Open Letter to the Crazy Lady Who Thinks ADHD is Curable Through Diet

Excuse me. I am sorry, but your ignorance is showing.

You can not clump everyone together and say it's diet. We have tried ruling out certain foods, we have tried including certain foods, I have tried it all. Then I stopped and accepted it was just my children's genes.

I am Bipolar, my husband has ADHD ( we didn't not realize this until our son was diagnosed. Too many similarities.) There are many family members with Asperger's  (High functioning Autism). Two of my children (if not all 3... My youngest is showing signs) have ADHD.  My son's ADHD is pretty severe and he has a mood disorder. My eldest daughter has all 3: ASPERGER's, ADHD and Bipolar. She calls herself a Trifecta. I thinks she's more like a triple threat!

If you think for a minute, I haven't tried it all, think again.  I too know enough and been through enough. All it has taught me, is that every person's situation is different and to judge others based on your experiences is nothing but ignorance. Diet does not cure true ADHD. It may elevate some symptoms in some people, but not all. And when you stop said diet, it all comes back. Ya. Not a cure.

BTW, some of us have to be "drugged for life" and are very happy said drugs exist. Without them, I would not be alive today. And, Thanks to those drugs, you wouldn't know my illness if you met me. You definitely wouldn't know I was "drugged." And for all that, I am beyond thankful.

So, you go right ahead and go to your expensive doc. Just don't preach about the pharmacy taking all my money. I spend less than you do and my kids are just as happy. But hey, if the diet is working for you? Awesome. To each their own.

Just don't think for minute you know what is best for me and my kids or Joe Blow and his. Because honey? You're clueless.

Sexism, Racism, and All Other Discriminatory Ism's Need to Just Stop! (Or... Rapper T.I. Said Whaaaat?)

Rapper T.I. on Hilary Clinton running for president:

“Just because every other position that exists, I think a woman could do well,” the “Whatever You Like“ rapper said. “But the president, it’s kind of like, I just know that women make rash decisions emotionally — they make very permanent, cemented decisions — and then later, it’s kind of like it didn’t happen or they didn’t mean for it to happen.” 

He later went on to say the world wasn't ready for a female president. That is exactly what people said about African Americans when President Obama ran. He's been in office for 8 years. *looks around* Planet hasn't imploded yet!

And, what the hell?!? Why is it OK to say that? It's not ok to say you don't want a particular race. Why gender? Why jump to the stereo type that all women are rash decision makers? Wtf? You could say the same about some men.

Honestly, this is why I can't handle discrimination. It sucks! Between being a woman and being disabled, I get it. Yes, some of the reasons are different. But really, the shit ass reasons are the same. Assumptions and stereotypes!! Don't assume you know a person based on what you see and have been told. Dont base it on what one or a hundred people did or did not do. Not all of us are the same!  Whether the person is black, white, tall, short, dark haired, light haired, blue eyed, black eyed, fat or thin, Democrat Republican, rapper, classical musician, hates all music, deaf, blind, disabled, able bodied, able minded, rich, poor, straight, LGBTQ, religious, atheist,  high IQ, low IQ, artistic inclined or can only scribble or any where in between.... they are unique.

You can not assume that all women are rash decision makers! Just like you can't assume that all whites are rascist or all blacks are hoodlums. (Or vice versa!) Or that everyone with a mental illness is dangerous. (Oh, ya knew I was going to throw that in there.)

I could keep going with this. I really could. But I won't.   Just do me a favor and stop the stereo types. Stop the aasumptions. Stop the double standards. It's all bullshit. All it does is perpetuate hate.

Note: Rapper T.I. did later sent out a tweet apologizing for what he said, saying it was "unequivocally insensitive and wrong." I'm think an apology is nice, but changing your way of thinking would be better.

Here is the link to where I got his quote and tweet from, if you would like to read more.

Now, me personally, I'd love to see a heavy set, rapping, disabled, Native American woman and her wife with several adopted children run for president. If anything, to see how many would pay attention to her platform. Forget the world not being ready. Why not make the world explode! Change is good.

Namaste y'all!

Would You Like Mayo With That?!?

Recently, I got an email from a great company informing me I would soon be receiving a package. That company was Influenster and that package was a VoxBox. Now, I have received a few such boxes in the past and have always been super happy with what I have found inside. Needless to say, I was truly excited. 

Reading further into the email, I realized it was for Hellmann's mayonnaise. Mayo? In a box? I was intrigued. Why would Hellmann's be sending mayo to testers on the West Coast? Hellmann's is an East Coast thing. Here Hellmann's goes by the name Best Food's. (You know, kind of like how Hardy's back East is Carl's Jr. here on in the West? Ya. Weird, but true.) I was doubting that was the reason for the VoxBox, but it did make me wonder. Eagerly, I waited for the box.

When it arrived, I ripped that sucker open like it was a chocolate Santa on Christmas morning. What could it be?!? A new flavor? A name change? New packaging?  AH!  NEW PACKAGING!!! So, naturally, I  whipped out my camera and conducted a full on photo shoot and unboxing video. Who wouldn't?

One New Blog and Almost a Year Later...

It has been a long time. I know. But, since the last time I posted, a lot has developed.  So as to keep this short, I will summarize in bullets.

* I turned 40.  Huge! I know!

* I started a new blog. In the attempt to focus more on my Bipolar Disorder (and my daughter's) I created Blissful Bipolar Blues. I had every intention to keep up with.  However, much like with this blog... life, and (ironically) my disorder got in the way.

The World's Largest Thermometer! Finally.

Welcome back!  Seems my posts about Baker, CA have brought quite a bit of attention to my blog.  Whether you landed here in your search for aliens, beef jerky, or extremely large (and rather elusive) thermometers... GREETINGS!  And welcome.

Ok, back to Baker.  (If this is your first time here and you actually want the back story, you can start reading here.  However, it is not absolutely necessary.)

Before we get to the World's Largest Thermometer! I feel the need to mention another stop in Baker.  One that made Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" featured on the Food Network, The Mad Greek. Signs were everywhere clamoring for my attention stating they were "World Famous." However, I was not that hungry, I am not a huge fan of Greek food, and I had my sites set on bigger things. Much. Bigger. Although, in hindsight, I could kick myself for not at least taking pictures of the place.  But, like I said, I was preoccupied. That and I had my Mom's voice nagging me about the whole "Ball of Twine" thing.

Alien Fresh Jerky

Better than The Biggest Ball of Twine (part 2) or Alien Fresh Jerky - The inside!

Yesterday, I showed you the outside of Alien Fresh Jerky.  Today, I take you inside.  With out all the extra chatter, let's get right into the pictures. Now, keep in mind we didn't take pictures of everything. I didn't want to look like a desperate blogger in need of something to write about, so we aimed for pathetic tourist instead.  So ya, we didn't miss much.

Like any good Alien based tourist attraction, there were plenty of little visitors on hand to welcome us:

Better Than The Biggest Ball of Twine!

Over this last weekend, I got to scratch something off my bucket list.  But first, a quick back story:

At 3:08 am on September the 16th, my beloved Grandmother passed away.  She was my very last grandparent. 2 days later, I turned 40. In short, life stared me straight in the eyes and bitch slapped me hard with reality.  Then, to add to my already altered state of mind, I was tossed into our SUV and subjected to 12 hours of close confined and torturous hell with my Father, Bruce and our 3 lovely children.  (Yes, you should assume a sarcastic tone when you read the "lovely" part.) Our destination? Laughlin (and then Las Vegas), Nevada.  And the only thing worse, was the 14+ hour ride home.

But it wasn't all bad. --  Yes.  I played a bit and lost. But that wasn't the highlight of the trip.

Hellooooooo Russia!!!

So, I was poking around in my stats (because I like feeling bad about how few people actually view my blood, sweat, and tears) and I clicked on the "Traffic Sources" tab.  Would you believe I have more visitors from Russia than I do from the U.S.?  That just blew me away!  Obviously, they are all lurkers (along with the other 99.9999% of you who visit.  Sad really.  I like comments.  Really.  I do.) But that is OK!  It feels fabulous to know I'm not just talking to myself.

Well.... kinda.  I mean, I AM still just talking to myself, but at least I now know some one's watching me do it.

Wait.  That sounds creepy.

Eh.  They are probably here for the fabulous picture of the "tick tock" clock embedded in my "Hello Insomnia, My Old Friend" post. (Thanks Google!)

But I digress... back to the topic at hand.  

 

Helloooooo RUSSIA!!!! 

 

 For whatever reason you have stopped by, WELCOME!!!   And... Thanks! 


I feel so worldly now.  ;0)

Happy Birthday Bubba! ~~~ Very Much Belated!

Oh wow.  I have failed as a bloggy mom, in more ways than one!  I thought I posted this the day after my son's birthday, come to find it hiding in the "edit" file.  No wonder it never showed up on anyone's Comment Luv!  CRAP!  Sorry baby boy.  Mommy does love you.  She's just a hot mess of a blogger.

Well, better late than never, I guess.  

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yesterday was my son's 7th birthday.  He was excited because he made it to the doubld syllables.  Se-ven. He thinks that big, wait 'til he turns eleven. ;0)

 

Happy Birthday Handsome!

Flunking Back to the 5th Grade at 40

No one ever tells you that when you have kids, you will be forced to repeat your entire school career.  Starting with macaroni necklaces and finger paints, baby!  Yup. So get comfy in rehashing everything you learned (and all that you didn't) with no end in sight for the next 12+ years!



Help Others, Yes. But Know Your Limitations.

Domestic violence is my biggest pet peeve.  I have been a victim of it in the past, so have several members of my family and close circle of friends.  So when I was recently asked to help out someone (who had children) out, I did without question.  However, I knew my limits and I made them clear. Sadly, all attempts to help were for not. The person moved back into the situation. As frustrated as I was over this, I knew it was a possibility. You can only help those who are ready to help themselves. It became abundantly apparent to me just how important the limits I had set were.

BLOGGER MIA! Again.

Hey Ya'll!   It's me. 

What do you mean me who?!?   I know it's been awhile, but....

It's KID!  Tracey?  You know... the person who's blog you are currently reading?

Seriously?

Ok, I deserve that.  It has been quite awhile.  And I did promise to post stuff and didn't.  I know. I know.  Bad Blogger!  BAD BLOGGER!!!

But can I show you why?  Real quick like?   And then, I will let go back to being mad at me. 

All 5 of my beautiful babies!

Let's just say it is has been a fabulous, albeit hectic, summer.  One that has made me feel loved and tested.  All at the same time.

I hope you now understand my absence.  

COOKIES!!!!

Everyone loves cookies.  I have never met a person who hated cookies.  However, at the same time, not all cookies are loved (or liked) by everyone.  There are some cookies out there that melt in your mouth and leave behind a certain euforia that compells you to stuff a million more in your face in the hopes of relieving it.  There are other cookies out there that leave something behind not so desirable that compells you to find a tounge scrapper and a toothbrush!  When trying new cookies for the first time, I am hoping it's the first kind, praying it's not the second kind, but pretty sure it will land somewhere in between.

And Then There Was 5

UPDATED!!  See below...

Yesterday, I got that box of fabulous freebies.  The fake nails peeked my interest.  Mind you, I bite my nails.  A lot.  I mean, A LOT a lot.  Like, A LOT a lot a lot.  Seriously.. ok, I'll stop.  I started when I was 6, the same year I stopped suckin' my thumb. *insert joke about oral fixation here*  Now, STOP JUDGING ME!

I'm an Official Products Review... Type... Person.

Today I got something really kick butt in the mail.  A box filled with goodies for me and the kids.  No, I don't have a secret admirer.  Actually, if I did and they sent me fake nails, a cookie and a bar of soap, I would really be worried. 

No, all is good.  I actually signed up for randomness to be sent my way.  I joined a new website called Influenster.com.  Really cool little website.  When you join, they have you fill out these surveys so they can learn more about you.  Then they give you badges.  The more badges you collect, the better your chances are of receiving what they call a VoxBox.  VoxBoxes are little white boxes filled with awesome products you get to try out, review and KEEP!  Best part... it's free!

Today, I recieved my first VoxBox.  The boxes are usually themed.  The theme for my first box?  Mom. Of course.   And it did NOT disappoint.  I guess you could say, VoxBox Rocks.  *waa-waa-waaaa*

The only catch (and it's not really much of a catch) is you have to share your opinions on it's contents.

So... with out further ado...  my most recent vlog... on Influnester and Vox Box for Moms:



Now that you've seen and heard what it's all about, go and sign up.  Get your freebie on!

I'll be back to post the individual reviews for each of the items later this week.

Until then,
*Namaste*

The Delectable Dozen

12 years ago tonight, I met the man of my dreams.

Well... ok, he wasn't the man of my dreams at the time.  Nope.  Not even close!  Back then, I was dreaming of a tall, dark haired, Rock-a-Billie with a dancing addiction and the finances to fund it!  So when I was blind sided by the affections of a blond haired practically homeless computer nerd with 2 left feet that stood (maybe) 2 inches taller than me, I smiled sweetly while thinking to myself "Not on your life!"

Karen Huff Klein Bullied on the Bus by BRATS! - a mom's rant

Have you seen this?!?




I wrote a comment on one of the many youtube posts about this.  The space alotted was not nearly long enough for me to get my rant out.   That's what blogs are for, right?

Ah June... The Most Chaotic Month.

And here you thought that was December.  HA!

I'm sure I have mentioned in years past (wait.... did I just say years?) that June is a busy month around here.  Graduation and Daddy's Day obviously.  Everyone deals with at least one of those, right?  Ok, maybe not all. (quick nod to my peeps with sperm donors).  Now sprinkle in 2 birthdays and an anniversary.  And here's the kicker: All with in a 2 week span.   Fun. Times!  *ahem* not.

Schooooool's Out For the Summer!

Today was the last day of school.  Busy day too. 

Cait wanted cupcakes in her class to celebrate her birthday, which isn't until the 19th, but she really wanted to do something with her classmates.  I get it.  Sucks having a summer birthday... if you're a kid.  Like I want all those brats and their parents at my place!  We know enough people with kids, I don't need to invite 30 or more kids I barely know and their parents for an extended moment of awkwardness.  I'm good!  So, ya.  Cupcakes in her class?  I'm good with that.

It's Saturday! WTHeck?

It is currently 7:53 in the morning on a Saturday.   Why am I up? 

It's a Sa. Tur. Day!  Saturday!

No need to be up. 

But here I am.

With coffee.

Now what?

Ah yes... enjoy the lack of chaos.