had a lady spend quite a bit of time re-folding and organizing all of our clothes that were strewn all over the table. Perhaps she didn't have anything better to do? We sure appreciated it!

We had several neighbors come over and reminisce with us about our time that we have spent in our house. How they have enjoyed watching the girls grow up, and would miss having us in the neighborhood. The feeling is mutual, dear neighbors.

The feeling is mutual.....

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Remember when I told you that we have our house on the market? We have had several showings since then, with crazy cleaning resulting each time.

My oldest daughter was feeling frustrated, and so she wrote this as her Facebook status:

Dear people who are looking at our house tomorrow, you better buy it. Because this whole cleaning our butts off thing, is getting kind of old. And our butts aren't liking it very much. Thanks :)

We all had a good laugh over that one, because that is exactly how we feel! For anyone who has ever had your house for sale, you know exactly what I mean.

She wrote that on Sunday. On Monday, Hubs went away for business. We had the showing that afternoon. On Monday night, Hubs called me and said that we had received an offer on our house.

We began the negotiating process, and came to an accepted offer. All within just a few days time!

I have been frantically calling all around, looking for a place for us to live while our new house is being built. We are supposed to be closing around the first week of September, and then, we only have 21 days to vacate the premises.

The same day we came to an accepted offer on our house, we found out that it definitely IS basal cell carcinoma by Hubs' eye. We had gone to the dermatologist, like I mentioned before, and they did another biopsy. It came back that it wasn't cancer. But, the doctor did not feel comfortable just letting it go since we had already had the first biopsy show possible cancer. So, he had a 2nd opinion done on the 1st biopsy, and it came back as cancer. This was not the news we were expecting to hear, as they told us that their biopsy did not show any cancer.Talk about confusing! They told us that the 2nd biopsy was probably just scar tissue. The cancer is deeper than the eye can see, and the biopsy probably just removed the top layer.

We are now being referred to a larger hospital where he will be having MOHS surgery with reconstruction. The doctor feels like it is too close to his tear duct for him to perform the surgery. He told us that when you have cancer this close to your eye, you want someone who does this EVERY day working on you. This is something that can be put off for a little while, but since Hubs has already waited so long in the first place, we don't have a lot of time before it starts to make things more complicated to fix. It is already starting to get worse.

Add this to the hecticness of selling our house, and trying to find a place to live, and this Mama has been feeling the stress!

Oh, did I forget to tell you, that school will be starting up for us soon, and there are decisions that still need to be made in that area also? I have purchased some books, but there are still things I need to research and buy. Thankfully, I am not on the school system's timeline, and I can do school how I want to, but most importantly, WHEN I want to!

So, you will have to forgive me if I am a little quiet on here. I promise to try to update you when I can. I am going to try to pull together that elusive garage sale I referred to in an earlier post. No time like moving time to get rid of stuff!

Now, if I can just get the children to part with some of their stuff.

Oh, who am I kidding. I'm just as bad as they are....

Teaching Textbooks Review

I HATE Math.

There. I said it.

Math to me, is like a foreign language. One I don't understand. Sort of like Chinese.

In my day to day life, I don't ever use any of the advanced Math that I was tortured with in school. I only ever took up to Algebra 2, and I barely passed that. Ahhh.....good nightmares.....I mean.....memories.

So, for a Math hating homeschool Mom, how in the world are you supposed to teach advanced Math classes to your kids?

Drum roll please.

Enter, Teaching Textbooks.

Have you ever heard of it? No? Oh, my dear, dear homeschooling friend. Allow me to enlighten you.

Here, is a photo of Teaching Textbooks, or TT as we shall call it from now on.

This, is Geometry, which my oldest daughter did this year.

TT starts at grade 3, and goes all the way through Pre-Calculus.

Here is the link where you can learn more about TT.

I did not learn of TT until my oldest daughter was in 8th grade, and we were about to do Pre-Algebra. We have always struggled with Math, and let me tell you, I was NOT looking forward to trying to teach her this.

We had started out with A Beka, which we struggled through from kindergarten until 3rd grade. For those of you who are not familiar with homeschooling curriculum, A Beka is one of the most commonly used curriculums out there.

However, it is advanced. Which is great, if you are working with an advanced student. My girls loved A Beka for Reading, Writing, Spelling, and Vocabulary. Things they were good at.

For Math however, it was just too much. So then, I tried Bob Jones (BJU). Yet another GREAT curriculum. I have often used this for Science and History, and have even used it for Spelling and Reading for my youngest.

While BJU was more tolerable than A Beka for Math, it was still not a good fit. There are many, many more Math curriculums out there, but those are the ones that I tried.

I can't remember exactly how I first heard of TT, but whoever told me about it, I now consider her an angel, sent straight from heaven, to help this poor Mama out!

I was reluctant to try it, because let's be honest, if you clicked on the link, you will notice that it IS pricey. It is much more expensive than most homeschoolers are willing to pay, or can even afford.

But, I figured, why not? We were at our wits' end as how to best teach this subject.

We purchased TT, and it was love at first sight. We have never used another Math curriculum since!

But, Amiee....what is SO special about TT, you may ask?

Well, for starters, it is all done on the computer. First, the child listens to a lecture from a teacher, and while the teacher is explaining that day's lesson, they are actually demonstrating how to do it. So, this works for auditory and visual learners alike.

You can listen to the lecture as many times as it takes for the child to grasp the information. While it is also possible for Mom to "replay" the info, her voice does tend to get raspy, and perhaps, there may even be a hint of irritation that tends to creep in, oh say around the third of fourth time she has to explain it. Not so with the computer teacher! He is extremely patient.

Then, the child is given some practice questions, to make sure they truly understand the lesson.

There is always the possibility of being "helped" and you can always view the answer once you get it wrong a set number of times (to be determined by the parent).

Once the child is ready, they can then begin to answer that day's questions about the lesson. There are usually around 20 questions, which seems to be an adequate amount. There is plenty of review from previous lessons included also.

My girls liked that, in the younger grades, they incorporate games for "bonus" rounds, and there are cute little creatures who will talk to you along the way.

There is also a parent side, where you can actually see the grade book, how many they got wrong, and be given the choice as to whether to make them do it over again or not.

What do I like best about it? That I don't have to do hardly anything! Unless one of my girls just isn't getting it, then, we go over the lesson together.

The lessons are self-grading, which is not only an awesome feature for Mom, but it also tells the child immediately if they got the answer right or wrong.

*Several of the advanced Math curriculums are still not self-grading, but they are working on changing that. They still come with an answer CD, and answer key. The lecture is listened to on the CD, but the child works out of a workbook. Hallelujah! Algebra 2 is now self-grading! Can you hear the excitement in my voice? Hmmm? Can you?!

TT is taught in a way that just makes it easier for a child to understand and be able to grasp information better. If you don't believe me, type the words, Teaching Textbooks review into your search engine, and read about other satisfied customers.

I must admit though, that the oldest is now at a point where I just cannot help her in Math anymore. That is now Hubs' job. We also did have a dear friend tutor her in Algebra for a little while, because she just wasn't getting it. So, there still could be some additional Math help needed, even though you are using excellent curriculum. That's just the way it is.

If your child is advanced in Math, this may not be the best curriculum for you, as it does tend to go at a slower pace, or, so I have read from people who have Math geniuses for children. For example, if your elementary school aged child is quoting algebraic equations in their sleep, it might be best to find a more challenging curriculum. Or, perhaps you should enroll them in college classes.

Yes, it is pricey. But, to me, it is worth every penny! Has it made my girls LOVE Math? Well....no. I don't think there is a curriculum in the world that could do that! Each child has their own set of strengths and weaknesses, and Math is one of our weaknesses. Although my youngest daughter tends to have a more "mathematical" mind than my older two, she still doesn't love Math.

Another nice thing about TT is that you are allowed to sell the curriculum to others once you are done using it. That is not the case with every curriculum. So, this year, I sold my used TT on eBay for the first time, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much money I was able to get back from my investment! If you do an advanced eBay search on TT, you will see that they have an excellent resale value.

Since I have been using TT for such a long time, I now have quite a collection of them, and I no longer have to buy three different Math curriculums for three different grade levels. This year, I only have to buy Algebra 2. My wallet just did a sigh of relief, as my oldest is about to take a few college classes for dual enrollment, and we are required to pay for it out of our own pocket. But, that's a tale for another time.

If you are a fellow homeschool family, and you are in the same boat as we used to be, struggling through Math, day in......and day out.....why not give Teaching Textbooks a try? You'll be glad you did!

* I did not receive any compensation or free products for this positive review.