I definitely overdid yesterday, but it was so worth getting the stuff done and out of here! However, I couldn't stand completely upright this morning. So after we got the kids off to school, I took another muscle relaxant and slept. I felt much better after waking up, and I've actually been able to get quite a bit of laundry done today. I have plenty more to do, but I'll do one last load before I go to bed just to get it out of the way.
I have to admit that when I've needed inspiration, I've gone in the girls' room a couple of times today. It proved to me I can do this. I'll be glad when more of my house is inspirational. It will be in time. I did take before pictures of the girls' room, and I will eventually post them. I'll probably end up posting 'after the after pictures', too. You know...after I've finally gotten around to painting the bedroom and getting it all dolled up like I have it in my mind.
Tomorrow will be a busy day. Our middle daughter has a physical in the morning. When we're done with that, we'll come back to the house and get her younger sister ready for her doctor appointment. She has a Mickey Mouse shaped mole on her thigh. We're of course hoping it's just that she has a couple of moles really close together instead of anything more serious. My brother had a malignant melanoma removed several years ago, and he's fine now, but that's some scary stuff!
It's off to bed for me. Beauty sleep does me no good, so I'll just opt for health sleep. :)
Compulsive hoarding is a mental disorder that is just beginning to be understood. As a hoarder, I have acquired things over the years with a specific purpose in mind at the time of the acquisition, used some of those items for their intended purposes, forgotten the goal for different objects, but now that I find that they have outlived their purpose in my life I am struggling to rid myself of those same things.
You can read the start of my journey here.
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Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
I. Am. SO. Impressed.
We had a Monday Morning Meltdown before school today. Our middle daughter was upset she couldn't help her younger sister get ready for school and raged for a full 30 minutes. Her meltdowns are brutal. She gets right in your face, turns different shades of red and purple and yells, "NO!" as though she's been through a self-defense class and has actually been attacked. The yelling and crying is accompanied by clenched fists and the occasional hop up and down as she tries to get herself together.
She tries to keep herself under control and not hit me, but this morning she was so angry she shoved me by the shoulders while I was sitting down. I felt her fingerprints for several hours due to the fibromyalgia. The meltdown lasted lasted for 30 minutes straight. There is no talking with her. No reasoning. She is out of control when it happens. When anyone does try to say anything to her they are met with an ear piercing, "NO!" If she starts moving towards her little sister, one of us moves between them. She's never attacked her sister (only me and her dad once), but we know she could do serious damage, if she did.
We're breathing a collective sigh of relief that it's over. We're hoping it means she's done with meltdowns for another month. We're hopeful that by then the Theanine will have reached it's full potential, and she won't have another episode. That sounds... heavenly.
Her meltdowns drain me physically and mentally both. So this morning, I went back to bed for awhile after we got the girls off to school. When I woke up, I got busy in their bedroom. When they got home from school, I had our middle daughter help me finish things up. Then all 3 of us went through almost everything that had been in the bedroom and sorted it.
Our youngest, who is non-verbal would sign her version of "finished", if she no longer wanted an item. She put the toys she wanted to keep in a basket. Our middle daughter is verbal, but she does struggle with words and how to say things. So if she didn't want to keep something, she'd say, "Keep it. NO more!" and wave her hands in her way of she was done with it.
I was in shock and so very, very proud of them. I made sure I told them. Often! They easily got rid of 2/3 of their toys! (1 huge box that we sorted when my mom was here that was 2' cubed, another box that was at 75% the size of the first box, a big black garbage bag of toys (I ran out of boxes) plus a sizable box of wooden blocks. They also got rid of at least 15 pair of shoes, flip flops or slippers.
Things that they were never able to part with before were gladly put in the box of toys to donate. The hardest thing for me to see go was a little die cast dump truck with Big Bird at the wheel. It was our oldest's favorite toy when she was tiny. All 3 of the girls played and played with it, and I was shocked when our middle daughter said, "Keep it NO more!" It's the only thing they got rid of that I thought twice about.
And I've thought more than twice about it. It's one of only 3 or 4 times I've had physical symptoms when getting rid of something. I'm still contemplating having it returned to me. I have slight heart palpitations knowing it's gone, and my mind keeps wandering and wondering, if I made the right choice to give it away. I may just ask the person who has it now, if they'd mind taking a picture of it and emailing me the picture. I really should have done that before I let it go out the door, but I didn't want the girls to see me struggle with it. I didn't want them to see me search through everything they'd given up only to retrieve it.
Our oldest and her husband came over, loaded all that we'd gone through into the back of our car, and dropped it off at my friend's house for her and her kids to go through and take what they wanted. They will pass along what they don't want to friends or family or donate it for me.
It is no longer my problem.
Yay!
I am so excited and happy about dehoarding their bedroom. I still have to clean out the closet and a small toy box, but compared to what we've already gotten rid of, that ain't nothin' but a thing!
And I am so impressed with the girls and how they shone that I don't have adequate words!
She tries to keep herself under control and not hit me, but this morning she was so angry she shoved me by the shoulders while I was sitting down. I felt her fingerprints for several hours due to the fibromyalgia. The meltdown lasted lasted for 30 minutes straight. There is no talking with her. No reasoning. She is out of control when it happens. When anyone does try to say anything to her they are met with an ear piercing, "NO!" If she starts moving towards her little sister, one of us moves between them. She's never attacked her sister (only me and her dad once), but we know she could do serious damage, if she did.
We're breathing a collective sigh of relief that it's over. We're hoping it means she's done with meltdowns for another month. We're hopeful that by then the Theanine will have reached it's full potential, and she won't have another episode. That sounds... heavenly.
Her meltdowns drain me physically and mentally both. So this morning, I went back to bed for awhile after we got the girls off to school. When I woke up, I got busy in their bedroom. When they got home from school, I had our middle daughter help me finish things up. Then all 3 of us went through almost everything that had been in the bedroom and sorted it.
Our youngest, who is non-verbal would sign her version of "finished", if she no longer wanted an item. She put the toys she wanted to keep in a basket. Our middle daughter is verbal, but she does struggle with words and how to say things. So if she didn't want to keep something, she'd say, "Keep it. NO more!" and wave her hands in her way of she was done with it.
I was in shock and so very, very proud of them. I made sure I told them. Often! They easily got rid of 2/3 of their toys! (1 huge box that we sorted when my mom was here that was 2' cubed, another box that was at 75% the size of the first box, a big black garbage bag of toys (I ran out of boxes) plus a sizable box of wooden blocks. They also got rid of at least 15 pair of shoes, flip flops or slippers.
Things that they were never able to part with before were gladly put in the box of toys to donate. The hardest thing for me to see go was a little die cast dump truck with Big Bird at the wheel. It was our oldest's favorite toy when she was tiny. All 3 of the girls played and played with it, and I was shocked when our middle daughter said, "Keep it NO more!" It's the only thing they got rid of that I thought twice about.
And I've thought more than twice about it. It's one of only 3 or 4 times I've had physical symptoms when getting rid of something. I'm still contemplating having it returned to me. I have slight heart palpitations knowing it's gone, and my mind keeps wandering and wondering, if I made the right choice to give it away. I may just ask the person who has it now, if they'd mind taking a picture of it and emailing me the picture. I really should have done that before I let it go out the door, but I didn't want the girls to see me struggle with it. I didn't want them to see me search through everything they'd given up only to retrieve it.
Our oldest and her husband came over, loaded all that we'd gone through into the back of our car, and dropped it off at my friend's house for her and her kids to go through and take what they wanted. They will pass along what they don't want to friends or family or donate it for me.
It is no longer my problem.
Yay!
I am so excited and happy about dehoarding their bedroom. I still have to clean out the closet and a small toy box, but compared to what we've already gotten rid of, that ain't nothin' but a thing!
And I am so impressed with the girls and how they shone that I don't have adequate words!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
A thrilling Sunday.
Hubby made it home safe and sound, although he endured snow, rain and drowsiness after only getting 4 hours sleep before he left. The trip that took him only 9.5 hours to make on Friday took over 11 hours to finish today. I told him that I'd much rather it take him longer to get here and for him to get back home safely than for him to hurry and get in an accident.
So he's home safe. The kids are thrilled he's home. I'm thrilled he's back. And he's beyond thrilled he's not sitting in a low-slung car that feels like you're trying to get out of a hammock when you exit the vehicle. He hurts from sitting and driving for so many hours straight, which is understandable.
So now, he's sitting on a very firm couch that supports his aching bones and doesn't make one feel like they're stuck in a hammock enjoying some well-earned rest. As soon as I hit 'send', I'll be sitting there with him.
Hope you've all had a thrilling Sunday like we have! :)
So he's home safe. The kids are thrilled he's home. I'm thrilled he's back. And he's beyond thrilled he's not sitting in a low-slung car that feels like you're trying to get out of a hammock when you exit the vehicle. He hurts from sitting and driving for so many hours straight, which is understandable.
So now, he's sitting on a very firm couch that supports his aching bones and doesn't make one feel like they're stuck in a hammock enjoying some well-earned rest. As soon as I hit 'send', I'll be sitting there with him.
Hope you've all had a thrilling Sunday like we have! :)
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