icRKphJXQm-ezth8lntKydifkDg The Loose Screw: August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Upcoming September Reviews!


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As you may remember, I am now doing reviews for The Old Schoolhouse Crew.  The reviews will be posted on my blog and will be available online through clicking The Old Schoolhouse banner on my blog.  Here is the lineup for The Old Schoolhouse reviews in September:

Apoligia How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids
R & R Games-Flea Circus
BigIQKids
Before Five In A Row
Aletheia Writing Magazine

Be on the lookout for these reviews and more-I hope you enjoy them and find some great products for your home!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Giveaway!! Purex Complete With Zout!

I'm so excited that I get to have another giveaway!!!  This one is for Purex Complete with Zout!
I have coupons for a FREE bottle of Purex Complete with Zout for TWO of my readers!!    If you are interested in reading more about this product and how it works, here is the Purex with Zout Fact Sheet

You have TWO chances to enter:
1. MANDATORY entry: Just leave me a comment letting me know how many loads of laundry you guess you do each week.
2. Additional optional entry: Follow me on Google Friend Connect (on the right sidebar) and leave me a comment letting me know you did! 
*IMPORTANT* Please leave me your email address in your comment so I can reach you if you are one of the winners!
This contest will run until September 6, 2011 at midnight MST. 
GOOD LUCK!!


Monday, August 29, 2011

My Most Frequently Searched Word This Summer Is.........

Dyslexia!  Earlier this summer, we finally got an answer as to why Chad can't read or write higher than a 1st grade level.  Some background:  We adopted Chad when he had just turned three, and it was a special needs adoption because he was delayed in several areas.  We really figured he just needed to catch up in a nurturing environment.  Even though I was a veteran homeschooler, my other kids were teenagers and I was sick with a chronic illness, so I thought he would be better served in school.  He plugged along through kindergarten, a little behind the others, but actually was sounding out CVC words at an early age. 1st grade was a disaster-he did not progress at all.  We kept asking the teacher if he thought Chad had Dyslexia.  He continually said no(but never tested him), we just need to read with him more.  More??  As a homeschooler, we already read more than the average family! 

At the end of 1st grade, after a particularly upsetting 'incident' involving Chad's teacher, we pulled him out of school  with only a few weeks left of the year.  My husband and I both felt that I could do better one-on-one with him.  So last year we set out to learn to read and write closer to grade level.  The results?  He did progress-a little.  Not as much as he should have for all we did.  So, this summer we had him tested privately.  It turns out he does have Dyslexia, quite a severe case actually, as well as Dysgraphia, Irlen Syndrome, and several other auditory and visual learning delays.  We weren't surprised.  He has had a small amount of tutoring this summer, and I have spent a lot of time researching how to teach him.  I've had lots of great support from my friends at the TOS Crew, as many of them have experience with Dyslexia.  I've recently ordered my curriculum, and I'll do a separate post about that once it all arrives.  I'm actually excited about the promise this year holds-we finally have a direction to go in, and my prayer is that we can discover whatever it is Chad needs to understand how to read and write.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

God's Hands


This past month has been one of many changes for my oldest son, Nick, 19.  He got a great full-time job close to home, he rented a bedroom in the house across the street from us, and he started working toward getting his driver's license (finally).  Everything was going great for him, and then there was an accident at work on Thursday.  Without going into all the details, a several-hundred pound automatic door closed on his head and neck, and the sensors did not work to open it back up.  The door had to be manually opened up, and Nick ended up with abrasions, a cut, swollen ears, and a concussion.  He is doing better-still some headaches and nausea, but will not work for another week until he gets clearance from the doctor. 
There is one *small* detail I have left out, and that is that Nick's hardhat started falling off just as he was about to be closed in those doors, so he lifted his hands to adjust it.  Because he did this, the position of his arms saved his head and/or neck from being crushed.  I don't believe this was coincidence-I believe this was God's hands.  I believe God knows our entire lives and exactly what day we will die, and this was not my son's day.  But it could have been.  What really got to me is how quickly everything can change.  The call I got about the accident could have been a very different call, and right now we could have been planning a funeral or sitting by the hospital bed of a paralyzed 19-year-old. My week that I was stressing about getting school ready, could have been the worst week of my life.  Kind of puts things in perspective, huh?  So make sure and give your kids hugs and kisses every chance you get, no matter how old they are.  I'm sure going to.

Psalm 121:7-8 The Lord will keep you from all harm-he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

The Old Schoolhouse Crew Members!

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You may remember a few months back I was thrilled to find out I had been selected to be a member of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew for the upcoming school year. The crew is a great group of homeschool parents who review homeschool curriculum and products.  I wanted to introduce you to them!  If you click on the button below, you will be taken to a list of all of their great blogs-check them out!