My 2021 Sweet Home Challenge

     Anyone who knows me knows that at times I have had a lot of trouble keeping a neat and tidy home.  This is no secret.  However it is the desire of my heart to have a well-organized and tidy home that exudes personality, peace and character.  A home that makes a statement and introduces people to me and Lacie just by pictures on our walls and the general "feel" of our home. 

    I have been chipping away these past few months at decluttering.  The fact, there will be no ability to organize until one declutters excess stuff. And I have a LOT of stuff.  I am not officially a hoarder although sometimes it feels that way as I am going through my things and parting with many things I have accumulated.  Add to that I live in a smallish, two bedroom apartment with my little granddaughter, Lacie, so I have  kid clutter too. 

    I have had a head start in my efforts, and I plan to take that momentum and GO FOR IT!!!  I am not brave enough to post before pictures yet...that would just be too revealing.  But I WILL post before and afters after I get each area done.  I have a vision for my home.      

    This month has been especially difficult on the home cleaning/organizing front.   I had COVID in December.   I was so blessed to have gotten through that without much more than Flu Symptoms.  I have asthma that can be quite severe at times and was surprised that I made it though without too much trouble.  

    However I was in for a rude awakening.  Soon after the COVID symptoms resolved, I began to feel quite badly.  My symptoms included extreme fatigue, achy joints, a moderate to severe persistent headache, muscle tremors, brain fog, dizziness, loud, high pitched ringing in my ears, and basically a general ICK feeling.  When I consulted with my doctor he diagnosed me with Post COVID Syndrome.  He said doctors are now thinking about this as an Autoimmune Illness that is triggered by COVID in some people..  More and more people are having long term issues after COVID, thus are called Long Haulers.  

    The acute phase of COVID resolved right about New Years Day (2021).  These lingering symptoms surfaced, or became more noticeable, about a week later.  My doctor put my on bedrest for two weeks, then on partial bedrest AKA still "laying low", for another two weeks to see how it goes. Unfortunately they know so little about this syndrome.  There are long haulers that were dx with COVID 8 months or more ago who are still having  symptoms of Post COVID Symptoms.  There are a lot of unknowns for me and others right now.

    I am a single grandma raising an active 10 year old....so bedrest???   But I made it through the first two weeks with help from my church, who was providing us with meals about three times a week.  Plus I had a couple of friends go shopping for me, providing more food that would be easier to fix than a full on meal.  

    How does this relate to the initial topic of this post?  Well I had been on a roll with my home before I got sick with COVID, making some good progress.  Then BAM, I was pretty debilitated. As of today, January 25, I am still zapped of energy, can't stand for longer than ten minutes or so without getting dizzy or weak and still have brain fog..  

    So I set up a different structure for achieving the same goal.  I  have thought about this very thoroughly and have had to change my game plan but not my trajectory.  More about this in later posts.  

    Today is a good day.  I am feeling a little more myself and more hopeful.  I have been able to whittle down some large boxes (from Christmas) in my Living Room with a few more boxes to still clear.  I have cleared several horizontal surfaces and wiped them down.  I have done a huge brain dump and am designating days to get things done on my list.  I still have loads to do and my Living Room and kitchen are still not ready for the faint of heart, but I am making progress.  

    My first goal is to get the Living Room and Kitchen back in shape.   I should have the Living Room basically in decent shape (from a house cleaning perspective) by tonight.  If I meet my goal by this afternoon and if I have any stamina left, I will work on the kitchen.  

    There is so much more I want to do with my home besides cleaning it.  That is a start, but it is bare bones compared to what my ultimate dream is.  Stay tuned!  

Introducing Lacie, my girl, the love of my life.  She is my amazing little girl.  The two of us are like two peas in a pod.  

I decided to homeschool this year.  Not because her old school wasn't excellent, but because we have very unique circumstances.  Lacie has multiple diagnoses including Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.  She also has a very high IQ.  EDS are syndromes and as such can involve an array of complicated symptoms and subcomponents.  
For Lacie these include Celiac Disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and moderate to severe Sensory Processing Disorder.  

Our lives have further complications which will not be included in this blog, but have resulted in intense emotional complications for Lacie.  She is my grand daughter and I have had custody of her for many years and hope to adopt her when I can find the funds to do so.  I am single, so it is just me and my little side kick..or actually, I think it is the other way around....I am the side kick.  

If you have a child who "comes from a hard place" you need to google Karyn Purvis.  Her work is outstanding.  One thing I am learning that seems almost counter intuitive is that when Lacie misbehaves I need to pull her in instead of pushing her away.  For example, we do "time ins" instead of "time outs".  Sometimes when we are in the thick of it, I just want to run away.  But I see the expression on Lacie's face when she is having a melt down and it is a look of frantic helplessness.  Now I hold my hands out and she always takes them and I bring her in to a big bear hug.  Because she is a deep pressure seeker (SPD), this tight hug calms her and brings her back to the here and now.  

I have had "others" judge me for not punishing her for behaving poorly.  But I am discovering tried and true methods that work.  Her Occupational Therapists and people like Karyn Purvis are showing me the way to best care for this beautiful little girl.  

After raising four sons with more than my share of hiccups, I have a second chance to be a mom.  My heart is so full of love for this little one.  It hurts that she has so much in her little life to endure, but she is very strong and I will never give up on her.  

Kids and Nature

     Kids and Nature go together like milk and cookies, one was just made for the other.  Kids were born to experience nature in it's      many forms.  Getting your family out into nature is great for everyone, especially kids.  Mother Nature has so very much

to offer from fresh air and exercise, to family togetherness and 

stimulating minds, to a sense of adventure and expectaion. 

     Here tips for bringing nature to your kids or bringing your kids to nature. 

*  State Parks and Government Recreational Agencies are a 

    great place to start.   These are often close by or can be found

    along the way when traveling.  They are rich sources of 

    nature experiences.   But you don't even have to go that far.   

    Most towns have nature areas, park or botanical gardens and 

    such, that you and your family can explore. 

*  Sometimes such parks have programs for kids such as Jr.                  Rangers or Day Camps in the summer.  Plus they are                        awesome places to get into nature.  Endless trails, picnic areas,        cool bridges, swimming holes, flora and fauna offer amazing          nature experiences.  

*   At these parks you can often volunteer as a family to keep the         trails clean and safe (there is usually a group for that and they         go out in small groups to do this).   They might be called Trail 

     Keepers or something similar.  This is a great opportunity for 

     Volunteerism family-style.  Such a venture can bring a whole 

     new dynamic to family togetherness. 

*   Bring binoculars and nature guides (available in book form or 

    your phone or device)  to observe nature.  The most common          critters to find are a wide variety of birds (including raptors in        some areas), deer, squirrels, prairie dogs and other ground                animals, lizards and the occasional snake.  Not to mention              frogs, newts and minnows if you are near water. And lets be sure

    include insects.....most kids either LOVE or HATE bugs, but

    regardless they can be fun to observe. 

*  Many other animals may live in the area but are either more 

    elusive or nocturnal.  Try to look for scat, tracks or deep 

    deep scratches on the trees. 

*  Heed warnings about larger wildlife like bear and mountain

    lions and if the areas is home to these animals bring a loud 

    hiking or marine whistle to use in case you see one.  Also 

    cluster together to look bigger.   Don't let little ones stray very 

    very far off.  And when walking to trail make some noise.  

    One last thing, in the event you do see a mountain lion, for 

    example, do not run as it stimulates their prey drive.   Attacks

    by bear and mountain lion are exceedingly rare.  But it is always

    good to teach precautions both for safety and peace of mind.

*   It is fun to find out about the local lore before arriving to your 

     destination.  With booklets or information from the visitors             center or library you will be able to point out markers etc and         be able to tell about what happened at that site or nearby.   

     In our area, we had some real shady characters back in the day.       Including a guy who went by the name of Black Bart. He had a 

     penchant for stealing from the folks riding stage coaches 

     between Foresthill and Auburn in California's Gold Country 

     (Placer County). 

     

     There is a place that can be seen off Foresthill road between           these two towns that is known as Robber's Roost.  It is the site         where Black Bart supposedly hid his loot in a cluster of huge           boulders above the American River.  But so far no one has 

     discovered Bart's Booty. 

*   Tales like really peak a kid's interest and enthusiasm for ex-

     ploring hidden gems in our country's wild or rural areas.  Of-

     ten the local libraries will have books about indigenous 

     people, explorers, interesting historical trivia, and                             about those who first settled the area.    These stories can be 

     absolutely fascinating. Kids LOVE trivia and fun facts and             they can be a stepping stone to delve deeper into a topic. 

 *  Let's not forget Living History Days, Museums and out door

    exhibits that are often offered by parks.  Living History Days          are loads of fun.   Participants get into character and they

    stay that way until their costumes come off at the end of the 

    day.  These folks are actors that know their local history. 

    

    Two places not far from Placer County are Coloma State 

    Historical Park and Sutter's Fort.  Both have amazing Living 

    History Days.  You can learn how they mined for gold, see 

    actual candle dipping, find out how doctors doctored and at 

    certain times of the year, how holidays were celebrated. 

*  When you find "YOUR" favorite spot, stake your claim, so to 

     speak and visit this favorite spot regularly.  You will build very 

     fond memories.  Your children will speak of it for years to 

     come.  A simple conversation starter will be as simple as 

     "remember that year we were at our spot and .........".  

*  So many of our children are severely deprived of experiences 

    in the out of doors.   Parks, beaches, campgrounds, city parks          and open areas are usually within everyone's grasp.  I especially      encourage single mothers and grandmothers to get out  there            with the kids. If you are daunted or intimidated by being out in        the woods alone partner up with a single friend who also has            kids or find a group like the Sierra Club who have a variety of 

    different types of hikes you can take part in (easy or harder).  

    Or go to meetup.com and find like minded people who love 

    nature and wish to share it with kids!  

   

*  Get out and explore Mother Nature.  The benefits are infinite. 

Child Life Work In The Hospital

Today was Lacie's endoscopy to confirm a diagnosis of Celiac Disease.  Lacie is my six year old grand daughter who I am raising.  She is bright, funny and at times cantankerous.  But she is mine and I am so proud of her.   She happens to have some amazing abilities, but also has some significant challenges.  Besides her fair share of bumps in the road,
she has moderate to severe classic type Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, Asthma, Ketotic Hypoglycemia and has a pending diagnosis of Celiac Disease.  She is both strong as steel and as frail as a butterfly wing.

For quite sometime she has had some digestive issues and doesn't seem to be growing well.  She is also anemic and tends to be very pale and just looks like she isn't all that strong.  So her pediatrician sent her to see Dr. Panopolous, a pediatric GI doc.  Test were ordered and her Celiac Panel came back positive for Celiac Disease. 

Today she had an endoscopy to confirm the diagnosis and to see the condition of her esophagus and stomach.   On our way to the hospital, which is an hour away, my car overheated and I ran late getting to the hospital.  Lacie was on clear liquids yesterday and hadn't eaten or had anything to drink all morning.  She wasn't feeling too great (later they took her blood sugar and it was 42 which is low).   Once in we were immediately taken in to register and within moments she was shown to a room.

That is when her wonderful nurse and Sara, the child life specialist took over.  Lacie was just a little nervous, but she was very caught up in telling anyone who would listen, that it was her birthday tomorrow and that she was going to be seven years old.  Her excitement over this fact seemed to diminish much anxiety she had about the procedure. 

She WAS a little concerned, however about getting a "pokie poke".  She knew an IV was involved. So Sara asked Lacie if she wouldn't mind helping her give Joey the Giraffe an IV.  She used Lacie's giraffe plushie to explain the endoscopy and together they gave Joey and IV.  Lacie helped with the tourniquet and then pretended to push in the medicine into the IV once it was "established.".

When shortly afterward it was time for Lacie's IV...she didn't even flinch.   Sara got out the prize box and Lacie got to pick out two toys...PLUS she gave her a really nice Elves Lego Set for her birthday.  While she waited to go back into the O.R. Lacie watched Scooby Doo on a portable DVD player and then played a game on an IPAD. 

The anesthsiologist came in to talk to me.  Because Lacie's blood sugar dipped they gave her an IV with Dextrose to bring up her sugar level.  And also with her history of asthma they decided to intubate her.   As they were giving her the medication to put her to sleep we all sang Happy Birthday to her.  She fell asleep with a little furrow in her brow and the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. 

All went well and before I knew it she was in the recovery room and a little out of it but in great shape.   Dr. Panopolous said that it looked pretty good in there, but she had to send the biopsies to the lab before we knew anything.  

Soon we were on the road heading back home.  We stopped to get a chocolate milk shake which she drank with relish and she ate some refried beans from Taco Bell.  They said she would be sleepy most of the day ... NOT!  She was rearing to go all day. 

I am beyond grateful to the staff at Sutter Health for the care they gave to my little one.  What could have been a very frightening experience was made a very easy (and safe) for this little girl....and her gramma.