Life has been kicking my butt. After Gage’s successful scope we were back at square one. His behavior was getting worse at home and school and something had to give. So, after some investigating, I scrapped the SCD diet last Monday and within days he was a different kid, well, back to his loveable self! We are now on a new diet that I may detail later, but it seems to be doing the trick. All of of this to say that for the last few weeks all I’ve wanted to do is sleep. (seriously, Jason was home yesterday and I took two naps!) My mind and body are tired of trying to figure out an ever-changing puzzle. So, I’ve been napping a lot and trying not to feel guilty about it. The stress is tough and taking some downtime is a good thing, right?
As tempting as it is to crawl into bed and dream the world away, life goes on. New diets mean new learning and planning. A good scope means finding someone else who can help us find answers. Vacations and getaways must be planned. Birthdays and anniversaries must be remembered. Next year school decisions must be made. New therapies must be decided on. Books must be read, doctors must be found and seen (we have an appointment in Columbus next week). Parties must be attended. Field trips must be attended (seriously, tomorrow is the 3rd one this year aleady). Five year old boys need to play with their mamas. Husbands must be appreciated. Blogging must be done. See that last one? Obviously, that is the one that doesn’t actually get done but is the one that can alleviate stress if I let it. It’s a checkmark on my to-do list that I actually enjoy doing, but I haven’t been taking time for it. So, here I am oversharing and I hope that you’ll still come back tomorrow when I’m back to talking about fun stuff.
What do you do when life seems to be getting the better of you? Yoga? Meditate? Travel? Cry? Punch someone? I need some good ideas!
Oh, the Wednesday Quiz will be posted later today or maybe even tomorrow. I’m not going to stress out about it 🙂
Stacy's Books 
Never, ever feel guilty about needing, and taking advantage of, me time. I firmly believe that it’s that me time that helps make us great mothers. Hang in there. I’m glad Gage’s scope was clear and I hope the new diet does the trick. Believe me, I know how you feel. Although Gabe doesn’t have the same issues as Gage, he does have ADHD and anxiety disorder and I’ve dealt with a lot over the years. He’s 14 now and I feel like things are finally leveling out, but it’s still a struggle, as he doesn’t have the “good judgment” switch at times and we run into problems. Plus, you know that kids are so cruel and some kids that know he has ADHD just love to call him dumb and slow. It’s just an awful thing to know your child is bullied.
Some of the things I like to do. Read, write, eat (bad), go to movies with my mom, veg out on my fave shows, cry (yes…it can be a release. It usually is for me).
Hugs. 🙂
Thanks, Michelle. I feel like I’ve had a bit of ADHD myself lately, can’t seem to stay focused (even on reading!) so my body is calling for more naps. I appreciate the kind words. It helps.
Hang in there Stacy Who do a great job Love you Judy
Thanks Aunt Judy. You are sweet for visiting 🙂
Stacy, you are such a good mom – keep the faith. I’m not a good one to ask what I do when feeling stressed or overwhelmed as I “eat and sleep” – terrible choices I know.
LOL! Sleeping and eating are my FAVORITE things to do when stressed! Thanks Diane 🙂
Ah, Stacy, I wish I lived closer and I could come take you for a walk and a coffee and a visit. I’m not a very social person, but when things were so bad with my parents, I had a couple of friends who would come and pretty much forcibly take me away for lunch or coffee or a walk. It helped. Yoga also helped me. I did that with my daughter. You might think about finding a yoga class. You can do it at home, but I found that the studio (which was set up with calming music, the instructor, and the quiet soft lighting) was very calming to me. Especially the ending portion – the relaxation part. I could let go, but it took practice. Or maybe a massage. I did those too.
The other thing I would say is that when you are ‘in the trenches’, it seems that whatever will last forever and ever. It won’t. Time will pass. Things will change. Gage will get older and some things may work themselves out or you will find solutions. Hang in there. You are a great mother and I know you want to do everything you can for him. Stacy deserves some TLC too. Check in here now and then. We want to give you ‘virtual hugs’. So, big hugs to you.
Thanks Kay, virtual walks and coffee are good too! Jason and I have sporadically tried yoga at home, but I’m thinking I need something more. I’m a little intimidated by a class but I do have an old friend who runs one…I really appreciate the pep talk. It helps.
Glad to hear the diet change helped. And yes, I agree you are an AMAZING mom!
The diet is driving.me.to.the.brink! Who knew that food could have such an impact. And I’m talking healthy, organic, REAL foods. Uggg. We are now low salicylates and somewhat low histamine. Look it up and see how challenging it is to feed my kid. Thanks for the cheer. It really does help and is much appreciated 🙂
Oh Stacy, I’m sorry to hear you’re going through a rough time. I have faith things will get better, though. Gage couldn’t have a better advocate. To destress, I’ll take a long walk. A good cry can do wonders as well.
Long walks work for me too, but I’m not a fan of cold, winter walks. I’d rather curl up with a book all day, but that’s not going to happen for a while. I try to limit the crying BUT writing/typing does help. As reluctant as I am to seem whiny, when I write it there is a release. Thank you for being such a supportive friend 🙂
Please don’t ever feel guilty for taking some “me time”. Taking care of yourself is so very important when you’re responsible for the care of someone else. I hope things ease up soon.
I like to walk, bike, meditate, do tai-chi, and of course read and watch tv to de-stress.
Before all of the comments on this post I never really thought of napping as “me time”. You guys have put things in a new light for me – thank you!
**A Big Hug** from me. Be sure to get a real one, it helps! Most of the advice given is what I’ve done as well. I am glad you found and fixed the diet. I hope the one you are trying helps. Laugh as much as you can!
Laughing is something I need to do more of. Jason and I have watched 3 bad, 80’s comedies and laughed a lot the last few weeks. Much needed. Thanks for the virtual hug – it helps!
Hello! Thinking of you and sending restive and/or energetic thoughts as needed. And just so you know, I appreciate you!
So sweet Care, thank you! Your pie postcard – and train stamp – made for some happy Buckeyes this week 🙂
I am sorry for all you are going through. I broke down Friday and just cried and cried. I wish I could say it helped. I suppose it did in the sense I got some of that tension out through tears, but it didn’t solve anything, not really. Crying does serve its purpose though. I am sending you a virtual hug which I wish could be given to you in person. Try to get plenty of sleep and maybe go walking. You always have us to talk to. I’m here if you need me.
As a parent of a young’un, I know how life can kind of take over. I also know that you would love the free time to blog, et al. Hang in there. It does get easier with age. And, especially, it looks like you might have found some answers. I sincerely hope so.
I think you should take a long nap, napping always helps me deal with stress. I hope you can find out the best way to help Gage . . . soon. (((hugs)))