Food and Frustration

I'm reading a book right now that I learned about from this post. I got it from the library and I've only read the first chapter but it was all about aspartame and the effects it had on some children when it first came out. (I'm looking forward to the chapter on breakfast foods as that affects our homeschool day greatly.)

So the fact that I'm reading that book is just background information. OK?

Little Bit's tics have been bad lately. Last Sunday evening at suppertime she started complaining. She always says the same thing, "I'm frus-ter-ated. My tics are bad." Then I tell her I haven't noticed her doing any tics. Then she explains that she has a lot of tics, but she's not doing them. Then I tell her to go ahead and do them and maybe she won't be so frust-er-ated. Then she says she doesn't like doing them.

We have that conversation a lot.

But this time she really complained. And she came and got me in the middle of Sunday evening Bible study to tell me they were bad. So I went into the room where she and Sweetheart were and talked with her and tickled her arm softly and let her play Smash Room on my phone and tried to do anything to make it better. But nothing was working.

Then she looked at me and said, "Mommy? Isn't there medicine I can take to make them go away?"

Oh my heart. Because there is. But we aren't even considering that a possibility. And I don't want to get to the point where it becomes one. That medicine is big and bad. It's not like administering Tylenol or Benadryl. It's the big guns. And she was very nearly crying.

So I slipped back into Bible study and wrote a note to S for them to pray for Little Bit. And they did. And everyone was concerned for her. My dad's answer was to sweep in when Bible study was over and take the girls to his house and feed them pancakes. He likes to DO something. And she was fine the rest of the night.

I liked it better when she was 4 and she did 372 tics a day but they didn't frustrate her at all.  Can we go back to that please?

Little Bit loves watermelon flavored gum. Sweetheart never chewed gum but Little Bit loves it. We got some today at Wal-Mart. It's sugar-free so everyone in the family can chew it. Later she said, "Mom? When I chew watermelon gum my tics are worse." I probed that a bit and she said she had noticed it before when she was chewing it. So of course I said, "Spit it out!"

Several hours later she tried another piece and immediately said, "Yep. They're worse." I told her to spit it out again. She was upset because she LIKES watermelon gum. I told her we could try another kind. It must be something in this kind of gum. So I look at the ingredients.

Aspartame. I'm not saying that's it, but there it is right on the label and I JUST read that chapter.

But don't let me get all scientific on you because at supper tonight she was eating chicken spaghetti which is easily her favorite meal on earth and she said, "Mom...chicken spaghetti makes my tics better."

Sure it does. I bet ice cream does too dear.

Earlier in the week she was jumping on a mini-trampoline at my parent's house. It seemed to help her frustration so we borrowed it. She jumped so much her back has hurt ever since. Sometimes a change of scenery helps. Sometimes I get her busy helping me with something. Anything to get her mind off the stupid tics. The only other thing I know to try is humor. So when she complained about her new "oy uh" tic (she has to repeatedly say "oy uh"), we made it into a song. It worked really well with Old MacDonald. And Jingle Bells. She giggled so that's good.

I've never read where food causes tics to be worse, but you better believe I'll be reading up on it.

'Cause I'm running out of strategies really fast.

Betty

The mom of the little girl I teach sewing lessons to recently brought a book over to show me. She wondered if I already had this book because it contains so many of the things we have done in sewing class. But nope, I got all my ideas off the Internet. Sure enough, this is a GREAT book!

It's called Sewing for Children and I highly recommend it.

Sweetheart immediately fell in love with one of the projects and I finished it in about 3 days. (Having no computer and not being able to do a lot of things because of the workers helped)

Isn't she sweet?

She comes with a sassy jacket.

Sweetheart decided she could make her a hat. "I know how to do it, Mom." And she did. She also picked out all the fabric and colors. I praised her greatly. I hope that ability will carry over into picking out her own clothes!

I told her any additional clothes for Betty would be made by her. Now that I've sewn from this pattern, I know she could do it. And it was all hand sewing (although it wouldn't have to be) and I LOVE to sit on the couch and hand sew things.

I'm also glad my family does not depend on me to sew all of their clothing by hand. I fear we would be naked.

Now I have to make a doll for Little Bit. But she doesn't want one of these dolls. No....she wants a doll made from a drawing she made a few months ago. I think I can adapt this pattern to work.

I guess that remains to be seen.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Digging Out

Everything that usually belongs on my kitchen counter tops is on my dining room table. We haven't eaten a meal there in a few days. Well, earlier in the week the girls and I all squished up on one end and ate together. Cozy!

Disjointed weeks put EVERYONE in a bad mood!

The contents of my bathroom are scattered everywhere. The girls' bathroom is a wreck and that's the one we've all been using. I have laundry that is washed but I haven't been able to put it away because the worker guys were in the way. We've somehow managed to do school this week despite saws and noise and drop cloths.



They LOVE running errands.

I am not complaining. It is exciting getting the stuff fixed up around here that we've been dreaming about doing for 4 years. BUT....we're in a mess right now.

Sitting in traffic ROCKS!

To be really honest, I can get in this kind of mess even WITHOUT home remodeling! Do you ever get that way? Where every. single. area. of your life feels a mess and out of control? Ug. Happens here often. Sometimes it's not even really that bad, but I feel very stressed out and so every pile of laundry seems 400 feet high, every bill seems like it will take 5 hours to pay, and every room of the house looks like a tornado went through it.



What a great week to decide to pull all the summer clothes out! They are now in the hallway. This is Sweetheart's tub. The one in the back is Little Bit's. Guess who I need to go shopping for?



So what do you do?

Should you do the hardest and most dreaded task first to get it out of the way?

Should you clean something small like the bathroom so you can feel instant success?

Should you sit down and cry?

Should you line the children up in the hallway like soldiers and start passing out jobs?

Should you grab your car keys and go to the library, or your mom's house, or ANYWHERE that is neat and tidy?

Should you sit and read your Bible and pray?

Should you sit down and make a list, prioritizing each thing to be done so you are working with a plan instead of just willy-nilly?

What do you do when it seems like you are buried under a mound of "to do's"? What is your first move?



Or just shove everything on the coffee table over and put your feet up?



(I know there isn't a "right" answer. Just wondering, that's all.)

Let the SUPER BLOGGING Begin!

OK, so if you've been following me here (and at my other blog), you know we are doing some home remodeling right now. By doing, I mean paying for.

THEN, both our computers died within weeks of each other.

Ouch.

Thankfully, (Praising the Lord for blessings!) we had the money to do something about it. Turns out computers don't cost nearly what they used to back when we last bought one. We've been a bit out of the technology loop. So we now have ONE family computer. It has to be taken care of and used well. It will be for personal use, family finances, record keeping for our business, school work, church stuff, etc.

And, of course, blogging. S said on the way home from the computer store, "Now you're all set up. I expect to see SUPER BLOGGING going on."

No pressure. I'm not really sure what super blogging looks like but I'm pretty sure it involves you guys leaving LOTS and LOTS of positive feedback so some one's husband will see the results of his recent purchase. Ahem.

And now I'll tell you that S and I felt a bit like country folks come to town while we were shopping. The young kid (actually, he was the manager) was talking rapid fire about apps on the printer, and how you can send documents from your phone straight to the printer at your house and they print automatically, and how you can scan your fingers on the laptop to access sites instead of using passwords......

...and I think we might have stood there with our mouths dropped open just a bit. And shook our heads a few dozen times.

"I tell you Herbert, I just cain't get over it. You just push that little handle down and the toilet flushes ALL by itself RIGHT THERE IN THE HOUSE!"

We aer so up with it. Kinda reminded me of a few years back when we needed a new phone. We were looking at all the choices that had answering machines built in and one of us said, "Where do you put the tape? I don't see anywhere to put the tape?"

But that is no longer us. No sir. WE are UP with the technology and whipping out SUPER POSTS such as this one.

Ahem. (your turn---make me look good ladies!)

What Was That Nonsense About Me Liking Technology?

Our desktop died. In February our laptop died.

Computers: 2
Us: 0

They are winning. They were tired of performing useful services to our family so they up and quit. I am typing this on my phone. (good phone. Nice phone.) I can't let it hear me speak ill of the technology or it may quit me too.

But, for the record, our VCR still works.

I'm not sure what to make of that.