homeschool family Archives - Journeying Outside My Box

Weekend Wrap-Up {for April 7-13}

April 13, 2025 By Rebekah 0

Welcome to the weekend wrap-up! I hope you have some fun and some rest scheduled into your weekend! We have kind of a quiet weekend going on here, but I’m glad for that. Next week our middle guy starts 2 weeks of Occupational Therapy, where we’ll take him Monday-Friday for two hours/day, in addition to his regular therapy (and of course, in addition to regular life). It will be a lot - it always is - but it gets a little easier as he is a little older and more mature each time.

This post will provide you with the links from this week. As I’m getting this blog up and running, it’s beginning to look like my “blogging week” is Thursday - Monday, rather than the traditional Monday - Friday. Last week I linked up the posts that I’d written since starting the blog. This week there won’t be as many posts to link up, because of my “blogging week” being a little backwards. I’m working on more content for through the week, but for right now, I’m happy to just have some consistency in getting posts out on a pretty regular basis.

This week I added a new, small feature - the Sunday Son-shine. This will be a place for favorite verses to read and meditate on through the week ahead. I would love if you’d add some of your favorites in the comments - it’s always nice to know what is blessing someone else!

On Monday, I shared Part 2 in the series of 5 Things to Know about the Mother of a Child with Autism. This week’s post dealt with the conflicting feelings of grief and hope - how both feelings are very real and co-exist but can have a vastly different impact on our approach to raising a child with special needs. It’s important to sit and live with both feelings, but how hope can propel us onward.

On Tuesday I shared a few of my favorite pins (like this one and also this one) over at the Facebook page, and an inspirational pep talk video that passed through my personal Facebook news feed a few weeks back. The pep talk video is definitely worth viewing!

{And a special thank you to Aadel at HomeschoolBlogging.com for the tip on how to find the link to *just one* status update.
In case you’re looking for that information to use on your page,
click the Homeschoolblogging.com link up above and it will take you right to that information!
Thank you, Aadel!}

I took a short break on Wednesday because life is real - my younger son had therapy, my older son had state standardized testing in the afternoon and the kids had their mid-week church program in the evening.

Thursday saw Part 2 in the Can We Be Real? series, where I shared how I crave the small group setting for discussion and really getting to know people. I also shared of my feelings about shoes, and my slipper story - all in the name of keeping it real!

On Friday I shared a post about Choosing the Priorities. This post was a nightmare to put together - one technical glitch after another - but it finally got finished. It’s hard to know how to juggle all that we find on our to-do list, but I shared the way to be certain that you can get everything done (and keep your sanity!) so be sure to check out that post. Another mom has left some timely thoughts in a comment and I really appreciated what she shared.

And the humor of the week - we were at the Christian bookstore one day after dropping my oldest son off for testing. My daughter walked around the corner and spotted this book. They could have placed the sticker anywhere on the book, but chose to place it in that exact spot. (By the way, I am not giving any recommendations about the book, I have not read it. I’ve only seen the cover as presented here.) And while I definitely see the humor in this, it raises the question for me - what would I pay for Jesus? I know there are so many around the world who would love to have a Bible of their own, or even a partial Bible. Just a great reminder that it’s a blessing to have a Bible, to be able to buy a Bible. I’m thankful for that!

Have a great weekend and check back tomorrow for some Bible verses to think on through the week. Also, I’d love to see you at the various social media sites - see the top of the page for where you can find me. The Facebook “like” link is over on the right hand side - I would love to have you join us!

Blessings!

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Filed Under: autism spectrum diagnosis, homeschool family, humor, writing Tagged With: being authentic

Weekend Wrap-Up

April 6, 2025 By Rebekah 0

Welcome to the first weekend wrap-up! I’m not sure yet if I will be doing this every weekend, or not, but it fits well for today.

This particular blog is just a little over 2 weeks old, and I want to thank those who are reading and along for this adventure! I’ve learned so much in the past 2-3 weeks as I’ve been working to get this set up, and I’m finding that there’s always just a little more to learn. And this is where I’d like to take a minute and thank the blogging network that I’ve joined - Inspired Bloggers Network - see that blue button over on the side? These are a group of bloggers who work to support and help each other learn and grow. Their help has been extremely valuable to me and I’m grateful!

Here are the links to the post, in chronological order. Please feel free to read any you’ve missed, or share any that seemed helpful.

Welcome! - a welcome to the new site and new readers; a little about who I am.

When Forgiveness is Difficult - “That’s the thing about conviction: you can feel the conviction and do nothing, or you can let it help change you to who you need to be.” The journey to learning to freely forgive.

A Grand Adventure - a “world trip” in one day

My Oxygen Mask - intentionally taking time for ourselves as the caregivers, to be able to help those for whom we care

My Oxygen Mask, part 2 - part 2 of the discussion on intentionally choosing to care for our own needs

It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming! - a reflection on Good Friday

Waiting for the King - He died on Friday, would rise again on Sunday, but Who was the One we were waiting for?

5 Things to Know about the Mother of a Child with Autism, part 1 - the first in a series of understanding mothers (or parents) of children with autism - can be applicable to other special needs. This series will run on Mondays in April.

Jumping In With Both Feet - thanking the one who really encouraged me to begin this journey!

Can We Be Real? - the first in a series of discussions on authentic relationships. Part 1: The Real Me. This series will run on Thursdays, for the month of April.

Ultimate Blog Party - are you a blogger? This is a great place to link up and meet others!

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Filed Under: autism spectrum diagnosis, dealing with feelings, holidays, homeschool family

A Grand Adventure

March 26, 2025 By Rebekah 1

This is day two of spring break in our home, so the kids and I dropped my husband off at work and then we headed into the city. Our plan was to visit the zoo, but we ended up on a grand adventure that took us around the world! (Well, not really, but sort of.)

We arrived at the zoo before it got very crowded and so we were able to move quickly from one habitat to another. We had so much fun seeing different animals and watching them play. The tigers seemed particularly active today, and we had a great time watching the primates.

Our younger son is convinced that he “read somewhere that…” and so he told us these random facts about various animals. My favorite, though, was this one: “Judging from the size of the animal, I’d say that the white-handed gibbon which is black in color, is 17 years old. You can tell because clearly the lighter-colored white-handed gibbon is 15 years old, and the baby has got to be about 2 years old, by my best estimation.” Clearly he was estimating on the baby’s age, but I was convinced that he must have read the age of the other two gibbons because he kept going on about it. Nope - no sign to verify his information, but he spoke with such conviction. They were just random, made-up facts, I *think* in order to give him something to say.

We spent time at each habitat and going in and out of buildings. We enjoyed an around-the-globe adventure in terms of learning where the animals were originally from, and the foods they eat, and the conditions they need in order to thrive. It was interesting to see an animal called an aye-aye, who comes from Madagascar. They are so sensitive to light that the zoo keepers have them in their own little area of the primate house, in an almost completely darkened area. There was a light that ran along the floor to help you see your way, but you almost couldn’t see the person in front of you.

While we were at the zoo, I asked the kids if they wanted to make the short drive to go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art once we were finished at the zoo. They all agreed, and I was happy for that, as past trips to the museum haven’t gone too well. We finished at the zoo and drove on to the art museum to continue our adventure.

The museum provided several great opportunities for my son to practice asking for help. He was trying to read his map and figure out where we were. I could have looked at the map and told him, but instead I encouraged him to ask someone who worked there. Without very much hesitation, he walked up to an employee and asked for help with his map. The employee took his time and helped my son get oriented with where he was on the map. This made the entire rest of the trip successful because then he was able to read the map on his own and help us navigate to rooms he wanted to see.

We started off visiting a photography exhibit on the ground floor. The pictures were mostly black and white and we made note of the use of light and how it makes a difference in how much you can - or cannot - see in a picture. From there we took the elevator to the 2nd floor to visit the arms and armor exhibit. It was at that point that I realized we’d be in for a LONG adventure. The kids were hooked on reading every placard that told us about each piece of armor. Thankfully we didn’t have to read every placard in the rest of the museum, but we spent quite some time in the armor section.

We traveled through every section of the museum, except for the special exhibits. We were quite tired after the 5 main sections of the museum and

One of our highlights was finding several paintings by Claude Monet, of the same picture. We have studied in our art lessons that Monet painted many pictures in Giverney, France, including the gardens and Japanese foot bridge. The paintings seen here were all in the European art exhibit, but in different rooms, not hanging together.

We have traveled to every continent today, in some form or fashion. The best part of the day was really how much I enjoyed my kids. They were well-behaved, there were few arguments or problems and they thoroughly enjoyed their day. Our around-the-world grand adventure was a huge success!

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Filed Under: family focused, homeschool family Tagged With: art, homeschool, Philadelphia, Spring break

Special Needs - Not Just Disabilities

March 8, 2025 By Rebekah 9

When someone says “special needs” many people - often, myself included - immediately assume a disability or a diagnosis. And quite often, we’re probably right. However, I often come back to this phrase and I keep on thinking - I think more broadly. Special needs are not *just* disabilities.

I’m a proponent for individualized education. I don’t mean an IEP; rather, I mean working with the student, at their level, rather than expecting that all kids in 4th grade are at the same level. (That’s probably why I gravitated toward Special Education in college, rather than just Regular Education.)

We’ve dealt a lot with special needs here in our home - Picasso has a long list of letters regarding his diagnosis: IEP, 2E, ASD, OT, SLP, etc. These don’t define him, these just tell us about a certain part of him. His “special needs” are that he needs more time to work, he needs quiet, he needs to be free to roam as he does his work. THOSE are his special needs as a result of his diagnosis.

In that line of thinking, I believe that all students have special needs - they all have conditions under which they work best. Some prefer music to study by, others prefer silence. Some work well in groups, others need to work individually. As I’ve been home with our kids, I’ve learned many of their special needs. Our daughter likes to be able to talk out loud while she does her work. This doesn’t bode well for the one who needs quiet! Our older son loves every opportunity to learn. His special need is for continued opportunities to learn.

For so long we’ve focused on our younger son’s therapy needs - helping to address his special needs. That’s just been the way it has had to be. Things have had to be centered around his needs because they have been necessary to his overall functionality and ability to navigate through life. He has gained so much and is learning and growing at a tremendous rate and we are grateful! We’ve been able to get him to a point where things are easier for him - life is easier for him!

And keeping in mind the special needs for all 3 of our kids, we’re looking at moving some of his therapies closer to home. In fact, we should hear on the transition of one therapy soon, hopefully. Having him closer to home will directly allow us to focus on our older son’s special needs - a love of learning.

Our older son has the opportunity to apply for a program that will allow him to skip 8th grade next year, and move right on to high school with a group of similarly-minded academically-strong students. The demands on his time, and ours to work with him, will be greater. Having Picasso’s therapy closer to home will allow us the time and flexibility needed to focus on our older son’s love of learning. The place we currently go for all our therapy is almost an hour away, one way. It has served us so well, and I’m sad to even start to consider moving on.
But I firmly believe we owe our older son all that we can possibly give to meet his needs as well. He carries 95% or better in all his classes, he’s been accepted to the National Junior Honor Society, he keeps up with his piano practice, he reads more than I’ve seen many kids read, he helps around the house, participates in youth group and church activities, all the while wanting more opportunities to learn or read.

And so, this weekend, we’ll sign all the forms, fill out all the information, and send in the application for him to join this program. It will be a good fit for him. We’re hopeful that he will be accepted - he meets all the criteria - and that this will give us a great opportunity to help meet some of his special needs. We love that he loves to learn, and we’re grateful that our younger son is at a stage where we can get his therapy closer to home, focus on the siblings’ educational needs a little more, and hopefully just have more time together!

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Filed Under: autism spectrum diagnosis, homeschool family, Individualized Education, special needs family Tagged With: autism spectrum diagnosis, homeschool family, special needs family

On What I Know

January 30, 2025 By Rebekah 0

My last post here was over 2 months ago - wow! Life happens…seems like the story of my life. I’m trying to ease back into the writing thing, based on what I know.Our middle son has some special needs and juggling his therapies, plus homeschooling all the kids has been difficult this year, trying to juggle each child’s needs and schedules. I am actively planning “quiet time” into my schedule for myself. Lately, it’s been in the form of knitting. I’ve made a few scarves and it’s been great fun! I’ve gifted every single one that I’ve made - maybe someday I’ll make one for me. Probably in the heat of the summer…you know, ’cause that’s how I roll! ;-)

One thing I’ve really enjoyed this school year has been the ongoing discovery of each of our kids’ special niches. For our older son, it’s definitely academics. He was accepted to the National Junior Honor Society, and that qualifies him to apply for the Eighth Grade Scholars Program. That allows him to skip 8th grade and go to 9th grade next year. We use an online charter school and a group of kids qualifies for this program each year. The group is moved, together, from 7th to 9th grade, are provided with teachers for their group, and move together through 9th grade together. Our son is thrilled with this possibility and is now working better to keep his grades up. He’s also amazing at the piano. He’s been taking lessons for almost 6 years now, and loves it! His teacher has a lot to do with that - a great teacher brings out the best in students!

Our middle son loves art. He has often drawn pictures since being able to draw. With his developmental delays, some of these things came a little later. But for him, when the drawing ability hit, there was no turning back. For years he’s drawn on walls or furniture, but we’ve been able to get him to put most of his recent drawings on paper! We were approached by a clothing company - Paper Clouds Apparel - about donating some artwork. They take art made by people with special needs, put it onto t-shirts and note cards, and sell it. Then they send a portion of the proceeds to the school/charity/organization of the artist’s choice. So our middle son’s shirts will be for sale from March 4-18. Stop by their site, check out who they’re helping. You can also find them on Facebook - facebook.com/papercloudsapparel - and say hi to Robert and the gang over there! Tell them Eli’s mom sent you. You will NOT be sorry you stopped by…what a great organization!

Our daughter loves pink. Pink, pink, and sometimes purple. She’s consistent. She loves a little bit of everything - schoolwork, piano, reading, stuffed animals, toys, playing outside. She’s quite the little girly girl. She prefers to wear something pink on almost every single day. The really special thing about her, though, is that she truly does her best at everything she does - whether it’s learning, playing, or giving a hug. She’s full of love and life!

So - I’m easing back into this blog with a quick note on something I know well - my kids. It’s such a privilege to be their mom! They are teaching me so much as we travel this journey together!

Source

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Filed Under: homeschool family, writing

The Joy of Imperfection

October 9, 2024 By Rebekah 3

One of the issues we deal with in Picasso’s Asperger Syndrome is the need for perfection. He is eight years old, and looking back, I can see time after time where he’s done his work perfectly. If he couldn’t do it perfectly, he would often just not do it. If he couldn’t get it perfect when he was trying to do it, he would often scribble on it, or rip a paper, or crumple something up (or ruin it in some other way) and throw it away.

Getting him to do the writing for anything was like pulling teeth. Often, if I pushed, even for a couple sentences, it would require so much from him, that he would be done for the day. A few days ago, I posted this on the blog Facebook page:

This morning Picasso did a very short writing assignment, almost completely on his own, without much prompting or pushing from me. HUGE win! Huge, huge, huge! He did a great job and I was so proud! And apparently, that was the end of his school day. He’s retreated to his room and is trying to regroup from the stress. I guess I should focus on the success and realize that on some other day, he’ll fly through so much work that it won’t matter that we only got a little bit done today.

This morning there was another writing assignment - this curriculum is heavy in the writing, a frustration for my guy, but something we continue to work on. The assignment was to write a short paragraph based on a list he had previously put together. (Seriously - if Middle School Math doesn’t kill me, 3rd grade writing might!) He chose to write a paragraph on things he likes to do outside.

He immediately asked if I would write it. Nope. A lot of times I will help him, particularly because the entire curriculum (not just Language Arts, but the whole curriculum) is heavy on writing. I asked him to please try his best. I encouraged him not to worry about spelling - it’s a rough draft so we will edit and make any spelling corrections in another lesson. You can’t tell from this picture, since I blotted out the names, but he didn’t even spell his sister’s name correctly. He was so focused on writing and trying to get that done, that he didn’t even worry about the last letter in her name.

He wrote the first sentence. He asked for help in the mechanics of wording the second sentence. I tried to suggest an easy way so he wouldn’t have to rewrite names, and so he could do as little writing as possible. I also encouraged him to remember that this is just the rough draft. Spelling does not count; I was more concerned that he get his ideas on paper.

He didn’t protest the writing today. We worked together to turn the page down so he could refer back to his list even more easily. And he wrote, and wrote, and wrote. The spelling is a mess, despite the fact that he knows how to spell every word he wrote today. (In fact, I almost wonder if he actually tried to spell some of the words incorrectly because they’re misspelled so badly!) While it seems like an unwinding of all his Spelling skills, it’s not. In fact, quite the opposite - it’s a huge ramp up in his writing skills. The spelling will still be there long after he’s figured out how to put a paper together. That’s the easy part for him.

So we’re ecstatic today - for the first time, he got through a whole paragraph and didn’t complain, protest or have a problem with the imperfections of the finished product. And with someone who is so focused on perfection, this is a big success!

So, without further ado, here’s Picasso’s rough draft on things he likes to do outside.

I like to play frisbee with (brother), (sister) & daddy. I also like playing dodgeball with them.
I like going on the Green Ribbon Trail and I like to look for animals on it.

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Filed Under: autism spectrum diagnosis, daily blessings, homeschool family, parenting outside the box

On How I Came to Find Myself Employed

August 17, 2024 By Rebekah 1

At the end of June, Tim started a new job that allowed him to work from home. We were very encouraged by this opportunity as it fits so well with our decision to school our children at home. It also helps to have Tim at home with various therapy trips that we have to make each week - it was just a huge blessing to have this opportunity.

One of the aspects of getting a new job is figuring out the pay system. Some employers pay weekly, or every two weeks, some by direct deposit, some by check. So it’s a normal thing to figure out just how this will all work out. Tim’s employer got him set up with direct deposit which seemed to be the easiest option for all parties. We were told that Tim would get paid every two weeks. That was the same as his previous job, and that would work out just fine.

Early in July, our pastor started a sermon series on a book called The Blessed Life, by Robert Morris. The book works on the idea, which is scriptural, that if you give God the first portion out of your earnings, he will bless the rest. So if you tithe first - if you make that the first 10% you deal with in your paycheck, God will bless the remainder of your paycheck. In Malachi 3:10, we read:

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. ‘Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’”

The idea of tithing has never been a difficult thing for me. The practice of tithing, though, has been a little scary at times. But without the act of tithing, there isn’t the blessing that comes and the faith doesn’t grow as a result of watching God provide. It’s not easy to tithe, but it’s certainly the right thing. So often we’d worked on making sure the bills were paid and then we’d think, “Oh, the tithe check,” and often we’d head off to church and forget to even take the checkbook.

When we started reading through The Blessed Life, we decided that we’d pay our tithe FIRST, and trust God to provide for all the rest of the needs that followed. It was a priority shift in our minds - making sure the priority got taken care of, and trusting that He would bless the rest. No - we’re not looking for loads of money to come our way, we’re not assuming that tithing will turn us into millionaires - none of that. We’re choosing to say, “God, the provision of finances comes from you and we choose to honor you with our finances and trust that you will bless us, as it says in Malachi, and provide for our needs.” (Note, needs, not wants).

The first pay period came…and went…with no direct deposit. Gulp. Had we made a mistake? Tim called in to his employer who promised to immediately send a check, which he did. Now, when the money didn’t go in on the day it was supposed to, I panicked. It’s what I do. Sigh. Yes, apparently I have very little faith in this area. It all worked out, but rather than trust that it would be okay, I panicked.

At the end of the second pay period, I decided to trust (at least, I thought I was trusting) that the money would be in our account correctly. After all, God had worked it all out the first time, the least I could do was trust that this would work out as well, right? So the morning of July 27th, the day of what should have been our second pay period, there was no direct deposit. Uh-oh. I took deep breaths and then panicked. It’s what I do. To my credit, I think I panicked a little less than I did the first time around. I think.

{Now - the good news. This paycheck nonsense has all been worked out and August has been right on track with paychecks. No worries, and I’m glad for that!}

The second paycheck was supposed to be July 27th. And, as I said, I panicked. A little. I decided that since we had committed to honoring God with our finances, I was sure he could take care of us and make sure this got straightened out, which He did.

Then the mail came on July 27th. In it was a flier with an announcement from the kids’ homeschool group, that they were going to try some new things with the marketing and enrollment teams, and would I like a job for the month of August.

Please note:

Paycheck #2 was due July 27 and did not show up.

Job offer came in the mail on July 27th.

Job offer was addressed to me. Not Tim. Not Tim or me, just me.

The school has never done this type of marketing & enrollment push before.

Tim’s never worked from home so that I could have an opportunity like this before.

I LOVE the school the boys go to and would help in any way possible - even volunteering.

I was the one panicked about the paycheck, and God sent me a letter in the mail to remind me that He was in control of our finances, and that letter gave me an opportunity to give back by way of a job with a company I LOVE!

Really doesn’t get much better than all that, does it?

The letter arrived on Friday, July 27th. Because I had signed up to be a volunteer with the school at the end of 2011, I had all my clearances on file, I had my FBI finger prints on file, and my TB test was on file as well. I got through training and all of the paperwork with HR within a week. And so by August 6th, I was an employee and off to my first day of work.

Now, the job is not all that glamorous. I’m working at a mall kiosk (no, we’re not trying to grab you and rub lotion - or homeschooling - all over you) and we’re available as families have need. Now when I first thought “mall kiosk” I thought, “Wow, not too many people are going to approach us.” And I was right. If we have 10 good conversations in an 11-hour day, we’re doing well.

BUT - those few conversations we do have, are powerful. One boy in 5th grade wanted to learn. He was desperate to learn. At school, the other kids were trying to fight him. His grandma told us that his little friends had shown up on her porch with a knife in hand, to try and hurt him. FIFTH GRADE. It’s those students who we’re there for. When they come over to ask what we’re all about, we tell them. And then we hear their stories and it’s heart-breaking. Education is supposed to be a free privilege to all of our children, in a safe learning environment and so often, it’s anything but safe. And I’m working at a kiosk in the suburbs, not even in the city. It’s so unfortunate. But as they come to us, we’re able to say, “Yes, we have a very safe option for you, and all of the educational materials are provided - and then some! - just like when you go to your neighborhood school.”

Another blessing is the people with whom I work. Both are in need of some encouragement, some support, and it’s been wonderful to have an opportunity to speak into their lives, to encourage them, to pray for them, and to see life from a different angle as we spend time together each day.

And then there are the people who walk the mall. One lady told us that she hadn’t intended to come to the mall that day, and she didn’t stop to get any information. She stopped to talk for just a couple short minutes. She’s around 80 years old, and she just started talking about prayer and God, not knowing who we were or what our beliefs are. She took our hands and prayed for us and really wouldn’t have cared whether we wanted to pray or not.

For me, this has been a walk of faith: New job, messed up paychecks, provision from God for finances about which I worried, opportunity to take this job, opportunity to share my love for the school and how it’s benefited our family so greatly, opportunity to meet new people and hopefully be a blessing to them.

Would I have gotten the flier for this job even IF I had not had an issue in trusting about our finances? Probably. It seems many others in our volunteer group got the same flier. However, for me, it’s so much more than just a job, and it comes - not coincidentally, but by design - at a time when my faith needed to grow!

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Filed Under: gratitude and appreciation, homeschool family, intentional choices, summer fun

He’s Never Late - Always on Time

August 14, 2024 By Rebekah 2

In May I took Picasso to our favorite pediatrician for his 8-year checkup. He had grown in height, but his weight had not increased to the same proportion and consequently his BMI (body mass index) fell off significantly. He already had a very, very low BMI, and the lack of weight gain did not help. The doctor said she would see him again in 3 months, to make sure he was putting on some weight. She was beginning to monitor him for Failure To Thrive. I walked out of that appointment and just shook my head – because I really did not need yet another thing to have to monitor in our lives. His issues require enough monitoring without having to add a health issue on top of it all.

For a variety of reasons, I found that we’d be needing some alternative avenues for therapy. Nothing has gone wrong, nothing is really problematic - just remember that I don’t always share everything on here. Anyway, I realized we’d be needing some new options for therapy. The place we’ve been going is nearly 45 minutes away, one way, and it’s been quite a trek two times a week. But it filled a need, in a great way, and I’m thankful for that. With what we’re needing now, though, I didn’t want to think of adding more time driving so far away, especially with trying to homeschool 3 kids this year and keep up with everyone’s needs - including my own need for some rest from time to time! But, I don’t like to send our kid to just any therapist, or just any doctor. Probably very much like you, I try to research our options and make a wise choice. The problem is, I knew of no options. Sure, I could search online and probably find some very local places. However, I really was hoping that there would be some clear direction, but none was coming.

Because our need for some new therapy options will be run through the school (IEPs, etc.) there is literally nothing I can do about it until school starts on the 27th. And most likely, it won’t even be on the 27th because one kid has therapy, one kid has a doctor appointment, and it’s the first day of school. So on Sunday I determined that I really wasn’t going to worry about it, and I joked that I had 2 weeks to practice NOT worrying about it.

Yesterday, I took Picasso back to the pediatrician for his weight and BMI re-check. He’s gained a few pounds and while he’s still on the same growth, height and BMI line, he hasn’t dropped at all on the growth charts, so she said he seems to be doing fine and we don’t need to come back until next May for his next well-visit. Last year we had to go to the pediatrician 3 or 4 times, just for him, plus a few additional times for our other kids. She was checking him pretty regularly to make sure he was growing well and doing ok with all of his therapies. Two years ago, we were there 4-6 times, just for his check-ups. So the fact that she said we don’t have to go back until May, unless there’s a problem, is HUGE news for us! He’s very healthy!

Then I mentioned to her that we would be needing some alternatives for therapies. She asked what kinds of therapies and interventions we needed, and so I listed them all for her. She mentioned that she takes her own son to a particular speech/language pathologist in a nearby town, just 10 minutes from home! She wrote down the name of that therapist for me, and I made a mental note to do my homework and call the office to talk to them.

We were set to go, and headed out to the waiting room. Picasso went to pick a couple of stickers, otherwise we would have missed what happened next. I was going to tell him to just skip the stickers so we could get going because we still had to run to the grocery store for a quick trip, and then home to drop off the groceries, and I had to be to work by 11am. But, I let him get a few stickers. Suddenly, I heard someone calling his name, with a sense of urgency. I turned around and there was the doctor, with a huge smile. I couldn’t imagine what might happen next.

The speech/language pathologist she was recommending was THERE. IN THE WAITING ROOM. Bringing her new baby for a check-up. Of course she was, because that’s how God works these things out sometimes! The doctor introduced us and then ran back to her next patient, and I chatted with this lady for just a moment. I explained about the testing we’ll need and the subsequent therapies. She said they do some of what we need there at her office. They do speech/language and social skills. They do not do Occupational Therapy, but that’s ok. She gave me their website so I could look them up.

Then she asked what school we go to. I said I homeschool the boys and that we use PAVirtual Charter School. Guess what? The boys’ school has a contract with the place where she works. Of course they do – because that’s how God works things out sometimes! So what that means is that when school starts and we’re discussing therapy options, I can request that things get handled through that particular office. Amazing!

This morning, I didn’t want to go to the pediatrician. I’m exhausted from a full week of work, church things, getting ready for the new school year, etc. But I knew it was the right thing to do. I don’t miss appointments for the kids, and I don’t mess around where their health and well-being are concerned. And because I went, the questions that I was seeking answers for yesterday – just yesterday!! – God provided answers for today. Not all the answers, but some. Enough to make me feel like I had a direction to go – that I was making at least a somewhat-informed choice on where my child may go to therapy.

Now – this same favorite pediatrician has always said to me that Picasso is just tall and skinny; that he’s stayed on the same growth lines most of his life. This was the first time in 8 years that his BMI has been affected enough to warrant a weight check a few months later. And that weight check was one week after we learned we’d need some different therapy options. It would have been enough for the doctor to just hand me a slip of paper and say, “Try this therapist.” I would have done that, and I probably would have been fine with that.

But God put me IN the office, with the right pediatrician who could give me a great recommendation for a therapist – AND put the therapist in the office. He shut my mouth when I wanted to hurry Picasso away from the stickers, so that I could be there when the doctor came running out to the waiting room, to tell us the therapist was there. God, in His wisdom, had the therapist ask ME where the boys go to school and had her tell me that they have a contract with our school – I wouldn’t have thought to ask that, but it’s important that I know that.

This was a good day - one that I will tuck away to remember on those days when I feel like I’m spinning my wheels, or I’m wondering what the next step is. We don’t always know when the answers will come, and we don’t always know when God will show up - but this one thing I do know: He is never late!

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Filed Under: favorite pediatrician, gratitude and appreciation, homeschool family, telling my problems how big God is

Life Changes

June 22, 2024 By Rebekah 3

The past few years in our lives have seen many changes - changes in plans we had, changes in things we were able to do, changes in goals and dreams. None have been bad, but all have required a major step back to re-evaluate our plans as a family.A few years ago, our younger son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, among other things. What we had planned in terms of schooling and nearly every other aspect of his life, and ours, had to be let go of, so it could be replaced with something amazing that God had in store for us.

Tim has had the same job for the past seven years. At times, we’ve struggled over various aspects of the job, but we were grateful that he *had* a job, as we watched others around us lose their job. We held onto that job fiercely, as it enabled me to be home with our children, to homeschool them, to drive them to therapy and various activities. We were grateful that we had that opportunity.A few months ago, Tim began talking with someone who was starting a new company, or had just started a new company. It started more as a conversation of, “Well, how can we work together?” It ended up being, “Why don’t you come work for me?” We weighed the pros and cons, we discussed all the options, we prayed, and then we prayed some more.Because we homeschool, we have to have an adult in the house while the kids are doing their schoolwork. Because our children are young, of course this is a given. However, because we have to shuttle our guy back & forth to therapy several times a week - maybe more frequently in the fall - we were at a loss as to how to really make it all work for all of us. We don’t want to have to continue taking all 3 kids for one guy’s therapy, especially if it’s going to be for 10 days in a row, if therapy options fall into place as we’re hoping. The place where he receives his therapy is nearly an hour, one way. It’s tough on all the kids, but we’ve done it because it’s what we have to do.

Lunch with Daddy, at his office

Until now.

Tim took the new job opportunity that was offered to him. Starting Monday, he is officially employed by the new company, and will be working from home.

That’s right - Working From Home!

Music to my ears as I’ve prayed for a way to give the other two kids a break from having to juggle all the trips to and from therapy. Music to my ears as I worked and re-worked the schedule so many times last year because of all the trips to therapy. Music to my ears because Tim’s last job had him out of the house almost 12 hours a day, and when you’re raising kids, that’s tough! He left in the morning just after they got up, and he was home about 90 minutes before bedtime - and that’s if there were no meetings, or no one needing picked up from somewhere.

When he gave notice, one of the main reasons he gave for needing to move on was that he needed to spend time with his family - his wife, but also with his kids. They’re growing up and he wanted to be there more.

Today I am grateful. We dropped the kids off at a local VBS at 9am. *WE* dropped them off - Tim & I together. Unless I was awfully sick, or unless he took vacation time, he’s rarely been home at 9am that I can remember - not for the last 7 years anyway. Then we went to breakfast. Again, other than vacation or holidays, I’ve rarely eaten breakfast WITH my husband. Next week as I take our son to therapy, the other two will not have to tag along. They’ll be free to play and enjoy some time out of the car.

Gratitude. My cup runneth over

I’m linking up with Jenny today - stop by and read some gratitude posts and link your own!

Have a great weekend!

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Filed Under: family focused, gratitude and appreciation, homeschool family, love, real life, special needs family

Resuming Normal

June 12, 2024 By Rebekah 0

We’re home from our whirlwind trip to Florida for my husband’s grandfather’s funeral. It was about 32 hours of travel time and the kids did so well! We had plenty of activities for them and they’re a little older which really helps - they’re able to entertain themselves a good bit!

This is officially the final week of school, although the boys have both been done for a week or so now. They each have one small project left for their programming class, and the final class for that is on Thursday. We’re enjoying a few extra weeks of summer.

The kids will be at two separate Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs for the last two weeks of June. The first is an all day program (9am-3pm) and the second one is in the evenings at our church. They always enjoy these and I’m glad for that.

I’m planning activities for the remainder of the summer - things to get us out of the house some days, other days we’ll work on crafts, other days will be some fun activities that we can do in the back yard. I’m looking forward to a great time with the kids!

For now, though, I’m on a laundry rampage, I’m packing up the school books to send back - and hoping I can get that done before the new ones arrive, and trying to take this week to get settled after a year of school!

Here’s a fun picture from our trip. The kids had a Garfield DVD that was in 3D & came with the glasses, so as we sat in some traffic around DC, they watched the movie & that helped to pass time for them.

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Filed Under: family focused, homeschool family, summer fun

Weekend Wrap-Up {for April 7-13}

Weekend Wrap-Up

A Grand Adventure

Special Needs - Not Just Disabilities

On What I Know

The Joy of Imperfection

On How I Came to Find Myself Employed

He’s Never Late - Always on Time

Life Changes

Resuming Normal

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