Thankful in 2017 - Day 4

I love spending each November taking the time to be thankful for my life. This year, I decided to do a blog version instead of just posting my thoughts on Facebook.

Day 4 - Coffee

A cool, cloudy day requires coffee. Getting an 11yo off to middle school in the early morning requires coffee. The afternoon slump requires coffee. A cozy evening in front of the fireplace requires coffee... or wine... but that's another post. A bright, sunny morning requires coffee. A snowy afternoon requires coffee.

LIFE requires coffee. Period. And I am thankful for coffee sustaining my life.

Thankful in 2017 - Day 3

I love spending each November taking the time to be thankful for my life. This year, I decided to do a blog version instead of just posting my thoughts on Facebook.

Day 2 - Music

Sometimes the thing that brings you joy as a child becomes a lifelong love affair. From a toddler with a plastic piano and Smurf guitar, to an adult with multiple instruments, music has shaped every facet of my life. Everyday I have the honor to make music, share music, gift music and be surrounded by music. And now my boys are a part of that same musical world... by choice! I am eternally thankful for music.

Thankful in 2017 - Day 2

I love spending each November taking the time to be thankful for my life. This year, I decided to do a blog version instead of just posting my thoughts on Facebook.

Day 2 - My Sons

Sometimes frustrating, always loving, my boys are my world. They are opposite from each other, and in some ways opposite from me! But it works in some mystical, magical way.

The older one is my quiet, thoughtful guy... except when he chooses to be LOUD! He is officially a tween-ager this year and is keeping me on my toes. I never know where our conversations will end up, and I am often left wondering if I answered his questions appropriately and adequately. Some days, real life is too real and I wonder how I can possibly guide him through these teenage, chaotic years while protecting the caring, sweet boy he is. So far, we have a wonderful relationship and I hope that survives the next few years.

The younger one is my artistic, talkative kid who tests my patience with how many times I can hear "...and also, Mom..." in one day! He dreams big and has even bigger emotions, which is wonderful and challenging in many different ways. He is always doing something creative and wears his heart on his sleeve. I love listening to him sing in the shower... it's a free show multiple times a week!

Although there are days where I just want ONE HOUR of peace, I would not want my days to look any different than they do.

Thankful in 2017 - Day 1

I love spending each November taking the time to be thankful for my life. This year, I decided to do a blog version instead of just posting my thoughts on Facebook.

Day One - My Family

It seems cliche to start with being thankful for my family, however here we are. I was thinking how today is la Dia de los Muertos and how I have family members who are no longer with me. This does not diminish the impact they had on my life; it only intensifies how grateful I am they were a meaningful part of it. 

Lessons from My Grandparents: spend time with family, be there for your family member, work honestly, love unconditionally, no one leaves hungry, homemade is heart-made, all time together is quality time, silence can be comforting, and back scratching is heaven.

Lessons from My Dad: humor works wonders, girls can do anything, crying is normal, a "boo" can be the best sound during applause, follow your heart, boys suck, and a bag of crunchy Cheetos can cure most ails.

Fighting the Summer "Slide"

This summer, I was determined to give my almost-first grader and almost fourth-grader a daily routine that included academic activities to beat the Summer Slide.

Are you familiar with the "Summer Slide?" It is the concept that students forget valuable information over the summer, causing the teachers to re-teach concepts in the fall that were already covered in the spring.

Our daily routine combined academics with the opportunity to earn electronics. I asked my boys to complete 30-minutes each of math, writing, and reading (at appropriate levels) and in return they earned an electronic activity, such as a YouTube video or video game time. Each day they could also complete either the math (using IXL Math or ABCya) or the writing (using Scribblenauts) electronically. We went to library weekly to replenish the selection of books for reading time.

Overall it went well. My oldest would occasionally complain that summer was for "relaxing" and not doing school work, however the routine of the plan worked well for him. He's they kind of kid who would happily watch TV, play video games, or watch YouTube videos all day if we did not give him set guidelines. The youngest happily followed the routine and would often go to the schedule posted on the fridge to check "what's next."

School starts in just a few days for my kids, so we will see how much of the Summer Slide we prevented. How about you? What works well for you to prevent the Summer Slide? Comment with your ideas below.

Bringing You Up to Date

So, it has been almost a year since I last posted and A LOT has changed... let me bring you up to date.

I have resigned, after 12 years, from teaching public school music and am now a staff member at a community music school.

As the Program Manager, my staff duties include managing the programs (classes, camps, workshops, etc.) and faculty details & needs, as well as tech duties such as social media and website management. I also teach flute lessons for all ages and Musikgarten classes for newborns through 9-years old. I have been a faculty member for this music school since 2011, and I am really enjoying my new tasks and duties.

I firmly believe in music education being available to everyone. Over the past year I have worked with the Executive Director of the music school to increase financial aid assistance for families, to expand our outreach programs of low-cost and no-cost music classes & lessons for local students, and to work with faculty members to create interesting classes, camps, and workshops.

The transition has had challenges: setting up a new routine with my children, adjusting to my new schedule, and revamping our budget to fit the new income. Last year when the calendar read "August," I kept feeling that I was forgetting to do something... as any teacher can tell you, August is when we start planning for the new year of teaching. This year is not so bad, although my social media feeds are full of teacher memes ;)

Since I am a big fan of Jimmy Fallon, here is a short list of Pros and Cons of this transition:

Do you have any Pros & Cons to add to my list? Comment with them below :)

I have lots of great ideas and thoughts to share, I just need to have better habits at sitting down to write a post... and I promise not to wait too long ;)

Hashi's and Me: my experience with a thyroid disease (part 3)

I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, an incurable autoimmune disease that involves the thyroid gland. In a series of 3 posts, I am going to detail my experience with this disease to date. It is my hope to raise awareness and understanding of the disease, as well as provide a bit of support to fellow sufferers. I am not an expert or a medical practitioner; I am simply a person who is trying to live with this disease.

Part 1 covers the When: the timeline of my diagnosis.
Part 2 covers the What: definitions, descriptions, and symptoms.
Part 3 will cover the How: resources I have used and methods of maintenance I have attempted.

How do I treat Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

There is not a straight-forward answer to this. No clear-cut path to healthy living. Every person with this disease experiences a different assortment of the common symptoms (refer to Part 2 for the list), plus they often experience a symptom or two that is not common. This may also be combined with other illnesses and diseases with additional symptoms. And the treatment method varies from doctor to doctor. I often wonder if instead of treating this as a thyroid disease, the doctors should instead treat this as an autoimmune disease. Would that make a difference?

From the time of my diagnosis in 2006 until 2013, I put complete faith in my primary care doctor and then in my endocrinologist that I was being given the best care possible. But years of monitoring my blood-work and adjusting Synthroid was helping with the levels, but I was still not feeling healthy and then symptoms seemed out of my control. When my daily exhaustion became too much to bear, when I had to keep two sets of clothing to compensate for the 20 pound roller-coaster every 6 months, when snapping at my children became more than just unacceptable, I realized I needed something more.

On a visit to my primary care doctor for a separate issue, I asked her if she could recommend a dietician or nutritionist who could help me to regulate my symptoms through food and supplements. Surprisingly, she sent me to a health food store to speak with the owner. I went immediately to the store following my appointment and had a great chat with the owner, who is diagnosed with Graves disease. We commiserated over our symptoms and she handed me iodine, chelated zinc, b12, selenium and natural thyroid. Over the next 2 days, I noticed an immediate change in my energy level and mood swings. I continued taking these for the next few months. At my next endocrinologist appointment, I brought along this list of supplements to share with her... and she essentially told me that she did not support some of it. She told me to immediately stop using the iodine and just rely on iodized salt. She told me to stop using the natural thyroid due the risk of allergic reaction. She "allowed" me to continue the other supplements as long as they were making me feel better, and she did recommend the best times of day to take them for best results.

Over the past year, I have debated these supplements. Sometimes I stop taking them for a few weeks when I doubt they are actually helping with my symptoms. Then when my symptoms are annoying enough I take them again. I have also done online research for what else I can do to help manage my symptoms. Of course, there are many contradictory articles (broccoli or no broccoli, for example) so it is still hit or miss whether the advice will help me with my symptoms. But I'm willing to try.

Sometimes it is extremely challenging to follow one of the recommended food plans. I am primarily pescatarian (veggies, fish, eggs, but no meat, mainly because meat does not agree with my gut) so then eliminating other items really limits my food choices. There was a moment this past spring that I honestly felt there was nothing I could eat!! Currently, I am attempting to be dairy-free, soy-free and gluten-free as much as possible, as well as avoiding many of the veggies mentioned in the second link below. There are still some days that I feel it would be easier not to eat than to figure out something I can eat.

So feel free to pick and choose from the following resources. I have read MANY more articles regarding thyroid disease and treatments, however most repeat the same info or are useless. Some of the useful info I have tried, and some I want to try in the near future. I have set an appointment with a new endocrinologist in 3 weeks; perhaps I will get some new/better advice to try. If you have a resource worth sharing, please comment with the link and your experience. Good luck and stay hopeful!

Bauman College Holistic Nutrition: Scroll down and there is advice on food & supplement choices, as well as an excellent list of books and additional websites.

Jill Grunewald, Holistic Nutrition Coach: Set-up as questions and answers, scroll down for food & supplement suggestions.

Stop the Thyroid Madness: Lots of info on understanding thyroid test results and available treatment options (this site promotes natural desiccated thyroid). There are also 2 books available to purchase.