I'm sitting here fighting maybe my 3rd or 4th sinus infection/cold in the past six months or so. My son, ManBoy is also sick. The younger two are as well but not as bad. This time we got it from spending a week with 300+ kids at VBS. It seems lately like we are constantly sick!
MyHero and I watched a documentary last night that was recommended by a friend. It's called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead!" This guy from Australia got fed up with having to take so many pills for his disease and decided to see if he could help his body heal itself. He went on a 60 day juice fast. It worked! The man no longer has to take anything for his condition which basically was one that caused the histamines in his body to go haywire at the slightest provocation. He was on some really strong steroids to control it.
While he was on his fast and touring the US, he found another guy who has the exact same condition. The other guy eventually decided that he needed to make a change and is now also off his meds I believe. Wow!! That's impressive!
Closer to home, I have a dear friend who recently tried this for about 10 days or so. She said that she has never felt so well as she did after the detox period. I'm convinced! Now, I just need to get my hands on a juicer and some fresh organic fruits and veggies! Anyone want to join us for a 15 day juice fast??? We'll let you know when we decide to start!
Be warned, they say the first 3 days are absolutely horrible. But if you can make it past those, you'll feel soooo much better! Also, if you have any kind of medical condition, it's best to consult your doctor before you start something like this. Here's a website to learn more! http://jointhereboot.com/
If you want to check out the documentary, we found it on Netflix, but here is the site for that too. http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
A Sweet, Sweet Sound?
We had a bit of an ugly scene in our house this morning while trying to get everyone out the door for church. Sound familiar in any way?? My attitude wasn't what it needed to be. RoboBoy was having trouble waking up, having been up too late last night. MyHero was at the end of his patience. He finally ended up saying, "Forget it! I'll just bring the other two." My reaction was, "Fine! What EVER!" Like I said, I had an ugly attitude this morning. (head hung in shame)
I sent RoboBoy back to bed and prepared to watch the Live Service on my laptop. The church was playing background music as I waited for the service to start. But the Holy Spirit was already at work on my heart. The old worship song, "I Love You Lord" was being sung by one of the modern bands.
I sent RoboBoy back to bed and prepared to watch the Live Service on my laptop. The church was playing background music as I waited for the service to start. But the Holy Spirit was already at work on my heart. The old worship song, "I Love You Lord" was being sung by one of the modern bands.
I Love You Lord,
And I lift my voice,
to worship You!
Oh, my soul rejoice!
Take joy my King,
in what You hear!
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
in Your ear.
Wooah!! Wait a minute!!! I've NOT been a very sweet sound in Your ear lately, Lord! I'm so sorry! I want to lift my voice in worship to You, even as I deal with my husband and children. Lord, You just showed me that the way I react to others can be a worship to You and a sweet sound in Your ear, or it can be putrid and not in anyway an act of worship. Please help me to learn to be in worship to You in ALL I do, every moment of my life! By my actions and reactions. Please show me how to act and react as YOU would. Amen.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
But I Don't LIKE Being Stretched!!!
Oh, my goodness! It has been SO crazy at our house lately! We can't seem to stop being sick. MyHero kept smelling mold from under our kitchen cabinets. So in an effort to eradicate the mold, he demoed the lower cabinets.
We had NO idea that things were as bad as they were!!
Yikes! Some of the particle board was literally saturated with black mold. No wonder we've been sick! All that stirring up of the mold has caused me to get even MORE sick. I'm going to the doctor today to hopefully get treated for a sinus infection.
All this is going on and we still have our bedroom "under construction". We have been sleeping in Fashionista's room while the boys share their room with her. Not the most ideal of situations. My entire house feels like a construction zone. I just want some normalcy again!!!
To top it all off, MyHero tells me that we don't have the money to rebuild the kitchen. Ack! You mean things are going to have to STAY like this for a while?? We're going to have to continue doing dishes out of dishtubs filled from the bathtub?? We're going to have to keep looking for meals that require very few to no preparation dishes??
If there was ever a recipe for worry, this is it!! But then there's Matthew 6:25-34 to deal with. There is also what I read in Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest" yesterday. ""It is not only wrong to worry, it is infidelity, because worrying means that we do not think that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything else that worries us... The great word of Jesus to His disciples is ABANDON."
As if that wasn't enough, this morning I read more. Today's reading was based on Revelation 1:17. "'He laid His right hand upon me.' In the midst of the awfulness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. The right hand not of restraint nor of correction nor of chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it is ineffable peace and comfort, the sense that 'underneath are the everlasting arms,' full of sustaining and comfort and strength." MAN! I could USE some of THAT right now!!
Oswald went on to say, "There is despair in which there is no delight, no horizon, no hope of anything brighter;" ( I can relate to THAT right now!) "but the delight of despair comes when I know that 'in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.' I delight to know that there is that in me which must fall prostrate before God when He manifests Himself, and if I am ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God." Are you ready for the kicker? "God can do nothing for me until I get to the limit of the possible."
Getting to the limit of the possible is NOT something I look forward to! However, if it means " ineffable peace and comfort, the sense that 'underneath are the everlasting arms,' full of sustaining and comfort and strength." BRING IT ON!!
We had NO idea that things were as bad as they were!!
Yikes! Some of the particle board was literally saturated with black mold. No wonder we've been sick! All that stirring up of the mold has caused me to get even MORE sick. I'm going to the doctor today to hopefully get treated for a sinus infection.
All this is going on and we still have our bedroom "under construction". We have been sleeping in Fashionista's room while the boys share their room with her. Not the most ideal of situations. My entire house feels like a construction zone. I just want some normalcy again!!!
To top it all off, MyHero tells me that we don't have the money to rebuild the kitchen. Ack! You mean things are going to have to STAY like this for a while?? We're going to have to continue doing dishes out of dishtubs filled from the bathtub?? We're going to have to keep looking for meals that require very few to no preparation dishes??
If there was ever a recipe for worry, this is it!! But then there's Matthew 6:25-34 to deal with. There is also what I read in Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest" yesterday. ""It is not only wrong to worry, it is infidelity, because worrying means that we do not think that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything else that worries us... The great word of Jesus to His disciples is ABANDON."
As if that wasn't enough, this morning I read more. Today's reading was based on Revelation 1:17. "'He laid His right hand upon me.' In the midst of the awfulness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ. The right hand not of restraint nor of correction nor of chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father. Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it is ineffable peace and comfort, the sense that 'underneath are the everlasting arms,' full of sustaining and comfort and strength." MAN! I could USE some of THAT right now!!
Oswald went on to say, "There is despair in which there is no delight, no horizon, no hope of anything brighter;" ( I can relate to THAT right now!) "but the delight of despair comes when I know that 'in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.' I delight to know that there is that in me which must fall prostrate before God when He manifests Himself, and if I am ever to be raised up it must be by the hand of God." Are you ready for the kicker? "God can do nothing for me until I get to the limit of the possible."
Getting to the limit of the possible is NOT something I look forward to! However, if it means " ineffable peace and comfort, the sense that 'underneath are the everlasting arms,' full of sustaining and comfort and strength." BRING IT ON!!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Hi, I'm Dee and I have Asperger's Syndrome
I've known for several years that my youngest son has Asperger's (aka, high functioning autism and/or autism spectrum disorder). It took longer to realize that I have it too. My son goes to see a psychiatrist once every 3 months. His doctor has all but confirmed that I'm an Aspie too. I would of course have to make a separate appointment for myself to get an official diagnosis. Just don't see the need in that.
When I look back on my childhood I can see so many times when I've displayed the classic symptoms of an Aspie. My mother tells me that when I was a toddler I would hold my breath to get my way. She was afraid to let me do that until my pediatrician told her just to let me. He told her that I would simply pass out and start breathing again. Apparently she took his advice, because I don't remember ever doing this.
Aspies tend to have chronic insomnia. I can testify that my son has struggled with this for years. I've been an insomniac for as long as I can remember. My mother says that she used to put me down for naps and I would lay perfectly still for at least an hour or two and NEVER go to sleep. My sister on the other hand would be out if my mom could just get her to be still for a few minutes.
I've never felt socially adept. This has always been a struggle for me. I used to have a terrible time making eye contact with others. I've had to train myself to do this. I've even learned to read most social cues.
I remember one time when I was in middle school, I'm think. I was at some sort of class party that was being held at our local community center. Everyone was playing some sort of tag game that involved the boys catching the girls to give them a kiss. I went and hid in a closet and cried. I refused to come out when my friends came to find me. Now, keep in mind that these were all kids that I went to school with every day and had since 1st grade! Not only that, but we are only talking about some 10-15 kids who showed up for this event at the most.
At the time I couldn't explain why I was acting the way I was. However, now I know that I was placed into a situation where all the social rules had totally changed. I felt completely out of place and overwhelmed. I had no clue what the social rules were in this situation so I pulled into myself and hid away. There have been numerous other similar examples of this in my life over the years.
For years, I've tried to understand and explain to my hubby why when he comes up behind me and wants to love/hug on me, I stiffen and resist. Poor thing took this personally for a long time. I tried to explain to him that it has nothing to do with him, but I really didn't understand why I was doing it myself. Now that I know that I'm an Aspie, it makes total sense. Aspies tend to dislike physical affection of any kind. We really can't explain why this is, it just is. I have learned to overcome much of this tendency as well.
I also have many sensory issues which is yet another Aspie tendency. I will often find myself tapping something because I like the way it sounds, or rubbing a particular surface because it feels nice (I can't resist rubbing the silky side of the ribbon in my Bible during church). Lately I've found myself making raspberries with my tongue just because it "feels good". Thankfully, I only do this at home and I'm trying to break myself of this habit before it becomes annoying to the rest of my family.
I'm sure that I could come up with lots more examples, but this is enough to convince ME that I'm indeed part of the Aspie club. I think it is harder for adults to recognize or get diagnosed with Aspergers. Depending on where we were on the spectrum, many of us learn to adjust and deal with our symptoms. If we were not diagnosed as children, we really had no choice. No one, including us, had any clue that we had a disorder and so we were expected to behave just like everyone else. This is often true for those who HAVE been diagnosed. There is still a whole world out there that has no idea what Aspergers is.
This knowledge has freed me up to have higher expectations of my son. I've been there and survived so I know he can too. Sure I make some allowances for his disorder, but I also keep in mind that he's going to HAVE to learn to adjust. The world is NOT going to adjust to suit him.
When I look back on my childhood I can see so many times when I've displayed the classic symptoms of an Aspie. My mother tells me that when I was a toddler I would hold my breath to get my way. She was afraid to let me do that until my pediatrician told her just to let me. He told her that I would simply pass out and start breathing again. Apparently she took his advice, because I don't remember ever doing this.
Aspies tend to have chronic insomnia. I can testify that my son has struggled with this for years. I've been an insomniac for as long as I can remember. My mother says that she used to put me down for naps and I would lay perfectly still for at least an hour or two and NEVER go to sleep. My sister on the other hand would be out if my mom could just get her to be still for a few minutes.
I've never felt socially adept. This has always been a struggle for me. I used to have a terrible time making eye contact with others. I've had to train myself to do this. I've even learned to read most social cues.
I remember one time when I was in middle school, I'm think. I was at some sort of class party that was being held at our local community center. Everyone was playing some sort of tag game that involved the boys catching the girls to give them a kiss. I went and hid in a closet and cried. I refused to come out when my friends came to find me. Now, keep in mind that these were all kids that I went to school with every day and had since 1st grade! Not only that, but we are only talking about some 10-15 kids who showed up for this event at the most.
At the time I couldn't explain why I was acting the way I was. However, now I know that I was placed into a situation where all the social rules had totally changed. I felt completely out of place and overwhelmed. I had no clue what the social rules were in this situation so I pulled into myself and hid away. There have been numerous other similar examples of this in my life over the years.
For years, I've tried to understand and explain to my hubby why when he comes up behind me and wants to love/hug on me, I stiffen and resist. Poor thing took this personally for a long time. I tried to explain to him that it has nothing to do with him, but I really didn't understand why I was doing it myself. Now that I know that I'm an Aspie, it makes total sense. Aspies tend to dislike physical affection of any kind. We really can't explain why this is, it just is. I have learned to overcome much of this tendency as well.
I also have many sensory issues which is yet another Aspie tendency. I will often find myself tapping something because I like the way it sounds, or rubbing a particular surface because it feels nice (I can't resist rubbing the silky side of the ribbon in my Bible during church). Lately I've found myself making raspberries with my tongue just because it "feels good". Thankfully, I only do this at home and I'm trying to break myself of this habit before it becomes annoying to the rest of my family.
I'm sure that I could come up with lots more examples, but this is enough to convince ME that I'm indeed part of the Aspie club. I think it is harder for adults to recognize or get diagnosed with Aspergers. Depending on where we were on the spectrum, many of us learn to adjust and deal with our symptoms. If we were not diagnosed as children, we really had no choice. No one, including us, had any clue that we had a disorder and so we were expected to behave just like everyone else. This is often true for those who HAVE been diagnosed. There is still a whole world out there that has no idea what Aspergers is.
This knowledge has freed me up to have higher expectations of my son. I've been there and survived so I know he can too. Sure I make some allowances for his disorder, but I also keep in mind that he's going to HAVE to learn to adjust. The world is NOT going to adjust to suit him.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Olden Days!
The other night MyHero was telling our kids about how he kept himself entertained when he was a kid. He was trying to get across the point that he survived without video games, computers and DSI devices. He told them how he once made his own boardgame. RoboBoy (my Aspie) looked at his siblings and said, "Yeah, but that was in the OLDEN DAYS, when everything was in black & white!"
I started to protest that MyHero is not THAT old, when I realized the rest of what RoboBoy had said. We tried to explain to him that there has always been color in our world. He looked as us unbelieving and said, "Then what is up with all those old pictures??" I said, "Sweetie, they just didn't have color film back then."
This is a prime and funny example of how Aspergers kids tend to take everything literally. If the pictures showed black & white then the world must have been black & white. It makes perfect sense to their minds.
I started to protest that MyHero is not THAT old, when I realized the rest of what RoboBoy had said. We tried to explain to him that there has always been color in our world. He looked as us unbelieving and said, "Then what is up with all those old pictures??" I said, "Sweetie, they just didn't have color film back then."
This is a prime and funny example of how Aspergers kids tend to take everything literally. If the pictures showed black & white then the world must have been black & white. It makes perfect sense to their minds.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Attempting to Break the Mold!
I wish I could find a way to dip my entire house along with all it's contents in bleach!!! It seems like everything in my house is growing mold! Of course, I'm being overly dramatic and not EVERY thing is moldy, but there sure seems to be a lot!
I just cleaned a window sill in my kitchen today. It's the one that our garbage can sits under. Oh, my goodness!! I can't believe we lived with it like that for even a few days!! I guess it's because of where it's situated where it doesn't get much direct sunlight. Also I have a bookshelf right in front of that window which holds my bread maker and some other kitchen stuff. The height of the bread maker plus the shelf blocks the window sill and part of the window. It's just sooo hard to keep ahead of places like that where the condensation from the window sits.
We are also having to do some mold management in our bedroom. A few years ago we did a renovation in our room adding wood laminate floors, repainting and putting up nice wallpaper. I LOVE my country bedroom! Unfortunately, the mold loves the glue on the back of the wallpaper too. We are starting to see areas at the seams where mold is growing. So the wallpaper is going to have to go! We are also going to have to keep a dehumidifier going 24/7. It's such a joy living in Florida!
Not sure if it's a product of living with the mold but I ended up with a very painful ear infection. I spent a couple of sleepless nights due to the pain from it. When I went to the doctors she said there was green gunk inside my ear! She gave me antibiotic ear drops and a pain med so that I could get some sleep. I believe the infection is all cleared up now, thank you LORD!!! Now if we can just get a handle on all this mold maybe I can manage to stay well for a while!
I just cleaned a window sill in my kitchen today. It's the one that our garbage can sits under. Oh, my goodness!! I can't believe we lived with it like that for even a few days!! I guess it's because of where it's situated where it doesn't get much direct sunlight. Also I have a bookshelf right in front of that window which holds my bread maker and some other kitchen stuff. The height of the bread maker plus the shelf blocks the window sill and part of the window. It's just sooo hard to keep ahead of places like that where the condensation from the window sits.
We are also having to do some mold management in our bedroom. A few years ago we did a renovation in our room adding wood laminate floors, repainting and putting up nice wallpaper. I LOVE my country bedroom! Unfortunately, the mold loves the glue on the back of the wallpaper too. We are starting to see areas at the seams where mold is growing. So the wallpaper is going to have to go! We are also going to have to keep a dehumidifier going 24/7. It's such a joy living in Florida!
Not sure if it's a product of living with the mold but I ended up with a very painful ear infection. I spent a couple of sleepless nights due to the pain from it. When I went to the doctors she said there was green gunk inside my ear! She gave me antibiotic ear drops and a pain med so that I could get some sleep. I believe the infection is all cleared up now, thank you LORD!!! Now if we can just get a handle on all this mold maybe I can manage to stay well for a while!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Making Learning Meaningful
Ok, so I haven't blogged in what feels like forever! To tell the truth I got a bit burned out on writing for a bit there! I didn't even think that was possible for me! I needed to write 24 150-200 word articles within a week. My brain was sore at the end of that week but I did it! Now I've got the writing bug again!
I went to a Homeschool Conference this past weekend. One of the speakers, a dear friend of mine, encouraged us to find out what our children's strengths are. We should then use that knowledge in our homeschools to help inspire our children to soar in their strengths while improving in the areas they are weak.
So last night I pulled out the book I'd ordered months ago but hadn't gotten around to actually reading, "How to Discover and Develop Your Child's Strengths" by Jenifer Fox, M.Ed. I'm barely into the first chapter and I'm already being challenged and feeling inspired.
In chapter 1, Ms. Fox says, "True learning is all about making connections between what you learn and how it makes for a better life or a better world. Without these important connections, children are not engaged in learning. When children are not engaged in learning, they stop paying attention. This is where the downward spiral into weakness begins."
I had to stop and think about that for a little bit. Then I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to put the book down and go online to search for a math program that would help my children make those connections. My first thought was, "Ok, after I finish this chapter." But I felt like I needed to do it right away.
I set the book aside and googled "relevant math". That didn't give me very many relevant options. So I googled "meaningful math" instead. That brought me to this site: http://www.cornerstonecurriculum.com/. Now we're getting somewhere! The more I've read on this site the more I'm convinced that this is the program that I want to use with my kids. Dare I even go so far as to say, this is the curriculum God wants me to be using with my kids?
You see, my kids have been struggling with math for far too long now. I hate to admit it but my 7th grader still hasn't mastered his multiplication. It has been very frustrating for me as a mom who also struggles with math and math concepts.
MyHero says that we need to wait to purchase these books after we see how much it is going to cost to repair our only vehicle. It currently refuses drive over 10 mph and is consequently staying the night and possibly more at the dealership. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to getting these books. I may actually learn to enjoy teaching math!
I went to a Homeschool Conference this past weekend. One of the speakers, a dear friend of mine, encouraged us to find out what our children's strengths are. We should then use that knowledge in our homeschools to help inspire our children to soar in their strengths while improving in the areas they are weak.
So last night I pulled out the book I'd ordered months ago but hadn't gotten around to actually reading, "How to Discover and Develop Your Child's Strengths" by Jenifer Fox, M.Ed. I'm barely into the first chapter and I'm already being challenged and feeling inspired.
In chapter 1, Ms. Fox says, "True learning is all about making connections between what you learn and how it makes for a better life or a better world. Without these important connections, children are not engaged in learning. When children are not engaged in learning, they stop paying attention. This is where the downward spiral into weakness begins."
I had to stop and think about that for a little bit. Then I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to put the book down and go online to search for a math program that would help my children make those connections. My first thought was, "Ok, after I finish this chapter." But I felt like I needed to do it right away.
I set the book aside and googled "relevant math". That didn't give me very many relevant options. So I googled "meaningful math" instead. That brought me to this site: http://www.cornerstonecurriculum.com/. Now we're getting somewhere! The more I've read on this site the more I'm convinced that this is the program that I want to use with my kids. Dare I even go so far as to say, this is the curriculum God wants me to be using with my kids?
You see, my kids have been struggling with math for far too long now. I hate to admit it but my 7th grader still hasn't mastered his multiplication. It has been very frustrating for me as a mom who also struggles with math and math concepts.
MyHero says that we need to wait to purchase these books after we see how much it is going to cost to repair our only vehicle. It currently refuses drive over 10 mph and is consequently staying the night and possibly more at the dealership. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to getting these books. I may actually learn to enjoy teaching math!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)