How did your school year go?

[Heathermomster]

Howdy all, 

 

How did your school year go?

 

I pretty much learned that I don't know much.  The year started very rocky, and I was scared for son's future like I have not felt in forever due to EF issues.  I appreciate you gals that haul your kiddos to therapies 2, 3, and 4 times per week indefinitely.  DS wound up in PT twice per week.  I drove about 40 miles round trip and homeschooled my 1st grader in a PT parking lot.  After DS tested out of PT, we were suddenly relaxed and school felt like a vacation for about a week.  DS would not allow me to pull him from his outside classes.  Since he chose to stay, I felt no guilt in reminding him to study, and study he did.  Those grades were hard fought.

 

Algebra...Foerster's Algebra supplemented with James Tanton style factoring and quadratics was great for DS.  I used all kinds of materials to work with DS, and the last month of math was PAINFUL.  So painful that after algebra, I had to lock myself in my bedroom.  I turned to Khan, and Khan was hard and repetitive.  I actually feared son's positive attitude would suffer, but maybe the hard effort was worth it?  PTL that typing was hard.  I reminded DS of that fact and told him that in the end, the math would be worth it a long as we moved forward. DS pushed through, and we may use Lial's/MUS next year for Algebra 1B.

 

DS hated programming, so we unceremoniously dumped it.  By December, we allowed him to build his own PC from scratch.  He used a Computer Literacy book and played with Adobe Elements on the side.  The PC skills helped him big time for presenting logic assignments.

 

DS wound up loving biology and dissections.  DS actually dissected more than my 12th grade niece who was taking an AP Biology course.

 

By January, I turned to TC World Geography lectures.  DS enjoyed those and happily turned back to OM WG when done.  

 

Writing was good.  He needs work, but it was good.

 

Overall, the outside classes dominated.  DS learned to use his planner and is still working on self organization. By 4th quarter, he was independent for all work outside algebra, grammar, and lit.  

 

Now DD.,.we entered 1st grade not knowing what to expect,  She reads and is good with math.  Handwriting did not become automatic until January and is an ongoing issue with her.  DD loves science and enjoys narrating to me. I'm going to try to get her eval'd by son's PT this summer.  She swims great, taught herself to ride a bicycle, and starts violin today.

 

So that was our year.  How was everyone?

 

Blessings, 

~h

 

 

[PeterPan]

I've spent most of the year going to IEP meetings, at the Y, with headaches from the IEP meetings and the Y, discouraged because the more I found out the more overwhelming it seemed, eating peanut butter cups because they seemed a medicinal solution to my mental problem, wondering why a bunch of prayer didn't seem to quite quell the anxiety, thankful for friends who would call me up OUT OF THE BLUE to talk me down from my tree, and now finally glad that this school year is OVER.

 

And if I ever live it again, it will be too soon.

 

I want a nice summer by the pool, with my sweet darling 6 year old while he's still 6.  I'm going to be spending time thinking more about what I really WANT to have happen, because the NEEDS to happen seem to be adding up and crowding out the WANTS.  

 

My goal is to have a year with no outside intrusion.  Dd is aging way too quickly, and outside classes just seem to push us in a bad way while also a good way.  Mostly a good way, but when they suck up 3 times as much as anything else it's a bad way.  But the time is so short, I just don't have a way to bottle it or make it last or make it work out and my imperfection and inability to make things work out like I thought seems insurmountable.  On the other hand, dd is an amazing human being.  I think maybe that tension over what is coming is normal.

 

On the plus side, it seems like, having served my first 11 years, I finally understand enough of what I read from other people who've done 20+ that I get why they were doing what they were doing.  I'm looking forward to doing some fun things and Bible things more explicitly with ds than I ever had to with dd.  When the Bible says we'll be saved if we perservere, I don't think it was joking.

[Heathermomster]

OhE, you forgot to mention how sick you were.  Are you completely well?  

[OneStepAtATime]

Thanks for the update, Heathermomster!  You, too, OhE.  And yes, you need to include that you were horribly ill and still managed to keep going.  How are you feeling now?

 

Things that worked this year:

CLE for math.  Not a complete solution.  We still run into snags on a regular basis and probably always will.  But progress is being made.  I have become a tremendous fan of CLE.

 

AoPS Pre-A as a fun side thing for DS.  Beast Academy as fun side thing for both.

 

Typing.  Both kids have improved in typing.

 

Barton up to a point.  DD snagged again and DS still has some oddities that keep tripping him up.  But we are going to San Antonio this summer and getting professional help.  House is nearly ready for us.

 

Kindle Fire  Oh.my.goodness.  Best purchase ever for DS.  He uses it all the time.  I wish DD did better with strictly audio input but she doesn't.

 

Student Council, Drama Class, Swim Class, Art class, Poetry submissions, Sewing, Cooking, Mechanical Engineering Class, Robotics Class (now forming a team)

 

Vertias Press Self-Paced for History

 

Apologia Young Explorers Swimming Creatures for Science (I am not YE but I was able to use the book anyway and the kids responded well to the conversational tone and DD loved the Notebook activities.)  We were able to pair it with videos and additional reading.  They liked the experiments, too.  Doing this book tied with an on-line class was not as successful as I had hoped it would be.  Plus, we ran into some scheduling snags and personal issues that made the last 3 classes virtually impossible to complete.  Still, the kids made good grades.

 

CNN Student News

 

I'm drawing a blank on what else.  We had some tremendous ups and downs and did not make nearly as much progress in some areas as I had hoped, but we made great strides in other areas.  Typical ups and downs I think we all face on this board.  I just have to keep a positive attitude and help them through the tough times.

 

 

[Guest2]

So great to hear how all of you did.

Bible reading and chapters of familty favorite read alouds (new to them) has been a great snuggle time and start for our day.

 

CLE seems to be working well after Saxon for middle school. Thanks to all who suggested it.

 

Humming along with Mavis Beacon for typing for 10-15 minutes a day.

 

Bartons still working with 9 year old,will add in games soon.

 

Weekly reader for middle school daughter was a big hit.

 

Grammar has me stumped. Writing is begining in earnest next year, i hope.

 

Vision therapy for my oldest is going ok..too soon to tell. I hate being gone so much. Youngest son's vT starts in fall. Oldest daughter is starting to work with a nutritionist...still far from healthy.

 

Live techno class went extremely well. They loved it and will be able to take classes one per week in the school year learning programing, and fun tech stuff. Best find ever!

 

A long memory work time around lunch has gone surprisingly well. We use Jerry Lucus old books that have picture memory for states, presidents, and I have made our own for Latin. We are just going through the First Form Latin vocab at a snail's pace. They love the quizzes and it can get pretty silly, but wow, it works.

 

Best thing for this year ...drum roll...was deciding that a two day hybrid school was not for us. Trying to get my kids to the "appropriate level" assigned and evaluated by someone else was super stressful. I found myself pushing and stressing them to get "where they need to be". After making the decison, the sense of freedom and renwed enthusiam was enjoyed by all. It helped me reevaluate learning styles and add much more fun to the day.

[Mandylubug]

Well, we survived. We just kept trucking. My girls seemed to really take off with reading and can read most things yet some days reading is hard and back to square one. Odd, it is.

 

We finished 2nd grade level math. We have really been struggling with math and I am just happy to say we completed a level. Third grade level math and multiplication scares me for them since rote memory is hard for them. Especially rapid recall. I suppose we will continue with visual aids. They've nearly mastered reading clocks. I'll take it :)

 

They hate audio books. I really want them to like them. They NEED to like them to get more age appropriate free reading in.

 

We will continue to slog through typing and attempting to learn cursive.

 

Overall, we have made progress and for that I am ever grateful.

[OneStepAtATime]

Well, we survived. We just kept trucking. My girls seemed to really take off with reading and can read most things yet some days reading is hard and back to square one. Odd, it is.

 

We finished 2nd grade level math. We have really been struggling with math and I am just happy to say we completed a level. Third grade level math and multiplication scares me for them since rote memory is hard for them. Especially rapid recall. I suppose we will continue with visual aids. They've nearly mastered reading clocks. I'll take it :)

 

They hate audio books. I really want them to like them. They NEED to like them to get more age appropriate free reading in.

 

We will continue to slog through typing and attempting to learn cursive.

 

Overall, we have made progress and for that I am ever grateful.

You might consider getting the CLE math reference chart for elementary level.  Practice using it a bit since there is a lot of info on there and it can get frustrating if you don't know where to look.  It has helped a lot here.  The kids only use it now when they really need it, but it makes them stress less to know that it is there.  We still create our own multiplication charts periodically since that also helps.

 

Another thing that has helped here is doing one set of multiplication facts with flash cards AFTER creating a limited multiplication chart that includes that set of facts, plus playing some games with manipulatives that include that set of facts, THEN flipping them around and doing division.  Both kids remember the division side better after doing so much with the multiplication side.  THEN I flip the cards around again to do multiplication one more time.  Its slow, but things are sticking.  We finally have the 6s down, along with 2s and 9s and usually the 5s.  7s are coming along....

[Heathermomster]

I forgot to mention this..At the beginning of the year, I had huge plans for using Onenote/Evernote.  Honestly, I cannot remember which one as I so completely left the idea.  Anyhoo..we never used it.  I kept all of my plans in an Excel spreadsheet, and DS wound up relying on a paper organizer.  Maybe I'll revisit that idea at a later date.

 

I am thankful that DS never grew upset with me over math.  He always focused feelings on the algebra work itself.  My mental stress was internalized.  The last month of algebra left me just exhausted by the intensity and focus of the work to gain mastery.  I am thankful that summer is here and we can rest.  

[OneStepAtATime]

I just started using Homeschool Planet about a month ago.  Trial run using the last of our school stuff for this season.  There is a bit of a learning curve, but not nearly as steep as Homeschool tracker, which I attempted twice a couple of years ago.  Resounding failure.  So far I am really, really liking Homeschool Planet.  Our school stuff is so oddly paced and laid out compared to a stereotypical homeschool situation that it was hard to find a premade system that fit.  This one is pretty tweakable.  I used to really be good at Excel, but that was years ago.  I didn't want to have to take the time to create something new.  I admire those with that kind of dedication and patience.  I just don't have it anymore.  :)

[Mandylubug]

I have always found that if I set up a planner, I have doomed myself for failure. I think I may do a weeks type of planning instead of actual dates. I've considered just file folders with 180 days written on the tabs, inside a print out of the lessons to be finished that day, any worksheets or resources needed specific to that day. Then if we miss a day or two, we just pick the next school day and not erase dates on a paper planner. I just haven't figured out how to adapt when I was overly zealous of a school day and that day's assignments weren't complete. Do I just add them to the next day's folder? Still pondering.

[OneStepAtATime]

With Homeschool Planet I found I can easily move an assignment to the next day and push everything down from there with just one click.  Or I could double a lesson with another lesson.  Or push the entire schedule out by days, weeks or months.  Or delete a lesson.  Or a whole section of lessons.  It really is incredibly customizable.

[FairProspects]

I actually love HST+ but yes, there is a learning curve. I was lucky that I did a lot of work for my dad's engineering firm one summer and learned a ton about databases, which I think overall has made it easier for me to pick up and stick with HST+. I can do all of the above with HST+ and I love that I can reschedule items easily.

[merry gardens]

Some things went really well, and others didn't. We're going to continue working on a few subjects over the summer.

 

Biggest homeschool news from the school year here:

ds 16 returned to homeschooling (he'd been at brick and mortar high school). Several things have confirmed for us that we made a great decision.

ds 13 finished Barton 10!!!!

dd 13 did high school level work, (and her twin, ds 13, kept up with some of her reading in the first quarter!)

dd 5 started reading little books with little words 

third grade and fifth grade went fine for dd 9&11. I didn't do as much Barton with dd9 as I'd hoped, but she's able to read normal 3rd grade materials

We started Weekly Tea with poetry--the girls love it and even started writing their own poems to share.  The boys tolerate it because they get sweets.

 

 

Thinking back, while it had it's ups and downs, it was a good school year.

 

[MysteryJen]

This year, all in all, was a pretty good one for my kiddos. Ds2 was finally evaluated. No surprises for me and it finally convinced him that it is okay to use the accommodations that I have been pushing. He did a good job with his coursework this year and aikido has been a wonderful accompaniment to judo. We will be working on the technology (dragon and other things) this summer.

 

Dd2 has worked very, very hard this year. When we get the $ together, she will be evaluated in the fall. She scored decently on her first standardized test, making me suspect some serious brain power lurking in there. She makes liberal use of audiobooks and enjoys writing, so that part is easier now. She is a crazy hard worker and applied that to swimming this year. She made the LC sectional time in the mile two weeks ago and is a little evangelist in the gospel of hard work.

 

All in all, a much better year than the last two. I am less worried than I was, mostly because as the kids are getting older, I am better able to see their strengths, not just their (obvious) weaknesses.

[MyLittleBears]

Well this was our eval year.

No surprises w/Ds 2- moderate dyslexia with a broader language disorder. Does beautifully with accommodations and we finally tweaked his math. His is finally reading longer and longer words thanks to Barton buy oh boy spelling! I suspect it will always be an issue. I think he is finally accepting that dyslexics can have awesome strengths. He has seen this with his artwork and incredible visual memory.  I would not have even tried writing with this child but we had to do IEW for coop. So glad we did. It was a lot of work for both of us with me scribing but I was amazed at what he could produce! He is finally proud of himself (I think).

 

Ds 1- I was not prepared for the full autism diagnosis. I was vaguely prepared for "on the spectrum", aspergers or what they call aspergers now. Looking back on his childhood, yes i see it now. He was just VERY verbal as a little guy. He is getting cognitive rehab and PT. We've streamlined his work with just the basics and some accommodations for coop classes. He understands his diagnosis and accepts it with a smiling face. He is such anawesome, happy, go-lucky, likable kid. I feel very blessed.

 

Ds-3- He is the youngest and the easiest child to teach. He learns so effortlessly and has remained cuddly the longest. I sometimes wonder if God tagged him on to the end as a blessing for me!

[Heathermomster]

Well this was our eval year.

No surprises w/Ds 2- moderate dyslexia with a broader language disorder. Does beautifully with accommodations and we finally tweaked his math. His is finally reading longer and longer words thanks to Barton buy oh boy spelling! I suspect it will always be an issue. I think he is finally accepting that dyslexics can have awesome strengths. He has seen this with his artwork and incredible visual memory.  I would not have even tried writing with this child but we had to do IEW for coop. So glad we did. It was a lot of work for both of us with me scribing but I was amazed at what he could produce! He is finally proud of himself (I think).

 

Ds 1- I was not prepared for the full autism diagnosis. I was vaguely prepared for "on the spectrum", aspergers or what they call aspergers now. Looking back on his childhood, yes i see it now. He was just VERY verbal as a little guy. He is getting cognitive rehab and PT. We've streamlined his work with just the basics and some accommodations for coop classes. He understands his diagnosis and accepts it with a smiling face. He is such anawesome, happy, go-lucky, likable kid. I feel very blessed.

 

Ds-3- He is the youngest and the easiest child to teach. He learns so effortlessly and has remained cuddly the longest. I sometimes wonder if God tagged him on to the end as a blessing for me!

Awesome!  How old are the boys?

[MyLittleBears]

Awesome!  How old are the boys?

 

 

Ds1 will be 15 next week

Ds2 just turned 12

Ds3 is nine

[PeterPan]

nt 

 

[PeterPan]

Well this was our eval year.

No surprises w/Ds 2- moderate dyslexia with a broader language disorder. Does beautifully with accommodations and we finally tweaked his math. His is finally reading longer and longer words thanks to Barton buy oh boy spelling! I suspect it will always be an issue. I think he is finally accepting that dyslexics can have awesome strengths. He has seen this with his artwork and incredible visual memory.  I would not have even tried writing with this child but we had to do IEW for coop. So glad we did. It was a lot of work for both of us with me scribing but I was amazed at what he could produce! He is finally proud of himself (I think).

 

Ds 1- I was not prepared for the full autism diagnosis. I was vaguely prepared for "on the spectrum", aspergers or what they call aspergers now. Looking back on his childhood, yes i see it now. He was just VERY verbal as a little guy. He is getting cognitive rehab and PT. We've streamlined his work with just the basics and some accommodations for coop classes. He understands his diagnosis and accepts it with a smiling face. He is such anawesome, happy, go-lucky, likable kid. I feel very blessed.

 

Ds-3- He is the youngest and the easiest child to teach. He learns so effortlessly and has remained cuddly the longest. I sometimes wonder if God tagged him on to the end as a blessing for me!

I would love to hear about his artwork...  :)

[Storygirl]

This was a hard year for us. And the year before that was hard, too, for different reasons. We are limping toward the finish line, doing our standardized testing this week (first time), but we will not really stop school for the summer, but just take things at a more relaxed pace.

 

This year we had our old house on the market for the entire school year. In February we got the keys to our new house (two + hours away from the other) and starting living both places part time, camping on air mattresses and lawn furniture at the new house when we were there. I can't say that I enjoyed that period of our life very much. Then at the beginning of April, we wrapped up our old commitments and finally sold our old house and moved to our new place permanently. We love it here! But there are still boxes everywhere, and we are still in transition for a lot of things. So basically, we've been in the process of moving for a full year. And we're still not settled. Argh.

 

The kids made good progress on CLE math and finished up early. I need to order a light unit or two to get them through the summer so they don't forget everything. CLE Reading was a good choice for this year, too.

 

We seem to struggle with writing here. Writing is actually my strong suit, but I'm finding it hardest to teach for all of my kids. We've tried several curricula throughout the years, most recently Writing Skills by EPS, which has been okay. I just get frustrated at the lack of progress in their skills. How many times a day do I have to remind them to capitalize their first word in a sentence, for example? It's just such slow going for all of them (and they don't all have LDs). I suspect it may be harder for me to be a good writing teacher because I am a natural writer. The slow slog discourages me.

 

DD9 has her NP appointments at the end of this month, so we'll finally know if what I've suspected about dyslexia for years is in fact true. I'm looking forward to having those answers.

 

Because of our crazy commuting schedule, I was not able to do as much as I wanted this year with remediation, but we did make slow forward progress on general academics (other than science, which got left by the wayside). We are putting the three youngest in school in the fall, so I will be able to really work hard with the oldest, who needs to be nudged up to high school level with direction instruction in several areas. I haven't been able to give her as much of my time, due to the needs of the younger ones, but she deserves it, and I'm looking forward to the next school year with her.

 

It's hard to make the shift away from homeschooling most of the kids, but I have hope that it will be a good choice for everyone. I've had trouble bearing the responsibility for it all and feeling that I'm not doing enough to meet their needs. I need a team of people to help me. And I think that it will be better for everyone if my role is less-teacher and more-mom, at least for a little while.

 

So I'm closing out the year with some sadness and some regret, but also contentment with our new home and hope for a better year ahead.

[MyLittleBears]

I would love to hear about his artwork...   :)

 

 

It's really just art class through coop. His teachers have commented on his ability beyond his years. . In particular he was able to do a lovely copy of VanGough's  starry night that came out beautiful. He seems to have a knack for abstract art. He definitely does not get it from me!

He really *needs* the encouragement and to know there is something that he great at.

[Targhee]

I overextended myself and limped through the second half of the year. I am going to handle extracurriculars and co-op demands differently next year.

 

My 3 school-aged kids are 2e with ADHD (oldest has an LD too), and we're able to work with restless/fidgity behaviors, medication improves their focus during the day, they get concepts quickly, all read well, in math and science they are outstanding, but writing for my oldest two is frought with emotional breakdowns/anger/generally-leaves-a-bad-taste-in-your-mouth. Even that we are dealing with. It's all the EF deficiencies that continue to hold us back and deplete my mental and emotional stores. I have to keep track of everybody's everything so I can cue them to think about it themselves. I'm running out of mental RAM.

 

They also struggle with friendships for the same reason. They are all sweethearts, but when your brain doesn't give you pause to think about things before you act or thoroughly consider the effects of your behaviors, or effectively learn from past consequences, it can seem like they are kind of rude, demanding, or inconsiderate :-( It is one thing when kids tune you out and move on, but when adults don't understand they start passing moral judgements (often in front of everyone else). And when I try to explain that while my kids must always take the consequences of their behaviors (like broken rules, or unkind acts) they don't really have the same control mechanisms as other kids and adults need to take it easy. Yes, my 8 yo really can't shut up very easily, and if her chatter is bugging you you need to remind her nicely (not chew her out), and realize that because she does it again isn't because she is disobeying it's because she has the "Ferrari brain with bicycle brakes."

 

Sorry for the venting moment.

[OneStepAtATime]

I overextended myself and limped through the second half of the year. I am going to handle extracurriculars and co-op demands differently next year.

 

My 3 school-aged kids are 2e with ADHD (oldest has an LD too), and we're able to work with restless/fidgity behaviors, medication improves their focus during the day, they get concepts quickly, all read well, in math and science they are outstanding, but writing for my oldest two is frought with emotional breakdowns/anger/generally-leaves-a-bad-taste-in-your-mouth. Even that we are dealing with. It's all the EF deficiencies that continue to hold us back and deplete my mental and emotional stores. I have to keep track of everybody's everything so I can cue them to think about it themselves. I'm running out of mental RAM.

 

They also struggle with friendships for the same reason. They are all sweethearts, but when your brain doesn't give you pause to think about things before you act or thoroughly consider the effects of your behaviors, or effectively learn from past consequences, it can seem like they are kind of rude, demanding, or inconsiderate :-( It is one thing when kids tune you out and move on, but when adults don't understand they start passing moral judgements (often in front of everyone else). And when I try to explain that while my kids must always take the consequences of their behaviors (like broken rules, or unkind acts) they don't really have the same control mechanisms as other kids and adults need to take it easy. Yes, my 8 yo really can't shut up very easily, and if her chatter is bugging you you need to remind her nicely (not chew her out), and realize that because she does it again isn't because she is disobeying it's because she has the "Ferrari brain with bicycle brakes."

 

Sorry for the venting moment.

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

I have a chatter box, too.  Unfortunately, it is DH and DD who cannot stand the chatter so poor DS gets chewed out a lot.   Discussions with the family and with individuals have not helped.  Yelling back has not helped.  I agree, Farrari brain with (rusty) bicycle brakes can be a tough combination for others in the world to deal with.

[Heathermomster]

I overextended myself and limped through the second half of the year. I am going to handle extracurriculars and co-op demands differently next year.

 

My 3 school-aged kids are 2e with ADHD (oldest has an LD too), and we're able to work with restless/fidgity behaviors, medication improves their focus during the day, they get concepts quickly, all read well, in math and science they are outstanding, but writing for my oldest two is frought with emotional breakdowns/anger/generally-leaves-a-bad-taste-in-your-mouth. Even that we are dealing with. It's all the EF deficiencies that continue to hold us back and deplete my mental and emotional stores. I have to keep track of everybody's everything so I can cue them to think about it themselves. I'm running out of mental RAM.

 

They also struggle with friendships for the same reason. They are all sweethearts, but when your brain doesn't give you pause to think about things before you act or thoroughly consider the effects of your behaviors, or effectively learn from past consequences, it can seem like they are kind of rude, demanding, or inconsiderate :-( It is one thing when kids tune you out and move on, but when adults don't understand they start passing moral judgements (often in front of everyone else). And when I try to explain that while my kids must always take the consequences of their behaviors (like broken rules, or unkind acts) they don't really have the same control mechanisms as other kids and adults need to take it easy. Yes, my 8 yo really can't shut up very easily, and if her chatter is bugging you you need to remind her nicely (not chew her out), and realize that because she does it again isn't because she is disobeying it's because she has the "Ferrari brain with bicycle brakes."

 

Sorry for the venting moment.

Vent away!

 

Do the kids stay on task when given work, or will they just suddenly get up and move to do something else?  

[ssavings]

Not great. We thought "regular school" might be an answer, but essentially nothing was done and we lost a year. 
 

[OneStepAtATime]

Not great. We thought "regular school" might be an answer, but essentially nothing was done and we lost a year. 

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

ETA, can you sit down and assess?  Brain storm for next year?  Maybe some on here could help with that.  They have certainly helped me.

 

That's what I'm doing right now, brainstorming.  I am having to accept that DD is NOT ready for 9th grade level work in the fall.  Well, maybe World Geography.  :) She wants this next year to be 9th grade, though, and really badly.  We are working out ways to get what she wants while still realistically working where she is at, KWIM?  

[merry gardens]

Not great. We thought "regular school" might be an answer, but essentially nothing was done and we lost a year.

 

Well then you learned "regular school" isn't the answer to solve your child's educational concerns. Honestly, that's a valuable lesson, and if it took a year to learn it, that's okay. Many-a-homeschooler has wasted time questioning ourselves and second guessing our decision to homeschool. As your about to undertake tutoring your child with LiPS, be confident that you can do at the very least as well for you child as "regular school" did. :)

[Heathermomster]

Ds1 will be 15 next week

Ds2 just turned 12

Ds3 is nine

My eldest turned 15 in November..He's learning to drive and hanging with friends. 

[Targhee]

Vent away!

 

Do the kids stay on task when given work, or will they just suddenly get up and move to do something else?

You obviously understand ADHD kids! Yes, this happens, but much less often than a couple years ago before they started meds and we nailed our routines down. My boy still often gets up and wanders from the dinner table and might come back with a toy, an extra fork, or not come back and realize later when his food is cold.

[Heathermomster]

You obviously understand ADHD kids! Yes, this happens, but much less often than a couple years ago before they started meds and we nailed our routines down. My boy still often gets up and wanders from the dinner table and might come back with a toy, an extra fork, or not come back and realize later when his food is cold.

The moving about adds a whole new dimension to the day.  DS has improved in this area.

[Tiramisu]

I overextended myself and limped through the second half of the year. I am going to handle extracurriculars and co-op demands differently next year.

 

My 3 school-aged kids are 2e with ADHD (oldest has an LD too), and we're able to work with restless/fidgity behaviors, medication improves their focus during the day, they get concepts quickly, all read well, in math and science they are outstanding, but writing for my oldest two is frought with emotional breakdowns/anger/generally-leaves-a-bad-taste-in-your-mouth. Even that we are dealing with. It's all the EF deficiencies that continue to hold us back and deplete my mental and emotional stores. I have to keep track of everybody's everything so I can cue them to think about it themselves. I'm running out of mental RAM.

 

They also struggle with friendships for the same reason. They are all sweethearts, but when your brain doesn't give you pause to think about things before you act or thoroughly consider the effects of your behaviors, or effectively learn from past consequences, it can seem like they are kind of rude, demanding, or inconsiderate :-( It is one thing when kids tune you out and move on, but when adults don't understand they start passing moral judgements (often in front of everyone else). And when I try to explain that while my kids must always take the consequences of their behaviors (like broken rules, or unkind acts) they don't really have the same control mechanisms as other kids and adults need to take it easy. Yes, my 8 yo really can't shut up very easily, and if her chatter is bugging you you need to remind her nicely (not chew her out), and realize that because she does it again isn't because she is disobeying it's because she has the "Ferrari brain with bicycle brakes."

 

Sorry for the venting moment.

 

This describes my life very well. I'll just ditto this since my own RAM is maxed out, too.  :D

[Tiramisu]

September through December was great. I was just hsing one kid and life was unusually calm. It was so peaceful that I actually wondered what was around the corner. Looking back, I think God was giving me a rest period because he had big surprises in store.

 

In the late summer and fall were on a late schedule because dd needs hours in the morning to become functional but I didn't really mind too much because she spent the mornings reading classics and all our work got done every day. In the afternoons, we worked outside on the trampoline even after the cold weather hit. I was bundled up on a lawn chair while dh bounced around doing her work aloud. 

 

Then my grandmother fell in December and she was hospitalized and then in rehab. She has serious dementia and didn't get the greatest care. I had to be there for her and my hard-of-hearing grandfather. This really interrupted our hs routine and got us off track, but that alone wouldn't have mattered since it was almost Christmas anyway. 

 

I'll be vague but another close relative was so shook up by my grandmother's situation that she fell into old bad habits. Police involvement, CPS involvement, and it's not going away.

 

Then on a Monday in January, the week we were to start back with school, we got a phone call that my oldest had a tumor in the area of her pituitary. The same day I found out another dd's depression hit a dangerous level. The next day my youngest, the only one still at home, fell at least ten feet free-fall out of a friend's attic of my friend old house onto the bottom of a staircase. The ER found that her two lower arm bones were broken but missed her broken upper arm bone. I also wonder if they missed a head injury. She hasn't been the same since. She cries and melts down frequently. With the fall and everything else I think she has PTSD on top of SPD and ADHD.

 

A week or so after that, I had a suspicious mammogram. Then I had a very painful diagnostic mammogram and u/s. I was sent to a breast specialist that I just got into last week after waiting months. It looks as though it's benign but of course it will be watched.

 

Meanwhile, my youngest had the flu, had bad reactions to her inhaler, and the ADHD med we tried. There's been lots of crying and meltdowns and unsuccessful therapy visits. The therapist--good woman that she is--keeps telling me she's dealing with a lot now but it will get better. Dd was also evaluated for VT and needs VT for several issues. She had a panic attack in the VT office last week so it didn't happen but we'll try again with dh this week.

 

Recently, we also got the news that my oldest who is being investigated for the pituitary issue that her rheumatologist thinks she should be medicated for lupus. She doesn't fit the diagnositic criteria, but she's had a few elevated auto-antibodies and she's had constant fatigue and her pain is increasing. She will have more tests and another MRI in July and I'd very much appreciate any prayers and good thoughts for her health.

 

The good things that have happened during this difficult time:

 

My dd who had depression for years but who would not agree to get help is now seeing specialists and is doing better. Our relationship has improved and she talks to me about everything. She's making new friends who have supported her and now she supports them. She really needs to be treated for ADHD but even though that hasn't happened yet, we've made the right connections for it. She got her VT eval and it looks like she might have a visual processing issue but for now reading glasses are helping.

 

I found two awesome therapists for two different dd's who have been a great support for me as well.

 

Also, my dd who started high school is excelling, much more than we ever expected, academically and musically. Her spiritual life continues to be good and that is the most reassuring since she made the change to go to a brick and mortar school.

 

My youngest has become very fluent with her addition and subtraction. She's learned multi-digit multiplication and division. She's writing very basic paragraphs. They just say something is good and she likes it, but it's progress. I'm hopeful VT will get done with dh's help and her ability to write and do close work will improve.

 

My youngest acts like she hates me since all the stress started. That is our biggest obstacle. I hope that will change. I've learned that she needs review so I will be making some changes to meet that need, and also moving toward curriculum she can use independently since my involvement is more of a problem than a help for her.

 

Dd says that she hates hsing and wants to go to school. It makes sense since she's the only one home now and she's lonely, but I'm concerned about making a drastic change in her life and sending her to school while she's in such a bad state emotionally. Plus, she'll be in middle school in a couple of years and public middle schools stink. I wish I had a good private school option nearby if I decide to make that change eventually.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Hugs, T. You and your family have been through so much this year. Here's hoping it is all uphill from here.

[Storygirl]

Oh, Tiramisu, I'm sorry. It's so hard when the hardships pile up on each other like that. :grouphug:

[Heathermomster]

September through December was great. I was just hsing one kid and life was unusually calm. It was so peaceful that I actually wondered what was around the corner. Looking back, I think God was giving me a rest period because he had big surprises in store.

 

In the late summer and fall were on a late schedule because dd needs hours in the morning to become functional but I didn't really mind too much because she spent the mornings reading classics and all our work got done every day. In the afternoons, we worked outside on the trampoline even after the cold weather hit. I was bundled up on a lawn chair while dh bounced around doing her work aloud. 

 

Then my grandmother fell in December and she was hospitalized and then in rehab. She has serious dementia and didn't get the greatest care. I had to be there for her and my hard-of-hearing grandfather. This really interrupted our hs routine and got us off track, but that alone wouldn't have mattered since it was almost Christmas anyway. 

 

I'll be vague but another close relative was so shook up by my grandmother's situation that she fell into old bad habits. Police involvement, CPS involvement, and it's not going away.

 

Then on a Monday in January, the week we were to start back with school, we got a phone call that my oldest had a tumor in the area of her pituitary. The same day I found out another dd's depression hit a dangerous level. The next day my youngest, the only one still at home, fell at least ten feet free-fall out of a friend's attic of my friend old house onto the bottom of a staircase. The ER found that her two lower arm bones were broken but missed her broken upper arm bone. I also wonder if they missed a head injury. She hasn't been the same since. She cries and melts down frequently. With the fall and everything else I think she has PTSD on top of SPD and ADHD.

 

A week or so after that, I had a suspicious mammogram. Then I had a very painful diagnostic mammogram and u/s. I was sent to a breast specialist that I just got into last week after waiting months. It looks as though it's benign but of course it will be watched.

 

Meanwhile, my youngest had the flu, had bad reactions to her inhaler, and the ADHD med we tried. There's been lots of crying and meltdowns and unsuccessful therapy visits. The therapist--good woman that she is--keeps telling me she's dealing with a lot now but it will get better. Dd was also evaluated for VT and needs VT for several issues. She had a panic attack in the VT office last week so it didn't happen but we'll try again with dh this week.

 

Recently, we also got the news that my oldest who is being investigated for the pituitary issue that her rheumatologist thinks she should be medicated for lupus. She doesn't fit the diagnositic criteria, but she's had a few elevated auto-antibodies and she's had constant fatigue and her pain is increasing. She will have more tests and another MRI in July and I'd very much appreciate any prayers and good thoughts for her health.

 

The good things that have happened during this difficult time:

 

My dd who had depression for years but who would not agree to get help is now seeing specialists and is doing better. Our relationship has improved and she talks to me about everything. She's making new friends who have supported her and now she supports them. She really needs to be treated for ADHD but even though that hasn't happened yet, we've made the right connections for it. She got her VT eval and it looks like she might have a visual processing issue but for now reading glasses are helping.

 

I found two awesome therapists for two different dd's who have been a great support for me as well.

 

Also, my dd who started high school is excelling, much more than we ever expected, academically and musically. Her spiritual life continues to be good and that is the most reassuring since she made the change to go to a brick and mortar school.

 

My youngest has become very fluent with her addition and subtraction. She's learned multi-digit multiplication and division. She's writing very basic paragraphs. They just say something is good and she likes it, but it's progress. I'm hopeful VT will get done with dh's help and her ability to write and do close work will improve.

 

My youngest acts like she hates me since all the stress started. That is our biggest obstacle. I hope that will change. I've learned that she needs review so I will be making some changes to meet that need, and also moving toward curriculum she can use independently since my involvement is more of a problem than a help for her.

 

Dd says that she hates hsing and wants to go to school. It makes sense since she's the only one home now and she's lonely, but I'm concerned about making a drastic change in her life and sending her to school while she's in such a bad state emotionally. Plus, she'll be in middle school in a couple of years and public middle schools stink. I wish I had a good private school option nearby if I decide to make that change eventually.

I am so sorry for your troubles.... :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Targhee]

September through December was great. I was just hsing one kid and life was unusually calm. It was so peaceful that I actually wondered what was around the corner. Looking back, I think God was giving me a rest period because he had big surprises in store.

 

In the late summer and fall were on a late schedule because dd needs hours in the morning to become functional but I didn't really mind too much because she spent the mornings reading classics and all our work got done every day. In the afternoons, we worked outside on the trampoline even after the cold weather hit. I was bundled up on a lawn chair while dh bounced around doing her work aloud.

 

Then my grandmother fell in December and she was hospitalized and then in rehab. She has serious dementia and didn't get the greatest care. I had to be there for her and my hard-of-hearing grandfather. This really interrupted our hs routine and got us off track, but that alone wouldn't have mattered since it was almost Christmas anyway.

 

I'll be vague but another close relative was so shook up by my grandmother's situation that she fell into old bad habits. Police involvement, CPS involvement, and it's not going away.

 

Then on a Monday in January, the week we were to start back with school, we got a phone call that my oldest had a tumor in the area of her pituitary. The same day I found out another dd's depression hit a dangerous level. The next day my youngest, the only one still at home, fell at least ten feet free-fall out of a friend's attic of my friend old house onto the bottom of a staircase. The ER found that her two lower arm bones were broken but missed her broken upper arm bone. I also wonder if they missed a head injury. She hasn't been the same since. She cries and melts down frequently. With the fall and everything else I think she has PTSD on top of SPD and ADHD.

 

A week or so after that, I had a suspicious mammogram. Then I had a very painful diagnostic mammogram and u/s. I was sent to a breast specialist that I just got into last week after waiting months. It looks as though it's benign but of course it will be watched.

 

Meanwhile, my youngest had the flu, had bad reactions to her inhaler, and the ADHD med we tried. There's been lots of crying and meltdowns and unsuccessful therapy visits. The therapist--good woman that she is--keeps telling me she's dealing with a lot now but it will get better. Dd was also evaluated for VT and needs VT for several issues. She had a panic attack in the VT office last week so it didn't happen but we'll try again with dh this week.

 

Recently, we also got the news that my oldest who is being investigated for the pituitary issue that her rheumatologist thinks she should be medicated for lupus. She doesn't fit the diagnositic criteria, but she's had a few elevated auto-antibodies and she's had constant fatigue and her pain is increasing. She will have more tests and another MRI in July and I'd very much appreciate any prayers and good thoughts for her health.

 

The good things that have happened during this difficult time:

 

My dd who had depression for years but who would not agree to get help is now seeing specialists and is doing better. Our relationship has improved and she talks to me about everything. She's making new friends who have supported her and now she supports them. She really needs to be treated for ADHD but even though that hasn't happened yet, we've made the right connections for it. She got her VT eval and it looks like she might have a visual processing issue but for now reading glasses are helping.

 

I found two awesome therapists for two different dd's who have been a great support for me as well.

 

Also, my dd who started high school is excelling, much more than we ever expected, academically and musically. Her spiritual life continues to be good and that is the most reassuring since she made the change to go to a brick and mortar school.

 

My youngest has become very fluent with her addition and subtraction. She's learned multi-digit multiplication and division. She's writing very basic paragraphs. They just say something is good and she likes it, but it's progress. I'm hopeful VT will get done with dh's help and her ability to write and do close work will improve.

 

My youngest acts like she hates me since all the stress started. That is our biggest obstacle. I hope that will change. I've learned that she needs review so I will be making some changes to meet that need, and also moving toward curriculum she can use independently since my involvement is more of a problem than a help for her.

 

Dd says that she hates hsing and wants to go to school. It makes sense since she's the only one home now and she's lonely, but I'm concerned about making a drastic change in her life and sending her to school while she's in such a bad state emotionally. Plus, she'll be in middle school in a couple of years and public middle schools stink. I wish I had a good private school option nearby if I decide to make that change eventually.

(((Hugs))) That's a lot, and to happen all at once... God bless you

[imagine.more]

Tiramisu, wow, you had a crazy year! Praying this coming year is a lot easier for you, it sounds like you're due for a break! That's really encouraging that your DD who struggles with depression hit a point where she got help though, sometimes that step backwards can really help get things rolling so it can improve. I've always had depression as well and actually the last time it got awful it ended up helping me tremendously because I found a medication that works great for me when I need it and I learned some good coping mechanisms to prevent it from happening again or at least mitigate the depression a bit. So hopefully your daughter experiences the same, and it really sounds like she is. 

 

AFM, our year was kinda crazy though not as bad as Tiramisu's :) DH lost his job at the beginning of the year but hobbled together part-time stuff and severance to get us by for the year. We sold our house and moved this past week which has been stressful but is also a step in the right direction for DH's career and our family as a whole. I'm excited to get DD13 even better services here too! Oh, and we learned that baby 5 was on the way back in November, so that meant I was suddenly very sick, 17 full weeks of vicious morning sickness, and school was on the back burner. 

 

With DD13, our kiddo with special needs, I was trucking along okay until the pregnancy then things kinda got complicated and tough for the winter. But come spring we got back on track and I realized we hadn't fallen behind as much as I'd thought thankfully. This year we got DD's official neuropsych evaluation and diagnosis of Intellectual Disability, which was a blow but will be helpful overall. She completed Barton Level 3 and we found out Math U See works really well for her and she's halfway through Gamma (multiplication). We also started ADHD meds and those really helped with the tantrums over schoolwork (well, and everything) and her ability to focus overall which is nice. She participated in swim team, lost weight and for the first time in 4+ years she is in a healthy BMI range for her age! And she does the dishes (her one chore) properly now, even wiping down the counters, yay :) 

 

The other kids survived, DS6 ended up sort of unschooling with me enforcing daily math, spelling, and grammar and then him just reading lots. Not my ideal but he's fine and this next year I'll be focusing on him more now that I feel like I have a handle on DD's needs and realistic expectations. Right now I'm focusing on finding that balance between providing remediation and recognizing that our goal is not catching up to grade level but rather making good steady progress towards an adult level of functioning.