Life As We Know It

Life As We Know It

 

Well school has started...Kelsey is off to college, Jarrod is beginning high school, Marisa is in junior high, and Trevor is in elementary. It makes for one very busy momma!

 

Kelsey is a freshman Eagle at Eastern Michigan University. It is a very strange, yet exciting time for our family. It has been quite the journey getting her there and keeping her there. The fear of leaving what one has always known can hinder the future, yet she took a leap of faith and decided the opportunity to grow and create her own future was the better option, and we couldn't be prouder. It is a scary endeavor for us all! Dealing with financial aid, and tuition issues has been a confusing, frustrating mess, but after a few stressful days, we got it straightened out, thank goodness! She is settling in well and has embraced college life, independence and having fun!

 

Jarrod is a freshman this year at McBain High School. This young man has had a long, hard journey to where he is today. He has worked hard with therapists and doctors to become a person that is just as "normal" as others....well most of the time. He's doing well in school so far and is running JV Cross Country and earned a medal over the weekend. Another proud moment for mom and dad!

 

Marisa is in the 7th grade, 12 going on 30! We are strapping ourselves in again for this ride called, teenage girl! She is starting to resemble a woman, more than a child, and we are glad she has a smart head on her shoulders. She is showing us her creative mind more and more. She has recently taken up sewing, adding to her other creative outlets of music, drawing and writing. She is definitely a lot like her mom. She has always been a born athlete and is playing volleyball this fall with her first game being this week. We are excited to see her spike!

 

Trevor is in the 2nd grade this year. He is beginning to get over his shyness and learning that he can do things on his own. He is an avid lego builder and makes some amazing things! He still says when he grows up he wants to be a spy...or a cop...or a scientist...or a farmer...He likes to explore them all. He is playing his first sport this fall, soccer, which officially makes me a soccer mom for the first time. Oh, and I am coaching his team too. We're not very good, but we're having a blast!

 

We recently bought a pontoon boat and have spent weekends swimming and fishing...and eating, because of course, anything I do is all about the food! We are looking forward to our usual fall activities including, hunting, hiking and pumpkin carving.

 

I finally got a job in the field of my degree and start in a couple of weeks. I am beyond excited about this opportunity and grateful to my family for sticking with me through all those nights of me having a paper due, or being to tired to play. All our collective efforts are finally going to be put to good use!

 

I know this blog post has been maybe a little boring and routine, in comparison with my usual rants, but it's my anniversary today and I find myself full of reflection.

 

Bless you all!

Nurture "The Like"

Nurture “The Like”

 

 

Ok readers – I have had this phrase running through my head for several weeks now. I feel compelled to share….

                Our lives are filled with a series of relationships, starting from birth. Our first relationships are with parents, grandparents, siblings and extended family, such as, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. These relationships are typically founded on love alone…..We continue with life, eventually making our way to grade school and make our actual first “friends”. This continues through middle and high school…. college. We get jobs and sometimes our colleagues become friends too. We get married and inherit more family and friends. Within all relationships there is a certain amount of love that they have been founded on. This brings me to the question of WHY do we LIKE some more than others?

Typically we like one parent more than the other, or at least get along with one better. The same can be said of just about every other type of relationship…siblings, cousins, friends, etc. For example, we all have numerous friends, but most of us have a “best friend”….why is that? Why do we like this person, or feel closer to this person than the others? I think it comes down to compatibility.

What makes us who we are? Our raising. Our surroundings. Where we grew up. The family dynamic in which we grew up. Basic human instincts. Some may say when we were born in conjunction to the stars…ie. Horoscope and zodiac symbology. Some claim numerology and the mathematical formulation of the exact time we were born can make us who we are. Regardless of why we are the way we are….people are exquisitely different. And that makes us all amazing creatures. When we can find individuals in this life that can appreciate and embrace our individuality and uniqueness, it is indeed, a beautiful thing. That brings me to the phrase that has been rolling around in this head….”Nurture ‘The Like’”

When you find someone you “like”, embrace that. Realize what you like about that person and remember to respect it, and continue to nurture it. When you ask two people that have had a long relationship, no matter what the dynamic or circumstance of that relationship, they will say it has worked because they loved each other, but they also “LIKED” each other. I mean honestly, if you can’t stand the person you are with how can a relationship survive? I think it’s easier to love a person sometimes, than to like them. Having both is a blessing, for sure!

So, back to the original phrase of “Nurture ‘The Like’”….Recognize the people in your life that you like, and what you like about them. Nurture those relationships with respect. Recognize that these people that are in your life are a blessing. Don’t ever forget what brought you to like them in the first place. On days when you are angry with them, or you have just gotten busy with the everyday life, which we all do….take a moment to reflect back and remember why you fell in love, and “like”, in the first place. Memories can be a substantially powerful thing!

I hope through all my ramblings, I have made some sort of sense. J I know I am thankful for individuals in my life, from family, to friends, to coworkers, that I have felt “like” feelings for and have felt them reciprocate in return. I am guilty of losing sense of things throughout busy times in my life, but through it all, my support group has remained and for them I remain grateful and will continue to do my part and my responsibility as one half of these relationships….you know who you are! So, in conclusion, nurture the like in your life.

Healthy New Year

Matt and I have decided to get healthier. We are watching carbs and trying to limit calories. Matt has been getting plenty of exercise chopping and stacking wood since we installed out wood boiler for heat. I have been using the Wii Fit Plus and have lost a few pounds, and feel great. My back is a little sore, but it is very weak due to the time it has been in-active from the bulging disc. I have recently made a couple of low calorie, low carb recipes that I wanted to share.

Cauliflower Cakes (Like Crab Cakes)

One Head Cauliflower
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese (I used cheddar made from 2% milk)
1/2 Cup Ground Pork Rinds (Pork Rinds have NO CARBS!)
1 Egg (I used 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
Salt and Pepper

Cook cauliflower using your preferred method. Add all ingredients and mix. It should look sort of like lumpy mashed potatoes. Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons Olive Oil. Make patties and fry on each side until they are browned and crispy (about 3 minutes on each side). Eat plain, or with sour cream.

This made 22 cakes.

17 Calories/cake. 1.5 Carbs/Cake

These were so good! The kids LOVED them!


Banana Oatmeal "Cookies"

2 over-ripe bananas
1 Cup Quick Oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet using cooking spray. Drop mixture by spoonful onto cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

This made 12 cookies.

26 calories/cookie. 5 carbs/cookie.

These turned out kind of bland. Next time I will add 1/4 cup brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. It will add a few calories and carbs, but should still be less than most other cookies. Great for breakfast with your coffee!


I encourage all of you to share any healthy recipes or tips you may have, along with workout tips.

We have taken this on as a family and the kids have thanked me for making such delicious food. I was worried they wouldn't like baked fish or mashed sweet potatoes, but they do! I figured I would be making 2 different dinners each night, but they are liking everything so far. Trevor is not a fan of greens, but he chowed down on the cauliflower cakes. It has only been about a week and we are already feeling better - I can't wait to see how we feel in a month.....and if we lose enough weight we'll have to make a shopping trip!

As promised, here is the scoop on Jarrod. I will start from the beginning for those who haven't known his background. Jarrod was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten, although I knew very early on that he was "different" from other children. He was not just a rambunctious child, but he seemed troubled with emotion and social interaction. My youngest brother had been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrom ( high functioning autism) years back, and felt there was some connection with his symptoms and Jarrods. As he has aged diagnosis have been added and dropped, but he continues to struggle with the same things. School is a nightmare and he is contantly being expelled. He cannot maintain relationships with friends, or family members. He has paranoia that people are watching and/or judging him. He acts out in aggressive ways and due to this he can no longer live in our home as he is dangerous to others. He has recently started self-harming, which is what has landed him into the psychiatric treatment center he is in today, as he was a danger to himself. In the time he has been in treatment we have learned that he has extra electrical currents in his brain, which are basically seizures inside his head.These seizures are in the temporal and cerebral areas of the brain, which control impulses and emotions. These are not visible on the outside and are only found when special E.E.G's are run. I thank God every day for this treatment facility and the tests they have run! He has begun taking an anti-seizure medication that takes some time to be fully absorbed into his system. He has not yet been deemed "medically stable", so any psychiatric treatments are not "fully" effective. He has been doing better the last couple of weeks and I am told we are close to being "Medically Stable". When this happens we can much easier adjust psychiatric medications and therapies. We will also know if there are additional diagnosis.

On a personal note, this journey has been a very difficult and emotional one for this family, immediate and extended. No one can know, unless they are going through something similar, what this feels like. For so long, until he went into residential treatment, I was made out to be crazy, a bad parent, or even worse, an uncaring parent. To all of you, it is not your place to judge, and you'll most likely never understand, but being supportive and learning about mental health and the short comings our healthcare system has in this area is a positive thing you can do.