Update:

Well it seems as if that was the peak....shhhhhh though, I do still have 7 more days left of March and I don't want to jinx them!

I did end up making bread, to my kids joy. They informed me that they didn't like store bought bread anymore, "It doesn't fill us up!" That was nice, but it does put a little pressure on.... I thought I'd trick them and buy Texas bread the last time I ran short of home made bread and time. But do you know what that costs!!!!!! Yikes! So I not only got two loaves made last week, which lasted two days...... I got four loaves made last night, which are looking like they too will only last two days! I know the math doesn't work on that......but it is my reality.

I did end up reactivating my BB and I am LOVING IT! I couldn't get my headset to revive and was literally heading towards the garbage with it, when a little voice told me to plug it in. Wahla! We had lights! I'm almost crying, just thinking of my joy upon those lights coming on! So I have my much loved phone and headset back.

Max has settled down some. And we have come to realize that he was most likely in sugar withdrawal. We embarked on a sugar free adventure last fall. We spent aprox. 40 days sugar and corn syrup free. No store bought bread, hamburger buns, hot dog buns or ketchup, mayo or ranch dressing. No jam. If it had sugar or corn syrup as part of it's make up, it didn't enter our mouth. We used honey and maple syrup instead.

Then we let up and we could eat what ever we wanted outside of the house, then the holidays hit and we ate what ever we wanted, regardless of where it was!! About half way through the holiday season, Collin remarked that next holiday season we were NOT going to back to sugar. Max was that bad on sugar and that noticeable different off of sugar.

It took us all of Jan. and Feb to stop having misc. sugar laying around. But by March it was all out of the house, just in time to have cake and ice cream for Jayden's birthday! But we had the cake and ice cream and then we were done. At this time we have almost no sugar in the house.

What we do have is corn syrup in our ketchup and I think our ranch dressing and sugar in our mayo....these three things are the only items we have not been able to keep out. Mostly because so far we haven't found an acceptable substitute for everybody. We also are still consuming the freezer jam that my Mom made last summer. We have also given it to some friends and will probably give some more away. But once it's gone, it's gone. We use jam that is made with just fruit (read expensive) or use apple butter (read not so expensive!).

But I digress. Max is a very different child off of sugar and dairy and so we are working hard to keep him off of it! The rest of us have felt the positive changes in ourselves also and so keeping sugar out of the house isn't as hard as it could be. In fact we made it through Valentine's Day with no candy entering the house and the request has come in for no sugar in the Easter Baskets. They would like Lego's or something else along those lines. I'm so happy.

I think part of the reason the kids are at ease with it, is that we have worked with them so that they listen to their own bodies and know what feels good and what doesn't. We also are not telling them no/never. We are asking them to moderate themselves and to listen to themselves. So if they are at a party and want the sugar items, then they have them. (although I've started to become pretty strict with Max, it really does make him a Monster and we all can see it)

I think it helps that they've also had to learn to listen to their bodies due to the dairy sensitivities they all have to varying degrees. A few of them get ear infections and Than and I have ear aches if we over indulge. And so I've taught them to be aware of what they are eating and how it affects them.

Back to Max, who is sleeping peacefully next to me, while I type away on Brent's laptop. My friend Lissa said I needed to point out that not only was he better for the field trip, he was an angel. Because she followed him around all day and he didn't have to keep up with us. She was perfectly willing to just let him do what he wanted and he was so happy with it. She more than made up for not watching him all those years, that day. By allowing the rest of us to do what we wanted without dragging Max along to keep up! He was an absolute gem that day.

He's done much better this last few days, just crossing my fingers he keeps it up!

The cats are still having issues. Currently Mom's cat is isolated in her own room, but this morning I caught one of our male cats peeing on a garbage sack in the office, it was on the floor, waiting to go out. So now I don't know if it's just him or if it's him and the other females or if it's everybody!!!! I am glad I canceled the vet apt. yesterday for two of the females. Can you imagine how I'd feel today, having seen him do that!! I'd be so mad! So now I'm brainstorming ideas for isolating the cats and seeing just who is peeing outside the litter boxes, besides him!

Happy is just fine. He generally is after a seizure. This last one was just a lot longer than others he's had and it had some differences about it, that made me worry while we were in the middle of it. But now he's back to normal and he may or may not have another one. We just don't know what triggers them for him and we may never know. I'm just thankful that they are infrequent and that he's otherwise healthy.

So there you have it. Just thought you might like a positive update. I am surviving my life and it does seem to be looking up for the moment!