Lovin' Life...even on the crazy days!

You DAILY bear my burdens

2011-02-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday night I visited a wonderful church. We had heard that the services there had been amazing and we weren't doing anything else, so my mom, my aunt, two of my kids and I loaded up and drove about 45 minutes away to worship with some fellow believers. When we got there, I was amazed at how friendly the people were with us. Not just your typical handshake to the visitor either. At the first beat of the music everyone was on their feet praising the Lord with all their hearts. It was beautiful. After a few songs, the pastor's wife announced that her husband would not be there because he was ill. Since he had planned on being there that night, he had not made arrangements otherwise so we were going to watch a video. She laughed as she told us how one member of the congregation had asked him if he would show the old Brownsville, live in Dallas DVD. Well, that's what we ended up watching. These people worshipped right along with the DVD as if they were right there in person. At the end of the video, the worship leader felt led to have an altar call in which many people came to the altar and had a wonderful time with the Lord. I was amazed. These people had come to worship and to meet with God, and that is exactly what they did. I wanted to share how the Lord used this old, some would say "outdated", DVD to speak to me. Lindell Cooley, from the Brownsville worship team, was singing "Blessed be the Name of the Lord" and the second verse hit me smack in the forehead. "FOR YOU DAILY BEAR MY BURDEN"...here is the whole song...

I am standing beneath Your wings
I am resting in Your shelter
Your great faithfulness has been my shield
It makes me want to sing

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be the name of the Lord
I will bless Your holy name
For all my days
Blessed be the name of the Lord

I sing praises to Your name oh Lord
For You daily bear my burden
Your great faithfulness is my reward
It makes me want to sing...

Jesus DAILY bears my burden, IF I let Him. So many days I carry my own burden. If I hold onto the burden, it will only get worse. I need to put it in His hands so that He can mold it into a beautiful testimony, so that I can sing praises to Him! His great faithfulness is my reward. He is so faithful to hold onto that burden as long as I will allow Him too. In exchange He gives me His burden (for My yoke is easy and My burden is light). Oh, how I love carrying His burden. It is not heavy like mine is. It does not weigh me down and threaten to destroy me. His burden makes me feel as light as air. When I feel like picking my burden up I will act like a crazy woman and start telling myself to put that thing back down...and I will sing praises to His name, for He DAILY bears my burden!!
Hallelujah!

Rough week...

2010-10-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

I made it! I wasn't quite sure I would make it through this week. I am a bit exhausted, but we ALL survived. Praise God. Tuesday my oldest daughter (12 years old) started having neurological symptoms followed by a severe headache and vomiting. Her speech was impaired (using the wrong words and using nonsense words), and her right arm went numb all the way up to her tongue. She had been to the dentist the day before so my first instinct was to call the dentist and see if this was a delayed reaction to the novacaine/laughing gas. The dentist said it was not related, but that we needed to call her family doctor immediately. I called them right away, but had to wait for them to speak with the doctor and return my call, which took about 20 minutes. In the meantime, my daughter's headache was getting worse, while her arm and tongue returned to normal. Her speech was still affected. The doctor said to go to the ER if the initial symptoms returned. I gave her some ib profin, but the headache continued to get worse. I called my mom and my husband, and kept asking my daughter questions to evaluate her state of mind. I asked her why she was talking in such a way and she answered that she couldn't hear me. At this point I took her to the ER as fast as I could get there. On the way she started vomiting. We stayed for a couple of hours and the ER and then were sent to Riley Hospital for Children's ER. Several hours later she was admited to the heart center at Riley. She was given a CAT scan, a CAT scan with contrast, a chest xray, an MRI, an echocardiogram and blood tests for several different clotting disorders as well as a CBC. We were allowed to come home the next day as the tests that had come back were normal, but we are still waiting on results for the echocardiogram and the blood tests. At this point the neurologist is thinking it was a "complex" or "complicated" migraine. This is a type of migraine that has neurological symptoms and it is rare, especially in a 12 year old. If she were to be given Imitrex, or any drug in that family (which is the drug normally given for a migraine), it could cause a stroke. We have an appt. with the neuroglogist in 3 weeks. The night we came home from the hospital, exhausted and running on 1 hour of sleep, my other kids woke up vomiting. I think they caught a bug in the ER waiting room. Vomiting and fevers for 24 hours. Yuk! Finally, we are all recovering well and I am staying busy cleaning the house and getting rid of all the germs in the house. God was with us and supplied our every need. My mom was a tremendous help! Thank you Lord, for taking care of my babies!

Ready for Homeschooling

2010-08-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

I have been working very hard for the past couple of weeks to get ready for the upcoming school year. I am very excited to be much more organized this time! I am so very close to being finished, and I will post pictures soon. The baby is sleeping through the night finally, and I have a feeling that this year is gonna be a good one!
God Bless

"What's SPD?"

2010-08-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was shopping with my mom and my 10 year old son, who has Sensory Processing Disorder. My mom showed me a shirt to see if I liked it, but I told her I didn't like to wear things that were tight on my arms, especially how it feels around my elbows. I also HATE fur, fake fur, fake hair...*gag*! I was telling her how I prefer short sleeved shirts that are very soft. It made me think of how my son must feel with his sensory issues effecting so many areas of his life and I said to my mom, sarcastically, "maybe I have SPD too!" My son then announces "what is SPD?" Are you kiddding me?? I just stood there for a second and then told him I was referring to Sensory Processing Disorder. "Oh," he says. LOL! It was so funny. He knows that SPD is short for Sensory Processing Disorder, but I guess he didn't understand why I would say I might have it, so maybe I meant something else. It was cute. He is so well behaved at stores now! Thank the Good Lord for Occupational Therapy and Wilbarger Brushing. He occasionally heads over to the area where the carts are and likes to sandwhich himself in between them (yes, I know, input!), but we are working on that. Really, his only behavior issue right now is his over-excited, in your face approach to his baby brother! Also, at times he gets insulted and angry over things that other kids might just laugh at. He takes things so personal. We are going to work "Social Skill Training" into our homeschool curriculum this year. I found a couple of workbooks for teaching social skills! He "bickers" with his 6 year old sister (also has milder SPD) constantly. If I could figure out how to fix that problem I would be on cloud 9! I do believe that I am going to try the old "I'm gonna make you hug each other" approach here soon! :)
God Bless!

Undiagnosed SPD?

2010-08-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

I ran into a lady recently, and we got to talking...turns out she has a son on the autism spectrum and another child hanging in the balance between a diagnosis of ADHD or bipolar disorder. We talked for quite a while in the middle of the store. She didn't know that SPD could be a stand alone diagnosis. I told her to get the book "Out of Sync Child" (how I wish I carried several copies with me to give away when I meet people like this). I told her that undiagnosed and therefore untreated SPD could cause some major emotional issues in a child. These kids are frequently considered a behavior problem, especially those fortunate enough to be "sensory seekers". My heart goes out to all the families and kids that have yet to find the help they need, SPD or otherwise. I encourage anyone seeking an accurate diagnosis and treatment for their child to pray about it and let God lead them to the right place! It's scary what damage can be done with a wrong dianosis and treatment plan. God knows our kids and He knows exactly what needs to be fixed in their little bodies. While we pray for their healing, we can also pray for God to lead us to the knowledge of what is needed to help them. God bless!

Baby Sign Language

2010-08-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I taught my baby (8 1/2 months old) how to say "eat" in sign language. We worked on this for a couple of months before he got it. Every time I gave him baby food I would do the sign for "eat" several times and say the word. I really didn't think it would work, but it did, and HOW EXCITING! I am so proud of my smart little guy! He does the sign a little different than he is supposed to, but hey, he is only a baby! :)

Big Changes!

2010-08-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a summer of change for us. Mostly good changes, but still, it is a lot to process. I've been trying to get my little one, 9 months old now, to sleep somewhat at night and get into a routine in preparation for our upcoming school year. After a hectic summer, with no sleep I might add, I finally just gave up and took it to the Lord. Many give advice about letting them "cry it out" or other tips, but I have to say, I just felt like if he was crying, then he needed something, so I was up taking care of him. He would get up between 2 to 4 times a night for a nursing session and maybe a diaper change. He got 6 teeth this summer, so I am thinking this is why he was not learning to sleep at night. He was in pain. It took forever for his little teeth to break through. Now that teething is temporarily over, I decided to get back to work on a sleep schedule. This is what I did...I prayed! :) I asked a friend to pray as well. Within a couple of nights he was sleeping through the night! God is good! I know that there are times that we have to be tough on our little ones (and ourselves) and teach them to do things, but for this particular milestone, I felt it was best to go to God! My little guy deals with acid reflux and takes medicine for it, so I never quite know if his reflux is bothering him, or if he is just overly attached! :)
Another big event for our summer is that we have changed churches. I grew up in this church since I was in 3rd grade (I'm 34 now) and my whole family goes there as well. We left a couple of years ago for about 10 months, and then returned as things were looking better at the time. Sadly, we have left again, and this time I feel that it will be for good, unless the Lord directs otherwise. We have been attending a church that is a different denomination than we are used to, but similar. We love it! God is really working in me and I just love every little part of it! Amazingly, my parents also left our former church within a month of us. They are now looking for a new church as well. God is good, and He is leading!
We finished Vision Therapy this summer with DS2 and DD3. It was a lot of work, but I'm hoping to see some of it pay off this school year. We drove about 45 minutes to get to our therapists, but they were really great and it was worth the drive. We intend to go back to OT with our first therapist (that specialized in sensory therapy) eventually...gotta get the other therapy paid off first!
Well, I'm hoping that with the baby sleeping thru the night and therapy temporarily finished, that we will be able to really have a fun time with homeschooling. I will just have to pray about that too:)
Until next time...

Thanks to a dear friend!

2010-07-09T20:27:00.001-07:00

Thank you to a very dear friend for the help with my blog header! I love it! The picture in the header is a church down in Kentucky that a my mom's family used to get together at. My mom actually was in KY recently and went looking for this church...no easy task! :)

SPD and chocolate

2010-07-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yes, food is a major issue around here, as you may be noticing the number of post titles containing a food item! I wanted to share with other SPD families what happens to my son when he eats chocolate (or ice cream, cheez-its, doritos, and a few other things). Last Wednesday night we tried out a new church. We have been attending that church on Sundays for about 6 weeks, and felt it was time to give it a try on Wednesday nights. I would be going it alone, without my husband this time, so I was a little nervous. I left my 6 year old daughter (also has SPD) at home with him, thinking it would be easier for me to handle the other kids. I had my 8 month old baby, my 12 year old daughter, my son (SPD, 10) and his buddy with me. We get there and I am already nervous as church lasts 2 hours on Wednesday nights! The kids stay in with the adults for a very loud but wonderful worship service, then they are dismissed to their classes. When class is over, I go to pick the kids up and my son says to me "mom, I almost ate a Reese cup, but I traded it for something else". Now, mind you, I know my son, and he might as well have said "I ate a Reese". He is not very good at lying, thank God, but on occasion he does try to get away with it, just like every other kid. I grill him and try to find out the truth, but I'm interupted by people welcoming us to the church. A very sweet lady comes over to me and introduces herself and her friends. After a few minutes, one of her friends asks me if I have any kids that dance. I look just a few yards away from me and there is my son, in the middle of a crowded hallway, doing cartwheels and spinning. That's when I knew...HE ATE A REESE CUP! I must admit, I kind of laughed and told her, "does that count?" lol! She goes over to my 10 year old son and extends her hand (to shake his) and introduces herself and asks him his name. He backs up. She steps forward and asks again. He backs up more, not looking her in the eye, but looking up and to the side frantically. She leans in to touch his arm to get his attention. This time he backs into the wall and climbs up onto the arm of the beautiful leather couch that is in the hallway. OH MY! I told him to get down. She tells him to listen to his mom and that the church is the house of the Lord, all of this in a very sweet way, I was not all offended, but by now she is holding his arm. This whole time I was thinking that I needed to step in and take control, but at the same time, wanting to see how my son would handle it. He has been doing wonderfully, with OT and a strict ban on all things dairy! I know he would have done much better had he not had the chocolate. Well, back to the story...It was at this point that I stepped in, baby on my hip, and very kindly said to her, "he is very uncomfortable being touched and I'm sure he will do much better if you would let go of his arm." She was very kind about the whole thing. She just said "OK" and let go of his arm, at which point my son was able to stand still. I think it surprised her. They were able to have a short conversation consisting of "do you want to join my dance team", "no"! lol! At that point I knew it was time to say our goodbyes and head to the car. When we got to the car I asked my son to do some push ups against the car and on the ground, and a few jumping jacks...hoping the input would calm him down for our ride home. I know that there were a lot of things there that were aggravating his SPD, but he is usually able to control himself much better. OT has done wonders for him and I have received many comments that he is a totally different child. He used to be like that all the time, now it is only when he eats something with dairy in it (although pizza doesn't seem to bother him). I have often wondered if I should attempt the GFCF diet with him, but he is already mostly cassein free (with the exception of pizza). When he was in first grade we were letting him eat mac n cheese and chocolate since he ate so little of anything else and he loved them so much. The teacher told me that he was hitting himself in the head a lot during the day at school and it was worrying her. I decided to remove dairy since I noticed a dramatic behavior change right after he would eat it. The change was amazing. We were shopping with my mom one day this summer and my other daughter was eating ice cream and my son was broken hearted because he wanted some too. My mom had the idea to make my son promise to be on his best behavior for our shopping trip or he would never get ice cream again. I went along with it. Needless to say, my mom said she will never give him ice cream again! LOL! I was wondering if any other SPD families had certain foods that reacted with their kids that way. At this point, his diet is mostly dairy free, with way too much salt on the few things he does eat. He also has never in his life tasted beef of any kind! Well, now it's off to fix supper, not a fun thing to do when dealing with SPD! :)

Doctor today

2010-07-05T17:08:00.001-07:00

Well, the fever that my little one had Thursday and Friday turned out to be a virus. He has no runny nose or other symptoms, though, which is good. I took him to the doc today because yesterday he broke out in a rash. It started at his scalp and spread today to his neck, shoulders, trunk, and back. Glad he didn't have to take medicine, just tylenol. He's taking a nap with daddy now.

My baby is sick...

2010-07-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my little one woke up with a fever. It's been ranging from between 95.5 to 100.6 taken under his armpit. Sounds like no big deal, and probably is, but he has been acting much more sleepy than usual. He is still eating. Mostly, he wants me to hold him. It's so sad. I'm hoping it's just teething. No new ones popping thru at the moment, though. I gave him tylenol last night twice and it brought it down temporarily. If he still has the fever on Monday, or if it goes up, I will take him to the doctor. Say a prayer for my little one. :(

SPD and salt

2010-06-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

My 10 year old son has Sensory Processing Disorder. It effects him in all 7, yes 7, of his senses. However, I am growing most concerned about the way it effects his eating habits. This child uses salt like it is going out of style. I switched to sea salt, since it is supposed to be healthier, but he is still using an unbelievable amount! I had him read an article in the paper tonight about the dangers of using too much salt! It was a bit over his head, but worth a try. He puts salt on Saltine crackers, for goodness sake! Yet another topic to discuss with his OT once we start back up again. He will say to his sister "try this, it's good, it has no flavor." Poor guy! What am I gonna do? Oh the joys of a messed up nervous system!

Charles Spurgeon's thoughts on being seeker sensitive

2010-06-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

If anyone out there is wondering if using seeker friendly methods to reach the lost is a new idea or a "paradigm shift", then I encourage you to read this. It was written by Charles Spurgeon back in the 1800's. The bible says there is nothing new under the sun. Satan will use anything to destroy the church, and to decrease it's effectiveness at reaching sinners for Christ. Satan is not afraid to use old, "already been done" methods to paralyze the church...

Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats
by Charles Spurgeon

An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.

From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is clear enough So it would have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel." No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to him.

Then again, "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.

Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles. What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt" (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy---something the world will spit out not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, "Let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness.

Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear him say, "Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow." Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them.

In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement! Their message is, "Come out, keep out, keep clean out!" Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.

After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are." If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is the only difference! Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods.

Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of the conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.

My thoughts on why the church isn't reaching the lost...

2010-06-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

I would like to share with you my thoughts on reaching the lost. I must respectfully disagree with the idea that our church needs to change it's methods to reach the lost more effectively. I have never heard a lost person say, "boy, if the church would just change their methods, I would give my life over to Jesus!" The statement that most lost people have made over and over again goes more like this, "I don't go to church because the church is full of hypocrites." I have to say, I think the lost people have hit the nail on the head. Church leadership sit around and have meetings and committees trying to figure out what they can change in order to reach the lost. Why not take a hint from what the lost themselves are saying? The problem isn't the way the church looks, the programs, the methods, the music, etc. The problem is that we, as christians, are called to be Christ-like...and we are not always that. Now, are christians supposed to be perfect? By no means. However, we should reflect Christ in our attitudes and in our personalities. What should we look like then? The Christ I know is full of LOVE, COMPASSION, AND HOLINESS. So, then, the church should be full of these things as well. Lost people are not stupid! They know the difference between real love and just lip service. I have heard some christians say that they "do not have the gift of compassion" or that they "don't like people." Aren't these qualities things that every believer should possess? If we are to be Christ-like, then the answer is YES! Perhaps the lost would be reached more effectively if the christians who have allowed the Holy Spirit to empower them would not be ashamed to share their faith! Yes, some people have an extra measure of boldness (evangelists, preachers, etc.) to proclaim God's love to the nations, however, I believe that the bible is speaking to ALL believers when it says that if we are ashamed of Jesus on earth, then He will be ashamed of us before God in heaven! I see very clearly, in fact, every time I watch the news, that the Lord will be returning soon. The bible tells us that when the anti-christ takes over there will be one world government and one world religion. This religion will be one of compromise. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the only path to God, in fact, the bible is very clear about this (Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the light and no man goes to the Father except by Me.) ANYTHING that waters down the power of Jesus is simply a path towards that emerging one world religion. Jesus said in the bible, "if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me." He has called us to be bold in our faith (whether it is hard for us or not) and share the gospel, and we must be obedient to that, however, in the end, it is the Holy Spirit that will draw the lost to Jesus. God uses us to help reach the lost (what an honor), but He is in ultimate control, so it is very important that we keep our eyes on Jesus and follow Him. We are to have a heart for the lost, that is a part of being Christ-like, but our number one priority is to keep our eyes on Jesus! He will lead us to the lost, and then as we OBEY Him we will speak boldly of the love of God, and how he has transformed our lives and they will come to repentance and a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ! If we put our focus on the lost, or on church growth, or on anything else, it will become an idol to us. Anything that takes our eyes of of Jesus, even wonderful things that Jesus has a heart for, will lead us to ourselves and not to Him. I believe that this is the reason that a lot of churches have become seeker friendly. Seeker friendly is a way of thinking that purposes to reach the lost by making them comfortable at church or at church functions. Not wanting to "offend" the non-believer, they carefully arrange everything to keep them from feeling uncomfortable at church. As far as I am concerned, this "uncomfortableness" at church used to be called "conviction" and it was a good thing! It leads to salvation! It's ok to change things in the church, I have no problem with change. However, if the change makes the church look more like the world, then why in the world would the lost want to have anything to do with the church? If they can listen to worldly music on their ipod, then why come to church to do it? If they can play games and watch movies at home, then why come to church to do it? The bible says that we are to be set apart, a peculiar people! Why is the church so afraid to be different?? I'm not saying the church as a whole doesn't have problems that need fixed, I'm just saying that seeker friendly ways are not the answer. I believe that if you look through history at many of the revivals that changed cities, you will see that that it came about through seeking God's face, not through a change in their methods. As the people in the church experienced this new passion for God, their lives were changed. As their lives were changed, the lost looked and said "hmmm, seems like the church isn't full of hypocrites anymore!" Cities were reached for Jesus! Lives were changed and the lost were drawn in by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit either used a believer to bring someone to God, or sometimes He just brought them Himself, with no help from man! Then, when the lost came to the church, the church people were so full of love and compassion and holiness that they more closely reflected the image of Christ! Honestly, I don't care if I am called a Pharisee, or old fashioned, or just plain wrong. This is what I believe, it is the God I know and have known since I was a child. I am not afraid to lose friendships because of my beliefs either. It is time for God's people to make a stand and not be afraid to be persecuted, even by other believers.

Sensory Breakfast!

2010-06-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know all about sensory diets and how effective they can be to help a sensory kid make it through the day. However, implementing one has been a bit confusing to me. So far, all I have been able to do is to incorporate lots of sensory activities into our day randomly or when we have already reached sensory overload. Obviously, this is not working. My new plan is to start each day with a sensory breakfast, followed by a few short therapy breaks through the day (vision therapy, motor skills). We have taken a break from our sensory OT the past few months to do vision therapy with another OT. I think I will email our sensory OT and ask her for her input. I know there are different types of activities, (calming, alerting), I guess I am just afraid to do them in the wrong order or something and make things worse! Also, I have 2 kids with SPD, so I am wanting to make sure that each kid gets the right sensory diet. I will post on here as soon as I have planned the menu! :)

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-21T20:20:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrated Father's Day with the hubby. We gave him some drawings from the kids and a photo album with some beautiful pics of the kids for him to show off at work! He loved it.

We spent the past 2 days with my FIL and my dad. Lots of food and fun! I am so thankful for my dad. My little girl calls him "Popo" and I think that is just soo sweet. I was and will always be a daddy's girl.

It makes me sad to think of all of the people who have to celebrate Father's Day without their fathers. I also think of how sad it is for those who have horrible fathers (not around, abusive, etc.). I am glad that God promises to be a father to the fatherless. God is so good. He cares about us so much. He is a good father. The best! :)

Love

2010-06-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

Love covers a multitude of sins....

....simply stated....people can take just about anything from you, flaws and all, as long as they KNOW you love them.

Where is the love?? For God so LOVED the world, that HE gave His only begotten son.... We are supposed to be full of that same love. Who are we to love?

God
our spouses
our kids...each of them equally!!
everyone else!!

Who is everyone else???

saints
sinners
jerks
crazy people
kids
old people
smelly people
extra large people
little people
funny people
funny looking people
family
teachers
students
In-laws
Out-laws
......the list goes on.

Anyone can show love to a loveable person...actually, the bible says something just like this!!...but we are called to love the unloveable, the people who don't care about anyone but themselves, the kid who hasn't had a bath in a week because his water has been turned off because his mom couldn't pay the water bill, the self-righteous person who thinks it is their job to tell you how to do everything the "right" way, the guy in the car in front of you who just cut you off, the kid at the playground who just threw sand in your little girl's hair...etc, etc...

I will admit, I am still working on loving some of those kinds of people. We all are....

Here is my problem, though...if the church doesn't get this one right, you know, the part about LOVING people, well, then I have to wonder how long God is going to stand by and let the church misrepresent him...

"What's Love got to do with it?" you may ask. The bible says that if we have gifts of prophecy and can understand all mysteries, but have no love....then we are a resounding gong and a clanging symbol! Puts the gong show in a whole new perspective for me now! All you do for God will be "gonged" if you have not love!

Love is patient, love is kind.....

Vision Therapy

2010-06-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today was another day of vision therapy for 2 of my kids. Next week is set for a goal to be the last week. We will be working hard this week to make that happen! My daughter is pretty much caught up on vision and has been hitting fine motor skills hard. She is still behind age level, but progressing nicely. My son is still working to get his vision skills up to par. He has problems with adjusting from near to far and visa versa. He has improved a lot since we first started. It's been a long day, with therapy being a 45 minute drive! I'm ready for some rest...:)
Later!

I'm back!

2010-06-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I posted this once, but the power went out while I was trying to upload pictures! Ugh! I will try again! It has been 9 months since my last post! Oh my! I guess I have been pretty busy. Nathan was born 7 months ago, and despite much fanfare and drama, he is now a perfectly healthy 7 month old with 3 teeth, blonde hair, chubby cheeks...and weighing in at a whopping 20 pounds! He is pulling up to standing, sitting up, and trying his best to crawl already! He has overcome a lot of obstacles in his short life. He was born with Neonatal Alloimune Thrombocytopenia which almost took his life. He spent a few days in the NICU, but recovered completely. This is something similar to the RH incompatability, but a little more rare. My 3rd child had this as well, but she was not diagnosed correctly, and since she recovered completely, it was overlooked. He was born tongue-tied, which we had clipped at 2 weeks, since it interfered with nursing. We didn't get his acid reflux under control until he was around 5 months, so the first several months were trying! He flunked his newborn hearing screening, and went for further testing, which only showed very slight problems, so even though he goes for more testing in a couple of months, I'm confident he will be fine. It took us 2 months to figure it out, but we have been nursing successfully since then! Adjusting to #4 has been harder than I expected, but I still think it just depends on the baby.

Homeschooling went better than expected! The 2 middle kids are in vision therapy as well as addressing some fine motor delays. This should be over in a couple of weeks. Then my 3rd DD will be ready to start the process of learning to read! She has been asking for me to teach her, but I was waiting until she mastered her letter recognition (part of therapy). I am planning already for our next school year, which I think I will begin early for DD#3, so I can get some extra one on one time with her as she works on learning to read.

God has been speaking to me lately about being "shut in with God." It makes me think of Noah and how he took his family into an ark, despite everyone around him telling him he was crazy, or overreacting. Noone else on earth understood or accepted what God was telling him. How he must have felt inside the ark, surrounded by his family, listening to the devestation all around them.

Well, time to go for now, but I hope to be on here more often now that little man is getting older!

In Him,

Myra

Funeral Today

2009-09-27T11:57:00.001-07:00

In about an hour I will be going to the viewing for a very dear friend's dad. I spent a lot of time at her house growing up, so he is very dear to me. Even though I know that "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord," it is still hard. Hard to know how he suffered, hard to say goodbye, but especially hard to watch such a close friend grieve over the passing of her father. I know she has come to the end of one tough road, just to begin on another hard one. God, be with her on her journey....

Homeschooling and work boxes

2009-09-23T09:42:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I did some googling about work boxes and loved the idea of getting more organized! We need that! However, I don't have the room for all of the boxes for 3 kids! So, this is what I came up with. Each child has 5 manilla file folders labeled with their name and each day of the week. Each day they get out that day's file folder ( I have them all stored in a little wire rack that might really be a shoe rack or something) and read their assignment sheet that I have placed in each day's folder. Any worksheets or papers needed for that day's work is in the folder, and anything too big for the folder goes on the rack under the folders. They check off the work for the day and put the completed folder in a seperate file folder holder. I put the folders and assignment sheets together on the weekend so I don't spend time each day printing and copying assignments. I have a seperate file folder and assignment sheet for myself for any unit studies that we are doing, and anything we do as a group (such as bible time and craft time, sign lang., field trips, cooking, etc.) So far, this week, we have gotten more done that ever before and the kids loved having time to do a really cute fall craft! We took acorns and made miniature pumpkins out of them! So cute! I am loving this system so far! Hopefully, it continues to be a success!

September Already?

2009-09-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I've got 8 weeks and 5 days until my due date! It's just around the corner! Time is really flying by! Seriously, I am really not sure my belly can get any bigger. I think this little guy isn't going to be so little! The kids are really excited. Rachel says that Nathan is in there saying "get me out of here!" :) How cute. She's going to love being a big sis.

There's been a lot going on around here lately. One of my best friends is going thru a really bad time right now. Her dad is in the last stages of kidney cancer..which is now in his lungs, bones and brain as well. She has turned her life upside down to take care of him daily. She has always been like a big sis to me and this just makes me admire her even more. I am so proud of her!

Noah and Rachel are finished with OT for the year. This gives us a big break in our schedule, which I really need right now! However, we are really starting to see the effects already and it has only been 2 weeks without OT. Just more hyperness and squirminess, which sort of counteracts the benefits of a less hectic schedule! Ugh! We will start back up after the first of the year.

I took my kids and my nephew to the zoo last week. We had a ball! I can only make it about 2 hours though...and that is really pushing it for me! My kids are absolutely in love with this little guy, Avery. He is 2 1/2 years old and has the most beautiful, big blue eyes! He is already reading full sentences! Yes, he really can read! Noone had to teach him. He just figured it out on his own. He was more interested in his box of raisins than looking at the animals:), however he did tell his dad later that he looked at the dolphins at the zoo!

I'll try not to wait so long between posts next time!
:)

More on SPD

2009-08-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all. My pregnancy is doing great. I go for another ultrasound (my sixth) on Wednesday as well as my glucose test (yuck!). The doc is monitoring me closely.

I thought I would post an update on our life with SPD. We have been doing occupational therapy for almost a year now and we have seen a lot of progress. Noah's need to be in motion constantly has improved a lot which has made life more peaceful around here! :) His pain tolerance seems to have come down to a normal level..which seems like a bad thing, but it really is necessary to feel pain normally. A few months ago he had a stomach virus which just laid him out on the floor in pain. At first it scared me to see him holding his belly and yelling "it hurts", but then I realized that he had the same virus we had all been through, but was actually feeling it completely for the first time. Poor kid. He adjusted quickly, though. His issues with food have gotten worse, but hey, you can't have it all, huh? :( Right now he is working hard on his auditory issues. I have become more understanding of his issues, so instead of getting angry when he "doesn't listen" I have taken to repeating myself 3 or 4 times before I start getting frustrated. He doesn't like it at all! He told my mom I was a nag! LOL! 9 years old and already a typical man! A few days ago I had asked him to change his clothes. After reminding him like 14 times he finally was able to finish getting dressed. Part of his issues were auditory (at first), and then it was just that everytime he went to do it he would get distracted by something and forget. Finally, after he was dressed I asked him, "Noah, now do you see why I repeat myself so often?" and he said "yes." Maybe he won't think I am a nag now:) Homeschooling is wonderful for him! He was really stressed out at public school, coping with all of it. He knows how smart he is and it was really frustrating for him get problems wrong when he just knew he had done them right. He wasn't hearing directions completely, wasn't seeing the words/numbers correctly and couldn't use his hands the way he needed to to write, cut, etc... We can take all of that into account with homeschooling and make adjustments. We still have a lot of issues that we haven't hit yet, like vision, taste, fine motor work at therapy...but we will in time. We have truly come a long way. Occupational therapy with the right therapist has been a life saver...for all of us. I wish more people knew about and understood SPD, though. It would make life easier for us. I think that someday they will find out what causes this, and what fixes it!! My personal opinion (so far) is that it is a build up of toxins that this generation is loaded up with. The food we eat, the medicines (and vaccines) we take, the chemicals that are in EVERYTHING around us...from paint to bottled water! When we have a whole generation of kids who can't process sensory input properly to the point that it interferes with their life skills, then maybe it is time to look at what is going on. My patience with people who don't understand SPD has grown immensely...but if the doctors would get off their rears and speak up for these kids it sure would help a lot. I think docs don't want to admit that the mom's have figured out a problem without the doc's help. Oh well, I hope it will get better. I swear, though, if one more person says I am only dealing with a behavior issue, then I might just have to offend somebody:) With all the improvements we have seen in therapy we don't get too many comments like that anymore. It's been nice. I am not just a mom that wants to pawn off my parental resposibilty and blame everything on made up medical issues, and I think it is judgmental and arrogant to accuse someone of that. There are things I see, being the mom, that no one else sees. I have learned that there are some people out there that just need to learn a few more of life's lessons before they "get it." Well, I didn't expect to vent about that tonight, since I haven't dealt with it in so long. I have watched other kids struggle lately in other areas, and I think it is weighing on me a little bit. I see the attitude a lot out there that says "that kid just needs discipline," so tonight I challenge you to check yourself the next time you think a thought like that. You can NEVER know the whole story behind what is going on. If a child is acting innappropriately, then it could be a lack of discipline, but it could be more than that. I love what the singer/comedian Mark Lowry said about his childhood. He had "ADHD" and his teachers were always so mean to him. This one year he had a young, beautiful teacher that all the kids liked, but he would always go home with fingernail prints in his arms from her grabbing his arm when she was fed up with him. There was an old teacher at the school, though, that would come and get him and take him for walks and tell him that God loves hyperactive kids. She told him that God would use him one day in a great way, even with all of that energy! We should be showing God's love to all kids, even the difficult ones, and especially to their parents (who could probably use the support).

Rachel's OT is going well, too. She has gained a lot of stregth and balance. Her speech is amazing! She is learning so quickly with homeschooling. Her auditory issues are getting worse, and the OT has recommended brushing and listening therapy for her. Unfortunately, we haven't started on that yet, but we will soon. I have noticed that her issues with smells have gotten worse, too. She told my poor mom that she smelled the other day! :) LOL! She did it to her daddy too! She's not trying to hurt anybody's feelings, though. She just covers her nose and asks "what is that smell?" She does it in a way that isn't so much rude, as it is funny. She has a look on her face that says "why would anyone want to smell that way?" She can't figure it out! Yes, we will be having a talk about how it hurts people's feelings to tell them they smell! The funniest part is that she does this with good smells and bad ones! I think with my mom it was just her shampoo, and with my husband it was because he was eating something she didn't recognize the smell of. LOL! A lot of her other issues are resolving as well!

Tomorrow morning the kids have dentist appointments. This is always interesting with 2 SPD kids. No kid likes the dentist, but it is a whole different experience for them! Hopefully it goes well!

That all for tonight!

Meet Nathan!

2009-07-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! Today I had an appt. with a high risk OB. I had an ultrasound done while there to determine the diagnosis for a problem with Nathan's amniotic sac. The high risk OB is pretty confident that it is not an amniotic band...which is very dangerous...but it is something called synechia. This is harmless to the baby, and although the internet will tell you there is a risk for preterm labor, he does not think this will be so in my case. I will not be considered high risk, and this pregnancy will be treated as a normal pregnancy with the exception of another ultrasound around 28 weeks. I am 21 weeks now, and so far, Nathan is doing wonderfully! What a big relief. This picture of Nathan at the ultrasound today really struck me! He is doing what I felt like doing when I got the news that he will be ok. It looks like he is bowing down, praying! Thanks to all who prayed for us! Thanks, most of all, to God! There is a song from the 80's or 90's we used to sing in church..."God is gonna finish just what he started, even though the waters got to be parted, lift up your head, don't be broken hearted, God is gonna finish what He started in you...He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it..." This past week, this song has been in my heart for Nathan. God is faithful!

It's a Boy!

2009-07-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well, we had our much anticipated ultrasound on Tuesday. I am 20 weeks pregnant and our little one was more than happy to show off his gender...he even was pointing to it for us so we would pay attention! Everything looked healthy...heart, stomach, kidneys, mouth...everything in place and doing as it should. At one point he was crossing his ankles. So cute! I will try to get a picture of that one posted, but I do not have a working scanner so I will have to do some extra work to get that done. The technician noticed some areas of concern around the inner lining of the amniotic sac. I think they are called "amniotic bands" and if the doctor is correct, and this is what they are, then it is highly dangerous for our little guy. I will be seeing a high risk OB next Thursday to confirm a diagnosis and make a plan for treatment. My regular OB mentioned that they will closely monitor the baby and possibly take him at 34 weeks (that would be the goal)...if they can keep him safe until then and not need to take him earlier. During the ultrasound, the technician said, "wow, look at that, he is pointing straight up in the air." I know that he was pointing up to God to show us all that God is in control. Of course, we appreciate any and all prayers that you all could offer up on his behalf. We have pretty much decided his name is Nathan. The kids are excited to have a little brother. I will definitely be posting late next week with the findings of the high risk doc! Tonight I am going thru all the boy baby clothes that Tiff passed along and it is really making me antsy to meet my little boy. All in God's timing...that's for sure! Thanks for your prayers!

Busy weekend

2009-06-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hey all. It's been a madhouse around here. Tom has been fixing the shower (yay!) and so far it is going well! Hopefully it will be done today. My new nephew, Eli, is doing well, but I NEED to see him soon! Tuesday is the BIG day! I will have my ultrasound at 2:45 to check the health of our new little one and hopefully we will be able to find out the sex of the baby! The whole family is trying to be patient until then, but they are dying to know! I, on the other hand, am very nervous about the whole thing. I won't be happy until they tell me everything looks perfectly normal and the baby looks healthy. Whether it is a boy or a girl is just icing on the cake for me!

We have jumped back into listening therapy full steam ahead. I couldn't keep up with it during my first trimester...I was way too sick. We have a star chart that Noah fills in everyday and he gets a prize at the end for doing his therapy. It is working wonderfully so far! I am hoping to notice some big changes soon!

Well, that's all for now. I will leave you with a picture of my youngest, Rachel, right after she gave herself a haircut a few weeks ago!

Still learning

2009-06-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went garage saling and, oh my, did I get some great deals. I am really stocking up on things for the baby...cheaply! It was a lot of fun. Tiff and I went together and we ran into my parents along the way...literally, we almost ran into them!! Anyway, we shopped a few sales with them. I'm really getting into garage saling!

Well, I am going to make my first attempt at posting a blog with a picture in it! If it works I will be doing it more often! These are pictures from our trip to Holiday World last year! That's Noah and Rachel in the top picture. My oldest, Hannah is in the 2nd picture (2nd one from the right side).

Well, until next time!

I'm back

2009-06-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Tiff helped me with my new blog look! Thanks Tiff! I love it! I plan on changing things up a bit more as I figure it out! I am going to find out the sex of my baby in 2 weeks! I will post a picture as soon as I get it! My oldest kids want this one to be a boy, and my youngest is hoping for a girl. We will soon see! My oldest, Hannah, says I look a lot farther along than I am. I feel and look like I am 6 months pregnant! So far we are liking the names Nathan and Leah. Nothing is set in stone yet, though. November 18th seems so far away.....:( My newest nephew will be born this Tuesday. His name is Eli and he will born via scheduled c-section. We are all very excited about meeting him. Well, it's time for me to eat again, gotta go! Hi to Renee'...it's good to be back

OK, I'm still alive!

2009-05-02T08:54:00.001-07:00

It seems like forever since I have been on my computer! I have been dealing with hyperemesis (the most severe form of morning sickness). Unfortunately, I ended up in the emergency room twice, and was admitted overnight one of those times. The finally found some med that are helping relieve the worst of it. Praise God for that! I have lost a lot of weight and my doc is keeping a close eye on me to make sure I gain it back. The baby is doing wonderfully! I have had 3 ultrasounds so far and the heartbeat looks strong each time. I will be 12 weeks on Wednesday, so I should be done with this sickness completely soon. My hubby stepped up to the plate in a big way and took care of everything while I laid on the couch. I am so proud of him. What a guy!

BIG NEWS

2009-04-02T08:56:00.001-07:00

I'm pregnant! I just found out a couple of weeks ago. It has been sheer torture waiting for 2 weeks to get an ultrasound. Last year I had an ovarian ectopic pregnancy. This increases my risk of ectopics by quite a bit. I went for bloodwork twice and my hcg levels were going up dramatically which was a good sign. Tuesday I had my ultrasound, and not only did we see the baby in the uterus, but we also saw the yolk sac and a heartbeat! I am about 6-7 weeks along and my due date should be around November 18, if they don't change it. I'm very naseaus and very tired, but my oldest daughter has been a huge help! I go back next week for another ultrasound. This one is just to make sure everything is developing as it should. Also, this will be my initial pregnancy exam. This one was not planned, but is definitely a wonderful surprise!

Update on Listening Therapy

2009-03-23T20:26:00.001-07:00

So far, so good! The first couple of days were really rough. My son was very upset and kept saying he hated music. He didn't want to cooperate. Things are going better now. I have been keeping an eye out for any changed behaviors. He has seemed really mellow this week. My husband even noticed it. It's like his engine is running at 5 miles per hour. Now, he has had a cough for a while, so I am hoping that this isn't what is causing this change. I guess we will see. Tomorrow we have OT so it will be nice to see what she has to say. My youngest really doesn't seem to be able to do the LT. She is only 4, and the headphones fall off so much because they are so big, even when they are adjusted to the smallest setting. We may hold off on LT for her for a while. I have a very good friend who just started brushing with her infant daughter. I was able to show her the Wilbarger protocal! It's really cool that they are catching this with her so young. I think they were on top of things with her because she was a 10 week early preemie. She's fine in every other way, other than some sensory issues. Well, that's all for tonight. Later.

Listening Therapy

2009-03-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we finally got our Therapuetic Listening gear! Yay! My son didn't like it at all, and has argued with me everytime he wears it. I listened to it myself for a few minutes and it is not just regular music. It does something funny to your ears...nearly gave me a headache. I really can't describe it. Our OT said we could use it on my youngest as well and it might help her speech. She did it yesterday, but not today...I will start her in a couple of days, after I get my son to be more cooperative with it. This could last as long as 6 months. We do it 2 times a day, for 30 minutes each time. The sessions have to be at least 3 hours from the end of one to the beginning of another, and you have to finish your last session at least one hour before you go to bed. Thankfully, we are homeschooling now, so it will be much easier to schedule these sessions. I will keep track of the kids' progress and any changes that I might notice. Today my son told me he loved me out of the blue and my oldest brought me in a flower from outside! I have the best kids in the world! :)

New blog look

2009-03-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I have changed things around quite a bit here. Still working on it. I like having 3 columns instead of 2. Rachel's cough is finally gone and she is all better! Yay! The husband and I watched "Die Hard, Live Free" tonight. It was pretty good for an action flick. It really makes you think how vulnerable we all are as a nation. Definitely not for the kids, though. Too much violence. We stumbled upon craft time today at the library quite by accident. Rachel liked it a lot! We will try to go to them from now on. All in all, it was a great day. Can't wait for a warm day to get out and clean out the camper!!

What a Week!

2009-03-13T18:51:00.001-07:00

Ok, so it turns out my daughter and I were sick. My daughter's temperature got up to 104 under her arm on Monday night! I gave her tylenol, but 1 hour later..still nothing. So, I called the doc and he told me to give her some Motrin right away. When I tried to do that she said she was going to throw up, so I didn't give her any Motrin. She threw up and her temperature went down right away. Unfortunately, she has had a bad croupy cough all week. It seems that every time she gets sick she gets this cough. Well, thank God her fever came down. On the same day my wonderful cousin came over to fix a light that was out. It turns out that it was a fire hazard, and by fixing it he probably saved our lives! Thanks God! (and thanks cousin!) Well, we are still waiting for our listening therapy equipment to come in...anxiously awaiting! I am very excited to start doing it! I have heard really great things. Well, I hear my little one coughing too much in the other room, so I will go for now!

Yucky day

2009-03-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

Not feeling so great today. I went to bed at 8:30 last night and slept for like 12 hours straight! My 4 year old slept most of the day today. It feels like a virus, but it's only lots of sleeping with possibly a small temperature (we were both really warm). Uggh! No fun! When I feel better I will get on here and post more about SPD. For now I will leave you with a few great deals at Kroger. They have some awesome sales on their meat. Ribs, roast and hamburger...yum! Also, Meijer has Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce for a dollar I think! More later...

That didn't go so well...

2009-03-06T18:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I went to Walgreens the other day, and basically, the cashier called the manager up to figure out my coupon deal (which was right!), and they acted like I was "scamming" them but gave me the coupon deal anyway. She was very nice, other than saying that some websites were trying to get people to scam them using coupons. Ugh! I will have to find a different Walgreens. Not a good experience.

Walgreens Deals

2009-03-02T14:02:00.001-08:00

Well, today I am going to Walgreens. I have my coupons in hand, and I have checked the ads and some websites for the deals. I am going to attempt to get some freebies! I will check back in tonight and let you know how it works!

Great Deals

2009-02-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

Today was grocery day! I got some great deals! Meijer had tubs of land o' lakes spreadable butter for 4/5.00. I used my .50 off of 1 tub coupons (which Meijer doubled) and got them for .25 each! Yay! Better yet, I went to Kroger and got the Pillsbury crescent roll deal. They had the very tiny crescent rolls for 1.00 on sale. I used my .35 off of 1 coupons on each...the doubled the first 2 coupons!....which meant I payed about 2.55 or so for 5. Then they had a deal where you get a 3.00 off your next order coupon if you buy 5 crescent rolls! So...of course, I went back later and used my 3.00 coupon to buy 5 more..which gave me 3.00 off next order again...which I used to buy some hamburger! I still haven't gotten the hang of the CVS game yet. I am trying, though. Even if you don't coupon, Kroger and Meijer had some great 10 for 10.00 deals this week. Meijer even lets you get the 11th 1.00 item for free. Well, we are stocked up on food for a while, thank God! A lady at the grocery store saw my coupon binder and stopped to ask me how I used my coupons. This is becoming a serious addiction. Hey, it benifits the whole family, though! The trick is to get multiples of the same coupon and wait for a really good sale on that product and then stock up. Well, it's been a long day, with 2 trips to Kroger, 1 to Meijer, a trip to the In-Laws (the best In-Laws in the world!) and making a yummy homemade pizza! I'm off to get ready for another day of homeschooling tomorrow...which we are loving, by the way! Later!

SPD and Listening Therapy

2009-02-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

I wanted to take this chance to spread a little info about Sensory Processing Disorder. This is a neurological condition that shares some traits with Autism and ADHD. It is commonly misdiagnosed as ADHD. In SPD, the nervous system cannot process sensory info correctly, resulting in incorrect responses to sensory input. It does not affect people in the same way, nor does it affect an individual the same way at all times. For example, one sense that can be out of whack is the tactile sense, or sense of touch. Some people will actually feel a very light touch as extremely uncomfortable, and will react strongly against it. Others may not notice touch at all, so they will crave touch and constantly be in others space. Even worse, some will waffle between the two extremes. My son is a waffler! Other senses that can be affected are sight, sound, taste, smell, proprioceptive and vestibular. Not all senses have to be affected. My son is affected in all areas, but especially with sound, touch and vestibular. My daughter, who isn't diagnosed with SPD, but may have it as well, has problems with vestibular, sight and auditory. If your child has ever been diagnosed with ADHD or autism I would recommend doing some research into SPD. The treatment for SPD is Sensory Integration Therapy, along with a lot of other things that are worth a try (although they are considered alternative). Today our Occupational Therapist ordered my son's Listening Therapy program. This is a special cd player and headphones (with different cd's) that play frequencies that regular cd players and headphones won't even play. This somehow retrains the brain to "hear" correctly. I do not understand it completely, but I am happy to learn. When we first started therapy we tried something called Wilbarger brushing. It seemed like an odd thing to do as "therapy", but it has made a world of difference in my son's behavior, as well as his ability to communicate. Thank the Lord, my son's SPD is only considered moderate. However, this leaves him in the category of being misunderstood quite frequently. His SPD has caused him to have a fine motor delay (pretty severe), low muscle tone (endurance), dyspraxia (poor motor planning), eye convergence problems (even though his vision is 20/20), along with some minor struggles with social skills. When he was 4 I took him to our local school system to have him tested for SPD. Unfortunately, they didn't know enough about it to point us in the right direction. A couple of years later we went to our pediatrician, who was leaning toward ADHD, but recommended further testing (unfortunately, through the school system again). Finally, I took him to an independent OT who specialized in Sensory issues. She has helped him in so many ways. We go to OT once a week and I wish we would have been able to do this when he was younger. I think this is one of my new missions in life...to educate the world about SPD. Help spread the word!

A good day...

2009-02-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

We had a great day homeschooling today! We covered a lot of ground. I think the kids are getting used to being around each other all day. We are only in our second week of homeschooling now. So far, so good.

I have decided to try out the binder method for storing my coupons. I am currently setting that up. We'll see how it turns out. My oldest daughter is so into couponing with me! Actually, she is cutting coupons right now! Sunday afternoon I stumbled upon the information about Kmart's super double coupon sale. Needless to say, I ran right out and stocked up on a few good deals. I got Rimmel fingernail polish for free and a few tubes of Crest toothpaste for free as well. This was my first venture into Kmarts double days. I couldn't believe they were doubling 2 dollar coupons! Wow! What a deal! I've still got a lot to learn.

As you might have noticed from my first post, I have a couple of kids with some medical issues. Thankfully, my oldest is fine, with the exception of some major allergies. My son was finally diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (also known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction) this past fall. My youngest daughter has some developmental delays, and her OT is on the fence as to if she has SPD as well. She shows many of the signs of SPD, and a lot of her delays can be related to SPD. She is only 4 years old, so we are watching her closely. Thankfully, she has been receiving speech, developmental and occupational therapy since she was 2, so her issues are not as problematic as her brother's. I will eventually post more info and links about SPD on this blog. I just have to figure out how to work this blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

My very first blog post

2009-02-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about blogging for a while now, and it seems that tonight is the night that I finally get the courage to make an attempt! I just thought that this would be a good way to keep everything in perspective. Life can get in the way at times and cloud my view. I want to keep my focus on Jesus more and more. I have learned a little bit about "binocular" vision as 2 of my kids are having problems in this area. If you aren't using both of your eyes correctly to focus on something than you will lose your depth perception. Try covering one eye. Now ask someone to hold up a small container and hold an object above that container. Have them slowly move the object over the opening of the container until you tell them that it is directly over the opening. You will be amazed at how far "off" you will be in your attempt. This reminds me of how "off" my life becomes I am not correctly focused on God. My spiritual eyes need depth perception to be able to perceive the deep things of God. My kids have problems with double vision when they are writing. Likewise, when I am not focused on God, I see all of life's problems and woes to be "double" what they really are. They also have problems catching things that are thrown at them. I, too, have problems "catching" the things that life throws my way when my mind is not on Him. It's also hard to "catch" the teachings and blessings that God throws my way when I am not looking towards him. Another area of concern for my kids is that they sometimes struggle in making eye contact with someone who is up close. Oh, how this one resonates within my heart! When I have lost my focus on Christ it is so hard to "look Him in the eye" when I am in His prescence. As soon as I start to feel the guilt, though, He reminds me of His unconditional love for me. No, He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me. He has held me in the palm of His hand the whole time. Interestingly, the way to fix this vision deficit is to do vision exercises daily. Sounds a whole lot like my christian walk! I need to stay in His Word daily and sit in His presence to keep my eyes trained on Him. It reminds me of an old song...

O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth, will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.