Spinning

I feel like things are spinning out of control. And as a mother at least some semblance of control is necessary to function in the day to day. My oldest is off to his trade school to work on an associate’s in diesel mechanics, seldom home. I was not prepared for that because he was such a momma’s boy for so long. I am grateful that he has come out of his shell and just cover him in prayer daily that he makes good choices. We have added a 17 year old to the mix last year (2013) and she is a fabulous kid who just needed a safe place to land for awhile until she has time to spread her wings as well. (*sigh* its so hard) And then the oldest daughter is finding her way in high school and flip flopping between “Mom fix this” and “Mom I’ve got this” all of that is enough to make some skiddish but not this faith driven, battle scarred mom. It does make me a tad dizzy as we walk a fine line with teens anyway, but these three, I just know they will manage to make a mark on the world, they have the heart for giving, and I love them for it. I certainly hope that they learn much sooner than I did to set boundaries before getting hurt too badly.

Flip down on the other end of my children and you have a 13 year old with all of her alphabet of difficulties who is doing marvelously well in a homeschool setting. This is her 8th grade year and she is doing a little bit of “feeling her oats” as the hormones have kicked in a tad and we are operating this year with NO MEDS, focusing our energies on coping strategies, breathing, manners, exercise and good nutrition (with some supplements). I finally managed to set her up for co-op classes. Its gotten off to a rough start but it is one day a week that she for sure gets to see friends and her classes are mainly science which she loves so she is doing well. Then we have the babygirl who declares herself the “normal one” just because she is my mini-me and that is so her personality!! She loves showing her FFA goats and is becoming quite opinionated but alas I know that inside that sweet little 10 year old girl there is a hormonal monster waiting to jump at me and be all emotional and I am just not ready yet. Finally we have the baby of all of my babies who has just turned 5, he is a little devil at times but mostly he is momma’s little sweetheart. He holds my hand, gives hugs freely, and lots of cuddles and kisses. And sadly those days will be gone much too quickly for my taste.

My world is spinning because I have 6 kids in my home and on bad days 7 because I sometimes include my husband as a kid too! (winky face – he knows) I love them all so much and fight so hard for them to have everything they need in the world and maybe spoil them just a tad too. And the holding pattern we may have been in for awhile, well it got smashed to pieces and now we are FULL SPEED AHEAD and really my babies are not babies anymore (BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS BE MY BABIES)..DISCLIAMER…I don’t have baby fever at all. I do not miss pregnancy or the middle of the night feedings, but dad gum I just wish that I had them for longer, its going by way too fast and soon I will be the grandma or grams or nana….I try not to think of that just yet because I just need to focus on NOW.Oh and the macaroni noodles I was boiling for lunch. Love and Light people – be good to YOU!!

Hiatus

I started blogging to get my thoughts out of my head and share my trials with others so that they would know there are other parents out there struggling. I took a break because I needed to focus. I don’t want just the downer Debby stuff, I want to share the triumphs too. How do you focus on the day to day, share just enough that you don’t get a ton of trolls, but still make a difference?? I read plenty of blogs, many of them help me to lighten up and understand that being a mother is my most important job, but it will not be my only job. I desire to share the funny and the frank things that my kids share with me but how do I get that balance? No one is travelling the exact same road I am on so comparison is not even an option. I feel lazy. I feel as if I have no energy, no motivation. I WANT to do so many htings but lack the self-discipline to follow through on any of them. I do good to be consistent with my kids but everything else is less than consistent. And now it seems there is no point to this post except to day that You that may read this, you are not ALONE. Someone has had a similar experience, they can share your pain, they can lighten your load in some small way. You are not alone.

SUMMER

2012- Ok. Normally I would be excited about summer, no more alarm clocks, no rigid schedules, things of that nature…..but my 16 year old has gone down a long and hard road by failing 4 classes this year. He just does not seem to care. He is in his own world and doesn’t even interact with the rest of us. This is the worst. SO now we have a month of summer school, which means having him at school by 7 am and he does not get out until 4 or later depending on his progress.

2014- And now here I am facing his graduation. Should I long for the summer as I normally would or do I dread it or perhaps get excited because my first born will soon be leaving the nest? It actually gets me quite emotional to think on it for too long. He has come so far in so many aspects and in others well there has been progress. I don’t know what my life will be like as it is the beginning of my little critters going out into the cold hard world no longer shielded by my rules and guidance. I can only hope that the big lessons have stuck with him and that his sisters that follow in a few short years will learn them well so that maybe they will be equipped to deal with adulthood. I hope they are better equipped than I was, I hope I have done better than my own parents (whose skills were not lacking exactly, I know they did they best they could).

I think that I am in no rush for summer to get here. I find that I am not longing for the heat, nor do I intend to rush this last little bit of time that my young man is firmly under my roof, in my home, the place where I can gently open his door and watch him sleep because it is my right because he is my child, my son, my first-born and we will never get this chance again.

Mother’s Day

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♪ღ♪░H░A░P░P░Y░ M░O░T░H░E░R░’S░D░A░Y░!!! ♪ღ♪
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Sooooo it is another mother’s day! We have new couch and love seat and are set to re-arrange the living room, plus my dryer is now fixed!! Not too shabby for one week-end! Thanks goes to my husband and wonderfully, difficult, challenging, exceptionally brilliant, and caring kiddos!! Love them all to the moon and back around!

The journey that is life

WOW! It is what sums up how quickly things have changed and how much information has been stuffed into my head since January of 2012! I thought I knew what was going on with my kids, and the diagnosis last fall made it seem like my instincts were right, and being right never felt so bad. I had hoped and prayed that maybe, just maybe my daughter’s eccentricities were just that, but I suppose deep down I knew there would come a time when a diagnosis would be helpful in determining treatment. We found some solace in an outpatient treatment facility. I had been at my wits end trying to get a combination of meds and therapies to help her better deal with what was going on in her head. MAYBE we have found a solution for now. Twenty-three days in a behavioral treatment center!! A very long and trying 23 days! First there was the intake appointment, forty-five minutes form our home and she was in fact a good candidate!! Insurance paid for 18-23 days!! I had to attend family therapy sessions, schedule them around my own classes and the other kids things…it was a delicate balancing act and I think I came out ok. More importantly my dear sweet Bug has benefited from intensive therapy!! She has mood stabilizers which help with both her Asperger’s and bi-polar tendencies, and a medication for her ADHD that helps her to stay focused! I am not a proponent of meds, but they have made such a difference and she is not a zombie!! I have my little girl back!! Oh don’t get me wrong, she is still very much a pre-teen, and prone to outbursts and things, but it is so much more on a scale that is acceptable for the rest of us to deal with, it is dare I say it, nice!