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One night at the Cabin and I become A declutteraholic

Shack in the woods

Well let me get this off my chest. My Mother was... no still is a hoarder. Growing up we had 15 cats, and a ton of crap in our house we didn't use or need. This was after my father passed away when I was 15. (He was 89 when he passed away, but that is for a different post) She did not clean, that was all on me, and when you are 15-18 years old, do you want to clean. NO of course not. 

So without going into much detail, my home when I was 10-18 years old was a cabin in the woods. It was brand new in 1989, after my childhood home burnt down in the spring of 1989. We moved in that winter to a brand new log cabin. It was gorgeous. one level with a loft and a basement. I even helped build it...well I pounded a couple of nails ( I was 9). Then my father took sick. He had dementia. And the last few years of his life were not a good time for me. He was old and ill, and I was left with him frequently, oh yah and my grandmother lived with us as well. In this time frame of my life my mother decided to acquire things that she really didn't need. Books mainly, yarn, cats. Things upon things. And she had asthma. So she always told me she could not clean. It would bother her asthma. So I cleaned. everything. all the time. cat boxes, swept, dishes. I was basically Cinderella. But I could leave the house. I could go to town if I could get there. So I biked. I loved the freedom of getting on my bike and going. It was a 45 minute bike ride, but I didn't care. Not in the summer. In the winter I was in school and bused in. And I joined everything I could after school. Mainly girl guides and soccer. And every chance I could I would stay at a friends after school. 

Recently this home that I loved and hated at the same time has come back into my life after 10 years. My husbands and mine. I had mixed feelings of this at first. I didn't want it. I have some awful memories associated with this home. And it is a neglected shack now. No power, no running water. And IT WAS A MESS. I can not stress this enough. My mother abandoned this place a few years after I left. Now she is trying to make amends and has gotten it back. But it is still a mess. Piles of magazines, cat feces, fur, old things that no one wants. So we cleaned it out. At least the main level. The basement still needs A LOT of work, but we are getting there. 

But it NEVER fails. Every time we return from that place I end up going through our stuff. I clean the house from top to bottom. I open windows, air out every room. And my house is not dirty or cluttered. My husband has OCD, for cleaning. Our house is pretty tidy. But when I get home from the shack in the woods I need to declutter. I guess it is a type of therapy. As is writting in this blog. I know this does not relate to ADHD. But this is a blogging journey of our lives. And the beginning of mine was pretty crappy. Now I have a wonderful beautiful home. I have an amazing husband who works tirelessly to provide for our family. I have two beautiful children that I can never get enough of. Even if one is a little scatter brained. Maybe she gets some of that from my mom. The Hoarder. Maybe she has ADHD. She can never finish tasks, and her attention is always drifting, unless it is something she is interested in. And at 78 years old she still has a hard time keeping still and is ALWAYS knitting. 

HMMMM food for thought.

Also I will be switching this Blog over to word press. I have found out that you can not leave comments unless you have a google account. I do not know if that is why we are not getting any comments but I wanted to try wordpress anyways. 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. 


Please if you have any comments or suggestions you can email us at unicorn4life6@gmail.com

Thanks

Julia

LPS videos

5 Reasons Why You Should Unplug for 24 hours. #ADHD retreat

Sometimes you just have to unplug and reset yourself. My kids and I are heading to our cabin in the woods, literally it is a cabin set on 15 acres of forest.

 It was my home growing up and it is now our #ADHD retreat. We haven't be able to make it up this summer much, so today we are going up over night. 

This is a long term project that is going to be worth the wait. The cabin is not hooked up to any power grid, we must use a generator, and there is no running water. It needs some repair, and needs to be cleaned out. Every time we go up we clean out another room. Or fix something small. It was abandoned for about 10 years. So it is a little dusty. HAHA

It is a great place for Nicole to let loose and unplug. Gets her away from the computer screen and lets her creativity flow. It is a large place to explore filled with animals and nature, a pond, and a river within biking distance.

She takes her littlest pet shops and does videos, paints, and just chills out. No internet for a little bit does the world of good. As much as she loves her internet, as do I, you need a break once in a while. 

So this is our list of reasons why you should unplug for at least 24 hours:

1- Relieve some stress-
        You know if you can check on your blog you will, so if you go someplace where you can't then you will think about it less. Won't be constantly thinking "Oh I can add this to that", or I should check Pinterest and search for so and so. Sometimes it is a relief when you can't check on the blog.

2-Get back to nature-
        Just stopping to enjoy the view, or smelling the flowers. I LOVE to take pictures. It relaxes me. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/152592777@N03/

Check out my flickr portfolio.

And I love nature pictures. Of flowers, trees, insects. It makes me slow down and look at something a little longer. It is fall here so all the beautiful fall colors are just waiting to be photographed. In this day and age of quicker and more efficiently everything, sometimes it is just nice to slow down and really see things from a different angle. 

3-Getting a different perspective-
         Sometimes taking a break from something will let your mind subconsciously think about a problem you are having. Ever forget about a name, it drives you nuts that you can't think of that certain name, you then say oh well its gone now. A few hours later, BING, "It was Einstein who discovered Theory of relativity" It just pops into your brain. If you are having a mental block about what to post next, #Take a break. Go on a nature Hike. Clear your mind. Something will pop into your mind. Even if it is "5 reasons to go on a nature Hike", OR " 5 reasons not to go on a nature hike with your children."

4-ADHD people need change-
          Going someplace for 24 hours even if it is a motel or a sleepover, really helps with the "I'm Bored" phrase. Which is a signature phrase in this house. Even when Nicole is doing something, she is bored. So going away for 24 hours, even if she complains at first, she usually comes around. It is usually because she sees animals, or discovered something she didn't know or see before. Our little ADHD retreat is the best way for her to get a change and try new things. Every time we go up there she finds something new. 

5-Brings you closer together-
           When even we go to our little cabin in the woods we always bring games. Card games, board games. And it helps us bond and get closer together. We sit up late, talk, eat junk (smores over an open fire inside). Listen to the rain on the roof. Get a little spooked out because it is SO DARK. Cuddling under blankets. You get the idea. Its the best #ADHD retreat ever. 

Do you unplug. Do you have a special place that you can go and get a change in scenery or add some adventure to the mundane? Or do you have your own ADHD retreat you like to take off too?

Let us know

Thanks
Julia and Nicole

Wow, 150 page views. Thanks Pinterest and Tailwind Tribes

                     

I can't believe we have had over 150 page views. I honestly didn't think we would have any readers of our blog. I hope everyone is enjoying it. We haven't had any comments in the negative or positive regards, but I am thinking positively because we are getting views. SO COOL

I would like to give a shout out to Pinterest, and if I was doing affiliated posts I would definitely be adding a link here, because I do Love Pinterest. Joining group boards and adding my blog posts to them has given me my traffic. It is definitely how I have received all our page views. 

Google has not found us yet:(

Google, why you not like us???

Also Tailwind tribes.

https://www.tailwindapp.com

 I started using that yesterday and have seen a boost already. And I don't think I am completely using it properly. I have some stuff scheduled and I am repinning (also a couple of mine have been repinned) You can also Chat with other bloggers and make your own tribe. 

I should start really thinking about my SEO stuff. If I don't have good search engine stuff, then people can not find us through google. But I wanted to get the blog up and running, and really get some good content up. How do I know if this is quality content. Are we being helpful? Is anyone being engaged? Won't know until we have some comments!

PLEASE COMMENT BELOW

Maybe I should have gone with wordpress, maybe I will start another blog over there and see if I like that platform better. Then I can compare the 2 platforms for everyone. 

We have decided that Nicole will only post new blogs maybe twice a month, and I will add more content on a weekly basis. Until we find more ideas, or we get some followers.

Nicole has a Youtube channel, 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Vl4kSAghTAZKYTubEBR5A/videos

that is her main focus. She has stuck with it so far, and it has been the one of the things that keeps her attention. She does little drama videos with her littlest pet shops. As well as her slimes. She edits them and posts them, and even knows that you don`t post everyday, because people will have a harder time finding them...analytics...

I am finding out new things everyday. When I try a new way to get followers ( such as #tailwind tribes), or when I view a new blog, or add a new way to get my blog noticed (#bloglovin). I feel the light bulb moment. I am enjoying my blogging journey. I don't know if this will always be my niche. I have more interests (books, photography) that I could start a blog for myself, But I enjoy discussing this blog with Nicole. She was so enthusiastic yesterday when I told her we had over 100 views, and that it was almost 150 ( today it is at 160). It gave her that little nudge to start another post. 

OK, Just checked our Bloglovin profile and we actually have a follower! WOW This is awesome. 

https://www.bloglovin.com/@nicolekeizer


So I guess we are doing some stuff correctly. It is taking some time but we are definitely getting there. I really hope people are enjoying our blog. Even though we are new and haven't established ourselves we are enjoying this fantastic journey.

Please leave comments and check out our other profiles. 

Thanks
Julia

Why Do I need to Medicate? #ADHD Problems

After Nicole's diagnosis the Psychologist said you will have to medicate her. So we waited for a year to see a pediatrician (we currently do not have a family doctor) so we could "fix" what was wrong with Nicole's frontal cortex. During that year we added adaptations. We encouraged and we changed routines. And we were doing great. 

Then we added the medication...

First it was Adderal XR. This was a disaster. She was moody, depressed, she withdrew from her friends. Her teacher was concerned. And she stopped her singing lessons. 

So over the summer we stopped taking it. Summer time is for relaxing and enjoyment, and throwing routines out the window. She was a happy, normal 12 year old. She went zip lining, faced her fear of heights in doing so, and LOVED it. 

We once again started the Adderall the middle of august,to get ready for the school year, and instantly it was a disaster. Within a week she had changed again. 

We returned to the pediatrician and told her the Adderall XR was not for Nicole, can we try something else? 

She prescribed Biphentin. This medication worked to a point. I noticed a difference, she seemed calmer, but distant. Not herself. She was a bit moody, not like the Adderall but different. She has all new teachers so they do not know how she was before her medication. They tell me she is doing great, She is writing in ELA, she is doing great in math, whatever she is struggling with, everyone seems to be struggling with. She had a couple of incidents where she was outraged by someone's remarks, but she handled it well. Not OVERLY emotional about it. But at home she is different. Distant is the only word that describes it well. Not acting the same at all. Her personality has changed. 

Off the medication

Nicole and I have decided to stop using the Biphentin. It does not seem to be working, and I have noticed the last few days that she is actually doing better off it. Her room is clean this morning, she has been getting along with her sister, and she got to school on time this morning. I have to say I know what the medication does to Nicole. It suppresses her personality. The last few days she has been cheerful, she is in her room, PLAYING, acting herself again. I know she is a bit hyper but if the teachers are not complaining and calling me then why do I need to medicate her?( her teachers are great this year, Her ELA and Social studies teacher was her older sisters teacher).


The Doctors tell us that we should medicate because if you have a heart condition then you would take medication to help that. 
Its a good analogy but I don't think it works for all children with ADHD. Yes I get frustrated, but I would rather get frustrated with a good nature 12 year old, then a yelling screaming, snot nosed, angry 12 year old.

I also believe that Nicole's anxiety was causing some of her struggles last year. We have been doing really well keeping her anxiety under control. It has been a long process but it seems to be getting better. 

I hope someone reads this and gets some information from it. We all know taking medication is a trial and error period. So far we have had more errors...I think, for now, taking her off the medication is the best way for her. As her education advances we will have to reassess. 

Thanks for reading, Leave a comment and let us know how we are doing.

Calm Mom Julia

#ADHD problems

#Adhd Problems

I would like to list some of the "problems" we have in our household:

Problem-"a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome."



1-Well we can start off with getting up in the morning. Nicole is the hardest child to get out of bed in the morning. Today was bad, it took me an hour to get her going. It doesn't matter how early she goes to bed, it is a hassle in the morning. 

2-We have gone over this before but keeping her room clean. Man is that a difficult one. She gets so distracted by each thing in her room. She has the best of intentions but 5 minutes in she has become distracted by a container of slime, or that stuffed animal on the floor, or the shape of something on her desk.

3-Keeping anything organized including school books, her room, her clothes. The thing is I know she wants to get organized, she starts putting her littlest pet shop accessories into compartments, and then gets side tracked into a lively and creative dialog with them and then its game over. Getting her back on track is a huge battle. 

4-Getting any type of homework done. Its either too hard or too easy, there is no, I can do this and just sits down and gets it done. Its a good hour of complaining that its too hard, and "I don't know how to do this", when I know for sure she does. 

5-Knowing she is a great kid and still getting frustrated with her when it isn't even her fault. I think this is the hardest one. We both are very frustrated in the morning, either she is yelling or I'm yelling. No matter how much pre-planning the night before we just can't get our act together to get her out the door on time. 

The good news is that when she is taking the Biphentin on a regular basis, some of these are a little easier to tackle. Today was by far the worse morning this school year, and she hadn't taken her medication the last couple of days because we are both sick. I'm waiting to hear back from her teachers on how she was in school today, and we will know a little better if the medication is working for her. She still says it isn't but I've noticed a difference since she stopped taking them. She definitely has been easier to get up in the morning when I was giving her the medication. 

So these are the #ADHD problems that we have in our house. I listed these things as problems because it is hard for us to overcome these aspects of Nicole's personality. We work on them daily along with an assortment of others. 

Feel free to list your "problems" you have a hard time adjusting to or over coming. Sometimes getting stuff onto "paper" so to speak helps you understand and overcome it easier. 

Thank for reading
Julia