Some paths we choose.

Other paths are chosen for us.

Her handfuls of stones are for tossing into the creek. They seem a fitting image for the story she carries to school each day.  A balancing, a weight, and, hopefully, a successful adventure in the end.

Last week, I was picking her up when I heard results of recent testing.  Long time readers may remember My Daughter, Learning to Learn.  Last year we discovered that she has troubles processing sounds, an Auditory Processing Disorder.  She recevies extra help at school and I work with her a lot.  We spent this year focusing on phonetic structures.  How sounds feel when we say them, how they link together and come apart.  And she is making progress.  Not at the same rate as her peers, but still.  A couple of weeks ago she read the Cat in the Hat (a few pages) and was incredibly proud of herself.

At the same time, she’s tired.  She comes home from school exhausted most days.  Homework is a stretch of patience and stamina.  We supplement with games and practice on the iPad, but she will give me that look, the one saying, “I am spent. Is there really more?”  And she’s aware that her friends are moving faster quicker.  She has an amazing teacher and the school is completely supportive.  She is getting help, but she has not had a formal assessment.  Until last month.

“She’s has all the classic markers,” our specialist said.  I teach at the school so she and I share ideas outside the formal meetings.  ”First of all, your girl is so smart!”

I knew, of course I knew.  It was still gratifying to hear.

“She sees big concepts and her visual memory is very strong.  She is very bright.”

Which is nice to hear from others when you work with a struggling child.  I see her light and hear her stories.  I want that celebrated and not lost under the learning challenges.

“She has dyslexia.”

Oh.  I assumed that the specialist was going to share the Auditory Processing, not open a whole new path through the forest.  I took the news in stride.  They are connected.  The left side of my girl’s brain is not doing its job.  For some unknown reason, tasks have been reassigned to the right side of the brain.  So she sees logic and big ideas.  She adores storytelling and creative thinking.  And, yet, written language is a muddled mess.  Sounds and symbols are a constantly shifting quagmire.

I have been reading about Dyslexia since then and I’m getting a better picture of the world through my daughter’s eyes.  Luckily, she has been held with such confidence and support that her self-esteem remains strong (mostly).  We have a meeting at the end of the month to gather our ideas and make goals.  She will officially become a Special Education student.  A girl with a Learning Disability.

I celebrate the different-thinkers.  I celebrate the new ideas.  I celebrate the hidden beauty in tangled paths.  And I will help her along this journey.  She has a very strong support network.  I will keep the story going here, along with ideas that work (or don’t work).  Right now, we’ve already switched homework so she does the bulk of it on the weekend.  She said yesterday that it was easier to finish on a weekend-day.  She wasn’t so tired.

I was glad, really, getting a diagnosis.

My relief may sound strange.  As anyone with a disability knows, though, information is everything.  Getting the label means getting the help.  And that is all good.  The underlying challenges are there, whether you have a diagnosis or not.  This way, we can get her help and accommodations.  Because she shines.

She will blaze her own path

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We were woefully unprepared with costumes (oops) but my family had great masks to share.

Ian wasn’t sure about the big crowds and loud noises.  He needed reassurance from sister.  This is fun, right?

Nevada City hosts the best small-town parades!  Behind the old fire truck is the Nevada Theater, one of the oldest theaters in the west.  I think Mark Twain once performed there.  Like me .  I was a townsfolk in Romeo and Juliet my senior year of high school.  Lots of history

Like I said, my family brought great masks.  Next year I’ll know better

Anika caught lots of beads.  She gave all of the red/orange beads to Ian.  Because that’s the kind of sister she is

Ian’s favorite colors are orange and red.  He was thrilled with his collection.

Grabbing for the camera, again

The scene street-side.  I’m not sure who she is, but I loved the sun on her hands.  She caught plenty

Lots of motorbikes.  Masked bikers.  These two made their statement with Anonymous masks.

Mila watched the parade from her dad’s shoulders for awhile.  The sun and breeze caught her perfectly.  

The parade had plenty of drama.  Fire from a hot air balloon basket.  Not sure what their group was called.  Not sure it matters.  Fire is cool

And many protest floats, like this one from the local Occupy group.  Speaking for the 99%.

Nevada City was packed!  The weather was gorgeous!  Couldn’t ask for a better parade.

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Pumpkin was very patient with all of the attention.

My mom also returned from her three week trip to Hawaii, so we slipped away from the Rabbit Rally for a little treat. And Ian decided that was a cosy place to nap

.

Still, he looks rather peaceful close-up.

Mom had great adventures in Hawaii. It got me thinking about climate and my recent medication headaches and how I would feel so much better without the cold winters. Part of me wanted to run away, but I couldn’t work in any traditional jobs and my disability benefits are not very high. I even looked into housing subsidized for people with disabilities, but the screenshots didn’t look like pleasant parts of town. Besides, I love my extended family way too much to run off to an island. Still, how much is good health worth?

An interesting idea

The rest of our week was fairly quiet since Ian got sick with a cough and fever. I spent two whole days on the couch binging on Xbox games with him. Poor baby. He’s back to wild, loud, busy child now.

Spring arrived this week. Very strange since I call this the Winter that Wasn’t. Only a few storms and snowflakes.

The blossoms don’t care. They feel the warmth and they bloom. So I leave you with sunshine and color. That hopefully lasts through the week.

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Keep waiting. My world is the couch with an occasional trip for more orange juice in the kitchen. I’m not sick this time- thanks goodness. Ian has a cough and fever. He’s in good spirits, but he needs serious downtime. And he does not like to be ‘by himself’.

And I have medicine drama, as I was running out of samples, then insurance wouldn’t fill a prescription, so we tried something else. And that something else spun me out for three days before I quit. I know some medicines take time, but I had a bad feeling about it all and I trust my instincts. So I’m full circle back to ‘as needed’ medicine. Which ends up being every day, but still… I’m going to call to see if there might be a pain specialist anywhere near here. I’m sensitive to many medicines- lots of side effects. Not sure why. The quest for relief continues.

My sick boy is holding one arm for comfort while my girl shows off her Valentine’s loot from school. Today reminds me about the bonds of families and friends, the enduring forces that bring us together. I wish you a day of togetherness

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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The goodies did not last long.  By the time I returned with the camera, the scones and mini-cookies were already gone.  Most of the cheese, crackers, and turkey sandwiches had disappeared, too.

The plates were drawn by Ian and Anika over the years. I made the flame blanket/tablecloth before Ian was born.  Perfect tea party decoration

The kids poured their own tea, which was a lesson in itself about letting the leaves steep. And be careful of hot pots.

Enjoying the good stuff.  Sugar is in the little bowl next to her plate.  We made the little bowls in ceramics class a couple of years ago.  We found the tiny spoons this morning in a kitchen supply store.  There’s a magic in adding your own sugar to your own tea.

Very Alice in Wonderland

We hung the canopy from the summer awning and the ribbons caught in the breeze.  We learned about flexibility because the first plan was to eat in the canopy.  But they couldn’t all fit.  So they ate beside it instead.  And read books on a blanket in the fairy house.

A happy day.  Love the faces covered with crumbs.

Anika beaded this heart when she was a student in my class.  Love and beauty and magical rainbows.

Shining your way.  Hope you have a reason or two to host a tea party

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Facebook IPO and how to bring down Facebook, the legality of Jailbreaking and much more:  http://pinterest.com/rightclicktech/right-click-news-bytes-jan-week5/

*the link will stay active for 8 weeks after our air-date. Enjoy!

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and on Pinterest.

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Peek-a-boo . . . anyone still taking pictures?

We haven’t used the bikes in awhile.  I couldn’t lift them into the car for most of the summer.  And their dad hasn’t been going on outings.  So Anika was pleased as peaches to get on her bike.  She’s grown!

She loved the wind in her hair and building up speed.  Not too fast, though, she’s cautious.  Especially with socks on her feet (I guess it was a little cold).

And we did have a helmet for her (Ian’s is too big, must go back to the store for a better fit).  She wore the helmet outside the soft playground.

Happy girl with her streamers and basket.  Brings back fond memories of my own childhood.  Except we lived down a dirt road where bikes were very impractical, but still . . . who doesn’t love a basket and streamers?  She played mail-delivery and brought me little leaves and found treasures.

I sat in the lush sunshine and noticed the trees budding for spring.  Spring? We’ve barely begun winter.  Back to sleep, tree.  Hear me?

Part of what I love about photography is when it catches little moments that would be lost otherwise.  Two kids on bikes, from the back, with Ian hunched over his handlbars, not trusting the pedals yet (he can go faster running, he says), and Anika slowing down for him to catch up.  Those training wheels will come off soon and he’ll graduate to a big-boy bike.  I am so grateful that I get to watch them grow.  Watch them shine.

Even on days when he won’t smile for me anymore

*you may not notice, but many of our outings involve activities for them where I can sit and supervise.  Most of these photos were taken when I was sitting down.  The playground photos, I was sitting on the ground, which actually gave me a fun perspective of looking up at Anika or eye-level with Ian.  In our other location, I did take a few as I walked, then I sat on the picnic table (behind Anika above) and took pictures from there.  We all win- they get to play, I get to rest (sort of ).  Enjoying life with challenges is all about accommodations.  Most of my accommodations are so intuitive for me, I hardly notice anymore.  I’ll try to share, though, in case others are looking for inspiration or ideas.  I hope you had a lovely weekend!

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Pinterest gets attention; Apple profits; fixed Amazon reviews and more:  http://pinterest.com/rightclicktech/right-click-news-bytes-jan-week4/

*the link will stay active for 8 weeks after our air-date. Enjoy!

Find us on iTunes here.

Follow us on:

and on Pinterest.

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Well, Skatetown in Roseville has a brilliant solution.  We came inside from the sunny California day to a frozen playland. We had to wait for the zamboni to polish up the ice for us.

I stayed on the sidelines and tried to take decent photos through the reflective and scratched up glass while my brother and sister-in-law taught my kiddos the basics of skating.  The rink has a brilliant solution for young (and any beginner) skaters.  These buckets are perfect!  They are allowed on about a quarter of the rink, and the capable skaters enjoy the rest of the ice bucket-free.

Ian was perfectly happy to scoot around with his pile of buckets.

Anika leaned heavy on hers for awhile, then gained confidence.  She did fall a few times, she told me, but she didn’t care.

Ian tired of the skating before the others. “Games, games,” he insisted.  And it wasn’t so cold, but it was cold enough that I was happy to escort him to the arcade.  I didn’t think anyone could wobble anywhere on these narrow strips of metal, but no one seemed to mind.  Kids were running and reaching and acting like they wore everyday shoes.

Everyday shoes don’t looks half so fancy or fun, though.

I was glad to skip the whole balancing, fast-moving, slick-ice part of the day.  But it sure looked fun!  And the kids had a blast.  Anika has already scheduled her next skating trip.  Next time I’ll get her spinning

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