Well, here we go. I don't usually a get on my soapbox, but I'm going to now. Since being here at Brain Balance, I have learned a lot about healthy living. First of all, those of you who know me would never describe me as 'granola'. I am a makeup wearing, hair fixing, dressed up little Southern girl. (Add in there- more than little computer literate.) So, when I was told that organic fruits and vegetables were the way to go, I went to my trusted computer for answers. What I found out shocked and dismayed me. There are so many chemicals in our food these days. To paraphrase a friend of mine. "our grandparents didn't eat organic. They just called it food." While science is great and wonderful, our food these days owes more to the lab than to the farmer. I found a wonderful website for the Environmental Working Group. Check it out.
Seriously, if you can't pronounce it, how do you know what it is and what it will do to your body. So, while we are being VERY careful about what we put in our bodies, that's not enough. Everything you put on the outside of your body is also absorbed into your system. EWG also has a cosmetic database. I challenge you to grab your makeup, shaving cream, body wash, shampoo, etc. and check it out. The lower the number, the better. I was horrified to find that my foundation scored at a 7 (out of 10). Yikes. Then I got angry. I noticed that the 2007 formulation of the same product was rated at a 3. Say what? Seems the company decided to change the formula and in doing so (without informing the consumer, I might add) it became toxic. Oh, and don't believe any information on the front of the bottle. Look at the ingredients and beware of vague phrases such as "quality control ingredients". Be suspicious. Take for example the brand Organix. You might think it would be a good product to use. Not so. There is not one organic ingredient in the shampoo that I looked at. (The one for straight hair, sorry I forgot the name- but it is in a brown bottle.)
You can choose to believe me or not. The message I really want to get across is this: Do your homework. The information is out there. Arm yourself with knowledge and make fully informed decisions. I, for one, have thrown out quite a few makeup products and no longer make impulse buys at the grocery or for makeup (Sephora will be VERY unhappy to learn this!!). I do a lot more planning. As for the organic eating, I do feel better knowing that we are eating fruit and veggies as nature intended and not full of pesticides. (By the way, there is a report called the 'clean 15' that lists 15 produce items that are okay to buy non-organic since they are farmed with minimum use of pesticides.)
Done preaching. Go forth and Google!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, October 14, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Time to play catch up
I write these incredible blog posts. Full of pathos, emotion, bordering on literary genius. Really. Now, those of you who follow my blog are now wondering why you haven't read any of my coherent prose. There is a simple explanation for that. Seems the process of removing the blog from the recesses of my mind and transferring to the written word reduces my cohesive essay to a "stream of conscious" ramble. Perhaps I am missing a neural pathway, or two. ;)
Anyhow, on with my ramblings:
- Spence got a couple of stars last week at Brain Balance. The first was for doing an excellent job on his sit ups (yes, my six year old has a six pack!) and the second was for following directions really well.
- Spence got a chance to display some empathy. He scratched Michelle at Brain Balance (not a proud moment), but instead of running away, he stared in horror at the marks he had made on her arm, even going so far as to say, "eww". He seemed genuinely upset that he had hurt her.
- The same day as the above incident, Spencer had a mad day at school. This was impressive because, in the past, he would take his anger out physically on others. But, not on this day. He was mad, but found a way to express it without doing anyone bodily harm! Progress.
- My parents were in town last weekend. They got to hear Spencer laugh a real way down deep laugh. He saw something he found funny on his tv show and was laughing so hard he made himself hiccup. There is just something about that child's laugh that makes us all just laugh, as well.
- While my parents were in town, we did have a golf cart adventure. Spencer showed off his navigational skills and took us to Kroger, where he proceeded to guide them around the organic and natural foods aisles. On the way back, I pulled over off of the path to dispose of some trash. When I was trying to return to the path, one of the rear tires came off the rim. Whoops! We decided that my dad would walk back to the apartment, retrieve the car, and meet us up ahead on the road. I must say Spencer was extremely patient while waiting. He did act like a typical six year old, though. He was whining and wanting to walk back. Much better than he would have reacted just a couple of months ago. There was no blown out of proportion tantrum, just a little whining (I can so deal with that!)
I really do need to get better about blogging. In the book I'm readin right now, the main character has driven from Phoenix to L.A., been accused of two murders, been questioned at length by the police and her attorney and still managed to blog more than I have! Maybe that is why it is called "fiction".
Good day all!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Anyhow, on with my ramblings:
- Spence got a couple of stars last week at Brain Balance. The first was for doing an excellent job on his sit ups (yes, my six year old has a six pack!) and the second was for following directions really well.
- Spence got a chance to display some empathy. He scratched Michelle at Brain Balance (not a proud moment), but instead of running away, he stared in horror at the marks he had made on her arm, even going so far as to say, "eww". He seemed genuinely upset that he had hurt her.
- The same day as the above incident, Spencer had a mad day at school. This was impressive because, in the past, he would take his anger out physically on others. But, not on this day. He was mad, but found a way to express it without doing anyone bodily harm! Progress.
- My parents were in town last weekend. They got to hear Spencer laugh a real way down deep laugh. He saw something he found funny on his tv show and was laughing so hard he made himself hiccup. There is just something about that child's laugh that makes us all just laugh, as well.
- While my parents were in town, we did have a golf cart adventure. Spencer showed off his navigational skills and took us to Kroger, where he proceeded to guide them around the organic and natural foods aisles. On the way back, I pulled over off of the path to dispose of some trash. When I was trying to return to the path, one of the rear tires came off the rim. Whoops! We decided that my dad would walk back to the apartment, retrieve the car, and meet us up ahead on the road. I must say Spencer was extremely patient while waiting. He did act like a typical six year old, though. He was whining and wanting to walk back. Much better than he would have reacted just a couple of months ago. There was no blown out of proportion tantrum, just a little whining (I can so deal with that!)
I really do need to get better about blogging. In the book I'm readin right now, the main character has driven from Phoenix to L.A., been accused of two murders, been questioned at length by the police and her attorney and still managed to blog more than I have! Maybe that is why it is called "fiction".
Good day all!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Yep, I'm the dumbest woman on the planet.
At least, according to Spencer. Yesterday, he took his Madagascar book and held it up to the TV screen. He then pointed at the book and then the TV. I got that he wanted to watch the movie. But, the best he is going to do will be a couple of "Penguins of Madagascar" cartoons off of on demand. I got it, really I did. However, we don't have the movie with us and I wasn't about to let him veg in front of the TV. Poor thing got so upset. He kept looking at me like I was the stupidest person he had ever met. I guess he figured since he let me watch my beloved Saints on Sunday, I should repay the favor. I think I already paid for my dose of TV. Right at kickoff, he hands me his shoes and wants to go for a golf cart ride. Of course, we go. Then we came home. I got to watch a little of the second quarter and the end of the game. He was so good! He played in his room and ventured out for drinks and snacks. He doesn't like watching football with me, as I yell and scream at the players, jump up and down, you get the picture. I even made him some gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookies (they are good, really.)
Friday, Spence got a star at Brain Balance for wonderful work on the balance beam. Yippee! He has been working on the balance beam pretty well, but he is rather hesitant with any direction other than forward. And yesterday, he got another star for great listening. Yep, we are getting on board now. We are currently on the waiting list for the hippo therapy and I have a call in to another therapist to discuss some more options.
Maybe one day I'll start a sentence, "Remember back when Spencer was autistic...."
It can happen.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
A reason to smile :)
I know it has been a long time since I I have blogged, and there are tons of things that I will leave out, I’m sure. But, I just HAVE to focus on what I’ve recently learned. We took our three week break from Brain Balance and had Spencer reevaluated. I got his results last Thursday. THEY BLEW ME AWAY!! He has progressed so far since his first session back in January. I could talk particularly about all the results and make your head swim. I’m not going to do that. There are checklists that parents, teachers and evaluators fill out that that give you an idea whether your child has a high or low probability of autism, Asperger’s or ADHD (depending on the checklist).
For all of these checklists, the higher the number, the higher the probability of the disorder. On the autism scale, Spencer went from a 106 to a 70. The main thing that is holding him at a higher level is the lack of communication. His Asperger’s numbers went from 78 to 90 and his ADHD went from 60 to 62 (parent checklist). This is exactly according to plan. As he progresses, he will become less and less autistic and move more toward Asperger’s and ADHD. As a spectrum disorder, you have to move through the spectrum to healing.
Another change we have made is that Spencer is no longer riding the bus. It became much too difficult to wake him for the 6:15 pickup. He now gets to sleep until 6:45, instead of 5:45. That extra hour is certainly helping him. As I was lamenting how difficult it was to wake him, a staff member at Brain Balance remarked, “Well, as he becomes less and less autistic, he will want to sleep more.” That’s right, “AS HE BECOMES LESS AND LESS AUTISTIC…” WOW!!! Still, his lack of communication is holding him back. Instead of focusing on just getting him to talk, we are focusing on getting him on track.
But some people need to see to believe. Here is Spencer’s school picture from last September:
Here he is in March, 2011
You'll notice that he is looking off camera, where I'm sure they had to get him to laugh to get this picture. Now, here is the one from August, 2011
He is looking at the camera and smiling. We do need to work on that posture, though! (HaHa) Now look back at the photo taken just a year ago. You'll SEE the difference. Yep, Brain Balance WORKS!!!!!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Nothing is wrong
I know I need to do better with blogging, but I am still so tired. Got my results from the doctor and everything is fine. My exhaustion is due primarily to chronic sleep problems. It should straighten itself out in the next couple of weeks. So, I had the opposite problem last night, where I was up for pretty much the whole night. I'll try to make this post as coherent as possible...
Thursday of last week, I received a call to pick Spencer up from school because he is vomiting. He seemed fine that morning! Poor baby. I allowed him to watch a movie since all he wanted to do was lay around. Friday morning came and I could not wake him up for school. That is so unlike him. Usually, when I go to wake him, I am met with giggles and smiles. He wouldn't budge. I figured he was still not feeling great, so I let him stay home from school. We didn't do much this weekend because I still wasn't sure what got him sick. By Monday he was ready for school. (and so was I!). Tuesday was his school picture day and sensory motor testing at Brain Balance. I'm hoping his picture came out okay! He did have a rough start at Brain Balance, but then he started complying. At one point, he told Amanda "I wan". And she was asking him "what do you want". He then pointed to some bubble paper behind a desk. That became his reinforcer. Do an activity, pop some bubbles! I was very pleased that he seemed to do well.
Now for the fun part. When we got home from Brain Balance, I needed to label a few items. I get out my black Sharpie marker and proceed to do my labeling. I then left the marker on the counter. Big mistake! Spence found the marker and proceeded to give himself some facial hair.
Yikes! But the story does not end there. Oh no. While I am on the phone with my husband, in the time it takes me to forward an email, Spencer climbed onto the kitchen counter and got down the rest of my markers (which were on top of the cabinet) pulled out a purple marker and colored his chest and part of his legs. Oh boy, the fun never ends!!
We are leaving for New Orleans after cognitive testing at Brain Balance tomorrow. I have so much to do before then. Cooking, cleaning, packing... Guess I'll stop blogging and get started. First, I have to wake the boy for school. Happy Wednesday everyone!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday of last week, I received a call to pick Spencer up from school because he is vomiting. He seemed fine that morning! Poor baby. I allowed him to watch a movie since all he wanted to do was lay around. Friday morning came and I could not wake him up for school. That is so unlike him. Usually, when I go to wake him, I am met with giggles and smiles. He wouldn't budge. I figured he was still not feeling great, so I let him stay home from school. We didn't do much this weekend because I still wasn't sure what got him sick. By Monday he was ready for school. (and so was I!). Tuesday was his school picture day and sensory motor testing at Brain Balance. I'm hoping his picture came out okay! He did have a rough start at Brain Balance, but then he started complying. At one point, he told Amanda "I wan". And she was asking him "what do you want". He then pointed to some bubble paper behind a desk. That became his reinforcer. Do an activity, pop some bubbles! I was very pleased that he seemed to do well.
Now for the fun part. When we got home from Brain Balance, I needed to label a few items. I get out my black Sharpie marker and proceed to do my labeling. I then left the marker on the counter. Big mistake! Spence found the marker and proceeded to give himself some facial hair.
Yikes! But the story does not end there. Oh no. While I am on the phone with my husband, in the time it takes me to forward an email, Spencer climbed onto the kitchen counter and got down the rest of my markers (which were on top of the cabinet) pulled out a purple marker and colored his chest and part of his legs. Oh boy, the fun never ends!!
We are leaving for New Orleans after cognitive testing at Brain Balance tomorrow. I have so much to do before then. Cooking, cleaning, packing... Guess I'll stop blogging and get started. First, I have to wake the boy for school. Happy Wednesday everyone!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
To blog, or to sleep?
From the lack of posts recently, you can tell that sleep won. In fact, sleep has been beating out everything else: cleaning, cooking, etc. At first, I chalked it up to my ever present insomnia, stress, exhaustion, everything but what the cause most probably is. I was diagnosed about 15 years ago with pernicious anemia where (especially during high stress periods) my stomach does not make the protein (called the intrinsic factor) that is used to absorb B12. I haven't had my B 12 levels checked since I've been here, not a smart move on my part. And then I am reminded of my favorite saying, "There is a reason you put the oxygen mask on yourself first" which is just a reminder to myself that I have to take care of me before I can take care of anyone else.
That being said, time to catch up! Spence is currently on his break from Brain Balance. He goes in for testing next week and then I get the results the Wednesday after Labor Day. It will be amazing to see his progress. He has adapted well to school, but he did not like going all day, every day last week. By Friday, he was having the worst little meltdowns. Now, his day starts around 5:45am and he gets home from school on the bus around 3:15. That is really a long day for a child. He has been doing much better since I have been checking him out around 12:40, which will allow us to pursue other therapies on Tuesdays and Thursdays (the days he doesn't have Brain Balance) I am currently trying to get him involved in hippotherapy, without much success. No, it doesn't involve a hippo, just a horse. It is different from therapeutic riding in that he is not really taught to handle the horse himself, the movement of the horse is the therapy.
We had to have another IEP meeting to go over a few things. 1-Spence was getting up on the bus. (I think it is because they have him sitting in the back?) so it had to be added to his IEP to put him in a harness for his safety. 2- I signed a paper at the end of last year agreeing to hold Spencer back in Kindergarten, a decision I regretted almost immediately. 3- I wanted to discuss the possibility of checking him out early every day without is counting against his attendance.
I was in Warrior Mom mode- ready to do battle. There was no battle. Items 2 & 3 are administrative issues that I discussed with the assistant principal who granted #3 with no problem, but had to talk to the principal about #2. #1 was granted in the IEP without ANY discussion, it was merely a safety issue. I'm glad i had Amanda from Brain Balance there because she was able to discuss with the speech therapist and Spencer's teacher some items that Spencer can do. Spence still has a problem with motivation. He is not interested in making you happy or proud of him. If he feels like he wants to do it, he will. Just where did he get that stubborn streak ;)
Late last week (our IEP meeting was Tuesday), I was told that Spence had been moved up to the first grade and that he had no problem dropping off his folder at his new homeroom. Yeah!!
And just yesterday, we went swimming. He was acting like a little tadpole. He jumped in the 3 feet side and was swimming around. He even went in the 5 feet and was using his kick board! Okay, so it is NOT pretty when he swims, but he gets the job done!
I guess that is all for now. I have a few errands to run before I go to the doctor to get checked out.
That being said, time to catch up! Spence is currently on his break from Brain Balance. He goes in for testing next week and then I get the results the Wednesday after Labor Day. It will be amazing to see his progress. He has adapted well to school, but he did not like going all day, every day last week. By Friday, he was having the worst little meltdowns. Now, his day starts around 5:45am and he gets home from school on the bus around 3:15. That is really a long day for a child. He has been doing much better since I have been checking him out around 12:40, which will allow us to pursue other therapies on Tuesdays and Thursdays (the days he doesn't have Brain Balance) I am currently trying to get him involved in hippotherapy, without much success. No, it doesn't involve a hippo, just a horse. It is different from therapeutic riding in that he is not really taught to handle the horse himself, the movement of the horse is the therapy.
We had to have another IEP meeting to go over a few things. 1-Spence was getting up on the bus. (I think it is because they have him sitting in the back?) so it had to be added to his IEP to put him in a harness for his safety. 2- I signed a paper at the end of last year agreeing to hold Spencer back in Kindergarten, a decision I regretted almost immediately. 3- I wanted to discuss the possibility of checking him out early every day without is counting against his attendance.
I was in Warrior Mom mode- ready to do battle. There was no battle. Items 2 & 3 are administrative issues that I discussed with the assistant principal who granted #3 with no problem, but had to talk to the principal about #2. #1 was granted in the IEP without ANY discussion, it was merely a safety issue. I'm glad i had Amanda from Brain Balance there because she was able to discuss with the speech therapist and Spencer's teacher some items that Spencer can do. Spence still has a problem with motivation. He is not interested in making you happy or proud of him. If he feels like he wants to do it, he will. Just where did he get that stubborn streak ;)
Late last week (our IEP meeting was Tuesday), I was told that Spence had been moved up to the first grade and that he had no problem dropping off his folder at his new homeroom. Yeah!!
And just yesterday, we went swimming. He was acting like a little tadpole. He jumped in the 3 feet side and was swimming around. He even went in the 5 feet and was using his kick board! Okay, so it is NOT pretty when he swims, but he gets the job done!
I guess that is all for now. I have a few errands to run before I go to the doctor to get checked out.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Cookies, cookies everywhere..but sorry, son, none for you
It seems lately, everywhere we go , they have chocolate chip cookies. Spencer has always loved chocolate chip cookies. So, I wasn't surprised when we stopped at Smoothie King, he picked up a large (wrapped) chocolate chip cookie and brought it to me. First ingredient: wheat flour. Sorry, babe, you can't have that. And, boy did he want that cookie. Imagine my surprise, when I go to the counter to pay, he puts the cookie back on the shelf and stands next to me. What, no tantrum, no argument? WOW!! I'll take it. Then a few days later, we went to "meet the teacher" at his school. His sweet teacher baked chocolate chip cookies. But, she also was kind enough to buy a box of the cookies he loves. And, he chose the cookies he could have as opposed to the ones he couldn't. Seriously, who is this kid? And I was more surprised by his behavior. He was playing appropriately with toys and making all kinds of cute noises. And, he was calm. A little while later, he was looking at a book and another child was trying to grab it from him. All he did was turn his body away. When the child persisted, Spencer gave him the book, got up and went and got another one. No retaliation, no violence. He was showing a maturity that I hadn't seen in him. I was loving it!!
I decided Friday to make him some chocolate chip cookies that fit with his restrictions. He was so happy! My parents were in town this past weekend (for my birthday!) and Spencer seemed much more interested in our food than he has ever been. Normally I would not encourage Spencer to stick his fingers in our food, but I don't deny him any interest in our food. So I was pleasantly surprised when he grabbed a green bean off my mother's plate Friday night. All he did was put it in his mouth and and then take it out. He didn't gag (his usual response to new foods) or make any kind of face. This is progress! With the assistance of an old high school friend, I was able to bake a chocolate cake for my birthday (yes, it fit with Spencer's restrictions) and top it with a frosting made of cashews. We noticed Spencer making trips through the kitchen. Every time he passed the cake, he would dip his finger in the frosting and eat it. Wonderful!!
Yes, I know I've used the word 'surprised' plenty of times in this blog, but there really is no other word to describe. I look forward to continued surprises from my awesome little dude!!
I decided Friday to make him some chocolate chip cookies that fit with his restrictions. He was so happy! My parents were in town this past weekend (for my birthday!) and Spencer seemed much more interested in our food than he has ever been. Normally I would not encourage Spencer to stick his fingers in our food, but I don't deny him any interest in our food. So I was pleasantly surprised when he grabbed a green bean off my mother's plate Friday night. All he did was put it in his mouth and and then take it out. He didn't gag (his usual response to new foods) or make any kind of face. This is progress! With the assistance of an old high school friend, I was able to bake a chocolate cake for my birthday (yes, it fit with Spencer's restrictions) and top it with a frosting made of cashews. We noticed Spencer making trips through the kitchen. Every time he passed the cake, he would dip his finger in the frosting and eat it. Wonderful!!
Yes, I know I've used the word 'surprised' plenty of times in this blog, but there really is no other word to describe. I look forward to continued surprises from my awesome little dude!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)