I'm Baaaack! What happened?? Let me tell you all about it.

Where the heck have I been? Please refer all ** marks to Disclosure statement at the bottom of my post, also feel free to visit my Disclosure Page on the bar on the right hand side of my blog. Links may be included in this post. Summary: Just an update on why I've been offline the past few months, and content I'm working on now. There is not a specific autism-related topic in my post today. Hello again! I know, It's been a couple months since I've posted anything, even a vlog on YouTube. But why? I'll get into all that below, but first, here is what I'm working on for the time being: Pictures and stories from our vacation at Disney World! 😀 I've decided to start a weight-loss regime, and I'm going to share all about it. 👍 Maddex has a diagnosis, it's about time! A couple random experiences I've had in the past few months, and those are worth sharing also. An editorial calendar! Wouldn't that be nice? 👀 And finally, I would like to create a new background or color scheme for my blog - just not sure what yet. But I'm brainstorming on it. Okay, here's what happened: My doctor prescribed me a different medication due to some side effects I had with the previous medication. The new medication caused extreme fatigue and I was sleeping for about 12 hours a night, along with a 3 hour nap during the afternoon. I barely had time to keep up with daily chores around the house. Who cares about a clean house anyway, right? The kiddos are always my #1 priority, and after taking care of them all day, I was exhausted. I did what I had to do as a mom, and rested as much as I could. After a month of being tired all the time, Andy pointed out that I had a terrible cough; I really didn't notice it since I have allergies anyway, which includes pollen and dust. Once I developed some pain in my ribs while coughing, I decided to see the doctor. I'll admit, once I realized how serious my cough was, I did get scared. The doctor tested me for mono along with pneumonia, which I (luckily) did not have. After a full physical exam, 2 blood panels, and a chest x-ray, she determined I had a severe sinus infection. I was dumbfounded. I've had sinus infections before, and this one was different. I didn't have any sinus pressure in my face - and it just did NOT feel like a head cold. It felt like severe allergies. I could not believe this! She prescribed some antibiotics, and after I finished them the cough and allergy-like symptoms were gone. I am really not sure how I even got the sinus infection. It could have been from the airplane ride home from Florida, or from an old bottle of Flonase I used for my allergies. I threw it away, and will not reuse allergy medication if it's been sitting for a while, just to be safe from now on. As I said, I was extremely fatigued, which led to skipping the gym. That, along with all the food we ate in Disney World (which was not at all healthy to eat burgers and stuff for a whole week) caused some weight gain. Also, the new medication I am on caused some weight gain - every week I was putting on at least one pound. And as I was already feeling pretty crappy about myself, I had a few too many drive thru trips to Culvers. As of the beginning of October, I've started a new weight-loss regime, and so far I'm not losing any weight, but I'm not putting on extra pounds either. I heard sometimes it takes quite a while for the pounds to drop, so I'm just being patient, hoping things start to change soon. (Fingers crossed!) Also I started taking caffeine pills to keep me awake during the day, and Melatonin during the evening to help me sleep. Andy suggested I try it, and even though I've given the kids Melatonin for sleep, I never thought to try it myself. Sometimes I'm so silly. I still sleep sometimes 12 hours a night, but I am no longer napping, and I'm looking into some ideas on how to wake up earlier. Even with alarms on my phone, or our wind up alarm clock with the huge bells on it, I'll wake up, and then fall back asleep! For a while it was very frustrating. Now I've accepted that for whatever reason, my body wants more sleep, and I'm going to keep researching until I find something that works. I cannot stress enough how important self-care is. I neglected my body which in turn led to depressing thoughts, and it all became a sad cycle of binge-eating junk food. I will be posting on my weight-loss regime soon, I don't want to spill the tea already. I am getting back into a self-care routine, and there is no longer a black cloud lingering over me wherever I go.  What's going on with us this week? I really like including this section in each post. It keeps you all updated on my family life, and I really enjoy sharing what we have been up to! Since I haven't posted an update for a while, I'll start with the end of August and go from there. And then we are all caught up. August: Went to Disney World, that's a whole post in itself. Attended open houses for school. These always go so quick and are so crazy! Honestly I was glad to go home that day, it was hectic in both of the boys' schools! Went to a water park with the kids and Maddex learned that he cannot go down the water slides on his own. I told him he was not tall enough, and being a little curious boy, of course he didn't listen, and the lifeguard had to rescue him as he cannot swim. He learned his lesson, and now knows he must go with a trusted adult, and to listen to his mother. 😉  September: IEP meetings for both kiddos - they went well. Both schools use Google Docs and email frequently, which is more convenient in my opinion, and I love the option to print the doc if need be for doctor appointments or family curious on how the boys are doing. It's easy to stay in the loop and makes communicating a lot easier. I didn't get to see Andy much in September. 😟 One of his co-workers had a baby (Congrats Drew and Shannon! She's so adorable!), so Andy picked up a few shifts a week to cover for him. As his co-worker was off work for 6 weeks of paternity leave, this was quite a long time to not see each other much. At the time he only had one day a week off, which we both enjoyed together to the fullest. I love Andy so much. My mother and I took Carter to a petting zoo which was very short-lived. Carter developed some stomach cramps, so we got him some Pepto Bismol and they cleared up. He had been having some problems with bowel movements lately, and on a hunch I bought him some fiber one bars. I started sending them along with him for a school snack each day, and he's been much better. October so far: Bought the kid's Halloween costumes - Carter is going to be a creeper from Minecraft and Maddex is going to be a warrior dude from Halo. They both loved these and I cant wait to take them trick-or-treating 🙆 Started my weight-loss regime. I've mentioned this already but it's an update. Went to a fall festival with my mother, sister, nephew, Andy, and Carter. We all had a great time and Carter even won a gift card to Jimmy John's. Maddex finally has been diagnosed, which I will include in another future post. And finally, I'm back on here, with a new blog post. I plan to post a vlog soon, just not sure for what yet. I'll figure it out.. My closing thoughts It's good to be back. I was a bit nervous to come back on, I thought I would lose my followers on twitter and one subscriber I had on YouTube; actually, I have more followers now, and another subscriber! I just want to take a moment to thank you all for your support, I am glad I have my blog and channel, and I will be posting more often from here on out. Self-care is important, with my post today you can see why it's necessary for wellness. That's all for today. Follow me on social media to stay in the know how of my posts and vlogs. Thank you all for reading, I really appreciate your support! Have a great day 💓 **Disclosure: Reviews of products & referenced links are not sponsored by any affiliates and are solely the opinion of the Author; these are strictly opinions and honest advice, which should not be considered consumer or health guidelines. The Autism Soup and/or The Author are not responsible for any injuries or damage due to procedures listed above. Please consult with your doctor in regards to health concerns.