Family Wellness

A few months ago I was feeling worried about the anxiety disorder that Jim and the boys deal with.  Both boys were seeming to have a harder time with it.  I was wondering if we needed to increase Logan's medication and if Alex was approaching the need for medication.  I've always struggled with the idea of medicating my little boys, and Jim has long desired to be free of the medication.  There's no question that they've needed it, though.  It's been a night and day difference for both Jim and Logan.  I've long been convinced that there must be another way, though. 

It's been on my mind for years that the right diet could really help my 'menfolk' with their anxiety, but I've struggled so much with cooking.  I CAN cook... quite well actually.  It's just that I really really really dislike to do so and I struggle with WHAT to cook.  I also didn't grow up eating many vegetables, whole grains, legumes, etc.  I didn't know what to do with those foods and didn't think I liked them very well!  Eating healthy has been a battle I've been fighting for years.  So, although I've been thinking on it a long time, I haven't really been able to see HOW I could possibly provide my guys with the diet they needed.

My little Alex finally prompted the HOW a few months ago.  Worrying about him was the last straw.  I do NOT want to medicate my other little boy!  I do NOT want to increase Logan's prescription!  I DO want to free Jim and Logan from the medication, but not at the expense of their ability to handle life.  So I turned to a wonderful group of women that have quite a bit of knowledge in this arena.  Their response was overwhelming (in a good way) and I felt very strongly prompted to completely overhaul our family's diet as the FIRST step in freeing our family. 

We have switched our family to a mostly plant based whole foods diet.  It took a few weeks to truly start eating this way because I couldn't bring myself to throw away food.  We continued eating what was already in the house, while only purchasing whole foods at the store.  Once we really started eating this way, we all felt better.  Jim and the boys seem to be handling their anxieties better, and both Jim and I are feeling healthier than we have in years.  We aren't so extreme that we skip out on special events (church potluck, birthday parties, an invitation to dinner, etc.), and I have every intention of making my children's birthday cakes with white flour and white sugar.  However, those instances have been rare.  Amazingly, I can see a difference with Logan and Alex when they DO have refined and artificial foods, particularly white flour, white sugar, and food dyes.  They are much more prone to meltdowns and stress for the next day or so. 

This isn't the final answer to managing their anxiety, but I feel it was/ is an important step.  Eventually, we'll work with someone to pinpoint more specific dietary and natural supplements with the hope to begin weening Jim off the medication.  He gets to be the family test dummy.  :)

This has also been extremely good for me.  For years, I've been seeking a way to eat healthy while having a healthy mindset about food.  In the past, whenever I haven't worried about food I've gained weight and felt poorly physically.  In contrast, whenever I've tried to eat healthier, manage portion sizes better, or even make seemingly small reasonable diet changes I've found myself thinking about food all...day...long...every...single...day, and I've felt guilty if I didn't stick with whatever my plan was.  That was never a healthy or happy mindset for me.  I was always focused on what I couldn't have, and there was always plenty of food in the house that would defeat my goals.  So this has been wonderful because I can eat whatever is in the house, whenever I want, and I feel GOOD!  I don't find myself thinking about food (except when I'm hungry or it's time to make dinner) and I'm not destroying my personal health by not worrying about it.  I thought this kind of a diet would be difficult because it sounded so extreme, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is!  I have a simple criteria for shopping, and then I can use whatever is in the house.

Jim has amazingly lost 30 pounds since we started eating this way.  We took before and after pictures because we were also doing a wellness challenge during the first little while we did this.

Before

After (I generally don't realize my pictures are fuzzy until I load them on the computer.)

One really good habit we had before switching our diet was having fruit for snacks.  The kids have always loved fruit.  Yesterday as I was unloading groceries, I was amused at how much fruit I'd just bought for ONE week, so I lined it up and took a picture.  This is minus one bunch of bananas and several apricots that the kids had eaten before I'd put away the groceries.

May Catch Up

Abby is too cute for words, and it's nearly impossible to get a clear shot of her.

This was hilarious.  The kids have been getting absolutely filthy every day playing outside.  We've also had several outdoor projects this month, so Jim and I have been outside with them, but rather focused on our projects.  I came into the house one day to see this.  Apparently they thought they needed to wash up.  We were busy enough that I decided I didn't care, clicked the picture, and headed back outside without saying a word.  A few minutes later I came back in to discover a progression.  Annie had completely stripped (she's six!!!) and was sitting in the sink giving herself a bath.  Intervention! 

Alex is in heaven living rurally.  It has been good for our whole family, but this kid particularly thrives on having the space to run, dig, and explore.  He is pretty much always outside unless we call him in.

When he does come in he generally looks at books, and often is exhausted from all his play.

This sweet girl was sick last week and nearly broke our hearts.  She slept and slept and slept.  We were really happy when she perked up and started acting normal again.

After dance class last week, Annie and I had a date.  We forgot to bring clothes to change into, so she stayed in her leotard and tights.  That ended up being fantastic because we randomly decided to go into a dress up store here in town.  She had so much fun trying on tutus and other items.

This dress twirled out really well.  She spun and spun and spun.

On Friday night we had a family outing to our local state park.  I quickly snapped this picture and thought it was good because everyone was smiling.  Oops.  Annie looks like she needs a restroom break.  Nevertheless, we had a wonderful evening.  The kids pushed Abby's stroller the entire way.  So, Jim and I used that to our advantage to walk arm in arm enjoying the evening.

The kids brought me this pretty leaf yesterday.  It seemed picture worthy.  :)

Grandma and Elisa Visit

The first two weeks of this month we had Jim's grandma and his sister Elisa stay with us while his parents went on a trip.

In preparation Grandma bought a recliner for our house so she could be comfortable here.  The kids were excited to try it out.

The kids enjoyed cuddling with Grandma (their great-grandma) while she read to them.

They also couldn't wait to share their new favorite CD with Grandma.  They all sang along.

Abby attached herself to Elisa right away.  This was very helpful for us because Jim and I were busy building a ramp up to our porch.

They were also here for Mother's Day.  The kids were excited to give Grandma their gifts.

They were also sweet enough to get gifts for Elisa.

Wicket

Today was a sad day for our family.  We had to bury our little dog.  We were working together outside enjoying the nice day when Wicket ran to the road to check out another dog that someone was walking.  After they passed, he started meandering back while Jim and I looked on.  I was happy watching him enjoy his freedom to run and explore.  I've often been happy that he could be so free here.  The thought had crossed my mind before that the road was dangerous for him, but I wasn't really worried because he rarely went to the road.  Besides, drivers have excellent visibility at this point in our road and I believed he was smart enough to move out of the way when cars passed.  So we were shocked to watch a car hit him today and then speed off.  He was running happily along the shoulder (that's what it looked like) and I was just getting ready to call him back.  Our neighbor was also watching.  We all ran to him, our neighbor getting there first.  He'd died instantly from internal injuries.  It's a small consolation, but I was thankful when our neighbor handed him to me that he wasn't messy.  He still looked like himself.  I'm also grateful that he didn't suffer.  The kids hadn't seen it happen, but they were instantly on the scene when we carried him back into our yard.  Oh how they cried!  Amidst tears we buried him and said a family prayer.  We've taken this opportunity to have several conversations about death, heaven, and road safety.  The kids have impressed me with their ability to look for positive ways to look at it, especially Logan who is hurting the most I think.

We were all feeling shaken after we buried him, and the kids were periodically bursting into tears when our neighbor reappeared with thoughtful gifts.  It was so sweet of her and really helped distract the children.

I don't regret giving Wicket the freedom to run since we've lived here.  I'm grateful he had that opportunity even though it turned out that the risk was realized.  He was a small part of our family and so I was glad to let him live his doggy dream.  We'll miss our little dog.