Keeping in touch

Good morning, Readers. I was popping onto the blog and realized that we are due for some content. It's been a crazy summer, but summer is almost over and the new branch of parenthood has begun. Aside from being asked to teach a little seminar on lymphatics at a local clinic, everything has been work and family.

After deciding to take myself off of all medication save my L-methylfolate, my husband has confirmed that I am doing better balancing things now than I ever was before. Amazing how cutting emotional triggers out of your life can improve brain function. I was diagnosed with cyclothymic disorder (a condition where the corpus collosum does not function properly and one struggles to modulate between left and right brain activities- sometimes called bipolar 3) and was put on Sertraline. Sertraline, however, was not absorbing well and my sporadic eating habits just added to the issue. Now, though, off of the sertraline, my energy is better and I am much more easygoing. My blood pressure is normal now too, and that makes for better health overall. On Sertraline and Metformine, my heart rate was always elevated and my blood pressure was usually 138/85-145/85. Off of it all, my last check-up was 118/80- an obvious improvement.

Having to go through so many years like that, though, made me lose focus of health and family and what "normal" really was. I thought kids had to be kept quiet in order to not anger my spouse. With help from my husband, my understanding has grown and the kids are happier and healthier. being home with my kids or doing "normal" mom stuff in a timely manner also led to a lot of guilt. Have you seen what kind of a thumbscrew guilt can make? A parent with a lot of guilt and poor mental clarity is very easily manipulated. The best feeling in the world is to be free of guilt.

.... Until you realize it is time for school shopping and you have less than a week to do it. Lol That is what we will be doing today. My middle child, who is growing into a wonderful crystal witch, has a special request for a capsule that she can take to school. To Hobby Lobby we will go. Seeing your child grow into their own unique person can bring such a mixture of pride, awe, and disbelief at times. One minute they think plastic is diamonds and the next they are making their personal health tools to prepare them for the big 5th grade! I am asked occasionally if I think that working with crystals actually works. For myself, I do- especially considering the calm that certain of my crystals bring to my mind- like a filter. For me, lapis lazuli filters my emotions. My clear quartz makes me happy. My sodalite gives me an interesting introspection. Now, due to clinical need at the office, I have gotten a big black tourmaline for the occasional energy vampire who freaks me out and leaves me feeling shitty and frustrated (casualty of emotionally abusive people in my history). The biggest lesson I learned, though, was to not displace your quartz that is meant to protect your space. I now need to cleans and recharge my big quartz. It feels a little sad and lost away from all of my plants in the kitchen. It just hasn't been the same since I moved it to the office window and just feels off.

Our littlest one has had to get a bifocal to help with her depth perception issues. She is far sighted and was struggling with reading. For that I most definitely thank modern science. Her heart surgery went beautifully and her ASD is now non-existent! The device fully integrated. Every day I am sending up a quick prayer of thanks that she can start working on endurance.

Our oldest begins high school and is an increasing joy and source of humor. Her music and artsy side are strong, but hers is such an under-stimulated mind. School was so boring, so we popped her into accelerated math and let her stay with concert band instead of marching band. With her newfound ability to ask for help and answers to questions, she is feeling free to explore more. Although, when she picked up a book on Hedge Riding and found it read more like a manual she was like, "This sounds like instructions and I don't like that." Oh well. Noblesse oblige. In spite of her resistance to be instructed, she invariably will learn how to use her natural tendency to dream. She told me recently that she had dreamed about being in our house before we even came here. Such a thing freaked her out a bit, so it took a while for her to talk about it. Now, though, she is happy and growing her mind. With a little harnessing of her energy and working on carpentry with Brock she is running at the world instead of insisting on being cooped up in her room. He is the most incredible man who taught us what normal was and that it is ok to be noisy and nutty. So much to teach that he loves to share. I love you, babe.

That pretty much sums it up, you know? Aside from Mom giving a little health scare and close family friends battling illness, life is a joy to move within and explore. Brock and I do love to go out on the boat, and had much success this last time (see picture). Enough caught to feed all 5 of us. If anybody knows the secret to getting a 7 year old to keep her room clean without having to empty it, though, do share! Love you all.