Month: March 2020

Categories
Uncategorized

Cerebral Palsy Awareness

Today is Cerebral Palsy Awareness day. Today I decided to share with you what Cerebral palsy looks like for my daughter Ciara.

On October 8th 1999 I gave birth to an amazing human being. She was full term and I was ready to be induced so I could meet my beautiful little girl. After a medical mistake and loss of oxygen my baby girl began having seizures which led to her brain damage.

After two years of her not meeting her milestones she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

There are many types of Cerebral Palsy. Ciara is Athetoid and spastic which is a little more rare than usual.
Athetoid effects her muscle movements and can cause uncontrollable body movement and also effects her speech. She also developed Dystonia because of the Athetoid CP which led her to having Deep brain stimulation surgery.

Spastic CP is more common and it makes her muscles stiff and tight. She has had to endure countless Botox treatments to try to help the spasticity in her muscles, but it never really helped in her situation.

Neither of the types of CP she has affects her intelligence, she is super smart and listens to every word spoken. She remembers songs and will sing them to you.

Ciara cannot walk and uses a wheelchair but she does not let that stop her. She competed in special Olympics, no limitations sports and leads a special needs girl scout troop.

At twenty years old Ciara has accomplished so much in her life, with a smile in her face. If only I could be that brave.

Ciara graduated from high school, she was nominated homecoming queen and attended her prom.
Her future is so bright. I know she can do whatever she sets her heart to, with a little help from mom.

Even though Cerebral palsy looks different in every person diagnosed, one thing remains the same. They all want to be excepted and included. They suffer greatly with smiles on their face and bring happiness to all they encounter.

I cannot image my life without Ciara. There has been many tears but a lot of smiles on this journey.

Categories
family Uncategorized

Boredom Busters for Teenagers

With the widespread coronavirus pandemic schools have closed, which means our children are stuck at home with us. This is a very troubling time for us, and even more stressful not knowing what we should be doing with our children.

This is different then the summer break kids get at the end of the school year. For one, with the virus spreading we are urged to stay indoors. Which means no Movie Theaters, Zoo outings or any activities outside of our homes. Not to mention the school year is not over, so you want to make sure your child does not lose everything they have learned throughout the year.

There is so much uncertainty right now but all I am certain of is that my 13-year-old will be home a total of three weeks quarantined with me and his sister. That is if they don’t decide to close the schools down for the rest of the year.

So I have compiled a list of things you can do with your teenager at home in this troubling time.

Stay on track of Studies

I have been checking the teacher’s websites for information on what the classes were working on previously to spring break. I also heard the school will send class worksheets soon, so the kids can stay up with their work.

I also found some websites that are helping keep kids learning in this time away from school.

Camp Night Outside

My family always loves to go camping, so why not set up a tent and camp in your backyard. Getting your teen involved in setting up or helping build a fire will help keep them from their devices for a little while. 

One night we had a campout and prepared our whole meal on the fire and surprisingly my son loved it and enjoyed helping the whole time.

Of coarse don’t forget the marshmallows to roast over your fire!

Movie Night

If you can’t make it to the theater, why not turn your living room into one! Make a concession stand with popcorn and candy treats and throw a bunch of blankets on the floor to enjoy some great movie time.

I love a throwback movie night, where I dig through all my old DVDs and find some good ole classic movies to watch.

Game Night

You can never go wrong with a family game night. There is always so much fun to have playing games.

Some of my family favorites are…

  • Monopoly
  • Clue
  • Twister
  • Scene it
  • Family Feud

Get the games and snacks and play all night!

DIY

So my son loves to make fluffy slime, you know with the glue and shaving cream, it is extremely messy but if it gets him off the couch I am all for it.

There are less messy DIYs you can try with your teenager.

  • Bath Bombs
  • Paint Pottery
  • Jewelry
  • Candle making
  • Soap making

Anything hands-on to keep them busy!

Gardening

Its that time of year to start those gardens and you have a free worker at home for three weeks. I love putting my son to work!

He actually likes gardening and planting his own veggies and its great exercise.

Cooking Lessons

While your cooking the millionth meal for your teenager, why not get them involved. Start teaching them how to use the kitchen.

Here are some great beginner meals or snacks.

  • Homemade Pizza
  • Homemade mac and cheese
  • Grilled cheese
  • Homemade Chicken Fingers
  • Lasagna
  • Spaghetti

Have fun in the kitchen!

Read!

Lastly and most importantly keep them reading! Reading is a great way they can keep those brains working.

You can make it a family time as well while you all read together.

Here are some great books for Middle School-aged kiddos.

 

  • Bridge To Terabithia  

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  • Where the Red Fern Grows

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  • A Wrinkle in Time

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  • Tuck Everlasting

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  • Little Women

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  • The Secret Garden

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  • Harry Potter and the Chambers of Secrets

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I hope some of these suggestions help with getting through these tough weeks ahead. Please stay safe these next few weeks and stay positive! We will get through this together!

This post contains affiliate links. Purchases help me earn a commission. Thank you!

 

 

Categories
depression Uncategorized

6 Ways to Beat Depression

Depression sucks, plain and simple! I have suffered from anxiety and depression for a very long time, and I am done with it controlling my life.

Today I turned 36 and while some people feel happiness for their Birthday, I feel sadness. Sadness to be another year older, sadness for all I didn’t accomplish in that year, and sadness another year has flown by in the blink of an eye.

A year ago I was faced with the news that I may have cancer. After all the tests came back and I was told there was no cancer I was so thankful. At that moment I was so ready to live my life to the fullness and never take life for granted. I would be happy for every day that God blessed me on Earth. Now here I am a year later finding it hard to find my happiness and searching for myself in a sea of darkness.

My husband will ask ” Why can’t you just be happy?“, for him it is a choice to be happy, but for someone with depression it takes strength just to get out of bed daily. I ask myself the same question every day, “why can’t you just stop with this!”, “What is wrong with you!”. 

I want happiness and I want to feel joy again! If medication is not going to work for me, I am going to fight depression!

I have made a list of 5 ways I am going to kick depressions butt!

Exercise

I have heard that exercise is a great way to clear your mind and get rid of stress. I am going to sweat out the stress and anxiety!

Find Support

Having support to lean on is very important. In the past, I didn’t want my friends or family to know what I was going through so I hid from the world. Not anymore. I am going to reach out to my friends and lean on my family support more.

Get out of the house

This one is a biggie. Anyone with anxiety and depression knows how hard it is to get out into the World of the unknown. Trying new restaurants, overly crowded places or just simple traffic can make you want to curl up in bed. I have spent too many weekends in bed! Staying cooped up in your home may feel safe, but is adding more triggers for your depression. Such as feeling like your missing out on life or feelings of regret when you cancel an event. I am going to start getting out and doing more no matter the anxiety!

Make A Journal

I am thinking of starting a journal to keep a log of my feelings and my blessings.  A journal could be a great way to express the feelings when your down and also keep track of how you came back up.

Make a daily goal list

Make a daily goal list of achievable goals, such as take the trash out, load the washer. Keep your goal list small, don’t overdo it with a mile-long list. Reward yourself for achieving your goals, such as Mani or Pedi.

Remember to take care of yourself

It is so important to have activities or hobbies just for yourself. If you like listening to music, allow yourself time in the day just to listen to music and enjoy it. If you like painting, sign up for a painting class. Don’t feel guilty to do things for yourself.

My hopes are that by the time my 37th birthday rolls around, I will have fought my depression down and will enjoy my next birthday.

These are just my opinions, you still should consult with your doctor to have a plan of your own for fighting depression.