A First!

Kerry, at A Ten O’Clock Scholar, a fellow Anglican and homeschooling mom has honored me with my very first blog award! Please stop by and visit her blog. She is a gifted blogger!

The rules that go with this award:

Put the logo on your blog
Link to the person you received your award from
Nominate at least 7 other blogs
Put links to those blogs on your site
Leave messages on the blogs you’ve nominated

I would like to bless some of my Swappie friends with this award:

You will find my cybertwin, Amy, at A Redeemed Sheep. Amy is another homeschooling mom who writes about life, her family and her love for the Lord.

Marilyn, at A Mixed Bouquet, another homeschooling mom, blogs about life on the farm and her family. She is raising a son with special needs and is always an inspiration. She also has a recipe blog.

Laurie, at For Heaven’s Sake, homeschools her son with Down syndrome. Nevin is older than my R and I’ve watched him grow from a boy to a young man. She has freely shared her journey over at The Swap for many years and I have learned so much from her.

Renna, at Finding My Knitch, is a retired Swappie mama – her children have grown up and graduated. Renna blogs about all the things I am going to enjoy when I retire – hobbies, nature, food and, of course, family life!

Kelly, at Grey-Haired Geek, is another homeschooling mom and fellow Swappie. She has an adorable young son with Down syndrome and has written a beautiful poem you must read about life with Joshua!

I would also like to bless a new friend and gifted writer, Karen, at Top Shelf Ink. If you visit her blog you will see her beautiful Anglican prayer beads (which she made all by herself) and a post on contemplative prayer! I treasure our discussions and owe her a note!

Barbara Frank is a veteran homeschooler and homeschooling author. She has a new book out - The Imperfect Homeschooler's Guide to Homeschooling. Barbara also homeschools her son with Down syndrome. I hope to get to visit her in real life soon!

And last, but not least, another fellow homeschooling mom, Mrs. Darling, blogs at Dishpan Dribble. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy her beautiful blog and many insights. She also has several other blogs that can be found here, here and here

Again, many thanks Kerry!

The Benefits of Homeschooling a Child with Special Needs

I guess I might be considered a veteran homeschooling mom by now - my girls are 13 and 16 y.o. and have been homeschooled for their entire lives. I have had the added blessing of homeschooling my daughter with special needs so I thought I would share with you my list of the benefits of homeschooling a child with special needs:

• The child with special needs can receive the one-on-one teaching that will enable them to grow academically. This cannot be matched in the public school setting.

• The program designed for them by the person who knows their needs intimately. Your home program will best suit their individual needs. You can create a balanced program that does not sacrifice academic skills for life skills.

• The child can learn at his/her own pace to allow their needs to be met properly. Concepts can be taught with the repetition necessary for mastery using a wide variety of materials ensuring success appropriate to the child's needs and developmental age.

• The child will have the opportunity for successful learning experiences that will motivate them to develop persistence in learning difficult concepts.

• The child learns academic and functional life skills in the best of all venues - real life. Fractions are important when it comes time to share a pizza!

• The child with special needs can learn where they are safe from peer ridicule. Many children with special needs are the object of peer ridicule because of processing difficulties, difficulty expressing themselves, physical impairments or cognitive challenges. They can make mistakes where it is safe to do so – their own home.

• The parent can pick and choose social opportunities. Homeschooled children are not limited to socializing with only their peers. They tend to socialize with children and adults of all ages for a wide variety of experiences. Homeschooled children are less affected by peer pressure.

• Character development and behavior issues can be dealt with by providing an environment where limits and consequences are consistently enforced. Homeschooling can offer atmosphere where the choices and consequences are articulated as necessary to make the best choice available and wrong choices can be discussed and dealt with consistently.

• The spiritual needs of children with special needs can be met best in our own homes where they will be exposed to the love and word of God. In a world where many of our children seen as "disposable" and somehow less worthy (especially children with Down syndrome), they need to know that God has a plan for them and loves them unconditionally. God does not make mistakes! "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14, NIV.

• The health benefits are tremendous. Children exposed to Early Intervention in group settings and the public school system are constantly exposed to every viral/bacterial illness present in the community. Homeschooled children with special needs can avoid many of these common illnesses until they are older and better able to tolerate them.

© 2008

Will My Hubby Agree?

I laughed out loud when I saw my score!

95 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Perhaps more is expected in 2008...

The Perfect Day

Through the eyes of Miss R. Her older sister is away at yet another camp (more of a conference) and R is lonely and sad without her big sis and in need of a little fun.

We started our day out with lunch at R's favorite restaurant, The Flat Top Grill. It is a yummy stir-fry rice/pasta bar that serves a delicious round flatbread called roti prata.



Then off to WalMart - her favorite shopping destination :-)



She purchased a much loved movie and was VERY excited.

Then off to the pool!



We are house sitting a home with a pool - what a sweet deal for R who is a fish in the water. She is working hard to perfect the butterfly stroke this summer. I love to watch her swim - so graceful in the water!

Remain Faithful

Since this is a "mom and pop" type blog, I will rarely bring up church (or any other kind of)politics. I am very active in my church and in my diocese so church politics hugely impact my life. I am active in the church as a servant of Jesus Christ and serve in a variety of ways. I consider myself an orthodox Anglican. I believe in and am deeply committed to:

* The authority and supremacy of Holy Scripture
* The doctrine of the Trinity
* The person, work and resurrection of Jesus Christ
* The acknowledgment of Jesus as divine, and the one and only means of salvation
* The biblical teaching on sin, forgiveness, reconciliation, and transformation by the Holy Spirit through Christ
* The sanctity of marriage
* Teaching about morality that is rooted and grounded in biblical revelation
* Apostolic ministry

Definition of orthodoxy from: The Way, The Truth and The Life, Theological Resources for a Pilgrimage to a Global Anglican Future.

Because church politics impact my life I have developed a keen interest in them. So many denominations are in crisis right now. My denomination has been in crisis for many years and we are seeing history in the making as the faithful orthodox seek to find a place to worship without persecution by revisionists who have taken over the American church.

Orthodox Anglican church leaders, both clergy and laity, recently met together in the Holy Land at the Global Anglican Future Conference known as GAFCON and have released a final statement known as the Jerusalem Declaration. This Declaration paves the way for an orthodox province in North America - free from the heresy present in The Episcopal Church (TEC).

There is much work to be done at the local, national, and international level to make this new province a reality. A new laity movement, Remain Faithful (RF), originating in Ft. Worth, TX, is gaining momentum as the crisis in TEC escalates.

The Mission Statement of Remain Faithful:

Remain Faithful is a group of orthodox Episcopalians who believe the Bible to be the revealed Word of God which contains all things necessary for salvation as well as wisdom for Godly living. We are comprised of and led by lay Episcopalians. We are committed to speak the truth in love, communicating clearly the position of faithful orthodox Episcopalians upholding the authority of Holy Scripture. We stand firm with the vast majority in the worldwide Anglican Communion in our commitment to serve our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to support orthodox Christian ideals and beliefs, and to spread the Good News of Jesus' gift of salvation to all.

Join RF here

RF will clearly define the vast differences that exist between the erroneous beliefs (page 9) espoused by TEC and the General Convention, and the historic truths of our faith as Christians and members of the Anglican Communion.

Please join me in prayer for this movement.

Dear Heavenly Father, by your Grace you sent your only son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to live as a man and to die upon the cross that our sins might be forgiven. Who declared before all the world and for all ages that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that through Him alone may we come unto You and be granted eternal life.
You have called us to gather in the name of your Holy Church, and in defense of that faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Send, we pray, the Holy Spirit, to guide and guard us, that we may remain steadfast in that task and that we may not fear those whose power is only upon the earth. Bless us and our work, that in all we do and all we say, all who see will know your Glory.
This we ask, in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen

For those fellow orthodox Anglicans who occasionally visit my blog, please join me in signing this petition in solidarity with the Jerusalem Declaration.

And don't forget to join Forward in Faith, North America!

Church Camp Summer '08

Was amazing!



I love working with the little ones - first through fourth grade. The are so much fun and unrestrained in their worship. They are VERY busy though. Our days were filled with worship, Bible classes, good food, arts & crafts, games, nature walks, singing, swimming, campfires, s'mores, fellowship...with very little sleep for the counselors.

This year we concentrated on listening to God with the theme, "Can You Hear Him Now." My little campers were very attentive and their spiritual growth was amazing.

Miss R had the time of her life. She made many, many new friends who took a sincere interest in her. I was very moved by their love for her and acceptance of her for who she is - a child of God.

We returned home in awe of the presence of the Holy Spirit working in our camp session...and I apparently caught a strep infection from one of my little campers. We sent a little girls home with a sore throat and fever. I'm better now and should be back to blogging a little more frequently!

Church Camp

The girls and I leave tomorrow for church camp leaving hubby and pets behind. My girls are more than excited!

This is a great opportunity for Miss R. She gets loads of independence in a safe, loving environment. Last year she won an award because of her Christ-like behavior and for the way she lets the love of the Lord be known to all.

I will be a counselor for the first to fourth graders - quite the fun group. I hope to have some good stories to tell when we get back. I just hope I can find the time to tell them!

Oh, and I'll be in a communications black-out. No TV, no radio, no computer ---- no electronics at all. How is an information junkie to survive!

Road Map to Holland

This book is a mother’s story of the first two years of her life with her son born with Down syndrome. I really didn't plan on reading it. I have had more that my fair share of time with my children in NICU, PICU, and CVICU. I’ve been in Holland for 13.5 years – been there, done that – I know the story!

When I first heard this book was being published, I put it on my Amazon wish list. Recently, I placed an order with Amazon taking the books I wanted off my wish list. As I reviewed my order and saw the additional book, I thought maybe it was just meant to be so I left the order as it was.

The order arrived just before our trip to the Rockin’ Roller Coast – Cedar Point in Ohio. My hubby and children are roller coaster fanatics while I prefer to skip the thrills and sit in the shade with a good book. Road Map to Holland, by Jennifer Graf Groneberg, immediately sucked me in and I could not put the book down.

I found Jennifer’s story profoundly moving. She is so honest in telling her story that, at times, I could feel her pain and her joy - and my own memories became alive. She moves through the premature birth of her twin sons, Bennett and Avery, and the post-natal diagnosis of Down syndrome that Avery receives in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The first two years of life with Avery are portrayed with touching clarity. It is a story of love, family, friends and growing understanding of the gift that Down syndrome is. I love the last lines of the book, “He is the child that I always wanted, that I did not know I wanted. He is my son.”

This is THE book I would give parents of a newborn with Down syndrome.

America's Rockin' Roller Coast

My hubby and children are roller coaster fanatics. Every year we journey to the best (so they tell me) roller coaster park in the US – Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. I prefer to sit in the shade with a good book. I’ve had enough excitement in my life and certainly don’t even want to know what getting air means.

My family will wait as long as it takes to ride in the very front of the roller coaster. Here are the girls in the front of the coaster (The Magnum) having the time of their life!

I'm Back!

Life has been eventful since my last post. I'm so far behind, I may never catch up but I've had a good time getting here! I've put 4700 miles on my car since my last post and don't even want to think about just how much money that might add up to be.

I've visited my parents in southeast Florida - my mom had her hip replaced and was recovering nicely until a blood clot formed in her lower leg. So, recovery is a little delayed while she goes on blood thinners and a few days of complete bedrest. She is in good spirits and taking everything in stride.

I then drove over to the gulf side of Florida and vacationed in my favorite place on earth - Captiva Island, Florida. Captiva is a place where I relax - get refreshed and refueled. The hardest thing I have to do is make it to the beach. I love it! See the gorgeous sunsets below

Then back to Illinois to unpack and repack to travel to Wisconsin for graduation festivities at the seminary my hubby is now attending...and back to Illinois to repack for our trip to the Rockin' Roller Coast. Are you tired yet?

Now, I have to face the house I've ignored for the last nine months and the 1000 posts on my google reader!