Scarlet Fever anyone?

Just the mention of Scarlet Fever brings thoughts of death and fear springs into the hearts of people. Ask us, we know!

After a week of one child having a fever and sore throat, the other two came down with the same. So when the youngest asked me to go potty with him and I noticed a rash all over his body I thought that he may have Fifth Disease. Lots of people don't know about this one but here's a link to info about it.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/respiratory/parvo_b19.htm

Anyway, we have experience with it so I just assumed -pink cheeks, rash-Fifth disease. Then my son woke up in the middle of the night vomiting mucus and later apple juice. To make a long story short, God intervened and told me to call the doctor. God intervened and told the nurse to tell me to bring him in. God intervened and had me mention that my oldest had the rash and my middle child had been sick the week before.

Well, God provided the doctor with the good sense not to listen to my uneducated diagnosis:) He said that my son had Strep Throat, that all of them most likely all had it, AND Scarlet Fever! I think I was in shock. And I tend to pretend that I know everything and act like I'm not surprised or taken aback. So after we left when my oldest daughter, the book worm, mentioned that she was scared of Scarlet Fever, I thought yeah, so am I.

Anyway, I called the office and spoke to the nurse. She reassured me that the rash of Scarlet Fever was sometimes a side affect of Strep. I got clear and was able to explain it to my oldest, my friend and my husband.

Thank God, we went to the doctor because left untreated Scarlet fever can cause heart damage. If you know me, we don't do doctors very often and so I am truly grateful that I listened to the leadings of my heart.

It's been awhile...

Writing can be difficult. It can also be hard with 3 kids running around. Time is very limited when you home school. I guess most people don't have much time. When you home school, your kids are around 24/7 or at least mine are so I have a lot of choices have to be make about what comes first.

So do we clean up the house or start school work? Do we take a bath or do school work? Do I make dinner or teach spelling? Do we get some groceries or do that messy science experiment? What about the field trip--do we spend all that time going or do we take the time at home catching up? Can I make that phone call or will it take too much time away from studying? Lots of choices and decisions to make and I'm historically not good at decisions.

So what do I do? Leave the house a mess? That's what I usually do but how much clutter and dirt can a person stand! Don't do the dishes? Well, I hate bugs so that doesn't seem like an option. Let the school work go by the wayside? Not if I want calm, compliant students who need a routine. Sometimes I think life would be so much easier if we just had money--money to pay for a house cleaner, money to send the kids to a one day school, money to eat out all the time, etc, etc, etc.

But you know what? Doing all those things together as a family is part of our core values. Having meals together, cooking together, teaching the kids how to clean up after themselves, being responsible for our own stuff, teaching the kids our beliefs and being together as a family.

So I guess, we will just keep plugging away realizing that we are doing the best we can. Trusting that what needs to get done will. Being grateful that we have this opportunity to home school. It's time for me to get off the computer and do laundry, clean up after breakfast, take baths, do school work and vacuum!