Read more about the article The current estimate arrived and it’s not good at all
Link / My thoughts

The current estimate arrived and it’s not good at all

I heard from our adjuster last night and also received the current estimate via email. I say current estimate because until the tree is gone, he can't tally the rest of the damage. Basically, at this point we're not looking good at all, not even a little. At this point in time, I'm dealing with a total payout of about $1,000, and plus I get the chance to bless a random contractor and whoever did the marketing for construction companies near me. It's important to understand that this is supposed to cover everything that has been currently inspected. That $1,000 has to cover the cut up and removal of the enormous branch in the yard, damaged siding, about 80 feet of gutter and broken cedar fence. The damage to the…

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October 17, 2018
Read more about the article I don’t think this is going to work out well for us
My thoughts

I don’t think this is going to work out well for us

Yesterday I met with the claims adjuster, in regards to the storm damage to our house and yard. The guy was really nice but some of the information that he provided, contradicted what I had been told over the phone by desk adjuster (I think that's what the person was called). There is one enormous area of concern for me, that falls smack dab in the middle of this contradiction and that's the damaged tree that still remains standing. Before I get to that, let me explain where we stand with everything else. First of all, if you're unfamiliar with that happened during the freak storm, you can catch up here. There's tons of pictures and background. The damage to the house should be covered without a problem. We can't…

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October 17, 2018
Read more about the article Lighting the way for parents facing similar struggles
Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

Lighting the way for parents facing similar struggles

I'm really trying to keep up with writing. When I first started, almost 10 years ago, you could literally follow us along our journey because I wrote constantly. I don't do that so much anymore but I'm trying to find a middle ground between exhaustion, helping others, my need to write and my readers desire to follow our journey.. Yesterday, I published an article about what my family experienced during the seperation, why it happened and what we learned along the way. That got me thinking about a lot of things. Perhaps I don't need to provide a play by play anymore. Instead, I can help just as many people by sharing stories and/or experiences on a regular basis, in a somewhat coherent manner. 😉 At the end of the…

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October 16, 2018
Read more about the article The heartbreaking reality of how trauma has seriously impacted one of my kids with #Autism
Akron Children's Hospital / Elliott / Gavin / My thoughts / Psychiatry

The heartbreaking reality of how trauma has seriously impacted one of my kids with #Autism

I've been meaning to write this but the idea of doing so has been too overwhelming. There are a number of reasons for that but the main one is that I'm struggling with my own depression at this point and many things have me overwhelmed. I'm going to try and keep this super quick so I can actually finish it. Elliott finally got into psychiatry at Akron Children's Hospital this past week. We'd been waiting for a very long time for an opening because child psychiatrists are nearly impossible to find in our area, especially good ones. We ended up meeting with a nurse practitioner. Turns out we already knew him because he used to work with Dr. Reynolds, Gavin's longtime psychiatrist. That was very comforting, although we'd never spoken…

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October 14, 2018
Read more about the article A major update on the mass in Gavin’s forearm
Gavin / My thoughts

A major update on the mass in Gavin’s forearm

Real quick, I wanted to share a bit of good news. We heard back from the doctor today in regards to the mass in his forearm. The doctor sent us a message via My Chart and explained the results of the ultrasound. She said it appears that the mass consists of fatty tissue. This is good news. ☺ We are supposed to monitor it for any shape or size changes and let her know if it ever becomes painful. I did ask her a question about whether or not it was pressing against the vein and if so, should we be worried about that? Maybe I misunderstood what I saw in the ultrasound. Either way, it's good news that it's apparently a fatty cyst or mass and nothing that we…

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October 14, 2018
Read more about the article #Selfcare is a journey but it’s worth the effort
My thoughts / Self-Care / Weight-loss Journey

#Selfcare is a journey but it’s worth the effort

I know it's not Wednesday but I forgot to share this because of all that has gone on this week.. Truthfully, I forget to share on most Wednesdays. ☺ Anyway, as you know, I've been working on weight loss this year. I had unfortunately, reached 340 lbs during the early parts of 2018. It was a low point in my life and I knew that I had to do something. My family needs me and I can't let them down by letting myself go. This weeks weigh-in has me even closer to my first major milestone. I very much want to be under 300 lbs before the end of the year. As of today, I'm less than a pound away. ☺ I want to end 2018 on a high note.…

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October 13, 2018
Read more about the article I feel like I’m drowning
My thoughts

I feel like I’m drowning

I'm not in the best place tonight. Everything that's going on around me is slowly but surely wearing me down and burning me out. Life can be difficult to cope with sometimes and depression doesn't help matters at all. I can get stuck in a cycle of repetitive thinking and typically, that means I can't stop thinking about one of my fears. The thoughts just swirl endlessly around in my head, slowly driving me crazy and jacking up my anxiety to crazy high levels. It truly wears me down and until I get out of this funk, it will continue to do so. The weird part is that I know why I'm worrying and I know it's not rational but it doesn't make me feel any better. 😔 I really,…

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October 12, 2018
Read more about the article An example of how repetition helps Gavin learn or maintain skills
Autism Parenting Insight / Gavin / My thoughts

An example of how repetition helps Gavin learn or maintain skills

It's been a difficult day because Gavin is definitely struggling but it's sort of a mixed bag. I'll give you an example. I mentioned to him last night that he needs to shave because if he's going to grow facial hair, he needs to maintain it. His goatee comes in pretty nice but the rest doesn't. If he doesn't shave the rest of his face and neck, it honestly looks like that episode of South Park where Cartman glued someone's pubes to his face in order to look like he had a beard. After his IVIG Infusion, Gavin remembered that he needed to shave. I give him major props for that because even remembering is a big deal for him. ☺ He decided to completely shave off his goatee and…

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October 12, 2018