Jacob intently playing a video game. Sorry about the red-eye.
I was too lazy to get the red out.
He doesn't look that evil in real life !
I usually just post our prayer letters on our prayer letter blog and then mention, here, that I have posted a new one. This time, however, I decided to post this "Update on Jacob" on this, my main, blog. So many of you have been following the trials of our children's health issues. Sarah and I wanted to thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement and give you this quick update.
“Come to me , all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29
Faithful friends and family,
Blessings to each of you. I would just like to give you a quick update on Jacob. We went to Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN to the autism clinic this past week. After talking with us and her interaction with Jacob the doctor concluded that he doesn’t have Asperger’s or anything on the autism spectrum. She does think he has something…some type of a syndrome because of her observation and interaction with him. She sent us to get blood work for genetic testing. We will know something in 6-8 weeks…a long time when you are wanting answers now. Jacob also this week had a physical therapy evaluation done. In being evaluated the therapist noticed that Jacob’s hips are loose jointed (this is the best that I can remember/describe). He also has some issues with his neck, feet and legs. These things could be the reason why he is not sleeping well at night.. The therapist wants a complete battery of x rays especially on the hips. Without intervention on the hips we could be looking at surgery down the road. After 2 days of testing the poor little guy is so tired and doesn’t know what to think. On top of all of this he has a double ear infection. I am feeling overwhelmed and wondering where I went wrong as a parent. Could I have prevented any of this? I should have seen and done something earlier….I know that this is just tiredness and being overwhelmed talking. I am asking that you please keep us in your prayers. Pray for Tim and I to have patience, wisdom, discernment and to keep our eyes on Jesus. During times like this it is easy to focus on our circumstances. Pray that we can focus on what God wants us to do for His glory. We know that God is going to do something big. He is so good and faithful and we praise Him for providing for our needs in ALL areas. We are so blessed to have such faithful friends and family who come along beside us to encourage, love and pray for us. Thank you for being Jesus to our family. May God bless you in all that you do for His glory….we are blessed!!!
In HIS grip,
Sarah & Tim
Sarah & Tim Tinkel BCM International 829 Hi Tech Drive 309 Colonial Drive Livingston, TN 38570 PO Box 249 931-823-9320 Akron, PA 17501 Tink38570@yahoo.com 1-888-bcmintl Set1993@gmail.com bcmintl.org Blog - tink38570.angelfire.com/familiesagain Acct. #0642 (Please make checks payable to BCM Intl. and on a separate sheet of paper put our name and account number)
Further Update! After posting this update, we received the Vanderbilt Doctor's official diagnosis in the mail. She diagnosed him with Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified; Lack of Physiological Development; and Mixed Receptive Expressive Language Disorder. This is on top of the results from Occupational Therapy testing and the Speech Therapy testing. We are still waiting on the results from the Physical Therapy testing and from the genetic testing. We have an appointment with the Pediatric Neurologist at Vanderbilt in August. The poor guy is about worn out from all of the testing. I will be glad when this is all over. - Tim
Old Movies of Famous Cities - Part 3 - London in 1927 Mood: don't ask Topic: General
We've had another emergency room visit with a sick child. This time it is John Allen with some kind of stomach bug. Two IV's and some other meds later he is home on the couch resting. He's going to sleep there tonight to be close so that we can here if he needs us.
In the meantime I didn't get a new Men's Monday Meme question posted (Duh! What's new? ), so I decided to post the third movie of my "Old Movies of Famous Cities" trilogy. Tonight it's London in 1927 - complete with word cards like the old silent movies used to have. Well, come to think of it, this movie was made during that time, so it IS one of those old silent movies! Enjoy!
PS. I'll post the new meme question in the next day or two so keep checking.
Ideal Curriculum?!? Why is it so Ideal? Mood: a-ok Topic: Homeschool Product Review
Hmmm. When I first saw the name of this curriculum the immediate thing that came to mind was the magazine Ideals that my mom used to get around different holidays. The most recent thing that came to mind, however, was "Why is this curriculum so 'Ideal'?" So, after looking it over, I decided to do a "This curriculum is ideal if:" and a "This curriculum isn't ideal if:" type review. So here goes.
You like a flexible schedule. As most of you know, we have been going through a horrendous time with our kids lately. Joshua, our nine year old, was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome about a year and a half ago, and Jacob, our 4 year old, is presently being tested for very similar symptoms. Unfortunately we wanted to try out this preschool/early kindergarten curriculum with Jacob but most of his testing has been during the time we were supposed to be doing the reviewing. On top of all of the testing, he also had his tonsils and adenoids taken out and was practically out of commission for about 10 days. That really put a damper on our reviewing time. We were, however, able to use a little of the curriculum and, as we work with it more, I will write more about our experiences. The joy of all of that, though, is knowing that Ideal Curriculum does not follow a rigid plan. You don't have to follow a strict day by day schedule. If that were the case, we would never have been able to use this at all. In fact, Ideal Curriculum doesn't even follow a strict year plan. You can buy month one any time you want and start when you want. In fact, month one was sent to us to try out now - in the middle of the spring. They do suggest that you buy the curriculum in order beginning with month one, because each month builds on the other.
You like a total package. When you purchase Ideal Curriculum you get everything you need to begin teaching your preschool/kindergarten child. You can either buy the curriculum in hard copy books, or in a downloadable form. We received the downloadable form and received more than you could imagine. You could probably fill two months with all of the stuff that is included in this package. Each month has a Literacy Teacher's Manual, a Science/Social Studies Teacher's Manual and a Math/Calendar Teacher's Manual. You also get everything you need for that month, minus a few craft supplies and the normal pencil/paper/crayon stuff. The extra's, however, are minimal. The different areas cover different things each month. Here is a an overview of what the first four months cover:
You like a well laid out plan. As you can see by the above chart, the three months are very well laid out and very well planned. Each month comes with a theme and each month builds on the previous months learning. What more could you ask for?
You like a reasonable price. Some curriculum I've looked at cost less for a year's worth, some cost more for a year's worth. No, other curriculum that I've seen, however, has allowed you to buy a month at a time. With most curriculum you're stuck with what you have. Doesn't fit with your children's learning styles? Too bad! Just hope that you can resell it. With Ideal Curriculum, if you find that it's not working out, you're not forced to continue with it for finance's sake. Just don't buy the next month. Each month is $55.00 for the hard copy version or $30 for the downloadable version. There are discounts if you want to buy 3 months at a time or the whole year at one time. Or, there are discounts if you want to buy a package for multiple students at a time - say for a daycare or private kindergarten.
Well...er...mmm...humm...I can't really figure out anything. The only thing that I can think to even mention in the "Not Ideal" section is that Ideal Curriculum is not strictly Christian. In everything that I have seen, I haven't noticed anything really secular, like evolution, or anything like that, but it isn't particularly Christian based. With that being said, there was nothing else I could find. Ideal Curriculum is really...well...ideal!
Jacob really has enjoyed the little time that we have used Ideal Curriculum. He has loved the catchy songs (Did I mention that mp3 versions of the songs were included in the download?) and he loves Transportation. I'm looking forward to digging more into it with him.
Not convinced? As usual you can visit their website by clicking here or on any one of the hi-lighted links above. If you like what you see, you can receive a free week trial version of their curriculum to try out on your own. And, as usual you can check out what some of the other TOS Crew members are saying by clicking here. Happy Home Schooling.
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a free downloadable copy of month one of Ideal Curriculum's Preschool/Kindergarten Materials to try out and review on this blog.
Thanks for all of Your Prayers Mood: a-ok Topic: General
I'm feeling much better, thank you. I think it was a combination of something I ate and allergies. After suffering through last night and part of the day, I'm actually almost back to normal. I've slept most of the day. Maybe that's what I needed. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be off to church. It seems like ages since we've been to church with all of Jacob's sicknesses and tests. It would be a shame that he is feeling better and we can't go because someone else in the family is ill. I have the alarm set, so we shall see! Thanks again for all of your prayers.
Another Great Video from the Turn of the Century! This time Barcelona! Mood: don't ask Topic: General
Why am I posting another old video of our wonderful world so soon? Well, probably because I'm sicker than a dog and don't want to think about posting anything else. Somehow I ate something that didn't agree with me. You don't want to know the gruesome details. I should be posting a review tonight. Ah, well, it was half finished (at least in my mind), but now I can barely think to write this much less a review. It will have to be a day late (a day late and a dollar short - that's the story of my life).
This video of Barcelona, Spain in 1908.It was filmed by Ricardo Banos, a pioneer of Spanish cinema. The clothes are fascinating, and again, the looks on the people's faces are priceless. Enjoy. Hopefully I'll be back to normal tomorrow. At least I sure hope!