Count Down to 2014!!! Eeeek!

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!!!!!

Believe it or not, I'm not a big New Year's Eve fan...  This party was an attempt at making me like it more....

 

Wait 2013 I wasn't Done!!!!

 

So the end of 2013 is here, let me start by explaining my feelings and overall anxiety about New Year's.  I try so stinkin hard all year to "just keep swimming, just keep swimming" and to get all my to-do things done on my list, but it inevitably I fail.  There is no possible way I could get everything on my to-do list done. 

       I say yes to, too many projects, I have ambitions of what I want for my barn, I love baby animals so I'll just add a few more to our mix, I'll try to be the best mom I can be, the best wife I can be, something's gotta give, right?  So, of course, when New Year's comes, instead of looking at all the great things I have accomplished, I look at all I just didn't get done. 

 

WHAT A BUMMER WAY TO LOOK AT IT!!!  WHAT A BONEHEAD I AM!!!!

 

   I recently learned of an elderly woman I loved and had the utmost respect for.  She suffered for many years from depression and the holidays, starting at Halloween would be horrible for her.  I knew, this would trigger her depression, but I assumed it was seasonal, or something else.  Recently, I learned my dear loved one, would attempt to send HUNDREDS of hand written Christmas cards.  Everyone she ever met, distant friends, military friends of her husband.  Each got a personal note, even as her eyes failed and her hands got shakier and shakier.  Needless to say, while still attempting to run her household, she struggled to finish all of her hundreds of cards and prepare everything to her standard for the holidays.  And all of this, among other things, took its toll on her leading to her depression.

 
   My heart broke when I learned what triggered her depression.  I understood.  I can not possibly live up to the expectations I set for myself.  My laundry piles up and I joke about Mt. Washmore.  My floors get dirty, know why?  Because when I least expect it, a goat comes into my house! Or my husband is PLAYING with a goat on his leather chair.

 

  But the point is, I am simply trying my best, and I think the animals bring extra love and fun into our lives.  They force us to have a schedule, which is so key to dealing with ADHD and dyslexia and WHO DOESN'T work better with a schedule?  Who doesn't work better when they know exactly what is expected of them???  Its not just us!  But with extra love comes extra work and MESS!

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 It isn't just the animals, it is all the arts and crafts.  It is the beads I step on and curse when I feel like I have stepped on some sort of foreign object, wreaking havoc on my heel!  It is the glue and sticky stuff I can't get off my counter and now hubby has to make a new better counter...  (More work for him...)  It is the dried dog pee from an older dog that found yesterday's rain just a little too inconvenient to go out in.  It is the artificial tree dropping needles. ???  How is that possible??  WTH?!?!?! 
 
So, this 2014 I am not trying a bunch of resolutions I can't keep.  I am just trying to keep on keeping on trying my best.  I will love my hubby and daughter and family and friends with all my heart.  I will try to get myself to church a little more often.  I will try to drink a little less diet coke.  (I love it.  Bad I know!!!)  I will try better to say no when I don't have enough time to take on a new project, I will take a chance to breathe and disconnect, put my phone down and live in the moment with my family.  I will keep trying to find the key to unlocking the mysteries of ADHD and dyslexia but I don't want to FIX Darling Daughter.  I want her just the way she is!  Just able to sit still long enough to get the info and able to read and write well enough to express her awesome thoughts.  That's all I'm asking for. 

One last thought from the farm....

  People ask often how Darling Daughter feels about life and death, does she accept it, living on a farm.  She does.  My job has the greatest highs and the lowest of the lows.  I have the greatest pleasure of having to work with animals that feed my soul daily, and watch people's faces as they their ah-ha moment and learn a new skill, master a new skill, win in the show ring, go off to compete in college, purchase a new horse, etc.  But I am also the person who has to make the final decision when no one else has to.  The decision when quality of life is what is most important and our own heart and feelings must take a back seat.  I feel honored and blessed to have been given this responsibility.

  A HIGHLIGHT FROM 2013...So this year, one of my dear students and I rescued a baby fawn from the river that was drowning, via kayak rescue.  That was an awesome moment.  The fawn did not survive, due to a spinal injury, but we tried.  It took us so much work to get to the poor screaming creature, then it took us hours to drive it to a facility that would take it and I even got told off by another woman for not bringing it to her.  But, rescuing the fawn, showing an 18 year old girl that sometimes you do go above and beyond for one of God's creatures even if the outcome doesn't look so good, that was a lifelong lesson for her and me.  And Darling Daughter got to experience a very teachable moment from start to finish.
  Everything has a time and purpose. 

 

 

 

Tomorrow I will get back to meals and schedules, activities and things that help everyone in their life of helping their child with ADHD and dyslexia.  (PS:  Did I ever mention that both the hubby and I are dyslexic and the hubby brought the ADHD to the genetic table?  So all this stuff works reall well for all three of us!)  But for the very last day of the year.....

  You have a time and purpose on this Earth.  You have an important job to do, today and every day.  Don't put too much stress on yourself trying to be the next Gwyennie Paltrow.  Your best at being you.  I'm best at being a whacko mom that sometimes lets goats come in the house!  From our herd, to yours, may your 2014 be filled with love, good health, prosperity, and fun!!!

 

   

Morning Time!

Good Morning!

  When Darling Daughter was little, she would come in and yell, "Its Morning Time!" Similar to "Good Morning."  Morning time on Cranbury is filled with zipping around and feeding lots of hungry mouths.
  Do I feed all the animals?  No..  I am blessed to have a barn manager that feeds the horses for me, so I am not responsible for feeding them.  (In addition to my own horses I have boarders to take care of as well.)  So my charges in the morning are the Darling Daughter, the three dogs, the two goats, and sometimes when I remember, myself.
  Feeding the Darling Daughter breakfast, is for me, just like giving her a morning dose of ADHD medication.  I have found (by accident) if I screw this up, it is just like forgetting to give someone their medication....  The day will probably be a disaster.  So, what do I do?
 
Step 1.  After making sure, she went to bed early (although I am jealous her good buddy goes to bed at 7:30, Darling Daughter seems to be more dictated by the amount of daylight, her bedtime at 8 years old is 8:30.  I am always interested to hear others' bedtimes though!) I get her up at 6:15 and I start the routine...
 
  Step 2.  Vitamins & Protein:  Vitamins come first.  She gets two gummy organic multivitamins, one Omega 3, and one probiotic.  (According to all the research I've done, the ADHD brain seems to need a whole lot more of these then the average brain.)  She used to take Synaptol.  I highly recommend it.  I saw great results on it.  It was simply a pain in the neck to remember to order and kind of expensive.  Her protein is usually an egg.  I have her cholesterol checked once a year.  So far, all is normal, she does eat a lot of red meat, eggs, and other meats.  I myself am technically a "pescatarian" (sp?) but that just sounds so silly.  I eat fish, eggs and veggies. :-)

**A note about Omega3's (Go for the smallest ones you can find.  Grace had to learn to swallow these.  She insisted that the gummy Omega3's tasted DISGUSTING.  Also, unbeknownst to me, she attempted to squeeze out the oil one day and drink the oil in her water...  She puked that back up.  BAD IDEA.  ~Darling Daughter learned her own lesson that way...~ 

**Also, a bunch of the Whole Paycheck, Focus, Attention Child drinks are available (just add water), we have tried a bunch of those.  They are super expensive and I could NOT get her to drink a DROP!  BE WARNED!!!***

  Step 3.  Now Darling Daughter gets her bread or filler, I really like the Organic Gluten Free toaster waffles from Trader Joe's and we use a LITTLE Organic Maple syrup or some jam from friends (remember I can't can yet!)
 
  It seems that the vitamins and protein have to go first.  Some nutritional expert will read my blog and be able to explain exactly why (thank goodness!) OR some other specialist will say I am full of bologna, but I follow what the majority of experts say and go from there.  It works for us and I can only spread the good word!
  Other Proteins sometimes include leftovers from last night's dinner such as chili, chicken soup, stew, steak, you name it.  I have stopped thinking of breakfast as just breakfast foods.  I had to open up the possibilities, WHILE keeping it simple enough to do BEFORE school.
  God Bless the mom that has multiple kids to get out the door, or the single mom.  I am blessed with one child and a helpful hubby to drive her to school!
  In between doing all this, I of course run into the laundry room, scoop out doogy food, run out to the goats,

scoop feed, and dump the left over fruits and veggies from dinner and Grace's lunch to them as well.  I really can't be fast enough for any of them as they all, say "Maaa, Mom, or whimper, whimper."










 I hope my little breakfast ideas help someone.  Next blog, What's for lunch????  Can I tell you how happy I will be to get out of the land of food???  There's so much more to life than meals!!!  Until next time my friends, may your day be filled with joy, love, compassion for all and wonderful health!

Be sure to find the humor in what the universe is trying to say today!!!

First Post

      Please allow me to introduce myself...  I am a riding instructor, wife, and mom of one fantastic ADHD, dyslexic daughter, 2 Jack Russell Terriers, 1 Wire Haired Pointing Griffon, 1 Boer goat, 1 pregnant Nigerian Dwarf goat, and 10 horses.  I have decided to start blogging because of the great success I have been having with my daughter's diet, different therapies, vitamins, etc. and I am hoping to help other moms and dads who might be out there and struggling with some of the same issues we were struggling with.
  Let me start by saying that I was NEVER a "crunchy" mom.  I have nothing against them.  I wish I could be one of them.  But, bottom line is, my mom did not really allow junk food and raised me to choose healthy foods so when I finally had the chance to try some junk foods I really liked them!  I even let my child have some!  Another fact...  IF there were a magic pill I could give my daughter every morning that could give me all the same results with none of the side effects, I would do it in a heart beat, problem is, we tried different ADHD meds and they DID NOT WORK.  My sweet, loving, compassionate daughter became a crack addict like, violent monster.  I will never do it again.  So if meds don't work...  What can you do????  ALSO..  I am super into my garden, the paleo-diet, etc. BUT I am NOT an expert and I'm not judging anyone!  I try organic when I can but it is SO expensive!  A little tomato plant on a front porch will be great!  I am blessed to live on a farm, but I'm still just learning and I still have NO IDEA how to CAN?!?!?!?!  I hear I could be CRAZY efficient if I did though!!!!

    BUT..  What do you do, when meds don't work, your kid won't sit still in circle time and you know your child is smart and sweet but its not working???? 
                                                                                       Here's what I did....

  I started doing a lot of research.  I started talking to some of the best moms I know, I found a fantastic school that worked specifically with dyslexic children.  (We are a family of dyslexics...  It just makes life more fun!!!)  So back to the diet, the darling daughter is Gluten free, dairy/casein free, Dye free, very low sugars, (similar to a diabetic) LOTS of veggies, lots of water!  We go to speech therapy and have body work, we have a weekly chiropractic appointment, one behavior modification appointment and now the darling daughter is swimming, swimming, swimming.

      The girl is a very old soul.  She says very odd, peculiar things.  I think she's lived several lives.  When she was teeny tiny and you asked her where she was from she would tell you China.  Her thoughts are always very profound.  Its very bizarre.  They say that ADHD/Dyslexics are the holders of the Edison gene.  They are inventors.  My job is simply to be her cheerleader and keep her on the right path.
  The husband and I are fairly strict, old school parents.  This helps a lot with the ADHD, but I have to admit when her feelings get hurt I found myself "guilt" parenting.  Hmmm.  Are you doing it?  When?  Here's my challenge for you.  I have spent the last 20 years as a riding instructor, watching people and horses move.  I observe everything.  I observe all the energy that comes into the ring and every movement that the horse makes.  I have to.  I think I got the gift of reading the horses because I had to.  Learn to read them or eventually you are going to get killed.  So, my challenge for you is this, start watching and observing your child, your spouse, your parent, your animal.  What does their body really say to you?  When you feed your child a red Gatorade do they become mean in 20 minutes?  Just observe.  Does your child have dark circles under their eyes?  Bumps on the backs of their arms or sides of their hips?  Maybe they stick their tongue out when they write.  Just observe.
   I hope you're interested in my little life.  Come back again soon!  And until we meet again, may joy, health and prosperity be in your home!

Rita ON my garden shelf!!!

 Is that a Dino? We do NOT have a brontosaurus!

 

Tomatoes!

 

 Animals!

Flowers & the darling daughter!

Rita Goat (She's a Boer)

Ava Goat (Now she's pregnant)

 

 

Our garden

More garden...