Brain Health

If you didn’t see yesterday’s post you probably should.  Because it’s a cute little song that Silas and Brent recorded together and it’ll make you smile.  It’s only a minute long.

It’s been a whirlwind of a year for me so far.  Some really crappy things have happened, none that I’m willing to blog about…ya that crappy, and I’m still feeling really really good today.

Was it the sunshine this morning?

Maybe.  Could be the new drug I’m taking kicking in.  Yup, always trying to kick my depression in the butt.  Ever since Silas was diagnosed I just can’t hardly handle ANYTHING.  Paying bills, planning a lunch date, planning meals for the week, filling out forms.  I just have no brain for any of it!  Any little task has been so overwhelming to me.  It’s like the stress and the heartache from the diagnosis changed my brain somehow.

I’ve been very interested in Dr Amen and his work at the Amen Clinics.  He takes brain scans of people and has figured out how to change their brains, healing them, with food, supplements, exercise and sometimes drugs.  I was looking through his case study blog and it really shed light on how even annoying personality traits people have are really just an unhealthy brain!

So I’m going to try to start focussing on making my own brain healthy.  I’ve taken some of his recommendations and tried to apply them but there’s more steps I need to take.  Like hydrating more, no more coffee, cutting WAY back on alcohol.  His case study about a social drinker really scared me a lot.  This man had only three drinks a day, never got drunk, and he was 50 years old with an 80-year-old brain.  He had a lot of the same symptoms as I do.  Not that I even drink THAT much but sometimes I do.  Plus it costs too much money.

Anyway.  I think my feeling better today is that the new drug I’m taking has kicked in.  My Cipralex did help curb the sadness but it didn’t take care of my other symptoms like lack of motivation, poor focus, foggy brain.  That’s where Wellbutrin comes in. If every day I could feel the way I feel NOW, I’d be a totally different person.

So maybe I’m just having an “up” day…but it still excites me.  Because I used to love my up days.  I never get them anymore.

So here’s to some new healthy brain habits.  More water, no coffee, fish oils, way less booze and way more exercise.

 

I’ll keep you posted!

 

PS…who’s excited for the Bachelor tonight!!!??????

Future Producer?

Silas and Brent got on Garage Band yesterday and made this.  All instruments are done by Silas other than the guitar and harmonies.  Brent just gave him freedom to do what he wanted to do.  There’s about 8 tracks in there all together.

 

Parenthood: don’t sleep with your autistic nephew’s therapist

Smart title.

I don’t know if any of you watch the show Parenthood but I was hooked from the moment I first saw it which was early this fall.  I love how they portray everyone’s family and I can REALLY relate to the Max’s family, the boy with aspergers.

Last night’ episode they lost their amazing therapist.  In perfect Hollywood form, she slept with his uncle who was engaged.  Naughty.  That’s not what I wanna talk about.

Dealing with the loss of a therapist can be really hard to deal with.  We’ve lost 4 since the beginning, the three were only with us a few months so it wasn’t so hard.  There was one who was with us over a year and I seriously bawled my eyes out when she told me.

There’s this strange dance that therapists have to do, they must be professional but they also easily become part of your family.  You fall in love with them and they with you.  It’s hard because you’re paying them to be in your home and help your child, but they end up doing so much more than that.

I really do think long-term therapists are a key in a successful therapy program.  They get to know your child so well and your child trusts them.  I wonder how many non verbal kids have lost a long term therapist and have struggled with missing them or feeling abandoned by them.

Therapists have to come and go.  It isn’t an easy job at all, they don’t make much money and it isn’t always easy to find the hours.  They usually get into it at a young age and don’t do it for long.  It can be a heartbreaking job, going in to homes where the kids aren’t getting the care and attention they need.  So they often don’t last long.

I’m thankful to be working with a company who has long-term therapists.  They get paid more and have a loving boss.  Many of them have been doing it for years.  What’s hard about that, is that when you’re looking for a new therapist, the long-term people have full schedules and you have to try out new people.  You don’t know if they’ll like their job, you don’t know if they’re any good at it…you don’t know anything.

I’m having to do that right now.  After letting a therapist go last week because we found out they weren’t in it for a long time commitment, I was sent about five new resume’s to go through, interview, and hire.  I hate it.  The last 3 people I’ve hired came and went in the blink of an eye.  I’m gunna need some hard-core commitment from these people!!  But it’s something almost impossible to ask.

Watching Parenthood made me cry, as always, because I feel their pain.  Losing a good therapist is like losing a close friend.  I’d hire back the one I lost in a second.

Have you ever lost an important therapist?  How did you deal with it?

YAWWWNNN

Lazy day today.  Monday’s are glumdays for me.  They used to be my uppity day of the week but no more….I’m a blob on Monday’s.

We’ve been couch potatoes today.  Snuggling the dog and watching Animal Miracle…gosh that show gets to me *tear*.  I get a bunch recorded on the PVR and then do a little marathon.  Silas is on my iphone on google images looking at skytrain photos and it’s pathetically piddling snow outside.  Annnd someone just tooted.

I’m on that line where I’m not sure if I don’t mind the smell of my kid’s farts anymore.

I have a staff party at work tonight and we have to dress formal…I have NO idea what to wear….my only nice clothes are my work clothes.  They told us to dress to impress and um….I do that every time I go to work so I don’t think I’ll impress anyone.  We also have to do a secret Santa and they gave me a 19 year old kitchen boy who I SWEAR doesn’t like me.  That’ll be fun.  I’ll just buy him alcohol, I think that’s all 19 year old boys want anyway…right?

Hmmmmmmmmmm

I’m still stressing about what to wear.  I think it will include my tightest control top and safety pins to pin it to my bra so it doesn’t roll down and expose my back boobs.  No one wants to see those…no one.  Ugh, I wish I had some of you to come help me scour my closet.

I have a glorious Anne Klien skirt that I scored from the clearance rack at Winners for like 15 bucks…originally $150.  It makes everything under it….right.

Ok I can’t handle this anymore…time to attack my closet.  We’ll figure this out!

Yay Sunshine

I find it awkward to write a post after I’ve been on a hiatus for so long.  I’ll just pretend I haven’t been on one.

Today I was wide awake at 6am.  The kids weren’t very understanding that Mommy wanted to sleep but after finally getting them settled and fed, I was about to catch a few more Z’s.  Then I awoke to SUNSHINE!

There’s something about sunshine that just makes everything about life better.  Especially on the West Coast where the sun hides from us almost the entire winter and we are enduring the constant drizzle.  Sunshine becomes a gift and we all embrace it like crazy, until summer comes around and then we’re too hot so we complain.

To enjoy the sun today, we set out for a nature walk on my favourite trail.  We parked at the off leash dog park so Cleo could frolic with her doggy friends for a bit before we set out on our journey.  Frolic she did.  She’s always woofing at the other dogs because her tiny legs can’t keep up with them.  It’s hard to be a 60 pound sausage on three inch legs…

The kids mostly enjoyed the walk, he was rather whiny and wanted to hold my hand the entire time but he made it through…eventually.  Silas did a fantastic job holding on to Cleo’s leash and Cleo did a fantastic job walking along with us.  All around good walk…

So we came home and had a snack and now I’m drinking a delicious cocktail because…it’s Friday…and on Friday’s I deserve a 4:00 gin.  What stay at home/working mother doesn’t?  And now I’m feeling sleepy, I might need a post gin snooze before we have our traditional Friday night pizza.  Reason #375 why my tummy keeps getting bigger rather than smaller…

In other news,

Silas, my darling, has come SO far in the past two years that he has now GRADUATED from ABA therapy.  Most kids move to a different therapy around the age of 7 but little Siley bear, at the ripe age of 5, is moving on.  The same therapist that he’s always worked with (and a fresh, new one) will start teaching him about life skills and social skills.  They will teach him about his autism, why he’s different and that it’s okay to be different.  They will teach him that he thinks a different way but can still accomplish the same things as typical kids.  Sounds beautiful doesn’t it?  They’re working on a 5 point scale so Silas can be able to label his emotions and have better tools to calm himself when he’s freakin out.

I’m always embarrassed when people tell me I’ve done such a good job, I’m always so hard on myself….thinking I should do more with him.  I guess I recognize when my cup is full and I don’t push myself beyond my own limits.  I do feel like I’ve done a fairly good job and so has Brent, but we never could do it without the support system around us.  EVERYONE is supportive.  We are truly blessed.

So now I’m going to enjoy my gin, do a quick tidy and then perhaps have a little rest…if the kids let me.