Sean's Surgery, Game of Thrones, Outlander

Yesterday was Sean's surgery for his wayward upper left canine. (It's coming down over the top of another permanent tooth.) I was up by 5:45 AM (blah), had the kids up by 6:45 AM and we were out the door by 7:20 AM. Mm, I do not like early mornings.

Sean was very nervous even after being told that they would put him to sleep before they put in the I.V. (He doesn't like needles [who does?] and had been worried about the I.V. for days leading up to this surgery.) He told me after I went back to sit with him in recovery that he had panicked and the nurses had had to strap him down.

Overall things went well. The baby upper left canine got pulled (it wasn't loose at all), the gum was lifted or cut (really not sure which) and a little chain was attached to the permanent upper left canine and his braces. Sean will see his orthodontist in a few weeks and they'll do whatever adjusting or pulling on the chain that needs to be done.

Anyway, Sean handled the anesthesia pretty well. Other than feeling a little groggy at first and dizzy and having a sore throat, he hasn't had any other problems. No nausea or vomiting, thankfully.

Oh, a funny thing that happened was Sean said that when he woke up from surgery he asked the nurses, "Can I have a hug?" and three or four nurses hugged him. lol That made me laugh till I cried.

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I had some toast when we got home (after 11:00 AM) and took a nap while I waited for the cable guy to come. He arrived about 30 minutes early, which was fine, and after doing some checking he said that there was water in the line. Weird. Never heard of that happening before. He replaced the line/cable and said that a crew will come out in 7-10 days to bury it.

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Charlie thought he would be leaving Texas yesterday and finally start heading home. (He'll be driving.) Instead, he has to go to Corpus Christi today. He's been in the Amarillo area for about a month now. He's really sick of it and wants to come home. The kids and I want him home too. He thinks now that he might get to come home on Friday. :-/

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I got called a saint yesterday by the doctor who operated on Sean's mouth. He was asking questions about different things before the surgery, including questions about school. I told him that we were going to be homeschooling this year. There were some more questions and conversation and at one point the doctor said to Sean, "You're mom's a saint" to want to do homeschool.

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I started reading the first Game of Thrones book (A Game of Ice and Fire) about a month ago and am only less than 250 pages into it. I've put off buying the other GoT books until I finish the first one, but unless things improve I may not be buying them. It's not that I hate it. I actually sometimes sort of like it. But overall so far it's just okay and there are times when I don't like it. There are a couple scenes involving children that I absolutely hated. I'm really not sure if I'll even finish the book.

Because of this I started reading book 7 of the Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone, for the first time a couple nights ago. It was kind of like coming home. I love the characters and Diana Gabaldon's way of telling a story so much. Returning to the world of Jamie and Claire and Brianna and Roger (and all their many friends, family members and enemies) was effortless and instantly it was like I was there with them again.

The Outlander books are each quite long, but I love "being there" so much that I'm in no hurry to finish An Echo in the Bone. I want to take my time and savor it.

Busy Day, Unexpected Bills and the Olympics

Thursday was a busy day for me and the kids. After paying an unexpected bill of $193 to the first surgery center I took Sean to back on June 27th (he'll be going to a second one tomorrow), the kids and I first headed to the middle school to withdraw Kelly. (I had called them on Wednesday, but they said I had to come in and show them proof on paper that she's going to be homeschooled.) Thankfully, no dirty looks, rude questions or snide remarks. They were quite nice and told me that they hope everything goes well.

Next we went to the high school to withdraw Sean (they didn't ask for proof, only for the name of our homeschool) and to get his cleats and mouth guard from the football fieldhouse. Like the people at the middle school, the lady at the high school was also polite.

We then went to the bank to get a money order for $375(!) and then to the post office to send the money order to the football league for homeschoolers.

From there we got gas, went to Wal-Mart to get a couple things, Lifeway Christian bookstore to get a CD (Charles Jenkins, featuring the song "Awesome") for my mom for her birthday, Olive Garden for supper and then Stein Mart to get a purple blouse that my mom had been wanting.

Our final stop before coming home was a church where the homeschool football players meet for training and practices. I knew they were going to be there from about 6:00 until after 8:00, so we got there right before 6:00. There were a good number of boys there as well as dads/coaches and the director. I told them that we were new to homeschooling, about Sean's desire to play football, what had happened with the high school football team and that I'd already registered Sean online and sent the money. One of the coaches took down some information and then they told Sean to go ahead and join the other boys who had just begun exercising.

While Sean was exercising, I talked with the director for a few minutes and then Kelly and I sat in the car with the A/C running (it was so hot outside) while we waited for them to finish exercising and training.

They were finally done sometime between 8:00 and 8:30. Sean got fitted for his uniform and helmet and after talking with the director a few more minutes, we finally came home.

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On Friday, I got a much later start on the grocery shopping than I had planned. I ended up being on the phone for about 2 hours before I could even get in the shower.

The surgery center had called and left a message while I was still sleeping and then Charlie called me (a few seconds before my alarm went off) to tell me that the anesthesiology billing department had called and left him a message and for me to return their call.

I called the surgery center first, but the lady I had to speak to wasn't in, so I left her a message. After a few minutes, I called the anesthesiology billing department, but that lady (Marcy) was either not in or on the phone with someone else. (I can't remember which.) So I hung up without leaving a message.

By this point I had noticed that our NBC and Fox stations weren't coming in clearly (jumping, jerking, pixelated) and I really didn't want to miss the opening ceremonies of the Olympics that night, so I called the cable company and they told me that the next available appointment is Monday afternoon. So that meant I'd have to watch the opening ceremonies at my mom's house.

After getting off the phone with the cable company, I called the anesthesiology billing department again and Marcy answered the phone. She explained about how much our insurance will cover of Sean's surgery and how much we'd have to pay, including a $575 deductible. I told her that I'd talked with someone at the surgery center the day before and that they were wanting me to pay $300 on Monday. That would mean having to pay a total of nearly $1000 by Monday. So then Marcy told me to call the surgery center and ask them if that $300 was the deductible.

By this point, I was a little confused and couldn't remember which surgery center I was supposed to be calling (I've been dealing with two of them) and called the first surgery center. They told me that it's not them I have to pay $300 to. They were the ones who'd called me that morning and they told me that it was to let me know that Sean's surgery is at 9:00 AM on Monday at the other surgery center and to be there by 8:00.

So then I called the other surgery center and asked someone in the billing department if the $300 was the deductible and they said that it was. The bill from the surgeon is going to be $300, so that's why it's not the full $575 deductible.

I then called Marcy in the anesthesiology billing department and told her what the surgery center billing department said, so she redid the math and told me that we have to pay $388. She asked if I could pay it that day and I told her I'd have to talk to my husband first. So I called Charlie and he said "okay". Then I called Marcy back and paid the the $388 over the phone.

Whew.

I was pretty hungry by this point, so I ate some toast while checking Facebook (spent more time than planned doing that) and then got in the shower and got ready.

We rushed through Wal-Mart and Food Lion getting groceries, brought them home, put away the foods that needed to be in the refrigerator and freezer, then went to my mom's so that we could watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

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I enjoyed the opening ceremonies. Especially the beautiful representation of the English/Irish/Scottish/Welsh countryside. I wish it had stayed that way and that they hadn't ruined it with the Industrial Revolution stuff. I also wish they'd mentioned JRR Tolkien (and Jane Austen!), but much of the ceremony reminded me of him and the Lord of the Rings. It could be that the Tolkien Estate didn't want to give them permission to use Tolkien's name or works in the opening ceremony or that it was too expensive to get the rights for it, so maybe they just used visual references to Tolkien and LOTR. Thinly veiled to us Tolkien/LOTR fans. :-)

The countryside, especially the large hill with the big tree, looked very much like the Shire and the party tree and the tree over Bilbo's home. Then there was the Industrial Revolution, which inspired Tolkien in his creation of Saruman and Isengard, as well as the scouring of the Shire, and the forging of the ring. Other Tolkien fans have said they would've loved to have seen Gollum reaching for the ring, Hobbits coming out of the big hill and Gandalf defeating that giant Voldemort, among other things.

Anyway, geeky moment over. :-)

Homeschool and Football

I mentioned in my previous blog entry that I'm a member of a homeschool group on Facebook. I asked them about buying curriculum (preferably used) and a couple of the ladies there recommended a Christian bookstore that sells new and used homeschool materials.

So on Friday, Kelly and I (Sean was with Mom) went to that recommended Christian bookstore. I couldn't believe how much they have. Tons! I wasn't sure where to start or what to choose, so I asked a lady who works there and she told me to talk to the other lady (whose name I cannot remember) because "she knows everything about homeschooling". And she does. She homeschooled her daughter, I suppose all her elementary through high school years, and I was amazed by how knowledgeable she is.

She patiently and kindly helped me choose the materials (textbooks, workbooks, teacher's guides, test books, answer keys), which took well over an hour, explaining things along the way. I was going to purchase everything that day, but she said she would put them in a box for me and hold them until tax-free weekend (which I'd forgotten all about) so I could save some money. I'm already saving a lot (50% or more) by buying used curriculum.

The grammar curriculum that she suggested for Sean wasn't available on Friday, but she said she expects it to come in (they always have it) and that she will put it in my box when she gets it.

I was able to get most of what my kids needed. I just need to get grammar for both of them (they had brand new grammar for Kelly's grade level, but used is cheaper and it wasn't there on Friday), two electives for Sean, possibly a foreign language for Sean (he has to have 2 years of the same language in order to graduate and I'd like to go ahead and get started, but he wants to wait until 10th grade), and maybe one or two others. Including art.

Kelly can't wait until she's in 9th grade and can learn a foreign language. She said she wants to learn every language (she then specifically mentioned Spanish, French, Latin, German, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Greek), but I told her she has to choose one. She also wants to learn to play every musical instrument, especially acoustic guitar (her #1 choice), piano, violin and flute. lol But again, she'll have to choose just one.

We're all really excited about homeschooling. I'm still a little nervous, but not as much as I used to be. The kids are looking forward to learning at home and all three of us are looking forward to the field trips. We already have many places in mind. :-)

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At the end of this past school year, when Sean was in 8th grade, the coach of the high school football team went to the middle school so that 8th graders could sign up for football. Sean really wanted to be on the team and decided to sign up. He told the coach that he was going to be homeschooled and the coach said that that was okay.

All summer, Sean went to the high school to train and work out. It was hard work, he came home sore and sweaty, but he loved it and couldn't wait to get started with the practices and was looking forward to when they would finally get to play against other teams.

Last Thursday was a parent meeting at the school. It lasted about an hour, after which we (parents) went to the main office so that the athletic director could get copies of proof of residency (driver's license, utility bill, etc.) while the boys went to the locker room near the field to get their uniforms and helmets fitted. I was the first in line and since there were a couple blanks on the student information sheet that I wasn't sure how to fill out (because he wasn't/isn't going to the public school), I told the athletic director that Sean would be homeschooled, that the coach said that was okay, and I asked him (the A.D.) if it is okay. He said, "No."

Ugh. My heart sunk a little for Sean. Kelly and I walked away from the A.D. and made our way to the building where Sean was (way on the other side of the school property) to let him know what the A.D. said. He was really disappointed, as I knew he would be.

On Friday, I tried for more than an hour and a half to get up with someone at Guilford County Schools to ask them about homeschooled kids playing public school sports, but couldn't get through to anyone. When I called the main number, it went straight to putting me on hold and after 10-15 minutes of holding I would get hung up on. Which of course meant that I got put back at "the end of the line". This happened several times.

I then got online to look up the GCS athletics department number, but when I called them it would go to voicemail after several rings. I hate leaving messages and it seems like they never call you back. So after calling them several times, I gave up.

I called them again on Monday and this time someone answered right away. I told him that Sean was going to be homeschooled and asked him if he could play for our local public high school and he said, "No, ma'am, he cannot."

Ugh. Disappointed again.

Yesterday I told my FB homeschool group about all this and asked them if they knew of any teams he could play for and they told me that there is a football league for homeschoolers. One lady told me they're pretty good and that one of the boys got recruited by a college football team last year. I looked them up online and registered Sean. :-) We'll be going to meet them on Thursday. The first practice is July 31st, there's a Father/Son flag football game on September 1st and then the season begins a couple weeks after that. Championship games are in November and awards in December.

Sean is excited that he'll get to play football and Charlie and I are so happy for him.

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I called GCS again yesterday to inform them that I will be homeschooling my kids this year and the lady I spoke to told me that I have to call the middle and high schools and withdraw my kids. So I'll be doing that today. I really hope they don't give me attitude or make comments. A simple "Okay, we'll go ahead and do that" will be enough.

I don't need theirs or anyone else's opinions, judgments or comments about it. Yes, there has been someone already who put in their ignorant two cents worth. (A father of one of the high school football players.) He clearly didn't know what he was talking about, so I didn't say anything. :-/

He looked at me like he couldn't believe what I'd said and asked, "You're going to teach them?" (Yes, he emphasized "you're". He had never met me before that day, so he has no idea if I'm capable or not.) lol I told them that I am. (Does he not know what homeschool is? Clearly not.) He then proceeded to tell me about some family he knew (supposedly) whose kids were homeschooled and who "didn't have any common sense" (yes, his exact words) because they were never around other kids (I don't believe that for a second) and weren't properly socialized. Ppffftt.

Okay, first of all, common sense, or the lack thereof, has nothing to do with whether a child is educated in a public school, a private school or a home school. I've only known one or two people who were homeschooled and many people (all public school kids) who had no common sense.

Two, proper socialization means a child is around people of all ages, not just other children. Kids need to know how to interact with toddlers, teenagers, adults and the elderly, as well as kids their age.

Three, there are many shy and socially awkward children who have only gone to public school. And there are many homeschooled children who are perfectly normal in social settings.

Four, homeschooled doesn't mean that you never leave your home. There are church services and church events, homeschool groups (including sports teams), field trips, vacations, neighbors (young and old) and other times (shopping, etc.) when we talk with people other than our little family.

Five, for those who think homeschool children won't get a good education, have you been paying attention at all to what's going on in public schools? Including teachers feeling like they have no choice but to teach the kids just so they can pass the EOGs. (Which I'm totally against.) Not to mention that American children score below children in other countries. And besides all of that, homeschooled children tend to score higher than public school children.

Anyway, guess I needed to vent a little.


If anyone read all of this, I will be surprised. I hadn't expected to write so much. :-)

It's Official!

Our homeschool is now official. They said it would be 10 business days after faxing my diploma before I heard back from them, but they emailed me the next day. (Today.) :-)

"OFFICIAL NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL REGISTRATION RECORD

"This e-mail officially acknowledges receipt effective today 7-05-12 of a notice of intent to operate the following home school, as required by Article 39, Chapter 115C of the North Carolina General Statutes. It is now properly registered with the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) and may now legally begin operation on the date of this e-mail 7-05-12."

Now I just have to contact the school district and begin curriculum shopping. We should begin our school around the end of August.

A lady from our church is friends with someone whose daughter graduated from homeschool in May and may have some curriculum for sale. It's cheaper to get it used, so I'll try that first - eBay and so on.

There are a few people I'm talking to, including a group of NC homeschoolers on Facebook, about choosing curriculum. I want to choose curriculum that they can understand. But I know that if a certain brand or style of curriculum isn't working for us that I can get something else. I'm also not as confident in myself as I'd like to be when it comes to believing that I can help my kids learn. If I had the confidence in myself that others have in me, I'd feel like I could do anything I want to do.

Lack of confidence in myself has always been a problem for me. Maybe by succeeding in homeschooling my self-confidence will improve. :-)

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Update on Sean: He was supposed to have surgery last week (to attach a little chain to his wayward top left canine that's still in the gum and the other end of the chain to his braces, as well as to pull the baby tooth, which isn't loose), but even after shots to numb his gums and nitrous to relax him, he wouldn't cooperate and they couldn't do the surgery. *sigh* So now we have to take him to a surgery center, which will cost us more money. The surgery center is supposed to call me so we can make an appointment, but they haven't called yet. :-/

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I've begun putting my mom's side of the family tree together, including photographs, draft registration cards, census records and death certificates, in an album. I haven't worked on it in several days though. I need to get back to that as well as beginning an album for my dad's side.