Yes, my dear children, you are all excused from school this week due to this pesky pox you have.  But, next week…

Sick by Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

Family Status:  All seven children with chicken pox.  One husband making minute steps toward recovery which we hope will be three to six months from now.  The older girls have the pox in their eyes and we have learned a lot about chicken pox in the eye from a skilled opthamologist.  The eye has a mind of its own and the disease progresses and heals at a much slower rate than the rest of the body.  Today we came down with the suspicion that although I am mostly recovered from the pox, that it has also gone into my eyes.  Now, before everyone sends me emails about being scrupulous about hand washing and laundering, please let me mention that the tops of my hands are raw from handwashing, and that my washing machine has been going constantly since New Year’s Week when illness first visited our home.  Pox is both airborn and skin to skin contact.  I just am not keeping up with all the teeny germs.

My little caboose (at the very new age of six years old since she just had her birthday) is the most recovered and is giving her siblings plenty of advice.  We have had a polka dot competition and so far the tally is … Karen 400 plus, Kathy 500 plus and the most ill, Matthew zero as he just came down with it today, Emily 300 and rising, Annie 6 since she is new to the game and in waiting, Abigail 300 and rising by morning to a suspected 400, and Kimberly 200.  Kathy had the high so far, but I had the low … 40.  I believe this was God’s mercy on me that an adult case would be moderate enough for me to stay on my feet for the most part.

So, the January classroom … lots of math.  How many dots were sent to our house altogether?  What is the ratio of adult spots to children spots?  Can we make a bar graph of spots delegated to each family member?  History.  Do you know that chicken pox is an ancient disease and was prevalent in Rome?  Don’t forget foreign language.  Varicella is Latin for chicken pox.   As for science, medically the disease was suspected but not proven to be connected to shingles until the 1900s because no lab animal can be given the virus.  Only humans can get it.  (Boy, have our pets been glad.)  So what they did was take the shingles virus and inject it into human children to see what would happen.  Yep.  They came down with CP.  CP is our abbreviation for the disease, hence, English spelling.  CP also stands for descriptions of the disease.  Crummy prickles or creepy porcupine.  And shingles has nothing to do with our roof, but is the French word for belt, since most shingles cases go halfway around the abdomen in an area similar to a wide belt. 

This CP disease is worse than what I had thought.  Over the years mothers have said to me rather lightly, “Oh, my child had the pox and it was not so bad.”  Maybe I see it not as lightly since I have seven children that are going through the disease in a 17 day period as of tonight.  (Yes, it is 2:00 am and I’m up with a little person who can no longer sleep through the headache and itch.)  The first part of the illness, as in high fever-headache-neck ache-altered perception seems to be just as bad as the second phase of continued fever and itchy rash that I’ve learned is more than a topical thing.  It is actually the nervous system going haywire.  Kinda like putting one’s finger in an electrical socket for a couple of days.  Or pins and needles on the scalp.  Well, enough of description.  It’s worse than I thought.

The January Classroom has taught me much prayer for ample financial resources to cover the illness, for patience and energy for one very sleepy mother, and for insight into how to comfort the sick.  I am grateful to the Lord that our second frig, now 23 years old, that quit the other day is back on.  With all the nutritional juicing needed for James it is needed for all those extra fruits and veggies.   I can not say that the toaster oven is doing too well but I’m praying about it too.

Amazingly enough, throughout five weeks of illness where things have gone a bit topsy-turvy, each child independently completed a full unit in math and read a rather large stack of library books in addition to computer projects and music.  Crocheting, beading, robotics, weaving, and spinning have been tucked into little spaces of time.  Somehow I have done all the laundry and meals and have accomplished 30 minutes organizational projects all over the house.  Organizing is rather therapeutic to me when everything is going haywire.  That kind of therapy has been interrupted however by two bouts of labyrinthritis.  The vertigo has halted me in my tracks too frequently where being organized anywhere is a total joke.  I’d just be thankful if my perception of the floor would organize itself into one stable and solid surface.

I think I’ll sign off now at 5:00 a.m.  The bathtub has been drained and cleaned from an oatmeal bath, an unhappy son wrapped in many blankets to warm the chills of fever, Emily is tucked into a recliner with a frozen smoothie for her pox throat, and Abigail is calling from the sofa if Mommy could watch a DVD with her.  This illness has been further practical proof to me that mothers belong at home taking care of their families.  It takes time and attention to the home in order to nurse a family.

I look forward to the sunrise when His faithfulness is new every morning.  And, I look forward to sleeping in my bed some night.  I’ve missed it over the past five weeks but do not think that I will visit it anytime soon.  James needs a quiet, very warm, and undisturbed room.  Post herpetic neuralgia is a highly painful condition and he sleeps little each night.  We are hopeful that he can get enough rest to continue working several jobs.

We are popping the “Winged Migration” DVD in.  It is a beautiful documentary with no words, only music, about birds all over the world.  The sights of God’s creation all over the world, the beautiful music, and the variety of bird sounds make it a pleasant and soothing film.

Dear Mister President Obama,

     I watched your speech.  I fell asleep near the end because I just got chicken pox and my tem-purr-chure is 102.

     Thank you for talking to us.

     I have some ideas to help you.  I am learning 1+1=2, 2+2=4, and 8+8=16.  If you add up how much you need to run our country, it equals.  Then just spend how much it is and no more and you are done.

     Also, we go to the grocery store and we buy food so we won’t die.  If we don’t have enough money, we don’t buy chocolate.  The gu-vur-mint should not buy chocolate.  Only the real things it needs.  We don’t have any chocolate now at my house.  Maybe the gu-vur-mint shouldn’t buy so much chocolate and just buy what it needs so it won’t die.

     I hope this helps.

                                           Very Respectfully,

                                           Abigail Spangler, age 7

(dictated to Mom with earnestness in spite of chicken pox)

Abigial is available for free consultations to the President and Congress since she appears to have a considerable amount of common sense, but after she gets over the chicken pox.

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.

Psalm 119: 75-77  I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.  Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.  Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.

Defying all medical predictions, statistics, and counsel …

Defying hours of internet research over the past two weeks that promised confidence of an escape …

Defying the “no you won’t get it” remarks of two emergency room doctors who, independent of each other at two different times,  looked at me as though I was ridiculous to ask the question …

And defying our family physician, a well seasoned doctor, who said people my age either have already got it, or have natural immunity or that it is ”unheard of at your age” …

Along with defying every medical book I own …

And amazingly after teaching hundreds of public and private school students, piano and theory students, directing multiple choirs of young people, being involved in all kinds of children’s theatrical productions, and being exposed over and over again to the highly contagious germ …

(Drum roll please.)

At age fifty.

(Another drum roll, please.)

I have chicken pox.

So does Karen.  She looks like an overly spotted pink Dalmation.  So does Kathy.  She is just starting her polka dots.  And so does my little caboose, Kimberly, who just started today with the dis-ease, and on her birthday too.  We were entirely blessed that some local angels made a surprise delivery of cupcakes, presents, and balloons this morning because as the day wore on we were basically unable to pull together any kind of normal Spangler birthday.  Kimberly was delighted with every thing and said she did not think the pox had ruined her birthday at all.  (Thank you, Lord!)

Now, six years ago when I gave birth to my little girl, I would never have dreamed that today we would celebrate her birthday with a house full of chicken pox.  The four remaining well ones wait their turn with no fear.  Well, let’s say three.  My son, the fourth one not in a present state of dis-ease, has locked himself up in his room trying to defy the likelihood of succumbing to those microscopic pests.

I am learning much in the January classroom.  Academics have dissolved.  Food trays, oatmeal baths, and words of comfort are multiplying.  Even the dog is sick.   Emily has stepped up to the plate as cook.  Matthew has emerged from his room to clean the kitchen and the floors every day.  Annie has taken over the laundry.  Abigail is the errand girl for items being passed up and down the stairs.  James remains in the recliner.   Kimmy and I snuggled on her birthday and played dollie on the sofa.  I’m able to be up on my feet most of the time, with crashing here and there every couple of hours.  James left for less than an hour today to return library books as they were due and I had Emily call him to come home because I could not stand or sit up (experiencing much nausea and vertigo) and needed an adult with me and with the children.  He came home straightway and within a short time had me back to what is more normal for pox owners.

When Karen first broke out with the rash, it looked like it might be fun to play “Connect the Dots”  with one of those nifty washable magic markers.  Now somewhere around 400 blisters later that does not seem to be such a good idea.

I most happily report that I do NOT look like a Dalmation.  I do not like Dalmations.  I only have few spots and if I do receive more of the dotted blessings, then I shall look like a merled Sheltie.  

We appreciate any prayers directed our way, especially for James.  All for now.

Something arrived at my doorstep today, wrapped up in snowmen paper with a clothespin.  It snuck into the house and took a seat among the snowmen.  I love it more than all my snowmen combined.

And it plays music.  Lovely music.  Thank you, friend. 

Our “classroom” for January is much different than any other January I can remember in 19 years of home education.   Years ago a wise mother encouraged me to see each day as a classroom, no matter what the circumstances were and no matter how many books were opened on that particular day. 

First off, we removed all pain medication from our daughter and have quarantined her to her room for ”as long as it takes” which means she is dependent upon us for food, conversation, and activity.  This is challenging and yet beneficial.  The chore routine has been totally upset along with meal preparation, laundry, and school.  Everyone has a new set of tasks and also has to learn more about being alert to the needs of our home and taking initiative more often.   Our quarantined daughter on the other end of it is finding ways to invest her siblings in teaching them music, yarn arts, literature, art works, and narration as they take their turn in her room.  She also is completing several music courses, working on a research paper on a specific literature topic, and doing hymnology work.  Today we lugged the electric piano up the stairs with all its equipment and set it up in her room so that she can give piano lessons up there and can practice herself.  Speaking of pianos….

What does a man do on New Years Day when he has not been well for five days, is increasing in pain and starting a fever?  Well, disassemble our grand piano, of course!  James showed Matthew how to pull it apart and then it was thoroughly cleaned and regulated and tuned.  Seemed a couple of Legos were causing some problems under those keys!  James has found all kinds of things in pianos, including spaghetti noodles. 

As the day wore on, I noticed that my husband was doing worse as the hours went by.  Still he wanted to be productive with all those keys on the table.  He was pleased that the piano went back together well.

This piece was taken to the porch and blown clean with a compressor.  It was a funny feeling that part of my piano was on the porch in the cold weather.  I was glad when the piano went back together.  I was not as glad to see James not so well. 

James sat and played our newly cleaned and regulated instrument for a short time and said that it is just as nice a piano as the day we received it as a gift seventeen years ago.  This piano has served hundreds of people who have been to our home for piano lessons, theory lessons, hymnsings, church meetings, parties, and rehearsals. 

It was less than 48 hours later that we were in the emergency room in the middle of the night with my wonderful piano-tuning husband not doing so well.  As it goes, he is seriously ill and will be ill for several weeks.  We have him at home on some serious pain meds, and attending to him round the clock.  I also have an arsenal of naturopathic therapies to aid in his healing.  And a regimen round the clock of fresh juices coming out of my Champion along with kefir smoothies purring in the VitaMix.  In the last five days he and I have been setting records for sleep.  The best we have done is 5 hours sleep in a 24 hour period.  So right now we are very “in tune” with each other, working through illness, but pretty exhausted.

My husband has also set a record in this illness.  After both emergency room doctors saying this was a serious case, we went to our family physician who has been in practice for 20 years.  He said that James takes the prize for the worst case he has ever seen.   We are thankful for all the doctors who have helped us, along with a handful of pharmacists and nurses. 

During the day our “school schedule” is flip flopped.  We usually have the children up at 6:00 for chores, 7:00 is breakfast and 7:30 starts academics.  No such thing is happening.  It seems that 6:00 is when James falls asleep after difficult nights so I keep the house very quiet for as long as he sleeps - usually an hour.  The children think this is wonderful, even though they are sad that Daddy feels so badly.  They get to sleep in when it is so cold and they can burrow in their beds until the sun rises!  So we are having late starts, a sleepy mommy school teacher, and lots of love and hugs going all directions as we care for each other.  Yes, we have had some tempers flare too - including mine so we are working on that too.  Amazingly we have only missed Latin and Spelling and one piano lesson in three days.  I am thankful that the children are independent in many of their subjects and that even though Daddy is not well, he has taken time to explain math to the older ones and listen to the little ones reading.

Thankful for sound advice from a friend about illness, I am learning about how to monitor medications, how to look at a hurting sick person and plan ahead, and how to look at the total person and address issues that are not directly a result of an illness.  I have also discovered a new illness called Sympathetic Spouse Syndrome which means that I can’t sleep when he is awake and I can’t really sleep when he’s asleep either.  It’s like when a baby is ill.   I never could really fall all the way asleep.  Yesterday afternoon I was so tired that I finally put on a video for the little ones and we snuggled under a blanket and I did fall asleep only to be startled when I awoke! 

One of the things that I discovered when I was in great need for the little ones to have something to do, was that I found that our listening library was in disarray and many of the CDs are missing.  Everything I knew would work to keep a five and a seven year old content must have been swallowed up by the black hole that also steals socks that are never matched up with their mates.  (Does anyone else have a black hole in their house?)  So I started one night going through the organized area of CDs, finding many loose ends, and then I went searching room by room.  Today I collected everything in both cars and now I have the entire hearth and a table covered with a mess.  Why on earth did I start such a big project in the middle of an upside down house?  Well, because I was trying to find the stuff that would give me more things for little ones to do when things aren’t running so smoothly.  The funny thing is that I haven’t found the stuff I need, but I sure did find a whole lot of other stuff.

I’m learning a lot about prayer.  For one thing, I know someone around the world who miscarried last week so since I am awake quite a bit at night, I have been praying for her when she is awake all the way across the earth.  And one of my college roommates has walked the road of cancer with her husband for several years and it is increasingly difficult at this time and so I have prayed for her.  She’s on this side of the globe and I suspect that her nights are difficult.  So these hours of being up are not without gain that I could learn to pray for others.

In January the snowmen come out.  I don’t have a lot of them, but I just adore snowmen.  This year I put them on the newly tuned and regulated piano.  Here are some of them. 

I have two of these. 

Both of these were given to me.  The one to the right is painted on a container.

This one was recently given to me.  I think this one is a girl snowlady and her feet dangle off of long cords. 

This one is also new to the collection and is my rootin’ tootin’ cowboy snowy man. 

Someone tucked this one into my Christmas gifts and are a Mr. and Mrs. 

The end of our day today was special to me.  The girls have been keeping nutritious, sugar-free, meals on our table.  Kathy has headed this up.  We have had fresh vegies to start most of our meals and then a healthy entree with accompanying steamed vegies.  Here you can see the quiche we had tonight that Kathy headed up with much help from Emily.   

Because we are in an unusual situation with two family members with medical needs, we have changed our evening routines and have cuddled in the living room for stories.  We are out of firewood and it is rather cold in there so we come together with all kinds of warm fuzzy blankets.  We have colored in a dozen or so coloring books.  Tonight Kathy has brought down her wheel and is spinning the camel fiber from Mongolia that her grandparents gave her for Christmas.  The wheel is mesmerizing.  Karen is upstairs playing her new penny whistles which take little effort in breath.  Matthew is solving his new 5 x 5 Rubik’s cube that came from Hong Kong today.  Yes, you read that right.  It has 25 squares on a side.  Some nights we have watched some old movies or literary movies - a special treat in our home.  So I will sign off now to join the half-over movie that has such beautiful music in it.  As I sit at the computer I hear giggles going on in there so it must be funny.   The Lord has been near and dear to me through the anxious moments of this past week.   How thankful I am that I can call to Him at any time, and recall His words to me in that wonderful big book that He wrote.  Please pardon errors in this blog.  I am quite tired and working on few brain cells.  I also might not blog much in the coming weeks as my family really needs me right now.  This is God’s Classroom right now.  May my family learn all the lessons He has prepared for us, especially me.

While others may be headed for the dumps as the holidays will draw soon to a close, I am charged.  I am looking forward to the challenges ahead here at home … putting my daughter on solid bedrest until she is well and delivering food and company to her throughout the day, learning to pinch pennies better than the past six months when I was already pinching hard, and taking those cold days to stay inside and …. school!

One of my favorite preachers is a Southern Baptist Minister in the Houston area.  He not only has his own church, but 8 days a month he travels all over the U.S. preaching.  His message is clear and his style is dynamic.  He has written the following article about school that I think is a must read for everyone!

So, if you have not read it, you had better!  It will be less than 10 minutes of your time.  Here’s the link.

http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Entries/2009/6/25_Top_Five_REasons_Not_to_Send_Your_Kids_Back_to_Govt._School.html

Well, my children, I have given you an interesting list of wanna’s… bookstore, shelties, green gables, glaciers and what-not.  It is now 12:01 am, December 25th.  One of you came to me and said, “Mama, is there something that you want that we could really get you?  We can’t really get anything that you put on your blog.”

But you already know what I want.  I tell you every year.  And every year I get it so I am totally thrilled to know that today it will arrive as the sun rises.  It comes wrapped in a variety of packages.  It thrills me with all kinds of jokes and hobbies and interests, so much so that I can barely keep up.  The sizes are different.  The colorings are different.  Part of it is mischievous in different ways.  Some of it works like machinery.  One piece is quite different than the rest, but that makes it all the more interesting.   All of it is fragile, yet at the same time amazingly resilient.  Every Christmas it arrives a bit differently than the Christmas before.   

You know what it is.  You ask me every year.  What do I want for Christmas?

Good Kids.