Author: nschristine

Family · Self

Update. What’s Going on Part II

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I’m back with Part II of the update.  In the last update I told you about finding a special school for my son to attend.  We are still trying to finalize his attendance. Since the school is so small there isn’t a lot of hard core directions or go to persons.

I have yet to remove him from our public school system.  I’m waiting until the first week of class before I do that.  Just in case there is something catastrophic at the new school. I hope things go well.  Right now I have to keep focusing on getting “E” to attend class.  My mind keeps jumping ahead and thinking “Is he going to lose friends? Is he going to make friends? Will the school get accreditation? How will we pay for this?  How can we afford college?  Can we retire?” That’s just a sample.  There is so much more going through my mind.

We were going to send “E” to a week long computer class the school was offering.  It was unfortunately cancelled due to low enrollment.  They had another class the following week.  He couldn’t attend that as he was taking a coding class.  He really wanted to take the coding class.  Since he is not panicked to attend coding we want to encourage that.  I don’t want him to get too agoraphobic. I see hints of it. I also see hints of OCD but it hasn’t gotten to a full blown issue so I am just leaving it.

The funny thing is I planned my schedule around that class. I had cancelled over 9 different appointments to accommodate that class.  Story of my life that.

At home we are still having some trouble with him. Some of it is what he has been diagnosed with, some of it is being a teen, and some is brat or only child syndrome.  I don’t know how to handle it sometimes.  I think because he was so easy as an elementary school aged child he’s making up for it with gusto.

We recently had several appointments with a local psychiatric center that is known for diagnosis and classes to help people with mental limitations or illnesses.  Over the course of two meetings I handed in a two inch thick pile of paperwork on E. We initially went to see if he would qualify for one of their groups.  Mainly to help his severe shyness.

They agreed that he would benefit from several services.  The first thing is family counseling, then they recommended a diad. A diad is two kids and two therapists.  It’s kind of like group therapy but with one other person.  It’s sort of the next step from individual therapy to diad then on to group at one point. They also recommended case management.

They had offered the family therapy right away. However, the time they had would interfere with Erik’s school.  I told them I wanted to be put on the wait list for two different locations near us.  We need to get acclimated to his new school and schedule. Taking him out early would not work for him.  Granted we will be doing this in the future, but I will wait till September before I start it. It would be too much going on for us.  Just like I am putting off E’s eating therapy too. The anxiety, depression and school has to take precedence.

Since “E” couldn’t attend that class we went to the new school last week to meet two of the teachers.  We spent about an hour there.  “E” didn’t want to talk much.  He spent most of the time on his ipad.  It’s his way of coping.  Hopefully, everything will go well. I want to have him develop other coping skills.  Maybe he will get some from the other students.

During this time I also visited a geneticist.  Mainly because breast cancer runs in both sides of my family, and last year’s breast cancer scare. I had just one meeting and she said my risk isn’t any different from the general population.  I wasn’t worried but everyone else in my family makes it a big deal.  Now I can get people off my back.  For me, we all are going to get something.  In fact, we will all get multiple things health wise.  I’m not going to be paranoid.  I just want to take care of myself.

Speaking of which, I have gained weight.  I am so disappointed in myself.  I have to recommit to losing weight.  To losing a significant amount of weight and getting healthy.  Damn, I wish junk food wasn’t so good.  I also want to be more healthy since all this stress has come up.  My body isn’t able to cope.  I have increased panic attacks, nausea and gastrointestinal issues.  I’m exhausted all the time. So much so I can sometimes stay in bed all day. Then the migraines and chronic pain are rearing their heads.  Self care needs to take a more important role too.  I need to get back to regular chiropractor and massage therapist appointments.

This concludes my “update.”  Thanks for letting me rant.  Sometimes you just have to get it off your chest.

 

Home

5 Things to Declutter

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Remember when they said computers will be the end of paper and books? So funny now. If anything it has helped increase our clutter ten fold. Not to mention the actual electronics themselves. They become obsolete so quickly they are clutter in their own right.

Below, you will find a monthly list of five quick things to declutter in your home. Enjoy.

1. Your school supplies. Target alredy has their back to school out. I’m starting to see sales too. We all have extra supplies we store at the end of the previous year. Toss things that no longer work or donate what you no longer need. Make a list of what you still need too.

2. Games and puzzles. Have any that are missing pieces. Let them go. Also a great time to donate ones you have outgrown.

3. Shoes. Some are worn out, some you only wore once, and several can be outgrown by the kids. If you are not saving them for family, donate or toss depending on the state of them.

4. Keychain. Some of us only have one or two keys on our keychain. Some have more. If you are in the more category can you let some of them go? Do you really need your grandmother’s keys from 40 years ago? Your family isn’t even in the house anymore. If it is sentimental keep one of the keys. Let go or the rest.

5. Kids keepsakes. Sure we all keep things from our child’s formative years. But the real question is how much have you kept. I’m talking about papers now. We will get to other items later. Artwork, old tests, and their book reports can be let go. If you want to, keep the best 5 are pieces of art and let the others go.

Hope this gives you some motivation. Remember, that these are quick tasks that you should be able to do in a short amount of time. Don’t ruminate on the items. Happy tossing.

Journaling

10 Bujo Lists That Free Up Mental Clutter

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Do you have a bullet journal yet?  I started last year integrating some bullet journal elements into my normal journal. I’m not 100% sold on some elements but I love the lists that are used.  It helps me to remember what I need to get at the store, ideas for future projects, birthdays, contact info and more.

Here is a list of ten lists to try yourself.

1. What donations you have made for the year.

2. Dates of sales to shop.  It can be time of year, or an upcoming one.

3. Debt balance.  This one can be numeric or do a graph.

4. Makeup and skincare products. Nothing is worse than trying to remember which of the ten creams is the one you use.

5. Social media time.

6. Political candidates/stance on issues.

7. Festival dates and seasonal activities. I hear about so many things I want to attend after the fact.  Put them on a list for next year!

8. A list of your favorite wines.

9. Restaurants. You can organize by district (area of the city), or restaurants to try or ones you love.

10. Memberships.  I’m not talking passwords here but which ones you have. How often are they renewed?  How much is being charged?  What the phone number is…

 

Home

5 Things You Need To Clean ASAP!

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So much grime, so little time. We all know to make our bed, wash the floor, put the laundry away.  But there are small things, things you don’t think of that need cleaning.  Sometimes they are dirty, sometimes they are icky (germs) but all need to be done.  In this quick and hectic world we lose track of these things.  So here is a monthly list of five quick things to clean.  They take no time, but add so much to your overall household being sparkly and neat.

  1. Dust the top of all your tall bookcases, grandfather clock, curio cabinets etc.  If its high up and you can’t see it, you need to do it.  Prevent all that dust and gunk from floating down onto other surfaces.  This can be done quickly.  It also doesn’t have to be perfect.
  2. Light switches.  Do one level.  So if you have a two story home due the main level, then do the second level at another time.
  3. Dust the lights.  Again, this is only a quick dust.  I especially get the standing lamps as they always get missed.
  4. Clean your dining room’s lazy susans and trivets.  I use mine at every meal.  So sometimes they need a good scrub.
  5. Last but certainly no least, wipe all your remotes.

Check in next month for another quick list of five things to clean.

 

Self

Update, what’s going on. Part 1.

nschristine2 Comments

Placeholder ImageIt’s been a long time since I last updated you on what is going on in my life. It’s still rough. E finished his seventh grade year in public school. He could not get past only 15 minutes in a single math class. He has gone from the advanced group to the below average one. This is a kid who is extremely smart. Who had A’s and B’s before and now barely gets C’s. Since he’s not in class he doesn’t learn everything he needs to. So we’ve been paying for a tutor twice a week. It’s financially painful.

As school ended we met with his teacher and case manager to plan for the upcoming year. We made a list of things we wanted to improve for next year. I only hoped we could get it together by the end of 8th grade. If not, we were going to have problems. I was not only concerned about his anxiety but also his education and social development.

We were at this point taking him to an eating disorder clinic for ARFID twice a week. After several months of going the clinic told us that we didn’t need to come back. They didn’t feel Erik’s problems were the result of ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) but more of a sensory issue. So we will have to try Occupational Therapy and Food Therapy in the future. I have a lead on some places to take him. I am going to hold off until we get his anxiety under control. It’s just too much. The anxiety and depression come first. They overwhelm everything.

In the summer E’s therapist has decided to not do talk therapy anymore and concentrate on his extreme social anxiety. They are going to do exposure therapy. She thinks if he can get a handle on his social anxiety his overall anxiety and depression will get better.  I am glad she is willing to try something new. This doing “challenges” is what helped me to get over anxiety myself.  Knowing that, my husband and I have kept him going places to prevent him from being agoraphobic.

His Psychiatrist says he doesn’t know what else to do for meds.  He’s basically on it and at the max dose for a child.  I still think it should be increased, but I don’t own the prescription pad.  He sees his therapist weekly and his psychiatrist every two months.

We have been having E tutored twice a week during the summer.  We found a tutor through Wyzant app and website.  (No ad, that is just what I did.)  I didn’t have the faintest clue how to find a tutor and this site is really helpful.  He is tutored in Math and some English.  Sometimes he had a good tutoring session other times its a disaster based on  his anxiety. It’s hard for us as it’s a cost that we haven’t anticipated.  I am also tutoring him in History and Life Science.  I was hoping to be done by the end of summer but it may have to go into the new school year starting in September.

This summer we have also been looking for alternative schooling for E instead of the public schools.  The public schools here are very good.  Academically, we have no complaints.  In dealing with them for my son’s illness and disabilities, there is a lot to be desired.   Granted he is one kid among thousands in the district but this is what we pay our taxes for right? We figured that we would give him one more year to turn it around.  He will be in 8th grade this year.

However, after the tour of one of the schools I felt really good about it.  They have a lot of kids with severe anxiety attending.  It was nice to not have to explain E’s situation every time.  Someone “gets” it.  We decided that he would benefit from attending immediately.  Luckily there was a spot left for him.  So we didn’t have to wait.  We have been filling out paperwork and submitting lots of stuff.  Finally, we found out that E was excepted to the new school.  I know he will be nervous, but hopefully this is the thing we need.

The school never has anymore than 32 students.  Depending on the year the total number fluctuates between 25 to 32. Each grade has 2-4 students. I know it will be rough.  I hope this helps and he makes friends. The options that are left are not that great.  If they are really options at all.

I will continue updating you on what else is going on in Part II.

 

 

 

Self

5 Quick Self Care Ideas for Better Health

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I’m still trying to combat stress at home.  Sometimes I forget to do something for myself.  I often think “Oh I’ll do that tomorrow.”  Then when tomorrow comes you put it off just one more day. You get the point.  So I am once again trying to get myself to do a little nurturing for myself.

Here are five things I am going to do this month for myself.  It’s a little starting point to dive deep into some new ideas and care of the self.  Do you have any quick self care tips you would like to share?  Let us know in the comments.  While you think on it, here are my five for this month:

  1. Do five minutes of stillness.  I know people who meditate rave about meditation.  I however, find it very difficult and a waste of time which irritates me more.  So I have decided to try just five minutes of stillness.  I wont be listening to music or television.  I won’t be sleeping or moving about.  Just still.  Fingers crossed I get this one accomplished!
  2. Get some sun.  I’m a natural redhead.  I also have a ton of allergies.  I try to limit my exposure to the great outdoors.  Even with all my sensitivities we all need some sun. I could try to get mine with the five minutes of stillness or perhaps reading a book or eating.
  3. Do a deep conditioning treatment on my hair.  Use a buildup remover and then a deep conditioner packet and let it sit.  Time to make the hair healthy and shiny.
  4. Send a quick email to a friend.  We are all so busy and have so many different schedules to follow, personal interactions sometimes falls by the wayside.  Drop a quick line to someone you haven’t spoken to lately.  Keep those lines of communication open.
  5. Chose one new type or new piece of music to listen to.  If you like rap try classical, into country try trance.  You never know what you might enjoy if you try!

Those are five for this month.  Which ones are you going to try?  Remember to let me know below.

Clothing

10 Fashion Terms to Know

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  1. Leotard- A fitted one-piece knitted garment that is worn around the torso of the body.  Can also cover arms and neck. Mostly used for physical activity.
  2.  Maroon- A color that is a dark purple with brown or red tones.
  3.  Matelasse- A luxury fabric with an embossed effect.  The front and back of the cloth are separate fabrics that are joined together with extra yarns.
  4. Baby doll nightgown- A nightgown made with short puffed sleeves and matching panties and sheer.
  5. Ombre- Tones of a color with monochromatic shading from light to dark of a single color.
  6. Opaque- A term which means no light can pass through it.
  7. Translucent- A term which means semi-transparent.
  8. Transparent- A term used to describe items that light can pass through or been seen through.
  9. Voile- A fabric that is lightweight and open weaved to make a it a slightly rough texture.
  10. Beige- A color occurring in nature. Undyed fabric when it was first made.