Where to Find Us
Instead of “Dinius Fam Happenings,” I should call this blog, “The Little Blog That Time Forgot.”
Other projects have taken me in various directions, and blogging elsewhere, so I wanted to list a few of those places in case you’re one of the few who still check on this blog. I’ll try to make an effort — at least once or twice a month — to update here, as well.
So, this is a little bit like “Where’s Waldo?” — except, of course, we’re talking about the Dinius Fam.
I’ve been having fun blogging on health and fitness topics for a while now at CrazyBusy Mama (Dot Calm)
You can also find me on Facebook. No…if I don’t know you personally, I won’t accept your friend request. Sorry, that’s just the world we live in….Once you and I become friends, you’ll be able to see Lonnie’s profile in my friends list and you can “friend” him, too.
I’m also on Twitter.
We started a CarePage site for Lonnie at http://www.carepages.com/carepages/LonnieDinius.
See you there. Or here. 
PS: Okay, fine — a little news in a nutshell.
Lonnie’s latest lab results weren’t so good. Looks like the myeloma cells in his blood and the Bence-Jones proteins in his urine (produced by the myeloma) have each increased by about 25%. In the blood, this means a decrease in the red and white cells he needs, and in the urine, it means possible damage to the kidneys (though there isn’t any yet). He’s a strong guy. Definitely my hero.
Joel’s graduating high school from Insight High School of WA. He’s looking for work right now, and I’m sure the right job will come along. Jesse is 16 and going to Tahoma High School. Need to remind myself to take him to get his driver’s license. Keep forgetting!
Erica is 14 and we’re going to try getting her into the local junior high. She’s been homeschooled all these years, so that will be bittersweet. 
Bethany is four. ‘Nuff said. Thank you, Lord, for video cameras. The time passes too quickly.
Lonnie’s Recent Tests
This will be a “flash post” of sorts — I’ve got a ton to do today but wanted to give an update on Lonnie.
He got a call yesterday from his oncologist, who informed him that his “bad” proteins were the highest they’d been since he was diagnosed. Other proteins they look for in the labwork were high, as well. By way of explanation, high levels of certain proteins usually signifies that the cancer is getting more active. There are no plans for treatment yet — he’ll be going in for his next lab tests in April (a month sooner than usual). If the numbers remain high or continue to rise, his doctor may suggest the next course of action, or refer him back to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
If you’re new to this blog, you may not know that Lonnie was diagnosed in early March of 2006 with Multiple Myeloma. He received the call with this news the day before Bethany turned three weeks old.
You can learn more about Multiple Myeloma by going here: MultipleMyeloma.org.
Prayers for Lonnie would be appreciated!
Sometimes it’s Okay to Quit
I have never let my schooling interfere
with my education.
~ Mark Twain
From childhood, we are told it’s a sign of weakness to be quitters. Admittedly, there are plenty of things that are bad to quit without good reason…such as marriage and jobs.
And college.
(Some people even decide to quit living…and that never turns out well.)
“Once you start something, finish it!” We’ve all heard that noble saying. But the mistake lies in making that statement all-inclusive, because sometimes it is okay to quit.
Last summer, we “quit” homeschooling in favor of online public schooling. The boys’ school, Insight School of WA, despite its glitches, has been working out pretty well. Not so with Erica’s school. The number of hoops (a.k.a., busywork) that Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA) wants parents to jump through as ”learning coaches” is over the top. I won’t go into it all here (let’s just say I had less work when I was homeschooling her)…but I made my concerns known to Erica’s teacher (who was really wonderful), and maybe WAVA will eventually get a clue. Hopefully before enrollment starts dropping astronomically.
Don’t get me wrong–WAVA is a good school, and many families are happy with it. WAVA uses the K12 curriculum, which is one of the best around (I was very happy with their representation of Jesus and Christianity in Erica’s world history course). It just wasn’t a good fit for us. For something that was supposed to make things easier around here, it actually became a camel on our backs.
And, so, we find ourselves…once again…quitting. But it’s a good thing, this quitting. You see, my gut instinct originally was to keep homeschooling Erica through junior high, so this is a confirmation that I should have stayed on that path.
But sometimes you just don’t realize how well something’s working until you give it up.
Nevertheless, I’ve appreciated this whole experience. Why? Because it’s made me so grateful for educational choice. I will never, ever tell someone that they must give their child a certain kind of education, whether it’s public, private, charter, alternative, homeschooling, or online. There shouldn’t be just one way. We started out as private schoolers (with Joel in preschool) who became homeschoolers who later had the choice to switch to online public schooling. I so appreciate that I was still able to keep my kids at home, but was able to let go of the burden of doing the teaching (with the exception of WAVA). I wasn’t forced to put them in a brick-and-mortar school.
So, I guess you could say we’re a “mixed-education” family! I will always fight for the right of people to homeschool their kids, but even more, I will champion their right to choose their desired form of education. There is no one form of education that is right for everyone.
If your child isn’t thriving in school (wherever/whatever that school might be), it’s okay to take a look at other options. Don’t worry about what your friends and extended family think. (If, for example, you decide to quit homeschooling against “their” wishes, are “they” going to run right over and teach your kids?? I think not!) The important thing is to do what’s right for your family, even if that includes quitting.
Just don’t forget to start again on a better path.
