Update on Intuniv and my son's progress

Yesterday I took my son back to his doctor for his 6-month check up.
As a recap, in August of 2009 I had my oldest daughter {who was almost 12} and my son {who was 7} tested for ADHD at the Child Study Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
There were several issues that prompted my even going through this process, the most prominent being my son's emotional extremes when it came to time with his friends, corrections at home in behavior, sleep, etc.
Sure enough, my daughter was diagnosed ADHD-Inattentive Type with some dysgraphia and math problems manifesting themselves also.
My son was diagnosed as ADHD-Combined Type with moderate anxiety.  No dysgraphia and no depression.
Immediately, having a diagnoses from a professional who sees children with these issues on a daily basis was so helpful.
I did not feel pressured to be either of my children on medication but the doctor did go over with me some really wonderful interventions we could use at home.
Some of these included:  Family counseling {to learn better discipline techniques and a better family structure for these children, resources for finding educational help, books to read, nutritional interventions, etc.
Everyone in the office was so gentle and understanding and helpful, and it was a great experience for us.
I finally felt like I was talking to people who were not looking at me like I was crazy, sensitive, or a terrible mother!!
But after a couple months of changes at home, both in our homeschooling, diet, and discipline techniques, we still were having over-the-top issues with our son.
The most troubling aspect being we could tell he felt he was "different" and didn't like having ADHD because he really did not WANT to respond to things the way he did.
So at our follow-up, I spoke with the doctor about medication for him.
This was not an easy decision for me as I'm not a big fan of medications for children, especially when not necessary or when the side effects are worse than the initial problem!!
I went in with a list of things that I did not want:  stimulants or anti-depressants that cause appetite issues, mood swings, emotional problems, or that make the children feel like zombies!!
So the doctor suggested Intuniv.
It is NOT a stimulant.
It is not an anti-depressant.
And it has been wonderful for him!!
We started this in January of 2010, and the help was immediate and dramatic for him.
It takes the edge off of him, and he has been able to settle his body down enough to sit and learn.
Academically, he is finally progressing and enjoying learning.
He still gets upset and throws fits, but now his calm-down is less than HALF what it used to be.
He is "getting humor."
We {his dad and I} have been so happy with the improvement that we really feel like he has reached a good stable place.
Not perfect....still has issues....but we're seeing some consistency and that he is getting better.
So yesterday, I asked the doctor if our bi-annual visits were necessary anymore.
You see, our insurance doesn't cover one penny of these visits since they revolve around an ADHD diagnoses.
And at $190 a pop, that's really expensive for us.
He told us that if our pediatrician {who is only 5 minutes from our house} would write the prescription for his intuniv, then we could just switch everything over to him.
So, that's what I'm going to try to do.
Only catch......our insurance changes AGAIN on June 1.
{Have I mentioned before how I HATE to mess with insurance???  I'd rather be shot in the face!!}
If our new insurance has better coverage on these type of visits, then we may just continue driving the long distance and keeping up the relationship with that office in case things change dramatically for him when he hits puberty in a couple years!!
We do not need to change the dosage he is on {3 mg.}.
I asked the doctor what the cues are for needing to bump up to a 4 mg. tablet.
His response was when his progress began to deteriorate and he wasn't learning as well as he is now.
I also mentioned the issue of sleepiness and how I had heard that if they have no sleepiness AT ALL, EVER due to the medication, that may be a cue that a bump up is necessary.  Not that you want a tired child, but this medication tends to make them sleepy and you know it is working if they get a bit droopy occasionally in the afternoon.
If they are sleeping a LOT ALL the time, you may need to drop down the medication.
Overall, we had a good visit, and I left encouraged.
Hoping that we can transfer all this to our regular pediatrician now!!
Have to start making phone calls!
Grrrr.....

Saturdays are for: Soccer!!

Last fall my second and third daughters begged me to let them play soccer.
I was a little hesitant because of the time involved and how that would ramp up the craziness of our weekends.
But they were persistent and I couldn't very well say no to them when we had already decided that our son could play baseball.
So, for the first time ever I was inducted into the elite "Soccer Mom" club.
Our very dearest, long-time family friends have had their children involved in the Upward soccer program for several years now, so I decided to give that a try.
They have been playing for several weeks now, and have really enjoyed it.
As I suspected, it has made for busy and somewhat chaotic Saturdays, but we've always been able to work out the transportation when we've had soccer games overlapping the baseball games!
Every Saturday since the middle of April we've had 2 soccer games and 1-2 baseball games to attend.
I do enjoy having something structured and outdoor for all of my children to do instead of spending their Saturdays laying around the house and whining of boredom!!!

Celebrating Mother's Day 2011

"Every  good gift and every perfect gift is from above,

and cometh down from the Father of lights....."

James 1:17

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."

2 Corinthians 9:15

Friday's Fabulous Family Recipe.....A Double Header!!

Today I include not one, but two new recipes that have become favorites in our house over the last couple weeks.
The first is a recipe that was shared with me by a sweet friend who is married to one of my husband's fellow police officers.  When she shared on her facebook that she had made a crockpot full of this, I knew IMMEDIATELY that I would love it!!
And I did.....and still do......and so does my husband.
He's crazy about it, and never complains that I make it once a week now!!
Several of my children enjoy it too.
My "texturally challenged" eaters....not so much.....too much goin' on in one pot all at the same time!!
I love this too because it adheres to all of the diet changes we implemented a while ago.....no high fructose corn syrup, gluten free (though we're not gluten free.....more gluten-reduced), no artificial dyes, not a lot of sugars, and lower in carbs!!  Of course, it is high in sodium so be careful!
So without further adieu........

Debbie's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Gather together:

1 family size can of Chicken and Rice Soup

2 (15 oz.) cans of chicken broth

1 can of Rotel

1 (15 oz) can of sweet corn

1 (15 oz) can of black beans

1 (15 oz) can of original Ranch style beans

2 Large cans of chicken breast 

(Debbie suggested cutting up a deli rotisserie chicken, and that

is what I do.  Delicious.  Add as much chicken as you like!)

Drain only the corn and the black beans.

Empty all the other cans into your crockpot and then add the drained corn and black beans,

and your chopped chicken.

Since it all is already cooked through, you only need leave it in the crockpot until warmed through.

Mine will warm it nicely on high in about 3 hours.

If you need it warmed quicker, you can follow the same instructions in a soup pot on the stove.

Or you could leave the house in the morning, turn the crockpot on low and have it ready

for lunch!!

Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips!!

 Warning:  Highly addictive!!!

Enjoy!

Okay, so this instantly became my new FAVORITE edible spring craft this year!!

I saw the recipe for this cutie little child-friendly treat in the April-May 2011 edition of Taste of Home magazine, and knew right away that we needed to add this to our repertoire of fun things to do to celebrate the spring season!!  I'm tucking this idea away for NEXT spring too.

Next year, I'd like to really concentrate on separating out the celebrating and enjoying the "Season of Spring" from Resurrection Sunday.

As I'm getting older, I'm learning to appreciate at an even deeper level the ultimate gift of God that is salvation from the penalty of our sin and the corruption it infects us with which results in permanent separation from our Holy Elohim.

At Easter, which I'm preferring to call Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave in which he was buried three days after His crucifixion for our sin.

If He hadn't risen, then all He had promised would be a lie.  Everything He said He was and His purpose for coming to this earth would have become void.

It has become much more sacred, much more of a lavish demonstration of God's grace and love to us, that I'm becoming more inclined not to confuse it with chocolate bunnies and jelly beans.  

Certainly not with colored eggs!

I'm leaning more towards keeping that Sunday a precious day, full of joy and awe at the wonder of His power.

But I still think it's so much fun to celebrate the turning of the season from winter to spring, and enjoying the gorgeous pictures of this new life found in Christ (life from out of the grave of our sin!!)!

So I'm collecting ideas for next year and a "Spring Fling" to have with our children either before or maybe even after we remember Resurrection Sunday!!

This idea is on the top of the list!!

Bird Nests

Here is what you'll need:

2 packages of white baking chips (10 oz. each)

10 oz. package of pretzel sticks

25 Peep candy birds

Candy eggs (can be the malted chocolate eggs, jelly beans, etc.)

Melt 2 packages of white baking chips.

(I only used one because I didn't need that many nests!!)

Stir the package of pretzel sticks into chocolate until well coated.

Scoop 25 nests onto waxed paper (or tin foil, if you're out....like me!!);

use two forks to arrange coated pretzels into a circle.

Dip a peep candy into some of the melted white chocolate and place onto each nest.

Arrange the candy eggs onto the nest while the chocolate is still warm

so they will stick to the nest.

Makes 25 if you follow the recipe and use all the white chocolate 

and the entire bag of pretzels.

(We only did about half the recipe and still had enough to share with our neighbors!!)

 

You can see this idea also at Taste of Home,

as well as at Mommy's Kitchen!!

(You can click on those names to reach their website!)

Our final birthday in April

April has always been a delightful month for our family.
When my husband and I decided on a date to get married way back in 1995, I thought April was perfect!
It felt "spring-like" to me with all the flowers and pastels and pretty spring things in the stores.
Tulips and pink everywhere.
Like new life and a fresh start were bursting out everywhere after the long winters!
My husband's birthday was the day after our wedding day, so that immediately made it fun.
I grew up with my sister and my mom also having their birthdays during that month.
So I felt right at home when I found out our second child would be born in April.
That settled it for me, and I was thrilled with the idea of having all our babies in April, and sure enough,
our third child was born 2 years later in April.

He turned 9 this last Friday!
I remember the exact moment my OB/GYN looked at the sonogram and told me we were having a boy.
I couldn't believe it.
I really, honestly, always thought I would have 4 girls, one after the other, and we would live happily ever after.
I couldn't imagine what to do with a boy.
I thought boy clothes were so boring.
And I know nothing about sports or cars or fishing or hunting.
What would I teach him about?
I was pretty sure boys were not interested in cake decorating or tea parties or nail polish or shoes!!
But when the doctor laid that 8lb. 6oz. baby boy on my belly for the first time, I was IN LOVE!
I thought he was the single most gorgeous baby boy I had ever laid eyes on.
(And I STILL think that!!)
But what a journey we've been on with him over the last 9 years.
His ADHD has taught us so much about ourselves and where we need to do better as parents, and has forced us to depend moment by moment on the Lord for patience, endurance, wisdom, and understanding.
We have learned so much about how God has wired the ADHD brain that we can almost pick them out in a crowd!!
We are so thankful for what the Lord has taught us about Himself, His relationship with us as His children, and how He has a very specific purpose for how He makes each of us unique.

Happy 9th Birthday, Grant!!

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"Get a loaf of this!"

We're winding down the school year here at Brough Academy, and I wanted to be sure to fit in a couple more field trips.
We've found several great locations not far from our church in Fort Worth, TX, and if we time everything just right, we can finish up the field trip and head over to church for the Wednesday evening suppers they serve just before services begin.
Plus, every other Wednesday my husband is off work.
So, he goes along with us for extra Daddy time too!!
It works out great for us!!
Dinner is just $3.00 per person or $12.00 per family, so we can't beat that.
Plus the food is always delicious and the fellowship is delightful!!

So last Wednesday, we scheduled a field trip to our local "Mrs. Baird's Bread Factory."

 We weren't allowed to take ANY.THING. into the factory (including jackets, wedding rings, purses, cameras, cell phones, or gum!) so I have no pictures of us in the ugly hair nets and hard hats we had to wear!!
But I can tell you it was really interesting, and we enjoyed seeing the machines that mass produce store-bought bread and hamburger buns!
And you can't beat the cost:  FREE!!

As I was thinking back over our afternoon at the bread factory, a thought occurred to me:
My husband and I took our children to a place where they can learn about bread for physical nutrition,
but are we daily leading them to the source of the "Living Bread?"
Are we teaching them how to seek and find nourishment for their souls?
Is it enough to just tell them about our Savior, Jesus Christ?
Shouldn't I be teaching them how to study His Word and to find filling for that hunger to know God that each of us has deep within us?

"And Jesus said unto them,

I am the bread of life;

he that cometh to me shall never hunger..."

John 6:35

Do you recognize that voice?

Over the Easter weekend, my husband and I had the privilege of participating in our church's Easter Cantata.
So last week we had a couple of extra rehearsals with the choirs and cast of the drama in preparation for the performances.
On Tuesday evening, several of our children were playing in the church nursery during one of these rehearsals.
They could hear the choir and the drama as it was piped into the nursery through the sound system, but the video was not rolling, so they couldn't see any of it.
Their daddy is one of several dozen choir members, and during one of the scenes, the choir began screaming and yelling as part of the background in the drama.
The children could hear all of this going on, and later commented to us that they could hear their daddy's voice above all the others.

That reminded me of something.....
"Am I so familiar with my Father's voice, that I can hear it immediately above the noise of all others?"
"How well do I know my Savior's voice?"

"....and he calleth his own sheep by name,

and leadeth them out.

And when he putteth forth his own sheep,

he goeth before them, 

and the sheep follow him:

for they know his voice.

And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him:

for they know not the voice of strangers."

John 10: 3-5