Saturday, July 26, 2008

The First Priority: Regularity!

Our children are always a hot topic for moms.

There are a couple of us moms at my church who talk together about our children, what we're doing that works, what new food or health issue that affects us, or just how much sleep we did or didn't get as a result!

Up to this point I don't think I have formally constructed my advice regarding autism or other behavioral issues, but now I'm going to write some things down.

Please keep in mind that this is not medical advice and in no way should be construed as such. This is simply my opinion based on my own experience and reading.

My top 3 areas to address are:

1. What are the child's bowel movements like? I know for my son, constipation or holding back affects him. We have learned to watch frequency, and if he goes more than three days without a significant bowel movement and he no longer sleeps through the night, we give him something that makes him go! When that stuff just sits inside the intestines, it backs up and can become toxic, affecting mood and behavior and sleep. Usually not for the better!

2. What proper nutrition is the child missing? Again, if we run out of something that my son gets on a regular basis (for instance, cod liver oil), it shows up in his behavior.

3. Are there any toxins or allergens affecting the child's system? I know that gently detoxing my son's body through clay footbaths made a difference in his behavior and comprehension. We also did an elimination diet and have ended up following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for him. Cutting out grains and sugar in my son's diet made a huge difference!

There is a verse in the Bible that says people perish for lack of knowledge. So perhaps my biggest piece of advice would be, start researching. Start reading. Study the issues. Sift through what you find out. Don't stop.

Till next time,
Jeanette

Friday, July 18, 2008

The Dawn of Communication

Five minutes ago I was ecstatic and just had to tell someone...

Our son (age 5) was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum at age 2 1/2 and has been nonverbal this whole time. BUT, that is changing! He has been saying approximations of words that are starting to make sense to us. Just two days ago he touched a door and said "door." Today I was pouring milk for my daughter and he said "milk." And just this evening, five minutes ago, it dawned on me that he was saying a sentence. What I heard was, "I...bee...peevee." After a few minutes of interaction, I got it. "Oh! You want the computer. 'I want computer,' is what you are saying!" He said a sentence!!

And now he is playing a new program I put on the computer today just for him. A great reward.

Even though it is 9:30 p.m. and he should be asleep.

Oh well.

I'm happy that we are beginning to understand some communication!

So I just had to tell someone.

Praise God! Thank You!

Till next time,
Jeanette

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Rising Above Fuel Costs

I have been thinking too much about fuel oil lately.

When an issue like the rising cost of fuel is on the news, in the paper, and on everyone's lips, it's hard to look on the bright side.

But turning around my perspective is a must.

Instead of focusing on rising costs, I need to think about how many resources are available. Rather than be afraid of not having enough, I need to be thankful for much. From worrying about winter, I need to enjoy summer!

Fuel oil costs are double already; God has enough to cover that (and then some). Prices are going up at the grocery store; God knows where the sales are at. Even stamps rose again; God is bigger than a stamp!

You'd think by now we would know enough to focus on God's ability and power rather than ours. After all, God walks on gold; it's what heaven's streets are paved with!

Whew! I feel better.

Till next time,
Jeanette

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Tickled Pink at The Rose Garden

The best part of our mini-vacation getaway was...(drum roll, please)...The Rose Garden.

We just arrived back today from our one-night stay in Gettysburg, sans children. (For the first time in 5 years!) The kids did fine with their grandparents. And we confess that we did miss them. On the other hand, it was nice to eat a meal without jumping up to take care of spills or dropped food, etc.

So what did we do on our one-night vacation? We ate, slept, and watched TV in the hotel room! It was great! Other than a little shopping at the outlets, we stayed in the hotel and didn't go anywhere.

The peaceful solitude was refreshing. But that wasn't the best part, at least for me.

No, I was tickled pink to walk into a health food store I had heard about by word of mouth a year or so ago, and find out that they had cold storage bulk organic grains! Yippee!

You may be wondering, "What in the world?"

After our son was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum, I started doing research, particularly on diet. (He currently is on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is another story.) One of the things I learned about is the proper way to store grains...in the cold. It seems that whole grains can go rancid rather quickly if not stored at or below a certain temperature.

Previously the closest place that did cold storage bulk grains was over an hour away from my home. But The Rose Garden health food store is a mere 40-minute drive. I was tickled pink! My plan is to go once a month and stock up on oats and barley and almonds and all sorts of goodies. What a find!

What a blessing!

I told my husband, "Isn't that just like God? The provision was there all the time; I just had to know about it." You see, God's provision for our needs is there; we just have to know it.

What a great mini-vacation!

Till next time,
Jeanette