Be Warned - Tissue Alert!

I've always been a bit protective about my three littles being in video. I can count on my hand how many times since Aaron came to us that we have posted a video of them on this blog or on Facebook. I guard their privacy carefully.

But... sometimes... you have to break your own rules.

My niece, Meagan, graduated a few years ago with a degree in film and video. She does documentary filmmaking and lives in New York City. She's gifted. She has created quite a number of amazing documentaries over the years and is fantastic at capturing moments in time. I have a daughter with a condition that baffles doctors, and capturing some of her seizures on film might help them figure out how to help her.

She agreed to come follow our little whirling dervish around last Thanksgiving to provide us with some footage we can use for medical purposes. She showed up with a massive camera - it weighed almost as much as Mary!! For the camera geeks out there, it was an Arri Alexa Mini with a 30-76 Angenieux zoom lens. For the non-geeks, it's the kind of camera they use to make major motion pictures. 

Meagan spent the day following Mary around. She was a bit worried she would not get enough good footage (seizures) but I didn't have that same fear. Mary rarely has 'good' days so I figured she would 'perform' well. In reality - she had a rather awful day. We had to rescue her three times that day. It made for great filming. It allowed her to capture Mary in all her different seizure types and how the meds affect her. It provided us with a lot of good footage we can use for medical visits.

But Meagan didn't just take film of Mary to give to us. She also put together a short documentary. It took her 3 months to put it together.

Putting Mary's seizures out in public is not something I take lightly. I never want to post something that will embarrass her or hurt her down the road. Some of Mary's seizures are hard to watch and some I would never post. Ever.

But I trusted my niece and knew she would do an amazing job.

I was not wrong. I cried when I watched it. It is precious. So tastefully done.

It captures some of Mary's struggle but also captures her personality and love for life. 

It is a great film about the toughest little girl I know who faces down the beast every single day of her life and yet continues to smile and find joy in the midst.

I'm sharing it here for you to watch.

I've been told by someone who has seen it that I need to give a tissue alert.

So be warned.

Mary Quite Contrary - A Story About Epilepsy and Doose Syndrome

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P.S. - To see more of Meagan's work: www.meaganarnold.myportfolio.com

Social Distancing Mary Style

What do you do when the world has gone a bit off kilter and you are stuck at home all day???

Get up early... just because...

Bounce like Tigger off the walls...

Make messes everywhere you go...

Go outside. Then inside. Then outside. Then... you get it...

Practice letters and numbers...

Throw a fit or two... or three...

Play dress up...

"Read" books...

Paint...

Color...

WATCH TV...

Help with the cooking...

Play car racing with the brothers...

Follow Mama around wherever she goes...

Ride your bike...

Dance around the house....

Pretend you are a cat... Pretend you are a dog... pretend you are...

Jump on the trampoline...

Ask when you are going to school....

Ask when you are going to church...

Ask when you are....

Make messes.... oh I said that...

Play with playdough...

Listen to music... 

Build puzzles....

And that's all before lunch!!!

Social distancing sounds like a nice quiet time... unless you have a Mary in your house!!

We are hanging in here in our little house on the hill.

All our Homeschool Conventions are canceled through the end of May. 

You would think that would mean more time on our hands but with three littles home... having to completely adjust how we are going to market our material... figuring out how to keep teaching my co-op classes... etc. etc. etc... we are shocked at how much busier we are at the moment!!

But we are grateful that we are together and no one is sick.

We are grateful that Mary's seizures are at a 'normal' pace right now. Her seizure alarm went off last night scaring us both to death. We had to rescue her and I spent the rest of the night trying to calm down from the panic. She's still seizing a lot each day with status episodes once or twice a week but despite the midnight alarms and the day seizing, she is better than she was two months ago.  We will take better!

We are trusting the Lord through this time. Praying for our family, our friends, our country, our government, the world. It's a strange season but God is still on His throne and in that we take comfort.

Stay safe. Stay home. 

If you are looking for homeschooling material to do with your kiddos... check out our website. BIBLIOPLAN. Our history is easy to do and you can do it with the entire family!!

Insanity!!

ANCIENT DAYS IS DONE!!

We have the book in our ever so tired hands.

It's been one of our most challenging adventures in the BiblioPlan world.

When we started writing Ancient Days almost two years ago, we realized that the old Ancients scope and sequence was not good enough. So we changed it.

That meant that EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY PRODUCT THAT LINKS TO ANCIENTS HAD TO BE REDONE!!

INSANITY!!!

Remember... it is just the two of us. 

We have one very dear person who helps us 10 hours a week. 

Otherwise Rob and I carry the entire load.

All the writing, shipping, conventioning (if that's a word), selling, paying, answering - everything is shared between the two of us.

With three kids at home who kind of need us to be their Mama and Papa... and one of them who has some pretty intense needs... it has taken us a lot longer than we anticipated.

But one day at a time... day in and day out... plugging and working...

A HUGE mountain was just climbed.

Our newest book is DONE. 

And so are a bunch of the products that go with it!!

The Ancient Family Guide is finished. Oh my gracious it doubled in size and is amazing.  So many extra features. 

And just because we are completely nuts, we also upgraded the Medieval Family Guide, the Early Modern Family Guide and the Modern Family Guide... all with amazing features!! All within the last 9 months.  

The Ancient Timeline is finished! Woo Hoo… another amazing upgrade! More pictures. Better labels. 

The Ancient Hands on Maps for Middles is finished.... the maps are all new - better quality! 

The Ancient Cool History for Littles and Ancient Cool History Middles are also finished. Again - Upgraded and wonderful!!

All the Notebooking has been revamped.

The Ancient Coloring Book is finished (although not back from the printers yet). And again, because we are nuts - we also upgraded the Medieval Coloring Book and the Modern Coloring book in the last year. 

Elijah helped us with these books!! His new coloring pages are amazing!

And in the midst of all the writing we have been doing ...

(WITH THE HELP OF OUR DEAR FRIEND, LU at Poppies Blooming).....

 WE HAVE UPGRADED OUR WEBSITE!

Talk about a learning curve. 

It's incredible and sleek and has a brand new 'special-needs' section for all the families out there who have struggling learners, gifted kiddos and more... Our material is adaptable for all ages and learning types!!

It also has its own blog and Rob wrote one of the first blogposts. CLICK HERE to read.

We even have a new Logo (Thank's LU!!)

We are not finished yet.

There is no rest for the exceptionally weary...

The Ancient Craft Book is going to take another 9 months or so. But it is getting a brand new revamp that will make the wait so worth it! 

The Ancient Companion for 7-12th graders is going to get a HUGE Revamp. We are just beginning that project but hope to finish it by summer 2021. With that revamp we will have a new Ancient Discussion Guide, Ancient Hands on Maps Advanced, Ancient Cool History Upper Middles and Ancient Cool History Advanced.

So we are not finished yet.

But we are taking a pause to share what we do have done.

And rejoice in this moment.

Because our newest book and the products that go with it are fantastic.

If you haven't used BiblioPlan before... now is the time to consider changing over.

Ancient History is where to start.

So check us out.

Enjoy the new website. 

BIBLIOPLAN

As for me... I am on my way to the Great Homeschool Convention in Texas.

I'm flying. 

Rob's holding down the fort with all three littles for three days.

Insanity Doubled!!

Birthdays and Lessons Learned

Note for next year:

Do NOT tell Little Girl that her birthday is tomorrow.

Just don't.

Because she will wake up at 1:00 am when her Papa tucks her into bed with Mama and she will poke Mama and kiss her and sing "Happy Birthday to Mary" over and over again. And when Mama tells her to go to sleep she will not. She will instead kiss Mama and poke Mama and sing "Happy Birthday to Mary." So Mama will have to put her back in her own bed where she will talk and sing for hours. Until she falls back to sleep. 

Happy Birthday to Mary.

9 years old.

Not quite there emotionally but we still celebrate.

The laughter. The joy. The crazy. The heart attacks.

She's a disaster waiting to happen.

She exhausts us. She inspires us.

She makes us cling to the One who called us to be her Mama and Papa.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

With a kiss and a poke and a song!

Traveling, Traveling

The dreaded time has come...

Convention season.

Over the next 5 weeks I am hitting the road 4 times.

Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina and Missouri

Aaron and I are Tennessee bound this morning to the Teach Them Diligently conference.

Leaving Little Girl and John home with Rob.

Prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Little girl's roller coaster ride has not been as treacherous these last few weeks. We made some changes in her diet and meds and we are seeing a positive difference. But she's still fragile and leaving her is hard on my heart. 

Rob's amazing with her so she's in great hands but it's still not easy. Praying our van stays steady on the road and we make it there and back safe and sound.

We are rejoicing that our book came bumping into the driveway on Tuesday... 

We are honestly too exhausted right now to rejoice properly but hopefully when I get back we can take the time to do some celebrating and sharing of all that has been happening in the BiblioPlan World!!

Until then....

I'm off....

 

It's Coming!

It is on its way!!

The mail truck will soon be backing into our driveway and unloading will commence.

AWWWWWW!!!!!!!!

Breathe... breathe... breathe...

Stay tuned... we have been busy ... so much to share about this new book!!

We Hide It Well

It's Sunday Morning.

Mary just finished her breakfast.

We won the lottery this morning.

Truly.

Sundays are hard.

A weekly battle that I have come to dread.

Our day of rest is usually one of anxiety and stress as we navigate around what epilepsy does to our little one. Going from sleep to wake for Mary is her absolute worst part of the day. We deal with morning time issues every single morning but somehow on Sunday it always seems worse.

By the time we get to church we feel like we have run a marathon and should win some kind of consolation prize for just showing up.

Some mornings it is all I can do to hold it in. The stress and frustration just below the surface.

We hide it well.

Most people at church are oblivious to how much effort it takes to get out the door.

But this morning she ate. 

She didn't start eating and then go into freeze mode. Not able to swallow or spit. 

She didn't chipmunk the food in her mouth. Seizures piling on with us helpless to do anything but wait it out.

She didn't refuse outright to eat.

She didn't go into status. We didn't have to rescue her.

She ate. She swallowed. She talked. She sang with Papa while he practiced the guitar. She took all her pills.

The lottery. It was the grand prize lottery this morning.

And we are breathing easy. Feeling like we could win if all marathons looked like this. Less stressful. Wishing every morning was like this. Especially Sundays.

Church. Worship. 

No marathon.

Thank you Lord. Thank you!