ADHD doesn't control us!

We can overcome anything as long as we have God on our side. My youngest son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 5. Let me just define ADHD. It's is not about behavior problems. He is respectful and smart. Any bad grades he gets are from unfinished homework. It is a lack of attention mainly and a lot of fidgeting. He has trouble sitting still.  He fell out of his kitchen chair when he was 4 just because he couldn't sit still. He was better off standing up to eat. He needed to run around and expend that extra energy. I would take him to the activity center in the winter when he couldn't play outside. He wasn't good at watching TV but he loves to read. He can do chores when he has music playing in his headphones, but without them he cannot accomplish anything. We had hoped he would grow out of it, but it only seemed worse as he got older.  We started giving him Concerta after 2nd grade. It helped his concentration at school and he still seemed like himself so it was ok. By the time he got to junior high, the Dr and I noticed a shift in his growth.  He was short for his age as well as very slim. I asked him to gain weight for me this past summer while we don't take meds.  Make it a goal to get fat.  He did and looks very healthy now. Not overweight but not seeing ribs anymore. I couldn't bear to watch him lose it all when that pill entered his system. So we are using essential oils to help him focus at school. I have been using vetiver on a parachord bracelet his brother made him. I don't have any stats on how well this has worked on him because we just started school this week. I will update this in the future and give you a review on how well it worked.  But I have seen the evidence of the power of essential oils.
I sometimes get an itch on my back that nobody can scratch away. My husband took about a quarter sized amount of coconut oil and put a drop of lavender on it and rubbed it on my back and within less than a minute the itching stopped. I have never had lotions take that itch away before.
Another time we went camping, and my son's feet were sunburned across the top and he couldn't wear his shoes so I put a few drops of peppermint in half drank bottle of water and splashed it on his feet and his feet felt better. Then we splashed it on all of our arms and legs and we felt cooler and the biting flies stopped biting.
I also used tea tree neat (not mixed with anything) on athletes foot and mild toenail fungus and it stopped itching and burning and the toenail seemed much healthier.
Please read labels and research your essential oils though. The FDA doesn't regulate natural medicine and some brands are not 100% pure. When researching, you also want to make sure you are using a trusted source.  Any human being can write a blog and act like they know what they are talking about. Find out how they know what they say they know. I am still in the beginning stages of learning about essential oils and I know next to nothing.  I read a beginners book on them and learned a few tricks. I have a long ways to go but I know that God will help me through it just as he helps my son fight the ADHD.

The Great Outdoors

I am in Oklahoma today, camping in one of our favorite places. We have enjoyed the company of many people we have met here over the years. I have new eyes for the meaning of it all now, though. In the past, we enjoyed the fresh air, hiking  swimming, grilling chicken and toasting marshmallows. When my kids were little though, I didn't have time to sit back and enjoy the peace of the moment and the beauty of it all. Today, my hubby and kids went hiking up the mountain which I can no longer do because of my balance problems. But I am sitting in the shade enjoying my second cup of coffee watching a squirrel eat mulberries from the ground when a deer comes unusually close. He is probably no more than ten feet away, watching me intently. Suddenly, he gets bored with me so he turns and walks up the hill. This has happened here more times than I can count, but I always get the same little thrill inside when the wildlife gets close. I am so relaxed with the breeze blowing those little rebellious hairs around my face and the birds singing a sweet little tune. I realize that this is an encounter with God himself. None of the critters or their habitat would be here without him.
In Genesis, he created the animals and then made Adam the master of them. But I don't think master means we control them. We, of course, eat many of them and we also keep some as pets but encountering them in their natural habitat is exciting to us, even entertaining at times. I would even go so far to say that I love observing these complex creatures.
God is the master of us, as well.  I imagine he receives joy when we pay attention to him. When we are curious like the deer, I imagine he watches and patiently waits for us to come closer. Earlier my daughter threw a mulberry to a squirrel and it ran away. I imagine that happens when God tries to interact with us and we don't realize that what he is tossing to us is actually something good.  He is eager to interact with us.  All we need to do is come closer, take the grace that he offers and then share it with everyone else.
Many of us are like the cat that is apathetic to Him until we need or want something. But I want to be like my dog who is always happy to see me and ready for a game of fetch.
God has my life in his hands right now. And what will I do with that? As for this moment, I am basking in the warm sunshine and marveling at God's artwork.  Later, we might invite the neighboring kids over for some smores. Oh look, a sissortail...

We love our family including our pets.

My husband and I who have been married for almost 17 years now have 3 wonderful children and they are as diverse as their pets. I have a deep love for these pets as well.  Come on, what mother doesn't bond with their kids pets. We have owned dogs, cats, goats, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters over the years but I think we have settled in with the current selection of critters.

My oldest son who is 15 has a very old dog that was rehomed to us. She is very protective but a real sweetheart who loves to go camping with us and also enjoys the occasional ride along.  She is always loyal and loving. As is my son. Reliable and loyal and quick to get his chores done with only a gentle reminder. (Don't get me wrong he isn't perfect, but he is the easiest teenager I have ever heard of)

My almost 14 year old daughter has a very feisty male cat who sneaks onto the kitchen counters whenever possible but loves a good snuggle in the afternoon.  My daughter is also feisty and likes to see how far she can push me before I scream. She was an easy baby and also an easy child for the most part. (She is an A student and never puts off homework-I wish she could teach her little brother that trick)So being a bit tougher as a teen is not the worst problem to have. She does have a strong faith and loves to cuddle up at the end of the day which melts all the tension away. These are a few of her memes with pinguino.

My 12 year old son (who is also my wacky child) has a snail. Yes, I said a snail. 🐌 It was in his room but because I am afraid his ability to remember to take care of it could kill this little guy quickly, we decided to keep him in the kitchen. He sits next to my coffee pot and I can entertain myself while I wait for my next cup of Joe.

I absolutely love the cat and the dog that need to be petted and bathed and fed often. But this little guy (who I don't feel the need to touch unless I am snailsitting while my son cleans his aquarium) has quickly become a favorite of mine. You can buy snails at the pet store but we found this guy on a fishing trip and researched his nutritional and habitat needs and discovered that we can keep up with his needs with next to nothing in costs which in this day and age is a definite plus.

If you asked my husband, he would say that I favor the wacky child in the same way. Well sometimes, I do. But any mother knows that each child is favored in one way or another.
This wacky child of mine knows his faith, loves with his whole heart and is like a ray of sunshine to every person he meets. Eventually he might get on your nerves because he has no respect for personal space and cannot sit in silence to save his neck. But we have to accept the flaws to enjoy the good qualities. My son is like his snail in that, he takes forever to accomplish most tasks. Although I would rather not be in close proximity to him 24/7, I love his heart, his sincerity and the funny stuff you never expect to come out of his mouth. A snail is the perfect critter for this 12 year old boy. It's a bit different pet like he is and he can't talk it's ear off because it doesn't have ears. Lol

In case you are planning to keep a snail of your own, please first research the type of snail you discovered and find out what his needs are. Ours is a typical land snail who can drown so we have him in an aquarium with a shallow amount of water to keep his environment humid and 2 large rocks in the bottom for him to move around on. And for us to put his food on. We feed him a small slice of tomato, cucumber or apple. He also eats lettuce and dandelion leaves (we make sure we use ones that have not been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides.) He also needs a source of calcium to maintain his shell so we crush eggshells and keep in an old medicine bottle to sprinkle in from time to time.

I am always amazed at nature and smart way in which God created us all. Pets are a big responsibility as are children.  We love these friends that God has blessed us with and I pray that all people take good care of the children and pets that they accumulate.

Why me?

Before you start reading this, let me first point out that this will not be a whiny post about someone who always cries about the downs in their life. I am an extremely positive person. I have my down days but usually look forward to the ups in my life.  I believe talking is a type of therapy for me and understanding that we are all in this together is a type of therapy for you.

God has blessed me with the most wonderful husband and three beautiful children who are midway through their life here at my home.  I have enjoyed my children thouroughly and plan to continue to do so. Humor is the key to happiness. 

Even though I have a severe gluten intolerance and a Charcot-Marie-Tooth Neuropathy which impedes a lot of my activities, I want to enjoy life as much as possible. Embarrasment is sometimes a part of everyday life. Being able to laugh at that embarrasment and not take it to heart has been my saving grace.  I always wanted a normal life when I was younger. I now realize that if my life were normal, it would be ever so boring, hence the name of my blog.

Why did these ailments happen to me?  I dont have the answer to this.  I do believe that God has a special plan for me and he wanted me to learn something from this. I have already learned to be more reliant upon his strength to get me through my day.  I could whine about it but it won't change my diagnosis, so I continue through my days forging onward as a Christian soldier. Sharing my love and faith in the best way I know how. By telling my story to anyone who will listen and hoping that it helps people to grow in faith, love and mercy for all people.

So why do you want to read a blog about me?  Because we all have our days where we get down and we are better off laughing it off and looking forward to a bright tomorrow together. My positive attitude paired with my ever growing faith would be a great support group for any person who needs to remember that we all have trials and troubles and the best thing we can do is thank God for the great things in our lives and be well entertained by the hardships we endure.