Medical Update

Thank you to all those who have asked about Madi lately.  She's doing much better.

She no longer has constant dizziness; I wish I could explain why, but it just cleared up after she took Antivert for two days.  She still has trouble with dark spots in her vision on standing up, but they occur much less frequently, and definitely seem to be caused by dehydration - well, at least hydrating makes them few and far between.  She takes several bottles of flavored water to school each day, and on the days when she actually drinks them, she feels good.

The visit to the epilepsy clinic two weeks ago was such a roller coaster ride!

Madi had lots of wires hooked up, and then had 30 minutes of monitoring.  During that time, they did all they could to induce a seizure, including flashing the lights and getting her to hyperventilate.

During the hyperventilation sequence, Madi had one of her "space outs", where she was acting exactly like what I've seen at home, and what school describes.  She wasn't responding to us, seemed very confused, and didn't have any memory of the incident at all immediately after it occured.  The tech declared that she was having a seizure... and, heaven help me, I was SO glad!  I wanted to cry with relief that what I was seeing was real, and that it was treatable.  I would never wish epilepsy on anyone, but at least it was an answer!

Although I wanted to start texting everyone to let them know the "good" news, I refrained, and I'm glad I did.  The neurologist reviewed the data, and declared that the "event" was not a seizure, so no signs of epilepsy.  Unfortunately, they had no further explanation for me, thankyouverymuch - goodbye.  To give them credit - they are an epilepsy clinic, after all.  So - back to the drawing board on the staring spells.

Of course, even though I am a scientist at heart, and should know better, I'm also a parent who needs results... so we've been changing more than one variable at a time in order to improve the quality of life around here.  I'm happy to report that we seem to have hit upon a combination of SSRI (for anxiety) and stimulant (for ADD) that has completely changed the climate in our house.

Madi now gets ready for school almost completely independently, has very little homework, and is able to complete what homework she does have very quickly.  She's now able to do things she likes, like play outside, hang out with her rabbit, or play electronics... all because she isn't spending hours on homework and basic living.


The before and after shots of her room speak volumes.  During the "before" period, she was so overwhelmed and flustered that she literally couldn't keep a single thought in her head.  Her possessions mirrored the chaos in her brain.

After we got the meds right, it only took her about an hour to take her room from "before" to "after", with minimal help from me.  She was easily able to throw things away, showing that she appears to have left her hoarding behavior behind, and was able to divide the task into manageable parts, complete them, and move on.  The school reports that she now seems to understand and follow what is going on, is able to organize her stuff, and complete her assignments independently.  Huge!

I don't think that meds are for every kid, and frankly, I'm not crazy that my kid is on them, but I can't deny the truth - she is SO much happier now, and so are we!  I'm actually starting to relate to those parents who LIKE spending time with their kids!  :)

I hate not having all the answers - there are still uncrossed t's and undotted i's - but life is so much better.

Follow By Email

Don't worry, this doesn't count as my daily post during the 30 day challenge...

Just wanted to encourage readers to use the "Follow by email" box on the right side of the page (below the "about me" section, and above the "subscribe to" section) to follow my blog. Google will send you a daily email on days when I post something.  If I don't post - no email.

You'll get the new post in your inbox - no need to check the blog, unless you want to check the workout log, ski log, or thoughts pages... which I haven't updated in forever anyway.

I prefer this to the old way, where I specify up to 10 email addresses to immediately receive any posts I publish.  The reason I don't care for that system is, well, I can count on one hand the number of times that I've published something and NOT gone back in and revised it.  My readers end up getting the first draft, not the final version (because it doesn't email revisions).

The "Follow by email" option issues one email per day at the end of the day, and only on days when I've posted.  The only downside is that you need to set it up.  It's super easy, just a few clicks, and completely private... you won't be listed in my blog sidebar.  So, it's even convenient for lurkers.  :)

Beautiful, but noxious!

One of our neighbors was selling plants as a school fundraiser, so we pre-ordered a potted lily. As you can see, we received a very healthy and beautiful 'Mona Lisa' lily. It was soon covered with gorgeous blossoms, just in time for Easter.

Problem is, the thing stinks!  I now know why they don't sell lily-scented perfumes... ick.  Of course, I'm the only one in my family who can even smell the thing.  Guess I'll just have to wait for it to stop snowing (!) and take it outside to plant.  Then we'll just let nature take its course.

Messing with Time Again

Kinda a cheat in my 30 day blog challenge (and I'm only on day 2!) but I've been at it again, updating my blog, and sticking things in chronologically.  I'm kinda obsessive that way.  Here are posts you might have missed.

Why I Hate February
Monster Blood
Bunny Love
Tracking Stocks...?

All About My Amazing Dad

All About My Amazing Dad
by Madilyn

Do you know my dad?  Here's what he looks like.  He has smooth, slick black hair and he's really tall - 6 ft 5.  He has a calm voice and he has tannish skin.  He has brown eyes and a short temper.  He has glasses and he's really hairy everywhere!  My dad has big ears and a soft smile.

My dad has a lot of good characteristics.  He's helpful, responsible, unselfish, unbelievably nice, loving, and good natured.  He's a Pokefan (Pokemon fan), video game person, talented, and out of this world.  He's a softie when I spend time with him.  My dad's playful, powerful (if he swats you in the butt), gentle, compassionate and a Mormon.  He was the second one born in his family.  Finally he's a good soccer coach and he's a 3M engineer.

So you can see, my dad is really special and I love him very, very much.

30 day posting challenge

I am taking the 30 day posting challenge - to post (at least) one item to my blog every day for the next 30 days.  Tune in each evening to see what's new here... and be sure to give me grief if I miss a day!  I need some accountability...

Job Approval

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the story is out on the Easter Bunny.  Here's a follow up:

On Easter morning, before church started, Sarah told me: "Mom, you were a good Easter Bunny.  You did a good job."

I smiled, thanked her, and thought we were done.  Have I learned nothing over the past 14 years?

During the sacrament (when everyone is quiet and prayerful) she said: "Did you wear bunny ears when you put out the baskets?"

Since we do own bunny ears, and I just wanted her to be quiet, I nodded yes and said "Ssshh!"

Thinking I had dodged a bullet, I relaxed slightly, but about a minute later she asked: "Mom, did you have a bunny tail?"

I have no idea what people thought we were talking about, and I probably don't want to know.  "No!" I whispered.  "Please, stop talking during sacrament!"

"But why not?  Why didn't you wear a tail?" she practically shouted.  At this point, I just shot her mom death-eye daggers, and thankfully, she took the hint.

I can only hope that her voice doesn't carry as well as I think it does, and that her speech is not intelligible to the casual listener.  Or maybe we're just the church-time entertainment.

Easter Eggs

Presented for your enjoyment... the 2011 Poulsen easter egg production line.

Happy Easter!

He remembered!

My husband returned from his business trip late Thursday night, bringing me flowers.  I was genuinely surprised, and asked him what the occasion was.  "Our anniversary, silly!" he replied.

He was right!  Friday was our anniversary, and he was actually early. To give credit where credit is due, he was supremely early this year, since he bought me a mirror that I've been drooling over and it arrived a week ago.  I figured that was it, so the flowers were a nice bonus.

As is fitting for couples married for 16 years, we spent the day apart.  :)

I had been trapped in the house for a week with sick kids while he was out of town, so he took the day off, and I left to run errands and just generally be somewhere other than home.  At dinner time, he called in an order and I picked up food from India Palace (our go-to restaurant), and we had dinner at home, with yummy carrot cake for dessert.  We got the kids to bed, and snuggled in for a (strange) Netflix movie - The Ramen Girl.

All in all, a pretty great day.

*Spoiler Alert!*

This post is not for small children!



Sarah: "Mom, I want a chocolate bunny in my Easter basket."

Me: "Don't tell me... the Easter Bunny takes care of Easter baskets."

Sarah looks at me (disdainfully?) and says nothing.

Me: "The Easter Bunny fills the baskets, right? .... or, is the Easter Bunny not real?"

Sarah: "The Easter Bunny is not real.  You are the Easter Bunny, Mom."

As she calmly turns her head and resumes watching TV, I realize that I am SO busted.  I wonder what's up with Santa, but I'm not crossing that bridge until she drags me to it.

There's always a price...

It's really no secret that I love technology.  The possibilities for data manipulation are endless, and for an info junkie like me, that's irresistible.  However, there is always a price to be paid for such power, both in time and money.  Ironic, since supposedly, technology is supposed to save us time!

It's after midnight, and I have just spent the last 3 hours repairing my contact files in Gmail.  I found a neat new way to sync my phone and Gmail contacts... but didn't fully understand what I had set up, and ended up using another (unnecessary) app that corrupted the Gmail account.  Thankfully, it had the good grace to create a backup file before totally wonking my data.

I was able to get everything back in order, even better than before I decided to try something new, but it took a while... and the fact that I would NEVER have had anything catastrophic like this happen to a paper address book was not lost on me.

Time saver?  Not so sure.

April 20 in Minnesota

I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but it's still snowing.

Back in the saddle again

So, last week a cold knocked me flat. I was pretty much in bed from Tuesday through Saturday, and stayed home from church Sunday because, in the Bishop's words, "[they] don't want it."

I learned some important things last week, not the least of which is that I should spend the extra dollar and buy real Halls cough drops, rather than generic. There really is a difference.

My husband was great, and I so appreciate all he did, but of course he's now skipped town, and won't be back for four days.

And both girls are home sick with symptoms similar to mine.

Oh joy.

Reflecting

This is hard for me, because I can feel this mother's pain so completely, it makes me want to weep.  I've often wondered what I would do and how hard I'd fight if my daughter ever developed a life-threatening disease like cancer.

Is It Murder If a Mom Withholds Cancer Treatment From Her Child? http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/14/is-it-murder-if-a-parent-withholds-cancer-treatment-from-her-child/

Sent from my iPhone

Grandpa would be proud...

I walked down the stairs, with my arms loaded full of food, plates, and other stuff for our outside adventure, and found that the door that I needed to pass through was closed. Looking around, I saw that the rabbit was out of her cage - the reason for the door being closed. So, I stood in front of the door and asked Sarah if she would please open the door, and then make sure to close it again.

Sarah walked over to the door, opened it, and promptly closed it again. While I still stood there.

She was grinning as I amended "...and close it again after I pass through it."

snark supreme.

I think it's got to go...

I am trying to accept a sad reality - we need to return our Tempurpedic mattress. While I have been LOVING the fact that I fall asleep almost instantly, stay asleep the entire night (something that hasn't happened in years), and can get out of bed without aches and pains - I am finding that now that the weather has turned warmer, I just can't handle being so hot all night.

I'm tossing and turning like you do in a non-airconditioned room in the middle of the summer - and it's only early April. I'm sure if I ran the air conditioner to get the house down to 62 (the nighttime temp we use in the winter) I'd be sleeping wonderfully again, but I simply can't make the rest of the family suffer like that - not to mention the electric bills!

Ugh. Now we have to go through the hassle of returning the thing, and finding a new mattress. The worst part about it is that, because we prefer a California King, no local store will let us return/exchange the next one we buy. Everyone has "sleep guarantees", but they don't apply to special orders like buying a California King east of the Rockies. So, we have to be super sure about what we get next.

The pressure.

Another One Gone

After arriving home from the Pinewood Derby, Madi finally lost that pesky tooth!  It had become a ritual to beg her dad to yank it out each night before bed.  Finally, success!

Looks like the tooth fairy better find a gold dollar coin to put under someone's pillow...

Pinewood Derby

Here are some pictures from our ward's unofficial Pinewood Derby... it's unofficial because, even though Scouting rules are followed, it's open to all.  As you can see, it's a lot of fun, no matter what your age.

Gary worked a long time on his car, perfecting the aerodynamics. The other contestants declared that his engineering knowledge gave him an unfair advantage.  I think the internet has a tendency to level the playing field - just google "Pinewood Derby" and you'll see what I mean.

Madi had some ideas for her car's shape, and worked with her Dad to design it. The Pokemon theme, though, was all Madi.

Madi also served as the official launcher, pulling the lever to release the cars - except when her own car was in the race.  Here you can see her with her blue car.

Madi's car in a photo-finish.  She lost by a hair.  :(

It was very frustrating for Madi that Sarah's car - which she didn't spend much time designing, painting, or decorating - finished second in her age group.  Madi didn't place at all in her age group.

This gave me the wonderful opportunity to take Madi aside and chat about good sportsmanship. Apparently, I wasn't very inspirational.

Here's a picture of the family at the end.  Both Gary and Sarah placed second in their age groups, and all the kids received a certificate for participation. Madi is trying to look happy...

...but sometimes, the only thing that takes away the sting of defeat is a grasshopper donut from Holiday.

Tracking Stocks...?

As a helicopter parent, I monitor Madi's email account.  Imagine my surprise at the following email:

Madi (to Gary):  "I looked this up is it true your business is going down????" with an accompanying 3M stock price graph.

Madi is checking stock prices?  When did my kid grow up and start worrying about business trends?

Recipe: Blondies

We have a new favorite weekend dessert at our house - blondies.  The rest of the family seems to like them even more than their more common cousin, the brownie.  The mere mention of them makes Madi's voice drop several octaves as she growls "Blonndeeeeees" and then starts jumping around.  I love them because they are SO stinkin' easy.

Blondies

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
1/3 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/3 c. milk
scant 1 c. butterscotch chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
Combine all ingredients.  Mixture will be super dense and hard to spread.  Do your best to fill a greased 13x9 pan evenly.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Try to let them cool before consuming the entire pan.

You can use whatever combination of cake mix flavor and chip type you like.  Nuts would be good, too, if you're so inclined.  Our first batch was white cake and chocolate chip.  Over time, we've found that white works better than yellow, as it doesn't overwhelm the flavor of the chips.

Autism Blue

Much to Sarah's dismay, I changed the bulbs on the front of the house to blue, in honor of Autism Awareness Day. Somewhat ironic, that they ask you to change things to support people who hate change.

House looks cool, though!

Quote of the day

To give you some idea of what I deal with on a daily basis, I submit the following quote:

"I was looking for a pencil, and I noticed that my armpit was hairy!!"

in response to the question - "Why are you standing half-naked in the hallway, when you're supposed to be doing your homework??!"

Why Madi would look for a pencil in her shirt (or, more specifically, in her armpit) I have no idea. We might just have bigger problems than I'm willing to admit.

I was alerted to the situation mentioned above when she called out "Mom, where is my razor?", which seemed a strange question for someone supposedly working on her math worksheet...

I am beginning to hate ADD even more than autism.