Oh my gosh! My son just missed a week of school. And it was a short week, since Monday was a holiday. And he has SO MUCH MAKE-UP WORK!! Which to me is really weird, since I have felt that the boys haven’t had enough homework at this school. I guess that just means that they just jam pack the school day full of work!

I have to say I honestly feel like keeping him home another day just so he can get caught up! He is still slightly feverish. He has asthmatic bronchitis. I took him to a clinic yesterday to have him checked out and get an antibiotic. I really liked the clinic. It was clean and neat and upgraded. It didn’t look like an old doctor’s office from the 60’s, like so many we’ve been to.

The doctor that saw him was really sweet and attentive, to both Shawn and me. That is definitely a plus – when the doctor can easily and comfortably converse with the parent and the child. She was really cool. She even had on sexy boots that were black and fishnets! That was a surprise to see! She had the outfit put together tastefully, it wasn’t tacky at all. It just made me feel more comfortable with her, to know there really was a ‘woman’ under that lab coat – and a cool one, at that!

I also forgot to get the doctor’s note for Shawn to have unexcused absences. If you have more than five per semester, you need a note. I’ll have to see if my husband can go by there tomorrow.

Back to this make-up work, though, oh my! I don’t know how I’ll get this kid caught up. I’m sure it just looks overwhelming on paper, and once we get to working on it, and once we talk with the teachers – everything will be alright. All of the seventh grade teachers said at the orientation that they are willing to work with the kids. Some of them come to school early and some of them stay late, and all of them are willing to give their time outside of class if a student needs it. So I’m sure as long as Shawn and I and the teachers stay in communication, we will get him caught up! Darn his asthmatic lungs, though!

When you shop for a holiday gift at The Alzheimer’s Foundation estore, all proceeds benefit The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. This is a perfect time to make our kids aware of helping others in need, as this month is National Alzheimer’s Month. And it’s the perfect time to be shopping for gifts, too.

The money that goes to the foundation goes toward research to find a cure, but, also – it goes toward providing quality care to those afflicted, which is so important. People with Alzheimer’s do need hands-on, often around-the-clock care, and ensuring that they receive good care is so important and can be so difficult. Funding that can help families get through this difficult time is sorely needed.

I think it is so important to teach our kids about the different things that can go ‘wrong’ in people’s lives. I want my kids to know that life is not all about looking the coolest and having the coolest clothes and hanging out with the coolest people. Teaching them about something as common as Alzheimer’s is a good way to do that. So many of us will have someone in our lives with Alzheimer’s, or will get it ourselves.

And a lot of teens already have someone in their lives with Alzheimer’s and AFA is taking steps to help these teens cope with a very difficult situation. They have their own website, called AFA Teens. There are message boards where they can connect with other teens going through the same thing and lots of information on the site to help them understand Alzheimer’s better. They even try to get local support groups set up for the kids.

Another way The AFA helps families through this trying time is to offer in their eStore, a four part training DVD, that will help people learn basic skills for caring for family members with the disease. So when you purchase these DVD’s you are not only helping yourself and your family member, but, you are also helping the AFA, which in turn – helps your family member. So that’s pretty cool.

Do you remember the other day when I talked about how even bookworms need to get moving? It’s so true! It is just so easy, and so natural, for me to just sit around – devouring book after book! But, that is not good for me, especially if I’m not getting in enough physical activity. And all of that sitting around can sure make a bookworm sore! Sometimes we need some topical pain relief to help us out!

I was quite recently introduced to Freeze It and let me tell you – I love it! I had tried some sample packets, and they were great – but, Mark just bought me the roll-on version. And I think that is going to be so handy, quick, and best of all – mess-free! Freeze It seems to work better and faster than any other product that I’ve tried. And the smell is not so overwhelming as some of the others. In fact, I don’t know how they did it, but, they made it so that the smell fades as you’re wearing it. That is a great thing, especially for me, because, a strong smell like that up on my shoulders could easily give me a migraine. I am so happy to have found Freeze It, that’s for sure!


Now ya’ll go ‘get moving‘ and then…

Just what does TMJ stand for, anyway? I have often wondered that myself. Well, it stands for tempromandibular joint. How is that for a mouthful? (Little funny unintended pun – I love it when that happens!) Anyway, I was reading about TMJ and all about TMJ treatment, and I was really surprised to find that a lot of the symptoms and problems associated with it, are things that I live with all the time! Some of the things I attributed to my weight problems, like the snoring and restricted airway. And some of the things I have always attributed to my genetics, like my teeth grinding and my migraines. Wouldn’t it be crazy if, through three generations of migraines and ground-down teeth, we’ve been calling it ‘just genetics’ when all this time it’s been TMJ disorder and we could’ve done something more about it? AGH!

Well, for this disorder, I would need to see a neuromuscular dentist, and on this dentist directory, I found one that is only about an hour away from me! I might just need to check into this! I was doing some more reading on TMJ/TMD at Wikipedia, and I found out that there are many different ways to approach treatment for such. I have always wanted to get some type of mouth guard for at night when I sleep, because of my teeth grinding. The last time I went to the dentist, he showed me how much damage I had done with my grinding and it was scary! But some people actually have caps put it to get their teeth properly aligned to help with their symptoms. I also read that braces can help, if your teeth are healthy enough. It’s all quite interesting and eye-opening and has really gotten me thinking!

GO READ A BOOK!

Yep, it’s true – Mrs. Lisa needs to lose some weight. And I’ve been working pretty hard on developing some consistency, because, I think consistency is far more important to me and my body long-term than any ‘lose weight fast’ gimmick. I have taken diet supplements in the past, and I do enjoy them for the energy they give and also for the appetite suppressant. It seems, though, that as I develop this consistency, by taking baby steps, a lot of the energy and suppressed appetite seems to come naturally. I might buy some diet supplements again sometime, but, right now, slow and steady is winning the race.

GO READ A BOOK!

Doesn’t the lady, Sharon, in this video look GREAT?? I cannot wait until the day that I have had that much success with my weight loss! It will be a fine day, indeed!