Heart of The Matter

I spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital with my son and one thing was for sure I wished I had a list of things to bring when we first started his journey. Here I compiled a list of things I learned along the way that will be helpful in making your stay in the hospital as pleasant as possible. 1. SLIPPERS Boy oh boy these are so important, you may be thinking how silly but when your child is hospitalized for a good length of time you want to be as comfortable as possible (make sure you buy some that you willing to throw away as you don't want those nasty germs in your home) 2. WATER BOTTLE Preferably a Yeti or something similar that will keep your beverage cold. It is quite weird how you can get dehydrated from sitting in a room all day but you really do, so having a large bottle by your side is a lifesaver. 3. CHANGE Having change comes in handy for the good old vending machines when you have that late-night craving for chocolate and the cafeteria is closed, ...

Some of you may have children born with an illness that has led to a lifelong journey of battles, sorrow, pain, frustration, and  hopelessness. I myself have experienced all those emotion's one time or another as my son who is in this video was born with Dilated Cardiomyopathy and needed a heart transplant in order to survive. When he was born he was too sick to take home and remained in the hospital for four months in the NICU at Loma Linda University until after receiving his transplant.  He still fights through having stage lll kidney failure, Autism, and has had multiple surgeries in his ears do to chronic ear infections, which has left him with very little hearing in his left ear. Of all that we have been through in these 19 years, I have learned so much.  This journey hasn't been all negative we have had triumphs, joy, honor, love, and have felt immense gratitude.  If you are here now, just beginning your journey or are a seasoned parent, know there is ligh...

Don't panic fam It really is a personal choice. I would always take summer off and it wasn't really for the kids as much as it was for my sanity. I figure if I want to have a successful next year then I need to be rested and prepped. Organization Take time to put  CUM (Cumulative Record Folder) files together and organize paperwork, books, and school work, being sure to discard what wasn't needed. This time would also be used for looking into new curriculum for each child and reviewing it before the upcoming year starts so you know what's coming after summer is over. What To Do With Extra Books If you have a curriculum that you're not going to use for other children, then find a home you can donate to. You can also sell it online in homeschool group postings, the money you make can roll over to purchase new books. There are amazing resale conventions for homeschoolers held in the summer so go online and look one up in your city. There is also an amazing ...