Ahhh . . . A two week break between middle school soccer season and the beginning of soccer with Coach and Mini-Me. Coach came home early with - surprise - 6 new baby chicks. All the middle schoolers came home on the bus. With Coach home, I got to go alone pick up Mini-Me and our new little foster daughter from Girl Scouts. So nice to not have to referee with the boys. Kids and Coach cleaned out the shed and burned a pile of brush while I fixed dinner. No pizza boxes! A delightfully quiet evening interrupted only by the untimely death of two of the chicks. Apparently these chicks are not as hardy as the ones I picked out.
Still working on the modified Atkins diet for seizures for Termite. I'm worried that I don't have the attention to detail that this requires. He is in ketosis though, but I don't see a remarkable change in seizure activity. Deep breath. Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Sunday afternoon
Sunday afternoon. Doing some low carb experiments in the kitchen. Baking low-carb cupcakes and making low-carb candy for my little Termite who's on the modified Atkins diet for seizures. They smell good. I hope they taste good. I plan to freeze them to send to school for him to have on hand for in-class birthday parties.
Beautiful day. I wore a dress to church this morning. I had to shave my legs yesterday to take the kids swimming. Thought I'd make the most of smooth legs.
Queen Bee has a friend over. She's spent the last two days literally in bed, recovering from a migraine and months on end of daily school, basketball/soccer practice, and work. And the late nights texting friends and listening to her iPod.
All the other kids are outside running around, playing in the neighbor's creek, taking care of chickens, building forts, and making things out of rocks and sticks and string. Or inside making paper dolls or playing board games. Coach has put a moratorium on the XBox for a while.
I've come to the realization that The Fledgling is doing exactly as he pleases. I've been begging him for a year to tell me what he really wants. I guess I was hoping that his real answer was going to college or finding a job that he really likes. Nope. Its living a life with maximum freedom and minimum responsibility. Finding a living situation, no matter how tenuous, that costs him as little as possible. Couch-surfing - or upper-bunk-surfing to be more accurate. Finding a way to make just enough money to pay his car insurance and put gas in his car without requiring much time or commitment from him. Finding a girlfriend and socializing with friends. This is what he really wants right now. I can't change that. If I had one wish, it would be for him to pass the one college course he is taking right now. He's halfway through. It's paid for. He has no other demands on his time so there's no reason not to just finish it up. But reason is something he doesn't have right now. Here's the sound of me letting go. Sigh.
Beautiful day. I wore a dress to church this morning. I had to shave my legs yesterday to take the kids swimming. Thought I'd make the most of smooth legs.
Queen Bee has a friend over. She's spent the last two days literally in bed, recovering from a migraine and months on end of daily school, basketball/soccer practice, and work. And the late nights texting friends and listening to her iPod.
All the other kids are outside running around, playing in the neighbor's creek, taking care of chickens, building forts, and making things out of rocks and sticks and string. Or inside making paper dolls or playing board games. Coach has put a moratorium on the XBox for a while.
I've come to the realization that The Fledgling is doing exactly as he pleases. I've been begging him for a year to tell me what he really wants. I guess I was hoping that his real answer was going to college or finding a job that he really likes. Nope. Its living a life with maximum freedom and minimum responsibility. Finding a living situation, no matter how tenuous, that costs him as little as possible. Couch-surfing - or upper-bunk-surfing to be more accurate. Finding a way to make just enough money to pay his car insurance and put gas in his car without requiring much time or commitment from him. Finding a girlfriend and socializing with friends. This is what he really wants right now. I can't change that. If I had one wish, it would be for him to pass the one college course he is taking right now. He's halfway through. It's paid for. He has no other demands on his time so there's no reason not to just finish it up. But reason is something he doesn't have right now. Here's the sound of me letting go. Sigh.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
A brave new world
Sitting outside on this beautiful Saturday. Got a few minutes before I need to go start working on dinner. Graceful's off with dad at work again. Still on "lockdown" for lying. Extra Daddy time is never a bad thing though.
The Fledgling got himself fired this week. The straw that broke the camel's back? Trying to flirt with his coworkers instead of working. Same boundary/following directions issues we've been working on the whole year we've known him. How much clearer can you be than, "Don't hug the girls"? So after a day of job hunting, he calls last night to say that finding a job isn't easy. Well, yeah son. Isn't that what we've been telling you for a year. Yes, he says, but I didn't learn that from you telling me. Congratulations, honey, you're learning it the hard way but at least you are learning.
I bought chicks today for the first time. 2 red pullets and 5 Cornish rocks. Wish them luck. With 10 small hands eager to hold them, they will either be very tame or very dead.
We have an extra little one around for a while, or a long while. It's hard to say with fostering. But she's about Mini-Me's age so there's been a lot of giggling and baby doll playing going on lately.
My husband's blog name is going to be Coach. He coaches his employees and the kids, both at soccer and in life. Sometimes he even coaches me. Not that I like that very much, but he loves me. :)
Alright, let's go dig some ground beef out of the freezer and get working on some tacos.
The Fledgling got himself fired this week. The straw that broke the camel's back? Trying to flirt with his coworkers instead of working. Same boundary/following directions issues we've been working on the whole year we've known him. How much clearer can you be than, "Don't hug the girls"? So after a day of job hunting, he calls last night to say that finding a job isn't easy. Well, yeah son. Isn't that what we've been telling you for a year. Yes, he says, but I didn't learn that from you telling me. Congratulations, honey, you're learning it the hard way but at least you are learning.
I bought chicks today for the first time. 2 red pullets and 5 Cornish rocks. Wish them luck. With 10 small hands eager to hold them, they will either be very tame or very dead.
We have an extra little one around for a while, or a long while. It's hard to say with fostering. But she's about Mini-Me's age so there's been a lot of giggling and baby doll playing going on lately.
My husband's blog name is going to be Coach. He coaches his employees and the kids, both at soccer and in life. Sometimes he even coaches me. Not that I like that very much, but he loves me. :)
Alright, let's go dig some ground beef out of the freezer and get working on some tacos.
Friday, March 2, 2012
What a tangled web we weave
We've got a kid on "lock down" right now. Facebook account closed down. Netbook and iPod gone. 100% adult supervision. She's at work with dad right now. All over a boy that she rarely sees. It's not really the boy though. If it was, she could "date" him (middle school dating = calling yourself boyfriend/girlfriend, communicating via social media, writing each other notes, and hugging and possibly kissing in the school hallways), break up in two weeks, and move on. No big deal.
But it's the lying and deceitfulness. We (parents and kid together) had discussed this young man and agreed that he is a little teen "player" whose goal it is to get as many girls fighting over him as possible by any means necessary, including trying to get her best friend to sneak out of the house to make out with him at the movies. It's the telling us to our faces that nothing is going on while in reality she is doing everything she can to ensure that this boy is her "boyfriend" without us knowing.
And it's the crazy lying too. The kind of lying that is so puzzling you have no idea how to response.
Does she . . . will she understand how much we truly love her and value her and want to see her value herself? How it breaks our hearts to think that she would sell out herself and her family for the fleeting attention of a guy who cares nothing for her. At 12, is it too early for her to understand that loser guys can smell that vulnerability from 10 miles away?
I pray one day she will. One day soon. Until then, lots of extra Mama and Daddy time is in order.
But it's the lying and deceitfulness. We (parents and kid together) had discussed this young man and agreed that he is a little teen "player" whose goal it is to get as many girls fighting over him as possible by any means necessary, including trying to get her best friend to sneak out of the house to make out with him at the movies. It's the telling us to our faces that nothing is going on while in reality she is doing everything she can to ensure that this boy is her "boyfriend" without us knowing.
And it's the crazy lying too. The kind of lying that is so puzzling you have no idea how to response.
Does she . . . will she understand how much we truly love her and value her and want to see her value herself? How it breaks our hearts to think that she would sell out herself and her family for the fleeting attention of a guy who cares nothing for her. At 12, is it too early for her to understand that loser guys can smell that vulnerability from 10 miles away?
I pray one day she will. One day soon. Until then, lots of extra Mama and Daddy time is in order.
Monday, February 20, 2012
So Long to Seizures!
This week Termite is starting on the Modified Atkins Diet for Seizures. He is supposed to be eating less than 10 grams of carbs a day. To start with, I am shooting for 20 grams. This is what he has eaten so far today: a few grapes (3 g), 1 egg scrambled with heavy whipping cream and some cheddar cheese (1 g), heavy whipping cream mixed with water as a no-carb substitute for milk (0 g), a Wendy's double stack with cheese but no bun (1 g), pickles (0 g), 4 hotdogs (0 g), 10 goldfish crackers (4 g). Still to come is dinner - tortilla-less tacos with cheese, sour cream, lettuce and salsa.
I also fixed some low carb fried chicken today. This is chicken thighs, dipped in butter and an egg, rolled in crushed pork rinds, and fried in oil. It tastes really good. Really good. Like my Paula Deen cookware?
Termite has a less common type of epilepsy that is notoriously uncontrollable with medication. He has about 20 to 30 seizures a day. Most of them are small and all of them are short lived, but some of them can knock him over and all of them disrupt and damage his brain. He is on the highest dose of this third anti-seizure med, and the next med on the horizon for him is a benzodiazepine. I'm not too thrilled about the idea. I am also not too thrilled that his recent neuropsychological report says that a contributing factor to his cognitive delay could be the "long-standing use of AEDs (anti-epileptic drugs)." So the drugs that are supposed to be helping him have less seizures may be messing up his brain in other ways? Seriously?
I'm very hopeful about this diet. The reasoning behind MAD (and also the ketogenic diet - the original anti-seizure diet) is this - for people with seizures, carbs are not good brain food. Our bodies have basically two sources of energy - carbohydrates and fat. Check out the new MyPlate campaign by the USDA. The recommended "healthy" diet here is the US is heavy on carbs (grains, rice, fruits, and vegetables), moderate on protein, and low in fat. In fact, "fat" isn't even on the plate at all.
But the brain can burn fat for energy just as well as carbs. In fact, there is something about burning fat for energy that is inconsistent with seizure activity. In fact, it's so good for the brain that, in some people, the diet actually "heals" the brain. After two years on the diet, many people are able to return to a normal diet and remain seizure-free or maintain an acceptable level of seizure control. Here's hoping. Until then, my grocery cart will be filled with lots of eggs, cheese, and pork rinds.
I'm no expert so for more information dietary interventions for seizures, check out Dr. John Freeman's book "Ketogenic Diets: Treatments for Epilepsy and Other Disorders" and the Modified Atkins for Seizures website.
I also fixed some low carb fried chicken today. This is chicken thighs, dipped in butter and an egg, rolled in crushed pork rinds, and fried in oil. It tastes really good. Really good. Like my Paula Deen cookware?
Termite has a less common type of epilepsy that is notoriously uncontrollable with medication. He has about 20 to 30 seizures a day. Most of them are small and all of them are short lived, but some of them can knock him over and all of them disrupt and damage his brain. He is on the highest dose of this third anti-seizure med, and the next med on the horizon for him is a benzodiazepine. I'm not too thrilled about the idea. I am also not too thrilled that his recent neuropsychological report says that a contributing factor to his cognitive delay could be the "long-standing use of AEDs (anti-epileptic drugs)." So the drugs that are supposed to be helping him have less seizures may be messing up his brain in other ways? Seriously?
I'm very hopeful about this diet. The reasoning behind MAD (and also the ketogenic diet - the original anti-seizure diet) is this - for people with seizures, carbs are not good brain food. Our bodies have basically two sources of energy - carbohydrates and fat. Check out the new MyPlate campaign by the USDA. The recommended "healthy" diet here is the US is heavy on carbs (grains, rice, fruits, and vegetables), moderate on protein, and low in fat. In fact, "fat" isn't even on the plate at all.
But the brain can burn fat for energy just as well as carbs. In fact, there is something about burning fat for energy that is inconsistent with seizure activity. In fact, it's so good for the brain that, in some people, the diet actually "heals" the brain. After two years on the diet, many people are able to return to a normal diet and remain seizure-free or maintain an acceptable level of seizure control. Here's hoping. Until then, my grocery cart will be filled with lots of eggs, cheese, and pork rinds.
I'm no expert so for more information dietary interventions for seizures, check out Dr. John Freeman's book "Ketogenic Diets: Treatments for Epilepsy and Other Disorders" and the Modified Atkins for Seizures website.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
You won't be seeing that around here
A recent blog post I read included a cookie recipe with the following ingredient: "2 1/4 cups flour (I prefer fresh ground)"
Ummm . . . no.
Ummm . . . no.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Changes
Making some changes around here. Blogwise, my 19 year old is now The Fledgling. My 12 yo didn't like Baby Girl, even though it's what her Daddy calls her, so we are going to try out Graceful. My 9 yo little man is now Mister. This is a kid who brings me the grocery store circular and points out the good sales. He is awesome. Also I heard a rumor from other kids that he referred to me as his mom yesterday on the bus. Yea! He's been back in my home since this summer, and this time, he's a keeper!
On the home front, The Fledgling moved out yesterday. Somewhat of a mutual parting of the ways. He definitely wanted more freedom though he's hesitant about the responsibility that comes with that. Time will tell if he truly believes that being out of the house doesn't mean out of the family. But I refuse to be manipulated and lied to by an adult who is living at my house if his own accord. He's capable of doing what he wants to do. We'll see what that really is. Pray for him.
On the home front, The Fledgling moved out yesterday. Somewhat of a mutual parting of the ways. He definitely wanted more freedom though he's hesitant about the responsibility that comes with that. Time will tell if he truly believes that being out of the house doesn't mean out of the family. But I refuse to be manipulated and lied to by an adult who is living at my house if his own accord. He's capable of doing what he wants to do. We'll see what that really is. Pray for him.
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