living gifted
children are a gift from the Lord... yet some of them are Gifted Children.. They are gifts too! remembering Bowditch... Nathaniels giftings, gentleness, boldness, brightness, and persistence, and encouraging that in our children as we walk in the way.....
Monday, October 18, 2010
time... keeps on slipping
Life with 2E children is VERY busy... VERY engaging... and VERY full...
I confess... I have struggled with this blog.. though the topic is a passion of mine..
I am passionate about my blessings..
Passionate about education
home education
gifted education
and about the education of the twice exceptional and those with special needs in general.
and I am.. believe it or NOT.. a passionate blogger
: - )
yes... yet I struggled.. HOW could I share information with YOU dear reader.. that I did not have myself..
WHAT was wrong???
What was the diagnoses???
What was UP with my munchkins...
So bright they shine... and yet.. something so clearly amiss...
oooo I am certain there are those of you out there in cyber land who can relate..... the waiting.. the quest to find answers to WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH MY CHILD???
Dysgraphia is fine.. but we've done this therapy.. yes.. and THAT therapy... and yet.. so little progress.... and she is so defeated...
Fatigue
difficulty concentrating
vision worsening
poor hearing
anger yet extreme compassion
hyper sensitivities
visual disturbances... certain lighting upsetting to a certain child
hearing disturbances.. bothering to other children is certain sounds...
allergies to so MANY things
kidney issues
heart issues
and the list goes on and on and on and on....
and so did the list of doctors... of specialists.. of therapies... and supplements...
Last December.. I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
I was asked by the doctor, and my support group, if my children had any symptoms..
any bizarre un related, unexplainable issues..
hmmm ???
yah.. ya think??
I was told at this point that Lyme disease.. the spirochete Borrelia Burdorfi, can be transferred to your child during pregnancy... That they ought to be tested...
Each of my birth children tested positive for lyme disease...
Each of them have identical co-infections to mine...
It is believed that they each have Congenital Lyme disease.. there is NO reason to believe otherwise.
We are now in treatment.
Treatment is Long Term Antibiotics and supplements...
We are officially Gluten Free.. low dairy... low to borderline no soy
LIFE this year... has dramatically changed for our family.
School is still coming along... but it too looks different... Finding ways to challenge them, while trying to have a flexible enough schedule to deal with their days of being just plain ILL from medicines is hard...
My eldest son C.S.(age 14) has been diagnosed with
POTS (postural orthostatic tachicardial syndrom) he mee
possible siezures (he goes in soon for sleep studies)
HHV6
Babesia
Bartonella
Lyme
Daughter Princess KI
Dysgraphia
Babesia
Bartonella
HHV6
Lyme
Son Buddy
Bartonella
Babesia
HHV6
Lyme
oh... all that excitement.. and I failed to share we adopted!!!!!!!!!!!! yes!
a beautiful little boy! it all happened at right about the same time we were learning about this... He is a joy, and is just now learning to sit, and pull up to things :)
So...
Living Gifted... will perhaps expand.. to the giftings of life with 2E & raising kids IN REAL life, with illness, chaos and strife :)
because that is my world :)
Hope you are glad to have me back friends!
because I am glad to BE back!
Friday, November 13, 2009
communicating.... speaking.... conversing.... basically HELP :)
"87% of everything we do during the day is communication related. While you may manage to live your entire life without making a speech, you will not get through one day without communicating something to someone! Effective communication touches every aspect of our lives:
Marriage
Parenting
Defending the Faith
Learning Skills
College Prep
Getting a Job
Climbing the Corporate Ladder
Owning Your Own Business
Making and Maintaining friendships "
This is a direct quote from The Art of Eloquence.... and I happen to be sort of cyber pals with the developer of these amazing products... I thought you too might benefit from checking out her sight.. Often times 'gifted children' especially 2E, as well as HSC, can be very uncomfortable performing in front of strangers... JoJo (the developer) has masterfully put together program after program, depending upon age and ability, to help YOUR child or even YOU develop better communication skills... we may not all have to give big speeches, or be called to perform anything in front of anyone, but each of us needs healthy, solid communications skills as part of our foundation to get along in every day life..
If you are looking for help in communicating, or teaching communication skills to your child, PLEASE check out The Art of Eloquence. I truly believe you and your child will be blessed with any purchase you might make!
WHAT is a "highly sensitive" child??
Thursday, November 12, 2009
is your blessing sensitive too???
sensitive....
NOT in that wimpy sort of way all to often depicted by Hollywood...
no...
but in a REAL way... in a RAW way..
like they get it..
LIKE they get some aspects of life and CARE
while we "get it" but have grown apathetic..
and IF we stopped to THINK their thoughts
we'd need ... help
therapy...
some serious stocks in a good tissue company, and plenty of the product in our home...
Really!
The emotional stress these kids can endure is intense.. Because they are thinking beyond what the typical (is there such a thing) kid is thinking, they are going beyond the general thought process with each and every issue...
Moving is Stressful
Traveling around the world is FUN, but has it's stressors
Packing is Stressful
being sick is stressful
having sick siblings is stressful
having an ill mother is stressful
watching a beloved grandparent (or ANY loved one) struggle desperately with Cancer is STRESSFUL
being told you are TOO young to visit anymore because of H1N1 is STRESSFUL
the list goes on and on and on...
I haven't written much on our blog since back from our little adventure abroad.. In fact I have neglected my little "gifted blog" all together...
I have been swept up in my 3 blessings...
doctors, illnesses, and preparing to move...
(VERY stressful to ANY child... all the more... for a gifted or Twice Exceptional child)
add into that THE Oma (German Grandmother)
has taken a turn for the worse in her battle for Cancer... and been in hospital for a time...
These issues, and a variety of others.. are HUGE, dare I say DRAMATIC times in the lives of Gifted children...
I am learning that walking in Grace... in Faith... is a challenge..
Offering them room to breathe, room to grieve, room to think,
and still challenge them is some days an inner battle...
I am thankful for the knowledge that there are "counselors & therapists" who work with gifted children... This is wonderful to know...
Yet as followers of Christ, what does THIS mom do?
Well, the children consider chatting with such a person as a thing quite POINTLESS; if they can find NO "Nouthetic Counselor" who is trained to work with the "gifted community" they have no desire to meet with anyone.......
and they have a point...
What ARE they more... Christians... or Gifted....???
that is the question...
They are Gifted because GOD made them that way...
They are Christian because Called them, saved them...
and yet...
my frustration lies.. in WHY does the Christian Community, the Nouthetic Counselors, Biblical Counselors, show NO involvement in the "gifted community"... why can I find NO connection
it's as if Christianity can not IMAGINE that such a people exist...
it is AS if.... they have in the West totally embraced egalitarianism............
that we are NOT all fearfully and wonderfully made.. each unique and different ... worthy of appreciation, as the handiwork of God...
and yet... dare I stand apart from my Brothers and Sisters and Christ on this point...
standing firmly UPON the Rock, and declare
that we ARE all fearfully and wonderfully made....
I am, no, WE are separate... and yet because of Christ ..UNITED...
excuse my ramblings...
I am on the hunt,
for a NOUTHETIC Counselor trained in working with Gifted Children...
eyes wide open
heart full of love
hands open in prayer...
prayers are welcome, thoughts or suggestions welcome... If you have come across this, & found some victory, or an answer to this ... please comment! :)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Learning French....
There are four weeks to go through, and really you learn more than you think you will. It starts from the assumption that you know nothing. Even though we had been doing French a little while, I liked this presumption, and am glad I bought all four, as it covered things in a very funny way, and in a very different approach than Rosetta. This was great in the car, in the house, really anywhere, because we could do it together. It was not one person in front of one computer alone. This took our family's individual learning and made it corporate for the first time! Something we had been doing with Latin, but NOT with German. hmmm ... It is audio, and the speaker speaks the phrase in English and then in French twice with time for you to repeat after. The flip chart shows funny cartoons so you can follow along. This is so NOT sophisticated, just practical, charming, and frankly helpful... They have several languages so check them out too!
Yet speak in the week could only go so far, as could our little pocket books and so the hunt here in France began... yes I know... what is a mom to do... We really stink at French, and the only "French" people talking to us... REALLY are mostly people like US who are from other countries all together, who speak French as a second, third or even fourth language. We still are not .... connecting... and my face goes blank at the grocery store, because now that I go enough, they want to be friendly, and I really, haven't a clue what the nice gal said to me... my book didn't cover that, and I needed help!
Bein-dire to the rescue! I hope :) Bein-dire is From France for learners of French! As I understand it, those that put this together are NOT native French, but those who came here to live and discerned that which was lacking in their own French, and what they REALLY needed to live and breath! This is a Lyon based company, and they have hired real Native speakers for all their audio CD's :) Makes me think, it really sometimes is a blessing to talk to someone who's BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT... and here is a company that is all about that, ya really can learn to get by with a little help from your friends. If you expand YOUR definition of friend to include those great folks that make up the staff at Bein-dire !
They have curriculum, a newsletter, and a magazine! The great thing about THIS magazine is, their are vocabulary sections for those words you are working on, and for a bit more euros you can get a CD to come with it, and have the whole thing read to you, so you can learn how it should sound!!! Fantastic yes?! This is perfect not only for the adult learner, but for the student as well. They even have discounts for Group Subscriptions. Ordering outside Europe is a bit more money, but well worth it. There are only 6 subscriptions in a year. You CAN order back issues, get a discount on a full year, or if you are unsure, order a 4 issue subscription! Again, this is a magazine that you can get with or with out the CD! How cool is that!!!
as far as curriculum goes, this IS the perfect supplement! Taking the Speak in the Week gang to the next level. They have NO English spoken, It is pure unabridged FRENCH from the start, and have a variety of topics to choose from...
some are
Master French Numbers ~ The Good Pronunciation Guide ~ Social Conversations ~ Dialogues pour tous les jours ~ La Politesees ~ Bon Appetit! are some of those that I purchased :)
Each of these comes with a CD and a booklet to read along as you go, these are fabulous. I can't tell you how helpful it is to listen to the French speak a conversation, and to READ along... Reading French is easier than listening to it, and if you can see it, and hear it, wow! This is one thing that helped with Speak in a Week. Bien-dire hit's it on the mark!
I just got this series so, I will do more on them in the weeks that follow, letting you know how the children and I are progressing in our learning our French. A program is only good if you use it, and try it out. So we need to give it a good hearty try... I think though that this program will be a great supplement to any small group wishing to learn French, to any family, or home school group, especially Charlotte Mason fans, who want to not only speak proper French, but to know what to say to the Fromage Man about his Fromage :) Oui?
It is my understanding that this program also has optional flash cards. I have not seen these, and so do not know if they are visual spacial or more audio sequential cards, if and when I do see them I will make note of that here. So far I would say this program is meant for those who want to know how to "do life" , how to live and breath simply in France. This is not just for the student wanting textbook French on a transcript, but for the person with a heart to learn the language, the mannerisms, the people, so that relationships can be formed, conversations enjoyed, memories shared and made. As is this is a simple book with an audio CD, very audio sequential... The magazine is where things get more visual... Hence this is more a audio sequential supplement, but even with my visual spatial learners I am not dismayed, I am very excited....
More on other foreign language materials used by me, on this great French adventure, coming soon...
Splash into Reading this Summer
They come in all shapes and all sizes,