2014

My Heart, My Soul is Angry {Epilepsy Awareness}

May 1, 2014 by Dana

My heart aches. It’s been a long time since I have blogged anything about our Epilepsy. I have closed it off and tried to ignore it’s existence but this week the Monster has made sure I know he’s there. It’s been a long week and it’s not over yet.

Three seizures in three days for Jackson. Two mild and one very big one that I honestly questioned whether or not it was going to stop. I want to break. I want to cry. I can’t because Jackson needs his Momma strong. Winston, Emmalee and Laycie need their Momma strong.

These seizures are becoming the norm in our family. They were already an integral part but now they are a prominent, daily feature in our life. I hate it. I hate they exist. I hate they happen every day. I want to scream at this monster to just go the hell away, to leave my baby boy alone. I want to scream at God to make them stop.

Sometimes I whisper it — I know He hears my soul pleading.

I beg Him to stop the seizures. I beg Him to heal my babies. I beg Him to just listen, just take it away and make it all stop, to give my sweet baby boy the normal, seizure free life that he deserves. To give my girls the same. He hears me but still we fight this battle to which we have no control over.

I may never know why. I am not meant to understand His logic, His reasoning behind the Monster’s attacks on my family. Sometimes I feel like it’s just a game but I know there must be some purpose, some greater reason that I just cannot see.

My heart, my soul is angry. He knows it and yet He still loves me. That’s the way it is. I try not to be angry and not to take my anger out on Him. Yet, I know God is there – waiting. He’s waiting for me to break, to come to Him so He can heal the hurt and pain that only He can.

He’s waiting for me to share this story, for others who suffer like me. To share it for other’s who watch their babies suffer with this damned disorder daily, just like mine do. I know this is my purpose, yet sometimes I fight it. I don’t wish to be a seizure Momma, yet here I am.

And then the words flow, much as they are tonight. I feel led by God to share, to spill my heart and bare these wounds that haunt me. When I rise, I stand strong again, in Faith, Love and in Grace that is given only by Him.

I am undeserving but oh so thankful for His Grace, for His Love and for every single minute that I am blessed to love my babies on this Earth and beyond. I cannot imagine this world without them, though I know they are only gifted to me for a specific amount of time. I pray it never be cut short, that I am able to outlive them and they live long, seizure free lives. I know that may not happen but I pray it does, like most Momma’s do.

I just want the Monster to stop – to go away and let my babies live happy, long lives full of Love and Faith, to be able to fulfill their dreams and wishes without convulsions and pain. Maybe one day. Until then, I will patiently wait and continue to pray and have Faith. It’s all any Momma can do for her babes.

The Brinkman Adventures: Season 2 {Schoolhouse Review}

April 30, 2014 by Dana

One of our long time favorites around the Lambert House are radio dramas. We love how these fun little adventures come to life through something as simple as listening along to a CD. We were not disappointed with The Brinkman Adventures.

The Brinkman Adventures Season 2: Episodes 13-24 pickup where Season 1 left off. Now I must admit, I have never heard Season 1 so I don’t know anything about what I’m missing on those wonderful CD’s but I hear great things about it. In fact, after hearing the great stories from Season 2, I am seriously thinking about investing in Season 1.

The Brinkman Adventures Season 2: Episodes 13-24 is a 4-disc set. Each disc contains 3 separate episodes. Each of those episodes are jam-packed full of excitement straight from the Brinkman’s adventures.

The Brinkman’s stories are based on real-life experiences. Through The Brinkman Adventure’s website you can read specifically about each of these real life adventures and learn how they each became part of this wonderful radio drama series. Every episode, every experience shared on the CD’s can be found on the website.

We used the website to help build upon the wonderful stories and lessons we learned by listening to this wonderful set of CD’s. Each of the Season’s Episodes that are shared online tell the story behind the story on the respective CD and Episode. Each episode is about something different but like a book, each episode flows into the one before bringing the Brinkman’s story to life.

We learned so very much from each of these website links about the episodes which we listened to. It was great to be able to relate the stories we were hearing about Gold, lost objects, places like Mexico to the real life adventures that this family had lived through. The videos about the animals and places also helped my children to better understand the things they were hearing about on the CD’s making such an impact on them educationally and mentally. What they have learned through The Brinkman Adventures will stick with them for many years to come.

Each of The Brinkman Adventures episodes differ in length, but the entire CD collection contains over 5 hours of entertainment for your family to listen to. These stories have been created to be listened to by children and adults of all ages, to share in the radio dramas together as a family and help encourage that strong family bond with enjoyable Christian content that leaves you wanting to hear more.

We really enjoyed listening to these CD’s. Each of my children found the stories and sounds intriguing to listen to. Even Grandma enjoyed the funny antics and even the serious moments shared by the Brinkman’s stories. We each found different lessons from hearing how they helped others in so many exciting ways.

We received the physical CD’s of The Brinkman Adventures Season 2: Episodes 13 – 24 for this review. This 4 CD set for all ages, can be purchased for $25. You can also purchase The Brinkman Adventures Season 2: Episodes 13-24 as an MP3 album for $17, if you’d rather go that route. Either way, you are going to love these stories just as much as our family has!

You can also find The Brinkman Adventures in the following place online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brinkman-Adventures/152895116079

To read more reviews of The Brinkman Adventures, please click on the banner below:

A is for Apples {Blogging Through The Alphabet}

April 28, 2014 by Dana

I’ve heard lots about Blogging Through The Alphabet from Marcy @ BenandMe.com and others who have joined in the past. It sounded like a lot of fun and since I am often struggling to come up with my own ideas for blogging weekly, it sounded exactly like something I need to join in with. Win, win, win! So here goes…

A is for Apples

Apples are pretty important in our house. They are one of Laycie’s absolute favorite things. She loves to eat them but even more, she loves to collect different collectible apples.

We have glass apples, apple signs, apple drawings and more. At one point the kitchen curtains were even red to match her beautiful apples which I have managed to contain mostly in our kitchen. She sure loves those apples!

When Laycie was first learning to talk, she struggled with saying the word “apple”. She would say “Bapple” instead. Completely adorable! I found it so adorable that I actually called my first iPhone Bapple for my Laycie-Lou. She loved that!

Sadly, I admit that her love of Apples has also encouraged me to buy iPhones and iPads, silly as that is. I love to see the smile on her face from each apple she finds, even the little silver one on the back of my phone. I’d do anything to see her precious smile.

Are their things in your home that you find yourself collecting because of your children? Do your rooms reflect their loves as well as their own? Share with me if you wish.

Image courtesy of rakratchada torsap / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
— Martin Luther

End of April Family Update: Long Week {Thoughts From Me}

April 27, 2014 by Dana

It’s been a very long week for us. So much is going on right now that I can personally barely keep up and yet I have no other choice than to keep going. Life is at it’s busiest for our family.

My Sister called and needed Mom to come help with my niece which left me alone with the kids for the week since everyone else had things to do.

It is not easy for sure and I am exhausted. I am not used to parenting all alone. Mom came home today and boy am I so thankful!

Jackson did great all week without his favorite person: Grandma. He was a happy and sweet boy who kept us on our toes as he always does. He didn’t seem to miss her not being home to sleep with him as he’s used to and he enjoyed his time tucked next to Mommy. Laycie on the other hand was ready for Grandma to get back so “that baby” could get out of her spot in Mommy’s bed. She is currently curled up beside me resting happily in her place that was filled all week by her baby brother.

I am thankful the week was uneventful and seizure-free. I made sure meds were kept up, though somehow we did miss Laycie’s nighttime dose last night, leaving her clingy and whiny today. I also made sure our essential oils were rolled on twice a day between meds which also really helped us get through the week without a seizure rearing it’s ugly head. Yay for the small, yet oh so big things!!!

So let me just say that I am beyond thankful this week is done with. Please say some prayers for our family as their are many adults who are having health issues and upcoming surgeries going on who could use them. And pray for my sanity during this trying time because it’s surely going to be needed. LOL

Thank you all.

CTC Math {Crew Review}

April 25, 2014 by Dana

Can I just start this review by saying how much I really love CTC Math’s 12 Month Family Plan? When I first log onto the program several weeks ago, I thought it was just going to be like any other Math program online. I admit, I was wrong. This program is absolutely wonderful and it works well for our family.

CTC Math is an online Math tutor. This program covers Math from Kindergarten all the way to Calculus and between. It doesn’t teach your student Math but builds on what your child already knows with easy to follow lessons. Designed to be used with students of every age and grade level, it truly tutors the child in learning Math.

Parent Login Area:

In the Parent Login, I was able to set up accounts for up to five children on the 12 month Family Plan which we were given access to for this review. I simply inputted my child’s name in the Add Student area, created log-in information for each child and chose a passing grade for them. I don’t normally use grades so that was a bit different for me to do for them, and I choose to leave it at 90 as passing since that’s what I recall using in Public School as a student.

In the Parent Login, I can view my students and see how many levels they have completed, as well as the rating for each level completed. I can also print a summary or a detailed report for completed lessons for each student. This is nice so that I can print and add it into their portfolio. I can also see what areas they need to study and focus on learning.

Each week, through my email, I receive a progress report telling me how each student is doing. I can print these as well and see what areas need more focus or need repeating. When my children complete different areas, I can print awards and certificates for them straight from the program. My kids really enjoy things like that.

Last on the Parent Login is a side panel that shows my students recent activities. It tells me when they log-in and what they do while there. This is a great way to make sure they are really doing their work and not just playing around.

Student Login Area:

Through the Parent Login, I was able to set specific logins up for my children to be able to use CTC Math. When students come to the CTC Math page, there is a option to log in at the top of the page. Once they click on this login area, a box pops up where they can enter their information and begin using the program.

Students or their parents and teachers can then choose a level appropriate for them. For my children, I chose to use this program as a math review and tutoring program to begin with. I allowed them to start from the Kindergarten level to see what concepts they really know and which they need to work on. Each level of the program has a basic placement test to show knowledge of what the student is learning. If the student passes this level then we knew we could move on and move forward. Each lesson covers a different concept.

If a student needs instruction for that level, they can click on the separate lessons of the program. These are short videos showing what’s being learned. The student listens and follows along, following instruction as needed. The next step is to answer questions about what the student has heard and learned in the video instruction. These are much like the placement tests.

Both questions and tests are easy to complete. There are online selections to choose from or answer boxes in which to type in the correct answer in number or written form. Some questions have multiple choice answers to choose. Some questions require students to click on in order to color the objects they are learning with. The program varies throughout and by level being learned. As expected upper levels will be harder than lower levels.

I allowed my students to work on this program for as long as they liked, which happened to be much longer than I would have actually have required. I did not specify what they had to do or what level. I simply started them at the lowest level and allowed them to complete the tests, then I’d mix it up by choosing another level and concept to see how much they knew. This worked fairly well for us.

How We Really Liked It:

I did personally find some of the instructional videos to be a bit boring and basic. I didn’t find them exciting to learn from but I did feel they cover the important details and lessons needed. My children thought the same thing as I did about the videos.

The questions were a bit more fun and the kids really enjoyed those because they were quickly and easily answered without requiring a lot of writing off the computer. The kids enjoyed the colors used through the program and the characters for the lower grade level learning. The fact that this program allows them to work are various levels and “test” themselves beforehand was something they enjoyed as well, which surprised me since I stay away from that type of thing in our learning normally. I found I also enjoyed being able to see what they really know so easily by them completing such a simple test.

So overall, I found that what I initially thought was just a normal everyday online math program has more than impressed me and my children with the lessons and ease of use. This is a program we will be continuing to use while we have the subscription and if we continue to enjoy it as we have been the past few weeks, then we may even subscribe again. I recommend the program to students of all levels in public, private and homeschooling.

The price of CTC Math is currently discounted for Homeschoolers at 60% off the regular price. I do not know how long this sale will last so if you are interested, my suggestion would be to purchase now. A membership can be purchased for a single user or for a family plan of 2 or more students.

The Single Plan is $11.99 a month or $50.80 for 6 months or $78.80 for a year of the program.

The Family Plan is $15.97 a month or $78.80 for 6 months or $118.80 for 2 or more students for 12 months of the program.

You can also find CTC Math in the following places online:

Facebook CTC Math – https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath?ref=hl
Facebook Aus (Maths Online) – https://www.facebook.com/mathsonline.com.au?ref=hl

To read more Schoolhouse Reviews of CTC Math, please click on the banner below:

Happy Easter, Y’all! {Thoughts From Me}

April 21, 2014 by Dana

We had a wonderful Easter weekend and we hope that you all did as well. We weren’t sure how it was going to turn out since the entire weekend forecast showed that rain was coming. Sure enough it rained off and on from Friday night until Sunday afternoon.

The rain didn’t stop us though. Friday night I finished up shopping for the Easter baskets, gathering some last minute fun for the younger kids. I also found a cute Easter dress for Emma which she then transformed into her own clothing style.

Saturday, I spent lazying around until late when I put together the Easter baskets. There’s just something about playing that “Bunny” that I love! And the kids love it too!

We had a last minute invite to an adult birthday party for a friend on Saturday. I quickly threw together a cute little banner for her which we hung on the wall where we had the party. She loved it and we loved celebrating with her.

Sunday morning came with a lighter rain. The kids actually let us sleep in before grabbing their baskets to open. They found a lot of excitement in those wicker baskets which always makes me happy as well. Lots of candy they love, and some special trinkets like a stuffed My Little Pony and a Littlest Pet Shop toy for the girls. There were Star Wars bunny’s for the boys. Jackson got a mini-golf set and there were toy water guns for a little summer fun. The kids were thrilled and so are we with their happiness.

Sunday afternoon was spent in Belle Isle, where we had dinner consisting of Ham, Deviled Eggs, Broccoli, Rice, Biscuits and so much more. It was delicious!

Then we had our annual Egg Hunt. Over 300 eggs were hidden for the kids to find, all stuffed with candy. They found every one and then divided up the goods, making trades for candy they liked better and sharing with the little ones who didn’t get as many eggs are the older kids.

So as you can tell, we all had a very Happy Easter and we hope you did as well!