Living with Migraines Series {Part 1}

Until you have experience the debilitating effects of migraines, it's hard to imagine what one goes through during a migraine. For about 25 years I have suffered from migraines. I don't really remember having them until my last three years in high school; from then on migraines have been a part of my life.

 I remember the first time I went to the doctor to try and get some help; our family had moved to an area that really was not up to speed when it came to medicine so the doctor prescribed medicine to deal with the pain and did not try to diagnose the problem.  I received several prescriptions and shots over a five year period with no help.

For five years I suffered with excruciating pain when I had a headache. Not only did I have pain, but I also had nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Ninety percent of my migraines effect one side of my head with a pulsating pain. The other ten percent will effect the whole top of my head with the same pain.

Living with Migraines

One day in 1994, I had my first AURA;  I went to work with a blinding headache. Literally, I could not see to drive into work that morning. To this day, I don't know how I got to work without having a wreck.  After being at work, I took 2 Tylenol and waited. Two hours later, I took 2 Advil and nothing happened. Two hours later, I took 2 more. A friend had a sample of a new Tylenol rapid release that had not hit the market and I took them; nothing worked. I was at the point where I could not see, nor could I stand. I was very ill with the nausea and had to lay on a couch in an office. Everyone was afraid for me to fall asleep because of all the medicine I took, so a friend called my mom.

I spent the next two days trying to recover from the worst headache I had ever experienced up until that week. After visiting an ENT doctor to rule out sinus problems, I was seen by neurologists in a headache center. I will never forget that day as long as I remember. When the doctor came in, I explained the pain, the side effects and how I felt at that moment. The doctor's assistant came in with a tray of several syringes. I was given five shots in my neck and in the area of the headache in the back of my head. Let's just say, I felt good not long after those shots. That day I was diagnosed with migraines.

After being sent home with a little homework (a detailed journal) I discovered I had inherited my migraines. Both of my grandmothers suffered from them. My father's mother who was still living at that time, told me how she would have to lay down under the cotton plants while she was in the field when one hit. My mother's mother had them and would drink an icy cold Coke and take a Stanback powder for hers.

I also learned I have a trigger food I have to be careful eating. Processed meat is my biggest contributor to my migraines. We don't eat a lot of processed meat because of this, but when we do, we eat turkey. I personally love a fried bologna sandwich and a good hot dog, when we eat those meats, I have to buy turkey.

Anytime the barometric pressure rises, I can count on having a migraine. I use to watch and listen to the weather all time, so I would know what the barometric pressures was doing. Now days, I don't even pay attention to it. When I have a migraine and know for a fact that I have not eaten any processed meat, I know the barometer is moving up.

Sadly, my son has inherited the dreadful migraine headaches. Thankfully, he doesn't have them too often. He usually only has two or three a year and his are mostly weather related, although, I suspect process meats maybe a culprit.

Migraines are not like other headaches

Migraine headaches are NOT your typical headache. I have been told by people over the years, "I come to church with a headache" or "I got all my papers graded and I had a headache" the list goes on and on.  Unless you have personally had a migraine attack, it is hard to understand what one goes through during an episode. These attacks are violent, they can last from 4 hours to 3 days or longer, the pain is debilitating, the other symptoms are not only bothersome, but some of them are down right scary.

I deal with migraines at least on a weekly basis. Within the next few weeks, I'll be writing more about how I deal with my attacks and explain what I go through while trying to live comfortably through one.

Chasing The Sun a Book Review

A newly acquired ranch and the care of younger siblings has been left upon Hannah Dandridge. Will she follow through with a marriage of convenience to help ease her burdens? 

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When her father disappears in war-torn Mississippi, Hannah Dandridge finds herself responsible not only for her younger siblings but also for the Texas ranch her father recently acquired. A marriage of convenience could ease her predicament . . . but is it the true desire of her heart? 

Wounded soldier William Barnett returns home only to find out that his family’s ranch has been seized. Though angered at this turn of events, he’s surprised to discover that it is a beautiful young woman with amazing fortitude who is struggling to keep the place running.

 Despite these circumstances, Hannah and William form an uneasy truce . . . and an undeniable attraction builds between them. In a land where loyalties are divided in a country ravaged by war, is there any hope that the first blush of love can survive?

My Thoughts:

If you've been around for a while, then you know Tracie Peterson is my favorite author. Anytime, I can get one of her books I read it and almost always don't put it down until I'm finished with it. Chasing The Sun is no different.

While her father is away, Hannah Dandridge is doing everything she can to raise her younger brother and sister while keeping things going on the ranch her family recently acquired. Hannah is a strong willed woman who refuses to be forced into doing anything without thinking things through.

William Barnett is headed to his family home after serving in the Civil War. Little does he know his home was taken from his family because of the side they fought for. Once home, William and Hannah face off in several incidents.

There's enough romance, suspense and wonderful story telling to make this another hit.


**I received this book for free from Bethany House in return for my honest opinion.**

You can purchase your own copy:

Chasing the Sun, Land of the Lone Star Series #1 By Tracie Peterson / Bethany House When her father disappears in war-torn Mississippi, Hannah Dandridge finds herself responsible not only for her younger siblings but for the ranch her father recently acquired on the Texas plains. Though a marriage of convenience could ease her predicament, she determines to trust God for direction. Wounded soldier William Barnett returns to his home only to discover that his family's ranch has been seized. Though angry and bitter at this turn of events, he's surprised to discover that it is a beautiful young woman with amazing fortitude who is struggling to keep the place running. Hannah, desperate for help, and William, desperate to regain his family's land, form an uneasy truce. But nearby Comanche tribes, the arrival of Confederate soldiers, and a persistent suitor all threaten the growing attraction that builds between them. Will they be able to set aside their own dreams and embrace the promise of a future together?

Laundry Soap Update

Two years ago I made my first batch of homemade laundry soap. I felt so good at trying to save our family $$ by making a product that is quite pricey. The first batch I added an essential oil to help with the scent. After the first, I didn't add any because I loved the clean scent from the Fels Naptha.

The last batch I made in January, I added Purex Crystals. You can read about it HERE. Two weeks ago, when we had temperatures hitting close to the 110 mark, my husband asked me about the weird smell in his work clothes. At first, the thought crossed my mind was the possibility of them souring in the washer within just a little while after the wash cycle was over. I checked the clothes in the closet, thinking that I was going to smell it. Actually, it was the Purex Crystals scent. I checked my bucket and found where the crystals had settled at the bottom and since I didn't think to stir the last little bit, the liquid crystals overpowered the soap. If you've added any scent booster to your liquid soap, be sure to give your bucket a stir every once in a while.

Within the two years of making my own soap, I bought detergent one time. A local grocery store had a huge sale on detergent. I was able to get 2 (100 oz) bottles for $6.00, which was cheaper than buying the Borax and Washing Soda that I needed at the time. I knew as soon as I started using the store bought detergent, I was not happy. Needless to say, as soon as I used up all the store bought, I quickly purchased my Borax and Washing Soda and made a batch.

There are tons of reviews on the internet about homemade laundry soap. Many are good, while some are bad.  Funny, how a lot of the bad reviews are for recipes that call for baking soda and using any bath soap. Leave the baking soda out! You don't need it. Bath soap has added oils and moisturizers for the skin. Really, you don't want to add any oils or moisturizers to your clothes. I highly recommend using a true laundry soap like Fels Naptha.

We have been on well water for just over a year and honestly, I believe our clothes are holding together longer than when we were on city water. I also think the well water washes a lot better. For now, homemade laundry soap is where the savings are for our family.

What I'm Teaching

Last month, when I paid for Jamie's 4-H camp, I was introduced to the new county agent. Most of the ladies that work in the office know we home educate and know what we expect from Jamie's behavior when he is attending an event. This comment, "They are a homeschooling family, BUT they are not like the others", made me giggle. I really laughed at this one, "Jamie's not like other homeschooling kids; he will talk to you and can carry on a conversation with an adult."  WOW! I still get a good giggle thinking about those comments.



I do all I can to keep our family from being badly labeled "that family" or "that's a homeschooler".  We are a rather quiet family. I hate to admit it, I am an introvert. I could easily become a hermit; I don't have to have someone to talk to or be around. I am perfectly content with being alone during the day. Sadly, Jamie is the same way. Once we warm up to people, we tend to come out of our shell.This is a life long journey that has to be worked on all the time.

When we first went full time in the ministry, Jamie would not have anything to do with people. Let's just say, my husband quickly rectified that problem. Over the years, Jamie has learned to be more responsive to others. He also knows when he behaves rudely; it makes his parents look bad. Jamie has been around other home educated children that would not speak, or leave their mother's side. I remember at a mission's conference there was a family on deputation where the children would not even look at you in the eye when you spoke to them and of course, they would not speak when someone spoke to them. Jamie mentioned about how bad this looked at the end of the conference. Funny, other children can pick up on this type of problem.

CHARACTER! It's all about the character being instilled in our children today. If we are not teaching our children to have self respect and respect for others by speaking up and/or putting out a hand to shake; how can we expect them to do this when they are older and it must be done for a meeting or a job interview? In many schools across our nation, no character and poor character is being taught. It's not up to the schools to teach character,it is up to the parents.

As home educating parents, it's not just about academics for us. Bible, character training, and life experiences are all included in the education that is going on at our home. With today's society, academics is a must. Without academic education, people have to settle for low paying jobs while many depend on the government. We do strive to meet the state's requirements for education and then some, but the foundation of what is being taught is the BIBLE. We do this for the college years. We do this for our son's future.

~Tide Pods~

I was sent a sample package of Tide Pods to try out and review. I'm a skeptical consumer, just because a package says it is going to do something, doesn't always mean it will happen. The packaging of the pods did not say the product it is going to do something miraculous.It stated Pop In and Stand Out. It also states that it is a Detergent, Stain Remover and Brighter.

I love convenience, who doesn't? These nifty little pods contain, detergent, stain remover and a brighter. Each ingredient has its own little compartment in the pouch. I tried the first pod with my husband's work clothes.  Most of the dirt that he brings home is from the inside of the work truck and massive white stains from where sweat dried during the day; something that washes out without any problems.  I did not see any difference in the pants or shirts. Also, there was no lingering scent to make my closet smell good for days.

The second pouch I tried with a load of whites. For this washing, I kept a couple of socks out for another load, so I could tell if there was a difference. Yes, I noticed a difference! The socks in the white wash were whiter than the socks in a different load.  ~ That's a plus!

The one thing that crossed my mind about using these pods, is the dissolvable plastic. I can't help but think back to when I had a dishwasher and used the Cascade dissolvable packs. The inside of my dishwasher turned black after using them for about a month. I'm wondering what kind of film will build up on the clothes and inside the washer. Definitely something to think about.

Now, remember I am not a store bought laundry detergent user. I am very happy with my homemade soap. I'm so happy with it, I don't see me changing back to store bought in the future.  Price comparison with my laundry soap? I'm not even going to go there, because the pods will be through the roof. Convenience, is it worth spending the extra bucks? For me, no. As an individual consumer it's up to the individual to decide what is best for them.

Forty?, 40!

Today, is my sweet husband's birthday.  I worked on a birthday video for two weeks for this special day and I can not figure out how to change the format so it can be uploaded. (I guess, I have to keep working on it.) Here's a collage of some of the photos I used.

      Happy 40th Birthday!

                                                                       I LOVE You!

~A Busy Week~

It's a little shocking to realize that we are in our 6th day of July. I mean, it was just last week when we finished up our schooling, wasn't it? Actually it was almost two months ago.  Jamie pointed out last week it was already the end of June and how he was a little surprised to realize that school would be starting back soon.

This week I have been working on packing for 4H camp next week. I really don't know who is more excited   about camp, me or Jamie. This is his first summer of going to camp and he is excited, although you can't really tell it. Actually, I haven't started the packing process, but I've been working on figuring out what he has and what he hasn't so we would know what to purchase while shopping.

Today, I spent the day finishing up the final shopping. I'm really proud of myself, I found most of his camp clothes at two thrift stores and picked up a new pair of sneakers along with some rain gear, sunscreen and flip flops for the showers. I only spent 3 hours running around. Anyone who knows me, know that I don't usually spend that length of time shopping. ~ I really dislike it!

I received a much anticipated box of curriculum in the mail yesterday. I have been chomping at the bit waiting for it and thought it would never get here. I found the ALL AMERICAN HISTORY and after reading many, many reviews, I believe this is going to be a perfect fit for us. I spent a couple of hours looking through it  and from what I see, we're really going to love it.

I have potatoes in the crock pot for baked potatoes for supper. Did you know you can have tasty baked potatoes without heating up the kitchen? You can! All you have to do is watch them good and pierce them with a fork and place them in the crock pot on high for about 4 hours. I don't wrap butter/grease the skins or wrap foil around the potatoes. The only thing I do is move them around a couple of times during the cooking process. Yummy!

Weekly Wrap Up
Homeschool Mother's Journal

To Diagram or Not To Diagram

To diagram or not to diagram, that is the question.

I can't really remember when I began diagramming sentences, but I know it must have been somewhere around third grade. Each year that dreaded form of learning continued with new additional lines or rocket ships being added to that one little horizontal line. 

Diagramming was a minor problem in all my high school English classes that helped in keeping my grade ~ average. The major problem was I had three English teachers and none of them were willing to spend extra time to help. I remember having my weekly grade report filled out for my coaches and how I would sweat bullets when it came to my English grade. For students to play sports the following week, we had to have no lower than a  C- on the report.  One week, I remember my English teacher writing a "D" on my paper. I was hurt; not surprised. When she looked up at me, she stated, "Lori, all you have to do is get a handle on diagramming, and you could have better grades." I was almost in tears, I was not going to get to play basketball at the following week's games. I quietly asked, "Will I need diagramming when I go to college?" The blank look I received from this teacher, told me that I more than likely would need it. For some reason, that teacher showed me grace and changed that "D" to a "C-" that day.

I wrote HERE that diagramming was a needed thing for college and I really did not make myself clear on this. If a young person is going to be attending one of the bigger Christian colleges, then diagramming is going to be needed. If a young person is attending a secular college, diagramming is not needed.

I keep in touch with three former students who are all in college. I sent them this message...

I need an honest opinion from you because I can't remember that far back ~ Did/do you really need diagramming in college? What about labeling the parts of speech? I know you three are not in a college that deals with a lot of Abeka, so I'm wondering about the "real world" colleges. ~ Thanks!

These are the responses that I received...

I am going to school to be an English teacher and I have yet to use diagramming. Most middle schoolers do not know anything beyond a subject or a verb. I definitely think it gives you the upper hand to know the different parts of speech, but I think diagramming is not necessary at all. Hope that helps you!

Yeah, I'm with ----. I took two English classes & I never had to deal with diagramming. It definitely helped knowing the parts of speech though!

Yeah, I have never had to use it either.

After doing some thinking and looking back at some of my college work, I never used diagramming. But, knowing the parts of speech was a big deal in all of the writings.

So, is diagramming a I Have To Teach thing? Not at all. Is it a useful tool? Absolutely, but there are other methods to learning the parts of speech. Will I be diagramming sentences with Jamie? No, we are using the labeling method with Winston Grammar.

Diagramming sentences is one of those things a home educating parent can choose to teach or not teach. It's definitely up to them in choosing a method that works for their family.