Fun but absolutely nothing to do with homeschooling :)

I gave the kids off today...we'll just call it a teacher workday :)

I am leaving tomorrow to run a half marathon in Myrtle Beach!! Let's just say running is the only thing (somedays) that allows me to keep it all together. I have been training since January for this race and it is my first "half". Next year, I'm going for the full marathon! Wish me luck and I will be back blogging on Monday...

Promises, promises...

Yes, I know. I always blog that I am going to do better and then I do worse than before. Let's try this again!

Alot has happened since the last post. I have been soul searching trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. Maybe I should figure that out before my kids grow up!

The fact of the matter is that I am happiest when I am teaching. I love my kids. I love all kids. I see the potential in them all and I just want to pull it out. Its kind of like a puzzle figuring out what technique fits each child. I love the challenge! My son taught me how to do it. Who would have thought he could come so far? Sure we still have a long way to go but when I look back, I am absolutely amazed!

Now, make no mistake, I hate autism, but because I trust God, I know He will help us make the most of it. Scripture says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28) I have learned more about the human brain and learning over the last 12 years than I ever WANTED to know. So we are going to use it!

I went back to school this fall at Liberty University. I'm going to finish my Masters of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education. It's going to take me a couple years to finish it which is fine. I need that time to get Zack to a point where he can function in a classroom. There was a time when there was no way he could make it in that setting. He still needs a one-on-one to keep him on task but we are going to work towards more independence. He needs it and I need it too.

Language is our primary goal right now. I already know he is smart. He reads college textbooks. He tests through the roof on standardized tests. But what good is that going to do if he can't function in society, form relationships, communicate? Everything from here on is working towards that goal

Re-invention

I have been systematically re-inventing myself. Now its time to do the same thing with my blog...time to change it up! I have been contemplating where I want to take this thing and I think I have figured it out....however, I reserve the right to change my mind (as always) :)

We recently moved from classic homeschooling with textbooks and standard curriculum to lapbooking and notebooking. While there seems to be a plethora of materials out there for younger kids, I have been hard pressed to find the materials I need for the upper middle and high school levels....therefore I am seeing that as a calling:

See a need, and fill it!

I will now be working on some original materials for Math (which is EXTREMELY hard to find) and Earth and Space Science. So stay tuned............

Getting Ready

We leave on Sunday for the Institutes. I have so much to do - laundry so I can pack, food to make to take with us, a revisit report to complete, my own school work which is already a week late. Plus Zack's programs still have to get done and I have to teach Ashley's homeschool work. I just can't get motivated to get it done and I find myself staring blindly in the open refrigerator door looking for some comfort. But there is none to be had.

On the bright side, I got out the invites to my Partylite show that is next Saturday. They got my first triple threat: postcards, evites, and a new service I just came across called phonevite. I am hoping for a great turnout. A fun candle party with big sales would be an awesome welcome home present after 5 days of intense programming in Philadelphia.

Zack isn't doing so well today. I think he might be nervous about the trip. I wonder sometimes if he is disappointed in his own progress especially after he puts in so much work. Bob and I always beat ourselves up when we feel like we didn't get the results we wanted. I always forget that maybe Zack feels that way too. His biggest problem in life is comunication, always has been. I know it must be frustrating for him.

I am already feeling very guilty because I don't think I did a very good job this 6 months with programming. We always come home with good intentions but then life gets in the way. Actually, I am feeling pretty much like a bad mom. I have yelled at Ashley really hard a few times here lately, the baby watches entirely too much TV, and we should get stock in McDonalds because some days we go there twice.

Sorry, I am just venting...we'll get it done the best way we know how.

Why I love my job

People ask me all the time, what I do for a living. First and foremost, I tell them, I am a mom and I homeschool my kids. That in itself is a full-time job. I love that job and feel very blessed that I can do it. Being a stay-at-home mom can become all-consuming at times. So much so, I sometimes find that I feel like I have no other identity other than that of "Mommy".



Fortunately, I have another job that has given me so much over the last almost 11 years. I sell candles and decor for a company called Partylite. I started back in 1998 just to make a little money on the side. And the money has been nice for sure! But over the years, it has become so much more than the money.


I knew from the beginning this was going to be different than anything I had done before. A big clue for me was the fact that Partylite starts its consultants off for free. I had sold other things before - Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Avon - but they all required consultants to pay money for a kit in order to become a consultant. Partylite gives new consultants the opportunity to earn a kit that is worth over $350 for free. This was their investment in me. That said alot to me that a company would have enough faith and trust in me as well in their product and programs to start me off by giving me so much. Now that is getting off on the right foot!

And they keep on giving! Always wanting us to make money and not spend money, each month they provide ways to earn upcoming specials or more candles to burn and give as prizes. To give you an idea of their generosity, when gas was over $4.00 per gallon, Partylite gave us an opportunity to receive an extra $100 Bonus if we turned in 2 extra shows than we had the month before. This was on top of our already generous commissions. It really helped and more than paid for my gasoline that month.

Enough of the money, the intrinsic rewards are even better! Some of my best friends, I have met through Partylite either as hostesses, customers, or fellow consultants. My best friend, Peggy, was a hostess until I mentioned she would be great at doing Partylite, and she is. My friend, Helen, who was my very first hostess, still hosts shows for me once or twice per year. Joyce F., Amy K., Cheryl S., Connie and Danny (yes guys too!), and the list goes on and on...all friends through Partylite.

My Partylite friends have really been there for me. I have a child with autism. I teach him at home and his programs are very intense. Many times we are still at it at 9 o'clock at night trying to finish everything up. My friend, Connie, who also sold Partylite with me comes over weekly for a couple of hours just so I can get a break even to just sit at Starbucks and drink a cup of coffee by myself. She has done this for over 3 years faithfully. That is a true friend.

I have seen more of the world in the last 11 years due to Partylite than I had in the previous 30 years B.P. (before partylite) - Now I am telling my age! LOL With Partylite I have gone to St. Louis, Washington DC, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Aruba, and Atlantis in the Bahamas. I didn't even know where Aruba was until Partylite came into my life! Each year we have a National Conference for 4 days in a major city in the US. We have had it in St Louis several times since it is centrally located. This year, we are back in Atlanta. We pile 4 or 5 girls into a hotel room and its like sorority life all over again...plus its a tax deductible business expense! :) I look forward to this "vacation" every year - no kids, no husband, no dishes, no laundry, no cooking!

I try to do candle parties 2 nights each week. I love my shows! I love the reason to get dressed nice and put on makeup. I love the drive to the hostess' house. It is totally quiet. I love meeting and talking to new people - adult conversation! I love helping people find just that right candle and/or holder to make a room really WOW! I love all the good food that I didn't have to cook :) I love giving the hostess so much free stuff! Most of my hostesses get to go on a free $100-150 shopping spree! Most of all, I love that for 2 hours, I don't have to think about autism - I can just be a normal person like every body else.

Another one of my favorite parts of my job is sharing my job with other people. Especially in this economy, everyone can use a little extra cash. I love giving someone looking at losing their job, a little security. ( You can't be fired from Partylite - it is your own business) I love showing someone that they can change their family's life by affording a better house, or car, that trip to Disney, or even get rid of those pesky credit cards. I love watching someone who used to be shy and lack confidence really blossom and become a successful business person. Hey, I started out reading from index cards :)

And finally, I love the way Partylite has helped me develop my talents. I am a teacher and with Partylite I get to teach adults. I teach my customers and hostesses how to spruce up and create a relaxing ambiance in their homes. I also love to train my fellow consultants. We have 2 workshops each month where I get to show Partylite consultants ways to increase their incomes. One is held in my home for my immediate team members. The other is for the entire central Virginia area. My goal is to one day, train at our National Conference in front of a packed arena of over 10,000 consultants.

Want to join me?? Check it out here!

Don't forget to light a candle tonight. Everything is better by candle light!

The Big Green Miracle (We Hope)

This is Zack's new O2/CO2 tank. He is to do 12 inhalations per day working up to 40 seconds each. Why, you ask?



Evidently, the area of his brain that is injured also effects his breathing. You wil notice that many brain injured children are "mouth breathers" and their mouths are always slightly open if not really open in the most severe cases.



Interestingly, it was revealed that Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimmer, was severely learning disabled as a child and that is why his mother put him in swimming. LD is a type of brain imjury. Have you ever noticed when you see him how his mouth is always slightly open?



Anyway, Zack's biggest problem in life is that he cannot communicate easily by talking. He just doesn't have enough air. That is because when a child is confronted with the choice of either to breathe or talk, he will choose to breathe and live - DUH! Now at the last visit to the Institutes, we discovered that Zack is trying to talk his fool head off but we just can't hear him. His voice is so soft and his pronunciation so poor, we just can't make out what he is saying. Therefore, we are teaching his brain how to breathe more deeply.




Evidently, CO2 and not O2 is what controls your breathing. When there is more CO2 in your blood gases, a signal goes to the brain to breath more deeply thereby increasing the oxygen and decreasing the level of CO2. By having Zack breathe a mixture of 80% O2 and 20% CO2, it triggers this breathing reflex to breath more deeply. This teaches his brain how it feels to breathe deeply. By doing this multiple times per day, we are in effect re-wiring his brain. Over time, this should help him to always breath more deeply and hopefully improve the quality of his speech.




We pray that it will. This little green miracle cost a pretty penny - $800 to start and then $84 for each tank refill - and as usual, insurance doesn't cover anything. Thank you Southern Health. I love giving you over $300 out of every paycheck and then you don't want to pay for anything.


My brother and his wife have gotten this same tank for their son who is also brain injured. They swear it works miracles and by golly their son talks! Of course they got their tank a few years ago and it only cost them about $300. Funny thing about medical supply companies: as soon as they figure out that desperate parents will give their right arm to make their kids better, they jack up the prices on everthing. Nice right - special place in "&*@!" for these folks, I always say.

Baltimore

I am so excited!! The room is booked! Peg and I will be on our way to Baltimore April 24 and 25th for a Partylite Multi-Regional Event. I so need this to pump some life back into me. I am especially excited about seeing "The Guys"!! They are our entertainers from our National Conferences. I am especially partial to Kevin ( the brunette). Peg adores Billy (the blonde). And everyone loves Karl too!! :)

This will be just a taste of what is to come in Atlanta July 15-18th at our National Conference! Road Trip! I can't wait!!

See, this is just exactly what I was talking about....my Partylite is just so much more than money. The whole experience just gives so much to me. Look at what I have to look forward to in the next few months!

On another note, I have been totally caught up in the blog of a young lady that I used to go to church with at United Christian Church. I was not friends with her per se but every now and then we would run into each other at various church events or at gatherings at some our our mutual friends' homes. She recently lost her battle with leukemia and her plight has just wrenched my heart. 33 years old, mother of a three-year-old, it seems such a tragedy (which it is). Her story has caused me to face some of my darkest fears - the C word for one. But most fearfully, the thought of my leaving this earth before my son is recovered from his autism (being the control freak that I am). More on this later....I have a 1 year old covered in spaghetti sauce who needs my attention.

Been a long time

It has been a long time since my last post. I have been very busy homeschooling Ashley, doing Zack's programs, going to college myself, and trying to keep up with a one year old who just may be my most spirited child.

How many plates can one juggle in the air until they all fall down and crash into a million pieces??? Stay tuned...

I say that and then I reveal that I restarted my Partylite business. I have sorely missed it. Mostly I miss the camaraderie of it and the sense of belonging. Some of my best friends I have I met through Partylite either as hostesses, customers, or fellow consultants.

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