What animal would your chronic illness be?

TDay 8: If your condition was an animal, what animal would it be? 

I initially was really excited about this one - but some of the chronic health problems I deal with (or people close to me deal with) are terrible things that I don't want to associate with any animal (I love all animals and don't think that's fair). My first thought was to assign a mythical creature to each one. Mythical creatures are super interesting and many have such complex backgrounds and characteristics that it just seems natural to link them with something as complicated as a chronic health problem. I jumped on Google and I Googled away for far too long and was still stuck behind a wall. I don't know if its the perpetual brain-fog I've been in or what- I mean, I had ideas, just nothing that made me go "Oh yes! That's it!". So, alas, that's my quandary. I do tend to over-think things and this could very well be one of those times. So I started to think about the real animal associations and figured that if I were to assign an animal, it wouldn't be the animal as the condition, but rather, the animal as a person with the condition. That is a way I can use real animals with out feeling terrible. So here's a working list of what I came up with. I still think this idea is really cool. So please, if anyone has any ideas, share them! I really want to incorporate not only the conditions that I suffer from, but the ones that those close to me suffer from as well.

Epilepsy: Mythical: Something celestial or elemental. Real: Firefly 

Eating Disorders: Mythical: Will 'o the Wisps. In European folklore, these lights are held to be either mischievous spirits of the dead, or other supernatural beings or spirits such as fairies, attempting to lead travelers astray  

Real: Hummingbird

Fibromyalgia: Mythical: ??? Real: ???

Dysautonomia/POTS: Mythical: Chimera or shape-shifter or the Hedley Kow  A very mischievous, but not dangerous, shape-changing boggart which used to plague the villagers of Hedley (North-umberland) by his many tricks (Henderson, 1866: 270-1). A farmer mistook him for his own horse, a milkmaid for her favourite cow, an old woman for a bundle of straw; in each case he caused unexpected trouble, and then vanished with a loud guffaw. He could even turn into the likeness of a girl, to trick her sweetheart into following him till he ended up knee-deep in a bog. Real: ??? 

Autism: Mythical: Unicorn - Everyone knows of them, but very few actually know them. Mysterious, illusive, and Pure. 

Real: ??? 

Cerebral Palsy: Mythical: ... total blank... Real: Coyote - Extremely clever and adaptable. Forms strong family bonds and is frequently misunderstood. 

So please, if you have any other ideas feel free to share them! Also, if you would like another condition represented on here that isn't, let me know! I would love to expand this! 

HAWMC Day 13

This was actually a little more difficult than I had originally thought. Well, no that's not entirely true. It was pretty easy until I had a flair-up the other day, after that it was quite... Interesting. So with out farther adieu, here are my random acrostic-esque words.  

• C - constant
• H- hope
• R- rising
• O- over
• N- no
• I - improvement (or)
• C-  cure
• A- and
• L- listening (and)
• L- learning
• Y- you

 

• A- are
• W- what
• E- encourages
• S- spoonies
• O- over
• M- miles
• E- everywhere

• E- ever
• P- perplexing
• I- illness
• L- leveling
• E- entire
• P- pathways,
• S- short-circuiting
• Y- you

• E- excruciating
• A- and
• T- testing
• I- illness
• N- never
• G- granting

 

• D- dreams.
• I- incessant
• S- serpent
• O- owning
• R- reality,
• D- decaying
• E- every
• R- real
• S- sentiment

 This one I did not come up with. It is perfect, so I'm not going to mess with it ;)

• A- always
• U- unique,
• T- totally
• I- interesting,
• S- sometimes
• M- mysterious

Misinformation

WEGO Health challenge for today: Misinformation 

Tell us 3 things that are true about you, your condition, or your Health Activism. Tell us 1 lie. Will we be able to tell the difference?

***Bonus Points*** Post the questions as a poll on Facebook and post the results!

1. I have raised wolfdogs and frequently lobby for wolf conservation. I try to help educate others about them with myths vs facts, and general predation pros vs cons. 

 2. I push myself too hard, and hate admitting that I need more help than I ask for. It makes me feel like a burden. Not to mention lazy. 

 3. I can play the flute, piccolo, and bagpipes (and have won awards in competitions for all three instruments, in both ensemble and solo performances - yeah, that's right. I'm gonna brag a bit... I guess I did forget to mention that all of that was about 10 years ago, but whatevs. ;)

 4. I love to jog - well, I used to love to jog. Being Chronically Awesome comes at a price. 

A Dangerous Blind Spot

As NEDAwareness week wraps up, I'd like to leave you with one last post. 

 *Note: I do plan to add other posts pertaining to this subject well after this week is over ;) 

There is a lot of attention on the current childhood obesity epidemic that seems to not only over shadow another epidemic, but fuel it altogether. 

In a CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) article from 2004, Dr. Joan M. Johnston addresses the push towards eliminating childhood obesity upon receiving a package as part of an obesity-awareness campaign for family physicians and pediatricians. 

She writes: "I am disgusted by the cavalier disregard for eating disorders exhibited in the medico-cultural war against obesity." 

This publication had ZERO mention of eating disorders. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that BED (binge eating disorder) is infact an actual eating disorder. Am I wrong? Did this phenomenon occur purely out of poorly educated choices, or is this much more complex issue than the health industry would like us to think? It is beyond ignorant to think that anyone in America who is overweight (or has a child who is) doesn't already have a plethora of information regarding the issue or, even worse, doesn't already know they are over weight. Johnston later sums up this eating disorder blind spot by stating that "For such individuals, launching a frontal assault on the symptom (obesity) instead of dealing with the underlying cause (the eating disorder) may simply catalyze the transformation of their disorder into anorexia or bulimia nervosa." 

The quick fix of caloric intake vs expenditure will have devastating results. With out addressing the person as a whole and just focusing on the numbers we set up for poorer health. It doesn't take very long before you are so far down the rabbit hole that you realize the "control" you thought you had was just a mirage (remember: most EDs are not about the food or the weight,they are much more complex than that). 

Up to 20% of those lost in wonderland will die from their eating disorder. That is a number far HIGHER than the risk of death from diabetes or heart disease related to obesity. Johnston sums up with "By adding the official voice of family physicians and pediatricians to the consumerist messages already bombarding them about diet and exercise, we will be endorsing the exploitative purveyors of these messages. We will be telling our kids that they are not okay, and we will drive many of them into the waiting arms of anorexia and bulimia." Combine that knowledge with the fact that this was in 2004 and both the health-care industry and our government's attention to this issue has increased exponentially while still having this blind spot is terrifying.

In today's Huff Post Parents an article spot lights a school who sent home "fat letters" to all students with an elevated BMI. 

Seriously, I can't even go into detail about this article because it is so maddening. PLEASE follow the link and see for yourself. BMI and I have been long-time enemies. It is purely height in relation to weight and does NOT account for muscle mas or bone structure. In another insightful article, Time Magazine's website (Time Ideas) that was published last Thursday focuses on this issue and adds some great points: "promoting healthy eating, regardless of one’s weight or age, seems like a positive thing on the surface. But here’s the potential downside: We know kids and teens react differently than adults to external pressures like persistent messaging. Sometimes these pressures can translate into incredible waves of anxiety and fear. At the extreme, a healthy-weight youth could be pushed to monitor his weight more frequently or even begin an unsupervised diet — behaviors that might represent an impending eating disorder." As someone who started out trying be healthy and wound up almost dead, I can't stress the truth in this statement enough. There is no doubt that the current level of obesity in this country is alarming and needs to be addressed, I just feel that there MUST be a better way than how we're doing it now. 

Leibster Award

The other day I was reading a blog post from one of my favorite blogs, Just Mildly Medicated, that was about the Liebster Award. I had never heard of it before and, luckily, she explained it in her post. As I scrolled down the page, I came to the part where she gets to pass the torch on to other bloggers who are deemed worthy of the award. Then I saw my blog...

My blog. My barely there, baby blog. I can't believe it. I am so incredibly honored to receive the Liebster Award. I am still a bit dumbfounded and very giddy. I mean...

  Seriously?... You picked me? Wow! I'm pretty much speechless - ok, not totally speechless. I have never been totally speechless in my entire life. I was surprised, ecstatic, great full, and so many other things. Ok, so here's what it's all about in case you don't know what the Liebster Award is either: Via Just Mildly Medicated -  the Liebster Award (German, meaning “dearest” or “beloved”) is granted by fellow bloggers to up and coming bloggers they feel are deserving of recognition and encouragement. It is an award that passed on from blogger to blogger and here is what each person receiving the award must do: 

• Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
• Answer the 11 questions the person giving the award has set for you.
• Create 11 questions for the people you will be giving the award to.
• Choose 11 people to award and send them a link to your post.  Go to their page and tell them.
• No tag backs.

* She only did 5 of each, because well, she doesn't understand that rules/guidelines apply to her (her words, not mine). 11 Things About Me

1.  I'm oddly fond of learning. I am one of those weird people who attend lectures for fun and actually like the books on mandatory reading lists. I love Shakespeare, Homer, Ayn Rand, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo... The list goes on and on!
2.  I like animals way more than people. When I was in elementary school, random animals would follow me to school and then back home.
3.  My sister is severely disabled. She has severe autism, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy - so childhood was a little bit different for me.
4. I love the moon, especially full moons! The irony is that full moons effect my epilepsy a lot... I know, now I sound really weird. But it's not just me. My sister, cousin, and aunt also experience seizures/seizure activity during most full moons.
5.  I love art! I love to sketch, paint, and create.
6.  My favorite animal is the wolf. That's not really a surprise, though. They are very misunderstood. These beautiful creatures are necessary predators in our ecosystem. I hate the 'big bad wolf' stigma.
7.  I have come very close to dying 3 times - one of which, I had to be resuscitated.
8.  I love tattoos and have a lot of respect for true tattoo artists. I believe it is one of the most difficult art forms to master.
9.  I could live on dark chocolate and coffee. There's no need to explain that.
10.  My husband and I met in band class. I played the flute, piccolo, and bagpipes and he played the alto saxophone , bass drum, and tenor drum (but he can play many other instruments as well).
11.  I had a sever eating disorder (largely due to an underlying medical condition) that almost cost me my life.

  Just Mildly Medicated's 5 Questions For Me

1.  Favorite Book? Definitely A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and We The Living by Ayn Rand
2.  Favorite Quote? " And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." - Nietzsche             "Even the darkest night shall end and the sun will rise." - Victor Hugo     "Though she be but small, she is fierce." - Shakespeare
3. Why did you start your blog? Well, I guess I needed something to focus on that was just mine. After having kids and trying to stay on top of things with out running out of spoons, I lost a lot of things that were just for me. I needed something that was beyond the day to day To-Do lists.
4. How do you find time to blog? Well... I don't - evident by my infrequent posts. Most of the time, I end up blogging late at night after everyone else is asleep.
5.  What did/do you want to be when you grew/grow up? I wanted to be a doctor. I was going to specialize in either neurology or psychiatry - though a duel practice would be amazing since most patients need to see both specialists. I was even accepted into a great med school program, but then I fell very ill and was unable to attend. But my true dream job would be rescuing/rehabilitating animals. Right now, I just try my best to be a great mom and wife.

  Ok, now on to the good stuff! Here are my top 11 Liebster Blogs! ... Oh wait... That's right, I'm completely new to all of this blogging stuff and actually don't know that many blogs (yeah, you can stop laughing anytime you want). Well, I guess I do know that many, but none of them are up and coming - they're already here! So I'm thinking that I'll go ahead and list my favs anyway and hope they don't mind getting a newb award. Growing A Jeweled Rose Fantastic Fun And Learning Imagination Soup The Deliberately Unintentional Mom The Madness Of Mommyhood Hands Free Mama The Pursuit Of Normal Bookworm Mama CHRONICALLYsILLY Fit vs Fiction Living With Bob My Question For You:  

1.  What is your favorite quote?
2.  What is your favorite book/author?
3.  Name something on your bucket list?
4.  Name something you've crossed of your bucket list?
5.  What is the best advice you have received
6.  What advice would you give others?
7.  Family Motto?
8.  What would your dream job?
9.  What is your favorite animal?
10. Name one strange quirk of yours
11.  What is your favorite food/drink?

So congratulations! Now go and pass the torch ;)    

Creativity in Children

Creativity is something I have always held in high regard. I find it to be one of the most important characteristics in a person.

Apparently, so do America's highest ranking CEOs. A recent IBM study showed that CEOs chose creativity as the most important trait for leaders of the future. Ok, so what's the big deal? Children seem pretty darn creative, right? Maybe not. The best ways to measure creativity in both children and adults is known as the Torrence Test of Creative Thinking. TTCT scores have risen every year since its creation, that is until 1990. Every year since 1990 scores have steadily declined.

Torrence Test of Creative Thinking, or TTCT has been the definitive tool in measuring creativity in the USA for the past 45 years. This test is broken up into two parts - figurative and verbal.

The figurative portion uses three picture based exercises. These three exercises examine fluency, elaboration, originality, resistance to premature closer, abstraction of titles, emotional expressiveness, storytelling articulation, movement, extending and breaking of boundaries, fantasy, imagery, and humor. This portion takes about 30 minutes to complete and is available in age related, grade related contents (tests for kindergarten- adult). National and regional scoring norms and percentages are supplied I within the creativity portion. The verbal portion is available for 1st grade-adult and uses verbal based exercises which, in addition to what the figurative portion measures, focus on: opportunities to ask question, improve products, and think hypothetically. You can obtain testing booklets for $6.90/student and scoring booklets for $8.50/student. There are also scoring workshops available by STS 

Ok, so what do we do about this???

First we have to examine what could possibly be causing these declining scores.

It's no secret that America has become preoccupied with standardized tests. The outcome of this preoccupation is also no surprise. Teachers are hounded about scores and are forced to spend the majority of class time teaching test-taking skills and material only relevant to that particular test. There is no room for exploration, discovery, imagination, or even just some educational fun. Classes in the arts have been cut drastically To make way for this academic structured school environment. Even more alarming than anything else is the fact that children as young as preK and Kindergarden feel pressure to do well on tests. I know I always did. I was always a creative kid, but as I grew up I had a harder time letting that creativity out in it's freest, truest form. I became hyper-aware of what was expected and what I should be creating rather than what I thought and felt should be created. I certainly DO NOT want my children to feel this ridiculous pressure. But, alas, tests are not the only thing standing in creativity's way. Over scheduling and over achieving are equally detrimental. There is an extreme pressure, as a parent, to keep our children busy with activities in order to produce well-rounded adults. Unfortunately, this is probably the exact opposite way to go about that.

So, what can we as parents do?

~ Look for programs that provide a mix of play and academics.

There are MANY different charter schools now available with a wide range of focuses. If you have the opportunity, please check these out! 

 * Side note- My daughter is three and will be entering preK fairly soon. We just moved back to my home town, where charter schools with voucher programs are widely available. I have had no experience with these before and wasn't fully even aware of them. My mom told me about a school that just recently became a charter school. It's right around the corner from performing is a performing arts school. My daughter absolutely loves the arts and I think this could be a great thing! 

  ~ Promote imaginative play with prompts -sand and water tables, dress up, building blocks of any kind, paint and other art supplies, etc). Great sites for this include

~ Encourage brain storming to solve problems. 

~ Ask open-ended questions "We don't have a princess tiara. What could we use instead?", etc) 

~ Turn off the TV, computer, video game, and what ever else entertained your child and encourage play with out these stimuli. 

When a child watches TV or plays a video game they are being entertained by someone else's imagination. TV and video games are not bad, they just shouldn't be your child's go-to entertainment. It may take a bit, but after the initial "I'm bored" statements and goans, their imagination will guide them.

~ Provide low-tech toys: art supplies, non-motorized cars (hello hot wheels!), dominoes, bouncy balls, blocks, figurines... The list goes on and on! 

~ Go outside!!! The outdoors are the biggest toy box in the world! 

Think about it- rocks, sticks, trees, dirt, bugs, creatures... I know I used to have "treasures" from my exploring adventures consisting of sticks, rocks, and leaves that I felt were special. Just go EXPLORE!!! 

~ Allow kids to indulge in any particular subject they find fascinating.

Right now my (almost 2 year old) son is fascinated with dinosaurs. Now honestly, I never thought much of dinosaurs. They just never interested me, but I'm finding myself eager to learn more and more about them because of his love for them. We currently have a small dinosaur book, several figurines, play stuff like little trees and rocks, and he loves that show Dinosaur Train on PBS (got to love PBS). If he continues to like this subject as he grows older I plan to take him to museums, encourage him to write stories involving his dinosaurs, design play areas for his figurines, etc. If later on he still likes them, then it's on to scientifically accurate books, documentaries, more museums, and anything else he can come up with. Right now Parents.com is running a Thrive in 2025 campaign targeted at this very  topic. There is a parent pledge - Vowing to nurture your child's creative thinking. I have already signed this and plan to share their Thrive in 2025 campaign on Facebook as well. 

Psychology Today has some great articles about creativity and children. Check them out! (click images for links)

Childhood Wonder

Children are full of genuine curiosity. They are so eager to learn. If nothing else, I want to seize this opportunity and to instill values in my children whilst keeping their insatiable thirst for knowledge and truth intact. I'm still not sure how I will accomplish such a feat, but lets just assume that I can. My wish for them:

• A love of books
• Respect for their elders
• Kindness
• Always fight for what they believe in
• Seek the truth
• Question everything
• Follow their instincts
• Speak for those who can not
• Be advocates
• Respect all living creatures
• Know that all animals are innocent, just like children
• Humanity is flawed, be humble
• Create
• Do not restrain your imagination
• Try not to judge before knowing all the facts
• The Earth is precious, don't waste her resources
• Always help when you can, but do not feel guilty when you truly can't
• Do not let guilt run your life
• Do not let your past dictate who you are, but let it be a part of who you become