I love Christmas decor

I’ll love it even more in about 5 years when it doesn’t get played with, LOL.  I think I’m done!  The tree is up, the Nativity is up, stockings are up, other cute little pieces are out…

Feeling encouraged

So I filed my unemployment claim today and applied for 3 jobs like the state requires.  I found TWO of the three in Lean Healthcare!  How exciting to know that my “passion” exists outside of manufacturing and hi-tech! 

Alaska???

Well, I haven’t talked about this much, but there’s a chance that the Woodsman might become an Alaska State Trooper.  We should know for sure in a week or so if he’ll be invited for an interview.  So we’ve been doing some contingency planning in the event that he’s fortunate enough to be offered a spot at the academy (successful completion of which is a spot on the force).

At any rate, the plan would be for me (and the boys) to stay here while I go to school, and Nate would do training and work while I finish the degree. 

Since my classes start at 4, and are about 35-40 minutes away, and Cosmo gets home at 3:30-3:40… we’re thinking we’ll need a nanny.  Someone to come here and take care of the boys.

And… Swing will start Kindergarten in a year and a half, so depending on his hours, I might need someone home for him, too.

Lots to think about there. 

This plan (assuming a move to Alaska is in our future) also minimizes the family time spent living in the bush.  Though I think living in a remote area will be good for us… it will be nice to have a shorter “required” stay before making the decision to stay remote or not.  Though I’m thinking if I’m going to work, we’ll have to live in a larger city. 

Or… we could stay here.  Either way, we’ll be doing just fine. :D

Nicknames

Seems I need to finally just nail down my family nicknames.  I was hoping to find something creative that shares initials with the boys; it took forever, but the names came to me late at night.

Meet:

 
Cosmo
Also known as C.  He’ll be 8 on December 29, is currently in the 2nd grade, is a phenomenal reader and is curious about all things scientific.


Swing
Also known as S.  He will be 4 on the Solstice, December 21.  He’s a lively little gent.  Very affectionate and has a way with flattery.  He has also recently learned that just because I ask or tell him to do something, doesn’t mean he HAS to. 

The Woodsman
Also known as “the hubs.”  My mate of 13 years, and avid outdoorsman.  When I say “avid outdoorsman,” what I mean is “one who refuses to sit for a photo without a dead animal in the shot.”  I was lucky enough to find something NOT In the field.  You’re welcome.  Though I swear I’m going to get family pictures if I have to take drastic measures.
.

Holidays full swing!

Dinner’s been had and the dishes are done, leftovers have been eaten, there are still sandwiches to be had… life is good.

We put up the tree today.  It’s never without consternation.  S is almost 4, and was insistent that all of the baseball type ornaments were his.  He carried this one around the house for the longest time.  I took it away several times, and he kept finding it, that little stinker!  I think next year I’ll just do it all by myself.  Perhaps I can leave a few ornaments for the boys to put on, and just do the rest of it alone.  LOL

I bought a pair of little 4.5” trees to go on either side of the front door last year.  They sure are cute! 

It doesn’t feel Christmasy yet.  Perhaps because there’s no snow?  My sense of time is still a bit off.  But I’m mostly used to not working. 

I’m pretty excited about what we’re getting the boys for Christmas and for their birthdays.  … Have I mentioned that their birthdays are Dec 21 (S) and Dec 29 (C)?  What can I say… March is good to us.  :)

I’m also fond of this online shopping business.  Though there are some things to buy in a “real” store. 

As much as we’re financially secure… this will be a tough month!  The first month of a “full” COBRA payment, property taxes, timeshare dues, homeowner’s association dues… Christmas and two birthdays!!!  Yikes!  Thank heavens for savings!  It’ll be tighter than we’re used to, but we’ll make it, by the Grace of God if nothing else!

Meds update

C missed a day of meds this week.  Boy could we tell a difference.  We won’t be letting that happen again any time soon.  I guess it’s a bit reassuring that we’re doing the right thing.

Technorati Tags: Christmas,Thanksgiving,Finances,Money,Meds,Concerta,ADHD

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so very much to be thankful for today.  Though my family has faced a couple sizeable challenges in the second half of this year… we are just fine.  In fact, the challenges are blessings.

ADHD

It’s not been an easy ride, but overall… we’ve learned more how our son “operates.”  I didn’t WANT to put him on meds, but now that he’s on them, I see how life is so much better for him.  He has so many more successes, is able to control his behavior more, is able to learn more at school… or be able to show his knowledge like he wasn’t able to before.  Family life is so much calmer… normal.  We are all better people.

Layoff

I have an opportunity to go to school.  For free.  With an income.  Seriously?  If we’d been presented with two options… one to remain employed with a decent income, or two: to collect a decent unemployment and go to school for free to get a master’s degree and be able to change industries… we’d definitely have selected the second option.

Other things I’m grateful for:

My family.  Sounds trite… but they complete me.  My husband balances me out.  We’re good for each other.  My children teach me something new every day, and constantly offer me opportunities to increase my patience.

More family and friends.  I have the best parents ever.  Google it.  It’s there.  They taught me to love God and to work hard, and they encourage me at whatever I take on.  The only thing missing are the pom-poms.  They do have cheers.  My sister is a dear… the sweetest, kindest soul that ever lived.  My brother will come around.  I still have a relationship with my best friend since the third grade, Erika.  I’m so lucky to have her. 

My home.  We are warm.  We have hot, running water.  We have a huge backyard for the boys to play in, to barbecue, to enjoy the outdoors.  We have a beautiful park a tenth of a mile away.  It’s a pretty nice house, with amenities that aren’t needs.  Filled with furniture, tools, appliances, love.

God.  He’s taken such good care of us.  We’ve put some work in, but it’s been more than worth it, and the work wasn’t really that hard.  When I’ve had faith, I’ve never been let down.  And I don’t deserve it.

Coffee.  You might think I’m joking, but I’m not.  :)

There are so many “things” to be grateful for.  I cannot possibly list them all.  I’ve read (and cannot find to link a reference) that the poorest 10% in the US is among the wealthiest 10% of the world.  What a mind bender!  We are so blessed in this country that we don’t even comprehend the difficulties others go through every day.

On that note, I bid you all a very blessed Thanksgiving.

Idaho Insomniac

So I find myself unable to sleep once again.  It’s too late to take anything for it if I want to be functional in the morning.  Might as well write what’s going on in my head.  I’m hoping to “move the files” as opposed to “copy the files” from my head to this computer.  Perhaps if I change their location, they’ll no longer swirl around and keep me up?

Life doesn’t feel stressful.  Not really.  Not abnormally. 

Potential causes:

Finances

Money is okay.  We’ve set ourselves up for this very circumstance.  I’m so glad we have made some of the decisions and strategic moves that we have!  This is our 4th house.  We’ve made money on the sale of each of the previous homes, and don’t owe much on this one.  We were able to put the entire balance of our mortgage to a home equity line of credit, and our interest rate is very low, and we’re able to make interest only payments while our income has been reduced. We WERE on a 10 year plan to pay it off, but we’ll be fine if we have to bump that out a couple years.

ADHD

We are on the right track with C.  His behavior and the related stress have improved greatly.  I have the conference with his teacher tomorrow.  I’m pretty sure I know what that will entail, and I’m not worried about it.  Well, I was a bit antsy, because the principal had told my husband that she’d be attending.  I don’t care for her much.  Okay, I think she’s entirely void of capability and her ineptitude spans more facets than a single being could possibly count.  Perhaps one day I’ll share that story.  At any rate, I’m settled on that front as I spoke with the teacher and asked that the principal not be present.

Job Search

I had an interview today.  For a job I didn’t really want.  Though  this is my second interview since I’ve been laid off.  This is the second time I’ve been stricken with the call of the “old” profession.  I interview, see a fantastic challenge… a way to use my current skills and to learn something new… and part of me wants it.

Perhaps that’s what’s troubling my mind?  I DO want to go to school.  I DO want to change industries.  But I really did enjoy so much of my work previously.  This other job paid peanuts.  So it was a no-go.  I was underpaid by 50% at the company.  (yes, I have legitimate sources)  There’s no way I could cut that in about half to work for this place.  Even though it’s 10 minutes away.

School

I need to take that test.  The GRE.  It’s the final step.  Then I’ll be accepted (assuming I score over 1000).  Then the future will be a little less nebulous. 

Conclusion

I think the feeling of missing process engineering coupled with the relative uncertainty of school is what’s bugging me tonight.  My reasons for the career move are solid.  The career path is robust.  I guess I just have to navigate my way through the change.  I love fixing processes, bringing functions up to some “standard.”  I’ll be able to do this in healthcare.  It will just feel different. 

The Principal

So here’s the story.  When C was in kindergarten, he found a condom on the bus.  I guess he put it in his backpack and took it to the babysitter’s, who found him blowing on it.  It was out of the wrapper and unrolled when he found it.

Of course, my very first action was to call the principal.  This was not okay, and the district needed to know it happened so that it could be prevented from happening again.  Though the chances were small, the risks were there… that it had been on a body, that bad behavior was going on on the bus, any number of things. 

I shared these concerns with the principal.   She agreed they were legitimate concerns and that it shouldn’t happen again.  Her response??  “There’s nothing I can do to help you.”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

She essentially told me “that’s not my job.”

Granted, I do think she meant that she had no authority over the bus department.  But I don’t care.  My thought was (and is) that the principal is the face of the school district to the parents.  The first line of contact.  Even if there was absolutely nothing she could about the BUS aspect of this occurrence, she could have talked to people for me, brought this to the attention of somebody who could have helped me, given ME names and phone numbers… any number of things. 

Instead she covered her ass.  She was more concerned about liability than about my son’s health, or the potential for this to happen to another child.

Several (bounced) emails and phone messages to her boss (director of elementary ed) later, I decide to play the media card.  Low and behold, someone decided to help me.

Interesting how her boss had a list of about 7 action items to help solve this problem and ensure it didn’t happen again.  One of which was to have the school nurses in the entire district talk to the kindergarten AND first grade classes about picking things up off the floor or ground.  Hmmmmm… the principal could have done this.  She didn’t care to even think about it.

At any rate, this was my first interaction with the “leader” of my son’s school, and it’s never improved.  There’s a bit more to the story, but this post has become a veritable epic, and I think I’ll try to sleep once again.

By the way… the pediatrician did recommend and I did take my kindergartener in to have blood drawn for an HIV test… due to the conditions provided by the school district.  Confidence NOT instilled in this parent.

Snowy Sunday

We got to play outside today.  C (foreground), in fact, has spent most of today outside in the snow.  Hook him up with some snow gear and he’s a regular Abominable Snowman!  I’m glad, it’s good for him.  Fresh air, exercise… appreciate the warm house on the inside…

It’s a great day for coffee and a movie. 

Planet 51

Speaking of movie, we saw “Planet 51” yesterday.  It was cute.  The boys deserved a movie after running errands with me!  I had to return a couple of items at two different stores, and had to go grocery shopping, and I bought our new Ooma at Costco.  Hours of boredom.  Thank heavens for the playland at Fred Meyer!

Ooma

The Ooma is a VOIP with no monthly fees.  You purchase the hardware for a couple hundred bucks, sign up for an annual “super service option” if you’d like, and then you are phone bill free.  YAY!  So once the phone number is ported over successfully, we’ll be able to cancel the landline, and we’ll get a family plan with AT&T so I can get the iPhone that I covet.

We tried Vonage; that was a disaster.  So far, a big difference between the Ooma and the Vonage is that Ooma has you sign over authority to work with the phone company for you, so you don’t have to play the middle man fighting back and forth and getting nothing done.  And since you don’t have to fight back and forth, you don’t have to talk to “offshore” “customer service.”  I know this because we let my parents be the Ooma guinea pigs.

Technorati Tags: Ooma,movie

Technorati Tags: Snow

5 days later…

So C’s been medicated for five days now.  So far, I think it was the right decision.  Not just because it makes my life easier, but because it makes his life better.  I could see his lack of focus before, but now that he CAN focus, it’s so clear to me how much of a problem he had before.  Now he has the potential to actually focus on his schoolwork and get it done.  He’s able to learn more.  I think his higher than average intelligence masked the level of debilitation of his ADHD.

There were a couple days this week where he still had trouble.  And all of his problematic behaviors haven’t magically disappeared at home, either.  I imagine his meds will be bumped up when we meet with the pediatrician next month.  But overall, I’m quite pleased.

I have several books on the topic, but so far, the one I’ve found to be the most useful is Parenting Children with ADHD: 10 lessons that medicine cannot teach.

Day one

This evening was relatively peaceful.  I’m pleased.  C also did well in class!  He’s not some pod person.  So far, so good.  We’ll see how the rest of the week and the rest of the month go!

I’m quite excited that C gets to go to a college basketball game with the hubs.  He’s excited, too!  It will be good for both of them.

Sprouted grain bread

So the first loaf was a huge fail.  It looked okay coming out, but apparently some of the sprouts were spoiled.  Ew.  So I need to do a bit more research on grain sprouting to know where I went wrong.  But it was very moist!  I got the recipe here: Cook.Eat.Think

Studying

I was able to get some studying done today for the GRE!  It’s my last step before being accepted to the MBA program I’m looking into.  Thank heavens the hunting season is over (for this family) and I have my hubs back!

Just because

They are adorable, no?  Mine is in the middle (S).  The other two belong to my sister.

Improvements

I should mention C’s improvements over the last week.  While he’s not “magically cured,” and even though he still has most of the bad behaviors, there HAVE been some improvements.  He’s been more inclined to help his brother, encourage him, or say nice things to and about him.  This is a pretty big deal!  Also, once he gets over his bullheadedness, he can get things done quickly!  He’s been a big help in the kitchen, and he got his room clean in a matter of minutes, PLUS he helped clean his brother’s room TWICE in one day!

So I’m hopeful that the “natural” ADHD methods are at least helping.

We still plan to fill the script.  We (I??) also plan to implement more of the dietary suggestions.  We’ll need to remove dairy out of his diet, and feed him a high protein breakfast.  He’ll be on a dairy-free-south-beach-esque diet.  This is the plan.  :)

The reasons we will still fill the script is to try to eliminate as much of the bad behaviors as possible right off.  S looks up to C and has been emulating most of the bad behaviors, and has been throwing epic tantrums, etc.  We just can’t have this.

Also, I’d like to get him on the path to success as soon as possible.  After jump starting his brain on the meds, and being on the diet/supplementation for a month or so… we’ll see how he does off the meds on Christmas break or something.

I’ll tell you, this stuff ain’t easy.  It seems as if everyone has an opinion, and all opinions are pretty polar.  “you MUST medicate your child, or you are abusing him/her!!!  Give them the opportunity only pharmaceuticals can provide!”  “If you give your child a stimulant for his behavior problems, you are poison him/her and suicide and/or crack addiction is inevitable!”  Why can’t people just see that this is a huge decision and give them the tools to make the decision that best fits the family????

Laundry is a team sport

It’s really not so bad if you have minions to put away the folded piles you create. 

We did some chores to iTunes this morning, taking frequent dance party breaks.  Worked really well… until it came time to clean [insert horror movie muzak here] the bedrooms.  Well, at least the front of the house is presentable, right??

Though perhaps it was a mistake to clean early in the day.  That leaves HOURS until the evening time to return the house to its previous condition.  LOL.

Snow

We got snow on friday.  There’s still a little bit left.  The boys don’t care how little is out there right now, they are loving it.  This is a good thing.  Though give it a few weeks and the novelty will wane and they’ll be bored again.

I thought the snow would make me sad; as if the second change in seasons would somehow remind me that I’m not working anymore.  Not so much.  This is a good thing. 

Instead, I got to enjoy watching it fall.  Instead of dreading the longer commute to and from work, the battling to get the car going through deeply rutted intersections, getting stuck behind snow-driving neophytes who can’t go above 15 mph… no more!  I just get to watch it fall and drink coffee.  Or cocoa!

Speaking of cocoa, we get this wonderful “land o lakes” stuff at Costco.  “Flavored” cocoa: caramel, raspberry, mint, dark chocolate, etc.  It’s delish!  And full of high fructose corn syrup.  But worth it.  :)

Christmas

Can you believe it’s only 40 days away?  The darkest day of the year is only 36 days away… then we get to climb back up again! 

In our family, Christmas also means BIRTHDAY.  Our boys were born 4 days before and 4 days after Christmas.  On the 21st and the 29th.  No lie.  According to the Aztecs (or Mayans, or whomever), the last day of the world is on S’s 7th birthday. 

So we have some shopping to do.  And party planning. The party planning is the hard part for me.  Mostly because my marketing department needs some development… C doesn’t have very many friends.  Add that to the Christmas holiday at school… yeah.

So wish us luck!  Life is about to get crazy!

The results are in!

So we had the follow up appt yesterday. As I thought, C was diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder). Though he wasn't diagnosed with depression or anxiety. Seems as if what I've seen falls more in the "normal" range.


So we got a script for Concerta. We talked a bit about Straterra (non-stimulant, closer to an antidepressant), but it seems to be more indicated to the milder versions of ADD (not so much the hyperactive) and is generally ineffective for the ODD. So stimulants it is.

We need to get him an ekg to ensure he doesn't have an underlying heart condition, as there have been heart related deaths with the ritalin/stimulant ADHD meds (I've read 52 reported deaths somewhere, with millions of users over 50 years time...seems they think the meds exacerbate undiagnosed heart problems... like the basketball players who drop dead during a game). After he gets a clean EKG, she'll okay the script she wrote. I guess she has to hand write them every month... she can't sign us up for renewals.

So I'll go ahead and take the leap. I've spent about $100 on supplements, etc, and in 10 days have seen zero improvement. In fact, the last 3 weeks have been some of the most challenging to date. Though to his credit, he has been asking permission for more things, and saying nice and encouraging things to and about his brother more than usual. But his ODD and hyperactive stuff has been at an all time high.

At any rate, she suggested that the school counseling would be fine for now. We'll revisit in a month or so, and perhaps look at private counseling, but she wanted the school counselor to have an opportunity to work with him on the ODD type stuff.

Is it friday yet?

So the school called at about noon.  Seems C found a coat in the lost and found and decided to throw it in a mud puddle.  Now he has a coat to bring home and wash. (I sure am not going to be completing this chore.  I’ve got a pile of laundry for him to do).

I should probably explain this morning… He pulls out his new (adorable) vest and tells me how the pocket fell off when he put his hand in it.  Uuuuh, right.  That would explain how there’s 2” of torn ripstop, exposing the filling?  So he didn’t get to wear a coat.  It was 44* outisde, Cold enough for him to be uncomfortable, but nowhere’s near dangerous. 

Anyway… I’m hoping the supplementation will start to work at some point, but my optimism is waning quickly.  The ped’s office cannot call soon enough.

Supplement Junkie

I bought another $50 in supplements today.  I think I’m done buying stuff for C to take, and I’m ready to start going through the books I’ve received from Amazon.  I do need to sit down and reveiw all the ingredients.  I think I can remove his B-complex, as it’s also in one of the supplement things I bought today.

Reportedly, he had a good day at school!  Though I’d love for his attitude towards S to improve.  Dramatically.  The whole talking back/throwing things/saying mean and hurtful things when he’s being disciplined… that’s really the worst part, in my opinion.  Regardless of how calm and collected I am (or not, truth be told), or how much he expected his consequences… *sigh*

I sprouted some grains!  I had planned to bake bread from the sprouts today, but C ended up in his room (I sure hope you can join us tomorrow, buddy!), and I promised to bake the bread with him. 

I’m looking forward to learning all the dietary suggestions.  I need to take good notes!  Also need to wait until after bedtime to begin, so I can concentrate!

Education and Career Planning

I’ve been applying for healthcare jobs I don’t yet qualify for (as part of the TAA process… they want you to prove you need training), and now I’m wondering if after I get this Master’s degree I shouldn’t look into also getting a BSN?  Seems like it would open a great many new doors.  Something to keep in the back of my mind.  Not sure how long that would take though.  I have a BA, so I’m assuming I’d need probably 3 extra years to cover the science I missed?  I guess we’ll see when I get there!  I’ve also thought about PharmD, but I think that would likely take longer than the BSN… I just need to be patient already… but I suppose it’s good to have a supplemental straw-man contingency plan.  :)  I’m all about plan B!

It ain’t getting any easier

So I got C some magnesium.  He’s now taking Flax Seed Oil, a B complex, magnesium, and fish oil.  Though I haven’t seen any real results.  In fact, the last week has been one of the worst to date.

I purchased some grains to sprout, and I think we’ll have enough sprout tomorrow to make bread with.  I’m going to continue on the “natural path” even though it seems to be NOT working AT ALL at the moment.  (I do still need to get some zinc).  At least this way when it comes time to look at meds, I’ll at least know I’ve tried other approaches first.

It seems to me that parents in “this place” need to make their own way in this medication decision.  At this rate, I’ll be surprised if we don’t medicate.  Perhaps the “natural help” can help keep the dosage lower than it might have been?  I guess we’ll see when we get there.  But I’ll tell you… this week has been rough.

He’s adorable, though, isn’t he?

School news

This must be triple post Wednesday, eh?

I received one more response to my email questionnaire from potential employers, bringing my total responses up to three!!!  YAY! 

I pinged my TAA counselor twice, attached copies of what I've done so far, and have not heard back.  BOOOO!

I put a reminder in to my third letter of reference only to find out that she sent in her letter, but the University system somehow lost it and now she has to start over.  BOOO (But YAY that she'd already sent one in).

Now I just need to sign up for a time to take the GRE test.  I haven't been studying, and I'm sure I won't study unless I have a hard stop.  This has been true for me in just about every aspect of my existence.  Procrastination: it's a way of life.  I have to manage it with a calendar and interpersonal responsibility.  Though I do have to say, I work best under pressure.  I never turned in a paper (not a good one) that wasn't started and finished the day before it was due.

Funny thing is that really bugs my husband.  He asked if I was going to "skate through" Grad school.  Uhhh, I got straight A's in undergrad.  "yeah, but you hardly studied, and you didn't work hard."  I have to say that working full time, going to school full time, being a mom to a 3 year old and pregnant with another is plenty hard work.  I don't learn from the books.  :)  I didn't "skate."  I earned those A's and that lovely gold bar on my diploma that says SUMMA CUM LAUDE.  So there.

...

Well, he's been home for all of an hour and a half, and I'm thinking there's no way this natural stuff is going to work.  It's been a trying hour and a half.  I'm ready for bedtime.

The first ADHD appt

So I took both boys to the ped's office for C's appointment.  That's always a fun ride.  I ended up keeping S quiet by feeding him halloween candy from my purse.  The backpack of toys and things to keep him busy didn't work.  At least I found something, and they don't eat candy all day, every day, right???

Well, back to the topic at hand... the pediatrician asked a bunch of questions regarding C's behavior and his moods.  Then she gave us two forms, one for the parents and one for the teacher to fill out.  The results should quantify whether or not he needs further evaluation to determine if he has ADHD (inattentive, hyperactive, or both), Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, or Anxiety / Depression.  We'll return the forms to the pediatrician, they'll make an appointment with us to review the results, and make referrals from there.

Because I'm a google nut, I looked at a form online, and determined that it's highly likely that he'll be referred for further evaluation on ADHD (combined inattentive and hyperactive), Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Anxiety/Depression.  I'm anticipating a referral to a psychologist and some more testing and counselling. 

I'm still antsy about meds.  I have ordered a bunch of books off of amazon that I hope to get in the next week or so.  Books about diet and nutrition control of ADHD, visual-spatial learners, and right brainers.  I hope there's some nuggets in there to help us out so we can avoid medication.  Though I don't want to be so bullheaded as to not give him something he needs.  There has to be balance.  I guess it comes down to not being willing to give chemicals to my son to make anyone's life EASY, but I'll give them to him to make HIS life BETTER: to make the learning process  beneficial, to improve his relationship skills long term, to increase his self confidence.  If I can do this without meds, I'll be ecstatic.  If I can't, I'll medicate him.  I just want to try "natural" methods first.

Anyway, this is where we are at with the diagnosis process.  I'm still feeling ... "iffy" about it all.  I'm anxious to have a more solid direction.  I've never been comfortable with the enigmatic.

Tomorrow is D-day!

So tomorrow is the day the family has been waiting for these past couple weeks... the ADHD test. I should mention that I'm terrified.  Though I'm not sure why.  It's not like any diagnosis or partial diagnosis or anything will change anyone. 

So I've been giving C a tablespoon of flaxseed oil every morning, along with a B-complex and a supplement chaser (which includes catnip and turmeric).  I started this regimen Wednesday afternoon, and on Friday, C's teacher called and commented on how well he'd done that day, which was especially impressive as there'd been a sugar filled Halloween party that morning.  I'm hopeful the supplement routine will be helpful enough that I don't have to give him meds.

I ordered about five books from Amazon on the subject of ADHD and visual-spatial learners.  I'm excited to get them in the mail to firm up our family regimen.  From what I've read, a grain-free diet is also supposed to be beneficial for the ADHD.  I was on a grain free diet a year ago, and I've fallen off the wagon.  I'm thinking this time, the entire family will need to fall in line.  I've been researching how to make sprouted grain bread, and I need to make a trip to the hippie store to get started. 

TAA progress
So I have to contact three potential employers with a list of questions as a part of the requirements to get TAA funding for school.  I've called about 4 places and sent an email to five additional places.  So far, only one phone call has been helpful.  This part is not fun.  I'll have to ask the counselor for tips.  I've tried the approach of "Can someone spend about five minutes with me to answer some questions for a scholarship?"   All that's remaining for me to do is finishing the employer questionnaires and taking the GRE test.  Oh, and I need to study for the test.  I've not been doing so well on the study front. 

STRIKE THAT!!!  I just got one email response!  YAY!  One more survey to go!

Things I'm thankful for
I've been thinking about inserting some kind of regular feature for a while, and since I think I need to spend more time thinking about what my blessings are rather than just talking about problem solving (though honestly, I do generally enjoy solving problems... personality flaw, I guess), I am going to start ending my blog with focusing on what I am grateful for.

1. While I don't have a job, we are doing JUST FINE.  My husband and I worked hard to plan for this sort of event, and we really have no worries or financial stress.  We do have to cut back on the "fun" spending, but we are nowhere near losing our house, we have money left over after paying bills and buying (copious amounts of) food.
2. My boys.  Though this is probably very expected and generic, it's still true.  Parenting is a challenge.  Some days the word "challenge" is a woeful understatement.  But with increased challenge comes increased reward.  They are healthy, bright, and fun.  I get to watch them learn.  I get to be one of the few people they want and need affection from.  I'm a lucky gal.
3. Toys.  I have plenty.  Sure, I could call them "tools," but who am I kidding?  Computers are great, but I could use one at the library.  We have two in our house.  Two digital cameras, iPods, cell phones, TVs, a Wii... the list goes on.  We are spoiled with STUFF.  Have any of you all heard that the poorest 2% in this country are among the wealthiest 5% of the world?  Our homeless are wealthier than most of the population of the world.  With access to toilets and running water, even soup kitchens and other benefits... wealthier than most of the world.  Thinking about that is so very humbling.  Sometimes I get frustrated because I just don't have a spare couple hundred to buy some new, cute outfits for the boys (blessing #2), and I have to think about what they already have, what we already have, and how so many people all over the world don't even have access to a toilet or clean water.  I'll stop the pontification now, but it's worth a few mintues to think about...