Out of the blue and totally unprepared for... Boom! Anxiety attack today. I haven't had one in months, and I was definitely not expecting this one.
I believe the trigger was the writing I was doing. I have to work on my National Board recertification in the next several weeks, and I was trying to crank out quite a bit today. I have procrastinated with this for quite some time... dragging my feet on every part of it, but getting what I need together. I have to say, what I wrote today was awesome. But, it must have dragged me back to the last time I had to write that intensely about my profession. Boom, indeed!
I am OK now, and apparently, I can expect this feeling over the next month while I get some things together. I have a few presentations this month as well as this lovely thing needing to be postmarked by the 30th. Glad I still have some Xanax.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
A Week of Mealmaking
For Spring Break, I thought maybe I would shock my family and actually cook. I decided to blog this historical event.
Today, I cooked the recipe found here.
It was delicious. Cooking the chicken in the Crock Pot all day definitely got the house smelling delightful. I would change two things: 1. Too much pepper! I would cut it in half. 2. I overcooked the bacon. I used Becky's advice to cook it in the oven, but I need to decrease the time allowed.
It still tasted fantastic. Scott wants me to marinade some ribs in the Lawry's marinade for Tuesday. He is now a fan of that. I never would have tried it without a recommendation from someone else. Two thumbs up!
Today, I cooked the recipe found here.
It was delicious. Cooking the chicken in the Crock Pot all day definitely got the house smelling delightful. I would change two things: 1. Too much pepper! I would cut it in half. 2. I overcooked the bacon. I used Becky's advice to cook it in the oven, but I need to decrease the time allowed.
It still tasted fantastic. Scott wants me to marinade some ribs in the Lawry's marinade for Tuesday. He is now a fan of that. I never would have tried it without a recommendation from someone else. Two thumbs up!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Arrogance
Just been reading some articles on autism spectrum disorders, particularly the "causes" and the "cures." Two words kept sifting through my mind, "desperation" and "arrogance."
Autism is not AIDS, and autism is not cancer. Autism is something that individuals must live with. It is a neurological disorder. It is not a disease to be cured by those so desperate to have control over "fixing" everything. There are many who are trying---desperately--- to fix their kids whom they believe are broken. Can children with autism make developmental gains? Absolutely. My sons are living and breathing proof of that. I know others who have gained as well. It was typically because of the tireless efforts of their parents to set things in place for their success. And when I say tireless, that's an understatement. But I have not rubbed crazy creams all over them to "detoxify" their systems, nor have I loaded their systems with experimental drugs. I would try a special diet if my son actually ate more than 4 things.
So, let's move to arrogance. Arrogance is putting so much effort into figuring out why your child has autism that you have no energy to put toward the child. Arrogance is believing that everything has a human fix. Arrogance is blaming the world...vaccines...food...environment...parenting... rather than just DEALING with the realities of the situation. Suing people whom you think should be blamed. What solace is supposed to come from that? Will a law suit change the child's condition? How about the arrogance of saying you are right and, no matter what, others are wrong? The courts? Biased. Scientific evidence? Paid for by the vaccine and insurance companies. Seriously? How does that help our kids?
And again, I move back to the basics. Who cares? I still have kids with mountains to climb that other, "neurotypical," kids do not have. I still have kids growing up in a world that is slow to accommodate their differences. I still have a five year old starting Kindergarten with the speech of an emerging 4 year old. I still have sons with autism.
Autism is not AIDS, and autism is not cancer. Autism is something that individuals must live with. It is a neurological disorder. It is not a disease to be cured by those so desperate to have control over "fixing" everything. There are many who are trying---desperately--- to fix their kids whom they believe are broken. Can children with autism make developmental gains? Absolutely. My sons are living and breathing proof of that. I know others who have gained as well. It was typically because of the tireless efforts of their parents to set things in place for their success. And when I say tireless, that's an understatement. But I have not rubbed crazy creams all over them to "detoxify" their systems, nor have I loaded their systems with experimental drugs. I would try a special diet if my son actually ate more than 4 things.
So, let's move to arrogance. Arrogance is putting so much effort into figuring out why your child has autism that you have no energy to put toward the child. Arrogance is believing that everything has a human fix. Arrogance is blaming the world...vaccines...food...environment...parenting... rather than just DEALING with the realities of the situation. Suing people whom you think should be blamed. What solace is supposed to come from that? Will a law suit change the child's condition? How about the arrogance of saying you are right and, no matter what, others are wrong? The courts? Biased. Scientific evidence? Paid for by the vaccine and insurance companies. Seriously? How does that help our kids?
And again, I move back to the basics. Who cares? I still have kids with mountains to climb that other, "neurotypical," kids do not have. I still have kids growing up in a world that is slow to accommodate their differences. I still have a five year old starting Kindergarten with the speech of an emerging 4 year old. I still have sons with autism.
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