Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day!  Mother’s Day is a bit different for me, as I usually have people feeding me anyway!

 

I keep being asked about what my favorite thing about my new home is…the thing that is my favorite changes from week to week, but what doesn’t change, is how it has increased my independence.  When we moved, a big reason was to make our home more accessible, cuz I’d “outgrown” our old home, & I was  banging into walls & things, as I tried to do more.  So our new home has wider spaces & hallways, & bigger & more open rooms—for example, I can TURN in our pantry!  Other ways I have discovered increased independence:

  • Drawers have been used a lot in my craft room, so I can do many things on my own in there now!
  • We have a “smart home”, so I can use my iPad to turn lights on/off, a TV on/off, regulate a thermostat if needed, see who’s at my front door & see in other places in my home, turn on music in rooms, etc.  I can even call people by name to certain rooms in our home!  While this is all great, what makes it even better is how this aids me as a mother—I can turn things down or off if my kids are being “kids,” I can turn off all the lights in our home if Mark is gone…& best of all, everything can be done from the comfort of my bed!
  • I love the kitchen because I can do SOOO much more in there now!  In fact, I just want to share that lately, I have fed myself 2 out of 3 meals!  It is so cool to feel hungry, & be able to go get myself food!  (That can be a good or a bad thing!)  I will share pictures of these 3 things that have made such a difference:
    • The sink—the spout is on the side, & it is touch-sensative, so I can finally wash my hands & some dishes (I actually like washing dishes, & since my kids think it’s gross to clean my cup out from my green smoothies, they are probably glad that I can do it now!)
    • The microwave—we have one down low, with a drawer, so I can do it– & I confess that at times I will cook popcorn in it, just cuz I can!
    • The fridge—it has a door I can use, but the best part is this has a drawer I can access, with things like fruit, veggies, hummus, babaganush,meals I can heat up, or eat cold…

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What program do you like for digital scrapbooking?

Adobe Photoshop Elements (PSE)

The last few months, I have focused on traditional scrapbooking, so be sure to check out the link on the right!

Recently, I did a “tradigital page”  (that is a page that includes digital & traditional aspects).  In the below picture of the page, most of it was done digitally: the word “baby” was pink, & said “our little baby”.  The crawling baby had pink PJs & a bow.  The words “big brother”, used to say “I’m a big brother.”  The pictures were dealt with traditionally, however, & put into flip pocket page protectors.

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(Note: the fudge wrapper was Zach’s “nursing pad”)

What is Locked In Syndrome?

“Locked In” is when a person is unable to move or speak, but their brain is 100% there, inside a body that can only communicate by blinking.    Maree Callis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3uEMyVnThI) explains it this way:

“I suffered a brainstem stroke which resulted in my being “locked in”. The best way for me to describe this type of stroke is to get you to picture a bridge over a river. On one side of the river you have “thinking” and on the other side you have “doing”. The bridge is the connector between the two. In my best Hollywood war jargon let me tell you – this stroke took the bridge out! This is a physical condition not a psychological condition. I am drug free, which leaves me with no brain cell loss. I have been blinking conversations for 17 years – this takes massive mental ability… I am 100% psychologically available.”

I struggle with 1 weak side on my body, & don’t know what to do.

I am not a doctor or therapist, but here’s a thought: have u tried e-stimulation?   (E-stimulation is recommended for soon after a stroke.)  However, if u can weakly move it, & u are just weak, but capable, so u may be interested in trying constraint therapy. It’d be super frustrating, but if you can somewhat move your weak side, it may be worth a shot! To do constraint therapy, u force yourself to use your “weak side”.  If it’s an arm that u want to start using, u might put your good arm in a sling & don’t use it — I think it takes at least 2 straight weeks–& it’ll build the muscles in the bad arm.