Lost Month

Greetings to the faithful readers I have! I didn't realize it's been a month since I last wrote. It's been a crazy month. We finally have a diagnosis for Jeremy-Sensory Processing Disorder. In a nutshell, he doesn't process the world in the same way those around him do. He has started occupational therapy and is still doing behavioral/cognitive therapy. We are not sure if he will need to be medicated, but so far he does not.

We just went to have his kindergarten evaluation. It was great for him to see his school, his (probable) classroom, his (probable) locker, etc. We were able to meet some of the staff and we ran into my dad. He is a resource teacher at the school where my kids will be attending. It's extremely reassuring and a huge blessing to have him there. He is Jeremy's anchor and I know for sure my kids will have an extra advocate in their corner.

We found out that we are receiving a waiver for the full-day kindergarten fees. This is a huge blessing and answer to prayer. District 47 (our district) just started full-day kindergarten. We know Jeremy will benefit from it because he loves the structure. I am no longer capable of providing enough structure for him at home. (We've only been on summer break for two weeks and it's wearing on him that we don't have a schedule. In turn, it wears on me.) The roadblock was the cost--$135 a month. We are in such a precarious financial position that it might have taken us over the edge. Now that we don't have to worry about that cost, we are able to breathe a sigh of relief.

I started a new business venture. I am a demonstrator for The Grain Pantry. I go into people's homes and bake for them. In doing so, I show them how easy it is to integrate whole grains into their family's diet. It's been revolutionary in our family's home, that's for sure. I've already sold some machines and have some more parties booked. I love it because it's really not about selling the machines, it's about educating people. I'm already out of my comfort zone and I've been doing this for less than a month. This is good because I am being stretched but it's bad because I'm being stretched. It's stressing me out a bit but I know that God has my back. I really feel led by Him to do this and so I know that He's going to take care of me. I'm just making sure to do the footwork.

I am down about 15 pounds since the beginning of the year. It is painful how slow it's going, but I am trying very hard to stick with it. This week, I have ramped up my cardio workouts. I'm trying to add a short workout into my morning and then also do a longer workout in the afternoon. So far, the kids have been mostly cooperative. The scale's not budging, but I know I'm doing the right things and sometimes it just takes time.

Summer hasn't been so kind to us lately! I was really hoping I could send the kids outside to play in the backyard more, but the weather hasn't been conducive. I am hopeful that it will start to warm up a bit and I will be able to let them out more. In the meantime, I am grateful that we won't have astronomical electric bills this year.

I am going to do better this month than last at sitting and writing. Between the stress of launching my business, dealing with Jeremy and my ongoing battle with depression, it's been tough to do more than just put one foot in front of the other. I'm feeling like this will help me process those things. Let's see if I can be consistent.