Wii

Well we broke down and bought and Wii and what a great purchase it was! Isa's main interest is game play, she doesn't play with toys, I have gotten her to but she only does scripted play which she seems to enjoy but it is the same story line over and over and over which really wears on you lol. I hate having her on the computer all of the time but if a child doesn't play with toys or play with other kids then what do you do?

So we bought a Wii, at least it is something that will keep her active which will help with her sensory issues, some of the games serve as heavy work which is part of our therapy homework. It also gives me something to do with her and at the same time counts as exercise.

She enjoys the regular kids games like Dora although Spongebob is too advanced, neither really get you moving though. The one we both really enjoy is Active Life Extreme Challenge, it has a mat that you put on the floor so if your character is jumproping you really have to jump, to parachute off a cliff you have to move your feet in certain places on the mat to finish a sequence before the shoot will open. Believe it or not it had me out of breath and my leg muscles screaming!

I can't wait to get the Wii Fit Plus, this thing is a blast!

A Day in the Life

Hi everyone, I just want you to know I started another blog. I'm not giving this one up, it is still my main blog but the other is just sort of my outlet as far as dealing with the PDD NOS with Isa. I don't want this blog to become saturated with my worries and talk of what I am going through, that is saved for the other. I'm hoping I will meet some other special needs moms through it as well. Check it out, the decor of the blog needs work but I will get to it eventually.

http://adayinthelifepddnos.blogspot.com

Hibernation

Winter is coming, despite 50 degree temps in the middle of November winter is coming, it's got to be, not just because it is nearly December but because I feel the need to purge and organize. You can put medication in the OCD lady but still some OCD remains lol. Just as I like to clean and lighten up as the winter leaves I also feel the need to take stock of my home as I welcome the winter. I'm not sure what it is, a deep routed hibernation instinct maybe..maybe not. Personally I think it is just knowing that we will be trapped in this house for many many months, not that we go outside a lot right now but we could if we wanted to. Once winter hits it will be rare to go outside for anything other than running to the car while we can still feel the tips of our noses.

It is around this time of year, every year that I take stock of my home. What am I not liking, what isn't visually pleasing, what isn't efficient? Next I figure out which of those things I can do anything about and get to it. This year I am feeling the need for a little more kitchen decor and I'm sort of feeling a bit cluttered in our living room and Isa's room. The big hall closet needs a good cleaning so I can put away some of the things that we don't use much. Everything needs a home for the next few months, a place for everything and everything in its place (even if it only lasts for a few minutes a day!).

I can't wait for winter for that cozy blanket of snow on the ground, the huge flakes falling from the sky, hot chocolate and reading with a blanket thrown over me on the couch. Of course after a couple weeks of it I am good to go until the next year lol.

Eating Well on a Budget (last series post)

I feed my family of 3 a mostly gluten free, artificial anything free for about $100 a week. I won't lie, sometimes it's tough, sometimes I can't buy organic cheese or other things organic the way I really want to but I still manage to keep us eating well.

I always buy organic milk, our store has their own brand and it is cheaper than the other organic milks. I also always buy organic coffee (fair trade-to protect workers wages and shade grown-to protect the natural habitat of animals if I can find it as well), we get our coffee from different countries and many of those countries do not regulate the pesticides that are used.

I always plan out what meals I will make for dinner during the week as well as my husband's lunches and breakfasts. Breakfast and lunch for me and Isa are easy because we usually have eggs for breakfast and lunch is as easy as cheese, multigrain crackers, fruit, nuts and milk or last nights leftovers.

I always use at least $30 worth of our grocery money for produce at the farmers market, $20 goes to lean meat although sometimes we do eat red meat (my husband loves it). The rest goes for my gluten free flours, spices, eggs, milk, nuts, cheeses as well as household items such as toilet paper and toothpaste.

Eating in moderation will also help your grocery bill, I could bring a $7 bag of pistachios to the couch , sit down and finish half of the bag while I watch TV but if I grab 1/3 of a cup worth, put the bag back in the cabinet and go to the other room I'm usually satisfied with just that.

You can also stretch a package of chicken breasts but cutting them in half and pounded them out with a meat mallet or just cutting them in half lengthwise to have two thinner pieces from one. Usually a thick chicken breast is more than one serving of meat (1 serving is the size of a deck of cards). My husband doesn't know that I stretch the meat this way and he never misses the extra.

A quick and healthy breakfast or snack that I love is a yogurt parfait, I use greek yogurt, if it is unflavored I will add a bit of strawberry jam, cut up some fruit and throw it in and top it with 1/4 cup or less of granola. You have your healthy fat, carbs and protein right there.

Also never go to the grocery store when you are hungry, that is the worst thing to do. Actually a good thing is to never ever let yourself get hungry. Hunger pangs aren't good. Don't stuff yourself full, don't eat for no reason but don't let yourself get to the point where your stomach is growling. Never eat until you are full, always stop before you are full.

Learning to cook with also bring your grocery bill down, processed foods are more expensive in the long run and you won't eat out as much if you can eat satisfying meals at home.

With all that said there is still much much more to say but I will stop there.

If anyone needs help, a cheerleader or some advice please know that I am always here. You CAN be a healthier person.

Personal Update

Isa had her final appointment with the neuro psychologist and the final diagnosis is mild PDD-NOS which is on the autism spectrum, the good news is that through my daily working with her she is showing some emerging skills so the psych wants us to revisit her in a couple years and it will be possible that the label will be removed if we work hard enough. She also has anxiety that may or may not be the early signs of OCD but we will have to wait and see. The other good news is that this may be enough to get the integrated preschool approved through the school district so they can work on her social and emotional issues in an integrated classroom before kindergarten which will hopefully help her concentrate on school work once she gets there.

With the diagnoses I expected relief to come, relief that after two years of fighting, of advocating, finally we know what is wrong and we are on the road to recovery. But I don't feel relieved. I'm not sad, I'm not upset, I knew it all along. Instead I just feel exhausted, I guess until I could let my guard down and stop fighting I never realized just how exhausting this whole process has been. The work is far from over but that chapter of our book is done and we can move on to a happier one, it will be chock full of hard work, tears and frustration but hopefully with each of those emotions we will take a few steps forward.

Because she is so high functioning I still have a hard time making people understand just how difficult my life is with her. She holds it together so well when other people are around that she just comes off as quirky and stubborn but when people are gone and she feels safe then all bets are off. I don't want a pity part, I just want someone to understand...

Anyway, I'd like to thank you all for your prayers and support. I appreciate it more than you know.

Exercise (series post)

When I was losing weight my goal was to work out 5 days a week for 30 minutes. There were days I didn't want to do it but I would get my work out clothes on and work out for at least 10 minutes, if I still didn't feel like it then I would stop, that happened every now and then but usually by the time I was 10 minutes in I would think ...well 5 more minutes and then after that was up I would think 5 minutes more and before I knew it I had done the whole work out.

When you start it is tempting to go overboard , start with something too difficult or work out too much, eventually you burn out and give up. When I started I started with Denise Austin on Lifetime, they don't have her on anymore unfortunately but it was a mix of cardio, pilates and yoga. Eventually I moved into other work outs and weight lifting.

My best advice is to start slow and find a work out that is fun for you, do it 5 days a week for a month and by then working out is a habit, then mix in something else that you like. You may have to try several things before you find the workouts you truly enjoy. You don't need a gym, I never had a gym when I lost the weight.

When the weather was nice I would go on 3 mile walks with my friend, it took us about 45 minutes and we got plenty of time to chat while we worked out.

Working out and losing weight is a mindset, the mindset is absolutely the hardest part, once you are in the mindset it is easy. It is getting into the mindset that is extremely difficult.

How to Eat Healthfully (series post)

Well you all know how I feel about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), for those of you who don't know how I feel I will break it down quickly, I think it is evil. When you eat regular sugar, while not great for you it still breaks down before it gets to your liver, when you ingest HFCS it doesn't break down so well and gets to your liver nearly in tact which causes insulin resistance, in a nutshell, for multiple reasons it helps make you fat.

We also try to avoid things in our home like artifical sweeteners, colors, preservatives and flavors. People these things are made from petroleum among other nasty things. Would you eat Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline?) I didn't think so. We are a trusting bunch of people and we trust that the government wouldn't allow nasty things to be in our food, at least I did. Once I started educating myself I was absolutely disgusted and outraged. No one is going to protect you and your family but you, please, educate yourself. This is not to say that I am a perfect eater, every now and then I get a craving for Jelly Beans or Gobstoppers and I eat them but you will not find those artificial things in my everyday diet.

I could go into the whole amount of fat, fiber, protein etc that you should have everyday but I really don't believe it should be that complicated. I try to buy things that resemble the way god made them like eggs, milk, fruits and veggies, nuts etc. God did not make macoroni with powdered neon orange cheese in a box. Mac and cheese is awesome but again it can be made with real ingredients.

So what is normally in my fridge, what are my staples?

My staples every grocery trip are lean meat like chicken or turkey, fish, veggies, fruits, nuts, cheese, milk and eggs. I get them every single time I shop. I think one of the most important things when starting to eat healthfully is to have an open mind. Before I lost my weight I hardly ate veggies, I didn't like them...or so I thought. I decided each grocery trip to buy a veggie I have never had before or haven't had in years, I also decided I would try things more than once and with different cooking methods. A roasted brussel sprout tastes much different than a steamed one. I have discovered I LOVE many vegetables, there are still some I can't stand but I have a wide variety of veggies that I really enjoy. I also thought I didn't like apples until I discovered Empire apples, now I eat 4 a day!

Shopping locally and seasonally also are a big help but I didn't get into that until just recently. When you shop locally and seasonally you are getting the freshest product, it tastes better and has more nutrients.

When you grocery shop keep a lookout for someone who looks fit and then spy what is in their cart, chances are the majority of it is healthy food.

Shop mainly in the perimeter of the store, that is where you will find the healthiest and freshest food. Don't go down the inside aisles unless you need something specific and when you do just grab what you need, don't look around and tempt yourself. The only exception is if you store has a natural section, definitely look around and check it out but don't assume it is all healthy. While it is better for you than its counterpart it can still be full of fat, sodium and calories. Natural, Organic doesn't always equal healthy, it is not a green light to eat and eat.

Something that is very very important is not to deprive yourself. When you are losing weight you can have that one day a week to give in to a craving. Once you have lost the weight you need to make sure you give yourself treats in moderation. Another big thing is to not beat yourself up, many times we decide to finally clean up our eating habits but then we make a bad choice a have too much of something, get frustrated and give up. There are some days I don't make the best decision, yesterday I ate a dozen cookies...man they were good lol. I'm not beating myself up, it wasn't my best moment but its done and I will get back on track, life goes on!

Drink lots of water, it keeps your metabolism up and keeps your body running efficiently plus it helps to flush out that extra sodium. Don't worry about how many glasses you drink, judge by the color of your urine, it should be clear.

Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast, it should be around 500 calories but remember you want good calories. When I was losing weight (before the gluten free thing) I would have 2 eggs over easy with 2 pieces of turkey bacon, a glass of milk and a piece of toast with jelly. Make sure you eat every 3 hours or so, you don't need a big meal but a couple hours after breakfast have a healthy snack like cheese and multigrain crackers or fruit with some string cheese.

Find something that motivates you, it's different for everyone. For me, watching The Biggest Loser was my motivation. For you it may be a high school reunion, fitting into smaller clothes or lowering your cholesterol.

Come back tomorrow for my exercise post.