Hello Again

Hi All,  

I wanted to give everyone a quick update.  2013 has started with a bang.  As many of you know I had a TIA in Jan. For those of you who don't, SURPRISE!. At any rate, I wanted to let you know that I am doing well.  Thanks to a family friend who is also a wonderful doctor, I have had some testing in hopes of finding a reason behind my high blood pressure.  Yes, I have that too.  I have had it for years, but have failed to take it seriously.  I am taking it serious now.  I am not concerned as I know God has a perfect plan for it all!

As for some updates on the rest of the family:

Faith is growing like a weed,  loves dance and has the best imagination possible. She recently had a eye check up and is gaining ground there.  She will have more thorough testing in a month and hopefully we will see her in a prescription that will allow her to see nearly 20/20.  Very excited for her.  She is a trooper and wears her eye patch without a fuss.  Pretty proud of her for being determined to help herself and not whine about it.

Jason is still a rocket.  He is sailing thru school, taking advanced classes and we are considering putting him in a program next year called Great Books.  It will take him thru books along the lines of Homer  Plato and Aristotle.  He loves to spend  his time at the motocross track with his Dad and the young man he trains, Cory.  He also loves to ride, but does not seem to have an interest to race.  I am totally OK with that.  It makes me nervous enough to see Cory fall, let alone worry about my own son.

Brooke is a junior in High school and we are working on planning her senior year.  I think once again her fall may revolve around another trip to India.  I know she has the heart to go and almost half her monies needed.  All that remains to see if there is a space available to her.  As the team is medical, there is always a chance they would have to bump her for someone more qualified medically.  She is a beautiful young lady inside and out and we  are very proud of her.

Lorin is blessed as he continues to have work in this economy and for at least the immediate future he seems to be covered. He is loving training Cory, and also being able to spend that time with his son.  He recently had the opportunity to dance with Brooke at Disneyland's California Adventure again.  While we were there, he realized that he only had one year left with Brooke at home.  Don't think he was ready to deal with that!  LOL

So, there is my update.  I was sitting here reading some family and friends blogs and was inspired to take a moment and update.  If you lasted this long in reading, Thank you!  Love all of you!  

Brooke's surgery

Hi All,
I just wanted to update you on Brooke's health issues.  After nine months of fighting for her to get her tonsils out, she is tonsil and adenoid free!

 It has been a long road of dealing with Insurance and with a pediatrician who did not think she needed them.  (her real ped, did think they needed to come out)

An ENT who decided this was elective surgery as he was going off the new Ped.

We had delays.

 Neglected referral paperwork.

 A surgery cancelled after making it all the way through the pre-op at the hospital.

 Blood work informing us she has a platelet issue.

Months of sore throats, ears and sinuses.

Depression and lethargic attitudes.

Upon being rolled out of the operating room Brooke announced that she felt better than when she went in.  And she was excited as she could breath.  From the time of the surgery she talked non stop drank her fluids ate her jello and didn't want to take pain pills as she felt less pain than before.

The second day after surgery she dealt with pain, but more related to a swollen uvula, and quite frankly talking to much.  She ate solid foods and barely napped.

The third day she ate and drank all day including homemade chicken strips.

BTW, we took a picture of her tonsils that she will not let us post.  Her tonsils were the size of grapes at the back of her mouth.

We are looking forward to a healthier and happier Brookie!  Sorry it took so long babe!

Wow, time flies!  I so thought I would be able to keep up on a blog this year!  Instead, I find myself nearing the end of another school year.  Although we have had a great year, I have found that our schedule was not very manageable.  Trying to have 3 kids in academic classes outside of the home and the extra curricular made our school year very schedule oriented.  As one of the benefits of home schooling is to have freedoms, I was a bit disappointed in the fact we did little in the way of field trips.  Having said that our family has decided that the following school year will be pulled home again.   We will have fewer outside classes and more outside fun.


Don't get me wrong,  the classes were and are huge blessings. I love seeing my kids learn under other's teaching. Jason is finishing a a couple  all boys classes for Latin and Composition. The Comp class is an advanced class and I am amazed at his skill level.  Brooke has great teachers for Comp and math.  This is the last year Brooke will be with Mrs. Phillips, which seems so sad as she has taken classes with her for prob. 6 years be it either Comp. or Latin.  She will continue with Mrs. Crain for math and Chemistry next year.  Faith's classes were the most fun! She was in a Poetry & Literature class.  She really likes poetry and seems to memorize easily.  The lit class has taught her the elements of writing and stories which simply makes reading with her a blast. She also took a Prairie Primer class based on the Little House on the Prairie books.  We have read the whole series together and she has learned a lot about her mamma in the process!


At any rate, I hope to update you on some school highlights as we wrap up the school year!



Getting ready to leave from the church
 office.  They had 32+ checked in suitcaes.



The Team members as they are getting
sorting out luggage and getting to know their
 "new suitcase"



The trailer full of suitcases.



   It was a fun morning, we got to meet the other Doc, "Mel", for the first time.  The trailer was loaded, bags locked and marked.  We prayed together.  We were headed off to LAX, and as Rob Foster said,  we were only 4 min late!  Due to Lorin who decided to run to the bank!  LOL. 

Jeff and Shelly Conner Brooke's
chaperones.  They are the head doc and nurse
 for the team.  Rob Foster who is the team
leader and leader for GCM.

Brooke at LAX in front of the Singapore Airline Super Bus.

 The GCM Team.  Back Row:  Rob Foster, Shelly Conner, Jeff Conner, Lanta, Lisa, Nance. Front Row: Paul Burrows

Doc Mel, Tonia, Brooke Ganske, Kim, Vanessa



Brooke and Nikee,  Nikee is the one who first invited Brooke to go
on this trip.  Unfortunately, Nikee was not able to go this time. 
Prayers that she can join Brooke on a future trip.
Thanks Nikee!



1st day of school

1st day of school.  We had lunch with the principal,  oh and dinner too.

A New School Year

Well, here we are starting another school year.

Brooke is now an official 10th grader. Wow! On her way to India in Oct. You can check out her blog at brookesmissionstrips.blogspot.com

Jason is in 5th grade and as a typical boy who enjoyed his summer he is "totally bummed" that school is started. It will be hard to motivate him to get into a routine. So far he keeps disappearing.

Faith is well into second grade. She has been doing school all summer since she is now a "faithful" wearer of an eye patch for 2 hours a day. Amazing to see how she has blossomed since she has had her glasses!

WE are looking forward to a great year! Or I should say another great year!

I can't wait to let you know all about our summer in Montana!

Another school year!

We are finishing up another school year. Faith will be moving up to second grade, Jason on to 5th and Brooke will be in 10th. Each one has their own strengths and weaknesses as far as academics, and of course most areas. It makes it pretty interesting for me; every time I think I have a curriculum worked out for one I find it will probably not work for the other! I am blessed as all three really are able to do a great job! For the most part they like school and enjoy learning.
Next year we will find several changes in our schooling. The Tutorial that the kids have taken classes from is closing the bookstore portion and the owners will now each teach out of their own homes. My kids will be split between the two locations.
The other big change is that we will no longer be a part of a coop. We have enjoyed coops for the last 6 years. I really feel the need to clear my time to take Faith and Jason on all the field trips and outings that Brooke was able to enjoy. The older girls in the coop have simply grown in different ways and abilities.
It is a little sad to see so many changes all at once, but I know God has a perfect plan in it. As usual, through the course of the year I have seen God's hand in my curriculum choices and timing. One that stands out this year is the lecture we listened to the week after the news that Osama Bin Laden was killed. I brought up the CD lecture and the Title for the week was "444 Days, Islamic J'had." I had to laugh, I could never have planned it better! It is the little things that amuse me!

Kate's Wedding

Well, here goes,  I am going to take a stab at this blogging thing again.I have so many things I want to catch up on.  I should go in order, but if I waited to do that I would never get to it!  So I will start with Katelyn's Wedding.She is now married to a wonderful man, Billy.  Meet Mr. and Mrs. Jamison!

 .They had planned on getting married earlier in the spring,  they had to delay the date.  Therefore, most things were planned and most of the shopping complete.  We got a call on Monday that they thought they would like to try to pull off the wedding that week.  As it played out they decided to go ahead and have it in our backyard as originally planned.  SO,  we had a wedding that same week on Wednesday.  We had only immediate family and we had a wonderful time. It was light hearted and relaxed. The kids had a blast, and I think Kate and Billy will look back at it and be pleased with what they have done.

Billy with almost all Lorin's kids!  Matt couldn't make it!  Pictured are Brooke, Billy, Faith, Katelyn, Jason and Lynsey.

Fall Pics

Hi All,
I haven't given my blog any updates. I think I found myself trying to hard to get pics up with each post. I thought I would simply let you know what we have been up to.
The end of the school year is approaching. We are all looking forward to that. As we wrap up loose ends we are also trying to add some fun adventures. A Dinosuar Field trip for the little co-op people. A couple of movies for the big girls. Hopefully, we will be seeing an Exotic Frog Exhibit next week. Silly but fun. Then there will be a trip to an IMAX theater to see a feature on Lewis and Clark.
If all goes well we will end with a pool party!
In the meantime we will strive to finish on a positive note. We will be ending our history at the end of the 1800's. Civil War, Gold Rush and Westward movement behind us and ready to start in on Modernity for next year. Sad in a way. I so enjoy history up til then. From about 1920 on, I find it something we need to do and see too much of the downard spiral that seems to be our nation today.
I am blessed to have healthy and intelligent children. A joy to teach and for the most part they are eager to learn. I am amazed at their knowledge and abilities.Please continue to pray for us as we continue to pray for our family and friends. Count on God's blessings and guidance and enjoy all that He has provided.

Faith B-day

Faith's B-day Nov. 19th

We had a co-op day on Faith's birthday, of course she wanted a Princess Party, of course her Prince Charming would be there. Brody had been Prince Charming for several years now. Even the "Big"girls participated, although, I think they just wanted a chance to play dress up.

Class was at the Brody's house, after her party we went to the Wild Animal Park. (gotta make use of those season passes!) We had a great time. Hard to believe my baby is 6! Every year, I let the kids make their own cupcakes or cakes. This year she hardly needed my help! You try to raise them to be independent, but then it seems they don't need you as much, somehow that isn't working for me!

I love this picture. I will try and try to get a "nice" picture of my family, and end up with goofy faces. This time I was taking pictures of goofy faces and got this. I wonder if I am on to something here.

Brooke B-day

Happy Birthday Brooke, Nov. 2nd 2009


I thought I would spend a bit of time updating some fall happenings. I was so busy with school and activities I didn't have time to make any posts.


Poor Brooke, this year for her birthday we had a field trip planned for the Jason As it turned out, the girls from the co-op went also. We were at the Guide Dog Institute and the Braille Institute in Palm Springs. Aunt Brenda Happens to live there so she babysat Faith for us. She and Faith put together an impromptu party. This turned into a Pool Party. The girls went swimming with their clothes! After swimming we threw their clothes in the dryer so they could have a dry ride home.

Brooke has always wanted a pool party! Thanks Aunt Brenda and Faith!

We had a great family trip to the river last weekend. Way too hot for me this time of year, but I managed with a couple of solo trips to the hotel room where I cranked the A/C for an hour or so.

All of Lorin's gang was there at some point or another. That means besides the usual five of us we had: Matt and Roxane who stopped in for a bit, we kept Sean and Riley for most of the weekend, Katelyn along Caleb and Lysney with Kat and Brody for the better part of the time. We also took the RV so that we could accommodate all the sleeping arrangements.


The Shields family went

also. Thanks Shannon for

helping me keep my

sanity!! That's a lot of little

people to keep track of.......

Lorin and I had a blast having all the kiddos in tow. Probably the highlight of the weekend. Wish we could bring them all home with us. Seemed so quiet when we got home!

We have decided that the Avi is the place to stay. Rooms, food, movie theater, beach area, nice lagoon and a pool for when the water isn't high enough or the wind is too strong. Probably shouldn't advertise that as at the moment it is still a bit quiet and peaceful.

Home Schooling as a Family

If you decide to follow my blog, you will see much of it will revolve around school. Educating the kids flows into just about everything we do. All of our activities, vacations and the like are a continuation of school. Many of them are actually planned to enhance what we are learning in school.

I decided to share little about our schooling. I know many people think we are crazy to do this. Too much time! How do you know what to teach? Do you do testing? And then there is that annoying "What do you do about socialization?". Or I simply couldn't do that. And finally, when someone gets really honest they will say, " I really don't want to give up my own time."

The issue I like to deal with the most socialization. If you are referring to public or private school, I will simply point to you the schools themselves. Come on really? Harvey Milk Day? The Day of Silence? Evolution? How about Obama's current Indoctrination Day. History with no world view, specifically Biblical? Ah, then there is the Prom, for those women who say they want their daughter to go to Prom, Are you nuts??

Ok I will buy into friends, relationships and the like, but we are not putting our kids in a bubble. They take outside classes, are involved in many groups and activities where I am not standing over their heads. My kids probably get more freedoms then most.

I will stand my kids by any public schoolchild and I will declare mine socialized and the others not. Mine will talk to an adult, look them in the face, have an opinion and actually know what they are talking about. They can hang with their friends, they don't have to whisper and they don't have an attitude as soon as a parent walks in the door. They do not have the ideas that their parents or other adults know nothing. My kids love being with their family and would rather be here than at a friends house. At the same time they are fine to go just about anywhere. Enough said, socialization issue closed.

Next. I will hit them one at a time. 1) Yes it is crazy, but what would you expect from me? 2) Less time than if they were in school, I don't struggle over their homework and it is at my schedule not someone else's. 3) I believe in a modified Classical approach. Therefore, I know what to teach next. I am not guessing. There are less gaps than in a traditional school. 4) Yes we test, and they do great. 5) You can do that. 6) Get over yourself. God gave those kids to you to raise. How can you not give up your time?

Having said all that does not mean I think everyone should home school. I don't. I do not think you should home school unless you understand the reason. The reason is simply a Biblical world view. Another reason I do not think people should home school is that most are not willing to truly put into it what the children deserve. If you are choosing to home school so that you can shelter your kids, I would say you are causing more trauma. I have several other reasons why people shouldn't home school, but do not want to get into those conversations here. One on one I am willing.


Finally, please know I would love to talk to anyone interested in home schooling their own children. It is a passion of mine. If you have been there and done that, I am always looking for ways to grow and improve our system.

I am looking forward to comments on this issue. Really, I can take it. I can take it as we are convicted by God that we should train them up in the way they should go. Therefore I have peace in what we do.

No we are not part of some weird religious cult. We are Bible believing Christians. You know, those Right Wingers.

Back To School

Well, summer has come to end for us. School is under way. Brooke is in 8th grade. Jason 3rd and Faith officially in Kindergarten, even though she is almost through with the kindergarten curriculum. She, being a November baby will probably simply be half a year or so off for a while. No worries, we decided since we started Brooke on the young side, also being a Nov. babe, we would start older for Faith. We are seeing several things with dealing with Brooke's friends that are helping us with this decision.

Brooke really loves school, even if as a typical student she wouldn't admit to it. She really immerses herself in what she does and does it well. This year along with some pretty tough classes, she is going to be a Teacher's Aid for a Latin class where she takes her classes.

Jason is sailing through. We had to look for some areas to challenge him. For him school comes naturally, where Brooke really had to try at this age, Jason "get's er done". I pray that carries on as he gets older. Math is his favorite as he has a computer program that teaches his lessons. He likes science a lot also. I believe he thinks he is getting out of school when working on science.

Faith, well, she just wants to be a princess, a ballerina or a mermaid. What more can be said? We sit and read and she absorbs. Then she flits away and comes and visits us through the day. Then she will come up to us and announce something new, like "I can count by tens" and we find she can. Who knew? Who taught her? So far she has learned colors, shapes, numbers, letters, counting in various ways, and many reading skills. Would love to know who is teaching her, and if they can keep me posted. I really intended to use the books I have to teach her!

What a blessing! We were able to pull off another Mammoth trip this summer. Lorin had an inspection in Reno. He could buy a plane flight and rent a car,OR we could drive to Mammoth and he could drive in from there. We were only going to stay a few days, but ended up staying for a week.

We met up with a family we had met there 4 years ago. Brooke and Trevor have stayed in touch ever since. Trevor's brother Wyatt, their parents and grandparents were all there.

All but Faith and I went bike riding on the mountain. She and I hit Schatt's Bakery instead. I talked to one of the Schatt's family and got caught up with news of a childhood friend. I have a phone number now, so I hope to connect with her again


Faith was all about baiting her own hook. She only hooked herself once, "but it only cut a little bit of skin".

Jason likes the bike park.He learned how to ride a two wheeler when he was three years old while we were in Mammoth. He was only riding a few days when he first went to the park. Now he flies through the air.

Another highlight of the trip was visiting with a trolley driver. Lorin had ridden the trolley to go to the rental car. He talked with the bus driver, found out he was a mule packer. Lorin told him about my past with outfitting, and who to look for. Later that morning the kids and I get on a trolley, out of the blue the driver asks "is there anyone who had been in the Bob Marshall Wilderness?" I looked around me baffled and kind of raised my hand. Then he told me he met my husband earlier and that we had things in common. The kids and I sat on the trolley through his whole loop and talked mule packing, outfitting, dudes and cowboy ways for the whole trip. After that, every day we rode the trolley, we ran into him and had more visits. It was fun to run into someone who could hold the same conversations as you, conversations you hadn't had in years.

The Rest of July

Summer is still running at full speed. We have been able to fit in a few trips to the beach. We have a regular group of friends that we go with every year, mostly from the homeschool network. Although, I have yet to have my boogie board contest with Debra Jackson. We must fit it in soon.

We also met up with some of Lorin's family. I love going to the beach. Anything to get out of the heat of Temecula!

We have also had a great time with the Grandkiddos, Sean and Riley. Roxane is working nights and Matt has some day jobs, so we were able to help out a bit with the kids. I always have a great time going out with them and watching people's faces as they try to figure out the "Gramma" and "Mom" as the kids range From Brooke 12 yr old, Sean 9yr old, Jason 8 yr old, Riley 6 yr old and Faith 5 yr old. Last of all is Baby Brody, but he doesn't get to hang with us yet.

The kids had one over nighter party with Stevi and Natalie, David and Anna. Of course, as a good home school family should, we had a little reading time before bed. Oh did I mention Guacamole the Chameleon spent the night also? Faith is a fan of his, packed him around on her head for quite some time. Jason on the other hand really didn't want to hold him.

Brooke had the wonderful oportunity to go to Hawaii with her friend Stevi and her family. It is hard to let go of your daughter and send her off. She had a great time. No this wasn't a hotel or condo event, but at someone's private home on the Big Island. A little deap sea fishing on a private boat. Some swimming in lava heated waters, of course swimming and snorkeling in the clear water. She has always heard me complain about the murky waters of So. Cal. Now she is complaining about the local beaches. Like mother, like daughter...........HA! We all know that isn't true. She is a good kid. I am happy she had this opportunity. At the same time I was sure glad she got home just in time to help babysit the grandkiddos. Thank you Lassley Family for giving my daughter a wonderful experience.

While she was off in Hawaii, we called on Grammy to watch Jason and Faith so we could go to the CHEA convention. This is an annual convention for home schooling. Two days of alone time for us, while I have a chance to be rejuvinated in the teaching department. Lorin has gone a few times with me now, and he even said he was looking forward to next year. Oh, he has come so far!!! He even heard bits of info I have tried to share with him regarding the original design for public school, seems he only hears that from me, but hearing it from Voddie Baucham is a bit more impactful. Thnx Voddie!

Mammoth

As some of you know, Mammoth is my favorite vacation of the year. We tease and say it is a part of our prenuptial agreement. The other part had to do with my phone bills to Montana when we first got married. Those were before the days of flat rate phone bills. HA! Poor guy, oh the bills! Anyway, we have been going now for 15 years. I think we have missed only two of those. We have been going so regularly to the same area that we have now made friends with 4 families that do the same thing. Now it is a treat to get together with them each year also. Although, this year we only met up with two of them.

For the last two years we have brought Brooke's friend Stevi. She is a treat to have with us! We usually do the same routine, fish, hike, campfire, mountain bike down Mammoth Mountain, zip lines and rock climbing, gondola rides, oh yes there is the parade, and fireworks. In past years we have searched out the volcanoes and did some "home schooling", we have gone to Bowdie, Mono Lake, Yosemite, 4 wheeling and oh so much more.

This year the highlight was probably the fishing, we borrowed some kayaks and were able to fish in the middle of Twin Lakes rather than only from the edges. Lorin, Brooke and Stevi all caught several. We had 2 great fish dinners.Other highlights were; Jason got his first pocketknife, and yes he cut himself. Faith, well, she was making friends with the squirrels and butterflies. As for me, hey I was in the mountains and it was cool,who needs more than that.

We are starting a co-op for History, Literature, and Science this year. I found it very interesting to realize how much easier it is to see God in such a beautiful place as the Sierras, (don't get me wrong, I am still loyal to the Bob Marshall in Montana) than it is to see Him in the city. Yes, I know that people in the Temecula Valley don't see it as a big city, but it is.
There is so much to wonder considering God's handiwork. As the focus of our school year will be Biblical Worldview, I felt especially drawn to look around me while we were in Mammoth. I am feeling pretty motivated for the new year to start.

To sum up this year, it was fun to see Brooke and Stevi as they are maturing, the Independence they were able to have because they are such good kids. It was great to see Jason enjoying an area I so love, especially when I know he really is only about motors and wheels and speed. I am seeing that Faith will probably always be Faith. We really like to visit her world, it seems so pristine as she flits, and twirls and listens to the fish.

I am already looking forward to next year, even though Lorin once again said on our way home, maybe we should do something different next year.

Summer Activities

I thought I would start off by letting you know what we have been up to so far this summer.
Most importantly Brooke and Jason finished school on time. WHOO HOO! Of course there is always a little summer reading. Summer meant that Faith was able to start Summer School. Ok, really, she is excited, she is always so patient to get her time to do school. So many times we simply can't give her the time she is needing. So we made a deal that she could "Do school" this summer. We are working on her reading skills and of course catching up on all those books we couldn't fit in to read aloud to her.
Our first activity was a trip to the river. We went to Laughlin via Las Vegas so Lorin could do an inspection. We decided to make a stop at the Hoover Dam. A fun year end field trip, don't you think?
We then went to Laughlin and stayed at the Avi. The Shields family met us there. We spent some time on the beach at the hotel and we also went down river to Lake Havasu always a pretty ride.



Faith has had a busy time. Along with summer school, she has been taking swim lessons. She swam on her own for the first time the day before we headed to Mammoth. She is starting up again tomorrow. Hopefully she will take off from there! She also was in her first Ballet Performance. To think, I have a kiddo wearing a tutu.........How did that happen??? We will post some performance pics when they arrive from the studio....... no flash photos from the parents. She did a great job! I wasn't sure how she was going to do on stage in front of everyone, she definitely surprised us.