Butler Family Update December 2021

While discovering more about ADHD has taught me all kinds of things about myself, one of the biggest is recognizing when to ride the waves of creativity and when I’m truly wasting my time by forced attempts. It’s a maddening reality, but I’m trying to embrace it. As such, I haven’t written much the last few months. Oh, I’ve tried, but it just wouldn’t really flow. As the dopamine hit eventually returns to writing, here I am starting on a new wave. So, let’s talk about what’s been going on!

We are still so grateful to be homeschooling with an 11, 8 and 4 year old and just finished up another semester with Trailblazers Homeschool Association. I was asked to be on their leadership board last year, taught two classes this semester and have certainly been busier with co-op stuff. We’ve been navigating some behavioral issues at home - they all seem insistent on making it a game of whack-a-mole for us since they take turns losing their minds. After a few really rough weeks, we may be calming down for the moment, we’ll see. Mr. Butler is still working from home, which we LOVE, for the foreseeable future. He recently got himself a laser engraver and is currently learning how to make stuff in hopes of starting a little side business. Our dog, Lizzie, is 14 and still going strong. I’m honestly craving a replacement for my Grace, but Lizzie wouldn’t do well with another dog in the house at her age. Homegirl gets cranky with us sometimes so I’ll just have to wait.

Oh, and we had soccer September through November. Mr. Butler coached the 8 and 4 year old teams so we were running around with that too. By the end of the season, all three showed a lot of growth and I’m thankful for the opportunity they’ve had with the YMCA. In October, we took a trip to Disney World. It had been planned as a part of Mr. Butler’s work trip for several months, but, of course, was cancelled when it came down to it. Since we still had tickets and a (mostly) non-refundable condo, we ultimately took the plunge. My sister-in-law went with us which was perfect because she’s a Disney expert and I didn’t have to plan a thing! It was a great trip, but I always feel like I lose a week in life once I get home. Honestly, I still feel about a week behind, but it was a wonderful trip and worth all the effort.

My father-in-law, Mr. Butler’s dad passed away in October. His health hadn’t been great, but the timing was unexpected. The stress of the world on every level, personal to local to national to global has really been the unspoken stealer of the show in our lives, unfortunately. The big things are good right now - I love Mr. Butler more than ever and I love us together. The kids are growing and learning and make life fun. God has truly blessed us with providential care. We know that and are so grateful. And yet. The unspoken and hollering stress is still there constantly reminding you that whatever naivety you had about how life should go, well that’s over now. And to bring it full circle, stress is THE biggest factor in my body when it comes to health or weight-loss, for sure. I’m trying, doing all the things to lose some of this weight but as the stress has progressed, nothing I did seemed to make a difference. I probably eat better than you, I exercise more than most and I’ve been trying for a long while to very little lasting success. The only issue I’ve not successfully dealt with is my stress and how terribly hard I take it. So, I’ve dove back into the self-hypnosis I learned and successfully used for my 2nd pregnancy. It’s certainly making me feel better, but I’ll keep you posted on the weight-loss front.

And I guess that’s everything worth mentioning for the moment. The ADHD struggles are still alive and well, but if I didn’t have the understanding of what it looks like in my body, I would be so lost. If you truly wonder if you might have it yourself, please look into it. If you do, it could absolutely change your life. Hope you are doing well, friends.