Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group update on me

Yep.
we sure have missed up!
I Am working on a released time for junior high / high school. Concerning the Faith of our Founding Fathers, and learning the constitution and how important it is for deciding our future.

Nice to see you again

agape'
Lon

Wow, what a wonderful update on you and your famiy. Great to read that your daughter may have gotten the right med's in the right amounts and that you can see her real personality shining through.

It's good to hear from you. I love what you are doing in your homeschooling. You and your family look great. I hope your daughter continues to improve.

Thanks for all the kindness!

The Brethren is not part of the SCA, but many members participate at the local Ren Faires. Our Captain Rosabella was a Court Contessa and got tired of the stagnant life of royalty. Her current significant other was a Count who was captured by pirates about 5 years ago and forced into labor until he escaped. He has decided to use his title to give letters of marque to local bucanneers to become privateers (legal pirates). He is also one of the founders of the Brethren. His name is Count d'Booty and is the financier of the shipyard (thus his pun on counting the booty). Our Captain is a history major and between her & the Count, we have great knowledge of real history. The best way to learn history is to live it!

This summer we may participate in a special 6 week John Adams program at a nearby town. His papers are being released from the Library of Congress for a tour across the US and there's only 12 or so stops. The Count has been asked to be one of the main planners in putting the program together. If we get enough $$ to get us all into costume, our family will be helping out. Otherwise, we'll learn behind the scenes.

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For those with pats on my back about homeschooling... nah... I'm not all that. Really. I have to 'unschool' because of the fatigue and so many bad days. Thankfully the laws here in MI allow for such a way. Unschooling is becoming more popular, but is still looked down on by most traditional home schoolers. Hah! Prejudice at it's best!

I do minimal book work and let the kids lead their learning thru their passions and interests. A lot of life-application lessons here. We learn about figuring prices of things in the store with tax and with coupons and sales and there's a lot of math in cooking too! My 5 & 6 yo are learning cooking right now. Mostly because they're always wanting to eat eggs & sausage and I'm still in bed or don't wanna cook again so they do it (with supervision). And they love it. They all have their helping jobs and take turns with the vacuuming and washing dishes & laundry. It's really a team effort. They know more than anybody we meet about plants and their uses, if they are edible or poison, etc. We live in town and have 8 chickens we raise for eggs and other lessons that livestock teaches.

The Magazine happened because the 2 older girls took a homeschooling class about creative writing and they did very well, even though I don't teach writing or language arts. The teacher confirmed my suspicions: if the kids read a lot, they can and WILL learn much more than thru forced learning. My kids, being un-taught, were highly creative in their writing in that class and one was asked to attend the highschool class for free. The traditionally taught kids were really very afraid of the work. I'm not sure if it's the parent's attitude of 'you have to do this every day or else...' that stresses them out to restrict learning or what. I don't know. I recently read an article about statistically our kids have a higher IQ but their creative IQ is super, super low. Which is a sad thing. So the magazine was a way to keep their interest and hope that other kids would want to participate too. Kind of like "Highlights for Kids" but created by kids.

We find something interesting and study it, or learn it. It is really simple and makes sense in my brain. If I have the energy and excitement to learn something that I am interested in, then why can't my kids learn things they are interested in? I've also decided to be low stress and if their childhood is low stress, they should be better adjusted adults, right? maybe? Sometimes one will get an idea and decide to make it and sell it. We spent a whole summer at a local farmer's market selling jewelry. Lotsa life lessons there!

My eldest is determined to be a photographer, so no college necessary. My 2nd born is determined to live, eat, sleep & breathe horses, so no college is necessary there. Ruthie may be a dependent adult, but we'll work with her career when we find out what her passion is. The first son is way too smart and may end up in college, but he's 6, so that's a ways off. I believe my baby will get everything he ever wants just by his well-planned pouts. My older 2 are volunteering 3 hours a week at the local library and will be helping with farm chores to help pay off horse boarding when we get a horse.
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For those interested: www.mountainroseherbs.com/ is where I get the bulk herbs. The best way to take them is in an infusion (very strong tea). 1 cup of dried herb to 1 qt of boiling water. Let steep overnight, then strain and drink. Stinging nettle can be eaten raw or dried. One of the best greens to ever eat. Tastes like snap beans.

If you want the seeds, you must NOT eat them raw. They need to be dried. If you eat them raw, you will have symptoms of super high pinging & heart palps and not good for kidneys. Eating them dried stabilizes the compounds so you have a slow release of positive effects. Make sure you harvest your leaves early in the season, before they go to seed, or you can damage your kidneys with prolonged use.

Look up susun weed on youtube for videos about infusions. Her website is pretty interesting too. www.susunweed.com

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oh d*mn! There I went, yaking away again... oops! Sometimes I talk waaay too much! LOL! I think I answered all the questions... if not, lemme know...

Hey Donette! What are therapeutic levels? How much?

You want to saturate your body first, then maintain, otherwise you're always battling a glass half-empty.

If I recall correctly:

take 1000 mg every two hours until you reach bowel tolerance (high gurgles, bubbles & explosive gas and diarrhea). Then you know you are fully saturated. Vit C is safe because when your body reaches saturation, you will expel the excess, therefore, you can't take too much.

I did that for 2 days and never reached bowel tolerance. Pretty sad to think my body was that depleted.

www.doctoryourself.com/mccormick.html

This website, among others is what helped me find my regiment of basic supplements to help heal my adrenals, which is helping my thyroid, and hopefully, will help me deal with spondy better.

Trudi,

Im so glad that you checked in!

The pirate stuff sounds AWESOME! I would think it would be every kids fantasy and for you and your husband to participate AND use it to help and inspire others..well that just sounds so Trudi (I mean that in the best way) you have shown me in so many ways what an AWESOME Mom you are.I LOVE Stink Bomb and Little Rummy..lol

I am glad you are being so diligent with (Im sorry is it Ruthie?) but I know you are like me her health is your priority so I know she is in good hands, keep it up Mom.

I seriously am going to take your notes and advice on some of the herbs that you are trying, I will have to ok them with my Doc as I am on Remicade and about 15 other drugs...dont want any of them mixing wrong but would soooo rather do natural than drug if given a choice.

Im so excited you got a piano I have been wanting one too, I want the kind that I guess it is an upright, but my parents have a beautiful organ and he keeps telling me I need to take it because he isnt going to be here much longer..Im like um no I will treasure it when you gone but Im not taking it while you are here and we clearly dont have enought room for both guess we will have to buy a bigger house..lol

Its so good to hear from you, please check in a little more and keep us update, Im anxious to hear what hubby's name will be Jack Sparrow, Winch Whipper, Lizard Lips...can't wait.

Hope you and the family are as well as can be.

Hugs,

Lisa

thanks for that link to the herb website! its a keeper.

and good to see you around again!

you sound like you've been good busy! very interesting family life! have fun!

Wish I'd had a teacher like youwehn I was a kiddo - it was ALL such stern and strict stuff and the Lord help you IF you came home with a bad report... Hated it all until I got to about 16, then no stopping me. Had a bunch of good teachers then, inspired one.

Am sure many others agree with me, I think you're terrific. Inspiring and exciting. Hats off to you, Trudi. Not only an excellent teacher but a great mom as well.

It looks like you are doing all the right things with the kids. I have homeschooled my girls, but now that they are in HS, it is getting harder. We are in an Independent studies program so the can attend classes for algebra, Biology, Chemistry and Journalism but we do all the other stuff at home. The oldest, Summer, is also taking some classes at the Jr. Collage here in town. Ashlee will start taking some extra classes there next fall. If they work hard, the can start collage as a Sophomore. That means saving a whole year tuition.