Life Lately

This week has been super busy. I had some sort of plan (or more than one thing planned) every day this week. I was really nervous going into the week, but it turned out to be a very great week!

My last several posts have been processing through things, and I feel like now I’m just excited to share about life!

I feel like maybe I’ve turned a corner with my mental health. I don’t know if it’s because of the ADHD meds that I am now taking, or if it’s because it’s March. Even the cold snowy/icy days the past couple of days didn’t affect my mood!

My Nurse Practitioner put me on an extended release ADHD medication (Concerta) last week, and I haven’t noticed side effects! I’m also not 100% sure if they are fully working, but I’m getting there for sure. I’m not on the highest dose yet that I can be on. It’s a slow process. I’ll be on this dose for 2 weeks, then I’ll go up. I feel like maybe my brain is getting the dopamine that it needs lately, or at least closer to the amount that it needs! I’m not depressed anymore, and my anxiety hasn’t been too bad! It is so wonderful.

I’ve been getting back into a solid workout routine, my diet is slowly improved (trying not to be perfect with this, but sustainable). I feel like maybe I will be successful at consistency in movement and food after struggling for a while. I am working out about 5 days per week, and I’ve started using Cronometer again to make sure I’m getting enough protein and fruits and veggies. My evenings consist of working out, taking bedtime meds, showering, brushing and flossing, skin care, and reading before bed. It’s such a great routine, but it can be hard on the nights that we get home late! I’ll get there.

I’ve spent a lot of time with friends this week, and this morning I worked the snow-tubing hill here at camp! It was a great workout and so fun. It’s so beautiful outside right now.

We picked up a free treadmill last weekend. It has been the best thing ever. It gets used daily (by myself and my boys), and has been a game-changer for me. I have an air bike, but I prefer running which is hard in the winter here! I love it! It has pre-programmed “trail runs” that Ethan has been using. I’ve been using it for Street Parking workouts. I love it! Ethan has started working out daily! He is doing Street Parking now, and he uses the treadmill almost daily!

Karis and I enjoyed a day of thrifting last week! This was part of her birthday. I got her an amazing China set that she is so proud of. I love that these are the kinds of things that she looks for when she shops! I also got quite a few books and some watercolor paints and brushes.

We also got a new-to-us car! We paid cash for a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. It has low mileage for the age, and the car is in really great shape. It has a third row, all leather, 4WD, is very clean, heated steering wheel and seats, and when we looked it up through Carfax, we noticed that it was very well taken care of with all of the maintenance accounted for. The third row is folded down under the mound of mats in these pics. I have since put the mats in the car and folded the third row back up. The books just need to go back to the library. They’ve been going from car to car. Haha.

Thursday night, we had an amazing dinner with our sweet friends who live down the road! Then the next day, they came over to our house so the girls could enjoy a tea party for Karis’s birthday (a week early). We love our new friends! And K’s birthday tea party went so well!

Lately Ethan has been saying that he wants to go into the military after high school and become an engineer (with the military paying for his education). Or maybe ROTC in college. We will see! This is HUGE if you know his history. He has realized lately that he has the ability to work hard and do what he wants to do. He went up a level in math and is basically doing math every day to get “caught up” and plans to until he graduates. I got a little intro to Engineering curriculum, and it looks awesome! I have only made booklets out of the first two modules out of 9. I think he’s going to enjoy it and learn a lot. His adhd is more stabilized than ever before. He has been working on habits. He reads his Bible by choice. It has been so cool to see his growth over the past few months.

I’ve created curriculum for the boys for the next several weeks using multiple resources. I LOVE making my own curriculum. I never feel good about any of the purchased stuff as is… so I have decided to make it work for us. This isn’t everything… and those top books are just what I was using to meal plan. The Professional Chef and Engineering curricula were purchased and just printed and bound. Karis’s curriculum isn’t pictured, because she still had some for a bit. I’m working on hers now. I will be doing a “series” on how I create my curriculum soon. I have been posting about it on Instagram as well!

I’m slowly getting back into the things that I enjoy! But also just figuring out what that looks like for me now. Last week, I made some sourdough, bottled up some kombucha and made some more, and made homemade lavender creamer. But I also really enjoy Coke Zero!

I feel more level than I have in a while. I tend to be VERY up and down. My days mostly involve me being on an emotional roller coaster. But I’m getting to where I want to be… one day at a time! I wish I had known years ago that I had ADHD. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 at one point because of my emotional dysregulation, and I have more hyper moments. My current Nurse Practitioner basically says how clear my ADHD is every time I meet with her. There is definitely trauma there and some other struggles, but I had no idea how much ADHD could affect my whole life. So much makes sense now.

I’m loving where we are now. It has taken time to adjust, and that’ll be happening for a while I’m sure, but we are getting into a routine. We love living in the mountains, living close to grocery stores, church, and having so many resources. It is a huge blessing. I also have great friends already which I didn’t see happening so quickly! I hate that I had such a deep depression for a little over a month, but I’m just excited about what’s to come!