WOW...
It has been a while since I last blogged. To say life has been crazy wouldn't be at all appropriate. To say things are crazy sounds like your being funny. I am not laughing.
I am however still in love with my life, it just needs to some major tweaking. I need to reclaim my home, my marriage and some amount of control over the children.
I am not even sure when I lost it, I think it was like a small leak in an inner tube, and just slowly happened! Some major contributing factors where that Cody has changed so fast and entirely. It is so very hard for me as his mother to watch him change from this sweet, innocent, polite boy, into this raging out of control, impatient, rude, lunatic.
The kids ages are hard right now as well. 2, 4, 5 is tough!
I am also still struggling with body pain and being overly low energy and tired. I am going to look for a new Dr. soon, and hopefully get to the bottom of this. Its hard to be my best and do much of anything when I feel like a dish rag!
Caleb has been doing ok. He still is very, very obsessive. That drains me so much! He follows me around saying the same thing over and over. Its really hard to keep my cool sometimes. We never talk about anything else. Like how he is doing, or something interesting that happened. ALL we ever talk about it what Caleb wants for a materialistic item now!!! He thinks things should just be given to him. I can't just give them to him, so ensues the struggle!
Carson is doing so well! He still struggles with impulsivity, but truly is doing awesome! He is reading so well, and has grasped reading comprehension!
Cathryn is now officially potty trained! Carly is finishing up dance. We are working on her interrupting. Connor is doing ok. He struggles a lot with behavior right now! We are considering in home supports for him.
I was being very candid today. Things are coming back together slowly but I am still quite raw from a rough few months!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Saturday, December 29, 2012
I'm back! :)
I took a long break from blogging. Life got really busy! I'm hoping to return to it more now. :) I have a lot to discuss!
My family is still busy, we have a lot going on. I will post an update per child:
Caleb is almost 16! It doesn't seem possible that I am going to have a 16 year old soon! 16 just seems so old! lol! He is managing the girls Varsity basketball team. He loves it! Its a bit more of a commitment than I think he tough, but he's working through it pretty well. He grades improved a lot this last semester after we decided to have him stay after for an hour each weekday except Friday. He has amazing teachers who made a great commitment to Caleb, for that I am so grateful! Unfortunately we are not having the greatest time managing Caleb's obsessive behaviors! :( He is now off all meds that cause weight gain, he's doing a bit better weight wise but needs to start watching his food choices. Unfortunately Caleb craves carbs, could be a genetic thing or it could be a depression thing, often times people with depression or anxiety crave carbs. So we are hoping to decrease carbs and increase protein. The med to control the obsessive behavior is not working very well! :( and that makes it very difficult. Caleb has the ability to be amazing but these behaviors make that difficult to see! :( He comes across very selfish and arrogant. I am struggling with my relationship with him right now. We butt heads a lot! We are very opposite each other and that makes it very difficult. Hopefully we find a way to make it all work. He is my baby no matter how old he gets! :) If we can figure out this behavior stuff he will be taking drivers ed this Spring. So hard to believe were there already! Time really does fly!
Cody: Is doing awesome! He got on the honor roll and missed High Honors by 1 point! He participated in Lego League this year and loved it! He got a lap top for Christmas, he was very excited by that. He loves playing minecraft. He's a good big brother and loves to eat!
Carson: Oh my Carson! He's something else! He is so many different things all at once! He's kind and generous one minute then he's hyper and aggressive the next minute! Hard to keep up with his ever changing moods! He is still on Vyvanse and when its working its great, when its not, not so much! As long as I can keep him stimulated he does pretty good, its when I cant that its a problem. He is still my vivacious little man. He loves his family and really does want to do well! He loves 1st grade now! Especially his teacher Miss Bean. He lives minecraft as well. He got Lego's Lord of the Rings for Christmas and he loves that too. He also loves doing Lego's! :)
Connor: He is such a happy boy! Always smiling and happy with anything that moves or has lights! We have these snowman lights that twinkle and sing, he would stand on upside down bucket and push that button a hundred times! Good thing I love him because it got very annoying after about the 20th time! lol! He is doing amazing in pre-k with Miss Amy. I am grateful she helped me see Connor as not disabled, but as the amazing boy he is! :) He has many people in his life he loves, Miss terry picks him up 2 days a week for Preschool and speech. He loves Miss Chris and Miss Jenn. Connor is doing well and no longer has in home support. Other than the occasional outburst for lack of communication he is doing awesome!
Carly: Oh miss Carly! Our girly girl! She is doing dance and LOVES it! she also loves Miss Amy and going to preschool! She is all ready early reading! She is so very smart. She is very competitive! so we need to work at having her slow down, she doesn't need to first, she needs to do her best work. :) She loves dressing up and being girly!
Cathryn: She is still quite the spitfire! Never a dull moment for her!She is so busy and hyper but loves her babies and is such a good mommy! She is having trouble with her legs, 2 times since Labor Day weekend she has "hurt" her legs, and the first time couldn't bare any weight for the better part of the day and the second time "limped" for the better part of a week. After many X-rays we discovered a genetic abnormality in the growth plate of her ankles. So we are off to see a pediatric Orthopedic in Portland. Other tripping up some, it hasn't slowed her down a bit! She is a typical 6th child and doesn't take any ones crap! lol! She is a mommy's girl though, and thankfully I got another one, I haven't had one since Cody so that's nice!
So there is an update on everyone! I have been so busy! I decided to sell fudge and chocolates for Christmas. I was shocked at its amazing success! :) I was so happy to have such great, positive feedback! I was however extremely busy! I will do it again sometime as it was so successful but I will take a bit of a break! :)
I hope to post more on budgeting, I got way off the beaten path with our budget and really have a desire in the new year to get back on track! We have a really big reason to do it this year and hopefully that's the kick in the pants I need to get it done!
I will concentrating mostly on our food budget, as that is the most flexible and most costly for us!
Have a great 2013 everyone! and please feel free to post your own ideas and comments anytime!
My family is still busy, we have a lot going on. I will post an update per child:
Caleb is almost 16! It doesn't seem possible that I am going to have a 16 year old soon! 16 just seems so old! lol! He is managing the girls Varsity basketball team. He loves it! Its a bit more of a commitment than I think he tough, but he's working through it pretty well. He grades improved a lot this last semester after we decided to have him stay after for an hour each weekday except Friday. He has amazing teachers who made a great commitment to Caleb, for that I am so grateful! Unfortunately we are not having the greatest time managing Caleb's obsessive behaviors! :( He is now off all meds that cause weight gain, he's doing a bit better weight wise but needs to start watching his food choices. Unfortunately Caleb craves carbs, could be a genetic thing or it could be a depression thing, often times people with depression or anxiety crave carbs. So we are hoping to decrease carbs and increase protein. The med to control the obsessive behavior is not working very well! :( and that makes it very difficult. Caleb has the ability to be amazing but these behaviors make that difficult to see! :( He comes across very selfish and arrogant. I am struggling with my relationship with him right now. We butt heads a lot! We are very opposite each other and that makes it very difficult. Hopefully we find a way to make it all work. He is my baby no matter how old he gets! :) If we can figure out this behavior stuff he will be taking drivers ed this Spring. So hard to believe were there already! Time really does fly!
Cody: Is doing awesome! He got on the honor roll and missed High Honors by 1 point! He participated in Lego League this year and loved it! He got a lap top for Christmas, he was very excited by that. He loves playing minecraft. He's a good big brother and loves to eat!
Carson: Oh my Carson! He's something else! He is so many different things all at once! He's kind and generous one minute then he's hyper and aggressive the next minute! Hard to keep up with his ever changing moods! He is still on Vyvanse and when its working its great, when its not, not so much! As long as I can keep him stimulated he does pretty good, its when I cant that its a problem. He is still my vivacious little man. He loves his family and really does want to do well! He loves 1st grade now! Especially his teacher Miss Bean. He lives minecraft as well. He got Lego's Lord of the Rings for Christmas and he loves that too. He also loves doing Lego's! :)
Connor: He is such a happy boy! Always smiling and happy with anything that moves or has lights! We have these snowman lights that twinkle and sing, he would stand on upside down bucket and push that button a hundred times! Good thing I love him because it got very annoying after about the 20th time! lol! He is doing amazing in pre-k with Miss Amy. I am grateful she helped me see Connor as not disabled, but as the amazing boy he is! :) He has many people in his life he loves, Miss terry picks him up 2 days a week for Preschool and speech. He loves Miss Chris and Miss Jenn. Connor is doing well and no longer has in home support. Other than the occasional outburst for lack of communication he is doing awesome!
Carly: Oh miss Carly! Our girly girl! She is doing dance and LOVES it! she also loves Miss Amy and going to preschool! She is all ready early reading! She is so very smart. She is very competitive! so we need to work at having her slow down, she doesn't need to first, she needs to do her best work. :) She loves dressing up and being girly!
Cathryn: She is still quite the spitfire! Never a dull moment for her!She is so busy and hyper but loves her babies and is such a good mommy! She is having trouble with her legs, 2 times since Labor Day weekend she has "hurt" her legs, and the first time couldn't bare any weight for the better part of the day and the second time "limped" for the better part of a week. After many X-rays we discovered a genetic abnormality in the growth plate of her ankles. So we are off to see a pediatric Orthopedic in Portland. Other tripping up some, it hasn't slowed her down a bit! She is a typical 6th child and doesn't take any ones crap! lol! She is a mommy's girl though, and thankfully I got another one, I haven't had one since Cody so that's nice!
So there is an update on everyone! I have been so busy! I decided to sell fudge and chocolates for Christmas. I was shocked at its amazing success! :) I was so happy to have such great, positive feedback! I was however extremely busy! I will do it again sometime as it was so successful but I will take a bit of a break! :)
I hope to post more on budgeting, I got way off the beaten path with our budget and really have a desire in the new year to get back on track! We have a really big reason to do it this year and hopefully that's the kick in the pants I need to get it done!
I will concentrating mostly on our food budget, as that is the most flexible and most costly for us!
Have a great 2013 everyone! and please feel free to post your own ideas and comments anytime!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
UPDATE: THE UPSIDE DOWN WORLD OF ADHD
WOW! What a roller coaster ride ADHD is! My Carson was diagnosed a few years ago. He has classic ADHD with severe symptoms. The beginning of this year went well. Unfortunately we are back sliding pretty bad right now. We Started meds last school year. Vyvanse was his first very successful medication. It was amazing, it transformed my child from a child who could barely participate in the smallest of things, to being able to do just about anything, and with success! BUT, there is always a BUT, the med causes appetite suppression, and hes down 3 lbs, that wouldn't be bad if he had some weight to loose but he really didn't, add that to the fact that he got taller, and now I have a very thin little man! He was having more trouble so instead of increasing the Vyvanse the Dr. added another ADHD med. Well that had bad side effects so we took him off that, and now we are waiting to decide what to do. Yesterday we did no meds to get an idea, and being without anything is just not an option. He's so impulsive and spastic it would be tough to keep him and others safe! Not to mention the ear piercing screaming (for attention/sensory issue) not because he was hurt! We tried to do homework. It took an hour to do one paper, and by the time we were done the paper was destroyed, scribbled on and very messy. His name wasn't even in the right spot or spelt right, and I was sitting with him, guiding him through it. Not to mention at least a dozen times during homework, he physically jumped up onto the table!!! Actually onto the table!
Its not an easy diagnosis to navigate! He is my first very typical ADHD child, I have a lot experience with behavioral issues and anxiety, but this is something a lot harder to handle, because he has no control over it!
We are eating healthy, very limited preservatives and dyes. He is better on this diet than off, but its not nearly enough! We are exploring bulk building foods right now as well.
So for now he is on the Vyvanse in the morning, Dexadrine in the afternoon and Clonodine for sleep at night. We currently do not have any in home support for Carson. He has had it in the past and it might be something we explore again in the near future.
I understand many people do not support meds, I am open to opinions but please do not judge or post rude comments. I too, tend to be as natural as possible, and we held off till he was in his second year of Kindergarten till we explored meds. I hate that meds have the side effects they do, but they have made it possible for my son to participate in life and for that I am grateful!
Its not an easy diagnosis to navigate! He is my first very typical ADHD child, I have a lot experience with behavioral issues and anxiety, but this is something a lot harder to handle, because he has no control over it!
We are eating healthy, very limited preservatives and dyes. He is better on this diet than off, but its not nearly enough! We are exploring bulk building foods right now as well.
So for now he is on the Vyvanse in the morning, Dexadrine in the afternoon and Clonodine for sleep at night. We currently do not have any in home support for Carson. He has had it in the past and it might be something we explore again in the near future.
I understand many people do not support meds, I am open to opinions but please do not judge or post rude comments. I too, tend to be as natural as possible, and we held off till he was in his second year of Kindergarten till we explored meds. I hate that meds have the side effects they do, but they have made it possible for my son to participate in life and for that I am grateful!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Scary things in our food and what can we do about it?
It is so incredible what is considered food today! I have always had a passion for whole, healthy food. I remember as a teenager buying my own healthy food. Believe you me when I tell you I ate my share of junk! Today it is just unreal what the government is passing off as safe for human consumption. The genetically modified food, food treated with pesticides, hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup, growth hormone, dyes, preservatives. I'm not going to quote statistics or ramble on, but think to back to when you were a kid. It wasn't at all common for a middle aged person to die of cancer and defiantly not a child. Very few people had Autism or mental illness. Obesity was rare and people just wernt as sick!
The connection has to be our food. It makes sense, as that is what has changed the most!
NOW: What do we do about it? This is my biggest question. I, like most of you, live on a limited income. My grocery budget is meager at best. How do I afford to feed my family a healthy diet? I am still in the process of doing my research, and have not developed the answer yet.
I am starting with growing my own veggies and some fruit. I have learned to can. I am raising my own chickens for eggs and my own pigs. I buy from local farmers and find out what they use to feed there animals. I bake a lot more and buy less processed food, which is less expensive. Although baking takes time.
Your food should spoil! If it won't spoil its NOT good for you!
My family deserves to be healthy without going broke to get there! I will succeed! Keep checking in for updates. :)
The connection has to be our food. It makes sense, as that is what has changed the most!
NOW: What do we do about it? This is my biggest question. I, like most of you, live on a limited income. My grocery budget is meager at best. How do I afford to feed my family a healthy diet? I am still in the process of doing my research, and have not developed the answer yet.
I am starting with growing my own veggies and some fruit. I have learned to can. I am raising my own chickens for eggs and my own pigs. I buy from local farmers and find out what they use to feed there animals. I bake a lot more and buy less processed food, which is less expensive. Although baking takes time.
Your food should spoil! If it won't spoil its NOT good for you!
My family deserves to be healthy without going broke to get there! I will succeed! Keep checking in for updates. :)
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Autum, my favorite time of year!
I love Fall, I always have. The clean crisp air, cold nights, turning leaves, picking apples. I love it all!
There is a lot of opportunities in the fall for great family time and money saving activities. I have found that apple picking has become ridiculously commercial and so expensive! :( but there are still some small orchards that don't charge through the nose. There are also great activities, like carving pumpkins, picking unique leaves and doing leaf rubbings, making scarecrows, making apple pies and apple sauce, so many great things to do!
Fall is a time for canning for me. I find it awesome to look at the labor of my work all summer coming together. I look at my ever growing pantry shelf filled with things I grew, and it makes me VERY happy!
Keep watch for some great Autum recipes!
Go out and enjoy all that God has given us! :)
There is a lot of opportunities in the fall for great family time and money saving activities. I have found that apple picking has become ridiculously commercial and so expensive! :( but there are still some small orchards that don't charge through the nose. There are also great activities, like carving pumpkins, picking unique leaves and doing leaf rubbings, making scarecrows, making apple pies and apple sauce, so many great things to do!
Fall is a time for canning for me. I find it awesome to look at the labor of my work all summer coming together. I look at my ever growing pantry shelf filled with things I grew, and it makes me VERY happy!
Keep watch for some great Autum recipes!
Go out and enjoy all that God has given us! :)
Saturday, September 8, 2012
ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability. The word means: the quality or state of being accountable; especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions. : the quality or state of being accountable; especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions
Oh this is a word I have used and heard a LOT!
As a mom, taxi driver, Dr. of booboos, chef, financial everything, hair dresser, secretary, counselor, teacher, ect., ect., ect. It would be easy to blame someone else for everything that goes wrong in my life! Phew, pass the buck and be done right? Well here's what happens when you do that. The problem goes unresolved! You can not fix a problem in your life unless you first agree to what your part in it is, it would be like putting a band aid on a cut that should of had 12 stitches!
The only thing that can be harder than being unaccountable yourself, is to have a spouse or close loved one that is not accountable. It is hard to say "you know what I screwed up"! but it hurts people around you if you don't "admit" to your part. When everyone takes accountability for there portion, you can come together and start to problem solve, heal and move on.
Making TRUE changes in our life is HARD! We WILL fail miserably from time to time, we just need to get back up and keep moving FORWARD!
Oh this is a word I have used and heard a LOT!
As a mom, taxi driver, Dr. of booboos, chef, financial everything, hair dresser, secretary, counselor, teacher, ect., ect., ect. It would be easy to blame someone else for everything that goes wrong in my life! Phew, pass the buck and be done right? Well here's what happens when you do that. The problem goes unresolved! You can not fix a problem in your life unless you first agree to what your part in it is, it would be like putting a band aid on a cut that should of had 12 stitches!
The only thing that can be harder than being unaccountable yourself, is to have a spouse or close loved one that is not accountable. It is hard to say "you know what I screwed up"! but it hurts people around you if you don't "admit" to your part. When everyone takes accountability for there portion, you can come together and start to problem solve, heal and move on.
Making TRUE changes in our life is HARD! We WILL fail miserably from time to time, we just need to get back up and keep moving FORWARD!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Summer update:
I thought I would post a small update on our Family:
We had a hard start to our summer. Starting the beginning of June, Cody, Me, Carson, and Connor got Strep Throat! Mid June Cody got a double ear infection, and near the end of June all the kids got the Hand Foot and Mouth Virus! That was the worse! I was very sick with Strep but the sores the kids got in there mouth and on there body paled in comparison! They were so miserable! So not a great start to our Summer.
Things are looking up though!:
We bought a Camper!
We spent the 4th of July week on the Ocean. We went to our very most favorite Campground in the world. Lobster Buoy in South Thomaston. We had a great time. The kids did good and spent most of there time crab fishing! It was emotional being there without Tracy, but she wouldn't of wanted us to go anywhere else!
Now on to plan the rest of our Summer.
I have fallen directly off the frugal bandwagon and married its ugly evil twin brother! Seriously! I have been way to fast and loose with our spending! I let the depression of us all being sick let me take an I don't care approach, and spent foolishly! Mostly on eating out, ordering out and at the Grocery store. My previous post on the guilt of buying juice boxes pales in comparison, I have bought several since!
Update on the kids:
Caleb: He is doing good, his weight is up again so there reducing one of his meds, unfortunately its the med that controls his tics, so we will see. He has gotten really stuck on some things this summer making things difficult but all in all he really is trying. Its been amazing to see how money can motivate him! He's trying to save for Drivers Ed! Scary I know, I cant believe I have a child old enough to do driver ed.
Cody: He is doing really good now that he isn't so darn sick! Poor bugga, he got the Hand Foot and mouth so bad! He is my hardest little worker! I really appreciate his help. He is starting to realize he does more work than Caleb and starting to protest as he should. He has been doing lots of research on Hershey Park and Six Flag's. He's going there with his Grandmother August 14th. He is so excited! He also just got a baby duck he named Daffy.
Carson: We ended up putting him back on the Vyvanse and he is doing so awesome! He went from a child who couldn't even participate in the simplest of things to being able to do almost anything! I know that sounds drastic but its true. Ive never had a child respond so well to meds before. He truly does have one of the worse cases of ADHD I've ever seen. He loved the ocean he literally spent several hours a day crab fishing! He is such a joy to have around!
Connor: He is just such a Joy! :) He is happy with the simplest of things! He just smiles all the time! He also enjoyed the ocean! He crab fished with Carson. He really is growing up! He started summer speech with his Miss Jenn, and spent time with his Miss Terri. He still has clenched fist a lot but he seems to managing his sensory stuff fairly well.
Carly: Oh my, I wanted a girl and boy did I get it! :) She is 100% girl, through and through! She loves Dancing, dress up and Peppa Pig! She loves dresses and wants to wear one everyday! She is still a daddy's girl! oh and she hates it when you call her baby!
Cathryn: Oh God love that child! She is a bullet train! She never stops, she is boundless energy! She has found her voice and her attitude! :) She is afraid of NOTHING! I have daily heart attacks, and I don't scare easily! She is developing normally and has amazed us at every turn. With her start in life i never anticipated her doing this well. I am very happy, although thoroughly exhausted! :)
So there it is, a little update on my little family!
We had a hard start to our summer. Starting the beginning of June, Cody, Me, Carson, and Connor got Strep Throat! Mid June Cody got a double ear infection, and near the end of June all the kids got the Hand Foot and Mouth Virus! That was the worse! I was very sick with Strep but the sores the kids got in there mouth and on there body paled in comparison! They were so miserable! So not a great start to our Summer.
Things are looking up though!:
We bought a Camper!
We spent the 4th of July week on the Ocean. We went to our very most favorite Campground in the world. Lobster Buoy in South Thomaston. We had a great time. The kids did good and spent most of there time crab fishing! It was emotional being there without Tracy, but she wouldn't of wanted us to go anywhere else!
Now on to plan the rest of our Summer.
I have fallen directly off the frugal bandwagon and married its ugly evil twin brother! Seriously! I have been way to fast and loose with our spending! I let the depression of us all being sick let me take an I don't care approach, and spent foolishly! Mostly on eating out, ordering out and at the Grocery store. My previous post on the guilt of buying juice boxes pales in comparison, I have bought several since!
Update on the kids:
Caleb: He is doing good, his weight is up again so there reducing one of his meds, unfortunately its the med that controls his tics, so we will see. He has gotten really stuck on some things this summer making things difficult but all in all he really is trying. Its been amazing to see how money can motivate him! He's trying to save for Drivers Ed! Scary I know, I cant believe I have a child old enough to do driver ed.
Cody: He is doing really good now that he isn't so darn sick! Poor bugga, he got the Hand Foot and mouth so bad! He is my hardest little worker! I really appreciate his help. He is starting to realize he does more work than Caleb and starting to protest as he should. He has been doing lots of research on Hershey Park and Six Flag's. He's going there with his Grandmother August 14th. He is so excited! He also just got a baby duck he named Daffy.
Carson: We ended up putting him back on the Vyvanse and he is doing so awesome! He went from a child who couldn't even participate in the simplest of things to being able to do almost anything! I know that sounds drastic but its true. Ive never had a child respond so well to meds before. He truly does have one of the worse cases of ADHD I've ever seen. He loved the ocean he literally spent several hours a day crab fishing! He is such a joy to have around!
Connor: He is just such a Joy! :) He is happy with the simplest of things! He just smiles all the time! He also enjoyed the ocean! He crab fished with Carson. He really is growing up! He started summer speech with his Miss Jenn, and spent time with his Miss Terri. He still has clenched fist a lot but he seems to managing his sensory stuff fairly well.
Carly: Oh my, I wanted a girl and boy did I get it! :) She is 100% girl, through and through! She loves Dancing, dress up and Peppa Pig! She loves dresses and wants to wear one everyday! She is still a daddy's girl! oh and she hates it when you call her baby!
Cathryn: Oh God love that child! She is a bullet train! She never stops, she is boundless energy! She has found her voice and her attitude! :) She is afraid of NOTHING! I have daily heart attacks, and I don't scare easily! She is developing normally and has amazed us at every turn. With her start in life i never anticipated her doing this well. I am very happy, although thoroughly exhausted! :)
So there it is, a little update on my little family!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
