A few things I didn't mention

Hey!

There's laundry to be folded and a couple of dishes to wash a few emails to be caught up on, but I'm just itching to blog today.  The girls are having quiet time so I'm putting up my feet with an iced coffe and you're gonna get a post.  Cheers!!

Just a couple of things that I didn't mention in my Lately post...

We took little C to the allergist a week or two ago at the recommendation of her pediatrician, since eczema, which has been a lifelong battle for C, has gotten worse lately.  All summer she has been scratching herself to the point of bleeding and tears, especially at night.  Did you know that eczema can sometimes be the body's way of presenting an allergic reaction?  For the longest time I thought that C just had extra dry/sensitive skin.  Since we have started trying to eat differently the thought has occurred to me from time to time that maybe she might have food allergies or yeast overgrowth that cause eczema, but I had never really thought about environmental allergies.  I do feel like a bit of a dummy Mama and I wish we had done this sooner to eliminate unnecessary suffering.

Anyway... she was very very brave for a scratch test on her back-- she barely whimpered while they did the scratches!  (She did get very upset afterwards when her back started to swell up and itch and I had to hold her hands for a full 15 minutes to keep her from scratching.  So sad to watch that!)  The results came back, and the most severe allergy (according to the test) is dust mites, followed closely by cats, and then mold.  So it makes a lot of sense that she has been struggling since we moved the girls' room down to our finished basement at the beginning of the summer.  In all of our travels this summer we've also encountered a lot of cats, so that explains some things as well.  They did test for food allergies as well, and everything came back negative on that, so it's good to know that there aren't any foods we need to avoid.

We're definitely prioritizing getting rid of the carpet in the finished basement, running our dehumidifier constantly, as well as getting C a new mattress and hypoallergenic covers for pillows.  We are debating moving her back upstairs in the meantime, but that does create some problems about who would share what room so we are still in the middle of debating the best solution there.

In the meantime, if you have a child that suffers with eczema, I have to recommend Theraplex products.  Her allergist gave us some free samples and the results have been nothing less that miraculous, when we use it every day.  After soooo many years of trying every lotion and balm, only to make the itching worse, it is amazing to find a product that actually heals her skin.  We use the barrier balm, which the allergist told us actually helps her skin create a stronger barrier against external allergens.  So not only do you heal the eczema, but you actually protect the skin as well.  Amazing.

Sorry I sound like a commercial, but after all her suffering I just have to rejoice in finally finding some answers!!!

Moving on...

I realized that in my homeschool curriculum post I never mentioned our writing program.  I did decide to use a curriculum for writing this year, after N sort of struggled last year and I had a learning curve with the best way to teach it.  So... we've been giving WriteShop a try.

 

The e-books were pretty inexpensive compared with most curriculum.  After I did some research and read some reviews I decided it looked like a fun program, and it came recommended on Homeschool Creations, one of my fave homeschool blogs.  I'm using Book A with L and Book C with N.

The pros so far:  I love that the lessons are presented in fun and interactive ways, and the topics the kids get to write about are always interesting.  One of the main things I like about it is that the focus is on the writing process, and the freedom is always given for me to take dictation.  Story-making can be far more enjoyable and prolific for both girls when they don't have to actually write it all down themselves.  N and I usually alternate-- she writes a sentence, then she dictates a sentence while I write.  At this point, I only have L write one word in each project-- a short word that she knows like "and" or "cat", or even just her name at the beginning of the story, while I take the rest as dictation from her.

There is also a big emphasis on editing and revising-- how to go about doing that, what tools to use, what questions to ask, etc.  This was something that was especially hard for me to teach at the appropriate level, so it's cool to have those topics built in to our lessons.

The cons so far:  Because the lessons are so fun and interactive, there is a lot of prep work involved for me.  There have been a few late nights cutting sentence strips or preparing animal pointers, etc.  I'm finding that the instructions aren't always super clear, too, and sometimes very wordy or cumbersome.  If I haven't studied the lesson in-depth before we start it's hard for me to follow, and the girls can see that I'm confused and start to lose interest.  The good news is that the same sort of process repeats for each writing project, so once you've made it through the first set of lessons it gets easier.  I'm now beginning the second set of lessons with each girl and finding my footing a little better.

There is also a fairly rigid structure for each project-- some freedom is given for the child to choose the topic, but after that they are encouraged to follow a certain outline of how to construct the story.  I can understand why-- part of the goal is to teach focused, organized writing that stays on topic, fits a certain theme, has a main idea, characters etc.  I'm finding, however, that both my girls have *lots* of ideas and tangents and want to include them in every story, so it can be pretty disappointing for them when they have to be too structured or short.  It's been tough to strike a balance between encouraging creativity and teaching them to write in a organized (or boring, according to N) way.  I've had a few conversations with N about how I used to dislike many of the writing projects I was assigned in school (research papers, persuasive essays) and how I much preferred creative writing or unstructured journaling.  She seems to be the same way, but so far she's being a good sport and playing along.

I guess that's good news, in a way... the WriteShop text says that at first you will need to encourage your child to think in complete sentences, and to include enough details in their story.  Neither of my girls seem to have a problem with either of those things!

And now for something completely different... my freezer.

 

 It's pretty packed right now.  I've been doubling recipes on some casseroles that I've made in the past few weeks-- we eat one for dinner and stash the other for baby time.  I know how nice it is to have casseroles around with a new baby... something you can just pull out of the freezer with one hand while nursing with the other, and stick it in the oven when it's time.

I also like to have LOTS of comfort food around when I'm sleep deprived.  I tell myself that my body needs extra calories while recovering from childbirth and beginning the process of lactating.  It's true, right?  Add an extra cup of cheese to that cheesy casserole goodness.  And yes, I have been known to eat casserole for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the early newborn days.  Again, just scoop it out of the fridge with one hand.

So far we have on inventory:  No Peek Chicken, Seafood Casserole, Mushroom and Kale Lasagna, some frozen burgers, and a blueberry almond coffee cake for breakfast.  To be fair, I have healthy-fied these recipes just a little-- making my own cream of mushroom soup from scratch to avoid MSG in canned soups... cutting out most of the sugar in the coffee cake...

I also made a ton of smoothies today and I'm going to freeze a few.

Hoping to include a chicken divan (one of my FAVORITES) in the next week.  But I'm running out of room.  Last time we had a baby, we had an extra upright freezer but we have since gotten rid of that.  I don't really want to spend the money on another because we don't use it regularly.  So I'll stock away what I can in here.

Okay, quiet time is long over but the girls are playing Star Wars micro machines together quite happily.

Time for me to quit rambling and do some dishes.

Oh!  I almost forgot!

 I took some almost-37-weeks belly pics for you.  I had to really position myself so that I fit within the skinny mirror.

See the belly button poking out?

Full term on Friday!  I sort of can't believe it.  Many people seem to think this baby will come early, including M I think.  I have learned from being in the last month of pregnancy four different times that you cannot ever predict anything, and you can't take anything as a sign of anything, and babies come when they please, so I'm preparing myself to wait the full three weeks (or longer) until due date.  Of course it would be just fine with me if I got to meet this little girl a little earlier than expected.  Discomfort is increasing, but I'm really doing fine with it, all things considered.  I had a run on the treadmill this morning, even, and have felt very good all day.  Some days are not so good, and running is not so comfortable.  And contractions are definitely increasing, and getting longer and stronger.

We shall see which predictions come true!

Okay, so I'm definitely in a chatty mood today!  Must go!  Thanks for reading.  :)