happy being trevy

We like to blame Trevy for our anti-social ways, but the truth of the matter is... we just aren't cook-out-party people. We're spend Memorial Day somewhere quiet and peaceful people. Like nature hiking, for instance. It was exquisitely peaceful and joyful. At one point I asked Jonathan if it was weird that I, literally, feel myself healing from the inside out when we're hiking. He assured me that he'd recently read and article that agrees with me. Not that I need science to have my back, mind you. Barely had we started down the trail when we heard the very distinctive call of the red-winged blackbird. Trevor immediately identified it. He delights in birds. As we walked I shared with him that science is the study and observation of the world God created for us to enjoy, like birds. I taught him the big science word for people who love and study birds, Ornithologist.  Can you say that big word, I asked. ...

Trevy continues to really enjoy our Before Five in a Row book selections. I have a stack of pre-selected (borrowed from the library or our own) book choices in his purple workbox bin. Each weekend he chooses the book he'd like to read the next week. He loves the freedom to choose. Having him pick over the weekend has been working well.  Here are some ways I tried to therapeutically enrich our journey with The Little Rabbit and The ABC Bunny... Speech Trevor has always always loved music. Songs are a great way to work on articulation and phrasing. I want to capitalize on that by finding songs that relate to our stories.  We used Little Bunny Foo Foo for The Little Rabbit. It's fun and silly and chock full of articulation opportunities.   The ABC Rabbit has its own song which he enjoyed and we also used Rhyming is So Easy which is super fun. I also like to work on vocabulary to give him more meaningful words and articulation. I snagged some ...

An ambulance and fire truck screamed down the road this morning just as we were running over to pick Toby up from his standardized testing. As I watched them blaze past, the realization wasn't lost on me. Now that Trevy is home with me full time, I no longer have a pit in my stomach when I hear sirens blaring. I no longer watch to see which direction they're heading.  I no longer jump when the phone rings because I've been unconsciously waiting for "the call" from school. I know he's safe. I can see his crooked grin my rearview mirror and he's got ideas about what adventures we need to go on today dancing in his sparkling eyes.

I'm not gonna lie. This week was rough. Trevor had good moments followed by very difficult. It's hard to discern if we're dealing with behavioral challenges or something medical. My litmus test is telling him he may go lay in his bed to rest (the most common complaint I hear is "I tired" or "tired sick"). Resting in bed includes no iPad. If he willingly goes to rest in bed without his iPad I take that as a cue that he's really not feeling well. Several days this week he rested in bed for over an hour. I do know his allergies are quite aggressive right and it is possible that's making him feel cruddy. I just hope the "tired sick" isn't something more neurological and ominous. Sigh. My heart is thankful I can have him home where I can keep a close eye on him always. In between the difficult moments, though, we did have some sweet and productive time.  Making a snack to go along with his AAR lesson. Lots of fine motor w...

With each passing day it becomes more clear that homeschooling is the right fit for Trevy. We're continuing to use and enjoy Before Five in a Row. This week he chose to "row" Blueberries for Sal. We read the story each day this week. Some days in his school room and some in his bed where he was resting because he felt "tired sick". It's hard to know if it's allergies, neurological, or even GI related. Just another layer of why homeschooling is right for him. We can snuggle in bed and read a lovely, living book together as part of his education program.  Speech To incorporate some oral motor muscle work we played a blueberry picking game with a straw and blue pom poms. I drew a "basket" on our chalkboard table and had him start by blowing the blueberries into the circle. When he mastered that I drew a second basket and had him suck and hold the blueberry to place it in the basket.  Life ...

The more we use Before Five in a Row , the more we love it! I am not an affiliate. There is no gain in sharing how we're using this program or how much we love it. The only perk I get is knowing that it might help another family making the decision to homeschool their special child. I have been homeschooling "lite" with Trevy for years and only recently brought him home full time. He's thriving and it's a beautiful thing to witness. I use the workbox system. One of the drawers is dedicated to our FIAR materials. I have the teacher's manual and a handful of books (some borrowed some bought) in the drawer. At the beginning of the week I let Trevy pick whichever book from the stack he'd like to focus on. This week he chose The Snowy Day. We read the book each day for a week and then complete enrichment activities to go along with it. Some of the activities are found in the teacher's manual but Pinterest and the FIAR forum are also...

Many of Trevor's challenges are not visible on the surface. Perhaps the most profound is his vision loss.  Most people are captivated by his beautiful, expressive eyes and never know that they are imperfect in their ability to help him see the world around him. Hemianopsia is a very real disability and significantly impacts his life on a daily basis. It's why playgrounds give me panic attacks and I won't allow him to climb them without someone to protect him from all the random death hatches openings. It's why he's anxious (bordering on terrified) in crowded places. So many people and things hiding on his blind side just waiting to pop out and bump or be bumped into. It's one reason why anything near water is terrifying for his dad and I. He could fall into a pond and drown without ever having known it was there. It's why I fantasize about getting him a service dog. It's why he's often marked or bruised on the right side of hi...

Once upon a time I was more of a blogger mom than I am now. During that season of life I had the privilege of partnering with This Old Schoolhouse and reviewing curriculum for their team.  Now you the know story of  was I came to love All About Learning Press. I was given the Pre-Reading level to use with Trevy nearly four years ago. And use it with him, I did. I loved it, in fact. But between his developmental delays and our limited time due to school and therapies, it was placed on the back burner once my required review time was completed. We have continued to work through it during summer breaks...and Trevor has always loved his "Ziggy Time", as he likes to call it. But now that he's home full time, he's really REALLY loving and connecting with the program. The pre-reading level is broken into three focus areas. Capital letters, lower case letters, and letter sounds. Trevor has what is considered acquired dyslexia due...