The Year of the Knees

I am calling 2022 "The Year of the Knees", as it was the year I had two TKR's, or Total Knee Replacement surgeries.  I have osteoarthritis and was bone-on-bone in both knees for the past couple of years, with the inside of the joints collapsing and causing me to be a little bow-legged. Pain was constant and my lifestyle was impacted as I had to decline activities that involved much standing or walking.  Other mitigations such as knee braces and steroid injections didn't help. Although I probably should have had surgery in 2020, there was no way I was going anywhere near a hospital during covid, or until some normalcy had returned.   When I finally went to my orthopedic doctor and we decided that surgery was my best option and could be done when I was ready, I decided to get both knees done in 2022, and was happy to learn that out-patient surgery was a good option for me, meaning that I would not be staying overnight in a hospital. I was fortunate to have friends who had undergone the same or similar surgery and had advice for me. I gathered items they and my doctor recommended -  a recliner to sleep in for a while, a walker with wheels on the front, a cane, a raised toilet seat with hand rails, a shower bench, a grabber tool, a Polar cold therapy ice machine and extra ice packs, a lap tray. I started going to a water fitness class in the pool at the local Y, to strengthen my legs.  I got the meds that I would need.  My church women's group set up a meal train.

Surgery #1 was my right knee, on July 25, 2022.  My husband was still working 100% from home, so he would be with me to help during my recovery.   The surgery was at 7:30am and I was home by 2:30pm.  The first week was seriously awful, with lots of bruising and nerve pain and constipation. I also experienced anxiety during the dark and quiet hours of the night, and relied on worship music on my phone, measured breathing, and prayer to get through that time when sleep was elusive. The second week was better, I started going to physical therapy 3x a week, and I was able to get into the shower with my husband's help. I kept a journal so that I would remember the milestones and difficulties for the 2nd time around.  There was pain, there was frustration, there was difficulty, but I kept my eyes on the goal of walking without pain and resuming an active lifestyle that would allow me to keep up with my little grandsons and enjoy life! There were significant milestones at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks.  I only took the heavy pain meds for 2 days, and then switched to Advil except for when I went to my Physical Therapy sessions.  I wasn't allowed to drive until I was no longer taking those meds and also had a 90% bend back in my knee, which took about 6 weeks.

My surgeon, nurses, and physical therapists all said, "Give recovery a year.  There will be swelling, stiffness, numbness, etc for up to a whole year.  So keep moving, keep working at it.  Don't get discouraged.  Give it a year."  

Surgery #2  on my left knee was on November 5, 2022.   My surgeon was comfortable with a 3-month wait between surgeries so I had a chance to recover somewhat, get through physical therapy and get mobile before starting the process over again. Although I thought the second time around would be easier because I knew what to expect, I was wrong.   My surgeon was waiting with my husband at my bedside when I woke up from the anesthesia, and he informed my that my femur had fractured during the procedure - a possible but very rare occurrence during this type of surgery.  Two screws were put in to hold the bone together and otherwise the surgery was successful.  But I would have to keep the leg in a brace and bear as little weight as possible for 6-8 weeks, while the bone healed. That meant that physical therapy would be delayed until the bone was healed as well.  So while the recovery period was extended, there was actually less pain overall the second time around because I wasn't up and moving the joint! I did have a lot of pain the first week and taking the bandage off at the doctor's office at my follow-up appointment was excruciating.  But as long as I kept relatively still, I was fine. There was worry that scar tissue would form that would make it more difficult to get my bend and extension back once I started PT, but that turned out to be a non-issue for me. I have to say, my physical therapists were wonderful and I actually enjoyed going to those appointments.  They helped me tremendously, even though sometimes they made me cry!

Although my husband's workplace returned to part-time in-office in 2023, he was able to defer going back in until I was done with PT and could drive again, which wasn't until the end of February, almost 4 months after my surgery. 

Almost 2 years after my first surgery, I still have a good deal of numbness around both knees, but the constant pain in those joints is gone.  Walking without knee pain still surprises and delights me.  I am glad that I went through it.  However, I am now looking at 2024 as being "The Year of the Hip".  

More to come.

Our Very First Grammie Camp

 

A good friend of mine has done a week-long, overnight "Camp Mimi and Papa" with her grandchildren for years, and I have long dreamed of doing the same with my own grandkids someday. 

Well, this past summer I did it!  I joined forces with my friend Chris, and her 4 yr old grandson and 2 yr old granddaughter joined my 3 yr old grandson for our very first "Grammie Camp"!    Since the kids were so little and this was our first GC venture, we decided to start with just 4 mornings from 9:30am-12:30pm.  

The first two days were in Chris's backyard and the second two days were at my house.  Together we decided on a theme for each day, and then each planned the activities for when we hosted.  Chris did the 7 Days of Creation and Plants/Garden, and my themes were Animals and Oceans.  This gave us a direction for crafts, stories, snacks, etc, but they weren't actually that important. 

Each morning started with free play time in the yard with bubbles, chalk, sand, swings, balls, and other yard toys.  Then we had Circle Time on a blanket or inside (it was scorching hot in July!) for songs and a story, followed by Snack that the grammies prepared, then Crafts, directed play, lunch brought from home, and Water Play in the wading pool and sprinkler! 

To say this was a hit would be a gross understatement, and the kids have talked about it ever since.  So much so, that we decided to do a Spring Break Grammie Camp in March!

Here are pictures from our very first Grammie Camp, July 2023

It's Me. Hi. I'm the Problem, it's me.

Hey there. Nobody reads this anymore because I haven't posted anything in YEARS. But hey, maybe I could give it another go. 

I actually started a new blog on WordPress about 2 years ago, but it has been hard to keep up with it! It takes way more effort to post there, it seems. I need to have good photos and pinnable content. I'm not throwing in the towel yet, but maybe writing here will give me a push to start writing there again. Who knows? You can see it here - www.retiredhomeschoolmom.com 

I'm not a pro blogger. I just like someplace to write my thoughts, document occasions, share my experience and wisdom. That kind of thing. I'm a retired homeschool mom who still tries to keep a toe in the homeschool world, to be a mentor and resource. But I also have become very involved in a "senior" women's group at my church; I have spent a year having and recovering from 2 knee replacement surgeries; I am still dabbling in artistic things from time to time; I spend as much time as I can with my grown children and my two little grandsons; I have to spend considerable energy these days on staying healthy; I plan to jump back into volunteer work with refugee preschoolers this fall, after missing the past year because of knees; I am loving my water fitness class at the Y; I daydream about remodeling my house. 

There is a pot of bolognese sauce simmering on the stove and a pot of boiling water waiting for the lasagna noodles. The birds are busy at the feeders, and the squirrels are busy grabbing up the seeds that fall to the ground underneath. Thunder is rolling in the distance. Mark is finishing up with painting our bedroom, and we'll be putting a new rug down and moving the furniture back in tomorrow. 

God is good, all the time. 

I hope you are doing well today.

Fall is My Favorite Time of Year

Ah,Fall. 

Here in the South, it sometimes feels like the summer heat and humidity will never break and we are destined to sweat forever, but then suddenly... the humidity drops. The temperature stays in the 70's for a few days.  The air starts to feel..... crisp! And glorious autumn makes an appearance. Sometimes for just a few days at a time, as though testing the waters, skittering back and forth from hot to warm to cool.  

But eventually, the coolness settles as the days shorten,  leaves start to turn yellow and bronze, and pumpkins stand sentinel at doorsteps. 

Retired Homeschool Mom

 I have a new blog!  

Actually, I've had it for several months now.  It is over on WordPress and is called "Retired Homeschool Mom".   It is the "next step", now that my children are grown and I'm no longer homeschooling. I still mentor and love to encourage homeschool moms, so I will continue to post about homeschooling things. But this season also includes things like grown up children, grandbabies, volunteer work,  stretching my creative muscles and setting up a studio, finally fixing up the house, new pets and maybe even some chickens, continuing to grow as a Christian,  staying healthy, married life as an older couple without kids in the house! 

I'm still learning WordPress and trying to figure out what my blogging life will look like. But if you want to come visit now and again, I'd love to have you.

http://retiredhomeschoolmom.com/

New Season, Time for a New Blog???

Why all the blog posts all of a sudden?
Well, I am in a blog mindset because I am seriously considering starting a NEW blog and am doing all kinds of reading, research and brainstorming.

It would be a blog for this NEW season of life I am in.  So a blog for "seasoned" women like me,  with posts about empty nesting, grandparenting, books, creative things, faith, marriage in the older years, health,  food, friendship, home, family celebrations, travel, and yes, homeschooling because I am still actively involved in the homeschool community as a mentor and teacher and leader and it is still near and dear to my heart. Plus I have a grandson now, so there is still skin in this game!

When I have things in place and it up and rolling, I'll post the link here!
Still working on a name.  🤔

Figuring it out - for the millionth time

 Sometimes you gain perspective when you read things you wrote in the past.  I wrote this in 2013, when my youngest was 15.

"You'd think that I'd have this down to a science by now.
You'd think that by the fifth child, I'd have this figured out.
You'd think that after 20 years of homeschooling, I could do this with my eyes closed.

You'd think."


 Just so you know, he is 21 now, a college junior who is rocking it at NC State, and no, I never in my 23 years of homeschooling felt like I had it "figured out".   I always kept moving forward, adjusting things, making changes, trusting my instincts, and staying on my knees.

New Season of Grammiehood

 My friends have been saying it for years. "There's nothing like it!"  " Being a grandparent is the best!"
Now I know firsthand that it is all true. Every word of it. 
It was very emotional to see my baby holding his baby, and then to have that tiny little human in my arms. I didn't know that the strength of this Grammie love would be as strong as the love I felt for my own children.  I am completely smitten!
The aunties and uncles, as well as the furry family members, are also quite excited about the newest addition to the family. Welcome to this crazy clan, Little Bear! 

 

  

Trusting God

Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

There are soooooo many reasons to be anxious, aren't there?   I get anxious about our society and government and crazy dark world every time I see a headline or read a news article. Going to the beach is out - have you seen how many Great Whites are lurking out there, along with the riptides?!  Everything I put in my mouth or breathe in or spread on my body  is going to absolutely ruin my health.

And homeschool mamas, we also face the fear of ruining our kids' lives because we don't really know what we are doing.  So there's that.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART....

* Trust = to wholly and entirely rely on; to be completely confident and secure in

We mamas usually have a pretty short list of who we will trust with the well-being of our kids. And you have to really have a long and solid relationship with someone to trust them with your deepest feelings and fears.

Can I trust God?

• God is FAITHFUL.   I can read Scripture and see how God has been faithful to lead, protect and provide for His people over and over and over. I can look at my own life, and see how God has been faithful to lead and protect and provide.  Little things and big things.  * Having a son who wanted to play high school baseball before homeschool teams existed and a year long inquiry into whether he could play on a school team as a homeschooler which resulted in an answer of "no, that isn't possible". Telling him that his dad and I had prayed and still felt that homeschooling was the right choice for our family, and his acceptance of that. Followed within a week by a phone call from a friend who was starting a homeschool baseball team (Wake Co. Warriors). God cares about our desires.   *  Or a sweet Christian retired teacher who was teaching a homeschool writing class (again, before this was a THING and was the only class in the whole wide area, but the class was full when I heard about it through a friend and inquired -  but a week later she called to tell me she was adding one more student to her class because she had a DREAM where God told her to add my child.   okay, you've GOT my attention, Lord.  Yes, you provide! Not in every single instance when I've prayed for something - but in those cases you've also been teaching me. Sometimes I THINK I need something, but you want to show me you'll still provide for my family even WITHOUT that thing that I really thought was necessary!!!   Lamentations 3:22-23 – “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.”        2 Timothy 2:13 – “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 – “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 

• God is LOVING John 3:15 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in His should not perish but have eternal life. " God sent His own Son to pay the penalty and take the punishment for MY SIN, in MY PLACE, so that I could be reunited with Him. That's how much He loves me. The whole Bible is God's love letter to me. 

• God is ALL-KNOWING and WISE  I wish I could see the future. I wish I could know without a doubt that my actions and choices and decisions today will produce good in the end, and not lead to disaster!  I do not KNOW ENOUGH to believe that my decisions are fault-less. But God knows everything, sees everything, Psalm 139:1-4 "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with ALL my ways. Before a word is on my tongue -  LORD, you know it completely!"   Psalm 147:4-5 " He determines the number of stars and calls them by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has NO LIMIT." Romans 11:33  "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable are his ways!"

• God is ALL-POWERFUL.   He is sovereign and rules with authority over all things - including my family, my finances, my time, my decisions.  Everything that comes into our lives must pass by Him first. He is the Creator, Author, Master, Redeemer, Refuge, Ransom, Anchor, King.  Revelation 4:11  "Worthy are you, Our LORD and God, to receive glory and honor and POWER, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."  Matthew 19:26  "But Jesus looked at them and said, ' With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'  What a relief that this all-powerful God is also faithful, loving & wise!

DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING...

Not saying that any of you watch  "The Bachelorette", but if you did, you might have heard the word "clarity" about a gazillion times this past season. Because aren't we ALL looking for CLARITY???  God, give me a sign!  Put up a billboard, with flashing lights, please!  Open a door!  Close a door!  Let me put out a fleece and if it is wet in the morning then I'll know ... or is it supposed to be dry to be a sign from you????

agh!!   Because we DON'T KNOW ENOUGH!. We don't TRUST ourselves. We are fickle and tend to make emotional decisions and later regret them.

Just last week, as I was working on this devotion, I found this story on clarity in a book I am reading. 

"When John Kavanaugh, the famed ethicist, went to Calcutta, he was seeking Mother Teresa... and more.  He went for 3 months to work at the "house of the dying" to find out how to best spend the rest of his life. [ no small decision!] When he met Mother Teresa, he asked her to pray for him.

'What do you want me to pray for?' she asked.

He then uttered the request he had carried for thousands of miles.

'Clarity. Pray that I have clarity.'

'No,' said Mother Teresa, 'I will not pray for that.' [ yikes!!!]

When he asked why, she said, 'Clarity is the thing you are clinging to and must let go of. '  When Kavanaugh said that she always seemed to have clarity, the kind of clarity he was looking for, Mother Teresa laughed and said,

'I have NEVER had clarity. What I have always had is TRUST. So I will pray that you trust God.'"

How could your homeschool year be transformed if you could learn to trust God like that?!

Now I can tell you that God can be trusted with your most precious possessions, and you can read that God is trustworthy, but how can you really know that He can be trusted?  In order to trust someone THAT MUCH, you have to really know him.  So that is my advice to you.  Make KNOWING GOD your #1 priority this year. 

Bible study, prayer, meditation, worship =>  NOT. OPTIONAL.

IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM...

ACKNOWLEDGE : to KNOW, to OWN;  not simply give a nod to, but to recognize the authority, power, wisdom, goodness, and providence of HIM, because you have a deep knowledge and connection with Him (as deep as lovers, people) ; you KNOW him.

God created you.

He created your children.

He knows you better than you know yourself.

He loves you more than you can fathom.

So what are you anxious about?  What do you think you area messing up?  Is God not able to work through you despite your weaknesses?  According to the Bible, He sure can. Do you have to pick the perfect curriculum and have a perfectly scheduled day and all the money and endless patience and perfectly behaved kids to be a successful homeschool mom? I think not.  Look at Abraham.  Not perfect.  Look at David.  Not perfect. Look at Rahab. Not perfect. Look at Peter. Not perfect.  Only one person has ever been perfect.  The rest of us - every person in the history of the world?   A mess! 

AND HE WILL DIRECT YOUR PATHS. (MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT)

This doesn't mean Easy!  It doesn't mean your kids will do all their schoolwork cheerfully, neatly, and on time!  They might throw fits. They might argue with you and fight with each other. You might have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.  It means IF we TRUST HIM and don't try trust in our own abilities instead, and if we KNOW Him, THEN He will direct our paths to the destination that is GOOD and BEST! Despite all the mess.  The journey might be bumpy, but the destination is glorious.  Would you rather have an easy journey that ends in destruction? or a difficult journey that ends in GLORY?

If you truly KNOW God, then you will LOVE Him. If you truly love Him, you will TRUST him. If you love and trust Him, you will OBEY Him.( not my words, don't remember where I read them) 

Matthew 6: 25-34

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^[ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

TRUST GOD AND BE FREE! 

Why You Should Go to a Homeschool Conference

As I sat at the table at Tuesday night's Lighthouse "Teacher Appreciation Night", asking the other moms when they were finishing their homeschool "year", I was reminded of the many years when the end of our school year was marked by "Conference"!  

                                                                https://www.nche.com/thrive/

I went to my first NCHE homeschool conference in 1994, a few months before we actually started homeschooling. I was eager to start but my husband was very hesitant about the whole idea - however attending Conference, seeing all those families and their kids (and it was a fraction of the number that now attends), seeing all that was available in the vendor fair, and hearing encouragement from the speakers gave him the confidence to give the green light and agree that we should try homeschooling for at least a year.

For the next 23 years, the NCHE Conference in Winston-Salem was an annual "must do" on our calendar. We considered homeschooling my career, and because we wanted me to be as equipped and informed as possible, attending these workshops was part of my "professional development".  A couple of times we went as a couple for a weekend getaway. A lot of years we all went as a family - with strollers, backpacks, snacks, Odyssey tapes (yes - cassette tapes! ) and coloring books. Other years it was a girls' weekend for me - sharing a hotel room with my homeschool peeps and talking late into the night about curriculum, homeschool philosophies, and parenting challenges after long days at the book fair and workshops.  Later, it was me and my teens who enjoyed a weekend together  - well, we slept in the same room at night and ate meals together - as they attended the Teen track workshops as part of their school requirement for the year while I went through my checklist of workshops and book fair time.

Some years was like drinking from a fire hose, and some years it was dainty sips of refreshment. But I always came home with nuggets of wisdom, encouragement and insight that made me a better teacher and homeschool mama. It was motivation to stay the course. It was conviction to make a change. It was affirmation of my desires  and encouragement for my doubts.

Even today, now that all five of my children are graduated and in their 20's and 30's, I get a thrill of excitement as I read through the list of workshop titles, and I'm tempted to attend Conference for at least one day - or maybe three-  to sit in on some workshops and soak in all those good homeschool vibes. I might browse the vendor hall, and with great restraint choose one or two books to take home for me. And maybe one or two to tuck away for that first grandbaby and future homeschooler on the way.

Do it.  Go to Thrive! or go to another homeschool conference. Invest in yourself and your decision to educate your children. Strive for excellence. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you and direct you.  Don't think you aren't ___ enough and that's why you have to send them out or sign them up for other people to teach.  Sending them out or signing them up could be part of what you do this year, but make that an informed and intentional part of your homeschool, not a desperate move.

Remember that Jesus used one little boy's lunch of a few fish and some bread to feed thousands. Bring Jesus your lunch and watch him multiply it and do a miracle.

https://www.nche.com/thrive/

Putting Together a Prayer Binder

For a long time now, I have been wanting, needing, searching for a way to make my prayer time {sporadic, unorganized, unproductive,pathetic} more effective, more engaging, more meaningful.
**apparently I'm into lists this morning...
I am highly visual and easily distracted, two things which don't bode well for a concentrated period of prayer to a God I cannot see.  My prayers for a long time have been of the fleeting, shoot up an arrow, immediate while I'm reading it, in my brain and out again type.   I know that God hears ALL our prayers, and doesn't require us to pray in a certain way, at a certain time, with certain words, etc.  But now that my season of active parenting is behind me and I have the time, and the burden to pray has grown heavier on my heart, I have felt the NEED to be better at this, more deliberate, more consistent.
The movie "The War Room" made a big impact on me and fueled my desire to be a dedicated prayer warrior.   James 5:16 says "...the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (NIV).  Or the NKJV version, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."  I WANT to be that kind of person - a prayer warrior for God's kingdom.

Well, I just found Stone Soup for Five's blog and tutorials on creating a Prayer Binder - and Eureka! I have found it!   I have seen lots of pictures and descriptions of prayer notebooks, prayer journals, etc, etc,  but none felt do-able to me.  This one does!  I think it appeals to the visual side of me.  It appeals to the creative, can't stick to one method, don't want it to be rote or formulaic part of me.  It offers a solution to the forgetful, easily distracted part of me.  It is adaptable. It can be highly personalized.  Pages can be added, taken out,  redone, decorated, archived.  I can start small and add to it.  I can use it for a few minutes or for an hour or longer.
I am soooo excited to start using this tool for daily prayer.

Arizona Trip

A family wedding provided the opportunity for my whole family to travel west a few days after New Years, to a part of the country we had never visited and another part that we had last been to almost 17 years ago. 
The wedding was in Florence, AZ, just south of Phoenix, at a lovely winery plopped in the middle of barren, rocky landscape. We enjoyed time together as a family and also time reconnecting and catching up with extended family that we hadn't seen in a long time. 

Cousins

We took a day trip up to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, which we had visited on our Big Trip in 2002.  The first visit was in late June, and January in the snow was a very different experience!  The vistas were breathtaking and magnificent, which is how I remember it from before, but the freshly fallen snow from the night before added a new dimension and contrast. The 3 hour drive up from Phoenix was amazing as well, as we traveled through the Sonoran Desert dotted with Saguaro cactus,  the red rock cliffs of Sedona,  switchbacks through forests up the Colorado Plateau,  wide flat grassland,  dark basalt hills and extinct volcanoes, and then of course, the massive vistas across the Grand Canyon.

 Our family, with the exception of the oldest who had to return to NC for work, spent a couple of days in Sedona after the wedding, enjoying a mini-family vacation. I don't take lightly the fact that we still are able to do this, with children now in their 20's and 30's.  The bond between siblings in our family, and the fact that they enjoy spending time with each other and even indulge us parents, is something I treasure.