in pursuit of wild things

Getting back to the daily routine isn’t always easy after a trip. We took a week off to adjust to being back home before starting school. Fortunately, dropping back into the schooling schedule was pretty easy. We have a nice routine that is working for us well this year. Oldest finally managed to get caught back up with his high school coursework and has managed to stay on task…so far. I’m hoping to set up a meeting to explore the technical courses he can take the next couple of years for a votech type diploma.

Sparkles needed more to do so we added Cover Story to her course load. It is such a creative writing curriculum that I think she will have fun. She also wants to start getting involved with some programs at the library. Hopefully, these will work out well for her. Littlest is at that stage where the work he is doing is getting easy and has even

asked for more books to read. I’ve taken the past couple of years slow with him but I think he is ready for a heavier workload now. He is very ready to move on. Middle Boy is enjoying the last half of sixth grade. He knows that the next two years will be to prepare for high school and will require more work. We both know he is just sliding through this year. I think he is dreading next year’s pile of books.

My IBS has been awful the past couple of weeks. I’ve been slowly working on incorporating the low FODMAP diet to identify my triggers and sensitivities. I’m already working to eliminate dairy. You’d think it would be easy but so many products have lactose! I was also able to identify fructose as a troublemaker for me. I knew that some form of sugar was hurting me but wasn’t sure until last week. Bananas are supposed to be good for IBS but they can be high in fructose depending on their ripeness. I would eat bananas on my bad days because they were supposed to be a safe food. This is a very individualized illness and that makes it so frustrating. This weeks test is fructans. I’m really hoping to pass this one because I cook with garlic and onions nearly every day.

Anyway, I’m not sure what is going on with my IBS but it is getting worse and the anxiety that goes with it is getting worse. The past couple of weeks I’ve quit eating if I know I have to be out of the house for the day. Not so bad with morning appointments. I read earlier today that an exercise regimen called Ttap is supposed to be helpful for IBS suffers. I’ll look into it a bit more before I buy any books or DVD’s.

I did get a stay at home job managing a Facebook page for my favorite curriculum company. So that was unexpected and really cool. I’ve been running the page since 2015 and trying to grow it into a helpful community. I really thought they were going to have a “professional” take over but they asked me to just “keep up the good work” so to speak.

I could use another day in this weekend. I’m tired and my belly hurts.

my Turkish lamp

so happy to be home

swing time

Boots and Sparkls

Boots is glad we are home

Boots is jealous for Sparkles attention

Middle Boy’s new desk. Made by my husband

13

birthday girl

with their Homeschool Adventure friends

he is 15!!!