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...