It feels like it should be Friday. Why am I so tired this week. Perhaps it is my awesome immune system fighting off whatever the germ is that has J laid up (though he has done well today, rested a lot and still has a cough, butno fever, so I think he is ready to go back to school tomorrow). G though fell asleep AT SCHOOL for like an hour today. He has not shown signs of a cough or fever, but that is very odd of him, especially since he got a good nights sleep last night. He was looking mighty pale this evening--usually his skin tone is a light tan color, but tonight he was whiter than A is (and A is very pale Irish). So I asked A to come by in the morning again in case G needs to stay home, as I will be taking J to school tomorrow. Anyway, I have had a mild cough for about 5 days now, but no fever. So my body has been successfully fighting whatever it is. I think that is why I am so tired...
Anyway, my meals after getting home. Lets see. I had a bowl of corn flakes with milk for a mid afternoon snack. For dinner we had the corned beef, cabbage, and potato dinner that I had planned on cooking last week that never panned out. So I had corned beef, cabbage (lots of cabbage, I love cabbage), and potatoes with a large glass of water. And right now I am eating an evening snack of a 1/2 bowl of raisin bran with milk.
I will have more water before I go to bed, but thats it, I am done. Maybe I'll make a cup of herbal tea and watch a movie, it has been a long time since I watched a movie.... Sleep well all.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Day 10--reaching a new level of healing
I have been listening to a variety of philosophical and spiritual teaching lately on healing. While one of my goals is to lose weight, it is more of a sub-goal to the much larger goal of becoming healthy. And not just physically healthy, but spiritually healthy, emotionally healthy, mentally healthy, financially healthy, and socially healthy. There are so many aspects to the human life, and being healthy in all areas is truly the primary state I want my being to be in. So I was listening to someone I had never heard of before, named Jennifer McLean (I think that is how you spell it), and her work on body dialoging was very freeing, as it focuses in a meditative state on your body and helps you work through an area where you feel tense or stuck due to various issues from the past and present. It really was quite an eye-opening experience in how I view certain people in my life and how I can change my attitude and forgive myself for the things that I have done that have contributed to the bad situations in my life.
Well, time is running short, so I'll have to write more on that another time. J is still home recovering today, though from what A has said he has been pretty active and much better than yesterday. A is sick as well, and is at my house with J, though not getting much rest as J is being fairly active. I'll be home soon and A can go back home and rest and recoup.
Okay, before I have to get going to pick up G--for Breakfast I had a large cup of coffee with half and half and a little sugar, and an everything bagel with cream cheese (from Stewart's as I as fueling up this morning).
For lunch, I have a can of vegetable beef soup in the car which will be my lunch in a few minutes, probably cold....oh well. See you later...
Well, time is running short, so I'll have to write more on that another time. J is still home recovering today, though from what A has said he has been pretty active and much better than yesterday. A is sick as well, and is at my house with J, though not getting much rest as J is being fairly active. I'll be home soon and A can go back home and rest and recoup.
Okay, before I have to get going to pick up G--for Breakfast I had a large cup of coffee with half and half and a little sugar, and an everything bagel with cream cheese (from Stewart's as I as fueling up this morning).
For lunch, I have a can of vegetable beef soup in the car which will be my lunch in a few minutes, probably cold....oh well. See you later...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Day 9--Night is slipping by and so is my wakefulness
Okay, so tonight I am just going to mention what I ate, as that has been my promise to myself, and it is a promise I intend to honor. Usually I like to write more, because losing weight is not just about dropping pounds, it is about how you relate to your world, including food, and how your body uses it, in relation to your mental, emotional and spiritual states as well as your physical one. If weight were truly just about calories in and calories out, no one would be fat, because they would only eat what their body told them it needed. So, I blog about my life, my thoughts and my feelings. Usually. Tonight, I just honor my promise and then go hit the sack as I just spent 4 hours writing a short (450-550 word) article on Little League starting again around the country. Why it took me so long to find what I wanted and then write a coherent piece about it I will never know. For an $11 article, it sure took a lot of time. I hope I'm not coming down with whatever J and A have (A is sick too, was sent home from work early...). A went to the health center as the boss required, and was told it was contagious viral bronchitis. So, for J that means a lot of nebulizer treatments, rest, and fluids, and hopefully he will come through this without too much trouble.
Okay, so now I am rambling as usual--I already told breakfast thru lunch, so I will start with the afternoon. I had Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt for a snack at 4:30pm, then we had ziti for dinner. A had brought some Ginger Ale for J, so we all had a little with dinner (which I really should not do--its like drinking sugar). J decided not to have his fruit roll up so I ate that after they went to bed (I really am trying to work on this "don't throw food away" mindset that was drilled into me as a child). I also had some microwave popcorn, and then had a small piece of cake. Why I had the cake I don't know, I was not hungry for it, I did not actually enjoy it, and I am puzzled over the unconcious way that I got a piece of cake and ate 3/4 of it. When I search my brain, the only answer it gives me is "it was there". So, yup, a victory, I found another deeply ingrained brain pattern that is stalling my ability to attain complete health. So its time to write an EFT script and work on it. I promise i will write an article introducing EFT soon, as I know I have referred to it often in the blog and some of you are like "what the heck is EFT?". I have it on my list of articles for the week, so stay tuned.
Well, I am off to bed now. Why the little league article consumed my evening I am not sure, though actually it maybe was because I was also listening to a broadcast of Healing with The Masters, which is going on every Tuesday and Thursday night from March 8-May 26. I missed the actual broadcast but since I was signed up (for free) I have access to the taped version. I was listening to James Redfield talk tonight (author of the Celestine Prophecy, which I first read over 15 years ago, and reread about 5 years ago--GREAT book). If you are interested, check it out at http://www.healingwiththemasters.com/
Too much of an attempt to multitask I presume. No more audio programs when writing articles. Multitasking is one thing, but being mindful is often necessary as well, and writing about little league while listening to a spiritually enhancing audio file do not mesh well. Multitasking is best when done with similar tasks....
Okay, so now I am rambling as usual--I already told breakfast thru lunch, so I will start with the afternoon. I had Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt for a snack at 4:30pm, then we had ziti for dinner. A had brought some Ginger Ale for J, so we all had a little with dinner (which I really should not do--its like drinking sugar). J decided not to have his fruit roll up so I ate that after they went to bed (I really am trying to work on this "don't throw food away" mindset that was drilled into me as a child). I also had some microwave popcorn, and then had a small piece of cake. Why I had the cake I don't know, I was not hungry for it, I did not actually enjoy it, and I am puzzled over the unconcious way that I got a piece of cake and ate 3/4 of it. When I search my brain, the only answer it gives me is "it was there". So, yup, a victory, I found another deeply ingrained brain pattern that is stalling my ability to attain complete health. So its time to write an EFT script and work on it. I promise i will write an article introducing EFT soon, as I know I have referred to it often in the blog and some of you are like "what the heck is EFT?". I have it on my list of articles for the week, so stay tuned.
Well, I am off to bed now. Why the little league article consumed my evening I am not sure, though actually it maybe was because I was also listening to a broadcast of Healing with The Masters, which is going on every Tuesday and Thursday night from March 8-May 26. I missed the actual broadcast but since I was signed up (for free) I have access to the taped version. I was listening to James Redfield talk tonight (author of the Celestine Prophecy, which I first read over 15 years ago, and reread about 5 years ago--GREAT book). If you are interested, check it out at http://www.healingwiththemasters.com/
Too much of an attempt to multitask I presume. No more audio programs when writing articles. Multitasking is one thing, but being mindful is often necessary as well, and writing about little league while listening to a spiritually enhancing audio file do not mesh well. Multitasking is best when done with similar tasks....
Day 9--A day at home
Well, I am having one of those rare days at home. J is sick, he has a fever around 101.4 and his cough is not good, so he got his inhaler earlier when he woke up at 6:30 (or rather when I woke him up to get ready for school and discovered his cold turned into something more), and he had some juice and went back to sleep. My mother was roused from her bed this morning to come stay with J while I took G to school. I was back in time for her to only be a few minutes late for work. I would have had A come over, as J is A's son too, but alas my father's phone is shut off right now, so there was no way to reach A (boy do I miss living in an area where cell phones actually work at times like these). Anyway, J is still sleeping. I just replaced a cup of watered juice next to him as he drank most of what I gave him earlier--rest and fluids are what's needed, right. I think I will be keeping him home tomorrow, as the guidelines say he has to be fever free for 24 hours before returning, and also because fighting it seems to be taking all his energy, so he is going to need a day to recoup tomorrow. I am to the doctor's at 2:00pm today. Hopefully A will be here by them so one of us can go pick up G and the other can take J to the doctor, as the timing is bad.
Anyway, So I am home. I have been cleaning up the kitchen and working on some articles. J did wake up while Iwas writing this and I have changed his clothes, given him a neb treatment and some more watered juice, and he is laying in bed watching a movie.
I stopped at Stewart's after dropping G off at school this morning and grabbed a large coffee with half & half and a little sugar, an eggwich (egg, sausage, cheese on a hard roll), and a bottle of water, then headed home. So kind of a heavier breakfast. For lunch (as it is now after 12:00) I had a can of Light Beef PotRoast soup by Progresso with some crackers. And a cup of water.
J is NOT going to the doctor. A stopped in to get ready for work (long story, but A always gets ready for work here), and said they had changed the schedule and had to go in for 2pm instead of 3pm, and swapping days off from Tuesday to Thursday as they have someone else out. So since I have leave at 1:45 to get G, there is no one to take J to the doctor. I am not sure it would do any good, as I had been on the fence about it. Most likely what he has is a virus, and there is nothing they can do to speed up recovery, especially since he has a normal level fever and his cough has not been around for long. I just like to cover all my bases as with his CP and lung issues, sometimes illness works on his body differently than it does a typical kid. But I also hate taking him to the doctors office as there are a lot of germs and other illness there that he can be exposed to, as the CP and CLD already lower his immunity, going in already sick, he is likely to pick up ANYTHING he contacts. So it is probably for the best. The nebulizer treatment helps so I am just trying to find someone to come sit with him while I go pick up G. But if I have to bundle him up and put him in the car for a little ride, I think he will be okay.
Well, I should go, I have been intermittently working on this post for a few hours now, so it is time to publish it. Oh, I just talked to my sister and her kids are both sick with what appears to be the flu. At the place she works, many of the residents have come down with a Type A influenza (one not covered by this year's flu shot), and it has the same symptoms that her kids have and a number of other people in town have, and it sounds like what J has, so he may be out for a few days, as his cousin has had it since Friday and still has not gone back to school yet.
So---Yuck!
Anyway, So I am home. I have been cleaning up the kitchen and working on some articles. J did wake up while Iwas writing this and I have changed his clothes, given him a neb treatment and some more watered juice, and he is laying in bed watching a movie.
I stopped at Stewart's after dropping G off at school this morning and grabbed a large coffee with half & half and a little sugar, an eggwich (egg, sausage, cheese on a hard roll), and a bottle of water, then headed home. So kind of a heavier breakfast. For lunch (as it is now after 12:00) I had a can of Light Beef PotRoast soup by Progresso with some crackers. And a cup of water.
J is NOT going to the doctor. A stopped in to get ready for work (long story, but A always gets ready for work here), and said they had changed the schedule and had to go in for 2pm instead of 3pm, and swapping days off from Tuesday to Thursday as they have someone else out. So since I have leave at 1:45 to get G, there is no one to take J to the doctor. I am not sure it would do any good, as I had been on the fence about it. Most likely what he has is a virus, and there is nothing they can do to speed up recovery, especially since he has a normal level fever and his cough has not been around for long. I just like to cover all my bases as with his CP and lung issues, sometimes illness works on his body differently than it does a typical kid. But I also hate taking him to the doctors office as there are a lot of germs and other illness there that he can be exposed to, as the CP and CLD already lower his immunity, going in already sick, he is likely to pick up ANYTHING he contacts. So it is probably for the best. The nebulizer treatment helps so I am just trying to find someone to come sit with him while I go pick up G. But if I have to bundle him up and put him in the car for a little ride, I think he will be okay.
Well, I should go, I have been intermittently working on this post for a few hours now, so it is time to publish it. Oh, I just talked to my sister and her kids are both sick with what appears to be the flu. At the place she works, many of the residents have come down with a Type A influenza (one not covered by this year's flu shot), and it has the same symptoms that her kids have and a number of other people in town have, and it sounds like what J has, so he may be out for a few days, as his cousin has had it since Friday and still has not gone back to school yet.
So---Yuck!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Day 8--fairly uneventful
So this day has been fairly uneventful, which has been nice. After writing and such at the library I headed over to pick up J from school. He has a bit of a cold and a dry cough, so I was a little worried about him--still am, as with his lung issues a cold can sometimes turn into something worse quickly. though this year we have been incredibly fortunate, as the couple of times I took him to the doctor, they said it was just a cold. And he has recovered within a few days after that. So hopefully it is just a little cold and with fluids and rest, he will be able to continue his daily routine and continue to get well. His immune system seems to be getting stringer every year. This is a blessing from God that I am truly thankful for.
For lunch I tried the Campbell's soup at hand heated by the defrost thing, and it worked okay (soup lukewarm is not all that good, but better than cold), so I have a container of the Chicken Noodle Soup and a little single serving bag of peanuts that I bought when I was paying for my gas. Oh, and a bottle of water. I also had a small handful of almonds and a small handful of dried cherries on the ride home.
Aside from that, when I finally checked my cell phone messages (I had left it charging in the car while I was in the library) I learned that A was able to get my battery out of my old car with my brother's help, and that my step-father helped put it in the jeep, however it was the wrong configuration, so it would not work in the jeep. I had a second battery that my sister had been given when her battery was ailing, but that was the wrong configuration for her car, so they tried THAT one in the Jeep and it was perfect. So now A will not have to borrow my car for work and will not have to worry about whether or not the Jeep will make it home. And A was able to get to work on time.
The other thing that a message said was that A's cat (which has been staying with me since A moved up here as the dogs at my dad's house are not friendly to cats--and it is not even a cat we had when we were together, it was one A got AFTER we separated) had gotten outside and was stuck under the porch somewhere. Brody (the cat) has been an indoor cat since A got him as a kitten last summer. But Horace (my cat) and Narnia (our dog) both go in and out. So Brody decided to follow them last week during that great warm weather where it got into the high 40's & low 50's. However today we had a winter storm advisory in effect all day, with blowing snow ans sleet, snow, rain mix, with 4-5 inches of accumulation. I have been very careful to make sure that Brody is not out when I leave, as he is not ready to be outside without someone here. Horace spends a lot of time outside, so I don't worry about him. Anyway, I know Brody was in the house when I took the boys out to the car, but I forgot J's walker, which he needs at school, so I ran back in to get it. I left the door open as I did so and he must have run out then.
So, J got his snow pants on and played on the porch (he loves the outdoors, it will be incredible for him as his walking ability continues to develop) while i called and called and searched for the cat. But to no avail, not even a mew was heard. So when we came in I put a dish of food on the porch hoping that when he got hungry enough he would come and get it.
Then we played a video game (the new Harry Potter one that G got for his birthday), then the kids did their homework (G has actual homework being in second grade, J just does some pen and paper work to improve his fine motor skills which I call homework as he is in pre-K and does not get homework yet). After that J wanted to watch something on netflix, but as I have not paid my monthly fee, netflix is offline until another check comes, hopefully later this week. So he decide to watch Alvin and the chipmunks the Squeakwel. I made dinner (Ramon noodles with peas, egg, and bits of beef) and while dinner was cooking, I was able to go back outside and coax Brody from the hole in the porch. His issue was that he did not want to step on snow, and the hole in the porch is near the edge, so the snow had gotten in and around the hole. I had to get him to stick his head out so I could grab the scruff of his neck and get him out. He was so happy that he buried his little head in the crux of my elbow as I carried him in.
the boys had the Ramon dish for dinner, I only had a little bit of that, but made some bean and salsa mix eaten on a tortilla (well 2 tortilla's actually). I also had a sandwich thin, toasted with butter while I had been cooking dinner, as I was hungry.
At 9:00 I had a mini-fruit roll -up, which I had opened for G earlier, but then he decided he wanted a banana for snack like his brother (smart boys, eating fruit instead of processed fruit flavored sugar, not so smart Mama snacking on the open fruit roll up so it would not go to waste--instead it goes to waist--I need to stop doing that).
I am reading the boys the Chronicle of Narnia book series, and they are loving it, we are doing 1-2 chapters a night. We are on book 3--A Horse and His Boy. I have always loved these books (which might be noticable as my dog's name is Narnia) and I am so happy to share them with my kids. J is still a little young for them, but G is really following the story and loves it. maybe in a couple years we will reread them when j is able to get more out of them. But I had forgotten so much about book 3, which is a story of choices and starting out fresh to change the mistakes of the past, and build a better life for the future. Which is kinda where I am right now in my own life (though I lack the talking horse and such), but still, some of the undercurrents of the book I am really connecting with, especially the idea of moving forward and not knowing what would have happened IF...
Anyway, I am hoping for an early bed after I do the dishes. This cold is kicking my butt...
For lunch I tried the Campbell's soup at hand heated by the defrost thing, and it worked okay (soup lukewarm is not all that good, but better than cold), so I have a container of the Chicken Noodle Soup and a little single serving bag of peanuts that I bought when I was paying for my gas. Oh, and a bottle of water. I also had a small handful of almonds and a small handful of dried cherries on the ride home.
Aside from that, when I finally checked my cell phone messages (I had left it charging in the car while I was in the library) I learned that A was able to get my battery out of my old car with my brother's help, and that my step-father helped put it in the jeep, however it was the wrong configuration, so it would not work in the jeep. I had a second battery that my sister had been given when her battery was ailing, but that was the wrong configuration for her car, so they tried THAT one in the Jeep and it was perfect. So now A will not have to borrow my car for work and will not have to worry about whether or not the Jeep will make it home. And A was able to get to work on time.
The other thing that a message said was that A's cat (which has been staying with me since A moved up here as the dogs at my dad's house are not friendly to cats--and it is not even a cat we had when we were together, it was one A got AFTER we separated) had gotten outside and was stuck under the porch somewhere. Brody (the cat) has been an indoor cat since A got him as a kitten last summer. But Horace (my cat) and Narnia (our dog) both go in and out. So Brody decided to follow them last week during that great warm weather where it got into the high 40's & low 50's. However today we had a winter storm advisory in effect all day, with blowing snow ans sleet, snow, rain mix, with 4-5 inches of accumulation. I have been very careful to make sure that Brody is not out when I leave, as he is not ready to be outside without someone here. Horace spends a lot of time outside, so I don't worry about him. Anyway, I know Brody was in the house when I took the boys out to the car, but I forgot J's walker, which he needs at school, so I ran back in to get it. I left the door open as I did so and he must have run out then.
So, J got his snow pants on and played on the porch (he loves the outdoors, it will be incredible for him as his walking ability continues to develop) while i called and called and searched for the cat. But to no avail, not even a mew was heard. So when we came in I put a dish of food on the porch hoping that when he got hungry enough he would come and get it.
Then we played a video game (the new Harry Potter one that G got for his birthday), then the kids did their homework (G has actual homework being in second grade, J just does some pen and paper work to improve his fine motor skills which I call homework as he is in pre-K and does not get homework yet). After that J wanted to watch something on netflix, but as I have not paid my monthly fee, netflix is offline until another check comes, hopefully later this week. So he decide to watch Alvin and the chipmunks the Squeakwel. I made dinner (Ramon noodles with peas, egg, and bits of beef) and while dinner was cooking, I was able to go back outside and coax Brody from the hole in the porch. His issue was that he did not want to step on snow, and the hole in the porch is near the edge, so the snow had gotten in and around the hole. I had to get him to stick his head out so I could grab the scruff of his neck and get him out. He was so happy that he buried his little head in the crux of my elbow as I carried him in.
the boys had the Ramon dish for dinner, I only had a little bit of that, but made some bean and salsa mix eaten on a tortilla (well 2 tortilla's actually). I also had a sandwich thin, toasted with butter while I had been cooking dinner, as I was hungry.
At 9:00 I had a mini-fruit roll -up, which I had opened for G earlier, but then he decided he wanted a banana for snack like his brother (smart boys, eating fruit instead of processed fruit flavored sugar, not so smart Mama snacking on the open fruit roll up so it would not go to waste--instead it goes to waist--I need to stop doing that).
I am reading the boys the Chronicle of Narnia book series, and they are loving it, we are doing 1-2 chapters a night. We are on book 3--A Horse and His Boy. I have always loved these books (which might be noticable as my dog's name is Narnia) and I am so happy to share them with my kids. J is still a little young for them, but G is really following the story and loves it. maybe in a couple years we will reread them when j is able to get more out of them. But I had forgotten so much about book 3, which is a story of choices and starting out fresh to change the mistakes of the past, and build a better life for the future. Which is kinda where I am right now in my own life (though I lack the talking horse and such), but still, some of the undercurrents of the book I am really connecting with, especially the idea of moving forward and not knowing what would have happened IF...
Anyway, I am hoping for an early bed after I do the dishes. This cold is kicking my butt...
A side note: Prayers for 2 kids who need families...
I could not figure out how to get the photo of Michael to upload to facebook, so I am going to do a blog post about both Micheal and Haven. I have been assigned as their Prayer Warrior through Reece's Rainbow. So I am committed to praying for them until they have a committed family. Please join in in sending your prayers and your good will out to them and to potential families who may be a good match for them.
Here is Michael D.:
He is in Russia and he looks very well taken care of at the orphanage. Please prayer that he is adopted before he is transferred to an institution when he is 5 years old, where in Russia he will then be unadoptable. If he has a committed family before his 5th birthday, they can keep him at the orphanage while the necessary process is underway. He is running out of time...
Info from RR: Michael D.
Date of Birth: June 2006
Gender: Male
Eyes: Gray
Hair: brown
Character: calm
For those of you who do not know, Reece's Rainbow is an absolutely amazing organization that helps connect people seeking children with waiting children who have special needs. It also helps raise funds for adoption for both waiting children and for families. Additionally (this is the greatest of all) they are working in various countries to help establish supports and groups for people who WANT to keep their children. It is truly an inspired and amazing group that is addressing the issues from multiple fronts. I have been following the founder since the very beginning of Reece's Rainbow back in 2005--before there was even a website. Many children with special needs in foreign countries are institutionalized at a very young age for even minor special needs, and given no education, not chance to become active, functioning members of society. Like the US used to do 30-40 years ago, until it was finally realized that people with special needs, given the right supports from early on, can often go on to live full, functional lives--have jobs, friends, and even families of their own. By institutionalizing them, it takes away not only the life they could have, but also puts a high burden on the government to care for people, many of whom could care for themselves. Of if they have families, the families and friends can and do help with care that is needed if the person can not care for themselves. There is very little need for institutions, as even residence facilities provide a better quality of care and provide more opportunity for people with disabilities to experience life and contribute to the community by being part of it. So, I advocate for the adoption of children with special needs (hence the two amazing little boogers I have (who in a foreign country would be institutionalized (well J with his medical issues would probably not have survived his first six months)). And I advocate for as much inclusion as is possible for adults with special needs. When my mother started working at the residences, she would always invite one of two of the residence to join us for BBQ's, holiday meals, etc... They are people too, and can contribute to life (maybe in a different way than most are used to) and deserve to be treated with respect.
Oh, and a note on why an International Downs Syndrome (and other special needs) Adoption group? Why not focus on the USA? Well, both of my kids ARE from the US, and I do pray for kids who are waiting in the US, as there is a high need EVERYWHERE for children without families to be adopted. So I choose to advocate for both--I am not nationalistic in my desire to care for the orphans of the world, all people, no matter where they were born, deserve to know the love of a family (even when that family is not perfect (as long as it is not abusive), it is still better than not having one). The first goal should be to keep familes together whenever possible (employing supports rather than punishments to fascilitate that), and when not possible, to get the child into a permanent family as soon a possible. I have qualms about both the insititutional model of raising kids who for whatever reason are no longer with their familes, and I have issues with the way foster care and adoption are run in our own country. But I understand the necessity of both, and until other solutions are in place, they are the systems that we all must work with to ensure that families and children can find the safest and most potential supporting way to live.
He is in Russia and he looks very well taken care of at the orphanage. Please prayer that he is adopted before he is transferred to an institution when he is 5 years old, where in Russia he will then be unadoptable. If he has a committed family before his 5th birthday, they can keep him at the orphanage while the necessary process is underway. He is running out of time...
Info from RR: Michael D.
Date of Birth: June 2006
Gender: Male
Eyes: Gray
Hair: brown
Character: calm
And this is Haven, and her info from RR:
"Girl, Born March 2006
Poor Haven……sweet little girl. Such a pretty girl burdened with such medical and cognitive difficulties….and no mama to love her through them.
From her medical records: celiac disease, CP, toxic Hepatitis, hypotrophy of III stage
From our team who visited there: Haven is afraid of strangers and would not interact with us 
"
"
I am not sure which country she is in, though most EE countries transfer to institutions at the age of 5. It appears she is NOT in Russia, so even if she is transferred, it might still be possible for her to be adopted. However, medical care at the institutions tend to be very poor, and often over 50% of kids transferred do not survive their first year. With her medical issues, an institutional life will be a short one. So pray that a family steps forward for her soon.
For those of you who do not know, Reece's Rainbow is an absolutely amazing organization that helps connect people seeking children with waiting children who have special needs. It also helps raise funds for adoption for both waiting children and for families. Additionally (this is the greatest of all) they are working in various countries to help establish supports and groups for people who WANT to keep their children. It is truly an inspired and amazing group that is addressing the issues from multiple fronts. I have been following the founder since the very beginning of Reece's Rainbow back in 2005--before there was even a website. Many children with special needs in foreign countries are institutionalized at a very young age for even minor special needs, and given no education, not chance to become active, functioning members of society. Like the US used to do 30-40 years ago, until it was finally realized that people with special needs, given the right supports from early on, can often go on to live full, functional lives--have jobs, friends, and even families of their own. By institutionalizing them, it takes away not only the life they could have, but also puts a high burden on the government to care for people, many of whom could care for themselves. Of if they have families, the families and friends can and do help with care that is needed if the person can not care for themselves. There is very little need for institutions, as even residence facilities provide a better quality of care and provide more opportunity for people with disabilities to experience life and contribute to the community by being part of it. So, I advocate for the adoption of children with special needs (hence the two amazing little boogers I have (who in a foreign country would be institutionalized (well J with his medical issues would probably not have survived his first six months)). And I advocate for as much inclusion as is possible for adults with special needs. When my mother started working at the residences, she would always invite one of two of the residence to join us for BBQ's, holiday meals, etc... They are people too, and can contribute to life (maybe in a different way than most are used to) and deserve to be treated with respect.
Oh, and a note on why an International Downs Syndrome (and other special needs) Adoption group? Why not focus on the USA? Well, both of my kids ARE from the US, and I do pray for kids who are waiting in the US, as there is a high need EVERYWHERE for children without families to be adopted. So I choose to advocate for both--I am not nationalistic in my desire to care for the orphans of the world, all people, no matter where they were born, deserve to know the love of a family (even when that family is not perfect (as long as it is not abusive), it is still better than not having one). The first goal should be to keep familes together whenever possible (employing supports rather than punishments to fascilitate that), and when not possible, to get the child into a permanent family as soon a possible. I have qualms about both the insititutional model of raising kids who for whatever reason are no longer with their familes, and I have issues with the way foster care and adoption are run in our own country. But I understand the necessity of both, and until other solutions are in place, they are the systems that we all must work with to ensure that families and children can find the safest and most potential supporting way to live.
Day 8--Beginning a second week of my new life... (6 pounds lighter)
Okay, so today is the first day of Spring. I woke up as the sky was still gray (stupid time change, but that will change soon enough as its lighter earlier every day), and reminded myself that it is the first day of spring. I went through a mental gratitude list in my shower, and then got the kids up, dressed and out the door. And THEN realized we were running about 8 minutes behind the latest-we-can-leave-to-still-be-on-time cutoff. AND it was snowing. So listening to the radio on the way to school and there are winter weather advisories in effect until like 10pm. So, it is a snowy, and yucky first day of Spring. BUT I am grateful that it IS the first day of Spring. For some reason this winter has just been enough for me (I usually don't mind winter too much, and actually enjoy it for a good while).
So, lets start off with the weekly weigh-in:
And here is this week's (March 21, 2011) weigh in at 299lbs:
My camera appears to have messed up on this one, as I had to do it twice, and the second one I did for some reason is not readable to my computer. SO I have put the bad one on as it is all I have. I also have one still shot of the scale which I am putting here, but is also is a bit hard to see (though the important amount is there...)Oh, and I am including a copy of the weekly newspaper (we don't have daily ones out in this rural area, ), so that you can see that the pics were taken at least around the time of the newspaper...however the cat tail/cat butt was not planned...he just chose that moment to have a snack--right in the middle of my shot.
So, 6 pounds down in the first week, and I had a lot of disorganized eating, and episodes of wanton gluttony, but as they say in many philosophies like the law of Attraction, Positive Thinking, Zen ideal, etc... Your MIND is the most important part of any change. So, as I focus on increasing my health--mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, then THAT is what must happen. "What you think about you bring about." (from The Secret, though I don't recall the speakers name).
Okay, now onto today: I drank 12 oz of water on the ride to dropping the kids off at school, then got a small (12oz) coffee at Stewart's with half & half and a little sugar. I at a bowl (approx 1 cup (2 packets) of plain instant oatmeal and sprinkled in some dried cherries (less than 1/4 cup)--but no milk or sugar). I also had a 6oz Raspberry Dannon Light & Fit yogurt. And a bottle of water (which I took my herbal supplements with, except the approximate gram of cinnamon which I added to the oatmeal near the end (too much to be enjoyable through the whole bowl but, okay when concentrated into the last couple of bites, as I do use it for medicinal purposes...)
Side note: I have figured out a way to heat water to at least luke-warm to make the oatmeal in the car--using a smaller plastic water bottle (16 oz store brand with thin walls), I wedge the bottle 1/2 of water between the defrost heater output and the windshield. The hour long drive heats the water to a nice almost hot temperature, which I then pour over the instant oatmeal--and viola, warm oatmeal without having to pay $1.60 for a cup of hot water. I wonder if it will work for those little Campbell's Soup at Hand things, as they are about the same diameter, I'll have to try that.....
So YEAH 6 pounds down in 7 days (74 more to go to reach my first goal). AND (ignoring the raging snow storm) it is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING. Life is Good, Life is GOOD!
So, lets start off with the weekly weigh-in:
Here is last week's (the very first-March14, 2011) weigh-in at 305lbs:
So, 6 pounds down in the first week, and I had a lot of disorganized eating, and episodes of wanton gluttony, but as they say in many philosophies like the law of Attraction, Positive Thinking, Zen ideal, etc... Your MIND is the most important part of any change. So, as I focus on increasing my health--mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, then THAT is what must happen. "What you think about you bring about." (from The Secret, though I don't recall the speakers name).
Okay, now onto today: I drank 12 oz of water on the ride to dropping the kids off at school, then got a small (12oz) coffee at Stewart's with half & half and a little sugar. I at a bowl (approx 1 cup (2 packets) of plain instant oatmeal and sprinkled in some dried cherries (less than 1/4 cup)--but no milk or sugar). I also had a 6oz Raspberry Dannon Light & Fit yogurt. And a bottle of water (which I took my herbal supplements with, except the approximate gram of cinnamon which I added to the oatmeal near the end (too much to be enjoyable through the whole bowl but, okay when concentrated into the last couple of bites, as I do use it for medicinal purposes...)
Side note: I have figured out a way to heat water to at least luke-warm to make the oatmeal in the car--using a smaller plastic water bottle (16 oz store brand with thin walls), I wedge the bottle 1/2 of water between the defrost heater output and the windshield. The hour long drive heats the water to a nice almost hot temperature, which I then pour over the instant oatmeal--and viola, warm oatmeal without having to pay $1.60 for a cup of hot water. I wonder if it will work for those little Campbell's Soup at Hand things, as they are about the same diameter, I'll have to try that.....
So YEAH 6 pounds down in 7 days (74 more to go to reach my first goal). AND (ignoring the raging snow storm) it is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING. Life is Good, Life is GOOD!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)