what a week!

The last week was spent in and out of town for doctors appt's, dealing with things deciding to just break around here and everyone being sick off and on. First the oven quits, then the dryer quits, the internet goes down (mediacom had issues with something 43 of us were without), we all have strep (not strep throat) aaaand all of our meds were hell to get! PHEW! I am soooooo ready for this week to be good and productive! The good thing is, the oven is fine, the heating element was just loose, the dryer just decided to start working again (it is 8 months old!) the internet was fixed this evening, we are all feeling a bit better and meds got taken care of! I spent the weekend cleaning and going through more stuff to get rid of. Our garage got flooded (it is detatched) a couple of times and we have so many things that got ruined. =( SO they have to go to the trash. I have a ton of phone calls to make this week for Nik's therapy and Chris' eval. Sending love and light to all of you reading this and hoping your week is awesome! I am tired and ready for tomorrow. Night all!

10.26.12

This week has been trying. It has been rough but we made it through. Went to the doctors yesterday to get papers signed so we could get non dairy stuff for WIC and also get the children's allergies under more control. Gin has to take prescription zyrtec but the rest can take OTC. We are also working on getting those blood tests done for gluten and casein issues. Monday we go to P-cola for Nik and Chris and then later in the week take the other half of the kids to our doctor. I am still working on finding a job. This is all so overwhelming and hard. But I know we will rise above. We always do. This is just a bump in the road. I hope everyone has had a great week and can relax this weekend. Love and light to you all. Until next time...

10.19.12

It has been an exhausting week. We are working on getting Nik into sensory therapy. I also read up on other parents getting electronic toothbrushes. I really hope this works because brushing teeth is a horrible fight. We also have CARD getting him into their program to get some help with visuals. I am exhausted, as I am sure many parents of specail needs children are. I have three special needs and am worried about a couple of the others. I do not understand this. WHy do people not want to believe that vaccines can do this? I watched a few of my children go down hill after the MMR. One had a horrible reaction. I just will never understand this. I also do not understand why people find it so hard to believe our government would hurt our children. It is all in the name of science. However, if we give our children things that are bad for them we risk losing our children...but here is the CDC injecting these tiny creatures with poisons everyday and all is okay. SMH. It is horrible. More parents need to educate themselves. I hope that if anything, my blog will reach other parents who are going through similar situations, also reach new moms in hopes they reject most vaccines. Educate themselves and say NO to harming their children.

Another day

SO far today has been well! I got some tips yesterday from a long time friend...get GF bisquick! OMG! It is amazing! She said to just insert it whenever flour is called for! Sooo instead of paying high prices for GF flours and specail flours (which I will still buy from time to time just not every day!). Thanks Apryl! I am loving the tips mamas! Keep them coming! They help me and I like passing them on as well. We have to help eachother through this. It isn't the easiest but it is worth it for the well being of our kidlets! until next time!

Did some more shopping for GFCF

I do not feel as bad now. It is a bit more costly, yes, but I have found ways to do this. There is always a way. I have two children that go to their dad's on weekends so keeping them GFCF won't be so hard. I can send certain things and he should be able to get some as well. I think I was overwhelmed. A lot. lol. Well since we started no one has had upset tummies, dark purple rings around eyes are going away and no massive trips to the bathroom, or ER for a couple of my kids who have sensitive tummies. Next step is getting the antibody tests for gluten and casein done on all of them. All of them get the pink/dark purple circles under their eyes, the red ears/cheeks after a meal and then the major tummy issues. I am glad Nik's doctor told us to do this, not just for him, but all of them. (I went over family history with him as well). I still need a lot of blood work done on Nik. I guess first person to ask will be the doctor this friday and if he can't help, then when we go out of town to his neuro doc we will ask them. SOMEONE has to do these tests. Soooo...after some looking around town I think I have a few places down for most of our stuff. We will start making our own pastas. The kids love ravioli's and this has been one of the hardest things to tell them they can't have. Strangly they all listen when they are told they can't have certain things. Not too much fussing. Dinner tonight went well and I am hoping this is a good sign.

GFCF...a new journey

So if you have been following my story, you know what is going on from facebook. If you do not know, I will give a quick rundown... I have 8 children, am in school full time, married to a wonderful man who supports me in all I do and is a stay at home dad. Three of my children face some challenges in life. One had meningitis as a younger child and has some brain damage from encephalitis. Then I have one autistic child who also has complex epilepsy, astham and some severe allergies. Also there is my youngest boy who may have asperger's and some mild delays. I finally got the autistic dx from the psych doc. Now he wants us to do a GFCF diets. For those who do not know this is gluten and casein free. Which is in almost every single thing you buy! Casein is in dairy, gluten is pretty much all wheat and wheat types. So we also did research and since we have two other children affected in some way we are all going gfcf. It has been a couple of weeks and the transition has been tough but worth it. I myself am not having tummy issues anymore. So that makes me wonder if the dark circles under the kid's eyes and tummy issues come from a sensitivity to these foods?! We shall see. Is anyone else out there gfcf, one or the other? If so, why? And what has been the hardest part of it all? How long have you been doing it and how do you survive to pay for anything? lol this stuff is expensive! I mean we have been making our own breads and such because while it costs more to use gfcf produccts, it is cheaper to make yourself. I am looking for tips, hints and any help. I am hoping to get into a better routine here so I can post more. Life has just been beyond hectic lately! Until next time...

08-29-2012

Wow. It has been a busy week! Got a lot done with appointments and school started back up. With homeschooling, it is not as stressful as it is for you parents that have to buy uniforms, school clothes, supplies and the like. We are a bit more laid back. I buy my supplies every year when things are on clearance. I usually get much more than I need. So we have plenty for the entire year with no worries. The dress code is pretty simple here and for meals, it is where our pockets get hit hardest. We go through a lot of food and snacks for 8 kids. All the way down to the baby does some form of school work. We count, ABC, and draw and do art. The older ones stay on track with work books and additional work I find and give them. lol It is a lot. Nik has a lot of upcoming appointments and we are trying to buy a new home. A bigger place. I am not sure how we will do it all but we will. Somehow things will work out for us. So I am letting that go and doing what I do best...go with the flow. I am also working on my other book. I have gone back and forth and now it is time to finish this. I need to promote my other book as well. I have more copies if anyone wants one, hit me up =) More to come this week as we begin the new adventure with Nik and his therapy for ASD. Follow me and keep up with us! Hope everyone in Isaac's path is staying safe! And glad we got to dodge that bullet. Until later...

Topic of the week shall be...

Okay, this week it is going to be autism. I chose this topic to start because I have child with ASD and it is important for this awareness. Today a social worker came to talk to us about Nik's therapy he will be starting. We have been fighting this for 6 years and finally we are going in the right direction. I have been told several times (by a doctor, a therpist and a few other professionals) that Nik seems to have some ASD going on. Just not sure exactly how bad, what part of the spectrum and so on. Well now we are on our way to getting answers and finally getting help. The meltdowns are the hardest part, as is the emotionless stares and reactions. I have shared some of my story in a previous blog posting. So now it is your turn. Share your story. If you have an autistic child (or loved one) please share with us your story of this beautiful being! These children (an adults even) are special on another level. But this seems to be happening more and more to our children. Let's get the awareness out there. Share tips, stories and just vent if need be. Pass this blog along and I promise you will not get bored. I have so much to talk about... =) Until next time!

Time for mommy...

Okay mama's...how many of you actually take some time out for yourself? After a long day of cooking, cleaning, working, homeschooling, laundry, playing with the kids...however you spend your day as mama... what do you do for you? Hhow do you keep your supermommypower? here are some tips for making more of the little time you get...alone.
First off, once kidlets are in bed, what do you do? Finish dishes? School work, work you brought home? Do you mop? Do you find yourself looking around overwhelmed wondering what you need to do first? This is your que mama's!!
Drop whatever it is your are doing! (I promise it won't go anywhere, who else is going to do it?)
Go find your iPod, tablet, whatever you enjoy, then go run some bathwater, add some lavendar oil, or your fave essential oil, light a few candles and RELAX!!!
Even if you only read a couple of chapters, or meditate for five minutes or lay there and just not think....DO IT!
It is important that mama is happy, rested and relaxed. IDK about ya'll but when I am stressed, my kidlets know! and they act out even more.
So...I want you ladies to share your tips on here. Tell us what you do to relax and unwind and recharge your supermom status. And if you do nothing, start tonight!!
Take care my mama's! More to come...

Living with a disabled child

I know I am not the only one out there. I have read many stories and felt as though I could have written them myself. Having a child is not the easiest job in the world and when you are given a special gift it makes your job even harder. The doctors appts, the medications, the trips out of town to specialists...it all takes a toll. and that is just the beginning.
Parents need an outlet, other parents to talk to, a place to meet and breathe. So through my experience (and since I have not found one here in town as yet), I am thinking of starting a group where parents can meet locally, we can have playdates and learn from eachother, support eachother and just be there for eachother.
My son has complicated epilepsy, asperger's (about to find out if it is more as he had only been diagnosed by a pedi), severe asthma and allergies and something wrong with his immune system which we will soon get more answers for as well. So I am looking for parents who live in and around panama city who would like to try this. And if one for these things already exists, please let me know! I really need other's to talk to. It has been over 6 years and while we are finally getting answers and understanding more, this is far from easy.
Also, things people outside of my family can do ius, be there for us. We have 8 children. Yes, that is a lot. Yes we know how they are made... We did not expect to have a child with issues as a lot of his are from his birth itself. You just do not plan your life thinking of these things. Can you imagine if we did? We would live in such fear and not even have children. This is a chance you take. So when people are hateful, it hurts. We have been through hell, are in hell with no sight of getting out anytime soon. SO much is going on...so a little help would be nice. Everyone has their problems, yes. I try and be there for others, no matter what. But sometimes I need someone. Sometimes I need to cry and mourn my birth, and feel upset and angry because this happened. Just once in a while I need to let go and feel.
I spend so much time blocking out how I feel and stay strong so that I can keep going and make things happen for him. My husband does so much, I do not want to put more on him...
please understand how hard this is and put yourself in our shoes...for one moment and realize I space out sometimes, I am sleep deprived and doing all I can to make things better for all involved. To top everything off we have some crazy ish going on lately and now having to find a new place to live. I am stressed, I am human. I am not ignoring anyone and I am trying to make a living and everything else that my husband and I do...
not exactly sure where I was going with this post...seems it turned more into a vent. I am exhausted. Please share this blog with others, get the word out. More to come.

Herbalife...

Okay, so a few months back I decided to bite and see what the herbalife hubub was about. I went to one of these local shake shops and first off, was unimpressed with the people and atmosphere. I was very interested in the product but the people sort of killed it for me, and the price for someone else to make my meal was...wow. 6.50 for a shake, a shot of aloe and a tea. I could not afford that daily, let alone twice a day. My husband and I researched Herbalife and we really liked what we read, it was a matter of being able to get our hands on the products without having to go through these shops. Well, I let it go and we just kept spending money on shake mixes from the herbal stores and pills and we lost like 2 pounds in almost a year of trying. TWO! Seriously??? We gave up sodas a year ago, we stopped eating anything white...flour, sugar pastas...gave it all up. Started juicing to reboot, that kick started our systems, but wasn't enough. I am a med student and I had to do 392 hours clincal/externship. I ended up at a clinic where a couple of the girls that worked there sold Herbalife! I was happy that now I had a chance to talk to someone. I got some from one of the girls and tried it, I fell in love. NOw I sell it myself. I have lost 14 pounds in about a month and my husband 19 pounds. We are committed to this...for life. Now I may not use all of the pills forever, but I will always have my shake and tea and aloe! Right now I am on a good regimen and am getting used to this new life! I invite all of you to ask me questions and if you are interested in buying products or becoming a distributor, I can help you out! I will continue to document our progress. Visit my site for more details...

because so many have asked...here it is...

The recipe to the laundry soap I make... you will need 4 c. of borax 4 c. of washing soda 1 bar of fels naptha soap 1 bar of ivory soap mix the borax and washing soda in a bucket. then cute the bars of soap into a few squares. put several squares on a paper towel and place in microwave for about a minute, they should swell up and the ivory will look like a marshmallow. make sure they are puffed well. but do not put in too long as it WILL burn. then allow them to cool for about 10 mins or so. then using a cheese grate, grate the bars into the bucket. they will flake, this is normal and what you want. do this until all of the bar soap is in small flakes. close the bucket tight and shake. also shake before each use as the flakes will settle some. doing this right the bucket should last a couple of months. you only use about a table spoon of it. you do not need much and it gives your clothes a light scent like a baby. it is awesome! each load costs about .06 cents. This is one way to save some money and still get good stuff! It is a little work but it is worth it. we save tons each month! I have more tips and recipes to come. it is not just stuff for big families. my recipes can be broken down or even added to if you need more. There is no reason to pay high prices and be broke when you can work a little harder and save money! please leave some input for me, or questions... LIGHT & LOVE TO ALL!

HerbaLife

I wanted to put out there for all of you that I also sell herbalife. I also use it. OMG. 12 pounds in less than 3 weeks so far! My site is https://www.goherbalife.com/enigmaanjel77/en-US You can go here and sign up and order and have it delivered to you or if you are local, I have some stock and can make orders and bring it to you. Whichever you choose! This is my means of supporting my family so it would be great if we helped each other! I can coach you and help you lose weight and KEEP IT OFF! And you can help support us! lol Seriously though, the products are outstanding! My husband and I have been doing this for 3 weeks and already a huge drop in weight! It is not as hard or expensive as people may think. Hit me up and we can talk and you can even become a distributor if you would like to lose weight and make some money on the side!

Life happened...

I have neglected my blog for some time. I just completed my 8 week, 392 hour externship for medical school. It was rough! But I survived and learned so much! I am very happy to have met the people I met, and had them show me new stuff. I have 12 weeks before graduation. So much to do. As for the kidlets, they are getting so big and fast! The eldest will be 18 in March. Holy crap!! I am just so happy that everything is on the right track. I have a lot of work to do to get to graduation but it is all worth it. And I am not done just yet...after I work under a doctor for 2 years I will then apply for my P.A. And this cycle begins again. lol I will write more soon. Just a small update. I will be back to my usual blogging soon...Take care all!