Learning Ideas: How do you spell that?

Back before the Big C body invasion, I actually went to work everyday as a Middle School Special Education Teacher.  I still have my job, but I am finishing out the school year on a leave.  Anyway...as a teacher, I am constantly looking for new ways to engage my students in learning, and now, with the whole world at our fingertips, it makes it that much easier.  These resources also come in handy when I'm working with my kids at home and so, I thought I'd share some ideas and tools that some of you may find helpful as well.    Today, I'm talking about spelling.

Spelling is definitely not one of E's favorite things, however, he has made vast improvements over the past couple of years and has increasingly become more willing to practice.  At the start of the week when he comes home with his spelling words, I give him a pretest, and then he only has to practice the words he gets wrong; it's not necessary to practice something if you can already do it consistently.  If you spell something correctly, where is the room for improvement?   If you're incorporating usage into the equation, perhaps practicing all the words is a good idea.

My favorite online tool to use is a website called Spelling City.  Although you do have to pay to get all the functions of the site, there are several functions available for free, and you can customize it with your students'/child's word list.  There are spelling and vocabulary activities to practice with the same set of words. 

Something else I do is write the letters of the words on small pieces of paper and E has to put them in the correct order to spell the words.  (Doing these on different colors or with a different marker would prevent the words from getting mixed up.)

Some other activities are:

-Find and circle your spelling words in the newspaper.

-Cut and spell out your words using letters found in the newspaper.

-Use your spelling words to write a comic strip.  If you google blank comic strips and make sure you are on Image, you will get quite a few to choose from.

-Make a word search or crossword; there are many online.

-Look up the words in the dictionary, tell the page number, guide words, and/or definition of the word.

-Use the words in a sentence.

-Practice spelling the words using rice, shaving cream and/or sand.

-Use Wikki Stix to spell the words.

-Write the words with chalk (E likes to practice on the floor of the front porch).

-Classify your words (parts of speech, number of letters, etc.)

-Write in alphabetical order.

-Type your words on the computer.

-Write a story using your words.

-And the good Old Fashioned, write them 5x's each.  

And, by the way, spelling is NOT a sign of intelligence.  Although it irks many of us when we see something misspelled, it does not necessary indicate that someone is any less smart.  It merely means that they are a poor speller, or perhaps they haven't taken the time to learn some of the rules of spelling.  (I'm crossing my fingers that everything is properly spelled in this post. :)

My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.

A. A. Milne

"Guest Post"-Saving An Angel

I'm convinced at this point in my life that everyone does, indeed, have a story to tell.  In telling our stories, we can educate others, make them a part of our lives and perhaps make the world better for it.  

Today I introduce you to my cousin, Jason, who has willingly agreed to share his story; I'm certain it will leave an impact.

When I first met her, she was a gift from heaven, my Angel. I was in the middle of a messy divorce and so was she. The two of us held each other up and carried each other through that difficult time and landed on the other side of it scathed, but not burned.  My situation never quite got better with my ex. Hers, on the other hand, resolved into a mutual respect for each other and doing what is right for the children. I have always admired that. For the nearly seven years that we have been together, my wife, Gina and I have faced several challenges just like any couple. We have helped each other through them, but there’s a part of me that has always known Gina has been my saving grace, my Angel. 

There has not been a moment in our relationship that Gina has not supported everything I do. Her generosities toward my artistic pursuits, my well being, and that of my children have been nothing short of miraculous. Gina has given me hope, love and life. Why then when she told me about her struggle with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) would I do any less? 

PKD is a hereditary disease that affects 1 in 500 people worldwide. There is no cure, no treatment, and it never skips a generation. What it does is create fluid-filled cysts in the patient’s kidneys. Those cysts enlarge and limit the kidney’s function until they eventually become so big the kidney shuts down. Your kidney is about the size of your fist. A PKD kidney that is close to terminal is the size of an NFL regulation football. My wife is very petite. Her kidneys are now almost 10% of her overall body weight. 

Gina has known about her kidney problem since she was in her early 20s. Her father died of the disease around that time. We started our relationship later in life and she had been living with this for many years. Being very open, we often talked about it and what it would eventually mean for her – a transplant. Dialysis is the only thing other than a transplant that could prolong her life. Over the years we met with many doctors and found through research that dialysis and transplant do basically the same thing – one is mechanical and one is organic. It picks up cleaning the blood when the kidney can no longer do it. We aimed for transplant. 

It’s a scary proposition to look at the person you love and think, “They’re dying.” I tend to look at things a bit dramatically, but that was what went through my head daily toward the end of this adventure. You watch the person fade. A shadow of what was there remains, but the body changes and fights with the spirit to see who will hold out longer. Gina has a tough spirit. She fought tooth and nail to the last moment she could. Working fifty to sixty hours a week, still helping take care of our family, and doing all she could to retain a sense of normalcy. Watching this, what could I do but help lift my Angel’s wings back up?

We met with the transplant team in July of last summer. While there, they started Gina on her track to finding a donor. The first test was blood work. Well, while we were there, I figured, “I can give a little blood, you never know I may be a match.” I was. But I was also on three blood pressure medications, weighed 240 pounds (which at 5’7” is not good) and did not live the healthiest lifestyle. So, I met with donor services and they read me the riot act on what I had to do if I wanted this to work: lose enough weight to have a BMI of at least 35, which I did – I lost 20 pounds by October. Not good enough. My blood pressure was still too high with the meds. I was told in no uncertain terms that if I were not her husband, I would have been kicked out of the donor program by that point. 

That would not do. God and the Divine Closed Universe had brought Gina and I together for several reasons, not the least of which was to save her life. What did I have to do? Lose a total of 60 pounds. The doctor wanted me to be 185 pounds – less than I weighed when I graduated high school. Now it was a race against the clock. Gina was getting worse and we wanted to beat her needing dialysis. Over the next few months, I worked out a strict regimen of diet and exercise. The trouble was I was not able to use diet supplements etc. I had to do this naturally. With the help of the transplant dietician, we came up with a plan. 

I had to take a month off of all blood pressure meds and lose enough weight to bring down my blood pressure by Thanksgiving. I got myself to around 200 pounds and brought my blood pressure to normal. I needed to keep going, that 185-pound mark was still far off. By January, I was running four miles every morning and eating healthy enough that my weight was down under 190. We were cleared for transplant!

Gina still hadn’t started dialysis, but her kidneys were only working at 12% capacity. On February 11, 2013 I donated my left kidney to my Angel. It was the least I could do for her. She has done and continues to do so much for me. We’re both healing from the surgery and I am happy to report Gina’s new kidney has abated all of her symptoms of kidney failure. We’re looking forward to a lifetime of helping each other and others. We were extremely fortunate. Our match was miraculous. Most PKD patients are not so lucky. If you would like to help please visit www.pkdcure.org. The PKD Foundation is searching for a cure. With all of the genetic research that is going on, they are hoping to find a stop to PKD. My Angel, Gina and myself thank you for your help.

Thank you Jason for sharing your story.  Go check out Jason's talents on his website here and on facebook.  

Here's a favorite I found.  

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

Maya Angelou

Check yourself...

So...shortly after I was finished with my radiation treatments, I started getting a little bonkers about doing breast self-exams.  No more treatments and doctor's visits meant I was responsible for making sure everything was A-ok... too much responsibility for me.  I started getting a little ridiculous, checking every single day when I was in the shower. I was beginning to drive myself batty, because basically everything felt like a lump.  Even though I know what a real cancer tumor feels like, I still got that panicked feeling when I felt something a little different than the previous time.

And then, my radiation doctor, actually called my radiation oncologist (I just looked that up because I never knew exactly what her title was), recommended that I just pick the first day of each month to do a self-exam.  Phew, what a relief!  Seems so completely simple and obvious.... really, I could have come up with that myself.  Especially since that's been the recommendation since I started doing self-exams.  But, I didn't remember and I certainly didn't think about it myself.  We will just blame it on the ole chemo brain; yes, I will continue to use that as my excuse for

quite some time.

Anyway, now on the first of each month, I take a couple deep breaths and do a thorough self-exam.  It basically puts a lump in my throat every time, but after I check, I'm good for another month.  And, guess what?  This month I actually forgot to do it on the 1st and did it on the 2nd.  I thought that was good because it means I'm not thinking about it as much...right?

If you're not familiar with how to do a self-exam, look here.  I know I was hesitant to do them in the past because I really didn't know what I was looking for and I didn't want to alarm myself by constantly feeling things.  However, if you get to know your own body and understand what things are supposed to feel like, it would probably be more likely for you to identify a potential issue more easily.  Although I didn't intentionally find my lump, I knew, without a doubt, that it didn't belong there... 

When I started looking for links for self-exams, I came across this website that actually has parties to help educate and promote self-exams.  Hmmmmm, I'm not sure I would feel comfortable hosting or attending one of these parties, but each year since they started, they have educated more and more people, so two thumbs up to that.  Go to the site and check out the video.

Knowledge of the self is the mother of all knowledge. So it is incumbent on me to know my self, to know it completely, to know its minutiae, its characteristics, its subtleties, and its very atoms.

Khalil Gibran

The R Word...

Anyone who knows me well also knows I consider the "R" word to be very offensive when used in a slang or hurtful manner. So, when it is used in my presence, most times, an apology follows.  But, the thing is, wouldn't it be best to discontinue using it at all times? It should not make a difference whether I am there or not.  

Today is Spread the Word to End the Word Day. 

If you have used this word in the past perhaps today could be your day to find a new, less offensive word to use in its place.

You can change your world by changing your words... 

Joel Osteen

 

I Spy...

Today while I was at Physical Therapy for my monthly check-in and lymphatic massage, I thought it would be fun to do a short video of the space.  Because I didn't want to seem like a complete whacko (I know I'm slightly whacked already...), I didn't narrate the video.  So....I thought we could play a game of I Spy instead....

I Spy:

a pillow

a lotion dispenser

a pink orchard

ceiling tiles

a "triangle" I look through when on my stomach

a cd player

patterns for mummy wrapping

a lymphatic system diagram

a butterfly

Hope you had fun with this edition of I Spy.
Please don't judge my blog based on this post alone...

The least amount of judging we can do, the better off we are.

Michael J. Fox

Insta-Friday...

It's Friday again folks, and here are my pictures from the week.

 1. me 2. yes! 3. New sneaks from birth mom 4. No backpacks or coats...missing my kids

5. Flowers for birth mom 6. ice skating 7. 100 days of school 8. winter wonderland

9. the many faces of Little Miss...self-portraits 10. clean work space 11.  grooming can be tough

1. pink skies 2. sleepy girl 3. 100 butterflies

4. snowy bridge 5. backyard 6. footprints in the snow

7. heart log 8. ice skating with cousins 9. bowling shoes

10. pretty flowers 11. fun with cousins 12. self portrait

Today I'm linking up with Jeannett at Life Rearranged.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?

Bob Marley

Editing...

 I'm in the process of editing photos from a recent wedding.  Editing images is really not one of my favorite things to do...probably because I'm not well-versed in the subject.  I can do basic edits like cropping, changing the exposure, adding contrast and such.  But softening, sharpening and eliminating the noise are foreign to me.  There are many how-to resources online, so I'm learning.  Erin from Texas Chicks Blogs and Pics has some great step by step instructions on her blog.  But, like anything else, it takes time and practice...lots of time and lots of practice, oh, and patience too.  I think sometimes it takes me longer to edit than it did for me to take the actual pictures.  Most times I don't take the time to do a lot of editing, but with shoots that are indoors or with low lighting, it seems essential in getting some good photos.  

Here are a couple before and afters.   

(Just don't judge me on the before photos ;)

Before:  

After: 

Before:  

 During:

After:  

Wouldn't it be interesting if we could edit our lives?  Just take out the parts that we are not all that crazy about and smooth out our lives.  The thing is, we learn and grow from the "noisy", blurry, and  dark parts of our lives, just like every time I take a picture and view it, I grow and learn how to be a better photographer (or a better editor).

“Always seeing something, never seeing nothing, being photographer” 
― Walter De Mulder