autism

Chiropractor and Epilepsy..does it work?

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Simple and Natural is how we look at this.  We get asked all the time if the chiropractor and Epilepsy really work well together.  Now let me say that I am not a doctor and I am not in the medical profession at all….but I live with my Epileptic husband for over 30 years.  With that being said…I know my husband better than any doctor.  I have been asked over and over to explain things in detail to the doctor (since my hubby usually doesn’t know himself), as to what is happening in his life and with his seizures.  Most times…the doctor remarks on how well I really know what is going on better than most “professionals”.

So getting back to chiropractors…..YES, YES, YES they really do work.  If you are not familiar with going to one, don’t be alarmed by them.  They are not doing anything against what your body was designed to do …quite the contrary.  The best way to describe it is that they will get your spine back in line which works hand in hand with your immune system and all your other organs in your body.

After my husband has had a seizure…..most times if he was walking or standing he will crash-land on the floor.  Then we will find that he has hit is head, twisted his body by the way he fell or what he fell into.  Sometimes…it is only a day or two later that he will notice that something doesn’t seem right.  For example….about a month ago he was walking in a restaurant….as he had a seizure he dropped his plate on the floor in front of him….then ended up taking a few steps backwards, and then we guess he stiffened up and fell straight back and slamming his head and entire body to the floor.   What a jolt his body must have felt!

We went for our monthly visit to our chiropractor and he asked my hubby how things were going….as my hubby explained what had happened, he realized that his jaw was also bothering him in addition to some other things.   The doctor had a look and said Graeme had the equivalent to whip-lash from the fall and had knocked his jaw out of alignment too. This is only one example of how it has helped him after a seizure.

The list for us goes on and on with the amount of help in getting these adjustments, and also just all in all general help and health.  He seems to respond well to an adjustment immediately and right after an adjustment he tells me he feels more relaxed and clear-headed.

It has been over 20 years now we have been going this route and with a few other natural alternatives such as vitamins, herbs and oils…..this too has been a great supplement to his seizure meds.

I hope this helps shed any light to anyone else who struggles out there with seizures, epilepsy, ADHD and or Autism.  Our family has been blessed to have these doctors in our life!

Comment below if this form of medical treatment has help you and or if you have found other alternatives that you can share.  We would love to hear from you.

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Autism and Routine….

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Routine is something hard to create and stick with in our lives….but it is a necessary thing.  I watch a You-Tube channel with “Andrea Mills”.  She talks about doing things routinely if they are important enough to you. Check out her website and channel for this topic and more.

https://www.andreamills.tv

With any type of special needs and we have two types in our family, I find as a homemaker that I need to create a way of organization for them; and not necessarily for me.  With epilepsy and Autism in our home, I find that this affects everything that we do!  For example, just leaving the house to go out for the day…we need to make a list on the back door of what we need to bring with us.  This way my husband who has Epilepsy, whether it be a good day or not, does not have to think about what to bring. Especially when it is an “off” day for him, he just looks at his list on the door.

(example list for the door)

  • travel bag
  • pills
  • water bottle
  • phone
  • phone charger

For our son has Autism.…so for his needs we have created labels in the refrigerator and also a routine of where to put things.  This way there is no frustration of where things go.  We also labeled where all of our coats go.  Again, this way it keeps things simple and organized!

We have created a “white board” system to help with all those daily questions that you find Autistic kids always asking.  They want to know what the next days meals will be 24 hours ahead of time. Our board includes 3 meals, 3 chores, 3 school events (we homeschool), and whatever the special event of the day is also.

This has proven to relieve many meltdowns, and crazy evenings in our home.  When he asks the questions that he always does by 5pm sharp, we can just refer him to the white board.

Special needs can be a struggle to the caregiver as well as the person who struggles with it.  Why not make life as routine as you can to avoid any chaos and confusion.  There will always be other issues to deal with, but when things are routine it helps out a great deal.

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Being of Like Mind…Autism!

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It was interesting to sit and watch the other night at a group of kids all of whom had Autism.  I learned a very valuable lesson that night!

Let me back track a little for you to get the whole picture.  Our youngest son has Autism and we belong to two different support groups.  One group especially offers a wide variety of support for parents and lots of activities for the kiddos.  This night happened to be a night for the kids, it was filled with fun, running around and freedom for them.

Freedom for them!….what I mean is that they could be who they were created to be. It was a time for them not to be judged, made fun of, no one was looking at them as if they were weird. They could speak their own language, wave their hands if they needed to, swing their legs and jump as high as they wanted. They are a unique group of people!  They have uniqueness that are their own…..and yet they don’t judge each other and they seem to relate to each other on a higher level.  They are like minded and understand each other.  Most of them have never even met before, and yet they can get along as if they were best friends forever.

What a lesson for me to learn!  Here I live in the ‘average” world without Autism.  My friends and acquaintances are “average” people.  And yet we seem to judge, talk about each other, and we are not like minded.  If we enter a room with people we haven’t met before ….we tend to look at our phones or just down right ignore each other.  Oh if we could only have the mind of someone who is Autistic….and let loose and be free!  Be free to say hello to a stranger, be free to play with someone we met for the first time, be free to jump as high as we wanted to and swing around in circles if we felt like it.

I am so glad that we have a place that allows our son to be free!  A place for us to be with other parents who we can relate to!  A place for him to be able to feel like and where he can say…..“I can just be me”.  God has given him a uniqueness called Autism…he is not strange or weird just different.

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Amish Homemade remedies…and Natural finds.

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I have always leaned on the side of natural meds.  And the more and more I learn about natural ways I enjoy practicing using them more often!

My family and I have not been on any form of antibiotics for over 25 years now….people look at us strange when we say this.  We use a natural one made from a plant and it works.  We have not suffered side effects from it and it works even better for us.  With having Autism and Epilepsy in our family ……I have found that natural as help us way more than regular prescribed medication.

Now I DO NOT claim to be a doctor or a medical professional.  I am just a mom who practices being a “wise woman” who builds her house with the Lord’s guidance.  We use natural plant remedies, essential oils, chiropractic applications and I have recently found some GREAT finds from our Amish community too …. all natural plant based items.

A few months ago…my girlfriends and I went for the day out to PA for a road trip.  We take this trip about 4 times a year for the day from NJ. We stopped at one of my favorite shops for some homemade Amish pies and breads now also sells natural remedies.  I picked up a few things along with two of my friends and we tried it for a month and ….WOW, we were hooked!  So a month later when I went back out to PA with my hubby, I was given a list by my friends to buy these same items and anything else they had.

I love learning and learning about things that can help my family is even better!  I will be taking an on-line training class in the spring for essential oils, so that I can learn even more.  As I learn things and experience the pros and cons of natural remedies ….I will share this with you!

Share with me what natural remedies you have used and how they have worked for you. I would love to hear from you and exchange ideas.  Comment below or email me!  Find me on Facebook and Instagram too for more pics.

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Autism and Essential Oils

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This past weekend has been so rainy and gray around our area.  My son has Autism and my husband has epilepsy and this weather really affects them both!!!

We belong to a support group for Autism. Last night I posted on the Facebook group site about this very thing. I asked them if any of them have family members that are affected by the weather.  I asked if anyone saw any mood swings that went from happy to angry in a matter of seconds.  I no sooner posted this question and I was getting thumbs up and comments being posted like crazy. Everyone agreed how they had family members with Autism who were struggling all weekend with moods too.

Is there anyone else out there struggling with this?  After we struggled through the weekend….I then thought I would try some essential oils.  I have used this on my husband and it has helped him with his Epilepsy.  So I grabbed my oil roll-on that I made for him and tried it on my son.  WOW!!!! Within 5 minutes or less ….his mood went from a loud, angry and stimming to a happy, chilled and quieter young man.

What I used was oil of Oregano….I have had so many people tell me to use Franchisee but we have found that Oregano works better.  (at least for us).  I made a roller bottle with 15 drops of oil and filled the rest with Almond oil (any oil will work), then shook it up.  I rolled this on the back of his neck, down his spine and on both wrists.

He later came to me and said that the oils helped him and his head didn’t feel so “shaky”.  What a relief.  Now this will be one of my go-to’s for when we have these types of days around our house.

Does anyone out there use oils for these types of neurology issues?  If so what do you use and how?

Share with us what you do so that we can all benefit from this!

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

Minimalism…Simple….Simplify-where does life have you?

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What does this mean to you?  Minimalism comes to my mind. So many of the younger generation are going this way.  Many of them have watched their grandparents and parents collect things over the years so they now have taken up with the new trend of “less” is better.

I do find that the old saying…“less is more”, can be true!  But what is less?  I have watched some “extreme” shows, where they will have a beautiful “large” house and only have a mattress on the floor, 1 dish, 1 cup, 1 fork…you get the picture and they seem truly seem happy. This is not the life that I want.

I have a friend who LOVES to collect things…did I say loves it.  She collects any and everything that you could imagine.  She has now gone through her collection and resized it.  To most people…you would still say that she has a lot of “stuff” but to her …she has simplified her life in her own way with her collections and she is a happy girl.

wilson gang

In my life…which is full of special needs and most days cioas….I need “my” type of simple.  Let me explain. My husband has Epilepsy and my youngest son as Autism…..for me this changes my life on a daily basis.  I have always enjoyed a full schedule of events, lots of involvement in family, work, church and life in general.  I like lots of hobbies, things, stuff, and decor in my home etc…I like to enjoy life as I see it….but then life doesn’t alway fit what I like!!!

Recently in my home….I have had to simplify things. Less stuff, less things and to be more practical and less nostalgic. This has been very hard for me but as I get into it …it does becoming easier. I need to create a very practical world for my two men. I need to label where things go in the refrigerator and label whose jacket goes where etc… And yet find a way to make my home still seem special and pretty to me and our guests we invite over.

Recently with my schedule….I have had to simplify that too. How do you take a girl who LOVES a full schedule and adapt it to “SIMPLE” one…so that I meet the needs of my family as well as myself.  I have and am still learning how to balance life ….I really don’t know how to explain that in words with exactly I am doing. I probably need to do a VLOG on a day in the life of me.

This might not be “minimalism” to some, but for me I need to carry a planner, snacks, change of cloths, meds, water, essential oils, band aids etc… in many different bags.  I have a travel bag, pocketbook, workbag, church bag etc…each one is filled with what I would need for that event and the extras for that “just in case I need it” moment.  This works for me….my car is full of bags stuffed with stuff.  But all this stuff to me equals an organized, simplified and simple way of living.  To me my life is now not full of stressful moments and I don’t have to think as much when life takes over and craziness begins. If you have anyone in your family with special needs you would understand. We never quite know what’s going to happen at a given moment and having these extras with us at all times and organized in designated bags for that particular event definitely helps.

Simple is defined by YOU and only you.  We should not jump on a trend just because!!! Yes, we should evaluate our lives and simplify them… but this does not mean throw everything out that you own, and live in a sleeping bag.

God has given and blessed our family many times over with things and not necessarily money…I need to use what I have, simplify what I buy and sometimes bless others with my overflow.

Remember to enjoy life and where life has you. I know that this is a unique way of looking a “simple life” but it is the way I do it.  How do you do it..leave a comment below.

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

“KISS” – starting over

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I have heard this saying many times….”KISS”  and yet I need to be reminded of this simple quote on a daily basis. Have you heard of it?….”Keep it simple stupid”!

Well here I am starting over and getting my blog back up and running.  I think for a long while I thought it had to be this “perfect” something, and of course I am not perfect and neither is my life.  I envisioned it being… “WOW “…right from the start and WOW it is not….but WOW it can be down the road. I have a fear of failure and what will people think. What if it does not meet a certain standard ….what will your response be…and this list goes on.

For now…I need to “just start” and get it done, as my husband always tells me.  He always talks about how most people talk and talk and just never start. Life can go on for days, months and even years and we never in the end start what we wanted too.

So for today….”Resume of a Mother”… is back on track.  Blogs might be simple at times, fun and exciting at other times…but they have started again.

My goal is simply this….and it is also my personal mission statement, “to touch one life that will in turn touch another life”.  My blog was and is designed to encourage moms at every level… to bring joy, wisdom… and information that will make you a better mom.

“Resume of Mother”…was founded with me being a wife and a mother who is living a different life than most.  A Homeschool mom, special needs mom, adoptive mom, Autism, Epilepsy, full-time working mom, crafter, blogger, speaker, planner….and more….”I found my new normal and it is a moving target”. ..is my claim to fame.

Come join me again and follow me as I continue on this journey!

Lynn A. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

I can’t find my cookbook…..

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I know that I have been missing from the Blog scene for a while.  My plan was to have several blog posts per week, to be a huge encouragement to many of you and to get everyone excited about new things.  Well stop the train and let me off!!!!….

What happened to me is just crazy and somewhat simple to fix.  I needed to just get off the train….even jump if I needed to ….even when it doesn’t stop for me!!

If you have read any of my other posts than you will know how crazy my life is.  Seizures, Epilepsy, ADHD, Autism, full-time working mom, special needs wife and mom, blogger, speaker and the list goes on. But in addition to my normal crazy life I have been adding too many “sure I can help” etc… things to my schedule.

Life took over so much so that the “life train” ran so fast that I could not see what was happening to me.  I was simply enjoying life with my family, my work, my ministry…..but I kept on going, going and going.  My days would start at 5:30 am with getting up….then at work most days by 7 am.  Then home at 3 pm to pick up my son and husband and head out to an event that was carefully planned and something that we wanted/needed to do.  Next… run out for dinner….run to the next event, food shop, or help out someone else in need.  Then home anywhere from 9-11 pm…..change into PJ’s…..layout work clothes for the next day….hit the hay. Then start all over again. We have a phrase that we use all the time in our home….it is “drop and go”….we come in and “drop off” bags, misc things etc…. and then pick up the next several items that are needed and “go” to next event.

You can only do this so long….as I have been finding out. I found out how bad it had gotten for me when I went to make a recipe and I could not find my cookbooks.  On this day I stood in the room where they had been…then I remembered oh yes  …we moved them. So I looked and looked everywhere and I could not find them.  I felt like I totally lost the connection with my home, as a wife and as a mother….. how did I not know where something so simple was not where it was supposed to be. I walked away feeling down, discouraged and useless as the woman of my home.  You ask …was this simply all because of cookbooks?….Yes, this was a picture of who I had become and where my crazy life had brought me.

STOP the train and let me off.  I needed to spend the next few days reviewing why I had no idea even in my own small home, why I could not find my cookbooks.  What in the world was going on with me?  I thought maybe I am was just getting old, maybe I just needed a day off, maybe….maybe….NO, I had to take a good hard look at my schedule and make some major changes.

If you look at my planner….it is color coded, lines, circles, arrows pointing to numerous things.  Sticky notes on top of sticky notes with notes of “must do’s”, place to go, things to get done and some events noted that we have 3 or more things schedule at the same day and or time.

Well….the verse kept coming to me that I heard on a mini devotion from Andrea Mills on her You-Tube channel.  She explained the verse….”A wise woman builds her home….and a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands”.  Me talking to me….”Lynn grab hold”, stop the train, stop and write down priorities and what is really important to you! Right now for me it is important to stop being so involved in everything and regroup and gain control over the little things like cookbooks in my home.  This makes me happy, it makes me a better wife and mother, and it makes me a better Lynn.

I need to limit my “yes I can”…”sure I can add that to my schedule” etc.…. My husband and I sat down this week and reviewed what I need to tweak and reorganize in my life to satisfy both myself and our family. I must say that my life is not my own. My husband due to health issues cannot drive, and my son is too young and has autism and is not able to drive. So this puts me as the only driver. So the times where I would like to stay at home and get things done but they need to get to an event, puts me back in the drivers seat so my schedule becomes overloaded at times and not by choice. So updating my schedule, will not necessarily be an easy task with all that I need to include. And I go back to the verse in Proverbs… A wise woman builds her home and the Lord says if you lack wisdom ASK.  So I can pray, I can wait for the Lord to direct my steps, I can receive counsel from my husband and review my family’s needs and be the wise woman in my home that I have been called out to be! 

Hopefully….some of these changes in my life and schedule will allow me to blog and share some goodies along my life’s journey with you.  I still go back to my claim to fame….”I found my norm and it is a moving target”.  This seems to be a never ending reality in my life. Read my blog post about this if you haven’t already.

I would love to hear your comments where your life has brought you, and the changes that you have been able to make. What steps did you take along the way? Leave a comment below, and thank you for visiting with me today! 

 

Lynn A. C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother

 

 

 

 

 

Planner = sanity = a better me…..

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file_000I am a creative person in most everything that I do!!  I love to create new recipes, decorate my home and then redecorate it again and again. And who can forget….scrap-booking, tole painting, card making, any type of paper crafting, quilling, quilting and so many other wonderful outlets.

With being a wife of an Epileptic husband and a mom of an Autistic son…. my days do not always allow me the time or frame of mind to create in the above areas that I mentioned.  I also work full-time and home-school our youngest…while doing that, I am also involved in support groups, and many ministries in and outside of my home. So a planner is a practical tool for me…. but also a much-needed outlet for me.  But I have now learned to enjoy on a smaller scale the joy of be part of the planner community and to decorate my planner.  This is an outlet that can allow me to create on days when I need to do  mindless work, and a simple creative opportunity.

To some of my family and friends…they find this just plan nuts!!!  I have always used a planner since my first job and the start of my career.  Even back then 30 years+ ago…I would add a sticker, or doodle in it with a flower or two.  I loved the look when I would open my calendar and see the art work next to the event or schedule I needed to attend.

Move forward 30+ years….and the planner community has allowed me a whole new way to create.  Are you part of it?  Have you been bitten by the planner bug?  file_004Does the smell of stickers and does pen ink excite you?  Is going to the Dollar Tree and finding a new sickly note a highlight of your day…..well it is for me and many others. Just watching my Facebook groups with new hauls and new items from Etsy and the “DT”….is so much fun.

I will share in another blog post the breakdown of my planners and how I currently use them….but this was just a quick preview of what I like to use for my daily planner. My work schedule, my daily activities, my to-do list and other misc. dates to remember are in my Mini Happy Planner.  This is a new style of planner for me this year and I am loving it!!!!!!

Here are a few pics of some of my favorite items and a picture of a before and after for both a monthly and weekly spread before the pen.file_000

Reply below and tell me how you use your planner…..what items do you like to use in it?  What is your favorite pen to use? Oh yes send pics too!!!!!

 

Lynn A.C. Wilson – Resume of a Mother