December 8th ~ Refresh Your Soul

On the eighth day of December my true love gave to me,

a movie night with my family.

 You may not be feeling too frazzled yet, but I am, and ready for a brief respite. What better way than to sit down with my family, snuggle on the couch, add a bowl of popcorn, and a great Christmas movie?

It’s true I have had some extremely busy days this week. For the past two days I’ve been driving all over Eastern NC and VA going to new doctors and workshops all in the name of ADHD. Let me just say, the workshop was FANTASTIC! There was so much information and I can’t wait to get my thoughts organized and share some of it with you. Unfortunately that will have to wait until I catch up on some of this other stuff I am behind on.

I decided to share a list of some of our absolute Christmas flicks musts that always help us enjoy the season in good health, good spirits, and good fun:

         

          

             

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And two of my personal favorites just for me….

              

Enjoy these moments with your family, take time to wind down and watch a Christmas movie together. And as always, remember the real reason for the season

         

 

 

 

 

“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

~ Jeremiah 31:25  NIV               

  

What are some of your family favorite Christmas movies?

                  

Living with ADHD

I don’t have words to express my feelings. I do not trust them. When dealing with an ADHD child I often feel as though I am in a race against time, and time is definitely against me. There is no quick fix. It all takes so much time! Time to get in with the doctors, time to test and evaluate, and then time to wait for the evaluations and diagnosis; time to see if the medication is right, time to change the dosage and then see if it’s right again, then time to completely change the medication and see which dosage works.

Now we have to wait for counseling sessions, for what results we can possibly hope to achieve. We have to wait for another, better, more knowledgable doctor, and a whole round of driving 1 -3 hours once a week, once a month, whenever…. Adding anxiety meds into the mix.

In the meantime, my ADHD son is having breakdowns in school almost everyday. What more the school and his IEP can do for him, I do not know. We are so blessed to have this amazing team surrounding him, doing everything they can for him. They do so much for him already.

I know that you can’t always be in control of who teaches your child, and how well they do or don’t deal with ADHD children. And that is part of the frustration.  But I do know that calling me and telling me that my child is having a hard day, and will I please speak to him to calm him down, is a signal that someone over there isn’t equipped very well, and I’m not talking about the 10-year-old.

It’s okay. I can talk to him at school and try to reason with him, calm him down and make him feel better. But I can’t do it every week, and I shouldn’t have to. Main reason being not even a phone call from mom can whip a child into shape, and all it does is frustrate me even more knowing that my child is in tears at school every day  because he feels frustrated, overwhelmed, and anxious.

He doesn’t reason like we do. If you have an ADHD child (or spouse) you know what I’m talking about. I’m not making excuses for him, I’m saying that he requires a different kind of communication if you want positive results. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s a pain in the butt. But that’s the way it is. Parents who have ADHD, ADD, Autistic, mentally handicapped, physically handicapped, etc. children have to learn how to deal with their children. And as a society, you do, too. There is a responsibility here that falls on every person who has contact  with and a direct impact on these children. Don’t think that just because he’s a “behavior issue” that the momma bear won’t come out.

I don’t know what to do. Every year, every grade level, every day is extremely important in the life of a child, from physical and spiritual health, to mental and I.Q. health. Every day my child feels frustrated and overwhelmed, every day his anxiety overcomes his ability to focus and reason, and how is this good for his overall academic health? What am I supposed to do in the meantime while we are waiting on doctors and meds and counseling?

I thank God for him every day. He is so sweet, and loving and generous. I can’t find fault in his ADHD because if he didn’t have it he’d be someone else, and I love him.

There is so much information out there about SPD and ADHD that I won’t even get close to covering it. In fact, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know a whole lot about it. It’s an education in process and any ADHD parent out there will agree. A lot of the available information is conflicting, cryptic, and misunderstood. For such a large word, it is truly an individualized disorder.

SPD means Sensory Processing Disorder. From what I know, you can’t be ADD or ADHD without having this disorder as well- for the most part.

ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADD virtually is the same thing without the hyperness, but it does not make the attention deficit any easier.

APD is Auditory Processing Disorder. This is something that we are currently screening Number Two for. It’s best to look at all the possibilities and options and work backward from there, eliminating as you go. Your best defense is to narrow the disorders down as best you can so that you can focus on the real issues.

Anxiety: Number Two suffers from anxiety, which is more of a front-runner than the ADHD. Unfortunately, ADHD is only 1 of 5 recognized disorders that are covered by insurance and government organizations. There is so much else out there- it’s a shame to label someone just so the schools can legally put your child into a 504 or IEP.

Alas, anxiety often gets labeled alongside depression. This is more of a standard coating for doctors and medication decisions. Don’t let it bother you too much- you know your child (or yourself) better than anyone else, but be clear about what the issue is and what kind of care you expect in return.

 

The rant was theraputic- thanks for enduring   Keep a lookout for my 2nd post of the day Flat Bread Heaven.  http://thehomeheart.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/flat-bread-heaven/

Every Day is a Good Day

“For he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.” ~ 1 Peter 3:10

I love every day of the week. There is something good to be found in each day. More often than not they are very simple things. These simple things accumulate into a life. They are what makes life worth living.

I love Sundays. Sundays are unique from every other day of the week, and should be, not just for me but for anyone who loves the Lord. Sundays are the day for church and an open, public sharing of faith and worship in His house. There is great community in this day. I also love Sundays because I always cook a large, traditional meal for my family to share after church. Often times I do not cook again this day and we will graze on leftovers later in the evening when we feel hungry again. This is the only day of the week that we as a family will pray before and after our meal. This is also our lazy family day. Most Sundays we will gather together in front of the TV and have a “movie marathon”. This is when we choose a movie that has at least one sequel and watch all day. Other times we play board games or do other activities together as a family.

I love Mondays. Mondays may not be great for the kids who have to get up early and go to school, or for those adults who have to get back to the daily grind of a 9 to 5. But for me, as a home-keeper, they are lovely, quiet, de-compressing days. I like getting back into the grind of domestic responsibilities. Time to fold that clean laundry that’s been sitting in the basket for a few days. Clean the kitchen and get the house organized for the coming week. Enjoy that first quiet cup of coffee and think about what needs to be done during the week. Do my Pilates routine that I always ignore over the weekend. Some people might think I’m crazy, but I like cleaning my house and keeping everything tidy and organized.

I love Tuesdays. Lately Tuesdays have become my shopping days, although I try only to hit the grocery store every two weeks. I love to shop, so even grocery shopping is fun to me. I also enjoy seeing how much I can buy for as little as possible. On the Tuesdays I don’t shop, I am still working on my next grocery list, and working  around the house on chores.

I love Wednesdays. We’re halfway through the week and feeling a little tired. I can’t do everything my house requires me to do in one day, so I am finishing up my domestic chores. But what makes Wednesdays good is that the homework week is almost over! It’s also Zumba night and if I’m extra lucky I will remember to go. As a bonus it’ll also be Bingo night (if I have an extra $20).

I love Thursdays. I’ve always been a fan of the underdog, and Thursdays fits that bill. Thursdays are great because the weekend is almost here and I know that it’s the last night of the week my youngest son has homework. Homework time is a struggle, and from talking to many other moms, it seems to be everywhere else, too. Gone are the nights (well, at least for a few nights) of tears and frustration. Okay, so not all nights include tears (at least not anymore). Thank God for that. Truth is, Jadon struggles with math concepts and the tediousness of grammar, but overall he’s doing quite well for someone with ADHD. And I love any day of the week just because of that!

I love Fridays. I think it’s obvious why. Funny how I enjoy Mondays so much just for what they are and then look forward to Fridays as well. Also, it’s pizza night! As much as I enjoy cooking, by Friday I am ready for a break. It’s also date night, which means I can prepare pizza for the kids, get a new release from the video store or Netflix, and then go out to dinner for some special alone time with my hubby, or a girls night.

I love Saturdays. The first (actually the only) day of sleeping in. The first day in 5 days that I don’t have to get up at 6:30 am. Sleeping in until 8 is heavenly. Saturday is the only day that from week to week is not consistent.  Lately we’ve been busy on Saturdays, from weddings to funerals, Emmaus or other community gatherings, or getting ready for an upcoming church bazaar. It’s usually a play day for Jadon with his BFF, and a work day for Brandon at the local grocery store.

There is something to be thankful for and enjoy about every day. Find what little blessings you have and every day will be a good day!