So, I am thick in my adventures of decluttering and purging and packing. I tackle one section of the house, while the kids rip appart another. The funny thing that I am realizing, is that we have a whole lot of stuff that we do not need…much if it trash. Goodness. And we are simple people, in a very small house, who don’t have a lot. And still, each corner I go through…it goes something like this: two bags for Goodwill, a big bag of trash, and one box packed. As I go around and around, within this process…I am happy to see so much that we will not have to worry about toting with us on our move, or taking up any unwanted extra space in our new place! However, it gets me thinking, like most things do, about how much we hold on top that is completely unnecessary…very often without even knowing it!
On the homeschooling front, Kayla has just completed writing a summary on the story Gilgamesh that she read for her Mesopotamia studies. This is lots to celebrate in my book given the fact that she is dyslexic and struggles with things like this. We took it one chapter at a time and it is the first project she has been semi happily fully engaged with. I am really seeing the importance of the Waldorf idea that certain periods of time and topics align according to the age of the child. This year we are using some of the The Little Garden Flower curriculum and are really happy with it. Melisa gives a very concise outline for each year, month, week, and day…something I feel like I need at this point with four kids. Of course there are many times, when I just let it all go, but it’s good to have for reference, especially for the older kids (or rather to help me keep track).
We have been knowingly struggling with dyslexia for about 9 months now. Of course, Kayla has had it her whole life, but I never knew until semi recently…it just slipped on by. With it coming to my attention last spring, I mulled it over for awhile, until I sought out a suitable tutor for her to help her to cope with it. Over the past 9 months Kayla has improved by leaps and bounds, but one thing became very clear to me after a telephone conversation with her tutor the other night. That she is who she is. Kids with dyslexia just think differently; their brains work differently, and there’s nothing wrong with that. We can offer them some helpful tools to help them to understand reading and spelling a little better, but some things just will remain a struggle to them to some degree forever. This whole time I kept thinking that she needed to “get better”, and that I needed to “fix” the dyslexic part of her, but in reality, what I need to do more than ever is become her advocate and accept that this is a part of who she is, and that she will totally be fine. Maybe she won’t ever fit into a mold or into the correct testing level, but who cares. She will learn to compensate where it is needed in life. The funny thing is that my husband was a dyslexic child, and he still asks how to spell things and has a horrible time spelling, but he also has and runs his own business!
On the home front…things are falling apart more then ever. I guess I could look at it all as a big joke if I wanted to. Before we went up to visit our new home, our oil burner broke. This wasn’t too big of a deal, because we heat our house with a wood stove, but if we are gone, we at least keep the heat set on 50 degrees…now it’s kept at nothing. BUT, it also heats our hot water…so no hot water. When we got home, we figured out how to switch the water over to the hot water heater…and use the electric to heat our water. Well that worked for about two weeks. Last week, the hot water heater broke. No hot water…again. Jason tried to fix it, but really we would probablly just need to install a new one. Uggg! I think our house is playing tricks on us, but the thing is that we are only going to be here for another few weeks. Why would we spend a ton of money to put in a new oil burner or water heater?! So we’re not. We boil water on the stove to wash the dishes and go down to my mother-in-law’s house to shower every few days. Preferable…no. Do-able…yes. I’m going to laugh when I see the look on the realtor’s face who is going to help us short sale our house though. No ma’am, there’s no working heat, or hot water, and the house is infested with termites…could never afford to fix those things. Sigh. The good news is that we do not have to be living here during the short sale, and if it takes longer than 190 days to sell, we just walk away (in deed lieu of). So we will be in our new home within the next six weeks regardless of what this house does in the mean time…and we’ll have hot water and heat and somewhere safe to live. Yay!
Other then all of that, we need to get our taxes together and deal with the nitty gritty of the lesser enjoyable things in life… keep packing and purging… and planning for the exciting spring we are going to have…planning big gardens and geting our little homestead-to-be all set up. So busy! So exciting! No wonder it takes me a whole week to get a blog post together!
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
oh boy..all that house stuff is like a bad joke. I like your approach to it all –just not fixing it. What other choice is there, really?
About Kayla, You are so right and really, it's a change in approach from her parents/tutor that will help her the most. You are such a wonderful mum.
And ugh! my house is tiny, and we THINK we live simply but my god every crevice is busting out with STUFF. Moving is probably the best way to do a true declutter.
I can't wait to hear more about your new chapter, it sounds so exciting!
So exciting – planning gardens is always the most fun part
Wishing you well in your new adventures.
That would be nice…it's been rough over here with Solomon's reading problems. I just have to have faith in our journey. We're doing everything right for our children but some days I wonder! Solomon has been responding really well to Linda Mood Bell's LIPS program. I'm pretty blown away with it! They're just now introducing vowels which is harder to grasp. Hugs! K
Hey Lisa! Where are you guys moving to? So glad that you guys are leaving such an unhappy situation!
love hearing your update, lisa. it is cool to hear your process of unpacking kayla's dyslexia and all that means for her and moreso for you… it's so true, it does not mean anything about what she will or won't accomplish in life. but your sweet unconditional loving mothering towards her means a ton! super hopeful bright shiny note to end on too- the homestead to be! and with spring just around the corner!!! hugs to you.
I love the idea of dyslexia as a gift and love the amazing ways my own son looks at things – totally different from the rest of the world but so, so special because of that! Allowing myself to see his creative mind as a treasure rather than something we had to find a way to "cure" was a huge step both for him and me (it answers a whole lot of questions that I have about my struggle with spelling and reading too!) We are lucky he attends a school that has nurtured him and he gets all kind of support that mean his dreams for the future are possible, his self esteem is restored and his spelling is just something we all accept and smile about…and now I am lucky enough to work there too and get to spend all my time enjoying those quirky kids and being able to help and support them in their learning and dreams…hope you have an equally magical time with your little one, sounds like that tutor is a treasure too!
Sound good to me! Maybe a long phone converstaion someday soon.
Lisa
That actually was the first thing we tried. It was not working for us…not necessarily the program, but Kayla was very resistant at that time to do it. Just flat out wouldn't. That's when we turned to a tutor for help.
Lisa
We should talk sometime about dyslexia. : )
Beautiful Photos…when it rains…it pours…right? Hopefully the end is in sight….sending good thoughts your way!
I have been thinking of you so much lately. Hang in there. It will get better. As for the Dyslexia have you looked into the Barton Programs? They were developed for parents to help their children with Dyslexia. Blessings.
Thanks for the update- I was thinking of you as I looked over my blog list yesterday morning. I've been also packing and reorganizing. We need to see how to fit another person and their few but still important belongings in our home. Luckily, this person is tiny, and doesnt need much accommodation! But the rest of us do, and so we are moving rooms about.
I am dyslexic. I was diagnosed around 8-9. I was a bright kid, who followed directions- so teachers were not concerned. But my parents were like, um- then how come this bright kid cant read! So they got me some help. After about a year of tutoring, my teachers complained that I read too often in class and should be doing something else. My mom threw up her hands! And I read so constantly ever since I am often surprised at the sheer volume of volumes I've consumed. And I enjoy writing too. Of course, I still cannot spell. I like one waldorf expression of dyslexia- dyslexic children see all the possible ways that any letter, number or word could be. Which is true. and often I spent more time constructing stories about the letters and numbers in my head then actually using them. But hey- I would trade my creativity for a little learning trouble any day of the week!