"My son used to be a ticking time bomb -- he'd find a screwdriver and poke a hole in the screen door, then stuff a toy down the toilet in a matter of minutes," says Theresa Newfield of Raynham, MA, whose son Dayson was diagnosed with ODD when he was 3. Now on the stimulant Adderall (amphetamine and dextroamphetamine) by day and an antidepressant before bed.
Found the above on an article discussing medicating preschoolers and toddlers.
J regularly engages in behavior like that listed above. I chalk it up to two things:
1) My unwillingness to constantly supervise him
2) The fact that he's two
It'd take a whole lot more than that for me to put my child on a daily regimen of medication with serious neurological and metabolic side effects.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Half next weekend
I'm going to Nashville on Friday to run an all-women's half marathon on Saturday. The idea is intriguing to me, especially because of things like a "cookie cafe" at the end instead of the usual pizza/subs/let's-rot-our-stomachs-with-artificial-nutrients protein shakes. And because, let's face it, guys who run long races like this tend to take themselves a LOT more seriously than the women who do (with the exception of the elites, who should take themselves seriously....because, frankly, they're amazingly fast), and I'm interested to see how the dynamic changes without than element.
Secretly, though, I'm only going so I can see AL and because my mother-in-law wanted some company. Running races with her has been a fun thing to share, I'm going to miss it in the next pregnancy/recovery/retraining gap (no announcements, just inevitability).
My training for this race hasn't been nearly as consistent as for the last long race I did....summer heat and moving into the new house, together with starting the new job, have sort of consumed my free time. But I've managed it.
And.
Today I ran 10 miles in an hour and 33 minutes. This included 1 mile on the crazy hill I've talked about before....it was mile 9. It was one of those breezy, cool, bright sun/blue sky Midwest days that's just absolutely perfect and why I can't live anywhere else....I love the seasons here. And since I was on the road I brought music along. It was a great run, I felt strong and steady the whole time (well, except for that mile of hill training).
To all the dogs (and there were a lot of you!) who watched me aimlessly from your front porches: Thank you.
To all the owners of said dogs: Way to train your dogs to only react to a legitimate threat.
To the bloodhound, Aussie, Lab, Pit Bull, and mutt Shepherd that chased me: HAHAHAHAHA, that stick was a lot harder than you thought it'd be huh?
To all the owners of said dogs: Fence, tie, or train your dog. You're breaking state law otherwise. I know, I've checked. And if they chase/attempt to bite me next time I run the route, I'm legally allowed to pepper spray and/or taze them.
I ran in normal shoes for the first time in ages, because I don't think I've built the strength to go 10 miles in my Vibrams. But now my feet are not happy. Oh well, you can't win them all.
Secretly, though, I'm only going so I can see AL and because my mother-in-law wanted some company. Running races with her has been a fun thing to share, I'm going to miss it in the next pregnancy/recovery/retraining gap (no announcements, just inevitability).
My training for this race hasn't been nearly as consistent as for the last long race I did....summer heat and moving into the new house, together with starting the new job, have sort of consumed my free time. But I've managed it.
And.
Today I ran 10 miles in an hour and 33 minutes. This included 1 mile on the crazy hill I've talked about before....it was mile 9. It was one of those breezy, cool, bright sun/blue sky Midwest days that's just absolutely perfect and why I can't live anywhere else....I love the seasons here. And since I was on the road I brought music along. It was a great run, I felt strong and steady the whole time (well, except for that mile of hill training).
To all the dogs (and there were a lot of you!) who watched me aimlessly from your front porches: Thank you.
To all the owners of said dogs: Way to train your dogs to only react to a legitimate threat.
To the bloodhound, Aussie, Lab, Pit Bull, and mutt Shepherd that chased me: HAHAHAHAHA, that stick was a lot harder than you thought it'd be huh?
To all the owners of said dogs: Fence, tie, or train your dog. You're breaking state law otherwise. I know, I've checked. And if they chase/attempt to bite me next time I run the route, I'm legally allowed to pepper spray and/or taze them.
I ran in normal shoes for the first time in ages, because I don't think I've built the strength to go 10 miles in my Vibrams. But now my feet are not happy. Oh well, you can't win them all.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Happy Birthday to me
Today I did a lot of mental health things for myself....all the laundry and dishes are done, my grading is done and entered, my lesson plans for next week are ready, the dog is washed and brushed (she's shedding A TON right now, I'm trying to minimize the impact of that on my poor house), I did my grocery trip for this two weeks (didn't just stay within the newly-scrimped experimental budget, but came in way under), all of the carpet that I could vacuum before the vacuum caught fire (I guess it's only fair, between the time it was Dad's and time it's been ours it's gotta be about 7 years old) is clean, I hung the new American flag I found (I've been stalking a nylon one with embroidered-on stars and sewn stripes....none of that printed sheet fabric for our flag!) on sale, and the vases around the house are stocked with zinnias and sunflowers from my garden. It feels so smiley and nice!
Since it's a "milestone birthday" for me (you only hit a decade once a decade, right?), I've been thinking about the last ten years. Ten years ago, I had just done a study abroad in the Dominican Republic that changed my life.....destroyed my framework for the world and required me to re-think poverty, privilege, consumerism, race....and made me determined to do something productive with my language skills. Since then, I've served a mission, gotten married, started teaching at one university, had a baby girl, worked on a Golden Age theater project, finished an MA, started teaching at another university, had a baby boy, finished PhD coursework, passed PhD exams, run my first two half marathons and first marathon, defended a dissertation proposal, bought and moved into our first home back near family (HOORAY! FINALLY!), trained a puppy (well, mostly, we're still in-process), and started teaching full-time at yet another university. It's been a good ten years!
So, I'm not really big into elaborate celebrations for birthdays. We do family parties for the kids, with cake and ice cream and they get presents. I'm not one to complain that my husband didn't buy me an expensive gift or bring me flowers (I'd much rather take trips with him from time to time than have money eaten up by small things!) But I have to admit that right now, while he's going out to get some pop and the best pizza for miles (happens to be about two miles up the road) and some hot wings (total splurge, we never buy wings even though we both love them), with the kids in tow, I'm feeling like it's the best present ever.
Since it's a "milestone birthday" for me (you only hit a decade once a decade, right?), I've been thinking about the last ten years. Ten years ago, I had just done a study abroad in the Dominican Republic that changed my life.....destroyed my framework for the world and required me to re-think poverty, privilege, consumerism, race....and made me determined to do something productive with my language skills. Since then, I've served a mission, gotten married, started teaching at one university, had a baby girl, worked on a Golden Age theater project, finished an MA, started teaching at another university, had a baby boy, finished PhD coursework, passed PhD exams, run my first two half marathons and first marathon, defended a dissertation proposal, bought and moved into our first home back near family (HOORAY! FINALLY!), trained a puppy (well, mostly, we're still in-process), and started teaching full-time at yet another university. It's been a good ten years!
So, I'm not really big into elaborate celebrations for birthdays. We do family parties for the kids, with cake and ice cream and they get presents. I'm not one to complain that my husband didn't buy me an expensive gift or bring me flowers (I'd much rather take trips with him from time to time than have money eaten up by small things!) But I have to admit that right now, while he's going out to get some pop and the best pizza for miles (happens to be about two miles up the road) and some hot wings (total splurge, we never buy wings even though we both love them), with the kids in tow, I'm feeling like it's the best present ever.
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