Thankfulness Thursday...On Thursday Even!

Usually giving myself permission to not do something makes it a little easier to get it done. So it's Thursday and here we are. What am I thankful for this week?

• I am thankful that Gus is not allergic to bee stings. We just learned this because he got stung by a bee yesterday at school. He seems perfectly calm about the whole thing - gotta love that aspie rationale ("it happens") and the ADHD lack of focus (really helps one to move on) sometimes!
• I am thankful that our camping trip last weekend went well, despite some overnight rain drama (everyone stayed dry - that's the important thing). We were at a new site and Gus got to wander into the woods a little further than normal to climb on an old rock wall that provided a whole weekend worth of entertainment. He respected the boundaries for the most part and gained a little freedom - go Gus!
• I am thankful that my neighbors didn't lodge complaints against my kids when they were complaining about other kids in the neighborhood, even though MM is sometimes out there playing with the rest of them. Some people seem to be of the opinion that children should not be allowed to play in their own back yards because, you know, noise. It's summertime, people! Lighten up! These kids are almost all (with the exception of 2 older siblings) aged 8 and under - they can't be kept indoors all summer, and why should they? They have as much right to utilize the space as grownups do. They aren't damaging property or causing any trouble - just playing ball with soft, rubber balls (the big ones you get in the supermarket for $2). Seriously? Many adults in this country need to get over themselves and need to learn a little tolerance. This was one time that Gus's challenges worked in his favor - he doesn't play ball or even play with the other kids and everyone knows this. So he can't be dragged into situations like this. MM plays outside, but rarely plays ball - she's usually on someone's deck or picking flowers or riding her bike. I'm still glad to have avoided the hassle, especially since one of the plaintiffs lives right next door to me. That would have been a drama I don't need!

What are you thankful for this week? There has to be something - it's summertime and the sun is shining (well, if it's not shining for you right this moment, it's shining somewhere). Leave a comment and spread the gratitude! Have a great day!

Weekend Update

I've gone far beyond the weekend, but it was so busy, this is the first chance I've had to update, and I'll have to be quick or there will be two hungry children gnawing on my kneecaps pretty soon.

Saturday we had a beautiful morning for soccer. Gus was a little sluggish because it's allergy season and the higher the pollen count, the more of a drain on his poor body resources. But he seemed to be having a good time with the dribbling drills and a short game afterward. Then it was off to our first birthday party of the weekend at a local playground. We ran into a little trouble because the park was so crowded, and he was already tired, he got overwhelmed and tried to go in every direction at once. With a coordinated tag-team effort, and a brief talking-to, he kept himself under control enough to let us know where he wanted to go if he was leaving the immediate area. One fun thing I observed was after a water balloon game. A bunch of kids were chasing after the hostesses' little brother with a large bucket of water. Instead of running away from the crowd, Gus got right in there and even helped carry the pail! The best part - no one was treating him any differently than the rest of the group. That was a great sight to see!

Sunday there was another party this time at one of the arcade restaurants. I was home working on the attic with my father-in-law (We rocked and got everything installed without any ER visits!) so I didn't get to see Gus at this party. I heard, however, that he is now hanging out in the bigger kid section playing video games. Gaming runs in his genes, so I'm not really surprised and am a bit relieved. He may have something to connect him to his peers after all!

We got back into the school day routine yesterday without any problem. I finally got to start on my book (meaning I stopped procrastinating)! Thanks to those of you who voted in my poll! What did you all do this weekend?

Tomorrow look out for a post on our dentist visit - I'm sure it will prove interesting!

Have a great night!



*image from CKSinfo.com

Burt's Bees for Eczema?

I may have mentioned in the past that Gus suffers from terrible eczema all summer long. Our recent brief heat wave caused a lovely, bumpy red flareup and he has been itchy ever since. I think I have tried about everything possible over the years: steroid creams and ointments, petroleum jelly, pure aloe vera gel, sesame oil, diet, oatmeal baths... You name it; we've tried it. We've typically had the best results with a combination of Aveeno lotion and petroleum jelly over it, but for a number of reasons I've kept searching for something to relieve the eczema that isn't petroleum based. I believe I may have found just the thing.

At one of the natural markets in our area, I had a conversation with a couple of the clerks about the situation. Initially I went in looking for Vitamin E oil. The problem we usually have with oil formulations is that many of them contain some sort of almond or other nut oils, which Gus's skin reacts to (he can eat nuts, just can't wear them). So I was leery about the Vitamin E (with almond oil). The clerk suggested Burt's Bees Apricot Oil and said that it worked wonders for her grandchild's eczema. It was pricey, but I thought it worth a shot.

I've used it only a couple of times on Gus - right after his bath at night and I've been amazed. Both times his skin was almost completely clear by the next morning. But since the weather also cooled off, I didn't want to get too excited. Then I tried it on MM last night. Because it cooled down, her rashes suddenly flared to the point that she had broken the skin on her wrist from scratching at school yesterday (yeah - the flareups come that fast). I rubbed her down with the apricot oil last night and the spot she'd scratched raw was not completely healed, but it was much, much better. The rash on the backs of her hands - almost completely gone. I'm convinced!

The only minor downside, and this is only for Gus, is that the oil is quite sweet smelling. Pretty is an appropriate description. The smell isn't bothering him; he just smells...pretty. But I'm confident that my 8 year old is secure enough in his boyhood to handle it, especially if it stops that darned itching without the greasy feeling of the other stuff!

Have you tried this oil for eczema? How has it worked for you?



Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link.

Funny Boy

Gus asked about his allergies and eczema last night. In the process of explaining exactly how each affects him so that he wouldn't worry (the anxiety was very evidently building) I forgot my good grammar skills and this is what came out of it:

"Every season, your allergies just make you a little itchy and runny and stuffy and cough-y..."

"Coffee? I'm too young for coffee!"

He then exploded into giggles. I've got a real wise guy on my hands. I love it!