ADHD

I have some friends who have a son that struggles with hyperactivity like my son.  They have always told me they control his angry outbursts with diet.  No artificial coloring, flavoring or sweetening and no sugar, high fructose corn syrup or any other 'oses in their food.  So in other words, whole foods.  I was a bit doubtful of this for quite a while.

Several years ago I took my son to a pediatrician about his hyperactivity and inability to concentrate.  The doctor spent 1 minute with him and diagnosed him with ADHD.  The angry outbursts and arguing are all part of it as well.  So immediately he was put on medication for it.  I noticed he would calm down significantly for sure and he stopped getting into trouble at school, but his grades are not improving.  I was also told that diet has nothing to do with it and that was a myth.  He was a doctor and I believed him.  I believed him when he told me medication was the only answer.  I believed him when he said I have to take him to a Psychiatrist to get him to stop arguing.  I believed the Psychiatrist when she told me she needed to up his medication and add another one after only spending 10 minutes with him.

It has been almost a year since I made the big decision to change the way I eat.  I started out by cutting out sugar.  Then I was told that wheat was just as bad and I was given the book "Wheat Belly" to read.  That book scared the crap out of me and I made some DRASTIC changes to my diet.  I went whole foods and organic when I can.  I am still working on the dairy thing, but that will come in time I guess.  I don't anything processed or artificial.  I am learning more each day about how to eat properly.  I also am sugar, gluten and mostly grain free.  I will give in once in a while and I always regret it.  My body rejects all of that stuff now.  I have lost 35 pounds and I feel so much better.  I am not perfect at it by any means, but I am getting better each day.

I never made my kids go to this new way of eating really, except at dinner time with the main meal.  I still allowed them to eat bread, cereal and some sugar and I think it was mostly for convenience.  I was overwhelmed with what I should feed myself let alone trying to figure out what to feed them for breakfast, lunch and snacks.  Not to mention they go to a church activity or a friend's house and they are pumped full of sugary treats.  Before Christmas last year I needed to make an appointment with the Psychiatrist for my son.  I kept forgetting to do it.  Then I found out she was going strictly cash and would no longer take insurance.  That meant I was back to the drawing board trying to find a Psychiatrist who took insurance...*sigh*.  We were getting close to running out of his medication and I was going to try the pediatrician again.  Again, I kept forgetting to make the appointment.  I had just enough pills to get him through school before Christmas break.  Coincidence?  I think not.  I had a chat with him and he wanted to be off the meds. We made a decision together that as a family we would all go to the new way of eating.  I took both of my kids off sugar, gluten, processed food, artificial everything and cut back on dairy.  They eat a lot more meat, eggs, veggies and fruits and I try to buy organic when I can.  I had 2 weeks to get him on some form of an eating schedule before school started.

It hasn't been easy for sure.  I feel like I'm being sabotaged every corner I turn.  The kids are bombarded with sugar at school, church and friends.  However, we are wading through and I have noticed a significant improvement.  My son still loves to argue, but most times I can handle it.  I know IMMEDIATELY when he has had sugar.  Here's an example of what happens when he has sugar.  He talks 100 mph and he argues a lot more.  One day I let him have a tiny bit of ice cream.  When we went to Walmart he literally ran through the store.  He didn't walk at all, it was running.  He also was incapable of listening to me.  He has only had 9th hour (detention) 1 time since he started back to school.  Before it was several times a week.  I'm not saying he's not hyper, because he definitely is.  He is however starting to finally grasp the consequence thing.  His sense of humor is also showing up.  I really think the medication was numbing him.  I am not a medical doctor or an expert.  I am not saying going off medication is really the right thing to do.  I'm still wading through it and trying to figure it out.  But, I can say this.  Doctors will never ever again be able to convince me that diet doesn't effect behavior.  I have seen too many times over the last month something to the contrary.  It may become something that I have to do in conjunction with medication, but I am going to make absolutely sure before I put him back on medication.

Yay...Christmas is Over!

I know I sound like a Grinch or Scrooge, but I am so glad Christmas is over.  It hasn't been the best of Christmas'.  Don't get me wrong, we were blessed beyond belief by secret santas again this year.  There are so many generous people out there and it restores faith in humanity.  I am forever grateful to those that are so giving and someday I hope to be in a position to give to someone. 

This year, as in almost every year, I had to work.  Kind of takes the fun out of Christmas.  I love my job and I love the people I work with, but I would much rather be at home for sure.  I also started feeling pretty crappy on Christmas day.  I was struggling with my voice and I have been coughing for days.  Considering all I do at work is talk, it makes it difficult to do my job.  Then after work, my mom, my kids and I did the present thing.  My kids ripped thru their gifts in about 3 minutes flat.  My mom has had some kind of stomach bug for a few days so she wasn't feeling well and I was starting to get a fever with whatever bug I had.  Yippee...super exciting Christmas.

I ended up in bed all day yesterday.  I don't think I have slept so much as I did yesterday.  Weird how fever does that to you.  I drank and drank and it just didn't seem like enough.  I didn't eat much either.  I stayed home again today and when I woke up I was actually starving and my voice is somewhat back.  I don't have a fever at the moment so that is a good thing.  I am really hoping to be over this soon.  I have a hard time being down in bed unless it is by my choice.  Trust me, since my husband died, there have been many a day where I have done nothing but lay in bed, but that was my choice. 

I did accomplish one thing yesterday.  I paid for my school.  I can't believe it is almost time to start school.  I never thought it would get here, but at the same time it came so fast.  Am I ready?  I sure hope so. 

I also watched a movie I got for Christmas yesterday.  Bridges of Madison County.  I just love that movie.  I love the music and I love the tragic love story.  I cried and cried over that movie.  I have a friend that doesn't like it because she thinks they could have chosen someone better than Clint Eastwood to play the main character.  Honestly, I think that is why I like the movie so much.  He is not some super handsome perfect guy.  He is normal and not perfect.  He is also a great actor.  The pain and anguish he feels makes me feel it right along with him.  And the music is so beautiful!  There are movies where the music almost makes the movie.  High Road to China with Tom Selleck is one of those movies.  It is good and he definitely makes the movie worth watching, but the music is amazing!

I just went back and read over this post...I think I have a touch of ADD...wow, it is all over the place.  Anyway, here is hoping the New Year brings prosperity and happiness to us all!  Wouldn't it be great to have just one year where no one had to worry about finances, loss, sickness or sadness? 

What is Happening?

I have a confession to make. I have never seen Duck Dynasty. Not 1episode or even part of an episode. I have read interviews and they seem to be decent people. I'm impressed with the fact they share their beliefs no matter what. I believe that is part of the draw to the show. In a messed up world where values seem to be nonexistence, people have found something on tv that is decent to watch and they can relate to. Or maybe they just like the hillbilly look. Who knows. Without seeing the show I'm not sure.

Here is what I do know. I am a conservative Christian woman. I am not perfect and I have made some big mistakes so I am not in a position to judge anyone. I am not a racist or intolerant like some liberals say all conservatives are. I believe whole heartedly in the United States Constitution. I believe it was divinely inspired and this country was founded on those beliefs. I am also a mom who is worried about the world my kids are growing up in.

I am wondering when it became ok for a young woman to strut around a stage in her underwear, grind her body on a married man with children in front of millions of people and call her confused and trying to find herself. Yet it is not ok for a man who has already found himself and he expressed his religious beliefs and opinions and got suspended from the show because someone was offended. When did the rights of someone who is not a citizen of this country become more important than the rights of someone who fights to protect this country or legal citizens because we don't want to offend anyone? When did it become a bad thing to say Merry Christmas because someone could be offended? When did it become bad to pray in public because it might be offensive no matter what the religion? When did what celebrities think become more important than what anyone else thinks? When did we decide that it was ok for our government leaders to lie to us and not face the consequences? When did it become ok to violate a United States citizen's constitutional rights no matter what their religious beliefs, color their of their skin, gender or sexual orientation? Why is it all of these people are up in arms about a man from a tv show and yet they do nothing when our government lies over and over again? Why aren't we doing something about that? Why aren't we boycotting tv shows and magazines that promote nudity, violence and drugs?

How am I supposed to teach my kids to be honest if our leaders are not honest? How do I teach my daughter to dress appropriately when all she sees is girls and women showing a lot of skin and how do I teach my son to respect girls and women when they don't respect themselves? How do I teach my kids that everyone's opinion has value even when it isn't the same as yours and to stand up for what you believe is right when people are getting fired for sharing their opinions and standing up for what they believe in?

Our constitution affords us the right to speak our minds, to worship as we choose, to own guns if we want to and to vote how we want. Laws are put in place to protect us not to suppress us. We should be fighting for the constitution and our country. We should be demanding more from our leaders and when we aren't getting it, we should let them know at the voting polls.

I love this country and it is sad, disappointing and down right scary the way we are headed. I hope we wake up before it is too late...or is it already too late?

A Dream

I have a dream. I dream of 5 acres of property. A place where I have fruit trees, square foot gardens, vertical gardening, solar power, wind power, sistern to catch rain water to water all of my gardens and trees. I want a decent sized house with a finished basement to store food storage, a big kitchen where I have room to preserve all that food I grew myself and an extra room for my sewing room. I want plenty of room for my kids to play outside in our yard instead of the street and maybe even have chickens for the eggs. I want to be self sufficient. I don't want to rely on the food in the store that are chock full of pesticides, gmo's and preservatives that I can't even pronounce their names. 

Years ago my dad was making plans for a straw bale house, self sufficiency with power and recycling rain water for his garden. At the time I thought my dad had lost it. It was interesting, but a little out there. So now I'm thinking I have either lost it or my dad had a pretty darn good idea. Someday I WILL have this. I don't know how. I will probably have to find a sugar daddy for it, but I intend for it to be. 

I have always been into canning food. I started learning at a very young age. Between my mom, grandma, step mom and step grandma I have learned many different ways of preserving food and so many different types of food that can be preserved. This past week I have been canning the best sugar free applesauce I have ever made!  My latest obsession is dehydration. I have so many things I want to put in the little machine and dry out!

I know I will probably have to move to have this dream. I have my eye on a couple of small towns that would work. I only attract crazy and married men anyway so I wouldn't be making a big sacrifice in the dating department. I guess I better go count my pennies and see how close I am to my dream. If you know anyone who wants to help a broke sista out, send them my way...I will share some awesome canned goodness!